Vologda Principality Kitezh High School of Magic Headmaster's Office Over his many years as headmaster of Kitezh, Ivan Orlov had grown accustomed to the fact that, from time to time, his students might indulge in a prank or act of mischief serious enough to catch the attention of the police. Such incidents, however, usually involved seniors, and occasionally third-year students.
This time was different. The call had been about a disturbance, a stunt that, apparently, had been pulled by a freshman. And not just any freshman, but the youngest of them all.
An investigation had already taken place earlier that morning, and a few rather curious details had come to light.
Ivan was well aware that second-year students took great pleasure in orchestrating pranks for the newcomers, and he viewed such antics with calm acceptance. After all, what was life at Kitezh without a touch of tradition? These rituals were woven into the very fabric of the school, which boasted some of the oldest and most revered customs in the Russian Empire.
Freshmen were often drawn into these playful rites, which typically turned into harmless, good-natured fun. Ivan himself had once been introduced to the mysteries of strong spirits during such an initiation. Most of the time, these gatherings were lively and amusing. But this time...
He had already spoken with one of the third-year students, Tamara Myshkina, a girl known for her uncanny ability to know everything about everyone. Aware of her talent, the older students usually made sure to keep their secrets well hidden. But among the first- and second-years, she was a walking treasure trove of information.
It was from her that Ivan had gleaned many intriguing details about what had taken place that night. The story, he had to admit, was extraordinary, full of strange twists and curious turns. Only a few key pieces were missing. To fill in those gaps, he had summoned Maxim, who now sat before him, gazing out the window with a bored expression, his clear blue eyes reflecting quiet disinterest.
"Could I get you anything?"
"Like what, sir?"
"Perhaps some tea with candies, or cocoa with cookies. Which would you prefer?"
"I'm not really thirsty... But I could go for some candy. What kinds do you have?" the boy asked, his eyes bright with curiosity as he looked at the count.
"Any kind you'd like. Which ones do you prefer?"
"Bear in the North."
"Oh? Is that so? I like those too."
Ivan rose from behind his desk, walked over to the cabinet, and took out a jar filled to the brim with sweets, including small chocolates in blue wrappers with a Polar Bear on them.
The boy reached in, grabbed a couple of candies, slowly unwrapped one, and popped it into his mouth. He did the same with the second, savoring the taste.
Watching him, Ivan couldn't resist. Smiling, he picked one for himself, choosing a Kara-Kum since Maxim had already taken all the Bears.
After finishing his treat, the boy gave the headmaster a questioning look. Ivan smiled and decided it was time to move on and get to the point.
"Maxim," he began softly, "I suppose you can guess why I've called you here." He paused, expecting Temnikov to offer his version of events and admit the part he had played in them.
"Nope," the boy said with a shrug. "Unless you wanted to talk about the breakfast menu?"
The count regarded him thoughtfully from behind his dark glasses, a finger tracing his chin. This boy was no easy nut to crack. He wouldn't simply spill everything without a reason.
"May I have another candy?" Maxim asked politely.
"Of course." Ivan nodded kindly. "Help yourself. Take as many as you like. Just remember — they're not very good for your teeth."
"That's okay," the boy said and began chewing another sweet. "My teeth are still pretty strong. The dentist told me so."
"I always thought kids didn't like going to the dentist," the count remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"I definitely don't enjoy it," Maxim admitted with a shrug. "But when a tooth starts hurting, it's best not to postpone it."
"That's true... Say, Maxim, what exactly were you up to last night?"
"Mostly sleeping," the boy replied casually. "And a little bit of everything else."
"Like what, precisely?" the count pressed, eager to grasp the details.
"I was invited to some ritual," Maxim answered matter-of-factly. "It was fun, only it didn't last long. I thought it'd go on until morning, but everyone just kind of dispersed pretty quickly."
Hearing this, Ivan leaned back in his chair in genuine surprise. He had anticipated that he'd have to coax the details out of the boy, word by word, with him trying to dodge and weave. But instead, the boy spilled the beans without batting an eye.
The count gazed into Maxim's bright, blue eyes, utterly perplexed.
Did the boy truly not understand what he had just done? Or was he merely mocking him, playing some kind of game?
Judging by Maxim's innocent, straightforward expression, it was hard to believe he was genuinely trying to deceive him. Which left only one conclusion...
"Is that so?" he asked in an almost nonchalant tone, disguising the curiosity bubbling beneath. "Why the rush to end things so quickly?"
"Because the others ran off." The boy shrugged casually. "They got scared of my skeleton."
"You have your own skeleton?"
"Well, not exactly my skeleton... It was just lying there, beneath the ground near the clearing. I asked it to come out so I could dance with it.
And it did. Then everyone ran."
Once Maxim finished, Ivan let out a surprised snort and shook his head slowly, as if bewildered by the boy's words.
"You truly are something else, Temnikov," he said, removing his glasses and fixing the boy with his unusual, copper-hued eyes. "Barely thirteen and already causing trouble..."
"Is something wrong, sir?"
"No, it's nothing like that..." Ivan rubbed his nose thoughtfully. "But tell me, Maxim, how on earth did you manage to pull that skeleton out of the ground?"
"I simply asked, and it appeared. Things like that tend to happen on their own."
"Things like that... tend to happen... on their own..." Ivan nodded thoughtfully, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Yes, I suspected as much... Why did you even ask it to come out? The skeleton was enjoying its eternal rest. Why did you need it to come forth?"
"Who was I supposed to dance the ritual dance with then?" the boy asked, eyes wide with innocent surprise. "It wouldn't be right to do it alone..."
"A ritual dance?" The count furrowed his brow, then, as if recalling something, he smiled gently. "Ah, yes, of course... That explains the cup."
"I didn't drink from it," Maxim said quickly. "It smelled of vodka, but I don't like that stuff. Only kvass, especially when it's hot outside."
"Go on." Ivan nodded gravely. "The skeleton emerged, you danced, and then what happened?"
"Nothing much," the boy replied casually. "I went to bed. Everyone else had already scattered. Only a few guys remained, and one girl. She fainted when the skeleton appeared. She's been lying there the whole time."
"That explains everything then," the count summarized. "Everything lines up. You went to sleep, the skeleton headed off to Dubravino..."
"That far? Impressive."
"There's nothing 'impressive' about it, Temnikov," Ivan said sharply, doing his best to sound stern. "Skeletons shouldn't be wandering around on their own, and especially not through our neighboring cities scaring ordinary people. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"For the future, I kindly ask you to think carefully before you act, or, in your case, when things seem to happen on their own, lest I end up receiving a call from the authorities. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir." The boy nodded obediently. "But I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Why did they call you? Couldn't they have sorted it out themselves?"
"They could have, and in fact, they did," the count said with a nod.
"But they needed to inform me that one of our students was behind the mess. Summoning skeletons is wrong. Using dark magic for entertainment is simply unacceptable."
"I see. So, they're tattletales... Alright, I'll keep that in mind."
For a moment, Ivan and Maxim held each other's gaze. The count allowed himself a faint smile.
"Go to lunch, Temnikov. You have five minutes left before the break ends."
"Thank you, sir," the boy replied, rising from his seat.
"And please, remember what we've discussed," Ivan added softly.
"Of course, sir."
Ivan waited until the door closed behind him, then let out a sigh.
Something about the boy's final words told him they had been nothing more than offhand remarks, and that this wouldn't be their last conversation.
But just how much power did the boy possess, if he could so effortlessly sense a corpse buried several feet underground, and more astonishingly, compel it to rise?
If it had only been a matter of summoning the dead, it might have been easier to understand. But no, he had poured so much energy into that skeleton that it wandered all across the school grounds and kept going until it reached Dubravino.
It would have been impressive enough if a fully trained black mage, perhaps even a master, had performed such a feat. But a boy, with his Gift responding to his will so easily, without any guidance, and all for amusement?
The matter was serious, far too serious to ignore. If he chose to handle it on his own and remain silent, the consequences could be disastrous.
He pressed the call button, and within moments, his secretary entered.
Tall and strikingly beautiful, Nika Lvovna was known for her stern manner with visitors and for the rare, fleeting nature of her smiles.
"Yes, sir?"
"Mrs. Lvovna, I need you to arrange a flight to Moscow. It's urgent."
"When would you like to depart?"
"As early as tonight."
"Business class may not be available on such short notice. Would you prefer I book something for tomorrow instead?"
"No. Take whatever's available. If necessary, charter a helicopter.
Just make sure I'm out of Kitezh within a few hours."
*** There was some food left in the cafeteria, but the most delicious portions had already been gobbled up. My only options were fish soup, meatballs in sauce, and a few varieties of casserole.
"Who even eats carrot casserole?! What am I, a rabbit?"
This is nothing short of a catastrophe, Max, Dorian wholeheartedly agreed as I struggled to finish the first meatball, pondering whether I should attempt the second. Are you seriously going to eat that? When I was studying, I always had a choice of at least a hundred and eleven dishes, and for dessert...
"If you're going to lie, at least make it believable!" I shot back, deciding not to brave the second meatball.
Sighing, I checked my schedule. Four classes still to go, a few hours of free time, and then dinner. Surely meatballs couldn't be on the menu again?
The two morning lectures — History and Mathematics — had been utterly unimpressive, just mind-numbing boredom.
Now, with lunch almost over, I had two classes on basic Runology ahead of me, followed by another two on the fundamentals of Herbology.
"Runology sounds interesting..."
Sure beats basic Herbology, Dorian told me. Still, that's baby stuff.
I can't even imagine what they could teach you there...
"Only one way to find out," I interrupted his musings, about to rise from the table when my eyes caught sight of a tall, lanky guy standing nearby. His long, dark hair fell loosely around his face, and he wore a dark suit embroidered with a skull and a white hand, the number two boldly stitched beneath them.
"Hi, I'm Alexey Naryshkin," he said with a casual smile, extending his hand toward me.
"Hello, I'm Max Temnikov," I replied, shaking his hand in return.
"Uh-huh." He nodded knowingly. "I know. Was that you who dug up the skeleton last night? That was pretty cool! I really liked it. Been a while since we had something interesting happen during the ritual."
"I remember you... You didn't run away and watched my ritual dance all the way through. How was it? Did you enjoy my performance?"
"Not really. I think the skeleton did a better job," he teased with a grin.
"Honestly, I've never been much of a dancer." I scratched the back of my neck. "That stuff's for girls."
"If you want, I can show you how things work around here after class," Alexey offered. "Or do you have other plans?"
"No, I'm free until dinner," I said.
"Perfect. Let's meet by the Pacific Ocean after your classes," he replied with a smile.
I said goodbye to Alexey and headed to Runology, pushing him from my mind for the time being. It wasn't until after Herbology, when I got back to my room, that the thought hit me like a bolt.
"The meeting!"
I yanked on my jeans and T-shirt, grabbed my always-ready bag, packed with anything that might come in handy for a good adventure, and dashed off toward the lake in the park.
On the way, I couldn't help but notice the piercing stares of fellow students; some even pointed in my direction with obvious curiosity. Today, this seemed to happen almost nonstop. Every turn I took, the whispers grew louder.
"There he goes..."
"Temnikov..."
"That guy over there..."
"He summoned the skeleton!"
It was getting downright irritating. You'd think I'd pulled off some kind of miracle. All I'd done was politely ask a skeleton to dance with me.
Hardly a big deal.
I spotted Alexey by the lakeshore, tossing bits of something orange to the ducks.
"What are you up to?" I asked.
"Feeding the ducks. Here, hold this," he said, extending his hand and offering me a little of the feed. "Boiled carrots."
"We usually just tear up a bun in the park..."
"We don't do that here. Vegetables are a much healthier alternative," he replied, tossing the remaining bits of carrot into the water.
"Got it," I said, mimicking his actions. "So, where do we start?
Gromov already showed me the gym, the greenhouses, and even this lake..."
"There's no way he was going to show you anything truly interesting. Come on, I'll take you to the ruins of the old academic building and the abandoned dormitories. Back in the day, each class had its own dormitory. How dull."
As we strolled away from the lake and deeper into the park, I noticed we'd veered onto a side path Roman hadn't taken me down before.
There were fewer people here, which made the walk feel even more secluded. The whispers had become less frequent.
We turned onto another trail, one that clearly hadn't been maintained in ages.
"I saw two insignias on your uniform — a skull and a hand," I said.
"I'm a dualist, duh. Oh, right, you probably wouldn't know. Your family's always been into alchemy, after all... Not that there's anything wrong with that."
"It's the truth."
"The Naryshkin family... We're an ancient lineage, bearing two Gifts. We've earned some special merits in the Empire, by the way," he added with a touch of pride.
"Such as?"
"One of our family members is among the black mages of the Imperial Guard, serving directly under Emperor Alexander — a privilege earned over generations. Naturally, such a distinction comes with its own advantages."
"How many black mages are there in Alexander's Guard?"
"Six. Even a child knows that," Alexey said, stopping and giving me a sly wink. "Don't tell me you're thinking of trying your luck at it?"
"Maybe. I'll think about it," I said thoughtfully.
"Hah! He'll think about it!" Alexey laughed, slapping his thigh.
"Are you out of your mind? People spend generations tearing themselves apart just to get a shot at it, doing everything they can to impress the right circles. And you're just going to sit around and think about it?"
"And what class do you belong to, if you have two Gifts?" I asked curiously.
"It's generally accepted that I belong to both," he replied with confidence. "There aren't many of us — you could count us on the fingers of both hands. I mostly attend dark arts lessons; that side runs stronger in my family," he added. "Eventually, I'll have to choose one path and stick with it. The important thing is to make a final decision before fourth year."
"Why before fourth year?"
"Because that's when the special subjects begin. Special rituals. And once you choose, there's no going back."
"Ah, I see..."
Just then, I caught sight of something that looked like a ruined castle. A few towers still jutted out, and part of a wall remained, just enough to suggest it might once have been a real fortress.
"Oh, wow! That's actually pretty cool!"
"Told you," Alexey said with a grin.
"Come on, let's take a look!"
I dashed forward, and at that exact moment, a powerful gust of wind struck me from behind, and in the air, I heard a gentle chime, like the tinkling of a tiny bell.
Around us, the air shimmered with vibrant, multicolored sparks that darted about like swirling dust motes. Breathing felt light and invigorating.
I drew a deep, steadying breath, then another... What an incredible sensation! I could feel energy coursing through me, filling me from the inside out.
"This is amazing! Do you feel it too?"
"A magical storm is brewing... We need to head back to the dorm," Alexey said quickly, scanning the surroundings.
So that's what that was... I'd only read about such phenomena and seen them on TV before.
"I don't really want to leave. It doesn't seem dangerous. In fact, it feels almost... harmless," I murmured.
"Are you out of your mind? Do you want to get caught in the Distortion? Maybe it doesn't feel that strong right now, and sure, we're mostly safe on school grounds, but still... Let's get out of here before it's too late," Alexey urged.
Suddenly, multiple lightning bolts struck the ground around us simultaneously, and right in front of our eyes, a luminous white glow erupted from the earth itself. It was as if someone had torn open the very fabric of space, and from that gaping wound, a brilliant light shone forth with blinding intensity.
"Oh, God..." Alexey groaned, his voice trembling. "We're screwed..."