Chapter 594: The New Kamar Taj (I)

All the sorcerers looked at each other. This was not something they could easily accept. They spent most of their lives under the teachings of being disciplined, morally upright and respecting the laws of nature. However, today, their leader told them they must throw away these ideals and codes that some of them spent decades living by.

"I know this is difficult to accept," continued Edward. "So, you have three days to decide. If you feel this is unacceptable, you can leave Kamar Taj and return to your mundane life. Kamar Taj will still be your home and family; you can return to ask for any help if needed.

"You can choose the second path if this is unacceptable to you, but you still want to continue your duty. You will then become non-combatant and be assigned to more assistant roles.

"As for the rest, if you choose to say, know things will change; you should be prepared to sacrifice everything for this job."

The ceremony became quiet for a moment before a sorcerer raised his hand, "Sorcerer Supreme, I respect you for telling the truth, but I am of the belief that how we win matters more than winning itself. So, I cannot accept that I have to sacrifice others and commit countless atrocities just to save my own behind. I choose to leave."

"That's fair," nodded Edward. "Sorcerer Andreas, I salute you for all your years of service." After saluting him, Andreas did the same. Soon afterward, more than ten sorcerers chose the same path as them. The others still had not decided, so the assembly ended.

After the meeting ended, Edward rested in his room. He knew these sorcerers should be talking to the Ancient One, getting more information and her perspective. They've known her longer and trust her regarding such a thing. Additionally, many people are confused and could use her guidance.

Edward entered the Mirror Dimension before activating the Time Stone to summon Time Duplicates of the Soul Stone, absorbing all its energy into his soul. The Soul Divination process had made tremendous progress, but he felt he was far from the Soul Flame level equaled to Tier 11 and above. He suddenly sensed something and stopped his actions before leaving the mirror dimension.

"Mordo?" Edward did not expect his presence.

"I...came to talk to you. I'm...confused," said Mordo after a brief pause.

"I'm all ears," said Edward, waving his hand to manifest a chair and tea before inviting him.

"You may not know this, but my past was filled with hatred and violence. Unlike the others, I came to Kamar Taj for power and revenge," explained Mordo. "The Ancient One taught me how to control that violent side of me, and only recently could I say that I was successful.

"But now, after the future you showed us, and what you said, I can see myself slipping. Everything I know and the beliefs I held on to seemed to be slipping; I'm confused and don't know what to do."

Mordo's eyes were red as if his madness and confusion were affecting him physically.

"Drink some tea."

"I don't want tea — I want answers."

"You can have both," said Edward. At his insistence, Mordo finally drank the tea, feeling an unknown energy rush into his brain and calm his mind.

"Have you ever watched the movie The Princess Bride?" Mordo looked at him, wondering why he was talking about a movie when he was asking for answers and guidance.

"I'm assuming that's a no," said Edward with a smile. "One of my favorite characters in that movie was Inigo Montaya. I love the man because he is one of the few characters in literature portrayed as having no regrets after accomplishing his revenge. Everyone else feels a sense of regret and emptiness once they've killed the people who've wronged them."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Inigo was not affected by his revenge because he knew it was wrong but accepted it as necessary to give him closure. Once it was done, he did not let his actions or his past define him—he processed his trauma, moved on, and lived a happy and fulfilling life.

"But you, on the other hand, are defined by your past actions. You fear you will return to your former self, return to a life of unrestrained violence. So, to protect yourself from reverting to your old self, you build an ideology on stubborn and rigid respect for the Ancient One or the traditional laws of the universe.

"You know these things are constant and will not change. So, you believe as long as you follow them and keep them as a tether, you won't change — you can be the calm and wise Master of the Mystic Arts instead of the violent Mordo."

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"Many," replied Edward. "You cannot live for others. Humans are complicated, and I guarantee you the Ancient One you know is only an ideal version you've created in your mind. She has lived so long that you cannot fathom what secrets she's hiding or how much she's changed from when she first became a sorcerer."

"What about the natural order of things? Surely there is nothing wrong with living by such a philosophy," Mordo asked.

"There isn't," nodded Edward. "The issue is extremism, to the point of accepting any act of bending the laws for a greater cause."

"Then, what am I supposed to do?"

"I recommend leaving Kamar Taj and finding a therapist to deal with your past and find yourself. Then, you can choose whether to return and in what capacity."

"I see." Mordo left his room, and the next day, he also left Kamar Taj. On the third day, Edward gathered everyone again, and this time, he lost 10% of the sorcerers who left and another 20% who chose to become non-combatants.

"I'm glad so many of you stayed," said Edward. "We have a lot of work to do, so if you have any questions about what I previously said, do it now."

"I have a question, but not about what you said," said Wong.

"What is it?"

"What do we call you?"

"Excuse me?"

"We can't call you Sorcerer Supreme, as that's more of a title. So, now that you're in this position, how should we address you?"

"You can continue calling me by name or call me the Arcane Emperor. It's your choice, and I don't mind either way," replied Edward. "Anything else." No one had a question.

"In that case, let's begin." He waved his hand to manifest a contract before everyone else. "You will all access valuable knowledge, many of which must be protected to prevent getting into the wrong hands. This contract is to protect that knowledge."

The sorcerers looked at the contract, which was pretty basic, with straightforward wording. So, they signed it.

Edward nodded before pointing at Wong. "Come to the front for a demonstration." Although baffled, Wong walked to the front.

"What is the biggest restriction of Sorcerers?" asked Edward, who immediately answered the question. "Our bodies and souls cannot bear certain energies, so we must rely on Relic. But that will be no more." He raised his hand to summon a yellow rune floating before him.

"Close your eyes and receive the information in this rune." Wong followed the order, and more than five minutes later, he opened his eyes and raised his fists to summon a white aura around them.

"What's this? I feel so powerful," proclaimed Wong. A white aura appeared on his legs, and he jumped more than five meters into the distance before punching a large rock, which his hand penetrated.

"This is [Combat Aura] — a form of power created by combining dimensional energy with the Life Energy in your bodies. It will push your physical abilities to limits you never thought possible," explained Edward. "And with such powerful bodies, you can now tap into energies you never thought you could bore without dying."

The sorcerers looked at Wong with shining eyes. They all loved magic, so why would they not be excited about a new form of mystic art?

"These are just the obvious benefits," said Edward. "There are others, like healing, defense, and ensuring you can live at least 120 years without illness or pain. Of course, you have to survive if you want to enjoy the last benefit." The joyful mood immediately disappeared, replaced by a somber tone.

"Let's proceed to the next one."