I watched with a smile as Elder Molric's latest experiment, number 210, began etching a rune into its own leaves. The vine around my neck tensed slightly, clearly not trusting this new development.

The plant's rune was surprisingly intricate for something that had basically just achieved sentience - a series of overlapping flame patterns that formed a perfect circle, with smaller fire symbols spiraling toward the center. The whole thing pulsed with an angry red glow that made me instinctively want to step back.

"Fascinating!" Elder Molric exclaimed, leaning closer. "The symmetry is nearly perfect! And look at how it's incorporated the thermal regulation symbols!"

The plant's response was to activate its newly created rune and breathe a massive stream of fire directly at the elder's face.

My vine immediately moved to shield me, but I wasn't particularly worried. If there's one thing I've learned about fantasy worlds, it's that elders don't survive to become elders by being careless.

Sure enough, the flames simply dissipated as they reached Elder Molric, like water hitting an invisible wall. He just laughed, actually looking pleased. "Excellent power output! Though we'll need to work on your targeting accuracy."

The plant seemed to take this criticism personally. Its leaves began glowing again as it started drawing another, more complex rune.

"Now, now," Elder Molric wagged his finger. "Let's not be hasty."

He casually drew several symbols in the air with his finger, leaving trails of crimson light. The runes hung there for a moment before rapidly expanding and solidifying into a crystalline cage that completely enclosed the angry plant. A smaller formation materialized around its head, effectively muzzling it.

I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows. Manifestation Realm techniques - so the elder was at least Rank 6. That explained a lot about his casual attitude toward potentially lethal experiments.

The vine around my neck gave what felt like a disapproving squeeze, clearly unimpressed with the other plant's behavior. I reached up to pat it. "Not all plants can be as well-behaved as you."

"Where were we?" Elder Molric turned back to me, completely ignoring the muffled sounds of rage coming from the cage. "Ah yes, elemental runes!"

He walked over to his workbench, pushing aside several ominously glowing experiments. "You know, your method of manipulating plants directly with energy is actually quite impressive. Many wood element users would kill for that kind of natural control."

"But?" I prompted, sensing there was more.

"But," he nodded, "relying solely on energy manipulation has its drawbacks. Those few microseconds you spend communicating your intent to the plants? In a real fight, that delay could be fatal." He gestured at my vine. "And I've noticed it consumes significantly more energy compared to activating a proper runic formation."

I nodded. He wasn't wrong - while my control was precise, it did require constant energy expenditure and was time-consuming. "So, what's the solution?"

"Well, there are two ways for a Rank 1 Skybound to advance to Rank 2," he began, pulling out several dusty tomes. "The most common method is successfully adding an elemental rune to their body."

"But what about practitioners like me?" I asked. "My Fundamental Rune is already wood-based."

Elder Molric shook his head. "Common misconception. Your Fundamental Rune's primary purpose is to absorb and refine the red sun's energy into something usable. Yes, its design can increase your affinity for certain elements, but that's a secondary effect."

He grabbed a piece of chalk and began drawing diagrams on a nearby slate. "Elemental runes serve a different purpose - they actively convert that refined energy into elemental power. At your current level, I'd strongly recommend sticking to wood runes. Any other element could destabilize your Foundational Rune's energy flow."

"And the second method?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Ah!" His eyes lit up. "The second path involves becoming so adept at manipulating red sun energy that you can draw runes directly in the air, like what I just did." He gestured at the caged plant, which was still attempting to set things on fire through its muzzle. "Of course, most practitioners don't focus on this until later ranks - there's only so much skin available for runes, after all. However," he gave me a pointed look, "at your level, you'll need significantly more practice manipulating energy before attempting it."

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

He walked over to a cluttered shelf and began rummaging through scrolls, muttering to himself. "Now where did I... ah, here it is!" He pulled out a somewhat worn scroll.

"This," he said, holding it almost reverently, "contains a method for improving energy control. It's one of the few training techniques the academy actually got right." He unrolled it partially, revealing columns of precise calligraphy.

"The first stage appears to be meditation-focused," Azure observed as we glimpsed the initial instructions.

I nodded slightly. Some things really were universal across magic systems - whether you were refining qi or manipulating sun energy, it all started with meditation.

"The exercises become progressively more challenging," Elder Molric explained, rolling the scroll back up and handing it to me. "Work through them in your own time. If you have questions, my door is always open." He paused, glancing at his fire-breathing plant. "Well, usually open.”

I carefully tucked the scroll away as he moved on to the main topic. "Now, the elemental rune you'll be learning is called the Worldroot Conduit." He pulled out another scroll, this one covered in detailed diagrams.

The design was beautiful in its complexity - a series of interwoven roots that formed an endless knot, with smaller branching patterns filling the spaces between the main lines. Each curve seemed to flow naturally into the next, creating a sense of constant motion even in the static drawing.

"You'll need to connect this to your Fundamental Rune," Elder Molric explained. "Exactly how you merge them is up to you - every practitioner's energy flows differently." His eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. "Once you've mastered that, we can move on to the really interesting combat runes!"

With that, he wandered back to his caged experiment and began cooing at it softly, apparently unbothered by its continued attempts to immolate him.

I found a quiet corner to study the diagrams more carefully. "Thoughts, Azure?"

"The design is fascinating," he replied. "See how the root patterns echo the natural growth formulas we used in your Fundamental Rune? I believe we could integrate them quite effectively."

I traced the patterns with my finger, following the flow of energy they would create. "The question is where to place it. We need to maintain the current balance while adding these new pathways."

"The branches on the right side of your Fundamental Rune are less developed," Azure suggested. "We could expand them to incorporate the Worldroot pattern, using the existing growth points as anchor locations."

I nodded slowly, seeing the possibility. "That would preserve the spiral's harmony while adding the new functions. But we'd need to adjust the leaf motifs to accommodate the increased energy flow."

"Perhaps we could modify them to resemble the secondary root patterns?" Azure mused. "It would create a natural transition between the two designs."

The vine around my neck shifted slightly, seeming to follow our discussion. It extended a tendril to trace along the scroll, adding its own suggestion to the conversation.

"Interesting," Azure said. "The vine appears to be suggesting an alternative connection point near the base of the spiral."

I studied where it was pointing. "That... could actually work better. It would put less strain on the existing branches and create a more direct energy pathway." I glanced at the vine. "Since when are you an expert in runic theory?"

The vine just curled back into its usual position, radiating what felt suspiciously like smugness.

"I believe Elder Molric's experimental modifications may have granted it some unexpected insights," Azure commented.

I was about to reply when a loud explosion came from Elder Molric's direction, followed by the distinct sound of something catching fire.

"Wonderful progress!" the elder's voice called out through the smoke. "Though perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm with the flame production..."

I turned back to the scroll, deciding some things were better left uninvestigated. "Let's focus on mapping out these integration points before something else explodes."

"A wise decision, Master," Azure agreed. "Now, if we adjust the angle of these secondary roots by approximately 15 degrees..."

We spent the next hour working out the details, occasionally interrupted by various sounds of chaos from Elder Molric's ongoing experiment. The vine contributed several more surprisingly useful suggestions, though I was starting to suspect it just enjoyed being included in the planning process.

Finally, I had a clear vision of how to merge the designs. The Worldroot Conduit would emerge from the base of my Fundamental Rune's spiral, its patterns flowing naturally into the existing structure while creating new pathways for elemental energy conversion.

"I believe we're ready to try inscribing," Azure said. "Though maybe we should move to the other side of the laboratory first."

I glanced over at Elder Molric, who was now engaged in what appeared to be a serious philosophical debate with his fire-breathing plant about the proper application of combustion techniques. Even from here, I could feel the heat from their "discussion."

"Good idea."

We made our way to the opposite end of the massive laboratory, where several unused workbenches sat below a wall of windows. The distance and various shelves of equipment between us and Elder Molric's experiment provided at least some protection from any stray fireballs.

The vine gave what felt like an approving squeeze as I set up the materials. Clearly, it had already learned an important lesson about survival in this laboratory - maintaining a safe distance from Elder Molric's more enthusiastic experiments was just good sense.

"Now then," I said, picking up a resonance stylus, "let's see how many attempts this one takes.”