Clap. Clap. Clap.

Zak was standing and clapping his hands. He was very pleased with what he saw. Such success and power from the first try, struck him to the core.

Evan, on the other hand, was looking at his palm, namely his index finger, where a pale blue beam was emerging.

<Huh, I haven`t experienced that for a long time.> And Evan wasn’t talking about magic or power, but the euphoria he was feeling right now. He had discovered something new, unusual, and amazing. The realization that he was only at the beginning of the journey, and had taken only his first step into the world of magic made him burst with excitement.

“Well done, guy, you’ll go far. Remember this feeling and never forget it.”

In fact, Zak knew that what Evan had just done wasn`t normal. No ordinary boy from the backwoods could cast a spell at the first try, even a simple one.

Zak had seen enough wonders, geniuses, and inexplicable occurrences in his life. Chances are slim, but Evan could be a diamond in the rough, so he did not rule it out.

Because of recent events, Zak was confident in his theory. So he decided that he would spare nothing for Evan.

“Commander Zak, what other spells do you have?” Evan got right to the point. He wanted to learn as many spells as he could.

Zak smiled and tempered his ardor, “Evan, that kind of attitude is certainly a good one. But if you keep trying everything indiscriminately, you won’t learn anything. Let’s do this right.”

“You`ll choose one spell from the Magic of Amplification and one from the Magic of Summoning. And you`ll practice using three spells of three different types at the same time. How about that?”

Zak didn’t want Evan to make the mistake, common to all newcomers. Magic was not some kind of a toy, it was a science that had to be taken seriously. So he thought three spells would be more than enough to get him started.

Evan thought about it, and after a moment nodded in agreement. He realized that he had succumbed to emotion in a case where it was unnecessary. Evan didn’t regret it, though. He seldom enjoyed himself as much as he did now.

“Let’s go to the underground floor, where Margaret got that book from.” Saying this, Zak was pointing at the gray book lying on the table that Evan had been reading not long ago.

…

As they`re walking down, Evan asked Zak one more question, “Commander Zak, how many different spells do you have?”

Zak only smiled in response: “You won’t be disappointed, lad. I’m sure.”

No one else said anything else.

…

A couple of minutes later they were already in the underground library, which didn’t have many books. Although, this was not surprising. Unlike the library upstairs, every book here contained a spell.

“Well, I’m off. I think Margaret has been waiting for me too long.”

From these words, Evan finally realized what kind of relationship Zak and Margaret had. But he didn’t really care. It was the other thing, that bothered him.

“Commander, wait, please answer one more question.”

Zak waved his hand, “All right, ask it. I`ll help, if I can.”

“Every magician has a predisposition to one of the Types of Magic, but what about the elements? From what I’ve seen you use fire spells exclusively. Why?” Evan said slowly.

Zak thought for a while and then answered, “You want to know if the magicians have a predisposition to certain elements, am I right?”

The term – “Element” wasn’t quite right. But Zak didn’t want to burden Evan with information he didn’t need right now and wouldn’t need anytime soon.

Evan nodded and quickly got an answer to his question.

“No, any magician can use any element, and concentrate on learning it, but there is one very important point.”

Zak put his hand out in front of him, and a small, bright light appeared on it.

“You can choose any element. Usually everyone chooses the one he likes best. After all, if you practice what you like, you’ll get great results, won’t you?”

Evan understood Zak’s thought and didn’t ask him anything else. This was a good development for him. The more options you had, the better.

As he had understand the rigid division into Classes because of the Types of Magic, in the case of the elements he hoped there would be no such restrictions. And it was so.

With a smile on his face, Zak left. He was satisfied with today’s events. Evan’s results had pleasantly surprised him. And now, he would spend the whole night with his beloved, not a day, but a fairy tale.

…

Evan, on the other hand, was left all alone in the small library.

“Well, what should I choose?” He had already had a “Magic Missile”, a Creation Magic spell. He needed to find the right spells for the other Types of Magic.

There books weren`t enough to drown in their number, but there was a choice anyway.

…The moon had already been illuminating the earth for some time, while Evan was still rummaging through the library. He`d approached his choice of spells very thoroughly.

When it was three o’clock in the morning, Evan finally made up his mind.

There were three books on the table in front of him, with three different spells.

< Zero level spell – “Magic Missile”, Element – Neutral, Creation Magic>.

<Zero level spell – “Ice Veil”, Element – Ice, Amplification Magic>

< Zero level Spell – “Summon Thorny Ivy”, Element – Dendro, Summoning Magic>.

Those were the three spells Evan had chosen for himself. Summoning Magic was new to him. Unlike the other types, he had never seen it in action.

In the entire library, he did not find a single book with a Summoning spell that summoned a living creature, which surprised him greatly.

Only plants, of various species and classifications, nothing more.

He could have chosen a Magic Amplification spell very similar to the one Zak used. But he didn’t want to repeat himself.

“I think that’s enough. I’ll start studying tomorrow.” Evan put the books in his bag and left the library.

In fact, he could read them all night long. He didn’t see the point, however. Excessive reading would only slow his progress, not increase it.

There was also another factor. Evan was hungry. He hadn’t eaten anything since lunchtime until deep into the night. So he headed straight for the kitchen. Evan didn’t know where it was, but he didn’t think it would be hard to find it.

Just as he expected, after a couple of minutes he found the kitchen. To his surprise it wasn`t empty.

Several maids were busy preparing the food. It was remarkable that their faces were not tired and they looked quite cheerful.

<Do the servants work in shifts? This fact amazed Evan.

The maids quickly spotted Evan coming in.

“Young Master!” They all broke away from their business and bowed to him.

Evan didn`t like so much attention to his person. He had come here for something else.

“I need some food. Give me something to eat.”

The girls nodded, followed his request and after a while, Evan was eating meat with a salad of fresh vegetables.

He was eating right in the kitchen. The maids tried to set a table for him in the hall, but in his opinion it was an unnecessary thing.

“Oh, Mr. Evan, are you still awake?” Suddenly Margaret walked into the kitchen.

Only she didn’t look as usual. The girl was practically naked, covered only by a white cloth.

“I see someone’s having a busy night?” Evan couldn’t help but notice that fact.

“Yes. Mr. Zak is just getting ready for his next run. Well if you don’t need anything I’ll go.” She came here for some water, and to check on the work of her subordinates. So the girl turned around and was about to leave.

“Margaret, where is my room?” Only now did Evan realize that he didn’t know where in this manor he could sleep.

Margaret turned around, looked at Evan and asked: “Who do you like best?”

She pointed to all the maids in the kitchen.

Evan found the question rather odd, but he said, “That one”.

His choice fell on a red-haired girl with a pretty face, with a few freckles.

“Ella, escort Mr. Evan to his chambers.” After these words, Margaret left, and Evan followed the girl.

He did not understand why he had to choose someone to show him his bedroom.

The girl led Evan to his room, and opening the door said: “Please, come in.”

The young man nodded, came into the room and the door closed.

But, the next moment he heard clothes falling to the floor.

Evan turned around and saw Ella completely naked.