Five Rings

Pure energy flowed in, and his mind expanded, soon touching the membrane of saturation. The mind beyond the membrane connected with the mind within through osmosis, dissolving the layer that had constrained it.

He advanced. His mental space expanded like seeing the sea after crossing mountains, giving him the sense that the world had always been this vast.

His awareness spread outward, sensing a world different from what the naked eye could see.

To his eyes, the flat ground was ordinary, but in his perception, it was a gray partition wall. Beneath it flowed blue-white energy. A ley line ran directly beneath Troll Valley. That was one of the reasons the trolls settled here, Shane thought. Beyond the valley, the ground far from the ley line was an unfathomable, boundless blackness in his perception. When he probed the sky with his mind, it dispersed rapidly, and he hurriedly withdrew it.

The world of the fifth ring was already different. His mentor was at the eighth ring—what kind of world did he see?

Shane opened his eyes. His advancement was complete. Arcane energy gathered in his palm, transformed into fire energy, and continued to build until it reached the critical point of balance. The Pyroblast was brighter than before his advancement, with a trace of gold at its core.

"Do you know what the power of the sun is?" With a wave of his hand, the sun descended, the Ghostlands were annihilated, and hell was born that day. Of course, that was only Shane's imagination. He was considering the future path of spell development using knowledge from his previous life.

He clenched his fist, cutting off the arcane supply. The Pyroblast struck the altar, destroying the source of the trolls' vile customs. The troll priest who had sacrificed himself was buried beneath the rubble.

On his way back, he encountered a patrol from the outpost. More than twenty of them rode hawkstriders, and when they spotted Shane, they ran straight toward him.

"Mage, we've finally found you."

"Are you trying to defy orders?"

Before Shane could speak, the two captains began arguing.

"To hell with orders. I'm Dawnlight, not Windrunner. All I see here is a troll exterminator."

"Fine. If it weren't for the clan's stance, I wouldn't have gone so far."

The captain who called himself Dawnlight inclined his head slightly from atop his hawkstrider. "Mage, I am Malgallon of Dawnlight. We followed the traces you left and found two destroyed troll camps. Your strength and actions have earned our respect."

Did I just farm some reputation? Shane joked to himself. Dawnlight and Dawnblade were both familiar names to him. In his previous life, one had been called Morninglight, and the other Morningblade.

They had come to find Shane on Sylvanas's orders. They had assumed one of the camps destroyed by the trolls had been his doing, but Shane did not bother explaining.

When Alleria had mentioned connections in Quel'Thalin, he understood. Even Windrunner could not ignore a mage's identity—or rather, the Royal Arcane Association that represented mage interests. Shane's own actions, combined with the methods his mentor had employed, had turned Alleria's scheme into her own trouble.

Shane wanted to know what Alleria's expression would look like.

"Thank you," he said to the rangers.

"You're welcome. I'll lead the way for you." Malgallon of Dawnlight called to his men and had them walk ahead to clear the path for Shane.

"You go back first. We'll continue scouting ahead." The captain firmly aligned with Windrunner led his team toward Troll Valley.

When he returned to the outpost, Sylvanas was out on patrol, so Shane went back to his quarters to rest. His mind felt excellent after advancing, but his body was somewhat fatigued.

"User, please complete two sets of physical exercises before meditating."

Shane followed the instruction. After finishing the exercises, he began meditating. Two spell orbs appeared above his head, then slowly increased to three. He controlled their balance, reclined in his chair, and entered meditation. The outpost had been built on a ley line node, so it had ample energy to replenish him, but it was still far inferior to the radiance of Quel'Thalas's Sunwell. Meditation drew in and transformed the mana dispersed from the ley line into the air. The mana was refined and delicate, far more comfortable than simply absorbing it in a crude and forceful manner, like something tailored specifically for him.

He meditated until he woke naturally and heard the hawkstriders making a racket in the outpost. Looking out the window, he saw Sylvanas and her ranger squad returning. What will she say, I wonder? Shane happened to see Sylvanas looking his way as well. Their gazes met, then slid apart. At dinner, he did not forget to cast a Breeze Spell. Cleaning, ventilation, and smoke removal all in one spell—it was truly worthwhile.

When Shane had been in Quel'Thalas, he had been used to studying and training on a balcony. There was no balcony at the outpost, so he did his evening practice in the yard before his little house.

He took out the spellbook his mentor had given him and studied the fifth-ring spells recorded within.

When he turned to the page on fifth-ring magic, golden light appeared. A spell activated, and several additional lines of text appeared.

"Remote-control spell function discovered: one-time message."

You are my finest student in two thousand years. I have watched with pride as you grew day by day and studied profound arcane knowledge. From the moment you advanced to the fifth ring, the door to a new world opened to you, and you will gradually come into contact with the world's true face.

I once wished to protect you until you stood at the same height as me. But young eagles must eventually grow up and leave the nest. Fly bravely, fly toward your goal. But remember that diligence, passion, restraint, and curiosity are the feathers that make up your wings. I believe that one day you will surpass my achievements. By then, I will have grown old, while you will carve your own indelible name into this world.

Your loving mentor: Oakes

Using the spellbook as a coordinate, his mentor had sent Shane this message. His advancement to the fifth ring had been noticed by his mentor. Not much time had passed between the fourth and fifth rings; among elves, that was an astonishing speed.

Yet Shane had no foolish notion of standing out too much, because there were countless people on Azeroth who had surpassed him at a young age. In the near future, someone would write an impressive paper at the age of twelve and receive the Kirin Tor's Supreme Wisdom Sash, becoming the youngest recipient in the award's history. Afterward, the governing council would approve his admission to the Kirin Tor Advanced Research and Enlightenment Academy, again making him the youngest person ever officially approved. That person's name was Antonidas. Shane believed his mentor would handle everything well.

He turned the page and studied the three fifth-ring spells recorded afterward.

Conjuration School: Targeted Teleportation.

Evocation School: Ice Barrier.

Protection School: Energy Absorption Barrier.

With the Eye of Truth's help, he memorized them quickly. Three primitive spell imprints appeared in his mental space, taking up quite a bit of capacity. No wonder his mentor had said that the higher one's level, the greater the effect the number of spells had on the mind.

Shane put away the spellbook and took another book, an epic biography, from his storage space to read.

He had not read for long when Sylvanas passed by. Without needing the Eye of Truth to remind him, Shane caught sight of Sylvanas passing the yard gate from the corner of his eye, glancing at him intentionally or otherwise. No conversation took place, and he continued reading.

Sylvanas's female elf form passed by again.

Shane was certain that Sylvanas had come looking for him. When he raised his head, however, Sylvanas simply walked past the gate, pretending not to see him.

Was she waiting for him to speak first? Shane thought. The Eye of Truth reminded him again as Sylvanas passed by for the third time. Fine, I'll speak first.

"Lady Sylvanas, is there something you need?"

"Of course there is." Sylvanas entered the yard and sat beside Shane, then stared at him. "I smell secrets on you."

Shane closed his book and looked at Sylvanas in return. Her skirt armor covered the important parts while revealing portions of smooth, rounded skin. Sylvanas was not skinny; her figure was athletic, yet her collarbones were sharply defined and straight, rising toward both sides. Her shoulders were full and rounded. She could only be described as an exquisitely beautiful woman.

"What would milady like to know?"