Midnight is the time of dark affairs and mysterious discoveries.

The duty officer of the colony Europe 9 watched the screens closely. Night had fallen on the planet. Suddenly the calm guard was interrupted by a flash of red light on the panel and a voice warning, "Violation of the perimeter. Hunter trail number four". The man on duty zoomed in on the right screen and examined the face of the nocturnal intruder. He smiled and quickly dialed the intercom,

"Serge, your boy went hunting again."

"If he has no desire to rest at night, then he'll get an extra workload in the morning," answered a disgruntled voice.

"Workload is good. He will grow into a good soldier. Good night, sergeant."

"Good night to you, too."

The man on duty frowned and shook his head. He liked this boy. Tough boy. Too bad it took so long for his magic to wake up. His parents had been good mages and good soldiers. They died in the last pirate raid on the colony.

Colony Europe 9 had about two hundred years of history. It was founded by Europeans. A large part of the immigrants was French and members of the French military organization "Foreign Legion". Sentient cats allowed humans to settle on the planet of their star system. Humans paid for the right to live in the Galaxy. The colony was located above a deposit of valuable raw materials. These were M-Crystals. Mix-crystals were part of, particularly valuable metal alloys. Mining mix-crystals was associated with health hazards. The particular radiation ruined the miners. This radiation destroyed any electronic mechanisms. Mining could only be done by living humans using simple tools. Humans proved to be valuable neighbors and newcomers to the Galaxy. Humans' ability to use the magic of Water allowed humans to use new magical ways to heal. Healers successfully fought the dangers of working in the mine.

The life of the colony was under constant threat. The Ferin race had competitors. The colony was attacked by space pirates who wanted to take people as slaves. Colony Europe 9 fought and survived. It was originally run and organized as a paramilitary settlement. The colony had doctors, teachers, and human service workers, but the main part was made up of soldiers and officers. The military forces of the Europe 9 colony successfully welcomed immigrants from various continents of the Earth into its ranks. Unfortunately, this colony quickly severed strong diplomatic relations with its home planet! The colonists made good money, but they did not pay taxes to the governments of planet Earth. The colonists were spending credits for their development. The colonists were happy to learn about life in the Galaxy.

All sentient races were organized into the Alliance of Sentient Races of the Galaxy.

The central planets of the Alliance members were connected by teleporters. This provided instant travel across great distances. The portals were the highest achievement of technomagic. They were supported by the special energy of valuable Power Stones. Space travel was commonplace. Space travel took longer but successfully connected different planets.

Humanity's new life was full of discovery and danger. Magic and spaceflight, thousands of sentient aliens, and millions of wonders and mysteries waited for humanity to discover new achievements.

***

Lee Long ran down the path. The light of the two moons illuminated the path well. The boy hurried to see his girlfriend. Suddenly he caught his foot on the rope that crossed the trail. In the fall he managed to land on his hands and quickly got to his feet. A familiar voice hissed from the darkness,

"Blind bald monkey! Constant vigilance!"

"Cheeky stinking cat! I spotted your trap!"

"You didn't notice anything. You didn't jump and you fell! Lying bald monkey."

A short cat with black fur blended into the darkness. She emerged from the bushes and quickly gathered the rope into a bag.

The cat approached the boy and asked,

"Are you sure, Lee Long? Do you want to get into the cave of the ancestral ferin?"

"Of course, Black Star. I must try to awaken my magic."

"The cave of the ancestors is for a sentient like me, for ferin. You're human, you're not a ferin."

"We be of one blood, thou and I," said the boy.

"We be of one blood, thou and I," replied the cat.

The friends did not waste any time. They boarded a small two-seater flyer and flew toward the cliffs. Lee was smiling. It was a good adventure. The night. A good girlfriend. And a mysterious ancestral cave ahead.

Black had long ago told him this secret of the cat tribe. When a kitten is recognized as an adult he is put to the test. Each kitten goes to the ancestral cave to receive the Gift from his ancestors. The Ferin was strong and agile cats. They were not savage and primitive hunters. It was a race of Sentient cats that came to planet Earth two hundred years ago.

Ferin analyzed the civilization on the planet and acted according to the laws of the Alliance of Sentient Races of the Galaxy. The cats took custody of the new race. They left humans one teleport that connected the planet Earth and the central planet Ferin.

***

Soon the flyer landed near the rocks and the entrance to the cave opened before the children's eyes. Black immediately went forward. Lee hurried after his girlfriend. He didn't take out his flashlight. The boy saw a faint light flickering in the distance.

On the walls flickered an unfamiliar species of plant. Lee managed to see several strange images.

"I'm not going to the ancestral stone. I've already got mine. I wish you well, Lee Long. Go bravely."

He nodded and entered a small underground hall. A perfectly ordinary cave was different from many in its unpleasant pressure. It seemed as if millions of attentive eyes were staring from the walls at the visitor. In the middle of the room was a low black stone. There were no plants on the surface of the stone, but rays of light flashed across the walls of the stone. It was word-covered with a web of rays of light. The strange and mysterious place was unsettling and dangerous.

Lee Long knew what he had to do. He did not wait long.

The boy took out a knife and incised his palm. He dripped a few drops of blood on the dark surface of the ancient stone. Suddenly he felt dizzy and saw the words. The inscription appeared and hung in the air like the information in the visor of a soldier's tactical helmet.

[Attention! New genetic material detected. Material analysis, 11%... 29%... 42%... 73%... 92%... Analysis completed.

Type, Sentient

Class, Humanoid

Race, Earthman

Privatization skill, 19%... 36%... 57%... 72%... 96%... Duelist.]

Lee woke up from a weak blow to the head. The next hard blow sent him flying to the wall of the cave. A roar added to the boy's headache and fear.

"Stupid kittens! What have you done? Daughter, you will be punished! And you...go to your colony!"

The patriarch of the sentient cat tribe roared with anger,

"Black Star, we're leaving!"

The big cat grabbed his daughter by the scruff of the neck and dragged her toward the exit of the cave. The kitty clutched her paws and looked like a small animal being grabbed by a big tiger. She said something softly. Her father responded with a roar,

"If he doesn't find his way to his colony, it will be good for the tribe."

Lee Long clenched his fists and squinted his eyes. He had always been wary of this tiger. The patriarch was as huge as a real tiger from the planet Earth. Lee Long had been wary of the cat ever since he found out that his girlfriend Black Star was the Patriarch's daughter. Humans were good at negotiating with cats. The children in the colony had many cat friends.

Black Star was an angry, aggressive, and brash kitten. Lee and Black fought for a long time as children and tried to find out who was in charge. When they agreed, life became a fun game.

The boy smiled and scratched his head. They were caught again! This time Star would be punished. And he would make it. He remembered the road well. But he would have to run all night to get to the colony before morning. "Naughty cat! Wouldn't let me get home in the flyer!" Lee Long bowed to the ancient stone and ran toward the exit. Soon he inhaled the fresh scents of the night and looked around carefully. Mean and clever cat! They had taken the flyer! He had a long way home waiting for him.

He ran and tried to figure out what had happened to him. He sure didn't get the magic! The boy didn't feel warm or cold in his palms. The wind wasn't hitting him from all sides. And there was no sensation of increased gravity. The magic of the elements always marked itself to the novice. Magic welcomed its beginner. The man recognized his elemental immediately. Lee Long did not feel the magic. He was still a sleeping loser! His mood was deteriorating with every step. He ran to the colony angry and tired. The boy climbed through the window of his room and fell on his bed. He fell asleep quickly.

***

Another morning greeted the neighbors with the familiar cries of, "Wretched trash! Lee Long! Where are you, you filthy scum? You're supposed to be working in the house! Are you hiding again? When I see you, you will be punished!"

Lee was an orphan. His parents had been killed during the pirate attack on the colony of Europa 9. He lived in his guardians' home. Nick and Maria were rough people. They were weak mages and common soldiers. They did not know how to take care of a little boy. Lee did all the housework. Sometimes he felt like a character in an old fairy tale from the planet Earth. Lee could read and read the Harry Potter tale.

Unlike the boy with the scar, Lee was aware of his problem. Lee Long was a "sleeper". At nine years old, he had no magic, it had not yet awakened. All the people in the colony were magicians. And many children had magic as early as eight years old! Almost all the girls already had their magic! Lee Long and a few of his friends remained "sleeping losers". Lee was a normal boy. At the age of ten, all children entered the Colony Academy. At the Academy, his magic would surely wake up and Lee would become a normal student. But now he felt miserable because many of his peers had already awakened their magic. The kids in the colony were always competing and fighting. Using magic was good support in fighting. Lee Long could only rely on his physical strength and the lessons of his guardian. Sergeant Nick Ivanov showed him many hand-to-hand combat techniques. Marie Smith was a master knife fighter. The guardians forbade the boy to use a knife in fights, but he could always count on his hands and feet. Lee was brave and never discouraged. He was the leader of the "sleeper loser" troop.

A woman's scream didn't bother the little lazybones. Lee Long was long awake and hiding from the young woman. He laughed softly and showed her the ancient gesture of guarding against evil forces. His middle fingers on his hands threatened the angry guardian.

"Find and catch me first, Maria!" whispered the boy.

Suddenly letters appeared before his eyes,

[Do you accept the duel challenge? Yes/No.]