That little asshole! He really [used] my help to the fullest! He was treating me like an underling for 8 hours with only one 15 minutes break for all the basic needs! [Morgana, bring me the basket of herbs from the other room], [Morgana, check on how the girls are doing], [Let’s see how good you are with brewing mana regeneration potions]! As soon as I finished one task two more were waiting! On the other hand he wasn’t playing around. At the same time he was cooking two pots, whilst giving instructions to his students and writing down new recipes to be checked in the future. He also had a passion for alchemy. He was yelling like mad at everyone for making the smallest mistakes, for adding a herb 10 seconds too early or for using to big of a flame under the pot. He even yelled at me for not cleaning the tools right after using them.

It was… fun. I was sweating, running from one corner to the other, but each time some milestone would be reached there was a feeling of great satisfaction! As dusk was approaching we cleaned the whole room. The girls went home and Zariel and I stayed to see what the workers did. The potions made by commoners without even a glimpse of what their supposed to be doing! They were just told to perform one action over and over again before giving it to another man… AND IT WORKED! Barely, despite being a disgrace for every alchemist, they surely could do some good.

- “These potions are like America’s beer…” My companion whispered.

- “Pardon me?”

- “Too fucking close to water.”

He was talking to himself again. It happens quite a lot when he is making potions. I decided to just ignore him. He was using such strange names all the time, names that didn’t make any sense to me. I thought that those are places that formed as I was sleeping, yet after a short conversation with his students I quickly was told that they have never heard them before.

- “You did good job today!” He said as we were walking to the adventurer's guild. The place that I was supposedly going to live in.

“Who knows, maybe I would consider hiring you?”

- “To be honest, after what I saw today, working for you is the last thing I want to do right now”

- “Come on! You are hurting my feelings!”

- “Today, you hurt me!”

- “Oh, pardon me, my princess, I didn’t know you were so frail! Is poor, little Morgi afraid of getting her hands dirty?”

- “I have got my hands dirty far more times that you can count to. So if you wanted to mock me, you have to try harder… Just don’t. Call me. Morgi. Again!”

- “If you are so attached to your name, then you won’t like the guild. They will give you nicknames from the start. But, the food is decent, people are nice. Just once again. If you would see a half dragoness around, don’t talk to me. Pretend we don’t know each other!”

- “Why? A jealous girlfriend?”

- “… A little.”

There is no way I would let this opportunity slip thorough my fingers!

He opened the door to huge building placed on the crossing of different town sections. He went inside first, looked left and right before turning back to me saying.

- “It’s ok. Follow me.”

We came to the counter, behind which some cat-girl was doing her duty.

- “Hey. I hope you gave note from Jericho. That’s Morgana, girl I was talking about. Just give her the keys…”

- “The fee needs to be paid first!” She didn’t like him. Even more, I am pretty sure she hated him on completely different level.

- “Just catch it.” He angrily passed her the coins.

In that moment someone moved from the back of the building.

- “Key, Ki, have you seen Zari? He said that he would be back around this tim… Oh! Zari! Where have you been all day!?” O-ho. A dragon girl. The one he asked me to avoid.

In that moment cat girl, doing as much commotion as it was only possible, gave me keys while saying aloud

- “My, my! You must be such a lucky girl! Zari even paid for your room! I have no idea what is going on, but I gave you the one in front of his! Have fun!”

The dragoness stopped in the spot, looked at me, at Zari and back at me. She gazed over me from my head to boots and from boots to head.

- “Really? Another woman?”

- “Thanks, bitch, I will remember to hide some catnip behind the counter next time before your shift. And yes, Gis, another woman, unfortunately I can’t affect the gender that people are getting born with. Yes, unfortunately Morgana was born with that defect that caused her to be a woman.”

- “Why did you pay for her room?”

- “I told you that I have second job, didn’t I? Morgana is currently working for me, and since I’m a generous employer and I don’t want her to be robbed, I am simply paying for things she needs…”

- “Read – he doesn’t want me to become independent.” I chuckled.

- “No! Read – you have no idea what the prices of anything is here, you know no one, and you have nowhere to go. Tell me, how much would you pay for a room and dinner here?”

That was a sneaky question.

- “T…twenty copper?”

- “Congratulation. You have just paid four times as much as was needed. But first of all, you wouldn’t get the room here if you didn’t know an adventurer beforehand. Is that matter done? Yes? Great! Now, come on, Mori, I will show you around.”

- “DON’T CALL ME MORI!”

- “Sure, Mor-mor, just don’t wander too far.”

- “I will fucking kill you!”

… Wait. He angered me on purpose so I would yell at him. By yelling on him I showed that I feel nothing for him… and ruined my opportunity to tease him! LITTLE FUCKER! Yet the dragoness didn’t leave us alone.

- “Here is inn section, we are being fed here! Also, this is the place where you can find adventurers when they are not killing things or sleeping! Tip for you, see those three big guys by the counter?” As he said that three mountains of muscles waved our direction “… Absolutely don’t drink with them. Just don’t.”

- “That wasn’t nice of you, Zari! That sounded as we were the bad guys!”

- “Shut up, Aloizy! You used my lack of experience against me! I was just a little, frail boy! I wasn’t ready for that!”

… This place was weird. There was so many witches around. There was so much magic around me! Strolling over the streets I sensed at least twenty magicians. Not many comparing to how many people we passed. But, I have never seen as many magicians in my whole past life! There were only eight of us, and now? A whole academy for magicians, a library for magicians, shops for magicians. Everything I wanted to achieve was happening right in front of my eyes!

XXXXX years ago

- “All hail prince Balthazar!” The crowd yelled as members of the royal family was moving past the street. She couldn’t see that, only hear, in the end she wasn’t near the main street. She was hiding in the slums where she was looking for some food among the trash.

Prince Balthazar. Oh, he was famous. Magic, it was listening to him. Magician? No, he wasn’t a magician. There were none. Magic is a tool of the goddesses, humans can only beg for the goddesses to perform a miracle in their names. Most were ignored, and goddesses picked a few champions that they listened to from time to time, and Balthazar, he was a champion of the goddess Luxia. Almost all of his prayers were listened to.

But, prince Balthazar was not a concern of hers. She would never meet him, for she was no one. A beggar, a fucking half-ling. Not a demoness, not an elf. She was too weak to join the demons which were constantly at a state of war, the elves wouldn’t let her in their beautiful white city.

So all she could do was starve on the street of humans cities and face humiliation, unable to find any type job. What about becoming a hooker? Oh, she would love to! She hoped that with her exotic face she could become quite popular. Unfortunately, brothels belonged to underground organizations so even becoming a hooker was quite a hard task. You needed someone who would say that you are trustworthy, and she had no one like that.

So, where were we? Ah, yes, the trashes! She was lucky, she managed to catch a rat! With quick movement she snapped the creature's neck. Today she would eat meat! It was a good day!

- “Interesting…” She heard behind her.

She quickly moved around pushing her whole body to the wall and hiding rat in her arms like a treasure. It was a man. His whole body was hidden behind a thick, travelers coat.

- “W..W..what do you want from me?” I asked shaking. Here, in the slums, there were many kind of people, usually terrible people. Dozens of people would vanish from the street each day, and no one ever bothered asking where they went. The fewer beggars there was the better.

- “Certainly not the rat of yours. Calm down, if I wanted to do anything bad to you, I would do that an hour ago, when you were begging on the street, or two hours ago when you tried to steal some bread from the bakery. Or early in the morning when you were sleeping near the entrance to the sewers.”

She gulped her saliva loudly. Whoever this was man, she could be sure he was watching her.

- “You have a hopeless life, you wake up and fall asleep hungry and dirty. Yet, you refuse to die. I found your stubbornness admirable, and came to give you an offer. I can give you a opportunity to change your life, I can let you crawl out of this hellhole, you would stop looking for your food from between thrashes, All you have to do, is to follow me. This offer will never be given to you again.”

He turned around and started walking away.

Like hell that she would follow him! He is some kind of lunatic! Last thing she would know would be her getting sacrificed to Heira, so the goddess would perform a miracle for him! She would die! That’s what her mind was screaming. Don’t listen to him! And surely, never ever follow him! This life wasn’t that bad! She still have her rat! She would eat meat!...

… meat. Barely enough for one bite. Is that what her life should be supposed to look like? Hunting for rats, waiting just for the moment she would eat the one carrying a plague? To die on the street bleeding from every hole? Is that her life?

She started crying.

Why? She didn’t ask to be born as half-blood! She didn’t ask to run from one time to another! She did nothing wrong! She tried finding a job! So why… so why… so why…

Why was she forsaken? By everyone? By every race, kingdom and god? Why wasn’t she considered good enough to become a bloody hooker?! She just wanted a warm meal and a place to sleep, was that too much!? WAS THAT TOO MUCH IN THE EYES OF THE GODDESSES GRANTING MIRACLES TO SPOILED ROYALS?!

From every living being that ever walked on this world, was there a creature that deserved miracle more than her?

What if that dirty man covered in black robes was her miracle? No, that was a trap! It had to be! Nothing good happened to her for her whole life so why… so why would she be given… why someone would care… now?

A man was just walking behind a corner when small half-demoness joined him. She was trembling and crying. She was walking 10 steps behind, not more, afraid she would lose him, not less, afraid of what man would do to her.

On the verge of the slums there was an inn – cheapest one. That where he lead her. Good. He wouldn’t perform a bloody sacrifice in place filled of people.

- “Come on, child. Get inside.” The man said.

That inn… she begged for the place to sleep, she begged for a job – as cook, as waitress as cleaner. But she was very young and very pretty, and innkeeper’s wife kicked her outside. Now she would enter this place as costumer.

Innkeeper and his wife looked at her surprised. This time she decided to stick close to the man. He lead her to the room on floor. Two beds were already prepared.

Two beds. Two. He didn’t want to…. Her?

- “I need you to know, that I am a student of Heira…” No. No. NO! Please, no! “Fear not. I was offered something greater than you and me. I don’t wish you any harm. Even more. I would need you alive and healthy. Do you know, what magic is?” He asked me.

- “I…it’s the power of goddesses, performed by goddesses after humans…”

He snapped his fingers and every candle in the room lit itself.

- “Not anymore. Heira was bored. She was bored by the stagnation. This is why she decided to put some chaos into this world. Imagine, young one, the power of the goddesses given to us. We would no longer need to ask, to kneel for hours in their temples. We would just need to study, snap our fingers… and do.”

As he was talking a flame appeared on his palm. It was turning shapes, looking like head of snake, dancing woman and finally a flower.

- “A decade ago I was given a book and a mission. It was to remember every spell, every rite and then find students to pass that knowledge on, students that would find their own students, that would find students having students. In ten generations, I want to half of the world to know magic. And you, you are the first one on whom I shall pass my knowledge. It will be hard. It will be painful. It won’t be easy. But it will change your fate. The fate of worm that was supposed to die in the dirt. Do you wish to follow?”

The power of goddesses. It was a dream. It couldn’t be that easy!

It wasn’t that easy!

That what I kept thinking when I was meditating naked underneath a waterfall. The water falling onto my shoulders was almost crushing my bones, it was so cold, that I was sure that I would get a fever.

- “Magic, is everywhere. In the water and wind. In fire and earth “All this time the man was walking in both directions giving advice. That only he could understand. “It is in your blood and soul. Every living being was born with it, yet they are not aware of it. I needed three years. Three years to understand the concept of mana. Yet, I had no one to guide me through the process, this is also why I expect you to unlock it in a year. Or less.”

Sure. Magic is everywhere!

- “In the wind and water…” I followed after him. “In fire and dirt and in SHIT! IN THAT FUCKING THRASH TALK OF YOURS! THE MAGIC! SURE THING! I WAS SO FUCKING STUPID THAT I EVER FOLLOWED YOU! THAT I…”

- “Good! GOOD! Morgana, magic is also in emotion. Morgana… I want you to look around…”

What did he mean by...

Drops of water were flying around me, as if frozen in the time. I admired then for few seconds before it all fell down to the pool beneath me.

- “Good. Good. Yet the magic of emotion is powerful, but unpredictable. It’s effect also last as long as the emotion that triggered it…”

- “You mean… it was me?”

- “For sure, it wasn’t me and I don’t see nor sense anyone around us. Find it, the part of you that wanted to scream. The part of you that yelled, that shouted in the sky wanting to offend the gods. Let it carry you. Again.”

- “B..But I have no idea what I just d…”

- “DO you think I know? For three years I was doing what book told me to. Three years without any effects. Three years of thinking that the goddess was just making a fool out of me. Three years before I was able to lit my first candle without touching it and here you are after a month. Repeat. Again. Find it, mold it, shape it, use it. Find a power, give it a purpose and unleash it. Water and wind. Fire and earth. Blood and tears. Anger and grief. Love and hate. Creation and destruction. Cycle and end. It all starts with their reflection in the lake.:

- “… I have no bloody idea what you are talking about.”

- “But you will. Now you know that it is in you. Find in everywhere, and you would tame the powers of the Celestials.”

So I did. I was meditating under the waterfall, I was running through the plain under flying eagles. I was staring at flames for hours, thinking that I am slowly going blind, and I was lying covered in the mud.

No matter if it was raining or wind was blowing, no matter if it was day or night. I kept doing what I was told… and slowly, I started seeing things. It looked like shadows in the corner of my eyes, disappearing when I tried looking at it.

Then I started to ignore it. I just accepted that it was around, I acknowledged it, and the next time when I closed my eyes meditating…

I saw. I saw it everywhere. In the wind and water, in fire and earth. The whole world was dancing, pulsating. THE WORLD WAS BREATHING!

The man used to vanish sometimes for couple of days, sometimes weeks, sometimes even a month. Then he told me, that he is teaching more than just me, that soon I would meet them. My brothers and sisters.

After eleven months I was able to command the nature around me, it was simple things, nothing spectacular. I was able to raise a pebble, to force water from a chalice go to another one. Force the wind to knock fruits off the tree, to lit the fireplace.

After eleven months, he placed a book in front of me, and in front of my eyes he tore few pages off it. I wanted to scream! [What are you doing?] Destroying the source of his knowledge! Yet the pages started forming another book, covered in black leather and a white mark of smiling devils skull formed on it. He gave it to me. Then I heard it, for the first time ever.

~ Greetings master, I am Codex Diabolicus, you can call me just Codes! I look forward to work with you! Let’s do some crazy things together!