The victory in the training chamber earned Jonah something far more valuable than credits or prestige: a few days of peace. After the initial buzz died down, even the most persistent seniors seemed to understand that he wasn't a resource to be claimed. He was something to be watched from a respectful distance.

Finally free from the political maneuvering, Jonah and Vanessa went back to their workshop. The door sealed shut behind them, muffling the sounds of the Academy and leaving them in their own private world of research and discovery.

"Okay," Vanessa said, stretching her arms over her head. "No more distractions. Let's find out what the old Artificer really knew."

With his new status secured, Jonah's first and only priority was to return to his true passion. He placed the glowing data crystal they'd recovered from the Sunken City onto a specialized analysis stand. When he touched it, the information didn't flood his mind as a chaotic mess. Instead, it projected into the air between them – a complex, three-dimensional hologram of diagrams, notes, and shimmering runic arrays.

This was the life's work of a master creator from a forgotten age.

Jonah's attention locked on it at once. He bypassed the complex theories and abstract equations, his practical mind zeroing in on the Golem construction diagrams. He manipulated the hologram, zooming in on the schematic for a hulking, four-legged guardian construct.

"Take a look at this," he murmured, tracing a glowing line with his finger. "His 'Power Cores'… they aren't just simple energy sources. They're structured. See how he built channels to distribute power to the limbs? It's like a circulatory system, but for mana."

He compared it instantly to his own creations. When he made Rook or Maul, he had forced the essences together with a core, relying on instinct to bind them. The Artificer, however, built a chassis first. He thought about how to keep it stable, how to manage energy, and how it would carry its own weight.

"I've been making creatures without any real structure," Jonah said. "Just muscle and magic forced to hold together. No wonder Maul's so unstable." He could see it now – a path to creating stronger, more stable Progeny.

Vanessa nodded, her eyes scanning the diagrams. "Of course. Anything without a firm foundation is bound to fail." But her attention was already drifting. While Jonah was focused on the body, she was being drawn to the soul.

Her gaze fixed on a different part of the hologram – a swirling web of runes that corresponded to the Golem's command functions.

"Jonah…" she said, her voice distant. "This is way more than just a blueprint for a body."

She reached out and isolated the runic web, expanding it until it filled the center of the room. The symbols were impossibly complex, a language of pure magic that flowed with a breathtaking logic. It wasn't just a simple "on/off" switch.

"What is it?" Jonah asked, tearing his eyes from the Power Core schematics.

"It's… a program," Vanessa whispered, her eyes wide with revelation. "It's not a single spell cast on the Golem. It's a whole system of spells, locked into its core. A language."

She pointed to a sequence of runes. "This string here means, 'If external entity displays aggression, activate defensive protocol.' And this one," she traced another line, "means, 'If primary power source drops below ten percent, enter low power standby and return to charging station.'"

Jonah stared. It was a level of complexity he had never imagined. "You can do that? Weave logic into an object?"

"I didn't think so," Vanessa breathed, her mind racing. "Not like this. The single use charms I made for you were like firecrackers. You light the fuse, it goes off once, and it's done. This… this is different. This is like building an engine. The spell's logic is part of the machine itself. It runs forever, as long as it has fuel."

A realization settled over her, and for a moment, it seemed to resonate through every part of her. She thought of the Runic Collar she had built for Maul, a masterpiece of her own design. Still, it was just a single, powerful spell. The Artificer hadn't just made magical tools; he had given lifeless constructs a form of artificial intelligence, powered by runes.

"This is it," she declared, her voice filled with a passion Jonah had never heard before. "This is the key. Not just to making Golems, but to creating permanent magic items. Real ones. Armor that can heal itself. Swords that can cast their own spells. The possibilities…"

She looked from the shimmering runes to Jonah, her eyes burning with a new, fierce ambition. "Forget simple spell shaping. This is my new focus." She took a deep breath, giving her new passion a name. "Runic Engineering."

In that moment, their partnership evolved. It clicked into place with the finality of a heavy vault door locking.

Jonah looked at his own hands, then at Vanessa, who was now completely lost in her study of the ancient, magical code.

He was the architect of life. He could build the body, form the muscle and bone, and weave the essences of magical beasts into a living, breathing creature. He could create the perfect vessel.

But Vanessa… Vanessa was becoming something more. She was becoming the one who shapes magic.

He could build the chassis, but she could install the engine. He could give a Progeny claws and wings, but she could give it a permanent shield of force or talons that burned with magical fire.

They were no longer just a boy from the mines and a brilliant Mage from the city, helping each other study. They were a team. A complete creation unit, more powerful together than either of them could ever be apart.

The architect and the enchanter. The Beast Weaver and the Runic Engineer.

A new, thrilling path had just opened up before them, and they were ready to walk it together.