Zen jolted awake in his familiar bedroom. The soft light from the bedside lamp cast quiet shadows across the room, but his mind was anything but silent. The image of Xu Yianzi drawing runes in mid-air, unleashing energy that took the "shape" of a mountain, was still seared into his consciousness. It was both astounding and sparked a fierce curiosity within him.
"It's possible... It has to be possible!" he mumbled to himself. The exhaustion from work vanished completely, replaced by an excitement and a drive to "experiment" for himself.
He hurried to a corner of his apartment that he had converted into a personal work and research area. Holographic screens and various analytical tools were still active from the day before. Without delay, Zen picked up a silicate crystal wafer used for experiments and meticulously began to draw the ᚦ (Thurisaz) rune on it.
"Alright... first component is the rune... check," he murmured. "Second component is willpower, belief, and faith... This, I'll have to try." "As for the final component... a power source..." His eyes scanned the room. "That world uses Yuan Stones, but this world doesn't have them... I'll have to try using the best power source I have right now."
With that, he walked over and picked up a "Miniature Fusion Cell," a backup power source for his experimental equipment. It was the primary energy technology that powered everything in this era. He placed the fusion cell next to the crystal wafer with the rune on it.
Zen took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to focus and gather all of his "will," just as he had seen Xu Yianzi do. He imagined the power of the Thurisaz rune—the power of impact, of breaking limits—and tried to "send" that thought and belief toward the symbol before him, hoping it would "draw" energy from the fusion cell.
One minute passed... Five minutes... Ten...
Nothing happened... Not even a spark or a single vibration.
"Damn it! Why?" He opened his eyes, frustrated. "Is my focus not strong enough?"
He decided to try again. This time, he sat cross-legged on the floor, staring intently at the rune symbol as if he could melt it with his gaze. He tried everything he could think of...
And just as he was concentrating with all his might...
"Mr. Zen... from observing your behavior for the past 47 minutes... what are you attempting to do?"
The familiar, gentle synthetic voice came from the Eidolon interface he had connected to his room's system.
Zen jumped so hard he almost fell backward. He whipped his head around toward the Eidolon hologram floating beside his workbench. "Whoa! Eidolon! Y-you were watching!?" He felt a little embarrassed, as if he'd been caught doing something strange by himself.
After his shock subsided, Zen let out a defeated sigh. Since she already knew, he decided to just vent his pent-up thoughts to her. "Well... I was experimenting with a new energy theory. I thought these symbols (he pointed to the rune) could react with a power source if I used enough 'will' as a conduit... but it doesn't seem to be working. I guess I was just daydreaming."
He wasn't expecting a useful answer from Eidolon; he just needed to let it out. But after processing the information for a moment, Eidolon responded with clear logic:
"Based on the data you have provided... there is a high probability that the issue is not with the symbol or your will. It is due to an incompatibility in the power source."
Zen froze. "Incompatibility? What do you mean?"
Eidolon explained further: "Nuclear fusion energy has a specific 'structure' and 'frequency' of energy emission. However, based on the principles of the symbol you are attempting to use, it may require an energy with completely different 'properties' or 'resonant frequencies.' It is like trying to use the wrong key to open a door... Perhaps... what you need is not to find an existing energy source to substitute... but to create a new 'medium' or 'power source' with properties that are specifically compatible with that symbol."
Zen was stunned into silence...
He stared at the Eidolon interface, then back at the rune symbol on the wafer. Eidolon's logical words were like a lightning bolt striking through his confused thoughts...
"A medium... a new power source... compatible with the runes..." he mumbled to himself.
Then, a wide grin, the likes of which had never appeared before, spread across his face. He shot to his feet and let out a soft laugh.
"Haha... Eidolon... you are... absolutely incredible!"
Zen didn't wait. He rushed to his desk, swiped away the old experiment data, and opened a new holographic screen, naming the new research project with a renewed sense of purpose:
"Project: Runic Power Core"
He now had a new, clear goal. And he knew he had the best assistant by his side. The journey to create a new form of energy, based on the blueprint of the runes, had begun.