This young woman was dressed in a long black and gold robe that hugged her curves. Despite looking young, she held an air of confidence and wisdom that made her seem much older than she looked.
Looking at her, with his True Sight active, Eden barely even had to think about it to glimpse at her status.
[Name: Mystra]
[Title: Goddess of Magic, Lady of Mysteries, Mother of All Magic]
[Talent: ?]
[Perks: ?]
[HP: ?/?]
[MP: ?/?]
[Strength: ?]
[Agility: ?]
[Physique: ?]
[Intelligence: ?]
[Wisdom: ?]
[Resistances: ?]
[Weaknesses: ?]
Well, Eden was not exactly surprised with the result, and if anything, he got more than expected. True Sight might have allowed him a deeper insight into the Universe, this was the Goddess of Magic standing in front of him.
Seeings her glare intensify, Eden waved his hand, greeting, "Hello there."
Mystra narrowed her eyes, and spoke in an ethereal voice, "How vexing your existence is. You invade this world, ignore my rules, my authority…"
She raised a hand, but Eden felt no hostility from her, or any danger.
She snapped her fingers, and the river of time once again flowed. The Weave latched onto the surrounding mana, calming it down, prompting Eden to comment, "I've got to learn Time Stop."
Time Stop was a 9th Level Spell that could, obviously, stop time. It had its limits, as interacting with anything would cause time to resume, and even if nothing was done, time would not be stopped indefinitely. Still, this was Time Stop, anyone would want that kind of power.
If anything, affecting oneself did not count as interacting with the physical world, so it could allow one to apply buffs to themselves, or prepare for a spell that required a long casting time.
Mystra's stern gaze softened a little at his comment, and became intrigued as she added, "And yet, oh so intriguing."
Eden had a hunch that this meeting was not meant to happen. If things had gone according to plan, Eden would have been stopped in time, allowing Mystra to heal the weave without him knowing about it.
But he did not say it, as he also guessed that this was not something Mystra wanted him to know, considering her attitude, so he said instead, "It is an honor to meet you, my Lady. Would you be interested in a deal?"
Mystra was taken aback by his request, and frowned, displeased, "Do you take me for a devil?"
Eden saw the Weave around them tremble, in a more intense yet controlled manner than before, as if echoing the rapidly growing anger emerging within the Goddess.
Despite having a Goddess angrily looking at him, Eden snorted casually, "I didn't know devils had a monopoly on deals. Must be new."
The corner of her eye twitched, and with a raise of her hand, the surrounding mana converged, forming a complex array in the sky.
"You dare mock me? Should I annihilate you? Or perhaps you believe your soul will protect you from this?"
Eden found it hard to focus on what she said however as his full attention was taken by the array in the sky. It was far more complex than anything he had ever seen, which was admittedly not much, but based on the feeling alone, it was far grander than what had been used to summon Mictlantecuhtli.
Still, he managed to voice softly, "I'm sure you're not dumb enough to use a spell that would place a condition on me. This… hmm, hard to say. I'm afraid I don't know nearly enough to discern what it would do… a sort of fire spell maybe?"
The Goddess paused, though not taking her hand down as she asked, "What makes you say that?"
Eden pointed to several of the parts of the array, explaining, "I'm recognizing a few of these. I've seen them in fire spells."
He placed his palm to the side, chanting softly, "I cast Superior Fireball."
A runic circle appeared in front of his hand as a fireball was sent flying at a corner of the room. Instead of disappearing, however, the runic circle was latched onto by the Weave, and brought before Mystra, who examined it.
Much to Eden's chagrin, the one in the sky disappeared.
"Fascinating," the threads of the Weave let go of the runic circle, causing it to disappear, while Mystra asked him, "Tell me, why are you not afraid? Do you not care about your own life and death?"
Eden shrugged casually, "Of course I do. I simply assumed a Goddess, especially a Greater One, who was once a mortal, would have long grown sick of sycophants and such."
A click of the tongue was about the last thing Eden expected from Mystra as he said, "I knew I shouldn't have let Elminster go to Earth. You know too much."
Eden pursed his lips, doing his best not to show any trace of the immense shock her remark birthed in him, knowing that was what she was looking for.
Mystra probably saw through it though, seeing how she started smiling as she said, "Not so fun when others do it, is it?"
Eden snorted softly, before asking, "So, about that deal. Would you be interested in passing one with me? Or better, would you want to teach me some magic?"
She turned her back on him, her hands held together as she hummed, "You're bold, I'll give you that. What would this deal entail?"
Eden looked at her craftily, expressing, "My knowledge may be irksome to you in some ways, I also know a few good things. I offer you a way to royally piss off Shar, and killing off a Quasi-God."
Mystra looked over her shoulder, not quite at Eden, but beyond him, "You mean you will do what you already intended to do?"
"I will do things that will align with your feelings. Helping me achieve these goals would be helping yourself."
Mystra considered it for a moment, casually floating up from the ground in what Eden could only assume was a not so subtle power play, and said, "Anything to harm the Whore of Darkness interests me, but why would I care if you killed Bhaal?"
"Killing any of the Dead Three would weaken the other two. Besides, if given enough, I could also go for Bane." Eden argued.
Seeing that she appeared to be thinking about it, Eden added another nail into the coffin, "Personal feelings aside, have you ever seen anyone more prodigious than I in magic? Would it not be a waste to hamper that talent with insufficient resources?"
"So arrogant. Let's see how this works out for you then." Mystra appeared in front of Eden, placing her fingers on his forehead far too fast for him to react. That was not just speed, it was teleportation.
Eden closed his eyes as he felt a stream of energy enter his body, and quickly switched to his Talent to feel what was happening.
He saw the energy travel through his body, reaching for his heart, attempting to affect him yet miserably failing to do so thanks to his Talent.
"Did you not want my help?"
Faced with Mystra's question, Eden did not know how to answer, not because he did not have an answer, but because he had no idea how to speak with his soul.
Fortunately, intent was apparently enough as Mystra added, "You are using your soul dreadfully passively for someone 'so talented'. It's your soul, deal with it."
Of course Eden knew how to do it, but he swallowed his pride, doing as he was told.
Now with free reign, the energy slipped into his heart, or more precisely, into the small flame at the center of it. The potent source of energy fed his Spirit Flame, which was his Source of Mana, better than Eden ever could with mana, and he heard Mystra wonder, "I can see where your affinity to fire comes from. Good, this should suit you."
He could hardly think about her words though as the energy filling his Spirit Flame was overwhelming him. It was feeding him, and just like with mana, filled him with processed energy. Mana. And since he was already full of mana, he was on the verge of exploding.
Eden dealt with it the same way he had during his Tier I promotion. Thankfully, unlike that time, he was not at the origin of the change going on in his Spirit Flame, allowing him to place his full attention on expelling mana from his body.
So, even though a far larger amount of mana was being created, he barely managed to cope with it. That meant he could not observe the changes undergoing in his heart, however.
The process lasted for several minutes, during which Eden observed his mana undergoing a drastic change. Maybe it was thanks to True Sight, but Eden could feel that his mana possessed certain characteristics. It felt light, volatile and had always been a slight blue in color.
As Mystra worked her magic however, his mana not only turned silver, but it became slightly heavier, more controlled, and somehow, more potent.
When she was finished, Mystra took back her finger, saying, "Worked better than I thought. This should be considered plenty of help, shouldn't it?"
Eden took a look at his Source of Mana, his Spirit Flame, and immediately noticed the difference. It had barely grown any bigger, but it had changed colors. It shone with a light silver now, and felt like it was filled with power.
Opening his eyes, Eden was greeted with a notification.
[Your Perk 'Spirit Flame I' has evolved into 'Silver Flame I'.]
[Silver Flame I: Your abnormally large Source of Mana has absorbed Silver Fire, making it more potent. All Intelligence Attribute Points are worth 18 MP, all Spells cost -10% MP and all Spells are 20% more potent.]
That was something alright.
Silver Fire was not unknown to Eden, as he knew it to be a power granted by Mystra to her Chosen. It did not quite have the same effects though.
"Did you just use me as an experiment?"
Mystra, who had been looking satisfied with herself, pursed her lips, "Mortals, always complaining. It worked, didn't it?"
"I suppose it did. Thank you."
Her satisfied smile reappeared as she said, "And the Absolute?"
Eden waved dismissively, "Will be taken care of. It might represent a huge danger to others, I could end it by myself."
"How arrogant you are for a mortal, you've got even Karsus beat in that regard."
Eden cocked an eyebrow, asking, "Having regrets now? Afraid I'll try to steal your Divine Position?"
Mystra looked amused if anything, "Arrogant, but not stupid. Now, personally infusing you with a part of the Weave should be enough help."
Seeing she was about to disappear, Eden quickly said, "Oh, my lady, one last thing?"
"You are pushing your luck."
Eden smiled apologetically, but still asked, "I would just like to learn one more spell. Simulacrum. It would be a huge help."
Mystra shook her head helplessly, before vanishing away. However, as she did, a small mote of light flew over to Eden, far too fast for him to dodge, not that he would have. At the same time, he also received a mission for killing Bane, worded similarly to the one for killing Bhaal.
It flew through his forehead, and Eden suddenly felt a surge of knowledge enter his mind. Just like that, he had learned a new spell. No, not only learned, but mastered, as the information contained a thorough explanation of the concepts behind the Illusion spell.
[Simulacrum (4th Circle): Create a construct with 50% (100%) of the attributes of the caster, and half their HP. The construct appears without any equipment, and is unable of learning or growing stronger. It takes 12 hours to cast. Cost: 480 (120) MP.]
Simulacrum was one of the most useful spells in Dungeons and Dragons as it allowed one to create a copy of oneself with the same attributes, and halved HP. Other than that, it had access to the same spells and was just as strong as the user.
Moreover, it did not fall under the purview of Eden's Binding Vow.
[Lone Wolf's Bite: Permanently lose the ability to control any entity into serving or becoming an ally to the user. All entities killed have their soul stolen by the user. Incorporates Soul Steal Binding Vow.]
Eden had been quite expressive in forbidding himself from controlling other entities, but Simulacrum created a copy of himself. And Eden did not control that Simulacrum, it had its own mind, which happened to be a copy of his own.
And yet, despite technically not falling under the description of his Binding Vow, Eden still felt like it would be infringing upon it.
That was the thing about Binding Vows. They did not have to follow cold hard rules, and could not be cheated.
Eden could use Simulacrum as it was, but doing so would be betraying himself, and while the infringement on his Vow would not be severe enough to warrant a strong reaction, his soul-stealing effect would most probably be negatively impacted.
The Simulacrum might only be a copy, Eden's intent behind his Binding Vow was to never create allies in battle magically.
Of course, Eden had known all of this before asking for the spell, yet had still asked for it. That was because he had a use for it, just not in its current form.
Slapping his hands together, Eden's Cursed Energy and mana surged as he signed a new Binding Vow.
[The Power of Knowledge: Make the Simulacrum lose the ability of inflicting any kind of damage, enter combat, and any enemy attack deal fatal blows to it. The Simulacrum gains the ability to learn and exchange any amount of information with the caster. Cannot be used as a lookout. Can be cast instantly.]
What Eden had really sought was a way of improving his ability to learn. The Simulacrum, along with his Binding Vow, technically doubled Eden's learning speed, although it was far more than that.
As a construct, the Simulacrum did not need to eat, drink or rest. With his Binding Vow, its entire purpose would be of learning new spells, so yes, whenever Eden himself studied, his speed would be doubled.
But the Simulacrum would not stop whenever he would.
"I cast Simulacrum."
A silver four-fold spell circle manifested in front of Eden, and the air in front of him swirled as ice and snow appeared before him, coalescing into a humanoid figure. Eden had added the ability to cast the spell instantly in his Binding Vow because he did not believe it made any difference whether it took him 12 hours or 1 second to cast.
The ice and snow rapidly changed colors, and before long, Eden found himself standing in front of a naked copy of himself.
As he examined it, the Simulacrum crossed his arms, remarking with a dull voice, "Yay, created to spend my days learning. How lucky I am to come into existence."
"You're being sassy?"
The Simulacrum looked at him expressionlessly, still speaking with the same dull voice, devoid of any emotions, "I emulated the response you would have shown. I am a construct, I do no possess emotions. Which is for the better."
"Indeed."
Eden tossed over the scroll for Tasha's Otherworldly Guise. Catching it, the Simulacrum said, "I suppose I should always prioritize learning spells over studying Cursed Energy?"
Eden nodded silently, no explanations being needed for his Simulacrum.
His Simulacrum, as a copy of Eden, also had access to Cursed Energy, and while it could not fight, nothing stopped it from studying it, improving his Cursed Energy Output, or his understanding of it.
Eden preferred for it to focus on spells however, because Cursed Energy was something best learned in combat, while spells required meditation and calm. The most efficient way to train for Eden was thus to let his Simulacrum focus on spells, and learn Cursed Energy himself.
While his Simulacrum sat down in a lotus position to study the scroll, which made Eden snicker, he took out the Necromancy of Thay. He had it for a while now, and although his Binding Vow made it not as interesting as it once seemed, Eden saw no reason not to study it.
The Amethyst inserted, Eden promptly opened the book, causing the runes inscribed inside to glow with an ominous violet. He felt it attempt to mess with his mind, and although he knew that allowing it to do so could grant him some powers, he allowed his soul to completely block off the effects of the runes.
The benefits granted by absorbing the power of the runes were useless to him anyway, as one would increase his ability to resist magical debuffs, and the other summon ghouls once he found another book.
So Eden not only shielded himself from the runes, but he also sent some of his mana into the runes, shattering them.
Silver Fire was a powerful ability granted to the Chosen of Mystra that drew on the power of the Weave itself. Eden's Silver Flame worked differently, as he had absorbed this power into his Source of Mana.
This granted him the effects of his Perk, but it also allowed his mana to evolve, making it easier to crush magical constructs.
With the runes protecting the book destroyed, it lost its curse, and every locked page now became accessible.
Behind the runes hid a powerful arcanabula, which was to say, a wizard's spellbook. Because of the rules Mystra had put in place following Karsus' folly, wizards had become unable of memorizing spells mentally, which was why Gale could have lost all of his power.
Since they could not memorize them mentally, wizards wrote their spells down in their spellbook. They could not use all the spells present in their spellbook however, Mystra's rules only allowing them to 'prepare' a select few of them.
Anyway, the Necromancy of Thay used to be the spellbook of a powerful Necromancer, an Archmage by the looks of it, but had been cursed. Now that Eden had lifted the curse, he had access to all the spells inside.