Chapter 704: The Primeval Current
"Tarnished, are we? A wonder you should turn up here. I am Sellen, a sorcerer, quite plainly. Why are you here?" A woman with a strange mask asked.
"To learn glintstone sorcery," Edward replied directly, which immediately elicited a strange look from Sellen.
"Don’t you know I’m considered a vile apostate witch among my peers?"
"I didn’t know that, but I don’t really care."
"Are you sure about this?" Sellen asked. "If you become my apprentice, I will not cuddle you. In fact, I’m quite the harsh teacher."
"And I’m a fast learner."
"Very well. From now on, you are my disciple. I’ve never taught a Tarnished before, but this should be interesting."
Sellen immediately started teaching Edward, beginning by introducing glintstone, which was this glowing crystal with the power of the stars. The sorcerers in this world trained their minds to utilize the star energy in the glinstone to cast spells. After realizing Edward was indeed a fast learner, Sellen finally showed her beautiful face, and she also started indoctrinating Edward into her ideologies.
Why was she considered a heretic among her peers? Well, her stories started with the biggest Academy in the Lands Between: The Academy of Raya Lucaria. The stars in this world are unique in that not only do they involve fate, but also because they are alive. Years ago, two prophets observed a phenomenon known as the Primeval Current while studying the stars.
The Primeval Current is the source of power of sorcery in the world. On a macroscopic scale, it is the place where stars are born in this universe. However, unlike other worlds where the stars are massive bodies, they are alive in this universe. After the two prophets peered into the Primeval Current, an asteroid landed on this planet, bringing with it glintstone, and thus, this new type of sorcery was born.
However, the study of the Primeval Current had its downside. Sorcerers would turn their peers into seeds of stars called Graven Mass, which are basically a way to boost the power of sorcery and mitigate the negative influence of the Primeval Current. Such a barbarous act of turning their own people into resources gave Glinstone Sorcerers a terrible reputation, which was only slightly mediated when Renalla, Queen of the Moon, took control over the Academy.
The Queen banned the founder for their study of the Primeval Current. And Sellen, as their most talented student, did not accept such a rule and continued studying the current and turning her peers into Graven Mass. In fact, Edward knew that in the original timeline, Sellen eventually turned into a Graven Mass due to her obsession and reckless study of the Primeval Current.
"Why are you so insistent on studying the Primeval Current?" Edward asked. "Why not take a look at the Moon? Queen Renalla gained access to the Full Moon and looked at how easily she had conquered the Academy."
A look of disdain flashed in Sellen’s eyes. "She was just lucky. The Primeval Current holds the deepest secrets of the stars, and one day, I will prove it."
"She wasn’t lucky. In the cosmology of the universe, the Full Moon is the center of the Primeval Current, just like the Erdtree is the center of the Golden Order."
"Where is the proof for such a wild statement? My disciple, just because you are talented does not mean you can say any unfounded statement."
"It seems you’re not open to this idea yet, so let me ask something else," Edward said. "Why have you never thought of studying the Lands Between? Is it not a star?"
"Hm?"
"I understand ignoring the Sun since its power seemed to have been extinguished for some reason, but the planet or star we are living on is a viable source of power."
"That is an interesting idea, but one you will have to explore on your own. My destiny lies with the Primeval Current.’
’I guess I’ll have to find another way to save her,’ Edward thought before continuing his research. A few days later, he finally created his first [Mother Earth] spell. Sellen watched in shock as he created earth walls, earth spikes, turned earth into mud, and so on. The odd thing was that he did not use any medium, such as glinstone, which was an indication of his high intelligence.
"Now, for the final test," Edward muttered. He raised his hand to release a strange fluctuation. "Gravity Sorcery?" Sellen asked. Gravity was something that people could only learn from the Alabaster Lord and required the power of comets.
"Any large body mass has its own gravity. The only reason comets are the primary source is because they don’t have life or other powers, making gravity easily accessible," Edward explained.
"So, you’re saying, theoretically speaking, I should be able to use glintstone to cast gravity sorcery?"
"Yes, it’s theoretically possible," Edward nodded.
"Interesting," Sellen nodded. This was something worth exploring.
"It’s time for me to leave," Edward said. Now that he had his own Source of Power, he could begin his plan for the perfect mission.
"Yes, you are a Tarnished, burden with a heavy duty," Sellen nodded.
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yes," Sellen nodded. She explained this was only a projection and her real body was locked in some ruins. She gave Edward a detailed description of how to save her, which involved finding a few other people, learning spells from them, and acquiring a few items.
"No problem," Edward nodded. He knew this was not the end. He needed to kill Radhan to free Sellen’s fate, and also helped her retake the Raya Lucaria Academy. Afterward, she will succumb to her ambition and turn into a Graven Mass.
’There’s still some time before I can save her,’ Edward thought. He said goodbye before starting his hunt for the Great Runes. The first target is Margit, the Fell Omen in Stormveil Castle. On his way, Edward took his time to study three interesting things.
The first are Ashes of War. Souls have a few ways to exist after death, and one of them is called Ashes of War. When a warrior dies, their soul has the possibility of leaving an imprint or remnant of their memories, along with all their skills, known as Ashes of War. By imbuing them into weapons, living warriors can use the skills of the dead warrior.
The second thing Edward studied was talismans. After a person wears an item or ornament for a long enough time, the item may become contaminated by their spirit and gain some power. He found a few talismans on his way and studied them.
The last thing is called Spirit of Ashes. They were the same as Ashes of War, but instead of leaving their skills, warriors or souls turned into spirits that can be summoned and controlled. On his way to Stormveil Castle, Edward stopped by a church because of a merchant, and he met Ranni, who gave him a Spirit Calling Bell to use these things.
Edward was not surprised by her presence, ever since Melina had given him access to the traveling horse and companion, called Torrent. The previous owner of the horse tasked Ranni to hand over the bell to the next owner, along with a Wolf Spirit of Ashe.
All three items provided Edward a deeper understanding of the Soul, Death, and, more importantly, Life. He knew this world was his opportunity to master Life Law finally, and he could not be more excited.