"Come in, come in, don't be shy! Shyness is not the best quality for a wizard! The main thing is his knowledge and experience, everything else is trivia! Personally, I like a talented slacker much more than a diligent mediocrity! Well, if there is both talent and diligence - then it's just wonderful!"

  Master Saag-Kof seemed to radiate cordiality itself, not lecturing with or without reason, and not scolding those who are late, so Tim liked him right away.

  "He is a first-class tutor, such schoolmasters should be more!" Ri-Bo expressed the general opinion after the class.

  The Master's lecture resembled a circus performance, where the teacher alternately played the roles of a ringmaster and a prestidigitator.

  "So, you came here to learn the secrets of the magic of the Elements? Excellent! And I firmly believe that you will succeed! Now, who can tell me how many Elements there are and what are they? Four? Absolutely right! Fire, Air, Stone and Water. And although only Fire burns blindingly red, it is the red color that has become the symbol of the magic of the Elements! And it is no coincidence - after all, everything else was born from fire! And without its warming breath, our world would have long ago turned into a lifeless icy desert! Look, isn't it beautiful, especially embodied in an elegant form? Ahkdinz lujamo tinh kurrim!"

  A wave of the wand, and myriads of sparks of fire flared up all over the auditorium (the drowes and the yusmes had to protect their eyes and hide under the desks); merging together, they formed a huge bird with bright orange plumage.

  "It's a phoenix! Isn't it beautiful? It consists of pure flame and, dying, turns into ashes, from which a new phoenix will appear after some time."

  Ah, it’s a pity I didn’t think to take my mobile phone with me, Tim thought - what pictures could be made now! Otherwise, who will then believe that he saw a real firebird? On the other hand, even if he'd had his wits about him, the phone wouldn't have lasted long - there's nowhere to charge it.

  "However, it is too cold and uncomfortable for it here. So it's better to let it back!" and with another wave of the wand the firebird was gone.

  "The phoenix is the sacred bird of our people," Naar-Tam whispered to his friends. "It sits on the shoulder of our main deity, the Lord of Fire. Together with my parents, I visited the central capital temple a couple of times and saw it there. But in general, they live in such hot places that even we, Peirots, cannot easily get to."

  Selkise, who was sitting not far from their company, as Tim noticed, was furtively wiping her sweat. Yes, the teacher should have been more careful with some spells; after all, not only Peirots study at the school. However, Master Saag-Kof, it seemed, did not bother with such trifles in principle.

  "Yes, Fire is certainly a wonderful thing, but there are other elements! And it would be completely unfair not to pay them at least a little attention! For example, Air: a mage who owns it can easily create a small cool breeze if he suddenly feels a little hot. You'll see now!"

  Tim was quick to grab his grimoire and hugged it tighter to himself. But most of his classmates were less successful, they had to pull out their school supplies from under their desks - the hurricane that reigned in the classroom scattered them in different directions.

  "Besides it, Air Masters were highly valued in the old days, especially by long-distance captains," the teacher continued as if nothing had happened. "The presence of such a Master on board guaranteed that you wouldn't get caught in a calm or storm - always only a tailwind! But what if the ship suddenly decides to leak? Then the knowledge of Water magic will come to your aid!"

  If only he doesn't decide to arrange a torrential rain, like that time, during the festive dinner, Tim thought anxiously. Fortunately, this time Master Saag-Kof limited himself to a snowfall, and a very light one at that, so no one had time to freeze. And at the same time he promised to teach Water Breathing and Water Walking. The only question is how to apply them in practice, if there is no water pond nearby.

  Having finished with Water, he moved on to the fourth element - Stone. Tim mentally prepared to run from the classroom if he decided to use Earthquake. However, it ended with the appearance of a clumsy humanoid figure on the podium, as if molded from a pile of boulders of different sizes and shapes.

  "Meet: Datun, a Stone elemental. Of course, it can hardly serve as a standard of beauty and in terms of agility it is far from Fire or Air elementals, but few can resist a blow from its fist! And it can also carry things much heavier than its own weight! See what a useful companion you can acquire if you master the magic of Stone!"

  It is unlikely that such a golem can be summoned and put to one's service without being a Master. But what spells of the Stone magic can be simpler? In the computer games Tim had played, this type of magic was almost never represented, most often it was something like Earthquake or Stone Fall. Or again, summoning a golem.

  With a wave of his wand Master Saag-Kof sent Datun back, and then he continued his performance.

  "You almost certainly have a question: how do the Elements interact with each other? Oh, there is something to talk about here too! Each Element has its own character, and you should take it into account if you're experimenting with several of them at the same time! And since a true researcher never limits his pursuit of knowledge, it is very useful to learn a few simple rules. Fire does not get along with Water, which seeks to extinguish it. Oh, of course, a drop of water will not cope with a conflagration, but if the forces are equal, Water will certainly win. But there is a way to deal with Water - Air! A strong wind can easily dry up even a very large puddle! And if it blows continuously and for a very long time - then an entire ocean! But it is impotent against Stone; even hurricanes can do nothing to those who are in reliable stone shelter! Do you understand now, why the wind does not blow underground? However, it is no obstacle for Fire: the intense heat makes rigid bodies crack or even melt, and then one can only hope for Water! So, what do we have as a result? Those who listened to me carefully have probably already guessed! The result is a vicious circle where each of the Elements is stronger than another and weaker than the third one. Besides, there are preferences within the circle as well: Fire is friends with Air, and Stone with Water. Be sure to take all this into account when your opponent decides to use Elemental magic at a tournament! Extinguish his Fire Wall with a Rainstorm, and put a Stone Shield in the path of Headwind!"

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Tim barely had time to take notes - it would have taken a stenographer. Ri-Bo didn't bother with it again, not even touching the stylus.

  "Surely it's all in the textbooks, why bother in vain?"

  "Maybe yes, maybe not. Just in case, it's better to write it down."

  "I wonder if there's a spell that transfers everything you say to paper without requiring any effort from you?"

  No one answered that question as Master Saag-Kof spoke again. Tim could, of course, tell about a device that converts speech sounds into a text file, which can then be easily printed on a printer. But it would have taken too long to explain how it worked. Besides, he himself was not very clear about the mechanism of such a device. And the tilfing would simply consider it another kind of magic.

  "So, what else did I want to talk about? Of course, about the spells that combine the properties of several elements! Even though Water and Fire aren't friends with each other, you can still combine them in spells such as Boiling Water or Hot Steam. By combining Fire and Air you get Desert Wind, Water and Stone - Sticky Mud. There are a lot of spells like that, and new ones are being invented all the time! With a little training, you can start constructing formulas, too - a very exciting thing to do!"

  Naturally, the question of how to do it immediately followed.

  "It's very simple. Where do you think all these formulas come from? That's right: someone once came up with them! But they didn’t necessarily look the same as in your tutorials. For example, in order to create a ring of fire around yourself, you have to say 'burstan fehtrago dezrisst'. The pioneer of the formula is thought to be the sorcerer Wazernig. However, the sorcery reproducing from his notes surrounds a magician only with a fiery semicircle; he remains defenseless from behind. It seems Wazernig knew about this shortcoming because in comments he advised to have a wall, fence or chasm behind 'so that enemies cannot strike in the back'. Two centuries later the other magician, Voan-Sur, modified the formula by replacing 'desmit' with 'dezrist' that allowed to obtain a full circle of fire. After another five centuries Daltaar discovered that if you pronounce "fehtrago" instead of "fentragi", the diameter of the ring will significantly expand and the intensity of the flame will increase. And there were other replacements such as 'dezrist' with 'dezrisst' or 'vurstan' with 'burstan', which also turned out to be useful. Now you see how long and difficult may be the way of development the formulas that you receive ready-made!"

  One of the elves expressed doubt that students who had just begun to study magic were capable of inventing anything worthwhile.

  "Why not? Droplet of talent and a huge desire can sometimes create real miracles! One of the students of our school, who studied for only a year and a half, managed to invent an Electric Shield! The formulas for the Fire and Ice Shields had been known for a long time, but with the Electric Shield, no one had succeeded, although attempts had been made many times."

  Another question followed - to which Element does Electricity belong.

  "Electricity? Of course, to Air! And spells like Electric Discharge or Lightning Storm can be found in the corresponding section. Some mages suggested considering Metal and Electricity as independent Elements, but this point of view has not yet become generally accepted. And why? Four Elements are quite enough."

  And if you combine metal with electricity, you get electrical wiring, Tim thought mischievously. The local mages would be surprised to learn that current can flow through wire! Although he would hardly be able to find it here; on Earth, wire was invented only when the need arose to transmit electricity over long distances. And to make it yourself - he can't do without special equipment and appropriate skills.

  Meanwhile, two more questions came from the front rows - about textbooks and which spells are best to start with when mastering Elemental magic.

  "Textbooks? Oh, there are so many of them that I can't even remember the names! But in the library you’ll undoubtedly be given advice! The main thing is not to take too old textbooks, for the reason I already mentioned - they may not contain spells invented relatively recently, and those invented long ago may not be presented with the most effective formulas. On the other hand, in ancient books you can come across very interesting spells, which, alas, were later rejected by editors and not mentioned anywhere else. Although most often it was not a matter of the wrong idea, they were simply not brought to mind - someone did not have enough patience, and some people got carried away with other developments. Anything can happen in the world of magic! As for spells that use the minimum amount of mana," Master Saag-Kof thought for a second, "Spark of Flame, Breeze or Cold Touch would be the best for you, and then whatever you like. For example, doing it like this!"

  A thick fog descended on the classroom, and it became very dark and damp. And then sunlight streamed in through the barred windows, followed by a rainbow.

  "It's beautiful, isn't it? The magic of the elements can sometimes work wonders! But that's enough for today, the show's over! One point for everyone who liked it!"

  Who in such a situation would admit that they didn't like it? And it's unlikely that there were any at all - after a visual demonstration of the true power of magic. To enthusiastic cries and applause Master Saag-Kof disappeared from the rostrum creating a final bolt of lightning that struck the floor where he'd just been.

  Tim closed the grimoire with a sigh: he would have loved to have seen a few more tricks. Okay, enough is enough. Tidying the top of the uniform he felt a weight in his left pocket. There were oatmeal cookies in it; he'd managed to wake up early this morning and even visit the dining room. Creating a plate with the cookies he ate three of them, mechanically putting others in the pocket, and then went for the class. And only now did he appreciate the significance of his discovery.

  Unlike utensils, food doesn't go anywhere when you leave the dining room. Which means you can stock up as much as you want! Or at least enough to go on a long expedition and not die of hunger during it. It's more difficult with water - plastic bottles haven't been invented here yet. But all together they will surely come up with something!

  His friends were already halfway to the exit, a little more, and they would blend into the crowd.

  "Hey, wait!" Tim called out to them. "Stay a minute!"

  "What happened?" They turned around, looking in his direction with puzzled curiosity.

  "I want to show you one thing!"

  Even if some of their classmates had also looked back, they had probably lost interest now, deciding - the guy was lucky to find another ball, it was unlikely to surprise anyone. Most people had probably already been lucky enough to find at least one crystal.

  "Well, show us!" Ri-Bo was the first to reach him.

  "What is it?" Naar-Tam looked at the cookies in bewilderment. "Where did you get this?"

  "In the dining room, where else?"

  "Is it food?" Mez'A'Shib asked half-affirmatively.

  "Absolutely right."

  "Are you suggesting we try it? Something very tasty?"

  "Why didn't you eat them right away? Were you saving them for last?"

  "Exactly. The food stays with you, otherwise you would always be hungry. And you can order more than you need at the moment."

  "And preferably one that wouldn't spoil by evening," Mez'A'Shib winked, realizing where Tim was going with this.

  "Or within a week," Naar-Tam guessed right after.

  "Hey! What are you stuck there for?" Tiis-Mir called out to them already at the door.

  "Well, we're discussing whether to go straight to the woods or have lunch first," Ri-Bo came up with, and Tim hurried to hide the cookies back in his pocket.

  "What's there to think about, let's go to the dining room, and then into the fresh air! There's still plenty of time before the Mind Magic class!"

  "Then let's go!"

  Tim had some other plans that he didn't want to tell anyone, even his friends, about for the time being. Wasn't his idea worth being alone for a while? While his friends are busy putting it into practice, he should have time to find out something for himself. And so, when they went down to the ground tier and headed for the dining room, Tim asked for time off under the pretext of urgently visiting 'a certain establishment'.

  "Start without me for now, and I'll be there as soon as I can."

  "Don't stay there for long!" Ri-Bo advised, accompanied by the friendly laughter of the others.