By the time Dean turned eighteen, rune crafting had become his signature magic system. What had started as a simple technique had evolved into something far more complex and powerful. He'd developed his own variations, combining traditional rune patterns with the principles of soul forging to create effects that shouldn't have been possible.
One evening, Takeshi presented Dean with a challenge.
"You've learned everything I can teach you about runes," the old hermit said. "But there's one technique that separates true masters from mere practitioners. It's called binding runes, and it requires not just power, but absolute precision and control."
"What do they do?" Dean asked.
"They bind power into objects permanently," Takeshi explained. "A binding rune carved correctly can store magical energy indefinitely, or create permanent enhancements that don't require continuous channeling. The most powerful rune users can create artifacts that last for centuries."
"How do I learn?"
Takeshi handed Dean a piece of stone. "You practice. For the next month, I want you to carve binding runes into objects. Simple ones at first. A stone that's harder than diamond. A piece of wood that's more flexible than rubber. As you improve, the runes become more complex."
Dean threw himself into the work. He spent hours every day carving runes with perfect precision, infusing each one with just the right amount of magical energy. His hands became calloused and scarred from the work, but gradually, his control improved.
By the end of the month, he could carve binding runes that held power for weeks. By the end of the second month, they held for months. By the end of the third month, Takeshi declared him a master.
"Now you're ready for the real test," Takeshi said. He led Dean to a natural cave deep in the mountains. The walls were covered with ancient runes, glowing with power that had been stored there for centuries.
"This cave was created by a powerful mage three hundred years ago," Takeshi explained. "The runes are still active, still holding power. I want you to add your own runes to this array. Integrate your work with theirs. If you succeed, you'll create something truly powerful. If you fail, the backlash could kill you."
Dean studied the ancient runes carefully. They were beautiful, intricate, and perfectly executed. For a moment, he felt intimidated. How could his work possibly match something created by a master from three centuries ago?
Then he realized: he wasn't trying to match them. He was trying to complement them, to add his own understanding to their framework.
For three days and nights, Dean carved runes into the cave walls. He added patterns that enhanced the existing array, that made the power flow more efficiently, that created new effects that the original creator had never imagined. When he finally finished, the entire cave was glowing with power, a beacon of magical energy that could be felt for miles.
"Impressive," Takeshi said when Dean emerged, exhausted but triumphant. "You've created something new. Something that's uniquely yours. That's the mark of a true master."
Dean looked at his hands. They were bleeding, blistered, scarred from the work. But he'd never felt more alive.
"What now?" he asked.
"Now you decide what to do with this power," Takeshi replied. "You're no longer a student, Dean. You're a practitioner in your own right. The question is: what will you do with what you've learned?"
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