Spell Prodigy

The caravan mistress's expression softened slightly. She beckoned Vivian over, seeming much friendlier toward her because of her help this time. The little girl obediently walked over.

"Go to the hall first."

The caravan mistress gently stroked Vivian's little head and said softly, "I have some things to discuss with your brother."

Vivian glanced back at Soren and only left after seeing him nod.

"Soren!"

The caravan mistress watched Vivian leave. Once she was gone, she said seriously, "I want to know about your past. Did anything unusual happen?"

"Vivian's talent is extraordinary. She awakened her Spellcasting ability at such a young age."

"Her future achievements will be difficult to measure!"

Soren glanced at her, gently shook his head, and said slowly, "I'm sorry. There's nothing unusual worth telling you. Vivian and I were orphans from a young age. Our lives were no different from any other slum dwellers you've seen."

Orphans?

The caravan mistress's expression eased slightly. She continued, "It's impossible that nothing happened."

"When a Sorcerer first awakens their magical power, it is often after experiencing intense emotional turmoil. Something unusual must have happened to awaken Vivian's power." Soren paused slightly at her words, then said, "Something unusual?"

"I once encountered a Wizard during a job. I was badly injured then and lay in bed for over half a month."

"Perhaps fate did not mean for me to die, and I slowly recovered."

The caravan mistress glanced at him and muttered, "Is that so? She cares deeply about you. If your injuries had truly endangered your life, it would indeed have been possible to awaken her latent power."

"Vivian is too young."

"As she gradually grows up, her power will become stronger and stronger. If she does not understand how to control it, she may very well hurt others and could even cause massive destruction. You are not a Wizard, so you cannot understand her talent. She is simply a Spell Prodigy. Even my mother was no more gifted than she is."

Spell Prodigy?

When Soren heard those words, his body suddenly shuddered. He thought to himself, Could Vivian have the Racial Feat?

This was the most overpowered Racial Feat for Spellcasters.

If Soren remembered correctly, anyone with this Feat received a 2-point Spell Power bonus when casting any Spell. At the same time, the casting time of every Spell was reduced by one second. In other words, anyone with this Racial Feat could instantly cast all Spells with a casting time of one second or less. "Even 0-level Spells seem to take a little over a second to cast."

Soren seemed to recall something, flashes of memory passing through his mind. "But Vivian seemed to activate it as soon as she finished the incantation. Could it really have been Quicken Spell?"

The incantations for 0-level Spells were very short, only one or two syllables, and could be spoken in less than a second.

Without special Spellcasting Feats, Elemental Energy still had to be gathered. Since Soren did not know much about Spells, he had not noticed whether it was Quicken Spell. But the Northern Witch before him could definitely tell. In other words, Vivian, the Spell Prodigy she spoke of, might truly possess that Racial Feat.

This Feat was a Special Feat that could not be acquired through training!

For Spellcasters of any class, every class level increased Spell Power by 1 point. With 10 points as the baseline attribute, every additional two points in the primary attribute increased Spell Power by 1. In other words, if a level 5 Wizard had 16 Intelligence, the power of any Spell he cast would receive a bonus of /2=8].

Spell Power was essentially a numerical value, a unit of measurement passed down from the Arcane Magic era.

For example, the 0-level Spell 'Lightning Shock' generated only 3 points of electric energy. But if that level 5 Wizard cast it, the electric arc's maximum output could reach 11 points of power. If an electric arc of that intensity struck an ordinary person, it could kill them outright, because ordinary people only had around 10 Hit Points. But if it struck a Professional, it would inevitably be subject to Constitution's Fortitude Save, and might only deal around 5 to 8 points of damage.

Combined with a Professional's naturally powerful vitality, it would actually cause only relatively minor electric shock injuries.

Like an ordinary person touching a high-voltage current.

Now, Vivian's abilities.

If she truly possessed that Feat, then when she cast the same 0-level Spell, 'Lightning Shock,' the lightning energy she gathered would receive a bonus of /2=8.5]. Its power would be slightly greater than that of a level 5 Wizard, and this was only with her being a level 1 Sorcerer.

As her class level rose in the future, the gap would grow wider and wider, especially once she learned Spells that directly relied on the target's Fortitude Save to determine whether they died instantly. Many Wizard Spells did not deal direct damage, such as Web, Charm Person, Control, and so on. Whether such Spells could be successfully cast depended on the Wizard's Spell Power and the target's own Fortitude and willpower.

Under normal circumstances, even a Legendary Wizard only had around 30 points of Spell Power.

Twenty points of Spell Power from class levels, around eight points from Intelligence, plus a small amount of Spell Power from certain Special Feats.

Legendary equipment might increase Spell Power by 1 to 3 points.

That was why this Feat shocked Soren so much. Not to mention that if Vivian mastered the Racial Feat in the future, her casting time could be reduced by another second.

At that point, she could instantly cast every Spell with a casting time of two seconds or less!

A brief silence.

The caravan mistress glanced at Soren and continued, "Before you arrived, I performed a divination ritual for Vivian and saw some unpleasant things."

Divination?

A branch of Prophecy Spells?

It seemed to be a Northern Witch's innate ability. Supposedly, it allowed them to foresee vague glimpses of someone's future.

But seeing anything too clearly was impossible, because even a Legendary 'Divination' could only reveal a single fragmentary image.

It was an extremely brief image, and from the moment the Prophecy was completed, it had already begun to shift.

The farther away the predicted time was, the greater the deviation. The greatest use of Prophecy Spells was to foresee near-term fortune and misfortune, allowing one to avoid dangerous events or places in advance. That was why the Northern Witch had suddenly left Amber City early—during her divination, she had sensed that something dangerous would happen in Amber City, something that even her strength might not be able to change.

Soren took a deep breath and said slowly, "What did you see?"

"Blood and fire," the caravan mistress said seriously.

She looked deeply at Soren before her and said solemnly, "Prophecy can only sense the future through fragments and images. Blood represents Slaughter and Death, which means death will always descend around Vivian in the future. Fire represents war and Destruction, which means she will experience many events that bring ruin."

"I do not know what is so special about her, but the track of Destiny has already determined that her future will not be ordinary"...

"In Northern Witch divinations, only a small number of people have such visions. Some became founders of kingdoms, some became Evil tyrants, and some became Legendary beings."

"Whether Evil or Justice, these people's journeys through life seemed to be filled with Slaughter and Death."

The caravan mistress took a deep breath and said slowly, "Vivian's future path is destined not to be peaceful, and your ability simply cannot protect her forever."

"Forgive my bluntness, but you seem to be afraid of something!"

"Though I do not know what you are afraid of, I can sense that you are running away—running from every danger that might exist."

"Including me."

"Perhaps that is why you have never been able to trust me."

Silence.

Soren fell silent.

Afraid?

Perhaps he really was afraid.

Because he cared about her so, so much, he was so, so afraid of losing her.

Running away?

Was he truly running away?

Soren knew all too well how many terrifying things would occur in the coming Time of Troubles. Deities and Demons tore apart the sky, and tore apart the earth as well. In that unprecedented catastrophe, even Legendary Professionals could be erased like chickens and dogs! He was merely a Tier 2 Rogue. Should he not avoid all of this?

That was a war between Deities!

Even Legendary Tier Professionals merely had the qualifications to enter the field.

Avatars were everywhere, and Liches roamed the land.

He did not even qualify to trade blows with them. Was he supposed to wait there for the Destruction that might descend?

Even when death arrived, he would not even know where his enemy was!

If they had not left.

Would they have been wiped out like ants beneath the 'Meteor Swarm' that destroyed Amber City!?

The woman before him knew nothing.

She had no idea what was coming, nor what terrifying disaster it would cause! Even a Legendary Tier Witch could not foresee the coming turbulent era. Before Deities, mortals were so powerless. Even millions of Players charging forward one after another had been unable to stop it back then. Could he alone change it?

Other than staying far away from it all, waiting for the right moment, and building his strength, what else could he do?

"Yes."

Soren slowly raised his head, looked at the caravan mistress before him, and said in a deep voice, "I am afraid of and running from certain things, because some things cannot be changed by human effort."

"I do not trust you either."

"Although you seem to like Vivian very much, everything you have shown has been condescending!"

"I may be weak now, but I will not remain weak forever."

"I know what you want to say."

"I will absolutely not let Vivian leave my side, because I can protect her with my life, but you cannot. What you care about more is Vivian's talent. If she did not have such talent, she would be nothing more than an ordinary little girl to you. But it is different for me. Whether Vivian has talent or not, she is my closest family, and my only family in this world."

"You say I have never been able to trust you."

"Yes."

"Because even now, you have not told me your name. Perhaps, in your eyes, I am simply not qualified to know it. You only wanted to keep her by your side out of curiosity. I am deeply grateful that you brought us all the way to White Horse City, and even more grateful that you lent us a hand today. I will definitely find a way to repay you in the future. You are a merciful and kind Witch. Otherwise, with your power, you would not need to say so much to me. A simple Charm Spell could solve the problem."

"I am very grateful to you!"

Soren gave a deep bow, then walked toward the door.

"Wait."

The caravan mistress stood up. She gazed at Soren before her. When she saw the unyielding look in his eyes, she sighed softly, because she knew that there were things this man would truly defend with his life! That was precisely what had first drawn her attention and led her to discover Vivian's talent.

A sincere and distant emotion.

She slowly walked over to Soren. Looking at the weak but resolute man before her, she felt for the first time that he was qualified to speak with her as an equal. This qualification did not come from strength, but simply from how deeply he cared for that little girl.

The caravan mistress sighed faintly. "Spells cannot solve every problem."

"Excessive abuse of power will only make one lose their way!"

"My name is Goria."

"Perhaps you can let her stay by my side for a while and learn some useful Spell knowledge. It will be of great help to her future."

A fair hand extended toward him. For the first time, the caravan mistress spoke to him as an equal.

Her name was Goria.

She was a powerful Northern Witch. The man before her, whom she could erase with a casual gesture, had earned her respect with steadfast conviction and sincere emotion.