Simon sat on the cold floor of his room with his legs crossed and a thick black book resting on his lap.
The room was silent.
Only the soft crackling of the crimson lamp hanging above him and the occasional turning of pages drifted through the air.
His gaze calmly scanned the contents of the book in front of him.
<Foundations of Chaos Rune Construction> <Written by Rune Scholar Veyrath>
Unlike the Order Rune books he had read in his previous life, this book felt far less rigid.
Order Rune books always felt suffocating to Simon.
Every page was packed with formulas, precise measurements, compatibility theories, structural ratios, and complex diagrams that made his head ache.
Chaos Rune books were different.
The explanations were simpler.
Not easier.
Just... different.
They focused less on absolute perfection and more on the relationship between intent, Will, emotions, and structure.
Simon slowly flipped to the next page.
The foundation of every Chaos Rune is intent.
Without intent, a Chaos Rune is merely scattered energy pretending to have form.
However, intent alone is not enough. Intent must be supported by structure.
The stronger the rune, the more important structure becomes.
Many novice demons misunderstand this principle and believe that a powerful Will alone can compensate for everything.
This is false.
Will can stabilize incomplete structures, but it cannot replace understanding entirely.
Simon rested his chin on his fist thoughtfully.
’So high level Chaos Rune Masters still need excellent understanding of strokes and structures.’
That made sense to him.
If Chaos Runes truly required no structure at all, then every powerful demon would become a Rune Master eventually.
Instructor Valdin had already made it clear that becoming a Chaos Rune Master was not easy.
Simon continued reading.
Before attempting true Chaos Runes, beginners are advised to first learn simple reinforcement and defensive runes.
These runes possess low instability and are easier to control.
His eyes shifted toward the diagram beneath the text.
It was a circular defensive rune made from several connected strokes.
Some strokes resembled curves.
Others resembled straight lines or hooks.
At the center of the rune was a zig-zag shaped structure.
Underneath the diagram were explanations.
Foundation Strokes meant Stability and Shape.
Directive Strokes meant Defensive Function.
Modifier Strokes meant Reinforcement and Duration.
Simon’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Instructor Valdin had shown them a similar rune earlier in class.
’A basic defensive rune of the shadow element.’
Simon slowly closed the book.
Then he stretched out his right hand.
Dark emerald-orange demonic energy gathered above his palm and slowly condensed.
The surrounding air became slightly heavier.
Simon stared at the energy calmly.
Unlike earlier in class, he was not attempting to draw a single stroke.
This time, he wanted to construct an actual rune.
A basic defensive rune.
His eyes sharpened slightly.
’Defensive intent.’
That was the first thing he focused on.
Protection.
Containment.
Stability.
A rune capable of resisting external force.
His demonic energy above his palm slowly stabilized.
Simon raised his finger.
Then, he began drawing.
The first foundation stroke formed in the air.
A smooth curved line.
Then another.
And another.
The strokes connected one after another, forming the outer circular structure of the rune.
The process was surprisingly smooth.
His energy control allowed the strokes to remain stable and balanced.
Simon could already tell that his rune construction speed was far beyond the average first year Initiate.
Soon, the outer structure was complete.
Then Simon moved toward the directive strokes.
Several sharp angular strokes formed near the center of the rune.
The moment they connected, the entire rune trembled violently.
Cracks spread across the structure.
The dark emerald-orange energy suddenly became chaotic.
Simon’s eyes narrowed immediately.
The rune was destabilizing.
Without hesitation, Simon imposed his Will on the rune.
The unstable energy slowly calmed down.
However...
A moment later...
The rune suddenly twisted.
The outer circle warped unnaturally.
The center structure distorted.
Then the entire rune exploded into scattered particles of dark energy.
Simon remained silent.
His expression did not change.
He replayed the process in his mind.
The foundation strokes were stable.
The energy flow was smooth.
The structure itself was mostly correct.
So why did it fail?
Simon glanced toward the book again.
A few seconds later, he flipped several pages before stopping.
One of the greatest difficulties of Chaos Rune construction is alignment between intent and structure.
Many novice demons possess clear intent but construct strokes that contradict that intent.
This contradiction creates instability.
For example, a defensive rune constructed with aggressive or explosive directional flow may destabilize itself.
Simon’s eyes flickered slightly.
’Contradicting strokes.’
He thought back carefully.
His foundation strokes focused on containment and stability.
However...
The directive strokes he used near the center possessed aggressive release patterns.
That was the problem.
His structure contradicted itself.
A defensive rune should focus on layered containment and reinforcement.
Not violent outward force.
Simon leaned back slightly.
’Interesting.’
Chaos Runes truly differed from Order Runes.
Order Runes focused heavily on perfect structure.
Chaos Runes focused on harmony between one’s intent, one’s Will, the structure of the rune, and one’s emotional state
Even contradictory thoughts could affect construction.
Simon stretched out his hand again.
Dark emerald-orange demonic energy gathered once more.
This time, Simon adjusted his mindset completely.
Protection.
Containment.
Resistance.
Not aggression.
Not destruction.
Not domination.
His intent became far clearer than before.
Then...
He began constructing the rune again.
The foundation strokes formed one after another.
Smooth.
Stable.
Controlled.
After completing the outer structure, Simon slowly formed the directive strokes again.
This time, the angular strokes were less aggressive.
More compact.
More layered.
Instead of projecting force outward, the strokes reinforced the center of the rune.
The moment the final directive stroke connected, then the rune trembled slightly.
Simon immediately focused his Will.
The instability vanished.
A faint dark glow emerged from the rune.
The air around it distorted slightly.
Simon’s eyes narrowed.
The rune had not collapsed.
However...
It was still incomplete.
He could feel it.
The structure lacked depth.
The rune possessed form but not refinement.
Its stability was mediocre at best.
If activated in battle, it might only withstand a single attack before collapsing.
’Modifier strokes.’
Simon immediately realized what was missing.
The rune lacked refinement.
Duration.
Reinforcement.
Behavioral stability.
Without modifier strokes, the rune was merely a rough framework.
Simon observed the unstable defensive rune floating above his palm silently.
Then...
He attempted to add a modifier stroke near the outer layer.
The moment the stroke connected...
The entire rune violently shook.
Dark energy surged outward chaotically.
Simon frowned.
He immediately realized his mistake.
The modifier stroke disrupted the energy flow of the outer foundation layer.
Instead of strengthening the rune, it overloaded it.
The rune shattered instantly.
Fragments of dark energy scattered across the room before dissolving into the air.
Silence returned.
Simon stared at the empty air for several seconds.
Then...
A faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
For the first time in a very long while...
He genuinely enjoyed learning about runes.
Chaos Runes were dangerous.
Sensitive.
Unstable.
But unlike Order Runes, they did not feel like incomprehensible mathematics.
They felt alive.
Every mistake had a reason.
Every instability reflected a flaw in the rune structure, one’s intent, one’s mindset, and one’s Will.
The clearer the user, the more stable the rune.
A dangerous glint flashed across Simon’s eyes.
Then he reopened the book once more.
This time...
His focus became far more serious than before.