The Path of Arcane Above the Starry Sky (Part 2)

When it came to the origin of magic, the first thing everyone thought of was the Well of Eternity.

In ancient times, the Well of Eternity was the source of all magic and natural energy in the world. As it drew energy from the boundless darkness beyond the world, it ceaselessly released its power across the land, nourishing all manner of creatures and giving rise to a race capable of wielding magic-the Kaldorei (Children of the Stars), the predecessors of the Night Elves and High Elves. The magical power provided by the Well of Eternity was called Arcane.

After the Well of Eternity exploded, its immense energy spread over every race in the world. From then on, nearly every race gained the ability to cast magic, and magic developed as never before.

As time went on, many people classified spells into categories such as fire, frost, Arcane, nature, shadow, and holy, or divided them in other ways. But the High Elf Arcane mages who had inherited the old traditions had never accepted this view. They believed that, in essence, there was only one kind of magic: Arcane.

Fire, frost, and all the others were merely different manifestations of Arcane spells. Arcane could absorb the elements and take the form of elemental spells, or enter all things and transform into natural energy, and so on...

It was the root of all magic.

The stretch of the Path of Arcane that Kael'thas had walked seemed to be a path of inheritance built by countless Arcane mages to tell the High Elves precisely that. Kael'thas understood now. He had long wondered why Arcane spells were so varied and mysterious while the other schools were so limited. If Arcane alone was the source and the others merely differed in their outward forms, then it all made sense.

So when the system asked him to choose, Kael'thas chose the class of High Arcane Mage. It did not conflict with being a fire mage. Kael'thas could already see that as long as his Arcane abilities manifested outwardly as fire spells, none of the enhancement granted by Master of Flames would go to waste!

"Of course, Your Highness..."

On the winding corridor, Mephistes answered Kael'thas's question without hesitation. As he silently marveled at Kael'thas's talent, he suddenly sensed a change in Kael'thas's aura.

Yes... Arcane energy was no longer bearing down on Kael'thas. It was as if he had merged with the Arcane aura...

"Arcane mage!!"

Mephistes stared in astonishment. He had expected Kael'thas to become an Arcane mage as a matter of course, but he had not expected him to gain recognition and successfully advance before reaching the end of the Path of Arcane.

This was unprecedented!

The Path of Arcane evaluated and recognized High Elves once they had walked its entire length, ultimately granting those with talent the status of Arcane mage. These were not ordinary mages who used Arcane. Every true High Elf Arcane mage had earned the recognition of Arcane energy, giving them an advantage in its use that no one else could match!

Kael'thas, however, had been recognized before he finished the Path of Arcane. What would happen when he reached the end...?

Mephistes's eyes lit up, and he was suddenly full of anticipation for Kael'thas!!

He urged Kael'thas onward and told him about Arcane along the way.

In ancient times, the Highborne led by the elven queen Azshara had abused Arcane Magic, bringing disaster upon them.

In the end, the Night Elves split into two distinct peoples. One was the Night Elves of today, who believed Arcane was an inherently chaotic force and forbade its study. They turned instead to learning about natural energy, allowing the Druids to grow and flourish.

The other was the High Elves, who descended from the exiled Highborne. They continued their research, still convinced that Arcane was sacred and necessary. Unlike before, however, they erected a vast magical barrier around their kingdom to keep outside enemies-demons-from spying on them.

"Is natural energy Arcane energy too?"

"Of course it is, but as for the mechanism that causes it to manifest outwardly as nature magic, you might be better off asking those Night Elf Druids..." An openly mocking expression crossed Mephistes's face as he continued, "Not that I think they'd be willing to admit it, of course..."

"Is that so..."

Kael'thas sighed. The hatred between the High Elves and Night Elves really did run deep. He thought about it and found something he didn't understand.

"If it's still Arcane energy, why did they forbid the study of Arcane?"

"Your Highness, they weren't wrong about that, because Arcane is harmful..." Mephistes gave a bitter laugh and explained, "Or rather, abusing Arcane is harmful. Its immense allure can eat away at the body and corrupt the mind. And in any case, the Night Elves were originally a race that used Arcane. If they allowed its use, abuse was bound to follow. So they forbade it."

"But even though natural energy is still Arcane energy at its core, it's as if it has been diluted and transformed into something new, without any negative effects. The same applies to magic with other outward manifestations..."

"What about us?" Kael'thas frowned. "Why are we still using Arcane? And using it everywhere..."

Traces of Arcane could be found in every corner of Quel'Thalas. That was how highly the High Elves regarded it.

Mephistes fell silent.

After quite a while, he slowly spoke. "Your Highness, if you'd always eaten cake and were suddenly told to gnaw on bread instead, would you be willing?"

Kael'thas shook his head.

"That's exactly it. We used to be the upper nobility among the Night Elves. We had always used and studied Arcane. It had long since become part of our culture, and even seeped into our bodies... Naturally, our ancestors weren't willing to suddenly start learning inferior spells. Arcane is the source of all spells. Wouldn't abandoning it mean neglecting the root for the branches?"

"But it could destroy us, couldn't it!?" Kael'thas still couldn't understand the choice the High Elves had made back then. He knew of a tragic future: after the High Elves' Sunwell vanished, their entire race had nearly perished from magic addiction.

"It won't destroy us, Your Highness... Look..." Mephistes raised a hand and pointed at the sky. Kael'thas followed his gaze and saw a vast, beautiful shield surrounding all of Quel'Thalas.

The shield was different from what he had heard about in his previous life. Though it could not repel an invasion, High Elves could use magic freely inside it and receive a boost. At the same time, any enemies who entered the shield would be weakened to some extent.

Only then did Kael'thas notice that the Path of Arcane was high above Eversong Woods. He had never seen it before, though; magic must have hidden it.

"This barrier is the greatest magic we High Elves have ever created. As long as it stands, we High Elves can use magic freely and protect our home and the Sunwell. And with the Sunwell, we High Elves can continue studying Arcane and using magic as freely as we please..."

"And it won't be long now... Your Highness... In another thousand years at most, we'll find a way to counter Arcane's erosion. When that time comes, we High Elves will become a unique and mighty magical race!"

Mephistes smiled confidently, his blue eyes full of longing, as if he could already see that future. "Our ancestors always believed that the High Elves were a great race, that we would not be defeated by Arcane's erosion, and that one day we could become its masters. That's why we've never given up..."

Kael'thas fell silent as he listened, his heart stirring. Mephistes's words reminded him of what he knew about the Blood Elves from his previous life.

They truly were an arrogant and tragic race. They believed they could control Arcane. Could that really be the truth?

Had the High Elves really come so close to succeeding? If not for Dar'Khan's betrayal, the opening of the shield, and the Undead invasion, could the High Elves truly have taken an entirely different path?

Kael'thas felt a fire slowly kindle in his heart without a sound. In his previous life, he had always felt the Blood Elves had been treated unjustly. Countless people cursed their race. But had they ever been happier than any other race?

When the Undead Scourge destroyed Quel'Thalas, ninety percent of the elves died, to say nothing of those who later died from the schism and magic addiction. The High Elves renamed themselves Blood Elves. How much harm had they suffered in going from children of the sun to children of blood? Yet all they had ever wanted was to live peacefully in their own kingdom and study magic.

Why had the heavens treated them this way?

Was it really because they were arrogant? But they were hardly the only arrogant race. What race was perfect?

Since Kael'thas was a member of their race in this life, he would certainly try to change its fate...

And his own as well...

Kael'thas made a silent resolution, then raised his head.

Before him stood a magnificent pavilion, marking the end of the Path of Arcane.

He took the final step...

"Ding..."

"Path of Arcane evaluation: your rating is S!"

"Ding..."

"Your rating is top-tier. Arcane aptitude: top-tier!"

"Ding..."

"You have obtained the trait Lord of Arcane."

"Lord of Arcane: all your Arcane damage and effects are increased by 10%."

"Ding..."

"You have completed the Path of Arcane evaluation quest. Because experience is locked, your reward is being replaced..."

"Ding..."

"You have received a new quest reward: Arcane Orb..."

"Arcane Orb: this orb represents your status as a High Elf Arcane mage. It is rarely seen even among the most talented, a treasure one can only encounter by chance! This transparent sphere flying above your head can store any one spell to assist you. It also absorbs your enemies' energy to strengthen itself while protecting you. This energy will not disappear when the orb is used. Cooldown: 30 seconds."

No way!!

Are the perks of locking experience that good?!

Arcane Orb!! Those magic spheres that always floated around Kael'thas in the game?

Was that what they were called!? Why do I remember them being equipment!?

Kael'thas was shocked and hurriedly activated it. He waited with his heart pounding, afraid it wouldn't be what he thought it was.

Then a blue sphere burning like a flame appeared, floating above Kael'thas's head.

Cool... Really cool!!

Sure enough, it's one of the three ultimate show-off orbs the original Kael'thas had, just a slightly different color!?

"A... Arcane Orb!!"

Behind Kael'thas, Mephistes's jaw nearly hit the floor. His mouth hung open, and he felt a little dizzy.

His Highness is definitely the most monstrous talent in history!

Mephistes fought to steady his racing heart as he thought this...