God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

The final step in becoming a runecrafter was the hardest as well. All he had gone through was just the build-up to this stage.

In this stage, there were going to be a lot of things that might give him physical and or mental trauma. In more accurate terms, it would test his talent, as well as diligence and ability to go at it for days on end without taking a break.

Runecrafting involved a lot of hard work, and it consisted of a very grueling process of constant concentration and stability.

He would also need constant practice to increase his skills in runecrafting, which would, in turn, increase his mana control ability.

He began getting the ink for the runes ready...

Cain let out a sigh as he realized he had been reading and studying runecrafting in seclusion for about 3 days already. He didn't even realize it, as 3 days were neither a long nor short period of time. He had made a large amount of progress, and there were still a lot of resources he had yet to consume, so there was still room for even more growth.

He had a few things to do as preparation before he started the true process. The first thing was to prepare the ink that was to be used.

From what Cain had seen in the old tome that Ashur had granted unto him, the blood of the mutated beasts would be sufficient. There weren't too many complications when it came to preparing the ink. All he had to do was gather some of the mana-saturated blood in a jar and get a brush he would use to inscribe the runes.

The final step in beginning runecrafting was to draw the runes out according to the mana flow patterns with the aid of the arcane alphabets as a sort of physical representation, and the soul would serve as a catalyst that would activate the rune once the process was completed. Once these processes were completed, then the rune would be successfully activated.

Although slightly straightforward, it was still very hard to accomplish, as locating and reading for the right mana flow patterns was incredibly difficult. Finding the correct runic symbols to transcribe without making any errors was even more difficult to accomplish.

It required a lot of effort, as well as a lot of time to practice. Most of those who had passed the previous stages successfully would usually reach their limit here. There were very few runecrafters in the entire universe, and their overall numbers were mostly made up of beginners who might never even make any progress in their entire lifetime.

Cain took out the jars he had used to store the "blood ink" from his inventory. He withdrew about half a cup of the dense ruby-red liquid. It gave off a crimson glow in the bland colorless day, and smelt a little like blood, with a weird satisfying undertone.

He had read from the tome that although he could use the Blood Ink like this, to make the rune more powerful, there were a few ingredients that he could add to increase the potency.

Unfortunately, he didn't have any access to these resources, which made him slightly displeased, but he had to make do with what he had. He decided that he would have to practice some rune transcription before he began, to familiarize himself with the process.

He got some paper alongside the ink to work with. There was no reason he couldn't transcribe onto paper or any other surface. It is important to know that runes could also be drawn unto any kind of surface. However, since the ordinary paper wasn't a really good receptor of mana, it could only be used theoretically...

However, if he infused just the surface of the paper or any other material for that matter with his mana, he would be able to use it, but only temporarily, as its effects would wear off after a while.

Cain began the process once everything was ready.

He started the process as indicated in the tome. He dipped the tip of the brush into the jar of blood Ink and then channeled his internal mana into the brush. The stream of mana flowed along the shaft of the brush, onto the hairy tip of the brush.

The tip lit up like a flare, the blood on the brush reacting with his mana. This was the first step in rune creation...

Next, he used the brush to draw the desired runic symbol onto the paper. There was an entire dictionary of runic symbols, with their meanings and their various combinations to produce different spell effects.

There was a runic symbol for all sorts of representations. Writing with runes was like writing a set of computer programs. Each rune had a predetermined code or instruction behind its representation.

For example, there were various runic symbols to represent concepts like strength and speed, as well as elements such as fire, water, lightning, etc...

There were many other types of runes, and they could be used in any form, just depending on the abilities and experience of the runecrafter.

Cain chose to draw one of the easier and less complicated runes that were in the tome. It was a rune that could boost the strength stat by +10 points, a standard type of rune that didn't involve a lot of elements to it.

To create this rune, all he needed to do, was to be able to draw down the runic symbols perfectly, with little to no errors. The main form of the rune would be centered around the strength, or more accurately, the power rune that granted an increase or decrease in physical strength.

Not all runes were created to grant positive boons. Some runes could even be used to cause negative effects on others. Others were mainly defense-oriented, with some attack-orientated. With runes, one could alter reality itself.

The next step was to perform a link between the mana in the atmosphere, which will serve as the power source of the runes, and the mana flow patterns in the spiritual realm, which would serve as the control mechanism for the runes.

By letting the flow patterns interpret the runes he had drawn, they would be manifested into reality, as whatever happened in the spiritual realm, would lead to a corresponding change in the physical realm.

Concentrate...

Drawing out the runes required an intense amount of focus, as well as discipline. He had to draw the patterns accordingly, with no discrepancies whatsoever.

Lines...

Strokes...

Curves...

He dragged the brush across the paper fluidly with the grace of a swan gently floating on the river. The blood Ink was like a laser beam that left its mark across the surface of the paper. It would not run out until Cain stopped providing his mana.

Every line and every stroke had some weight in it. With an intense amount of concentration, Cain continued to draw until he was down to the last part of the rune. One more line and he was done.

He drew the last line, and he was done. When the rune was completed, he who drew it would be able to tell if it was drawn correctly. Cain had finished the rune and had concluded that what he had just drawn, was complete trash...

He didn't know how it happened. He had drawn the rune perfectly, and as detailed as the tome had depicted. All he knew, was that after he was done with it, he had just felt that the rune was incomplete, and there was a missing element to it. Slightly frustrated, Cain balled the paper up and proceeded to get another paper to make another attempt.

He mulled over his previous attempt, as he tried to figure out where exactly he had made a mistake. He was sure his drawing was pretty accurate, so that means the problem wouldn't be from there.

There had to be some underlying problem he wasn't noticing.

He began another round, meticulously drawing out the rune had memorized, but the rune still ended up as a failure. The rune failed to bring out a reaction as soon as he put down the last stroke.

He took a deep breath to calm down his nerves, as the repeated failures were already getting to him. It was one thing to keep failing, but another if he didn't even know the cause for his continuous failure. It took him roughly 20 minutes to draw one rune completely. So when he had failed after all his hard work, he was feeling a little bit pissed off.

"What am I doing wrong..."

Cain just couldn't get it.

He threw that one away and began a new one. When that one failed, he would curse a bit before getting a new sheet of drawing paper and beginning again. Gradually, he began to discover the true concepts of runecraft.

It wasn't just about drawing the runes perfectly but getting in tune with the mana all around, as well as understanding the flow of the energy within.

If not for Cain's high mana sensitivity, he wouldn't have been able to grasp the concepts so quickly. After hours of trial and error, he had finally gotten his first breakthrough. He managed to grasp the true elements of runecraft.

The rune flashed with a brief light, the edges of the markings glowing like the embers of a dying fire. The light flashed along the entire paper, filling it with an infernal glow. This was the time to perform the link.

With his soul as the anchor, Cain opened the link to the spiritual realm.

"Eye of Clairvoyance!"

He could see it. The mana flow patterns... They were everywhere. They were the building blocks of the world's foundation. By linking a particular mana flow pattern to his rune, he would be able to bring out the desired effect.

All that was left to do was to find the right one. If he linked the wrong mana flow pattern, then the rune would become obsolete. He also had to be quick, as there was a time limit for each rune to find the mana flow pattern. When the glowing lines disappeared from the rune, the link would no longer be able to work.

Only those with powerful senses, and a high mana affinity would be able to grasp the mana flow patterns in such a short time...

However, this step that was supposed to be the hardest step to undertake was the easiest for Cain. He had no difficulty locating them and was easily able to link them up. This was due to the effects of {Mana Heart}, making it easier for him to interact with the surrounding mana. His affinity with mana was at least 5 times greater than it initially was.

He used his soul to complete the link and watched as the rune flashed with a faint orange glow, indicating its completion.

He had done it.

Finally...

"Summoning the elements, causing reality to bend at will... "

That is the secret concept Cain had managed to unravel...

To cause the world and all it contained to go against the natural order...

To manipulate the laws the world exists under, shaping it to your favor...

That is the basis of the practice of runecraft. In a way, it was a way to defy the natural order of the heavens...

To resist fate itself...