Damian's first class turned into one where he would only mold a clay figure guided by his thoughts and shape it only with his hands.
The care he was giving to the details was incredible, and although it's helpful to know, he had learned design for a few years, so he had a good understanding of 3D dimensions and gradually placed things where they should be.
Mark looked at Damian so focused that he was surprised by his progress and talent for manipulating clay, something that very few knew about.
"I didn't think you'd be so talented on your first try."
Damian lifted his gaze and looked at Mark, who had approached. "In my childhood, I used to make mud figures with my friends. I don't know why, but I paid much more attention and care than others, so I didn't think I had these skills yet."
"What are you doing right now?"
"Something I had in mind since I heard about this class is that this will be my prototype for my puppet that I hope to have in perfect condition in the future." Damian smiled when he finished his prototype in less than half an hour. It didn't have many details because he didn't want to reveal much, so he only made the figure.
"Clean up everything if you're done."
Damian, having previous experience, didn't worry much and quickly got to work.
Mark saw that he was working meticulously and conscientiously, so he didn't say anything. As he cleaned up, he told Damian some things he should pay attention to in his studies.
Two hours passed like this, and Mark had something to attend to, so he explained to Damian the final task. "You'll throw the trash into the yellow trash bin later. Make sure to remember that it's yellow. If it's not yellow, put it in the bag first, close it, and deal with it tomorrow."
Damian looked at the trash in the lab and thought it was too much, but he still didn't say anything. He could take the leftovers to start creating his puppet in his room, so he didn't complain.
Mark pulled out a chair and sat with his legs stretched out. "Now I'll pass on my notes to you, which will be very helpful in saving you time mastering the basic elements to create a suitable puppet."
In the process, Damian asked a lot about what to expect in this class to know if he could create his creation that he wanted so much to ensure many battles.
"Mr. Mark, why is it necessary to have an affinity with darkness if, in the end, I'll create an avatar that will only follow orders?"
Mark wasn't surprised by Damian's question. Hearing the words of Master Dom, he had already thought that the youngest student in front of him might have had a truly remarkable performance, so he would leave him alone.
In the eyes of everyone, prodigies are so skilled that they don't need a mentor.
"If we look at the knowledge in books, they will tell you that it's impossible to see the souls of the dead and know where they end up. But Mr. Dom's research tells us that we can give them a path. For example, when a cat dies, that cat was your pet, so you could very well use its soul to place it in a puppet, and if you're lucky, it will become an avatar that will follow your orders."
"In that case, will the avatar remember its life before dying?"
Mark gestured with his hands. "Not at all. What the soul will remember is the loyalty of that cat to its master. If you use the soul of a warrior, all that will remain of him is to receive orders, fighting styles, and adapting to the use you want to give it, understand."
Damian understood why they needed to know about souls; this was extremely important because that was the final step to making a puppet useful so that it could become an avatar.
"So, what are the limitations of an avatar?"
Mark didn't hesitate and replied immediately. "Your imagination."
"You'll learn that magical runes will serve to give the necessary functions to your avatar; a regeneration rune can repair your avatar in the middle of battles, and that would be enough to make it remarkable. I've noted down the tools of the runes we use; you'll have to do research on your own to increase those benefits."
Damian looked at a golden book containing dozens of runes and sincerely thanked Mark for all the support he was offering.
"Can I create my own puppet in my room?" Damian didn't want to get into any trouble.
"My advice is not to rush; first become a third-class mage, and then focus your free time on creating that prototype in full size." Mark didn't believe that Damian could create that prototype into a giant avatar because even Dom didn't have many powerful avatars.
"Do we have any limitations on what we can create?" Damian asked an important question.
"Of course we do, but almost no first-level apprentice can break those rules. The magic transformation the instructor just mentioned requires at least a first-class mage to start giving life to your puppet."
Mark paused and said, "You have to understand that you must have a great deal of mana to give life to an avatar."
Damian had understood; he didn't know how much mana he could have in his reserves, but now he was very strong. At least in five years, he wants to be a first-class mage. He didn't know how powerful it was or what he should do to achieve it, but it was his goal.
Furthermore, he knew that once he became a second-class mage, they would send him to the battlefield, so he had to learn powerful offensive spells first before focusing on creating an avatar.
"Well, finish all this, and you can leave," Mark said as he left the laboratory.
Damian watched this mage depart and, without time to thank him, saw him exit through the door. "Oh..."
At that moment, the laboratory door suddenly opened again, and Mark peeked half his face inside. "Remember to pack your things before you leave."
"Understood, Mr. Mark."
Damian was surprised to see Mark in that position and stepped back.
Again, the door closed.
Damian was the only one left in the room.
Probably...
Damian turned around and looked around; there wasn't much work left, just organizing things, throwing away trash, and checking if all the cabinets were properly closed.
At this point, he decided to walk around the laboratory.
He pushed back the chair that Mark had moved, picked up the trash under the table, and threw it into the yellow trash bin.
The yellow trash bin was very dark and had no bottom, not like a barrel but more like a chute.
Damian didn't look much and immediately closed the lid after disposing of the trash.
"This place is very cold; being the only one here is definitely not pleasant." Damian looked at his left hand, now adorned with some silver rings he had found earlier.
Damian found several failed works on the table in the middle of the laboratory. There was something drawn on the paper, but it was completely covered by chaotic black lines, and nothing could be seen.
The paper was crumpled, as if it had been thrown away after being crushed.
"Were these scraps of paper here a moment ago?" Damian carefully put them into the small bin, turned around, and prepared to bother to empty it again.
However, as Damian reached out to lift the bin lid, the bin turned red in an instant in front of Damian.
"That thing is alive..." Damian's hand stopped in mid-air and slowly retracted. He pretended not to see anything, turned around, sealed the bin, and placed it under the table.
He continued his round and walked to a row of cabinets at the other end of the laboratory.
Somehow, he suddenly remembered the things he could do with his breath and then looked at the ring on his right hand. As he understood, this was a ring that would greatly facilitate casting magic spells and conjuring runes, well, as long as he did things carefully, he would be able to achieve his initial goals.
"I should get out of here; it's getting dark." Damian quickly shook his head to rid himself of unfortunate thoughts, but when he took another step, he stepped on something.
He looked down and almost jumped.
It turned out to be the puppet used in this practice area.
The puppet's eyes were clearly two holes, but Damian felt as if there were eyes staring at him from inside.
"When you leave, make sure there's no mess on the cabinet area floor. I'll clean it up later. If you find anything on the floor when you leave, don't worry, just pick it up and put it in any cabinet." Damian remembered Mark's instructions a moment ago.
As soon as he turned his head, he saw the cabinet next to him crack open slightly. "Oh god..."
What can be seen on the cabinet door... are piles of dolls placed in various directions.
"It's okay, this is their home, so they should sleep there without causing trouble."
Damian slightly turned his head to avoid looking directly into the eyes of the puppet on the floor, bent down, and reached out to lift the puppet.
When his fingers touched the rough, cold surface of the puppet...
Crash!
At that moment, a voice that only Damian could hear sounded. The hardcover book flew in front of him, and the pages quickly flipped, passing through the page where his spells were.
"[... Era Calendar of The Great Mage Flamme, unknown moon year, you have survived for 7 days.
Mark has given you a mission, and that is to clean the laboratory.
You were really angry that you wanted to scream in his face to do it himself, but when he started giving you magical notes and books on avatar runes, you felt sorry for his humility.
When you were wasting time, a mischievous puppet bit you on the foot, and you're about to return it to its place with a beating.
You open the cabinet door, hold the puppet's head, and place it carefully.
But the puppet, in a careless moment, will try to harm you to possess your body. In the end, after five hours of agony, you end up being possessed...]"
"What sense does that make?" Damian's eyes widened when he read that practically, that doll on the floor was the improved version of Annabelle merged with a diabolical doll that changed from a human body to a doll's body.