999
Sylas felt that he finally understood.
The reason for starting with one core instead of an amalgamation of cores was that it set the precedent and tone for the rest of the movement.
But without this, there were too many potential cores to choose from. Just the first even grid had over 130 options. This made Sylas unsure of which direction to take things in.
He got lost in trying to find the proper combinations but didn't spend enough time trying to understand the guiding principle that allowed it all to work.
What was it that drove the Runes to fuse into one?
It was like Rune Visualization and Enlightenment all over again, but an application at a much higher level. In the Rune Visualization Secret Realm, he learned about geometry and how to "listen" to Runes and fit them into configurations their Strokes and Foundations most liked to be in.