24 Standard Runes

A crisp morning breeze rustled through the trees as the group gathered outside the house. The sky was a soft wash of early dawn hues, and Cassilyth's sleepy yawns punctuated the quiet.

"So I'm guessing your mission went well." She stretched and rubbed her eyes, "Though it seems you had some unexpected trouble along the way." Her gaze drifted over the group, settling on the massive, red-furred Ox-Bison lying motionless nearby.

Solace sighed, running a hand through his bloodstained hair. "It was that damn Pyro-Storm. This creature escaped from its inferno and attacked us while we were taking cover."

Isolde laughed, "More like it steamrolled you straight into the back of that cave. I swear, one second we were settling in, and the next, you were gone—just a cloud of dust where you used to be." She teasingly nudged at him with her elbow.

Nudging the ox-bison's smouldering hoof, Cassilyth chuckled, "Pyro-Storms sure are something, huh? If you need healing I'd be happy to help."

Solace shook his head, "An H-Serum should be fine. I'd hate to make you expand your Ether on me unnecessarily. Plus, I didn't get hurt fighting the Ox-Bison; the Tenebricula were the real problem." He turned his gaze to the insectoid creatures.

At the mention of the creatures, Altha's brow furrowed. He turned his gaze toward the chitinous horrors huddled together, their many-legged forms unsettling to the core. The Tenebricula were slavering nightmares of teeth, eyes, and hairy spiderlike legs. Their biology confused Altha.

"Tenebricula?" He murmured, "What does that mean?"

"It was a name given to them by the Pale Elves and means 'Little dark ones that swarm'. Hives of these skittering creatures haunt the lowest reaches of the Undergloam, competing with cave worms and other subterranean horrors for food and resources." She stated, her tone matter-of-fact, "A Tenebricula is rarely seen alone, these oversized vermin learned long ago that the best means of survival is sticking close to others of their own kin. Even the haughty Pale Elves know to seek cover when a Tenebricula is spotted, for where there is one, a swarm is sure to follow."

"Hmm, ok..." Shifting his attention elsewhere, he walked over and squatted next to the Ox-Bisom, "I've never heard of a red Ox-Bison before. Is this a rare subspecies?"

Standing beside him, Cecily offered a knowing smile. "Not exactly. When a creature is caught in a Pyro-Storm's deific flames, it has a slim chance of surviving. If it does, it sometimes absorbs that power and changes forever, adopting it as its own."

Altha tilted his head, his eyes scanning over the creature.

"There are two kinds of beings that emerge from a Pyro-Storm," Cecily explained. "Some are born from the Ashen Pyre itself. Others are merely changed by it." She crouched, pressing her fingers against the creature's still-warm chest. "Which do you think this one is?"

"An altered creature? I think..." He murmured.

"Exactly." Cecily nodded. "The difference is in what remains." With practised precision, she pulled her hand back and plunged her fingers into the creature's chest cavity. A faint crackling sound filled the air as she pulled free a smouldering ember crystal, its surface shifting with hues of deep red and orange. "Those born from the Ashen Pyre turn to ash upon death," she murmured, holding the crystal, which was the size of a heart, in her open hand palm. "But the altered ones… they leave something behind."

The ember pulsed like a dying heartbeat. The morning air suddenly felt warmer. She petted the creature's thick hide and stood up gesturing a finger for Altha to follow.

He spared Sumi a glance back as Cassilyth rushed over to hug her; looking over her shoulder, she waved. Altha waved back and followed Cecily into the garage.

The walls were lined with an array of dials, monitors, and control panels humming and mingling with the low thrum of countless interconnected systems working in tandem.

The space housed two workstations—angular constructs of reinforced steel and sleek polymer, surrounded by a sea of illuminated readouts and oscillating waveforms.

Three large monitors dominated the main console, each displaying complex blueprints, shifting data streams, and cryptic lines of code that pulsed with a quiet, methodical rhythm.

Cecily sat on a workbench, placing the ember crystal onto a circular device. The moment it made contact, it levitated an inch above the surface, spinning gently. Without looking up, she gestured toward the door.

"Shut the garage door behind you," she said.

Altha complied, the mechanism sealing them off from the outside world with a faint hiss.

"We don't have much time left," Cecily continued. "Including today, you only have four days before your Somniate Trial." She grabbed a thick tome titled Eidolimancy Script: Vol. 1 and tossed it toward him. "Sorry to rush you like this. You haven't even bathed yet. I know you Non-Astrals need your little comforts—rest, relaxation—far more than those of us blessed by the Spire."

Altha squinted at the book cover, turning it over in his hands. "That reminds me—how do you even have hot water out here? Or electricity, for that matter? We're in the middle of nowhere." He lowered his voice and walked closer to whisper, "You don't have a devil in the basement now, do you?"

Cecily smirked, amusement flickering in her eyes. "Tell you what—if you manage to memorize the twenty-four standard arcane runes before I finish constructing this Arcanum, I might consider answering."

He sighed. "Things can never just be simple, can they?"

Without another word, they settled into quiet concentration. Altha flipped open the tome, skimming through the neatly inked diagrams while Cecily meticulously adjusted the bracelet on the workbench, occasionally glancing at the monitors to check its Arcane Flux.

Minutes passed. Altha moved beyond the initial twenty-four runes, lingering in the book's appendix until he found something that caught his attention. Feeling confident in his memorization, he flipped ahead to a chapter titled 'The Fundamental Geometry of Runes'.

The moment he started reading, a strange sensation overtook him—his mind latched onto the words with a ravenous hunger, devouring each concept as if unlocking a deeper, insatiable craving for knowledge.

The chapter explored how rune structuring influenced a spell's range, duration, and dimensional impact. The text outlined three primary geometries:

1. Linear Rune Structure – The simplest form, a two-dimensional arrangement where runes are read in a sequential pattern, much like reciting an incantation. It produced standard spells with no unique modifications. Even this fundamental level remained an insurmountable ceiling for most novice practitioners of Eidolimancy.

2. Nonlinear Rune Structure – A more advanced three-dimensional approach. Here, runes could be shaped to encode additional aspects into a spell, altering its nature depending on the structure and intent. However, the complexity was a barrier—almost fifty percent of mages failed to progress beyond this stage, often remaining stuck for years without proper guidance.

3. Spectral Rune Structure – The pinnacle of Eidolimantic script, also known as four-dimensional runes. Few Arcanists ever reached this level; the text estimated that only a meager ten percent succeeded in mastering it.

As he read, Altha felt his thoughts stretching, shifting—his mind racing ahead of his comprehension, drawing strange, intricate patterns in the air with his fingers before he even realized he was doing it. The symbols made sense in a way they hadn't before, as though some hidden part of his consciousness had always known the logic but had only now been given the key to unlock it.

He exhaled sharply and shut the book, pressing the heel of his palm against his forehead. A low, vibrating hum filled his ears, different from the machines around him—something else entirely.

Cecily glanced at him. "You alright?"

Altha hesitated before nodding. "...Yeah. Just—absorbing all this."

She smirked. "Good. You'll need every bit of it soon."

Her fingers flicked over the device on the workbench, and the ember crystal pulsed, sending a soft wave of heat through the room.

Altha swallowed, forcing himself to focus. The Somniate Trial was only four days away. There was no time to waste.

Cecily leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms overhead with a satisfied sigh. "By the grace of Leothaphim, I'm finally finished." She turned toward Altha, rolling out her shoulders as she crossed the room to another workbench where he scribbled something down. "Are you finished yet?" She asked.

Altha, still focused on his task, didn't look up immediately. "Almost… just two more runes."

Cecily tilted her head, curiosity sparking in her eyes. He wasn't just memorizing—he was working on something. As he finished the last stroke of his marker, he set it down a foot away from the symbols he had drawn. Stepping back to stand beside her, he exhaled. "Let's hope it works."

Taking less than a second's glance at it, recognition clicked into place. The precise structure, the layering of arcane patterns—it wasn't just a simple rune. It was the outline of a 3D rune on a 2D surface.

"Two-feet range, cylindrical dimensions, and a wind proponent as its functional form." She thought.

Her lips almost twitched into a smile before she caught herself. It's a minor wind vortex. But given the duration—five seconds—it'll transition into a windburst after the allotted time, judging by its shape, before dissipating.

Shaking her head as if to clear the thought, she crossed her arms. "I told you to memorize runes, but it seems you've taken it upon yourself to study Runic Geometry as well." Despite herself, she couldn't keep a hint of approval from her voice. "Well? Evoke it. We don't have all day."

Altha poured some of his Psyche energy into the rune, and as she'd predicted the reaction was immediate—air currents twisted toward the Arcane Circle, swirling faster as they were drawn in. The marker trembled, then lifted into the vortex, spinning wildly before the entire formation collapsed into a sudden burst of wind. The marker shot forward, skidding across the workbench before tumbling onto the floor.

Cecily gave a single, measured clap. "Well done, Altha."

Most intermediate Runesmiths struggled with such feats, and yet he—still a beginner—had just executed a minor wind vortex flawlessly. It was impressive, to say the least. But Cecily knew the dangers of unchecked confidence. Best to keep him grounded… for now.

"I wasn't sure that would actually work," Altha admitted, "I'm surprised the marker's ink worked so well as a catalyst for the spell. It was weak, but… at least it functioned." He turned to Cecily, his eyes partially covered by a few rogue dreads, "Now as for my reward—"

Cecily smirked, shaking her head. "If I recall correctly, the deal was that you memorize the runes, and then I'd consider answering your question." She flicked her wrist, and a whiteboard on wheels rolled over with a faint hum. "Write all twenty-four runes down—" she gestured at the board, "—and then I'll hold up my end."

Altha sighed but didn't argue. Stepping forward, he picked up a marker and began writing, the symbols flowing from memory with practised precision. Not only did he recall each rune effortlessly, but he also took the time to annotate some of their attributes and affinities.

Cecily tapped a finger against her chin, watching. The corners of her lips threatened to curl into a smile. "Damn it." She murmured to herself.

Cecily sighed, rubbing her temple. "I suppose you're expecting an answer now?"

Altha gave her a prompt nod, his expression unreadable but expectant.

"Alright, alright." She waved a hand dismissively. "The water and electricity come from an Athar Adapt generator I built. Satisfied?" She didn't wait for a response. "Now, no more fooling around. Let's get back to work. You may have memorized the twenty-four standard arcane runes, but that's not enough. You still don't know how to structure them into actual incantations."

She cleared her throat before continuing, her tone turning more formal. "You have an exceptional aptitude for Eidolimancy Script—that's undeniable. But right now, it's just raw talent, not deliberate intent. If you want to use what you've learned, you need more than memorization. You need control." She tapped the table in front of her. "Today, we're going to focus on understanding and practicing a few foundational incantations, ones like the wind-vortex and wind-burst that you used."

Altha hesitated for a moment, turning her words over in his mind. He had barely a choice here, but deep down, he already knew his answer. With a short nod, he committed himself.

---

Elsewhere, Outside the Cabin

The air outside was crisp with the lingering scent of damp earth and ozone. Around the bodies of the slain Tenebicula, Sumi and the others had finished extracting the crystal cores—each one roughly the size of a human heart, pulsing faintly with energy.

Sumi held up the last of them. "That makes a total of eight Existence-4 Mirror Fracts. We'll each get two." She handed them out to the others, ensuring everyone who participated in the mission received their share. Then, after a brief pause, she turned to Cassilyth. "Great job healing Altha. I know how painful it is for you to heal injuries like those."

She pressed a Mirror Fract into Cassilyth's hands, offering her a warm smile before pulling her into a tight hug.

Cassilyth barely had time to react before she was enveloped in the embrace. She nearly fumbled the crystal, catching it just in time.

From the side, Solace stepped forward. "Sorry for the trouble, Cassie."

Without hesitation, Cassilyth and Sumi pulled him into the hug, wrapping their arms around him as well.

A few feet away, Isolde watched, her eyes flicking toward Solace. She stepped closer, lowering her voice as she leaned in. "So… do we tell them about the Mal-Empirica now, or—?"

"Oh. Right." Solace slowly pulled away from the hug, rubbing the back of his neck. His expression darkened slightly.

He turned to the group, voice steady but serious. "There's something you guys need to know."