Shino realized that there was no problem getting started, so she just continued voicing the necessary instructions.
"Now you can begin to absorb them, but not only are you going to use any rune, but you also have to absorb the ones that belong to your elemental affinity, these will have a stronger bond with you and will facilitate the interaction between your body and the runic energy they give off. Once you get a feel for them, try to absorb them into yourself, you should be able to get them close enough to where you are." Blake listened intently and began to do so.
As if what Shino said was something obvious, Blake could see how the runes that used to revolve around him, now seemed to melt into his entire body, little by little they advanced and more groups of these arrived to do the same action as the previous ones.
Blake was not in a hurry, he had closed his eyes a long time ago and concentrated on directing the runes that appeared towards his body, he could feel how a kind of flow was running through his entire body until it ended at a point close to the drop of runic essence that he had formed earlier, he thought it wouldn't affect anything, so he just kept doing the same action while Shino's voice came to him again.
"You should be feeling how the runes run through your entire body until they stop near the lower part of your stomach, this process is necessary since you are converting the runes into elemental essence." Blake obviously did not know this new term, but Shino was quick to explain. "The elemental essence is basically the energy necessary to help you enter the runic path, it will accumulate within you as you absorb the runes of the specific element with which you have the most affinity. You must not lose patience; the process can take a while and you mustn't interrupt the flow of runes that enters you since in this way you have to form your elemental core."
Blake listened intently as he continued to feel the runes slowly flowing towards him and wondered what this supposed elemental core was.
"Once you feel how the elemental essence has completely transformed into a small sphere within you and a feeling of invigoration fills your entire body, then that is the sign that you have successfully entered the runic path. From here it's all up to you, Blake." And with those last words, Blake completely focused on the process so that there would be no problem.
Time continued its course and the minutes turned into hours, Blake's figure had not moved from the same place where he was, a light gray aura was covering his entire body and he seemed to be in a state of complete meditation, but unlike what was actually there, Shino couldn't grasp that feeling.
She had stayed with Blake all that time, she knew that in the first instant that the runic energy began to transform into elemental essence, she could tell if someone was able to enter the runic path or not.
She could see how Blake had done everything he told her, but she never noticed any flow of elemental essence forming in him, which was really common in people who do not have enough talent to grasp the runic path, so she thought that unfortunately, he couldn't do it, but once she saw how Blake entered a state of deep meditation, she was confused since that state was the same as she had seen many times when someone began to form their own elemental core.
After the hours passed, she became even more convinced that something strange was going on, so she got worried and put a hand on Blake's back to check that nothing strange was happening inside his body, but once when she did that, her eyes widened in utter shock not understanding a single shred of what was going on.
She could see elemental essence flowing within Blake, but unlike the elemental energy she was already used to, she could see that it was a deep gray and that indeed a small sphere was forming within him, but once she saw what lay to one side of the little core, it made everything else seem unimportant and her face of surprise even bigger.
"I-It's a drop of runic essence! But that's impossible, I can see that the elemental core is forming perfectly, how can this be happening!?" And while Shino was still immersed in a great pile of unanswered questions besides having a face of confusion that was not common for her, Blake seemed not to be fully aware at that moment, but inside his mind, something even more peculiar was happening.
"Hmm... Why am I here again?" That question was perhaps a bit strange, but for Blake, it seemed to be totally normal, and it was not for less, since it was not the first time that she was there.
The site seemed to be, unlike the strange phenomenon when he discovered his elemental affinity, a white space, it looked really lonely if it wasn't for the huge door that was in front of him at that moment.
"So, here's another door, the previous one was really hard to open... But if I'm already here, I'd better try it, maybe I'll get something just as good again." The reason why he said that was because that time that was absorbing all the energy of that gray thread in that space, had arrived at this very place, and just like on that occasion, a door was in front of him and it gave him the same feeling that he should try to open it with all his might.
The first time it seemed useless, but after he kept trying and his body absorbed the energy of the gray thread, that door opened completely, once he managed to go through it he didn't feel anything strange until a large set of runes was shot directly at his head making Blake have to concentrate not to be overwhelmed by them.
Time seemed to run differently in that place since he couldn't tell how long he was actually in that place, but once he fully grasped the runes in his mind, that's when he realized he had gained an ability that seemed to be truly unique, and that was none other than the ability to stop time, although he understood that at that moment he was not even able to stop it for some seconds, it was enough to fill him with unprecedented emotion, and now, the situation it seemed to be repeating itself once more.