A few days had passed since Alfred's request to Aponi. Yet, the meeting he had been anticipating never arrived.
He was starting to get anxious, and lying around all day on his bed wasn't helpful. Now that he was stuck in his tent again, tasting the air outside became a curse that hastened the corrosion of his patience.
Without permission to go out, he had no choice but to focus his energy on the one thing he could do: Rune Formation.
Creating a Rune had several steps.
First, he learned that the Rune Formation had two parts: the formation circle and the runic symbol.
The Formation Circle consists of multiple confusing lines and symbols, of which he had no idea what they were for. The only thing he could appreciate about it was its basic function: the area of effect. He had no clue if there was more hidden information, but as of now, he was thankful for its simplicity.
The Runic Symbol, on the other hand, had a very important part. It was the indicator of what effect the Rune Formation would have.
Although the two seemed to be inseparable, that was not the case. Yes, the Circle Formation was useless without the Runic Symbol, but it was a different matter when it came to another.
Runic Symbol could stand on its own.
Without the Circle Formation to limit its area of effect, the Runic Symbol would utilize the whole structure of the item it was carved on.
This part still deluded Alfred, so he chose to stay away from it for now and focus on the very basics first.
Currently, the information the book allowed him to access had 9 Runes in it. Every Rune had two different symbols, totaling 18 Runic Symbols.
These 9 Runes were divided into three categories: Elemental, Enhancement, and Utility.
Elemental had 4 different Runes: Fire, Earth, Water, and Wind. Like what its name implied, the use of this Rune was to summon the so-called element, controlling them with the help of the energy he recently found out called Spirit Energy.
He still had uncertainty about its authenticity; after all, magic was a concept only used for fantasy or deceit.
Nonetheless, he had to hope everything inside the book was real; his life and maybe the lives of everyone in the tribe depended on it, at least that was how the Elders reacted.
Enhancement also had 4 Runes: Strength, Toughness, Speed, and Regeneration. This one enhanced the capabilities of those affected, boosting their physical attributes to an unimaginable level.
The Enhancement Rune piqued Alfred's interest.
Even though the Elemental Runes sounded more magical and powerful, the understanding he had of them was still far too unreliable to confidently state their usefulness.
The Enhancement Rune, on the other hand, was direct. He didn't need a deeper understanding to know how helpful these runes were. Considering the danger and the line of activity of the hunters, a boost on any level in their physical prowess would have great value that even someone as ignorant as him could comprehend.
If ever he had accomplished creating this mystical Rune Formation, he would allocate most of his time to mastering this Rune.
Lastly, the Utility Rune with 1 rune in its retinue, Sealing. This one clouded Alfred's mind the most, even more than the Elemental Runes. Although it only had 1 Rune, it was enough for a myriad of questions to pop into his head.
'What is Sealing Rune to begin with? Can it tighten anything that is sealed? Trap someone like a caged animal? Or perhaps, seal some kind of power? So many questions, yet no answer. Not even the ancient book has one for me.'
He sighed in surrender. Maybe he could better know it once he could create the Rune Formation.
The only thing he needed was to learn how to control the Spirit Energy, and to do that, he had to meet Shaman Catori.
The book stated that a Rune Formation had to be created and activated using energy, so his hand was tied right now.
'I wonder what keeps Shaman Catori from meeting me? Aponi doesn't seem to have an idea either.'
As his mind slowly drifted away from the Rune and began to recall the things outside, he couldn't help but focus on the massive tree he saw. Although he couldn't explain why, he knew there was something wrong with the tree, as if it were dying, or at least it was losing something.
He didn't entertain the idea for long, as he knew nothing about the Guardian Tree.
"Deep in thought?" The voice of an old woman resounded in the tent. "You do not even realize someone entered your tent; what a poor awareness."
Alfred's attention was instantly grabbed by the person, and when he saw who it was, his eyes sparkled in joy.
"Shaman Catori!" He exclaimed while sitting up. "I have been waiting for you."
Clicking sounds accompanied Shaman Catori as all the ornaments on her person hit one another while sauntering towards Alfred. "So I have heard. What is it that you want to talk about?"
"I'm sorry if I take your time, but it's about the Rune Formation."
The old woman's eyebrows rose, and then she sat comfortably across from Alfred. "Did you learn something? Can you make this Rune Formation now?"
"I have been studying the ancient knowledge within me in my free time, and I think I'm ready to attempt making one. But before I can do that, I have to learn what Spirit Energy is and how to control it."
"Of course you will." Shaman Catori knowingly smiled. "I knew you would need it, as everything revolves around Spirit Energy. Without your memories, I knew it was only a matter of time before you would ask me. Now that it is the time, my attention is fully invested in this now."
Alfred bowed his head. "Thank you, Elder. I will make sure to do everything in my power to learn."
"First and foremost, the very basic. Before you can control the Spirit Energy, you have to feel it first. I will explain to you our understanding of Spirit Energy, and after that, the technique on how to feel and absorb it."
Alfred fixed his sitting posture and gave all his focus to the Elderly's every word.
"Spirit Energy is all within us, around us, everywhere. Every living being, everything that exists, or will exist, has Spirit Energy inside them. Even now, as we speak, the Spirit Energy is with us, floating freely around us.
"All revolves around Spirit Energy. We are alive because of it, and we will die if our bodies are deprived of it. Technically, Spirit Energy is life itself, and controlling life is an unimaginable and noble task.
"The technique needed to allow you to harmonize with it is a ritual. You have to have intense focus and a lot of patience to connect yourself to life in your environment. If you want to learn the method, you will treat the Spirit Energy with respect, as if it were life itself. Can you do all that is required of you?"
Alfred's head spun. He wanted to absorb them all, but the statement was too spiritual for a scientific guy like him. Nevertheless, he already knew people from primitive times were bound to be spiritual beings.
They would worship anything that they thought was sacred, even if it was a tree or something invisible. Still, forcing it down through his throat wouldn't help him or anyone; he had to slowly digest it, as it appeared to be important to the tribe.
"I… can't understand them all, or pretend that I will in the future, but I can promise that I will do my best to show my sincerity in everything I have to do."
Shaman Catori lingered for a few seconds, staring at Alfred's face with judging eyes.
The soul-piercing gaze of the elderly woman made Alfred's heart skip a beat, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and his throat dried. It was only a few seconds, but he felt like it had been an hour.
'Did I say something wrong? Should I have lied that I understand? When is she going to talk? This is killing me!'
As his body began to twitch from impatience, resisting the urge to utter a word, Shaman Catori finally broke the silence, freeing Alfred from the distress he was suffering.
"Fine, I will accept your answer," she said. "From now on, you will listen carefully, as I do not have much time to waste explaining this to you twice."
Alfred intensely nodded, wanting to move on from the deafening silence he had experienced.
After that, Shaman Catori taught Alfred a Breathing Technique. A method used by their people to feel the Spirit Energy in their environment.
…
He was awed upon hearing the lecture. The technique sounded familiar, as if he had heard or read it somewhere before.
'…Yes, that's right! It sounds like a cultivation technique!'
"Did you remember all I said?" Shaman Catori asked in a strict tone.
Alfred woke up from his daze and stutteringly answered. "Y-yes, I did!"
"Good, now practice it until you feel the Spirit Energy in the environment. I will visit you from time to time to check your progress."
Upon saying those words, the old woman didn't wait for Alfred's confirmation as she stood up and started walking towards the exit.
"Wait, how will I know the feeling?"
The elderly woman stopped and replied. "Trust me, you will know."