The Greatest Sinner

"Warp" is the cornerstone of all magicians and their beginning. The very first step to increasing one's power and moving to the next level was to obtain the first end of one's "Warp".

In order to get the first end and transform your "Warp" into a "One-pointed Star" you need a certain amount of "Void Liquid". You won't need much for the first stage of development, just a thousand drops.

...

"I've been "Creating" for about four days now, but all I've achieved is some measly twenty-five drops. It looks like I'm still a long way from being truly powerful."

The crimson orb swirled nonstop, swirling many pale blue streams around it.

Evan watched as a small amount of a strange, transparent substance, namely "Void Liquid," was inside his "Warp".

He didn't know how much of it was needed to get to the next stage. He assumed that first he would need to fill the entire "Warp" completely for something to happen. The results for four days disappointed him a lot, but Evan accepted them anyway.

If Zak or any other magician found out what Evan was thinking about, they would consider him a real cheeky. After all, even geniuses with purple "Warp" could achieve on average two drops a day.

Evan just hadn`t known yet how incredible his speed was.

...

After coming to his senses and realizing that Evan was far from simple one, Zak decided to call him out.

"Hey, kid, it's time to get some rest, I'm already worried about you. To "Create" four days in a row for such inexperienced magician like you, isn`t good. It could be harmful for your health."

Zak wasn't too worried about the crystals. Sure, they were very expensive, but Evan had depleted nothing but a quarter and only in one room. As a last resort, Zak could buy more. It would cost him a tidy sum, but it wasn`t a problem for him.

Hearing Zak's voice, Evan slowly opened his eyes and walked out of "Nirvana".

"I haven`t even noticed how much time passed by and I am not tired at all."

Evan sighed, and then he froze in shock. For like Zak, he was stunned by what he saw.

"What`s happened here?" Evan didn't understand why there were so many pieces of depleted crystals lying around him. Some of the crystals on the walls were very dim.

Zak waved his hand and replied, "It's you, don't worry, there are still plenty of crystals. I'll take care of a supply of new ones. However, what you've done in four days is truly amazing."

Even though it was fraught with great expense for Zak, there wasn't an ounce of sadness or annoyance on his face, just a wide smile.

Evan breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that nothing bad had happened. He didn't want to cause Zak any unnecessary problems.

"Evan...how many drops have you condensed?" This question was very important to Zak. If Evan had managed to get three, no, even two drops in four days, that was already an amazing result.

Without thinking about the consequences, Evan answered honestly, "Twenty-five..."

Evan was extremely unhappy with this ridiculous number, as he didn't think his results were actually incredible. On the contrary, he thought he was just moving at a snail's pace.

"How many...?!" Never in his life had Zak heard anything crazier. Twenty-five drops of "Void Liquid" in four days. It sounded like the ravings of a madman.

The commander was about to scold Evan for lying, but suddenly he saw his frown face and disgruntled look.

<Wait a minute, there's no point in him lying since he doesn't know if his score is good or bad. It's entirely possible that he thinks he'd achieved too little. He is still a novice.>

Zak realized that even though his theory sounded crazy, it really could be.

"AHAHAHAHA, Evan, you shouldn't get so upset. It's a pretty normal result. I'd even say above average. Keep it up and you'll reach great heights!"

He did not tell Evan that he was a hidden genius. Zak was worried that if he praised him too much, the young man would become overconfident and would not make the effort in future. He couldn't make such a stupid mistake.

And Zak's plan worked, Evan's mood visibly lifted and a fighting spirit appeared again.

< You say it's quite a normal pace, well, okay>. With these thoughts, Evan got up and started warming up.

After four days of sitting in the same position, his whole body was slightly sore. He needed to stretch.

"Boy, lunch is coming up, let's go. You need to gain strength and energy and get some rest."

Evan grinned weakly: "Good idea, what's on the menu today?"

Evan didn't mind eating. So far, the best thing he'd eaten was a fish roasted on the fire, which was certainly not bad, but clearly not enough to enjoy the taste of the food.

"AHAHAHA, boy, take your time, you'll see it soon." Zack closed the door to the room with the crystals and headed for the stairs.

A few minutes later they were already in the main hall. After a couple of turns, they arrived in a room with a large round table in the center. There was a huge amount of food on it.

"I say it for the third time, Commander Zak, you have a great taste."

The food looked simply gorgeous, and its variety was astounding. What else would one expect from a man who owned such a huge estate and had so many servants in the house.

"Are we going to eat alone?"

Zak sighed slightly, sat down at one of the seats and said: "Well, not really. You take a seat for now and start eating, if you need anything you'll be served it."

Zak pointed to several maids standing quietly behind the table.

Zak seemed to be used to eating in this atmosphere, but Evan was not. He did not say anything, the presence of other people was not such a problem as he had come here to eat after all.

After Zak's words, he took one of the seats. He quickly got down to his meal- the grilled pieces of meat, which smelled so good. The meat was juicy and the crust was crispy.

"Straight for the meat, good, very good." Unlike Evan, Zak hadn't touched his food or alcohol yet, he seemed to be waiting for something.

Whoosh.

The door opened, and Zak's waiting stopped.

"Sorry for the delay." Oddly enough, it was Margaret.

Without further ado, she sat down next to Zak and began to eat.

From this scene, Evan was once again convinced that even though she was dressed in a maid's suit and run all the other servants in the mansion, she had a unique status.

After all, it seemed that until Evan came to the house, Zak and Margaret always ate together, which had become the customary norm for everyone.

Besides, as soon as Margaret entered the room and sat down at the table, Evan noticed the envious glances of the maids behind them, and not only that.

He could clearly see that in addition to envy there was boundless fear in them. And he didn't fully understand whether it was Zak or Margaret they were afraid of.

Deciding not to think about it anymore, he put another piece of meat into his mouth and then decided to get up and take a jug of wine, since he could not reach it with his hand.

But, he was instantly stopped by Margaret: "No need, Mr. Evan, sit still".

After these words, she looked at one of the maids and waved her hand. The girl quickly walked over to the table, picked up jug of wine, and carefully poured Evan a full glass. Having done this, she returned to her former place.

...

After about half an hour, all the food had been eaten, mostly by Evan and Zak. Margaret, on the other hand, hardly touched a thing.

"Well, lad, I see you've got quite an appetite. Isn't it time to learn the first spell of your life?" Zak shook his wine glass slowly from side to side in his hand and smiled faintly.

Hearing his words, Evan unceremoniously stood up and took the jug of wine from the table. He drank it all in one fell swoop.

Then the young man put the already empty jug back on the table and said confidently: "I'm ready."