What Makes an Armament Good or Bad?
The strength of an armament isn't just about the material—it's about how well it connects with its wielder. The tighter the bond between a person and their weapon, the more efficiently they can use it. And efficiency is key, especially when it comes to magic.
Since a person's magic isn't limitless, every bit of it must be used wisely. When channeling magic through an armament, two things determine whether it's good or bad:
Material Strength: The armament must be made from a material that can handle magic without breaking or losing power. A weak material will crack or fail under pressure, forcing the wielder to use more energy than necessary.
Rune Connection & Magic Flow: The better the runes are inscribed and attuned to the user, the less magic is wasted. Poorly connected runes act like a leaky container, draining power before the spell can even take full form.
Think of it like carrying water—if you pour five liters onto a flat plate, most of it will spill. But if you use a well-shaped bucket, you can carry all of it without waste. That's the difference between a bad armament and a good one.
A well-made armament isn't just a weapon; it's an extension of its wielder, ensuring that every drop of magic is used to its fullest potential.
And currently, Adrian was learning how to keep the knot tight.
'To form a perfect rune one has to carefully assess them. A single wrongly tied thread could cause a severe backlash, especially if the Thread is closer to subconscious'
This subject of Runesmithing was both interesting and dangerous.
Although there was no Runesmith who could tie the fifth thread, imagining it makes Adrian shudder.
To knot the final threat you have to connect to the gate that connects the subconscious and conscious mind of a person.
When a Runesmith is connected so deeply with a person, the person can't do anything to defend themselves, and the Runesmith can easily break them mentally.
They can do anything with the person—run unfamiliar magic inside their head, which would overload their mind, or maybe damage the gate that transfers the thought from the head to the armament.
'To connect the Fifth Thread, the Runesmith, and the target have to trust each other blindly.' Adrian breathed a long sigh.
Well, his focus was on the Second Thread right now—the second step to becoming a true Runesmith.
The Second Thread is much more complicated since this one involves reading the magic routes of a person.
There are several nodes or pores, if you may, that provides magic to the armament.
After assessing where the magic pores are, the Runesmith forms runes that attract magic from each node equally rather than allowing a single pore to channel all the magic.
This process can be slightly intimate since magic nodes can be present anywhere. That's why, unless you trust the Runesmith you won't be able to allow them to for the Second Thread.
Adrian was learning how to assess the nodes.
He has to pour his magic through his inscribing brush over the target's whole body. After that, they would feel which point is reacting violently, and based on the assessment, the runes are written on the armament.
'So the key points are...'
°°°°°°°°°
Adrian returned to his office after his four-hour-long learning session in the Time Chamber.
The more he learned, the more he craved.
Maybe because it was his only lifeline to survive in this world, Adrian was loving Runesmithing more and more.
It felt as if he knew all of it already but was just revising it. After all, understanding a whole new concept by just reading about it in a book sounds absurd.
"Hmm...let's see."
Adrian pulled out his runic pencil and drew the four basic element runes in the air.
He already knew his affinity, but just to recheck if his memories were serving him right, he drew the runes.
And as he thought, the water element shone brightly in his presence.
'Water element, huh. Aren't there very less offensive spells with this affinity?' Water can be regarded as the weakest element out of the six.
However, Adrian knew if he could build an armament up to the Third Thread, he would be able to utilize some decent level of sorcery.
For now, he was focused on learning the Second Thread while using the experimental dummy provided in the time chamber.
'I think I should eat something.' With that thought, Adrian rose from his seat, when suddenly,
*Knock*
Hearing the knock, Adrian heaved a weary sigh. Exactly, who needs his help this early morning(time inside the time chamber isn't tangible to the real world).
"Come in," He said reluctantly and sat back down.
From the other side, a certain black-haired male walked in, "Good morning, Professor." He said as he approached the table.
Adrian's brows creased slightly upon seeing the Protagonist here as he asked, "What happened, student Allen?"
For some reason, Adrian believed that it was related to either Olivia or Sylvia. And just as he guessed,
"Can I dare ask, what conversation you and Olivia had yesterday? I know I shouldn't be crossing my boundaries, but since yesterday, Olivia hasn't stepped out of her room, nor is she responding to my calls."
Adrian leaned back in his seat, as he said, "I assume you should already be aware of the discussion we had yesterday. After all, Student Olivia shared everything with you, no?" There was no mockery in his voice. He was just baffled that Allen had to come here to ask him what Olivia had talked to Adrian yesterday.
Wasn't he the one who encouraged her?
Allen cleaned his fists under the table as he muttered in a heavy tone, "I know she must have discussed the annulment, but what did you tell her that she is refusing to respond?"
Adrian sighed, "Look, student Allen, I know you care about her; however, for her sake, you shouldn't disturb others. I just agreed to her wish to break this engagement and told her the truth about my feelings; that's it. Now, whatever Olivia does, it doesn't concern me."
He intentionally called her Olivia and didn't add 'student' before her name since, as her ex-fiancé, he held no obligation toward her anymore.
Allen released a heavy breath, before muttering, "I understand. Sorry for disturbing you, Professor." Leaving those words, the boy got up and walked out of the room.
Sensing displeasure for him didn't affect Adrian. He never hoped good relationship with Allen. He just wanted to live his life and allow Allen to do his things.
The only link that connected them, Olivia, was now out of the way so Adrian was hoping that they could respect each other's boundaries.
"Haah...I should get prepared." In the evening, he would meet his bodyguard and leave for his hometown.
The family drama awaits.
°°°°°°°°
A/N:- The relationship with the Protagonist might be a little rocky in this one. Drop a comment.