Echoes of the Past

It is located in a canyon some distance from the city of Keren.

Panting heavily, Suiyue gathered magic power in her palm and cast fireball spells, each no bigger than a thumb, repeatedly, attacking a pebble that had been dyed by Nan'an and carelessly tossed onto the riverbank.

During the waiting period for the assessment, Nan'an was determined to correct Suiyue's unbearable basic magic usage and took the initiative to request to be summoned.

One who can sense magic, utilize magic, and learn to cast spells can be called a magician.

However, what truly distinguishes the skill level of a mage often lies in the details of their spellcasting fundamentals.

The speed at which a hand is raised, the control of mana consumption, the precision of manipulation... each of these is a key factor in differentiating high-level mages.

Powerful magic families can develop proper spellcasting habits through systematic training from a young age, while unorthodox mages need to learn from experience in repeated battles.

Suiyue awakened with the help of the Church of Dawn, but in terms of magic learning, she still followed the path of self-exploration. So Nan'an was very "gratified" to see his younger self in her – her spellcasting was full of ingenious little tricks.

For example, hit rate.

Due to her extremely low precision in controlling her magic, Suiyue's spell accuracy is shockingly low.

The moment the spell is released, the trajectory will deviate unpredictably, randomly "favoring" any target within the field of vision, as if drawing lots.

Suiyue's method for improving hit rate is nothing short of bizarre.

"Since it's going to deviate, can't I just shake my hand to correct the trajectory?"

Driven by this seemingly ingenious but actually absurd idea, Suiyue began extremely rigorous training, and by following the pattern of trajectory deviation, she created her own unique "flower hand spellcasting".

Although the spell will still go astray, the rapid hand seals performed before casting the spell, according to Suiyue herself, can increase the hit rate by 40%.

Since the reckless mentality of "if you can't win, then die and be done with it" can't be changed in a short time, Nan'an can only correct it while designing teaching methods that suit her fighting style.

"Nan'an, were you scolded like this before?" Suiyue's lips drooped. "How boring."

"You're lucky." Nan'an, as a summoned creature, was sitting on a large rock nearby, supervising her practice. "The people who taught me back then were all roughnecks who dealt with outlaws and monsters all day long. Their minds were filled with experience gained through bloodshed, but they couldn't integrate that experience into systematic knowledge. I learned from different people every day, and their experiences often conflicted with each other. In the end, I had to sort them out and digest them myself, and even guess which part was correct."

Nan'an jumped down from the rock, walked closer to examine the still undamaged pebble, and then sighed helplessly.

More than a dozen fireballs were fired, but not a single one hit the target.

They explode, decompose, and dissipate on their own in mid-air after flying a distance of no more than two meters.

Suiyue's face showed a rare hint of unease.

She herself knew that her performance in casting the spell just now was truly embarrassing.

Nan'an had been extremely patient and meticulous in his teaching, but after two days of training, there seemed to be no progress at all...

Is she really that stupid?

Unbelievable.

"I...I've already tried my best."

Seeing that Nan'an remained silent, only repeatedly stroking the stone, Suiyue subconsciously shrank her neck again, her tone very weak.

"It's nothing," Nan An finally spoke, his voice devoid of any emotion. "My initial performance wasn't much better than yours."

That was obviously a lie to her.

In fact, shortly after Nan'an awakened his magic, his spells almost never suffered from the basic error of "misalignment".

For a stranger who had no magical foundation and was only gradually imbued with magic after arriving in Nora, his speed of adaptation and mastery was absolutely astonishing.

"us……"

Nan'an's voice caught in his throat.

Suiyue suddenly jolted awake and looked up at the sky along with Nan'an.

It was clearly midday in the height of summer, yet the sky darkened without warning.

It wasn't that dark clouds were blocking out the sun; they could still see the azure, cloudless sky, but it was as if they were looking through a layer of oil-stained glass, hazy and unreal.

The light seemed to be quietly sucked away with a dropper, and the surrounding scenery faded in just a few breaths, losing its distinct outline and color.

The air became heavy and humid.

An indescribable sense of antiquity permeated the air, spreading out quietly from who knows where, in wisps and strands.

The smell was just like when Nan'an returned to his old home in the countryside, pushed open the creaking wooden door, and entered the old house that hadn't been cleaned for a long time. Dust, decay, and dampness mixed together and fermented into thoughts that could evoke childhood memories, all rushing into his nostrils.

"Nan'an..." Suiyue swallowed.

Even someone as carefree as her felt a chill run down her spine as she stared at the sudden change around her.

In just a few breaths, their vision was severely limited and became blurry.

The edges of the distant mountain ridgeline and the nearby riverbed pebbles begin to distort and blur, presenting an unsettling sense of low-resolution distortion.

All sounds are silent.

The chirping of insects, the calls of birds, and the rustling of the wind through the nearby woods all disappeared.

Suiyue tensed up, her remaining antlers turning slightly as she tried to catch any unusual sounds or scents, but to no avail.

"Do you feel... colder?"

Nan'an noticed that a fine layer of water mist quickly condensed on the surface of the pebble in his hand.

He was a spirit and could not sense changes in temperature, so he could only ask questions aloud.

Suiyue nodded, remained silent for a moment, and then said in a dry voice with a hint of uncertainty, "We... seem to be... in the black mist."

Keren City is not a border fortress, and historical records of black fog erosion events have never shown such a rapid and sudden engulfing of large swathes of land without any warning.

But the many anomalies at this moment, such as the abnormal fading of light, the isolation of sound, the sudden drop in temperature, and the old, nostalgic "aura," perfectly matched what those who had heard in taverns, from bards, or from the drunken murmurs of a few fog-breakers who had experienced it deeply.

If it weren't for such a high degree of agreement, Suiyue wouldn't have dared to make a judgment so easily.

Nan'an immediately rushed to the other side of the riverbank and quickly dug out the algae stones that he had buried two days earlier.

On the surface of the stone, a white light, representing potential danger in the vicinity, is flashing rapidly and irregularly.

"Suiyue, if the place where the algae stones were buried is swallowed by the black mist, will it still be possible to navigate to the outside world?"

"Uh..." Suiyue broke out in a cold sweat instantly. "Theoretically... it's possible. But the prerequisite is that we must be very close to the boundary between the black mist and the 'outside world' for the algae stone's ability to clearly take effect again..."

Nan'an's understanding of the black mist was far less than Suiyue's, and Suiyue herself was even less knowledgeable. Neither of them knew why it had suddenly appeared outside Keren City.

Their original plan was to venture into the Black Mist to pan for gold, but unexpectedly, the assessment came in a strange way.

The pre-set anchor points of the algae stones are currently at risk of failure, and for the sake of safety, evacuation must be given priority.

"Current visibility... is only about four meters." Nan An squinted, trying to make out the distant scenery in the fog. "I can barely make out the outlines further away, but they are already very blurry."

He instructed, "Stay close to me."

The summoned creatures are not afraid of death and can help Suiyue absorb fatal wounds.

At this very moment, in the Governor's Castle of Kren City.

"Immediately contact [Elu] and urgently report to the Senate that a large-scale black fog has appeared in the direction of the Sickle Water Canyon outside Keren City."

"Grab the film roll, head over immediately to observe and record its coverage area. I need the most detailed data, quick!"

"All messengers shall set out immediately, by whatever means necessary, to spread the message to all the city-states and towns surrounding Keren as quickly as possible, and order all people to evacuate to Keren immediately."

"Open the newly constructed underground water system and establish temporary refuge gathering points. All knights within the city, immediately lead your respective squads to maintain order and ensure that everything is in perfect order."

"I hereby declare that the city of Kren is immediately placed under temporary wartime control, with a full curfew in effect. Until the Senate issues a formal order, the regular restrictions on the governor's authority are lifted, and I will temporarily assume full jurisdiction as the lord of the territory."

"All grain loan agreements are suspended. Immediately levy the Black Mist Emergency Tax on all nobles in the city, to be paid in grain. The Kren Guard shall carry out this immediately. Anyone who resists shall be dealt with according to wartime laws."

One command after another came out of Pirion's mouth clearly and quickly.

With each instruction issued, one official in the line below the steps would receive the order, turn around, and quickly leave.

After the arrangements were completed, Pirion slumped into a soft chair, trembling all over.

"100 years... Is it starting again?"

The messengers of Keren City set out in droves, splitting into several groups. One group, heading straight for the Sickle Water Canyon, witnessed a horrifying sight as they approached their destination.

The sky seemed to be torn apart by a pitch-black crack, and the deep, lightless pillar of darkness, like the giant pillar supporting the sky, suddenly collapsed and fell from the sky.

It thus firmly enveloped the vast land.

Most people, in their lifetime, have only ever seen the black fog wall at the border that blocks out the light of day and seems to be eternally still, but have never seen the black fog appear in such a way.

At this moment, it seems to have a clear source.

At the base of the towering, dark pillar, like ink dripping into clear water, it devoured everything in its path, both scenery and color.

"Captain, I know everything in Sicklewater Canyon. Algae Stone is ready. If I don't come back... please take good care of the children for me."

Before the captain could give his permission, one of the messengers leaped into the boundless black fog.

In the unbearable silence, they discovered that the black mist was slowly but surely spreading outwards.

After an unknown amount of time, the black mist was pushed aside by a figure.

The adventurous messenger returned, and the surrounding people immediately gathered around him.

"It's different from the Sickle Water Canyon I know... I'll report this to the Governor. There's a spatial displacement phenomenon. I suggest raising the danger warning level."