72

Consciousness returned to me all at once. A moment and I realize that I am lying in bed. One might wonder where the bed came from, but that's a stupid question, and that's not what was worrying me at the moment.

 Body, mind, magical channels and soul, all screamed in agony.

 Every magical channel, even microscopic, ached, as if I had been releasing "tons" of mana from myself for a day, and then absorbing it back at an accelerated pace.

 The body felt as if after an extremely hard workout of a person who was not used to the stress. Every muscle burned and seemed to be trying to tear. As soon as I tried to move any limb, my nerves gave an emergency signal of alarm and pain, instantly knocking this sinful thought out of my head.

 The mind and soul were overstrained. The first one was somehow slow, as if he had fallen into jelly. I didn't want to think, the fog prevented my awareness, my vision was blurry, although I managed to notice a ray of sun that made its way through the crack of the tent doorway. Either I didn't stay there for very long, which is unlikely, or, on the contrary, it's the height of the next day.

 But the most "tired" was the soul. The body, mind and magical channels were part of the soul, so it bore the "imprint" of their fatigue. However, as if this were not enough, she herself was somehow different. This was not expressed in fatigue, no, that, of course. There was something else that I couldn't make out.

 Only after about three minutes did I manage to understand what exactly was bothering me; it was fatigue and lethargy that was taking its toll. It was in plain sight, if not for my lousy condition, I would have noticed right away...

 It was as if all my shells had gone through a press. Each of them was more concentrated, more stable, thereby becoming a little smaller and "freeing up" space in my soul for further development. I clearly saw the places that my shells occupied. Although previously the "borders" of the soul expanded on their own, now a kind of buffer zone has appeared between the border and the shells themselves.

 Perhaps this is worth clarifying. Every reasonable person, be it a magician, an ordinary person or an elf, no matter, sees his soul in his own way. And not only the soul. We present it in a format understandable to us, and also "read" it in a certain "language" understandable only to us. By the way, knowledge of this language comes with time. Therefore, the compaction of the soul that I am currently observing may be perceived differently by different intelligent people, but the basic "ideas" will remain the same.

 Example: I see compaction, but someone else could well "see" crystallization, but the result is the same. All energies have become stronger and denser.

 On the one hand, this is a plus. How could it be otherwise, if I suddenly became thirty percent stronger, or maybe even forty percent. Prana is thicker, however, as are mana and psi. Body, mind, mana, as well as "emotions" became closer to each other. The area of ​​interweaving of each part of the soul became wider, but did not touch the shells themselves. They do not become a single whole, no, it's just that the influence of one on the other will be much greater.

 But there are no pros without cons. My control dropped quite a lot. About twenty percent, if not more. It will take a lot of time to restore it. And I'm not talking about the general overvoltage of each of the shells. It is not yet known when they will return to normal. Don't forget about their intertwining. How much will this affect me? What consequences? Dont clear.

 In any case, a kind of "baptism" occurred. Since Flitwick spoke freely about this, it means that each of those who were here had to experience it on their own skin.

 Opening my leaden eyelids, I tried to look around. The head turned with difficulty, but still it succumbed to my "efforts."

 The tent is about four meters in diameter. There was nothing superfluous in it: a bed, a nightstand, a table and a chest. Standard set? It may well be.

 As I noticed earlier, a ray of sun was falling through the crack in the doorway. There was still a slight blur before my eyes, so it was not possible to see through it what was outside the tent.

 When I tried to get up, I felt an unbearable range of sensations. It was as if in an instant he became a two-hundred-year old man.

 Somehow, with the help of prana, mana, and also Psi, I managed to take a sitting position, praise telekinesis and general strengthening of the body, and then stand up completely. In my condition, this feat is comparable to those of Hercules.

 Pulling back the canopy with my hand, I closed my eyes against the brightness of the sun, although the snow also played a significant role here, which perfectly reflected the rays directly into my face. Blinking my eyes and wiping away the tears that had come with my hand, I looked around our parking spot.

 Five scarves, including mine, stood in a ring, in the center of which there was a fire. Behind him, on benches, most of my companions were already sitting. The dragonite, the dwarf, all the girls, and also Professor Flitwick. Only the vampire was absent, perhaps on reconnaissance or busy with his own affairs.

 Judging by them, they were vigorously discussing something, but as soon as I appeared, the conversations suddenly died down. Each of them considered it their task to turn their heads in my direction. Something strange flashed in Flitwick's gaze, but I couldn't make out what it was.

 "Good morning," I said in a hoarse voice, and then started coughing. Hmm, it's like we're actually some kind of old man. Finally clearing my throat, I froze like a salty pillar.

 My voice, unchanged. As if in slow motion, I used my wand to conjure a mirror that hung in front of my face. From the reflection, a teenager of about sixteen looked at me with his blue eyes, but there was also a gray color in them. A strange combination, as if one shade is pouring into another. 

 Having canceled the spell, I stared at the professor in anticipation. He had been watching me all this time and only now I noticed his grin, as well as a grin in his eyes. My serious gray eyes collided with the cheerful blue eyes of a half-goblin.

 I was silent. All my conspiracy went down the drain. It is not clear whose fault it is. Either the teacher decided to laugh at home, or the professor suspected something. In one word - F*cked.

 A minute of time for me stretched into good hours. My mind immediately threw off all the fatigue and, in emergency mode, tried to predict my future fate. The professor was openly having fun watching me. At one point he couldn't help but laugh out loud. Our companions just watched us in surprise, I don't understand what's going on here.

 "Sit down," the professor said after laughing. "And don't look at me like a wolf." "Everyone here is our own," noticing that I was not reacting in any way, he continued. "You shouldn't suggest such a strong meaning to it." We all signed a non-disclosure agreement about this trip. So your next secret will not go further than us," he finished and smiled once again.

 And indeed. Before passing through the arch of the portal, we had to sign a non-disclosure agreement about both the expedition and its participants. This simplifies the situation a little, but does not make it completely easy. I have vague doubts about this.

 Relaxing a little, but not completely, I still sat down in the offered seat.

 - Why?

 - What "Why? - Flitwick asked with a smile.

 "You know it yourself," he just smiled wider. Okay... - Why did Metamorphism cancel its effect?

 "Only masters will be able to maintain a changed appearance when crossing the border, because at the level of a master of metamorphism it is possible to completely change and consolidate auras, as well as the entire energy of the body," answered Filius, after thinking a little. - You, even if you are a genius, are still a metamorph of the apprentice level. You can't do this," he threw up his hands at the end.

 — Journeyman of Metamorphism? Isn't he a medical apprentice? — Sol said in surprise, her sister supported her with a silent nod.

 "Oooh, everything is much more interesting here, baby," the professor grinned, not paying attention to my wary gaze. - How old do you think he is? - He grinned slightly.

 "Sixteen," Ogrim said dismissively. - Still a brat. This is no place for children," he answered, with a slight wince at the end.

 "Twelve," one word that came out of the professor's mouth shocked everyone present here. Even the dragon, who had been drinking tea before, took his eyes off the cup and stared at me in surprise. - That's how old he is. But that's not all.

 - Is there anything else? — this time the Fox couldn't resist asking. Apparently she was seriously interested in this.

 - Certainly. And not even just one thing, - in the clearing in front of him, he began to bend his fingers. — He is from England, and you yourself know what the situation with education is there. Muggle-born, apprentice of metamorphism, and also a theatrical belly. — Poppy's student has achieved the rank of journeyman healer. You don't need to explain the difference between this science and witch medicine," he said, clenching his fist.

 All. Shock, awe, interest and envy. I felt these feelings with all my soul, they overwhelmed me. An amulet came to my aid and muffled these emotions.

 Why does he need this? What is Flitwick trying to achieve? They are friends with the teacher, but he once told everything about her students. It's good that he doesn't know about empathy, as a teacher. That would be too much.

 What comes out of this situation? First, everyone knew my identity. Secondly, my skills are now open to them, which is not bad. Although, the teacher could very well tell them about it, but that would be in a year or two, but not now. Third, they know about my origin. This is the most unpleasant thing. My parents are not protected by anything; they may be in danger. Although I have cast several dozen protection spells on the house, this may not help.

 But still, why? I asked the professor this question.

 - Why did you tell everything, professor? - I asked tiredly. - What will this give you?

 "Are you hiding something from your family, little one?" - asked the gnome. - I'm not talking about everything, no. What exactly should they know?

 "No," I answered. I have no secrets from my parents. They know about my successes in magic, not all, but those that can understand. They know about apprenticeship, about going to the dragon and thestrals. And I didn't tell them only about the dangers that I was faced with.

 "It's the same with us," the dragonite took the word. - Everyone has their own secrets, we have every right to keep them from each other. But we are family. Each of us has been living and working together for many years. We have been through a lot and we will go through even more. We do with everything that we consider important, you know? - I nodded. — The most important thing in a family is trust. We trust each other, so we don't hide such things.

 Having finished, he began drinking tea again. Everyone had a similar reaction to his words. Flitwick smiled, looking at them proudly. Naturally, because some of them were under his command. The elves looked at each other and smiled at me encouragingly, as if supporting me. The dwarf grinned and then took a drag from the bottle. Only Crystal frowned at first, but then smiled the same way.

 Looking at them all, I understood that they were all family. Each of them is an irreplaceable part in one larger mechanism. Remove someone and the mechanism will begin to malfunction or even break down.

 "That's why I told them about this, because you are Poppy's student, almost like her son," the professor brought me out of my thoughts.

 - Who is she related to this detachment? Why did you immediately agree when you heard her request for me to join you? — I asked them a question that interested me. He had been tormenting me for a long time, and seeing their reaction to her appearance in the room only increased my desire to find an answer to him.

 - She didn't tell you? — Flitwick asked somehow in surprise. Everyone else looked at me the same way, even Croco looked up from his tea.

 - No. "I just smiled slyly," I answered somehow doomedly.

 "Ha-ha-ha-ha, I recognize her," Og laughed. - Quite in her style.

 "Yes," the professor nodded. "That's right," and turning to me, he continued. - Poppy is the founder and also the first leader of the Fremen squad. It was she who was the first to gather people like us and set off to explore and conquer this world. In the world of mercenaries, she is a legend. Everyone knows her, though not under that name. She was nicknamed "Echid Beast," he finished with some trepidation and warmth.

 Having heard this answer, the mosaic, which had never been able to connect before, came together into a completely coherent picture. All the looks of the mercenaries, the teacher's incomprehensible answer, her malice and corresponding nickname, intriguing smiles, as well as the attitude in the squad. Each puzzle fell into a strictly defined place. True, there are still places for her past, but there are much fewer of them, but I'm sure I still have a lot to learn about my teacher's past.

 A warm atmosphere floated over the fire for about half an hour. All this time I was silent and watched everyone. My fellow party members, on the contrary, were talking enthusiastically, though mostly about me and my achievements. But nothing can last forever.

 First, the dragonite somehow pulled away from the conversation, and then the elves. At first I didn't understand why, but after about a minute I could feel the vampire rushing straight towards us at incredible speed. A minute later he was right in front of us.

 The previously neatly styled hairstyle was in creative disarray. Slightly rumpled clothes and the "feeling" of an incomprehensible mana hovering around him. Taking a closer look, I noticed two shades of dark gray, almost black, and also light blue, just like ice. If the second one can still be thrown off to the situation in which it turned out, then here's the first one...

 - What's happened? Why did you return to camp so quickly? - Flitwick asked a question. He looked impressive, just like a commander waiting for a report.

 — At first, reconnaissance was carried out as usual. I managed to discover the typical inhabitants of these lands: saber-tooths, trolls, bears, ice golems, and I could see a wyvern in the sky. But as soon as I approached the mana vortex, I was already noticed.

 - Who?

 - Draugr.

 "Damn," Flitwick swore, as did the others. "Okay, but because of this, you wouldn't run to the camp so quickly."

 - Draugr. These are not Lida corpses, but elven ones," his words had the effect of an atomic bomb. The camp froze in silent shock.

 I said a relaxing holiday, right? Well, you can forget about it.