A True Person

Alexei, sitting on a tree branch, watched the pack of needle-skinned wolves slowly move away.Their backs and sides were covered with sharp needles, capable of striking a target at a considerable distance. If he found himself surrounded by these wolves, they wouldn't even need to use their claws and teeth - a single fire would be enough to take his life.

If it wasn't for the need for resources - there was no way he would have returned to this forest.

The zebra alchemist, Jiona, had revealed to him one advantage of his body - the low concentration of magical energy. Most of the creatures in the forest had a high sensitivity to magic and he was like a dead tree to them.

Of course, that didn't mean he was invisible to them.

The beasts had the same hearing, sense of smell and sight as the beasts from Earth. At least he was hard to detect if he hid his scent, hid and stayed quiet. It gave him a sort of confidence as he wandered through the forest alone.

The alchemist, judging by her reaction, either didn't notice the complete lack of magic or didn't think it was something extremely strange. Both options were fine with Alexei.

In addition to the ingredients for his own training, he also had to pay the alchemist. Although she accepted him as an apprentice, that didn't mean the training would be free.
Most of her attention was focused on her main apprentice, and Alexei was accepted rather to annoy the others.

The alchemist's relationship with the tribe was complicated. She couldn't be replaced or kicked out, but the whole exile and return thing had riddled her reputation. There were many unpleasant rumors about her. The zebra herself was already living out her last years and all she wanted was to pass on her knowledge to her apprentice and piss off the arrogant zebras. It was her peculiar form of protest.

Alexei was sure that it was Jiona who had spread those rumors that she had accepted him as an apprentice only because of the chief's promise. Zebra clearly enjoyed stirring up petty conflicts.

Speaking of conflicts: several more zebras had challenged him, but he had refused all of them - he had already achieved his goal and needed no further battles. More and more humiliating rumors circulated around the tribe, but he didn't care.

Only a superficial person would be angry over insults and happy over praise. It's just a passerby's view of you.

When the wolves finally moved away, Alexei climbed down from the branch and began picking up anything that had any value in his eyes. The beast's many body parts and internal organs could also serve as ingredients for potions, but he dared not even think about that. At least not right now.

The man's gaze slid carefully through the forest cover, he hoped to find a magic crystal. Crystals were essentially crystallized magical energy and occurred in places of high concentration. They could even grow on the corpse of a strong enough magical beast.

Depending on the environment, crystals could have different elements in them, but they were mostly of neutral magical energy.
They were used for a wide variety of purposes, from an ingredient for creating potions and magical artifacts to serving as a form of currency in this world of magic.

But luck did not smile on Alexei this time either. Gathering what he could into his bag, he headed back to the village, leaving behind a forest full of mystery and danger.

Returning to the tribe the man came across Imani, who only snorted contemptuously and turned away. Alexei could only smile bitterly.

Recently there had been a furious argument between the two, audible to the entire tribe as the zebra accused the man of all sins and condemned his rotten nature.

It was all just another show put on by the man. He was already an outcast and he couldn't let his bond with the zebra drag her down after him. She was his only connection to the tribe and one of the few people he could turn to for help.

Imani, of course, figured he was doing this for her own good and took an even greater liking to him. He was already beginning to notice the first telltale signs of her forming affection. All this was most unfortunate. He would have preferred a friendly or brother-sister relationship.

Alexei had no extra time for a zebra in love at all!

His daily routine was strictly planned and left no room for personal relationships.

In the morning he would go to the forest, gathering ingredients he knew for potions and anything that was good for food.

From lunch until evening, he would spend time in the alchemist's hut, where he would listen to her explanations and diligently practice processing ingredients and creating potions. He was not allowed to study with another apprentice and this was the only time available.

Alexei devoted the evening and part of the night to reading. He studied zebra script, studied ingredients, memorized potion recipes by heart and read all available books in the common language of the tribe. Thankfully, the alchemist had found a few foal books that became his textbooks.

Sometimes he would sneak in at night to Imani and ask her about the state of affairs in the tribe or ask for help with his studies.

Otherwise, each day blended into a monotonous mass, but Alexei felt no boredom.

Alchemy!

It was something unimaginable. He had already experienced its power to the fullest - those terrible wounds he had received during the battle with Sivazuri were healing quickly. The day after the battle, he could walk freely. The pain hadn't gone anywhere, but Alexei was starting to get used to it.

Regeneration. Blood regeneration. Strength. Speed. Poisons. Fire blasts.

The list was endless. As long as you had the right recipe and ingredients - alchemy was as good as unicorn magic.

The only thing that troubled Alexei was his lack of a sense of magical energy. It was not about the special sensitivity of zebras, but about the sense of magic inherent in any creature.

Everyone around him had that sense, but he didn't. Anyone could sense that he had weak magic. Anyone could feel the energy of a magic crystal within a certain radius.

Anyone but him.

In this world where everything was saturated with magical energy, this was a serious disadvantage. Right now, he was only mastering the "zero" level of alchemy and making the simplest potions. He made up for his lack of magical flair with persistence and following the recipe exactly. But he knew it wouldn't last long.

Without a sense of magic, further path in alchemy was closed to him.

Thus, four months flew by unnoticed for Alexei, absorbed in his aspirations and hard work.

Alexei stood in the alchemist's hut, filled with the smell of herbs and magical ingredients. Light streamed through the small windows, creating a play of shadows on the walls. In the center of the room was an old wooden tabletop, covered in stains and marks from previous experiments. Behind it stood Jiona, a zebra with wise eyes and a serious expression.

"I have mastered all the necessary knowledge as you instructed," Alexei said, bowing to the zebra. "Please teach me basic alchemy."

"I've already told you a hundred times that it's useless," Jiona muttered glumly. "I don't know what happened to you in that explosion, but you no longer have the sense of magic. You can't brew any entry level potions without it."

"I understand, but I still want to try," the man replied firmly. "I'll bring you three times as many ingredients as before."

The zebra looked at him carefully and sighed. Then a few more.

"Listen, Alexei," she finally spoke. "Speaking of perseverance - you're my best student. I admire your perseverance, but... I just can't."

"Why?" the man asked in a calm voice.

"I've been forbidden," Jiona replied through clenched teeth.

"Forbidden? You? And you obeyed?" said Alexei in surprise.

"Don't make fun of the old zebra," Jiona replied sadly. "You see, I have my own difficulties."

"I understand," Alexei retorted emotionlessly and was about to leave, but was stopped by the zebra.

"Wait," the zebra muttered, turning its head to the left and as if looking out for something in the empty space. "If you're really determined - there is one way, but the price will be appropriate."

"What way?" the man perked up.

"You can make a deal with a spirit," Jiona replied, still looking at the seemingly empty space. "The shaman doesn't care about reputation and other conventions, he won't refuse you because of your status."

"What is the nature of the deal? What's the price?" Alexei asked.

"If you can make a deal with the alchemist spirit - she will share all her knowledge with you and can help you with her sense of magic," the zebra shrugged. "As for the price - your life."

"Life? What do you mean?" the man said confused.

"Your life energy. In other words - lifespan," Jiona explained. "You'll have to bargain well, the spirits are greedy for the world of the living."

"How does the bargaining take place? Is there some sort of contract? How many years do the spirits demand?" Alexei started to barrage the alchemist with questions, but was interrupted.

"You'd better ask all these questions to the shaman, if he agrees to your request," the zebra said. "You can trust him. At least where spirits are concerned."

Alexei considered for a few moments and then nodded to himself.

"Thank you for your guidance," the man said with a bow. "I will not forget your kindness."

"Go already," the zebra sighed. "I hope you find what you so ardently desire."

The man's lips stretched in a smile as he turned and walked out of the alchemist's hut.

When he reached his humble hovel, he stepped inside, sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall. A heavy sigh escaped his chest.

"Again. Once again someone has appeared to interfere with me," he thought coldly. "The chief? Someone at the top of the tribe? The family of that dead zebra? It doesn't matter. I don't regret my choice."

"The main problem is myself," Alexei continued to ponder, feeling slightly irritated. "I'm too weak."

On Earth, one man's strength was limited, but in this world filled with magic? As long as you're strong enough - you can do whatever you want.

The only thing he could count on was his own strength, and without strength, freedom was only an illusion.

The man's eyes filled with determination, and after gathering his things, he left the hut.

Then quietly crept over to Imani, his faithful zebra companion, from whom he kept all his most precious possessions. After a brief conversation, he headed towards the shaman's hut, ready to make a deal even with the very embodiment of evil.

"I see your sincerity," the shaman nodded, examining the crystals before him. "But I can only summon the spirits. It is up to them to decide who to contract with."

"I agree," Alexei replied briefly, maintaining his resolve.

"Good, then... Hmm. You have quite an interesting bracelet," the shaman murmured thoughtfully, examining the man's hand.

Alexei inwardly rolled his eyes at the zebra's greed, but only smiled and held out his wooden bracelet to the shaman.

"Please accept this humble gift, Honorable Shaman," he said with a smile.

"Well, if you so insist. The spirits will like your generosity," the shaman smiled. "Come back at night."

Nodding, Alexei bowed to the shaman and left the hut.

Back in his cozy hut, he ate a meal of fruit and began to ponder the upcoming deal.

How clever were the spirits?

He needed to think through every detail of the future contract. He might have seemed reckless, but he carefully thought and planned his every move.

Time flew by unnoticed, and night fell.

Alexey quickly stretched his muscles, which were stiff from sitting and headed back to the shaman's hut.

Once inside, he noticed that in the center of the room stood a bowl with smoking embers, and next to it lay a scroll.

"There you are," the shaman smiled. "Sit down in front of the embers and let us begin."

Alexei nodded and sat down on the floor in front of the bowl. The shaman threw something into the embers, and a smell reminiscent of tar and forest herbs began to spread through the hut.

The shaman closed his eyes, standing still as if transforming into a mystical statue.

Alexei honestly expected the shaman to start singing, dancing, or beating a drum. It was rather difficult to get rid of certain associations. But nothing of the sort was happening.

Time stretched slowly, and Alexei began to doubt whether the shaman had really summoned a spirit.

Finally, the shaman opened his eyes.

"Your request has been answered by a spirit," he said with a mysterious smile. "You may discuss terms."

Alexei looked around, but saw no visible presence of the spirit.

"A spirit? Where is he?" - He asked, twisting his head around.

"I'm right here, you silly biped," came a female voice in his head. "So, what do you have to offer?"

The negotiations began.

"I swear I will skin you, drink every last drop of blood, and feed the corpse to the hyenas!" roared the zebra in the man's head.

"Please don't be angry, great spirit, my offer is quite generous," Alexei replied mentally, smiling.

"Sixteen years of your pathetic monkey life for all the experience I've gained in a hundred and eighty years?!" the zebra continued to yell. "What am I, a harbor whore to you?!"

"In fact, I was suggesting nine, but I'm willing to go along with you - ten years," the man replied still mentally. "And let's not talk about one hundred and eighty years. Why do I need your experience of senile marasmus?"

"Bastard! I'll gut you right now!" the zebra howled.

Alexei was really starting to feel the scratching all over his body, but he was still smiling.

"Ten is the limit of my generosity, or I refuse," he retorted.

"Twenty and not a month less. You refuse? Who else wants to deal with you?" the zebra chuckled.

"I don't see a line of willing people in front of you either," the man snorted. "Are you just going to dust in the crypt?"

"Now you've really crossed the line!" the zebra hissed.

The negotiation went on for over two hours.

The man and the zebra took turns cursing each other and bargaining for every day of his life. And all this in absolute silence, under the understanding gaze of the shaman. It looked really awkward.

Finally, the parties came to an agreement.

"One day I'll piss on your grave, son of a fleabag whore," the zebra muttered. "All right! I'll settle for fourteen."

The man smiled and reached for a scroll, writing down all the terms of the contract with a piece of charcoal.

"Your name, spirit?" he finally spoke.

"Saada," it sounded in his head.

Alexei wrote her name down on the scroll, and to complete the transaction, he cut his finger and dripped his blood on the parchment. At the same moment, a second stain appeared next to his blood, brown and ugly, reminiscent of decay and decomposition.

Alexei then handed the scroll to the shaman, who threw it into the embers. The scroll burned instantly, and the ash flew up and split into two currents, flowing into Alexei and the, now visible, spirit beside him.

"I think we'll work together," the dead zebra smirked.

By the time Alexei returned to his hut, it was deep into the night. But he didn't feel tired, and he wasn't going to rest. There were too many important questions swirling around in his head, and finally he had a reliable source of information, for which he had paid the price of fourteen years of his life. Though, of course, not right away.

One of the conditions he had fought so desperately for was the gradual transfer of life. After all, what would happen if the spirit was destroyed by someone? The man would be left with absolutely nothing.

The terms of the contract were clear - eight years of training and full assistance from the zebra, in exchange for Alexei's lifespan. However, the contract could be terminated at any time if both parties mutually agreed, but if he chose to end the bond early, he would have to give up all fourteen years at once.

Alexei thought about adding a mutual non-aggression clause to the contract, but the shaman assured him that it wasn't necessary. As long as the contract was in effect, they could not intentionally harm each other. Mild breaches of the contract caused only minor retaliation, and serious ones caused death.

Another important condition of the contract was complete confidentiality. Saada had no right to tell or give anyone information about him, but Alexei had no such restrictions.

So he didn't have to hide anything from Saada. He decided to share his whole story with her, not even hiding his alien origin.

"Your life is really funny, human," Saada laughed.

"So how do I use magic? Share your one hundred and eighty years of experience with me," Alexei grinned.

"You don't. You don't meet two basic requirements," the zebra chuckled.

"The first requirement is having magical energy?" he asked, frowning. "What about the second?"

"You don't have a soul!" the zebra chuckled.

"What?!" Alexei stupefied.

"Exactly! I don't understand it either. You're alive, but you don't have a soul," the zebra replied cheerfully.

"What is a soul anyway?" Alexei asked, frowning even more.

"Well, no one knows exactly. Research in this area is progressing very slowly," Saada spoke thoughtfully. "When a creature is born, the magical energy in its forming brain mixes with thoughts to form a soul."

"The soul generates and stores mental energy. That's all I know," the zebra added.

Alexei sank deeper and deeper into thought, contemplating his situation.

"Maybe I had a soul but lost it in the mental explosion?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"No, I would have noticed, and you wouldn't be running around so briskly after destroying your soul either. You just don't have one. Ever since you were born," the zebra replied. "You belong to a rather interesting species. I wish I could dissect you."

"Wait. If the soul generates the mental energy needed for thoughts, then how do thoughts appear in the forming brain when the soul isn't there yet?" Alexei asked suspiciously. "And how were the experiments conducted?"

"That's right! No one has ever figured out where that first spark comes from," exclaimed the zebra. "On animals, mostly. Yes, they have souls too, though somewhat different. Doing mass experiments on intelligent pregnant creatures is quite problematic. Well, you understand."

Alexei understood. He'd already heard the summary of Saada's life. Similar questionable experiments had gotten her killed.

"What about tattoos or runes? Can I use them with your help?" the man asked with some hope.

"I'm dead, remember? Ghosts have almost no magical energy. I can only activate a small rune, nothing else," Saada said. "You could use an outside energy source, like a crystal, but there's a high risk of me being burned by the backlash."

"What about magical artifacts?" Alexei asked already hopelessly.

"Do you have any idea what those are?" the zebra laughed. "Any artifact is a complex combination of alchemical processes, dense runic inscriptions, and a multitude of materials. How are you going to control all of that? You're just going to perish."

"Then what's left? Stretch your memory and find all the options available to me," the man sighed.

Zebra fell silent, immersed in her memories.

"There are two options I can offer you," she finally spoke.

"The first option is two tattoos you can use with my help," the zebra continued. "One of them will increase your speed, and it will need blood instead of magical energy to activate. The ingredients for it are fairly easy to get. The second tattoo has a permanent effect, boosting your body's regeneration. It will give impressive results without any side effects, but the ingredients for it will be quite expensive."

Alexei listened intently, catching every detail. The first option seemed realistic enough, but his mind was already reaching for the second option.

"The second option is a ritual inspired by chimerization experiments," the zebra continued. "The effect of this ritual is hard to predict, especially in your case, but by design it should give the creature magical talent. I found this ritual in an abandoned laboratory, but I have never used it. The ingredients for this ritual are extremely rare and difficult to obtain. And I must tell you something else: according to the records, all attempts have ended in either death or insanity of the subject. If you risk the second option - you'll have to do a bunch of experiments, making adjustments and correcting the defects that cause insanity."

Zebra transmitted all the additional information directly into the man's brain and his face grew serious.

This was what he was looking for - two options, two opportunities to change his fate. The first option was the more accessible one, and the second... The second evoked a mixture of anxiety and excitement in him.

The ritual itself wasn't a huge problem. He could catch some unicorn and, through methods of advanced diplomacy, convince it to help him. The ingredients, that was the difficulty.

Essence of darkness? Phoenix tears? Alicorn blood? And a bunch of other names he wasn't familiar with.

He didn't know about the power of the phoenix, but even he had heard of alicorns. Get the blood of an alicorn? An ant had a better chance against an elephant.

Of course, the man wasn't going to give up. He was already used to the difficulties and obstacles in his way.

For the first time since coming to this world, he had a clear direction, and he was ready to follow it, no matter what. Of course, everything could change in the next second, but there was nothing he could do about it.

The world was hard to predict, but that's what made it so interesting.

"I see you've already made your decision," the zebra said and chuckled. "I wasn't wrong about you. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"