Six Digits

Lyra Wonson resided in the sleepy village of Tobryn, which was just thirty minutes’ train ride away from London. Even though most people don’t think much of physical punishment, her family followed a strict tradition when they raised their children. Mom and Dad were doctors who worked in a small private clinic. They made enough money to keep up a house in a desirable part of London. After getting excellent grades in middle school, Lyra learnt about magic when she was ten years old. During a two-year middle school exam, she was one of only a few chosen to be told about a special class for smart kids. The girl was thrilled and felt special. Her parents were also delighted to receive her new books. They thought books were the best gift, so Lira didn’t have many toys. At middle school, Lyra learnt about these strange subjects, while her friends learnt about “spells” and “elemental arts.” It didn’t matter how hard Lyra tried to tell her parents about the strange things going on at school; she just couldn’t. The girl looked through her books to find out more about what was going on, but they didn’t help either. Lyra then asked the teacher. “Mr. Torscon, » she called out to the fat, grey-haired teacher after class. “Why can’t I tell my parents what I do at school?” The teacher told her, “Because magic keeps itself safe from people who don’t know how it works.” You will learn the specifics in history class. Lira felt positive about this explanation and worked hard to do well in class, which she eventually did. She didn’t have any friends or girlfriends, though, and she didn’t have time to study from morning to night. Lyra worked so hard that she sometimes forgot to eat, but her parents only cared about her grades. Because of this, she would have gotten gastritis if the school hadn’t thought about making sure that young magicians ate right on time. Good performance put intermediate classes in the lead at the end. Lyra went to an amusement park for the first time in her life as a reward. She hoped it wouldn’t be her last visit. The girl, accustomed to studying, perceived occasional solitude as a reward for her dad’s smile and her mom’s lack of discipline. Mrs. Wonson thought her daughter was smart and talented, so if Lyra started getting grades lower than “excellent, » her mother gave her a series of painful intramuscular injections. This was in order to help her, not punish her, so Lyra had no reason to complain. In addition to these steps, there was also a psychiatrist clinic. The girl was very aware of what would happen if she cried in front of her parents. Lyra once tried to make her mother pleased because she was afraid of getting in trouble. However, once Lyra complied with her mother’s demands, she found herself in a dangerous situation. Not only did they abuse Lyra in the mental hospital, but the atmosphere, the barred windows, and the inability to leave the ward also played a significant role. The girl never did anything like that again, and she also never tried to get closer to her parents. Sometimes she secretly wished they weren’t there at all. She thought the orphanage was a much nicer place to be. After middle school, there was high school, which meant “more subjects, more responsibility, and more magic.” In history class, Lyra learned what was going on in the world and why it was important. The teacher told them, “Any living thing can be gifted with magic.” “The line between gifted and non-gifted isn’t really that clear; we call gifted people active.” In the past, there wasn’t this kind of division, which almost caused a war that ended all life. “Is that why the ungifted don’t know about the gifted now?” Suzanne Lykar, one of the students, asked this question, so far as Lyra can remember. The teacher leading the lesson nodded and said, “Exactly so.” The teacher in charge of the class gave a nod. Lyra sighed and said, “So we won’t be able to tell.” But she didn’t want to get mad because her magic let her fight even her parents, so the girl studied three times as hard as usual. It was frustrating that magic wasn’t all powerful and didn’t work everywhere. However, Lyra now understood why gifted people were relieved that they couldn’t reveal their identities to non-gifted individuals, given that everyone in magic-free areas was the same. This was a crucial concept for Lyra to consider. First they learnt math, then history, then magic, and finally languages. Teachers paid close attention to kids who chose to study a foreign language as hard as their native language. This was because those kids could go to high school right after finishing secondary school, but there was a lot of competition. Lyra met Victor when they were in high school. In the beginning, they just sat at the same table. But as time went on, the girl asked to help the boy with his homework, and he didn’t seem to mind. Lyra started to smile more frequently, as she felt a growing need for Victor. Now that the girl had a friend, life didn’t look so bad. * * * “Tell me, teacher.” Alira looked like a very young elf when she turned to the teacher. In Sveta and Vitya’s homeworld, this is the typical appearance of children. “These names of major cities and nations exist in numerous worlds, correct?” “Many worlds are like big cities and countries, » the demiurgic mentor said with a nod. “People like you, accustomed to their names, create the so-called “parallel worlds.” Did I answer your inquiry? “I guess so, » said the girl with the pointy ears that moved around. The teacher smiled and pushed the demiurges back into the projection, saying, “Then let’s go on.” One of the demons who had seen a lot said that today they would not only see the simplest story but also try to understand it, which wasn’t easy. * * * Victor Swenson didn’t have any parents. The boy didn’t know who his parents were because he had been in foster care since he was a child. When you first met the Irish McTarloch family, they seemed like any other family. But when you went inside their home, things were different. Victor was treated badly by the two older girls, who reminded him that he could only stay here until he turned 18, after which he would be sent out on the street. In contrast, the boy’s father liked to lash out at him. He felt even more tired, as all of this made life seem hopeless. Victor enjoyed receiving rejection and could endure a week without food. He also enjoyed the solitude of a damp cellar. Vic, conversely, grew accustomed to it. Victor got used to a lot of different things, like always being hungry, feeling hopeless, and being embarrassed. It continued like this for a long time until Mr. McTarloch’s half sister, Madame Ericson, finally took the boy in. Victor quickly lost hope that things would improve. “I took you in, you dirty boy, » Madame Ericson bragged, “to clean my house.” If I find any dirt, I’ll punish you right away! The girl took the boy to London, where she stayed in a small house on the edge of town. He now lived in a simple room in the house’s basement and went to school because Madame Ericson had to sign him up. That’s where he met Lyra. Vic thought the girl was the only person who cared about him, so she might have been the only positive thing in his life. Even though Lira liked to be bossy, Victor could see that she was scared. But even this kind of care was important to the boy, so he always looked out for and helped the girl. Victor found a gift that turned out to be useful. Victor only eating sometimes could have been a problem, but thankfully, the teachers at his school fed him at least two full meals every day. “Magic-free zones appear on their own in places where a lot of people die, where radiation hurts things, and where people are regularly put to death, » the teacher said, knowing that Lyra would ask a question. The girl’s hand did, in fact, fly up into the air right away. “So the mages were powerless during the World Wars?” Lyra asked, shocked. “That’s right, » the teacher said with a nod. “We created magic-free zones in concentration camps, places of great battles, and so on.” Some of them are still around today. Some of these are Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Majdanek, Dachau, and others. I hope you already know why eastern Europe is the worst place for this to happen. The girl agreed with the teacher and carefully wrote down her thoughts in her notebook to help her remember the lesson. “Yes, sir, » she said. Victor had the most trouble with tests. He observed Lyra’s extreme fear of tests and deduced the reason for her aversion. Since Madame Ericon didn’t care about his academic performance, the only challenge he faced was mastering the material. The frequent beatings from Madame Ericon may have hindered Victor’s memory. But Lira was there to help. “Let’s do the math again, shall we?” It was her idea at first. “Let’s begin with an equation that has two unknowns. If you have an equation like ax+by = c, where a, b, and c are numbers, you have a linear equation with two variables, x and y. We call the ordered pair of values for variables (x, y) the solution of a two-variable equation. This pair of values turns the equation into an identity. What doesn’t make sense? “Everything, » Victor said calmly, already accepting that he was clearly stupid. The girl thought her friend was very smart, though; she just didn’t get it. It started to sense when she talked about apples and pears, even though she tried to explain the subject in other ways. The girl thought for a moment and then changed the subject. Victor did well until he had to do math and figures. Lyra took a chance when she went up to the teachers. Even though she was scared, she was ready to do anything for her only friend. “Excuse me, teacher, » she said to the person in charge of the class. “Victor is having trouble. He doesn’t understand math or remember it. He only understands it when he can picture it. “How’s that?” I was shocked when the teacher suddenly realised there might be a problem. “It’s about apples and pears, » Lyra said with a sigh. “On apples and pears, » the teacher said over and over. “Okay, bring your friend with you to the doctor’s office tomorrow at 2:00.” Yes? “Yes, thanks a lot!” The girl yelled, glad that no one had pushed her away. Lyra talked Victor into going with her the next day, and he agreed. Because he didn’t want to go home, he didn’t care. He followed her and did what she said. He didn’t ask her many questions; he just wanted to know where she was going. The old school doctor, who had worked here for a very long time, said, “Come in, young people.” “I’m aware of your issue, therefore…” The test with several rings didn’t disturb Victor, who was deep in thought. The boy believed that Lira’s care was good for him. The girl was a real friend, so he should back her up in everything. Victor, on the other hand, thought Lira was getting in the way, which scared her. “It’s all clear, » the doctor finally said, but not before telling the authorities about the child’s living conditions. He gave the girl a pretty big bottle and said, “You will give this to your friend twice a day.” “Thank you!” The kids left the room because she was happy. “You’re not offended?” With worry in her voice, Lyra asked her friend. “No, not at all!” Vic didn’t know what his friend was talking about at first. “Hooray!” When she felt really sad, she gave him a quick hug. After that day, Victor did well with studying and remembering things, and he will always remember how much his friend cared for and loved him. This led to the transformation of friendship into sympathy when the time came. But that time hadn’t come yet, and the friends were busy studying for their tests in the meantime.