"Try slapping him, maybe that will wake him up..."

Loki's advice to wake up the one Marlon seemed to be looking for was sketchy, abrupt, and devoid of grace, but when the young runist forcefully slapped the man lying on the ground, the technique was proven to be effective.

Opening his eyes and looking for his breath, a slight attack of panic taking possession of him, the man straightened up while Marlon moved back a few centimeters to let him breathe.

Dressed in a white tunic slightly charred in places, just like the scorched white turban resting next to his head, the man's gaze fell first on Marlon, then on Luna, before finally returning to the young man.

"You...who are you, young man? And what am I doing here?"

As he was about to answer, the individual didn't give him the time and answered one of his questions himself.

"No, I know what I'm doing here...I was experimenting with a combination of fire and explosion runes, sublimated by another of repetition, all chained together in a mid-rank artifact that could have contained the repeating power of the explosion...I guess it failed."

Looking around, Marlon paid attention to the room he was in for the first time, rather busy reviving the mage until then.

Numerous shelves filled with books sat on each wall of the rectangular room, the wall at the other end of the entrance being in fact a transparent wall giving onto the outside, allowing plenty of daylight to penetrate the interior.

In the center was what looked like a workshop, runic circles of various kinds drawn on the floor with what appeared to be coal.

The remains of a mechanical device sat in the center of these various concentric formations, many pieces scattered all over the room, some of which had even stuck into the ceiling with force and torn the red pseudo-carpeting that covered it, revealing a rocky structure that seemed to be the main material of the mages' tower.

A desk was leaning against one of the shelves, and dozens of scrolls lay in a jumble on it, an unbelievable mess that seemed to reign supreme in the mage.

A smell of burning predominated in the air but was seconded by a musty aroma as if the character's office had not had fresh air for days, which was surely the case, come to think of it.

"Ho, my apologies, I didn't introduce myself! I'm Djilany, a traveling mage runist and yet I have my office here, haha, how ironic is that? But you have to have a drop-off point every now and then, and those pesky mages always have a request for me before I move to another city, you'd think they do it on purpose..."

This man seemed to be just as disturbed as Drevos or Kelnos. Was he a man of passion or just an oddball? Marlon was about to find out, so he interrupted the Runist in his diatribe and introduced himself to him.

"I'm Revenge, an adventurer, and I'd like some advice on how to use runes. I heard you were one of the only people who could help me..."

Djilany raised his eyebrows at him and began to shake his head slowly with a desperate look.

"Sorry, but I'm not going to be able to help you...You have to be a Runist, or at least an Enchanter to be able to grasp the mana distributions in Runes, and I can't work miracles. You're not the first person to want to try it, but if you don't want to go crazy or worse, I strongly recommend you give it up..."

"But actually I..."

The mage cut him off as he tried to explain himself, and Marlon began to classify him as a screamer...

"No, no, no, there's no need to insist. I already have a lot of work to do, and I can't devote myself to an unnecessary task. All that wasted time, all those projects to perfect..."

Marlon restrained the anger that was rising in him and instead of drawing his sword and attacking the mage who kept interrupting him, he simply put his hand over his mouth to keep him quiet for more than a few seconds at a time.

"Now listen to me. I have a Runist class, and due to the scarcity of it, I have never found a master who could help me and guide me. I heard about you and thought I should definitely come to you. Now the only question worth asking is: can you and will you teach me the basics of Runes so that I can improve?"

Djilany's eyes, which had widened in surprise when the young man had gagged him with his hand, were now as big as saucers when he finally understood his mistake.

Marlon slowly withdrew his hand, almost expecting the man to resume his sulky tirade, but he didn't. He seemed to be thinking about what he had just said.

Luna, on the other hand, was lying by the front door of the room and seemed to be having a lot of fun watching her master struggle with this crazy character. Perhaps she remembered Drevos after all?

Djilany seemed to have calmed down, and when he spoke to Marlon, it was in a calm voice, the excitement still underlying but under control.

"Are you really a runist? I'm sorry to ask you this, but could you show me what you can do and what kind of Runes you use?"

The young man did not hesitate to take out a blank parchment on which he drew a Life rune with Arbol blood, projecting his intention to heal the crazy man facing him. Within seconds, the piece of paper had burned away and the green aura typical of his healing spell had merged with the mage, making the visible burns on his face disappear, which were surely caused by the incident of his experiment.

The latter nodded as he seemed to be on the verge of giving in to a new wave of uncontrollable excitement.

"Okay...okay...you are indeed a runist, and you know the draconic life rune, obviously...give me two seconds..."

Djilany got up and rushed to his desk, sweeping the pile of parchments with a hurried gesture, muttering sentences that Marlon did not understand. He could however notice that the back of the mage's tunic was also burned and that it let see the fleshy parts of his anatomy.

He could hear Loki laughing under his breath, and mentally he told him to be quiet. His interlocutor already had trouble keeping his calm, so if he presented him with a rare familiar, he would most certainly become irrecoverable, and that's not what Marlon wanted.

No, what he wanted was answers.

With a shout of victory, Djilany returned to him with a blank parchment in his hands and invited Marlon to sit down in front of him on the floor, which he did without any embarrassment.

"Well, now I'd like you to explain to me exactly what you know about runes. How they work and how you use them."

So the young man explained everything to him, including the part where he recovered runes in the blood of some of his enemies, explaining that it was apparently a question of descent but that he did not master the use of it, just to avoid embarrassing questions on that side.

He detailed the combinations he had already discovered, the different media and catalysts he used, and what he understood about intent and its different intensities. Marlon did not forget to mention the bitter failures he had suffered in his attempts to discover new spells, as well as what Drevos had taught him about the basics of runic magic.

This went on for a good fifteen minutes, and when he explained the way he had found to delay the activation of the runes, the mage looked at him as if he were a three-year-old eating dust and exclaimed that it was good. Cute, but so silly. When he finished, Djilany let out a heavy sigh and ran his hand over his face before speaking.

"It's...it's a wonder you've survived until today, Revenge. The only decent thing you've done with runes is that you maybe understood the basics, but you still have some serious gaps. That you've managed to use them in combat in this way is...amazing. You should have been butch...eaten many times over just by the time it took to trace them."

He scribbled a few lines on his parchment, talking to himself, before continuing.

"Do you know the different types of runes? No ? Then you should know that the ones you use are draconic runes, specialized in spells and modification of the surrounding elements. There are others, like those used for artifacts, but let's start by walking before we run... "

He took a deep breath and seemed to organize his thoughts for a few seconds before resuming his tirade in earnest, stopping only to catch his breath from time to time.

"The combinations you are using are fine, but you are missing an essential knowledge for rune combinations, which would give stability and power to your plots. As for your delayed activation...you have to start from the beginning. I'm sure you didn't even pay attention to the depletion of your body's mana when you use the runes?"

In front of Marlon's confirmation of this fact, he sighed. A long, deep sigh, which indicated the extent of his dismay.

"Let's start at the beginning...you've already figured out that you need support and a catalyst. For the intention, it's a projected image of what you want to do. Each rune, when activated, consumes mana. And the more complex the rune, the more mana it consumes. A powerful catalyst can decrease the amount required, but you will always consume mana."

Djilany swept the air with his hands and continued his explanation.

"What you are doing to delay the activation of your runes is totally counterproductive. Not only do you weaken your intention, but it is an extremely bad way to go about it. You don't have to activate a rune as soon as you draw it. Just don't inject any mana into it! That way you can finish your line and when you need your rune, you just put your mana into it.

The problem was that Marlon had no idea how to do this, having always let himself be guided by what his senses and instincts told him. He told this to the mage who shook his head in annoyance.

"If no one trained you, it's normal, the body acts instinctively and injects mana as one might breathe, naturally. Take out a blank parchment, along with your catalyst and your brush. Then draw a simplistic rune."

"Would Breath do?"

"You call that simplistic? But yes, use it if you want, it's the same. Imagine a simple breath of wind, please don't create tornadoes in my workshop..."

As Marlon was about to begin his drawing, the mage clarified.

"When you draw your rune, focus on your internal sensations, on what you feel. You should feel like a...flow."

As the young man finished his tracing, he did his best to find that feeling the runist mage was talking about, and indeed, there was something. It was very faint, almost undetectable, but still very present.

The rune activated, and Marlon took the opportunity to open his status window to take a closer look at his mana consumption. And indeed, five points of mana had just been consumed by the activation.

"I did feel what you were talking about...but how do I stop it?"

"It's just a matter of practice. Try again, but this time try to hold back the mana as if an invisible hand is preventing that energy from flowing out of you."

"Very metaphorical training, huh, kid?"

Marlon ignored the mocking voice of the AI, knowing well that it was only a joke, and he tried again what Djilany explained to him.

It took him five more attempts, but he finally managed to stop the mana from flowing out of him, the hand metaphor being the most effective for his mental projection.

The Runist nodded at the adventurer's success and once the adventurer had drawn four runes of inactivated Breath, he asked him to do the reverse.

"Now focus on this scroll and imagine the same invisible hand pouring mana into it, try to reproduce the feeling you had before, on purpose this time."

Only two attempts were necessary for Marlon to succeed this time. The sensation was totally new as if he had just discovered a new sense in addition to the five basic ones, a new invisible organ whose existence he had not been aware of until now.

He was engrossed in this discovery, and couldn't believe he hadn't realized it before. It would greatly facilitate his fighting and rune handling in the future.

"You were telling me about the suits earlier? Is there also something I should know about this site?"

The mage nodded almost frantically at Marlon's question and pointed to several signs on the ground where the circles had been drawn.

"Draconic runes have compatibility rates between them. So you will be able to draw combined runes without any problem if they have a high compatibility rate, but if not it's doomed to failure. Unless you use transition runes! There are several types of transition runes, and each one has advantages and disadvantages, but they will allow you to link together runes that would otherwise never have merged!

A glimmer of understanding stirred in Marlon's mind. Some combinations he had thought viable had been bitter failures, but with these binding runes, he could definitely succeed!

"Is there any way to know these compatibilities ahead of time?"

Djilany thought for a few seconds before answering.

"There are indeed gems that can tell if there is one, but impossible to know the rates other than by experience, failure, and perhaps a fellow runist...but these are non-existent on the continent of Erengar...well, as far as I know, I'm not omniscient. The draconic version of runists is the rarest of all."

"And by any chance, would you teach me some tips on how to avoid spending weeks finding things you may have already researched?"

"No worries, but I'm not the master you think I am...I'm only at the Intermediate level of an Apprentice Runist class, and I highly doubt I'll ever rise above that stage..."

"It's not a big deal. I'm already quite happy to find someone who can help me in my class. And you never wanted to raise your mastery rank?"

The mage seemed deeply embarrassed by Marlon's question, and it took him a moment to answer.

"You must understand one thing, the Runist class is not common on this continent because we humans are not necessarily cut out to understand the complexity and subtlety of runes, a few exceptions exist in the history books...but there is a race that has mastered this class perfectly, and among them can be found Grand Masters. Those who have gone beyond simple understanding and can rewrite the very rules of their class..."

"And who are these masters?"

"Dragons...and Magnus, by the looks of it."

Marlon was stunned by Djilany's answer, and even Loki was too stunned to think of anything else to say.

"Dragons? You're talking about giant, fire-breathing reptiles that devour everything in their path? And Magnus, he's the archmage everyone's talking about?"

"For dragons, not all are like that. Most of them are rational beings, having lifted the veil on many mysteries of our universe. I have never seen one but...the writings speak of different castes, one of which is made up of enthusiasts, researchers, and intellectuals wanting to understand the mechanisms of our world."

"Would you have these writings that I would take a look at?"

Djilany shook his head and laughed, surprised by Marlon's question.

"Of course not, that kind of trace is worth a fortune and there is currently only one place where you can find such detailed information, and that is Dream Island. If you want information about their clan, that's where you should go."

"Dream Island? I've never heard of it."

"Seriously? Where are you from? Everyone who practices magic at all knows about this place. In fact, it's almost a must to go there because their archives are so full of information on all the existing classes. Even the Emperor went there to be trained!

At the mention of the Emperor, Marlon's eyes lit up with a hint of envy, remembering his ultimate goal and the path that still awaited him before reaching it. He held back his excitement and asked Djilany:

"How do I get to Dream Island?"

The runist mage scratched the back of his head in thought before answering Marlon.

"There are several magical transfers that take place in major cities on the mainland. But it's only once a year when the school on Dream Island opens its doors and recruits new students. And Delia's last recruitment was just three or four months ago."

Djilany got up and went to get a detailed map that he put in front of Marlon, showing him where they were now.

"Delia is almost in the center of Erengar. Dream Island is much further south, below the Mists of Magnus. And you can't cross those mists without being very advanced in magic and accompanied by other powerful people. Strange creatures can be found there...otherwise you can travel to the Quays of Ys, far to the east, and hope to find a ship that goes there. But that's a journey of many months."

On the map the mage presented to him, Marlon could see where the island was, south of here, lower than the village of Akranio that was depicted on the parchment. Erengar looked gigantic, and Marlon was surprised to see the wealth of information on the unfolded vellum.

"I'm recording all this, don't worry. It will serve us well in the future..."

"I'll hold off, don't worry. I already have plans here at Delia, and I think you're going to be able to help me get through Apprentice for my class. That would already be a really good start."

"Considering the number of runes you already have, in a few days it will be done. I'll teach you the basics for binding runes, as well as some ways to do it that can save you time. Within a week, I have to leave and go to the West. The trouble with being the only Draconic Runist mage on the continent is that so many people depend on me...and it's exhausting!"

"You tell me about the Draconic Runes, but what are the others? And can you teach me about them?"

"I only know of one other type, and that is the Astral runes, which come from Forgeciel and constitute the totality of the artifacts we possess. Even if I have deduced some things from my studies, it is useless considering the complexity of the tracings and Forgeciel is...let's say possessive with its knowledge. As for teaching them to you, we're not supposed to master multiple types of runes, unless you're the reincarnated Archmage, haha. Even trying to mix my draconic runes with the artifacts of Forgeciel puts my sanity at risk and I feel like a drill is trying to drill a hole in my skull."

They talked for a while, Marlon more than happy to have found someone who could guide him, although he couldn't help but feel some disappointment that it wasn't the Grand Master he had hoped for.

He was going to use the week he would have with Djilany to train him to expand his knowledge of his art and his class, feeling that he was on the right track to get there. He would finally be able to use his runes much more effectively in combat and find new combinations. He was looking forward to this, but he knew that everything takes work, and this would be no exception.

As he left the mage tower, thanking the woman behind the front counter, his head was full of thoughts flying back and forth, a chaos caused by all he had just learned. Loki had recorded the rather accurate map that Djilany had, and he had gained a great deal of information about the Runes, even if it was still basic knowledge from what he understood.

It had been a fruitful day, in every sense of the word, and Marlon headed back to his hostel, just as the sun was about to set and his stomach was crying out with insistence. He had about a month left before the Tournament, which still gave him time to make preparations. And the next day was the day of his date with Ivy.

-We're on the right path, kid, that's for sure. Even if we still have a long way to go, you can be sure that we're not going in the wrong direction.