Chapter 19: "First Strokes of Power"

Between the constant echo of water falling behind the waterfall and the crackle of embers that only existed in his spiritual sea, Li Wei prepared for a new form of madness. He was no longer just the cunning fox who manipulated words and dodged swords. Now, he intended to write with Qi, to draw symbols that would master reality. Because yes, it seems that in Aethelgard you don't just have to learn to fight, but to convince the universe to harmonize with drawings charged with intent.

Ignis addressed him, adopting a graver and more serious tone than usual. The embers of his consciousness seemed to burn with a calmer rhythm, as if recalling distant times.

"Listen closely, little fox. Before tracing a single symbol, you must understand the spiritual structure of a rune. Every line must hold living Qi, every curve must resonate with intent. We'll start with the simplest: the channeling circle."

Li Wei mixed the spiritual bone dust with saliva and a spark of Qi. The result: a thick paste with a slightly unsettling aroma.

"Is this supposed to be the ink?" he frowned.

"Were you expecting liquid gold? Even the greatest alchemists started by getting their fingers dirty," Ignis replied.

Li Wei began to trace on a flat stone, his Qi flowing through his fingers. At first, he trembled. The first circle collapsed. The second... burst into sparks. Ignis laughed mercilessly.

"Again!"

Hours passed. Li Wei's breathing became more rhythmic. His eyes, more focused. Third attempt. The circle glowed faintly... and didn't explode.

"Did it work?"

"It worked. The channel is open. It doesn't transmit anything yet, but it wasn't destroyed. It's a start."

Ignis instructed him with unexpected patience. He explained how to use the moon mist root to stabilize the outer lines. How to place the resonance crystal right in the center of the runic node. Each step demanded surgical precision and a concentration that Li Wei had only used before for strategy games and escaping angry women.

In one of the attempts, Qi overflowed from one side of the circle, and a spark burned his eyebrow.

"Argh! That hurt!"

"I warned you that Qi is not a toy. If you want to be strong, you'll have to learn to dance with fire without getting completely burned."

"Is that your motivational advice?"

"No. My motivational advice is: if you do this wrong with a defensive rune, your body might be the only thing defending itself... by disintegrating."

Li Wei sighed, but gritted his teeth. He saw the constant glow of the crystal, the harmonious shape of the stroke he had managed to stabilize. And something inside him clicked. Finally, something that didn't require muscles or swords or a charming smile. Something of his own. Something born from his mind, from his will.

"Good. Let's go with a minor reinforcement rune," Ignis said. "Spiral inner strokes, connecting nodal lines. Use your Qi in pulses, not continuously."

Li Wei obeyed, and for the first time, he felt the vibration of the stone as if the world were responding to him. A faint light enveloped his arm. It wasn't a great feat, but it was something tangible. A first step.

"Not bad... for a talentless mortal," Ignis said, but its tone was almost warm.

Li Wei smiled.

"Hey, how long will it take me to learn offensive runes? The exploding kind, of course. I have a list of people I want to surprise..."

Ignis sighed with a slight roar.

"Once you master the basics, and if you're still alive, perhaps I'll teach you to write with fire."

"Then I'll start a list. Of enemies... and decorative targets."

That night, the lonely fox, alchemy apprentice, circle tracer, and lover of strange plans, slept for the first time with a weak protection rune active around his hideout. He dreamed of symbols dancing in the air, of lines that opened doors and circles that sealed destinies.

The next day, training continued relentlessly. Ignis made him repeat the runes from scratch, demanding that each stroke be cleaner, more fluid. Mistakes were punished with small controlled explosions or Qi discharges that made him tremble.

During an especially ambitious attempt to form a double anchoring rune—to fix his shield to his position so it wouldn't dissolve with the wind—a calibration error caused the Qi to condense incorrectly. The stone he was working on cracked from side to side, and a small shockwave threw him against the wall.

"Tsk! Was that a rune or an attempt at artistic suicide?" Ignis roared.

Li Wei wiped blood from his lip and laughed with difficulty.

"I'm a tragic artist, what can I say?"

Ignis lowered its tone slightly.

"You're beginning to understand the fundamental thing: risk. Creating a rune is like signing a contract with the laws of the world. If you write it wrong... the clauses are paid with your life."

The intensity grew with each passing day. He wasn't just tracing; now he meditated before each attempt. He visualized the lines, felt them. He even began to hear a soft hum when the strokes were correct. In one week, he managed to stabilize five basic runes: protection, physical reinforcement, Qi detection, presence concealment, and anchoring.

One night, while refining a sixth—a rudimentary containment rune to trap errant energy—Ignis interrupted him.

"You've learned enough to protect yourself from an aggressive novice. Now... the other half of the art is missing."

Li Wei looked up.

"The other half?"

"Yes. Reading the world's runes. The ones that are already written. Aethelgard is full of them, hidden in ruins, in caves, in the bones of ancient beasts. You will learn to see them. And one day, to decipher them."

"And is that day near?"

"No. But at least, you're starting to see the ink they were written with."

Li Wei closed his eyes, exhaled. Learning was just beginning. But for the first time in his life, he didn't wish to rush the process. He wanted every step, every mistake, every stroke. Because in them, he was building something no one could take away from him.

Today I didn't die. Today I learned to write with the world. Tomorrow... perhaps I'll write my destiny.

Ignis laughed.

"You're not as useless as you seem."

Li Wei smiled. The path of runes had just begun.

The first stroke had been given. And Aethelgard would never be the same.

"Come on, little fox," Ignis whispered from deep within. "You're not yet worthy of the eternal fire, but you're beginning to write your legend. With ink, will... and ashes."