Alaric did not comment on the girl's conclusion. Instead, he suddenly asked another question.
"Jaina, why do you want to become a mage?"
The question puzzled the girl. After all, she had just mentioned this topic and had already given an answer.
Still, since it was a question from her teacher, she obediently repeated her response.
"To control my own destiny."
"Control your own destiny? That's it?" Alaric waved his hand and frowned. "Think carefully. My apprentice should not have such a simple ambition. You should have a far greater ideal to be worthy of being my student."
"A greater ideal?"
"Yes. Only greater ideals can drive us to progress, right?" Alaric said.
"Then... would becoming a mage as powerful as you be a great enough goal?" Jaina hesitated and asked tentatively.
"Power? For us, power is merely a tool. If someone lives solely for the pursuit of power, they might as well be dead," Alaric shook his head dismissively.
"Everyone pursues power only to satisfy deeper desires in their hearts. Warriors seek power to achieve glory and authority on the battlefield.
Trolls seek power to fulfill their bloodthirsty customs and fervent beliefs. Mages seek wisdom—which, in a sense, is also power.
They study the truths of this world to seek control over it or to transcend their own limitations. And you? What do you seek power for?"
"Then… would becoming a being as great as the Loa gods or the dragons be considered a sufficiently grand goal?" Jaina recalled certain entities Alaric had mentioned before and boldly asked.
"Loa gods? Dragons?" Her words only made Alaric chuckle in amusement. "Those poor creatures merely possess great power.
The former are essentially just stronger beasts, while the latter, despite their power and wisdom, still cling to primitive societies and habits. Is that what you want to become? I don't think so."
His words made it clear—he did not even consider Loa gods or dragons worthy of his regard.
Jaina fell silent.
She finally understood that her teacher's thoughts and power far exceeded her level—far exceeded even most mages in Dalaran.
The vast difference in worldview and vision determined the gap between him and the others.
Seeing Jaina's reaction, Alaric sighed before suddenly chuckling.
"Alright, alright. That was my mistake—asking you such a question before you've fully understood what it means to be a mage.
So, do you know the difference between a mage and other spellcasters, or even other powerful beings?"
Before Jaina could answer, he continued.
"There are many beings in this world capable of wielding supernatural power, but mages hold a unique greatness.
Speaking of spellcasters, priests, shamans of other races, and orc warlocks all use different kinds of magic.
Even the Loa gods and dragons wield extraordinary power, but mages are entirely different from them.
Priests wield the power of the Holy Light, but they must first pray for its blessing. Shamans can call upon the elements, but they must seek permission from the elemental spirits.
Warlocks command Fel energy, but are also consumed by its destructive nature.
As for the Loa gods, dragons, and other creatures born with supernatural abilities, they merely wield power by instinct—they are capable of nothing more.
Only we mages are the true masters and researchers of power. We control magic instead of being controlled by it. We seek truth and push it further.
Earlier, I mentioned the various forces in cosmology not to tell you that arcane magic is the only path for us, but to show you that, as long as it's possible, any power can be within a mage's grasp.
The key is whether you can control it.
Never let arcane magic limit your mind. For a mage, all things are permitted."
Alaric's words enlightened Jaina, giving her a newfound understanding of the essence of a mage and making her future path clearer.
"I understand," Jaina declared excitedly, looking at her young teacher with shining eyes. "Then my goal is to shape this world according to my will!"
"Not bad. Now that is a meaningful ambition," Alaric nodded in satisfaction. "You are a determined and independent-minded girl.
I knew you had these qualities, so I hope this ambition will help you persevere through hardships in the future. The path of a mage is not an easy one."
…
With Jaina officially becoming his apprentice, her magical training under Alaric began from the very basics.
Aside from extensive studies in fundamental magical theory, the first spell Alaric taught her was the simplest one—arcane cantrips.
These cantrips were not particularly difficult nor powerful, but for mages, they were the first true step in understanding and experiencing magic.
Though Jaina had unconsciously influenced reality with supernatural power from a young age due to her innate talent, using arcane cantrips was the first time she systematically controlled arcane energy.
These spells served simple functions, such as slightly increasing resistance, creating small sparks, light, or frost, detecting nearby magic, producing illusory sounds, inducing fatigue, or conjuring a "mage hand" to manipulate light objects.
Jaina proved to be a true prodigy. Combined with her enhanced magical potential, she mastered all basic arcane cantrips in just one day.
She also grasped magical theory remarkably fast—so much so that Alaric believed even Hermione, his genius girlfriend from the Harry Potter world, would not be able to match her in this aspect.
It was clear—geniuses from a high-magic world were far more terrifying than those from a low-magic world.
At this point, Alaric's vast knowledge and unparalleled mastery of spells became a significant advantage.
Faced with a prodigy like Jaina, Alaric never worried that she would learn too quickly. Instead, he worried she wouldn't learn fast enough.
Every time Jaina proudly announced that she had mastered a new concept or spell and was eager to learn higher-level magic, Alaric would present even more new knowledge and spells of the same level for her to master.
If Jaina was like a sponge rapidly absorbing water, then Alaric was a vast reservoir, continuously providing her with an endless stream of knowledge and magic, keeping her firmly within the level of a magical apprentice—something that often made her exclaim that magic was too complex.
In truth, if Jaina compared her knowledge with other magic apprentices in Dalaran, she would realize that she had already learned dozens of times more than the average apprentice.
Even many higher-ranked mages could not match her in their understanding and control of fundamental magic.
Unaware of other apprentices, and having never seen any of them before, Jaina had no idea what kind of monster she was becoming.
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