Asd looked at the rune in front of him and cursed in annoyance. He knew the rune, out of all the runes he has knowledge of this one was the most elusive, in fact in the list of all 777 runes, this particular rune could either be number 1 or number 777. And what did this rune stand for, this was actually the rune for… well 'rune'. And this was what was required to have the rune element take one of his spell slots. It was confusing as he could use any of the other runes to, however any runic activity required must always have that particular run in it.
It helps with specialization in runic pursuits, but it limits one to a particular theme and that wasn't his style. The assessment was just two days away, and the day before Asd had completed the spell formula for [Wind Element: Gust] bringing all of his 0 circle spell to six, and needing one last one to make up the seven phase meditation method. The faculty was decidedly pissed that he didn't follow the curriculum that they had set aside for him with the dean almost looking like he wanted to smash or kill Asd, but they left him alone to follow his own path, making Asd wondered if there was actually someone watching out for him in the shadows as they really couldn't touch him anymore, and that worried him just as much as it gave him relief.
The rune seemed to slip out of his mind every time he tried etching it with his mana, and what was even worse his control seemed to devolve even more the harder he tried. People with runes in as part of their seven phase meditation method were rare, in the entire academy there was only three of them. one was professor Mona, the other was professor Germaine, and the third surprisingly was Rhea. All of the advice he has received so far had told him it was extremely hard to use the rune element, especially if you didn't have a prior affinity for it. And at the rate he was going; Asd had to agree. Maybe the reason the rune element didn't show up was because he really didn't have an affinity for it, and not because he was some special chosen one being shielded by primal forces.
It was frustrating, but Asd was nothing if not determined, and he wouldn't give up until there was no other option. Either way the only thing he could do now was follow the advice that had been given to him by both Rhea and Professor Mona. They had told him he had to find a connection to the rune that called out to him the most. For professor Mona her rune had been [Sight] and for Rhea it had been the rune [Ice] which was understandable seeing as she had an Ice variant element… which wasn't even much of a shock for him as he found out she was also a Triskele mage. That revelation had put a new spin on the story being told by the academy about her assault; cause now she was powerful and important enough to tell her own truth and not be politically maneuvered to avoid conflict.
Asd cursed, throwing the pen in his hand across the room in his annoyance, getting a connection to the runes had been easy enough, Asd could feel it even in his sleep. But the problem with that connection was that it wasn't to one Rune, but rather to all 777 runes. Which was why he chose this particular rune as it seemed to cover and encompass everything. Looks like he was wrong in that regard, and he was left stuck with no way forward.
[Master if I may interject, I believe you going about this the wrong way.] Gaia said as she came out of the tattoo at the back of his neck. Asd raised an eyebrow at that and asked.
"How so?"
[I was there when you were told that you should find the rune that calls to you the most, and I was also there when you found that all the draconic runes had a sort of pull on you when you really focused on them. so don't you think you're supposed to use all the runes and not just one of them, and that the current rune for 'Rune' is supposed to be placed at the end of the equation. I believe there is a sequence to it all, you have to arrange all 777 draconic runes in their proper order to have runes as your fourth element and the seventh spell for your seven phase meditation method.]
Asd felt as if a bomb had gone off in his mind, he didn't exactly think of it that way. But even then there was still something to address concerning the runes.
"But there is no sequence to all 777 draconic runes, everyone just memorizes them in any order and put them down on paper or anywhere else based on preference, it's not as if the runes are actually letters of an alphabet that need to be arranged in a sequence to understand the…. Language"
"...…"
"...…"
"Gaia? How is it possible that no one has ever thought about this and tried to arrange them in sequence? At the very least we should have heard about this from somewhere or at least seen it in all of the books we've perused in the library." Asd asked Gaia in confusion.
[Master it is understandable why there is a lack of information about this, and that's because I don't think anyone has succeeded. If you ask me I would say that you have stumbled and by sheer luck alone the requirements for putting the runes in sequence. For one you have an unnatural connection to runes, it's a suspicion but I don't think it's normal why you can remember all 777 individual runes so clearly yet don't have an elemental affinity for it. And now you're connected to all of them, I think the only way this will work is if you arrange them in a sequence, and not put it randomly on paper like others before you. Your intuition and the resistance from your mana every time you fail would be an indication of which rune fits together.]
Asd furrowed his eyebrow in confusion and asked. "fit together or which runes come after, if they are actually alphabets like we think they are or rather know they are."
[On the contrary master, I have run a few hundred simulations while you have been trying to write the rune for 'RUNE' and by approaching it from another angle I saw all 777 runes as pieces rather than individual words or letters. So I think they are a puzzle and you have to complete said puzzle in your mind like all spell modules, however unlike other spell modules you will have to follow the proper sequence. From my analysis I think you need to place all 777 Runes in the right sequence, the wrong rune will unravel your progress and you will have to start from scratch again. I believe that this is the true method to mastering the element of runes, we need to figure out this puzzle and put it together, perhaps it will shed some light on why the runes are so archaic and profound.]
Gaia had given Asd a lot to think about, and if he had to be honest he appreciated the little wisp even more than it knew. Ever since he summoned it, there has always been an answer to all of his questions about magic, and his formation of spell modules have been that much easier with Gaia to guide him. He wanted to get stronger so that he could evolve the wisp, he had the feeling there was just so much they could do and achieve together. Either way Asd knew he had a long night ahead of him, unwittingly; he might have just stumbled upon the secret of runes and with Gaia here to help him… the world of Boria better be prepared for what was to come, because it would glorious.