Arcane Newcomer

Due to the haunting of nightmares, Lanlos slept even less than Fergus. The entire house was silent; save for the chirping of insects outside the window, there was no other movement.

Stepping down the stairs with caution, Lanlos expertly retrieved a thick book from the bookshelf. He then turned his head to confirm that Fergus was still resting before closing the front door without a sound.

In fact, Lanlos rose earlier than most. Bathed in the radiance of dawn, the entire village seemed coated in a layer of gold dust, the dazzling and warm light presenting a tranquil scene that put one's heart at ease.

Looking up at the clear, azure sky, a rare flush appeared on Lanlos's pale cheeks; good weather always brought a good mood.

In the more than half a year since arriving in Azeroth, Lanlos had encountered such weather almost every day.

After the War of the Ancients ten thousand years ago, the elves attributed the invasion of the Burning Legion to the Highborne, led by Queen Azshara, who had abused arcane magic. Consequently, the night elves banned the use of arcane magic.

Regrettably, having experienced the benefits magic brought, the surviving Highborne nobility could not abandon this power. Ultimately, Dath'Remar Sunstrider led a group of Highborne supporters, declaring that arcane power was an inalienable right and that anyone who feared it was a coward.

He led his followers to study the arcane without restraint, turning a deaf ear to the admonitions of the night elves.

Of course, Dath'Remar was not a supporter of Azshara; he believed that studying the arcane was not betrayal, but a means to develop and strengthen night elf society.

However, with the Queen as a cautionary tale, the night elves were unwilling to accept his viewpoint. Seeing the rift between the two sides deepen, and to prevent the outbreak of civil war, Dath'Remar took his followers and left Mount Hyjal, crossing the ocean to eventually settle in Quel'Thalas.

After they established the Sunwell, to prevent a tragedy like the Well of Eternity from recurring, the most powerful arcanists among the high elves erected massive runestones along the borders of Quel'Thalas, using them to construct a powerful barrier.

Ban'dinoriel, which means "Gatekeeper" in Thalassian, was the name of this barrier. It not only masked the detection of arcane magic from outsiders but also kept the superstitious Amani trolls at bay.

Within the barrier, civilization flourished. No longer constrained, the high elves used arcane power to create one miracle after another. One such feat was bathing all of Quel'Thalas in eternal spring.

Unfortunately, Ban'dinoriel did not possess the ability to repel everyone—at least, not yet.

Watching the Murlocs wandering on the beach, Lanlos's brows could not help but draw together slowly.

According to past experience, Murlocs did not like sunny weather; the moment the sun rose, they would return to the deep sea one after another. Even if some remained, it should never be like this today.

The number, several dozen, was truly exaggerated.

It seemed he would have to notify the village militia later. Lanlos curled his lip and quietly vanished into the tall grass.

Continuing north along the beach, the elven youth finally found a quiet spot. Arriving at the lawn near the beach, he raised both hands, his lips trembling in a slow, orderly fashion, his low voice chanting obscure incantations that seemed to flicker in and out of existence.

This was magic!

Fergus only knew that Lanlos had a strong ability to read, but he did not know that the latter's practical ability was just as formidable.

Although he lacked the guidance of a spellcaster, he still possessed the memories of Belash in his mind. Even though they were merely fragments, they were enough for Lanlos to knock on the door of the arcane.

Regrettably, Azeroth possessed a complete magical network managed by the Blue Dragonflight, led by Malygos. Furthermore, Lanlos had already surrendered all his power to the Sargerite Keystone to initiate his teleportation. Therefore, he could not manipulate mana as freely as he had in the Shattered Abyss.

Otherwise, it was hard to say what level of strength he might have reached in these past six months.

Soon, the elven youth finished his chant. One could see wisps of rising air currents swirling around his outstretched hands, and a wave of scorching wind continuously radiated outward.

Taking a deep breath, Lanlos gently pushed his hands toward the ground. The sound of dew vaporizing hissed through the air, and a faint, visible white mist vanished with the wind. In just a few seconds, the grass beneath his feet had become completely dry.

It looked miraculous, yet Lanlos took no pride in it. This was merely a very simple magical trick; strictly speaking, it did not even count as a first-circle spell.

While studying the arcane, the ancient Highborne, for the sake of convenience, divided general spells into one to nine circles based on power and consumption, as well as legendary spells capable of easily altering the world.

Correspondingly, the people of Azeroth divided professionals into one to nine ranks based on their strength, as well as a legendary tier that could not be measured simply by combat power. Interestingly, because the combat performance of different professions could not be balanced or compared, people were accustomed to using "primary," "intermediate," and "advanced" to roughly describe a professional's strength.

For mages, the manifestation of strength was much simpler. However, mages of the same rank could have a massive disparity in combat power.

After all, according to the effects of spells, different spells were divided into eight schools of magic and a school of universal magic. Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, and Transmutation—the knowledge contained in each school was complex and vast, and most spellcasters could only master one or two in their entire lives.

Of course, some exceptionally gifted spellcasters had the ability to step outside this framework; even a first-circle spell could become a weapon to destroy enemies in their hands.

And this talent and ability were known by spellcasters as metamagic!

Doomguard were once creations of the Titan, and their memories held a vast amount of techniques that would allow Lanlos to completely bypass the restrictions of the Azerothian ley lines and the Blue Dragonflight. Unfortunately, he did not dare to touch them lightly now.

After Belash served Sargeras, these metamagic techniques became inseparable from Fel, and as for his previous knowledge, for some reason, Lanlos could not find any trace of it. If he continued to learn according to the methods in his memories, it was inevitable that he would ignite Fel once again.

Just like ingesting food or even medicine, different external interferences lead to changes in enzymes, hormones, and the like within the body, causing the brain to increase or decrease the secretion of substances such as dopamine, endorphins, and hormones. Regardless of the power, it was not self-generated by the body; it was external. Moreover, these powers would grow and eventually lead the life form to transcend the boundaries of mortals. Therefore, the subtle influence of power was inevitable—it was only a matter of degree.

Although the power contained within the Sargerite Keystone was incomparably pure, it was Fel, and Fel was the symbol of endless chaos. Lanlos had not forgotten that when he obtained this power, besides ecstasy, there was an uncontrollable impulse—the impulse to kill. Arrogance, recklessness, and self-righteousness—it was as if it had turned him into a thorough demon.

This was a power that could influence even a renowned Titan like Sargeras; Lanlos had no confidence in conquering it, nor would he use it lightly. After all, he did not want to become a part of the Burning Legion.

Lying on the lawn, the elven youth opened the book in his hands. The dense Thalassian text made one feel dizzy, but he was clearly accustomed to it, earnestly searching between the lines for the answers he craved.

Just as Fergus said, he was not a spellcaster, and the books in the cottage contained no arcane knowledge; what little was related was merely rough generalities.

Therefore, lacking sufficient materials, Lanlos had only been able to hover between a mage's apprentice and a formal mage for the past six months.

However, he did not feel frustrated. This mysterious power was something he had longed for in his previous life, and being able to come into contact with it and learn it now already made him incomparably excited. Understanding and growing step by step caused the fear he had felt toward this power due to the unknown to vanish like smoke. An unprecedented sense of satisfaction gave rise to immense interest and joy in his study of the arcane. In his previous life, he had struggled to survive and had few opportunities to be like an ordinary child, dreaming of using effort and knowledge to unveil the mysterious veil of the world.

Moreover, today was a very special day—a day that made him incomparably excited.

After reviewing the overview for spellcasting beginners, which he could almost recite backward, Lanlos closed the heavy book. As he calmed his heart and focused on communicating with mana, a gentle breeze suddenly appeared, circling around him and rustling the surrounding greenery, unhurried and steady.

Almost there.

Feeling the mana around him reach the limit of what he could control, Lanlos held his breath and slowly extended his index finger, outlining in the air stroke by stroke.

Purple arcane energy climbed onto his fingertip, and under the control of his will, it steadily combined into an increasingly complete circular pattern in the air.

Spell modeling—a step that only needed to be performed when using formal spells of the first circle or higher! It was also the symbol of stepping into the rank of a first-rank mage!

Fine beads of sweat gradually seeped from the youth's forehead, and his strained spirit sent waves of fatigue, but his fingers dancing in the air did not tremble in the slightest. Because he knew that as long as he persisted, the door to the arcane would be opened wide for him!

Finally, Lanlos connected all the spell nodes, and the circular spell model emitted a series of hums in the air, the blue-purple light brilliant and noble.

Yet the youth did not relax.

This was merely the completion of the first step; next, he had to activate the spell nodes within. Only when the mana successfully circulated would this spell truly be mastered by him.

Taking a deep breath, the elven youth slowly brought his fingertips toward the center of the magic circle.

Ding!

The collision of mana produced a crisp, melodious sound that made Lanlos's heart leap into his throat.

Suddenly, the energy conversion node at the center of the magic circle began to tremble violently. Following a brief pause, a scorching current of air surged forth!

In the blink of an eye, the crimson energy, like a beast breaking free from its cage, rampaged through the connecting channels between the nodes.

The spell model emitted a series of mournful wails, and alarm bells rang incessantly in Lanlos's mind. Just as he widened his eyes, intending to retreat, the magic circle—now completely engulfed in crimson light—erupted with a blinding flash. The scalding air licked at the youth's cheeks and hair, yet he wore an expression of immense joy.

Success!

The light came and went in an instant. By the time everything calmed down, the obscure and profound spell model had vanished, replaced by a fireball the size of a fist.