The Archmage's Lingering Spark

At dawn, when the first rays of sunlight pierced through the milk-like mist to illuminate the shimmering River Reaven, Ryan was roused by the magical alarm clock he had set himself.

He stretched languidly, sat up on his bed, and snapped his fingers to cancel the [Prestidigitation—Timed Alert].

Rubbing his bleary eyes, Ryan shook his head, trying to clear the fog. "Damn it, I thought I could finish analyzing the magic nodes before midnight. I didn't expect the nodes regarding spell potency to be this complex. I suppose that's why the Fireball spell is Archmage Roland's claim to fame."

Patting his cheeks to wake himself up, Ryan quickly got out of bed and headed to the washroom to freshen up.

The mirror was clear and bright, reflecting a handsome, flawless youth. His long, golden hair fell in disarray, his nose was high and straight, and his deep, ocean-blue eyes were set in a face as noble and exquisite as a marble statue carved by a master craftsman.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. My looks have only improved since coming to this other world. If I were back in my previous life, I wouldn't even need makeup to cosplay Gilgamesh."

After indulging in a moment of vanity before the mirror, Ryan tapped his forehead and traced a cross over his chest, beginning his daily prayer—or perhaps, his daily act of nostalgia:

"Great God of the Washroom, mysterious Lord Fool, I pray you bless me with another peaceful day. Amen."

Once finished, Ryan went to the cushion on his balcony to begin his morning meditation and spell slot memorization.

It is common knowledge that in the world of Faerûn, mages are the favored children of the world, synonymous with mystery, nobility, and power. However, due to the existence of the Weave, mages must re-memorize their spells every day to ensure they can handle any sudden situation. Consequently, the spells a mage prepares each day are their most guarded secrets, not to be trifled with.

In Faerûn, the principle of spellcasting is, simply put, for the caster to use their formidable intellect to understand and construct a spell model capable of containing energy. Then, by utilizing various exotic materials, they channel the energy of the world into this model to charge it and release the spell.

This process requires extraordinary intelligence, allowing one to memorize spell models far more complex than 3D modeling and successfully outline them with mental energy to cast the spell.

Furthermore, because the energy in the world is chaotic and composed of many different elements, every spell has a fixed ratio for elemental infusion. It is much like mixing reagents in a chemistry experiment; a single failure can easily lead to an explosion or combustion, killing the caster instantly.

But now, the existence of the Weave means you don't need high intelligence to become a spellcaster.

Because the Weave contains spell models that are complex to the point of absurdity, you only need to look at them once a day to memorize the spell through the Weave (which is the origin of why mages must prepare spells daily). This allows you to construct the spell model and enter a "ready" state; when you need to use it, you only need to chant a single incantation to release it.

One could say this is standard "idiot-proof" teaching, saving you a massive amount of energy and time, and allowing you to become a spellcaster without needing heaven-defying intelligence.

Of course, the drawbacks of the Weave are also obvious: one cannot touch the source of magic. Moreover, this method of memorizing spell models is merely superficial; once released, the spell vanishes along with the model, leaving you with no true mastery.

Most importantly, once the Weave collapses, the vast majority of mages would be like us with a dead smartphone—unable to "get online," unable to cast a single spell. Only a rare few geniuses can continue to possess powerful spellcasting abilities by studying the source itself!

The existence of the Weave has arguably greatly increased the number of mages and expanded the power of the mage collective, which is why mages hold the Goddess of Magic, who invented the Weave, in such high regard.

However, while the Weave significantly lowered the barrier to entry for spellcasters, it also constrained those geniuses born with immense intellect, forcing them to cast spells like ordinary casters under the limitations of the Weave's spell slots.

Due to a mutation in his soul, Ryan was born with powerful intelligence, and his logical and spatial reasoning abilities were vastly improved compared to his previous life. Coupled with his personal "cheat" that helps analyze and record the nodes of magic models, he is able to cast spells outside the Weave to a certain extent, though currently, he can only cast a few spells from the first or second circles of the Weave.

Perhaps due to the power of the Netheril Empire and its defiance of the gods, combined with Karsus's heaven-defying actions, the Karsus's Avatar spell not only destroyed the Weave but also doomed the entire Netheril Empire.

The new Goddess of Magic, Mystra, once bitten, twice shy, harbored deep wariness toward the talented arcanists and spellcasters. She sealed off all forbidden spells above the tenth circle and imposed even stricter constraints on spellcasters. From then on, due to the limitations of spell slots and maximum spell levels, no mage could ever challenge the gods again!

Ryan, having come to this world, felt deeply the wonder and mystery of magic, but he was also deeply troubled by the constraints of spell slots. He had considered walking the path of an arcanist, transforming into a "blue-bar" mage free from such shackles.

But ever since the Netheril Empire fell from the sky and the floating cities were destroyed one by one, the only place in Faerûn that might still possess a complete arcanist heritage is Thultanthar, located atop the ruins of the original magic empire.

Thultanthar is thousands of miles away, and the wilds of Faerûn have never been a peaceful or quiet place. They are filled with all manner of ferocious and dangerous monsters, not to mention the ravages of non-human races like goblins, trolls, and giants. Ryan felt that with his current physique, he would likely be dead shortly after setting out. It would be better to stay in his hometown in the Northlands, level up steadily, and wait until he had enough self-preservation power before venturing out.

Ryan meditated silently while checking the spell source in his mind. Within a sea of azure light, a dim, white-gray flame flickered occasionally, rising and falling with the tides of magic. Ryan sighed, "Still not quite there."

This flame was the fortuitous encounter Ryan obtained in the chaotic currents of time and space: the remnant spark of a Planeswalker.

Among tens of millions of beings, only one possesses a "Spark." This indescribable essence gives that being the chance to become a Planeswalker. And among those born with a "Spark," only a tiny fraction have the opportunity to ignite it and thereby realize their potential to traverse time and space.

Many Planeswalkers ignite their sparks when facing immense crisis or trauma, but everyone's awakening process is different. A near-death experience might ignite the spark, but a life-changing epiphany or deep meditation can also allow a mage to grasp transcendental truths.

There are countless worlds in the multiverse, and the special abilities of Planeswalkers allow them to travel between them, using these experiences to increase their knowledge and power.

What Ryan obtained in the chaotic currents of time and space was the remnant [Spark] left behind by a mortally wounded Planeswalker. From the images left behind by this Planeswalker, Ryan learned that the individual was originally a legendary dwarven shield-warrior who awakened the [Spark] during a near-death adventure, subsequently embarking on the path of a Planeswalker to roam the multiverse.

However, in a magic world similar to Faerûn, unable to stand the bullying and slaughter of his dwarven kin by a mage empire, he struck out in fury and fought the legendary mages of that world. After shattering the earth, diverting rivers, and bringing down two floating cities, the dwarven mage was eventually overwhelmed by the wave after wave of archmages. Before his body and soul were annihilated, he used the power of the [Spark] to leap into the void, leaving behind only a fragment of imagery and his final words.

"Sigh, even at the moment of death, he was still thinking of his kin back home. He hoped his successor would help the dwarves within their power? As expected, dwarves are stubborn; even after becoming a mage, he couldn't change his nature. But I quite like people like that. I'll help if I can."

After obtaining the [Planeswalker's Remnant Spark], Ryan slowly understood its function. He could use this spark as a consumable to ignite his own source spark, but the process could not be rushed; it required continuous input of mana and his own mental energy.

Although it took longer than the typical Planeswalker igniting their spark in a life-or-death moment, it had the advantage of being safe and stable. Furthermore, he could inherit the world coordinates left in the spark by the dwarven mage. The only pity was that the dwarven mage had died in battle, and the demiplane space opened by his Planeswalker abilities had been shattered during the great war. All the items within were lost in the chaotic currents of time and space, leaving Ryan with nothing but an empty 10m x 10m x 10m space.

Ever since Ryan obtained the [Spark], he had unhesitatingly chosen to walk the path of a mage. After becoming a mage apprentice at the age of twelve, he began using the [Planeswalker's Remnant Spark] to continuously awaken his Planeswalker abilities.

After three years of constant effort, he felt his progress had reached about 98%. However, due to the intensity of his mana or mental strength, the progress bar had been stuck at this point for about a year—much like the files he used to download in his previous life that would get stuck at 99%.

But now, having successfully advanced to an intermediate mage, and with his mana and mental strength increasing once more, Ryan felt the awakening of the [Spark] begin to rise again. He expected to successfully awaken his Planeswalker abilities within a month.

"Endless planes, multiverse, countless legends and magnificent scenery—I, the great Ryan, am coming! Hahaha!"

"Beep." Just as Ryan was happily daydreaming, a magical message interrupted his train of thought.

"What's this? My mentor needs me? Don't tell me it's more manual labor, calculating the multi-dimensional node optimizations for her spell models again?"