Later that night as they were closing up shop, Raj asked curiously, “ You know, I am unfamiliar with those glyphs and runes, how did you learn them?”

Elena paused her work, a faint smile playing on her lips as she recalled the past. “It’s a bit of a long story,” she began, setting down a bottle of mana ink. “Back before the Lightning Fall, I was always interested in the arcane—how magic could be more than just raw power. I guess you could say I was a bit of a bookworm.”

Raj chuckled, leaning against the counter. "A bookworm, huh? So, what—self-taught?"

"Not exactly," Elena replied, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "After the Lightning Fall, when mana flooded the world and people started developing powers, I was one of the lucky ones who stumbled upon an old tome. It was filled with all kinds of knowledge about enchanting and runes. The book was damaged, though, and some of the pages were missing, so I had to piece together a lot of it on my own."

Raj raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "A tome? Sounds like quite the find. What did it cover?"

“Mostly basics at first,” she said, her eyes glazing over as she recalled the contents. “The old magic glyphs and runes are like... well, the language of the world. Each symbol represents a concept, a force of nature, or an elemental aspect. When you use mana to carve them into objects or locations, you basically ‘tell’ the world what you want it to do.”

Raj nodded. "So, the glyphs we're using here, like the 'Containment Glyphs' and 'Mana Threads'... you learned all that from the tome?”

Elena shook her head. "Only partially. The book covered some fundamentals—things like how to bind mana into objects using 'Containment Glyphs,' and basic rune arrangements for 'Quantification.' But a lot of it, I had to improvise. For instance, the 'Messaging Crystal' setup we talked about? That's something I adapted from a rune for 'Message-Sending.' The original rune was designed for direct communication between people, but I tweaked it to send information to objects."

Raj crossed his arms, impressed. "That's some clever thinking, Elena. But what about the summoning arrays? I’ve never seen something like that done before."

"Ah, that was a harder one," she admitted, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "The book had a summoning glyph, but it was mostly for conjuring up small items within close proximity. I had to experiment, combining it with anchor glyphs to set specific destinations. There were a lot of failed attempts—and by ‘failed,’ I mean explosions and a few minor fires." She laughed, rubbing the back of her neck.

Raj let out a hearty chuckle. "Sounds like you’ve been through quite the trial-and-error process. But how did you make it all fit together?"

“Well,” Elena said, leaning back, “runes and glyphs work on principles of intent and energy flow. Each rune has its own resonance with the world’s natural mana. When you link them, you’re creating a pathway for that energy to flow in a controlled manner. It’s almost like building a circuit but with mana instead of electricity.”

"Interesting," Raj mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "So, it's less about the individual glyphs and more about how you connect them together."

"Exactly," Elena replied with a nod. "That’s why setting up the conduits beneath the store is so crucial. If we mess up the connection, the whole system could fail—or worse, it could backfire and disrupt the mana flow in the area.”

Raj nodded, looking at the supplies on the counter. "Well, we're lucky to have you on the team. With your knowledge, I’m sure we’ll get this place running smoother than ever."

Elena smiled warmly. "I appreciate that, Raj. And hey, this is a team effort. You keep the store running while I tinker with magic—that's how we'll make this work."

“That just raises more questions. How did magical knowledge predate the lightning fall?” Raj asked.

Elena paused, her hand hovering over the glyph she was sketching. She glanced up at Raj, her eyes narrowing slightly as if weighing the question. "You know, that's something I've thought about a lot," she admitted, her voice quieter, more contemplative. "It's one of those mysteries that still keeps me up at night."

Raj leaned forward on the counter, clearly intrigued. "So, what’s your theory?" he pressed. "If magic supposedly wasn't a thing before the Lightning Fall, how did this ancient knowledge come to be? Why were there tomes, glyphs, and runes all ready for us to use once mana appeared in the world?"

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Elena sighed, setting her ink pen down. "It's not an easy answer," she began. "But here's the gist of what I've pieced together. The book I found was ancient, written in a script that seemed almost... older than our own history. It's as if magic had always been here, but in a different form—latent, hidden beneath the fabric of reality. Maybe the world used to be full of mana, and then something sealed it away, leaving behind remnants of magical knowledge in those ancient texts."

Raj crossed his arms, considering her words. "You mean, like magic was here before our time, got locked away, and the Lightning Fall somehow released it again?"

"Possibly," Elena nodded. "Or maybe it's even more complex. What if the beings who wrote those tomes came from a different time, a different reality where magic was commonplace? They could have recorded their knowledge here as a safeguard, a sort of... breadcrumb trail for anyone who would come across it when the time was right."

Raj's eyes widened. "You think there were other worlds? Other realities with magic?"

"Why not?" Elena shrugged, a hint of a smile on her lips. "If mana can warp the laws of physics, then who's to say it can't bend time and space as well? The Lightning Fall could have been the universe's way of restoring balance or opening a door that was shut long ago."

Raj let out a low whistle. "That's a lot to take in. But it does make a weird kind of sense. It would explain why people like you found books and why some of us just... knew how to use magic after the fall."

"Exactly," Elena agreed, her eyes brightening with enthusiasm. "It's like the knowledge was always there, buried in the back of our minds or hidden in old artifacts. The Lightning Fall just... unlocked it."

Raj nodded slowly, the pieces clicking together in his mind. "So the glyphs, the runes, all of it—they're part of some ancient, universal language of magic. A language we’re just beginning to rediscover."

"Yes," Elena confirmed, her voice growing more passionate. "And it's up to us to relearn it, to understand its rules and limitations, and to use it wisely. The more we dig into this, the more questions we might find, but at least we'll be closer to understanding the true nature of mana and magic."

Raj ran a hand through his hair, his expression one of awe mixed with curiosity. "Man, you’ve really put a lot of thought into this. It’s kind of mind-blowing to think about. But hey, it gives us a new purpose, right? Rediscovering lost knowledge and putting it to use."

"Exactly," Elena said, a spark of determination lighting up her eyes. "This isn't just about enchanting the store or making life a little easier. It's about reclaiming what was lost, piecing together a puzzle that spans millennia. And who knows? Maybe in doing so, we'll find a way to truly master the mana that’s reshaping our world."

Raj nodded firmly. "Well then, let's get to work. We've got an ancient legacy to rebuild, one rune at a time."

Elena grinned, picking up her ink pen again. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Elena nodded thoughtfully, her gaze drifting as if recalling her previous conversations. "Yeah, I’ve talked to a few people about it. Isaac and Ethan, mostly," she said, turning back to Raj. "Isaac's got a head for puzzles and hidden meanings, so he’s been a huge help in deciphering some of the older texts I found. He has this knack for looking at problems from angles you wouldn’t even think of."

Raj raised an eyebrow, leaning forward. "Isaac, huh? I always pegged him as more of a practical, hands-on kind of guy."

Elena chuckled. "He is. But he’s also surprisingly well-read. The theories we’ve been exploring aren't just about magical glyphs and runes; they delve into how mana affects the world on a deeper level. Isaac thinks that there’s a connection between the old myths and the way mana seems to interact with our world now. Like, those old legends were documenting real magical events, but they were just being described in ways people back then could understand."

Raj nodded, a spark of understanding lighting up in his eyes. "That makes sense. Myths often have a grain of truth, even if they’re shrouded in stories and metaphors. What about Ethan? What does he think of all this?"

Elena's expression softened as she continued. "Ethan... he’s more interested in the practical applications, like you. But he’s also got a unique perspective on how mana flows and interacts with living things, especially after he started experimenting with golemancy. We’ve been working together to map out how different mana sources affect not just magic but physical objects as well."

She leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "He’s even got this crazy idea that certain minerals and plants can actually amplify mana, like natural mana conductors. We’ve been trying to see if we can infuse some of them with runes to create more stable enchantments."

Raj’s eyes widened. "That’s ambitious! Combining ancient glyphs with natural mana conductors… It could open up a whole new realm of enchantment possibilities."

"Exactly," Elena affirmed, her excitement palpable. "But we're still in the early stages. There’s a lot we don’t know yet, and the risks are high. But if we can figure it out, it could change the way we approach not just enchanting, but magic itself."

Raj leaned back, folding his arms thoughtfully. "Sounds like you’ve got quite the brain trust going. Keep me posted on how that goes. I might not have Isaac's brains or Ethan's mana sense, but if you need a steady hand to test things out, you know where to find me."

Elena smiled warmly. "I appreciate that, Raj. And who knows? Your insight might just be the missing piece we need to figure out this puzzle."