Magic

John’s "lair" was a long-abandoned sewer.

In America, there were many sewers like this, and some cities had sewer systems of immense scale, like vast labyrinths buried deep beneath the city. By coincidence, John’s lair was hidden within one such sewer in Hell’s Kitchen.

It occupied one corner of the enormous sewer network and connected to a civilian air-raid shelter built during World War II. Not far away, it even linked to a subway passage that had long since fallen into ruin.

John’s lair was that very air-raid shelter. Its original owner and builder had been none other than John himself. He had committed plenty of evil deeds in his younger days and made a great many enemies, so he had spent considerable money and pulled numerous strings to secretly build Safe Houses in many locations.

This air-raid shelter was one of his Safe Houses, and it was also where he secretly studied magic. Learning knowledge from different dimensions in a place like this meant no one would disturb him.

The moment Zhang Ye entered the shelter, he saw all manner of strange symbols written across the walls in blood. The symbols came in countless bizarre forms, with no discernible pattern. Some even looked like doodles someone had scrawled at random.

Perhaps noticing Zhang Ye’s curiosity, John explained in the manner of an old servant. "These symbols possess great power. They can sustain a barrier and prevent other wizards from detecting this place. As you know, I have lived under an assumed name for many years. I do not wish to be disturbed by others."

As everyone entered, the lamps along the walls lit up one by one. They resembled infrared lights, but when Zhang Ye swept his gaze over them, he discovered that they were nothing more than ordinary candle sconces.

The flames on those candles had ignited without anyone touching them. Zhang Ye could not see the slightest trace of technology on the candle sconces either. Clearly, this was the legendary magic.

"The flames draw energy from other dimensions. The candles are merely a medium. Once I returned here, the flow of magical power reconnected, so they ignited on their own." John felt as though he were a tour guide leading visitors around.

Following the candlelight, Zhang Ye and the others saw a structure resembling an altar. A huge magic circle drawn in blood covered the floor, while ancient-looking books lay scattered everywhere, stretching all the way to a bookcase in the corner.

Looking at this dark place hidden beneath the city, Zhang Ye’s expression brightened. Just look at this bloody, frightening environment, and the nauseating stench in the air. Now this was what forbidden magic should look like!

"How do we begin?" Zhang Ye asked casually.

"Uh…" John froze for a moment, seemingly not expecting him to be so impatient. After pondering briefly, he cautiously asked, "What… what would you like to learn?"

"Anything is fine. I know absolutely nothing about magic, but I have always longed for the magical world. So you will be responsible for teaching me how to use magic," Zhang Ye said calmly.

"All right. I will do my best." John smiled obediently on the surface, but inwardly cursed Zhang Ye countless times.

John quickly reviewed his knowledge of magic and spoke rapidly. "Since this is your first encounter with magic, I think we should start with the basics. What do you think?"

"Mm." Zhang Ye found a place to sit and nodded in response.

Seeing this, the old vampire took several deep breaths and tried to get himself into the mindset of a teacher. After a moment, once he had organized his thoughts, John began his explanation.

"Magic, put simply, is a method of converting energy. Just as science has all kinds of laws and rules, magic also has a set of rules unique to its own system.

"Wizards like us who use magic actually employ special methods to draw energy from other things, then convert it into other forms of energy to cast the corresponding spells. This is the underlying principle of magic, and also its most fundamental rule."

As Zhang Ye listened to John’s explanation, a thought suddenly struck him. If he could use magic to convert energy, could he use his own power to recharge the Time Twister?

Unaware that Zhang Ye had drifted off in thought, John continued. "Magic originally came from Earth’s Ancient Gods. However, in other corners of the universe, there are also magical abilities passed down by other Ancient Gods. Most of those have already been lost or cannot be comprehended, so for now, we will focus on Earth’s magic."

"White Magic on Earth originated from the Vishanti. They were said to be among the first life forms on Earth, three Ancient Gods: Oshtur, Hoggoth, and Agamotto. Black Magic, on the other hand, came from another Ancient God, Chthon. Legend says he created all dark creatures, though many within the vampire race refuse to acknowledge that."

"White Magic and Black Magic are not actually that different. Their methods of converting energy ultimately lead to the same result, but the magic they release differs vastly. One excels at defense, while the other excels at offense. Most wizards today primarily study Black Magic."

"There are many ways to cast magic, but the most fundamental issue is still energy conversion. Without powerful energy as a supply, the consequences of casting magic will fall upon the caster. In that state, losing hands or feet is commonplace. Some even lose their lives."

Zhang Ye listened quietly. Under normal circumstances, this was knowledge he would never have access to. Pietro and Kara also stood silently nearby, both curious about this wondrous magic.

John’s voice was the only sound in the entire lair as he continuously explained the common principles of magic.

"To cast magic without harming oneself, a wizard must master the ability to redirect the damage onto other things. Alternatively, one can directly draw upon other powerful sources of energy to cast magic, making the damage proportional to the energy consumed so that they cancel each other out."

Hearing this, Zhang Ye spoke thoughtfully. "So if I want to learn magic, I first need to either redirect the harm caused by magic or use another powerful source of energy to offset the damage caused by casting it, right?"

"Yes." John nodded slowly.

"Some wizards form contracts with Lords from other dimensions in order to cast extremely powerful magic, but they ultimately become the lackeys of those powerful beings. Vampire wizards like me, however, generally cast spells through sacrifice. Sometimes, we also steal energy from other dimensions."

Zhang Ye pondered for a moment, then rose to his feet.

"In that case, show me."