Arcane Journey

Deep in the Underdark, the ancient capital of the drow elves, Ancient Orens, which carried countless years and secrets, ultimately failed to escape the swallowing of fate.

It once stood majestically on the stone pillars in the darkness, like an eternal star in the night, and was the original spark of the drow civilization.

The obsidian towers once pierced the eternal shadows, and the spider-web-like noble mansions sat on the top of the abyss like a nightmare.

But now, all of this no longer exists.

Flames gushed out from the ground like the raging River Styx, turning the once glorious temples, reliefs and altars into ashes.

The whispers and conspiracies that once echoed in the arcades have now been replaced by the loud noise of collapse, and the gazes and daggers lurking in the corners have also been buried by the rolling rocks.

The air smelled of molten lava and charred bones, and smoke coiled like black snakes around broken bridges and collapsed throne rooms.

Ancient Orens was destroyed completely and ruthlessly, without even a trace of it left.

It's like an erased memory, a severed bloodline, and a elegy with no witnesses.

There was no bell or elegy for its fall, only the roar of the earth and the silence of the abyss.

And beneath these ruins, perhaps there are some unfinished secrets hidden, waiting to be awakened one day, or to sleep forever and be forgotten forever.

A flash of inspiration passed by, and Brian's figure quietly emerged above the ruins of the ancient city of Orens.

The air was filled with the smell of scorched earth and rubble, and the low sound of wind blowing through the empty spaces echoed among the ruins, as if this once-glorious city was still whispering about the disaster it had suffered.

Brian landed slowly, his footsteps were so light that they were almost inaudible, but they left deep marks on the ground.

This is an invisible heaviness that comes from the indescribable emotion in the heart.

The huge cave in front of me was like a wound in the earth, with cracks spreading into the distance, exposed rock layers, and broken stone pillars scattered around like bones torn by giant beasts.

The once bustling streets are now reduced to distorted outlines, and the ruins of the temple cast mottled shadows, as if even time has stopped here for a moment.

Brian stopped for a long time, his eyes swept across those familiar remains, and a hint of complexity emerged in his eyes.

The ancient city of Orens, an ancient relic hidden deep in the underworld, once stood among the rock strata of the underground world with its quiet and mysterious outline.

However, even though it was once glorious, it ultimately could not escape the fate of destruction.

The gears of fate turn quietly, engraving its name once again in the memory of blood and fire.

The main reason why it could not escape the fate of destruction was because of the dark red crystal left behind by the elven god Corellon Larethian before he left.

This inconspicuous crystal is the terrifying energy with divine power that was condensed when the Spider Queen Rose killed the Balrog King Kaldum.

As one of the oldest and most powerful demon races in the Abyss, everyone knows how terrifying the Balrog is.

And Kaldum is the first among them and can be called the ancestor of all fire demons.

Not only does it possess the demon lord's tyrannical strength and cunning wisdom, it also has the terrifying "burning explosion" feature - when its life is on the verge of ending, the boiling magma power in its body will instantly erupt, turning into a devastating explosion that is enough to tear apart space and burn down cities.

In order to prevent the city of Ancient Orens from being destroyed, the Spider Queen Rose was very clear that if the demon lord was killed and Kaldum's self-destructive energy was allowed to be released, the entire city of Ancient Orens would be reduced to ashes and countless lives would be annihilated in the flames.

So, at the moment when Kaldum was about to detonate himself, Rose forcibly suppressed him with the power of the gods. The spider-web-like divine power wrapped around the core of the magic flame that was about to collapse like a chain, and forcibly suppressed the tremendous destructive force.

Unfortunately, the Spider Queen Rose miscalculated. She did not expect that the Elven Lord would appear. Corellon not only eliminated Rose's incarnation, but also forced the deviated timeline to return to the right track.

And with her exit, the long-accumulated "Burning Explosion" of the Balor Demon King Kaldum also lost its guidance and control.

The blazing energy was like a fire dragon that had broken free from its reins, swirling and roaring in the air. The hot air waves distorted the space, and even time trembled at this moment.

The flames tore through the void, transforming into countless streams of flame that devoured everything around them.

At that moment, the entire area fell into purgatory, with only the whispers of anxiety and destruction.

Brian can still clearly feel the horror of that moment.

The energy released by the explosion directly tore through the space itself. The fierce shock wave was like the roar of an ancient beast, shaking his soul.

If he had not reacted quickly, cast a protective spell and evacuated in time, he and everyone else would have been caught up in the devastating aftermath and become a victim of the destruction of the ancient city of Orens.

This kind of power is beyond the comprehension of mortals. It is no different from the embodiment of God's wrath, ruthlessly crushing everything that stands in its way.

Even though he was in a safe place now, Brian's back was still covered in cold sweat and his heartbeat had not yet fully returned to normal.

At the same time, this also made Brian puzzled: Why was the Elf God so determined?
He did not hesitate to break the shackles of time and forcibly reverse the wheel of fate, just to bring everything back to a certain predetermined point.

But what is the purpose behind this?
Is it to correct some unforgivable mistake, or to prevent a more terrible future from happening?

Brian stood there in thought for a moment, brows furrowed, but in the end he couldn't figure out the answer.

"Forget it, let Him be." He whispered to himself, with a hint of helplessness and fatigue in his voice, as if he was unwilling to delve into the complexity and unpredictability of God's will any further.

Then, Brian shook his head gently, shook off those chaotic thoughts, and raised his hand to cast a spell.

The next moment, a light blue magical glow appeared around him.

The light flashed and Brian's figure disappeared from the spot, leaving only the magical fluctuations that had not yet dissipated in the air, slowly spreading out like ripples.

When Brian opened his eyes again, he was already in the familiar Vizlan Mage Tower.

Towering stone walls, neatly arranged bookshelves, and a light herbal aroma in the air.

Then, when Brian walked into the room, he saw Vizlan slumped in the old wooden chair, as if all his bones had been taken out, leaving only an empty shell.

I saw his hands hanging limply on his knees, his fingertips trembling slightly, like dead leaves swaying in the cold wind.

The eyes that once sparkled with cunning and confidence were now dull and lifeless.

His gaze was fixed on the mirror in front of him. The image in the mirror seemed to pull at some hidden string deep in his heart, making him look dazed, as if his soul had been torn out of his body.

There was a depressing silence in the air, with only the ticking sound of the old-fashioned clock in the corner slowly cutting through the time.

Brian stood at the door and could almost hear Vizlan's heavy heartbeat.

This is a kind of despair that is stuck in a quagmire and unable to extricate oneself.

He had never seen Vizlan in such a miserable state. The usually sneer-like and calm drow wizard now looked like an old tree split by lightning, with only a broken trunk and broken leaves on the ground. (End of this chapter)