In the morning, I woke up early. Downstairs in the kitchen, there was already a bustle of activity. Judging by the delicious smells, the old woman was cooking something. I got up, stretched, did thirty push-ups, and went to wash up. I noticed that the room was much cleaner. Perhaps the house spirit had been tidying up all night.

After washing up, the loa was already waiting for me in the room.

"Good morning, Shaman," the loa respectfully bowed. "I was not in the best condition yesterday. Thank you! I am indebted to you."

"Forget about it," I waved my hand. "My name is Evan."

"I am Avdot," the house spirit bowed again. "I didn't know there were still shamans in the world."

"I've been told I'm the only one."

"May I ask who told you?" Avdot inquired with curiosity.

"This were mentioned by Leshy and Atzhas... Do you know him?" I saw no point in hiding the information.

"Where did you see Atzhas?" the house spirit jumped up.

"Are you interested?" I looked closely at the interlocutor. I was sure that this name should evoke some reaction, but I didn't expect such a strong one.

"He hasn't been heard of for over two hundred and sixty years. Everyone thinks he dissolved, but no one knows how it happened." the loa paced back and forth on the table. "He's alive! Where is he?"

"I won't tell you. Do house spirits communicate with each other?"

"Of course! But why?"

"This information won't help you in any way. Who is Atzhas to you that you're so interested in him?"

"An individual house spirit is... How can I explain it to you? A separate part of a whole. We differ in power and live in different places, but we are a unified entity, like a guild. Do you understand?"

"Can house spirits from different worlds communicate with each other?" It was very important for me to hear the answer to this question.

"No." Avdot shook his head.

"That's unfortunate." I didn't hide my disappointment. "I need to go now. Avdot, think about what you can offer in exchange for information about Atzhas."

The house spirit nodded seriously.

"And one more thing." I turned around. "It will be very beneficial for you to be friends with me personally."

"I know. To any loa, a shaman is a friend, as last night showed." Avdot bowed once again.

I descended the stairs and greeted the old woman.

"Good morning, Lira."

"Oh, Evan, good morning! You know what? The house feels so peaceful! It has never been this calm before. You're a wizard."

"Just an ordinary boy." I objected, sitting down at the table.

"Have breakfast, an ordinary boy." She placed a plate of pancakes in front of me and smiled kindly.

"Thank you very much, Grandma." I started devouring the treat quickly. The pancakes with jam were delicious. " I'm going to Hina's now, we have our first training session."

"And I'll go to the market and take care of the house. Since you arrived, it has become completely safe and peaceful."

"How about I give you money for the room and food?" I asked after finishing the last pancake. "You shouldn't have to feed me for free."

"Oh, nonsense!" She waved her hands at me. "I was practically living on the streets. Just a little longer, and I would have had to find accommodation on my own. I won't take any money from you!"

"But it's not right! You're providing shelter and food for free. I'm a man, I can't rely on a woman's support."

"Don't be so grown-up, Evan." The old woman laughed. "How old are you?"

"I`m twelve."

"Really? But you act as if you're thirty." Grandma continued to smile.

"It's not intentional." I put on a sheepish face, and she laughed again.

"I'll definitely introduce you to my son! He should learn how to behave properly." Her laughter didn't sound as joyful and infectious anymore. Perhaps her family relationships weren't the best. "He grew up to be a troublemaker."

"I don't mind." I stood up from the table. "Well, thank you for breakfast, I have to go now."

"You're welcome, and don't worry about the money. Should I wait for you for lunch?"

"No, I'll probably be out until evening." I said as I was already leaving the room.

It was warm and sunny outside. I turned left and headed towards Hina's place. I quickly and without any adventures made it to banukai. As I was passing by, I noticed curious glances from teenagers who were idly wandering in the same place as yesterday. It seemed trouble might be brewing soon. They noticed me and paid attention.

If I continue to flit before their eyes, they will soon try to test my resilience. I opened the gate and entered inside. Hina was in the courtyard, exercising with some dumbbells shaped like irons.

"Good morning," I waved to the girl.

"Hey," she smiled and finished her exercise. "Well done for coming! Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you, I already had breakfast."

"This is your training outfit." Hina pointed to a stack of clothes on a chair in the corner of the courtyard. "Change into it and warm up... Let's see how fit you are."

I quickly got dressed. The clothes were exactly like hers and the monkey's. A tank top, pants, and a belt. Everything fit perfectly. It was comfortable and didn't restrict my movements.

I started warming up, following the exercises I learned at the boxing sports club in my world. It had been a long time, and I didn't remember all the movements, but I tried my best. I felt a bit silly. I rotated each limb one by one and did a small stretching routine. I performed leg lunges and a few other exercises. For a few minutes, I shadowboxed, pretending to fight an imaginary opponent. Throughout all this time, Hina watched me while doing a strange exercise herself. She held an iron rod on her forearms and tossed it high up in the air, then caught it on her forearms. I noticed that she tried to catch it with different parts of her arms. The iron rod made a ringing sound and vibrated slightly upon impact. I couldn't do that; it must be very painful.

When Hina saw that I had finished warming up, she approached me. She audaciously felt the muscles on my body, leaving no centimeter untouched. Her fingers felt like iron. Each touch was noticeable, as if I had been poked with a stick.

"It could have been worse," she finally delivered her verdict. "You have muscles for your age. You have some sort of punch, but it would only be useful in a village brawl. Your movements are strange and... clumsy."

She picked up a board with a soft leather insert in the middle and said, "I'll hold it, you hit the center. Let's see the power of your punch." The girl assumed a comfortable stance opposite me.

I decided not to imbue my body with spiritual energy. I took a classic boxing stance and threw a punch with my right hand. I tried my best. I twisted my hip, back, shoulder, and elbow. This body was unfamiliar with such strikes. It lacked reflexes, but I made it move as it should. My fist struck the center of the board. Hina held it firmly without flinching. It wasn't perfect, but it seemed not so bad. I felt pain and twisted in place, massaging my fist.

"That's strange... You know how to throw a straight punch, but your body doesn't naturally do it; you have to force it. Your strength and speed are good, but your muscles aren't sufficiently trained," Hina said thoughtfully. "Let's work together. Do it your way or however you feel like it. Attack."

She assumed her stance, and so did I. I started throwing regular jabs with my left hand, closely watching her. I could sense that at any moment, she could strike back. Naturally, she evaded all of my punches effortlessly. She deflected my final punch with the back of her palm, swatting it away as if brushing off an annoying fly. My left hand tingled. Hina launched an attack, but it was slow. Her long-range right punch moved sluggishly, directly towards my solar plexus. Of course, in my perception, everything seemed unhurried, while from the outside, all the actions appeared much faster. I waited until her punch was almost reaching me, then rotated my torso to the right. At the same time, I tried to quickly retract my left hand back into position, but I was too slow. I had to deliver the strike from an awkward position. I thrust my left hand towards Hin's torso. My strike was weak, almost nonexistent. I lightly tapped her ribs. It seemed like I felt more pain than she did.

Hina returned her right hand to its position. Her left hand was pressed against her body, positioned very low, with the elbow close to her thigh. I decided to take advantage of this situation. I twisted my torso towards her and threw a right punch towards her chin. I noticed that she twitched her left shoulder. I understood that something was about to happen. I tried to alter the trajectory of my strike. Hina's left hand darted towards my striking arm with much greater speed than before. With two extended fingers, she attacked from below, aiming for my forearm. Her fingers grazed my skin. My hand seared with pain, but the strike did not falter. My fist continued on its path towards her head. And... My fist plunged into emptiness. I felt like I only grazed her hair. I almost hit her, but at the last moment, she swiftly moved her head to the side. Hina bounced back.

"Stop," she looked at me thoughtfully. "I have a feeling that your mind moves faster than your body can. Did you see how I pulled my shoulder?"

"Yes," I suspected she did it on purpose.

"Your perception is good. Your body is weak, but there is strength. No techniques yet."

I shrugged in response. That's just the way I am, what else can I say?

"We will strengthen and train your body with all our might and resources. It will be tough at first. Very tough. Did you rent a room at Aunt Lira's?" I nodded. "I'll give you a crutch, it will come in handy. Let Lira`s know that sometimes you'll be staying here overnight when you can't come back it to her house."

I swallowed loudly, she smiled and continued:

"When are you free?"

"I'm free all the time."

"Then... Training in the morning and until you are able to stand on your feet. Six times a week, one day off. Sometimes we'll give unplanned breaks."

"Sometimes I'll need to go to the forest," I said, and the girl looked at me skeptically.

"Fine, that's your business. Just let me know in advance. Agreed?"

"Of course," I reached into the pocket of my pants and handed her a gold coin. "As payment for the training."

"As an advance payment? If you run away, I won't get it back," she warned.

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"I'll do my best to stick around," I waved my hand dismissively.

"Well then... The hell will break loose," she chuckled ominously. My hand instinctively reached out to make the sign of the cross.

"Don't do that, there won't be any new students."

"You think so?" Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

"I'm certain."

Until lunchtime, Hina tormented my body to the best of her abilities. It started with tapping a bundle of sticks all over my torso. Gradually, the torment escalated to more impactful strikes. She explained that this procedure was necessary to toughen up the body and allow the muscles to get accustomed to the impact. Then I fought with all parts of the body against a pole. After that, she showed me exercises with weights, and I performed them for some time.

Next, I learned the basic set of exercises. In my world, they were called katas, here they were called komnos. Basically, if I needed to perform the first komno, she would say, "do komaz." The second one was komda, the third one was komt, the fourth one was komche, and so on. There were twelve in total.

After an hour of repeating komaz, Hina made me strike a stone with different parts of my fist. She carefully monitored my control of striking force, as well as the correctness of my breathing. Then the girl fed me a light lunch and continued to torment me through sparring. She constantly poked me with her iron fingers, slapped me in various places with open palms, and threw me onto the hard floor. The trainer commented on and explained all her actions, their purpose, how, why, and when to apply a particular technique.

Then she handed me a leather dummy and instructed me to practice throwing it through my thigh. Hina sat next to me and monitored how I performed the technique. She didn't just sit there; she forcefully slapped the stone, pounding her iron fists. At first, I flinched at the sound of her slaps, but eventually, I got used to it.

Towards the end of the day, she made me squat. I squatted down for five minutes, then stood up for five minutes. I could only manage to squat five times with great difficulty. Hina made me quickly jump up as high as possible from a squat position.

When this day finally came to an end, Hina gave me an ointment and sternly ordered me to apply it all over my body for the night. The ointment had a strong smell, but it didn't bother me. The main thing was for it to be effective.

"Are you really sure you don't need a crutch?" Hina asked for the umpteenth time.

"No, I'll manage. No problem," I cheerfully replied to her, not feeling my legs at all.

Hina escorted me to the gate and closed it behind me. My trainer was a beast.

It seemed like every muscle in my body was aching. Indeed, the experience of my long life whispered unpleasant revelations to me. It warned me that tomorrow would be much worse. So, on the way home, I found a few suitable sticks for totems.

I limped home in the twilight, opened the door, and greeted:

"Hello, Lira. I'm back."

"Hi, Evan! Come here, in the kitchen to us." the woman called out. To us?

I tried to put on a normal appearance, rather than looking like a beaten dog, and entered the kitchen. Lira and a woman who bore a striking resemblance to her were sitting at the table. The woman was slender, short, and had a plain appearance, but her eyes were intelligent. She looked at me with narrowed eyes, assessing me. Right next to her right ear, about ten centimeters away, there was a black spot hanging in the air. Whenever the woman moved, the spot mirrored her movements. I thought it was a kvit, but quickly realized it wasn't. The spirits moved, lived, and did something. This spot was simply like a black blotch on a piece of paper. Occasionally, the woman winced as if in pain.

"Meet my younger sister, Elva," Lira pointed with her hand towards the woman.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Evan," I slightly nodded my head.

"The pleasure is mine. Sit down and have dinner with us," Elva joined the conversation.

"Thank you," I managed to sit on the chair somehow.

Lira began to fuss, serving me porridge with meat. Meanwhile, her sister scrutinized me. I didn't like this woman. Avdot sat on the stove, attentively listening to the conversation. I started eating quickly.

"How did you manage to solve my sister's problem?" Elva asked.

"I didn't solve anything. I came to rent a room because I have nowhere else to live. Maybe Grandma Lira just feels more at ease when someone is around?" I will insist on this version no matter what.

"I see. No one could help... Experienced mages fled from here with their tails tucked between their legs! You showed up, and everything was resolved," I disliked the woman more and more.

"I didn't do anything," I said with a mouthful of food.

"Tell me," Elva squinted her eyes. Perhaps such a look was supposed to affect a little boy, but I was far from being ten years old.

"Maybe my fearlessness drove away the evil? The mages were scared, so they couldn't succeed," I continued eating the porridge.

"That's a good theory..."

"Yes..." I nodded. "Too bad it doesn't always work."

"Young man!" Elva raised her voice. The woman correctly understood my allusion to her person. "I don't know what you did, but the result speaks for itself. I've been here for half a day and I feel comfortable! I couldn't even bring myself to step over the threshold before. I saw with my own eyes how the cup flew and shattered against the wall."

"Magic," I shrugged. "Strange things happen."

"You're boldly deceiving me! " Elva flashed her eyes. "I can act differently... I try to be friendly."

"Hmm... I'm very tired and I want to sleep. If you have any complaints against me, well... leave them to your grandchildren. I won't be here tomorrow," I spoke those words while looking into the eyes of the audacious woman. My voice was dry, and I tried to add some hints of threat to it. She provoked anger in me. I even forgot about the muscle pain. I looked at Lira. "Or should I leave right now?"

Elva became slightly flustered and averted her gaze. Did I manage to crush her? Unlikely. She just didn't expect such resistance. She was confident that she could easily overpower a little boy with her age and authority. Avdot, meanwhile, began pacing back and forth on the stove, clenching his fists. He, too, was irritated by this audacious individual.

"Evan, calm down, I beg you. Elva is saying everything wrong. This is my home. Please don't leave," pleaded Lira, her imploring tone dampening my outburst of anger. The woman turned on her sister: "And you, stay silent! You're used to getting everything..."

"I'm tired," I interrupted their family dispute. "What do you want from me?"

"Evan, please, Elva has problems. Something is also wrong at her home. And her headaches have been getting worse and worse," Lira pleaded. "No one can help her."

"Do I look like a healer mage?" I raised an eyebrow.

"No, but..." Elva began speaking again.

"Be quiet," Lira interrupted her. "Evan, please, can you just visit Elva?"

"Why should I do that? Especially after all the accusations she made," I retorted.

"You insolent little boy, you know what I'm capable of..."

"Elva!" Lira exclaimed.

I had long stopped liking what was happening, but now the threats had begun. I suspected that this unpleasant woman was not just an ordinary city dweller. Such audacious assertiveness is an acquired trait over one's lifetime. I understood that, but it was too late to back down and nowhere to go. What misfortune was haunting me? I simply wanted to rent a room and live peacefully.

At this point, the evil Avdot decided to remind himself. The house spirit lifted the kettle from the stove and forcefully threw it against the wall. I witnessed it all, but the women were sitting with their backs to the stove. The women jumped up as if stung in sensitive places. Their faces instantly turned pale, and they hastily left the house. I heard the front door slam shut. I sat back in my place.

"Again?" I wearily asked the house spirit.

"No, Evan. Everything is fine. Elva has a unique talent for irritating even the loa," the house spirit replied.

"Do you know who she is?"

"She is the wife of a former city guard officer. In the city, the guard maintain order, and the commander is called the 'kviter'. That's Elva's husband, and he recently retired."

"And is Lira's son, by any chance, a new kviter?"

"No," Avdot shook his head. "He is a guard, but he doesn't have the brains to become a guard officer. He is a 'sextor'—he commands a sexta of around twenty people. His uncle helped him a little."

"Corruption and nepotism are everywhere. People are the same everywhere," I muttered. "What's that mark near her ear?"

"It's a curse."

"What's happening in her house?" I wearily rested my head on my hand.

"There's a house spirit named Lyabun living in her house, and he constantly complains about the arguments. He also complains that she whistles terrible melodies all the time, which drives him crazy," Avdot provided the information.

"Poor thing. Do you know something about her that no one else knows?" an interesting thought occurred to me.

"Lyabun says that she regularly steals money from her husband. She has a hiding place under a barrel in the basement. There's money and a gold chain she stole from her drunken husband. The man thinks he lost them."

"Well, well..." Did I just stumble upon a network of intelligence? "What can you tell me about Lira that might be interesting?"

"She's a good woman. She's calm and quiet, and I don't know anything bad about her. Her husband was a cruel man and often abused her."

"Thank you," I got up and walked towards the door. "Peace is just a dream for us."

In the yard, two women stood quietly talking to each other.

About ten meters away from the house stood a carriage, harnessed with a phlegmatic horse. The transportation vehicle didn't look flashy, but it exuded a sense of solidity and the owner's prosperity. Next to the carriage stood a big man with weapons. If this belongs to Elva, then she must be living in prosperity. Why didn't she help her sister? Did she not want to or couldn't she? I approached the women.

"Lira, don't be afraid, everything is fine in the house. Go back to the house, I need to say a few words... Go on, go on."

The woman hesitantly walked towards the entrance. She kept looking back. I gestured to her, indicating that everything was okay and there was nothing to worry about. Lira disappeared into the house. I looked at Elva, who was sitting on a bench. I beckoned her with my finger. She leaned forward slightly, hypnotized by my peculiar behavior.

"Listen to me carefully and don't interrupt, woman. You will forget about my existence forever," I abruptly raised my hand, silencing Elva, whose mouth had opened. The woman was ready to start loudly expressing her outrage at the behavior of the snotty boy. "Otherwise, your headaches and deafening ear will seem like a trivial matter to you. I will curse you in such a way that you will step on your sagging chest, stumble, and smash your foolish head."

"Yes..." the woman started again.

"I see that you don't understand. Your husband can learn a lot of interesting information about your affairs. Think about the money and the gold chain under the barrel in the basement. About your lovers and shady dealings beyond reason." I was just improvising. I didn't believe that a woman like her didn't have secret meetings behind her husband's back. Elva's eyes widened, and her mouth opened wider. She look at me with a mixture of fear and incomprehension.

"Stop causing scandals at home! And... I guarantee that someday your whistle will be interrupted by a heavy blow to the head. Do we understand each other?" The woman nodded spasmodically, no longer inclined to protest. "Good night, Elva. It was nice to meet you."

"Good night, Evan." Elva said uncertainly.

The unpleasant woman got up from the bench and walked towards her transportation vehicle. Her bodyguard helped her get inside, and they disappeared into the darkness. I could still hear the sound of hooves for a while, then everything fell silent.

I hope she won't do anything foolish. I returned to the house. In the kitchen, Grandma Lira was tidying up the mess. She looked guilty and lost.

"I'm sorry, Evan. I knew Elva is a difficult, spoiled person, but I wanted to help her. She's my sister, a close person. I asked her to behave more gently, but she's always like this. I shouldn't have... Please don't leave."

"Let's agree right away, from now on. Don't involve me in any adventures without my permission. Did I help you?" She nodded. "Quietly rejoice and don't tell the neighbors about it. If someone needs help, you approach and tell me, then I'll decide."

"I agree. It's my fault, I should have talked to you first. " She lowered her head. "Forgive old woman."

"Alright. I hope nothing will happen."

I went upstairs.

"Avdot."

"Yes?" the house spirit appeared.

"Tell Lyabun that I asked Elva not to argue and whistle in the house. If she forgets my words, let her break a cup next to her, and everything will be fine."

"I will convey the message." Avdot smiled.

"Ask him to keep an eye on her. She might come up with something unpleasant. I don't like her."

"Alright." Avdot nodded again. "We can talk about Atzhas?"

"Do you know anything about healing totems?"

"I know about the small totem."

"What about a stronger one?" A faint hope warmed me. Maybe it will work.

"Wait." He scratched his head and simply disappeared.

Soon, the house spirit stood before me again. I had just finished applying the ointment given to me by Hina.

"The elders have allowed it... The medium healing totem in exchange for information about Atzhas."

"Agreement." I barely held back from laughing. It was a huge stroke of luck.

"Everything is exactly the same as with the small healing totem. Only the runes are like this. " A runic pattern lit up in front of my face. They were similar but slightly different. Elaborate patterns, additional symbols, sticks, and dots were added. " The ready totem is inserted into the ground. A candle is placed on top and lit. This is important! The presence of the primal element is necessary. The runes are sealed with a special solution. It's a mixture of sharp-leaf herb, chamomile, fern, and blood. Dry powdered herbs are mixed with a drop of blood right before the healing ritual. The blood can be any type, but usually one's own blood is used. The runes are charged with spiritual energy, and the process begins."

"Very similar... One to one. " I teased the house spirit. "Atzhas is sitting on the edge of the Elven Forest in the ruined tower of Archmage Novus. He told me that he is isolated from the outside world."

"Why can't he just leave, he said?"

"He's guarding something valuable from the Leshy. He refused to tell me what exactly. He also said that he's under the control of some ritual. He was subjugated by the archmage long ago. He asked for help to break free. I promised him. " I tried to leave a fat hint. In case the house spirits need more information or a rescue operation, we'll bargain."

"Thank you, Evan. I will convey your words. " Avdot murmured thoughtfully and disappeared.

I didn't have the necessary herbs. I would have to make do with the small healing totem. I descended downstairs and stepped into a small inner courtyard adjacent to the kitchen. I sat on the ground, carving the runes of the small healing on a stick. I planted the stick into the ground and infused it with my own energy. The process of regeneration, which had become familiar, began. Bruises, injuries, sprains, and minor wounds started to disappear. Within half an hour, I was back to normal, but some rest wouldn't hurt.

Sitting in the lotus position, I pondered the new totem and its complexity. While the small healing totem could be used quickly in battle, the medium one was no longer feasible. The small totem could be carried ready-made, stick in into the ground, and infused with energy in no time. The medium totem, on the other hand, was a lengthy process. A true ritual. Even if you had all the ingredients for the ritual with you, it still took a while.

What would the supreme totem be like then? Beating the tambourine and invoking a powerful loa? Who among the spirits is responsible for the healing of the flesh? It seems that in my world, it would be the black baron Samedi. But in this realm, who knows? And the baron is a very selfish loa. If I remember his description correctly, if that description is true. Samedi might simply refuse to heal and send you to the realm of the dead forever. He's capable of that; the baron is a strong loa.

"The range of the totems, how far do they work? " my thoughts shifted to a practical aspect. "I should find a way to test it."

I wonder how I will look in ten years? Will I resemble the shamans in their classical depiction? Blood and herb vials, totems, drums, staffs, feathers, a raven perched on my shoulder... Heh... my wife wouldn't understand.

"There's much she won't understand." I said sadly.