"Hey there! You must be Aurelius," the young man said, his voice filled with energy.

Aurelius hesitated for a moment, eyeing the newcomer warily. "Yeah, that's me," he replied cautiously.

The young man entered the room with energy, placing down the stack of books and neatly folded clothes. He took a deep breath, stretching his back, and looked around the room with a wide grin.

“Sorry about that,” the newcomer began. “It was surprisingly heavy to carry everything up to this dorm room," he said, turning to face Aurelius.

Aurelius kept his guard up as he asked, “I assume you are my new roommate..?”

“Oh! Yes, sorry I forgot to introduce myself. I'm going to be your roommate for this semester, and I'm also a first-year. My name is Valen, by the way. Nice to meet you!” Valen said, extending his hand.

Aurelius shook Valen’s hand but remained cautious. "Nice to meet you too, Valen. I was wondering who my roommate would be.”

“Well, the wait is over! I wasn't supposed to be here until Friday, but the school wanted me to come early so that I could introduce you to the campus. I already feel like I know so much about you.”

“You... do?” Aurelius said, raising an eyebrow, trying to figure out what Valen knew about him.

“Oh, sorry!” Valen interjected. “I didn't mean that in a creepy way. The academy informed me that a new student was joining for the second semester and had been invited by none other than the Headmaster himself! You're certainly going to be a hot topic around here. I'd love to hear that story, by the way.”

Aurelius couldn't help but be a bit skeptical about Valen's overly friendly demeanor. He decided not to share too much. "Well, it's a long story, but maybe I'll tell you some of it later."

Valen seemed unfazed by Aurelius's cautiousness.

Aurelius continued, switching up the topic and trying to be friendly, though not completely letting his guard down. “That's cool, looks like we're in this together.”

Valen laughed, still exuding enthusiasm. “Definitely! I loved this past semester, and I'm sure you're going to love it here. By the way, I see you've got your uniform on. Looks like we're on the same page,” Valen remarked.

Aurelius glanced down at his somewhat loose academy uniform and nodded. “Yeah, I thought I might as well get used to it before classes begin. It was a bit of a struggle to put it on, though.”

Valen chuckled, understanding Aurelius' struggle. “Oh, don't worry. It took me a while too. These uniforms have a mind of their own, but you'll get the hang of it.”

As Valen continued to talk enthusiastically, Aurelius listened but remained guarded. He started to feel more at ease with Valen's presence, yet the instinct to be cautious lingered.

Aurelius noticed the books on Valen's desk. “What are those for?” he asked, trying to change the topic.

Valen's eyes lit up as he glanced at the books. “Ah, these are some introductory texts for our classes. I thought I'd get a head start on studying. You're welcome to borrow them if you want.”

Aurelius was tempted to accept the offer, but his past experiences made him hesitant to trust so easily. “Thanks, I might take you up on that later,” he replied vaguely.

However, at the mention of books, Aurelius' curiosity was piqued once again. “Speaking of books, I was actually about to head to the library. Do you want to come along?"

Valen looked at Aurelius with wide eyes. "Another student who wants to go to the library? Most of the students around here are busy with other things and tend to avoid books. But hey, let's go! I actually spend a lot of my time there."

"I'll follow you," Aurelius replied cautiously. "Honestly, I'm not exactly sure where the library is."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"No worries. Just stick with me," Valen said, leading the way out of the dorm building and into the courtyard.

The two roommates left their dorm room, and Aurelius kept a guarded distance, engaging in conversation but not revealing too much about himself.

"So, Valen, how did you end up in this academy?" Aurelius asked, genuinely curious about his roommate's background but wary of sharing his own.

Valen scratched his head, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well, my family has a long history of earth mages, so it was expected that I would follow in their footsteps. But more personally, one of the main reasons I joined this academy is because they boast having the best library in the entire region. I've always been a bookworm, you know?"

Aurelius nodded politely, not willing to divulge too much about his own reasons for being at the academy. They continued walking, and the courtyard gradually transformed into a path that led them to the impressive library building.

As they entered, the scent of old parchment and ink filled the air, and Aurelius couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort in the familiar smell of books. The library seemed relatively quiet, with only a few other students either reading or studying, aside from the librarian. Perhaps it was because school wasn't in session.

Aurelius and Valen made their way to the information desk, where a friendly librarian greeted them.

"Welcome back, Valen! It's great to see you on campus for the second semester," the librarian said warmly.

Valen glanced at Aurelius, then turned to the librarian. "Hello, I was just bringing Aurelius to the library to show him around. He's a new student and my roommate for the second semester."

The librarian smiled kindly at Aurelius. "Welcome to our library, Aurelius. I'm glad you're taking an interest in exploring our collection. If you have any questions or need assistance finding specific books or resources, feel free to ask."

Aurelius nodded appreciatively. "Thank you. I'm eager to learn more about how runes work and their history. Do you have any recommendations for books or sections I should start with?"

Although Aurelius had initially considered requesting books on the history of the Chosen, he realized it might be a little suspicious. Therefore, he opted to inquire about runes, hoping to finally uncover the true power behind his Arcane Artificer class.

The librarian's eyes lit up with excitement as she heard Aurelius's request. "Oh, runes, now that's a cool subject! We've got a whole bunch of books on that. Head on over to the Runic Arts section, third floor. You'll find all sorts of stuff about the origins, meanings, and how to actually use runes."

Aurelius grinned, "Thanks. Valen, you still want to tag along?"

Valen's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Absolutely, lead the way!"

Aurelius and Valen climbed the fancy staircase that took them to the upper floors of the library. Shelves upon shelves lined with magical books surrounded them, giving off an ancient aura. You could practically hear the whispers of knowledge floating in the air.

Finally, they reached the third floor, where the Runic Arts section awaited.

Aurelius started browsing the titles, pulling out books and flipping through them.

After a while, Aurelius got hooked on a book titled "The Art of Rune Enchantments." Meanwhile, Valen was deep into a different book he had found.

Aurelius spent hours reading the book, engrossed in the knowledge in the book. Reading it carefully, he felt like he gained a better grasp on how runes worked and why they were so complex.

According to the book, every rune was intricately connected to a specific form of magic, requiring expertise in controlling that particular type of magic and mastery over mana to successfully craft a rune. For instance, an earth rune, which could enhance a building's durability, could only be created by an earth mage with proficiency in earth magic. Or, as another example, the rune that heated up Aurelius’ bathtub water? That was created by a fire mage. It made Aurelius wonder about his Arcane Artificer class. How would that work? Would he be able to create a rune, no matter its form of magic?

As Aurelius continued to read, he learned more about the process of creating a rune. It surprisingly resembled the creation of a spell. Instead of shaping mana into an incantation for spellcasting, one would manipulate and channel mana into a specific pattern, etching it onto a material surface. The pattern would correspond to the desired effect of the rune, and upon activation, the mana within the rune would be released, bringing about the intended magic. Like casting a spell, this process demanded precise control and carried the risk of disastrous consequences if mishandled.

Aurelius also discovered that crafting runes required not only knowledge of the specific magical properties but also an understanding of the materials used and their interactions with mana. Different metals, crystals, and even woods could enhance or modify the effects of a rune, adding another layer of complexity to the art of runic enchantments. However, certain materials could prove detrimental to the creation of runes. For example, paper was generally ill-suited for rune creation due to its flimsiness and lack of strength to contain the necessary mana. This was particularly true when attempting to create a fire rune using paper. As you would expect, fire and paper don’t mix well together and this runic combination often resulted in catastrophic failures.

Aurelius marveled at the complexity of rune enchantments. It was like a delicate dance between magic and craftsmanship. Each stroke, each curve, and each line had to be precisely crafted to ensure the rune's functionality and stability. A slight mistake in the pattern or the distribution of mana could result in a faulty or unstable rune, which could have unintended and potentially dangerous consequences.