The Shepherd cleared his throat.
"All right, so first, I'll tell you about your year ahead. And listen up because I won't repeat this for those who wander off into daydreams."
A dozen bored faces snapped to attention while a dozen more tried to pretend they'd been listening the whole time.
"The other Shepherds, Scholars, and I will meet you once a week in this hall. Attendance isn't mandatory but is noted and will be reflected on your overall ranking."
He tapped his cane twice for emphasis.
"You will be drilled until you are good enough. I will not have you starve the Gods of entertainment."
Lothar pointed up at the roof.
"The Olympia Trials, now commonly known as the Colosseum Games, will be held whenever the Gods—if they feel merciful or amused—wish to bestow a Rune, or simply when an entertaining Disciple-level problem comes up."
And that was the second and final way Runethera was given any Runes after the Day of Runes, something which most knew full well, understanding just how tough their futures would be, if there was even one.
Because, well, as the Shepherd said, Colosseum Games were utterly random, decided whenever the Gods wanted drama and death, meaning if the Disciples wanted to reach any goal in this realm, their lives would cease on Their mere whim.
"A Colosseum Game will be held in a week."
Lothar's eyes narrowed.
"Prepare. You will be sent into the arena before many, not only the Gods. There, your bodies will remain, and your Souls will go to another place to fight, risking it all."
They were as sharp as could be.
"Usually, you either win by finishing the game, which means fulfilling a unique objective. Including but not limited to, solving a trivial issue for the Gods, surviving their trial, ridding a land of Tartaros's Corruption, reclaiming it, and even Diving into Dungeons, or, of course, by whatever odd rule They decided to hand down. If you have a Butterfly, you survive a Soul-death and return. If not—"
A cold ripple ran the length of the lecture hall.
"—you die, and that is the end of your story."
He let the silence sit for a few long heartbeats as Xenos grinned away, knowing that only he and an unlucky few had the misfortune of not having a Butterfly to fall back on.
The thing was a Divine Relic, a rare and expensive item that saved the Soul when killed, returning it to the body.
He knew the item well when playing the game, commonly abused by most useless whales, using it to save their characters when they died in the Colosseum.
Because yes, a death there meant losing your character entirely, items and all.
That meant that it was also useful for madmen, specifically Xenos, who wanted to test all sorts of builds, even the most unimaginably stupid ones, without permanent consequences.
This 'permanent consequence' here being death, of course.
"Alright, now that you know, tell me..."
The Shepherd moved on.
"What is Divinity?"
Hands shot up, and answers came fast, too many, all a little wrong and a little too proud:
"It's a holy power!"
"It's the Gods' breath!"
"It's the force that makes Runes work!"
Lothar let them all sputter, then raised a finger and cut them off:
"Divinity. Also known as the Flow of the Untainted, the Sea of Life, or Divine Ichor, is a Holy Energy that permeates the realm, ensnaring the cosmos within its grasp. Its revelation came from the first Blessed, Eratosthenes, in the First Epoch, the Age of the Fool."
He paced and tapped his cane.
"Blessed Eratosthenes named this undisturbed Holy Energy as Neutral Divinity. It is a malleable Holy Energy that lacks a specific property or characteristic, and it permeates the realm, able to be absorbed by us, the Runebearers."
A student in the front squinted.
"So it's like… food for Runes?"
Lothar gave a small, seemingly rare smile.
"Yes, food. But do not call it that in front of any House Lords, especially not the Houses of Gods; they will be offended, and you will lose your head."
Nervous laughter spilled out, and the mood briefly loosened.
"Next."
He pointed.
"What is a Rune?"
The answers this time were better, bits of library books:
"It's what lets you cast magic."
"It binds Divinity to a Soul."
"It shapes your spells."
"Abilities condensed."
"Correct..."
Lothar nodded.
"A Rune directs Divinity into a form, taking hold within one's Soul, allowing the Runebearer to control the flow of Divinity under its specified conditions. There is a Root Rune—your first Rune, deciding your Element—and normal Runes that come after. Great Runes and Ancient Runes exist, of course, but those are for higher classes. Most Runebearers will never see one in their life, and that includes most, if not all of you here."
He leaned forward until his eyes caught Xenos's in the back.
"Those unfortunate should listen closely to this; it is their only hope in surviving this realm... Normal Runes are not weak simply because they are more... common."
Xenos stared back.
"They can be strengthened."
He wrote on the board slowly, letters big and clear.
"A Rune's strength is ranked thus..."
—
{Rank 1—Weakest (White Glow)}
{Rank 2—Stabilized (Green Glow)}
{Rank 3—Experienced (Blue Glow)}
{Rank 4—Strengthened (Purple Glow)}
{Rank 5—Ultimate (Gold Glow)}
—
A girl in the row in front of Xenos sucked in air.
"Gold glow is real?"
"It is."
Lothar's voice was pleased.
"And it is only earned by those who bleed for it."
It seemed he liked being asked such questions.
"Now, how to rank up a Rune?"