Now, These Are Real Runes

"Wow, thish ish sho good! How'd make thish?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full"

"O'ay!"

It's been about a week since the incident with the rabbit. For anyone wondering, I decided to settle for just one rabbit. When we got back to the village, we sat in my usual spot by the riverbank, where Mirina proceeded to bombard me with questions. I quickly found out that she can be even more relentless when you actually respond to her—trust me, you don't want to know.

As for what we're doing now, we're still sitting in my usual spot by the riverbank. What? I don't have anything else to do, okay? Besides, she saw me eating one of the military-style cereal bars I made and got curious about the taste. So, being the good friend I am, I gave her one. Now, thanks to her, my stock that should have lasted two weeks is almost gone... I'll have to go back to that field soon.

But not today! My training has gotten more intense over the last week—I'll spare you the details. So, my plan for today is to sit here until sunset! Satisfied with my afternoon plan, I consider lying down for a nap. What better way to enjoy an afternoon, right?

"Phoebeee, you're not planning to sit here all day again, are you?"

As if reading my mind, Mirina appears beside me.

"N-no, of course not, I was just getting ready to get up and... do something..."

"Something?"

She says, looking straight into my eyes with an intense gaze. The moment stretches on for what feels like an eternity, though it's probably only a bit over 10 seconds. But you know what I mean. Unable to stand the pressure, I have to break the silence.

"Why don't we take a walk around the village? I'm sure it'll be fun."

"Great idea! We haven't done that together yet!"

Happy with my suggestion, she jumps up and dashes off toward the village... There goes my peaceful afternoon—yay.

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"Oh, good afternoon, Mirina. What brings you here today?"

"Hello, Miss Boiovi! We're just looking around."

"…"

We've been walking around the village for a while now, and I've noticed this same kind of exchange happening a few times. I can't help but observe that the adults treat her differently than the kids do—not exactly with the same caution, but it's not totally casual, either. It feels like respect, maybe? I'm not sure how to explain it. It's normal for adults to be nice to a sweet child like her, but something still feels strange. By the way, you've probably noticed by now, but they're still ignoring me... Meh, I still don't mind.

Coming here wasn't all bad. I've been back to the village a few times since my first visit, but I never ventured far. I have to say, the place is quite nice—the houses are well-organized, and the paths are clearly defined. I know I've mentioned it before, but now that I'm seeing it in the daytime on a more casual occasion, I can really confirm it.

As expected, I didn't see any shops or other typical establishments, but walking past the plaza in the village center, I see several people with stalls selling all kinds of goods: food, animal pelts, forest herbs, arrowheads. There are even one or two stalls with people selling baskets and pots made of wood and fiber—pretty neat.

If you're wondering how this marketplace works, like, "What's the currency around here, for starters?"—surprisingly, I have the answer! Stones. No, I'm not joking—they use stones. You know those colorful stones I've mentioned people around here wear on their clothes, hair, and such? They're actually a display of status and wealth. Their value is defined by size and beauty, and people use them for significant exchanges, like marriages or even a house. But most day-to-day trading is done through bartering for items of equivalent value.

Now that we've cleared that up, what really caught my attention is the stall in front of me right now. Its appearance would be enough to draw attention, as it's much larger than any other I've seen so far, but what really grabbed me is the sign above it.

Mogui's Amulets.

Several things are intriguing me here. First, we've walked quite a bit around the village, but this is the first time I've seen something written down. I'm serious—there are no signs or anything like that here. But beyond it just being writing, it's clearly written in runes.

But these runes are strange. You see, ever since that time all those years ago, I've never stopped studying runes, and my understanding of them is far better now, even if still a bit basic. When I look at these runes, how can I put this? They seem... "dead," very different from the vibrant runes Mama Huiya is always writing. They're also quite crooked and faded. My curiosity sparked, I decide to go into the stall.

"P-Phoebe, what are you doing?"

Entering the stall, I begin to look at the items on display: some adorned necklaces. Looking closer, I think I've seen things like this in the past—what were they called? Dream-catchers, maybe? But it was a long time ago, so I could be wrong. Further inside the shop, some strange items catch my eye. They're small tubes made of wood or bamboo with thick fiber cords tied at both the top and bottom, and in the middle, there are runes carved in.

"Warm Flame"

"Wet Water"

"Passing Breeze"

But reading more closely, I start to notice several problems with these runes. Though they seem a bit more "alive" than those outside, the difference is like the glowing ashes of a recently extinguished fire compared to the charcoal left behind after the wood burns—not much, but enough to be noticeable. But that's not what bothers me—oh no, if it were just that, I'd be fine.

But what's with these pathetic texts?! It's obvious that water is wet—who was the idiot who wrote this nonsense? Reading this is almost physically painful!

"Huh, who's the customer entering my shop? Oh, just a couple of brats."

As if on cue, a particularly unpleasant, raspy voice echoes from the back of the shop. Turning towards it, I see the figure of an extremely thin old man—seriously, Mama Huiya might have slender arms, but hers give off a sense of strength, like a sturdy old pillar that's borne the weight of years. This man's arms, on the other hand, look like brittle twigs that could snap with the next breeze, he's extremely malnourished. His face is long and deeply wrinkled, his eyes are small and narrow, and his nose is long and hooked, almost like a bird's beak. His expression isn't exactly friendly. He's dressed in blue animal skins; I can't tell if the color is natural or dyed. The outfit is decorated with many, many stones—and by that, I mean a lot—not to mention the numerous necklaces hanging from his neck. Judging by how he struggles to move, it seems he can barely carry the weight of his own clothes. This must be "Mogui."

"Did you make all this junk?"

I ask politely, after all. No matter how poorly done, these are the first runes I've seen outside Mama Huiya's cabin, so I'm curious. But even with all the politeness I can muster given the circunstances, the irritation on his face quickly twists into pure hatred.

"Listen here, brat! I don't care if you're that old hag's pupil; I won't tolerate your vile presence in MY shop! And I won't allow you to insult my HIGH-QUALITY products! Get those monstrous legs of yours out of my shop!"

Throwing all courtesy out the window, he starts screaming in my face, his voice grating, like nails on a chalkboard, even spitting at me as he yells.

"Mr. Mogui, we w-"

Seeing things unfold, Mirina steps forward, trembling slightly, and tries to calm the old man.

"I don't care what you or your strange friend came here for! Don't think I've forgotten what happened at the ceremony. You're no different than her, you abomination! You and that bird!"

But without even hearing what she has to say, he lashes out at her too, mentioning things I didn't know about. Something strange happened at the ceremony? Other than me, of course. And bird? What bird? This is something I'll have to look into later.

"A-abomination?"

Hearing this, Mirina shrinks back and looks down. I know she's trying to hide, and seeing this, my expression quickly darkens, and I have to stop myself from pulling my knife on the old man right there.

"Come on, Mirina, let's get out of this pigsty he calls a shop."

"YOU BRAT!"

I grab Mirina's hand and rush out of the shop, leaving a furious old man behind.

"So, that Mogui guy is something, isn't he? You seemed to know a bit about him, right? Who is he anyway?"

Back at my little riverside spot, we sit on the ground, and I start asking questions to figure out what happened.

"That was Mr. Mogui. He's one of the few people in the tribe who can make power scripts. Some families also have that ability, but because they're very valuable, Mr. Mogui is the only one willing to sell them."

Power scripts? That must be what uninformed people call runes.

"And why would he sell them if they're so valuable?"

"I-I'm not sure, but I heard that when he was young, he belonged to one of the tribe's richest families. But something bad happened, and he ended up on the streets. Selling power words and amulets was the only way he could make a living."

"Hmm, but why would anyone buy his 'power scripts'? They didn't seem like high quality to me."

"No, no, no, Mr. Mogui's power scripts are really useful for those who can afford one. You can fill a bottle with fresh water in a minute or light a fire really quickly! It's really impressive."

Pff—

I try to hold back laughter, but after hearing her talk about Mogui's runes so enthusiastically, I can't help it and let a chuckle slip out.

"Wh-what are you laughing at? Did I say something funny?"

"You think those things are impressive? I'll show you how it's done. Wait here, I'll be right back!"

"!"

Mirina's eyes widen a bit as I stand up suddenly and dash off.

"?"

…

"What are you doing?"

"Just watch."

Less than 30 minutes later, I return with paper, a brush, ink, and 'fuel.' I ran to the cabin and 'borrowed' a few things. Yes, I plan to write a rune here. For several months now, I've been practicing writing on my own. Nothing too complex, of course—just the simplest runes.

Now pay attention: writing a rune isn't as simple as spreading ink on paper. Many things can affect the final outcome: the materials used, the environment, and even the state of mind of the writer! A mistake could be costly. Here, I'm going to write a rune to produce water.

But is it simple? Just write 'water' in rune form, feed it a bit of magic, and poof, water, right? Wrong! The water rune is one of the grand runes; writing it correctly requires experience and the right materials. That Mogui guy wrote the rune without either, so it came out erratic and weak. I bet writing it like that is why he's left with such a malnourished body. As I said, writing runes incorrectly can be costly.

So how do I intend to make water without writing "water"? This is where my study comes into play. Look, I'll write three words instead of one, which might sound more complicated, but it's not. Drawing a rune is all about understanding the world around us.

CONDENSE. HUMIDITY. EXPAND.

I slowly and meticulously write the symbols on the paper. You should know that the art of writing runes isn't just about writing a word that represents something but about capturing the essence of the thing itself on the paper. You need to experience it while you write, which is very risky. For example, if I lose focus while writing 'EXPAND' on the paper, I might start expanding myself and—boom! I'd explode. Extreme example, but it could happen.

Back to the runes I wrote, the goal is to gather water. Creating water requires a lot of magic, but what if I only needed to gather the water that's already here? 'CONDENSE' does exactly that, but where does it get the water? The air around us is full of water, especially near rivers or other bodies of water. 'HUMIDITY' directs the intention of 'CONDENSE' to the water in the air, and 'EXPAND' will cause the condensed water to spread out in all directions. Why? Style points.

"So, you thought Mogui's 'power scripts' were impressive? Watch this!"

With the runes finally written on the paper after ten minutes, I get up, soak the paper with a bit of the fuel I brought, and toss it into the air.

It floats for a few seconds, seemingly doing nothing, but soon, a small amount of water begins to gather around it. The paper then starts to disintegrate.

"Wow, this is incredible!"

The girl beside me exclaims as she watches the water sphere grow to about a meter in diameter, with the paper nearly destroyed at its center. Then the sphere bursts, sprinkling water in all directions, creating a small 'rain.'

"Now, these are real runes!"

I declare with my arms wide open and a triumphant grin on my face… right before I faceplant into the ground.

"Phoebe!"

Writing runes is exhausting, you know?

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