Chapter 54: My Fundamental Rune
Elder Molric moved to a large cabinet in the corner of his laboratory. "Now, before we begin, let me get the practice materials." He opened the doors, revealing rows of neatly organized equipment. "Contrary to what you might have read, no one expects initiates to create their Fundamental Rune on their first attempt."
He paused, a distant look crossing his face. "Back in my day, of course, we didn't have all these safety measures. They just threw us in a room with a knife and told us to figure it out." He shuddered slightly. "Most of us either turned into monstrosities or exploded. The Failure Garden was much larger back then."
"That's... reassuring," I muttered as he gathered various items from the cabinet.
"Oh, don't worry!" He said cheerfully. "We've refined the process considerably since then. Now we only lose about one in twenty initiates during rune creation." He must have noticed my expression because he quickly added, "And those are mostly the ones who ignore their master's instructions and try to rush things."
I watched as he placed the equipment out on a workbench with surprising precision for someone who kept exploding plants.
"This," he held up what looked like a silver pen with crimson inlay, "is a resonance stylus. It allows you to channel your energy in precise patterns without... well, without your arm melting off." He smiled at my expression. "Just a joke! Usually it's only the fingers that melt."
"Master," Azure whispered in my mind, "I don't think he's joking."
"And this," Elder Molric continued, pointing to what appeared to be an ordinary potted plant with pure white leaves, "is a Blank Canvas Lily. Bred over hundreds of years specifically for rune practice. Its only purpose is to accept runic inscriptions without transforming or exploding."
He stroked one of the white leaves almost affectionately. "The academies used to use regular plants for practice. Lost quite a few promising students that way. But these beauties..." He beamed with pride. "They're completely stable. Well, mostly stable. Sometimes they develop consciousness and try to escape, but that's quite rare."