Igniting the Path

Each book bore a golden seal across its cover—a magical lock restricting access to all but the first two pages. These pages provided a brief description of the spell and its theoretical framework but stopped short of offering full instructions. The seals could only be removed by the librarian, granting access for a limited rental period of 12 hours. Afterward, the book would reseal itself automatically.

The cost of renting each book was steep—15 merit coins for half a day. Together, the three books would cost him 45 merit coins. Evan hesitated for a moment, feeling the weight of his pouch of coins. Every coin represented effort, risk, and survival. But he quickly shook off the doubt. This wasn't just an expense; it was an investment in his ability to fight back.

"Three books for twelve hours," the librarian said as she performed the unlocking spell. Golden light shimmered across the seals before they dissolved, granting Evan access. "Don't lose track of time. Once they seal again, they stay that way until they're returned."

Evan nodded, clutching the books tightly. As he made his way back to his tent, he felt a flicker of excitement. For the first time in years, he had the tools to take a step forward—not just as an apprentice, but as someone carving his own path.

---

Evan sat cross-legged in his tent, the sealed books resting before him like sentinels of knowledge he had only begun to tap into. Fire magic wasn't an easy path. Even for those with elemental-aligned cores, learning a single spell could take weeks of relentless practice and study. For someone like Evan, whose Origin Rune had no natural alignment, the challenge was exponentially harder. Many in his position would never succeed.

Evan closed his eyes and activated simulate, summoning the familiar patterns and runes in his mind. He focused on Flame Spark, the simplest of the fire spells described in The Spark Within. It wasn't about conjuring a massive flame or overwhelming heat—just a spark, a starting point. The book had detailed every element of the spell: the warmth spreading through the hands, the mental image of ignition, and the focus required to gather energy into a single point.

Using simulate, Evan began creating runes to replicate these elements. Each rune represented a piece of the puzzle: one for the sensation of heat, another for the movement of energy, and yet another for controlling its focus. Slowly, he combined them, layering one atop the other, adjusting their angles and shapes until the pieces fit.

Hours passed as Evan worked. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing grew heavy from the effort of maintaining the mental patterns. Finally, he felt something—a faint warmth spreading through his hands, followed by an intangible red energy flickering at his fingertips. It wasn't fire—not even close—but it was proof that he was on the right track.

Evan opened his eyes, grinning despite his exhaustion. "It's not much, but it's a start."

The warm glow of the crystal lamp in his tent reminded Evan of the passing hours. The books' seals would reactivate soon, and he still felt like he was missing something. He needed more time—time to revisit the descriptions, to recheck the details, to refine the patterns he was creating in his mind.

Then an idea struck him.

Runes are just characters, he thought. If I can scan and reorganize runes mentally, why not scan the books?

This wasn't something he had ever attempted before. Students at the Arcane Camp often spent weeks, even months, painstakingly copying books by hand. Renting a single book multiple times could cost up to 50 merit coins, and the effort required was grueling. Evan had always envied their diligence but lacked the resources to follow suit.

But his Origin Rune offered a potential shortcut. With his ability to reorganize and simulate patterns, perhaps he could recreate the books in his mind.

Evan reached for The Spark Within. He opened to the first page and activated simulate, focusing on the runes and characters before him. Slowly, meticulously, he allowed his core to map and reconstruct the page in his mind. The process was draining, requiring intense concentration to capture every detail and nuance.

By the time the lamp dimmed, Evan had scanned the entirety of all three books: The Spark Within, Flowing Embers, and Inferno Seeds. As each golden seal reactivated, locking their contents away, Evan set them aside one by one, confident that their knowledge was preserved. In his mind, the pages of all three books now floated as reconstructed runes, perfectly ordered and waiting to be summoned.

He tested his mental copies by activating simulate, visualizing the pages of each book in turn. The runes from The Spark Within came into focus first, followed by the detailed diagrams of Flowing Embers, and finally, the dense and compact patterns from Inferno Seeds. Though not flawless—some symbols flickered faintly or required extra concentration—they were functional enough to guide his practice.

Evan allowed himself a small smile. "Three books scanned in one night... this alone would take others months of copying by hand."

With his recreated book as a guide, Evan spent the remaining hours refining his attempts at Flame Spark. Each time he activated simulate, he adjusted the runes, layering them in new ways to better capture the energy required for ignition. The faint warmth in his hands grew stronger, and the red energy at his fingertips became more stable. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, the spark refused to ignite.

Evan gritted his teeth. "What am I missing?"

He revisited the book's description, replaying the reconstructed runes in his mind. The instructions spoke of focus, flow, and intent, but something about his connection to the spell felt incomplete. It was as if he were building a bridge to fire but couldn't reach the other side.

Finally, as the first light of dawn crept through his tent, Evan set the book aside and leaned back against the wall. His progress had been remarkable—no apprentice without a fire-aligned core had achieved what he had. Yet, the road ahead felt daunting. There was something fundamental he had yet to grasp, and until he found it, he wouldn't be able to truly wield fire.

Evan closed his eyes, letting exhaustion overtake him. As sleep claimed him, one thought lingered: I'll find the missing piece. Whatever it takes.