《I became the strongest magical tome. But I am still a teacher! Book 1》


 Prologue

    When do you know you are dead? Is it when you see the speeding car and know there''s no evading? Is it the pain of your broken body on the ground? How about the blinding light in your eyes or the creeping cold and foggy head? For me it was all of that. That and the sound of a coin hitting the ground.


    "Heads. You win the coin toss. So I will transport you to my world. I look foreward to what you will do."


    I open my eyes. Stone. A blue glow. My body doesn''t hurt. I was hit by a car just now. But now I feel fine. Am I in a hospital? No hospitals don''t have bare stone ceilings and creepy blue crytsal''s on the wall''s. Where am I? I try to stand up but notice something strange. I am floating. How can I tell? Well when I look down my body I see that below my waist my body ends. This can''t be happening. I close my eye''s, count to ten and look down again. Still no leg''s. Well I seem to be a ghost. How do I know? I looked at my hands and they are now shapeless, blue and transparent. I touch my face and feel nothing. What a weird sensation. Why am I so calm about this? I was always like this. A realist in the face of fact''s. Now let''s see if the rest of me is ok. My personal history is all there. School, College, Teaching at a high school and becoming a Professor. No wife or girlfriend. My parents died year''s ago in a plane crash. Their name''s where...huh. I can''t remember their name''s or the names of my former workplace''s either. Neither do I remember my name or my age. But I remember all of my past and what I learned. Hmm weird. Well nothing I can do about that for now.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    I look around. This is a tunnel made from stone with strange blue crystal''s every few meters. It''s dimm but not dark. And not damp but dry. This look''s like one of those dungeon''s from a game. Where the hell am I? To my left a long tunnel that ends in darkness after a hundred or so meters and to my right a wall, no, a T junktion. Hmm what should I do? "I can''t stand around and do nothing forever." my voice came out icy and dry. Creepy. I guess I take a look where left lead''s me. So I started floating down the tunnel. And that''s how my adventure began.

 Chapter 1 Lost

    I have been wandering around for a while now. I don''t really know how much time passed since the walls are pretty monotone. I haven''t come across anything alive but I saw some bones from somekind of animal. I also have no idea where I am anymore.


    All I see is the same walls with the blue crystalls all over the place. What are those anyway? They shine with a blue light which seems to originate from the inside of the crystall. I stop and lean closer to one. Hmm ...yeah just like I thought. I have no idea how they glow like that. They seem to just...grow out of the wall. I stretch out my hand and try touching it. It feels strange cold and it vibrates slightly almost to weak to notice.


    Skill activated Perfect knowlege


    Skill Perfect knowlege wants to display information of touched object. Y/N?


    Uhh yes? I thought on instinct.


    Blue light crystal: This magical rock can be found in places with high mana concentration. It absorbs miniscule amounts of ambient mana to create a glow from the inside. Can be used as an alchemical reagent and in enchanting.


    I flinched at the sudden windows that popped into my head. That really caught me off guard. What is this? Skill Perfect knowlege? How did I get that? I just touched the light crystal (as it is apparently named).


    Also what kind of grand name is perfect knowlege? Hmm I already suspected this but this is not earth. This is some kind of a different world. I mean mana? Really? I died and now I''m in somekind of fantasy world with game windows popping into my head. Well at least I now know that I am not crazy. Hmm but if I have skills I bet there is a way to view them. Maybe it''s thought activated? Show info! Character screen! Uhh... Status?If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Status


    Name:


    Race: Lost Soul


    lvl: Error


    Exp: 0/100000


    Health: None applicable


    Mana: 200/200


    Stats: Error


    Skills: Levitation, Astral Body, Possession, Perfect Knowlege


    Titles: Lost soul from a different world


    ...There really is a status screen. But what''s up with all this nonsene? I don''t know my name so I can forgive that one but my race is lost soul? Not ghost? Or am I a subspecies?


    And what''s up with the error message for my lvl? And what kind of number is 100000 for a lvl up? I played quite a few games in my time and this seems either like I am high lvl or something is broken. Who wrote the stupid code for that?


    I don''t have any health well yeah I am dead technically. 200 mana huh? Would be nice to have a reference for that. I hope it''s a lot. I don''t wanna be weak if this is my new unlife.


    Now it get''s interesting. Everyone who played any kind of videogame willl tell you that what skills you have determins how you play a character. Well together with their stats but that seems to be unavailable. Stupid error message. Now levitation is kinda obvious. As is astral body aka my body. What is possession though?


    Do you want information on skill Possession? Y/N?


    Ohh like before! Is this Perfect Knowlege again? In that case YES!


    Skill Possession. Activation toggled. Range touch. Allows you to take control of a object or creature. Grants all knowlege of object/creature. Warning! If you stay in possession too long your soul will merge with object/creature and it becomes permanent. Warning! Can be resisted with skills or wisdome stat. Warning! If object/creature is destroyed/dies you die as well.


    Wow! That''s really cool! So I am some kind of ghost huh? But it also seems dangerous. Hmm maybe if I... Info Perfect knowlege!


    Skill Perfect Knowlege. Always active. Range sight. Grants knowlege of object/creature in sight if prior knowlege exists.


    Huh? ''If prior knowlege exists''? But I''ve never seen a light crytsal before. Hmm maybe from something similar like a book or game? Well it''s good to know it exists, though I have no clue why I would have that skill. Seems kinda like a cheat.


    Now with that out of the way let''s continue exploring!

 Chapter 2 Found?

    I. Am. Bored.


    I feel like I have been wandering for hours! And no living thing in sight! Not even a rat or a spider. This is more of a labyrinth than a dungeon. But I will still keep calling it a dungeon.


    I tried going through walls but to no avail. It seems that I can touch things even though I look like a ghost. Ugh this body is so useless. Then again thanks to that I have been able to keep my right hand on the wall the entire time, so I think I''m making progress.


    I turned the next corner and I am greeted by something different than the usual dungeonwall. A doorway and a staircase going down. Finally! After what felt like days a way out! Please let there be something different than a maze!


    I rush to the stair and fly down with haste. It''s a spiraling staircase and midway the crystalls change color from blue to green. So I touch one and say Info in my head.


    Green light crystal: This magical rock can be found in places with high mana concentration. It absorbs miniscule amounts of ambient mana to create a glow from the inside. Can be used as an alchemical reagent and in enchanting.


    It''s the same in green.


    When I reached the bottom a doorway opened into a lush forest ...underground. Yep, dungeon. But finally something different! Hopefully there''s something living in here. I looked left and right, but all I could see was forest. It''s bright here! Like a nice day in spring. I looked up but I can''t see where the light is coming from. I listened closely into the forest. It''s kinda quiet. No birds. No insects.


    "Well I can''t stand around and do nothing forever." came my voice still icy, dry and creepy. Sigh. I used to have this deep sexy professor voice. I shook myself clear of my negative thoughts and started wandering aimlessly again.


    This forest is weird. Some of it''s trees could stand in a jungle but then next to them stands a tree like a pine. I I wanna know how it came to this. Even when I became a teacher myself I never stopped loving to learn. New things always excited me. When there was a new documentary or a breakthrough in a field of science I would always try and learn what''s new. I''m such a nerd...If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    I touched a tree and thought info.


    Dungeon tree. A tree only found in dungeons. Will dissapear when brought outside of dungeon. Items crafted with it while in a dungeon will not dissapear. It''s wood is ten times stronger than that of a normal tree. Can be used in crafting.


    Crafting came up twice now I wonder if it''s a skill too. Info Crafting!


    Warning! Broad terms will not work with skill Perfect Knowlege.


    Huh? That''s new. Uhh info skill crafting?


    Warning! Broad terms will not work with skill Perfect Knowlege.


    ...still? How specific do I have to get? Maybe woodcrafting? Info skill woodcrafting.


    Skill Woodcrafting. Activation toggled. Crafting object''s while using skill woodcrafting lowers chances of failures and makes the object more durable. Warning! Minimum requirement in Dexterity 40. Warning! Minimum requirement Intelligence 10.


    What? There are requirements for skills too? Hmm I probably can''t get that one since I have no stats...sigh. Well let''s just keep looking for something living. So I got back to wandering again. When I looked at my other skills they didn''t show requirements. Maybe they don''t have any? Can anyone aquire them? Man I really want someone I can ask these things. Some common knowlege would be nice.


    I heard a bush rustling. I turned my head and out hopped a bunny. A weird bunny. It had a horn on it''s head and a fin on it''s back. It''s fur was also a mixture of brown and green. Wow you are one ugly bunny. It moved it''s head on my direction looking at me with it''s sickly brown eyes. C-can it see me? It''s gaze lingered on me for a moment but then moved past me like I wasn''t there.


    So did you see me? I waved my hand. I did a backflip (backfloat?). I raspberryd at it and made an L with my fingers on my forehead. Nothing. Must be from my ghostly body. Info Astral Body.


    Skill Astral Body. Can''t be deactivated, stolen or blocked for any spectral race. Your body is made from your own mana and your will. Can''t be detected with organs; can only be detected by magic or magic item.You can not be harmed by physical damage. You can not be damaged by magic other than Light and Dark. You can touch and feel but can not interact with the physical plane. Your durability is determined by your wisdome stat. Your manapool will be used instead of your healthpool. Warning! casting magic will drain your manapool and can kill you.


    Wow ok yeah I should have looked at that sooner. But that also means the ugly abunnynation can''t see me. Then let''s touch it. Info!


    Status


    Name: Abunnynation (named by you)


    Race: Amphibious Unicornbunny


    lvl: 3


    Healt: 10/10


    stats: Strenght: 1, Dexterity: 3, Intelligence: 1, Wisdome: 0, Luck: -1


    Skills: Jumping, Underwater breathing, Underwater construction, Horn attack


    Titles: Named monster


    What?

 Chapter 3 Being a bunny is hard

    I named it? But I didn''t really want to! Can you name just that easily? Let''s check. Info naming monsters.


    Warning! You have no prior knowlege for this subject.


    Dang. Oh well I guess you abunnynation now. I mean even your title says so. I look at the bunny again. It hoped away a few feet and is munching on some grass. Yep you are still ugly. Does it have gills? Or how does underwater breathing work? Info skill underwater breathing.


    Skill Underwater Breathing. Can''t be deaktivated. Magically changes water to air in the lungs when fully submerged. There is no time limit on underwater breathing. Can only be aquired by creatures with lungs.


    That''s a pretty neat skill to have. So it''s like this fluid they made that you can breath in? Or does your lung just not fill with water? I kinda wanna test that. And I can! I just have to use possession on it. I''m kinda nervous. Are there any large predators here? Won''t I get eaten?


    "Well I can''t stand around and do nothing forever." I say and this time ignore my creepy voice. The bunny seems to have heard me and is moving it''s ears in a panic. Don''t worry little guy you won''t have to be afraid for long.


    I reach out with my hand again and chant possession in my head. The next moment I feel a light pull that gets stronger and stronger. I feel myself getting pulled into the bunnys mind and enveloping it.


    I blink. Before me is the bush abunnynation was snacking on. Theres still some in my mouth. Not bad actually. Kinda like a salad. I now realized that I haven''t felt hungry before, but now I can feel my belly rumbling. So I decide to eat some more. Nom.


    While I chew I look around. I am much closer to the ground now. And my heart is beating like crazy. Man this bush is tasty. I wonder where the rest of the bunnys are? And then suddenly I have that information in my head. Weird I can access it''s memorys, but it''s very different. Like my mind is a bathtub with water and the bunnys memorys is a rubber duck. It''s there on a surface level but I have to pull it under the surface to access.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    From what I can tell theres a lake in the direction she came from. Yes I learned that just now as well. At the lake the bunnys have their burrows underwater build like kitchen sink drainage pipes with chamber that have small holes to the surface for air. Cool.


    Man this bush is really good. Also there seems to be a few bigger predators around. A fox like creature with a burning tail. A wolf like creature with three tails that hunts in small packs. Also a dear like creature with crystall antlers and legs like a large cat. There seems to be more but this bunny only saw those few.


    I stop eating and turn my head in the direction of the lake. I can go there now it''s only a few hops. A skip. And a... JUMP! At the word I shoot from the gound sailing through the air. Hahaha! This is amazing! The jump skill is amazing! I keep flying and land on a tree branch feeling the air on my fur the entire time. I just jumped four meters and landed on a branch! I saw this too in it''s memory and had to try it.


    After that I make my way to the lake jumping a few more times for the fun of it. It has a three second cool down and makes my muscles tired after a while. Or was it her muscles? Hmm I feel like something is strange. Oh well I can think later about that because I can see the lake now.


    It''s a beautiful lake.The water is a calm azure color. The lake is also perfectly round and probably two hundred meters in diameter. Theres a little sandy shore on the other side where I can see the deers. The light is making their antlers sparkle. I''m breathless by this beautiful sight.


    At that moment there is an impact on my side and I fly a few meters crashing into a tree. Owowowow! What happened? I look around and see the cause of my flight. A fox has ramed me and is now opening it''s mouth to bite me. Oh no! Scarry scarry scarry! I don''t want to die! Help! It hurt! I have to get away!I try to stand up and jump away. But my side hurts, making me flinch, and instead I fly towards the fox.


    Crunch!


    There is the sickening sound of bone breaking and a ragged breath. And then silence.


    You gained 20xp! Level up!


    H-huh? I''m not dead? I timidly open my eyes. And look directly into the sharp teeth of the fox. I panic again and try to get away but my head is stuck. What is going on? Ok ok calm yourself. Calm. I look closer now and see that I impaled the foxes head through his mouth. Killing it in the process. Oh that explains the xp. For now it seems I survived.

 Chapter 4 The meaning of titles

    That was scary! I better get out of the bunny for now, before something else kills me! My mind flows out of the bunny and back into my blue astral body. All the fright vanishes the instant I''m back out. Huh? Why was that so scarry? Why did I jump around like an idiot without self-preservation? That''s not at all like me.


    Hmm something is strange. I am so strangely calm right now. But as a bunny I was feeling happy and scared. But right now...AH! So it''s like that. I see now. I have no emotions in astral form, thats why I feel so calm right now!


    I look at abunnynation who still struggles to get free from the foxes maw. She wiggles her butt and presses with her paws in a panic. I wonder if she just woke up and is wondering what is happending. Now I feel sorry for her.


    But it seems I feel all the things I''m lacking while I possess something. I felt hungry and ate like a bunny. I felt happy when I jumped around like a bunny. And I felt no sense of danger probably because all these emotions came over me again so suddenly.


    But perfect knowlege said nothing about that when I examined possession. Is it another skill? I took another look at my skills but nothing stood out at me. Hmm maybe my title? Info title Lost soul from a different world!


    Title Lost soul from a different world. You are a lost soul. You can remember your knowlege and what you learned, but your memories of your life in the different world will slowly fade away leaving you with your ego, personality and knowlege alone. You will remeber every detail about information and knowlege you learned because your body is no longer limited by the flesh. You are from different world. You have knowlege that is not found in this world. You have been transportet here by a higher power. As long as you are in an astral form all the emotions and needs of the flesh will be suppressed. Warning! You have the possession skill! Possessing a creature or object will have an influence upon your personality and emotions. Warning! When you stay in possession too long there is a chance that your personality will be altered.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    I didn''t move. What? I re-read the info a few times. That is a lot of info all at once. My memories will fade? That is why I can''t remeber anyones faces and names. But what is the difference between my personality and ego? Well not like I can ask perfect knowlege that. And I''m no longer limitedn by the flesh? So like in that one movie with the pill? I can now use one hundred percent of my mind? That sounds useful but the drawback is hard. Also when does it differntiate between my memories and knowlege?


    Next I get the confirmation. This is a differnt world and I died. I guess I still held onto the hope that this was all somekind of coma dream. But I guess that is still on the table. It''s interesting that I was apparently brought here by a higher power. So...God? That sounds kinda fishy. Well not like it matters really.


    And I also get the confirmation here that I have no emotions like this. I also see now that it was this titles fault that I got so caught up in the bunnys emotions. But how does a object influence my personality and emotions? Like for example when I possess a sword I get battle hungry or turn into a masochistic shield if I possess one? Weird.


    And lastly being too long in possession will have an influence on my personality huh? Kinda like how my soul will apperently merge with a object when I stay too long. This has a lot of pretty hard drawbacks. But in the end it will not stop me from using possession. It was just too fun jumping around. This time I will also be more careful.


    Well then let''s possess abunnynation again! I turn to her but find only the corpse of the fox. Ah. She ran away because I was too deep in my own thoughts! Damn! But that also gives me an opportunity. I reach out with my hand to possess the foxes corps.


    Warning! Possesing a corpse will change your race into undead and erase your possession skill! Do you wish to contionue Y/N?


    I pull back my hand fast. Oh hell no! I don''t wanna be an undead fox forever! No thank you. But that''s also interesting. So I can become an undead if I possess a corpse? Wait a minute. Does that mean I could possess a human corpse to become human again? Suddenly a dark thought comes over me. What if I possess a normal human? Or make a human body? An empty shell I could breath life into. Apparently magic exists here so maybe theres a way?


    This feels wrong. Very wrong but I can''t get rid of the thought. I could be human again. But for that I must first get out of this dungeon. "Haha...hahahah! Ahahahahahahahaha! Now I have a goal in mind!" I laugh at my revelation. I will simlpy become human again! So let''s get out of here!

 Chapter 5 Of wolfs and bunnys

    After I made my new plans I started exploring this forest and over time I made some interesting discoveries.


    First. The light that comes from the ceiling, which I still don''t know the of, dims significantly at what I call nighttime. During this time you can''t see the small critters about but the wolfes get more active. I have spent so far three days and two nights here just wandering.


    Second. This floor of the dungeon is very large. The pond is bigger than I first thought, with roughly 500m lenght and 400m width. It''s also pretty deep from what I could tell and the home of abunnynations brethrens. There are several sandy banks too where I see the deer drink in the morning. I also haven''t found the exit yet or where I entered. I found out that the forest, too goes several hundred meters in every direction and ends in rocky walls.


    Third. There are several other creatures here I haven''t seen before. One of them was a strange mix of an owel and an anglerfish. It kinda had a antenna on it''s forehead and fins instead of feathers on it''s wings. Don''t even ask me how that thing flies.


    Fourth. I seem to be unable to dive. I tried several times to dive into the water after the bunnys but I always floated on the surface. It''s strange really, but it''s probably because of the levitation skill or something similar.


    And that''s all so far. I''m kinda scared of possessing something again since the fox incident. But maybe it''s time I try and get some more info from one of the creatures living here. But what would be a good target? The bunnys are out of the question. I tend to become an idiot when I possess one. The deer are very hard to find apart from when they drink in the morning. The foxes are even harder to catch. They move about constantly and are really really hard to find. I kinda wanna try being one of the owls. Jumping was amazing so flying must be mindblowing. But they only come out at night and I can''t fly. So, the only ones left are the wolfes.


    I first try the the lake. It''s really beautiful each time I see it. The lake has this beautiful green coloration and crystal clear shores. It reminds me of the K?nigssee in Berchtesgaden I visited once. I once went there on a field trip with a highschool class. I just can''t seem to remember which grade or from where the school was. Or my students. Now I''m sad again. Sigh.Stolen story; please report.


    There are bunnys everywhere here. Splashing in the water, sunbathing on the shore or just playing in the forest. It''s the perfect place to wait for some wolfes. I can already feel the slaughter in the air. I mean the bunnys have their horns. And those are sharp horns but in the end their just bunnys. Even if there are a good two hundred in my field of vision alone. I wonder if abunnynation is still alive.


    So I just waited and watched the ugly bunnys playing. I mean a horn and a fin? Magic must be at play here. Or maybe they were created for the dungeon. Same with the deer. I feel like there is something strange about their crystal antlers. Maybe they can cast magic with that? Man in moments like these I wish I had someone to talk to.


    After what I assumed to be an hour or so something happened. I saw movement at the tree line. When I turned my attention in that direction I saw a pack of the wolfes fanning out around the place the bunnys played. I counted four wolfes and one alpha. How do I know it''s the alpha? Because it''s twice the size of the others. Also it possitioned itself in the middle, drooling while waiting for the moment to strike. I guess I will possess that guy, he should be the smartest of the bunch. I will also take a closer look at their furr patterns later.


    So I hurried over before they could strike and touched him for info.


    Status


    Name: None


    Race: Tempest Wolf


    lvl: 7


    Health: 50/50


    Mana: 5/5


    Stats: Strenght: 15, Dexterity: 7, Intelligence: 5, Wisdome: 1, Luck: 0


    Skills: Pack Leadership, Beginner Stealth, Windblade, Howling, Bite, Master Tracking


    Titles: Alpha


    Ohh! This guy is strong! Abunnynation is really weak compared to him! But he got a lot of weird skills. Let''s find out about some of them. Info Pack Leadership!


    Skill Pack Leadership. Can''t be deactivated. Allows you to form a pack with members of your species or a similar species. The size of your pack is the same as your intelligence stat. Allows you to comand the members of your pack. Warning! This skill will be transfered to the strongest individual after the current alpha dies.


    So if he had a hundred intelligence and is the strongest he could have a pack of one hundred wolfes? Scary. What about windblade?


    Skill Windblade. Only on command. Fires a sharp blade of wind that can cut iron armor and does damage three times the streght stat. Warning! This skill consumes mana. Warning! Needs weapon or natural weapon to activate.


    That''s a neat skill to have. A very powerfull attack. I wonder how much mana it costs. But it seems my time is up because the pack is about to attack.

 Chapter 6 Hunger

    I quickly extended my hand again and activated possession. Again my mind flows into that of the alpha and I learn more about this floor. But right as I learn where the exit is a deep red hunger overcomes me.


    My vision becomes tinted red. I feel so hungry. This deep primal hunger is overwhelming. I must eat! I jump out of the bush and run for the nearest bunny. The bunnys stiffen and some run away. The rest of my pack also came out of the bushes rushing the bunny''s.


    Yes my followers. Let us feast! I jump and bring my fangs down on the nearest bunny with a satisfying crunch. It dies immediately as I break it''s spine and fin with my powerful teeth. Flesh and blood fills my mouth. It tastes amazing. I can''t hold back and devour the entire bunny right then and there with it''s fur.


    That was a nice appetizer but I need more! I look around and see that my follower''s brought down six more of the delicious snack''s. I look at my nearest follower and let out a low growl. I know he won''t refuse my request for his kill. And as I thought he moves aside, his tails tucked between his legs. He killed a fat one. Perfect.


    After I sated my hunger on the bunnys I summon my followers around me. We will stay here the rest of the day and rest. But wasn''t there something I wanted? I feel like I could remember something about an exit.


    But I couldn''t concentrate on that though for long. One of my followers came to me baring his fangs and growling. Seems like the fool wishes to challenge me for leadership. All right I accept!


    I let a howl loose and he freezes on the spot. I take that moment to look at him more closely. He has two green stripes like all of us running down his back to the point of the outer tails. The middle one is black like the rest but he has a white stop in the middle of it. I see. He''s the one I stole the kill from earlier. You still hungry pup?Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I snarl at him, lift my claw and let loose a windblade. Noiseless a sharp blade of wind travels faster than I can see towards my opponent. It consumed all of my mana but the fool gets his head sliced off cleanly. Hmpf! What a weakling. Good thing he won''t drag my pack down any longer. But the expenditure of my entire manapool made me sleepy.


    I lay down on the sand and let the rest of the pack keep watch. Then I fall asleep.


    Warning! You are in possession for more than 8 hour''s! End possession in 30 minutes or you will fuse with your target.


    I wake up to a red window flashing in my mind. Huh? Possession? I try and jumpstart my groggy mind. That''s right I''m not a wolf am I? Right I should get out of the wolf.


    I cancel possession and I flow out of the alphas mind. And immediately feel like vomiting. D-did I eat a b-bunny? Raw? And I liked it? I can still vividly remember the feeling of the warm blood. The crunch as I shattered it''s spine and ripped it apart. But the hunger was so intense. The whole experience was so intense.


    I curl up and lie down. Or more like float in place. Around me night has fallen and the Wolfe''s sleep. Except the alpha who is now awake. You have some serious anger issues buddy.


    I don''t think I wanna posses a meat eater again. Compared to the wolf the bunny was at least kinda enjoyable. I take a few more minutes to calm myself. And then get up again. I think I need to find a better target for Possession next time. Suddenly possesing a bunny sounds like a good idea again.


    But at least now I know what using mana feels like. It''s exhausting, especially with a small mana pool. But the windblade was powerful. And the wolf itself felt very powerful. Try being a two meter long wolf once. You feel very powerful believe me.


    Now no time to mope around anymore! Inside the alphas mind I did find a lot of new information. The most important is that there seems to be no exit or at least he didn''t know any. Also I found out that the deer keep to the outside of the forest where the rocky walls are. And that the deer are very dangerous. They shoot some kind of rainbow colored laser from their antlers if I understood that right. I kinda wanna see that now.


    Hmm now what do I do now? I look at the shore where the dead bunny''s lay and the Wolfe''s sleep. First I should get away from the Wolfe''s or I get tempted again.


    So I turn to the shore and start wandering it again.

 Chapter 7 Going for a dive

    "Being a wolf is way worse than being a bunny." I said in my cold voice. I had a lot of time while wandering the shore. So I''ve been thinking. I''d rather be a bit stupid bunny than being a arrogant murder happy wolf. The effect on my personality seems rather strong depending on the target of possession.


    I''d like for a host without prior personality but than I''d probably be a undead. I''d like to posses a object for once but I don''t see many good targets around here. I don''t wanna be a random tree or bush.


    So I started looking for the bunnys again. I really wanna experience the underwater breathing skill. And I was mostly myself as abunnynation.


    I''ve also been thinking. The feeling of using mana as the wolf was so natural that I almost didn''t notice it. I mostly imagined the outcome and the mana did the rest. I wonder if the skill was at work here. Or maybe magic is that easy to use? Easy use would be nice but kinda disappointing to be honest.


    Then again possession also feels almost like second nature to use so maybe the skill just helps a lot.


    I started a new lap around the lake. How many did I do now while thinking? My third? But I feel like I''ve been thinking for hours and hours. Maybe it''s the whole no limiter on brainpower thing at work again making my thinking super fast.


    It''s been a while now but I still can''t find any bunnys. Hmm maybe in the water? So I make my way over the water to the middle of the lake. I hope possession works through water as well.


    When I reached the middle of the lake I stopped and looked around. Now I''m here but what should I be looking for? Probably ripples in the water. And after waiting a bit indeed there was a disturbance in the water. The top of a horn was poking out of the water. Looks like we have a winner.


    I raced over and touched the horn and immediately began diving into the bunnys mind. This feels just like back then. I feel so carefree and happy. But this time I''m prepared for it. I won''t let the bunny overtake me again.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Now then while I''ve been thinking pointless things I was underwater the whole time. And just like I thought I can breath like normal. Kinda anticlimactic to be honest. Oh well easy to use is easy to use. Now let''s also see what kinda info this guy has. I pull his mind ducky under the surface of my mind and read his memory. Oh? Now that''s interesting. I start diving downwards to the middle of the lake.


    I just learned that there is a place down there that is build like a burrow but wasn''t made by the bunnys. Also it''s human sized. Well well well if that doesn''t scream secret then I don''t know what does. There I see the opening. It''s not very wide and looks unnatural. It''s a hole in the middle of a perfectly round stone slab. The hole in the middle looks big enough for one person.


    I dive in and kick the walls while traveling the winding tunnel. If I was a human I would probably start panicking since it''s so small and dark but as a bunny I have no problems what so ever. This is also kinda fun. Like doing parkour in zero G. But my fun is cut short as the tunnel comes to an end at a chamber that is clearly a moon pool. I hop out of the water and exit the bunnys mind. Thanks little guy you can go home now. The bunny sits there sniffs the air for a moment and then disappears through the tunnel.


    Now then I look around the chamber. Behind me is the moonpool and in front of me a huge double door made from a coppery metal. It''s beautifully ornamented. It depicts a battle of sorts. On the right side are knights in armor riding horses and what looks to be griffon''s. At their feet more knight with banners and lances, swords and shields. The other side shows a random bunch of creatures. I can see a hydra and some kind of boar with six tusk''s in the middle. The rest are creatures I don''t know of. One looks like a lion with the body of an octopus. But it''s really beautiful and with so many fine details.


    The door is cracked open so I can slip inside. The inside looks like a library mixed together with what I would imagine a alchemists workshop to look like. The walls are giant bookshelves packed with thousands of books of all colours. A lifetime wouldn''t be enough to read all of this. The middle and in front of the door is worktables. The tables are stuffed with even more books, beaker''s of strange shapes and glasses with ingredients. One bench seems to be for metal working cause there are hammers and metal plates strewn all over it. At the far end is glowing glass mosaic and in front of that a pedestal with a big book lying on it.


    Looks like I just found the jackpot.

 Interlude

    Silently she stalks her prey. Her steps unheard. She found out that the go down easiest when they''re unaware.


    A pair of brown eyes peers from a bush. Watching. Waiting. A flash of orange. The flicker of a flame. The sound of flesh ripping. A howl. Silence.


    You gained 20xp!


    The fox lies dead in front of her. Just like her master showed her. The head is the weakpoint. But the smell of blood will attract other''s. So she quickly makes her way up a tree.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Her master too showed her how to do this. First jump against a tree. Then angle yourself and jump of the tree higher until you reach a branch. Yes.


    Her Master is so great knowing these things and showing them to her.


    Rustling. There is another one. It''s burning tail swishing beneath her. But the trees are now her territory.


    She angles down and jumps using the branch. Again the sound of flesh and blood. But this time no howl. She aimed so it would die quickly.


    You gained 20xp! Level up!


    She could feel her mind expanding. Just like her great master did for her before. She still laments running away in panick back then without looking for her master. But that matters little now. She will keep hunting and growing. And one day she will meet her master again.


    Yes because she is Abunnynation!

 Chapter 8 Questionable knowledge

    This is amazing. So many book''s. And then there is all this equipment. And those strange things in the containers. I may not have had a doctor in chemistry but even I can see that all of this seems very advanced. Oh by the way I got two doctors actually my first one being in history. But more about that later.


    The mosaic and the pedestal of course caught my eye the heaviest but I have all the time I need, so no rush. I go to the nearest table and look at the books lying on it. Who ever lived here is long gone. There is a thick layer of dust covering anything. I put my finger on it and wipe over the book. Of course nothing happens but it''s the thought that counts.


    A book on top of a tower of books is my target for now. The leather it''s bound in is a nice navy blue and the letters on it are very finely drawn.


    "I can''t read it." I slump my shoulders and sigh. Of course I can''t read it. But it also doesn''t seem like a language from my world. I spoke four languages before but this doesn''t look closely to any I know. Hmm maybe info will help. I touch it and request information.


    Item. Book. Guide to the ocean of dreams. Written in High Imperial. Written by Christopher the Wiseman. This book is about the theory of the dreamscape of intelligent creatures.


    My status windows are in english nur this book is in a language called high imperial. That would explain why I can''t read it. Hmm the contents seem more esoteric than scientific, but this is a world where magic exists. This book may very well be the fruits of hard labor and experimentation. I kinda wanna read it now. Hmm let''s try another book first though.


    Left besides this book is a smaller book bound in yellow. The letters here are bold and crude. This seems to be more of a journal. Of course I touch it for info.


    Item. Book. Torgus Skinflayers cookbook. Written in demonic. Written by Torgus Skinflayer. This book is about the best ways to prepare human flesh and cooking it to perfection.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    I didn''t know what I expected but I didn''t expect this. I have several questions. What language is demonic? Like demons demons? Like from the Bible? Or like the one that Socrates was talking about? Well this one seems to be eating humans so I will go with modern fantasy for now. Also the name Skinflayer doesn''t sound like a demons name if you ask me.


    I guess I could see why someone would keep a book like this though. I mean the only one who knows better about flesh than a doctor would be a cook. But seriously? A demonic cookbook? What''s next? A book about fantasy metals? I snort at the thought. And touch the next book a big one, brown with bold letters.


    Item. Book. How to melt dragon bones volume 1. Written in dwarfen. Written by Borkus Soulhammer. A book about melting and smithing with bones.


    If I could touch this book I would throw it across the room right now. Melting bone for smithing? Come in that''s a bit much even for fantasy! And it''s even only the first volume! And it''s written by a god damn dwarf too?! What''s up with all this questionable knowledge?! I wanna posses this book and rip...


    I froze. Wait can''t I just possess these books to gain their knowledge? I check the description for Possession again. Yes! I can possess objects! I''m such a genius when I get angry. Then again I wasn''t really angry more annoyed. Seems like I''m still human despite my situation. That makes me kinda happy.


    So I started possessing every book on the table and learning their contents. Now possessing an item feels very different from a living being. First there is no mind to invade. Just cold nothing. Second I feel just like before. No weird calling myself the book. And third I float. Yep. That''s right my friend. Everything I possess starts floating and I can move the pages like their part of me. I feel like a poltergeist like this.


    And I take everything about this being strange back. The book about cooking humans for example. I had a friend who taught anatomy and this book is as accurate as everything he showed me. This is amazing actually. I would have to call this Skinflayer and da Vinci one of a kind apart from the cooking. The drawings are accurate and fine. The wording is crude but on point. And the accuracy of the human anatomy is almost frightening.


    This is great. So much knowledge. I exit a book about the theory of magic metal existing in dwarfen blood and look around. Who ever these all belonged to must be a genius that doesn''t discriminate about race or origin and uses all knowledge. I really wanna meet this person and talk with him. And then possess him and learn all his secrets. But for now I will make due with his library.

 Chapter 9 Trap

    How many weeks has it been? I exit the last book and look around. 189.448 books. I now know everything from gardening in tundras to the breeding rituals of a creature called a Hox bull. At some point I just had to sit there a few days just thinking about what I now knew.


    To say that I now know a lot would be an understatement. I now know for example that the distance from this worlds second moon seems to be 90.000km less than Earth''s moon but for some reason doesn''t seem to affect the first moons gravitational pull. And this world may have magic but apparently even they can''t explain this.


    I also know that the amount of different recorded bird species on this world is 247. While the recorded amount of dragon species is a low 25. And apparently the amount of recorded lifeforms in the ocean is 1.287. But the actual explored ocean is only 3% so the recorded number is probably only a fraction.


    Or did you know that the apparent melting point of adanantite is twice that of tungsten? Thats a nice fact considering that there are only two none magical methods of smelting it in this world. While the flame of a white fire dragon also comes close to this melting point it is quite unlikely to actually melt from a dragons attack.


    Yes I know all of these things now. But do you know what I still don''t know? HOW IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS THIS PLACE IS THERE NOT A SINGLE BOOK ABOUT MAGIC?!


    Don''t get me wrong. We have magic metal theory and magic monster theory. There are 67 books about entchants and rune work. BUT THERE ISN''T ONE! BLOODY! BOOK! ABOUT! LEARNING! MAGIC!


    Nothing! No how skills affect magic or how to cast spells. Or how to bloody get a skill for casting! All I know is that you need a medium through which you have to direct the flow of mana or you need the appropriate skill.


    I sigh and sit/float on a chair. I spent probably months learning all of this. I even got a skill from it called "perfect creation" which apparently helps you craft things of immeasurable strength. If you have hands.


    I sigh again and bury my face in my blurry hands. I know now how to craft golems and automatons. Also I know the difference between those and living objects. I could probably craft some amazing golems and magical robots now if , and that''s a big if, I had access to magic and hands.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    I lay my head on the crafting bench in front of me. The person who worked here last was working on a gauntlet. I can tell that much now from absorbing the metal crafting knowledge of 394 books about crafting with metal and similar things. I wonder why they stopped? From what I can tell it''s quite the good work. They even got out of their way to carve runes and magic circles for different effects.


    The 756 books about enchanting with etching would call this a failure since it would make the material too thin but that would only be the case if you used it for combat. I shift my point of view and look at the mosaic with the book on the pedestal. That is the only book I haven''t possessed.


    The mosaic is beautiful and depicts a knight in full plate armor with three scratches on his helmet and a man in a orange robe. They have their arms over each other''s shoulder and seems quite happy even though you can''t see eithers face. I wonder who they were? Did they build this place?


    I look down before the pedestal where the man in the orange robe lies face first on the floor. Or rather his skeleton. Yep you heard me right, that guy from the mosaic is totally dead. I didn''t notice him at first but after a while I noticed his corpse. His robes are in tatters and his hand is outstretched toward the book. He never reached it.


    I stand/float and walk/float over to him. I wonder who you were in life. I don''t wanna touch him. I don''t wanna disturb him. From the lack of a magical aura I can tell that his robe or anything on his is special after all. Yep learned that too. Some of the hammers on the worktable have more enchantments on them than this guy.


    Well well well I guess your book is all that is left now my friend. I really hope it''s a grimoire. Those can be used as a casting medium and can be used to store spells. Also magicans write their knowledge on them so I really hope it''s not a really fancy cook book again. I already read 334 of those. They were as useless as the 996 books about language I read. Though I speak a lot of languages now.


    Now to the pedestal book. It''s big. I would guess it''s hight by about 40cm and it''s thickness no less than 10cm. It''s also between 30 and 25cm wide. It''s bound in a black leather that seems to absorb the light around it. The corners are tucked away in tiny golden triangles. The whole surface is covered in golden etchings. They glow and pulse weakly. Yep this thing is magic. Also in the middle is a orange metal disk that resembles a wickedly laughing pumpkin. Weird design choice. The book is held closed by something even stranger though. A silver dragon is coiled around it. Or a silver ornament of a dragon that is swallowing its own tail. The eyes are closed. I also can feel a incredible amount of magic from it.


    On the spine is a long sentence. Huh weird. It''s in english? I read aloud.


    "Thou art I, I art thou, to my comrade I swear this vow. Skin to bone, steel to rust, ashes to ashes, dust to dust! In my comrade eternally I lay my trust!"


    "Vow of the comrade confirmed. Beginning soul absorbtion."


    And everything went black.

 Please stand by

    Soul absorbtion confirmed.


    Processing...


    Processing...


    Error. Soul wavelength does not match the predicted data.


    Processing possible solutions.


    Processing...


    Processing...


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Preparing soul mergance. Error. Perfect knowledge can not be shared.


    Preparing solution. Skill mergance. Target skills: Perfect Knowledge and Perfect Arithmetic. Processing.


    Processing...


    Processing...


    Success.


    Unique skill Zwilling created. Soul wavelength adjustment. Error. Error. Error. Unable to adjust wavelength. Ego of soul too strong. Wavelength will have to be manually adjusted.


    Starting upgrading and downgrading of skills.


    Astral body upgrade in process. Success. New skill. Astral perception.


    Possession downgrade. Error. Splitting skill. Success. New skills. Perfect Telekinesis. Perfect Telepathy.


    Skill levitation absorbed.


    Process finished. Waking up main soul in 26 hour''s.

 Chapter 10 Two souls and one reference

    "Integration process completed. Awakening main soul."


    I open my eyes when I hear the deep voice in my head. Ugh, I blacked out? My head feels so sluggish. What happened? I remember reading the text and then...ah! That''s right that voice from just now didn''t he say something when I read the text? I try to recall the words but the voice answers for me.


    "Answer. The speaking of the command phrase aktivated the soul absorbtion that was needed to finish the creation of the Magnum Opus Eternia." says the deep but robotic voice in my head. Whao, wait! Soul absorbtion? Does that mean...? I look down and notice that my ghostly body is gone. Instead I can see the book from the pedestal. "Hey! What happened to my ghost body? Why am I possessing the book?" I try to separate myself from the book like I did with all the other but nothing happens.


    "Answer. The skill astral body was not needed and was therefore deleted. The skill astral perception is now available. The skill possession was not needed and was therefore deleted. The skills Perfect Telepathy and Perfect Telekinesis are now available." or so he says. Oh I know my status will probably give me some answers. Status! I chant in my head.


    Status


    Name: Magnum Opus Eternia


    Race: Magical Tome


    lvl: 1


    Exp: 0/100


    Health: 500/500


    Mana: 100.000/100.000


    Stats: Strenght: 0, Dexterity: 0, Intelligence: 100, Wisdome: 100, Luck: 10


    Skills: Levitation, Zwilling, Astral perception, Perfect Telekinesis, Perfect Telepathy, Perfect Creation, Soul Contract, Perfect Subspace Storage, Magic Power Control, Adaptive potential, Locked Knowlege lvl 1


    Zwilling Skills: Ego, Astral Perception, Perfect Telekinesis, Perfect Telepathy, Magic Power Control, Perfect Fighter, Guardian Form


    Titles: Strongest Magical Tome, Zwilling, Master Crafted


    Huh? My race changed. I''m now a magical tome? Hmm I''m not so sure if that''s better than lost soul or worse. I also got a name now. Magnum Opus Eternia? Ist that the name of the book? Kinda ambiguous don''t you think? Well it''s not like I can remember my old name so I guess I''ll use this one. But really this surprised me! I''m kinda shocked. Guess the whole possession thing had to end at some point, I''m just happy I got all the knowledge of this library before though!If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Also my status finally shows me some stuff! I''m level one but that''s ok for now I''d say. I also got health now which is nice. No dying from casting anymore. Also I got a ridiculously high mana pool now! What the hell?! I have a reverence now that I read enough books so I know that this is more than any human could ever have! I mean the windblade only costed 5 mana and it made ridiculous damage. Imagine what I can do with a hundredthousand! Also I''m a magical tome now which means I have magic spells! I''m gonna look into that later though. My stats come first.


    Now I should probably explain what the different stats are for. Though any good gamer will know what the first three mean without an explanation. Also Zero is the baseline in this world. A new born human would have zero in all his stats for example. And one hundred is the point at which you get a high ranking skill according to the stat you got. What that means is, when you reach one hundred in wisdome for example you''d get a perfect skill like perfect knowledge. Which means I had one hundred points in wisdome when I died. Pretty good if I do say so myself.


    I also got one hundred intelligence now but I don''t know where those came from. Probably from this voice in my head. But more about that later. I also got ten luck. Now luck is a much discussed stat and sages have been fighting for hundreds of years about its true meaning. So I can only speculate. And now the main dish of our class. Skills.


    Levetation we all know by now. It lets you float and move around. But you can''t break surface tension with it. But the next skill I have no idea about. Zwilling? I heard that word before. It means twin in German if I remember right. And I should, I have a perfect memory for knowledge after all. Hmm I don''t have perfect knowledge anymore but I''d like some information about Zwilling.


    "You art I, I art thou. The unique skill Zwilling combines the souls into one soul and gives the perfect balance of knowledge and intelligence." says the voice. "Oh I get it now! You! You are the skill Zwilling right? You were the voice, the soul, that was in this book before right? You waited for another soul right?" I spoke with enthusiasm. My voice was now not icy and cold anymore but more of a soft and cheerful one. Like you''d imagine a cat to sound like. "Correct." Zwilling answers me. "THATS GREAT! I''m not alone anymore at last! And you can give me info like perfect knowledge could before right?"


    "Correct." zwilling again confirmes my theory. "Then from today on I will call you Zwi is that ok? And you call me Eins in return!" "Affirmative." gives zwi his consent. All right! This will be a great partnership! I can already feel it!

 Chapter 11 Long ways to go

    This is a terrible partnership. Why? Because we can''t communicate at all! What''s up with him?! "So let me ask you , for the third time, what does the skill Zwilling do apart from letting us talk?." I ask in my sweetest voice. "Error. Terms to broad. Please specify." comes the automatic reply from zwi. I sigh. Please, I don''t wanna play twenty questions with a robot. "Well alright then let''s just skip this. I bet we will learn in time." And of course I receive no reply. I bump my backside into a table corner and get rewarded by the sound of metal striking wood.


    You couldn''t see the backside before but on there is a dull gray plate of metal, formed like a helmet, with three scratches over his left eye. Yes that''s right. Exactly like the mosaic. Good thing you remembered that. But there''s a difference! This guy has red orbs for eyes. Yes just like I have green ones. So I have concluded that that is his face. Hence why I bumped it. No I''m not childish.


    "So then let''s test the other skills, you ready zwi?" "Waiting for input." that''s one thing I like about him. Always ready like a good little camper. "Alright then please tell me about the skill Astral Perception." Since my perfect knowledge seems to have vanished I have to ask zwi now each time I want to know something.


    "Skill Astral Perception. Toggled. Allows you to spread out your mana and percieve the world around you. Allows you to see astral and spectral beings. Allows you to detect mana and traces of mana. Warning! You can not see into enclosed spaces or objects, except if there is an opening you can push your mana through. Warning! Others can detect your perception field as much as you can detect them. Warning! The range is only limited by your mana pool. Warning! You can''t use this skill with an empty Mana pool."


    Yep just like I thought a perfectly balance skill. But really the details you can see with it are amazing. I can read the title of a book at the other side of the room. But it''s a mana coating so I don''t see color or written text. A shame really. I probably could read twenty books at once like this. Well onto the next one. "Next skill from the list please."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "Skill Perfect Telekinesis. Toggled on target. Allows you to lift objects and move them around. This skill costs mana scaled to the weight of target objects. Example: a five kilogram book costs five mana to target. But after that the object can be moved as long as you don''t cancel the skill."


    Oh he answered that vague question. Guess he''s a smarty after all. But really this skill seems ab bit too good. I mean it didn''t specify a limit on the number of objects or the velocity you can move them with. Let''s test that. I target a small iron ball twenty meters away, while keeping an eye on my mana pool. The ball lifts into the air and my mana doesnt even drop a point. I then move the ball with six hundred kilometers per hour against the stone wall on the other end of the room. A small hole is created. Yep this is perfectly balanced as all things should be.


    "All right I don''t need the one for Perfect Telepathy so let''s skip that one and tell me the next." I mean it''s pretty obvious what it does. I guess since it''s a perfect skill it doesn''t need mana or have a range limit or something.


    "Skill Soul Contact. Allows you to form different kinds of soul contract''s. This can range from a soul bond for item use to a servant bond with a monster."


    Huh, the explanation is simple but the implications are big. I guess when I soul bond someone to us they can use us like a magical tome. Interesting. Maybe I find someone like that one day. Then let''s go to the next one.


    "Skill Perfect Subspace Storage. Always active. Can''t be stolen, blocked or broken into. Allows you to store objects into a Subspace Storage. This skill takes mana permanently from your mana pool scaled to the weight of objects in your storage. Warning! You can not put living creatures into the Subspace. Warning! You can not retrieve items if you have no mana. Warning! You can not store objects if you have no mana. Warning! Upon death items vanish from existence."


    Now you''re scaring me! What do you mean vanish from existence?! Also did you read my thoughts?! " Affirmative." "Don''t it''s creepy as hell." "Affirmative."

 Chapter 12 Things that can go boom

    We got a bit off track. Back to the skills. And most importantly to the skill I wanted for a while. "Zwi, please tell me about the magic power control skill."


    "Skill Magic Power Control. Always active. Allows you to freely control Mana and put more Mana into your spells. This skill also enables you to control the magic power of a different person when you touch them and they allow it."


    Pretty straight forward right? But this is what will allow me to use magic! Magic! I read so much about it and in my old life people talked all about it in legends and fantasy. But now I get the chance to actually do it. And most importantly with the help of all those before me. Study it! "Zwi we''re going to have a lot of fun with this skill." Silence was his answer.


    "Well never mind that we still have some in the list so give me the details." "Skill adaptive potential. Always active. This is a item skill. It allows you to adapt to your user and unlock their full potential." Again pretty straight forward. Also not useful to me right now. But good to know. "Next one I wanna finish this."


    "Skill locked knowledge. Always active. This skill is unique to you so it can''t be stolen or deactivated. This skill disables you to make use of the knowledge in your pages. The only ones you can use are the beginner ones. This skill levels up as you do. Currently this skill is lvl1 so you can use beginner level magic and all the knowledge in the pages along with the level." What?! Aww, come on! And here I was so excited. Well I guess I can''t start with all the knowledge. "Say zwi do you know why I have this skill?" Zwi was silent for a few seconds. "No relevant data found."


    I also see that he has skills of his own. Or at least that''s what it looks like to me. "Say zwi what does your ego skill. Do? Is it like Zwilling?" "Correct." Have I mentioned that I love my new voice? I sound so friendly. Like a teacher. Also zwi seems to have the same skills as me apart from perfect fighter and guardian form. I guess perfect fighter is a close combat skill. Well not like we have hands to fight but this guardian form intrigues me. I can''t really imagine what it does. "Zwi? What is guardian form?" "This skill is locked. Please initiate a soul synchronisation and achieve 90% synchronisation to use this skill."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Locked? Soul synchronisation? "What do you mean with that?" I ask but I can already feel that this is nothing good. "During the creation process and integrating of a soul into the Magnum opus Eternia the soul that gets integrated and the soul already in the body will synchronise and become one. But due to an error in the integration and a too strong ego the soul would not synchronise. To combat this the Zwilling skill was created. But to use the full potential the souls will have to be synchronised and both egos purged. The synchronisation is at 56% at this moment. Would you like to start the synchronisation process now manually?"


    That will be the biggest NO I have ever given. Purging my ego? No way. Guess we won''t be using that. But at least I now know what I can do, so let''s do some magic! I ease myself into the knowledge in the pages. I absorb the magic spells and learn the way their casted. I see I see. There is a page for learning beginners. Good then let''s do the first step. Finding out what color my magic is.


    Let me explain my dear listeners! " Warning! Delusional talking to one self can lead to further soul desynchronization." ....is zwi dissing me? That''s cold. Ahem, let''s get back to my explanation. So everyone can use magic. But the color of your magic power decides how effective you can use certain spells. Here is a simple explanation: Red=Fire, Blue=Water, Green=Wind, Orange=Earth, Black=Darkness and White= All types. And from these colors and they''re saturation as well as their mix one can find out for which elements they have a talent for. I concentrate and create a small rectangular sheet of magic in front of me.


    It''s a strong pink. That means I have a talent for all types of magic but especially fire magic. This is a good color. I can already see me floating around and setting fire to my enemy''s. .....maybe I''m more dangerous than I thought. But let''s see for a basic fire spell to cast. I concentrate again and a small flame appears in front of me. A basic spell. It floats a few centimeters in front of me. Let''s try some experimentation. I put more Mana in and it it becomes bigger and brighter. Nice this works.


    My mana also doesn''t really budge while I do this. I probably have a high rate of regeneration. I keep experimenting with size and shape after that. It takes me a few hours but I get the shape and color I wanted. In front of me is 10 centimeter big blue lotus of flame. It took me 100 points of mana to make it. It''s really beautiful if I''m allowed to praise myself like that. Let''s make it bigger! So I put 1000 points of mana into it. And watch it grow. Ah wait I''m underground aren''t I? And then everything exploded.

 The gong into a new age

    The mountain shook. They could feel it. The vibration was carried all the way to the castles ramparts. The few guard left went into high alert. Running in a panic , trying to organize and protect the city. They weren''t sure if it was the sign of another wave of monsters.


    In the governor''s castle hell broke loose as well. "What is going on?!" Barked the councilor''s voice over the running of his personal guard''s. "I-I don''t know!" Answered the feeble voice of a young girl. "Organize a search party! Send out the scouts!" He shouted at his assistant. "U-uhm! T-that is actually my decision." Came the feeble voice of the young girl. But noone even looked her way. Even though she was the dutchess.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    <hr>


    His big heavy red eyelid opened. He hadn''t awoken for the last 300 years. But now the mountain was shaking. He closed his eyes again. Maybe now was the time. The time to act once more upon the mortal realm. The shaking was his waking call. And with it the waking of a new age.


    <hr>


    "Ahh he did it! You owe money!" "We''re gods we don''t have currency dear." "Well give me some of your believers then! I told you he''d do it and he did! Even sooner than I predicted!" "I can''t believe you brought another trouble maker into our world. You will have to talk to him at some point you know?" "Oh my sweet, I can''t do that! That would ruin all the fun!" "Well dear either you tell him or I will. And if I have to tell him he will become my follower." "Alright! Alright! I will tell him! Geez don''t take the players out of the game before we even started."

 Chapter 13 First level up

    You gained 5xp! You gained 5xp! You gained- You gai- You - Y-Y-Y-Y....... You gained 5xp! Level up!


    My vision got flooded with these messages for a minute while I looked at what was happening around me. When my spell blew up in my face zwi protected me, like a deus ex machina. Seriously it''s great he was able to erect a shield strong enough to endure that. It cost us like 50k worth of mana but we''re alive. Same can''t be said for most of the Fauna in the lake.


    The explosion pushed most of the stone ceiling into the air. It pushed past at least 10 meters of lake water and exploded into the open air. I could see the dungeon ceiling from down there for a moment. Then the water came rushing in again. It buried the library and I simply floated toward the surface with the rising water.


    The explosion itself seemed to only have killed 20 or so of the bunnys, but the rain of stone killed more. And now I stand at the center of the lake and contemplate what went wrong. I mean obviously I lost control of all that mana. But the reason why eludes me. I mean it was stable before I put in more mana. "What do you think, zwi?"


    "Answer. The spell form wasn''t designed to handle the amount of mana supplied. The fact that the spell stayed stable as long as it did shows how skilled at mana control the caster was." Oh? Is zwi praising me? Thanks, partner! But yeah he''s right. It''s a miracle it stayed stable for so long. I just overdid it.


    Well all the stuff in the library may be lost but at least we got a level up from it. But when I looked at my status nothing changed aside from the number behind my level. From 1 to 2 that is. Hmm no wait there is something new. Down below it says ''choose reward''. I click on it without thinking. Damn gamer instinct!


    You gained 1 level point. You can choose between a skill or stat advancement. Which would you like? Skill/Stats?


    Phew! Nothing exploded and I didn''t turn into a banana. I should be more careful. Anyways I can choose huh? "Zwi, what do you think I should choose?" "Warning! Choosing stats will not change your current stats since they are determined by your race. Magical Tome race will not advance in stats upon level up." Good call partner. I almost forgot about that. So I choose skill.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Please choose one of the following skills: Souls companion or Soul Light.


    Soul is still a strong theme with me it seems. But both of these sound dubious at best. I know these skills from a book. Souls companion summons and bonds to you the creature that wants to be with you the most in the universe. And soul light let''s your body flare up like a flash light. You can blind your foes or illuminate the darkest night with h it. It''s great to have as a commander or something but nothing I need.


    Man this is like choosing between sand and sandpaper. I guess souls familiar? I click it and the screen disappears. Now I can activate it whenever I want. The question is do I want it now or later? "Zwi, your opinion?" "Answer. Boosting ones battle ranks brings stability and security inside of a dungeon. Warning! Attempt summon only on proper footing, in case summon can''t swim." Ah your right. I''m a book for half a day and forget that only I can float.


    So I make my way over to the shore, which is now littered with sand, dirt, stone and water puddles. While I''m not proud of what I did, I do think this is impressive. I mean this was a basic spell but it did this. I look for a suitable place with open space and little debris. Then I float horizontal, with my face toward the ceiling. "I summon you! Come to me and wander this lonely road by my side! Summon souls companion!"


    A magical circle starts growing under me. It glows in the bright pink of my mana. It starts small with two rings filled with runes. And then expands into a more complex and faster moving pattern. After several seconds the glow reaches its peak and flashes too bright for the eyes. And then with a small plop my souls companion falls from a small pink cloud.


    I bring distance between us and observe it. It''s legs are long and slender like those of a cat. Its fur is brown and two fins sprout parallel from its backside. Brown intelligent eyes look right back at me. From its head grows, like a horn, something that looks like a dagger and seems equally as sharp. Also it has bunny ears.


    "Hey zwi, that''s a dagger horn bunny isn''t it?" "Affirmative." "Those are a advanced species of Horn bunny, right?" "Affirmative." "Why does this one want to be with us?" "Answer. Confirm it''s status." Zwi shows me it''s , no her, status and I immediately wish I had hands to slap my forehead.


    Status


    Name: Abunnynation


    Race: Dagger horn bunny (Amphibious)


    lvl:2


    Health: 30/30


    Stats: Strength: 20, Dexterity: 25, Intelligence: 20, Wisdome: 5, Luck: 0


    Skills: Jumping, Underwater breathing, Underwaterconstruction, Advanced Sneaking, Dagger Arts, 3 Dimensional fighting


    Titles: Named monster, Souls companion

 Chapter 14 Evolution

    Abunnynation and I keep staring into each other''s eyes. "O-oi! Zwi! What do I do now?!" I scream in my head. I named this bunny on accident back then. I now know that named monsters can spontaneously mutate and gain significant stat-boosts when leveling. But it''s not even been that long since we parted. Also! She''s even more freaky looking than before! The only part that looks like a bunny are her ears! Also also, evolution is supposed to only be available when you reach max level for your species. How did a bunny reach that? "Answer. Communication via Telepathy." Oh right I have that don''t I?


    Now it''s time to make a good fir-err... second? Good impression! Say something smart! "Uhh uhm hi?" Nailed it. A+ me.


    "Voice! Master? Master! I found!" Comes a very happy sounding reply. Her voice is choppy and sounds childlike. But Master? Seriously? "Uhm I''m not your master though? What gave you that impression? Also isn''t this the first time we talked? How do you know it''s me?" I mean this has to be a misunderstanding right? "Uhh many. Words? Too much." Ah seems that was too much.


    Let''s try that slower. "So I''m your master?" Her eyes seem to sparkle. "Yes! Master! Happy found!" Aww she''s so energetic it would be cute if she wouldn''t be so gross to look at. "How do you know I''m your master?" She jumps a bit in place. Still grossly cute. "Voice! When still mind sleepy? Sleepy! Your voice! Say jumping fun! And beats fire beast! Master strong! Smart!" Ahh so in her beastial mind I must have seen smart to use the horn attack on the head of the fox! That would explain that, but did she really hear my voice when I was possessing her? Seems fishy.


    "And that makes me your master? Sounds more like I''m your teacher." I say jokingly. "Yes! Word! New! Teacher! Teacher! Found! Take with! Teach!" At her words something inside me stirred. Something I feel like I haven''t felt in a long time. "Your teacher..." Yes. Isn''t that my true self? A teacher. "Warning! Soul disturbance detected. Please calm down and synchronise soul wave." Zwi said something to me but I wasn''t listening anymore. "You want me to be your teacher? Very well! I! Magnum Opus Eternia! Will be your teacher and you will be my pupil! Abunnynation doesn''t fit you anymore! Instead your name will be Anna bunnynation Eternia! I engrave this into your soul!"Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    The words came to me like in a trance. Before I knew what I was saying I had already spoken words of power. A pink string of light shot out of me and into Anna. Then a second string black and red wrapped itself around the pink one. Then a third from Anna, shining blue, wrapped itself around the pink one as well. A cascade of light dyed the entire area and slowly became brighter. At the peak the strings were not visible anymore, so bright had the light grown. And then like someone had snapped a finger all was gone.


    Congratulations! You have bonded to your souls companion! Power flows! Your souls companion will now evolve please stand by!


    I read the text window in front of me. Evolve already?! Didn''t she do that already?! But Anna was already wrapped in more light that grew brighter by the second. In the light I could make out the faint outline of Anna growing and her limbs expanding. After several seconds the light dies down and we get a good look at our new souls companion.


    Brown shoulder long hair, with equally brown bunny ears. Bright red eyes, with a small cute nose under them. A slender body with pearl white skin and a small fluffy brown bunny tail where her tail bone should be. A modest chest and a round rump. In her hands a long white dagger that looked sharp enough to cut iron. And a confused book.


    "Oi, zwi." "Awaiting input." "Why is there a naked twenty year old in front of me?" "Correction. This is souls companion Anna Bunnynation Eternia." "I know that but why is she a bunny girl?" "Answer. The souls companion takes the shape most fitting for the souls desire when evolving." "So you''re saying this is what I wanted deep down?" "Correct." "My first and last swear word now. I''m a teacher I have to be a good influence. Fuck you Zwi." "Acknowledged."


    While I and zwi talk in our usual manner, time had slowed down for us so I could study her closer. She''s extremely cute. Dangerously cute. Where did that horrible bunnycatfish monster go? This is too much. I sigh and time starts going faster again. Anna blinks and studys her new body. She takes the dagger in her hand and holds it close to her chest. She closes her eyes and then opens them. Our eyes meet and I can see something sparkle in them. But before I can react I''m already in the ground beneath her. Ahh this soft sensation. Too bad I''m a book. And her teacher.

 Chapter 15 Hands

    As much as I like being squeezed by Anna and her , ahem ''soft parts'' , we still have things left to be done. "Anna! Let me go! We have a lot to do before it gets dark!" I say with my physical mouth. My voice surprises me each time. "Happy! Happy! Teacher, Anna happy!" Is all I get in return. Happy? Because of the whole human body thing? "It''s great that you''re happy , but can''t you be happy standing up at least?!" I plead.


    She stops rubbing me against her and contemplates my words. "Yes!" Comes the response and she stands up. I float out of her grip and stops a few steps away from her. Now that she stands I can look at her again. I confirmed this with astral perception before, but now I can see again that she has a great figure. No, I''m not a pervert I''m a book I have literally no desire. I swear. Ahem! Well I know her body very well now and that means I can make her some clothes.


    I look at her slender figure. She''s almost skinny. Her body reminds me of models from earth. My eyes wander down her body over her navel and I look at the soft fur right under her....kneecap. That''s right. Below her shins she still has a bunny''s feet. It kinda looks like she''s wearing boots like this.


    "Say zwi, according to my knowledge , which is a lot, shouldn''t she have normal feet? I mean normal rabbitkin have normal feet." I ask zwi confused. In the books I read I saw drawings where they had normal feet. "Answer. According to status, ''Annas'' race is bunnykin and not rabbitkin. Congratulations a new race has been discovered." Well thanks buddy, but where is the difference? How troubling. Well I guess that means I can add a page about her to us.


    I look at her face again. She still has a silly grin on her face. She would look great with some big sunglasses or some aviators. Maybe even some of those old pilot goggle''s. But thats for later. She also still has the white dagger in her hand. I wonder where that came from. "Hmm zwi display her status to me please."


    Status


    Name: Anna Bunnynation Eternia


    Race: Moon bunnykin


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    lvl:1


    Health: 60/60


    Stats: Strength: 26, Dexterity: 30, Intelligence: 25, Wisdome: 15, Luck: 5


    Skills: Jumping, Underwater breathing, Underwater construction, Advanced Sneaking, Dagger Arts, 3 Dimensional fighting


    Titles: one of a kind, original ancestor, Souls companion


    Hmm, apart from her stats and a few titles nothing really changed. What boons give her titles?"One of a kind grants the holder a boost in charisma. Original ancestor grants the holder a boon in fertility and grants special powers per level up." supplies zwi an explanation without the need to ask. We talked about this zwi, no mind reading.


    I look at Anna again. There was no explanation in her status so maybe it''s a race thing? I turn into myself and flip through my knowledge. I may learned all the stuff from the library, but I don''t just always know. It''s like when I was possessing the monsters but here the mental image is different. Here its not the bathtub and the rubber ducks, but more like searching something with google. So I search for similar cases. It only takes the fraction of a second in my mental space but even less in real time.


    From what I know there are similar cases. In the deserts of the black continent, there life''s a race who when they turn to adults, loose their tails. They turn slowly hard and turn into spears before they fall off. Her dagger must be something similar. It probably was in her hand because she was an adult when she changed. Fascinating to say the least. I exit my mental space and time resumes it''s normal flow. "Well then Anna we can''t just stand here doing nothing forever. Let''s go make you some clothes." I turn and start floating into the forest. "Yes, great teacher!" Comes the energetic reply from behind me.


    The first step in making clothes will be in making hands for me. That may sound strange but I have a reason for that. I have the skill perfect creation which makes it very easy making stuff. I can even to a limited degree use magic to make temporary tools or create small components, like threads or buttons, it''s really powerful but has a giant flaw. You can only use it if you have hands. Yes I know, it''s discrimination against floating books. But good thing I have a plan to get around that. I will just make some crude hands from wood and use those to make better hands. Its quite genius if I may say so. It says I need hands but I can just use prosthetic hands with telekinesis.


    I stop a stump and turn to Anna. "Can I borrow your dagger?" She nods and holds it out to me. No hesitation. It''s very cute how innocent and trusting she is. I take her dagger with telekinesis and float some big broken branches from nearby over as well. I lay the branches on the stump and start carving some hands.

 Chapter 16 Crafting

    I start by carding out a crude palm with indentations to fit the fingers. I make it quick since it doesn''t have to be perfect. Then I make each finger segment and put some small woodenpins in to make them moveable. Aaand done! I take the right hand and move it up. Then I try moving each finger. They move but they''re very crude so they don''t move smoothly. Well it''s not temporary so I''m happy with this first try. I move both hands to my side and shake them. "Cha cha cha!" I say as I execute the perfect jazz hands.


    Anna stares at me. I stare back. W-well it''s not like she actually knows what jazz hands are so her silence is to be expected. I''m not hurt, I''m not. More importantly I hand Anna her dagger back. I won''t need it for the next part. I snap some bigger branches from a tree nearby and float them over to my workspace. Next I strip it of smaller branches and leaves. This wood comes from a dark tree and the wood is equally dark and hard.


    But since this is a dungeon tree it''s a lot harder than normal wood anyway. I would say it''s as hard as iron if not harder. That of course again speaks volumes about the daggers sharpness. But I digress, now is crafting time. I activate my skill and focus a mana blade into existence. It''s as sharp as I put mana into it so I allocate one thousand points. It sprouts from my finger and I then start slowly and meticulously carving my new hands. I talk without taking my physical eyes of my project. "Anna, please go and hunt some prey. Something with soft fur if you may." Anna nods and vanishes into the undergrowth.


    I take my time carving each finger and each component. My astral perception gives me the perfect view of the material and zwi helps me by pointing out slight differences in thickness on some parts. It takes me quite a while but then I''m done. Before my lay two perfectly crafted puppethands made from dark wood. I didn''t carve finger nails since it didn''t seem important to me. I look around but I can''t detect Anna nearby. Seems like she still needs a bit. I wonder how many she''s hunting. Well I guess I carve some runes into them and decorate while I wait.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    <hr>


    She stalks her pray. The trees give her cover. Her new limbs make moving easier and her dagger has more reach now.


    The rustling of a bush. A flash of red fur. The sound of a blade. The smell of blood.


    She is extra motivated on this hunt since she met her great teacher again. He even gave her all this power and named her again.


    The sound of hooves. Two pairs. Four pairs. Six pairs. Eight pairs.


    She was surprised to see his body was made from old skin and metal. But the eyes were so gentle. Her heart was captured all over again.


    A silent fall. The flash of a blade. The warm feeling of blood. Panicked hooves. Silence.


    He instructed her to hunt prey with soft fur.


    A tuft of brown. A white tail. Brush.


    So she would hunt.


    <hr>


    I carve a rune in each palm. This has to be precise but that''s no problem for someone like me. The runes I carve are so called ''focus runes''. They function similar to a magic crystal in that they can be used to focus your mana through them to cast and reduce the mana loss. Now I bet that raised several questions for you didn''t it? Well let me teach you. "Warning. Delusionally talking to yourself can lead to mental instability and further soul wave desynchronization." ...zwi please stop being mean. I''m gonna cry I swear. Sniff.


    Ahem. Before I casted without a medium. While that is possible thanks to my skill ''magic power control'' skill. If you don''t have that or something similar then you''d need a medium to cast through. There you have several options one of them being a focus rune. I''ll be using one of those since it makes spells more stable and decreases waste when casting bigger spells. Also I don''t have a anything else I could use as a medium. Oh I should maybe mention that elves, yes those exist here too, have a gem on the back of they''re hand, called a soulgem, through which they cast.


    According to several studies and theory''s, is the chance of a halfelf getting a soulgem at around 40%. Ah right I forgot to mention that apparently all species that are humanoid can interspecies breed. So there should be a lot of half''s and half''s walking around in theory. But that''s a topic for a different lesson because I detected Anna again. And she brought a lot of game with her. Let''s see I count one deer, two foxes, one wolf and four... bunnys. The heck?

 Chapter 17 Self is the handybook

    I looked at the bunnys and then at Anna and back. I had this feeling that this was wrong somehow. But then I just shrugged (which I can do now. Thanks hands.), I guess this is not more wrong than a human hunting ape''s. I also noticed that she was now covered in blood and gore...


    I used some magic and create a bathtub from stone. I then fill it with water , thanks to magic, and then heat it up a bit. I point at the water. "Anna, clean yourself please. All this blood is unhygienic." She nodded and sat in the water, then just stared at me. "If you have a question just raise your hand and ask." I say as I turn around and gather her kills. "Teacher! What unhygienic?" I stopped and looked at her. It''s nice to have such an inquisitive student.


    "Well, my bunny eared lady, let me explain while I skin these." Or zwi will while I explain. "You see when you eat dirt and filth covered things you can get sick. And when you don''t clean yourself for a long time you can get sick too. That''s why you should always wash your body and hands. Also dirt in wounds can cause infections which can kill you." Immediately her arm shot up again. "What lady? Why get sick when dirt? Eat? Eat!" She splashes around in the tub. "Well clean yourself up while I explain."


    And so I taught her the basics of hygiene and bacteria, while zwi dismantled all the carcasses. I seldom had such a diligent student. She was quiet and listened when I talked and asked questions when she didn''t understand. It was quite moving actually. Last time a student listened that well was...huh? What was I thinking of right now? Oh right zwi finished. I take a look at his work with a refreshed expression. He dismantled everything and divided it. He even made bowls and drying racks for meat and organs. He even cleaned the bones off and sorted them. I respect his diligence but then again he''s more robot than human.


    I look through the materials and ponder with what I should start. I rub my chin with my wooden hands while I look at the not yet dried pelts. I guess I start by storing the perishable parts and then make tools from the bones. But I haven''t used the storage skill yet. I wonder how it works. I know that this is normally an enchantment on bags or flask''s and I have no idea what this would look like on a book. I activate the skill and my mouth stretches wide. I can feel the storage portal at the back of my mouth, which is a weird feeling. Next I just float them in my mouth with telekinesis. It looks like I''m eating them.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Anna watches me from the tub with interest. "Teacher, eat?" I put everything in and look at her. "No, I out them in my storage for safekeeping. They would rot otherwise and that would be wasteful." I turn back and start making some bone needles for sewing. "Teacher, no eat?" "Apparently not no. I''m a book so I don''t eat or sleep. Speaking of which it will get dark soon." I looked toward the ceiling which gradually grew darker. Let''s make her a place to sleep. I focus and make a simple structure from stone. Nothing fancy just four walls and some holes. I also create a bed and a chair for sleeping and resting. "You can go and sleep there I will create some more things."


    Anna looks at me with sparkling eyes and nods. She goes inside and starts looking out one window at me, eyes still sparkling and her bunnyears swaying left and right. Cute. Well I''m finished making the bone needle so all that is left in making the fur dry. I will use magic to speed up the process according to zwis guidance and calculations. My partner is really amazing at these things. He just showed me what to do with arrows and some writing. I didn''t know he could do that but its handy. It''s like augmented reality but more magical.


    So we dried the skins, treated them and then I started sewing. I made her some short pants and a very short top. No boots needed and I even had enough left to make a sheath for her dagger and a belt. No these are not designed to look sexy but to make it easy to move in. I swear. Any-anyways it came out really nice and I''m very proud. But I''m not done yet. I take out some of the bones and treat them with magic making them harder. This is also something I can do thanks to perfect creation and zwis calculations. I take the treated bones and start making accessories and accents for her clothes. I make thick bones into armguards and even the skull of the wolf into a mask/helmet. I can''t make underwear since I don''t have any nice fabric so that will have to wait. In the end I finished pretty fast and the end product is beautiful. It''s like they say: Self is the handybook.

 Chapter 18 Annas perspective

    Teacher is amazing. He taught me so many things. How dirt is bad for your health and how there are tiny monsters in the dirt that can hurt you. How wounds should be cleaned and how infections work. Teacher is the smartest.


    This small lake he made is also so warm. I like listening and splashing in the warm water. And then he made a den from nothing with his magic. It''s cozy and I have a big hole to watch. It''s perfect.


    Then master floatet over the skins I hunted. The red shine of fire washed over them and then they were put into a bubble of strange liquid in midair. The bubble smelled bad and I didn''t like it. After that the flames washed over them again. Master seemed satisfied and nodded. It''s cute. Masters other eyes on his back were not glowing. Sometimes they do that. I guess it happens when one side is thinking.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Master cut the finished...hides? Yes that word seems right somehow. Master cut the finished hides into pieces and started...sewing? Sewing them. The needle glowed pink. It''s enchanting to watch. On the needle pink light formed into a thread? Thread. Masters hands moved in a fast and enchanting manner. With precision and purpose.


    I have never seen clothes? Clothes before. These were very nice looking even I could tell. But Master wasn''t finished. He took the bones and coated them in pink light. They turned even whiter and got a light pinkish sheen. I learn so many new words today.


    As the light vanished completely master finished making the clothes too. My eyes started to grow heavy so I laid down to rest. I know that tonight I will sleep well with master oh I mean great teacher watching over me.

 Chapter 19 The secret to cooking is magic

    Zwi monitored the surroundings all night while I crafted some more. Dungeon wood is great stuff. It made the night go over in a heartbeat and soon I was notified by zwi that Anna was standing behind me. I turned to look and there she was, ears drooped and rubbing her eyes. "Teacher, awake." Her belly made a noise. "Hungry." Oh, of course breakfast would be a good idea. "Just wait a minute I''ll make something. Why don''t you get dressed? Your clothes are over there." I point at a rock I made last night to put her clothes on. She nodded and took the clothes.


    Alright so what should I make? Last night I also went around and collected some plants. So I guess I''ll make some fried vegetables with venison. Now where do I take the oil from you ask? Hah! Don''t underestimate perfect creation you beautiful student''s of mine. I can simply make some with magic. You see cooking is considered a craft and therefore food is crafted. I know it''s a stretch but magic works with imagination and numbers. A magic formula is nothing more than a truth of the world. A fire magic formula for example is nothing more than the truth that fire is hot. Simple right? Well it''s only the one for simple fire spells the ones for the more complex are equally more complex.


    So what does all that mean? It means that if I can rationalize that cooking is crafting it means I can use perfect creation to cook. No it''s not cheating. I swear. So let''s start cooking. I start by preparing all the utensils I need. So I make a simple pan out of stone with earth magic. I make it thin so it will heat up easily and smooth so no sand gets in the food. Yes, this should work. Next I prepare the ingredients. I take out the vegetables I found and the venison. The vegetables are nothing fancy really. Just some potatoes and a few edible roots. With the roots I found were also some carrots. So I chop them all up with a manablade and throw them in the pan which I coated with some oil I created.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    While the pan heats up I cut the meat into stripes. I keep some of the fat in my storage for later. In that moment I wondered if she even would eat meat. I know rabbitkin do, but does bunnykin? Well I''ll see if she eats it or not. After I finish cutting the pan finishes heating. So I put the meat in too and start cooking both. A pleasant smell spreads in the area. Anna comes up to me fully clothed and looks over my non-existent shoulder. "Teacher, smell yummy." I can see some drool on her lip. Are you gonna become a glutton character? I hope not I don''t know how to feed you in that case.


    I create a plate and a fork, then put the food on the plate and hand it all to her. She takes it in her hand and starts eating...with her hands. "No no no no! You eat with the fork!" I hurriedly take the food back. Anna looks at me with tears in her eyes. No I''m gonna teach you manners and your crocodile tears won''t change that! "Now Anna observe. You eat like this." I stab a piece of potatoe with the fork and put it in her mouth. She start chewing with sparkling eyes. "Delish~" she mumbles with her mouth full. "You get it now? Here." I give her back the plate and the fork.


    She takes the fork and stabs a piece of carrot. Good good such a fast learner. Then she puts it in my mouth....ok so I may not be as good as a teacher as I thought. "No no. Anna you put it in your mouth!" She tilts her head and then starts eating normally. Phew. I don''t wanna be fed food I can''t eat. But looking at Anna eating with such a happy expression I can''t help but smile as well. And her clothes look fantastic on her. Though the skull mask makes her look kinda scary if you''d meet her in the dark.


    "Warning! Humans and beast humans just entered this dungeon floor. Caution is advised."


    ...what?

 Chapter 20 Contact

    I freeze as my thinking grinds to a halt. Humans. People. This is too soon. This is all too soon! I''m not ready yet to meet people again! No no no! What do I do?! Should I hide? Should I seek them out? I don''t know! "Please calm down. Panic will reduce soulwave synchronisation. Would you like to see the intruder''s? Y/N?"


    Zwis calm voice also calms me down. He''s right, panicking won''t solve this problem. Let''s take a look first. "Zwi please show them to me." He used our astral perception passively to detect them and then relayed the information to me. And now he''s showing me the group and their surroundings. All colorless but it has quite the range thanks to our high mana pool.


    The group is three humans in fur and leather armor and one beasthuman in something between armor and a dress. Also it appears that she''s being hunted. Zwi can''t relay their voices to me but their expression say everything. Greed, desire and bloodlust. I can only guess why they would hunt her but when what I know from the books is still accurate then racisms against beasthumans is still a problem. Then again her clothes look really expensive so maybe they wanna kidnap her? It''s hard to guess really. Also they are in a dungeon which is even stranger to me. As far as I know there is no concept of adventurers out there.


    Well I can float here all day and theorize or I could go ahead and act. I turn to Anna. "Anna hide in the trees and follow me. We have intruder''s and I want to find out their motives." Anna pulls the mask over her face and nods. "Yes, teacher!" Her reply came energetic and without hesitation. Then she jumped into a tree and disappeared from my visual perception. Her sneek skill is pretty good. But how did she know how to dress herself? What is that? You helped zwi? Pervert.


    I turn in the direction of the intruder''s and float on a intercept course. They are herding her, intentionally or not, toward the lake shore so I will come from the side and put myself between them. I''m not sure yet if I should help the woman out or not. But that''s why I will ask what they are doing here. But man I sure am slow floating is not a efficient way to travel.


    <hr>


    My breathing is heavy and my legs are hurting from all the running. I''ve been running since the strange labyrinth. Since my "escorts" turned on me. But why? I don''t understand! I look over my shoulder and keep running. The three mercenarys are still close behind me. They''re carrying wickedly looking axes and swords. I''m scared. I''ve never actually fought before. I got some combat instructions as part of my Noble training but I''m still just a beginner. And they took my weapon so it''s not like I can fight anyway.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    I look forward again and stop almost falling into a lake. No! I''m trapped! I turn and the men are slowly walking toward me. "Ya sure made me and me bois run, me lady." Says the big man with the ax, clearly mocking me. They stop a few meters away from me and start encircling me.


    "Whot? Not gunna run again? Ya finally figured there ain''t no escape?" He sneered and the others laughed wickedly. "Why?! What have I done to you?!" I just don''t understand why this is happening. "Ya still don''t get it? Is that pretty hed only there ta decorate? Ya ave been sold out! We will kill ya and ye councilor will take ya place! And da captain will be rich!" They laugh again. My mind goes blank. My counselor? No way... "No... you''re lying...but why?" The lead guy lifts his ax on his shoulder. "Ain''t it obvious? When yer dead he''s gunna take yer place! Become da head of da house! Take da city! And yet gonna be our plaything!" Again that dirty laugh.


    I feel like crying right now. But...I can''t! Not yet! I have to get back! People depend on me! So I raise both of my hands and channel mana into my family house ring. "Flame that burns bright..." I start chanting and the mercenarys start panicking. "Oi! Stop''r! She''s gunna kill erself!" The rush toward me but my spell is just about completed. "Burn my soul and leave no trace! Flamespi-" a fist makes contact with the top of my head and breaks my concentration. "Outch!" I let out a scream and hold my head. Tears collect in the corner of my eyes. That hurt!


    I look towards the mercenarys and see that they haven''t moved closer to me. Huh? They didn''t strike me? Then who...? I look upwards and a round orange metallic face with green glowing orbs for eyes stares back at me with a furious expression. "You..." It start. I gulp. T-this is clearly some kind of monster. And it''s angry! "You..." It repeats and starts trembling slightly. So I will die today after all. I close my eyes and except my fate. Grandma! I''m coming! And then my head gets hit by a fist again. "Outch!" I cry out again. Why do I keep getting hit?! I look at the monster again and now see something more in it''s expression. Is that annoyance? "You!" It starts again. "You have such an incredibly sloppy spell formula!" Huh?

 Chapter 21 Fate

    "You have such an incredibly sloppy spell formula!" I finally spit out. My anger just won''t stop. It''s like someone opened a valve. And let me explain why.


    I came upon the scene after she turned around and talked to her pursuers. They were talking with wicked expression, sneering while ogling her body. But none of that mattered to me in the moment I laid my true eyes on her.


    Lush, long pink hair that flowed down her back like a cascade of the finest silk. Eyes so blue, that even the ocean would turn green in envy. Long eyelashes like small curved blades. All of that was connected to a beautiful face with a small cute nose and lush pink lips. Further down was her slender neck and her collarbone visible. Her body was slender, almost thin. Her breastplate would hide her bust size but nothing is hidden from astral perception. Her hips were wide and lead to thick thighs that were gently squeezed by a pair of black stockings.


    All this was pleasant to look at but didn''t make my thoughts grind to a halt. What made me stumped was the fact that she had a thick lizard tail sticking out from under her skirt. Her tail was, like parts of her neck and shoulders, covered in light pink scale''s. And it was the exact same color as my soul.


    That left me stumped. She was a pink dragonkin. Pink! That is unprecedented! In all the books I read there was never mentioned that dragonkin could be a different color that green or red. She''s a rarity! But how? I need to know more.


    "Zwi, I need to see her status. Show me!" I hurried zwi.


    Status


    Name: Evangeline Shasha


    Race: Half dragonkin


    lvl:1


    Health: 60/60


    Mana: 875/875


    Stats: Strength: 22, Dexterity: 20, Intelligence: 35, Wisdome: 25, Luck: 0


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Skills: Beginner Rapierarts, Beginner Firemagic, Beginner Arithmetic, Commanding Voice,


    Titles: Dutchess, Fated


    Her status is very puzzling. She''s only lvl1? Then what is she doing in a dungeon? And she has a ton of mana, but only beginner magic. But magic! A caster! Finally I will get to see some magic! And just when I thought that she raised her hand to cast.


    "Flame that burns bright..." She suddenly started chanting. Huh? Why is she chanting? She got the skill so chanting shouldn''t be needed. And then the mana just gushed out of her. What is she doing?! She''s so inefficient! She looses over 80% of her mana!


    And the spell formula is even worse! Fire hot so burn? What kind of truth is that?! Is she a toddler?! Well she does seem to be in her early teens but still! Which incompetent slug taught her?! I shoot out my fist and hit her over the head before she can finish and dispell her formula at the same time.


    And that is how we arrived at this situation. She looks up at me confused with tears in her eyes. "Ehh? Thi-this is not a normal formula?" She asks timidly. My blood starts to boil with anger at that question, even though I don''t have any. "No! That was incredibly sloppy and inefficient! This is a real beginners formula!" I shout and shoot a baseball sized fireball over the lake. The water on the surface evaporates as the fireball travel''s and then it explods in the middle of the lake splaaying water in a big fountain in the air.


    Ok maybe I went overboard there. My anger subsides a bit at that realization. I look back at her again and her eyes are wide with fear and...is that admiration? "I-incredible..." She wispers. The three thugs have also backed up and have fully drawn their weapons. "Oi! Ya can''t ave her ya shitty bundle of paper!" Shouts the big guy with the axe. I turn to look at him. Oh my, that guy need a bath and a shave. "She''s gunna be our plaything when we bring''er back!" My anger boiling blood, that doesn''t exist, starts to freeze over with wrath.


    "I''m sorry good sir but I think I misheard you. What are you planning to do with this young girl?" I ask with ice in my voice. The big guy takes a step forward and spits in my direction. "Ya heard me right! Me and me bois are gunna take''er back and rape her! Then the boss and the employer will take their turns and then we will execute that shitty bra-" he didn''t get any further because I gripped his jaw and ripped it out together with his tongue.


    Blood splashes out of his mouth and a gurgling scream escapes his throat. Then he falls to the ground still gurgling and writhing on the ground. The other two screamed and pointed their weapons at me. "Oh my, oh my." I say my voice an absolute zero. "What a vile voice. Spitting such vile words. I can''t have you say that corrupting such innocent youth." I turn to the other two. A grin spreads across my face. "It seems I will have to teach you all some manners. Pay attention. Class is in session."

 Chapter 22 Introductions

    The second mercenary with a sword charged at me with a scream. His eyes were bloodshot and I guessed he probably doesn''t understand the situation he''s in.


    "Watch out!" Shouted Evangeline and stretched her hand toward me. My my, what a good child. But her worry is completely unnecessary, because I already ripped the sword from his hand...along with his hand.


    The man knelt on the ground and screamed. Blood came pouring out of the stump where his hand had been. I never lost a hand but I get the feeling that getting your hand ripped off is more painful than it getting cut off. Then again both are probably very painful. I gotta experiment later.


    Evangeline and the third mercenary both looked stunned at the man''s sudden disarmament. Or dishandament. "Warning! Delusionally talking to yourself can lead to mental instability and further soul wave desynchronization. Bad humor will lead to soul wave desynchronization!"


    Ok now you are clearly making fun of me! Zwi can be such a handful. I drop one of my wooden hands as I think that. No one noticed. Except zwi. Wait, wasn''t I doing something? Oh right the mercenarys!


    I look up but the third guy was already running like the devil was after him. He''s a fast runner I have to give him that. "Anna." I say in the direction of a tree. "Yes!" Comes a energetic reply. "Would you be so kind to hunt this man down? I don''t like to do only half of a task."


    Without a reply she moves out leaving me behind with Evangeline. Well well well, what to do with you? I turn to her again and she is still looking at the men, who in turn are still rolling on the ground loosing blood, with contempt and...is that sadness? "Now young lady," I say as I look into her eyes "why don''t you tell me what''s going on?"


    <hr>


    Erik was running. His feet were hitting the ground frantically. He was good at running since he was a brat. Today was supposed to be a easy mission. All they had to do was take the brat back and have some fun with her on the way. She wasn''t even supposed to fight back! The boss said that all her teachers were fake and didn''t teach her shit! This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    He looked behind as he heard another scream from one of his comrades. Shit! This wasn''t at all what was supposed to happen! Erik had never seen a monster like that before! A floating book! A fucking book! And it could cast magic! How in the name of the six were they supposed to fight that?! He may be a mercenary but that didn''t mean he was suicidal!


    The sound of a snapping branch ripped him out of his thoughts and back into reality. He stopped and drew his dagger from his boot. He had dropped his sword when he ran from the book but he still had his back up weapon. And now he raised his dagger in front of him and looked around. They were in a dungeon and he heard these places spawned all kinds of weird creatures.


    When they chased the brat to this floor they saw a few wolf looking things between the trees. Another twig broke and Erik whirled around but there was nothing. "Hello? Come out and face me!" Said Erik barely suppressing the shaking in his voice. Leaves rustled behind him and he spun around again. Before him stood a woman dressed in skimpy leather armor and a wolf mask. She seemed to wear some kind of strange boots and had hare ears on her head.


    "Ah just a fucking demi. And here I thought it was the book or something." He glared at the demi with contempt. "Well? What do you want?" The demi just cocked her head and answered in an innocent tone. "Hunting?" And that was the last thing Erik would ever hear or see.


    <hr>


    Evangeline was still looking at them with a mix of hate and sorrow. Did I shock her that much? I clear me throat (even though I don''t have one) and try again. "Would you introduce yourself? Seeing that I just rescued you that seems appropriate." That seemed to wake her from her stupor. "Ah! Yes! I''m sorry!" She got on one knee and bowed her head. " I am dutchess Evangeline Shasha Pendragon. Or at least that is what people tell me who I am." A look of deep sorrow enters her eyes again. It''s what people tell her. I gently take her by the arm and lift her up. At the same time I rip the mercenarys other hand off since he took a dagger from his boot and tried to stand up.


    I help her stand and look at her now standing. "And who would you say you are?" She stared at me seeming deep in thought for a second. "I''m Shasha. I sell flowers in the capital." That''s a giant turn around?!

 Chapter 23 Contract

    "So what you''re telling me is that, you were just a normal girl a few months ago that sold flowers? And when the old Lord Pendragon died they discovered you as the sole heir and bastard grandchild of the old lord?" I recap the way too long and way too sad tale of Evangeline. She sips on her tea and nods bitterly. We are now sitting in the earthen hutt I made and drink tea I brewed.


    I stopped the bleeding on the two mercenarys and buried them to their necks in stone so we don''t have to worry about them. I know what you''re thinking but I wasn''t the one who wanted them alive. She begged me to not kill them. Well Anna killed the third one so I that''s that.


    "So you came to the mountain and this dungeon because there was an earthquake coming from here and wanted to investigate. And then in the labyrinth the mercenarys turned on you suddenly." I recap some more while she nods along. "Well I can tell you that I was the one who made that earthquake. It''s nothing to worry about, just a little... accident." I say as I avert my eyes. "Statement incorrect. Experiment was fully successful." corrects zwi.


    "Ahem, well anyway may I ask what your next move will be? I mean you came here but you were obviously betrayed. I guess that if you come back you will still be assasinated." She casts her gaze at her tea at my statement. She fumbles a bit with the mug I made from smooth stone. Her slender thumb is trailing the rim of the mug and there is something deeply saddening in her gaze.


    "I..." She begins but trails off quickly. She grips the mug tighter and I can see some tears forming in her eyes. I can see Anna looking through the window at her. I can''t read her expression with the mask but I think it''s a sympathetic gaze. I lay one of my wooden hands on top of Evangelines. She looks up startled. I put on my kindest smile and lay my other hand on her shoulder. "Do you need some help?"


    Her eyes grow big as saucers. Her mouth hangs open a bit. "I...I don''t...who are you even?" In that moment I realize I never properly introduced us. I chuckle a bit and float away from the table. "My deepest apologies. I never properly introduced us." I bow a bit forward. Time to make this a cool moment. I use magic to create a small storm in the hutt and make some glowing pink effects with my mana. Then I use magic again to boost my voice.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "We are the Magnum Opus Eternia! We are knowledge! We are wisdome! We are the teacher of eternity!" I create a small thunder bolt that connects the ceiling and the earth outside the hutt. "We were born by accident but by will we create the future! Tell me Evangeline! What is it you desire!"


    When I started my little show she fell on her butt looking scared, but the more I talked the more she seemed to get a grip on herself. She wipes the tears from her eyes and looks me directly in the eyes a fire now ignited. "I am Evangeline Shasha Pendragon! My situation was caused by things outside my control but I wish to shape my future by my will! Please lend me your strength and teach me how to defend the people entrusted to me by fate!" At the last part she stared to shout with power in her voice.


    Ah, I feel something stirring inside me. Like the red sting of fate is gripping my heart. "Zwi, tell me what is the soulwave synchronisation between her and me?" I wisper to zwi in my head. "Soulwave synchronisation is at a stable 95 percent. Warlock contract is recommended for maximum useage of soulwave." I grin at that. No need to tell me twice. I look down at Evangeline again.


    "Then offer me your soul in a contract! I give you the power of knowledge and in turn you will help me gain more and more knowledge! What do you say, my student?" I extend my soul out to hers. She looks still straight at me. I can see all her potential. She was overwhelmed before by betrayal and the situation she was put in. A scared girl and a unlucky soul. But now in this moment I see nothing of that. I see a kind and strong ruler. I see a good student. "I do whatever I can! So please lend me you power!" She shouts and grips my extended soul with her hand.


    That''s all I needed to hear and I grip her soul with mine and establish a contract. The earth starts to shake as we are surrounded by a bright pink glow. The light is so intense that is even blows away the storm I made and blinds us both. And as fast as the light came it subsided and solidified into a small objects that now floats in midair between us. I smile. Another student gained.

 Chapter 24 What is a warlock?

    I take the small object which is the physical manifestation of our contract and look at it carefully. It''s a pink rose made from mana crystal. I can see a faint black flame snaking up the stalk into the middle of the flower. This must be the part of zwi''s soul since he''s part of me and I''m a part of him.


    I hold it out to Evangeline and she takes it carefully. "Wow, it''s so beautiful..." She wispers entranced by the flowers beauty. "Well yes of course it is." I state. She just looks at me confused. Anna comes in too at this point and looks at the flower curiously. "Ah by the by I never introduced you. Evangeline this is Anna my first student. Anna this is Evangeline my new warlock, be nice to her." Anna nods and smiles at Evangeline. "Anna. Happy to meet!"


    Her speech patterns still haven''t improved. I gotta teach her to talk better. "Ah, err nice to meet you too?" Says Evangeline with her head tilted. It seems this situation confuses her a bit. "Ah you see Eva. May I call you Eva?" Both look at me and Eva nods in confirmation. "Anna is what you call a souls familiar. That''s why she talks so weird. She was a monster a few days ago." Eva''s eyes widen and she looks at Anna again.


    "Ehh?! You were a monster?!" Anna nods innocently and smiles at her. This seemd to calm Eva if only a bit. "Well...well I guess we are fellow students then huh?" She smiles and takes Annas hand and shakes it. I nod at that. This is nice students getting along and smiling. The best thing in the world if you ask me. "Error. No question was stated." Zwi... seriously stop.


    Now we all sat down again and continue with the tea. I brewed some more since I blew the one we were drinking away with my storm. Whoops. "Say sir Magnum..." I turn to her and interrupt her. "Oh don''t call me sir you can call me Eins instead. And the one on my backside is zwi. Say hello zwi." "Greetings warlock Evangeline Shasha Pendragon." comes zwis robot voice from my back. "Oh! Hello." Answers Eva and bows a little. "I didn''t know you were using the ''we'' as in two people. I thought you were using the ''regal we''." She explains a bit embarrassed.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "Oh don''t worry about it. There are many mysterys about myself you don''t know yet." I refill everyone''s mugs and float to my seat again. "Teacher. Strong! Strongest!" Says Anna flexing her biceps. Eva chuckles at that. "Ah, but to return to my earlier question, eins...what is a warlock and why do you keep calling me that?" She says tilting her head again.


    I''m so shocked I almost drop my mug. "Wait...you don''t have warlocks anymore? I thought you received magic tutoring?" Is her useless magic teacher at fault again? I really wanna beat that bum and feed him some chalk. But Eva shakes her head. "No as far as I know there are only three types of casters and a warlock is not under them."


    "I see..." I say as I turn on my thinking machine. The three types are probably scorcerers, ritualists and natural magicans. To explain scorcerers are just the guys who study the truths of this world and act upon them using mana. Ritualists use magical ingredients to enchant and cast. It''s a very expensive but rewarding process thought not useful in single combat or in small party''s. The third is simply what the elfs and the like are doing. Nothing special more cheating if you ask me.


    "Well let me explain!" I say enthusiasticly and create a black chalkboard from the ground. "You see normally a sorcerer would use his mana and a truth to cast their spell right?" I say as I draw on the board. Eva and Anna nod along. "A naturalist uses just the raw mana and needs no truth for their thruth is their existence. Ok so far?" I keep scribbling on the board. Eva still nods but Anna seems lost. "And ritualists use the power of the ingredients and the truth of a system to cast theirs. Simple yes?" Eva nods but Anna seems confused.


    "Now a warlock on the other hand received their power by a being of greater power." I draw a stick figure from which behind a book shoots some beans into it. "So they are in turn the proxy. The patron, me in this case, gives the truth and the mana to their warlock and the warlock can in turn use these when ever in exchange for favors. The more you work for your patron the more power your patron will grant you." Now the stick figure shoots a small fireball from their hand. "Easy right?" I say and turn around. Anna has her head on the table and seems to be sleeping and Eva looks at me shocked with her mouth wide open.


    Eh? Was it something I said?

 Chapter 25 What it means to be a warlock

    "Wait wait wait wait! Stop!" Eva thrusts her hand out and puts a hand on her forehead. Her sudden shouting even woke up Anna who now looks at her confused. "Teacher what you just described sounds like the priests of the temples of the six ways! A-are are you...are you a god, teacher?" She asks with her eyes swimming.


    A god? How did she come to that conclusion? "No I''m a book as far as I''m aware?" I answer thruth fully. But when I do Eva starts looking at me doubtfully. Ugh Zwi, do you know what she is talking about? " Not enough data available for conclusive answer. Please acquire more for processing." Yeah good idea. "Well student how about you tell me about this six ways stuff and maybe I can answer your question better."


    Eva nods and walks up to the chalkboard. "I don''t know all that much but it was included in my studies as a dutchess." She starts by drawing the alchemical symbols for fire, water, earth and air. The one fire fire at the top and then going clockwise in a circle water, earth and air. "This is the four that cast law upon the world it is said. The temple of the fire spirit worships fire and it''s creator the spirit of fire. And it goes the same for the three other branches."


    I see. Pretty simplistic. But what are these spirits supposed to be? They can''t be the same ones as the mana control units can they? Well doesn''t matter right now I should keep listening.


    "They say that the four spirits keep watch over theire respective elements and give their priests the power of holy miracles. Priests of fire can manifest fire and put it out just as easily. Priests of the water are said to be able to part rivers and create lakes. Earth priests are said to be able to build entire villages in a day and make the crops grow. And air priests are said to fell entire forests and guide fleets savely into ports." Now it''s my time to be dumbfounded. That all just sounds like things sorcerers can do...This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Uhm student all of that doesn''t sound very impressive considering that you can do these things with magic." She looks flustered at that but catches herself quickly. "Well, yes theacher, but the thing is they can do that without the use of mana." Ah. So that is what she was getting at.


    "And how do they do that?" I ask. I mean they can''t all be warlocks right? But she shakes her head. "I''m sorry but I''ve never seen a priest myself before so I can''t say." That''s too bad but from what she''s telling me I think I can make an educated guess who these so called spirits are.


    I float besides her and draw the alchemical symbols for the sun and moon in the middle of the four. "And let me guess these are the ones for light spirit and darkness spirit?" Eva looks at me shocked and flustered. "Err uhm yes actually. But how do you know? I thought you haven''t heard of this before?" I just wink at her. "An educated guess my student."


    Anna has been watching this entire exchange listening intently. "So. Temple. Nothing special? Teacher can do same." Eva just nods at that. "Yes that why I asked if teacher was a god." Now both look at me expectantly.


    I just shrug. "I wouldn''t call myself a god. I''m not powerful enough to be called that just yet I''d say. Zwi and I are still not complete after all. Also the thing with your priests is something I will have to figure out just yet but I can tell you that you are different. Take out your phylactery." Eva looks at me confused and I roll my eyes. "The crystal flower student."


    Her face goes "oh" at that and she carefully takes the flower from the table and holds it in both hands. "My student, my warlock. What you hold there is the physical manifestation of our contract. It is our souls combined. It is the promise of power and servitude. It is beautiful just like your soul. It is mighty just like our will. And it is unique in this world. The link between you and me is a million times more strong and a million times more sacred than whatever these priests have. You are special to me. Together we will grow. Together we will learn. And that rose. Is the promise of that."


    As I finish my little speech I put my hand on her shoulder and smile. Eva face on the other hand goes through multiple stages of emotion. It ends with her eyes tearing up and a soft "Yes, my teacher."