[Marvel's Magic Master] Chapter 252: Middle-earth - First Age

The Kabbalah-style stone golem magic that George was currently studying was only possible to cast so easily thanks to the advancements in modern magic.

"Continue!"

Learning a new magical system naturally required a lot of practice—something George was very familiar with.

Moreover, Shirley, being a trained codebreaker of the Puritan Church, had grown up studying magic within the church. She had seen a vast array of spells and was most proficient in earth-based magic, though that didn't mean she was limited to just that.

It would take George quite some time to fully absorb all the magic stored in Shirley's mind.

As he focused on learning and practicing new spells, he suddenly felt a jolt through his body and murmured,

"It's happening again!"

A new vision—a new set of memories—surfaced in his mind.

"Humans, Elves, Morgoth... Could this be... Middle-earth?!"

Slowly, George sat up from the ground. After digesting the memories of this new body, he couldn't help but sigh in amazement.

He had, of course, watched all six The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. At the time, he hadn’t fully understood everything and had even looked up background information.

So, after combining his own knowledge with the memories of this human body, he quickly realized that he had arrived in the fantastical world of Middle-earth.

However, what he hadn't expected was that this version of himself existed not in the timeline of The Hobbit (Third Age) or The Lord of the Rings (sixty years later), but instead in the perilous First Age—thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of years earlier.

At this time, the true Dark Lord, Morgoth, had not yet been exiled to the Void by the Valar, and the future Dark Lord Sauron was merely his lieutenant.

Dragons as powerful as Smaug—who had been capable of destroying an entire Dwarven kingdom—were nothing more than minor minions within Morgoth’s army.

Balrogs, which had nearly killed Gandalf, were not just one or two in number but rather an entire legion.

Yet, despite the dangers, George saw immense opportunities. The Elves of this era were incredibly powerful—most of them were High Elves who had bathed in the light of the Two Trees and had lived alongside the Valar in Aman, learning much from them.

At this time, the Valar still resided in the far western land of Valinor and had not yet removed it from the world.

The world itself was not yet a spherical planet but remained a vast, continuous landmass.

If he had the chance, he could even travel to Valinor to study magic from the Valar.

Unfortunately, this body was human, not Elven. Without making significant contributions to the world, the Valar would never allow a mere mortal to set foot in Valinor.

Previously, he had wished not to gain another troublesome incarnation and had preferred a fully grown human male. Now that he finally had one, he found himself wishing he were an Elf instead.

After all, Elves who sincerely repented could be forgiven by the Valar and allowed to return to Valinor.

The history of the Elves and the Valar was long and complex, and George only had a general understanding of it.

In the boundless Void, there existed a supreme deity named Eru Ilúvatar—the omniscient and omnipotent Creator of Arda and Middle-earth.

From his thoughts, he formed countless spiritual beings and granted them free will through the Flame Imperishable. Of these, fifteen were great beings, and countless others were lesser ones. The great ones were called the Valar, while the lesser ones were the Maiar.

George likened them to the difference between major gods and minor gods.

Eru Ilúvatar led these spirits in a great symphony—the Music of the Ainur—through which the universe and the land of Arda were created.

The Valar and Maiar descended upon this new world and used their divine power to shape the barren land into a rich and vibrant realm filled with mountains, rivers, flora, and fauna.

They crafted two great lamps to illuminate the land as they awaited the awakening of Eru’s chosen children—Elves and Men—who would become the central figures of this world's history.

Thus began the Age of the Two Lamps.

However, the most powerful of the Valar, Melkor—later known as Morgoth—refused to abide by this order. He sought to dominate the land for himself.

He destroyed the Two Lamps, corrupted many of the Maiar (including Sauron and the Balrogs), and waged war against the other Valar.

Their battle was so devastating that the world itself began to collapse.

Since Elves and Men had not yet been born, and the Valar wished to avoid further destruction, they retreated across the sea to Aman and built the paradise of Valinor.

There, they planted the Two Trees—Telperion and Laurelin—ushering in the Age of the Two Trees.

After a long time, the first Elves finally awakened. They were so beautiful and radiant that the Valar adored them, and they were granted immortality.

Morgoth, however, captured some Elves and twisted them into the first Orcs, mocking Eru’s creation.

This enraged the Valar, who launched an all-out assault against Morgoth, defeated him, and imprisoned him in Valinor.

The Valar then invited the Elves to migrate westward to Valinor, where they could live in the light of the Two Trees.

Some Elves refused to leave Middle-earth, choosing instead to remain in the east. These became the Silvan Elves, also known as the Wood Elves and Dark Elves.

Most agreed to go, though some stopped midway and settled in central Middle-earth, becoming the Sindar, or Twilight Elves.

Since their king, Thingol, had once visited Valinor and seen the Two Trees, they retained some of its power.

Those who reached Valinor were divided into two groups:

One group, enchanted by the sea, remained on the shores and islands near Valinor. They became known as the Teleri, or Sea Elves.

The other group, who lived directly under the Two Trees and learned from the Valar, grew immensely powerful. The first to arrive were the Vanyar—golden-haired, fair-skinned Elves beloved by the King and Queen of the Valar.

The Elven Queen Galadriel, from the films, possessed such great power because she had inherited the bloodline of the Vanyar from her grandmother.

The second group to reach Valinor were the Noldor, who preferred craftsmanship and learned forging and smithing from Aulë, the Vala who later created the Dwarves.

Both the Vanyar and the Noldor were considered High Elves—pure and powerful.

All seemed well until Morgoth, having served his sentence, pretended to repent and was released. He then began sowing discord among the Elves, making them believe they were prisoners in Valinor, ultimately leading them to rebel against the Valar and return to Middle-earth.