A Bright Future Appeared

In the heart of Zul'Aman at night, beside the roaring bonfire, Tian Sang sat on the ground with his arms wrapped around his knees. He watched the dancing flames, reflecting on the six months that had passed since he woke from that dream, his recent combat experiences, and the entire history of the Warcraft chronicles.

"Am I actually a transmigrator?" Tian Sang rubbed his head in distress. He wasn't worried about Zul'Aman right now because Lostro had already provided him with an analysis.

With the Horde retreating south and Zul'jin currently with the Orcs, the Alliance and the Elves would prioritize concentrating their superior forces to wipe them out. As for Zul'Aman, it was protected by the Loa; unless the Elves were prepared to pay a staggering price, they would not dare to attack this place.

Although it felt a bit underhanded, Zul'Aman was at least safe for the time being. What truly troubled Tian Sang was that his memory of the Warcraft chronicles was becoming blurred. While he could still recall the sequence of some major events, the specific details and timelines were no longer clear.

Take the Farstriders, for instance—an organization specifically dedicated to hunting Trolls. Tian Sang remembered that the three Windrunner sisters were all members. Well, a sophisticated Elven organization like that wouldn't typically include other races; while Elves might be more civilized than Trolls, their xenophobia was about the same.

Most importantly, Tian Sang felt he remembered this human Farstrider. He recalled the second of the Windrunner sisters, who would later become the Banshee Queen Sylvanas. She had a human Dark Ranger under her command, and there were rumors of a romance between them, which was why this guy was rarely mentioned in fan fiction. It seemed he had originally been a human Farstrider, but what was his name again?

"Good grief..." Tian Sang patted his forehead. The world he was in was no longer a game within a virtual network. The people he met were not NPCs, and this world was so real. Where was he supposed to go from here?

To be honest, after staying for over half a year and accepting his identity, Tian Sang had occasionally entertained the thought of becoming a great Troll Warlord. However, after experiencing the rather harsh social customs of the Trolls and witnessing the current strength of the Alliance, he felt a bit discouraged. With his current strength, he was still far from being a Warlord.

Not only was his strength lacking, but the future was also filled with too many unknowns. Just like the Farstrider squad from today—they were fully armed, and their original mission was likely reconnaissance or something similar, yet they suddenly fell into an ambush, and only five managed to escape. In this world, he could end up just like them at any moment.

This was not a virtual online world, and he was not a gamer sitting in front of a computer controlling a character. He was truly feeling everything in this world. If he died here, would he be able to respawn?

Gazing at the leaping flames, Tian Sang let his mind wander. His thoughts grew hazy, and his head began to droop. When his forehead neared the flames and he felt the scorching heat, his hunched back suddenly straightened.

"Time to sleep." Tian Sang watched the quietly burning fire, let out a yawn, and stood up, intending to return to his stone dwelling. However, once he stood up, he froze.

"This is..." Tian Sang looked out at Zul'Aman under the night sky, his mouth slightly agape.

In the night, Zul'Aman was illuminated by a few scattered bonfires burning within the ancient city. The city under the moonlight had been peaceful and quiet, but as he looked now, he saw black mist swirling amidst the moss-covered, stacked stone ruins of the ancient city. Seeing this black mist, which was incredibly conspicuous in the dark, Tian Sang couldn't help but rub his eyes.

"Shadow!" Tian Sang carefully confirmed he wasn't seeing things. As he watched the black mist swirling through the ancient city, a flash of inspiration struck him, followed by an overwhelming sense of joy. He could see Shadow.

Shadow, a mysterious energy existing in the natural world, originated from the hidden and profound parts of the psyche. This power remained inexplicable to this day; people only knew that those who came into contact with this energy often developed intense, immoral, and impulsive, aggressive psychological states.

Although the effects of Shadow energy were quite ominous, Tian Sang was incredibly happy to unexpectedly observe it in nature. Why? Because being able to perceive Shadow energy in the natural world meant that the magic power within him had begun to manifest.

Observing mysterious energy in the natural world was a necessary condition for becoming a magic-wielding class and a clear sign that one possessed magic power. Only by seeing those energies could one find a way to manipulate them.

As a Witch Doctor priest, Tian Sang had resisted the path of gaining power through blood sacrifices to the Loa and challenging his moral bottom line. Now that he had unexpectedly opened his vision and perceived the existence of mysterious energy, how could he not be happy?

Following a burst of joy, Tian Sang set about trying to touch those energies. Although the black shadows were visible, they lacked any physical substance, as if they were illusory and non-existent.

Tian Sang tried to focus his mind, imagining himself moving those energies, but it had no effect. As the experiment failed, the joy faded from his mind, replaced by a sense of irritation.

"Another useless skill," Tian Sang muttered with a pout. However, he was surprised to find that, along with his irritation, the black mist that had been lazily drifting around him twitched, as if it had "looked" at him like a snake.

"Hey!" Tian Sang watched the twisting Shadow energy, his eyes lighting up. The joy returned, and a realization dawned on him. As soon as this realization arose, the Shadow energy lazily settled back down, drifting in place like a dream.

"So that's how it is!" Tian Sang reflected on the changes in his mood and looked at the lazy Shadow energy nearby. A smile appeared on his face, and his state of mind cleared. As his mood shifted, the shadows that had been drifting around him lazily swam a little further away.

Observing the movement patterns of the Shadow energy, Tian Sang confirmed his theory: Shadow was a subconscious energy that attached itself to any immoral or impulsive, aggressive psychological fluctuations.

The idea might not be comprehensive, or perhaps it was the other way around—Shadow might also have a certain influence on the psyche, or perhaps it was both. In any case, Shadow was an energy that was interdependent with the psyche.

"I must master the power of spellcasting as soon as possible." Tian Sang watched the shadows drifting away from him, deep in thought.

Once Tian Sang made his decision, he began to experiment. Since Shadow was an energy interdependent with the psyche, the method to control this energy had to start from this principle: by controlling his own heart and spirit, he would first make the Shadow energy follow his will.

Controlling one's own heart was a skill that was not necessarily difficult, but not easy either. Tian Sang happened to have a talent and research in this area; after all, not everyone had the experience of transmigrating between two worlds and switching between human and Troll identities like he did.