Chapter 47: A Long Wait.
Everything clicked.
It didn’t slam into him like lightning or explode like one of those dramatic anime revelations, it was quiet.
A simple realization that slipped through the gaps of his panic and planted itself in the middle of his mind like a glowing puzzle piece falling into place.
The reason he couldn’t evolve rune compatibility was because, it didn’t exist. At least, not as something the Evolution Forge recognized.
The term, the entire concept of "compatibility" was a simplification. A theory. A guess made by weavers and rune scholars who couldn’t quite explain why some people just clicked better with certain runes.
And now, inside the Forge, staring down death itself, Ren was realizing something insane.
The whole field of rune compatibility?
Incomplete. Possibly even wrong.
He began pacing in a frenzy, his brain on fire now, hands flailing wildly as he muttered to himself.
"It’s not a real thing, not in the way they describe it. No true compatibility value exists that I can just extract and evolve. The forge can’t touch things that don’t technically exist. Which means..."
He stopped mid-step, turning toward the crimson glow of the altar. His eyes sharpened with intensity.