That night in Zul'Aman, beside a blazing bonfire, Tian Sang sat on the ground with his knees drawn up. Watching the flames dance before him, he thought back over the six months since he had woken from that dream, his recent battles, and the entire history of Warcraft.
"Am I actually a transmigrator?" Tian Sang rubbed his head in frustration. He wasn't worried about Zul'Aman at the moment, because Lostro had analyzed the situation for him.
The Horde was retreating south, and Zul'jin was with the Orcs. The humans and Elves would concentrate their superior forces on eliminating them first. As for Zul'Aman, it had the Loa's protection. Unless the Elves were prepared to pay a heavy price, they wouldn't dare attack.
It wasn't exactly honorable, but at least Zul'Aman was safe for now. What truly troubled Tian Sang was that his memories of Warcraft's history were growing hazy. He could still remember the order of some major events, but the details and dates were unclear.
Take the Farstriders, for example: an organization devoted to hunting Trolls. Tian Sang remembered that the popular Windrunner Sisters had all been members. Well, in a highly specialized Elven organization like that, there generally wouldn't be members of other races. The Elves were a little more civilized than the Trolls, but they were about equally xenophobic.
More importantly, Tian Sang felt he remembered a human Farstrider. He recalled that the second-oldest of the Windrunner Sisters—Sylvanas, the future queen of the Forsaken—had a human Dark Ranger in her service. The two of them seemed to have had some sort of rumored romance, which was why fanfiction hardly ever mentioned him. He seemed to have originally been a human Farstrider, but what was his name?
"Honestly..." Tian Sang patted his forehead. The world he was in was no longer a game on a virtual network, and the people he met weren't NPCs. This world was so real—what was he supposed to do with his life here?
To be honest, after spending more than half a year here and accepting his identity, Tian Sang had sometimes considered becoming the Troll Highlord. But after seeing the Trolls' rather brutal customs and the Alliance's current strength, he'd been forced to reconsider. His abilities were nowhere near good enough for him to become Highlord.
Not only was he far too weak, but there were also too many unknowns ahead. Take the Farstrider squad that day: they'd been fully armed, and their original mission was probably reconnaissance or something else. Yet they'd suddenly been surrounded, and only five had escaped. Tian Sang could meet the same fate at any moment in this world.
This wasn't a virtual online world. He wasn't a gamer sitting in front of a computer and controlling a character. He could truly feel everything in this world. If he died here, could he come back to life?
Watching the dancing flames, Tian Sang's thoughts wandered. His mind grew hazy, and his head gradually drooped. When it lowered toward the fire and he felt its searing heat, his hunched back suddenly straightened.
"I should get some sleep." Tian Sang watched the flames burn quietly before him, then yawned and stood up, ready to return to his private stone dwelling. But as soon as he stood, he froze.
"What's this...?" Tian Sang stared out at Zul'Aman in the darkness, his mouth falling slightly open.
Several bonfires burned across the ancient city, lighting it here and there. Under the moonlight, the city had seemed peaceful and still, but now, at a glance, Tian Sang saw black mist curling through the moss-covered stone ruins. The dark wisps stood out starkly against the night. He rubbed his eyes.
"Shadow!" After making sure he wasn't seeing things, Tian Sang stared at the black mist winding through the ancient city. A sudden realization flashed through his mind, followed by overwhelming joy: he could see Shadow now.
Shadow was a mysterious energy found in nature, originating in the hidden and profound parts of the mind. No one could explain it, but people knew that those who came into contact with it often developed intense, immoral, and impulsively aggressive thoughts.
Shadow energy had an ominous effect, but Tian Sang was overjoyed to have unexpectedly glimpsed it in nature. Why? Because seeing Shadow energy in the natural world meant that the magic within him had begun to awaken.
Observing mysterious energy in nature was a prerequisite for becoming a spellcaster, and a sign that a person possessed magic. Only by seeing such energy could one find a way to manipulate it.
As a Witch Doctor and priest, Tian Sang had resisted the path of gaining power by sacrificing to a Loa and challenging his own moral limits. Now that he'd unexpectedly opened his eyes to the presence of mysterious energy, how could he not be delighted?
Still riding the wave of excitement, Tian Sang tried to make contact with the energy. He could see the dark wisps, but they had no texture at all, as if they were illusory and nonexistent.
He tried to focus his mind and imagine moving the energy, but that didn't work either. As his experiments failed, his excitement ebbed away, replaced by irritation.
"Another useless skill." Tian Sang curled his lip and muttered. Then, to his surprise, the black wisps that had been drifting lazily around him twitched. Like snakes, they seemed to turn and "look" at him.
"Huh!" Tian Sang's eyes lit up as he watched the Shadow energy stir. His excitement returned, and a realization began to dawn on him. The moment it did, the Shadow energy went limp again, lazily settling back into place and floating there like a dream.
"So that's how it works!" Tian Sang reflected on the shift in his mood. Looking at the lazy Shadow energy nearby, he smiled, and his own mind grew calmer and more composed. In response to his state of mind, the Shadow drifting around him lazily swam a little to the side.
Watching how the Shadow energy drifted, Tian Sang confirmed his theory. Shadow was a subconscious energy that clung to any immoral or impulsively aggressive thoughts.
His theory might not be complete. Perhaps it worked the other way around, and Shadow also affected the mind to some extent. Or perhaps both were true. In any case, Shadow was an energy that depended on the mind, just as the mind depended on it.
"I have to master spellcasting as soon as possible." Watching the Shadow wisps drift away from him, Tian Sang considered the matter from every angle.
Once he'd made up his mind, Tian Sang began experimenting. Shadow was an energy that depended on the mind, so the way to control it must lie in that connection: he would first control his own thoughts and spirit, then make the Shadow energy move according to his will.
Controlling one's mind was an ability that wasn't hard, but wasn't easy either. As it happened, Tian Sang had a natural talent for it and plenty of experience. After all, not everyone could claim to have crossed between two worlds and lived as both a human and a Troll.
Please add this to your collection and recommend it. If you have a reading list, please add it there too. Sorry for the trouble!
Before you continue