Runes… magic runes… Seyla repeated the words in his mind, then asked aloud, "What exactly are runes?"
Maerin leaned back slightly, his expression calm. "The runes are the source of power for the people. You swallow them… and within minutes, their power is absorbed into your body."
Seyla's eyes widened. "Swallow them?!"
"Yes," Maerin nodded. "But there's a catch. Everyone who swallows a rune stone risks death… or worse."
"Worse?"
"Some die instantly from the shock. Others… lose their minds, reduced to nothing more than mindless animals. And some… become monsters."
Seyla swallowed hard, his throat dry. Brutal… he thought to himself, then nodded for Maerin to continue.
Maerin did. "But if your mind is strong… if your will is healthy and resilient… the risk is much lower."
Seyla exhaled slowly, processing the information.
"As I mentioned earlier," Maerin continued, "there are fourteen types of magic, and seven forms of progression for each."
Seyla nodded, his curiosity growing.
"The fourteen types of magic are: Dreams, Flame, Stone, Seer, Dusk, Bloom, Tempest, Echo, Chains, Tide, Ember, Beast, Light, and Silence."
Each type of magic, Maerin explained, came with its own passive abilities and progression.
"Seven forms?" Seyla asked.
"Yes," Maerin confirmed. "The forms are: Awakening, Stirring, Molding, Reflection, Hindling, Becoming, and Ascension."
Maerin paused, then gestured to himself. "Take me for example. My magic is Silence. My first form was Muteborn, my second, Voidtouch, and my third—Unheard. At this third form, I gained my Sleepless ability. Which, as you may have noticed, explains the dark circles under my eyes."
"Oh… so that's why…" Seyla muttered, understanding dawning.
Maerin gave a small smile, then continued. "Alright, that's enough about magic for now. As for this world itself, I'll leave you some notes—you'll learn the rest during your time here."
Seyla nodded in agreement.
Maerin added, "Before I go, do you have any questions?"
Seyla thought for a moment. "Earlier, you mentioned only ten to twenty percent of humanity has magical powers. Why?"
Maerin's lips curved into a faint smile. "Because the runes… are limited."
"Limited…?" Seyla echoed, frowning.
Maerin nodded. "As I told you, there are fourteen types of magic, and each has only one original Rune Stone, often called a Divine Stone. These Divine Stones hold immense power. But… long ago, they shattered. Each broke into seven fragments, which gave birth to the Seven Forms."
"So… to advance your form, you need to find more fragments of your Rune Stone?" Seyla asked.
"Exactly," Maerin replied. "But there's a price. Only one person can possess a fragment of a specific Divine Stone at a time. To get the next fragment, you either defeat the current holder… or they willingly sacrifice it."
"And if they die…?"
"The fragment manifests in their corpse," Maerin explained. "If they choose to sacrifice themselves, the fragment is released… and flies off to an unknown location."
Seyla's eyes narrowed. "So, you've already…?"
"I've claimed three fragments," Maerin confirmed. "That's why I've reached my third form."
Seyla processed the explanation, then asked, "But… how does that explain twenty percent of humanity having magic?"
Maerin's smile widened. "Artificial Rune Stones."
Seyla blinked. "Artificial?"
"Yes," Maerin explained. "Scholars discovered how to extract power from real Rune Stones and infuse it into ordinary stones. But… there are rules. The power only activates if the material is compatible with the Rune Stone it came from."
"Compatible how?"
"This is called The Law of Compatibility," Maerin answered.
The Law of Compatibility… Seyla repeated the term to himself.
Maerin explained, "A Rune Stone fragment reacts when near something aligned with its essence. Other fragments, ancient artifacts… even certain places or beings. It's like an invisible pull. Some describe it as warmth… pressure… or an irresistible magnetism."
"What's the range?" Seyla asked.
"About 100 meters for first forms," Maerin replied. "With each form you ascend, that range increases by fifty meters. Once you reach godhood, that range covers the world… or even the universe, depending on your magic."
Seyla exhaled. "That's… terrifying."
Maerin chuckled. "Terrifying, yes… but necessary. And remember—the Law was named and codified by the churches of the Five Gods. They use it to control how the world understands magic."
Seyla asked, "And if you sense something within that range… how do you find it?"
"Fate," Maerin replied simply. "Either you'll find it… or it'll find you. Like magnets, drawn together."
Seyla frowned, unnerved. "You make that sound… ominous."
Maerin's eyes twinkled. "Because it is."
"Are there other laws?" Seyla asked.
"Yes," Maerin replied. "The next is The Law of Ascension, which I already hinted at."
He explained, "Only one person may hold a given sequence of a Rune at a time. To progress, you must defeat the current holder. To reach the seventh sequence—the seventh fragment—is to become Ascended. Godlike. Only fourteen kinds of Rune Stones exist. No more will ever be born."
Seyla nodded, committing the knowledge to memory. "Are there… more laws?"
"There are," Maerin confirmed. "But the next one… is far too complicated for you to understand now. You'll need to reach at least the second form before you can grasp it."
How complicated must it be… Seyla wondered, then asked, "One more thing… How did you know I'm from another world?"
Maerin's expression darkened slightly. "Because… you are in my Lord's prophecy."
"Your… Lord? And prophecy?" Seyla pressed, suspicion in his eyes. "Earlier you mentioned both your Lord… and your God. Which is it?"
Maerin smiled faintly. "They are different. My Lord gives me orders. My God… is the one I serve."
Seyla's eyes widened. "The God you serve… is it one of the Five?"
Maerin shook his head, his smile sharpening. "No. The God I serve is… unrecognized."
"Unrecognized?" Seyla echoed.
"A God more powerful than the Five," Maerin said. "But… the Five refuse to acknowledge Them. They call Them an 'Evil God,' to keep humanity from turning toward Them. Most don't even know They exist."
Seyla's eyes narrowed. "An… Evil God?"