The laboratory was in a state of complete disarray.
Four small glass bottles, sealed with corks, stood quietly on the stone workbench. The liquid inside emitted a faint green glow that looked as if it might extinguish at any moment, much like the frail fireflies in the grass on a summer nite.
Colin sat on a cold stone stool, leaning back so that his entire weight rested against the rough wall.
"Magic..."
The word continued to echo in his mind like an aftershock, sending waves of a strange numbness thru his entire body.
He was like a self-righteous child holding a design blueprint for an "integrated circuit" from a higher-dimensional civilization, then confidently trying to build an identical model using mud and sticks.
The result was naturally ridiculous, an inevitable failure.
Frustration, like cold seawater, still soaked his heart. But unlike the pure, directionless anger from before, a hotter and more dangerous flame now burned within him.
It was a thirst for the unknown, a craving for power, and a frantic desire to investigate the most fundamental rules of this world.
He had to figure it out.
He slowly straightened his body.
His eyes, which remained frighteningly bright even in the darkness, regained their usual calm and sharpness.
He stood up and strode out of the secret room where he had tasted bitter defeat, giving an unquestionable command to the Wolf Guards stationed at the door of the Council Chamber.
"Go, call Goff, Priest Sul, Berg, and Nuo, who just returned, to this place."
"Yes, Chieftain!"
The Wolf Guards didn't ask for any reason; they straightened their chests and left to carry out the order.
Soon, four figures appeared in the Council Chamber, each with a different expression and aura.
The old werewolf Goff remained as steady as a mountain. His eyes were like a deep, still well, as if nothing could move him.
The tribal priest, Priest Sul, appeared somewhat frail. He carried a faint herbal scent from spending years with medicinal plants and incense. His gaze was gentle yet profound, as if he could see into the depths of the soul. He was the maintainer of the tribe's Spirit and faith.
The dwarf blacksmith Berg arrived in a rush. His face, flushed red from the furnace fire, still bore a hint of impatience. He had just used the "black stone" Colin brought to ignite an unprecedentedly hot fire in his smithy and was preparing to get to work when he was forcibly called away. The smell of sweat, coal ash, and hot steel clinging to him was so strong it was almost suffocating.
Finally, there was Nuo, who had just returned from the north. Although this old werewolf had rested for three days, a lingering fatigue from the wind and frost still hung between his brows. His gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, yet it held the weariness of one who had seen thru life and death. He had witnessed the cruelest survival in the Northlands and the most primal struggles.
Colin sat in the main seat, his gaze slowly sweeping across the faces of the four men.
The Council Chamber was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
All four sensed that the atmosphere today was unusual. Although Colin's face was calm, they could feel a suppressed urgency in his deep eyes, like the eve of a storm.
"I called you here today because there is an extremely important matter I need to verify with you."
Colin got straight to the point, his voice low and powerful, sending echoes thru the empty Council Chamber.
He did not beat around the bush.
"I want to know if, in your knowledge or in any ancient legends you've heard, there exists such a phenomenon..."
He deliberately weighed his words, trying to describe the mysterious field he had just touched upon in a way they could understand.
"...A phenomenon where some kind of invisible, intangible, strange energy can be condensed for attack or support?"
Fearing they wouldn't understand, he added another sentence.
"Like... like that goblin priest I once dealt with. He could condense over a dozen energy arrows and coat them in green flames."
As soon as this question was asked, the expressions on the four men's faces immediately became varied.
Goff and Priest Sul instinctively glanced at each other, both seeing deep confusion in the other's eyes.
Old Goff spoke first, his weathered face wrinkling like a piece of shriveled bark. He thot for a long time before finally shaking his head slowly.
"This... phenomenon you speak of, I have never seen. My whole life has been spent fighting beasts and enemies. I only believe in the arrows in my hand. As for those... arrows condensed from energy, it sounds more like some kind of... trickery?"
His worldview was filled with the simplest materialism. Power was the contraction of muscle and the sharpness of a weapon. Anything beyond that scope seemed ethereal and nonexistent.
Colin turned his gaze toward Priest Sul.
Priest Sul's brow was tightly furrowed. He pondered for a long while before saying slowly in an uncertain tlly was, any further attempts wous, he walked out of the Council Chamber.