Teleportation is the eighteenth spell, which does not belong to any particular style. It allows teleporting to another wizard, provided they know each other. The stronger the bond—the faster the teleportation. Likewise, the larger the mana reserves and mastery of either wizard—the faster the teleportation.
A wizard can never, under any circumstances, teleport to a place—except through the use of artifacts found in corruptions. But such artifacts are rare.
There are exactly eighteen spells in existence that wizards of this world can use. No more, no less. They will be described later.
That was how I teleported to Ariel, to her palace near Lornhall—the capital of Elarion. There we talked for a while, Ariel asked me about my abilities, and in the end, as an experiment, I decided to tell her about my reincarnation. After that, I began to explain to her the aspects of my worldview.
"Listen then," I said. "This truth cost me years of tearing it out of the world, yet you'll get it for free. I wasn't afraid of those guys for many reasons, but the main one is this: you cannot control your own safety. Nothing in this world happens the way you want it to. Every person is a selfish being, pulling fate toward themselves, trying to take everything from you. That's how almost everyone works, and together they create a massive waterfall that can carry you anywhere tomorrow. I lived knowing that tomorrow a soldier could shoot me, or a missile could hit my bedroom, or a political opponent could poison me. You can become strong and truly improve your life. But the number of things you can change is finite, while the number of things you cannot—infinite. You can fight for one, two, maybe ten more years of life. But eventually, what awaits you is an eternity of darkness after death, and you'll have to accept that. That you will always remain just a small, brief spark in an endless waterfall of darkness and chaos.The sooner you accept this, the easier it will be. As soon as you start worrying about one thing, your mind immediately sets off the mechanism: 'I can worry about problems' and 'there shouldn't be problems.' And then you start worrying about the whole infinity of things beyond your control, and your anxiety never ends. That's why I don't worry."
"Wow," Ariel said thoughtfully with an awkward smile. "I didn't really understand… But I get what you mean! Really!" she quickly corrected herself, afraid to offend me.
"Well then, what do you say? Do you still want to be my long-term student?" I asked.
"Yes. From what you've told me, it seems you've gone through a lot. I'll be in your debt," she said seriously.
"Good. But I won't be your teacher. I don't like that word. I'll be your mentor—someone who guides you and corrects you sometimes. But I won't be giving you lessons or watching your every move. I'll just give you tasks—what to do and how."
"Well, alright… but what's wrong with lessons?" she asked.
"I'm not about to become a schoolteacher. I've got plenty of my own business. And most importantly—I'm almost certain we won't even need many lessons together. We'll see."
We were both sitting in a gazebo, on neat white benches by a round table, where an expensive tea set was laid out. Ariel wore a lush blue dress with a deep neckline decorated with little white bows. In her long golden hair was tied a white cloth folded into layers that resembled snowdrop petals.
"Forgive me for not listening to you back then."
"About what?"
"That time when you said it was already time to head into the corruption. If we hadn't delayed, we wouldn't have gotten into that mess."
"Stop it. That didn't happen because of you. I mean… yes, you do need to listen to me, but that particular situation wasn't caused by that. So you're not to blame," I said, looking straight at her and studying her expression.
"Perfect. I knew I wasn't guilty, but I had to apologize for politeness' sake," she said in a pleased, elegant tone, sipping her tea.
I didn't smile, only fell silent, thinking about her—and about myself.
"Why didn't he laugh? That was a good jest," Ariel thought.
"You'll learn," I said. "The most important thing is that you understand you must always seek the truth."
"Uh-huh. I was so happy I could use clones that I still can't get over it," she laughed. "But with you I'll learn everything. You'll help me now, right?" she added, giving me a playful glance and tilting her head slightly.
"Yes. In this world everything is much easier. You know, when I first arrived here, out of habit I kept training endlessly, all day long. But here it's simpler, so I can finally relax and enjoy the moment," I said, leaning back on the bench and sighing lightly.
"What do you mean? That you trained too much?"
"Not exactly. To be strong, you need perfect control over your emotions. But sentimentality is a fundamental element of peace for a human being. Knowing that I can laugh, get angry, play around, be lazy—and not regret it. That's what gives true peace."
"Mmm?"
"It's like when you know someone's got your back. That you're allowed to make a mistake."
"Oh, I get that too, when I just want to do whatever I want. Is that why you always act so restrained?"
"Yes, partly. If you deal with someone who could get you killed, you must always keep a stoic and selfish mindset, or you'll die."
"And that's why you're always like this?"
"Yes," I said, looking into her eyes to see her reaction. "What do you think of that?"
"I don't know. The first thing that comes to mind is that you try too hard, and emotions are needed too. But… you fight so easily, and you know all the spells... Although, it's hard for me to believe it. You know yourself, there are very few wizards like that. But I don't think you'd lie about something like this. So maybe there's truth in your words. Still, it's hard for me to believe a person must always control their emotions. That sounds exhausting. I can't imagine what you went through in your old world. Were you in danger often there?"
"Constantly. I already told you. There was always someone plotting against me."
"But now everything's fine," she smiled. "Now you can do whatever you want, can't you?"
"Only, you see… In some ways, I envy you. For you, everything is just beginning. You'll have so many new achievements bringing you joy and peace. But I've already gone through and learned everything. New achievements give peace like nothing else. But once you've achieved everything, you're standing still—and paradoxically, you start to feel restless."
"Then you need a new pursuit. A hobby."
"Yes. Maybe, I'm going to collect monsters, wizards, and the ways to defeat them. All the spells, techniques, and tricks to overcome any magical being or wizard."
"That sounds wonderful. But I was thinking of something more romantic," she gave me another playful look. "I'm sitting here right in front of you, and you still haven't laid a hand on me. It makes me a little sad, like I don't attract you at all," she added, placing her hands dramatically on her chest.
"First, master all the spells. Then come back to me," I said with a challenging smile.
"I'll master them anyway! Aren't my charms enough for you?" she said indignantly and turned away.
"Almost. Let that be your motivation. I wonder if you can truly become a great sorceress," I said, studying her intently.
"Of course I can," she confirmed, slightly annoyed.
"Why did he say that? He ruined the mood! I'm the most beautiful girl in the world—how can he say something like that to me?" she thought half-seriously.
---
The servants in uniform invited me inside, into the hall of a spacious manor.
"We're glad to see you, young prince. What should I tell the ladies?" one asked.
"My mother said they asked for help with the corruption involving a necromancer. The one north of Azura," I said.
"Of course," she replied, then vanished into the other rooms. When she returned, she informed me they were ready to receive me.
The doors to the bathhouse were large, wide, and slightly ajar. Steam was flowing out, making it clear that someone was using it. The servant bowed and went on her way, leaving me standing alone before the entrance.
"So this is where I'm supposed to meet the great knights of the Order of Jehovah?" I muttered suspiciously.
Maybe I should wait here, instead of going in? If they're inside, there's a high chance they're naked, bathing. Appearing before two women at such a moment might embarrass them, making them uncomfortable around me. That could hurt our mission's productivity. I'd have to waste time and energy to ease things up and befriend them. And if they even got offended, I'd have to apologize. On the other hand, they invited me here themselves. Maybe they actually want to bond this way? In some countries of this world, this is a common tradition.
"Eh," I sighed and stepped inside. Since I was invited here, here I'll go.
Warm steam wrapped around me as I entered a spacious hall supported by stone columns, with a large pool at its center. Along the sides stood soft benches and tables with fruit, and farther back was a passage that seemed to lead into another chamber with a second pool. But none of that was the first thing that caught my attention.
At the edge of one of the pools, naked from head to toe, stood a girl. Her stance was bold — legs spread with confidence, hands resting firmly on her hips. She had a beautiful face, large violet eyes, and long golden hair braided into a braid that nearly reached her calves.
In my life I'd seen many naked, attractive women, so the sight didn't embarrass me. On the contrary — I looked her over carefully and stepped a little closer to get a better view. Judging by her expression, she wasn't the least bit embarrassed either. Her eyes sparkled with bright joy and unshakable confidence, and her radiant, almost combative smile declared to the world that she loved doing whatever she pleased.
"Hello! Do you like what you see?" she sang in a ringing voice. If words and voices could shine, hers would have blazed so brightly they'd blind anyone she spoke to. "Because I'm almost certain you're so enchanted by me that you can't even say a word."
Her face still carried a hint of youth, her height was below average, and her chest was small. Her golden hair was braided into a long braid, with strands woven through with violet, blue, and other bright ribbons, giving her a joyful, magical appearance.
"In a way, yes," I said with a faint smile. I wasn't flustered, but I did enjoy talking to such a bold, naked beauty. "You are beautiful, but perhaps you shouldn't reveal yourself like this to strangers."
"Wrong! Or rather, only half right," she beamed at me, wagging her finger in mock scolding.
"Half right?" I asked.
"Yes! You admitted my boundless beauty—and that alone earns you at least five points! But then you criticized me for it, which takes away two points. That leaves you with three out of ten!" she concluded, clasping her hands behind her back and staring into me with those huge eyes.
"Only three? I think my reaction deserves a ten out of ten."
"Then argue your case, please," she chimed playfully.
"You want to hold a debate in this state?" I asked, letting my eyes sweep over her body with interest.
"Yes," she rang out.
Now that was confidence.
"And don't you think, if you're going to be embarrassed about being naked in front of someone, you should feel that way before they see you? There's no point in shouting and blushing after you've already been seen for who you really are," she said.
"I agree. I think people shouldn't be ashamed of themselves or their actions at all. Once you've decided to do something, it doesn't matter what others think."
"Exactly! I think this kind of meeting is a wonderful way to introduce myself. You can learn so much about a person from a single reaction."
"Is that so? I'd like to hear more."
"If you'd like, I'll tell you! But let's sit down, otherwise it'll be awkward if Anna walks in and catches us just standing here in the bathhouse for no reason. We'll look like lunatics. Ha-ha-ha!" she declared with her peculiar mix of cheerful seriousness, then let out a bright laugh and walked over to one of the couches.
I followed and sat beside her. Before sitting down, she cast the spell Ra, and her whole body released a light mist of steam: by raising her body heat, she evaporated all the moisture from her skin. Then she plopped onto the couch, crossed one leg over the other, and looked at me.
"Sit!" she said.
"Thank you. You wanted to explain people's reactions when they see a naked girl."
"Uh-huh! If a guy sees you, blushes, and immediately apologizes—that means he either doesn't consider you worthy of him, or he's just overly polite. If he simply apologizes and turns away—that's somewhere in between. Usually it means he's confident and well-mannered."
"And what if he reacts the way I did?"
She pressed a finger to her chin and seemed to genuinely ponder my philosophical, almost existential question.
"I think you'll be fun! Now I know you're not only a strong wizard, but also a confident man. You know, I'm really proud of my way of introducing myself. Without it, I never could've learned so much about you in just one meeting."
"I'm glad your method worked. But could you still put some clothes on and tell me what corruption you're dealing with? Your body, charming as it is, is distracting me."
"An army of skeletons under the command of a necromancer," Anna said.