Alfred woke up covered in sweat. Although he had been staying there for who knew how many days, the heat and insects were a difficult thing for him to get accustomed to, no matter how much he told himself to endure.
'Is there nothing I can do? Solving the insect problem is probably easy. All I need are plants with deterring effects. The problem is the heat. There is no ice, no electricity, and no cool breeze. How am I supposed to solve this uncomfortable problem?'
He sat up, removing the thought from his mind. He had been complaining about the same thing every morning, so it became a habit for him to do that, even though it would be the last thing he perhaps wanted to do.
Then, he smiled.
There was something more prior that was waiting for him. Now that he had proven that the Rune Formation was real, his interest in it intensified, burning furiously in his heart.
"Maybe there is something I can do about the heat, after all." He mumbled while touching his smooth chin. "The first Rune I created yesterday emitted heat, though it is weak; it did nonetheless. What if I use a Wind Rune or Water Rune? Will it produce cool air?"
His heart quickened at just the thought of the possibilities.
"I want to start my experiment, but I don't have any monster blood to begin it." He lingered, deep in thought. "Now that I think about it, why did the first Rune consume almost the entirety of my Spirit Energy, while the latter only half? Is there a meaning behind it? I guess I can try creating a Rune. I don't need monster blood to do that, at least."
The first thing he did was scan his Spirit Energy, and surprisingly, his body was brimming with it.
'If I remember correctly, I consumed half of it last night. Is my body replenishing the Spirit Energy on its own? This is good, as I don't need to waste my time meditating.'
Alfred crawled to the same place where the two Runes were. To his surprise, he could still feel the warmer temperature around the first Rune.
He did not mind it for now. What he wanted to understand was the difference between the two Runic Symbols. If he put his focus on the Fire Rune, he would probably end up with nothing.
Upon deciding, Alfred summoned the water Rune in his mind, and instantly two Runic Symbols showed themselves.
The two symbols were like a letter, shaped to look like water. It was hard to describe because it appeared like a mix-up of a letter and a symbol. The only difference between them was that the first one had a V shape on top of it while the latter had none.
'All the other symbols of every Rune have this V shape on them. How curious.'
After contemplating for a while, Alfred began carving the first Runic Symbol of water on the ground. His experience last night didn't help, even for a bit, as he struggled with his meticulous drawing.
Soon, when his face was covered in beady sweat, he finally stopped while releasing a mouthful of air. The Rune Formation glowed in a bright blue light, followed by the terrifying suction of his Spirit Energy, leaving him no choice but to lie on the ground.
As he heaved, his depleted Spirit Energy recovered at the pace of a snail.
'Huh, recovering my Spirit Energy is good, but the rate is too slow. I guess there is nothing free in this world either. Still, it is good enough. All I need is a small amount, just enough to move my body.
A few minutes later, he sat up, ready to observe his new creation.
With a lot of anticipation, he stretched out his right hand.
A wide smile cracked on his face.
"It's colder. Although I can barely feel the change, it is colder around the Rune!" He exclaimed, clenching his fist out of excitement. "Wait… Why did the Rune Formation activate without the monster blood? Does the V Runic Symbol not need monster blood, only my Spirit Energy? Is that why it consumes so much?"
His eyes widened upon a realization.
"Can I increase the effect if I can store more Spirit Energy within my body?"
The smile on his face spread further from the exciting discovery.
"So, if I am correct, the V Runic Symbol relies more on the caster's Spirit Energy, and once it's activated, it will be constant? The V-less Runic Symbol is more active and powerful, but it needs a reliable power source to activate.
Huh, so the V Runic Symbol is more on the passive side, while the V-less one is on the active. I kind of like the name. I will call them Passive Runic Symbols and Active Runic Symbols."
Alfred nodded in satisfaction as his knowledge about the Rune had expanded. A day had yet to pass, but the discovery he uncovered strengthened his already burning curiosity to another level. What if more days passed? He couldn't wait to know more.
Wanting to create the Wind Rune and Earth Rune, Alfred closed his eyes in an attempt to enter a meditative state. However, before he could sink deeper, someone entered his tent, interrupting his concentration.
Opening his charcoal eyes, he saw a tan girl smiling at him gently; her oceanic eyes glimmered as they reflected the light, appearing more beautiful than any gems he had ever seen.
"Alfred, the Elders are summoning you; please come with me," Aponi informed Alfred, her melodic voice snapping him from his daze.
'This is definitely about the Rune. I wonder what they will do. Will they enslave me and force me to create Rune for them until my last breath?'
He shivered at the thought.
'No, my bad habit is reemerging again! Stop overthinking! These people are good. They are better than that!'
"Alfred?" Aponi called.
"Okay, let me just wear my leg," he said, then crawled to his bed, equipped the wooden prosthetic, and grabbed his crutch.
Thanks to his past experience, standing up using the prosthetic and his crutch became much easier, and the pain subsided to a manageable point.
Soon after, the two youngsters walked out and went directly to Chief Viren's shelter.
"Do you know why the Elders summoned me?" Alfred questioned while glancing at the smiling girl.
Aponi shook her head. "I am not fully informed on what it is about; thus, I think it is better if you hear it directly from them."
Alfred shrugged.
'Aponi seems to be unaware of the Rune. Did the Elders hide it from their people? I guess that's reasonable, considering the unbelievable power of the Runes. They probably want to have proof first, and then they will announce it; in that case, the tribesmen will not question their decision.'
After a while of walking, the two stopped in front of the biggest tent around the tribe.
Alfred nodded.
'This is what I'm talking about. An important person, such as the Chieftain, should have a tent equal to their position.'
"Please go inside," the tan girl said, gesturing with her right hand.
"Are you not coming?" he asked, anxious about going in alone.
Aponi didn't reply, only smiling at him.
He found the tan girl's behavior odd, as if she were more reserved than usual.
Soon, Alfred sauntered inside the tent.
The first thing he did was scan the surroundings. The room was twice, or even triple the size of his tent. Unlike his abode, which only had 1, Chief Viren's home had 4 sunstones hung under the ceiling, illuminating the four corners of the room.
There were a lot of decorations hanging, leaning, and sticking around the leathery walls. Stone spears, a basket filled with all sorts of things, and the most eye-catching, the leathery paper that seemed to have a map drawn on it—perhaps it is the map of the great forest.
He wanted to ask a lot of things, but was too scared to offend. His scrutinizing action halted when his sight landed on the three old people sitting in the middle.
The Elders welcomed him with smiling faces, lessening the worry in his heart.
They were sitting beside each other, a fire burning in front of them.
"Please sit, young Alfred." Chief Viren pointed at the place on the other side of the fire.
Not wanting to appear disrespectful, Alfred hurriedly walked to the pointed place and rested his bottom on the circular wooden seat covered with fur.
"You might be wondering the reason why we called you," Chief Viren spoke while caressing his long beard. "But you have probably already guessed it. Yes, it is about your ability. However, before we proceed to that, we need to talk about something important. Something that will alter the life of many people."
Alfred swallowed his saliva.
'Oh crap, it seems the conversation is more serious than I thought.'
Chief Viren's moving hand halted, staring at Alfred with all seriousness. "I do not know how to deliver this news without hurting you, but I am just going to say it. We have located your tribe."
His eyebrows knitted.
"Tribe? You mean my tribe?" he inquired with a lot of mixed emotions.
'This is surprising; I did not see that coming. If the tribe of the original owner of this body has been found, then what will happen to me? Will they take me there? Wait, is that even a good idea? I don't know anyone there; all my time here will be wasted if they send me back home.'
"I am sorry to inform you of this… Your tribe has fallen."