Despite living in 1992, Ethan would have found the same form of escapism as in his past life: a PC.

  The fact that his new father worked as a computer engineer at Pipex, the first ISP in the UK, also meant he had ample access to technology, especially when it came to games and the internet. Or well, the tter at least in a few years .

  In his past life, he had been a complete video game addict, to the point that he would soon begin creating his own simple games.

  That same passion would lead him to die while creating a VR game, where he combined several magical systems so that the user could become a mage that customize spells in a complex and fun way.

  At first he wanted to continue making the same game, but being decades away from VR technology being fully viable (ignoring the Virtual Boy and anything simir), his first thought went to create CRPGs like Baldur's Gate and Pnescape: Torment.

  Risking his life in the magical world? He didn't think he had the time to survive and become someone with money at the same time; he wanss't even sure he could protect his family. On the other hand, if he remained in the muggle side, with the right contacts, he could learn to create his own games to compete against the best.

  It was there that he spent days all he could about the game he hadn't been able to finish in his past life, focusing especially on the rune nguage he had created, though unfinished. He was sure he would be able to implement it one way or another, even if the current technology had its limitations.

  Perhaps it was the obsession with trying to escape the thoughts of his own mortality if the big bad ended up winning in the end, that Ethan managed to inscribe a couple of runes in his soul. He still didn't fully understand if what he felt in the center of his chest was his soul, but the fsh that came out of his index finger with just a point in a direction affirmed that he had achieved something that was supposed to be impossible.

  "Lightning + zap... Just as I designed it." Ethan murmured, charring a tiny little part of the wall of his room as he got lost in the endless possibilities that he now had in his hands. This opened a new posibility only avaible to him.

  The rune system was based on different main and secondary symbols: Nucleus and Form described the nature of the spell and whether it would be cast as a ritual, a physical state of matter or something entirely different.

  The more complex the nucleus, the more mana it required, as well as more space it occupied when inscribing said symbol in his soul, something absolutely necessary if he wanted to "bring to life" the runes he inscribed, otherwise, they would only be strange but completely harmless doodles

  Starting with the central element "lightning," the second rune of form "zap" made the spell unch at a maximum distance of 5 meters in the form of an arc for 0.5 seconds, giving a small electric shock to his target.

  The third rune was a somatic symbol, which activated the spell every time Ethan touched the palm of his hand with his index finger and then pointed in the desired direction.

  "If they discover me, I'm dead…"

  The biggest problem was that Ethan only had the knowledge of the runes, but not the experience to use them in combination of attack or defense at the same time… And the easiest way to fix that problem was to tattoo the runes on his hands or where he needed them. While he could invoke their power by speaking its meaning, he could use his tattoos and special runes so they activate under certain circumstances. This would make easier to multicast, using his mouth and gestures to do different things.

  Given that no one was going to tattoo a 12-year-old boy, Ethan simply "drew" his own body with a hot needle: the "lightning" rune on the palm of his right hand, while the "zap" and "somatic" runes on the proximal and middle phanx of his index finger.

  "I need a good excuse…"

  Having created somatic runes from the index to the little finger, only a mixture of form and effect runes were missing.

  "Continuous" so that the spell only stopped when his magic ran out or he deactivated the rune.

  "Focus" to concentrate the power of the rune, making it more powerful although it weakened the range.

  And "Solid" which in this particur case converted electricity into psma.

  Spoiler

  [colpse]"'Mom is going to kill me before I get to Hogwarts…"

  And what could be the stupidest idea that had ever occurred to him after that?

  Of course, using each of those runes to create a small psma nce/sword and inscribing the subsequent runes on a piece of metal. From there, he just had to heat the metal and mark himself like a damn piece of livestock.

  Thus, Ethan spent the rest of the week in his room with a bandage on his neck covered by a handkerchief (ciming a cold) at the level of the C7 vertebra, the new marks on his body hidden by a specially made colr to contain a simple and small rune that would not disintegrate the material on the first use.

  Sadly, because he could not really craft a true magic item, this rune would only work in closeness to his own body, reacting only when the inscription on his neck activated.

  The rest of the runes, now on both hands, were hidden by several long-sleeved shirts, a gift from his grandmother that loved to buy him or knit him clothes at least one (or two, or three) size rger than he always wore.

  The new runes would have been equally difficult to mark on his body if it weren't for the new healing rune on his left hand, which helped him endure the fever and swelling caused by the burns. On the other hand, the fever served as an excuse to feign a cold and stay as covered as possible without raising too many suspicions.

  And of course, his mother was furious, accusing Ethan of getting sick on purpose to avoid going to Hogwarts. However, Catherine was always by his side, putting cold compresses on his forehead and wrists, not knowing why her son clenched his fists so tightly.

  Like that, September 1st arrived as it did every year.