Eliza finished combat training session with Moon, sweat dripping from her forehead. Moon was visibly impressed with her quick progress. Overnight, she had not only understood the importance of each elemental power for different situations but had also mastered several new spells across all ten elements. Her talent in learning and adapting to new techniques had far exceeded his expectations.
Moon looked at her with a thoughtful expression. Eliza reminded him of Dorothy from the Victorious Ten. He could see the same potential in Eliza, sensing that she would become incredibly powerful in the future.
Moon looked up at the night sky, his eyes widening in surprise. The moon was gradually turning a deep shade of crimson. Eliza smirked mischievously as she broke the silence. "Don't look so surprised, Moon. During our training session, I figured I'd try copying a few of your spells." The moon slowly turned back to normal.
Copy sighed, "Seems like you're not tired yet. Well then, I suppose we can move on to the next phase of training."
"That would be Mana Field, Rune, and Soul now, right?" Eliza asked.
"That's correct," Copy confirmed with a nod. "We'll start with Mana Field."
"I've been practicing earlier while I was waiting," Eliza said. "I'd say I've got a decent control on it. Look," she gestured towards the expansive mana field encircling the area around them, "I can already cover quite a bit of ground. But there's still plenty of room for improvement, I'm sure."
"You really do impress me, Eliza," Moon remarked with a nod of approval. "I'd say you have more potential than her."
"And as you've noticed, there's always room for improvement," Moon remarked. "But at this point, it's less about teaching and more about honing your skills through consistent practice until you master Mana field."
"Now, tonight, you'll learn Mana Rune," Moon declared with a thoughtful expression.
"This phase of your training could prove to be the most straightforward or the most challenging," Moon remarked.
"What do you mean?" Eliza asked.
"Mastering Mana Rune isn't just about writing symbols; it's about absolute focus. Without it, those symbols might as well be childish drawings. And don't forget, you're basically learning a whole new language. But it's not just about knowing what the symbols mean; you've got to feel their energy flow through you, like a connection to your own mana," Moon explained.
Eliza began to focus, feeling the mana pulsating within her fingertips. She moved her hand through the air, leaving behind trails of energy as if she were writing on a piece of paper.
"You've certainly mastered the simpler aspect of the task, using your mana to write the runes," Moon commented.
"Now, take a look at this," Moon said as he handed Eliza a picture of the mana runic alphabet.
"Study it closely," Moon instructed, gesturing towards the runes shown on the paper. "Let me know when you're ready to try some basic runes." With that, he sat down into a chair nearby.
Eliza looked at the runes closely, "This doesn't seem too hard," she remarked quietly to herself. "I thought each letter would be more complicated."
Without being instructed, Eliza began to write the word "heal" in the air with her mana infused fingers. As the last symbol took shape, a sudden burst of soothing light erupted around her. The light was gentle, it didn't cause any harm. Instead, she felt the tension and soreness from her earlier combat training slowly go away, leaving her muscles relaxed and her energy restored.
Moon walked up to her, shaking his head. "I thought I only told you to study the alphabet, Eliza," he said, crossing his arms. "At least you didn't hurt yourself."
"What happened? I wrote the word, but it was cast right away," Eliza asked.
Moon sighed, "When you write a rune, you're supposed to allow the mana nature provides us. You clearly used your own mana to craft the rune, which made it unstable," he explained. "The difference between your mana and the natural mana is crucial. You need to let the rune draw in the ambient mana, not force it with your own."
"Isn't this impractical to use during battle?" Eliza asked.
"It can seem that way at first," Moon replied. "But with enough practice, it becomes second nature. You'll be able to use them more quickly and efficiently, integrating them during battle. And don't forget, you can also store away runes and use them to enhance other spells, making them stronger."
"Now, since it looks like you have the alphabet memorized, why don't we start with writing runes?" Moon said, gesturing her to follow him.
Moon instructed Eliza on the process of crafting mana runes, explaining the importance of allowing natural mana to flow into them. This proved to be the most challenging part for Eliza, as it required a balance of focus and control. Despite Moon's guidance, Eliza found herself struggling, each attempt resulting in an unstable rune due to her inadvertently infusing the runes with her own mana.
Eliza let out a sigh; crafting runes was far more difficult than she had expected. She took a deep breath and began to feel the surrounding mana. To others, natural mana was no different from oxygen. But for her, the connection to mana ran far deeper. It was as if she were swimming through a sea of energy. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to adjust to the mana's flow, feeling it guide her more naturally and instinctively.
Once more, Eliza began to write runes. As she carefully crafted the word 'heal,' it was as if the natural mana flowing around her began to pour into each of the letters. This time, she could feel the surrounding energy harmonize with her writing, filling the runes with a gentle, soothing power. When she finished, the word glowed softly as it floated in the air, giving off a warm light.
"Congratulations, Eliza. It took some time and a lot of effort, but you've finally crafted your first rune," Moon said.
"Haha, thanks, Moon!" Eliza's cat ears twitched with happiness, her tail wagging back and forth.
"Hey, by the way, didn't you say I can make spells stronger with runes? You mentioned something about attaching runes to other spells like stickers, which would change their effects based on what I write," Eliza said, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Let's take one step at a time," Moon said. "But yes, for example, if you infuse my Moonblast with a rune that says, 'become stronger,' it'll boost its power. Or if you write 'chase target,' my Moonblast will pursue the target until it strikes them. The runes can significantly enhance the versatility and power of your spells, or that of allies."
"Besides, do you think you can write a rune quickly enough to enhance my Moonblast?" Moon launched a powerful lunar blast towards a nearby tree. Eliza quickly began to write a rune in the air. She wrote the symbols, trying to match the speed of Moon's attack. However, as she finished the rune, the lunar blast had already made contact with the tree. With a disappointed sigh, Eliza watched as the rune she had written dissipated into the air as she infused it with her own mana because she was in a hurry.
"Slow and sloppy, you need to keep practicing, Eliza," Moon advised, his tone firm but encouraging. "First, start slowly and then gradually increase your speed as you write the words. Then, practice with your own spells. Once you can consistently infuse your own spells with runes, then we can consider this part of your training complete."
"Ehh, this really might take a while. I hope you don't mind waiting until I master it," Eliza said.
"We have all night. Now, go start practicing," Moon said calmly.
Eliza sighed, looking back at the rune she had just wrote. She conjured her black hole spell, using it to store the rune away for future use.
As the sky brightened with the approaching dawn, Eliza finally took a break. She'd been at it for hours, but seeing the first light of morning gave her a sense of satisfaction. Despite the tiredness creeping in, she grinned. Through all the ups and downs of her practice, she'd grown more sure of herself. Now, with the sun rising on a new day, she could happily say she'd nailed the basics of rune magic.
"Eliza, if I'm being honest, you have no reason to worry about your supposed fate," Moon said, his voice calm and reassuring. "You're strong, much more than you realize. Your destiny of death has already changed in my opinion."
Eliza smiled, "Thank you, Moon," she said gratefully. "Once this problem with the Forbidden is solved, I promise to visit you and that old man. It'll be a chance to see how much I've grown since we last met."
"I look forward to that," Moon replied with a nod. "Now, why don't you get some sleep?"
"Right, now that you mentioned sleep, I'm so tired," Eliza chuckled.
With a bow, she headed to her room, falling asleep almost instantly...