"Great response, Selena! That's a point for you," Celia said, smiling. She walked up to the holographic interface at the front of the class and tapped a few controls.
A moment later, a three dimensional rune appeared, floating in the air before them.
"Today, we'll focus on the fundamentals of runes and their functions," Celia announced, clapping her hands in excitement. "I know most of you are already familiar with runes, but we'll start with the basics before moving on to more advanced topics."
The class showed no signs of protest, and Abel certainly wasn't complaining.
"Abel," Celia called, shifting the hologram right in front of him. "Tell me, what do you see in this rune?"
Abel examined the rune. It reminded him of the magic circles often depicted in fantasy novels and games—a large outer circle filled with intricate symbols and patterns.
He rotated the hologram, studying it for anything unusual, but nothing stood out.
"I'm not sure," he admitted. "It just looks like a circle with a lot of lines and symbols inside it."
"There's no wrong answer for that question," Celia said, nodding approvingly. "You're correct." She then moved the hologram in front of another student.
"There are three layers in this rune—two for sourcing and one for activation," the student answered confidently.
Abel frowned, recalling the image in his mind. He hadn't noticed any layers at all. 'This is complicated,' he thought, rubbing his face stressed.
'No wonder no one takes this class…'
At the academy, students were allowed to fail only one class per school year. Failing more than that could result in expulsion—or, at best, a significant drop in rank. Choosing Rune Training, a notoriously difficult and time consuming subject, was practically a death sentence for students already struggling with other courses.
For the first time, Abel wondered if he had made a mistake. Still, if he mastered runes—and weapon crafting—he could become a one man army.
"Correct!" Celia said, rewarding the student with a point. She returned to the hologram, which suddenly expanded, splitting into three distinct layers.
"Abel, it's normal that you didn't recognize the layers at first," Celia reassured him. "That will be covered in a later lesson. For now, we'll focus on sourcing and activation runes."
The rune hologram vanished, replaced by an array of glowing runes in various colors, sizes, and designs.
"These are sourcing runes," Celia continued. "Think of them as the core power source in a rune system."
One rune enlarged—a bright red symbol with a fire symbol at its center.
"This is a fire sourcing rune," Celia explained. "An easy way to identify sourcing runes is by looking for a symbol in the center. That symbol represents the rune's element, power, or purpose."
Another rune expanded next to it. Unlike the fire rune, it was filled with complex lines and tiny symbols, but there was no central emblem.
"Abel, can you tell me what kind of rune this is?" Celia asked.
"An… activation rune?" he made an educated guessed.
"Correct! That's another point for you," Celia said. "Activation runes don't contain a power symbol in the center. Instead, they're composed of intricate lines and markings that active the other runes powers."
She then merged the two runes together. A moment later, the rune activated, generating a small holographic flame above it.
The class watched as Celia disassembled the rune and selected a new sourcing rune—a blue one with a water symbol at its center. She placed it with the fire rune and added the same activation rune at the end.
"What do you think will happen now, Abel?" she asked, her lips curling into a small smile.
"Fire and water will activate together," he replied.
Celia's smile remained as she activated the rune. But instead of summoning both elements, the rune exploded.
The Abel flinched as the hologram flickered before stabilizing again.
"This is what we call an error in rune crafting," Celia explained. "Fire and water don't mix. While runes can bend certain natural laws, they still follow real world logic to a small degree. If you were to mix a fire rune with a wood rune, for example, the fire's power would be enhanced."
She adjusted the hologram, separating the fire and water runes by placing the activation rune in between them.
"Although fire and water can't mix directly, there is a way to bypass the conflict," she continued. "Think of the first attempt as trying to force a flamethrower and a water hose to fire from the same nozzle at the same time—it just doesn't work. Now, we've separated them—like holding a flamethrower in one hand and a water hose in the other. What do you think will happen now?"
"It should work fine," Abel answered.
Celia didn't answer. Instead, she activated the rune again.
This time, both fire and water appeared simultaneously, but without any conflict.
"As you can see, rune placement is critical," Celia explained. "Even if every individual component is correct, a single misplaced layer can ruin the entire structure. Two rune crafters can use the same components, yet one may create a more powerful rune simply by structuring it better. Or, someone might achieve the same effect with fewer layers or in less time. That's where experience comes into play."
She gestured toward the hologram as it dissolved.
"There is no limit to rune crafting. Your only limitation is your imagination," she concluded. "That's all for today's lesson. I'll send you reading material to study, and we'll discuss it next class. You're dismissed."
Abel stretched as he stood, processing everything he had just learned. It was strange, on Earth, he had only ever studied small subjects. Yet here, he was learning magic.
He couldn't help but notice the similarities between runes and coding. Back on Earth, he had taken a few programming classes, and the logic behind runes felt oddly familiar.
Still, he had one regret, he hadn't made a connection with Selena. He saw her speaking with her mother and smiled.
'Man fuck it. Go big or go home.'
He took a deep breath and approached them.
"Hello, Celia, Selena," he greeted casually. "I wanted to ask since you two look identical, are you sisters?"
Celia chuckled. "No, she's my daughter," she corrected, then suddenly tensed. "Oh! I forgot to introduce myself to the class! I was so focused on teaching that I completely forgot! But wait… how did you know my name?"
Abel realized his slip up and quickly covered for himself.
"Well, I've been a fan of your work for a while now," he said smoothly. "You actually inspired me to learn rune crafting. But I have to say, you're beautiful. Now I see where Selena gets it from."
Selena's face turned slightly red as she looked down. Celia, on the other hand, smiled.
"I appreciate the compliment," she said. "And I'm glad my work inspired you."
Abel decided to press his luck. "I wanted to ask if I could come to this class during your free time to study. I won't have much time after school, since I have a lot of other subjects to study as well."
Celia thought for a moment before smiling. "I won't have much free time myself, but my daughter can help you study in the library."
Selena's head shot up, eyes wide in surprise.
"I don't want to waste her time," Abel said, feigning reluctance.
"Nonsense!" Celia insisted, ruffling her daughter's hair. "She'd love to help."
"Mom!" Selena protested, flustered. "You know I'm not good at teaching! And I don't do well around people!"
Celia sighed. "Selena, you need to make friends. You've always kept to yourself, and in rune crafting, you'll have to work with others. Consider this practice."
Selena tugged at her mother's sleeve. "B-But—"
"No buts, young lady," Celia said firmly.
Abel smirked. 'Well, that went better than I expected.'