"Is he still training?"
"Yes. Actually, when we arrived, we'd probably be doing the same thing."
"You know that's a lie. First, because we could never keep up with the amount of magic he uses. Second, because he casts an arsenal of spells I never even imagined were possible. At least not like that."
From the top of the tower, it was possible, in some privileged rooms, to observe the training area. Many teams paid a high price to secure those quarters, just for the right to watch. Most wanted to study the best formations, strategies, and team dynamics used by those at the top of the rankings. However, unlike those seeking to understand teamwork, there were those who observed for only one reason: to understand and, if possible, steal ideas for new spells.
Displaying specific spells was considered taboo — almost a direct offense — but the young man who had been training for weeks didn't seem to care. And in part, the reason was simple.
"Man, honestly… I don't even know if I'd have enough magic to pull off what he just did. How is he still standing after spending that much?"
The spells the boy displayed were a show in themselves — flashy, intense, borderline suicidal, and above all, absurdly powerful. Maybe he didn't even realize it, but the spells he cast were far from simple — and even further from viable for low-magic users. The cost-benefit was terrible: they demanded too much power for uncertain returns.
Most tamers would never dare master them fully. It was evident he possessed uncommon talent, but the cost of his spells made them impossible to use effectively and continuously.
Even so, the white bear tamers loved to observe him. Unlike the blue bears, their creatures had larger magic reserves, which allowed them to reproduce weakened versions of complex spells and, from that, experiment with new spells and applications — gradually expanding their own range of power without giving up considerable brute strength.
Still, no one could understand how that rookie — with a mediocre team, nearly forgotten in the rankings — managed to deliver such singular performance in raids, climbing to the highest ranks.
"He has the power of a Blue Bear, the mana of a White, the resilience of a Brown, and he still transfers strength to the bearer like a Black…"
murmured one of the observers.
"Honestly, I've never seen anyone like him."
The doubt hovered among everyone. Nikolai was an impossible mix — an imbalance that, for some reason, worked. Up close, it was clear he wasn't excellent at anything specific; that detail, and that alone, kept him from being officially labeled a freak.
Even so, there was something everyone knew and pretended to ignore: his bear was still growing wildly. And the bigger and older the bear, the more powerful the bond between them could become. It wasn't a hard rule… but if it applied to Nikolai, what everyone saw as an unpredictable prodigy could very soon become something completely out of control.
"Hey, kid! Let's get lunch. Kuzma landed a mission I think you're going to like."
Ekaterina seemed more excited than usual — and with good reason: there was much to celebrate over those past three months. The boy Kuzma had brought into the group had turned out to be a real gem. Nikolai not only carried out every role masterfully, but was also kind and disciplined enough to stay with the team, even after realizing how excessively methodical and cautious Kuzma was during raids.
To Ekaterina, this was more than luck — it was redemption. For the first time in years, her group was fighting for a real spot in Svarog's rankings. She herself had long given up on that dream. But now, watching that old desire rise from the ashes felt like witnessing a phoenix being reborn inside her.
"Sorry, Master. I got a little carried away today,"
said Nikolai, wiping the sweat from his face, still breathless.
She looked up at the tall tower and noticed several silhouettes hiding behind the windows. Subtle smiles, curious gazes — spectators trying to catch a glimpse of the prodigy in action. Ekaterina gave a slight sideways smile; she knew exactly what was happening and was amused by how unaware the boy seemed of the attention he drew.
"Don't worry. I don't think our "guests" will mind if you leave a little early,"
she teased.
"Sorry… I didn't get that,"
replied Nikolai, confused.
"Forget it,"
she said, laughing.
"Let's go."
In the past few days, Nikolai's focus had become almost obsessive. His beard had finally grown — and at 17, he looked much older than he actually was.
"Oh, I forgot to mention: you really need to ease up on using the Rehearsal Room,"
warned Ekaterina as they walked back to the tower.
"From what I know, time in there might not affect your body the same way it would outside… but it does affect it, somehow. Honestly, you're starting to look more like my father than my apprentice."
Nikolai ran a hand over his face and only then realized how much his beard had grown. He really hadn't noticed how the Rehearsal Room had changed him. Kolya had warned him: using that space too often could cause distortions in metabolism. Still, he had insisted. After all, he'd been able to use it for free since the incident a month ago.
He wanted to grow quickly. He wanted to be strong. In the end, the Rehearsal Room — with its temporal distortion — was the fastest path to his goal. As fast as possible.
Over the last thirty days, between missions on the first and second floors, he had spent twelve days inside the room. Twelve days which, in practice, amounted to nearly three full months of training. That explained not just his more defined body and mature expression, but also something deeper — a denser, heavier look in his eyes.
Of course, it wasn't just Nikolai's body that had aged and changed.
Ekaterina let out a scream of despair, and Nikolai, lost in thoughts about the price he was paying for using the Rehearsal Room, turned startled — only to burst out laughing at the scene before him.
"Ashen, please! You're not small or light anymore. You're going to kill her!"
Ashen had grown a lot in the past month. With every raid, whenever they faced enemies and he defeated them, the gray bear seemed to grow larger — and now he stood almost five feet tall, the size of a young imperial horse. Of course, that sudden growth also made him forget that he couldn't play like he used to.
"Oh my God, you're going to kill me!"
shouted Ekaterina, laughing and trying to dodge.
"Hey! Stop licking me, I just took a bath!"
It took a while for Ashen to get off her. Aware he was in trouble, the bear lowered his ears and shrank down, letting out a low sound, almost a whimper. The scene was comical: Ekaterina lightly tapping his head while he, remorseful, sat down with his head bowed.
"You need to be careful, got it?"
she said, trying to keep a serious tone.
"You're not little anymore! And don't look at me like that… I'm mad at you. And you're not getting my share of the hunt today! Bad boy!"
Ashen huffed, clearly hurt, and walked slowly over to Nikolai's side, lowering his head. The gesture almost melted Ekaterina's heart — but she forced herself to stay firm. It wasn't the first time this had happened.
"You don't have to treat him like that. He likes you,"
said Nikolai, with a subtle smile.
"Honestly…"
she sighed.
"Don't you have any magic that makes him shrink?"
"Of course not!"
the boy replied, laughing.
"How would I have something like that?"
Ekaterina raised an eyebrow. She still suspected Nikolai was hiding certain spells — tricks he preferred not to reveal. Even so, the abilities he already displayed were so absurd that, deep down, she wouldn't be surprised if he did have a spell capable of shrinking the bear. Her question, though ironic, carried a hint of genuine curiosity.
"Alright… very well, let's go,"
she said, fixing her hair, still messy from the scuffle.
"I think they're updating the rankings today. If everything goes well, we'll make the Top 100!"
Nikolai found it funny how that woman — always so reserved and bearing an air of superiority — turned into an excited child when talking about the ranking. Personally, he didn't care about it, but he understood: the group needed confidence, and climbing in the ranks might be the push they needed to aim higher.
"Alright,"
he replied, with a faint smile.
"Let's go."
The hall was packed. It seemed as though every resident of the tower had decided to have lunch at the exact same time. Faces Nikolai rarely saw — and even some he'd never met — began to appear between the tables: different groups, in matching uniforms and moving with impressive synchronicity. It was the first time he had seen so many white and brown bears gathered in one place. Honestly, he hadn't even known there were that many.
"Surprised by what you see?"
asked Ekaterina, watching him with a restrained smile. She looked eager, as if she had been waiting for that exact reaction. It was clear she knew something Nikolai didn't yet understand. So, he simply chose to trust his mentor's wisdom and held back his questions.
"Miss Ekaterina…"
he cleared his throat, correcting himself as he caught the mistake,
"I mean, Master, what's going on here?"
He had already forgotten the deal he had made with her: Ekaterina had agreed to train him intensively, using the full extent of her powers, as long as he called her Master in front of others. It was a strange condition, almost childish, but easy enough to comply with considering everything he had been learning.
The truth was, Ekaterina didn't know most of the abilities Nikolai had mastered from Marya's Book. The spells she taught him were, in essence, simple — practical for everyday use, low-cost, and not showy. Still, Nikolai had discovered in Vybor that those small spells could be more valuable than any destructive magic. It wasn't always practical to blow up a mountain just to light a campfire. Over time, he had learned that a well-applied spell was a thousand times more useful than a grandiose, flashy one.
"Since you've been here for less than a month, you probably haven't attended a meeting with Alexandra yet,"
Ekaterina commented, with an almost solemn tone.
The name made Nikolai flinch. He knew Alexandra Feodorovna. During his time in the Rehearsal Room, he had had countless conversations with that female voice that guided, corrected, and challenged him. After so much time — almost three subjective months inside the Room — he discovered the truth: the name behind the robotic voice.
Alexandra. She was — and still is — considered the most powerful mage the North has ever seen. Although she wasn't the creator of Svarog, everything else had been her doing: the Eye, the Rehearsal Room, the very voice and projection that now inhabited the tower. They said her magic knew no limits and that, to protect her bloodline, she had created spells that would endure for generations.
To the people of the North, she was a legend. To the Feodorovna family, she was everything. The strongest in their history. The most devoted. She died young and childless, giving her life to the cause of strengthening her family's position — and creating what would later become the salvation of the entire North. After all, without Svarog as it is today, the North wouldn't have survived.
They say that before her departure, Alexandra cast a unique spell — of her own invention — to preserve her mind within the tower. An echo of herself, a living projection of knowledge and will, capable of withstanding time and anything the North could throw at her. The Great Eye, which watched over and supervised each floor of the tower and the corridors of the wall, was the manifestation of that consciousness.
To Nikolai, however, Alexandra was something more. A constant presence, almost maternal. A silent guardian, watching over all who dared to walk beneath the tower's domain — inside or beyond its walls.
"But isn't she just a voice?"
said Nikolai, thoughtfully.
"I mean… she's kind and all, but…"
"Yes, yes, I know,"
Ekaterina interrupted, shaking her head with an amused smile.
"Her magic is pretty impressive, that's for sure. But maybe you don't know that Alexandra also mastered a possession spell. And every month, she uses it to speak through her own granddaughter… or great-granddaughter, whatever she is."
"You're talking about Kolya?"
asked Nikolai, frowning.
"Yes."
Ekaterina laughed, as if amused by the coincidence.
"Honestly, I'm surprised you know her. It took me months just to see her when she wasn't possessed by her ancestor."
"Okay… but what's the point of talking to Alexandra?"
he asked, crossing his arms.
"Now that is the right question,"
Ekaterina smiled, pleased with her student's curiosity.
As her excitement grew with Nikolai's inquisitive ignorance, familiar faces began to appear around the hall.
"Good morning, folks!"
called out a cheerful voice.
"I see you two were training again, huh?"
It was Daria, followed closely by Kuzma, and then Andrei appeared, yawning loudly. The three of them looked like they had just woken up — which made sense, since they had returned only a few days earlier from an exhausting raid. The scars and dark circles under their eyes still revealed their fatigue, and age was beginning to weigh more than they liked to admit.
"So we're finally going to see what that crazy woman has to offer this month!"
said Andrei, always loud and flamboyant, drawing stares before receiving a solid knock on the head from Ekaterina.
"Did you really have to act like that, love?"
grumbled Ekaterina.
"You know how important this is. This month we might… we just might make it."
Nikolai watched the exchange, not fully understanding. He already suspected the monthly meeting had something to do with the ranking update, but he didn't understand why everyone seemed so anxious. What could a woman possessed by a dead ancestor possibly offer that was so valuable?
"Well, now I'm curious,"
he admitted, looking at Ekaterina.
"What does she give to those at the top?"
She turned to him with a smile that mixed mystery and anticipation.
"That's what makes the strongest gather here every month,"
she answered, eyes gleaming.
"No one ever knows exactly what she's going to offer. But one thing's for sure, Nikolai… it's always something extraordinary."