Chapter 58: Liadryn
The attendant shook his head and continued, “We don’t have to send a mage. Instead, we could dispatch another spellcaster. As for taking up residence in the Sunspire, Master Aux, you are entirely free to act in the name of our clan or the Mage Association. Our envoy can cooperate with Patrick in any number of ways—be it commercial or magical. As for the finer points, you can simply instruct them verbally; we’ll never mention anything about the Silvermoon Council’s advisory role. After all, we’ve already sent someone, and the other masters have no objections.”
Master Aux’s eyes lit up, a knowing smile spreading across his face. “An excellent suggestion—it aligns perfectly with the council’s wishes.”
Seeing Master Aux smile, the attendant grew more confident. “We could appoint Lady Liadrin, the priestess, as our representative to the Sunspire. As a retainer of our Dawnblade clan, she can best embody our interests and foster cooperation with Patrick.”
“In this way, we retain the initiative in dealings with the Sun Sanctuary. Moreover, as a wielder of the Light, Liadrin cannot assist Patrick in his arcane studies, nor could she ascend to mastery and thus escape our clan’s influence. We can gradually have Liadrin draw Patrick’s arcanists into our fold, subtly assimilating them. Thus, the Dawnblade clan would indirectly bring the Sun Sanctuary under its sway.”
“In the future, perhaps we could grant Patrick some privileges reserved for our most esteemed members, or even arrange a marriage alliance with the Caberon family. That way, we’d have a chance to claim Patrick as a follower of our clan. With such a gifted mage among us, our voice within the council would only grow stronger.”
The attendant’s words filled Master Aux with satisfaction. Little did the council know he was preparing such a delightful surprise for them.
If this plan succeeded, and Liadrin established herself within the Sun Sanctuary, Master Aux could easily use his privileges and the arcane resources at his disposal to sway Patrick entirely to the Dawnblade’s side. When that moment came, no matter how much his colleagues in the council might protest, all they could do was swallow their objections in bitter silence. In the end, it would be the Dawnblade clan who enjoyed the last and greatest laugh.
...
----------------------
Sun Sanctuary, Sunspire.
Since Aurelia’s return to the front lines, Patrick had scarcely paused in his intensive study of spatial magic from the platinum disc.
The knowledge and runes within the disc responded to the guidance of his mind, drifting toward his consciousness. Patrick gently unfurled his mental threads; with the augmentation of arcane power, the surrounding space began to shift, his spirit reflecting upon the material world.
Even the space beneath his feet was replaced by his sea of consciousness, his body floating in midair, surrounded by restructured space wholly under his command.
The mysteries of space were infinite. Within the platinum disc, it was as if a river of stars unfolded—each rune and mark a glittering star in the firmament, their brilliance, their elegance, their enigma captivating Patrick’s soul.
“As the ancients said, one must apply oneself diligently to learning.” The wisdom of the ages was manifest.
Patrick, like a newly-born child, drank greedily from the fresh nectar within the disc; the secrets of space converged there, diverging from the traditions of the School of Evocation—the Titans had developed their own unique approach to the arcane fabric of space.
Those runes, glowing with white light, nourished Patrick’s spirit like nutrients, filling his sea of consciousness, until arcane energy suffused every corner of his being. He felt his arcane reserves swell and his mind soar.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. Within them, the arcane sparkled like dancing flames. Arcane power overflowed from his spirit, saturating the air around him as he hovered, carried aloft by the currents of his own will.
“You’ve reached this stage as well. When you can command the arcane, allowing your body to float freely in midair, you stand at the very threshold of mastering spatial power—the highest achievement of the School of Evocation.” Lady Ellen’s voice echoed, her excitement evident even through the ethereal medium.
Within, Patrick sensed her deeper thoughts. The Well of Eternity had been destroyed ten thousand years ago; her body obliterated, Ellen’s soul had survived only by clinging to others, sustained by arcane energies. Since returning from Earth to Azeroth, the possibility of restoring her body had emerged, but to gather and incarnate enough arcane power for true resurrection was no simple feat.
Now, witnessing Patrick approach the seventh circle, Ellen saw hope for her own revival. However long it might take—after ten thousand years, what were a few decades or centuries more?
Patrick paid no mind to Ellen’s hopes. Instead, he focused on guiding the arcane as he drifted through the air, intoxicated by the sensation of weightlessness, of soaring above the pull of gravity.
“So this is what it feels like to ascend to the heavens… it truly is a bit dizzying,” he thought, utterly without restraint.
“This is merely a sign of a mind brimming with power. To reach the seventh circle, you still require an opportunity—a catalyst to break through your bottleneck,” Ellen’s voice advised.
“Is it practical experience I lack?”
“Not necessarily. Combat experience can certainly aid in mastering the arcane, making your spirit more agile and responsive, but it cannot guarantee your breakthrough. The surge of spirit in the face of crisis can at times fulfill your needs, but are you truly willing to gamble your life for the sake of advancement?”
“……”
To risk one’s life for the sake of experimentation was, without question, the height of folly. Every true mage seeks safe, stable progress; so it was with the cultivation of the mind. Should one’s spirit suffer injury, the pursuit of greater arcane mastery would become nothing but a farce.
-----------------------
“So this is the Sunspire?” Lady Liadrin, envoy of the Dawnblade clan, stood before its gates. She had never imagined her clan would appoint her as an advisor to Ghostlands.
For Liadrin, this was her first time entering a mage’s tower in such a capacity. Within the clan, her spellcasting skills were unremarkable, her abilities far from outstanding. She doubted she had ever truly earned Master Aux’s favor.
All along the journey, Liadrin pondered how she should present herself at the Sunspire. Patrick Caberon was already a sixth-circle arcanist, with the potential to ascend to mastery in the future—a man she could not afford to offend. At the same time, she had a duty to fulfill the tasks entrusted to her by Master Aux. She would need to balance everything with the utmost care.