"Tarnished, is it? It's a miracle that you can appear here. I am Sellen, as you can see, a magician. Why are you here?" asked a woman wearing a strange mask.
"To learn Glintstone Sorcery," Ian answered directly, which immediately attracted a strange look from Sellen.
"Don't you know that in the eyes of my peers, I am an evil Demons woman who is considered a heretic?"
"I didn't know that, but I didn't really care."
"Are you sure?" Sellen asked. "If you become my apprentice, I will not condone you. In fact, I am a quite strict teacher."
"And I learn quickly."
"Very good. From now on, you are my apprentice. I have never taught Tarnished before, but this should be interesting."
Sellen immediately began to teach Ian. The first one introduced was Glintstone, which is a luminous Crystal that contains the power of stars. Magicians in this world train their minds and use Stellar Energy in Glintstone to cast spells. After realizing that Ian was indeed a fast learner, Sellen finally revealed her true beauty, and she also began to instill her ideas into Ian.
Why is she regarded as a heretic among her peers? Her story begins with the largest academy of Lands Between: Raya Lucaria Academy. The stars in this world are very unique, not only because they are related to destiny, but also because they are alive. Many years ago, two prophets observed a phenomenon called Primeval Current while studying the stars.
Primeval Current is the source of magical power in this world. From a macro perspective, it is the place where stars are born in this universe. However, unlike other worlds where stars are huge celestial bodies, in this universe, they are alive. After two prophets peeked at Primeval Current, an asteroid landed on the planet, bringing Glintstone, and this new type of magic was born.
However, the study of Primeval Current also has a dark side. Magicians will turn their colleagues into star seeds known as "Graven Mass", which is essentially a method to increase the power of magic and mitigate the negative effects of Primeval Current. This barbaric act of turning one's own people into resources made Master Glintstone Sorcery infamous. It was not until "Queen Full Moon" Rennala took over the academy that the situation eased slightly.
The Queen banished Founders for their research on Primeval Current. Sellen, as their most talented student, did not accept such rules and continued to study Primeval Current, turning her colleagues into Graven Mass. In fact, Ian knew that in the original timeline, Sellen eventually became a Graven Mass because of her obsession with Primeval Current and her reckless research.
"Why are you so obsessed with studying Primeval Current?" Ian asked. "Why not study the moon? Queen Rennala came into contact with Full Moon and see how easily she conquered the academy."
A trace of disdain flashed in Sellen's eyes. "She is just lucky. Primeval Current contains the deepest secrets of the stars. One day, I will prove it."
"She is not relying on luck. In the cosmology of the universe, Full Moon is the center of Primeval Current, just like Erdtree is the center of Golden Order."
"What evidence is there for this ridiculous statement? My apprentice, although you are talented, it does not mean that you can talk nonsense."
"It seems that you still can't accept this point of view, so let me ask something else," Ian said. "Why have you never thought of studying Lands Between itself? Isn't it a star?"
"Huh?"
"I can understand ignoring the sun because somehow its power seems to have gone out, but the planet or star we live in is a viable source of power."
"It's an interesting idea, but it's up to you to explore it yourself. My destiny lies with Primeval Current."
'It seems that I have to think of other ways to save her,' Ian thought to himself, and then continued his research. A few days later, he finally created his first [Earth Mother] spell. Sellen watched in shock as he created earth walls, ground thorns, turned the earth into a swamp, and so on. Strangely, he did not use any medium such as Glintstone, which speaks volumes about his extremely high intelligence.
"Now, for the final test," Ian muttered. He raised his hand and released a strange wave.
"Gravity Magic?" Sellen asked. Gravity is something people can only learn from the White King, and it requires the power of a comet.
"Any massive mass has its own gravity. Comets are a major source of power simply because they have no life or other power, making gravity easier to access," explains Ian.
"So, you mean, theoretically, I should be able to use Glintstone to cast Gravity Magic?"
"Yes, it is theoretically possible," Ian nodded.
"Interesting," Sellen nodded. This is worth exploring.
"It's time for me to leave," Ian said. Now that he had his own source of power, he could start planning his perfect mission.
"Yes, you are a Tarnished, shouldering a heavy mission," Sellen nodded.
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yes," Sellen nodded. She explained that this was just a projection, and her true body was imprisoned in a certain ruins. She described to Ian in detail how to save her, which required finding several other people, learning spells from them, and obtaining some items.
"No problem," Ian nodded. He knew this was not the end yet. He needed to kill Radahn to unravel the fate of Sellen, and also help her regain Raya Lucaria Academy. After that, she would succumb to her ambition and eventually become a Graven Mass.
'There is still some time to save her,' Ian thought to himself. He said goodbye and began his journey to hunt Great Rune. The first target was Stormveil Castle's "Evil Omen Demon" Malkit.
On the way, Ian spent time studying three interesting things.
The first one is Ash of War. Souls can exist in several ways after death, one of which is called Ash of War. When a warrior dies, their soul may leave imprints or fragments of memories, along with all their combat skills, which are Ash of War. By giving them to weapons, living warriors can use the combat skills of the dead warrior.
The second thing Ian researched was Talisman. When a person wears an item or accessory long enough, the item may become infected by their spirit, giving them some kind of power. He found several Talisman along the way and studied them.
The last item is called Spirit Ashes. They are the same as Ash of War, but instead of combat skills, the warrior or soul left behind becomes a soul that can be summoned and controlled. On the way to Stormveil Castle, Ian stopped at a church because of a businessman, where he met Ranni and she gave him a Spirit Calling Bell to use these things.
Ian was not surprised by her appearance, because Melina had previously given him a spiritual horse named Torrent as a traveling companion. The previous owner of this horse entrusted Ranni to hand over the bell to its next owner along with a copy of Lone Wolf Ashes.
These three items gave Ian a deeper understanding of the soul, death, and more importantly, life. He knew that this world was the perfect opportunity for him to finally master Law of Life, and he was extremely excited.