I sat down beside Heinrich. I still stank like burned flesh from the cultist. We were once again sitting at my table, well, at what's left of it, and I said to Heinrich, "Well, I think now you believe me regarding the mythical creatures and magic."
Heinrich was lost in thought and slowly said, "Everything is true. Everything. I'm not crazy. I always thought that magic existed, but everyone called me crazy for believing it. I'm so sorry for opposing you. I never should have said that you are making fun of me."
His face shifted from thoughtful to deeply sorry, and he looked me in the eyes while saying it, which looked funny because his glasses were broken, probably from the attack earlier.
I stood up and confidently said, "No worries, kid. It's alright. I would have called myself crazy 2 years ago, but now times are different. I thank you for helping me with the cultist. It would have been really hard if I were alone. But before I can tell you about magic and everything that comes with it, I need your binding word that you are willingly wanting to help me with this cult."
As I said these words, a darkness filled the room. Red and black shadows climbed the walls of my house, and in my hand, which I reached out to Heinrich, these shadows slowly crept towards . Heinrich looked fearfully around him and said, "What's this? What is happening? Is another cultist nearby?"
"Oh, sorry, no, no," I replied. "This is a pact. If you make a pact with another person, they can't break it. If they do, there will be dire consequences. Your consciousness and everything you are will be taken away from you and gifted to whatever magic type you are bound to. I need your word that you will help, but you don't have to accept. You can still go and wake up tomorrow morning with no idea of what has happened tonight, but it's your choice."
For a moment, everything was silent, and you could see the inner conflict Heinrich was facing. He then slowly answered with a "I think I want to accept. After everything that happened today..."
After which he shook my hand and said, "I, Heinrich Schroeder, accept your pact, and I'm aware of the consequences if I break it."
The shadows got more intense, flickering like fire through the whole room, and slithered between our hands as thorns pierced out of them, and left behind deep wounds and our blood mixed. Heinrich pulled away his hand in pain and screamed. He wanted to look at his injuries, but there were none.
"Wait, I thought... but there was blood," he stuttered.
"Oh, yes, sorry. A pact is sealed with blood. I'm sorry I didn't mention it. But I'm glad you accepted. Well, now I want to tell you about the basics of magic. Grab something to drink. This is going to take a while."
I went into the kitchen and searched if I could find anything, and I did. I found an gin and a small rest of tonic water. It must have been 20 years old, so I poured us both a G&T. Heinrich, in the meantime, sat down at the red chair in front of my broken living room table. I gave him the old glass and sat in front of him in the blue chair.
"Well, let's start with the basics. I know every magician has a 'Schutzgeist', which is a sort of patron from which they get their magic powers. There are also minor spells, called 'tricks'. Everyone can do these, even if they don't have a 'Schutzgeist'. For example, with runes... The victim had a rune tattooed on his skin, which was for protection. He also worked for the Votan GmbH, which must have meant that he was a really minor follower of Votan, who is the patron of Nordic magic. Don't confuse him with Odin. Those are two different Nordic entities.
"Also, there are minor and greater 'Schutzgeister'. In the Nordic and in general, for example, you can have Votan as a 'Schutzgeist', which means you are very strong and have a wide range of Nordic magic, but you can also have Thor or Loki as a 'Schutzgeist', which gives you power, but not as strong as, for example, Votan."
I wanted to let Heinrich get some air for a second, but then he asked, "Are all Schutzgeister from mythology?"
"Oh no," I quickly replied. "There might be many from Nordic or Roman mythology, but there are also unknown. For example, my 'Schutzgeist' is the 'Dame, der Dornen', which is an average powerful entity..."
I felt a sharp pain in my head as a thorn dragged along my throat, and I started coughing violently. "Sorry, sorry, powerful 'Schutzgeist' " I said through my squesed throat, and the pain disappeared.
"Well, those Schutzgeister don't like it if you call them weak. She gives me the power to control shadow thorns and vines. And before you ask, I didn't use them in our fight because I didn't have the time to channel her powers. I was also interfered with by the far more powerful magic of the cultist.
"But there is one more form of Schutzgeist, the so-called fictional. When a piece of art or literature or theatre is created, it can be through an old god who is putting these ideas in people's heads to write themselves into creation and the physical world. For example, once again, Votan. He planted the idea of himself in the head of Richard Wagner, who then wrote an opera about Votan, and so he got a physical form.
"Well, this is all I know about the rules of magic. There is more about it, but I don't know much, since I'm not the highest rank in the magical world. But I know there are ways to get more power from a Schutzgeist, and I heard a legend about a magician who fused with his Schutzgeist, but I don't know more about this topic.
"Any questions?"
Heinrich looked for a moment at the ground, as if he wanted to process what I just said, and then he said, whilst looking at me, "Yes, one. How do you make a pact with a Schutzgeist?"
"Well," I said, "here is the main problem. You firstly need a powerful artifact. The more power it has, the more might you get. Then you need an incantation, which is different for each entity. And lastly, you need to sacrifice something of equal value. And this is where the dark part comes.
"Before 12 years, a Russian sorcerer made a pact with the Schutzgeist Zcenobog. His name was Grigory Rasputin. He sacrificed the whole Romanov family, who were great magicians themselves. After which, he faked his death for the public, and now nobody knows where he is. But through this sacrifice, the horn of Zcenobog and the incantation, Rasputin got much power and is now nearly immortal.
"But anyways, I just sacrificed my right ring finger to my Schutzgeist, which means I only have minor powers from her."
"I think I now understand," Heinrich said, amazed. "But one last question. When do I get my Schutzgeist?"