After that, the confrontation with the Lord Venlock, Lucian, Elysia, and David went on to Lucian's stronghold, a place that was beyond the earthly bounds. A place of ethereal splendor and power, yet one that defied the limitations of space and time. The sky above shone bright with a play of lights in colors no mortal could ever fathom, yet the ground below them seemed to pulse with arcane energy equalling the power that Lucian wielded.
Lucian sat on a throne made of swirling otherworldly energy, gazing out at the horizon with quiet, calculating intent. David stood beside him, silent as ever but infinitely loyal, his form granted the immense power by his master. Elysia stood in this vast expanse of land, her newly awakened power coursing through her. She could feel the world's magic bending to her will as if it was inescapably a part of her being.
She was silent for so long that Lucian's tone broke through the silence with calm but very authoritative. "Elysia, being the Goddess of Magic, it is time you take over the Arcane World. Henceforth, you will be its ruler. You will govern as my representative and as the face of the new pantheon that I am building.".
Elysia turned to Lucian, casting her head at a slight angle in recognition. "I understand, my lord," she answered, her voice steady, though there was a fire in her eyes that could not be missed. The power Lucian had granted her was enormous, and with this, came responsibility of a magnitude she'd never faced. She would not fail him.
Lucian went on, "You shall find talents from the Arcane World. Find those worthy of power, those who can be of help to you with ruling over the realm. Provide them with minor tasks and chores. Make them serve you, as you serve me."
There was a silence, and Lucian's stare seemed to increase. "Go now, Elysia. Let the Arcane World bend to your will.".
Without a word, Elysia nodded her head slightly and had made her decision. With one thought, her body began to emit light. She shuddered with the magical energy now coursing through her veins. She turned, leaving Lucian and David behind and in an instant, her form dissolved into pure light shooting upwards into the sky, through the layers of reality, and beyond the confines of Lucian's realm.
Elysia's POV
This was the feeling of flying through space, as though floating on a cushion of clouds. For Elysia, it was all totally alien. She twisted and folded through dimensions as she moved, her consciousness freed from the strictures of the material realm. She could feel the web of magic running between things, an enthralling network covering multiple worlds and planes. She had the Goddess of Magic inside her, so she moved through all of these threads with the greatest ease.
She could feel the Arcane World approaching it, the energy signature unlike all the rest. The scope of the cosmos was breathtaking and yet somehow Elysia's mind remained centered. And she knew what her purpose was: to rule, to gather talent, and to mould the future for this world she once knew.
It was as she walked towards it that the Arcane World infilled her senses with its familiar magic-the pulse of energy; the swelling, receding tide of the world's magic-unmistakable. But it was different, now. Nowhere had she once been but a practitioner, and now she was its master.
She emerged from the void of space and stepped into the Imperial fringes of the most powerful empire of the Arcane World: the Imperium of Arcanis. A mighty empire, renowned for the mastery in magic, academies, and mighty mages who have dominated the magical stratum for a thousand years. Before her lay the capital city, Aurelius - ramparts that reached for the sky, their spires glowing with the presence of countless enchantments. Streets, sensing magic stirring, filled with an almost palpable weight of arcane.
But for Elysia, it was like she stood above all of this. The magic of the empire, once so terrifying and overwhelming, now seemed small, contained, like a flickering flame before an inferno. She felt the quality of the world's magic bending to her will, a flow of energy waiting to be laid bare under her command.
She closed her eyes to take a deep breath in and expand her senses. The empire was enormous, but she could already distinguish the strongest pockets of power within it: high mages, arcane councils, academies. And she could read the magical auras surrounding them. She felt the way they interacted with energy. In an instant, she would know who wielded the most power, who held the greatest promise, and who among them would be worthy of serving her.
Her feet landed on the earth as she materialized on the edge of Aurelius. No one watched her arrival; city citizens, mages, and scholars kept on with their day-to-day, oblivious to the fact that among them, a goddess had appeared. But that was going to change very soon.
Elysia walked through the crowded streets as her mask and gauze hid her features for now. There, in this place, was a marvel of magical architecture: buildings made of enchanted stone glittering with layers of protective wards, glowing sigils that hovered above doorways, and streets flanked by merchants selling potions, scrolls, and artifacts. All that faded away into nothingness, though, in comparison to the power in her hands.
As she walked, she reached out with her mind. She touched upon the talents Lucian had commanded her to seek. She felt them-young mages heavy with potential, scholars who had spent a lifetime in the pursuit of arcane secrets, warriors drawing strength from magic just as much as the sword. Each one was a thread in the vast tapestry of the Arcane World. And Elysia would pull all these threads into her hand.
She walked toward the Imperial Academy, the biggest and most famous academy of magical knowledge in the empire. It was there where the brightest minds in the world were honed and the most deadly mages were trained. This would be where she would begin her search. Great halls of the academy were packed full of students and professors, their auras humming with the energy of spells and incantations.
Elysia walked through the gates, still unnoticed by the mortals around her. The courtyard lay before her, and she scanned it with her gaze. Here, students practiced their spells and debated the finer points of magical theory. Some of them were talented, but not enough to pique her interest. She needed those who had the potential to reach greatness, and those who could serve her as she ruled over this world.
Then, too, she sensed it—a presence unlike any other. It was faint but unmistakable, a magical signature that pulsed with raw, untapped power. Elysia followed her line of sight to the source, her eyes narrowing as she pinpointed the location.
She saw a young woman-no more than twenty, she guessed-practicing a complicated spell in one of the academy's training grounds. Her form is strong and the movements very precise, and the magic she wields is potent. But there is something else-something beneath the surface. A hidden well of power that had yet to be unlocked.
Elysia smiled. This one had potential.
Without hesitation, she approached the young mage. The woman was so engrossed in her practice that she never noticed her until she was a few paces away. When she finally looked up, her eyes widened in surprise by the figure standing before her.
"Who—who are you?" the young mage stuttered, her voice uncertain.
Elysia grinned, her eyes shining brightly with that strange, arcane light. "I am Elysia, Goddess of Magic," she declared, her voice ringing out with powerful authority. "And I have chosen you."
The young mage blinked, trying to find sense in what she had just been told. "G-God—?" she stuttered, her voice breaking. "But—how?
Elysia drew closer, her own self nearly overpowering, with a presence that should have been normal in that place. "The potential within you is vast, but you've barely begun your journey. I can give you the power to do great things-to transcend the limitations of this world. Will you accept my gift?
She reached out, running her hand down the woman's forehead. In that touch came knowledge and power flooding through her mind, a growth of magic far beyond what could ever have been conceivable for her. The boundaries that once shorn her powers were broken, and the ocean of magical energy was all hers to draw upon.
But it was far from complete. The young mage, now a vassal to the Goddess of Magic, fell to her knees, overwhelmed by the sheer force running through her veins.
Elysia looked down at her, satisfied. "Rise, and take your place by my side. We have much to do.".
And thus, the era of the Goddess of Magic was created in the Arcane World, then bringing the greatest talents to serve beneath her goddess's wings and prepare the world for a new age at dawn's break.