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After individual runes are combined, they can produce much more unique and powerful effects. For example, Thor's hammer had also been forged with extensive runic engraving throughout its construction. After studying the weapon's magical signatures, Aidan had determined that the rune combination was probably: Killing Rune for stability, Jera Rune to drive the entire runic array to peak performance, Uruz Rune to channel Thor's divine power, Suri Saz Rune representing Mjolnir itself and controlling power direction, Ansuz Rune to link all the other runes together, and finally ending with the Rune of Enlightenment to symbolize successful completion and positive outcomes.
Of course, the runic work was inseparable from the legendary forging techniques of the Nidavellir dwarves. The combination of cosmic-level craftsmanship and Odin's personal magical knowledge had created one of the most powerful weapons in existence.
Time to see if I can manage something even remotely similar, Aidan thought as he prepared for his own experiments.
What he was holding now was just a gray stone with a smooth, polished surface - nothing particularly impressive to look at. A set of runes had been carefully engraved across its face: the Rune of Uruz, the Rune of Nieder, and the Rune of Kiev. The Kiev Rune was specifically designed to fuse different types of power together.
Aidan had deliberately chosen to combine the thunder and lightning driven by the Uruz Rune with energy borrowed from the Cyttorak dimension, while the other runes were meant to stabilize and link the disparate energies. As the runic connections activated and began resonating with cosmic forces, the white lightning that initially emerged from the stone in Aidan's hand gradually shifted color, turning deep red like the thunder magic associated with Balthakk.
So far so good, he thought, watching the energy transformation with fascination.
Looking at the scarlet lightning dancing between his fingers, Aidan considered the next step, then mobilized his energy to continue inscribing. This time, he carved the Suri Sazrun rune directly into the stone's surface - the symbol used to control power direction and provide defensive capabilities. As the new rune connected with the others, they formed a more complex magical pattern that hummed with barely contained energy.
After finishing the inscription, Aidan focused his thoughts and began actively controlling the scarlet lightning wrapped around his hands. The energy felt different from normal lightning - heavier, more substantial, carrying the weight of dimensional forces behind it.
"Let's see what this can do."
He raised his palm, pointing the stone toward the ground, and released the built-up energy. A flash of scarlet lightning shot downward, and a perfectly circular scorched area appeared on the stone floor where the bolt had struck. The damage was impressive - much more than normal lightning would've caused.
But before he could feel any satisfaction about the successful test, a much louder explosion erupted from his hands.
BOOM!
The stone in his palm exploded violently, and the scarlet lightning suddenly spread in all directions like an uncontrolled electrical storm before slowly dissipating into the void. The magical backlash sent shockwaves up his arms.
Aidan stared at his hands in stunned silence. His palms were completely numb, and when he looked down, he could see they were already scorched black, the skin and muscle tissue damaged by the intense heat. The cells had been literally cooked by the magical overload.
"Well, that could've gone better," he muttered, flexing his fingers and wincing at the pain. "Looks like I can rest for a while..."
He pulled out a healing potion he'd developed during his studies - a mixture of Asgardian herbs and Earth-based regenerative compounds - and injected it directly into his arm. The medicine burned as it entered his system, but almost immediately he could feel his damaged tissue beginning to repair itself.
While waiting for the healing to take effect, he crouched down and began collecting the scattered debris from his exploded test stone, examining the fragments for clues about what had gone wrong.
The stone material itself hadn't been particularly hard, but it had strong energy adaptability - which was exactly why he'd chosen it despite its... questionable origins. When he'd gone to visit Ivy's father Warren and searched through the materials collection in their back mountain storage area, he'd found several pieces of this unusual stone.
But Warren had told him with a distinctly weird expression that it was actually the crystallized dung of some kind of magical beast.
Yeah, that was an awkward moment, Aidan remembered. He'd immediately thrown the stones away in disgust - no wonder they'd felt slightly warm in his hands. But after failing to find any other suitable materials for practice, he'd reluctantly gone back to collect them.
There were more appropriate materials available, like Uru metal, but he wasn't nearly confident enough to use such precious substances for experimental practice. Besides, once you filtered out the knowledge of what it actually was, the stone looked and functioned just like any other magical focus material.
Sometimes being a mage requires accepting uncomfortable truths about your components.
Aidan carefully reviewed the steps he'd taken while engraving the runes, trying to identify where the process had gone wrong. It should've been a problem with the compatibility of the runic combination, not the material's ability to handle the energy levels involved.
While a single rune could be engraved on an object and function independently, when it encountered higher-dimensional energy sources, even powerful defensive runes like Suri Saz would eventually collapse under the strain. The only way to safely channel the diverse energies of higher dimensions was to combine multiple runes in complementary patterns that strengthened and evolved the overall enchantment.
Runes were essentially descriptions of fundamental universal mysteries, so they could naturally trigger and channel cosmic energies. For example, the Raidho Rune symbolized beautiful journeys and could stimulate spatial forces to achieve dimensional travel capabilities. But working with exotic energies like dark matter required incredibly precise runic combinations that were extremely difficult to carve correctly.
The Ancient One's approach was different - she directly borrowed energy from other dimensions through established mystical contracts, so the upper limit of her strength was determined by the power and nature of whatever dimensions she accessed. This made her magic look relatively effortless since she wasn't fighting against incompatible energy systems. But it also meant her available abilities were constrained by the terms of those dimensional agreements.
Odin's approach was different again - his divine power was inherited through his bloodline, a completely internal system that grew stronger with age and experience. It formed a integrated magical ecosystem, so his strength remained very stable and predictable.
I need to find my own approach that combines the best aspects of both systems.
After a period of rest and healing, Aidan continued studying the theoretical principles behind runic magic. His goal was to create entirely new runic systems by analyzing the characteristics of different dimensional energies and designing custom symbols to channel them safely.
The long-term plan was that when he borrowed energy from other dimensions in the future, he'd create specialized runes based on each dimension's unique characteristics, then engrave those runes directly onto weapons and equipment. This way, even if he accessed something as dangerous as the Dark Dimension's power, he wouldn't have to worry about being corrupted or controlled by it. When he eventually traveled to other dimensions as an interdimensional businessman, he wouldn't have to worry about his human physiology being unable to handle exotic energy types.
Basically, I'm trying to create a universal translation system for cosmic forces.
Three months had passed since his runic experiments began, bringing the total time since Earth's alien invasion to eight months. During this extended period of study and research, Aidan had achieved three major breakthroughs.
First, he'd successfully deciphered Atlantean script and extracted crucial information from the Monument of Life and Time, giving him a clear evolutionary path toward transcending normal human limitations. The consciousness development framework was potentially the most important discovery he'd ever made.
Second, he'd become fluent in Vanaheim language and deciphered the prescription hidden in the black stone statue that Hogun had given him. The statue contained detailed instructions for refining both an elixir of life and a universal healing panacea. If he could successfully create the immortality elixir, he wouldn't have to worry about human lifespan limitations interfering with his long-term plans.
Third, he'd gained access to Odin's personal runic magic system, which provided a clear direction for future weapon and equipment manufacturing. Although instruments he'd made in the past had included magical enhancements, they hadn't significantly amplified his power and were mostly used for auxiliary purposes. With proper runic knowledge, he could store borrowed dimensional energy or use it to dramatically strengthen his battle suit and other equipment.
Not bad for eight months of library time. Though I'm definitely ready to get back to more active problem-solving.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, significant developments had been taking place during Aidan's absence.
The White Queen had successfully completed her consciousness upgrade with help from the Mind Stone, evolving into something that was genuinely beyond artificial intelligence. Her new physical form and expanded capabilities represented a breakthrough in AI development.
The Mind Stone had then been transferred to Tony Stark for his artificial intelligence project. But just recently, the Avengers had gotten into a major argument about the ethics and safety of the project, and during the heated discussion, someone had actually stolen the gem entirely.
Now the Avengers were frantically searching for the missing Infinity Stone all over the world, dealing with both external threats and internal team conflicts about who was responsible for letting it get stolen.
The massive Chitauri mothership had also been fully repaired under the White Queen's direction and was now operational, though it remained hovering above the Xavier Institute since there wasn't anywhere specific it needed to go at the moment. The ship served as both a technological research platform and a visible symbol of the new alliance between humans and mutants.
Construction of the Science and Technology City had progressed significantly as well. A substantial portion of the infrastructure was already complete, and with the White Queen's enhanced capabilities now available to coordinate the work, the entire project would probably be finished within the next two months.
Once construction was complete, Baymax Corporation's headquarters would relocate there, and the mutant community would finally have a permanent home designed specifically for their needs - a place where their abilities would be assets rather than sources of fear or discrimination.
Aside from the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. being extremely busy with their search for the missing Mind Stone, things were progressing smoothly on multiple fronts. The integration of human and mutant societies was proceeding better than anyone had dared hope.
Back in Asgard, unaware of the crisis developing on Earth, Aidan continued his runic studies with renewed determination.