Chapter 4. Ward No. 1 (Part 2)

  Toby didn't just survive. After receiving a bolus of glucose, antibiotics, and warmth, he flourished like a withered flower placed in water. His body, accustomed to fighting for survival in a cold tower, took the conditions of the "Ark" as a gift from the heavens. As soon as his fear receded, it was replaced by an insatiable, burning curiosity.

  It began an hour after he woke up. Dmitry disconnected the IV, covered the injection site with a band-aid featuring a cheerful cartoon (from a pediatric first-aid kit), and allowed the boy to sit up. Toby sat, wrapped in his glowing pelt, his eyes scanning the space.

  "Lord Mage," he began, pointing a thin finger at the ceiling. "Why does the fire not burn?"

  Dmitry, who was stirring a cup of instant soup, sighed. "That’s not fire, Toby. Those are LEDs. Light Emitting Diodes. Electricity makes the crystal glow." The Amulet on Dmitry’s chest translated this, but Toby heard what he wanted to hear.

  "Lightning crystals..." the boy exhaled in awe. "Great magic. In our castle, such crystals died out three hundred years ago."

  He touched the wall. Smooth, white plastic. "And this? Is it dragon bone? Or polished marble? Why is it warm?"

  "It’s plastic. A sandwich panel. Alchemy, if that makes more sense to you. A mixture of resin and... oh, forget it. Just artificial stone."

  Toby nodded, taking it as a given. To him, "artificial stone" sounded just as normal as "philosopher's stone."

  Then his gaze fell on the faucet in the kitchenette. Dmitry had just stepped up to rinse a spoon. He lifted the mixer lever. Shhh. A transparent, clean stream of water hit the sink. Toby gasped and leaned forward, nearly falling off the sofa. "Water! From the wall! Without a bucket! Without a pump!"

  "There is a pump, it’s inside," Dmitry corrected.

  "You command the Water..." Toby whispered. "Are you a Hydromancer? Is that why you crossed the Marshes? Did you strike a bargain with the water?"

  Dmitry rubbed his temples. He hadn't slept in two days. His brain was running on reserve power, and explaining the principles of hydrodynamics and electrical engineering to a medieval child was beyond his strength. But Toby was unstoppable.

  "And who lives in that black mirror?" (The TV).

  "And why is the floor soft yet hard?" (Linoleum).

  "And where do you keep your slaves who turn the wheels?" (The engine).

  "And what kind of beast is this?" (The robot vacuum in the corner).

  "Lord Mage, is it true you flew here from the Moon?"

  "Lord Mage, can I touch the 'dragon bone'?"

  "Lord Mage..."

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Dmitry slammed his mug onto the table with a loud thud. "Right. Stop. Timeout."

  Toby cut off, fearfully pulling his head into his shoulders. "Forgive me, my lord. I am too bold. Karl says my tongue is my enemy. Will you turn me into a toad?"

  Dmitry looked at this scrawny, disheveled sparrow of a boy with burning eyes. It was impossible to stay angry. He was the living embodiment of the thirst for knowledge. In his world, knowledge had been lost, but here he had stumbled into a library of wonders. "I won't turn you into a toad," Dmitry smiled wearily. "But I’ll tie your tongue in a knot if you don't let me sleep for at least an hour."

  He thought for a moment. He needed rest. But if he fell asleep, Toby would start exploring the "cave" on his own. He might press the wrong button, open the airlock, or drink the Dish Soap, mistaking it for a mana potion. He needed a nanny. Dmitry glanced at the ceiling console. "An idea."

  He took the Amulet of Envoys from his neck. The heavy chain clinked. Dmitry approached Toby. "Listen, kid. I’m tired. I need to restore my mana. Sleep. Understand?"

  Toby nodded vigorously. "But so you don't get bored, I’ll leave you with the Spirit of this wagon. It knows everything. It will answer all your questions."

  The boy's eyes became the size of saucers. "A Spirit? Unseen?"

  "Very much audible. Put it on." Dmitry placed the amulet around the child’s neck. The medallion was too large for him; the stone rested on his solar plexus. "This amulet will allow you to understand its language."

  Dmitry stepped over to the "Smart Home" control panel. The voice control system—Alice (or its equivalent integrated into the onboard computer, running locally without internet based on a Large Language Model). He activated the microphone. "System. Encyclopedia Mode. Voice assistant active. Name: 'Spirit.' Answer level: child 5-7 years old. Maximum loyalty."

  "Voice assistant activated. Awaiting command," a soft, female, synthesized voice drifted from the hidden speakers. Toby jumped on the sofa, looking around wildly. "Who is here?! Where is she?!"

  Dmitry smirked. "She is everywhere. In the walls. Ask her anything you want. Just don't ask her to open the doors." He turned to the assistant: "Spirit, answer this person's questions. Entertain him until I wake up."

  "Understood," the voice replied.

  Dmitry grabbed his earplugs, pulled on his sleep mask, and collapsed onto the rear bed, partitioned off by a thick curtain. Within a minute, he was asleep.

  And in the cabin, the strangest conversation in the history of two worlds began.

  Toby, trembling with reverence, touched the amulet. He heard a woman’s voice in his head, and it was beautiful. "Are you... are you the Spirit of the Ark?" he asked timidly into the void.

  "I am the onboard management system. You may call me Spirit," the ceiling replied. The Amulet instantly translated "onboard system" as "the mind that commands the vessel."

  Toby swallowed. "Oh, Great Spirit... tell me, where does the light come from without fire?"

  A pause. The AI processed the request. "Light is created by passing energy through a semiconductor. This is called electricity. Tiny particles run through wires like water through pipes and make the crystals shine."

  Toby froze, digesting this. "Energy... Particles running..." he whispered. "So, fireflies live in the walls, running through the dragon's veins?"

  "You could put it that way," the AI agreed, set to the "child level."

  "And the water?" Toby wouldn't stop. "Where does the water come from?"

  "Water is stored in large tanks below. A pump lifts it up and passes it through filters to make it clean."

  "Tanks... Are those underground lakes? And filters—are they sieves that take away the poison?"

  "Correct. Filters remove dirt and bacteria."

  Toby was in ecstasy. He was getting answers! The very Essence of this place was speaking to him. And she didn't demand sacrifices or speak in riddles like the priests. She was explaining the mechanics of the Universe!

  "Spirit," Toby asked in a whisper, glancing at the sleeping Dmitry behind the curtain. "And Lord Dmitry... Is he a God?"

  The AI paused for a second, checking the "Owner" database. "Dmitry is the system administrator. Owner. Engineer. Human."

  Toby nodded. "'Administrator'..." he repeated the unfamiliar word. "It sounds powerful. He who commands Spirits. A High Mage."

  Dmitry slept and dreamed of Kyiv, while a meter away, a small medieval boy was receiving an accelerated course in physics, chemistry, and philosophy, turning scientific terms into a new, wondrous religion of Technology.