Path to the Apocalypse

Over the next few days, life slowly returned to normal. Her apologies had handled a lot of the tension, and the rest went away as she continued to work on building real bonds with her family. She continued to spar with her father everyday, seeking him out if she had to, instead of just grabbing the nearest available Cultivator. She also began having lunch with her mother every other day, to talk about life and how things were going, while playing games with Calvin after dinner. She was determined to actually get to know these people who had suddenly become her family, instead of pushing them to the side while she worked on her own projects like she had been. Though, it did help that she remembered she didn't actually need to sleep… an extra eight hours to work with gave her a lot more wiggle room.

However, while her relationship with her family was improving, there was a small… issue beginning to develop in her relationship with Beatrice. As they continued to talk, they continued to get closer, and it became clear that Beatrice wanted more. Unfortunately, Victoria wasn't ready to give her more. Well… she was, but she was scared of what she'd need to do before she could. Of how Beatrice would react after learning everything she felt she needed to tell her. She was also worried about what would happen when she left. When she joined the sect, what would happen to Beatrice? Could she take her with her? Or would she have to leave her behind? If she could take her, would she? Did she really want to bring Beatrice into a place like the Hidden Blades, where they took advantage of young girls to grow their sect? No matter how she looked at it, Victoria couldn't help but feel that her relationship with Beatrice had an expiration date, and it felt wrong to lay all her crap on the girl when she was just going to leave her in a year or so. It just seemed cruel.

As for her cultivation, she'd had to put aside her Spirit cultivation for a moment while she focused on building her Essence core. She couldn't focus on two Runes at once, and forming her Essence core so she could actually use Essence skills seemed more important than just increasing her Spirit cultivation. Thankfully she could dedicate the entire night to it, so instead of an entire week, it only took her a few days to build the Essence core.

"I finished building my Essence core." Victoria announced at dinner. "I'm officially a dual-core Cultivator!"

"That's wonderful news!" Maurice exclaimed excitedly. "All you need to do is Assimilate a tier two Advanced Rune, and you're ready for the sect entrance exams! At the rate you're going, you could take the fall exam in a few months if you're lucky, or the winter exam if not."

Victoria paused. "Wait… I thought I needed to be sixteen to take the exams."

Maurice frowned. "Why would you think that?"

Albert coughed awkwardly. "Victoria, I was setting sixteen as a goal, not a limitation. No matter your age, once you meet the requirements, anyone may take the sect entrance exams. Being able to meet the requirements after a year of being Awakened is generally seen as talented, while taking more than two years generally means you aren't cut out for the higher realms of cultivation. I didn't expect your talent to be at a level which would allow you to take the exams in a matter of months!"

Victoria blinked at him. "So all I have to do is Assimilate a tier two Advanced Rune, and I'm good?"

Albert frowned. "How long do you think that would take you?"

Victoria considered the question for a moment. It'd taken her about a week for her Initial Rune and about two for her tier one Advanced Rune, so… "About a month or so?" She replied tentatively. Following the progression, that should be about right, right?

Albert let out a frustrated sigh. "For the average Cultivator, comprehending a tier two Advanced Rune could take years. Even for sect Cultivators, comprehending a tier two Advanced Rune in just half a year is impressive! No one comprehends one in a single month!"

Victoria frowned. "But… doesn't increasing your cultivation make comprehending Runes easier? Particularly Spirit cultivation?"

"Have you noticed it getting any easier?" Maurice asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Victoria began to nod, before pausing, frowning slightly. She hadn't, had she? Her Bladework Rune had taken about a week to comprehend, just like her Design Rune. With how much her comprehension had increased, it should have taken her a day! Victoria paused. Well, then again, she'd pretty much instantly comprehended that Study Rune… However her Craft Rune was coming along just as slowly as the other two, so maybe Study was a fluke. "But… our minds work better, don't they? Why wouldn't we have an easier time comprehending Runes?"

Maurice sighed. "Because the actual comprehension of a Rune is only part of what we do when we meditate on a Rune. Master swordsmen who Awaken late in life still struggle to comprehend an Initial Sword Rune. Have you noticed that the Rune will continue to focus on a single topic over and over, even after you feel you've understood it, before moving on to something new?" Victoria nodded slowly, it didn't happen often, but every now and then she noticed the Rune becoming repetitive. Particularly when she was close to Advancing it, and it began to repeat everything it'd previously gone over. "I believe this is because comprehending a Rune isn't just about what you learn from a Rune, but what a Rune learns from you. You need to do something creative with what the Rune gives you, and cultivation does nothing to help with that."

Victoria frowned at that. Was that true? She went over her experience with the Runes. Every time she'd caused a Rune to advance, she'd had a realization, some sort of epiphany that triggered the advancement. She'd thought it was just her finally comprehending what the Rune was trying to teach her, but what if it wasn't? What if it was simply the final piece in putting together everything the Rune had been giving her? Like a puzzle! The Rune just kept giving her the pieces! It was up to her to put them together! Victoria paused again. "Wait, then wouldn't knowing what the Rune is teaching you still help?" She asked. "Increased comprehension should still do something, right?"

Maurice shrugged helplessly. "I don't know what to tell you. I've been cultivating for years now, and an Initial Rune is still just as difficult to comprehend as it was when I first began, despite my increasing level of cultivation. I have theories as to why, but I don't actually know. Maybe once you enter a sect, they'll know more?"

Victoria grimaced. Now that Maurice had pointed it out, this problem was starting to really bother her. Particularly since she'd been relying on her points to help with her Runes! Victoria paused. Did spending points on skills help? It had to, right? Spending points on her design skill had led to her first epiphany! Then again… her epiphany didn't have anything to do with being better at design. It was more of an understanding of what design was. Victoria blinked. All her epiphanies had been insights into the Runes nature, rather than its use. Was that the key? To figure out the Runes purpose, rather than simply learn its methods? Like learning how to use a screwdriver, but never realizing you could use it to turn a screw. No matter how well you learned, you'd be missing the point. You needed to learn how to do it, but you also needed to know why to do it.

Victoria spent the rest of dinner lost in thought as she considered all this, before slowly pacing back to her room, barely paying attention to her surroundings as she walked along the halls. She waved Calvin off for the night, too focused on the implications from dinner to play games. She needed to consider her Runes. What was the purpose of them? What was Design used for? To take disparate pieces and cobble them together into a useful whole? Victoria paused. That wasn't entirely it, was it? Design wasn't about actually creating the thing, it was about planning to create the thing. Craft was for creat- Victoria froze as her Runescape began to shake, her Craft Rune suddenly beginning to shift as new lines etched themselves into her Runescape, while over her heart, the old Rune pushed from her skin.

"Well… that confirms that theory." Victoria muttered to herself, rubbing her temple due to the slight headache that came with the pressure from Rune Advancement. Should she tell Maurice? Or the Marquis? She should definitely tell Ursa. But first… Design wasn't about creating an object, but an idea. A plan that others could follow to create an object, or prescribed how a system should operate. That was the screwdriver. However, a plan was meaningless until someone executed it. People needed to be able to understand and follow the plan for the design to have any meaning. That was the screw. However… Was there a next step? You had the screwdriver, you knew you could use it to screw in a screw, but… you still needed to know where to screw the screw! Screwing a screw into a random board didn't do anything! So, what was design supposed to accomplish? It created a plan for people to follow to bring disparate pieces into a useful whole. Why? Victoria frowned. "So that people would actually use it?" She muttered tentatively, thinking that the idea was too simple, but not able to think of any other idea. Designs were meant to be followed, weren't they? If you never actually used it, what was the point?

As this thought entered into her mind, Victoria felt her Design Rune begin to shake! It trembled within her Runescape as pressure began to build, until… it settled down and returned to normal. "Eh?" Victoria grunted in disbelief. She delved into her Runescape, poking at the Design Rune. "Hey! What was all that! I had the epiphany, where's my Advancement!" The Design Rune simply vibrated, sending her ideas on how to use her Spirit to scan people's minds and simulate them, helping her predict how they would react to stimuli. "That-" Victoria paused. "Wait… I still need to learn the skills, don't I?" The Design Rune vibrated back at her, giving Victoria a vaguely happy impression. "Right…" Victoria sighed. Learning how to use the screwdriver was still an essential part of the process, even if she already knew why she was using it. She mulled everything over for a moment, before nodding firmly. She needed to tell her father and Maurice about this. She might as well invite Ursa as well, so she didn't have to explain it twice. She jumped to her feet, heading out to find them.

*

"So you're saying we just need to consider the purpose of what we learn from our Runes, and we'll be able to comprehend them faster?" Maurice asked, frowning slightly. Victoria had gotten him, the Marquis, and Ursa together to explain her theory the next day.

"The metaphor I've been using is that you need to know what the screwdriver is, what the screw is, and where you need to use the screw. Without knowing all that, knowing how to use a screwdriver is pretty pointless, isn't it?" Victoria explained.

Albert frowned at her for a moment, before turning to Ursa. "What do you think? You have the most experience of any of us here."

Ursa shook his head. "I am a rogue Cultivator. My formal training is essentially nonexistent. Her theory seems to fit with my experience, but I don't have any way of confirming or denying its veracity."

"Well, I can say it's already worked twice." Victoria offered. "I've Assimilated my Craft Rune, and my tier two Design Rune reacted to the epiphany, though I still need to actually learn the skills related to it."

Albert froze. "Cr-Craft Rune? A- a Qi Rune?!?"

Victoria blinked. "Did Maurice not tell you?" She asked hesitantly.

Albert whirled on Maurice. "You kept something like this from me!?!"

"I kept it from everyone!" Maurice retorted. "You know what would happen if anyone knew!"

Albert froze, his face going pale as he whirled on Ursa next, who backed away with his hands raised. "I'm not going to tell a soul, you have my word!" He rapidly assured the Marquis. If the Marquis turned on him, Maurice and he could pin him down long enough for the rest of the Marquis's Cultivators to arrive, at which point Ursa would be screwed. Particularly since Victoria wouldn't allow him to actually fight her father or his people.

"Father, he's trustworthy!" Victoria quickly assured Albert as well. If the two of them fought, she'd need to side with the Marquis, and without Ursa, how would she discover the sect behind Tamara? If she didn't discover the sect, then she couldn't warn the others, which would mean her family would have to face a sect backed nation on their own, which would almost guarantee their downfall!

Albert hesitated, before letting out a sigh. "Yes, you're right. You've already proven you're willing to risk yourself to save her life. I shouldn't be so suspicious." Ursa breathed a sigh of relief as Albert turned back to Victoria. "What are you doing blurting out such a dangerous secret like that!?! Do you know what could happen if the other lords, or gods forbid, the King discovered you were a tri-core?!?"

"I'd either marry a prince or all of us would be killed?" Victoria replied. "But I trust everyone here… That's why I'm telling you all my theories on cultivation! I know no one here would sell me out!"

Albert paused, before glancing at Ursa, narrowing his eyes. "I hadn't realized the two of you were so close."

Ursa paled, turning to Victoria in desperation. Victoria groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Father, there is nothing like that between us! He's just a trustworthy friend and companion!"

Albert frowned at Ursa for a bit longer, before snorting and shaking his head. "Of course. Right. You're much too busy with your new apprentice to be bothering with my daughter as well."

Ursa nodded, breathing out another sigh of relief. *Please don't invite me to any more of these. My bear heart cannot handle the tumult of human politics.* He sent Victoria through the system.

*Sorry, I didn't realize this conversation would turn political. I was just trying to be efficient.* Victoria sent back with a sigh.

"Returning to the topic at hand." Maurice interjected, attempting to diffuse the tension. "I find it hard to believe that the secret to cultivation could be as simple as 'figure out the purpose of your Rune'. If that was the case, then why are there so few talented Cultivators?"

Victoria shrugged. "People don't think about why they do what they do? They just do it? Have you ever considered a Rune beyond the skills it taught you? The larger implications? The various ways you could apply them beyond whatever way you usually use them?" She asked. "If I hadn't lucked into an epiphany just as my Design rune was ready to Advance, I wouldn't think about these things either!"

"Ah, there!" Maurice interjected. "Your Rune was ready to Advance before you began to think this way! Explain that!"

Victoria froze. That- that was a good point… how did she comprehend her Runes so quickly then? It couldn't be her comprehension stat, since as Maurice had pointed out, it was much higher than it'd been when she started, and it hadn't sped up her Rune comprehension by any significant margin. Her skill page probably- no, definitely helped, but she couldn't help but think there was something else going on. Suddenly it hit her. The Study Rune! Maurice had gone off like the Rune was some sort of miracle that would rocket her cultivation to the moon, yet she hadn't gotten anything from it! What if that was because she already had it? How did she study? Victoria frowned as she considered the question. She really didn't. Even before the system, back when she was Thomas, she'd never really needed to study like her friends did. For her, things either made sense, or they didn't, and usually when things didn't make sense, she was just missing some piece of information her teacher hadn't gotten to yet. She just needed to sit there and take it all in. Was that it? Was she just more receptive to learning than most people? Victoria's frown deepened. She felt like she was close, but still off slightly. Taking in information easily still felt like a memory or comprehension issue.

Victoria suddenly paused. *Wait… information?* The Runes didn't give information! It seemed like they did sometimes, as new ideas began to pop into your mind, but that wasn't it, was it? Runes didn't teach, they inspired! There was never any new information from Runes, just new ways of looking at things! Like with her Bladework Rune, it hadn't told her how to use her Essence, it just gave her the idea to try doing this. It was like the Rune simply opened her mind to the possibilities. Maybe her mind was just more easily opened to possibilities? Was her mind more easily influenced? More malleable? Victoria's mind drifted to her original metaphor for the way her Runes taught her, like running water over sand. If her mind was less like sand, and more like rock, it'd be harder to etch the lines into it. It didn't have anything to do with comprehension or memory or anything related to how well her mind worked, because the Rune wasn't actually teaching, it was… Victoria's thoughts trailed off. What was it doing? Altering her mind? Helping her to think differently? Facilitating the development of new synaptic connections?

Victoria sighed, rubbing her temple. She really didn't have enough information to figure any of this out. Anything she could come up with would just be conjecture, and really, did it matter? Even if she knew how to make herself more receptive, would she actually do it? It was like when she considered creating a creativity stat, or when she created Foratuna's stats. A stat like that would affect the intrinsic nature of who she was, and messing with that was dangerous. What she'd done to Foratuna was proof of that. If she ever saw evidence of a Rune doing something like that to her, she would drop it without hesitation. Thankfully, so far her Runes just gave her more ways to think, which still left her her. It didn't affect her intrinsic nature, it just gave her more options.

All this passed through her mind in a few seconds. "You're right, that can't be the key to comprehending Runes faster." She sighed. "Still, if you want to Advance your Runes, it's vital, so I still say you should keep it in mind."

Maurice nodded slowly. "True… this 'Advancement' of yours is something I've never heard of or even considered before! Truly a remarkable discovery." He paused. "And yet another secret we must keep to ensure your safety." He added with a sigh.

"That reminds me." Albert interjected. "Do not forge a Qi core! Not yet."

Victoria blinked. "Why not?"

"There are ways for specialized Cultivators to discover the cores within a person." Albert explained seriously. "This skill is particularly prevalent among the Hunters, since it helps them determine just how powerful the Rune Beast they are hunting actually is. If you condense your third core here, someone is sure to discover it and report it to the King."

Victoria grimaced, before releasing a sigh and nodding in understanding. "I'll hold off on it then. I should be able to enter a sect soon anyway, right? All I need to do is finish comprehending my Design Rune, and I can take the entrance exam."

Maurice sighed. "Unfortunately, your understanding of the Rune will degrade over time. Your Qi core will suffer because of this, but it's better than dying."

"Uh, I still have a Craft Rune to comprehend, you know." Victoria pointed out. "I don't think I'll have an issue."

Maurice froze, before letting out a laugh. "Right! Yes, your Advancement does allow you to maintain your understanding of a Rune, doesn't it? You don't lose anything by waiting!"

"I mean, I still have to put my Qi cultivation on pause, but… I guess? I can keep working on Essence and Spirit in the meantime." Victoria agreed tentatively. Not forming a core was one thing, but missing out on the Craft skills was another. She didn't care about missing out on the power boost from not cultivating Qi, but learning how to use Qi would help her develop her points. It wasn't exactly a problem to put it aside for a while, but Victoria still wasn't happy about it.