[ July 8, 1962. ]
***
When we had breakfast as guests and headed home, I tried my best to hide my breaking smile, because I finally got my treasure! The bracelet and wand seemed to burn in my pocket, and I could barely restrain myself from pulling them out. Ariel was amused by my reaction. But what can you do when I've been waiting for this so long?
From the moment magic appeared in me, I was inspired by it, absorbed headfirst as much as is generally possible for a person who not only witnessed a miracle, but became a mage himself. And only because of the race for survival with time, I couldn't enjoy it.
Actually, I'm a very bad actor when it comes to creating a child image for myself. I just couldn't endure it, and as soon as I got stronger — I stood on my feet, as soon as I developed my vocal cords enough — I started talking. Maybe in some novels heroes could stoically endure silence just to not stand out, but I'm definitely not one of those.
…
In my room I finally exhaled with relief and took out the bracelet, into which I began inputting my mana with the words:
« Museum — Gaunt — Sixty — Thailand — Magic — Thirty — Explosion — Russia — One — Veela. »
After this, from a hidden recess under the decorative stone fell an enlarging bundle of papers bound together, filled with small handwriting. I'm afraid even if Gaunt had found it, he wouldn't have been able to understand anything.
Unfolding the sheets, I began looking for what I'd been thinking about for the last two years. Here it is, Lerach's masterpiece! No, I didn't want to make myself into a living artifact, as I consider — that's too much, and I'll look for my own path.
Nevertheless, can't say it's completely useless — I was attracted by the preparation of all shells before a series of rituals and elixirs, which are better not to undergo before sixteen to twenty years, to avoid developmental deviations.
Also, Lerach put forward an interesting theory that developing all shells would lead to a synergistic effect. That is, they would be much more powerful than if developing only one thing, and their resistance to external influence would increase. How much — he himself didn't know, there are no records after that.
This was the reason why Lerach had basics of many types of magic, but mostly that's all it was limited to. I needed to choose six types — for each shell, and the seventh is constantly being pumped up by me through a series of exhaustion and mana replenishment.
[ First shell — physical body. ]
It can be improved by biomagic, metamorphism and healing. No, there's also necromancy, but I'm not sick enough to make myself into a lich.
Healing — same thing, especially since besides physical, it affects other shells too. As a useful source of spells in case of necessity it's also useful, but studying it on a permanent basis? No, won't do.
And finally, metamorphism. At high levels of this skill you can transform into anyone both partially and completely. You can even become a dragon, if desired. Therefore I chose exactly this, especially since even without creating a spatial pocket for organics, with which transformation happens, it's very useful. And with it becomes an arch-useful art, allowing transformation into anyone and anything, whether stone, angel, or demon.
True, there's also a minus, you can't copy soul abilities this way, only physical body properties, but even that's very good. And another important plus is that I'll be able to change my harpy form to something more palatable and blame my transformation abilities on this art.
[ Second shell — prana. ]
Here the choice is smaller — it's yoga, vampirism and blood magic. Blood magic allows strengthening... guess what? Right, blood, through prana, and at high levels its adepts can take control of an opponent's blood or send powerful curses through it, as well as use their own blood as a weapon or charms.
Vampirism, as clear from the name, allows absorbing others' mana and prana, and after reading about side effects, I immediately refused: as with absorbing souls, you can pick up such things from an enemy that you'll never wash off.
But yoga concentrates on strengthening the entire body, every cell through prana and mana. It doesn't give multiple forms like metamorphism, it rather allows using a trained form to a full thousand percent.
Roughly speaking, even an ordinary person can become superman — bend steel poles, bathe in lava, run at speeds inaccessible to humans. I'm not even talking about the fact that reaching the highest level, you can maintain eternal youth externally. Definitely useful and tasty, I'll take it.
[ Third shell — astral body. ]
It can be developed by the aforementioned necromancy, spiritism, shamanism, demonology and spirit magic. I already talked about the first, I'm not going to touch this filth even with a ten-foot pole.
Spiritism allows communicating with souls, banishing them and using them in battle, I don't understand why it wasn't combined with necromancy. Shamanism and demonology — these are rather summons and contracts with the otherworldly, and if the first is somewhat acceptable, then a demonologist is essentially a mage who negotiates with a tiger with one hand and pulls its balls with the other. No, here you need to first become a tiger yourself so they don't pull your balls.
But spirit magic suits me, it concentrates more on one's own soul and its strengthening through rituals, training or absorbing other astral bodies, as well as using spiritual energy in battle. You can't beat incorporeal beings with your hands. Useful and convenient.
[ Fourth shell… ]
Well, here you can only call the Creator and ask how to strengthen it.
[Fifth shell, emotional, sensual spirit.]
The choice here is small. You can become completely dark and strengthen spells thanks to negative emotions. Preferably the most cruel and evil ones. You can become light and strengthen through light emotions. Neither appeals to me, as it's easy to slide into extremes.
But you can go knight's move and choose love magic. Yes, yes, there is such magic, and woe to that fool who laughs at a mage of this Art. He'll then bring gifts and swear love. And I'm not joking, love mages are the biggest seducers and best diplomats, capable of arousing sympathy even from archmages.
But what attracts me is that you can strengthen charms with the same costs, plus get mana... from sex. Well, and from other people's emotions directed at you. Lerach contemptuously regarded this art, calling it whore magic, but I'm fine with it.
Interestingly, both orthodox dark and light mages dislike love between two people. Dark ones consider it weakness that enemies will exploit, and light ones fear falling into darkness due to lust and jealousy. But the main reason was my veela charms, because if you know how to use, then you know how to control.
I never had problems finding a partner for the night, and with my new appearance they won't arise at all, I need exactly to bridle my ability. And strengthen it when necessary.
[ Sixth shell, mind. ]
Yeah, here there's not even a choice — mind magic, and that's all.
And unlike legilimency and occlumency — pitiful scraps of true mental magic, it doesn't stop only at reading — and protecting from it — thoughts.
No, you can accelerate thoughts, suggest them to others, edit your own and others' memory, distinguish lies at a higher level, and at the highest — preserve mind after reincarnation. True reincarnation, not the surrogate I used.
You can control your emotions, increase all intelligence indicators, get absolute memory. Definitely, despite the lack of choice — this option wouldn't raise questions at all, even if there was a choice.
…
Yes, I understood that by choosing six branches of magical arts at once, I lose the opportunity to quickly become strong, as if I concentrated on only one. And this wasn't a thoughtless step.
First, for rapid development I have word magic, wand magic and fire magic, and second, I'm not going to delve into all six arts to master level, and there wasn't such knowledge in the book. If I find them in other sources or can become a student of the right master, then that's another conversation.
Third, I hope for a synergistic effect, especially since all chosen types of magic complement each other well. Yoga will strengthen metamorphism, and that in turn will help in mastering love magic. Mind magic will allow controlling emotions and won't let me become a complete pervert, and spirit magic should bind all this together thanks to pumping up the astral body.
Especially since I'm still young by both Sumerian and modern mage standards for costly, battle-oriented types of magic. And finally, fourth, any magic, not only dark, affects the mage himself.
Fire mages are quite often aggressive and furious, earth mages — passive and apathetic, mind mages are cold-blooded and cynical.
I like my character as it is, and I selected not only complementary schools, but if not completely extinguishing each other's negative effects, then reducing their influence. After all, the stronger the mage, the more evident and stronger this influence.
At Beauxbatons, where showing off my unique magic for the modern world isn't worth it, I'll concentrate on potions, runes and numerology. Though who knows what life will bring me? Maybe all my reasoning isn't worth a damn?
A plan is good, bad when you're not ready for this plan to go to hell. The situation with Gaunt and the grimoire showed me well how easily a person's life changes, and only sufficient strength and knowledge can help if not win, then at least survive in case of danger.
…
From this day my training began, most of which consisted of meditations to replenish spent energy or self-knowledge. Both metamorphism and yoga required researching every particle of your body, feeling it, knowing it.
Astral magic, mentalism and love magic required the same for my other shells — understand feelings, analyze mind and soul, your own or others'.
As Socrates said — know thyself, and you will know the whole world. And since there's nothing more complex in the world than a soul — only a more developed soul, this statement takes on a completely different shade.
And now I was trying to feel my body, somewhere on the edge of thoughts reflecting on how easily the money problem was resolved.
"Mom! Look what I found!" — I deliberately sat so the open bracelet and sheet were visible. Not the grimoire translation, but my personal notes about who and where to call to transfer money from offshore accounts where needed. With complete instructions for a person unfamiliar with the ordinary world.
Oh, these childish hands, I had to rewrite about thirty sheets, then gave up and enchanted a pen with a wand spell to write itself from my words in normal handwriting.
"What is it, Arthur?" — as soon as she saw the letter, her hands trembled, and when she took it and read to the end, she sat on my bed, hugged me and cried.
"Mom, why are you crying? Did something bad happen?" — I asked.
"No, on the contrary. I learned that your dad never forgot about us and didn't leave us without means. Though he said he had his last money..." — she was already completely sliding into mumbling when I stopped her.
Well yes, at the moment of writing the first farewell letter, I really did have my last money. And then I won the ticketless lottery, and they, undoubtedly with magic's help, appeared again. Well yes, I stole them, I can admit that to myself.
"I think he was always with us!" — I exclaimed and hugged the woman tighter.
Well, I'm really grateful to the woman. I don't consider her my mother, rather a good friend, but she doesn't need to know about that at all. True, on those accounts I gave her, there's "only" two million. That'll last her a long time, and the remaining will come in handy for me.
Well, to buy ice cream... or a dragon, for example. Whole. Pocket money, basically. All that's left is to expand the pockets with spatial magic.
"Yes, son, I think you're right," — and looked at me slyly. Does she suspect? No, what nonsense.
We didn't move from the coven, but instead of the apartment we bought ourselves a two-story house, where Ariel's fantasy ran wild, and we now live in a colorful cozy house, like from a fairy tale. Moreover, we now live next door to Jacqueline's house, brr.
Now I run off into the bushes in the mornings before they smother me to death with their two hills.
I won't lie — it's a pleasant way to go, and I would know. I'm something of an expert —
but still, I'd prefer to live a bit longer.
Ideally… become immortal. Why aim small?
***
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