Gawain looked up at the darkening sky. He removed his helmet, placed it on a nearby bookshelf, and spoke with a hint of apology.
"I'm sorry, I might not have much time. I have to head out again first thing tomorrow morning. I only have tonight."
He paused, glancing around the room. "I mainly came to check on how you were settling in, Teacher. But seeing you in such high spirits puts my mind at ease."
"The conditions here are more than enough for me," Sellen replied. "I am content that you have the heart to check on your teacher."
She paused, studying him. She hadn't looked closely during their last brief meeting, but it wasn't her imagination—in such a short span of time, his magical aptitude seemed to have taken a massive leap forward. Basic Glintstone sorceries should pose no challenge for him now.
"I believe one night is enough for you to grasp the fundamentals of Glintstone sorcery. However, I lack the scrolls for the Academy's more advanced spells. I need time to reconstruct them from memory. Furthermore, without Glintstones from Liurnia of the Lakes, casting those higher-tier sorceries will remain difficult."
This matched Gawain's expectations. His previous magic teacher, Orbeck, had needed scrolls because he had been exiled from his academy as an Undead and had to relearn many things himself. Karla, on the other hand, was willing to teach him anything, but she usually had to learn the scrolls herself before she could pass them on.
A master of the Primeval Current like Sellen didn't really need scrolls; the knowledge was etched into her mind. She just needed time to scribe them. But "hardware" like Glintstones was a different matter.
Glintstone sorcery required a Glintstone as a medium. Even with a high-level sorcerer, casting an advanced spell like Comet without a matching Glintstone would result in significantly diminished power—though basic spells like Glintstone Pebble were manageable.
"I'll find a way to resolve the Glintstone shortage eventually," Gawain said. "But for now, Limgrave is devoid of sorcery scrolls. I'll have to trouble you to fill in those blanks, Teacher. My plan is to eventually train a corp of qualified sorcerers in Stormveil. Basic scrolls are indispensable for that."
Sellen was pleasantly surprised. Her apprentice placed far more importance on the cultivation of magical talent than she had anticipated.
Given his status in this city, that vision would certainly become reality. She was more than willing to contribute her efforts. Even after being purged from the Academy, she had never abandoned the pursuit of the Primeval Current, regardless of whether others understood her.
Sellen turned and plucked a scroll from the shelf, laying it gently on the desk.
"I will prioritize reconstructing the foundational sorceries. Let us begin, then. Since you said you are starting Glintstone sorcery from scratch, we shall begin with Starlight. By the way, do you have a Glintstone staff?"
Gawain thought for a moment and pulled out the Demi-Human Queen's Staff. It was a trophy he'd claimed while fighting his way back to Castle Morne across the Weeping Peninsula.
Sellen recognized it instantly as a tool the Academy had once gifted to the demi-humans in an attempt at appeasement.
"That staff... I see. It is adequate for tonight's lesson."
She had briefly considered crafting a staff from Glintstone herself as a gift for her student, but since he already had one, there was no rush. The materials she had on hand wouldn't produce anything of high quality anyway; she would wait for a better opportunity.
She drew her own staff. As she channeled mana into the Glintstone tip, clusters of blue light billowed out, filling the room until it felt as though they were standing in the middle of a starscape.
"Glintstone sorcery is the art of drawing forth the power within Glintstone and giving it form. You may wonder where this power originates."
With a gentle flick of her staff, countless tiny specks of starlight swirled around her. She brought the Glintstone of her staff close to Gawain's eyes so he could observe the flow of mana within.
"Glintstone is the amber of the stars. Golden amber contains the powers of ancient life; likewise, Glintstone contains the residual vitality of the stars. Before our lesson officially begins, I want you to remember: Glintstone sorcery is the exploration of the stars and the life within them. The mediocre sorcerers of today have long since forgotten this."
"Now, take your staff. Channel your mana, construct the corresponding magic circle, and I will assist you in stabilizing the control."
The mentor and apprentice began their practice in the star-filled room. Time slipped away unnoticed until the light of the Erdtree once again masked the starlight overhead.
Exhausted after a night of work, Sellen sat back on the edge of her bed. Her apprentice's talent was more terrifying than she had imagined. In a single night, he had actually mastered every basic Glintstone sorcery she knew.
This wasn't something that could be explained by simple "talent." Beyond mana control, the hardest part of Glintstone sorcery was constructing the complex, systematic magic circles.
This was usually the steepest hurdle for beginners. Without prior study of a similar system, it was impossible to adapt so quickly. The evidence was before her, and she had to conclude that before touching Glintstone sorcery, Gawain must have mastered another vast system of magic, giving him a rock-solid foundation.
"The starlight has faded. It seems our lesson must come to an end." Sellen looked at him. "Apprentice, your talent for Glintstone sorcery far exceeds that of any ordinary student. If you choose to continue down this path, you will surely achieve greatness."
Gawain sheathed his staff. To be honest, he was quite satisfied with the praise, though he knew he'd taken a bit of a shortcut.
Having traveled through both the world of Dark Souls and the Lands Between, he had confirmed a logic that was both absurd and reasonable: in any world, any systematic academic field—including the construction of magic circles—was inseparable from mathematics.
Whether it was the soul-based sorceries he already knew or the Glintstone sorcery he had just started, learning them felt like being back in a university calculus lecture. Many theoretical concepts gave him a sense of déjà vu. Truly, he thought, mastering STEM makes one thrive in any world.
"Thank you, Teacher. But talent alone isn't enough; it's mostly because I have an excellent instructor. Despite what you said about not being a 'gentle' teacher, it seems the opposite is true. You are a very kind person."
Sellen smiled faintly at the evaluation, seemingly remembering things from her past, and let out a soft sigh.
"Perhaps the real me is quite different from what you imagine. In the realm of sorcery, it is common for even the closest mentors and apprentices to part ways due to differing philosophies. But it is an honor to teach a student like you. I will complete your requests as quickly as possible; I don't think it will take long."
Gawain knew she was likely worrying about the Primeval Current. The reputation of that school in the Lands Between was poor, to say the least. Even he believed that the Primeval Current was heading in a dangerous direction; sometimes, pursuing a truth too deeply leads one into madness.
He didn't think he could talk Sellen out of her pursuit of the Origin, but he hoped to subtly prevent her from turning into one of those twisted Graven Masses.
"When I was learning magic before, I heard a legend about a great sage," Gawain began. "This sage pursued the essence of the soul more deeply than any other master. In the end, he even transformed himself into a form closest to the world's primordial state, intending to challenge the causality of the world itself."
"Oh? How interesting," Sellen said, her curiosity piqued. This sounded remarkably similar to the goals of her own school. "Did this legendary sage succeed in the end?"
Gawain shook his head. Aldia had failed long before the story of the Bearer of the Curse began. He'd never had the chance to meet him in person, but the sage's story had given him much to think about.
"He failed, but he also succeeded in knowing the essence of the world. He hesitated between 'Real Despair' and a 'Fated, False Hope.' Ultimately, he left the choice to the true King who passed his trials."
"And what was the King's final choice?"
"His choice was to maintain that false hope. If pursuing the Origin leads only to Real Despair, he would rather burn himself to maintain the hope, even if it was a lie."
Sellen fell into thought after hearing the story. She thought of the fate of the two Primeval masters. Would her own pursuit of the stars also lead only to Real Despair?
Gawain bid her farewell and left the room. He wanted to give her time to reflect. The story wasn't just for her; he suspected he might face a similar choice in the future. After all, the cosmos of the Lands Between was a place full of malice.
Leaving the building, Gawain felt only a slight mental fatigue despite having had no sleep, thanks to his mana being fully restored.
Shortly after, he found Blaidd and told him they were ready to head for the Siofra River Well.
Blaidd, who had been waiting, didn't dally. He shouldered his Royal Greatsword and followed Gawain to the open plaza, where a large group of Kaiden Sellswords was already gathered.
"Hm? It seems we have more traveling companions than I expected," Blaidd noted.
"Of course. That's a lost Eternal City down there," Gawain replied. "I don't know exactly how big it is, but if it was just the two of us, it would take forever to map out. Besides, I can't leave such a massive area beneath my territory outside of my control. These men will come with us to speed up the exploration and establish a base for future control of the underground."
Blaidd nodded. He should have known an proactive King wouldn't ignore an Eternal City. He was also happy to see the exploration expedited.
"Calvin, are these the men you chose?" Gawain asked. "It might be dangerous down there. Be careful."
"Don't worry, Lord," Calvin replied. "These are brothers I've fought alongside for a long time. Even if we ran into a Crucible Knight, I'm confident we could tie him up long enough for everyone to make a clean escape."
Gawain's lip twitched. So twenty-plus Kaiden mercenaries can only hope to 'escape' from one Crucible Knight? Then again, being able to escape a Crucible Knight was actually quite an achievement.
He recalled that he wouldn't run into the two Crucible Knights at the Siofra Aqueduct yet, but there was still a lone Crucible Knight standing on a broken bridge near the Siofra River. In the game, you had to teleport from the Four Belfries to reach him. This time, Gawain intended to find a way across that bridge to see why that guy was just standing there staring at the wind.
Leading Calvin and his twenty-odd mercenaries, the group marched out of Stormveil, heading through the heart of the Mistwood toward the lift that led to the Siofra River.
As they passed the gate front, Gawain noticed more Tarnished arriving from various directions, seemingly looking to join him. Word of his victory over Godrick and his claim to the title of Lord of Storms had clearly spread. Given the choice, most Tarnished preferred the safety of a kingdom over being confined to the Roundtable Hold.
The scenery along the way was peaceful. Since Godrick had "cooperatively" surrendered his power and Stormveil had been cleared out, Gawain had neutralized almost every major threat in the region.
The Frenzied Flame cultists and Misbegotten on the Weeping Peninsula had been mostly wiped out, and the Trolls on Stormhill had been reassigned to proper labor. Even if there were hidden dangers, the two Crucible Knights he'd sent on patrol would handle them easily.
The only remaining eyesores were the wandering Golden Lineage aristocrats. Perhaps when he returned, he would have Agheel patrol the area to give those people a swift end.
Blaidd took all of this in, surprised at how much had changed in just a few days. He remembered what a hellscape Limgrave had been when he was tracking down the traitorous Bloodhound Knight. To see it looking somewhat civilized in such a short time... perhaps Ranni's choice to cooperate with this man was the right one.
The group rode their horses along the Limgrave highway and soon reached the edge of the Mistwood. According to Blaidd's directions, the Siofra River Well was hidden deep within.
Before they could even dismount, a beastly roar erupted from the depths of the forest. Calvin reacted instantly, recognizing the sound.
"Those Rune Bears don't seem to like being disturbed. I can feel them approaching."
"It's fine," Gawain said. "Looks like we're having bear meat for dinner."
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Elden Ring: In the Name of Ash (112 chapter - Ongoing)
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