Return of the Legendary Runesmith

There are two types of materials used to craft magical artifacts: Sympathite and Neutralite.

Sympathite is a reactive material that needs to connect with a living magical source during rune inscription. For example, if you're making a cooling artifact, someone with ice affinity must be present to channel their magic into the material. This connection allows the runes to bind properly.

Heartstone is a well-known example of Sympathite. Once inscribed, the runes can last a long time—so long as the artifact is regularly supplied with mana.

But Neutralite is a completely different story.

Adrian only learned about it after regaining his memories.

Neutralite doesn't need any living magical source to inscribe runes. Take the bullets Forgelet made, for example—Adrian never needed anyone's help to carve runes into them.

And some types of Neutralite can hold runes for a very, very long time.

Like the golem Adrian fought in the chamber. It was forged over a thousand years ago using a rare form of Neutralite.

When Adrian asked Forgelet about it, she told him:

[That material was common a thousand years ago, but now, it's rare—even on this planet.]

As it turned out, she was the one who gave him the golem in the first place.

Now, Adrian was working with some of the material he salvaged from the bunker.