At night, the rune crystals surrounding Dawning Square shimmered with a translucent light.
As clear as day, the mages could clearly see the dome of the circular temple and the Magister's Terrace in the distance, surging with magical energy.
Fortunately, the energy on the island of Quel'Danas remained stable, and the Sunwell still radiated a dazzling magical radiance. They were all there, intact.
High-ranking mages gathered wearily around the square. No longer were the towering arcane barriers that surrounded the surrounding temples. Instead, a mage lay on the ground. His name was Kanthin, a mage with extensive knowledge of void creatures.
The powerful arcane energy hadn't ripped his mage garb, leaving his body intact.
The surroundings were serene, and the mages were silent. Magister Rommath knelt on one knee, his left hand gently touching the high-ranking mage's body.
Aided by a gentle breeze, the magister's body shattered. The arcane energy had shattered his flesh into such a state. The entire body vanished, and a faint wisp of energy drifted into the sky. It must have been the sorcerer's soul.
It was depressing; this wasn't a memorial service. There was no crying, no sorrow, and even less pain. There was only awe and fear of magic.
This was a power no one could control, and no one knew when magic would become its user, devouring its original caster whole.
Belo'vir shook his head, unsure what to say. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. He led Leylin out of Quel'Danas through a teleportation circle and back to the Mage Tower.
Leylin, a fellow mage, felt the same way. A simple spell to summon an arcane creature, and in the end, only a wisp of soul remained.
"Go home and rest early. A full day's work must have taken its toll on you," the teacher said with concern.
Leylin removed his mage robes, changed into something lighter, and returned back to the inn.
He didn't feel particularly tired. After his daily routine of absorbing magic energy, Leylin once again took out his magic notebook.
After a full day of being bathed in arcane energy, Leylin felt his affinity for the surrounding arcane energy had greatly increased.
He continued to delving deep in his study of arcane energy. After quite some time, Leylin decided to look around in Silvermoon City. Tidying himself up and went outside to wander the streets.
Leylin quickly thought of learning a profession. With a determined nod, he set out to the bustling Bazaar, a vibrant maze of stalls and merchants shouting over one another, each offering exotic goods and rare treasures.
His goal was to learn the art of tailoring—an essential skill for crafting his own armor and ensuring his safety in the dangerous surroundings.
He went inside Keelen's Trustworthy Tailoring, small shop tucked away in a busy corner, its shelves filled with colorful fabrics and leather. As he browsed, Leylin purchased a collection of books on tailoring, their pages filled with diagrams, techniques, and secrets passed down through generations.
The merchant, noticing Leylin's keen interest, gave him a knowing smile and a few tips, but Leylin was quick to haggle, knowing his finances were tight.
"Now, let's see what I can get for this," Leylin said, gesturing at a bolt of deep green cloth. "I've got a tight budget, so I'd like to get the best deal."
With a practiced eye and a bit of charm, he negotiated with the merchant, eventually walking away with the cloth at a good price—saving enough coins to buy some more supplies later.
Back at his modest workshop, Leylin began practicing the art of tailoring. He carefully cut, stitched, and assembled pieces of cloth, slowly but surely learning the skills needed to make durable, flexible armor.
Each attempt was a step closer to creating something that could withstand magical strikes and blades alike. Though he made mistakes along the way—seams uneven and stitches crooked—his persistence paid off, and he grew more confident with each trial.
Over time, he fashioned a lightweight, custom-fit armor from the fabrics and leather he collected, blending practicality with his own touch of craftsmanship. It wasn't as polished as the armor wielded by seasoned warriors, but it was his own creation—crafted with care, tailored to his needs, and imbued with the lessons of patience and resourcefulness.
While practicing his craft, Leylin kept in mind the lessons from the bazaar: the importance of negotiation, the value of quality, and the necessity of adapting to circumstances—skills that served him well both in the future.
The next day, Leylin emerged from the inn, washed up, packed up his books inside his magic bag and hurried to the Mage's Tower. He still had 75 enchanted arrows to make. Three days had already passed, and with just over two days left to complete the delivery,
Leylin no longer had to attend the fire mage classes. He chose to spend more time in the Mage's Tower, furthering his studies.
With his teacher away, Leylin crafted his enchanted arrows alone in the material storage room.
"Knock, knock." There was a knock on the door.
Leylin set his crafted enchanted arrows aside and immediately went downstairs to open the Mage's Tower.
"Alleria? Why are you here?" Leylin opened the door to see a familiar ranger, smiling broadly at him. Avoiding embarrassment, Leylin returned the smile.
Alleria reached inside the Mage's Tower, deftly sensing the absence of any living presence. She pushed Leylin inside.
"The techer isn't here. He went to the Council of Silvermoon today," Leylin said, being pushed from behind by Alleria.
Alleria nodded, then asked around, "I know, that's why I came."
"My teacher and I are relatively poor, so there's nothing here you can take from here." Leylin teased.
Alleria paused, turned to Leylin, and said, "Construct. I want to see the construct you experimented on the other day."
Leylin puzzled but still nodded, motioning for her to follow him.
Arriving at the base of the mage tower, where the construct was stored, Leylin entered the darkened room and cast a [Fireball], illuminating it. Using the light, Leylin showed the construct to Alleria.
It wasn't particularly attractive, but Alleria remained extremely interested in it. Leylin knew Alleria wasn't an elf who judged appearances by appearances, and that included the constructs.
But what Alleria didn't know is the one Leylin is showing right now is different from the one he tested. This construct was the prototype of his teacher made when Leylin showed his first construct.
Its performance might differ from the RX-78 he made but its certainly good enough to beat Dar'Khan's arcane construct.
"Sylvanas told me this construct has very high performance. It's excellent."
"Well, it uses a new arcane core array. Its reaction speed and attack power have been greatly improved," Leylin explained.
"Can you lend it to me? I have an important mission next week, so please lend it to me," Alleria asked.
Leylin was in a dilemma because it wasn't his own. A construct crafted by his teacher couldn't just be borrowed.
"I can't say for sure, but I can ask for you," Leylin said, patting the construct.
Alleria was perplexed, knowing Belo'vir's character. This great magister wouldn't lend his belongings for no reason unless he had gold in exchange.
As a ranger captain, Alleria couldn't freely mobilize the army's supplies, but the three sisters' gold coins had all been given to Leylin by the second sister a few days ago. With no other choice, she could only borrow them.