My body felt like a vegetable; my skin was burning, and where my limbs touched each other, it felt as if they were scorching one another. I slowly took my head in my hands and stood up. Warm light poured through the window, scattering across the room. I stumbled from one foot to the other as I walked to the bathroom. I washed my face and hands. Then, I sat on the edge of the bed again. Once more, I was cycling through passwords in my head.
God, why does my body feel like cotton wool? Is it because of the pills? They say that in the past, head medicines were made from morphine. Though, this isn't the past. Quite the opposite—this world is fairly advanced. I pinched myself and went downstairs.
"You are called for breakfast, Master," Yelkar said. "I'm not hungry," I replied. "Very well. Do not forget, you have your first magic lesson today at 12:00 PM," said Yelkar. "Yeah, I got it."
I entered the library and picked up the first book I saw: The Scarlet Prince 1. I lay down in an armchair and began reading: [A storm beats against the sea, and the moon drowns therein. Twelve beasts stand in the sky, changing the fate of all who read this novel...]
[...he waved his hand and said, "If you have decided so, let it be, but for this, you shall pay."]
It's a good novel; I'll read it later, and the other stories too. I stood up and put the book back in its place. I went to the dining room and drank some water. Then I went out to the backyard, which was equipped with mannequins and weapons in a shed—what my father and brother called the "training arena." I sat on a bench, slowly cycling through passwords again.
"What do you think the first lesson will be like?" Al Bayan asked. Goosebumps ran across my skin from the sudden fright. "You?!" I exclaimed. "Me?" Al Bayan said with a wide smile. "My name is Al Bayan, and you must be Sven." "Yes, I know your name as well," I said. "Well? When shall we start?" "Maybe now?" "Let's."
But she continued to sit there, staring at me. This awkward silence lasted far too long, until finally I stood up, and then she did too. "What are your skills?" Al Bayan asked. "I am a Level 1 Novice Sorcerer. My traits are: Perfect Eyesight and Steady," I said. "Not bad. And what amulets do you have?" "A chain with an arrowhead." "And that's it? What do you train with?" Bayan asked, placing a hand over her face. "With these." "But you need to buy artifacts for training," she said, looking bewildered. "Oh, right... the artifacts that grant a bonus to sensory perception and concentration?" "Yes. Does your family not have any?" "No." "Then how do you even train?" "They tied me to a chair and beat me with a whip." "That is barbarism. No one has used that method for forty years," she looked at me with concern. "Fine, for the duration of the lesson, these will be yours."
Bayan handed me two rings:
Ring of the Martial King:
+15% to elemental spells.
+60% to sensory perception.
Trait: Speed Reading.
+20% to speed.
Secret abilities: Present.
Ring of Azbar Jos:
+30% to fire spells.
Allows storage of two items (no larger than 50cm x 50cm) inside the ring.
When dealing damage with a second fire spell, your attacks will deal double damage.
"Now, sit on the grass," Al Bayan said. "It's going to take a long time to get back up," I muttered under my breath, but I sat down in the lotus position anyway.
Bayan took out her phone and turned on quiet music. It was just the sound of a drum. The drumbeat spread across the ground like a wave. With my eyes closed, I could feel the earth pulsing. I felt everything that pulsed because of the music. I tensed my body and frowned hard. But I couldn't see anything; I only felt the earth for about a meter around me.
"Don't frown. You shouldn't try to see it, you should feel it," Bayan said. I listened to her and tried to relax. But I couldn't. "Is something gnawing at you?" Bayan asked. "Nothing is gnawing at me," I said.
Of course, I couldn't see her face with my eyes closed, but I felt that her expression was skeptical. However, I was amused by the fact that I could see general particles in the air. "I have a question," I said. "What is it?" Bayan asked. "These tiny white things that look like glass beads—what are they?" I asked. An involuntary smile appeared on my face. "That was fast. No, that was very fast. I thought you'd only see them by the third lesson," she said, her voice full of surprise.
I would have been happy if she wasn't lying. This was all thanks to the Ring of the Martial King; this artifact was at least Legendary, maybe even Mythic.