James adjusted the strap of his bag, as he made his way back to the orphanage—the place he had called home for as long as he could remember.
But things were different now.
The once-empty halls weren't silent anymore. The Blackwell sisters—Amelia and her younger sister, Claire—had arrived with their guardian, taking residence within the orphanage's aging walls.
A family of rune masters.
James knew his recent strength wasn't enough—he had absorbed the core, gained power, but rune mastery was a different skill entirely. Understanding the flow of arcane sigils, the delicate balance between energy and inscription—it required guidance.
And Amelia, the eldest of the Blackwell sisters, was exactly the person to provide it.
As he stepped through the threshold, he caught sight of her, seated before a glowing rune circle, hands carefully etching symbols into the air with practiced grace.
She glanced up as he entered, eyes sharp, assessing. She had already noticed something had changed.
"You've been reckless," she remarked—no greeting, no hesitation. "I can feel the instability in your energy."
James exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's why I'm here."
Amelia narrowed her gaze, tapping the rune before her, watching as it shimmered.
"You want to learn?" she asked. "Then prepare yourself. Rune mastery isn't something you rush. If you don't understand it properly, it will tear you apart faster than any monster core ever could."
---
Amelia studied James carefully, tapping her fingers against the rune circle beside her. "Before we begin anything serious," she said, "we need to see how much natural aptitude you actually have."
James expected as much. While his class included rune mastery, that didn't mean he had the talent for it—not in the way the Blackwell family did. Without aptitude, his progress would be slow, inefficient, and possibly dangerous.
She gestured for him to sit across from her. In the center of the room, she placed a small, untouched rune stone—its surface faintly glimmering with residual energy, waiting to be awakened.
"Place your hand over it," Amelia instructed, "and focus. Channel your energy through it, but don't force it. Let it react naturally."
James took a deep breath, resting his palm against the cool surface of the stone. He reached inward, drawing from his newly enhanced arcane power, letting it flow subtly outward.
At first—nothing.
Then—a pulse.
The rune stone flickered, arcs of unstable energy crackling across its surface.
Amelia's expression shifted—interest, curiosity, something unreadable.
James felt heat, then cold, then a brief static shock, all cycling through as if the stone couldn't settle on a single affinity.
Amelia narrowed her eyes. "Your energy isn't unresponsive… but it's unfocused," she observed. "It's trying to merge with the runic energy, but it lacks direction."
She reached forward, tapping the stone lightly. The shifting energy calmed, the wild flickers disappearing.
"Your aptitude isn't weak," she admitted, "but it's unstable. You'll need strict refinement, or else your energy will never properly harmonize with the inscriptions."
James exhaled, tension leaving his body. So he had potential—but it was raw, unpolished.
Amelia smirked. "Looks like we've got a lot of work to do."
---
Amelia wasted no time. "Before you can even think about applying runes," she said, "you need to control your energy properly. Without stability, every inscription you attempt will collapse before it even activates."
James sat across from her as she placed another rune stone on the floor between them—this one slightly more refined than the previous, its surface etched with faint inscriptions.
"This is a Stabilization Mark," she explained. "Your task is simple—channel your arcane power into it without disrupting the inscription already embedded within. If you push too hard, it'll shatter. If you're too weak, it won't activate at all."
James took a breath, steadying his mind before placing his hand over the rune. He let his arcane power flow outward—slow, controlled.
At first, the mark responded well, a soft glow pulsing across its surface. But then, flickers of heat and static energy surged unintentionally, distorting the rune's balance.
The stone cracked.Not fully broken, but destabilized.
Amelia sighed, folding her arms. "You're overloading it. Your energy isn't syncing—it's fluctuating between raw force and elemental surges."
James frowned, adjusting his stance. It wasn't just power—it was control.
"Again," Amelia ordered. "But this time—focus on harmony. Not just power."
James exhaled slowly, letting the failure settle in his mind without frustration clouding his thoughts. Overloading the mark wasn't just a mistake—it was a reflection of his unstable control. His arcane power was strong, but strength without precision meant nothing in rune mastery.
(note:- Arcane power and energy are the same thing)
Amelia watched him carefully as he reset the rune stone. "Again," she said. "But this time, stop thinking about force. Focus on balance."
James steadied himself, closing his eyes for a brief moment. His thoughts had been tangled with urgency, the pressure of mastering something foreign weighing heavily on him. If he didn't clear his mind, his energy would remain chaotic.
Taking a deep breath, he let go of his tension, allowing his focus to shift solely onto the rune stone before him.
This time, as he channeled his arcane power, the flow was smoother—gentler.
The mark responded, its glow steady instead of erratic.
James kept the energy at a measured pace, resisting the instinct to push harder, waiting for the right moment.
Then—success.
The rune circle activated without disruption, a faint pulse confirming its harmony with his energy.
Amelia nodded approvingly. "Now that's more like it," she said. "You're learning to control it properly. Do it a few more times, and then we can start actual inscription work."
James smirked, relief washing over him. He was getting there. Slowly—but surely.
---
Amelia tapped her fingers against the rune stone, watching James with a calculating gaze. "You stabilized it once, but that doesn't mean you've fully mastered control yet," she said. "We need to refine your precision, make sure your energy doesn't fluctuate under pressure."
She reached into a leather-bound satchel and pulled out three differently inscribed rune stones, each glowing faintly with pre-etched symbols. She lined them up before James.
"These are tiered Calibration Runes," she explained. "Each one requires a different level of precision. Your job is to channel your arcane power into them simultaneously—without letting the energy bleed between them."
James eyed the stones carefully. Controlling his energy flow into a single target had been difficult enough—but three at once, each with different requirements? He exhaled slowly.
"This is going to be a pain, isn't it?" he muttered.
Amelia smirked. "Absolutely."
James placed his palms just above the runes, letting his arcane power extend outward, splitting into three separate channels. He focused, adjusting his energy levels carefully—too much, and he'd overload them; too little, and they wouldn't activate.
The first rune glowed steadily—a success.
But the second flickered erratically, absorbing too much energy. The third remained dull, barely responding.
James clenched his jaw, adjusting his flow, trying to fine-tune the balance. He needed perfect control, not brute force.
Amelia nodded approvingly. "Better. But not enough."
Hours passed as James continued refining his technique , forcing himself to split his focus without losing stability. His body protested, exhaustion creeping in—but slowly, steadily, he began to master the balance.
Finally, the moment came—all three runes lit in perfect harmony, their energy synchronized.
Amelia gave a rare nod of approval. "Now you're actually learning."
James smirked, wiping sweat from his brow. Progress. Hard-earned—but real.
---