Meeting her new home was quick and easy. The girl's rooms were cosy and functional. The bedroom took up most of the floor space, with a huge bed decorated with a faded tapestry that had already faded from time. The girl plumped herself onto the bed, feeling the softness of its surface and the comfort in doing so. There were three chests next to the bed: one contained a pillow and a blanket, one contained outerwear, which Linda decided to examine later, and the third was empty.

The second room the girl decided to call the living room. There was a small couch, a round table, a chest and two chairs. On the wall the owners had hung a tapestry with a picture of people hunting a beast, and on the table stood a jug of water and a dark metal goblet. The doors of the rooms could be locked from the inside with strong deadbolts.

After a long night without sleep and a heavy dinner, Linda felt tired, but still went to Helena's room. The landlady, however, directed her back to bed, pointing out the location of what was called the toilet. Linda didn't even bother to get pillows and blankets fell onto the bed, and fell asleep instantly.

Waking up in the morning, she hardly realised where she was. Lying on a large bed in a room with a high ceiling, she remembered yesterday and said goodbye to her past life. Tears flowed down her cheeks on their own, but after they drained away, she felt better. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her of the need for a snack.

Let's ask nature: how long had Linda slept? Despite the absence of a clock in the castle, she knew from the bright sunlight outside the window that it was time to wake up. She decided to look at the clothes on offer first, but remembered how reproachfully Haya had looked at her bare knees yesterday. After all, both the mistress and the maid wore dresses with long hemlines, so Linda shouldn't stand out. Opening the chest she found several gowns of the same style, made of a fabric with a tight bodice and puffy skirt, with luxurious expanding sleeves and sashes of the same material.

After looking at them and admiring the beauty and delicacy of the fabric, Linda put the three dresses aside. The bodice was laced at the back, and she realised that she would not be able to wear such garments without help. The two remaining outfits had a button placket in the front. The blue dress had fish-shaped buttons made of bone, while the dark green one had them made of a yellow gold-like metal.

"Buttons made of gold? Perhaps Helena wasn't kidding about her wealth if even the buttons are made of gold" Pondered Linda: "But what to choose after all?"

Her stomach reminded her again and she quickly removed her dress, putting on a green one, less colourful than the blue one and at least a little shorter. Putting the rest of her clothes back into the trunk, she headed for the local toilet. There Linda did her business, then flushed from the bucket that stood there and washed her face under a thin trickle of water flowing from a hole in the wall and into the toilet opening.

"And if I have to go for a big one, what am I going to wipe my arse with?" She wondered: "Maybe this?"

There was a huge ball of wool hanging on a rope next to the toilet. After looking around and wiping her damp hands on the hem of her dress, Linda went to her mistress's chambers. Helena was already waiting for her on the threshold.

"You're sleeping well, I guess you don't suffer from insomnia!" She smiled when she saw the girl: "We've already finished breakfast. Come into the refectory, Haya probably hasn't left yet. You look great in my sister's dress, just fix your hair a little and you'll be absolutely irresistible. But I'll talk about that later. Eat and then come to my place afterwards. We didn't get a chance to talk yesterday, we'll make up for it today".

The living quarters of the castle were several adjoining rooms, so Linda easily found the dining room, although she hadn't memorised the way yesterday. The maid nodded approvingly, bowed and without saying anything brought and placed porridge, meat and a large pitcher of drink on the table. A mug with beautiful patterns and a plate of sliced bread were already on the table.

"Looks like silver" Linda thought as she took the decorated mug in her hands: "The metal looks like what the silver fifty dollar bills her father used to have were made of".

Linda had never had to taste cider before, but she had been treated to champagne once. She drank half a mug of the sweet, slightly carbonated drink with an apple flavour and aroma, then realised that it definitely had alcohol in it. Without finishing her drink, Linda began to eat, occasionally noticing Haya's sympathetic glances in her direction. After her meal, Linda smiled at the maid, unable to find words to thank her, and receiving a smile in return, quickly went to Helena's chambers. Fed up and rested, she was ready for conversation.

"Have a seat in the chair, this is going to be a long conversation" Hepena offered her: "I want to tell you about the world you've come to, life here, and why you're here. Perhaps some of what I tell you will not be to your liking, but don't jump to conclusions and judge. Our world is very different from yours. I don't want you to think I'm trying to trick you into anything. I need an assistant who will not be deceived or intimidated, but will act consciously and remain loyal. So listen".

According to Helena's story, Linda realised that the people who currently lived here had come to this land some four hundred years ago.

"Before our people came here, there were powerful tribes that dwelled here and established magnificent kingdoms" The hostess began to narrate: "The local wizards possessed the art of secret knowledge, something we are far from them in. But one day they lost control of forces beyond our world's control. No one to this day knows how that turned out for them. At the time, when the first Kain appeared, ready to use swords to survive, there was no one left to fight. It seems unbelievable, but there were no more living things here except for plants and trees. Besides humans, small animals small birds died, and only their bones crunched under the feet of the newcomers. Villages turned into fields of grass and towns into ruins, and even those were consumed by fire. Few castles were left habitable".

"What about insects?" Linda asked: "I know that they are very good at surviving cataclysms. In my world we try to get rid of cockroaches, but they still multiply".

"There is no information about insects in the legends, and the written records are gone forever. Everything was destroyed by the fire of the war our ancestors fought, fighting for the legacy of their predecessors. That's what we called the former inhabitants of these lands. Kingdoms came and went, and the bones of the old masters were joined by many dead Caines. As time passed, new boundaries of domains were established, people built homes and rebuilt life, and wild beasts and birds returned to the forests and fields.

Attempts were made to rebuild palaces and fortresses, but people disappeared in them, and creatures crawled out of abandoned dungeons that only masters could deal with, because ordinary weapons were powerless. Over time, the devastation stopped, but rumours of a curse hang over the castles. They stand empty to this day, even though some of them could be rebuilt. We occupy one such castle. I and my men have taken refuge here".

"And what enemy did you have to flee from?"

"Let's begin by telling you about our wonderful people and the kingdom where we live. Over three hundred years ago, we dwelt in the far east. Our kingdom stretches from the shores of the sea to the vast southern desert, which is a hundred days' journey. To the north we are surrounded by dense forests inhabited by various tribes of savages, and to the west stretch vast steppes where nomadic tribes are rarely seen.

These places are full of mysteries and wonders, and our people have lived here since ancient times, in harmony with nature and the spirits of this world. Our beliefs are imbued with respect for the elements and nature spirits that we honour and serve. We strive for wisdom and spiritual balance by following ancient customs and traditions inherited from our ancestors. These are our roots, our history and our path in this great world. I hope that you now better understand the essence of my story about our people and kingdom.

Due to the lack of dangerous neighbours, our ancestors did not have a reliable army and they paid the price. We did not know what brought the aliens to our coast, but one inclement night hundreds of foreigners landed on our shore in their ships with oars. They did not engage diplomatically with us, but immediately set about destroying us with their weapons. It was not just an invasion, but a real beating. Our entire land was soaked in blood, and our king fell trying to defend the capital. But luckily for us, the invaders didn't rush straight inland, which allowed us time to pack up what we needed and leave, saving what we could, especially herds of cattle".

"Why did you not continue to resist the invaders?"

"This was no ordinary attack, but the action of a mighty and well-trained warlike people. We had ample armaments, but lacked well-trained men capable of using them. At the head of our retreat were five... I'll call them dukes. Does that make sense to you? They became the first rulers of the new kingdoms, travelling the only way possible - westwards into the steppe regions. The journey took a whole year. They spent the winter by a large river in the centre of the steppe. Winters in these parts are not particularly cold, but still there were many casualties, especially many children died, and the herds were greatly reduced.

With the arrival of spring our travelling continued. We received help from the nomads who escorted us from shelter to shelter and for this we paid them back with the remains of our livestock. On arrival in the empty lands, our people engaged in their favourite pastime: they seized whatever they could reach with their hands, and then with weapons in their hands tried to take from others what they had managed to seize. Small clashes and major wars ensued, lasting five years, greatly reducing the already small number of inhabitants. Finally, five kingdoms were formed, whose rulers were able to agree on the borders and that was the end of the bloodshed. We are now in the heart of the subjugated lands, in the kingdom of Kerson, where King Vadish the Third reigns. We are surrounded by the territories of four other kingdoms.

I will now briefly continue about religion. In all kingdoms, the inhabitants profess the same fifteen gods. I will withhold details about them for the moment, you have nothing to know about them yet, but in the future you will learn everything from our books. For each god a temple is erected. In small towns and large villages the priests come to an agreement and establish common temples, where each god has its own altar. Previously the priests of the various gods had not feuded among themselves, but seventy years ago some of them who professed to be the warrior god Mashun began to proclaim his superiority over the others, using the power of arms. They destroyed the mages, declaring them hostile to Mashun, and above all they challenged the masters of magic.

Magic has always played an important role in our country. Mages were involved in healing, influencing the weather, thereby increasing the yield of the land and livestock. They also took part in wars, using their skills. You know nothing about magic, so I will tell you a little more about it. Humans are prone to weak magic and are almost incapable of achieving results through their own efforts. After much training, one can learn to heal people, create a distorted perception of reality and move small objects.

Many people limit themselves to only this, but there are those who become true masters. These masters are more powerful than other wizards and can summon demons from parallel worlds or astral beings to perform their magical tasks. Humans and their affairs are of little interest to both demons and astral beings, excluding those possibilities where a human or their energy can serve as food for them. Therefore, it is difficult to force beings from other worlds to follow orders, most often negotiate and offer something in return or use some beings to subjugate others".

"So how do mages get their powers?" Linda asked, adding: "Why aren't they in my world?"

"I have no knowledge of your world to give accurate answers" Helena replied, shaking her head: "But judging from your thoughts, we are not so different. The main obstacles to developing inner strength and the ability to control it are feelings of discomfort, anxiety and antipathy. Most often these emotions subside quickly, but their traces remain and accumulate over time. It all starts from the moment of birth, when the baby comes into the world. This process can be scary and painful for him. If one does not get rid of the traumas from the birth process, they will stay with the person forever and can become a source of serious problems not only in magic, but also in health. In traditional mage families, the use of heated water during childbirth can make the process gentler and safer for both mother and baby".

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"What exactly should I do?" Linda asked.

"First of all, you should listen carefully and not interrupt. When the time comes, I will tell more. For now, let's go back to the history of the priests of Mashun. At first they controlled the actions of mages who were not from noble families, but when they were protected by the father of the current king, they dared to stand up against the nobility. My father was a wealthy man with large land holdings, in your world he would be called a marquis. Our castle was in the centre of the Marquis of Gavrem's domain near a town of the same name. When we were attacked, the whole family locked themselves in the castle. Father had a decent army and we could have repelled the attack of Mashun's dastardly followers, but unfortunately the royal troops joined the attack on our castle. My father was accused of being involved in a plot against the supreme ruler, which would lead to severe punishments, namely the execution and subsequent reprisals of our entire family.

There was no plot, of course. The whole thing turned out to be a ruse by the priests, who sought to capture my mother, her younger sister, and me and my sister, as we all possessed amazing abilities that my mother was just beginning to discover. My father, along with his retinue, stayed behind to defend the castle to ensure our escape, along with the few loyal servants and the treasury. We managed to escape through an underground passage into the forest that was located not far from the castle. The priests of Mashun had their dark magic and set horrible monsters on us. Thanks to my mum, we managed to escape the chase. She sought help from one of the creepiest and only known worlds, and for that she had to pay dearly - with her own life and the power of a powerful master of magic. After that, the two steel monsters who were sent on a mission in pursuit fought amongst themselves. The pursuing monsters were completely destroyed, and it was time to deal with the traitor priests.

The fate of the fight between them remained unknown, as Mother's sister hurried us away from the scene of the clash. We were soon ambushed by the king's warriors. To ensure our rescue, my aunt repeated her mother's act. Our servants caught the horses whose riders were killed and we continued on horseback. Everything was against us that day. My sister's horse stepped on a groundhog burrow, breaking its leg, and my sister was badly injured. I was the only one left alive. We travelled a long way through the forest trails and came across a castle where we decided to stop. We had to hide for a while until the noise around our family died down and we were forgotten. There were three small royal villages nearby, but we preferred to send servants to more distant places for food. In time, the search for the remnants of our family stopped and we no longer had to hide. The locals were at first distrustful of the arrival of new owners in the ancient ruins, but thanks to the generous payment for services rendered, they have helped rebuild part of the castle, and regularly deliver food.

In the vicinity of the free city of Vosde, my identity was recognised, but I was required to pay a land use tax for the benefit of the city and the king. This tax is usually levied on those who occupy vacant lots. I covered this demand, and after that they stopped showing interest in me. However, the memory of my father's death, the way my mother and aunt had changed, and the premature death of my beloved sister never left me. For all those fifty long years, I had been building up my strength and nourishing my hatred. Becoming a master in magic is a complex and lengthy process. An experienced mentor is invaluable, and in my case, my mentors were nothing but family books. How many times have I had to stand on the brink of death, to remove terrible scars from my body! And how many remained in my soul!

I gained my strength too late, and the time for accomplishment is coming to an end. I know that my remaining life is no longer than a year, perhaps a little more. So my goal is to pass on all my wisdom and strength to you before I leave. It is a difficult and nearly impossible task, but I will give everything of myself. If anything, you can learn on your own. And then you will settle accounts with the priests of the Temple for my family and me. I have plenty of gold in my dungeons, enough for a lifetime, even considering the lifespan of mages. Added to the gold that was brought was more that I found in the ruins of one of the towers. The servants also began to covet that gold, exhausted from sitting with me in the castle".

"Why not share the gold with them and let them go?" The newly minted apprentice asked.

"You are still too young! Do you think I spared the gold for them? I couldn't just let them go! Sooner or later, they would definitely give me away or come back with some brigands for the rest of the gold! I don't want to upset you, but that's how it is in our world sometimes - you have to wade through an ocean of hypocrites for one sincere friend. Don't take offence to this, just appreciate and respect those who are truly worth your attention. After all, a sincere relationship is a real treasure!"

"But who are you going to take revenge on after all these years?"

"Don't worry, I'm not a crazy old evil witch surrounded only by enemies. Only a select few need to be avenged. Firstly, the old king is still living, though he is now ten years older than me. I hope the court mages don't waste any time and he stays alive until you come to power and strike your final blow. Next on the list is the High Master of the Order of the Dogs of Mashun. Of course now he is also of no small age, and rarely steps outside of the central Temple.

It would not be unreasonable to destroy this temple and consign both the old dog and his entire pack of rabid dogs to oblivion under its rubble! There are no others on my list who are responsible for my parents' deaths. You do this, and you get your freedom. You can stay here, go back to your world, or go anywhere. Everything in this castle and its dungeons will be yours. You will also inherit all the wisdom the Gavrem family has accumulated over the centuries. I consider this a generous reward for your year of hard work and the destruction of two old rascals who prematurely expressed a desire to continue their existence!"

"I haven't had to kill anyone yet" Linda admitted: "I'm not even sure if I can".

"You won't need to kill personally. If you follow my plan, you'll go unnoticed by anyone at all, and a lot of water will still flow before my plan is fulfilled. It's not good for an ordinary person to take another person's life, unfortunately in our world, people do it too often. Even the girls of the nobility are taught to do it. So, there's nothing wrong with it for you".

"When are we going to start learning magic?"

"Today you will master the language. First you'll memorise individual words, and then I'll teach you how to put them together in a sentence. The rest will come by itself as you begin to communicate with me and my servants or with the local peasants. Spelling will come last. I will prepare a special hint for you and make a potion to improve your memory. It will make it much easier to memorise words".

"And what is the 'hint'?"

"The magical device in question is an instrument capable of dictating words. It can only hold a hundred words at a time, and once you've memorised them, you can write down new ones. Use this time to learn the language, and combine it with getting to know the castle. Don't go into the castle cellars though, I've set up some nasty surprises there for those who like other people's gold. At the moment it is summer here, so you can take a walk close to the castle during the daytime. But never stray far from it without a weapon and knowledge of the local language".

"Can I wear my attire around the castle? Because in the ones I've been provided, I can only walk on flat ground. In the woods they would get dirty and torn, and I only have two dresses, the others can't be worn because of the clasps on the back".

"You may wear your dress near the castle, but try not to flaunt it, as such attire is not customary in this world. Dresses that have back lacing will help you button up Haya. When you have mastered the language, it will be possible to hire a maid for you in the village".

"You have provided me with dresses, but I lack shoes. My shoes are already in disrepair, and the ones Haya is wearing look terrible. I happened to see them when she was serving lunch. They're not just shoes, but something like trunks. Besides, I don't have any spare underwear. When we left my world, I forgot to take them in my haste. And after my stepdad's binge drinking, there's hardly any underwear left. I'd also like to ask you to buy me some books".

"Eh-heh, shoes are always a problem for me" Helena sighed: "Leather is such a fickle thing, it's really hard to keep it in good condition even if you apply magic to it. The local craftsmen make very rough shoes, and it takes too long to go to the city for quality shoes, and I don't want to stand out. As for underwear, I have some of my sister's spare clean shirts, they must be somewhere, I'll find them. Maybe you have some money left over to buy a place to live in your world, local money probably wouldn't suit you?"

"Unfortunately I don't have any money at all at the moment, yes your money I won't be able to buy anything. But I do remember a place where a certain man resides who is willing to pay a good price for a unique coin. He has an extensive collection of various coins in his house, including gold specimens. I met him when my father visited him on some business and called me along".

"And what sort of coins might he buy?" Helena asked, looking forward to entering Linda's world.

"Nowadays, the value of coins grows from their antiquity, and your coins are certainly unique. We can sell them, make our purchases, and return in peace, leaving others with headaches as to their origin".

"Is he a fool to pay money for old coins?"

"The man collects with a passion. I think all collectors are a bit odd. But back to the matter of your gates. Are they very difficult to open?"

"The first time I took a very long time with them. The next time it was much easier to do it again".

"Oh the horror! Our flat must have been sealed off by the police by now! And we'll have to pick the lock, I thought I locked the door! If we get in, we won't be able to get out, they've probably changed the lock by now".

"The door won't stop me" Helena reassured her: "You don't have to worry, there's no door that can stop a master travelling between worlds. While I figure out what I should do, you go take a look around the castle, but don't climb the ruined towers. A stone won't fall on your head, but you could break a leg. I'm going to make a tincture. Your first priority right now is your language skills. Before you start learning magic, you need to learn how to communicate with other people. And of course my tincture will help you with that".

"First of all I need to buy some trainers" Linda thought, tripping over the unevenness of the floor with her heel: "The heels aren't big, but it's still uncomfortable to walk. And in the forest, of course, it will be even harder to walk. We'd better get two pairs at once, if we can get enough money from the collector. We must find out from Helena what the climate is like here. How can we do that if you can't explain the temperature? Oh, I'd better remember to take Dad's watch with me!"

As her stepfather started taking things out of the flat, Linda hid her father's watch well so it wouldn't end up on sale for a penny. As she and Helena hurried away, she had forgotten all about the watch, but today, thankfully, it came to mind.

The girl walked around the castle for a couple of hours. She found a collapsed part of the building and an open passage to the cellar, but she didn't risk going near it, trusting the old woman's words. If she warned of possible danger, it wasn't worth the gamble. She explored the castle's surroundings through the windows, staying inside. A very sparse forest grew around the castle, and only at the very walls had the trees been cut down altogether. There was no moat or castle wall, but the castle wall itself was thick enough to be considered a fortress. Suddenly, Uy had the feeling that her mistress wished her to walk towards her and hurriedly answered the call.

"You've been walking so long!" Grudgingly muttered Helena when she finally saw Linda in front of her: "You might as well wear your dress now, it's more comfortable to walk on that damn stone floor, and Haya will get over your occasional scratches somehow. When you walk in my outfit, especially if you're in a hurry, make sure you lift the hem with your hands so you don't accidentally break your knees or even your nose. The floors in the castle must have been laid by some not-so-experienced workers, or they've heaved over time".

"I was in a hurry, and I realised I couldn't run around in heels here. I didn't think about the dress at all, but I tried to be careful not to get anything dirty" Told Linda.

"Here's a reminder for you" Missing her words Helena said and handed her a small glass ball the colour of milk, twice the size of a tennis ball: "It contains one hundred of the most frequently used words. To hear them pronounced, you have to gently squeeze the ball in the palm of your hand. When the word is memorised and you want to move on to the next one, you have to squeeze harder. You got it? Go ahead and try it right now".

Linda followed Helena's instructions and managed to use the magic ball with ease. The orb, under Helena's voice, called out a word in the local language and immediately produced its translation. With a firm squeeze, the reminder switched to the next word.

"What do I do to go back to the previous word?" Linda inquired, playing with the balloon.

"You can't. The words will start repeating when you've familiarised yourself with all the others, so be careful and change the words, making sure you've memorised them. You can do the repetition later. For now, get on with the drink. It doesn't taste the best, but it'll help with your memory".

Only someone who had never tasted it could say that the brown-coloured concoction was not a pleasant sight in itself. The decoction turned out to be just phenomenal nastiness, but the girl patiently drank it all the way down and handed Helena the empty mug.

"When is it going to kick in?" Linda asked, barely restraining herself from immediately vomiting up what she had drunk along with her breakfast.

"It'll affect the locals in about half a candlemark" Explained Helena: "And your reaction will be a personal mystery to you".

"Is what you just said some special measure of time?"

"No, the usual" The abbess only shrugged at the remark about time: "All temples sell candles. If you burn them one by one, you can burn about twenty candles in a day. That is how time is measured here, if necessary. The beginning of time is usually started either in the morning or just after sunset".

"So a candle burns for about an hour" The girl guessed: "If twenty-four hours in this world is not very different from our world. Let's wait an hour and see if this poison was worth it. Oh, for Helena reads what I think!"

"Naturally, I can hear everything!" Replied Helena with a smile: "But I take no offence, the drink really isn't the most delicious".

"Ouch!"

"What do you mean your 'ouch'? Did you feel anything?"

"Something strange" Linda spoke thoughtfully: "It's like my head has gone transparent and my thoughts are jumping back and forth. I guess I should go learn some new words. It'll be interesting to see what comes out of it".