Will of Destruction (Part 1)

Purified arcane, the path of balance—not extreme, not conservative, taking only the middle way.

After projecting his consciousness for a moment and drifting through the void for a short while, Shane withdrew his mind. He projected it three times a day, morning, noon, and night. There was no need to do more. Projecting one's consciousness into outer space was like a woman carrying a child—one could only wait, not force it. When some being received the summons and both sides acknowledged each other's will, a Portal could be opened to usher that creature into the world.

That was how it should have been. But after several days of testing, as his mind gradually reached deeper into space, a will responded.

"Mortals, believe in me, and I shall grant you supreme power."

"Get lost!" Shane condensed his mind into a tiny point and hurled it in that direction. The stench of destruction and sulfur from the other side could not be concealed.

"If you do not want power, I shall grant you authority." That will responded again.

Shane had no desire to deal with it. Azeroth was a world coveted for a long time, and the Burning Legion stood ready in outer space at all times. It was hardly surprising that he had been contacted so quickly.

"If you do not want power or authority, then what about immortality? Do you want it?"

Shane had personally experienced the other side's strength. It could condense its will into complete words within the void, something he could not do at all. At present, he could only condense vague concepts.

He sent it one final get lost before withdrawing his mind.

Without a beacon in the void, even connected minds could not locate each other's exact position. Though that will was powerful, Shane did not fear it, much less revere it. When one desired nothing, one had nothing to fear. The path that will had chosen was also vastly different from his own. Extreme destruction was the path Shane rejected most.

During his break, Shane went to see what his two apprentices were doing. Sashana and Kallinda were each using a small shovel to dig shallow pits in the ground, placing seeds inside, covering them with soil, and watering them. They had dug out two small plots in the Mage District, surrounding them with wooden slats as fences to mark their territory.

"No complaints, no slacking off?" Shane went to ask Firehawk and Solarian. The two told him that the apprentices had spent the past few days tending the nursery. They had been serious and had not slacked off.

"They're curious what reward you'll give them." Firehawk was enchanting something as she spoke. She nudged Shane with her elbow, not caring whether the enchantment succeeded, and gave him an expression that said, You know what I mean.

"How are things between you and Sylvanas?"

"I know what you're hoping for, but why don't you ask her yourself?" Shane replied with a smile.

"Uh, forget it... Pretend I never asked." Firehawk shut her mouth.

After making a round through the mage tower, it was nearly noon. Shane made himself something to eat, then began the day's second summoning of otherworldly creatures. That will found him again.

"Little mage, I recognize the spell you are using. You want a powerful combat creature. I can give you one, as long as you serve me."

It underestimated me. Shane was thoroughly disdainful. Was Planar Creature Summoning meant to seek powerful combat creatures? Only mediocrities would use it that way. The spell's true purpose was to contact creatures from other planes and gain a deeper understanding of the world. Mages who knew only combat had degraded themselves from explorers of the world into mere mobile artillery. It was laughable.

He sent it another get lost, then projected his consciousness elsewhere and waited for a response.

"Why will you not answer me? Whatever you want, I can satisfy. I am omnipotent."

If you were omnipotent, why would you need to contact me? Even lies needed logic. Shane ignored it. When no response came from any will he had hoped for, he withdrew his mind.

After resting for a while, he used the time between noon and night to train his spellcasting skills. Shane did not have much time left.

Azeroth would soon enter years of turmoil. Arthas had only been born a few years ago when the Dark Portal opened. If history did not change course, the future undead army would become an obstacle that had to be overcome. If he were alone, Shane could simply hide somewhere else, but there were always reasons not to give up so easily.

The Arcane Barrier expanded to three times its strength.

With Pyroblast, he controlled the fireball and steadily shrank it, reducing it to the size of a fist. Its color shifted toward golden-white. He compressed it further, stripping away the gold until it became incandescent white. Flames that would normally flicker at low temperatures now shot outward like countless straight spikes, trying to break free of his control, yet remained firmly stuck to the fireball's surface.

The advantage of superior control was that one could easily find the limits of transformation. The foundation laid at lower ranks became increasingly useful as one grew stronger, nearly becoming the deciding factor in one's power.

Shane intended to attempt a more dangerous exercise. He released the Pyroblast in his hand, held it up with his mind, and slowly spun it around his body. He continuously fed it mana to maintain balance, then moved it to directly above his head.

The ping-pong-ball-sized mana spheres above his head were planets, and the Pyroblast was the sun. Three groups made exactly nine mana spheres, simulating planetary motion. Azeroth's exploration of celestial movements remained at the "Earth-moon system" stage. Shane was simulating the solar system. He did not know whether it was accurate, but the general pattern was enough. His purpose was to train his technique, not anything else.

Maintaining the consumption of one Pyroblast was not difficult for a sixth-rank mage. By the time he became fairly proficient, only half his mana had been spent, yet the rotating simulation had already passed an entire "Earth year."

As night fell, Shane stopped the simulation and dispelled the mana spheres. Following his schedule, he began the day's third summoning.

"It seems you do not understand my power. Very well, I shall let you witness it." That consciousness contacted him right on time.

"Get lost." Shane had no other thoughts.

Yet another consciousness responded. It was extremely close, though he did not know when it had arrived. "I will find you and make you understand our power. Refuse to submit, and face destruction."

Shane ignored them both and projected his will twice into deep space. When no response came, he ended the summoning.

Azeroth's own defenses would not allow powerful creatures to pass through easily.

Besides practicing the summoning spell, I have also confirmed a theory: frequent use of the spell attracts demons. I wanted to avoid it, but failed. After ten thousand years, the environment outside the world is vastly different from what the Highborne Wisdom Scroll recorded. Shane's mind returned to his body. Sylvanas was already beside him, her scent irresistibly flowing into his breath.

"Your scent keeps getting better." The female elf's nose was right beside his shoulder. "I don't know what you're chasing, but I've had this intuition for a long time. You don't waste a single second. You seem composed, but you're actually in a hurry." Sylvanas wore an expression that said, I've seen right through you, cousin, moving closer and closer as she breathed against him. "Tell me?"

Of course Shane could not explain it to her. In barely over twenty years, Azeroth would descend into violent upheaval—three wars, the destruction of Silvermoon City, the birth of the Blood Elves. Above, the Burning Legion watched hungrily; in the middle, the Alliance and Horde would beat each other bloody; below, the Old Gods intended to rise again. The will of destruction that had existed since ancient times and the evil figures born in the present age would take the stage one after another.

"Sylvanas."

"Mm."

"Look." Shane cast a Portal spell to connect to his "bubble," opening a tiny gap through which brilliant blue-white arcane energy seeped out. "Arcane energy comes from beyond the world. After stepping into another level on the path of arcane arts, I came to see that this world is dangerous, so..."

"So you want to grow stronger and protect the things important to you." At that, Sylvanas smiled. "It has your scent. It smells wonderful." She took a deep breath. "But what is the danger?"

"I'll show you." Shane placed a hand on Sylvanas's shoulder, and they vanished through teleportation.