Time flew by in the blink of an eye.
Sylas traveled freely between Valinor and Middle-earth, visiting his daughter Elseth while continuously gathering the spiritual energy of all living beings.
The forest of Lórien in Middle-earth had been blessed by Sylas, enveloped in the power of time. Elseth no longer needed to draw upon the power of Nenya to protect it; the forest would forever maintain its beauty and vitality.
With Sylas, the Lord of Time, the distance between Valinor and Middle-earth was no longer an obstacle. Elseth would sometimes accompany her father to Valinor to reunite with the family. And sometimes Sylas would bring his wife Arwen and their son Elroth back to Middle-earth to witness the development of the human era firsthand.
And so, over thousands and tens of thousands of years, the ages turned.
Humanity came to dominate the entire world of Arda. They ventured into space, beginning to explore the ever-more-distant reaches of the universe that Varda and Sylas had created.
The Valar of Valinor had completely severed their connection with the mortal world. Apart from a select few who could still descend upon Arda, the Maiar could no longer enter the inner world. The divine had withdrawn entirely.
Under the scrutiny of future science and technology, the magical realm, once concealed beneath layers of enchantment, was finally exposed to the eyes of ordinary humanity.
Magic, with its extraordinary power, aroused tremendous curiosity and a desire for research among the non-magical population. They began to study and attempt to master this supernatural force. Furthermore, they discovered ancient texts and relics related to deities within old magical books and archaeological ruins.
Thus, humanity, which had long since ceased to believe in gods, embarked upon a frantic search for legends and traces of the divine. They were like the Numenoreans of old, who had sailed to their destruction seeking immortality, opening a Pandora's box.
These modern humans intended to find proof of the gods' existence, obtain eternal life, or even become gods themselves.
Human ingenuity, after all, should never be underestimated.
Relying on fragmented texts and archaeological traces, they unearthed ancient Elven ruins. They discovered references to Rivendell and Lothlórien in various magical texts and historical writings.
Upon learning that these places were said to still be inhabited by Elves, they were overjoyed and ventured into the valley of Rivendell and the forest of Lothlórien armed with weapons and instruments.
To their astonishment, both legendary locations were deserted. They found nothing but an ordinary canyon and an unremarkable forest. No Elves. No unicorns. No phoenixes or thunderbirds.
Sylas had foreseen this.
Long before humanity's technology could pierce the veil, he had used his immense power to isolate Hogsmeade, Hogwarts, Rivendell, Lothlórien, Isengard, and every other site of magical significance from the real world's timeline, creating a separate temporal branch.
On this new timeline, the wizards, the Elves, the Dwarves, the Hobbits, and all magical creatures, phoenixes, thunderbirds, fire drakes, and more, lived carefree lives, untouched and undiscovered.
In the real world, however, humanity's failed pursuit of the Elves did not discourage them. If anything, it made them more determined. They traversed mountains and seas, excavating ruin after ruin. They successfully uncovered the long-buried continent of Numenor and the remnants of Sauron's dark fortresses.
They traced back through ancient history, piecing together the events of the War of the Ring, the War of the Last Alliance, and even the distant War of Wrath.
Furthermore, using technological means, they successfully decoded the wizard bloodline at the genetic level and found ways to graft magical ability onto ordinary humans.
Humanity entered the Age of the Supernatural.
Magic, which had been in decline for millennia, blazed with renewed brilliance, more dazzling than ever before. Every human now possessed some measure of supernatural ability.
Science and magic merged into a single discipline, granting the arcane arts an unprecedented vitality. Spells and technologies became inseparable.
The Philosopher's Stone, capable of granting immortality, was successfully recreated, though at a terrible cost: hundreds of thousands of lives sacrificed in the process.
Magic flourished, and the greatest beneficiary was not humanity, but its founder: Sylas.
As they traced back through the history of wizardkind, humans uncovered the name of Sylas, the mysterious figure who had created the wizarding race itself.
Magical histories praised him in the highest terms: the Supreme Wizard, the Lord of Dragons, the Founder of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Records stated that he had attained eternal life and eventually ascended to the Undying Lands.
Humanity erected statues of Sylas throughout the world, modeled after the ancient statue that had once stood in the Ministry of Magic. They venerated him as the God of Magic, the source of all arcane power.
This immense collective faith, the belief and reverence of billions of human beings across the globe, converged within the Subspace.
Because of the immense collective faith humanity now directed toward Sylas, a new power condensed within the Subspace: magic itself.
The Subspace underwent a profound transformation. All of wizardkind's magical power, like their spiritual energy before it, converged within the dimension, forming a vast Sea of Magic.
This sea occupied the lowest layer of the Subspace, while the Sea of Spirits rested above it. Together, they became the dual wellsprings of all power.
Sylas's own magical power merged into the Sea of Magic. Possessing this ocean of collective arcane energy, he could draw upon it to unleash spells of incomprehensible magnitude.
He could even bestow magical power upon all of humanity, strengthening every individual who carried the wizard bloodline.
And correspondingly, after each wizard's death, their accumulated knowledge of magical development and application flowed back into the Subspace. Sylas could absorb their wisdom and even recover a portion of their most refined and powerful magical energy.
This method reminded Sylas of certain dimensional entities he had once read about: Demon Gods, who established borrowing relationships with mortal mages, granting them power and ultimately reaping far greater benefits in return.
The only difference between Sylas and such beings was that he did not require the souls of those he empowered. The exchange was freely given and freely returned, with no cost beyond the natural cycle of life and death.
As for the situation unfolding in the mortal world, the Valar of Valinor had no intention of interfering.
These matters were the spontaneous choices of humanity, a race entrusted with the freedom of choice by Eru Ilúvatar himself. The Valar would not intervene unless an external force disrupted the natural order. That was not their role.
However, watching humanity's relentless pursuit of power, the abuse of magic, the arrogance, the desperate hunger for eternal life and godhood, even the most compassionate among them felt a deep unease.
Nienna, the Vala of grief, could only sigh.
The scene was strikingly familiar.
In ages past, the people of Numenor had been corrupted by Sauron's whispered promises, growing arrogant beyond measure. They had attempted to invade Valinor itself, the land where the Valar dwelled, plotting to seize immortality by force.
Their hubris had finally exhausted the patience of Eru Ilúvatar, who unleashed divine judgment, sinking Numenor beneath the waves in a single cataclysmic act.
Now, humanity was gradually treading the same path. If Eru Ilúvatar grew completely disillusioned with the race of Men, it could mean the end of the world. Everything would revert to the chaos that had existed before creation.
While the Valar sighed and exchanged worried glances, Sylas remained unmoved.
He believed that humanity's pursuit of power, even immortality, even godhood, was not inherently wrong. After all, he himself had once been an ordinary wizard and had risen, step by step, to the heights he now occupied. It would be hypocritical of him, having achieved divinity, to bar the path for those who followed.
However, judging from the Valar's attitudes, they were deeply pessimistic. They seemed to believe that humanity was marching toward self-destruction.
As for Eru Ilúvatar, Sylas had never met the Creator and could not guess his disposition. Perhaps Ilúvatar would once again unleash divine punishment because humanity dared to seek godhood and eternal life. Perhaps not.
Sylas did not know. And if Ilúvatar chose to act, Sylas could not stop him.
Therefore, the only sensible course was to continue growing stronger. If he could reach a level of power sufficient to weather any storm, then even if the apocalypse came and the universe returned to primordial chaos, he could protect his family completely, ensuring they would not be swept away.