Maksym Pachesiuk

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 11: Looking for a Mentor

With money in my pocket, I suddenly felt like sweetening life a little. Besides, I needed to test the interface’s payment system… Or at least, that’s what I told myself.

At the first vending machine I came across, I bought four packs of crisps and two cans of cola. My pockets couldn’t hold more cans, and I had to carry the crisps in my hands. The whole lot cost me twelve units and went through without a hitch.

Of course, I wasn’t planning to feast alone—that would have...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 10: Glimpse of the Past

On the way back, I finally figured out the navigator. Turned out, it wasn’t complicated at all.

I’d just been using the full-screen map mode before, which completely blocked my view and blended annoyingly with my surroundings. But in compact mode, the holographic display shrank down to about the size of both my palms and hovered somewhere on the periphery—off to the side, easy to glance at without constant distraction.

It was, quite literally, a mini-map from a video game. E...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 9: Touching the Top

A sharp wake-up alarm shattered the morning silence, yanking me out of the warm cocoon of sleep.

I opened my eyes and immediately felt my body protest. My muscles ached like I’d just run a marathon, my joints felt rusted over, and my solar plexus still held onto a faint warmth from yesterday’s Flow Chamber.

Someone sighed. Someone else mumbled something unintelligible. And someone, apparently, decided that ignoring the alarm for five seconds would magically send them back into...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 8: Flow Chambers

The Flow Chamber looked… like a gas chamber. Or maybe a crematorium.

I had expected something futuristic—gleaming metal walls, holograms, or at least some kind of high-tech equipment. A meditation mat at the very least! But inside, there was nothing. The walls looked like they had been cast from raw iron, not even painted over. No buttons, no panels—just soft, dim lighting filtering through a grate above and a thick, much thicker, grate instead of a floor.

The centre of the ...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 7: Cultivation Level

We walked down the familiar corridor, and I immediately recognised the spacious waiting hall with its panoramic windows. It was much quieter now. Only a handful of cadets remained on the benches, and instead of a crowd of supervisors, there were just two. They looked relaxed—one stood by the window, lazily scrolling through something on his tablet, while the other sat slumped against the wall, almost dozing off.

Outside, everything looked the same, but even the garden seemed calmer, n...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 6: Big Ego Man

Bao kept up his attitude for a bit longer, muttering something about “pathetic idiots” before finally climbing up—teeth grinding all the way.

Silence settled over the room. It lasted just long enough for everyone to form their own first impressions. I sat on my bunk, stretching, eyeing the others from the corner of my eye. I figured we’d sit in silence a while longer, each lost in our own thoughts. But Denis spoke up first.

“Well, let’s do this properly.” He leaned b...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 5: Roommates

As Diego explained cultivation and its hidden pitfalls, my decision had already been made. I wasn’t going to sit around waiting for someone to lead me by the hand—especially when both Doc and thinhorn had made it clear that no one would give a damn about me.

They hadn’t said it outright, but that was the impression I got.

If cultivation was the key to survival, then I wasn’t about to waste time. Flow Chambers—that’s what I needed.

"You said the first meditation k...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 4: Thinhorn

The thin-horned guy led me into the corridor. His little horns were distracting, but—Verdis, eight other moons, cultivation, cull… I had bigger things to think about. I’d landed right in the middle of a bloody rat race, with no memory, no experience and he didn’t seem like he was about to kill me.

The corridor was wide, with dim white lighting and unnaturally smooth, sterile walls. The air carried a faint trace of antiseptic. I had just opened my mouth to ask my first question w...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 3: Moon, Demons and Roots

“Memories can be jumbled at first,” the doctor said. “Let’s start with something simple. Do you know where you are?”

“Looks like a hospital…” I said, glancing around.

“Is that a memory or an assumption?”

“Assumption,” I admitted.

“Strange. This is an important day, an important place. It’s usually one of the first things people recall.”

“Nothing,” I shook my head. “So where am I?”

The doctor raised an eyebrow, as if dou...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 2: Interface Activation

The cold against my neck turned to warmth—then a sharp sting flared and shot straight into my temple.

“Bloody hell!” I blurted out, jerking instinctively, but the doctor’s grip tightened on my shoulder.

“Do not move!” he barked. “This is a standard synchronisation process. If it works, the interface should activate in a few seconds.”

The pain faded just as suddenly, leaving only a faint tingling sensation. The doctor tilted his head, eyes fixed on his scanner...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 23

Moody looked even worse than Sunset had that morning—his face was pale, his hands trembled, and his touch was cold and clammy, even though the day was already well past noon. Clearly, police officers are better at handling alcohol poisoning than lawyers. Still, the solicitor showed iron willpower and, despite his suffering, threw himself into work at the first phone call. Maybe that’s why he was sweating so much.

In the half-hour he spent on the phone—which was about how long it t...

Moon Cultivation - Chapter 1: Waking up

A sharp whistle of an incoming shell warned me, and I dove into the trench. A violent blast slammed me to the ground, burying me under a mound of dirt. The headache and ringing in my ears was unbearable—another blast concussion for my collection.

A choking sensation made me cough. Cold air rushed into my lungs, sharp as needles. My eyelids felt heavy, but I forced them open. Above me, a curved surface glowed dimly—matte, like a thin layer of ice concealing a world beyond.

What...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 22

Grandfather would’ve said I should be proud of myself. And honestly, I think he’d be right—what seventeen-year-old manages to stay sober at a drinking party? I did, and I count that as a serious achievement, especially when you compare it to the state Sunset is in right now.

That trio—Harry, John, and Harold—started last night with cheap, strong whiskey and moved on to even cheaper, stronger moonshine. They offered me a couple of shots, but I stubbornly stuck to wine, sipping ...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 21

Last night, we didn’t manage to decide what to do, but we did have plenty of time to argue. Most of the arguing was directed at Kettle, who barked back with enthusiasm, even managing to shift the blame first onto me and then onto Sunset. Vixley caught some of the fallout as well, though his stance on the matter was rather odd: apparently, an Archmaker doesn’t meddle in city politics or cause mass destruction, so it was none of his business. For those words, he got an earful, but he didn�...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 20

The vampire women agreed to Vixley’s proposal. Vampires would agree to anything when their lives are at stake, and they'll even keep their word—as long as circumstances demand it. But afterwards, they always sought revenge. Bloody, cruel, and with a distinct touch of cynicism. As Sunset explained to me, however, the Special Squad had existed long before the vampires struck their deal with the duke, allowing them to establish nests in the city. Originally a division of the city watch, the ...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 19

By the time I reached The Anvil, I felt clear-headed enough for the compulsion to nearly vanish from my mind. I could finally think straight. Logic told me that no compulsion could last forever, but the power of a master vampire was not to be underestimated. Better to drive the remaining hundred metres than to try turning back and risk collapsing from the pain. Only now did it dawn on me: I’d become so attached to these ruins that I truly considered them home. And good thing, too! The last ...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 18

I thought Harry would kill him. Right then and there, smash him into the ground. Peace with the Fairburns – who could even come up with such an idea? But Moody’s expression was unshakeable, and Harry displayed an unexpected restraint, limiting himself to a curt:

“Bloody hell, no!”

“Then we’re left with escalation. We’ll have to play dirty. I’ve already had to spend two hundred pounds on spies. And don’t look at me like that – it’s not cheap, but it gets resul...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 17

The usual Anvil residents’ meeting was held, as always, in the kitchen. Knuckles and I were explaining the new collection of holes in the hall’s interior over cups of tea with milk, while Cap was supposed to report on the smashed jar with the ether spark. However, he decided to keep his mouth shut, sitting there frozen like a statue and not drawing attention to himself – not even crunching on a biscuit, or occasionally sipping his tea.

I told the whole story, and once I finished, ...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 16

I was heading home without Harry. The wizard had stayed behind with Sunset to discuss cultists, sectarians, maniacs, and other lunatics. It was possible that before the arch came into play, our killer had been using more primitive methods, but the police had failed to link those crimes to the current ones.

Knuckles dropped me off at the porch and drove off to park the Royal in the makeshift shelter that had replaced the stables after Harry and James had spectacularly demolished them. I ...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 15

Harold Moody stayed with us a bit longer than he had initially planned. He started with Cap while Harry and I were descending, easing into his questioning of the lad about the jar with the spark. Later, I asked Harry if it really was an ant’s ghost, to which the wizard only raised an eyebrow sceptically. But the boy believed it, and that was enough. It was clear that the lawyer wasn’t interested in the jar itself – he was merely trying to win the boy’s trust, as a lad brought up in th...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 14

“What’s the plan?” I asked Sunset as soon as we left the building.

“Eggs with bacon and beans, a glass of gin, and a good, long sleep.”

“Then skip the gin.”

“That’s exactly what I need, trust me on this,” he replied with the confidence of someone who’d tested the theory many times.

“If we stop by Kettle’s solicitor first, lunch is on me.”

John shook his head. “Don’t bother trying. I’m ready to fall asleep right here on these step...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 13

I got home just before dawn, collapsed into bed, and woke up closer to noon – but not so late as to bother waiting for a proper lunch with the others. Besides, a couple of cold toasts and fried eggs were waiting for me in the kitchen. With a hot cup of tea laced with a drop of milk, they went down easy enough.

Once my body’s basic needs were dealt with, I went looking for Harry. His office was empty. It seemed he’d either put off dealing with the problem of the arch or hit a dead ...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 12

We slowly made our way toward the exit. Kettle, the idle baronet, seemed to be in a daze. Handcuffs weren’t new to him, but this was the first time they’d been slapped on for a murder charge. Not that I cared about his feelings – my own worries were plenty.

“John, I need to stay and help the girls,” I said, trying not to turn around but barely watching where I was going, my gaze flickering toward the balcony.

“They don’t need your help – they need a whipping!” Su...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 11

“Harry,” I knocked on the door to his office and walked in without waiting, “I’ve got two urgent matters to discuss with you.”

The wizard gave me a tired look from under his brow, tugged nervously at his beard, and set aside the stack of papers – if you could call it that. The desk was buried under piles of handwritten sheets, but there were even more pinned to the walls and floor. Near the corner of the room, the notes were so densely packed that they formed a complete cove...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 10

It was a strange conversation, teetering on the edge of truth and half-truths, politeness and disdain. Yet there was no shortage of frankness.

"Lord Loxlin," the lawyer asked, "why are you so biased against my client? He’s not a bad person – he’s never wronged anyone maliciously, and when he’s caused harm, it’s mostly to himself."

"I don’t like the way he acts," I admitted, leaving out the part about how his appearance and even his name irritated me. Another Simon to d...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 9

The morning was anything but good. To start with, it didn’t begin with breakfast and a cup of tea, as mornings should, but with a visit from Kate Lindemann. It was Cap who woke me up, and Harry just went ahead and invited the bloodsucker into the house. To top it off, I’d had a sleepless night, and my calf and shin were swollen to the size of decent-sized logs – a side effect of applying a wound-healing potion directly to the muscle during cleansing. The muscles were regenerating at a f...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 8

Given the circumstances, I wasn’t able to give my guests a proper welcome – not even offering them tea. Fortunately, the girls knew their way around the place and quickly took over the kitchen, while the men settled into the living room.

Ellie’s father was named Hal, her older brother Marcus, and her younger brother Garfield, whom I was already somewhat acquainted with. The three of them turned out to be veterinarians and offered to provide first aid. The youngest, who claimed to ...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 7

The conversation with the baronet yielded nothing but more questions. I was slightly disappointed, but Sunset, on the contrary, was tapping his fingers excitedly.

“What’s got you so cheerful?” I asked.

“The caliber of the players involved,” he replied.

“Explain.”

“All the victims so far were small-time criminals.”

“Except for the vampire,” I pointed out.

“Except for her,” John confirmed. “Her death already stood out from the rest...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 6

“Answer, boy,” Kate said with darkened lips and a sultry, seductive voice. Knuckles shook his head and waved his hand in front of his face as if swatting away invisible gnats.

“How do they punish attempts at mind manipulation?” I asked Sunset.

“Three to five years in prison,” the detective replied grimly. “And a permanent seal as a preventive measure.”

“Oh, come on, I was just joking,” Kate protested.

“I wasn’t,” I said, looking at Sunset. “...

Wizard's First Lesson - Chapter 5

The news about a supposed long-lost relative didn’t go over well with the brothers. To be honest, they weren’t thrilled. Neither of them had ever heard of an uncle from New Freeland, and they certainly weren’t interested in falling under his guardianship. For Cap, it would mean losing a mentor he could admire and aspire to emulate. The boy had been slaying shifters and vampires by the dozen – in his dreams, of course. Meanwhile, Knuckles would’ve had to part with his beloved four-wh...