The Wondrous Nature of Divinity (Part 2)

Sylvanas lifted her skirt as she walked down the passage, carefully watching her steps. She looked nothing like the ranger who usually strode with her head held high. After she left, Shane did not rush to practice his spells. He simply stood at the edge of the top-floor terrace, continuing to gaze at the nightscape as moonlight flowed over him like water, casting a silvery sheen across his body.

The matter of the trolls would soon be settled. Azeroth was fundamentally a world of spellcasters, and only spellcasters could touch the core powers of this world. Races without spellcasting ability, or whose magical inheritance had been severed, were tragic and doomed to be eliminated. The Amani Trolls now had only one promising spellcaster. Once he was dealt with, the Red Sun White Tower would remain as steady as Mount Tai, at least until before the Second War.

How would the future unfold? Shane formed a long-term plan in his heart, intending to at least stand on the same level as those enemies—or potential enemies.

Though those matters were still far away, it was not too early to consider them now. Pulling his thoughts back, Shane shook his head and returned to the study.

"Eye of Truth, help me open Magic Symbols: Stairway to the Mysteries."

"Yes."

Nothing Shane had studied before had touched upon how to use divinity within the arcane. He needed to begin with the most fundamental knowledge and learn arcane theory all over again, hoping to find a usable method within it.

Before long, he was immersed in magical knowledge. From time to time, he wrote magical symbols onto blank scrolls, deepening every fragment of his understanding.

Every slight alteration to a magical character could change the function of an entire spell combination. Thus, magical symbols might appear similar while being completely different. Sometimes, with only a tiny change, the power of destruction and decay could become filled with the pulse of life once more.

The most wonderful thing about the arcane was that at lower levels, you might only be able to deal with one or two murlocs. As your skill improved and your understanding deepened, handling a few burly men would be no problem. Most fascinating of all, once you came into contact with high-level arcane arts, you would discover that moving mountains and overturning seas was not impossible. You could even reshape the world according to your own ideas.

Shane's writing continued to grow more intricate, until thousands of symbols interwove into three concentric spell rings. Every stroke was infused with magic power. When divinity encountered certain combinations, it produced faint reactions, and Shane recorded those reactions.

Those reactions were like sparks leaping through the night. Every flicker ignited his thoughts, and those ignited thoughts leapt out with even more sparks. They spread and accumulated, eventually forming a waterfall of inspiration that stirred all his knowledge into motion.

After finishing the final stroke, Shane leaned back in his chair to rest. At that moment, sunlight streamed through the window and, upon meeting the slightly opened magical glass, scattered into a dazzling array of colors.

"Sashana, Kallinda, come to the study. Prepare some food for me while you're at it," Shane called to his two apprentices through a voice-transmission spell.

After they responded, Shane began softly chanting the magical words he had written. Different universes possessed different characteristics. In Azeroth, every word and phrase of magic expressed the truths of the universe. Every symbol carried laws of energy, life, destruction, death, and more.

The magical script he had written began to dance to his soft chant, leaping off the rune paper. The three spell rings arranged themselves in upper, middle, and lower layers, ordered from large to small in the middle. A wondrous scene of light and a three-dimensional magic array swirled through the room.

"Mentor, we're here."

"Come in." Shane stopped chanting, but the arcane echoes would not fade so quickly. Kallinda cried out "Wow, wow, wow!" while Sashana's eyes widened as well. The arcane was captivating.

"Have you finished your assignments?" Shane asked after the two had calmed down somewhat.

"We have, Mentor. Please take a look."

Their notes recorded the medicinal and magical properties of their respective plants. They had used experimental verification, including their thoughts and processes. There was no way to fake it, and even if there were, Shane could judge it by sensing their emotions.

"Very good. You both did well." While he had been away, his two apprentices had studied diligently. "Take this spell ring and make a copy for me."

"Yes, Mentor." The two happily hugged the scroll and left.

Shane valued his two apprentices highly. In the future, his knowledge would need to be passed on, his endeavors would need assistants, and his mage corps would need its backbone.

That spell ring was an unverified metamagic technique. Experience gained from fighting the trolls had shown that improving casting range and trajectories could effectively create an overwhelming advantage. Using one's mind to push spells was not suitable for every mage. Arcane effects could be used instead, but maintaining the spell's gathered energy and stability before it struck required long-term practice.

"However, only I can fully bring out the potential of this metamagic technique. It still needs much more verification." From the fundamentals, Shane had comprehended a method of using wind divinity: Vector Jet.

"Shane, are you there?" The communication array beside the desk lit up.

"Mentor, I'm here." Shane gently placed his hand upon it and connected to the projection.

"Next month, there's an important festival. You must come back to attend."

"The Landing Festival celebration?"

"Yes. I know you've thrown yourself heart and soul into the arcane, and you may not like it. But listen to me. In keeping with our traditions, and for the sake of our people, even if you dislike it, you must return and fulfill your duty. It's very important. Very important. Do you understand?"

There was a Dawnblade bluntness in his mentor's tone. Shane knew there was no avoiding this matter. Calculating the time, there were still more than twenty days left. "I'll go once I'm done with my work. Is it all right if I arrive on the last day?"

"Of course. That is our privilege." His mentor smiled.

Oakes was far too fond of this student. Over the years, he had watched Shane grow step by step, until he was nearly his equal. He did not know whether Shane would like the clan's arrangements. Perhaps he would be overjoyed, or perhaps he would find them dull and tasteless. But as a Dawnblade, there were things he absolutely could not avoid.

"Shane, do you intend to advance to the seventh circle?"

"Not at present. I'm still digesting and applying my core knowledge, and I feel it's necessary to study the fundamental knowledge once more. I intend to let things take their natural course," Shane said.

"Very good. I thought your rapid advancement might have caused you to overlook certain minor matters and hastily seek promotion. But seeing how steady you are, I understand that you haven't been blinded by past experience. In high-level arcane arts, stability always comes first." His mentor praised him.

"Then it's settled. I still have experiments to conduct. Remember to return before the festival."

"Goodbye, Mentor."

The boring banquet Sylvanas had mentioned was, in his mentor's words, a duty that could not be avoided. What exactly was the Landing Festival? Shane's curiosity had been slightly piqued, but arcane research remained the most important thing.

During the conversation, he came up with three names for the metamagic technique. First: "Long-Range Spellcasting." Second: "Vector Spellcasting." Third: "Death Descends from the Sky: Shane Dawnblade's Beyond-Visual-Range Strike Spellcasting Technique, Attacking Enemies from Angles They Would Never Expect."

"Which one should I choose? I'll decide on the name after verifying it." Shane got to work.

Verifying a metamagic technique was no easy task. Looking at his purse, he still had more than twenty thousand gold. Using all of it as experimental funding might just be enough. Shane went to find Halduron Brightwing.

The retired smuggler had plenty of connections, and within three days, he had obtained the first batch of materials.