Hearing the term "Rune Magic," the students below looked puzzled.
Only LeBlanc couldn't hide her surprise.
She said nothing, simply watching in silence, her eyes fixed ahead.
"Rune magic is a system created by my teacher," Seraphine explained.
Created?
LeBlanc's expression tightened. She was clearly shocked.
Runes releasing magic was nothing new in Runeterra.
But even after countless generations, no one had ever managed to create a complete magical system based on them.
Runic language was only understood by a select few.
Combining unknown runes often led to unpredictable—and dangerous—results.
And mages, with their fragile bodies, didn't always survive such accidents.
Tested rune combinations were incredibly rare. Even Noxus, with its long history of arcane research, had only a few recorded over the millennia.
"According to my teacher's compiled records, Noxus has documented 731 runes, along with 255 special categories. These include time, space, metal, light, darkness, and soul. The remaining four core elements—earth, water, fire, and wind—account for 506," Seraphine said, her voice carrying a subtle rhythm, as if laced with enchantment.
It drew the audience into her words, painting vivid images of intricate runes in their minds.
"Each rune represents a specific kind of power. For example, this one is called: Fire."
A glowing, flame-shaped rune floated in front of her. It pulsed gently, warm and red.
"This is one of the basic elemental runes. My teacher and another scholar identified it after analyzing hundreds of runes and finding patterns."
"There are similar ones for Earth, Water, and Wind."
"And here's another: Burst."
As she spoke, a new rune materialized—a complex red sigil shaped like a blossoming flower.
"Rune magic, as the name implies, involves constructing runes with magic, then combining them to release a spell."
"I won't demonstrate the actual process of building a rune—it's tedious and requires patience."
A flicker of embarrassment crossed her face.
"But once constructed, a rune can be stored within the body. It only needs a small trickle of magic to maintain. When needed, it can be instantly activated."
"Like this."
Under Seraphine's control, the two runes—Fire and Burst—linked together, bound by a glowing magical string.
Suddenly, they transformed into a blazing fireball—identical to the one Annie often summoned.
"Go!"
Hum!
The fireball shot forward, colliding with a practice dummy. Flames crackled as it began to burn.
"Attack strength: Medium..." the dummy's mechanical voice began.
BOOM!
An explosion rocked the room as the flames erupted outward with a blast of force.
"Attack strength: Strong!"
"And that was with only two runes. Imagine what three, four, or even ten could do."
Seraphine let the question hang, inviting the students to dream.
"Oh, and by the way—my teacher is the current Head of the Trifarix Council."
Murmurs of surprise spread through the crowd. Only a few students, like Annie, remained unfazed.
Before they could recover, Seraphine added with a bright smile:
"He can construct five-dimensional, nine-rune magic."
-------------
In the floating castle high, Syndra glanced sideways at Ryan, a smirk playing on her lips.
"You really said that?"
"What do you think?" Ryan replied calmly, sipping his tea.
His expression didn't change.
"We categorize runes by dimensional layering. The fifth dimension means five distinct types—like earth, water, fire, wind, and something beyond—are linked in sequence."
"The number of runes in a spell determines its complexity. Quantity doesn't always equal power, but there's a baseline strength that comes with it. First-tier rune magic connects two runes. Second-tier connects four. Third-tier, eight. All the way up to ninth-tier—512 runes."
"Don't look at me—even Ryze couldn't use five types of runes and string together 512 in a complete sequence," Ryan said calmly.
"And designing the arrangement is only the first step. The real challenge is ensuring there are no errors in the magical circuitry of the rune formation. That's the hardest part."
"Not to mention," he added, "the mana cost for casting something like that is terrifying. You're probably the only one with enough power to even attempt it."
As a true mage, Ryan believed in seeking truth through facts.
And the truth was—he couldn't do it. Not yet.
Of course, if it were a one-dimensional ninth-order rune spell, he could just barely manage it.
Unfortunately, he had collected too few Water runes.
He had only one viable ninth-order configuration, and even that relied on repeating many of the same runes.
It didn't qualify as a true ninth-order spell.
The complexity and cost weren't even in the same league.
"According to our theory," Syndra added, a flicker of awe in her eyes, "a combination of 1,024 homologous runes might even surpass the power of the Celestials."
And the "Celestials" she spoke of weren't pseudo-divinities like Kayle, who only wielded a fraction of true divine might.
"Every World Rune probably contains a complete set of such combinations," she said thoughtfully.
Ryan gently set his teacup down.
"Our current classifications are only temporary. One day, we might be able to categorize each rule into its own dimensional layer. But that will take time."
He looked at her with a rare sincerity.
"And we have time—plenty of it—to uncover magic's deepest secrets."
Syndra's dark eyes reflected that same seriousness, and a rare, almost wistful smile tugged at her lips.
Ryan nodded and smiled slightly in return.
----------
Meanwhile, back in the academy, Seraphine was still hard at work, finishing her explanation of what it meant to be a Runecrafter.
As soon as she concluded, the classroom burst into awed murmurs.
Even if fifth-dimensional magic wasn't necessarily more elegant than the first, and ninth-order spells weren't always more practical than first-order ones, the possibilities filled them with motivation.
The Council Head had laid out an entire system of rune magic.
If they followed its structure, studied diligently, and advanced step by step… maybe one day, they too could reach the fifth dimension, the ninth order.
And perhaps, they too could wield the power of gods.
Most students sat wide-eyed, faces lit with youthful ambition.
After all, who among them hadn't dreamed of becoming a Noxian powerhouse?
Of all the onlookers, LeBlanc was the most shaken.
She had understood everything Seraphine said about the Runecrafter.
Fully.
But that understanding—especially her deep knowledge of runes—made her realization all the more terrifying.
Connecting 512 runes across five distinct types wasn't just theoretical.
Its mere release could shake the foundations of a continent.
In extreme cases, it could even tear one apart.
She narrowed her eyes. Outwardly composed, but her thoughts were spinning.
LeBlanc didn't think Seraphine was lying.
First, there was no reason to fabricate something so complex to a room of students.
And second—she had tested the Floating Castle herself.
She had already identified over 300 distinct runes inscribed into its structure.
Given how many remained hidden, she estimated there were over 500 total, and clearly, they belonged to different elemental and conceptual types.
Strictly speaking, the Floating Castle itself might already be a fifth-dimensional ninth-order spell—a living, sustained piece of Runecraft.
The more she thought, the more uneasy she became about the two figures above the world.
A chilling thought crept into her mind:
When they had faced Kayle—neither of them had gone all out.