The first thing I needed before I could start working on my array of runes was space. Unfortunately, there was a large table in the middle of the room. There was no way I would be able to move the thing on my own.

I considered just trying to work around it, but dismissed the idea as foolish. My plan was already overly ambitious with a clear space to work. Trying to work around such a large object was not feasible.

I also had plans for the table itself.

Treating it as a test run of my rune crafting, I started drawing runes on the floor beneath the table. I had already carefully relocated all of the bones of the villagers to the sides of the room, so I was able to work quickly.

Beneath one side of the table, I traced out runes of invisible force, along with runes to direct the force upwards and to the side. Near those runes, I traced out runes to channel mana into the runes of force. I added a simple control rune flanked by a pair of diamond shaped mana harvesting runes.

I double checked my runes several times with my mana perception. Everything looked good, but I was still a little worried. I was going to need to use a lot of mana for this to work, and I didn’t want it to go to waste.

Taking a deep, calming breath, I sat next to the control rune. I placed one hand on each harvesting rune and slowly drew mana from my mana pool. I gently wove the mana from my pool into two large mana forms of storage. Before, crafting two mana forms at once would have been difficult, but my recent improvements let me easily craft the simple mana forms.

After I had emptied almost my entire pool of mana into the area around my hands, I activated the control rune.

The thunderous rush was swiftly followed by a resounding crash.

Blinking dirt and dust from my eyes, I examined my handiwork. My runes had been completely obliterated, but they had served their purpose well. The table was lying on its side a couple of paces away from where it had originally rested.

With an open space to work with, I set to work. Much of the dirt on the floor had been blown away when I moved the table, but that wasn’t a problem.

The clay in my pack had all dried out beyond the point where it would be useful for sigil painting, but it was perfect for spreading across the floor. I worked to make a nice even layer as I waited for my mana to refill.

Tracing out each of the runes for my array seemed to take forever. Each time I had to wait for my mana pool to refill, I checked over my runes carefully. Most of the runes were fine, but every dozen or so I needed to erase one and redraw it.

In the center of my array, I placed a large control rune. I placed a second, much simpler control rune near the fallen table so that I could activate the magic from cover. I inscribed dozens of runes of heat and light, along with the runes to shape and fuel their power.

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In a carefully laid out formation, I traced out thirty diamond shaped mana harvesting runes. This part was rather stressful, as I couldn’t afford to have one of these runes activate prematurely.

As an afterthought, I traced out an extra line of force runes on the other side of the table. I hoped the stone would be enough on its own to protect me, but I wasn’t about to take any chances.

After triple-checking everything one more time, I was ready to get started supplying the power for the array. There was absolutely no way I would have been able to fuel my massive magical formation alone, even with the aid of the system.

Fortunately, I wasn’t truly alone.

Sending a prayer of apology to the shades of the villagers, I picked up a skull from the side of the room. To my improved mana perception, the dormant system inside was truly impressive.

The ancient system was clearly degraded from countless years of neglect. The fact that it likely still held all of the core systems required to initialize itself in a new user was nothing short of astonishing. The mana it required to maintain even that much functionality was incredible.

I found it rather tragic that I was going to have to destroy such a marvelous work of magic.

Careful not to disrupt my meticulously drawn out runes, I placed the skull into the corner of one the mana harvesting runes. Three more soon joined it, barely fitting in the drawn diamond.

I tried not to think of how mortified these skulls’ former owners must have been looking on from the realm of shades. I also tried to ignore just how small some of the skulls I was putting into place were.

As I set the last skull in place, I looked on at my array. I suppressed a shudder at the sight of what I had created. With the carefully arranged skulls and magical symbols, it looked like something straight out of a story only told on the darkest of nights.

Not for the first time, I wondered what in the world I was doing.

Considering I was planning on using these people to harm the nightmarish being that had killed them, I dearly hoped they would understand. I held tightly to the consoling thoughts and I made my final preparations.

I slowly worked my mana into the stone door once more and found that it was much easier to thread my mana into the mana forms from this side. I didn’t have to fight my way past the barrier as I touched the control rune directly.

Rather than immediately trigger the door to open, I walked back to the overturned stone table. Before enhancing my mana control, I doubted I would have been able to maintain my connection to the mana form at such a distance.

I took several deep breaths to try and quell my nerves and calm my racing heart. It didn’t particularly help as I felt out the edges of the twisted mana lurking on the other side of the door. I was about to try to fight off a titan that had easily killed an entire village of people with access to the amazing powers granted by the system.

Once again, I wondered just what in the world I was doing.

Before I could stoke my fears any further, I opened the door. The stone started to laboriously grind open and I felt the twisted mana on the other side react.

Praying to all the shades of my ancestors, I dove behind the table and activated the array.

For one sickening heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then the world turned white.