"When did you learn Druidic?" Doric could not help asking.
"I didn't." Skyl shook his head, his eyes smiling as he looked at the tiefling girl. "But I'm a reasonably good imitator. You showed me the entrance to the path of nature. The cycle of the four elements drives the flow of time, allowing life to develop through endless cycles and giving birth to nature spirits. It is as though the universe itself were an immense living organism, with space as its body, time as its blood, and the minds of all living things as its soul. It truly was a remarkable experience. Thank you for teaching me."
The sincerity of his praise made Doric's cheeks turn red, and his summary secretly astonished her.
Without meaning to, she peered into the warlock's eyes. Colorful runes drifted through those pitch-black pupils like shards of ice flowing beneath dark water.
The longer she stared, the more the mysterious runes seemed to come alive. They threatened to pour through their shared gaze, and strange, incomprehensible whispers began sounding beside her ears.
The druid hurriedly looked away.
"Your eyes... What happened to them? Oh, you don't have to tell me. I'm only curious."
Skyl had no reason to hide the explanation.
"Anyone studying fragmented pieces of forbidden esoteric knowledge or conducting magical experiments can become contaminated by strange powers or suffer an accident. Such dangerous incidents often cause physical mutations in their victims, though they may also produce unexpected benefits.
"Warlocks deliberately seek out this kind of contamination. We know several comparatively safe paths of mutation, which we call Eldritch Invocations. My eyes see too deeply into the world. Unknown knowledge entered my pupils like wolves following the scent of blood, and I was chosen to become the keeper of those runes. Now I can read every form of writing in existence."
Skyl was referring to an Eldritch Invocation called [Eyes of the Rune Keeper], and its effects were exactly as he had described. In a game, it was the sort of obscure ability most players would ignore, but for a scholar, it was unbelievably convenient.
Doric remembered how much effort she had spent learning different languages. A wave of sorrow immediately welled up inside her, and she pressed her lips together with an expression that clearly said, You're incredibly irritating.
"Since you've already learned how to balance the four elements, there's no need for me to teach you anything else."
Skyl's interest in the druidic path had already been awakened, so naturally, he intended to study it thoroughly. With a perfectly good instructor standing in front of him, there was no chance he would let her escape so easily.
"The student has yet to learn any of the druids' true skills, but his teacher is already shirking her duties. It seems the sacred responsibility of protecting nature's balance will never be passed down to the next generation."
Doric's long tail flicked irritably behind her. She released a deep sigh and raised her hands in surrender.
"Fine. I'll continue teaching you. But I am not your teacher."
Skyl nodded in understanding.
"My little teacher, you must believe that you are participating in a great undertaking."
The druid girl rolled her eyes at him.
"How does teaching you qualify as a great undertaking?"
The undead Mia also tilted her head and stared at Skyl.
Skyl took out the Infinity Scepter and casually tossed it to Doric.
"Here. Hold this."
"What?"
She fumbled to catch the artifact. The instant it entered her hands, Doric synchronized with it, and the world before her eyes changed completely.
Endless threads of order emerged from the air, the soil, and every living thing. They stretched from infinity to infinity, forming a vast net beneath the surface of reality. Layer upon layer of the Weave unfolded before her. The deeper strands shone more brightly, resembling frozen lightning, while violent magical energy flowed from the roots of the multiverse along the Weave's countless lines and intersections.
"Is this... the Weave?" Doric asked with a trembling voice.
Her legs pressed together, and her tail stood completely straight.
She tried to avoid the Weave, but its merciless threads passed through both matter and empty space. They flowed directly through her body without creating the slightest sensation of a foreign presence.
Dark motes flashed and moved across the surface of each strand in irregular, unpredictable patterns. Nine such motes hovered around Doric, representing the spell slots she had prepared that day across five spell levels. Wherever she looked, they responded to her attention.
Doric discovered that she could freely seize any spell stored within the Weave. From 1st-level magic to 9th-level magic, any druid spell was hers to command. The spells gathered around the owner of the Infinity Scepter like stars surrounding the moon.
Unlimited spell slots.
Unlimited magical power.
That was the might of the Infinity Scepter.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Doric's forehead. Instead of becoming intoxicated by such power, she was frightened.
Anyone who obtained the scepter could become a terrifying force within an extremely short time, reaching the level of a legendary adventurer and easily setting foot upon the road to godhood. In the druid's eyes, power of that magnitude was certain to destroy the balance of nature.
Good and evil, law and chaos, nature and civilization, in a fantasy world built upon opposing forces, they rested on opposite sides of the same scale. Adding too much weight to either side could send the entire world sliding toward destruction.
"You saw it correctly. That was the Weave. Now you understand why even Asmodeus, Lord of the Nine Hells, covets my scepter."
The druid girl shoved the Infinity Scepter back into Skyl's hands and spoke with complete seriousness.
"You must protect it!"
Skyl answered with an equally serious expression.
"I will!"
"Clack, clack," Mia chattered.
The undead creature leaned closer and suddenly grabbed the Infinity Scepter.
Then she froze completely.
Seeing the Weave was an overwhelming experience for anyone. For a mindless lesser undead, it was far more stimulation than she could possibly process.
After successfully intimidating the young druid with the Infinity Scepter, Skyl immediately began explaining his plans. He made no attempt to conceal his ambition to replace Mystra, or at least replace part of her authority, and create an entirely independent magical system.
This was the first time Stan had heard the plan as well. After listening, he gave Skyl a thumbs-up.
"You really don't do anything halfway, kid."
Doric looked terrified.
"Replace the goddess of magic? How could you possibly do that?"
"Why couldn't I? Besides, this is the best way to deal with the Infinity Scepter. It will become a divine tree and join the natural world. For you druids, it will represent an entirely new world. As for every spellcaster in existence, I will become one of the two great pillars of arcane magic. Once I kindle a divine spark, I will naturally step onto the path of a demigod. From there, I can gradually ascend until I achieve greater deityhood."
Skyl did not possess the aggressive passion or overwhelming intensity of an ordinary would-be conqueror, but his calm explanation carried a persuasive power of its own.
Doric had finally realized how frightening he was. Perhaps the idea of a divine tree of magic also appealed to her imagination. Whatever the reason, that night, she formally began teaching Skyl how to follow the druidic path.
A druid's primary attribute was Wisdom, which measured awareness, intuition, and insight. People with powerful Wisdom found it easier to form connections with their surroundings. They also tended to possess strong instincts, almost like a sixth sense capable of warning them of approaching danger or good fortune.
A warlock's primary attribute was Charisma, which measured confidence, eloquence, and leadership. Skyl had never lacked confidence, so his progress along the warlock's path had been remarkably smooth.
Now that he was taking up druidry as a second profession, he would need to begin an entirely new course of effort and training.
Doric's first formal lesson was meditation.
"Empty your mind and allow the universe's breath to fill you."
The tiefling girl sat cross-legged in the fork of a pine tree, her tail wrapped several times around a branch. Moonlight slid across her skin like droplets of water over a waxed leaf.
Skyl copied her posture and sat cross-legged on a boulder beneath the tree.
He had previously learned the [Tower Meditation Method], but that form of meditation was designed to concentrate the mind and dispel exhaustion. It was an inward path based on intense focus, the complete opposite of the druidic way.
Skyl tried to forget everything he had learned from his previous meditation practice.
The moment he emptied his mind, a mysterious and gentle woman's voice sounded beside his ear.
"Traveler from beyond the planes, wanderer of Wildspace, I am the One True Spell, the goddess of magic, Midnight..."
Before she could finish, a second woman's voice appeared. It was cool, tranquil, and serene.
"Traveler from another world, when moonlight first touched you, I became aware of your existence. I am Our Lady of Silver, Selûne..."
Then came a third voice.
"Seeker of knowledge, I am Oghma, Lord of Knowledge..."
A fourth and fifth voice followed in quick succession.
"Mortal, I am Shar, Mistress of the Night..."
"Warlock, you have made a considerable impression upon us. I am Amaunator, Keeper of the Eternal Sun..."
A sixth, seventh, and eighth voice eagerly crowded into Skyl's ears.
The warlock opened his eyes.
Doric frowned at him.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you concentrating on your meditation?"
Skyl pinched the bridge of his nose and released a quiet sigh.
"I seem to have stumbled into the public channel... These gods clearly have nothing better to do."
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