章 2: The Path of Formations

"Listen Anna, before you can make any Formations, you have to practice Rune drawing", Suly said. I tilted my head a bit confused and replied, "But you didn't draw any Runes. You simply placed your hands on the ground, and made the Formation appear". Suly laughed before explaining, "That is because I've been learning this for many years. You have to start somewhere, before you can accomplish similar deeds me or your aunt is able to achieve. Runes are the basics of all Formations, there is no other way but to learn, memorize and draw them". I nodded in understanding and asked, "So what are those Runes?".

Suly took out a piece of paper, and a brush with ink from her storage item. "I will show you some basic Runes which you can practice. The way you draw those Runes has to be precise, otherwise your Formations will never work. Have a look", she said and started drawing something. She drew some strange symbols on the piece of paper, until there were twelve of them in total. "That is how Runes look like. There are of course more of them, but this should be enough for now. These twelve Runes correspond to the four basic Elements. The Wind, Fire, Water and Earth Elements, three Runes per each Element", she said while handing me a piece of paper as well as the brush. "The books I handed to your mom will explain Elements, so don't worry about them for now. Instead, try to copy the Runes I showed you", she added.

I took the paper as well as the brush, and tried to copy those weird symbols. I assumed it would be easy, but it wasn't at all. The Runes had to be drawn in a specific way, any hesitation and the Rune would look differently to what Suly showed me. Moreover, my Runes were larger. I wasted a few pieces of paper, but still couldn't get it right. "You just have to practice. Formations are really difficult, especially at the beginning", Suly said. I wasted even more paper, but couldn't even draw one Rune correctly. When I thought about Formations, that wasn't what I had in my mind. Not only was it hard, it was boring as well. I had to sit there, and draw the same twelve Runes over and over again.

Suly told me to take a break, but I still had to practice that every day. "If you really want to make snow appear, you have to take it much more seriously Anna. Formations are really difficult to master, and there is no easy path. If you don't put in the hours, it's better to simply give up right now", Suly said. I didn't want to quit, the dream of one day being able to make snow kept me going. A few days passed, but there were hardly any improvements. I could copy those Runes, but not perfectly. They had to be perfect in order to work, and Suly even demonstrated that for me. If my Runes were not perfect, the Formation wouldn't work.

After a few days, Suly and others went back home, leaving me with a few Runes and paper to draw them on. Even though I practiced every day, I saw no improvements. Whenever I checked Suly's example, my Runes lacked something. "Maybe I can't do it…", I said to myself quietly. I got lost in my thoughts for a while, but then heard mom calling me. "Anna, come here for a minute". I made my way to the kitchen, where mom already waited for me at the table. "Did something happen?", I asked unsure. "Sit down, we need to talk", she said.

I wasn't sure why mom was so serious, I didn't do anything wrong. "Anna, do you really want to learn Formations?", she asked when I sat down. I wanted to nod, but I wasn't sure anymore. "Formations are very hard to learn and master. It's not something you should take lightheartedly. You are still young, so if you don't want to learn them, you can stop", she added. I was about to reply, but mother said in a serious tone, "If you choose to stop now, I will not allow you to learn in the future". "Why?", I asked stunned. "Because my daughter will not grow up to be a spoiled child. If you want to pursue something, you have to give it your best. It's normal to struggle, your father…", she stopped at that point. 'Again him…', I thought and said, "What about my father? He isn't even around, he doesn't care about me. No one talks about my father, as if he never existed!". "That's enough Anna", mother said but I retorted, "Am I wrong? Where is he then? Why don't you tell me about my own father? Why do all of you treat him as if he never existed? Am I even your daughter?". The tears swelled up in my eyes, and I ran outside. "Anna!", mom's voice came from behind, but I didn't stop.

I ran toward the cliffs overlooking the sea. I didn't know what to think anymore. I didn't know what to do, and why mom acted like that. I wasn't at fault, I did nothing wrong, yet I felt like everyone was against me. As I sat there looking at the waves in the sea, someone patted my head. "Mom?", I asked looking up. It wasn't mother, but uncle Crow. "Why are you sitting here all alone, Anna?", he asked. I looked back at the sea, "Uncle, where is my father?". He remained quiet for a while, but then sat down next to me and said, "Your father eh? I miss him, it's been so long since he left… Do you think he abandoned you?", he asked. I nodded but didn't reply. "He wouldn't abandon his family. I'm aware that you know very little about him, but why don't you ask him when he returns?", he added.

"What if he doesn't return?", I asked. Uncle Crow laughed, "Him? Even if he died twenty times over, he will return. Take care of your mother until then, she misses him too you know?". Uncle Crow stood up and added, "I heard you started practicing Formations. That's a tall goal for a young kid like you… But, since it's you, I believe you can do it. Have more faith in yourself Anna". I looked up but he was gone. I decided to return home, and apologize to mom.

As soon as I entered our house, she picked me up and hugged me. "I know it's difficult my child, I know you have many questions, but can you wait? When your father returns, you can ask him anything you like". I nodded, "I'm sorry for saying what I said… I know mom is my mom. No one else could replace you". Mom smiled and hugged me once more. "About the Formations…", I added. "You don't have to force yourself. No matter what you choose in your life, you will be my little Anna, right?", mom said with a smile. "No, I will learn. Uncle Crow told me I could do it", I replied after shaking my head. She let me down, and grabbed my hand. "I never liked Formations. I always thought they were boring and not something I needed to learn. Since my child decided to learn, I will learn with you. How about that, Anna?", she asked with a smile. I nodded, "Yes! Let's learn together".

Since that time, we practiced Rune drawing and even competed a bit. Mom drew the basic Runes very well, but that only motivated me to improve myself even more. It wasn't boring anymore, I didn't sit in a room alone, drawing Runes endlessly. My mom was there, and we had some fun together. Formations and Runes were no longer that boring and endless task I was told to do, but an activity I enjoyed with my mom.

The time slowly passed. One by one, we learned to draw the Runes perfectly. Mom even showed me some simple Formations with those Runes. Although nothing extraordinary, to me it was like magic. I was able to make simple Formations that utilised the four basic Elements. I still used paper, as it was the easiest medium to place a Formation on. Moreover, that paper Suly gave me was special. When the Formation was completed, it would self activate. I didn't know how to activate those Formations, and mom insisted on learning to draw first. Still, I could make the paper wet, burn, crumple or rip. Although these Formations were very simple and used less than four Runes at a time, I was still happy. My efforts didn't go to waste, and I was able to produce something. That made me more excited about the future.