Turning towards the noise, I saw a tall man in strange robes. On him hung a mysterious amulet, releasing barely noticeable vibrations into space. His wrinkled hands held a staff, releasing an even more noticeable "power".
I met him by his clothes, but it is important to understand his motives and attitude. So far the man is acting as if he is on a walk. His behavior does not seem to indicate that he is involved in the incident in the village, but trusting your assumptions is naive and dangerous. It is better to pretend to be a person who knows little, or better yet, ask about the vibrations emanating from his objects. He looks like a typical sorcerer, therefore, it is necessary to prevent the appearance of a boundary between the victim and the hunter. I must be the one who has at least some connection with him. The main thing is not to go too far, switching to impudence or arrogance, such people are the first to die.
"What's with your staff and the amulet around your neck? Why do I feel like they're alive?" I asked in a nervous and confused tone, hunching my shoulders and getting into a more precarious position. It's worth trying to mislead a potential opponent.
"Oh, cholera," he ran a wrinkled finger over his stubble in surprise. "Unthinkable sensitivity for a child... A gift from all the cracks? That explains how you survived the firestorm... What do you remember?"
— I… — my face twisted as if I had been hit hard with a heavy object. A cough escaped my chest, and my legs buckled. Everything indicated that trying to remember the past caused unbearable pain. The beginnings of acting were earning their keep, if you can say so.
— Smoke… and… corpses with open eyes… I… forgive me, I'm more… — I pretended that everything inside me was cramping, for greater effect I involuntarily fell to my knees and coughed hard. In a good way, you can induce vomiting, but everything can turn out badly. Pity is a dangerous thing, it must be demonstrated in measured portions, otherwise I will be classified not as a person, but as an insect. It is dangerous, but it is worth trying to gain the best conditions for negotiations, squeezing all the juices out of the situation. — I… remember… No, that's not my name… It… forgive me, I don't know anything… W-who are you?
- Oh, child, - he smiled pleasantly, not at all worried about my condition, besides, the man does not look at me with contempt. I will stop at this level of pity. - I am a wandering sorcerer, heard some sounds, came to eliminate the source. But who knew that I would meet you.
[Analysis of facial expressions and voice completed. The probability of lying is higher than 90%]
- What do you think sorcerers do when they meet their own kind? - He came closer and crouched down, looking closely into my eyes. His pitch-black eyes were looking for signs of a lie or testing my intelligence to make sure of something or to do something. I need to think about everything quickly. Delaying an answer is too dangerous, plus his behavior is too unpredictable. My guess is that there is a strange source of power in this world, if so, then there may be magic in the world. A person is not capable of instilling a threat of a natural disaster. And he did not start talking about sorcery for no reason.
There is a theory based on the assumption that the sorcerer before me conducted dangerous experiments in this village. When he finished what he started, he destroyed all the evidence. Perhaps my sensitivity to magic interested him for now, but a demonstration of awareness from an ordinary village boy... This could lead to experiments in his workshop in the worst case, and death in the best case. Then I will try to pretend that I know nothing about magic.
"Excuse me, but who are sorcerers? Is this... work?" I asked with great doubt, as a child would.
- It is a destiny, - having convinced himself of something, he patted me on the shoulder. - You see, we are not liked in the world community. If one sorcerer releases a dangerous creature to freedom and this is found out, then the peasants will not blame a specific person. They will blame all the gifted ones - users of chaos processed by nature, its remnants. You and I - we both feel the flows around us. I feel the flows even in the air, the most vast and incomprehensible element, voluminous and all-consuming. Someone feels the power in water, someone in the earth, others control fire quite well. There are also derivatives and many other directions. But they will not tell you about this here. If they tell you.
The sorcerer's doubts approached the point of no return before making a decision.
All or nothing.
- But-but... Can I? - after the question, I feigned a painful grimace on my face, and tears flowed from my eyes. - I... don't even... know... who I am...
"Marcus," he snapped his fingers, his expression becoming more peaceful. "Whether it's your name or not, consider it yours. And I'll be your sponsor, I suppose. You'll be accepted to Ban Ard Academy, but they don't accept just anyone..."
[Hidden Intentions Revealed]
He probably wants to give a loophole to survival, you need to be vigilant and not miss the moment. Too little information...
"You are a boy of no family, wearing rags, this will not do," he continued, shaking his head. "You are the bastard of a minor baron, your estate is in the wilderness of Temeria, you were sold to me for one service. Do you remember everything?"
He is trying to hide his tracks and my origin. Salvation came from the one who could put me on the operating table.
"I am the bastard of a minor baron, I grew up in the wilderness of Temeria, I hate to talk about it because I was sold," I repeated without hesitation.
- Smart boy, you will go far, very far, - he laughed joyfully. - We live in interesting times, alcohol is cheaper than textbooks. People are used to getting drunk and escaping from reality, and not to gain knowledge. In Kaedwen, you will be taught how not to live by the laws of stupid sheep. You will rule them, you will become their shepherd. But only if you keep your mouth shut about your origins and where we met. Got it?
I can assume that the unknown sorcerer wants to make a debtor out of a promising boy who has a great sensitivity to strange energy. I will try to pretend that I fully indulge his desires and try to put pressure on him.
"T-thank you," I bowed low as I stood up. "I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life for helping me."
"What are you saying, what are you saying?" he held out his hand reassuringly. "Friends are there to help."
Mistaken judgment: friends are needed to be used for one's own purposes, and enemies are needed to find loyal supporters against a common enemy. A very selfish judgment, but the most correct in terms of life expectancy.
"And… who are friends?" I asked, embarrassed.
- It's me, it's you, - he pointed at himself and me in turn, then waved his hand and said a mystical mantra. A concentrated glow appeared in space, something like a portal. It seems that there is an analogue of the teleportation gates from science fiction stories here, which means that this world is not the past. I ended up in a parallel universe where the laws of physics work differently. - My advice is to trust no one, especially sorcerers. There are no kind women or husbands with a magic staff in the world - get that into your head.
"O-okay," I whispered a little nervously and meekly.
Knowledge is power, and power is authority.
This world doesn't seem like a place where I'm welcome, so I have to convince him otherwise. I'll have to use the chip and pretend to be a child with memory loss. Until I gain power and become a force to be reckoned with.
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