《At the End of the Evening》


 Prologue

    ¡°It¡­ It can work this way?¡±


    A petite person, wearing an almost too long white lab coat, was standing in front of two piles of opened scrolls and a pack of various mechanical tools stacked on top of a large and sturdy desk. His eyes were fixated on the headache-inducing equations laid on the paper, written next to a small lamp producing a frail light barely illuminating the room.


    His colleagues all already left the center, leaving only him behind the line. He wasn¡¯t late in the schedule, nor did he wish to profit from extra hours he knew he¡¯ll never get rewarded for. He was just this close to the answer of his question. He had no idea if the solution was the one he was looking for, if it was going to save his kingdom or even make the world enter a new era. All he did was searching and searching, day after day, with the pure intention of knowing what the end looked like.


    A cute pair of canine-type of animal ears, a typical attribute of a resident of Biscotti, were standing straight on top of his head, slightly moving out of the stress and nervousness he accumulated after those long hours of non-stop working. He drew a cup of coffee behind the pile of papers, hidden to prevent himself from over-drinking caffeine, however right now he needed to clear his head. Because right now, he was confronted with a serious ordeal.


    Despite his young age, Friture Elmar was and has always been a promising researcher, full of fervour and curiosity. What made him pull this amount of vitality was the subjects related to the world¡¯s energies. Naturally existing, artificially extracted, mechanically applied, the wonders of all those forces cohabiting in the same universe truly was one of the biggest mystery he desired to plunge into during his whole life.


    That was why, not long after he finally managed to be part of the National Research Center, he could quickly immerge himself in his favourite studies. Discovering the why, explaining the how, his job was like a dream coming true. That was why, until this day, he dedicated his effort in the studying of the divine energy of the world.


    Heat and electricity were following their share of laws, but the magical essence of the divine energy was yet to be explored. They still didn¡¯t know how to extract it. And when they miraculously managed to get their hand on a small portion, its application was military-oriented, focusing its practicability in formidable explosives. Friture knew there must be some other applications to this energy. It can¡¯t only be a fuel for weapons that you threw at your enemy.


    And now, all those hours he spent in this lab finally bore¡­ Some fruits. His mathematical problems were close to being solved, and the theory was on the verge of seeing his first lights. Shocked by what he tumbled upon, his eyes were still fixing the results of his work, shaking due to confusion, maybe joy, but his mind definitely was in disarray.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    First things first, he needed to cool off. He drank another mouthful of coffee, but noticed his cup was already empty. Frustrated, he leaned on the desk, trying to calmly breathe in order to reorganize his bewildered brain. He thought he found the answer. But was this really the answer? Actually, what did he expect to find? His wild imagination only prepared him to some basics scenarios, like a huge boost for soldiers, a devastating weapon, maybe even a public method to utilize this energy, like generating heat for cooking or light for the lamps in the streets. He expected that this discovery would open the doors of an easier life for the citizens of the kingdom of Biscotti. But not that.


    ¡°Divine energy¡­ can it really accomplish such a feat?¡±


    It was absurd, to say the least. Something like this was going to be viewed evilly. If badly handed, it could become the source of many wars, the source of many greed, and the source of many losses. After all, in this age, there was no such divine barrier to protect them. There was nothing that would prevent them from trespassing when death knocked on the door. Nothing to save them when the sword would stab them.


    Such was the world they lived in, such was the reality they were shouldering since birth.


    But now, with such a thing in front of Friture, everything would¡­ Could be thrown away. If the theory proved to be true, if he managed to spread this discovery worldwide, if the kingdoms agreed in applying this piece of wonder¡­ Then¡­ Maybe then there would be no more war? No more deaths, no more tragedies?


    ¡°If¡­ If divine energy really can prevent death¡­ Then can¡¯t we all be saved like this?¡±


    Sending assassins to defend your honour would be pointless. Poisoning your older brother to secure the throne would become unthinkable. Even the concept of dying on the battleground would be forgotten. If such a thing was possible, then Friture¡¯s duty was to spread this discovery. But, at the same time, was this the right idea?


    Let¡¯s imagine that he did spread it¡­ Who could tell that the kings would not keep it for themselves? Who could tell that kidnapping and suppressing this divine energy would not become the next gravest crime in the world?


    So many possibilities, yet he had to have this pessimist side when evaluating other¡¯s behaviour. He knew too well how others acted behind his back. Apparently, he was the gross one here. And now, because of this answer, everything was going to crumble on him.


    ¡­ He had no choice. He still had a report to send to the Chief Researcher. Maybe this one would come up with a back-up plan. Maybe he would find a way to not make everything explode.


    In the end, Friture only was good at working on energies. This new issue was definitely too much for him to bear. If someone else could shoulder it in his stead, that would be the best.


    And yet¡­ He still was convinced that sharing this news with everyone was the best option. He¡­ He had to do it.

 Chapter 1 - Project: New World

    Doubts still harassed Friture from inside, clouding his eyes as they were locked on the sheets he was holding in his hands.


    Yesterday, he couldn¡¯t get a good night sleep. Members of the National Research Institute were invited in private lodging in the castle¡¯s walls, somewhere close to the servants¡¯ dormitory and the knights¡¯ casern. Every researcher had the luxury of enjoying a private bedroom, allowing them to indulge themselves in a quiet atmosphere to relax after a long and unfruitful day.


    The canteen offered today a tray of earthly and green legumes, accompanied by a morsel of bread. Sometimes, the chief could profit from some delicacy, such as poultry¡¯s meat, but those cases were rare enough the ones coming here to eat never complained about it.


    This time, just like every other time, Friture happily greeted the person filling their bowls, but, as always, they never had the time to engage in a conversation. The young researcher quickly followed the line, trying not to block anyone has he walked with his tray in the hands, keeping the balance with the plate and the utensils to avoid any accident. Out of habit, he walked pass the residents of the center, then sit by himself at a free table.


    People noticed him, however no one would be so bold as to stand up and loudly mock him. They were more subtle in the way that they preferred keeping their voice low while commenting Friture¡¯s every action. One side never was a bother, while the other never complained about his predicament. A false status-quo was set between them, yet nobody would fret over this matter.


    He always told himself he was fine with it, that it never disturbed him. It was obviously his timid part, the shy one who didn¡¯t dare to socialize because he feared to fail somewhere in the process. Nevermind, he was way more comfortable thinking about his energy-related studies than worrying about those matters forever.


    Bringing back his tray to the kitchen, he went back to his room to pick up some personal affairs, before going straight to the laboratories. At the entrance, a pair of knights were guarding the armoured door. A simple body-check and an ID card inspection was sufficient to permit him to enter the facility. Gently bowing before leaving, Friture tried to discreetly rush toward his office, hoping nobody took a glimpse at his notes. The room was locked, and only he had the key, a proof of the value the Chief Researcher saw in him, but his paranoia still entertained the anxiety in his head.


    Finally alone in his room, he went and checked one more time the words and numbers on his papers. What he feared ¨Cor dearly hoped last night- was still true. He checked and rechecked the equations, however his mathematical skills were not just for show. That meant that all of what he saw and thought yesterday¡­


    ¡°¡­ All of this¡­ The product of manipulating the divine energy this way¡­ So I wasn¡¯t daydreaming yesterday! It IS possible!¡±


    How should he call this feeling? Joy? Remorse? The fact was that he was really confused about what to think about this, but still couldn¡¯t help but express this overflowing happiness swirling inside him.


    ¡°No no no, don¡¯t waste time. ¡°


    Right now, even if it was a huge success, it was undeniable that it was also bringing its fair share or problems that needed to be discussed with a higher-graded than him. So he rapidly wrote down his notes, made up a formal report and straight-forwardly ran in the direction of the Chief Researcher¡¯s office.


    And now¡­ Now he stood in front of the door, not knowing how to announce himself. Should he barge in and shoot out about his discovery, or stay humble and knock on the door?


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s stay calm.¡± Staying calm was a must in the working business. He cleared his throat, took a huge breather, and then firmly knocked on the door.


    Hearing a ¡°Come in¡± from behind the door, Friture pushed the entrance and revealed his face and name when his eyes met with his boss¡¯s.


    ¡°Ah, if it isn¡¯t Friture! Come in, come in. You want some coffee?¡±


    The young researcher was warmly welcomed by a round and bulgy person. Just like him, a pair of animals ears hung upon his head, but instead of standing up, they were crouched on his hair. When you looked at him, you would never think that he lacked in food, and that he was quite happy with his digestive ability.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Sure, why not, ah ah¡­¡±


    Feeling awkward while hearing his boss assuring that he could take a seat, Friture quietly waited on the chair that he would come back with a fresh and warm cup of caffeine. The room was plenty vast for a single person office, displaying multiples libraries that looked like to stock the archives of the laboratory, just next to some novels he never heard of the titles.


    On the wall hung not portraits, but a set of diplomas, each one congratulating a name for their ground-breaking discoveries. While looking at them, he held even more closely the reports in his arms, assuming that, in the next months, his name will also appear on this wall.


    ¡°So then. Tell me. You need anything?¡±


    ¡°Oh right¡­ No, actually, I¡­¡±


    Trying his best to not get any more nervous than this, Friture handed his report to the Chief Researcher, giving him some time and space to read and, most importantly, acknowledge its content. He waited patiently, pretending not reading his boss¡¯s changing expression as he learnt and slowly understood what everything of this meant.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    At first, he was smiling, probably happy to see his favourite face in the morning bringing something fresh to his office. But it was quickly dropped and replaced by a frown, more and more pronounced at each page he turned.


    ¡°Is all of this true?¡±


    Maybe he gauged how serious was this revelation, or maybe he forgot to accentuate his voice to dissimulate his worries, but his voice felt grave. Friture rigidly stood still on his chair, not daring to either move or articulate a single syllable. All he could do was vividly shake his head, giving an affirmative response to his chief.


    He growled behind his beard, but didn¡¯t vocalize his thoughts. The young researcher could only speculate, imagining a number of scenarios where everything became wrong for him. Boldly announcing that he found a remedy against death was pure madness.


    ¡°Is anyone else informed of this piece?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t talk about it to anyone. I did left the notes in my lab, but I never forget to double-check if the door is well locked before leaving.¡±


    That¡¯s why he could only share this information with the person who has the most authority in the National Research Center. The Chief Researcher inspired a sort of father-like atmosphere to Friture, as he always felt a reassuring breath coursing his mind thanks to this old man. A kind of comfortable and stress-relieving person, yet still the person he had to obey and report to each time something happened.


    As the most highly ranked and soothing presence, Friture had some lingering doubts about waiting one night before rushing to him as fast as possible. The responsibilities heavily pressurized on his petite body, and the only calming medicine he knew of was the recycled excuses of the time of the day, and everyone¡¯s tired state of mind.


    He suddenly gasped for reality, thrown out of his spiralling anxiety as his consciousness abruptly reminded him of his present self, only noticing now how much time has passed and for how long they were both silent. Was one waiting for another? Friture didn¡¯t knew how to handle it, but still wanted to put an end to this, wishing to break out of this straining situation he was held in.


    ¡°Ehm¡­ Chief Researcher?¡±


    ¡°Mmh? What is it, Friture?¡±


    ¡°What is what?¡± He wanted to retort back, but instantly thought it would be outrageously rude from him. No no, if this young one came here with this stern yet already lost resolution, it was for the sole purpose of knowing of this precise answer.


    ¡°Well¡­ What are we going to do with this?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Let me ask you again. Is all of this true?


    If all of this was true? Friture felt his pride was slightly damaged. Holding on, he reminded himself that he was in the presence of the Chief Researcher, quickly restoring his discipline. Then, he started explaining the processes and the results of manipulating the divine energy. The experiences, the consequences and the collateral outcomes of this unfamiliar handling he came up with.


    The young researcher added as many details as his brain could remember. The equations he was riddling with, the unknowns and possible effects he expected, yet the unbelievable end he met. It was a revolution, a technology that would spell the end of an era, and the birth of one filled with unimaginable tales and laws.


    The Chief asked questions, and Friture answered back in order to dispel as much doubts as possible. A dark and foggy path was the most dangerous one in the world of science, and clearing it was the first step of introducing a new branch to the world.


    ¡°So that means this is not trigging immortality?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. It prevents the patient from dying due to sudden serious injuries or akin situations, but a more time-consuming method would probably be able to bypass this condition.¡±


    ¡°Then poison will still be a viable and deadly solution¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ A more, more time-consuming than poison, I think.¡±


    Friture swiftly added special specifications from the divine energy, especially its strengthening trait and boosts of vitality. That was why he first expected some kind of pills to boost the soldier¡¯s might, yet ended with this another discovery.


    ¡°Then, the only way to die while being engulfed by divine energy, is¡­¡±


    Death of old age. The most natural way to depart, would become the one and only way to leave this world.


    Armies would stop losing regiments, their numbers would never drop anymore. Families would never fear anymore losing a child, as illness would only hurt him, but not kill him. Murders and assassinations would become obsolete concepts, as stabbing would be reduced to an utterly pointless action.


    This was¡­ way more, than simply a weapon they could gift to the military officers. Coming up with the sketches for pistols wasn¡¯t really ground-breaking, or devising grenades to throw was nothing more but revised fireworks, meant for combat and not for celebration. But this¡­ This was entirely going against every morals, expectations and common senses they always lived with. Giving this piece of technology to soldiers, who were severely trained and ready to attack and throw their lives for their nation, would be equivalent to telling them everything they were prepared for was for naught.


    Friture could actually anticipate this much, however no matter how much he devoted his neurons, he couldn¡¯t come up with a correct way to even privately declare what he found out. His last hope fell on the Chief Researcher¡¯s shoulders, who was probably still trying to gulp this massive information. Finally, clicking his tongue, the old man stowed the report in a jacket, picking a pencil from a little jar and started scribbling some words on the label.


    ¡°This discovery you just made with divine energy is just too potent to be spread, even as a confidential document that only the king and a few would be permitted to read. First, we need to see if this thing has some limits and weaknesses. We¡¯ll ask for some guinea pigs from the prison. Prisoners sentenced to death preferably, to avoid the info to leak. But as a stepping stone¡­¡±


    Out of nowhere, Friture was facing the jacket and the pencil his chief was giving to him, unable to hide his surprise and confusion. Smiling while looking at this youth, the Chief declared the first little yet grand step he, and only he should cross first, as the one who uncovered this treasure.


    ¡°Name it, Friture.¡±


    The request was simple, yet incredibly hard to process and assimilate for him. He? He should be the one to find a name for this project? Still confused, he threw some glares at the Chief who was still smirking behind his desk.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who came up with it. Without you, we¡¯d still be wondering what the heck and how is this famous divine energy even working. It bends the physical laws we all knew of, but you¡¯re the one who gave it a try and, most importantly, understood more than any other researcher how divine energy flowed in the universe. That¡¯s why I think you should be the one to name this project¡­ Your project.¡±


    Glaring at the jacket, yet still confused, Friture nodded, trying to figure out a good name for this project. How should he name it? Should he give his name, and become an eternal personality in the history books? Or maybe something more exotic? But he didn¡¯t have this irrational mindset of a writer, so he quickly gave up and tried a more logical method.


    Slowly to emphasize each character, Friture wrote down the name of the project that would overthrow the current era. The project to overrule all the rules, and with science reshape them all.


    ¡°Project: New World¡±

 Chapter 2 – From theory to practice

    As an integrated member of the military forces of the Republic of Biscotti, morning wasn¡¯t the call to wake up from one¡¯s slumber, but the howling of the trumpet they all had to be accustomed to. It always resounded a little earlier than the rising of the daylight, as if someone was deliberately playing a trick on everyone. But Dragee knew that this was no joke.


    His training bashed into his head with a hammer of iron, the soldier in training easily left his bed then rapidly put on a light chainmail under the traditional white uniform, adorned with faintly coloured bands of green. Around him, he could see that familiar faces, his comrades-in-arms, were dutifully executing the same gestures. The dormitory possessed no reflecting surfaces, so everyone had to make sure their own personal uniform, and also their neighbour¡¯s, was well wore on.


    They only had a short time at their disposal to arrive at their destination, that¡¯s why they all jogged through the corridors, emerged outside in a hurry and quickly positioned themselves in a dignified salute to their still incoming superior. Dragee wasn¡¯t so deft with his gear, and tumbled behind with a little delay. Fortunately, he was still in time to welcome the captain in charge of their training.


    A freshly recruited soldier would directly be thrown into the muddy ground to steel both his body and mind, harassed by the harsh words of an officer, and pushed to his limits yet still unpermitted to give up. Discipline wasn¡¯t just some songs and words thrown at anyone, it was required to drop those trashes in the fire, let them melt until they break down, then you could forge them as almost decent men-of-war.


    However, the regiment Dragee was part of already went through this hellish beginning. Even better than formed soldiers, their good performances allowed them to open the entrance of a more honourable role. As the most promising and loyal pawns the army¡¯s heads selected, they were chosen and officially became knights-in-training.


    The usual speech began, preaching the republic¡¯s values and code of honour, its merits and its glorious past. The way the captain had with the words almost made it sound like a bad propaganda, but common sense forbad the apprentices to make any remark about it. Dragee stood still, watching and listening to the speech until the end. It was close to nerve-wrecking to know that an even more hellish training was awaiting them, while they were locked in position during those long minutes of preaching.


    Finally, they were sent away. The first exercise was the common marathon around the training ground, while loudly shooting the knight¡¯s code and such under the tutelage of the never-tired captain. Then, unlike the soldiers who were from low lineage, the knights-in-training were ordered to go and pick their equipment to start practicing their combat prowess.


    First, they needed to fetch their armour, cladding themselves with the hard and heavy plates of steel, covering their legs, their arms and their torso. They started putting on their helmet, but the captain roared that they won¡¯t be wearing their helmet this time. There was no time to be confused, as it was a direct order from their superior. Everyone put down their helmet where they picked it up, then quickly came back in position, a wooden sword sheathed at their waist and a buckler attached to their forearm.


    ¡°Select a partner, and practice with him until you shed blood!¡±


    Nobody complained, after all they were already used to beating each other until their opponent wouldn¡¯t be able to hold a grasp on his sword anymore. It was all for training, so the worst that could happen was a broken bone. Yet, while wearing such defensive gears, even a scratch would not appear on their body. Except this time, they all had their face uncovered. A slash aiming at the head wasn¡¯t against the rules, because there were no rules on the battlefield, but they all already forebode that anyone here would receive a serious injury if they weren¡¯t attentive enough.


    Dragee was randomly selected by a nearby comrade, and both prepared themselves for the incoming offensive manoeuvers of each other. Dragee quickly reassured his grip on his sword and his shield, then silently waited for the captain¡¯s signal to begin. This suspense gave more than enough time for everyone to bet who would win this time.


    Then, at last¡­


    ¡°¡­ BEGIN!!¡±


    ¡°ORRAAAAAA!!¡±


    The battlecry echoed through the whole training ground, announcing the commencement of the apprentices¡¯ duels.


    Dragee¡¯s opponent was a little bit bigger than him, meaning his own range would be shorter than his. He was already used to this disadvantage, as he was the smallest of the group.


    That was why, zealously, he rushed forward, dashing his way toward his adversary and sliced his legs. The hit missed as the foe jumped and rolled in the air, landing next do Dragee to chain with a horizontal attack at his neck.


    The sword met the shield and was deflected, but he lost no time and took advantage of his balance to throw a kick at Dragee¡¯s stomach. He twisted his body to dodge the foot, but was still barely scratched, the force of the attack sending him a meter back.


    This time, it was his contender that dashed toward him, rising his sword with the clear intention to mark his head with a bruise. Dragee felt like he was being bullied for being shorter, but quickly swallowed back his words and played with his footing to step out of the attack¡¯s direction.


    Making a quick rotation to reposition and amass kinetic energy, Dragee firmly threw the wooden blade at his opponent¡¯s back, which was skilfully parried by the opposing sword.


    A fast whirlwind of slashes and slices followed, then ended with a thrust again aiming at Dragee¡¯s neck, but was misfired in the hurry and loudly bounced on the shoulder.


    A sharp weapon would have pierced his skin, draining his blood and stamina while neutralizing his arm holding the shield, but a wooden thingy could at best inflict blunt damages in the hands of amateurs. The small apprentice gritted his teeth in order to suppress the pain, growling as he backed to catch his breath.


    ¡°You can continue?¡±


    His opponent held his ground, fully knowing the rules of the training. Once a clear hit was noted, they had to analyse the gravity of the injury, and judge if it would be detrimental to pursue the training or not. Following the rule, Dragee rolled his shoulder, pivoted his arm and tested his hand to see if he could notice any abnormalities. The funny thing was, despite the burning pain he felt on the instant, the actual evaluation he made proved that his body was well trained to resist such attacks.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He smirked, satisfied, before readying himself for another round.


    ***


    ¡°Halt! In position, apprentices!¡±


    The training was suddenly put to a stop by the captain who ordered the trainees to come back in position. They quickly understood that it was for saluting another superior arriving, but this time, they all were formally aware of what presence was approaching. Everybody held their breath, hoping to display the best of them, while Dragee could feel a cold sweet on his back.


    ¡°Everyone, salute Paladron d¡¯Arquien, First General of the army!¡±


    Introduced by the captain, the group of rookies couldn¡¯t help but try and steal glance at the most inspiring and charismatic person of the military forces of the republic. In short words, he was at the head of the army, the one receiving orders directly from His Majesty and commanding all of the troops that were wearing the uniform of Biscotti. Not only was he a born leader, even his might was plenty splendid and proved to be the definitive strategy to overwhelm the enemy.Stolen novel; please report.


    His severe eyes were scanning the surrounding apprentices, as if he was looking for a wolf in a sheep cloth in his own troops. His long and brown ears were standing straight on top of his head, looking like they were able to listen to anyone¡¯s heartbeat. He really looked like your resolute commander, one able to make the needed decision at the most critical times. He really looked like the kind of man in charge, capable of sacrificing whatever he needed to in order to protect his country and his people.


    In comparison, Dragee felt somewhat ridicule with his short size, his falling green canine ears, his frail stature and his weak strength. He always felt a sort of wall in front of him that even those long-lasting years of hardship on the training ground couldn¡¯t break down. Deep inside him, he felt limited. It shamed him, but also motivated him to bring the better of himself. If he couldn¡¯t do it now, he would eventually manage to achieve it another day.


    Paladron was whispering with the captain, and even if the apprentice at the front could hear if they perked their ears, nobody dared to eaves-drop on the First General. The captain seemed somehow flustered, probably was he trying to confirm the thoughts of the general or something like that, because he then did his best to hide his dejection on his face while looking at Dragee.


    ¡°I¡¯m screwed¡± he deeply thought. He didn¡¯t know why or for what reason, but if your superior in charge was throwing you this face, it could only bring bad omen over your head. He held his breath, waiting for whatever was coming at him.


    ¡­


    ¡°Dragee Martinozzi! Come forth!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Still obeying his captain¡¯s order, Dragee brought himself under the spotlight, walking out of the group¡¯s position and, without flinching, stood straight there, and once more waiting for his superior¡¯s words.


    ¡°Starting today, you will be transferred to the National Research Institute sector. Go deposit your equipment, then you will be placed under the orders of your First General.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    It took all discipline Dragee learnt to avoid biting his tongue in this dire situation. Transferred to the research center? This basically meant that he would be leading a guinea pig¡¯s life for now. He would be the first to experiment the mad scientists¡¯ attempts, and succumb to the ? so unforeseen bad effects they could bring. Swallowing back his sigh, Dragee returned his plates, sword and shield, only wearing the uniform when he came back standing next to Paladron.


    The pressure, of course, was immense on him. The event was unexpected, and was about to change his whole life in the army. He didn¡¯t want any of this, but knew he had no choice but to follow the orders he was given.


    And to make everything worse, the First General was scanning him once more. Was he gauging his strength? Was he evaluating his body¡¯s muscles? It was¡­ Embarrassing, knowing that even Dragee wasn¡¯t proud of his lack of prowess. But he stood still, maybe hoping that showing a strong fa?ade would convince him.


    ¡°Good, follow me now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Did it work? Somehow, Dragee wasn¡¯t hoping that it did. His hope laid elsewhere, on the possibility that he would be able to come back, healthy and in one piece.


    ***


    As soon as they arrived at the research center¡¯s door, Dragee was abandoned like a puppy by Paladron, derelict in front of the assistant in a white lab coat who led him in the bizarre place that was the home of the scientists. Opening the door of one of the sealed laboratory, Dragee was invited to step inside, before seeing the assistant closing the door behind him and disappearing for another duty.


    Inside the room stood two persons, also wearing the usual white lab coat, the typical so-called uniform of the thinkers. One was as short as him, with distinctive orange hair and round ears, while the other was bigger in many terms, and also seemingly older.


    ¡°Dragee Martinozzi, I presume? Welcome to the National Research Institute. I am the Chief Researcher, and this young one here is Friture Elmar, a brilliant mind.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Dragee.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Thanks.¡±


    More used to the military ways than the normal introductions, Dragee was slightly feeling at loss here, trying to keep his composure but unable to hide his uneasiness.


    ¡°Did they explain to you the purpose of this experiment?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Not really. The First General, Paladron d¡¯Arquien, gave me a short word on the subject, but was insistent on the confidential aspect of this experiment.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you were accompanied by the First General himself? That must have been quite the walk, right? Ah ah!¡±


    Should he laugh? Shouldn¡¯t he? His discipline and his admiration for the First General prevented him to do anything about this, be it stupid or natural.


    ¡°There is no need to be so strict, but well¡­ It is indeed a very confidential experiment we are about to start. At first, I wanted some prisoners we could discreetly execute at the end of each try, unfortunately it proved to be more difficult on the paper. That¡¯s why it all fell on your shoulder, as a knight-in-training who proved his loyalty¡­ Sorry about that.¡±


    The Chief tried to comfort Dragee, but he was no fool. He still knew that¡­ Or was even more convinced that news leaking of this experiment would be sufficient to¡­ Bring something big on them. He lacked the vocabulary to describe it, but was still able to understand this much, making him even more worried that he was.


    ¡°Then, shall we begin? Please remove your clothes. You can keep your underwear.¡±


    Being ordered by a short scientist felt awkward for Dragee, but dared not to complain and did as he was told. They firstly needed to make sure their guinea pig was in good health, palpated various places on his body, measured his internal temperature, checked for anything wrong that would not be evident to appear for the naked eyes.


    Seeing that the medical tests were satisfying, they led the apprentice inside a medium-sized chamber, and locked the door behind him. The new room¡¯s wall was covered with white blankets or cushions, same with the floor. It was probably to prevent their guinea pig to hurt itself in some way.


    ¡°Please, stand in the middle of the room.¡±


    The voice strangely echoed from somewhere, yet Dragee could still clearly hear them. Again, it was the young researcher that asked him. What was his name again? Friture something something¡­ Whatever, he did what he was told, not hiding anymore his worried thoughts for the scientists.


    ¡°So¡­ What am I supposed to do, now?¡±


    Actually, he kind of expected to use a new kind of weapon, or digest a new sort of pill. Standing and waiting in a white and empty room was outside of his expectations, nourishing his anxiety even more.


    ¡°Can you hear me, Dragee? I¡¯m the Chief Researcher, and I¡¯ll be leading this experiment. Right now, Friture is making the last adjustments. It will take a short minute until¡­ Oh, it¡¯s done. Well, are you ready? How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°I feel¡­ Normal?¡±


    Not knowing what kind of answer to give, Dragee honestly answered on his physical state. Despite his burdened shoulder, he still was able to give or receive a punch, so he did feel fine, for now.


    ¡°Alright. Then we¡¯ll begin experiment n¡ã1. Please don¡¯t hesitate to shoot if you feel weird or something.¡±


    Should he still feel fine in this situation?


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll start a countdown of five seconds. At the end of the countdown, Friture will start filling your room with divine energy. I¡¯m sure you know what it is, right?¡±


    Yeah, it was the stuff that fuelled some weapons he heard of. And now, they¡¯re going to fill the room with this same energy. Nothing suspicious here.


    ¡°I will repeat myself. If you feel anything weird, don¡¯t hesitate to shoot. It¡¯s a cruel necessity, but for the record I will need you to understand that Friture and I are the only ones to judge if the experiment need to be put to a halt. If you understand, then raise your right arm and say it loudly.¡±


    The rules were kind of boring, but well¡­ Rules were rules. Abiding, Dragee raised his right arm, shooting at an invisible person that he clearly understood, repeating the words the Chief Researcher told him to say.


    ¡°Perfect. Thank you for your contribution, Dragee. I will now start the countdown.¡±


    5¡­


    He took a large breathe in.


    4¡­


    He savoured the instant.


    3¡­


    He expelled the air in his lungs, trying his best to calm down his throbbing heart.


    2¡­


    Soon. It will soon begin. He will be exposed to the dangerous divine energy for the first time of his life.


    1¡­


    Will he be able to come back to tell his tale?


    0¡­ Spreading the divine energy inside the chamber.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Dragee, how do you feel? Still fine?¡±


    When did he close his eyes? Was it due to fear? He felt like he was pulled out of a long slumber.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Yeah. Nothing to report, here.¡±


    Did it fail? He felt no different at all¡­ Or so he thought. Actually, he felt¡­ Quite fine. He only noticed now that his shoulder didn¡¯t pain him anymore. Did it simply vanish, or had those researcher did something to him?


    ¡°Really? Nothing at all?¡±


    So they DID do something.


    ¡°Now that you ask¡­ I don¡¯t feel any more pain from my shoulder.¡±


    They indeed diagnosed a slight injury at his shoulder. Nothing serious, but it was still there. And now it was gone.


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s good. Now grit your teeth really hard.¡±


    ¡­ What?


    Before he could see anything, his face was smacking a sudden shovel appearing out of nowhere, from an orifice in the wall certainly, but he lost consciousness too quickly to notice it.


    Yes, it was painful. Painful enough that his brain called for a break, and put Dragee in a coma-like state.


    Then, his body exploded in a thick mist.


    ¡°Quick, disperse the fog!¡±


    Someone activated the ventilators from the chamber to suck up the mist. And when everything became once more clear, Friture and the Chief Researcher looked for the body of their guinea pig.


    Then, there he stood, lying flat on the ground¡­ In the form of a furry ball.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­ It worked!¡±

 Chapter 3 – The rules of war

    The medical team rushed near the chamber¡¯s entrance, waiting for its unsealing procedure to be done before running inside to the rescue. They were positioned beforehand by the Chief Researcher, just in case something bad happened in order to treat as fast as possible the injuries Dragee would sadly suffer through the experiment.


    The nurses and doctors were stupefied when they tumbled upon a furry ball. However, even with a worried expression on their face, they still went and examined the apprentice to see if anything was wrong with him. The sight truly was unbelievable for them. A few couldn¡¯t help but giggle when looking at what had become the guinea pig, while the ones cross-examining him didn¡¯t knew where to begin.


    The best they could do was check for any injuries, bruises, broken bones, organ failures, haemorrhages. At the end of this quick check, they showed a thumbs up at the window where stood the Chief Researcher and Friture.


    Dragee was fine.


    On Friture¡¯s side, his happiness was clearly tangible as he wrote down notes after notes, validating some remaining points in his theory, and throwing away his old and finally resolved equations behind him. How could he not be happy? The experiment was a success on the first try.


    Actually, he knew from the beginning that it would work. He just didn¡¯t know HOW it would work. There would always be this constant variable of randomness and impossible-to-expect situations. Fortunately, nothing bad happened here. It was even better than predicted.


    Divine energy didn¡¯t only prevent death, it even prevented the body from suffering serious injury and blackout with a sudden peak of regenerative condition placed on the patient. The only less-brighter side was, apparently, it made the body shrink in the form of a sphere, probably due to the immense exhaustion the body was exposed to suddenly. What this meant was still a mystery for Friture, but right now it wasn¡¯t as important as the celebration of this huge success.


    Meanwhile, the medical team dragged Dragee in another room to rest, still keeping him under strict surveillance and periodic verifications of his physical and mental state. What worried him the most was if he would ever again regain his already short size one day.


    But, while looking at everything happening under his nose, the direst piece of news to Peche Amaretto was¡­ What the heck just happened?


    As a spy in disguise, his job simply consisted of robbing the identity of a character from the research center, and act like a guard patrolling or an assistant busily running around. Fooling the already focused mind of the researcher wasn¡¯t that complicated, as long as they didn¡¯t ask him questions that were too complicated. But again, they were so busy with their studies that nobody would notice.


    His infiltration was a success, making him grin whenever he thought of the security level of the Republic of Biscotti. It was supposed to be heavily guarded, yet he was easily able to steal one of the nurse¡¯s plate, lock her away, and play her role without anyone noticing any change.


    ¡°Fools¡± he always thought.


    But now? After hearing of a secret experiment, his duty obliged him to participate as an observer. The less distance he put with the scenery, the better. And what unfolded before his eyes shattered most of the things he knew about the concepts of war. If people stopped dying, then¡­ Who would hire assassins? At best kidnapping would still be in the business, but even torturing would become pointless if this divine energy came in the way.


    However, at the same time¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that become the most successful barrier to protect one¡¯s king? If nobody was able to kill the highest authority, if it became impossible for one¡¯s army to lose his head thanks to this semi-immortal protection, then wouldn¡¯t it be for the best?


    If Peche could bring back the method to render any stab under the table ineffective and puerile, just how rich and glorious would he become? The gain was formidable. It was way too much to be ignored. Way too dangerous for the enemy to possess it.


    He needed to act swiftly and decisively, leaving no traces nor witnesses behind him.


    Excusing himself of his assistant¡¯s duty, he returned to his base, still thinking on the best scheme to secure the documents. He inserted the keys in the hole, unlocking the mechanism behind the door before entering his secret pathway. An underground corridor, meant for evacuating the castle in a final attempt to live for another day. Fortunately, the wars were being waged far away from the capital, so he expected nobody to come and clean this place.


    Now arrived, he put his mind at peace, focusing his entire being to the next step of the plan.


    ¡°¡­ I hate to do this¡­¡±


    He threw away his civilian clothes, standing naked in front of a cleverly-made set of equipment. The leather was thick enough to deflect a badly oriented blade or to put a brake to a slightly more experienced one, while still light enough to allow a good flexibility and agility from its owner.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°¡­ I really hate to do this¡­¡±


    The many belts were meant to tighten the whole gear. They were also very handy when it came to holding some pouches for the various accessories he loved playing with. White powder to blind the enemy, black powder to fumigate the passage and open an escape, easy-to-dissolve poison just in case, reactive ointment for the blade to make it more deadly, and bandages because you always needed some.


    ¡°¡­ Like, I should wait for the night to fall¡­¡±


    As a veteran in the field of assassination, he always preferred long-bladed dagger, with a maw of teeth at the base for butchering alive his opponent. The more damage he could dealt with one hit, the better.


    And, as a veteran in the field of espionage, he also developed a certain sixth sense for precarious situations. Right now, this little voice was telling him to get out of here as fast as possible, before they locked the document in a faraway place and spread the technology with everyone in the army.


    ¡°¡­ But I guess it¡¯s part of the business... Oh right, I almost forgot¡­¡±


    Fully equipped, he walked toward a heavy door. It was at first meant to serve as a bunker or something similar he thought, but it also was pretty useful when you desired to lock away someone.


    Opening the creaking entrance, his eyes, already adapted to the darkness, laid on the famished body of a young person. There was so much blood, it was hard to find a speck of skin that wasn¡¯t red. Looking at the scar on his head, anyone could guess that this one wasn¡¯t born earless. At the jointures, the bones were exposed, either because of a fracture, dismemberment or removing of the flesh. Nobody would expect this corpse to still breathe, and yet...


    ¡°¡­ We said no witness¡­ Sorry?...¡±


    ***


    When Friture finally came out of his frenzy, everyone already left for another place. There were two large bundle of papers on his desk, all were notes he had quickly written in a hurry, fearing he would lost his inspiration if he ever stopped just to drink his coffee.


    ¡°Now that I¡¯m thinking of coffee, I¡¯d like a cup¡­¡±


    With his fatigued eyes, he looked for his preferred cup that always was somewhere there. Maybe he forgot to bring it back from the cafeteria, he thought with a hint of indignation. He wanted his cup of coffee, yet was too tired to stand up and go look after it, so he simple kept sitting on his chair, stretching his sore arms before lying on the desk.


    The experiment was a success. He couldn¡¯t stop saying those words in his head again and again, making himself waving his tail in self-inflicted joy.


    What to do, now? Should he just sleep and wait for the Chief to come back with the next plan? For the first time, Friture felt tired, uninspired to plunge his head in his study for today. He just wanted to laze around for the rest of the day.


    Just¡­ Laze around¡­ And¡­


    ¡°Forget it, I want my coffee.¡±


    Unable to bear the boredom anymore, Friture found the strength to stand up, stretching his legs this time, then walked in the direction of the cafeteria, hoping to find his cup in this place. He usually left it inside a furniture, or next to the coffee machine, so it had to be there.


    Once entering the cafeteria, he noticed the room was empty. It was still a large room, big enough to act as a canteen for half of the researchers. You would usually find two or three colleagues in the area, but it looked like nobody was here this time. Somehow, he felt it was kind of creepy. Maybe his imagination playing tricks on him.


    Guiding himself toward the backroom to fetch some grains, Friture brought the sack to the coffee machine, preparing a spoonful before¡­ Where was his cup again? He looked around hi-


    ¡°AAAAAAH!!!¡±


    ¡°AAAAAAH!!!¡±


    Friture and Dragee both screamed at each other, the first dropping his spoon while the latter lost his bread, yet skilfully caught it back before it landed on the ground.


    ¡°You-You scared me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one frightened here!¡±


    Picking up the dropped spoon, Friture waited for his heart to stop beating so much, before sighing a little.


    ¡°So-sorry. I didn¡¯t know there was someone here.¡±


    ¡°Ehm¡­ It¡¯s okay. Maybe I should have announced myself when I heard you coming¡­ Wait, you¡¯re¡­ Friture, right?¡±


    The researcher¡¯s ears perked up, reacting to its name pronounced by the apprentice knight.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. And you¡¯re Dragee, if I don¡¯t spell it wrong? Sorry for using you as guinea pig¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean this thing with the divine energy? Well, there was no harm done, so¡­¡±


    Dragee scratched his beaten cheek. He did took a splendid shot at the face, yet it was like it was nothing more than a past dream.


    ¡°¡­ I guess it¡¯s fine? Actually, I¡¯m more impressed by what happened. After the pain, I suddenly¡­ Like, felt better all of a sudden. And when I thought for a second, I found myself in this strange form, before finally growing back to normal after a rest.¡±


    He manipulated his fingers to prove his well-being to Friture, still amazed by this unique experience.


    ¡°So it can basically make you immortal, does it?¡±


    ¡°No. It only prevents death, and blackout as well apparently. Ah ah¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference, anyway?¡±


    Asked about this miraculous project, Friture couldn¡¯t help himself but explain the process to Dragee, detailing the specifications and the details about this particular manipulation of divine energy. But his speech was interrupted by another man that made his arrival in the cafeteria.


    ¡°¡­ Seriously Friture¡­ Next time you disappear from your lab looking for coffee, put a tab on the door¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, ehm¡­. Sorry.¡±


    Out of habit, Friture apologised for whatever wrong he did¡­ Only to notice now the strangeness of the scene. In one hand, the man was holding a familiar jacket, and in the other hand a reddened and damp dagger.


    Blood rushed only once through the head of Friture. What he was facing wasn¡¯t a colleague, but a man ready to eliminate anything in his path to assure his victory.


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re the last one to understand how this shit work¡­. Oh man, you HAD to be accompanied¡­¡±


    The spy dropped the jacket on a nearby table to free his hand, slowly making his way toward the young researcher and the apprentice knight to finish his job.


    ¡°¡­ Friture, stay behind me.¡±


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re the guinea pig they used, right?... Well, I need to take care of any witnesses, so¡­ Sorry?¡±

 Chapter 4 – The Dagger and the Knight

    Dragee was even more in a pitch than what he wished for. Unequipped, no weapons handing at his waist, no buckler attached to his forearm, not even the chainmail he had to remove for the experiment, only wearing a shirt, pants and shoes while he rested. And confronting him would be an assassin that was either stupid enough to bring himself in broad light, skilful enough to arrogantly show himself, or desperately eager to leave this place and, as he previously mentioned, let no witness stay alive.


    Shaking behind his back, Friture stood motionless, not averting his eyes from the enemy. He should¡­ Right, he should calm down. But he couldn¡¯t. What if¡­ What if this was his last remaining day? Would he really perish here, inside the research center, stabbed to death by the rival nation¡¯s spy? Just the day following the moment he discovered a way to prevent death, he would be about to cross the boundary that separated the living from the dead. What irony.


    Would he¡­ Would he really die here? He was still so young. He still had so much more to accomplish on this ground. Couldn¡¯t he¡­ Wasn¡¯t it somehow possible to postpone it? No. Of course not. Why would an assassin gladly wait for his target to serenely finish his last objectives in life, before trespassing under the ire of his dagger? Of course that wouldn¡¯t happen. He would helplessly end his course here and now¡­ Then, his glare laid on Dragee¡¯s shoulders. He too was shaking. Slightly, but still.


    After all, even as a full-fledged soldier, even as a knight-in-training, how could he not fear death? Everybody feared death. Everybody wanted to live for another day. It was just that, sometimes, one¡¯s own life was more important than another. And to preserve it, you would either have to sacrifice someone¡¯s, or murder your opponent with your own hands. This was also part of what Dragee still had to learn on the battleground. This was still the part of war he had trouble dealing with.


    ¡°¡­ So¡­ You¡¯re just going to stand there, right?...¡±


    Masterfully playing with his sharp weapon on the edge of his fingers, Peche locked his eyes on the body of his opponent. Kind of young, lacking confidence, and not wearing any arm or armour under that shirt. It was still plausible that a tiny blade was hidden between the elastic of the pant, but he doubted that was the case here. Curiously, things went better than he expected.


    That was good. Real good. But he didn¡¯t let it fool himself. He was still on enemy territory, and unfortunately he did met some resistance on the way here. They died as silently as he could, however time was too short to clean the mess. The best he could hope now was that nobody found the corpses lazily lying on the floor and¡­


    IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH!!!


    ¡­ And it¡¯s gone! Great! He clicked his tongue in annoyance, leaving him with only so much time to narrow down his number of action for this round.


    ¡°¡­ Well, someone found the corpses. I bet I have¡­. What? Five minutes, before they send in the guards...?¡±


    Maybe even less if they hear Dragee or Friture shooting. Closing the doors was exactly for the purpose of chocking their muffles, but he didn¡¯t expect them to be soundproof. Having learnt the plan of the center, and quite well knowing how the military was organized in this sector, Peche calculated and set the timer in his head for how much time he had before having to disappear from here.


    Five minutes¡­ That was way more than enough to take care of two more bodies, right?


    He seized a chair with his free hand, then threw it at Dragee in a way that looked very easy. Stupefied by this show of strength, yet not backing down, the apprentice caught the chair in the air¡­ Just in time to block the fast-paced stab from the enemy. The blade pierced the seat, but quickly retreated and had its trajectory readjusted, before being blocked again in the same way. The pattern repeated itself several times, but they both knew the chair would eventually break under the damage.


    ¡°Friture! Run away!¡±


    That was the best move he could think of in the fire of the fight. He was clearly at a disadvantage, and the best thing he could do against this assassin was blocking his blade with a frail chair. Brought back to reality, Friture looked right then left, then departed for a room behind the kitchen to hide himself.


    Okay. All Dragee needed to do now was buy as much time as necessary¡­ But looking at the badly damaged shield he was holding, he decided to drop it on Peche, gaining a very limited yet extremely precious amount of time. Just enough to move aside, cast his arm, grab the nearest item in the vicinity, and pared the dagger with a pan.


    ¡°¡­ Seriously? A pan...?¡±


    ¡°Eh eh¡­¡±


    It sure looked ridiculous, however it seemed to play a good job as an improvised weapon. Like this, they exchanged blows after blows. Peche mounting the furniture to try and flank Dragee, who did his best to deflect the slashes aiming at his neck or his vitals. This spy sure knew where to hit, but the apprentice was still better at melee combat.


    Somewhere between their combos, Dragee caught a glimpse in his enemy¡¯s movement, and managed to land a hit in the face. It produced a loud sound, sending back Peche who seemed half-stunned¡­ And half-annoyed. A victory song echoed in Dragee¡¯s head, telling him that he could do it at this pace.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°¡­ Ahhh, damn it¡­ I¡¯m starting to be short on time¡­¡±


    Due to some futile and unexpected resistance from a certain naked soldier, Peche lost more than a dozen of opportunities to quickly finish his job. Harassed by a mere bug, he grabbed the powder inside his pocket, and threw it at Dragee¡¯s eyes. The sudden gesture from his opponent took him off-guard, and turned him blind for a few winks. But this was more than enough time to¡­


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    A sharp pain invaded his forearm. His eyesight suppressed, he still did his best to avoid any stupid blunder, and swung his pan in every direction in order to give him the time to remove the grains in his eyes.


    ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t be stupid¡­¡±


    Then. It became too much to bear.


    ¡°¡­ It¡¯ll just make it more painful¡­¡±


    The blade pierced his skin, perforating a couple of organs and landing not far from the spine. To make sure his prey would definitely stop thinking about struggling, he twisted the blade many times inside the wound, broadening the opening while letting more and more blood flowing out of the cut.


    It just¡­ It was too much for Dragee. They never got stabbed during the training, even while duelling nothing bad happened to any one of them. This day, this instant truly marked him, teaching him that, sometimes, you couldn¡¯t swim against the flow. How much time did his courageous deeds made them spent in this fight? Were the five minutes already elapsed? Where are the reinforcements? Damn they were late¡­


    And just when Peche was raising his dagger to terminate his opponent, he suddenly received a weak hit on his head. Reacting instantly and switching back to battle mode, he¡­ Almost laughed, noticing that he now was confronting his second and last target: Friture Elmar, the man who discovered a method to utilize the divine energy, and the one who named the project it was based upon. The man at the source of everything was holding a broom in his hand.


    What the heck was he hoping to contribute in this fight, he scowled himself internally. He was no fighter, and had virtually no mean to help Dragee in this situation. Well, at least he attracted his attention, so maybe Dragee would be able to stay alive? That was the sole consolation he could find in this nightmarish situation.


    ¡°¡­ Well, game over for you¡­ Sorry...?¡±


    Peche seized the young researcher¡¯s arm, disarming him from his pathetic weapon and resolve, then raised the dagger and ended another life this day.


    ¡­ Or so he thought, but a powerful punch threw him aside, before being pushed against the ground by a remarkable weight¡­ By someone who was profusely bleeding on his back.


    ¡°Dragee!¡±


    ¡°I still can fight!¡±


    The apprentice knight, with his new-found strength, did his best to neutralize the assassin by applying as much weight as possible. The problem was he was struggling under his grip, and his fatigue only made it harder to fight back.


    ¡°Release me! I¡¯ll cut you to pieces!¡±


    ¡°Not today, scum!¡±


    Brutally slammed against the floor by a foot, Peche almost lost consciousness under this abrupt and immense might he was now facing. Just who? Just who was able to possess this much strength in this place?


    ¡°G¡­ General¡­?¡±


    ¡­ Oh, right. Well, shit.


    Peche resigned himself to his fate. He understood it clearly, he was only a spy, with some talent for assassination, but that was all. Fighting head on against a knight, even an apprentice one, was already a feat that surprised him. But against the First General Paladron d¡¯Arquien? That was too much of a joke.


    ¡°Take him to custody.¡±


    Two knight grabbed his arms, while a third tied a rope in his mouth to prevent him from suiciding.  Now fully secured, the prisoner was led to the prison until further instructions from Paladron.


    But now, about the two remaining victims of the attempted murder¡­ The young researcher seemed more freaked than hurt, however you couldn¡¯t say the same for the one lying on the ground.


    ¡°Medics! We have an injured!¡±


    Someone shouted behind him out of habit, letting a team of white coated characters come and bring Dragee out of here.


    Dragee Martinozzi. He was only an apprentice, but clearly stood and fought as a true knight. At the end of the day, he would need to serve him a rightful reward for this heroic feat. But that was for another time. Right now¡­ His eyes laid on the shaking man that almost saw himself being stabbed to death. A group of nurses were already there to comfort him, looking for any injury he could have sustained. But he kept repeating that he was fine, and that they needed to bring Dragee inside the chamber in his lab. For medical purposes, certainly.


    Paladron walked in front of the traumatized little boy and caught his attention.


    ¡°Are you Friture Elmar?¡±


    He knew his name? Friture didn¡¯t knew how or why, but still nodded. His thoughts, confused, were still in the process of rearranging themselves for now.


    ¡°I am Paladron d¡¯Arquien, First General of the army of Biscotti. I am glad you survived.¡±


    He was glad? Well, it was always good to know that some people were worried about your well-being.


    ¡°The Chief Researcher mentioned your resume to me. I will need you to follow me to my quarters once everything is settled here.¡±


    The Chief Researcher talked about him? Oh right, it was probably because of the Project: New World. He was directly related to this project, so of course his name would reach the ears of people like him.


    ¡°Alright. Do you¡­ Do you need me to bring anything?¡±


    ¡°No. I will only need you to sign some papers instead of the Chief Researcher.¡±


    Sign some papers¡­ Instead of the Chief Researcher? Friture couldn¡¯t explain it clearly, but he somehow felt that something was wrong. Why should he do the work of his superior? Did something happen to him? Why did¡­ Why the face of the assassin crossed his mind at the thought?


    ¡°It is a sad news to bring to you, but, while you were the target of the assassin, it appears the Chief Researcher was the first on his list.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°The Chief Researcher is dead.¡±


    So¡­ So it happened. The Chief Researcher¡­ Was dead. This father-like person, who knew how to take light things lightly and serious stuff seriously. This inspiring presence for Friture¡­ Was now gone. But, be it cruel or whatever, Paladron had businesses to attend to, and was forced to leave the area. Yet, he still left a last note for Friture before disappearing behind the walls of the cafeteria.


    ¡°You are the only and last one who fully comprehend the technology and the means behind Project: New World. In place of the deceased Head of the National Research Center, we will need you to act as the new project leader.¡±


    That moment, Friture¡¯s consciousness decided it was too hard to accept, and made him black out.

 Chapter 5 – Where the equation fails

    The room had its light shut, covering its corners, its floor and its furniture with a blacker shade of their texture. The windows were closed, the lamps were turned off, not even the small fire of a candle was brightening the motionless Friture.


    Quick! Bring him to the white chamber!


    The sole source of lightness came from the slightly opened door. Barely enough to let nobody see him, lazily laying on his desk, locking himself behind a barrier of thoughts and regrets.


    We can still save him! Help me!


    It was strange. Truly. Every day, they are reminisced of how fragile, how petite they are in this gigantesque, bloodthirsty world they keep walking on. Every day, they woke up, ate, worked until the sun set, enjoyed the remaining hours, and then went to sleep.


    Medics, stabilize him! And wait for my signal!


    Of course it was always there. But because it was always there, we kept forgetting about this simple fact. It was like we were made to easily break on anything. A gust of wind, a ridiculous pebble thrown at us, and suddenly, it was gone. We were gone.


    Okay! Three, two, one¡­ Go!


    ¡­


    It didn¡¯t work.


    ¡­


    The divine energy. It didn¡¯t do its work. It didn¡¯t magically healed its injuries, turned him into a small furry ball and all. It didn¡¯t save him at all. It couldn¡¯t save him any longer.


    It was evident that Friture wasn¡¯t responsible for this failure, yet he couldn¡¯t help but feel responsible for what happened. He was so proud of what his researches made possible, he was so glad he finally found some concrete answers on his road across the abyssal world of science. But it was like it was all for naught, the moment he had to accept that he couldn¡¯t save him anymore, that he had to let it go forever.


    Burdened by those regrets, this blaming sensation, he lazily laid on his desk, not even having the impulse to close his eyes and call it a dream. His cup of coffee was already cold. Someone must have brought it to him to ease his heartache, yet he either not noticed, or didn¡¯t have the spirit to sip it.


    With a hint of deception, Friture looked at his notes, the ones he so gleefully wrote during the first and fortuitous experiment. Maybe his flattened hopes made him too pessimist to smile at them, however, for some reasons he decided to not elude, those words he wrote down somehow sounded like fat lies. It resembled a kid¡¯s prank, an utopic joke from a romantic poet.


    His scientific mind argued with this idea. His reasonable self-made him reminisced of everything he had discovered and proved about this peculiar essence. Actually, he already knew this would happen, but his sentimental part ceased to listen to anything else, and blindly believed this stupid plan of using divine energy on a corpse.


    Divine energy could only prevent death, after all.


    He already knew, yet¡­ Yeah, he was dumb to listen to his heart, and follow some nonsensical theory from his maddening panic. And now, he felt sad, disheartened, betrayed, but still couldn¡¯t find the strength to shed a single tear.


    ¡°Was I so focused on my studies that I unconsciously modelled my own self¡­? To not overreact in those kind of situations? I say that, but I couldn¡¯t stop myself from shaking in fear when the spy tried to kill me.


    It¡¯s cruel of me. I am feeling melancholic, however I am not feeling like crying. It¡¯s like¡­ It¡¯s like I was already prepared for this. Or so I fear¡­ Did I really, without me noticing a thing, prepared my soul and mind for this event, or was I just not attached that much to him? I feel like dying¡­¡±


    ¡°Is someone there? Mr. Elmar, is it you?¡±


    The well-maintained doors of the research center wouldn¡¯t make a creak whenever someone pushed them, even intentionally in a slow motion. It wasn¡¯t any sound that woke up Friture from his semi-slumber, but the slightly rising brightness of the room, and the small and worried voice of Dragee.


    The military man noticed the frail presence of the young researcher, half-hidden behind the stack of scrolls and little devices. Sighing in relief, he entered the room, but without knowing how to turn on the light, he could only fully open the door to lighten the place.


    ¡°Sorry to intrude. I¡¯ve received a notification. The First General still hasn¡¯t come back, so I thought I should tell you that¡­ That we¡¯ll have a longer break than anticipated, so I thought we could maybe¡­ Share some time together?¡±


    Why was he hesitating? Because the scene Dragee was confronted to was different from what he expected. He was told by the others that Friture felt down since the incident, that¡¯s why he decided to pass by and cheer up on the little guy. No matter how generous his intentions were, the apprentice kind of completely discarded the step of planning his moves. Fighting a resolute assassin was way easier than consoling a compatriot.


    On Friture¡¯s side, he didn¡¯t know how to respond to this man¡¯s approach. He knew it was impolite to hear a question, and not answering it, but, at the same time, his brain was still in the process of analysing and acknowledging the situation. He was looking directly at Dragee, so he couldn¡¯t pretend to be asleep anymore. Should he¡­ Shouldn¡¯t he¡­ He concluded he wasn¡¯t in the mood for a friendly chat, burying himself even more behind his studies¡¯ results.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ For the Chief Researcher. Everyone told me how zealous you were back there. What you did was brave.¡±


    Brave? He furiously ordered a group of busy people to carry a corpse across the whole center, drop it in the center of a bizarre white chamber, and wait for it until they could finally zip it and take it away because he miserably attempted to resurrect a dead man. How was it even remotely brave? How would any one qualify his actions as brave? No. He was only stupid, from beginning to end.


    ¡°You know. Thanks to your thing, I was able to survive the aftermath of the fight. According to the doctor, my stomach and my¡­ How did he call it again¡­ There was a muscle over there, he said, and¡­ Ah, I forgot¡­¡±


    That¡¯s right. Just after the Chief Researcher was cleared from the chamber, it was Dragee¡¯s turn to enter and undergo the machinery-guided application of divine energy on his body, restoring his body back to normal after a little transition to furry ball mode. Once more, the spectators called it a miracle, but the medics wouldn¡¯t see it this way, and still bandaged the belly of the injured hero.


    It was kind of silly to wear lots of bandages under his shirt while his wound clearly disappeared under the beneficial influence of the divine energy, however they wouldn¡¯t have let him go without many examinations and this pack of rolls around him.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°¡­ Nevermind that, I wanted to let you know that I¡­ You saved me. Thank you for saving me, Mr. Elmar.¡±


    ¡°Shut up¡­ You¡¯re only making it worse¡­¡±


    Dragee had no way to see the reaction of Friture. Was he pleased, surprised, happy to hear this? Whatever was the right answer, the apprentice felt that he needed to say those words since he got out of bed after his rest. So he came, and said them. He told Friture how grateful he was that he invented such a miraculous method to save people.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t save people, it only prevents death¡­¡±


    They were silent for a moment now. Dragee emptied his heart, and Friture was still motionless on his desk. In the end, Dragee warmly smiled, leaving some last words before departing.


    ¡°You really created something amazing. I hope more people will be able to benefit from it.¡±


    He walked past the door and looked one last time at the young researcher who never spoke a word since then. He pondered if he should close the door before returning to his duty. Yeah, maybe he should, leaving the door half-open as it was before his arrival.


    His footsteps echoed lesser and lesser, until everything went silent again, as if his passage never happened at all. Silence in the room, with a tinge of repressed cries coming from its depths.


    ¡°¡­ But thank you, for telling me this¡­¡±


    ***


    Peche suddenly received the content of a bucket full of water, forcibly pulling him out of his knocked out state. Confused by this abrupt method to interrupt someone¡¯s peaceful sleep, his narrowed eyes scanned his surrounding, requiring some time to adapt to the dim light of the room.


    How long was he unconscious? Probably long enough for his enemies to carry him from the research center to some basements of the castle. Certainly the prison, after ascertaining the heavy and dark bricks surrounding him, and the eye-hurting lack of luminosity.


    He tried to move his legs, but was prevented to by a singular metallic clatter. A rapid check made him learn that he was tightly chained to his chair by some cumbersome links, shackled to his place with no option out. Peche could only wait and let his sight get accustomed to the piece, yet he wasn¡¯t even allowed to enjoy this simple break.


    ¡°Throw another bucket. He doesn¡¯t seem to feel well to me.¡±


    A few seconds after the order was given, Peche was once more showered. He was still drowsy, but now all his senses were at full throttle, every nerves of his body sending alarms to his brain, informing him of the hopeless situation he was threw in.


    ¡°That will be all, you can leave it to me.¡±


    From around him, he could hear the weighty steps of many persons. Probably soldiers, who were ordered to exit the place and return to their legitimate duty. In all honesty, Peche knew that he was screwed. It was part of the job¡¯s description, so he was always more or less ready for the day it would happen. Mentally prepared, but not physically.


    He opened his eyes to see who was the man who was facing him¡­ And discarded every chance of survival when he crossed eyes with the First General, Paladron d¡¯Arquien. A faint smile flowered on his face, one of desperation, but also one of amusement.


    ¡°¡­ So I¡¯m honoured with a chat face-to-face with the First General¡­ Today must be my lucky day¡­¡±


    ¡°Or it could be your last day.¡±


    Paladron wasn¡¯t amused at all. He lost an important character from the National Research Institute, a good and old friend, and caught the culprit of this murder, the galettean spy, on the same day.


    ¡°How did you manage to infiltrate the research center?¡±


    ¡°¡­ How did I¡­?¡±


    He merely covered his cat-like ears with a hat and added fur to his tail to make it more dog-like. Learning the different habits of the biscotteans, to melt in the mass of people, was only a matter of time and implication.


    ¡°¡­ Everyone can become anyone with a little bit of volition¡­ It¡¯s not that hard¡­¡±


    Frowning at his answer, Paladron was on the verge of killing him with his gaze, before turning its back and walking toward a corner of the room.


    ¡°You¡¯ve put your dirty paws on highly confidential documents. You surely understand that, because you now know too much, you will not see the daylight anymore. Starting today, you disappeared from the surface of this world. You. Don¡¯t. Exist. Anymore.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ That¡¯s also part of the job¡­ I can¡¯t complain here, I guess¡­¡±


    Peche was trying to play it cool, however he wasn¡¯t able to stop this shiver crawling on his back since he woke up. Of course that was part of the job to be captured and tortured, yet he had to tumble on this so important project. In another less difficult scenario, he would be able to stay barely alive if he endured all the pain they would inflict to him, until the kingdom of Galette would pay for his liberation.


    Discovering this unique document pushed him to his edges. He had to take action as fast as possible, and rushed a little too fast in his moves, resulting in a bad ending inside the dungeon of Biscotti.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how, but I have to create a mess, so that it will eventually open an escape route for me.¡±


    A small rolling resounded inside the room, accompanied by the footsteps of the returning Paladron and the rusty smell of miscellaneous tools and substances. Peche didn¡¯t gulp at the sight, his imagination way too busy to shape the image of his bloodying body still attached to the iron chair.


    ¡°First, I will dislocate both your arms, shatter the bones of your fingers and your hips, open up your nose with a knife, dent your rib cage in the wrong direction, and then¡­¡±


    Following his words, Paladron seized Peche¡¯s shoulder, and, with a brutal movement, gave his all to bend the articulation. Already pale from the ruthless realisation of his doom, Peche howled in pain, his chain vociferously rattling. He managed to not break in tears, however another maddening pain harassed him from his other shoulder. His arms were only hurting him even more as they were aimlessly dangling at his side, both attached and disconnected.


    ¡°AND THEN¡­¡±


    With a furious roar, Paladron hammered the hands of his prisoner, fracturing more and more the phalanxes and wrists each time he brought down the unwieldy tool. Blood was scattered everywhere, splashing at him each time he landed a hit on the damned hands that took his friend¡¯s life.


    ¡°Endure Peche¡­ Endure¡­¡±


    Torture was a slow and delicate process to make the victim feels as much pain as possible, without damaging too much the body to make him last longer. But this, this was nothing but barbarism. A burning wrath that was only seeking to hurt others. Peche never planned this ending. He never was prepared for this. He¡­ He didn¡¯t want to die either.


    ¡°AND THEN¡­!!!¡±


    His maw suddenly was grabbed by a strong grip. His brain curiously remembered the list of tortures¡­ Of injuries he was going to suffer through. He tried to shoot as loudly as he could, muffled by the hard gauntlet of his assailant, his eyes were big and round when they focused on the dangerously approaching bladed weapon.


    It penetrated its skin, and butchered its flesh in a gruesome and disordered manner, removing tiny lumps of meat and freshly damaged cartilage. Peche reflexively attempted to put some resistance, however it only made its sentence last longer, while raising the amount of misery he was dealing with.


    Once it ended, his visage became a bleeding mess, the haemorrhage airily flowing inside his windpipe, suffocating him in a bad and excruciating way.


    ¡°AND THEN!!!!!¡±


    ¡°How the fuck am I still alive?¡±


    The heavy punches would have been more than enough to make a hole in his torso, yet the impact only transferred aching shockwave through his vitals. His ribs were shaking, then bent, more and more, until they couldn¡¯t last any longer and fell to pieces. Both feared the morsels of bones would perforate the lungs. Peche feared for his life, and Paladron feared he would inconveniently fail his interrogatory.


    ¡°AND THEN YOU WILL ANSWER MY QUESTIONS, BEFORE I TEAR OPEN YOUR LEGS AND EXTRACT THE BONES THAT HELP YOU WALK, RIP OUT YOUR FAKE TAIL, MASSACRE YOUR EARS AND EYES, AND NOTCH YOUR BALLS WITH MY BOOTS!!!¡±


    The questioning went on for almost an hour. His strength leaving his body, Peche finally collapsed, unable to stand this pain any longer. Left half satisfied from this session, Paladron still managed to squeeze as much answers as he could from the spy.


    First, the body of the murdered assistant he was replacing was laying somewhere in the royal escape tunnel, which was sufficient to make the castle¡¯s security crumble.


    Second, the project his friend was working on, started and named by the young Friture Elmar as ¡®Project: New World¡¯, was a method to grant an artificial state of immortality to anyone faced with divine energy.


    Translating in military term, this technology would give birth to undefeatable armies, and undying kings and generals. If it ever fell in the wrong hands, it could easily open the door for world domination, as no one could ever hope to bring them to their knees.


    Paladron proclaimed the project as heresy, and ordered the immediate execution of Friture before everything turned for the worst.

 Chapter 6 – Heretic

    The desk was a complete mess with all those scattered scrolls, which half were still blank, and the other half was either covered with almost indescribable scriptures, erasures everywhere or even scrapped at the corners. Most of the pens were nervously gnawed on one side, and just not usable anymore on the other, but never threw away because the trash can was out of sight. Plus it was a pain to look for it every time he consumed a pencil, and one day started to not look for it anymore.


    Looking at all this hugger-mugger in front of him, Friture was a bit inspired, reminiscing himself of all those days he spent in his room. Those hardworking hours he spent, writing down words and numbers and overclocking his brain, trying his best to link them with any scientific proof he could find with his experiments. Those were the good old times he always wished for. Then, everything changed the day he made this discovery.


    Yes. Everything changed, for the better or the worse. Things happened, crazy and unbelievable things, shattering the common sense of many spectators. And then, reality came back. Being at war with the neighbouring kingdom of Galette, it was a given that both party would send spies at each other for information gathering. And, of course, assassins would also be sent in the same ship. He just¡­ Friture was just too focused on his hobby, on his studies, and made the mistake to not feel connected anymore to all those troubles.


    Should he feel responsible for this incident? Shouldn¡¯t he? Maybe he should, but under what pretext? The arrogance of the youth, who believed that everything would and will goes smoothly, despite the many obvious warnings and risks that were presented? His lack of understanding of its surroundings, of his role in this grand organigram?


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Let¡¯s just tidy this mess. I¡¯ll think of the rest later.¡±


    He still had to meet with the First General, a special appointment to graduate him into a project leader or something maybe. Was his actual laboratory outfit fine, or should he change for a more formal uniform? The young researcher never got the chance, nor the will to go and watch such ceremony unfold. Maybe he should have, just to help give himself an example of what was awaiting for him.


    Then, while rearranging his stuff, his ears picked up the sound of the door being opened. There stood two guards in their clean and familiar armour. One of them was staying slightly behind, while the second entered with a document in his hand, unsheathed in front of his eyes.


    ¡°Are you Friture Elmar?¡±


    His tone was a little rigid and cold, but that was what you would expect from a certified soldier. Friture was startled at first by their show of high discipline, before telling himself that it was pointless to get complexed by such trivial matters. He simply nodded, giving an affirmative answer to their question.


    ¡°By order of the First General, you are under arrest.¡±


    ¡°¡­ What? ¡°


    The guard stationed behind had already prepared the handcuffs, waiting for Friture to deliver himself.


    ¡°We will escort you to your cell until further instructions.¡±


    ¡°What do they mean¡­? I¡¯m¡­ A criminal?¡±


    By why? What did he do? His visage was pale and his ears dropped, shocked by the turn of events he was facing. Livid, his mind was stuck in disbelief as he tried to find the pieces of this strange puzzle. That¡¯s right, this must be some part of the super confidential trait of the ¡®Project: New World¡¯.


    ¡°Do not put up any futile resistance. Now follow us.¡±


    ¡­ He didn¡¯t do anything wrong¡­ He didn¡¯t have any logical reason to be convinced that they really were here to throw him in prison. Yeah, that¡¯s right. Why would they hurt him? He was the last person on this world who knew how the divine energy worked. He was an invaluable hidden card, no one would dare to dispose of him. Right?


    But the guards were not as patient as him.


    ¡°We said follow us!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!...¡±


    Suddenly, his comrade fell flat on the ground, as a puppet whose strings has been cut. And standing next to him, was the only kindred soul who could save his doomed fate.


    ¡°Friture! Stand back!¡±


    Taking advantage of this surprise attack, Dragee focused all his might in a direct hit to the head of the last soldier, smashing the pan right on his nose, knocking him for the day.


    He then ran toward Friture and grabbed his shoulders, hoping it would be sufficient to make the young researcher land back on earth and regain his spirit.


    ¡°Friture! The First General! He ordered your execution! You must run, quickly!¡±


    ¡°... Why would the First General do that?¡±


    ¡°Hurry, you need to get out of here!¡±


    Without letting him have the time to reconsider everything that had happened so far, Dragee grabbed Friture¡¯s hand and dragged him toward the corridor. He checked for any incoming reinforcements, then went toward a chosen direction. He knew nothing of the National Research Institute, and had no idea where he was running toward. All he was trying to do was running away from the entrance, which would soon welcome the rest of the regiment who came to pick the newly declared heretic.


    Luckily, it looked like only the military department received the order, as the fellow researcher were apparently still busying themselves with their own things. Some of them looked curiously at the running Dragee and the frightened Friture, but thought nothing of it. It only looked like a weird scene for them, nothing less and nothing more.


    Meanwhile, Friture finally regained some of his senses, and could restart analysing the situation he was thrown in.


    ¡°But why? Why did the First General give this order?¡±


    Following his instinct, Dragee hastily turned right at the intersection.


    ¡°The First General¡­ I don¡¯t know! He suddenly said that your project was heretical, and demanded you be beheaded¡­¡±


    ¡°What?! He wants to behead me?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! Stop asking me questions!¡±


    At another intersection, Dragee halted himself, giving a little more thoughts on his next destination. But again, where should he run? He only knew the area around the entrance and Friture¡¯s room, nothing else. And being a protected place, the institute provided no non-barred windows, nor other doors leading to the exterior. No escape was at their reach.


    Finally giving in, the apprentice ran in another direction, expecting to tumble on some good news. He was about to follow the lane when his eyes met a small group of soldiers who were also running toward their position. One of them spotted them, pointing his finger and loudly shooting at everyone.


    ¡°Here! He¡¯s here, the heretic!¡±


    This surname¡­ Sure hurt the feelings of Friture. His heart sank at the idea of being ostracized by his own people, by his own country.


    Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Dragee ran the way back, choosing the other hallway, only to meet another group of soldiers. Cornered, the duo had no choice but to run again. Where to go? Where to hide?Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°I¡­ I think I know¡­ A way out¡­¡±


    ¡°Really? Where?¡±


    ¡°At the library. The building¡­ Is older than the center¡­ The windows are high and, but¡­ That could help us¡­ Bypass¡­ The guarded entrance. However¡­ It¡¯s located near¡­ The entrance¡­¡±


    ¡°Great! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°What? Waaaaah!¡±


    Located near the entrance of the center. This meant there was a very high chance that they will meet other soldiers in their way. But it was still better than having to cross the entire castle¡¯s territory, filled with knights and servants everywhere.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡±


    Following behind them, were a dozen of soldiers. They hadn¡¯t drew their weapon, probably because they wanted to capture Friture alive, or because it was forbidden inside the building and they were reminded of that.


    ¡°There!¡± told Friture, pointing at a large door.


    Another dozen of guards were standing still next to the entrance, a couple of meters away. They still haven¡¯t noticed them, but that will soon change when the pursuing group will arrive here. The only problem that resided was¡­


    ¡°Why¡­ Can¡¯t I open this¡­ Door?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because¡­ You need a pass¡­ Oh jeez I can¡¯t breathe anymore¡­¡±


    Feeling like lying down and losing consciousness at any time, Friture looked for the said pass in his pocket, then inserted it inside the interface. A gentle voice kindly told him that he was welcome inside the library of the National Research Institute, before opening the door for them.


    ¡°Hurry, and close the door behind!¡±


    After entering the library, Dragee quickly pushed the door to lock it, preventing their pursuers to follow them inside. Then¡­ Everything became quiet all of a sudden. The library, a calm and serene place, was currently the safest place for both of them at the moment. But for how long¡­


    Pairs of eyes laid on the newcomer, but paid no mind as they were busy searching and reading books. Most of them were researchers, while a few were even younger people, students eager to study their preferred subject, nobles¡¯ child who¡¯s got the privilege to be permitted here. The silence amazed Dragee, who was always surrounded by his comrades panting and his superiors shooting.


    ¡°This¡­ Really is calm, around here.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not disturb them, and look for an exit.¡±


    Friture was already accustomed to the sight of this place and didn¡¯t look anymore at its charm, but for someone like Dragee, this was all new for his eyes. This was no sweat candy, however the grand shelves shouldering thousands of books still succeeded in overawing him. The amount of knowledge stored here was accumulated since the foundation of the kingdom of Biscotti, it displayed ancient words from their ancestors and even newly edited books from more recent names.


    The hall welcoming them was so large you could easily install six large pieces of their best artillery, and still have room to share with a regiment of knights to hold the front. The main hallway seemed to never end in front of them, as it was surrounded with immense bookcases that required anyone to use the ladders in order to reach the higher floors.


    This time, it was Friture¡¯s turn to lead the way, Dragee was only absentmindedly following him behind as his eyes rested on the few people silently sitting there, and the astounding number of books resting at their place.


    ¡°Look above.¡±


    Whispering in Dragee¡¯s ears, Friture showed him the previously mentioned windows they will have to use to escape the place. However, another problem rose at this instant.


    ¡°¡­ Why are they at the ceiling¡¯s level? Isn¡¯t there some we can reach without wings?¡±


    Even the walls had to be covered with books, as the stock was overflowing. To welcome the most possible amount of books while also providing enough natural light inside the library¡­ Was to open windows at the top of those same walls, unfortunately out of reach for the duo, even if they used the ladder to climb on top of the bookcases.


    They were suddenly alerted by a loud noise, coming from the entrance of the library. Someone was ramming it to force it. The soldiers were ramming it to enter and chase after them.


    With no more time to leisurely find of a plan, Dragee hurried Friture to climb on the ladder, following him just behind. What could they do? What should they do? The door finally opened thanks to a kind student who couldn¡¯t take anymore the insufferable hubbub, letting inside the small army of soldiers.


    ¡°We are under the order of the First General! Nobody is permitted to leave the library until further notice! Now, go and find the heretic!¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    The many soldiers quickly invaded the quiet place, establishing a heavy atmosphere that instilled fear in everyone present here.


    ¡°Quick, climb faster!¡±


    Pushed by Dragee, Friture refocused on reaching the top of the bookcase. When they were about to do it, a voice under them crushed even more their hopes.


    ¡°Here! Over here! They¡¯re climbing on the ladders!¡±


    It only took some seconds for the soldiers to gather at the feet of the shelf, everyone looking at the commotion with a shameless curiosity. At last, Friture succeeded in landing his feet on the roof of the bookcase, quickly followed by Dragee who scanned the surrounding, and the window just over their head. Then¡­


    ¡°Shit! Why does it have to be so high?!¡±


    Their petite size prevented them to reach the window. The cruelty of nature weighed on them, shattering their spirit more and more. Desperate, Friture tried to jump and reach his only way to escape, however it was obvious that he missed only ten or twenty centimetres to achieve this little feat.


    ¡°I give you a leg up! Here!¡±


    Friture looked at the stance Dragee was taking, and quickly understood his thinking. With his help, it should be easy to¡­ He stretched his arm and¡­ He did it!


    ¡°I did it! Dragee, I¡­!¡±


    ¡°Now pass through it! They¡¯re coming!¡±


    A quick glance at his back revealed that he soldiers were also using the ladders to catch them. They were only some metres away. In a few second, they¡¯ll¡­


    Dragee put everything he had on this bet, and helped Friture by pushing him with all his strength. Finally, the young researcher managed to attain the exterior. The fresh wind caressed his cheeks in a way to congratulate him. A smile blossomed on his face, quickly replaced by a face of anguish.


    ¡°Dragee!! It¡¯s really high above the ground here!!¡±


    ¡°Get them!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him leave!¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    ¡°Run Friture! Ru-!¡±


    ¡­ It was too late to change the plan now. Friture could hear the apprentice taking a beating from the other side of the wall. Could he still hear his voice, or was he submerged? He¡­ He had to¡­


    Friture shook his head to clear his mind, looking for a way to descend without breaking a bone or two. His eyes found a nearby tree, big enough to even surpass the height he was at. It was a bit far from his position, but maybe he can¡­ He had to try. He placed his feet against the wall, then¡­


    ¡­ He was afraid. Of course he was, because if he failed, the ground would be there to meet him. He was no aeronautic expert, but something in his head still told him that it would be a deadly fall. He had to push himself as hard as possible to grab the tree¡¯s branches, otherwise¡­


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ Here! Push me to the right dude!¡±


    At his right side, Friture noticed a soldier¡¯s head, popping out of the window. They were just at this point of catching him.


    He had no choice now.


    He gathered all his strength in his legs, then pushed himself.


    The world¡­ Flew away. At first, it seemed to distance itself from him, then everything quickly came back at his face.


    He fell amongst the branches of the pine, colliding with each of them, hurting his head, his arms, his legs, then he fell again, until¡­


    Every part of his body screamed in pain. Was he still alive? He felt no blood dripping, or maybe he wasn¡¯t paying attention to any of it.


    He still had to run away from this place. But how? Dragee got caught, and he himself isn¡¯t in a state to sprint. The best he could do was drag himself, using the remnants of his willpower to lose his pursuers.


    There were a few other trees on his way, but even from here he could see the vast world expanding in every direction around him. He walked a little bit more, until he reached¡­ A cliff.


    ¡°Oh¡­ It slipped out of my mind until now, but¡­ The castle is built on top of a floating island¡­¡±


    The vast land expanded in every direction around him. But he was way above this land. Landing on a tree was difficult and painful enough, but this¡­


    ¡°Ah ah¡­ I¡¯m so screwed¡­¡±


    So¡­ What should he do now?


    ¡°Halt!¡±


    He looked behind him, and saw a large group of soldiers surrounding him. There was no way out from this.


    ¡°By order of the First General, I hereby declare you, Friture Elmar, a heretic, and nullify all your affiliations with the kingdom of Biscotti.¡±


    ¡°¡­ So that means I¡¯m not even a citizen of my homeland anymore¡­¡±


    Friture lost everything on this day. The Chief Researcher. Dragee Martinozzi. His place in the research center.


    His citizenship.


    His family.


    His home.


    Everything.


    ¡°You will be executed tomorrow at dawn.¡±


    So it was over? This short and¡­ Empty life, was going to be ended tomorrow? Why would they willingly let him suffer any more like that?


    ¡°That¡¯s enough¡­¡±


    Friture dedicated his whole life for his studies in the energy flowing around the world. He still never published any thesis, but in the end he discovered the miraculous property of divine energy. Handled correctly, it could prevent death! It outclassed all the medicines they knew, it would bring big benefits to the kingdom, to the whole world!


    And they called this heresy, stomping on everything he had achieved, while giving him no chance to defend himself.


    Everything he had ever done was ruined in one day. There were no more possibilities for him. It was only a matter of hours now for it to end.


    His eyes rested on the beautiful landscape, the green yet orange-dyed mountains with the sunset, and the undulating lac over there, encircled by large and dense forests. And just next to it, a large town stood, the big and joyful capital where he was born.


    The officer snorted, unpleased by the uncooperativeness of their target, and ordered one of his subordinates to go and fetch him.


    ¡°Yes sir. Uh? Wait!!¡±


    Again, the world flew away. But this time, it was much more impressive than jumping at a nearby tree. This time, the tree was farther away. But he didn¡¯t care about that, he only remembered the exciting sensation he felt when the air collided with his face.


    The sensation of free-falling was¡­ Divine.


    He didn¡¯t care anymore, so he closed his eyes, and waited to the fatal instant.


    He just waited. Only waited for his last breath in this world to leave his body.


    .


    .


    .


    ¡°Well, what do we have here?¡±

 Chapter 7 – Trellia

    A warm feeling. His body was engulfed in a purifying bath, drowning in a drowsy, burning yet charming sentiment. Was he still falling? Friture didn¡¯t believe so. This heaviness weighed on his everything, freezing any intention to contract his muscles to provoke any kind of movement. Was he perhaps paralyzed? Well, after a chute of a hundred metres or so, he shouldn¡¯t be hoping to remain unhurt or anything.


    Or maybe was this¡­ The afterlife? So there was an existence, even after death. Should he be relieved of this news, he didn¡¯t know. Supposedly could he finally take a rest? A long, well-deserved, never-ending rest for eternity?


    A small light appeared in front of him, making everything brighter in the vicinity. Had the world around him always been so dark, before he noticed the change? It grew, bigger and bigger, until everything became blank with a tinge of red.


    ¡°Oh, so I was just sleeping¡­¡±


    After trying his best to note somewhere inside his brain how a lucid dream felt, he timidly stirred up his eyelids, at last taking account of his actual surrounding. To his surprise, he found himself on top of a comfortable bed, gently covered by a blanket that prevented his body to fear the coldness of the night. Also, he found himself partially undressed, with only a few bandages there and there to cover scratches and wounds.


    Right, he did painfully fell from the pine. Did he not break a bone when he hit the ground? Luckily, seemed like he was just fine. Still a little exhausted from his chase, and¡­ Oh, right, he was pursued by soldiers of his homeland, by compatriots that labelled him as a heretic. And Dragee. What happened to him? Did they caught him, and¡­? Just remembering those frightful moments made him depressed, his ears dropping and his tail circling around him in gloominess.


    Somehow, he was still alive. But for what? What now? He was a criminal in his own country, they wanted him dead for obscure reasons. What kind of future could he choose now? He lost everything. His job. His ideal. His dreams.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re finally up. Hello!¡±


    Pulled out of his dark thoughts, Friture set his sight on the stranger with a voice full of joy. He¡­ Was a she, popping out of the sole window of the place. Totally a she, with her long yet attached bright hair, and the-oh jeez her cleavage was dangerously leaking! The sight terribly embarrassed him, and it took a lot of himself to discard those wild ideas and to not appear to be rude to the lady.


    Focus. Focus, Friture!


    ¡°You seem fine to me. Care to get up? I¡¯m going to prepare your breakfast.¡±


    Did she notice? She definitely noticed trough his behaviour. How embarrassing, looking at such a fine woman with those image in mind and-oh jeez it was unstoppable now!


    Focus Friture. Focus! She asked you to get up, so get prepared. Find your cloth, do your best to hide your shyness and go for it. For the breakfast, dammit!


    But who was that girl? Watching the room he was in, Friture couldn¡¯t help but think that it must have been a secluded shelter. The walls made of some kind of wood looked frail, however even if they creaked at the pressure of his palm, it didn¡¯t seem to be ready to collapse anytime. Same for the ceiling, made of a heavy amount of straws to prevent any leak during rainy days. There wasn¡¯t a lot of decoration, it was as if this place was only supposed to be a small room and nothing else.


    After putting on his shirt, Friture set his eyes past the scenery of the window. On the other side of the wall, a large and dense forest sprayed out, blocking his eyesight only after a twenty or so metres. It would be easy to get lost inside those woods, however it never stopped the greedy merchants to transport their goods across the country.


    Right, maybe he was mistaken, but he recognized this forest, as the trees looked similar to the ones surrounding the castle of Biscotti where he was working. This means¡­ Did he perhaps fall near this isolated house, and this woman was luckily walking around and picked him up to treat his wounds? What a lucky coincidence.


    At last ready for the next event, Friture guided himself toward the entrance of the lodge, pushing the door and discovering a sight he would never forget for the rest of his lifetime. The sequoia extended themselves in a straight and vertical direction, expanding not their branches but their trunk toward the sky as if their only purpose was to touch the stars. Among the pleasant nuance of the green leaves and the brown barks, a delicious and calming perfume of sap emanated from somewhere, entering his curious nose and filling him with a powerful yet tranquil feeling.


    The glade wasn¡¯t that large because he never saw any from the laboratory, yet, at ground level, he could still calculate an enviable open surface, covered with fallen leaves and many littles bushes imitating the meshes of the shade of the environment. And just there, on his right, was the unintroduced lady, quietly sitting on a log and playing with a stick to irritate the fire.


    Yes. This girl was playing with fire, because Friture could see a plate full of food on her side, and nothing roasting above the campfire. Was she bored while waiting for him? He should apologize first, then¡­


    ¡°Muahahaha¡­ Burn, burn little bug¡­¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡­ Finally, let¡¯s back down slowly, then disappear from this weird place and never come back again. That was his intention at first, but was somehow instantly noticed by the girl.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here. Take a seat, breakfast is ready.¡±


    She sounded like the kind who never left their happy mood, and took everything with ease. An easy-going kind of woman who lived far away from civilisation and enjoyed burning bugs in her free time? Friture internally sighed, then made himself comfortable on a nearby log after picking his plate, and¡­


    ¡°¡­ How do you eat this?¡±


    ¡°What? It¡¯s refined and fresh fruits and berries. I cultivated them myself, go give it a try.¡±


    She sounded confident in her own labour, so why not try and trust her a little more? It looked lighter than what the chiefs prepared for the canteen¡¯s user each morning, with more sugar and a less persistent feeling of satisfaction. There just wasn¡¯t any fork and knife to help yourself, only your own hands and fingers to bring the food to your mouth. Still better than nothing, he thought.


    To try the taste of the food, Friture plunged his teeth in the flesh of a small fruit¡­ And quite enjoyed its sweetness. It restored his usual tiredness of the morning call, giving him the strength and the vigour to start anew the day. The berries themselves offered a different savour, however the effect seemed to be the same.


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious! Why did I never heard of such fruits inside the castle?¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re from the castle, eh? You¡¯re an assistant or what? Kinda lost your way home if you ask my opinion.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ No, no¡­ I am part of the National Research Institute of the kingdom of Biscotti. Was¡­¡±


    It still was hard for Friture to accept everything that has happened at the center. The report of the discovery, the assassination attempt, the order of execution from the First General.


    ¡°Mmh. Seems you have some difficult circumstances on your side.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes, you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    A silent atmosphere flowed between them, before being shattered by her free-spirited voice.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve learnt that everything goes back to its place after a certain amount of time. So take your time to rest, relax, and when you feel like it, I¡¯ll lead you to the nearest town or something. What do you think?¡±


    This was¡­ A kind offer, from a stranger he knew nothing of. But he knew no reason to refuse her helping hand.


    ¡°Yes. Thank you, miss¡­?¡±


    ¡°Just call me Trellia. No honorifics. That¡¯s what I decided my name should be. And your name, little budy?¡±


    ¡°I am¡­ I am Friture Elmar¡­ Please feel free to call me Elmar-No. Friture. Call me Friture.¡±


    He still didn¡¯t knew his family¡¯s opinion on his sentence, but Friture still thought it would be a disrespectful idea to still utilize his family name. For now, until everything was cleared, he would only be the heretical researcher Friture.


    ¡°Alllllllright? Then Friture. What do you plan on doing starting today?¡±


    ¡°Starting today¡­¡±


    What should he do? No idea, as he went with the idea that all his doors were permanently closed to him. Friture took this chance to take another look at the woman who treated him, now able to name her, but still not to identify her traits.


    Despite what he expected, she looked quite young. A little older than him, but maybe only two to four years, or maybe not. Her hair shared the colour of a bright rind of the nearby sequoias, with slivers of foxy touches there and there, and were arranged in both a simple yet long ponytail that descended till her hips, and in a complicated manner next to her left ear, confusedly resembling a flower or something akin.


    While mentioning the ears, Friture couldn¡¯t help but think that they were plenty big. The normal size was slightly smaller or equal to one¡¯s hand, but hers were undoubtedly longer, and still proudly stood their ground on top of her, giving the girl a curious-looking aspect. Her tail followed the same rules, and seemed both large and prolonged in an elegant way, adding even more charm to her ever-smiling figure.


    But maybe the most eye-catching side of her was her garments, way more sophisticated than what you would expect from someone living in the middle of nowhere. The legs were hidden behind an elongated semi-dress with low, but brilliant shades on the textile. Maybe it was appropriate to call it a skirt, it depended on the girl¡¯s mood on the subject.


    A short garment half-covered her top, but you could guess from the wrinkles that it probably was intentional of her to show off a part of her bust, while drawing the rest of the roundness with a tight belt just under them. It was definitely intentional of her, yet she showed no shame in doing so.


    ¡°Is she a pervert, or did she lost her mind a long time ago?¡±


    Now having a decent image of this person, Friture could finally gaze somewhere else, evading the so tempting desire to indulge in them-dammit!


    ¡°Show some self-control! I was just about to die yesterday, so¡­ Right, I was about to die. It¡¯s funny I kind of forgot about it.¡±


    What should he do, starting today? He really¡­ Really¡­


    ¡°I have no idea¡­ A lot happened recently, like¡­¡±


    Maybe because he wanted to dump a load off of his mind, Friture began reminiscing the previous events, narrating and describing them to Trellia what happened to him so far. How he was about to be murdered by a spy, how he lost an inspiring presence on the same day, how he was labelled as a heretic by his compatriots, how he was chased to death by them, how he managed to escape thanks to a new friend, how he lost everything else.


    Yeah. He lost everything on the same day. Those words he repeated himself since yesterday still held truth in them, so there was no harm in repeating them again. Actually, the only thing left he possessed was his life and his knowledge regarding the divine energy. But it was pointless to share it now, and as it was considered a heretical technology by the higher-ups, he thought of bringing this secret with him in his grave.


    Nobody would miss him or ask him any questions concerning the ¡®Project: New World¡¯ after all. Maybe his family would shed a tear or not, he had no way to find out now. So what? Should he just sit here until he passed away? Well, what else could he do here¡­


    ¡­


    Now that he thought about it, a peculiar detail about his story fell off. He managed to run away from the soldiers, and even when the officer finally surrounded him at the cliff¡­ Right, at the cliff, where in desperation he decided to jump and end the remaining of him by himself. So¡­ How was he still alive?


    ¡°Wait a minute¡­ I made a fall of more than one hundred metres, and yet I¡¯m still alive¡­ How is that possible? Am I already dead?¡±


    The questions stirred a laugh from Trellia.


    ¡°Ahahah! No, no! You¡¯re definitely alive, Friture. I caught you mid-air before you touched the ground, but you were already unconscious so probably you don¡¯t remember any of it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ What? You caught me mid-air? Like¡­ How did you do?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m a goddess. It¡¯s, like, not impressive at all for my kin, you see? I could do it with my eyes closed if I wanted!¡±

 Chapter 8 – The Ones who gift the Mortals

    Another reason that divine energy was so scarce, was because it wasn¡¯t a resource that flowed out of a natural source. People sufficiently knowledgeable could at best compare its flow to the course of a river, in which anyone fulfilling the requirements could fetch a bottle anytime they desired. However, science proved that the hypothesis was very wrong.


    Divine energy followed its own chart of rules. You could even say that it refused to listen to the physical laws that everything was bound to in this world. A peculiar, boring and cruel way to teach the pioneers that their ground-breaking discovery was still way beyond their reach. For todays, the only globally known way to gather and stock divine energy was through the generous trading with gods.


    Food, entertainments, agreements, annual sacrifices, everything was done to please those transcendent beings, just to earn a bit of their favour. It was entirely up to the god to choose if he should or not bestow upon those mortals his glorifying energy, as it was more than once proved that a country¡¯s worth of military prowess was still not a challenge against those skilled, wise and mighty opponents. The more fortunate part was that they weren¡¯t openly hostile.


    And now, the main subject of Friture¡¯s research was joyfully, almost way too naively, sitting next to him as if everything in the world was fine. No, of course it wasn¡¯t fine! After the information finally managed to cross his mind, the young man jumped on his feet, shocked by this revelation, this unexpected and unexpectable encounter with a living member of the people qualified as deities.


    ¡°What? What is it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a goddess?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Sure. What, you mean I don¡¯t look like one?¡±


    Trellia examined herself, looking for any abnormalities, scratch or dirt on her cloth and skin. Despite living in such an uncivilized environment, it appeared that her shape could never be tainted by the soil of the forest. She looked for any spot on herself that could have been even slightly dirtied, however found nothing strange or out-of-place.


    In the end, she couldn¡¯t find even a speck of anything that could have disturbed her-Not even the half-exposed breasts of her-, leaving her in a perplexed state of confusion.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s bizarre. I never changed my outfit since then, I still should be in the norm¡­¡±


    Norm? What norm? Nevermind, Friture was still preoccupied with his inner thoughts, concerning the chance he had to meet a god in his lifetime. And what¡¯s more, to be saved by one! He felt¡­ Joy¡­ No, doubts, heavy doubts about her identity. Again, it could just be this secluded person¡¯s delusion about herself. Maybe she called herself ¡°goddess¡± because of some simple reasons, that¡¯s all.


    ¡°Well, ehm¡­¡±


    The words underlining the lack of proof about her divine trait were suddenly halted half-way inside his throat. Why was he suddenly acting all familiar with this stranger? Maybe he wasn¡¯t feeling reality anymore, when exposed to such a dream-like scene.


    ¡°Stay focused, Friture. Stay focused¡­¡±


    The young miss noticed the mutism of her guest, and tried to restart the conversation with him in a kind and teasing manner.


    ¡°You never saw a god, am I right?¡±


    She was all smile when asking this, seeing that Friture was avoiding eye-contact, perhaps thinking he could evade any sort of lie-detecting trick if he did. She was all smile, because she already knew the answer without even him speaking a word.


    ¡°No¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah ah! I knew it! Seriously, what does they teach their children nowadays?¡±


    She was teasing him. Nothing more, nothing else. Yet, it still felt unnerving, having to suffer through the given lesson about things that didn¡¯t, and probably never concerned the other party.


    ¡°Look at me then. See? I¡¯m not so unordinary.¡±


    Her arms were warmly opened, showing the entirety of her being to the young researcher. Friture had already looked at her, but defined her as a member of the opposite sex, not as a member of the divine people. And now¡­ Despite learning of her hidden identity, he felt nothing more out of it. Was she only pretending to be one? She had to.


    Not receiving any form of admiration from Friture drew a sigh from Trellia, pondering how much she had to show in order to make him believe this fact. Actually, he already had enough evidence to make connections, yet, internally, he had difficulties accepting it. Then she remembered something.


    ¡°Right! You said you were part of something institute, right? Then that means you¡¯re a doctor or I don¡¯t know. Then it¡¯s fine! You can just analyse me like I¡¯m some new toy and figure it out and¡­!¡±


    ¡°What?! Butbutbut! No, wait! Wait!¡±


    The feeling of having a beautiful girl desperately clinging to you was more hurtful than what he expected. On a side note, her grip truly was formidable, shaking Friture like anyone could with a frail new-born.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! Just scan me! You¡¯ll definitely see that I¡¯m a veritable goddess! Just don¡¯t dissect me or¡­ You know what? It¡¯s fine! Do whatever you need to verify my words!¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Alright¡­ Al¡­ I don¡¯t feel well¡­¡±


    Finally released, Friture breathed in a fresh bowl of air, calming his alarmed heart and mind, recollecting his thoughts before moving on. Why was she so desperate about such a thing? There was a very easy method to demonstrate one¡¯s deity¡¯s inheritance.


    ¡°Just¡­ Just show me that you can use divine energy. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Divine energy? That¡¯s how you call it?¡±


    Friture¡¯s ears tilted at her question, stirring his curiosity and personality¡¯s trait to learn as much as he could.


    ¡°Sure. How would you call it otherwise?¡±


    Trellia didn¡¯t answer his question, only leaving a small vague answer to perpetuate the unknown.


    ¡°Then take a look at this.¡±


    Showing her index finger next to her, they didn¡¯t have to wait for any delay than a sudden and miraculous occurrence flashed before the scientist¡¯s eyes who first got flustered by her action. He was expecting either another unthoughtful behaviour or a dangerous introduction to her power, yet what he got was a very calm situation. A small ball of light appeared at the edge of her finger, giving off a shy, yellowish brightness. Particles of light emanated from the little orb, bestowing a fairy-like feeling to the surrounding atmosphere that slowly flew away before evaporating in the air.


    It was as easy as this act, a petite sphere that could slightly lighten one¡¯s room, nothing harmful at all nor supposed to have any kind of impact. Simply by looking at this unsophisticated, but genuine result of divine energy manipulation, Friture was mesmerized. Despite his knowledgeable lifestyle, his eyes were, just like a moth attracted by the fire, trying to grasp the mechanics behind this apparition.


    The little orb, emanating some fray light, slowly ascended upright, growing both in size and in brightness, grinding bit by bit the surrounding area until everything went white. Friture, blinded and spooked by the phenomenon, reflexively defended his face with his arms, closing as strongly as he could his eyes to prevent them from drying while exposed to such radiance.


    This amount of energy was way more than what they usually put in their prototype of small throwable bombs. It wouldn¡¯t be strange to, later, find an immense crater replacing this portion of the forest. Being this close to the epicentre, his spirit already gave up on the certainty of living for another day.


    Then, in a reversed sound, everything went back to normal, and the ball of divine energy flickered between her fingers before disappearing in thin particles. The place became noiseless, only bearing the haughty laughter of Trellia.


    ¡°Well, tell me? How was I?¡±


    There was so much to say, so much to ask, but the young scientific could only muster enough willpower to express his astonishment. His gapping mouth wasn¡¯t available to help him pronounce anything intelligible, while his brain was way too much focused on calculating, comparing results and, at last, finding his words.


    ¡°WHAT WAS THAT?! WHY DID YOU DO THIS?! THIS AMOUNT OF ENERGY, IT WAS¡­ IT WAS¡­¡±


    At least a tenfold of what we use in our entire army... But the words were stuck deep in his throat.


    Declaring this sentence would be the equivalent of accepting the fact that a living being, be it a god or not, held the power to outclass any kind of military development they struggled to achieve this century. Such a thing¡­ Could it really exist, inside the realm of reality?


    The universe was set as such that nothing was equal, while everything tended to be equal. The natural laws that every existence of the world obeyed were conceived in a way to make sure nothing would suddenly go astray, or at least without a valid and plausible reason. This motto basically meant that everything happening under one¡¯s nose could be understood and explained, that nothing was abnormal, and that nothing was out of the norm.


    Divine energy was a scarce resource, because the only way to gather a few was through the benevolence of the gods. And yet, this girl¡­ This girl¡­ She wasted a tenfold of what the Kingdom of Biscotti possessed for military uses just for a show!


    ¡°It was splendid, wasn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t hesitate to praise me more.¡±


    Splendid. It sure fitted the ceremony Friture spectated just now. Just now, this innocent girl proved that she was a pure-bred goddess. And what else? What if she was one of a kind? An above-the-average goddess? Maybe she even scrapped the top of the list? No, there was no way to know the truth only by watching once. On an additional note, Friture had zero numbers about gods¡¯ capacity, making it hard to tell if she was standing out, or barely existing under the shadows the giants.


    But still, it was an opportunity. A rare, one in a century kind of opportunity for Friture to try something new. He needed to do this. He needed to ask her about it, at least once.


    He was left speechless, slowly gathering his courage, doing his best to steel his determination.


    Finally, he breathed in, and¡­


    ¡°Trellia!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me?¡±


    The goddess was pleased to be called by her name, joyfully waiting for her present client to shower her with good words.


    ¡°How would you¡­ How much you¡¯d scale your amount of divine energy?¡±


    ¡°Mmh¡­ You mean to ask how much of this power I possess?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Friture wasn¡¯t certain how to ask this without using a technical vocabulary. That was one backlash of working so hard in the laboratory.


    Meanwhile, Trellia was seriously pondering on the question. Being asked how much energy she could stock in her reserve was equivalent to ask how much gas she could inhale with both her lungs. However, this swirling emotion kept her motivated, excited to the point of neglecting the absurd and the obvious. That was why¡­ Why not being modest about it?


    ¡°When using this little trick for comparison¡­ I¡¯d say I could probably brighten the whole castle over there from here in the same way¡­ For an hour or two, maybe?¡±


    Hearing this, something suddenly felt stuck in Friture¡¯s mind. The piece of information was prevented from accessing his brain, as it seemed so big he unconsciously labelled it as fake news. He gulped once, reorganized his breath, and then repressed his sigh.


    He hadn¡¯t the guts to tell her she was lying about it, because, somewhere inside his spirit, he sensed that she was capable of such a feat.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me this way? Am I that scary for you, mortal?¡±


    She accompanied her little taunt with a childish giggle, satisfying herself with the face Friture was showing while digesting her words.


    But that wasn¡¯t it. That wasn¡¯t only it. Those newly-learnt facts, this god-sent coincidence, the meeting between him and her, all of this wasn¡¯t mere luck. If he could¡­ If only he could do it.


    If only he could find the determination to ask for her help. With her almighty potential, and his knowledge on divine essence¡¯s properties, maybe he could achieve something greater than simply fabricating a machine? A grander project, more inclined toward a peaceful approach of this scientific domain?


    He looked down, disturbed by his lack of courage while his fists where slightly shaking of frustration. Why was he so weak-minded? Was he always so weak-minded? What did he do during his whole life to arrive to such conclusion?


    Oh, right. He did nothing but give his all to science. A shut-in like himself, trying to grab this golden opportunity to change everything? What a joke.


    ¡°Are you alright, Friture?¡±


    Noticing a sort of distress in his guest¡¯s behaviour, Trellia tried to be nicer to him, inquiring for his feelings. However¡­


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just amazed by you, Trellia.¡±


    He said with a smile that came out of nowhere.

 Chapter 9 – Unreasonable ambition

    A few days later, the sky started to change more and more, covering itself with heavy-looking clouds that carried a sorrowful dye over the blindingly cyan roof. The first winds blew from the plain, evading the mountain which were too high for them, before outpouring themselves in a loud whistling inside the dense forest.


    Droplets fell from above the canopy, making their way between the leaves bustling with vitality, then fell again, until they collided with the muddy ground. The trees were only partially soaked on one side, freeing the place from annoyingly roaming insects in exchange of a cumbersome and drippling sensation from being wet to the bone.


    And yet, despite the dejecting weather, some people decided for it to become the perfect timing for a ride inside said forest, looking carefully behind the bushes, under the huge roots, alongside the footpath or far from one¡¯s sight to gather the fresher vegetables. Herbs, mushrooms, ferns, nettles, mosses, some even picked up wooden branches and leaves, all this for medical purpose, culinary addition or personal entertainment.


    The night faded more and more, but the sky kept turning darker and darker, clad in a spiritless grey, bringing for this day a rainy scenery. During the hours where the sun would intensify the colours of everything, currently the shades were sinister and shadowy. Such sad tapestry had zero impact on Trellia¡¯s humour, unsuggestible by the hazards of everyday.


    On the contrary, such weather was just perfect for gathering the ingredients for a scrumptious soup. In normal times, her private garden would suffice for her needs. It was the sudden arrival of an unexpected person that brought its share of changes to her life.


    The mornings were as lonesome as usual, same for breakfast and dinner, for a digestive stroll or a daily maintenance. If she had to point out a peculiar detail that, just by going from ¡°1¡± to ¡°2¡±, altered a lot of things, it would be that she finally found someone with who she could hold a proper dialogue.


    In short: she wasn¡¯t alone anymore. Despite being this close to a civilized kingdom, the nearby towns and random citizens that lived there, at long last she felt a little less alone.


    Nonetheless, it was a half-hearted happiness that dwelled inside her. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to smile honestly now, since the day she performed her little trick in front of him. Her acts and words were true, but she felt like it didn¡¯t influenced that much Friture. It was like, he didn¡¯t knew how to properly react, when confronted to her revealed identity.


    Was he really so shocked he couldn¡¯t muster any sort of reaction for her sake? But it was obviously not the case here. He also seemed to have already accepted his miraculous rescue, and despite the still lingering trauma of experiencing a fall toward his death, Friture looked relatively calm. Of course that was only a fa?ade, right? After all, his life was saved just when he decided to throw it away, and most importantly he was living under the same roof of a goddess! Lucky him.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Beginnings always are a bit tough and arduous. Let¡¯s just give him some time.¡± She knew mortals were a little more biased than immortals were, and way too much focused on personal matters.


    Not that it was a bad side or something worth to be reprimanded, but they did tend to forget that, even in time of crisis, they were not alone. They could ask for help anytime.


    But they did not.


    Was it pride? Was it shyness? Arrogance or cluelessness, it didn¡¯t matter for Trellia. This time, she would not give up.


    ¡°I¡¯m baaaack~?!¡±


    Opening the door before issuing her warning, it couldn¡¯t be helped that Friture blenched like a kid caught in a bad prank. That was what she expected, however all she saw what the fragile back of Friture. The sight pinched her heart, her empathy with a mortal¡¯s pain made her lost her smile for an instant.


    She tried to look for some words, something to cheer the little guy¡­ Until she noticed he seemed focused on something. Stealthily approaching him, she glanced from behind his shoulders like a curious pranker¡­ But all he was doing was reading some papers, maybe a memo he kept on himself.


    ¡°Ehhh? What are you doing? Doodles?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh! That¡¯s not doodles! Give it back, please!¡±


    Friture blenched in surprise as he never sensed Trellia¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Now he¡¯s funny¡± she thought with a warmed smile. However, her face froze when she glanced at the so-called ¡°doodles¡±. The lines where neat and straight, accompanied with a lot of words, numbers and symbols which didn¡¯t make any sense and expressed no artistic impression.


    It wasn¡¯t readable, nor was it appreciable. How could anyone value this sheet? But looking at Friture¡¯s panicked expression, she couldn¡¯t help but feel teasing him a bit more.


    ¡°What is it? Tell me what it is please! Is it a sketch? A poem maybe? But I can¡¯t understand how to read it! It¡¯s so fun!¡±


    Maybe because he thought he would never see it again if he couldn¡¯t take it back from Trellia, Friture pursued her through the small house. But how could a mere mortal be a match against a godlike character?If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Despite the smallness of the rooms, she managed to swiftly evade all of his attempts to catch her. Maybe she was dancing, maybe she was playing a trick, however her movements were richer than the dull tries of the little boy.


    ¡°Come ooooon~! Tell me, please!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s nothing¡­ Please give it back¡­¡±


    This game between the two continued a bit longer. Trellia jumping over Friture like it was nothing, bouncing on the floor, the ceiling and the walls to dodge, while looking and laughing at the petite stature chasing after her. At last, she went through the window, while Friture used the door to run after her.


    ¡°Please¡­ I can¡¯t anymore¡­ I¡¯m done¡­¡±


    He was? Really? Trellia expected mortals to be a bit more frail than immortals, but to the point of being exhausted just after this little run?


    ¡°Maybe it is time to stop playing around, I wouldn¡¯t make him feel sad because of me¡­ Just one last thing!¡±


    She flapped the wind with the paper like one would make a gesture with a towel, with a happy smile on her face that expressed her satisfaction from this little game.


    ¡°Just tell me what it is and I¡¯ll give it back, okay?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Nothing¡­ Really!¡±


    ¡°Then I can¡¯t give it back! Ah ah ah!¡±


    ¡°But why does it seem so important to him?¡± With this question in mind, she gave a second try deciphering the notes written on it. Still the same polygons, characters and stuff which, despite her grand wisdom, was something outside her domain of knowledge. Now that she looked at it a second time, Trellia felt a sort of familiarity somewhere on this document. But where?


    ¡°Why don¡¯t he want to tell me? Does he think I won¡¯t be of much help?


    Oh! That¡¯s right! He is a doctor or a scientist dude!¡±


    ¡°Eh! Is it related to your previous work?¡±


    Still trying to catch his breath, Friture looked at her, then at the ground. What did that mean? Has she guessed right? So why does it feel kind of ominous right now?


    ¡°What were you working on? Was it something fun? Something incredible?¡±


    Still no response. The silence became awkward for her, as an itching doubt emerged from her mind.


    ¡°Come on! You can tell me, right?


    Or maybe you can¡¯t¡­ Because it was something dangerous?¡±


    Still no response from Friture.


    ¡°¡­ Something illegal or immoral? Was that why they threw you over the cliff?¡±


    Something didn¡¯t feel right here. Just what kind of character did she save from certain death? What was his project he seemed so fond of he couldn¡¯t abandon it even after all that had happened to far? And why didn¡¯t he respond to any of her questions? Actually, Trellia had a clue about it, however she wouldn¡¯t give it any credit. That would mean distrusting Friture who she saved, and thus meaning her actions were influencing a path that was wrong since the beginning.


    As a goddess, making a mistake was both unforgivable and irremediable. Did she¡­ Make a mistake, when she decided to save him? There was only one way to find out.


    ¡°Was your work based on what you call ¡®divine energy¡¯?¡±


    No answer.


    ¡°¡­So that¡¯s how it is¡­¡±


    With the term ¡°divine energy¡± in mind, she read a third time the paper in her hand. She still couldn¡¯t understand all of it, however her massive amount of comprehension about divine energy allowed her to make some analogies here and there. She didn¡¯t get it all, however that was sufficient for her to make a picture out of it.


    ¡°You were working on a weapon of a different scale-¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s not a weapon!¡±


    Interrupting someone in her sentence was already rude enough. Interrupting a goddess in her sentence was no different from blasphemy. However, something bothered him so much he couldn¡¯t let it pass without interfering.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a weapon¡­¡±


    ¡°Then what was it?! Divine energy. Military use. Secret worth killing for. Are you trying to lie to me?!¡±


    What was it then? With which other word could you call that but a weapon? She made a mistake again, didn¡¯t she? Why did she always make mistake? Why couldn¡¯t she be right for once? She tried to convince herself to stay composed, but this self-directed hatred just couldn¡¯t loosen its grasp on her emotions. That was utterly puerile for a goddess of her calibre, which only added fuel to the burning flames in her head.


    Fortunately, Friture saw none of it. Because he closed his eyes. Because he gathered his strength to finally make this first step forward on his path. He breathing in all the air he could, filling his lungs until they felt like they could explode anytime due to the stress, then shouted as loud as he could.


    ¡°THAT¡¯S NOT A WEAPON! IT¡¯S A WAY TO CHANGE THE WORLD, STOP THE WARS AND SAVE EVERYONE!¡±


    He did it. He still couldn¡¯t open his eyes, but he did it.


    ¡°I WANT TO HELP PEOPLE! I WANT THEM TO STOP LIVING IN FEAR BECAUSE OF THEIR NEIGHBOURS! I WANT TO MAKE IT SO EVERYONE WOULD LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER!¡±


    Trellia couldn¡¯t believe her ears. Did he¡­ Did he really said that? That was unbelievable. That was profoundly irritating. That was impressively comical. She first laughed, then, the more she processed the information, she louder her laugh became. It dissipated all the tension that lingered in the air, all the sombre thoughts threatening her serenity-looking conscience. It lasted so long Friture felt he was mocked like the village¡¯s idiot.


    ¡°You! I can¡¯t believe it, you really said it! Ah ah ah! Ah my belly, it huuuurts!¡±


    Trellia fell to her knee, unable to suppress her laughter while holding her stomach.


    ¡°What is this mortal thinking?! It¡¯s so ridiculous I can¡¯t stop laughing!¡±


    ¡°You want to¡­ You want to help everyone¡­ To save everyone! Ah ah ah! Please! Ah ah ah!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not joking! It¡¯s perfectly possible!¡±


    Acknowledging the seriousness in this idea, it didn¡¯t help Trellia at all at stopping her laughter. Seeing that it was useless to pursue any further, Friture waited for her to regain herself, feeling dejected that even a goddess would find his project unrealisable.


    After a long and dispiriting moment, Trellia managed to get out of this loop. She still had watery eyes and held her tummy with a pitiful but delighted expression on her face, but at least she stopped laughing hysterically.


    ¡°Hey Friture. Do you know why us gods use what you call divine energy?¡±


    That was a question¡­ He didn¡¯t expect at all. What was she trying to tell him through this interrogation? He didn¡¯t felt like finding any hidden clue in her phrase, so he just answered in negative with his head.


    ¡°I see¡­ Well, that does explain this and that.¡±


    This funny time really brightened her mood now. She understood that Friture wasn¡¯t a bad guy, and he didn¡¯t give the impression that he would willingly bring harm to others. That was a strange but novel mindset from people of this era, Trellia thought. But she didn¡¯t dislike it.


    ¡°Maybe I didn¡¯t make a mistake, after all?¡±


    She smiled at this thought, now feeling a bit more spirited to give it a try with this person in front of her.


    ¡°Then follow me. I¡¯ll show you the everyday of a divinity who watches over you all.¡±

 Chapter 10 – The source of it all

    There was an old saying which preached a basic yet absolute truth: commoners existed in a world, while gods lived in another. This common knowledge wasn¡¯t promoting the existence of another material world, but simply stated the obvious difference between the two people. Longevity, strength, and even free control over the divine energy, it was no wonder one started to worship the other.


    However, it raised one question that nobody dared to ask, for the fear of a lack of answer would lead to a catastrophe. Why would they listen to those inferiors creatures? Was there really a mutual need between the two people? All things considered, mortals didn¡¯t really require the protection of one god to live another day, while those immortals beings were completely safe from natural disorder like famine or disease.


    It truly was questionable how those two people could so easily interact with each other, and yet they does without any sparks between them. Maybe it was because they both possess what the other lack, or maybe it was simply due to one¡¯s greediness and the other¡¯s naivety. But just as it sounded like, it was difficult to say that a god acted like this because of its unawareness of his guest.


    And just like that, more or less aware of the blind and childish kindness in Friture¡¯s heart, Trellia guided him between the trees of the ancient forest surrounding the kingdom of Biscotti, leading to a place unbecoming for one used to the everyday pamper of a peaceful civilisation. While it was certain the path wasn¡¯t plain and paved, Trellia did her best to locate the less arduous way. It was her way to both encourage Friture for going forward, and to give him a little bit of exercise. Because, yes, he was not used to hiking in unknown territory.


    The voyage seemed endless, and when one voyage seemed endless, everyone would ask the same question.


    ¡°Are¡­ Are we there yet?¡±


    ¡°Gosh! Friture! Stop complaining, you¡¯re ruining our pleasant promenade together¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t put it that way¡­ You asked me to follow you so that I can understand something¡­ But we only walked¡­ For only you know how many hours¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not even noon yet! Come on, I¡¯ll carry you if you¡¯re exhausted.¡±


    ¡°No-no! I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine...¡±


    The duo walked with this atmosphere between them since they departed for a walk in the wood. Trellia seemed joyful as usual, but he couldn¡¯t pinpoint the cause for that joy. For now, Friture could only obey this strange goddess, wondering what kind of view she wanted him to see.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, it¡¯s true that I don¡¯t know what gods usually do¡­¡±


    They hardly needed to eat. They hardly needed to drink. They didn¡¯t even need to sleep, however that didn¡¯t spare the youngest of them from the mental exhaustion, plus they kind of liked those mysterious episodes they would live then forget once they woke up. So¡­ Were they lazy bums? But Trellia didn¡¯t look like someone who would postpone her tasks just because she felt like it. The more he pondered on it, the more Friture felt trapped in a loop that would never give him an answer no matter how many times he tried.


    The easiest way was of course to directly ask her, but somehow he felt it was improper to ask an ageless lady about her daily agenda, so he just discarded the thought and carried on.


    ¡°There, we¡¯re here.¡±


    Feeling an outburst of happiness upon hearing those words, Friture gave a more straightforward effort to join Trellia, then looked around him to try and guess her purpose. Before them, a grand lake spread itself, its calm surface reflected the brilliant sky with an enchanting sight. Just looking at the unmoving surface gave serenity to both of them. The lake didn¡¯t give this immenseness feeling because the forest still encircled it while not being surrounded by mountains, anyone would think that they wouldn¡¯t need that much time to walk around it while looking at it.


    Most of the local trees extended their roots directly inside the lake to drain its fresh water, sometimes gifting a leaf to their benefactor like they were exchanging their belongings to maintain a sort of balance. One green leaf slowly fell, touching the surface of the water in a manner as calm as possible, yet still sprouted small waves on its impact. And suddenly, a fish jumped out of its environment, gulping the leaf before disappearing back to its home.


    Friture was happily surprised by this scene, viewing the fish more as a delicious meal than an animal rightfully living in his territory, however it still added a sort of charming air to the place.


    ¡°At first, there was only a pale pond here. Some insects lurking around, with the fishes doing their best to catch them. Not really a place where you would sit and eat your bread with your mind at peace.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    So I decided to nurture this land. Seriously, it was a pain to come back here and fix all of the mistakes that kept popping out of nowhere. And worst of all, they just kept popping again, like someone was deliberately making them to piss me off.


    But look at that now. Wasn¡¯t it worth it?¡±


    A kind breeze caressed Friture¡¯s hair. He felt invited to admire this piece of art in which a goddess dedicated efforts and time in order to construct a stable, small and beautiful world. But it was still off from what he expected. Do gods¡­ Had too much free time?


    As a scientific, Friture was well versed in the caprices of Nature, and could only complain when an obstacle that was written in the rules of physics prevented him from reaching a goal that was only an inch away. At the same time, it was what made science both fun and challenging for him, and the reason that he stood so much time trying to solve problems that seemed unfeasible to ignore.


    He couldn¡¯t say he didn¡¯t admire Trellia, because what she did was basically the same as an impossible feat which required years of research, experiments and a vast amount of resources to apply dubious theories. And she did it all by herself. But something still was off for him.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s beautiful¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t seem convinced by my awesomeness.¡±


    Feeling something wrong in Friture¡¯s tone, she couldn¡¯t help but ask in a petty way.


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know how to say it¡­¡±


    ¡°Then start with what you¡¯re thinking first.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy! I¡­ Sorry, I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah ah! It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay! But I must say I¡¯m still surprised by your lack of reaction. Just say you find this place pleasant to the eyes, okay?¡±


    As a casual shut-in, Friture wasn¡¯t used to chitchat with other people, nor with people of the opposite gender, and even less with people of divine origins. What if what he said offended her? Would he suffer her wrath? She didn¡¯t look like the kind to easily lose control over her temper, but let¡¯s just say it was possible and¡­ It only added stress on his shoulders.


    No, he should act a little more open-mindedly, otherwise he would stay a mute person for the rest of the day. Besides, she wouldn¡¯t let him go that easily. The least he could do with his saviour was¡­ To be honest?


    ¡°Actually¡­ I don¡¯t really¡­ Understand, why you did it. Was the land previously that bad or¡­ Cursed?¡±


    ¡°What? What do you mean, ¡®cursed¡¯? Of course not, I just cleaned it over the years and it simply turned out this way.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you do it? Would it not have been sufficient to let time do its work until everything found its equilibrium?¡±


    Nature always find a solution to its own problems. Mortals did not have any words to refute this truth, nor the power or the technology to argument against it. Maybe gods could with their divine energy, but then why would they? It was also common knowledge that time healed all wounds. Do gods saw it with a different point of view?


    Trellia looked at him, at first because she repeated his words in her head to make sure she understood what he implied, but then she took it seriously because it touched an area she was responsible of.


    ¡°You still confound it, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    What? Did he miss something?


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true that time sure help a lot. Sadly, divine energy doesn¡¯t work that way.


    Let¡¯s make it easy to understand: what do you know about divine energy?¡±


    Divine energy¡­ It¡¯s true that we don¡¯t know a lot about it, then does she know something?


    ¡°Not a lot¡­ It¡¯s quite instable and next to impossible to extract on our own¡­ It has many uses, but we still don¡¯t know its full potential.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, same for me actually.¡±


    ¡°So we are stuck on the same case¡­¡± thought Friture with a disheartened face. If so¡­ Then what was the point of asking? But Trellia didn¡¯t stop here, she raised her finger like a teacher about to tell something important to its students, then proclaimed proudly what she wanted to say.


    ¡°However! I still lived long enough to learn two things!


    The first thing is¡­ And unlike what I¡¯ve constantly been told by mortals¡­ We gods don¡¯t actually contain divine energy inside ourselves¡­ It exists as a flow that circulates somewhere through the world. We are merely spoons that dig in a river which the origin and destination is unknown to us.


    And the second-!¡±


    She interrupted herself, leaving Friture with a cliff-hanger. However, even he felt it. The air vibrated once, then dissipated. It was like a shockwave that made your body tremble for a short while, then you felt nauseous due to the remaining sensation of fear and the cruel enlightenment of being so close to death.


    That was right, at this point in his existence, Friture didn¡¯t only felt he was in danger. He was the prey, and the predator made his appearance.


    The wind blew again with a tremendous savagery, pulsating a threatening breath to every living beings in the proximity. The trees shook, while the lake¡­ Changed.


    Something¡­ Emerged from the lake. A being that inspired terror in anyone¡¯s heart, a creature born to devour and consume the fools that dared to cross his path.


    Why did gods need mortals, and mortals required gods? If it wasn¡¯t because of sympathy or mutual complementary, then the last possibility was probably what drove those two people to joint together: demons.


    Those heretical entities were born by the same rules as the gods. Just as we could compare the civilisation with the fauna, demons were the equivalent to animals for the gods. But dreadful animals which could split the earth and heaven in half if they decided one day to rampage.


    An enemy that could rival the gods, a nemesis that was seeking chaos and destruction. Truly a foe that both people needed to be wary of, no matter the situation, no matter the era they were living in.


    On this day, Friture met a demon¡¯s eyes. It filled his mind with sombre sights of himself being toyed under the sharp teeth of the monster.


    ¡°Tch. I knew I should have come more often¡­¡±


    Trellia clicked her tongue in annoyance, not amused by how the events turned when she was having a happy time with her guest.


    ¡°Get behind me Friture. I¡¯ll handle it.¡±

 Chapter 11 – The true nature of divine energy

    The creature growled under the surface of the lake, piercing Friture and Trellia with a malevolent intent that betrayed his murderous habit. His eyes shined with a barbarous desire to crush the ones that entered his territory. No, trampling on them wasn¡¯t enough, his mouth spilt a slimy substance that would erode the flesh of its prey. He needed to satiate his hunger.


    ¡°Get back Friture! Don¡¯t get caught by the demon!¡±


    Trellia knew the danger that represented a demon to mortals, and as each demon were different from each other, it was difficult to group them in categories to learn from previous fights and mistakes. One could accumulate experience in combat through years of training and practice and become a veteran warrior, however it didn¡¯t mean anyone could become a demon hunter that easily. Of course it was only a title in mind and reputation, because hunting demons was the job of gods.


    ¡°Is it what she meant?¡± thought Friture while hiding himself behind a tree ¡°But why would it appear in front of someone that could kill it?


    Am I¡­ Am I at fault?¡±


    ¡°Watch out!¡±


    The demon coughed a rapid ball of water toward Trellia. However, it wasn¡¯t fast enough to catch her unguarded.


    ¡°[Left Hand of Kindness]!¡±


    Suddenly, a huge circle appeared in front of her, acting as a shield that blocked the projectile. It split itself in all directions, leaving a strange watery texture on everything it touched¡­ Followed by bubbles, and the sound of oil burning on a pan. It was acid, and a very corrosive one.


    ¡°Ahhh! Acid! It¡¯s stomach acid!¡±


    While Friture panicked on his side, Trellia revoked the divine energy-based shield¡­ But had to recast it immediately to protect herself from the second volley.


    ¡°Oy, oy. Can this thing shoot without delay? What a pain¡­¡±


    Keeping her complains in her head, Trellia added more fuel to the barrier in order to prevent it from disappearing due to the amount of damage it will take, then gathered her power in her right hand to chant a long-ranged spell. That was when her instinct ordered her to dodge.


    Following the command, she made a long side-jump, and took a look to comprehend what it was about. Something crashed itself in a tree, fracturing the bark in proof of the velocity of the strange attack. Then, it came again from the lake. Dozens of those new projectiles flew off from the water, damaging the area or even penetrating the rocks and the trees around. As they came from everywhere, she couldn¡¯t use her barrier to block them while shielding herself from the acid at the same time. Having no other choice, she nimbly dodged everything that came her way.


    When one of those things hit her barrier and got stuck, she understood where it came from, but not how it was possible.


    ¡°A fish?¡±


    The scaly animal squirmed for a short while, his flesh torn apart and¡­ It dissolved itself, leaving a trail of nauseous liquid where it stood with fish bones, eyes and small organs sliding to the ground.


    ¡°The bastard! It¡¯s ruining the ecosystem! It¡¯s ruining my work!¡±


    She couldn¡¯t stay on the defensive any longer if she wanted to protect the peaceful lives of the fishes now corrupted by the demon. In one swift movement, she jumped above the lake. Then, just when she stood over the demon, she chanted another spell.


    ¡°[Left Hand of Scolding]!¡±


    The shield she held casted a blinding light, then shouted a large laser that stamped or perforated the demon. It produced a long and grave sound, but the most important part was the impact it gave to the lake. The surface elevated itself at once, then created a tsunami that engulfed everything in the surrounding.


    She kind of forgot about it, but¡­ Friture was still around, and would get submerged by a wave twice as big as him.


    ¡°Oh shit! FRITURE!¡±


    It was too late. All she could do was wait for gravity to let her land on her two feet, while she could watch the small figure get swept by the disaster she provoked. At last, she sprinted as fast as she could to look after him.


    He was there, lying unconscious on the ground. His face got some bruises due to the incident, but more seriously, on both his skin and his clothes, he got burned marks. Amidst the water which swept him, there probably was a little bit of the demon¡¯s acid


    This time, it was Trellia¡¯s turn to panic.


    ¡°Friture! Wake up! Are you alright?! Talk to me! Friture!!¡±


    She stood next to him, not daring to shake him nor to touch him. He wasn¡¯t moving at all. What if he was¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡±


    She heard him trying to breathe or to cough. She couldn¡¯t tell, but she knew he was in pain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m with you, so stay with me! Friture, do you hear me?!¡±


    She took his hand, gently squeezing it between her fingers. He was cold, he was so cold. She gulped, wishing everything wasn¡¯t too late.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of you!¡±


    She carried him as carefully as she could, leaving behind the scene of a devastated lake that would not welcome life before a century or two.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Trellia was holding a basin of water in her hands, holding still without moving. Her hand were a little bright, a sign that she was using divine energy for a small but meaningful purpose. Now that the water was warmed, she drenched a towel and used it to wipe the wounds on Friture, making sure to cleanse the impurities that was mixed with his blood.


    The house didn¡¯t offer much to help an injured person to feel at ease, the bed was poor, the drape was cheap and barely thick enough to chase away the chill of the night. The only source of heat was the chimney that was on duty to warm up the room, Trellia made sure the fire was well fed to not let the temperature go down before going back to take care of the little man.


    She felt terribly remorseful for what happened to him. Sure, she could blame all she wanted the demon for its appearance and everything, but it was her who blasted the lake and provoked a large wave. It was her fault if Friture was hurt.


    ¡°Why does it always go wrong?¡± She asked herself, completely detached to any sort of lead that could help her understand this chronic tragedy of her. ¡°Why do I always make mistakes? Can¡¯t I be right for once?¡±


    A growl emanated from Friture¡¯s mouth. His eyelids slowly opened up, then grew largely to reveal a tired expression on his face. He was still nervous, still terrified, still traumatised by what he saw at the lake. He was slowly waking up from his nightmare, only to find out that it wasn¡¯t a dream. That was why Trellia stood next to him, kindly applying her hand on his forehead to calm his agitation.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Friture. The demon is gone, it¡¯s over.¡±


    He gazed at the person that tried to reassure him. There, he saw a beautiful woman, staring at him with worry, sadness, and a form of determination that glued those emotions together. A wave of confusion clouded his eyes.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Trellia smiled hopelessly when she heard him asking.


    ¡°Come on. I¡¯m Trellia. Don¡¯t forget such important details.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Right¡­ Sorry I¡­ Kind of forgot, on the spur of the moment¡­¡±


    His mind was still busy reorganizing his memory, but it didn¡¯t took long before he remembered what happened.


    ¡°The¡­ The demon! The demon is-¡°


    ¡°Shhhh¡­ Calm down, Friture. There is no more demon now, I took care of it. I swear¡±


    She petted his head, trying to give him a feeling of security, one that only a mother could give to its child to stop it from crying. She looked at him with a face that proved the serenity of the place, spoke to him with a voice that untied the tangled rope around his heart. He was still greatly perturbed, but now he felt¡­ Safe. He felt like he was at home. He felt like he was at his laboratory, sleeping in the middle of papers, documents and mathematics that he understood and was familiar with.


    Even now, he was still thinking about his work, about his research, about his project. However, a single picture was enough to blow away all of his thoughts. The face of a goddess who was watching over him with such delicate attention. How did he earn such an honour? Why¡­ Did she look so frightened?


    ¡°What happened Trellia? I¡¯m¡­ Not sure I remember well everything¡­¡±


    How could she answer that with a serious face? How could she even explain what happened while facing him with a serious face? It was her fault after all. It was her to blame for his injuries.


    ¡°Is this¡­ Is this the demon¡¯s doing?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡±


    It¡¯s wrong.


    ¡°The demon got you without me noticing.¡±


    It¡¯s wrong!


    ¡°I tried to block it, but it just slipped past me.¡±


    That¡¯s wrong too!


    ¡°Seriously! I told you to hide, so why did you show up?¡±


    Why am I blaming him now?!


    Friture couldn¡¯t help but smile helplessly.


    ¡°Sorry, I thought I was outside his field of view¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s alright! You¡¯re safe and sound now, thanks to me!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­ I¡¯m the worst, am I not?


    Silence took place in the room. The air became heavy for Trellia, but Friture noticed nothing of it. He was just glad that they went through this, and emerged victorious without any serious injury. Besides, he was a mortal, it was normal for mortals to return from a fight with one or two trophies like that to show off, even if one was a scientist and not a fighter.


    By the way, speaking of his scientist mindset, he remembered another thing that bothered him more than his burned skin.


    ¡°Come now, it¡¯s time for you to sleep. You¡¯ll need a good night after this rough day.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Trellia¡­¡±


    Just before she was about to leave the room, Friture called for her.


    ¡°You said you learnt two things about divine energy¡­ What was the second thing?¡±


    The question surprised Trellia who did not expect it at all. She smiled, amused by the insatiable curiosity of someone who decided to dedicate his life to understand the intricacies of life.


    ¡°Can¡¯t this wait for tomorrow? Don¡¯t you feel tired?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m more curious to hear what you learnt than anything else.¡±


    What he said was almost stupid. No, it was stupid, which was why she laughed a bit at this hopeless person. But well, could she not grant him this simple wish before leaving him alone?


    ¡°Alright, then listen well.¡±


    She came back at his side and began to quietly explain the second and last knowledge her long and ancient lifespan was able to gift her.


    ¡°¡­ The second thing I learnt about divine energy¡­ It¡¯s actually about the demon¡¯s origin.¡±


    Hearing this, Friture was stunned. The demon¡¯s origin? Like their genealogic ancestors or their lair?


    ¡°Well. Sort of. I said divine energy was like a river, however that¡¯s merely a metaphor to explain the first point.


    For the second point, it¡¯s easier to understand if you imagine divine energy like an immense stack of threads that are intertwined together.


    It keeps moving due to some interferences, because of accidents. It¡¯s perpetually moving in every direction because of all kind of factors.


    And sometimes, those threads get stuck together. They get stuck, but they keep trying to move around, but that doesn¡¯t work, it even makes it worse.


    After some time, it finally becomes a knot¡­ The knot is a metaphor for the demon.¡±


    Friture listened carefully to Trellia¡¯s lesson without battling an eye. What she just said was a discovery which could not have been made before centuries of research! To put it simply, if someone know where the problem lies, then it can try and find a solution to erase it. It would be like the difference between mowing his lawn and directly eliminating the roots of the undesired weeds.


    For now, he couldn¡¯t find any solution to resolve the demon¡¯s random invasion. But one day, maybe¡­


    ¡°Luckily it¡¯s possible to untie the knot with brute force. We just have to smash it hard enough with a big attack charged with divine energy, and the problem is solved. No more demon, and the knot is undone! Well, until the next one makes it appearance, and even if I say it¡¯s easy, it¡¯s not possible to know where the threads are getting stuck together¡­


    So we just decide to take care of one place or another, and frequently brush the threads to avoid any problem¡­ When it works, of course.


    And when it does¡­ It leaves behind a sparkle of this thing you call divine energy. It¡¯s really just a speck, that¡¯s why we don¡¯t mind gifting it to you mortals so you can also fight back the demons.¡±


    Satisfied with her speech, Trellia puffed her chest out of pride¡­ Then remembered that it was late, and mortals required sleep more than gods did.


    ¡°So then! It¡¯s late, you should sleep as much as you need. See you tomorrow!¡±


    This time, she finally left the room, leaving Friture alone in his thoughts.


    Divine energy is a river, and gods are the spoon that collect its water.


    Divine energy is also threads sharing the same space, and knots between results in the birth of a demon.


    With those two pieces of knowledge added and combined with what he already know of, Friture was certain now.


    His project could be accomplished. It had to be, but he first had to satisfy two conditions.


    First, he needed the help of gods. Only they could manipulate divine energy without the strenuous engineering of complex machines.


    Second, he needed a lot of this divine energy. Enough to touch as many person as possible. Enough to cover as much land as possible.


    And Trellia satisfied those two conditions at once.

 Chapter 12 – A beautiful dream

    When one path lead to the darkness of a prison, it was already too late to tell oneself that it was not the right path to follow. Yet, Dragee didn¡¯t feel that way. He was certain that all of this was a misunderstanding, that he could still do something about this mess.


    The project Friture proposed to the Chief Researcher and the First General was just too good to be disposed of, thrown under the carpet like a detestable bug and forgotten for the sole excuse that it granted immortality to anyone affected by it. Sorry, he meant ¡®prevented death¡¯.


    If the project was so beneficial to the country, and if they were the first one to discover about its application, then why would the First General call for the execution of Friture and the banning of divine energy-related study? It didn¡¯t make any sense. If Dragee was less courteous, he would call this move as a stupid one. All the pros where on their side, so why would they doubt any of it?


    He wanted to do something to bring the project to the light. He had to. But he couldn¡¯t do anything, imprisoned behind a wall of iron bars, and chained like a criminal sentenced to perpetuity. His cell only offered a minable bed of straw, no window to follow the daily cycles and illuminate the grim indoor. It was a place made to be forgotten.


    ¡°Prisoner n¡ã 14, here¡¯s your food.¡±


    Since he entered the prison, this was his new nickname. Prisoner n¡ã 14, following the rule of renaming prisoner with their cell¡¯s number at their arrival. In the end, it was easier to remember a set of digits instead of complicated names.


    A dry bread on a plate and a cup of water was placed in front of the door. This was the meal generously given to people that were said to be dead from the world outside, a way to remind them that it didn¡¯t ask much to refuse it, because living in those conditions would be more painful to the spirit than embracing death.


    Accept the end, or continue to live on? Of course, Dragee lived here for only a few days. Even a person without any charge on him could survive without much scars on their mind. However, it was still an extremely dulling life, surrounded by nothing but stones, iron and darkness. He swallowed the bread and drank the tepid water one at a time. He wasn¡¯t so impatient as to choke on it, as he now had all the time he wanted to enjoy the only thing that intruded his thoughts for now.


    Since his incarceration, all his worries laid on the well-being of the small scientist he helped flee the country. Was he safe? He couldn¡¯t help but imagine a lot of scenarios for this guy. What if he got eaten by a plant on his way? What if he met ruffians that decided to kidnap him? What if a mysterious merchant sold him a dubious potion that rendered him disabled in some way? Wait, that last one was just a fairy tale made to scare children, it couldn¡¯t happen here.


    His thoughts were in complete chaos, he couldn¡¯t find solace as long as Friture was in danger.


    A commotion brought him back from his slumbering unease. People were talking, it seemed like the jailers were busy all of a sudden. Maybe he could eavesdrop on them, maybe he couldn¡¯t. That wasn¡¯t important, or maybe it was. Should he care? But if he tried to devise a plan to escape, what would he become next? First a traitor, then a fugitive? His career as a knight-in-training was already doomed enough like this, so maybe he shouldn¡¯t dig anymore his own grave like this.


    ¡°Prisoner n¡ã 14! You¡¯ve got a visitor!¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±


    A visitor? Who would visit him in this dire state of his? His family was already informed of his doings, he knew they wouldn¡¯t even move an inch to come and check with their son.


    ¡°Maybe mom would¡­ If she wasn¡¯t sick.¡±


    But there, a grand figure stood in front of his cell. Despite the lack of luminosity, his few years of duty in the army still burned this person in his memory as someone he should admire.


    ¡°F-F-First General?!¡±


    He instantly rose from his bed, saluting the general out of habit and respect. As a criminal, he was released from all his bonds and responsibilities from the military obligations, however all of it was still too fresh to completely remove every speck of loyalty and discipline he accumulated over his trainings.


    Of course, Paladron guessed it easily, but didn¡¯t say anything about it. As a general in charge of all armies of the kingdom of Biscotti, and while the peace seemed to sustain itself between them and the galetteans, he had to verify both the tranquillity of the borders and the continuity of the recruitments for future reinforcements.


    He also had to maintain the public order in each town, and for that, militias patrolling their own hometown was the best solution. And just to make sure everything didn¡¯t go astray, he always appointed a group of knights in each garrison to act as leaders in case of emergency. With this system, he secured important roles which required dutiful, loyal and efficient manpower, while assuring the inner stability of the kingdom.


    Obviously he couldn¡¯t manage everything on his own. Besides, he actually only acted as the man giving the broad order and receiving the final report, as it was the other Generals that were focusing on each of these points. But still, he enjoyed looking at the results, especially the knight units which consisted of the main force of the kingdom¡¯s army and clerks for the administrative side.


    That was why he always asked to be updated on the knights training.


    That was why he always knew which one was standing out from the crowd.


    That was why he knew that Dragee Martinozzi was standing out.


    His petite appearance was misleading to start with, because it gave him the opportunity to improve his dexterity while growing his muscles to show the same strength as a regular knight. And while he looked quite frail or a little too backing away, it was testified that his personality didn¡¯t lack anything in what they would ask for a decent knight. Loyalty, bravery, willpower, all those excellent qualities were somehow pushed into this tiny body.Stolen novel; please report.


    That was why it was a shame.


    That was why it couldn¡¯t be helped if he expected a lot from this apprentice.


    That was why it was so difficult to decide if he should execute him for treason or not.


    ¡°Dismiss.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    He wasn¡¯t his superior anymore, but Dragee did not forget all the faith he had put in the First General ever since he had met him. It was certain that the neighbouring kingdoms held hostile intentions towards their home country. It couldn¡¯t be helped, that was the normal course when someone not sharing your image of peace was seating next to you. And yet this great man here managed the impossible. It was a feat if you emerged victorious from a battle. It was an historical event if you won a war against your enemy. But you become a living legend if you can prevent war for this many years.


    Applying enough pressure so the opposition would not dare to launch an assault, not too much or they¡¯ll feel threatened, not too few or they¡¯ll see a breach and try to force it. It was a chain of carefully planned movements which helped to constantly show a reasonable display of strength to the people around them. If it was true or false, there was only one way to find out, but no king would deliberately send his men to war just to test the prowess of his enemy.


    To Dragee¡¯s eyes, Paladron hadn¡¯t won any battle or didn¡¯t put an end to any war, but he won over the notion of war itself. That was enough to call him a hero.


    ¡°Friture Elmar managed to escape from my soldiers from the library¡­¡±


    This piece of new came as a blinding bliss to Dragee¡¯s ears.


    ¡°¡­ But they cornered him at a cliff, where he decided to jump before we could stop him.¡±


    Then, everything became black.


    ¡°He¡­ Jumped? Then is he¡­?¡±


    ¡°We are looking for his body, to make sure he didn¡¯t bring any notes with him, but still haven¡¯t found anything.


    He vanished in the wild.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s alive?!¡±


    So there was a chance, there was still a chance for the project to be completed! Dragee was glad, he was so glad that such a benevolent project would see the light. Maybe it sounded strange to hear him favouring a stranger¡¯s plan to change the world over his allegiance to the king, but that just demonstrated how much he valued the idea of deleting all acts of aggressions. With this, there would be no more murders, no more assassinations, no more tragic deaths due to jealously or arrogance. Everyone would live in a world where they would not fear anymore for their unforeseen demise.


    Dragee suddenly realised that answering back to the First General was the rudest thing he could have done as a recruit. He quickly apologized and bowed repeatedly, hoping it would not worsen his current situation. But now, he had a question that bothered him.


    ¡°Why are you telling me this, General?¡±


    Paladron didn¡¯t mind his lack of manner. Anyone would be exhausted in this situation, and an exhausted mind had different priorities than a sane one.


    ¡°As a promising knight, there are lessons that you ought to learn and remember forever, before being thrown out in the real world.¡±


    It pleased Dragee to be seen as a promising knight by the First General himself, but it also made him disheartened when he was indirectly treated like a child by his idol. Was it really a good time to tease him, or was he just overthinking things?


    ¡°As the First General, it is natural that the duty to protect the kingdom from any threat falls on me.


    I had my doubt at first, when the Chief Researcher presented to me this opportunity to manipulate the divine energy for such a convenient result.


    That¡¯s why I fetched you, because the risks were low and I knew you would not disclose the content of the experiment.¡±


    It was because he trusted Dragee that he selected him amongst the legion of available knights. Because he wanted to test his loyalty and determination, and further improve it to turn this boy into a wonderful knight.


    ¡°But the situation changed when the spy showed itself.¡±


    The presence of Peche Amaretto was the absolute proof that the National Research Center wasn¡¯t safe anymore. Who knew how many other spies were hiding themselves inside the corridors of this megapolis of biscottean¡¯s technology. The secret wasn¡¯t safe anymore, so he had to take drastic measures immediately, even if he had to regret it later.


    ¡°I declared Elmar¡¯s Project as a heresy, and ordered his execution. It was both to silence all ambitions about divine energy, and to protect our country from our neighbours.¡±


    He continued his explication, adding all the details, the reason and the cause that forced him to do it this way. He also did not forgot to tell how the consequences would unfold if his plan wasn¡¯t applied.


    ¡°Declaring it as heresy is to dissuade people to plunge their nose in this affair. Otherwise, if every country learnt of this method, they would not hesitate to harass the gods to collect as much divine energy as possible to make it possible.¡±


    Making enemy out of gods, while the demons were roaming freely, because of one¡¯s greed over the possibility to become deathless. This was the worst possible outcome.


    ¡°This is not worth it. Give it up, recruit.¡±


    He said everything he wanted Dragee to hear. Paladron did it not because it seemed reckless or because he didn¡¯t thought it through. On the contrary, he even foresaw the probable future that awaited the kingdom on both side of the story.


    There was no way he could refute his logic. He didn¡¯t know where to begin with.


    However¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, General. But I still believe in Elmar¡¯s project, because I know it is the safest way to protect everyone¡­


    With his project, everyone will be freed from the fear of death, and could enjoy the happiest life they could!


    It will change the world in the best possible way!


    Please, General! I beg you to reconsider, and give Friture Elmar a second chance!¡±


    ¡°Even if the gods decide to abandon us? Even if we have to remain alone against the demons?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ I¡­¡±


    Yes¡­ No¡­ I don¡¯t know... Maybe if¡­


    ¡°If gods see us using this massive amount of divine energy, which is so precious to them, how do you think they will react?¡±


    Let¡¯s try to make an analogy out of this question. If someone caught a child misusing a delicate tool, how would he react? The reasonable answer would be to punish the kid and to confiscate the tool. As mortals, punishments consisted in physical harm or confinement in prison. But how did gods punish mortals?


    Trying to imagine any kind of scenario sent goose bumps to Dragee. They were basically storing some divine energy thanks to the generosity of wandering gods. If they noticed mortals using so much divine energy for the mere comfort of detaching themselves from the fear of death, they would only see this as a huge waste. Then, the logic became simple.


    We, gods, gift divine energy to mortals.


    They waste it to overcome the natural fear of death.


    Conclusion, we stop gifting them divine energy.


    ¡°We need gods to protect us from demons. And even if another scenario we couldn¡¯t have predicted rise, I will still deem it unworthy of the effort this project requires.


    I¡¯ll repeat myself: It is not worth it, give up on this dream.¡±


    On those words, Paladron checked the prisoner¡¯s expression one last time. As he didn¡¯t find any more what he was looking at, he closed this discussion, and went back to his duty, leaving Dragee alone in his cell.


    He hoped, he really hoped¡­ What did he hope for exactly? It was just like what the First General said. It was only a beautiful dream.

 Chapter 13 – One last thing to do

    The morning light shone through the closed curtains, bringing a faint brightness inside the quiet room. The sun rose for quite some time already, but the thick forest blocked most of its rays, delaying the morning call and forwarding the evening curtains, thus shortening the length of the days Friture was used to.


    His figure slowly stood from the couch, rubbing his swollen eyes then stretching his arms to fully recover from the remnants of sleepiness inside his body. He took shelter here only a few days ago, that was why it couldn¡¯t be helped if he still felt a sense of disorder with this new routine. The recent events brought their share of perturbations, novelties, tactless lessons, but also a dear hope.


    Today, he would convince Trellia to lend him her strength in order to achieve the project: New World.


    Yet, he wasn¡¯t totally certain how he should introduce this idea to the goddess. She was already aware that his project needed divine energy to function, however her reaction when she learnt of it showed just how much she despised such technology. As a mortal, as a scientific who found a new path for a brighter world, he felt it was his new duty to promote this project and make it happen for real. That was right, he had to do it himself, because nobody else would or could do it in his stead.


    However, that meant he had to confront a goddess head on with her ancestral wisdom forged on unimaginable experiences. Would his innovative proposition could get past the hard-as-stone judgement of someone who lived ten times longer than him? But he had to propose it! Otherwise, nothing would change, and wars would still bring many losses to everyone.


    He got up, checking his clothes if any strange folds were made during his sleep. Looking around, he deemed the place to be a bit too dark to truly awake, so he went and opened the window. Something felt strange when he looked upon the already familiar scenery of the surrounding forest. It was like the place was cheering for him, feeding him with positive energy to relieve him from his exhaustion, from his stress and his anxiety. The light of the outside world has always been something he didn¡¯t really care about, or at least he only looked at it as an energy that he could one day profit in one way or another.


    No. He currently was profiting from it now. This same light, this light he knew very well, this light he was born with and always witnessed at the beginning of each day, and which he gave no more attention but that of a cold man who assessed the advantage it could give and the burdens it would place on the kingdom in exchange. That was at this instant, looking at the sky hidden behind the canopy, that he understood something so simple it was unperceivable by himself.


    ¡°I have changed¡­ Haven¡¯t I?¡±


    Discovering the remedy against the fear of death, labelled as a heretic by his home kingdom, falling to his death at the cliff then rescued by a goddess, meeting eyes in eyes with a demon. How could that not change his method of analysing things? He quickly pondered on what was his life now¡­ And judged he hadn¡¯t really change. Really. To tell the truth, he didn¡¯t change. Something was just added to his personality, to the equation he always used to determine if a new thing was beneficial or detrimental. That was right, he hadn¡¯t change at all. He just perceived the world with data he was unaware of before, with information he couldn¡¯t use before. He wasn¡¯t a new Friture, just one more prepared.


    Now that this incredible sensation filled his spirit, Friture could completely focus his mind on the most important task he was entrusted to. To tell a goddess how to manipulate her own divine energy.


    He left his sleeping room to join the place where they were usually eating together. She wasn¡¯t there, which meant she already got up and left to gather the forest¡¯s belongings to make breakfast. Good, it meant he had more time to prepare for his argument.


    Why did he fear to face Trellia? Because he was plenty aware of the gods¡¯ role in subjugating demons. From yesterday¡¯s meeting with the demon, he understood the significance of divine energy to gods: it was to repel demons. Or, actually, to unknot the threads and turn back the world as it was before the anomaly. While it didn¡¯t actually restore the land before the collateral damage of the fight, this process still was necessary, as it prevented demons from rampaging around and creating more mess.


    And now, he was about to directly ask a goddess to use this energy not to fight the demons, but to help the mortals overcoming a natural occurrence.


    She wasn¡¯t there, but it wouldn¡¯t take long before she comes back with ¡®snacks¡¯. Some berries, as per the usual. He didn¡¯t eat many meat recently, he hope it wouldn¡¯t bother his body. No, he had to stay focused on his main objective. Those distractions only served as time killer, but that was all they were, distractions.


    Time hurtfully passed, giving him all he needed to rehash the scene in his head again and again. But before he could feel ready, a pair of footsteps could already be heard from here. This single moment was sufficient to send his thoughts in disarray, freezing his brain¡¯s processing. His back went cold, an alarming reminder of how imbecile he was for wishing to ask a god to help him for such a selfish request. However¡­


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re already up! How do you do?¡±


    ¡­ Her carefree attitude helped dissipating some of his stress. Friture helplessly smile while looking at what was supposed to be a formidable goddess.


    ¡°Yes, I was woken up by the light outside.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry about that. You want me to consolidate the window next time?¡±


    That was right, she was just too carefree, accommodating, and above all she was someone you could easily get along. If it was Trellia, then maybe he could get something out of it. Maybe she would understand. Maybe she wouldn¡¯t turn him down.


    ¡°Trellia!¡±


    ¡°Mh! What is it?¡±


    It was pretty rare to hear him shouting her name, which stunned her from the unexpected but ravishing surprise.


    It was now or never.


    ¡°I¡­ I have a request. I need you to help me complete the project: New World I am working on.¡±


    She¡­ Did not respond immediately. Actually, she took quite some time to digest the demand, her eyes betraying the vaporizing warmth she usually displayed. Friture thought he should continue with an explanation about the how and the why¡­ However, he never believed that someone he trusted to be so heart-warming suddenly could turn deadly cold on the spot. The picture shocked him, petrified his bones and his hardly beating heart.


    Then, the unamused goddess spoke, with a dangerous tone that did not invite any form of kindness.


    ¡°You want me¡­ To work for you, is that it?¡±


    Work for him? But he was banished from the kingdom and... Besides, that wasn¡¯t the point at all. Friture quickly thought of an adequate answer, hoping to get enough time to explain to her all of the crucial details.


    ¡°N¡­ No¡­ I¡­¡±


    But he couldn¡¯t. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to oppose a goddess¡¯s terrifying stare. He¡­ He didn¡¯t even understand what was wrong! Why was she so mad? Of course he knew the answer, but it was hard to blame himself when he was giving so much effort toward his own goal.


    ¡°Friture, you seem to forget something which is actually a matter of life and death for you.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    You are the one who thought your life was no more useful, so you threw it away.


    But I am the one who judged you were in the wrong, and spared you a meaningless death.


    As your saviour, I have been expecting a word of thanks, but all I get is a request?


    Aren¡¯t you a bit rude toward the benevolent goddess that gave you a second chance?¡±


    It only dawned on Friture now. When was it? Didn¡¯t he say those simple words to her even once? Why¡­ Why didn¡¯t he? Was he looking for a good moment to tell her? No, the truth was dumber than that. It simply did not occur to him.


    ¡°I had hope in you, Friture. But you shattered them by yourself. How regrettable.¡±


    Friture lowered his head, his ears dropping in a defeated manner. It wasn¡¯t only a failure, this will become one of the worst mistake he could have done as a mortal. He would now be haunted by this miserable role he played in front of a respectable goddess, living from now on as an exiled and a person denied by the gods. But his misfortune didn¡¯t end here¡­


    ¡°As punishment, I will take back the life that I have saved.¡±


    ¡°¡­ So it all ends here and now, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Was he prepared for such an outcome? Of course not. Fear. Fear invaded his mind, occupying his thought and voiding all of his hope. The cold hand approached his face more and more, but he couldn¡¯t move. He didn¡¯t know why, but he couldn¡¯t even try to back away from this sight. It wasn¡¯t because he accepted his fate, but because of the immense pressure exerted on his body. A mortal facing an angered goddess? Even the demon looked less frightening compared to the cold eyes of Trellia. At last, her index touched his forehead, and everything ended¡­


    ¡°Just kidding!¡±


    Yes. It all ended. The pressure he felt suddenly disappeared, while the coldness in her character vanished as if it never happened. But something was still here. The terror was still gnawing at Friture¡¯s soul.


    ¡°Now get out.¡±


    ¡­ Then it all crumbled in the end. There was no hope left, he couldn¡¯t get himself to continue this confrontation with Trellia. Friture slowly rose backed away, trembling from all this commotion. He barely stood on his feet, but he still stood up, and, with the fragile strength that was left in his body, he walked toward the forest in direction of¡­ Who knew?¡­


    But if he left this place¡­ Where might he go? His kingdom wanted him dead, so maybe he should ask for an asylum in another? However he didn¡¯t like the idea to betray his homeland, even if they tried to kill him out of nowhere. That was weird, but he couldn¡¯t bear the idea to betray the people he has always been living with.


    So what should he do? Hide somewhere for the rest of his life? It was equivalent to be dead. Such an empty life would kill his spirit before he would bite the dust. He was afraid to go out, because he had no other place to go. He didn¡¯t like to leave the laboratory, because he had no one else to spend time with. He was born in a merry family¡­ Then, at some point in his life, he was alone¡­ And now, he would die alone, forgotten or hated by his compatriots.


    ¡­


    Actually, he still had something left. Something he adored so much he spent almost his entire life with. Something so dear to him he cherished it with all his love and dedication. That something¡­ was his love for science. Ever since he was a student, he was bewildered by the potential hidden in the mysteries of nature that only science could examine before giving a concrete answer. With science, everything became explainable, everything became possible. And that possibility that was born from his years of hard-work and research was¡­


    The project: New World. The mean to use divine energy to prevent death.


    Friture realised who he was against¡­ That was why, despite the odds, he clenched his fists, then took a big breathe before making the grandest announce of his life.


    ¡°NO!¡±


    The room went silent again, only making things heavier than they already were. But he couldn¡¯t stop here.


    ¡°I¡¯VE BET MY WHOLE LIFE, ALL THOSE YEARS, FOR MY RESEARCHES TO BEAR FRUITS!¡±


    ¡°No, it sounds rude if I don¡¯t face her when I¡¯m talking.¡±


    Now more aware of how serious Trellia was with the pattern she expected from others to adopt with her, Friture turned around to face her. He was also fully aware that his face was now pitiful, shedding tears over tears, but he couldn¡¯t hide it now.


    ¡°ALL THIS TIME, I¡¯VE DESIGNED WEAPONS, BE IT SWORDS, PISTOLS, EVEN THE DEADLIEST ARTILLERY KNOWN IN HISTORY!


    I¡¯VE BEEN USED ALL THIS TIME TO CREATE TOOLS OF WAR!


    AND ONE DAY, I FIND A WAY TO CHANGE EVERYTHING!


    I DESIGNED SOMETHING WHICH WILL NOT SPREAD DEATH, BUT CAN STOP IT FROM EVER HAPPENING!¡±


    Now that he was started, Friture did not stop his complains. He evacuated all the small nerve-wrecking balls that were stuck in his veins, this gigantic mass of stress he accumulated over years of disregarding, of isolation, of complexion over his own pathetic self he was so well aware of.


    All this time, his intellect had been used only to nourish the military strength of his nation. It had been exploited to provide a greater mean to deal more damage to the opponent. It had been manipulated for the sole purpose of enlarging the pile of corpses. And now that he had the chance to put an end to this ridiculous massacre, it seemed like the whole world turned against him, as if everyone agreed that they would not permit it to stop.


    There was no excuse which can validate the act of ignoring this possibility, except unnecessary pride and cowardice.


    ¡°NOW THAT I FOUND A WAY TO SAVE EVERYONE, I WANT TO SEIZE THIS CHANCE AND MAKE IT HAPPEN!


    FOR ONCE IN MY LIFETIME, I CAN SAVE EVERYONE. EVERYONE, FROM THE DESPAIR OF WAR!


    THAT¡¯S WHY¡­ THAT¡¯S WHY¡­¡±


    That was why he bowed to the goddess that listened to him. Because all he had left was this faint dream of changing the world, of changing everyone¡¯s way of living, of saving them all once and for all.


    ¡°PLEASE HELP ME, TRELLIA!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­ ¡°*Sigh*¡­


    It sure seems interesting, when you put it like that¡­ However, what¡¯s impossible stays impossible.¡±


    ¡°Im¡­ Impossible? Wh¡­ What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I says it¡¯s impossible, because divine energy doesn¡¯t prevent death. It can¡¯t.¡±


    What was she blurting suddenly? It was contradictory with Friture¡¯s discovery. Even the experiment on Dragee proved its efficiency. Could it be¡­ Could it be that she didn¡¯t know of this utility?


    ¡°I¡¯ve saw a lot of application for divine energy¡­ But all of it is just offensive or defensive techniques. Maybe a bit of regeneration for gods who like to go full berserk, but nothing ever worked on mortals because they lack this little divine part that can held and tamper with divine energy.


    So¡­ Yeah. Your theory is interesting and all, but totally not possible.¡±


    That was it! Friture didn¡¯t know the precise circumstances that led Trellia to believe such a thing, however he knew she was wrong about it!


    ¡°I can prove it! Please lis-¡°


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me I¡¯m lying, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Even when faced a second time with such a cold stare, Friture still couldn¡¯t get used to it. He diverted his eyes, giving him a bit of fake bravery when he didn¡¯t look at this ruthless power that could torn apart earth and heaven.


    No, even diverting his gaze was hard enough. All he could do was close his eyes, and pray for nothing goes wrong.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s not what I said. I can prove it, I just need to show you, please¡­¡±


    The whirlwind of turbulent emotions carried on, then became calmer and calmer, until nothing of it remained in the room. At last, the silence was broken with a tired sigh of Trellia.


    ¡°Fiiiiiiine¡­ You show me, then you go away.¡±


    ¡°Th¡­ Thanks for your kindness¡­¡±


    Then they both went further away, Friture explaining to Trellia how to manipulate the divine energy in order to apply it correctly on his body. She was reluctant at first, but rapidly complied because the method seemed rather innovative, thinking she may could get some inspiration from it for future references. Moreover, as a veteran in the field, she learned quite fast, and thus could envelop Friture the way he described it.


    ¡°Is that how it¡¯s done?¡±


    He stopped himself from answering that he wasn¡¯t sure. It was only tested on Dragee so far, so only the knight-in-apprentice knew what the sensation felt like. However, Friture could still attest that he felt something different about himself. His body lightened in a very comfortable way, like he just slept a very good night and woke up with absolutely no trouble. All the sores where gone, replaced with a feeling of relaxation he never experienced before. Maybe that was how it should be¡­


    ¡°Yes¡­ I think it is¡­¡±


    ¡­ But there was only one way to be sure¡­


    ¡°Good¡­ Now can y-Wait! Friture!¡±


    He drew a knife concealed inside his sleeve, then, with a swift and decisive blow, pierced his stomach. The blade was sharp, and easily penetrated the flesh, cutting the arterials and drilling through the internal organ. Blood spurted everywhere, it was a morbid suicide¡­


    ¡­ Or so it should have been.


    A giant fog emerged suddenly from his body, hiding it from outer sight. Trellia, on her side, hurled at Friture, running to his side to deliver first aid to the injured fool. She hoped it wasn¡¯t too late. And yet¡­ And yet she was met with a furry ball.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I¡¯m glad, it worked out¡­¡±


    The strange animal talked with a cute face, sending Trellia in a hard-to-conjure confusion.


    ¡°Fri¡­ Friture? Is that you? What happened?¡±


    The strange thing possessed similar ears and the same looking tail as the scientist. Despite its peculiar appearance, it displayed a lot of similarities with the scientist. However, how could she explain what just happened? After all, there were no precedent. This was a premiere for her.


    ¡°S¡­ So, Trellia? Do I¡­ Do I still have to leave?¡±


    Friture asked with a worried voice. He proved he was right. He proved it was possible. But he knew the choice fell on Trellia. When facing this scene, how would a goddess, who thought she has saw everything, would react? The correct answer was quite simple, actually.


    She smiled, eagerly and passionately.


    ¡°Maybe I didn¡¯t make a mistake, this time?¡±

 Chapter 14 – First steps forward

    Every game had its set of rules. In chess, you could only move your pawns in a pre-defined way. In poker, you could only use special follow-ups with your cards to get yourself as close as possible to victory. This truth was also applied to more basic principles like society, duels or physics.


    In society, if you stand out, you¡¯ll get yourself either shunned or admired by the mass. If you don¡¯t respect the established law, you¡¯ll end up in prison or be executed a few days later. If you don¡¯t possess good manners or don¡¯t know how to correctly behave with people, you¡¯ll get ostracized.


    In duels, if you don¡¯t play fair and square, you¡¯ll get labelled as a disrespectful scum. If you don¡¯t allow witnesses to take part in it, you¡¯ll be treated as a liar who loves to imagine valiant stories just to please the public. Those were unspoken rules which mainly served to make everything go smoothly, avoiding the most chaotic cases. They were set to determine who was being honest and trustful in their interactions, and who was the despicable one who valued his egoistic win more than everything else.


    The same could be said about reality itself. When you jump, you fall back on the ground, and they called this rule ¡®gravity¡¯. When you open the window, a wave of chilliness invade the room, and they called this rule ¡®thermodynamic¡¯. When you place two electrified metallic stick, they either repel or stick to each other, and they called this rule ¡®electromagnetism¡¯. Those were intangible rules, but they were constantly applied to every people of this world. Everyone, but the gods. Did that make them sore loser? Should they be seen as despicable beings because they weren¡¯t following the rules imposed to mortals? The answer was a definitive negative, because another force played its part on this worldwide board.


    This force was what mortals called ¡®divine energy¡¯. It was sufficiently potent to terraform lands, to slash mountains in half, and even alter the fabric of reality to permit some unreasonable moves. Thanks to this advantage, gods were naturally allowed to not be affected by the more natural rules. It was kind of like a joker in a deck of cards. However, even divine energy had to respect its own set of rules.


    As a scientist devoted to the study of divine energy, Friture understood a few of those rules, but that was all theory, as it was proved difficult to experiment with the low quantity stored. Besides, the moment the higher-ups learnt that it could be used as a powerful explosive, they weren¡¯t interested in anything else but military utilization, be it in the form of grenades, rifles, canons or boosting pills, all of those based on processed divine energy. There were actually more uses than just throwing it at the enemy to make it detonate in the middle of their ranks, just like the one he recently discovered. It was a great opportunity to show the world that divine energy wasn¡¯t only a fuel for war.


    Trellia, on her side, had a different point of view on this matter. Ever since she succeeded in manipulating divine energy, she was struck by an illumination: she needed to employ this force for the sake of the world. But how, she asked herself at that time. At first, she just helped common villagers with regular tasks. It became a daily habit, until the same village was attacked by a demon. As two opposing faces of the same coin, she knew exactly what to do. She used divine energy as a mean for battle, and expelled the demon back from where it came. Since this encounter, she devoted herself to hunt more demons, all demons.


    And now, on this fateful day, she learnt that divine energy could be used for a different cause. Not to bring harm to her enemies, but solace to the people she protected.


    ¡°How is it going, Trellia?¡±


    ¡°Mmmh¡­ Good, I would say?¡±


    Trellia was sitting not far away from the cabin, meditating to cool her head while she exerted a hard-to-reach level of concentration. Manipulating divine energy was one thing, using it to attack a foe was another story. But spreading it to apply the effect to every living being in the surrounding? Now that was a challenge even she found hard.


    In order for the project to be a success, she had to expand her influence as far as possible, while always checking if the desired effect was still applied. It was an arduous task, that was why she needed as much calmness as possible to let her focus. However, even for a goddess with this amount strength, it was a task she couldn¡¯t accomplish on the first try.


    ¡°Ahhhh¡­ What the heck is this¡­ What the heck did you just tumbled on, Friture?...¡±


    Her body was covered in sweat, not from physical exhaustion because all she did was sitting on a rock, but from mental exhaustion due to the long sessions she was training herself to accomplish this feat. Friture tried to hide his blush while lending her a cup of water.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°If I feel okay?...¡±


    Trellia examined herself, noticing just now how strenuous this exercise was for both her body and mind. She drank a mouthful of the cup before swiping the sweat from her forehead with a sleeve, then took a rest to catch her breath.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel fine at all¡­ This is hardcore, you know?¡±


    Too much exhausted to comply anymore, she leaned on her back, trying to grasp as much fresh air as possible to freshen up. She lazily rearranged her clothes, sensing that they were revealing a bit too much of her breasts to the wild.


    ¡°I should look for more decent clothes, those are too tattered for a goddess¡± she thought while worrying for Friture¡¯s state of mind. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t seem to have noticed any of it, too busy he was to write things on his paper. ¡°Is he too dense to notice me, or is he just¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Friture?¡±


    ¡°What is i-!¡±


    Friture panicked when he saw a woman he would not hesitate to call beautiful facing him, lying on her front with a reddened face and a charming smile which would entice any man who saw it. And of course, as a man, he was enticed. With this angle of view, a simple mistake from his eyes could lead him to stare at something he shouldn¡¯t. So if not for her chest, what should he be staring at? Her lips were shining, covered by a gloss she licked with appetite. Her cheeks seemed like they were burning with intensity, covered behind feminine fingers which you would not believe could display a tremendous strength. Her half-closed eyes irradiated a certain attractive fury, while at the same time betraying the fatigued state she was stuck with for now.


    ¡°Do you have a woman in your life?¡±


    A woman in his life? She meant if he loved someone and wanted to share a family with this special person? Of course not, he wanted to retort, he had always been far too busy with his work to even consider falling in love. But now he couldn¡¯t say anything, stammering on his words each time he tried to try to give her an answer. This reaction was enough for Trellia to feel like teasing a bit more.


    ¡°Ohhh, really~?? But you look so cuuuuute, and you¡¯re so smart! There must be someone interested in you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Feeling cornered by the situation, Friture hid behind the sheet he was holding, concealing his uneasiness from the goddess that knew nothing about privacy and personal feelings.


    ¡°N-N-No¡­ No, there isn¡¯t! Nobo¡­ No one cares about me!¡±


    Even he qualified what he just said as quite rash. Of course there were people who cared about him. It was just that you counted them on the fingers of two hands. They were not many, but they still counted. However, did they still count after all that had happened? He felt sad, dwelling like this on this grim part of his life.


    ¡°Then¡­ What would you do, if I say I care about you?¡±


    Friture never noticed how close she was of his face at this point. When did she move? When did she approach him? Was he so shocked he didn¡¯t hear her footsteps, the wind of her movement, or even the breathe she exhaled? And now that they were separated by only an inch from each other, he felt frightened by this alluring sight.


    He was frightened not because he felt threatened, but because of¡­ Something more primordial to him. Right now, he was confronting a part of life that he never understood, that he never desired to understand, a domain in which he always lacked the guts to get interested in. Because he lacked confidence. Because he feared for the other side¡¯s mockery.


    And now, those regrets, those fears, they all emerged again, freezing him in a state where he couldn¡¯t respond to Trellia. He wanted to run away. He wanted to ignore her, hoping she would lose interest in him, just like the others did. He wanted to be left alone, that way nobody would laugh at him like they always did. He wanted to shout, but he was repressed by his own weakness. All he could do now, was¡­


    ¡°Just kidding!¡±


    ¡­ And everything went back to normal. Trellia was drinking the last drops of water in her cup, while Friture was desperately trying to reconnect himself with reality.


    ¡°By the way, Friture. I think I¡¯m starting to grasp how it¡¯s done. With one or two more try, I¡¯ll be able to perfectly use the method you explained to me.¡±


    ¡°O¡­ Oh¡­ Okay¡­¡±


    Trellia already had a deep familiarity with divine energy. This method sure was novel on its own, but that was all it was: a different method to use it. It was like telling a man to use a pickaxe instead of a shovel to dig a hole, the method differed, but with enough practice he would find the most efficient way to do it.


    ¡°For now, I think I¡¯m already able to cover the whole forest.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s impressive¡­¡±


    At this rate, the duo would be able to do the same on the whole kingdom. Then they¡¯ll extend their influence on the other kingdoms, until everyone was covered with divine energy and protected from sudden death. He should be happy about it, however the recent shock dulled his emotion for now.


    ¡°But I also feel I¡¯m reaching my limit.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Wait, what?¡±


    What limit? Which limit? What was she talking about?


    ¡°I may be the most powerful goddess you may know of, but spreading and controlling divine energy on such a large scale isn¡¯t as simple as you may think. In addition, I also have to make sure that every living beings covered is affected, otherwise they¡¯ll just feel a nice breeze.¡±


    Modesty has never been her forte, but if she said it, then it really was an unforeseen obstacle in their path. Friture pondered on a solution to solve this problem, maybe engineering an amplificatory, or asking the support of other gods. Trellia didn¡¯t know how to feel about the amplificatory, and requesting the help of gods would only lead to misunderstandings from unconcerned parties.


    ¡°Do I really have to influence everything, or I can just focus on citizens of each kingdoms?¡±


    ¡°You can filter who is affected and who isn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sort of.¡±


    Up until now, Friture asked her to also apply the protection on animals, for the purpose of preventing them from falling to the curse of demonization. It would most probably make other problems rise as well, but if it could hinder the birth of more demons, Trellia would happily give it a try. However, it seemed it was too much, even for her.


    ¡°That way, I may be able to cover more territory¡­¡±


    ¡°How much land, you think?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ From those mountains to the west to those mountains to the east.¡±


    She could basically cover half of the kingdom of Biscotti already. It was truly a formidable feat, a really good news for them. However, it also clearly exposed the new limit of her ability. How would they manage to cover all kingdoms? Sadly, even with all his knowledge, Friture couldn¡¯t solve this new problem. That was why Trellia smiled playfully, raising her finger with the intent to sound important.


    ¡°I have a plan¡­ We just need a Treasure Sword.¡±

 Chapter 15 – The legendary Treasure Swords

    Once upon a time, a man realised his own powerlessness. He could command thousands of troops to march for victory, he could decimate any opponent that crossed his path with a single blow. He was the first one to rally the continent under one banner, and thus created an empire that shared no border. All the riches in the world belonged to him, every women begged to be his concubines, every warriors dreamed to fight alongside or against this man.


    However, there was one enemy the man couldn¡¯t beat, no matter what. When demons started to become a mortal threat, he allocated most of his resources and soldiers to repel those hideous creatures. But they were too fragile when confronted with the might of a corrupted beast. The man quickly lost his riches, his lovers and his reputation as the bravest of all. Backed to a corner, he brought himself to ask the gods for a weapon, for he wanted to purge this evil by his own hands.


    The gods accepted his request, and lent him their swords, their axes, their bows, and many other tools of war. With this new power, he went into battle, and won by himself. When he came back to celebrate his victory, the gods awaited him, desiring their weapons to be returned. But the man refused, saying the demons would eventually return, and that he needed those weapons to fight them on equal terms. Then, the gods nodded, and made him promise one thing in exchange for the weapons.


    We will lend you our weapons, but you must continue to fight the demons with them, they ordered.


    The man accepted, and became the very first demon hunter in history. Later, his descendants inherited the weapons, but due to jealously or rivalry, they fought amongst themselves, splitting the ever-lasting empire into many smaller kingdoms. The promise soon became partially forgotten by both side, and the weapons became national treasure for each kingdom, thus earning the name ¡®Treasure Swords¡¯.


    Or so the legend was told, but nobody could confirm its validity as there were only one old grimoire which mentioned this story. But Trellia knew better. She wasn¡¯t even born when the Treasure Swords were gifted to the mortals, yet she still was plenty informed of their divine origins, which could only mean one thing for certain.


    ¡°With one Treasure Sword, I can attain a new level, and cover all kingdoms with divine energy.¡±


    That was her plan. Plain, easy, but with great benefits. She was already capable enough to spread her protection to the kingdom of Biscotti. Friture was a bit sceptical about the amount of power a single Treasure Sword could give. If it was only enough to cover one more kingdom, would they need more Treasure Swords? Or if it didn¡¯t even help in covering that much territory, would their plan become meaningless? If worse comes to worst, would they have to choose to neglect some land?


    Friture¡¯s desire was to change the world, not just two to three kingdoms at best. If they couldn¡¯t do it, they what would he do? This new premonition only added another chain to his anxiety, heavying his shoulder with a dire prospect. He shared his worries with Trellia, however she dismissed them all, saying they should first try to reach for the best outcome, then make the adjustments when it would be done.


    ¡°After all, I gained this strength thanks to many decades of hardworking. If I can¡¯t cover all kingdoms today, then tomorrow will do.¡±


    That was right. Even if she couldn¡¯t fulfil one aspect of the project, she could still wait patiently until she became capable to do so. She was immortal, time had no value for her.


    ¡°I¡¯m still worried about the citizens of each kingdom¡­ If they learnt that our kingdom is protected while theirs is neglected, there is no doubt they¡¯ll become aggressive...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be this generation¡¯s problem. I¡¯m already doing all I can. If they still wanna complain, then tell them to come and to say it to my face.¡±


    Friture couldn¡¯t help but laugh silently. Who would dare to make complains to a goddess? Only the crazy ones.


    ¡°But still, where could we find a Treasure Sword? We¡¯re not going to¡­ Steal one from a kingdom, do we?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Of course we¡¯re doing that!¡±


    Okay. This plan was getting more dangerous than he expected. The Treasure Swords were both a secret that must be kept, and a power that must be displayed. Not a lot were known about those divine weapons, only that each kingdom seemed to possess a pair of them. They were mostly used when the kingdom was facing a crisis, or when a colossal demon threatened the safety of said kingdom. Otherwise, they just served as decoration. A decoration locked behind heavy and thick doors, with guards at each corners and corridors, and many protective devices to dissuade thieves to think about it.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    In addition, Friture wasn¡¯t informed at all of the possible Biscotti¡¯s Treasure Swords¡¯ position, he didn¡¯t even know where to begin looking in the king¡¯s grand castle. Trellia reassured him on this point, explaining how those ancient artefacts shared a common divine origin with her. With the correct wavelength, she could resonate with one weapon, and more or less perceive where it laid. It basically worked as a sonar for divine-based entity, which meant nobody would be aware if she tried it now.


    ¡°And we¡¯re lucky, we got one Treasure Sword waiting for us somewhere in the castle.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ We¡¯re going to infiltrate the castle of the king of Biscotti, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Precisely!¡±


    The small scientist sighed at this thought. He barely managed to escape from this place when he was incriminated. And now, he had to go back in there¡­ And act as a criminal, a thief. That was too much for him. Besides, he never was the physical type of guy, maybe he should stay behind and wait for the good news.


    ¡°Of course not. You¡¯re coming with me. You¡¯ll be helpful, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not so sure about that¡­ I¡¯ll only be a burden for you¡­¡±


    Trellia looked at him with an annoyed face, then sighed with the same tone. She walked toward Friture with a strange determination which told him that he was done for a bad scolding, then grabbed his shoulders and passionately kissed him. At first, she was just sucking on his lips, but then she went forward and caressed his tongue. The intensity overloaded Friture¡¯s comprehension, he was so shocked he couldn¡¯t respond but with surprised moans.


    The pleasure was sudden, but exponential as she pursued without a break. He lost his pen and paper somewhere on the ground as his hand went numb to the confusion. His legs menaced to give up too. He tried to cling on the goddess, however his mind was entirely focused on the sense of touch, amplifying his fantasies as well when his finger brushed against what he guessed was the body of Trellia. Her hips were surprisingly broad enough to hang on without falling down, and her shoulders just at the adequate height to hold on without feeling too low.


    Maybe because she felt his hands browsing her shape, Trellia growled something, but what she said couldn¡¯t be spelled correctly as long as she didn¡¯t break the kiss. So she departed herself, filling her lungs with fresh air as a thread of saliva was hanging between their mouths. Seeing it, she licked her lips, cutting the trail before looking deep in the eyes of the stunned Friture she held in her arms.


    ¡°You see, Friture. I don¡¯t know what happened in your life for you to completely lack confidence in yourself. It¡¯s like you see yourself as useless as long as it¡¯s not about your work.


    Your way of gauging yourself is way too brutal. That¡¯s why, to thank you for teaching me this method of protection, I¡¯m going to teach you something else.¡±


    She pressed herself against the young scientist, both falling down on the soil of the forest. Or so he thought that was happening, but he suddenly found himself laying on the bed of the cabin with Trellia still stuck to him. Laughing childishly when looking at his confused face, Trellia leaned on him, drawing circles on his torso with the tip of her finger.


    ¡°We¡¯re on my domain, of course I would prefer to stay inside.¡±


    Then, she rose on top of Friture, overlapping him casually. Meanwhile, she drew a long line on Friture¡¯s cloth from top to bottom. As her finger was passing over his torso, he felt a course of air traversing his body. She was slowly cutting his garment, exposing him more and more to the goddess.


    ¡°W-W-We still have to¡­ Treasure Swords¡­?¡±


    ¡°There is no meaning to infiltrate at daylight. We have a few hours before us to share together.¡±


    She placed her hands on her stomach, gesturing some sensual moves with the belt she was undoing, removing the last pin that served to close the habit which role was to not expose too much of her skin. But now, it was only in the way.


    ¡°¡­ So what do we do now?¡±


    ***


    Maintaining the kingdom¡¯s safety was Paladron¡¯s main job. And to complete his job, he had to go at great length, exhausting both his close aids body and his own. A single night of rest would be enough for him to feel restored, but recently he had no time to sleep.


    With the project: New World clearly explained in the documents provided by the now deceased Chief Researcher, anybody could achieve it with a little bit of determination, and a massive amount of divine energy. And now with the fact that the National Research Center was proved to be a genuine sieve, who knew how many enemy kingdoms was now aware of its content?


    They luckily managed to catch the galettean spy, but that didn¡¯t mean he played alone. Besides, since the incident, they hadn¡¯t captured anymore suspicious character. Be it with through investigation or interrogation, none of the remaining scientists and assistants working here sounded suspicious. Which either meant the remaining spies were quite the actors, or they already fled to their country to share the new.


    That was why Paladron hadn¡¯t hesitated to publicly claim that this project was a blasphemy to the gods that protected them, and that it should be seen as the study of heretics. If royals and generals learnt that this project was a hostile approach with the gods, they would be reluctant to pay any effort to verify this comment.


    With this done, there was now only a few remaining problems to solve. Firstly, he needed to resolve the National Research Center¡¯s sealant problem. If anyone could enter and exit with their secrets and technology, it was utterly pointless to try having an advantage on this side. Secondly, the mysterious disappearance of Friture still hung on his mind. If the scientist was still alive, there was a possibility a neighbouring kingdom would welcome him. Such a brilliant mind must not fall in enemy hands.


    In addition, he had little time to solve those problems, because if his prediction was right, another issue was still on his way to rise.


    ¡°First General! A message from Cerise Fortress!¡±


    The messenger arrived tired in front of Paladron, showing a rolled scroll to the First General. He silently picked it, unrolled it, and read its content.


    It was a declaration of war from the kingdom of Galette. The casus belli being¡­ To slay the biscottians heretics who dared use the power of gods for selfish reasons.

 Chapter 16 – A reason to love someone

    Suddenly, he opened his eyes. His sight rested on the wooden ceiling, the planks were staring back with their distorted lines and bizarre figures. A strange warmth oppressed his ribcage, but he didn¡¯t dare to get some fresh air to cool his head. He was still covered under the blanket, still lying on his back. His body made no motion, but his mind was fully awake, and so were his five senses.


    His nose picked a fragrant smell, an odour he was not accustomed with which prickled him. His slightly adjusting ears could pick small noises, his slow but nervous breathing, and another not so far. A taste he couldn¡¯t really describe lingered on his tongue, it was both fruity and unknown, and that pleased him while at the same time it stressed him. Something weighted on his torso, it was soft, a little sticky but comfortably warm. He slowly lifted his head to notice it was an arm rolled around him. It was Trellia, refusing to let him go even when she was sleeping.


    Should he laugh at her, or at himself? For once, Friture was at a loss. And this time, it wasn¡¯t a mere equation he needed to solve, or a review he needed to survey if there was any error. This time, it wasn¡¯t about him or work, but about someone else. How was he even supposed to look at her after what happened? What was he even supposed to think about all of it? This romance was beyond what Friture could handle.


    ¡°What romance? She just jumped on me¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t know why he was suddenly playing the victim here. Was it due to the habit of being bullied, or maybe he unconsciously looked at it as his trump card to evade any blame targeted at him? That was¡­ Stupid of him. He looked stupid, and it made him upset. Why was he so pathetic? Why couldn¡¯t he be like everyone else? Someone with subjects to discuss with. Someone full of initiatives. Someone normal.


    Soon, the hatred was replaced by a disheartening emotion. He wanted to blame someone for his own miserableness? Then he could only blame himself, for he was the one who stood on this path. It just¡­ Became the norm for him, at some point in his life, to just choose not to face reality, and keep being stuck with less intimate issues. He cut his own wings and legs, just so he could enjoy the little pleasure in his life. And when he looked at others, he realised¡­ That he couldn¡¯t be like them anymore.


    He didn¡¯t enjoy to take a break to drink his coffee. If he had spare time, then he had bonus time to study on his subjects.


    He didn¡¯t enjoy chitchatting with his colleagues. All they would talk about was themselves, their family or their small complains.


    At some point in his life, he just stopped enjoying the company of others, and preferred working on his own. It never bothered the Chief Researcher, and that was for the best.


    However¡­ He also didn¡¯t enjoy how his daily routine unrolled. He wasn¡¯t fine with it at all. But he didn¡¯t know any better at this time, so he said nothing, and endured like you would endure the hardships of life.


    And now¡­ Now he did it. He did it with a goddess. He did it with Trellia nonetheless. Maybe because she sensed something was different, it was her turn to wake up. She lightly moaned and made small movements under the blanket, trying to find a more comfortable pose. Alerted, Friture moved his sight to his side, and crossed eyes with her. Her face was concealed behind her hair and her cushion. In parallel with the sweat skin revealed at shoulder level, it gave an alluring paint which was quite tempting to grab.


    ¡°Good morning, honey~. You¡¯re good to go?¡±


    Trellia said that line with a smile, he could tell it without checking. He didn¡¯t felt angered by his past or her behaviour, nor did he feel sad for who he was. He didn¡¯t feel calm neither, as a swirling of thoughts suppressed his habitual logical capacity to analyse. But he still had to answer, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t let him go. If his head couldn¡¯t fabricate an answer, then he¡¯ll just go with whatever comes first.


    ¡°¡­ No¡­ I feel bad¡­¡±


    ¡°I feel even worse, now¡­¡±


    He couldn¡¯t stop comparing himself with a lowly scum who took advantage of the situation. She certainly initiated it, but he couldn¡¯t control himself back then. He was¡­ Seduced, blinded by her beauty, and he just chose to let her do as she pleases. He regretted not refusing her advances. He should have.


    ¡°Ow¡­ Come here~¡±


    Trellia tried to comfort him with a hug, followed by a kiss on the cheek to cheer him up.


    ¡°No¡­ Trellia, please¡­¡±


    He tried to push her away, but was rapidly refused this option.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Friture. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything right now.


    It¡¯s just you and me for now. So relax.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Trellia¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t love you¡­¡±


    How was he supposed to tell those words to this goddess in this situation? He didn¡¯t hate her, nor did he dislike her company. He actually enjoyed it, he was truly grateful she saved him that day, even if he kind of forgot to thank her, but nevermind. But this¡­ You were supposed to do this with the person you love, not just the first guy who fell from the sky next to your house.


    But she seemed like she minded nothing in the world, as she was caressing Friture¡¯s ear while whispering sweat words to him. Trellia feared she actually overdid it, however she didn¡¯t regret it at all. On the contrary, she was quite happy having Friture as her partner. Then the question was¡­ Did she love him? It was hard to tell, even for her. She didn¡¯t hate Friture, nor did she dislike him. Actually, she enjoyed his presence. It brought its share of novelties, of laughter, of argument.


    However, she was still frightened by the idea of Friture hating it. He was attracted to her forms, and he did enjoy their night together. But now, it was over. What was his thoughts about it? How would he look at her now? It would be good if he took a liking to her¡­ Or would it? Whatever, she only had to push him a little bit more.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Friture. I think I know how you feel about it¡­ And it¡¯s okay.


    ¡®Love¡¯ is an emotion, just like ¡®Sadness¡¯ and ¡®Hatred¡¯ is.


    You¡¯re not sad without any reason. You don¡¯t hate someone just because you feel like it.


    It¡¯s the same when it comes to love someone. You do it for a reason, a good one.


    Never forget this reason, and make sure to always remind your lover of it.


    That¡¯s why¡­ Let¡¯s make this night our first reason, okay?¡±


    Now the ball was on his side. It was his turn to make a choice.


    She put one last kiss on his cheek, desperately hoping he would never forget those words. Then she stood up, and prepared herself for a bath.


    ¡°Come on, Friture. We still have to pick up this Treasure Sword before the sun rise.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Trellia disappeared behind the curtains of the bathroom, leaving a lost Friture on the couch who was still thinking about everything that happened. He remembered her touch, her smell, her voice. No no, all he was thinking about now was his sexual desires. They were still in the preparations for the project: New World, he couldn¡¯t allow himself to get distracted this way.


    And yet¡­ He still needed to sort his feelings about it. A reason to love¡­ Did that count as a reason? Should he view this as a stepping stone for a relationship between him and Trellia? But it was bound to end in a tragedy, wasn¡¯t it? He was a mortal, and she was immortal. Death would eventually separate them in the future, and only he would be gone while she would remain on this land, widow and alone. Was this¡­ Good enough reason, to reject her feelings?


    He felt bad. He felt even worse than before now¡­ But he still needed to get a hold of himself. Their night operation would soon begin.


    ***


    One hour later, at the threshold of the rampart.


    Trellia was doing some stretching, while Friture prepared his spirit. He was about to infiltrate the kingdom that banished him. Right now, he was a criminal that anyone could eliminate and receive a compensation for honourable action. Living with a bounty on his head was more tiring than he had anticipated.


    They reviewed together the plan. With her remarkable agility, Trellia would have no problem climbing the wall and stepping inside the castle. As Friture was too inexperienced to walk stealthily, it was decided that he would cling on Trellia¡¯s back until they arrived at the entrance of the Treasure Swords room.


    Once it was confirmed it was the right path, Trellia would incapacitate the standing guards, making sure she would not alarm everyone with the noise. Then Friture would guide her in disarming any device in the door until she managed to unlock it. Once inside, they grabbed the weapon and would leave the place at once to avoid any complications.


    ¡°Okay. Ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Trellia offered Friture a piggyback, as it was easier to run with a weight on her back. He mounted the goddess, unsure if he wasn¡¯t a hassle to deal with.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get any weird thoughts, okay?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Then don¡¯t mention it, please.¡±


    Then, the operation began.


    Trellia sprinted in front of the wall, then¡­ Simply ran on a vertical pace, ignoring the law of gravity until she arrived at the top. There was plenty of moonlight, she had to hurry and hide in a black spot before someone spotted her. She continued her run, until she sensed something in the air which put her on a halt.


    There was a guard nearby¡­ He was yawning, wore dark sockets and his left eye seemed to have difficulty staying open. His attention not really at his peak, Trellia bypassed him with no sound nor breeze. It was as if she wasn¡¯t existing at this place. She was a shadow that lurked behind one¡¯s back without anyone noticing a thing.


    She left the rampart and arrived next to a park, probably a made-up trail to joint two structures of the palace. She hid near a tree before perking her ears. They waited like this for a moment, before Friture saw her nodding. She used her resonating sonar with the divine weapons. Now she knew where the Treasure Swords where. However, she mentioned one issue.


    ¡°One sword seems to be deep in the castle, probably in a royal¡¯s chamber. If that¡¯s the case, they¡¯ll be wearing it as a ring, and that¡¯s a no-go.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Because the Treasure Sword would see my action as a transgression.¡±


    As a godkin, it seemed they weren¡¯t allowed to take the weapon if a mortal was using it to fulfil the long forgotten promise. She didn¡¯t know if this was true or just a way to discourage younger gods to claim them, but Trellia didn¡¯t feel like trying her ancestor legacy. As it would be too long and complicated to explain, she simply told a single line to Friture about it.


    ¡°Then what about the other?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s buried deep in the underground. I suppose it has no owner, we should go with this one.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡±


    Deep in the underground¡­ It wasn¡¯t the prison nor the dungeon. The ancient library maybe? Only a fool would go there anyway. Then as Friture expected, it was in a place he knew nothing of. It wasn¡¯t really a surprise, but that meant he would be unhelpful in finding the path to lead Trellia there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I can smell its aura.¡±


    ¡°You can what?¡±


    Trellia responded with a smile before running in a direction. Friture did not know what to do, so he just waited, hanging on her back, reminiscing their meeting, the time they spent together, and even tonight. Somehow, he¡­ He was scared of Trellia. Scared of how she would react if he told her the truth.


    He didn¡¯t love her. But she did say you could love someone because you had reasons to. And what was this reason? Their night spent together? It sounded like a dumb excuse in Friture¡¯s mind. He didn¡¯t¡­ He didn¡¯t want to stay together with her because of the simple idea he liked her appearance. He wanted¡­


    ¡°Stop it, Friture. This is getting ridiculous¡­¡±


    He stopped this cruel delusion. It wasn¡¯t about a romance between an immortal and a mortal. It wasn¡¯t because Trellia was a stranger he met only a few days ago. He simply¡­ Couldn¡¯t feel like it. He couldn¡¯t imagine himself being bound to someone else. The thought scared him. But why?


    Loving and being loved were a beautiful feeling, an extraordinary gift you could give and receive as much as you desired. There was so much to tell about the feeling of ¡®love¡¯. And still he couldn¡¯t bring himself to thread of this path.


    Because if he did, he felt he would lose something. He felt he would fall in this unfathomable abyss of uncertainty. Mathematics were easy, but people¡¯s hearts were complex and¡­ Fragile.


    Friture dismissed those thoughts, focusing on the path Trellia followed as she smelled the trail toward the Treasure Sword.


    They travelled across many narrow rooms and corridors. The most impressive part was when she was actually running on the ceiling to avoid a patrol. ¡°As expected of a goddess¡± thought Friture, anything was possible for them.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    At last, they saw an encased door in the wall, with two guards standing in front. The gate seemed extremely complicated, as it proudly showed many gears which must be shown to demonstrate the complexity of the locking mechanic. At first sight, it looked more like a piece of art with its fantastic golden plates and the sophisticated geometry of some patterns. If someone told him it was meant to be seen as a painting, he wouldn¡¯t even think a Treasure Sword would be stored behind this door.


    Trellia dropped from the wall she was mysteriously clinging on, put Friture on the ground, and then waited for nothing to take care of the guards. In an instant, both of them fell unconscious in Trellia¡¯s arms, before being put down. Target down, she signalled Friture with a thumb up.


    ¡°Are they fine?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re fine. They¡¯re just going to sleep for a while. And now, for the hardest part of the plan¡­¡±


    The duo faced the tall gate that stood between them and the Treasure Sword. It was quite the obstacle. But it wasn¡¯t enough to discourage Friture.


    No knob¡­ No keyhole¡­ There must be a lever somewhere which actuate the door¡¯s mechanism¡­


    But he saw none, and they were losing time as he was pondering on the solution.


    Think¡­ Think¡­ Why would the gears be shown like that? Is it just for show, or maybe¡­


    ¡°Trellia, can you take a look at the gears up there, and see if you can turn one of them?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She jumped high enough to reach one of the gears in one go. She took a look at the impressive mechanism, however she noticed something was wrong.


    ¡°They¡¯re not gears. They¡¯re all melted together!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Melted together? Then that meant they were indeed just to show off. But then, why would you¡­ How did you open this door, if not with the gears?


    ¡°Do you see anything else?¡±


    ¡°Mmmh¡­ Nah¡­ Nothing peculiar¡­ It feels like this door is made in one piece.¡±


    Which meant the actual mechanism was hidden behind the stone walls. This was beyond Friture¡¯s capacity, as he couldn¡¯t see through the walls, and neither could Trellia. Were they stuck here? Did they have no choice but to travel in another kingdom for their Treasure Sword?


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Strange¡­¡±


    ¡°What? What is it?¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ I can resonate with the door?¡±


    Resonate with the door, the same way she did with the Treasure Sword to locate them. Wait. Why could she resonate with the door? It was certainly not a Treasure Sword, Trellia would have noticed it earlier. She could resonate with Treasure Swords because they were weapons which shared the same divine origin with her kin, because they were powerful divine energy-based entity.


    Currently, the second Treasure Sword was held by a royal, while the second was hidden behind a heavy and unopenable door. Why did the kingdom held a pair? Why did each kingdom held a pair? Were they connected in some way? And if they were, what did that mean?


    ¡°Trellia! Try to resonate with the door! Send him the same wavelength as the other Treasure Sword!¡±


    ¡°Euhm¡­ Okay?¡±


    If each Treasure Sword worked by pair, then each one could respond to the other in a manner of speech. The royal held one, while the second was waiting here patiently. Then to get the second weapon¡­


    ¡°It¡­ It works! The door¡¯s opening by itself!¡±


    ¡­ You needed to awaken it with the call of the first one.


    Trellia and Friture stood next to each other, awed by the spectacle of the door splitting itself in half to open up the passage. It was truly a strange sight, as they could witness the two parts sliding through the wall, merging with it, instead of rotating on a pivot. Another curious mystery brought by divine energy.


    Now that the passage was open, they could go in and take the Treasure Sword. With this powerful artefact, Trellia would certainly become capable to spread her protection to all the kingdoms. Well, most probably. At least that was what they hoped for.


    With that in mind, they exchanged their smile, then walked together toward a victorious day.

 Chapter 17 – At the end of the evening

    Surprisingly, the newly discovered corridor was longer and darker than they thought it would be. But at its end, they could see a spark of light, the end of the road, and the soon-to-come beginning of a new era, together with each other.


    ¡°Say¡­ Trellia¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it, Friture?¡±


    ¡°¡­Nothing¡­¡±


    They were alone in the darkness of the night, nearing the end of their struggle. That was sufficient to make Friture feel a bit emotional, because he also learnt something recently. A lesson taught by a goddess he admired.


    ¡°Will you¡­ Probably be too busy with all the stuff that will be coming soon?¡±


    ¡°You mean spreading the protection over the whole world? Of course I¡¯ll be, you already saw how I struggled to cover the forest.


    Why you ask?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­ I¡­¡±


    Friture looked at his shoes, too embarrassed to face Trellia when he was thinking about those sort of things. No no, he needed to get a hold of himself. Didn¡¯t she previously told him to have more confidence in himself? He reminisced himself that he should, because he had no reason not to.


    Meanwhile, Trellia was amused at his internal issue, imagining what kind of words he was preparing for her. Anything would be a welcomed gift. Anything.


    ¡°Because I¡­¡±


    There were so many things he wanted to ask her, so many things he wanted to tell her. And now that they would soon have all the time in the world to talk together¡­ He couldn¡¯t find the good wording to address her. She was beautiful, and he wanted to tell her just that. He wanted to stay with her, but that was so hard to voice out. Was this¡­ How you love someone? Wasn¡¯t he only allured by her appearance?


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡­ Was it ok to love someone for this poor amount of reason? Because he liked her company. Because he appreciated spending time with her. Because he found her attractive. Because¡­ Because he didn¡¯t know of any other person that could replace her, she simply was unique to his eyes. Friture knew he may have ignored a few steps in building a relationship with each other¡­ However, she did too, didn¡¯t she?


    In that case, wasn¡¯t it okay to just be honest with her?


    ¡­


    ¡°I want to stay with you!


    ¡­


    ¡­ If¡­ You are okay, with someone like me¡­¡±


    Trellia didn¡¯t answer on the spot. As usual, she was deciphering his thoughts and manner, trying to understand what he meant and thinking how to answer appropriately. Friture didn¡¯t see her smile because he lost the courage to look at her face. He awaited her laugh, maybe a sigh as it wasn¡¯t really the time and place to confess. But in the end, all he got was¡­


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡­ Did that count as a positive answer, he questioned himself. When Friture stared at her, she seemed awkwardly gleeful. Then¡­ All was good. He smiled back, happy to hear that the thought was shared.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s get this Treasure Sword, and save the world together.¡±


    ¡°When did it became ¡®save the world¡¯ instead of ¡®change the world¡¯?¡± she wanted to retort. But Couldn¡¯t. Instead, she simply responded with a ¡®Yes¡¯, following after an impatient Friture who couldn¡¯t control himself anymore.


    ¡°Thank you¡­ For proving me I wasn¡¯t wrong, for once¡­¡±


    After quite some walking, they arrived at a spherical room with a large pillar in the center. There were no windows nor glasses, yet the place was still dimly illuminated by the moonlight, setting up an eerie atmosphere. Not ominous, but a gentle one. It was hard to notice due to the darkness, but it appeared that multiple sketches were drawn on the walls, scenes from an anterior time period. Probably a memo of the glorious battles won by holders of the Treasure Sword.


    And there it stood, a bijou with no less gloss than the sun. Friture picked it up with the tip of his fingers, as if he was terrified at the idea of putting too much strength on something so small, and damaging it without him noticing. When he exposed the ring to the blue light of the moon, it shone in a more radiant light, disregarding the colour spectrum to impose its own.


    Just by holding this petite accessory, Friture already felt a great surge of force empowering him. He could¡­ Yes, with this artefact, he knew he could accomplish great feats by himself.


    ¡°So this is a Treasure Sword¡­ No wonder it can make mortals capable of fighting on par with demons.¡±


    This immense source of strength¡­ Friture lent it to Trellia. After all, she needed it more than he did. It was all to complete the project. The goddess accepted the gift, she too was mesmerized by its shine and couldn¡¯t get her eyes off it. It sure was amusing to see Trellia in this state, but Friture still had to remind her that time was short, as they now needed to flee before the guards get over here.


    ¡°Friture. I¡­ Can do it alone. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    What? What was she talking about, all of a sudden?


    ¡°Trellia? What do you mean? We need to get out of here.¡±


    She slowly shook her head, stating a will that was not part of the plan.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here, and do what I must do. This is also of my responsibility as a goddess.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    Something was wrong, Friture could tell it. The tone in her voice, the expression she had¡­ It was one who was resolute. But not with a merry resolution.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Friture. It¡¯s just¡­ It¡¯s just embarrassing to do it in front of you.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Trellia? Let¡¯s go back to the cabin and discuss it calmly, please?¡±


    Friture felt his words were ignored. She was hearing them, but¡­ She didn¡¯t want to listen to them. He grabbed her shoulders, hoping to clear this strange situation she was setting.


    ¡°Trellia! This is not you. Do you feel weird because of the Treasure Sword?¡±


    She looked at the ring in her hand. It did not motion, yet she could feel something coming from it. The divine energy of her ancestors was overflowing from the weapon. It was a nostalgic feeling. But unlike her, Friture was completely panicked. Of course he would be, because he didn¡¯t know what would happen next.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I made a mistake again, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    For that, she could only laugh at herself. And now that they were here¡­ She couldn¡¯t hide it anymore.


    ¡°Friture¡­ The Treasure Sword¡­ It¡¯s not working¡­¡±


    The whole plan was to use the Treasure Sword to boost Trellia¡¯s strength, so that she could spread her protection on a greater distance. That was the plan, it should have been working because there was no reason it shouldn¡¯t. And yet it didn¡¯t.


    ¡°I can¡¯t seem to use it to strengthen myself¡­¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be¡­


    ¡°M¡­ Maybe it¡¯s a mimic then? We should go and find the-¡°


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a genuine Treasure Sword. But I can¡¯t use it¡­¡±


    Friture refused to believe it.


    ¡°Then maybe it has an owner? We should go and ask-¡°


    ¡°It has none.¡±


    A voice emerged from the corridor. Friture recognized that voice, even if he hadn¡¯t met that person often. It was the same man who blamed everything on him, and exiled him from his home by calling him a heretic. Paladron d¡¯Arquien, the First General of the kingdom of Biscotti.


    He was followed by a regiment of knights, all heavily armoured with plates covering their body. Their swords were already drawn, meaning they were allowed to use them if the situation asked for it. Pointing a sword at a heretic was the right thing to do¡­ But said heretic was accompanied by a divine child, a god that protected this land from the rampage of the demons.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    It was in mortal¡¯s nature to never threaten the gods, for they knew that without their support, they would one day fall under the claws of those bloody creatures. Many soldiers present were uneasy with this situation. Acknowledging the order of their First General, or facing a goddess even if she was about to steal one of their Treasure Sword under their nose?


    ¡°You have returned, Friture Elmar.¡±


    ¡°Y¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    His ears dropped on his head, ashamed by what he had willingly done to selfishly satisfy his own curiosity. Even as an exiled, he didn¡¯t understand why he thought it was fine to rob his nation¡¯s treasure. Because¡­ Because it was all for the sake of the world. He thought that everyone would be overjoyed, when they would hear that his project was possible, and could protect them forever. But the plan was a failure, there was nothing else to do.


    ¡°And you, Goddess Trellia¡­¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t changed at all, Paladron. Still the same as before.¡±


    Paladron responded with a sigh, while Trellia gave him a faint smile in return. However, Friture couldn¡¯t let it pass so easily.


    ¡°Wait a moment! You know each other?¡±


    As the First General wasn¡¯t in the mood to answer this question, the goddess took the initiative to explain a simple fact about immortals.


    ¡°When you live for this long, you end up knowing a lot of people.¡±


    Then, she pointed a finger at a random soldier behind Paladron.


    ¡°This man over there is named Calric Salles, he was only recently allowed to join your knight¡¯s squadron and is still a rookie, but one you expect to display a lot of charisma.¡±


    She pointed at the man next to him.


    ¡°This one is named Melron Alcide, and is quite the eccentric young man. You should keep a leash on him before he go full throttle on the wrong path.¡±


    She pointed at another man again.


    ¡°The woman there is Pastelle Conchiglie. While it is quite rare to see women accepted in your army, she did put a lot of effort in her training and studying. She deserves her place.¡±


    Then another, and another, until the last of them was identified. And the most surprising part¡­ Was that she wasn¡¯t wrong about all of them. The soldiers gulped, expressing their surprise in worried echoes. They were nervous at the idea that someone could have leaked the info, yet at the same time there was a kind of joy to learn that a goddess knew of your existence so intimately.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done your fair share of reconnaissance, Goddess.¡±


    ¡°This is also part of my duty as a goddess, First General.


    But it¡¯s also to make up for my mistakes.¡±


    Duty of a goddess¡­ Mistakes¡­ This made less and less sense for Friture! He called for Trellia, holding her hand firmly, fearing she would suddenly disappear from his life if he stopped caring for her for a second. She was touched by his feeling, thinking it was a shame she couldn¡¯t answer back for now.


    It was then, the First General Paladron shattered this sentiment of safety.


    ¡°The kingdom of Galette has declared war upon us. They will soon start a siege on our bordering fortresses.


    If we do nothing, thousands of lives will be lost for nothing.


    And it is because they heard of your project, Friture Elmar, and now they view us all as heretics that must be purged.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±


    Friture saw none of it coming. He knew that the neighbouring kingdoms were waiting for nothing but an excuse to come and capture more territory for their own people. And¡­ He nonchalantly gave them one. Now, a lot of people were about to die for a baseless reason. Because they started labelling him as a heretic. Because they judged his project to be unethical. This is¡­


    ¡°This is too much¡­¡±


    So what was he supposed to do, now? Go and excuse himself to everyone, because he discovered a way to prevent death with the help of divine energy? His fist was shaking with frustration. They were so close to begin the project, they just needed a little push and everyone would be protected by Trellia¡¯s influence. But no, they had to mess with his work, and throw everything in the trash bin for their own convenience.


    He wanted to shout. He wanted to shout at them so badly, but he suppressed his anger, because he didn¡¯t want to look pitiful in Trellia¡¯s eyes. But then, what was he supposed to do about it? How was he supposed to feel about it? He heard numerous metallic sound coming from the knight, startling him as he feared they would start attacking him. However, he didn¡¯t expect to find them kneeling in front of them.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we beg you, Goddess Trellia.


    You must have heard of the project: New World from Mr. Elmar.


    Then please, give your protection to our men! Spare them a futile death!¡±


    ¡°¡­ That¡¯s right. I wanted to publish this project to protect everyone, so that they would not die because of someone else¡¯s hatred.


    I wanted to change the world, and make it a better place for everyone.


    I¡¯m such an idiot¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, Friture was also aware that it was not possible. In her current state, Trellia could only cover half of the kingdom. The fortresses at the border of Biscotti were far beyond her range of influence. It was impossible to protect those soldiers, no matter what. They would die, and both sides would suffer meaningless losses.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    It was Trellia who interjected. What she said was utterly pointless, as she was the most closely aware of her own limit. Then what she said was a lie, and Friture couldn¡¯t stand it.


    ¡°Wait Trellia! The fortresses are twice as far as what you can currently cover! You can¡¯t¡­ You can¡¯t do it¡­ It¡¯s impossible, even for you¡­¡±


    It was a cruel truth, but the truth nonetheless. The soldiers who heard him lowered their head, depressed at the idea that their only hope was now just a big dream. Even Paladron felt bad, knowing that he was about to lose a lot of loyal people for nothing. But that was not the point of view of Trellia.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it! Friture! Paladron! Everyone! I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    Her cry was heard by everyone present. What she claimed was contradictory with what Friture knew about her limit. He knew she was lying, she only said those words to light a spark of hope in those people here. But then, she sounded so confident he started to have doubts about it.


    ¡°But I¡¯ll do it only if you accept my conditions.


    First, I¡¯ll also bring my protection to your invaders. In fact, I plan to extend my protection on all kingdoms.¡±


    This news brought a smile on the soldiers¡¯ face. ¡°If the goddess said it!¡± ¡°As expected of a goddess!¡± All kind of praises could be heard from the crowd. Even Paladron was impressed, supposing she could accomplish what she said.


    ¡°And second¡­¡±


    There, placed her arm over Friture¡¯s shoulder, bringing him close to her side.


    ¡°¡­ Please, don¡¯t harm Friture anymore.¡±


    This request was addressed to Paladron, who she kind of knew he would not stop there with the harassment. Sparing one life to save thousands more. His judgment couldn¡¯t refuse, and thus he accepted with a tone full of respect for the goddess. Trellia was happy with this development, it made it easier for her for what will happen next. Satisfied, she looked at the ring in her hand, whispering words that only Friture who was close enough could have heard.


    ¡°Now, Palladion¡­ I have a new job to attend.


    ¡­.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Eh?¡±


    Friture saw a petite sparkle, a faint firefly appearing out of nowhere. Then another¡­ And another¡­ Until the body of Trellia began to shine. When he was facing this strange scene, Friture did not know what was happening¡­ While at the same time, he feared he already understood what was going on.


    Trellia hugged Friture, bringing him closer to her warm embrace. It was soft, comforting, just like a mother trying to cheer up her sobbing child.


    ¡°Listen, Friture.


    I¡­ May have to leave your side, for a while.


    It can¡¯t be helped¡­ I never was the diligent nor the courageous type of goddess.


    But know this: as a goddess watching over the mortals, know that I am proud of who you are.


    You made many mistakes in your life, so many you decided to isolate yourself from others.


    I know how you feel about others¡­ How you were bullied in your youth¡­ How you decided to become a researcher to prove yourself you were someone of value¡­


    In this desperate attempt, you engineered many ways to utilize divine energy as a weapon, but this achievement only eroded you even more because you felt you became the one who killed those people with those same weapons.


    That is how you decided to look for another method to utilize the divine energy¡­ How you succeeded in finding a way even I thought was impossible to even conceive.


    And then, I could meet you.


    You taught me a wonderful method to help everyone, so I wanted to reward you¡­ I gave you this little push, which I hope will help you reflect on yourself.


    I hope I helped you grow as a wonderful person¡­ I hope I broke this sturdy wall you kept hiding behind.


    I did what I thought was the right decision¡­ As I am doing right now.


    It is as you said¡­ We will not ¡®change¡¯ the world. We will ¡®save¡¯ it.¡±


    Those were the words you would say before an adieu. Friture did not believe it, he did not want to believe it. His eyes started to water, his voice blocked somewhere in his throat under the emerging crisis.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry¡­ I¡¯ll always be somewhere.


    That way you can hear me and I can hear you, even when you think you are alone.¡±


    ¡°TRELLIA!!¡±


    Friture shouted suddenly, holding her tighter in his arms.


    ¡°Why¡­ Why did you say nothing to me?


    I thought we were supposed to stay together!


    If I knew it would end this way, I¡­ I would have spent more time with you¡­


    We could have postponed the project, and-¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Friture.¡±


    She kissed him on the forehead before diving her eyes in Friture¡¯s gaze. She smiled again. She never stopped smiling, even in the end. He only noticed now that she never ceased to smile since that day.


    ¡°That¡¯s no good, you must stay strong until the end.


    I¡¯m sorry I keep forgetting to tell the most important details¡­


    I care for you¡­ So much that I forget to care about me¡­


    I guess it¡¯s another mistake to pile up, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Friture enlaced her strongly. She felt so light now, like she could vanish with one breath.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that¡­ I am the one who made all the mistakes¡­¡±


    He knew it would end in a tragedy¡­ But not so quickly. Everything¡­ Went so fast, it felt like a joke he would laugh at. But he couldn¡¯t, because he was losing a precious friend in his own embrace. Someone he fondly appreciated, someone he dearly loved.


    ¡°Stay strong until the end¡­ And cherish this dream of yours that came true, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ And also, I know I should''ve said it sooner, but...


    Thanks, for saving me."


    A river or tears flowed on Friture¡¯s cheeks, falling on the stone pavements of the room which only echoed his hardly suppressed sobs. He still had so many things he wanted to tell her, so many things he wanted to ask her. He was still young, they still could have spent so much time together before making a choice. He wanted to bring her closer to him, to smell her perfume a bit longer, to feel her warmth a bit more. But all he felt was a cold void, and a sense of emptiness.


    She was gone, for a while as she mentioned.


    Realizing this fact, Friture plunged the place in a gloomy silence. Nobody dared to intrude, maybe because they were still awed by the sacrifice of a goddess for their selfish self, or maybe because they did not want to interrupt this tragic affair. This continued for a while, until Paladron stood up and began giving orders to his troops.


    ¡°Send reinforcements to the fortresses as quickly as possible! And prepare several medical teams for the upcoming wounded!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Several knights obeyed the First General, disappearing where they came from to make the arrangements with their subordinates. Before they all departed, one of them presented himself to Paladron.


    ¡°Sir. What do we do about him?¡±


    He was referring to Friture who still did not move from his spot.


    ¡°Bring him with your team. He also needs to witness the results of his effort.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ Alright, sir.¡±


    The knight sent two soldiers to escort Friture outside. They weren¡¯t sure if he should still be treated as a criminal or as a guest, that was why none of them were too rough with him.


    At last, only Paladron was left in the chamber. His sight rested on a peculiar item lying on the floor. He picked it up, scanning the fascinating object as if it was looking back at him with a serene face. He was no god, so he couldn¡¯t even start to comprehend if the ring was actually trying to talk to him or not. All he could do now was putting it at its respective emplacement, right where it belonged, before leaving the place.

 Epilogue

    ¡°Friture Elmar! For bringing an immense threat to the safety of the kingdom of Biscotti, your punishment is¡­ Death, by guillotine!¡±


    ¡°So they still did it, in the end¡­¡±


    Friture had been brought along many other persons with similar sentence in a suffocating carriage. Held in chains and watched by a knight, nobody dared to act foolishly, even if they knew it was the last time they would see the sun in the sky. Unfortunately, it seemed even this weak wish couldn¡¯t be granted, as the sun was hidden behind a thick veil of clouds. They would all pitifully perish under this depressing weather.


    One after another, they were dragged on a muddy path, the sound of the links reverberating a macabre symphony as they were walking under the unbearable gazes of the public who came to see their body hung, decapitated or whatever was prepared for them. It was both a spectacle to amuse the dulled populace, and a warning for any ill-motivated ruffian that would think about committing the same crime.


    Usually, the most aggressive ones did not hesitate to throw tomatoes or stones at the condemned. As they were already on the verge of leaving this world, they might as well please them a bit more before the executioner did his job. However, today was different. Everyone had this strange hunch that something was wrong with the batch of prisoners.


    One by one, they climbed the stage where they would play their final moment in front of those people. Fellow citizens, compatriots, family members, everyone came not because they heard of a public execution, as it was not an execution like another. This time, Friture Elmar was present in the lot. Everyone have heard of him at least once, the famous mad scientist who discovered the elixir of immortality through the forbidden use of divine energy.


    If it was not for jealously, then it was through faith that everyone gathered to take a look at the face of the man who had enough influence to spark a war with the kingdom of Galette. Whispers were shared among the public, but there was just too much noise for Friture to grasp anything they could be saying about him.


    Finally, when every condemned was grouped and prepared, the knight in duty opened his scroll to read loudly the public declaration. Having finished announcing Friture¡¯s sentence, it was the hangman¡¯s turn to arrive. He forcefully grabbed the scientist by the arm, placing him in position on the guillotine for the head to be chopped. Now Friture kind of understand how it felt to have his life hanging on the edge of the cliff.


    He couldn¡¯t see anything this way but the jar in front of him that was supposed to not let his head roll around wildly.


    Then, he heard a lever being pulled, then a mechanism operating itself, and finally, the blade falling on his neck.


    At last, he was liberated¡­


    ¡­


    Suddenly, his body disappeared behind smoke, then reappeared in the form of a furry ball.


    Everybody stood motionlessly at this sight, until¡­


    ¡°Again with this bullshit?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the second time already!¡±


    ¡°Buuuuuuh! You suck!¡±


    Tomatoes and stones were thrown from the public, an archaic expression of their frustration for this sorry display of execution.


    ¡°We did it¡­ It¡¯s a success, Trellia!¡±


    After Trellia vanished, everyone felt a mysterious wave passing through them. They couldn¡¯t precisely describe what it was, but they could tell how they felt now. There was no doubt that the goddess¡¯s protection was upon them.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°We changed the world together¡­ We saved everyone¡­¡±


    Or so he thought¡­ But the tomato landing on his face told him otherwise. With the world¡¯s rule altered, came a lot of unexpected situations that they needed to solve quickly. As it was not possible to bring death anymore, it was necessary to find another high penalty to replace the common execution.


    But for now, it was still too early to propose a solution everyone would approve. They still needed some time to adapt with how the world would turn now.


    Meanwhile, a certain knight-in-apprentice was running in the corridor of the palace to bring an important message to his superior. Arriving at the doorstep of his destination, he first wiped the sweat on his forehead, cleared his throat, and then knocked on the door to signal his presence.


    ¡°Dragee Martinozzi reporting, sir!¡±


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    The young man pushed the door, excusing himself for the intrusion before bringing the document to the First General.


    ¡°Here is the report from the front line.¡±


    Paladron quickly read the paper, but threw it away with a kind of used resignation. Despite the goddess¡¯s protection which prevented death, Galette did not withdrawn its declaration of war. The fortress was sieged as planned, and many soldiers were hurt during the attack. However¡­ They all survived the assault.


    Nobody died, as they were permuted into this new form whenever they lost their fight against their opponent. In the end, Galette won the battle, and captured the fortress. But even if it was a defeat for Biscotti, the fact remained that all biscottians survived the aftermath. As they were too many of them to just be thrown in prison, Galette was confused at how to handle this new situation.


    In the end, it was decided that Galette would return all the survivors and send a peace offer to Biscotti. Both side were reluctant to give up on the fortress, as each ambassador argued day and night about who was their rightful owner. The winner should deserve its loot, one proclaimed, while the unjust victim should reclaim it, the other argued. As they couldn¡¯t decide, they simply continued, until one of them couldn¡¯t pursue this matter anymore. Unfortunately, it seemed like both side would never let it go without compensation.


    ¡°First General, if I may ask, what is your opinion about this?¡±


    ¡°Mmmh¡­¡±


    Paladron leaned on his chair, clearly tired by all this work inappropriate for a man of war. A lot of things happened recently, and in the end, the whole world underwent the same change. Not only in Biscotti or Galette, but even Pastillage and close kingdoms received the goddess¡¯s protection. ¡°It must be a mess on their side too¡­¡± Paladron thought.


    ¡°The world has changed, just as Friture Elmar wished for it.


    To prevent death may be the kindest request gods could have granted to us mortals, or it may be the worst scenario and we are still not seeing the tip of it.¡±


    Feeling heavy for sitting for so long, Paladron stood from his desk and walked toward a nearby cabinet. When he opened it, Dragee could notice a light armour displayed quite proudly, with a long but elegant sword standing next to it.


    ¡°For now, all I can say is that I¡¯m an old geezer, and I need to let the new generation take over my role.¡±


    ¡°F-First General?!¡±


    Paladron adorned himself with the armour. It did not seem to offer a lot of protection, yet it looked sturdy and easy to move with.


    ¡°You felt it too. Didn¡¯t you, Mr. Martinozzi? War has changed. Old and dusty tricks won¡¯t work anymore in this new era.


    We are just going to fumble with the newer heads if we stayed.


    We need fresher blood and fresher mind to see and learn how war should be waged now.¡±


    He took the weapon from its stool, drawing a part of the blade to check its sharpness, then returned it inside the scabbard and attached it to its belt.


    ¡°First General, where are you heading?¡±


    ¡°He is not¡­ Retiring, is he?¡±


    ¡°All this mess made me remember an old promise I made to someone.


    It¡¯s about time I fulfil it.¡±


    There, Dragee received two paper from Paladron. The first was a royal decree, which allowed Paladron d¡¯Arquien to lead a new and unique squad specialized in demon subjugation. The decree was dated at yesterday, which meant Paladron had already relinquished his status of First General before they met. The second paper was a letter of recommendation, personally written by the ex-First General himself.


    The first certainly was a surprise, however the second left Dragee thoughtless on the spot. With this letter, he could become almost anyone in the army. Almost. That was why he didn¡¯t understand why the First Ge¡­ Why Paladron would gift this to him. He still showed no prowess on the battlefield, nor did he proved he could successfully command a regiment of knights. This present was too much for him, he couldn¡¯t possibly accept.


    ¡°I know you¡¯ll do the right choice, Mr. Martinozzi.¡±


    Hearing those words and having the ex-First General patting his shoulder¡­ Dragee felt like they were equals. It felt odd, strange, but extremely satisfying. He could not allow himself to disappoint him now.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

 Bonus Epilogue

    The green plain undulated with the refreshing breeze of summer. The sun high in the sky rained his radiance on this land as far as the eye could see. It was blinding the viewers with an overwhelming tint of the keen flora, a distinctive trait of a ground that has not been dominated by the needs of a civilisation yet. Left untouched for many centuries, the wildlife grew abundantly with no one to limit their actions, metamorphosing into this quiet, beautiful little world.


    Eventually, this rich land, which looked at first like a paradise you would visit to relinquish your daily stress, became a nest for feral animals. This in turn served as a convincing deterrent for curious merchants and adventurers alike, as the mere quest for gathering the local herbs was too dangerous without adequate preparation and skill. Moreover, the fauna living here did not produce hides or bones valuable enough to put one¡¯s life on the line.


    However, with the goddess¡¯s protection, it was absolutely possible to go and fetch some things here and there. Maybe not for a living, but it should at least had encouraged archaeologists, dendrologists, ornithologists and many others to come and take a look at this incredibly interesting zoo. And yet it didn¡¯t at all. The reason was simple when everyone heard about it. It was because demons inhabited this land too.


    Those impure creatures did not seem impended despite the presence of the protection. Nobody could tell if it was an adverse effect of the protection itself, if demons liked to try the goddess¡¯s benevolence or just pure unluck. But it was a fact that this land was particularly attractive to the demons.


    Maybe the biome was rich in divine energy? Maybe they began to feed on the animals? In any case, their attendance was a bad omen, even if you only cared about the ecosystem that would eventually end up ravaged by the corruption. Of course, each kingdom were always watching with great care for any serious situation. And for the present situation, Biscotti sent their specialized squad to deal with such a foe.


    Fortunately, the beast was still young and did not have time to grow stronger before they could subjugate it, they did not sweat too much on this one. However¡­


    ¡°Could you give me the gourd, Yukki?¡±


    ¡°Of course my Lady. There.¡±


    The swordswoman thanked her companion before drinking a few gulp of the barely fresh water. Under this hot weather and without any shadows around here, it would be difficult to stay cool and focused. But she trusted her ally¡¯s sharp sense of her surrounding, allowing herself a short break to sip some water, then she readied herself again for the long voyage that was laid before them.


    ¡°My Lady, could you tell me this story again please?¡±


    The blond dog-kin had this spark full of vitality you could only find in an odd child that would not stop enjoying herself even if you told her to. That was because she was looking at a person she both admired for her strength and respected for her valour.


    ¡°Again? You must really love this one, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Even if she was officially the leader of the squad, the duo acted as close friends together, for they knew each other very well.


    ¡°But it is so cool! And your ancestor too was so cool back then! I wish he was alive so I could meet him!¡±


    Being repeatedly told how much her grandfather was ¡®cool¡¯ gave her a strange feeling of embarrassment. She was well aware she didn¡¯t have to feel any kind of shame about her family origins. Actually, she had many reasons to be proud of it, however something didn¡¯t feel right when she did, settling for just a weak smile when facing such a scene.


    ¡°But it is what it is: a story. And it has been passed down since many generations. Maybe it is only a mess of lies and truths, or maybe everything is exaggerated for a memoir to marvel at.¡±


    ¡°But still, I¡¯d like to hear it again, if you would be so kind my Lady.¡±


    Ever since her young age, she wasn¡¯t interested in anything but her family¡¯s legacy. Just like her sibling, she was amazed by this tale, which gave her the courage to train harder with the wish to become one day as brilliant as her ancestor. However, midway in her search for success, she started to question herself too much, to such an extent that everything sounded¡­ More convenient that they looked like.


    Even the old family tale became a dubious heirloom, just like this armour she was wearing which was supposedly covering more parts in the past, or this sword that had such good compatibility with Emblem Arts. It was the same when a child learnt that Santa Claus was played by your parents to trick you. You took it easy, but you still hold this mark that recalled you how dull the world truthfully was.


    However, while she was an adult, her friend was still one in becoming. She would one day ask herself the same questions, but for now she could continue nourishing this little child with more dreams.


    ¡°Alright, alright, ah ah. Then, as you already know, this story takes place centuries ago, when my great-great-great-grandfather, Paladron d¡¯Arquien, was leading the biscottian army¡­¡±


    ***


    At daytime, the outer castle was full of activities of all sort. Maids cleaning unoccupied rooms, servants rushing with many goods in their hands, nobles taking a walk in groups, guards on duty patrolling the many corridors. Everyone had their hands busy with work to do, responsibilities to handle or affairs to resolve. New recruits who joined to fill in the empty slots in the army were not spared for any free moment either.


    As usual, the training was quite really harsh. Running around on muddy soil, while climbing over walls or crawling under obstacles as quickly as possible. The ones who finished last were ordered to start over five additional times. Then, when everyone was exhausted, the foreman who watched over their training brought several wooden swords and shields for combat practice.


    Everyone already wore their maximal protection, a full suit of leather armour, light enough to allow rapid and swift manoeuvers, but here they would only learn how to hit hard with their sticks until they would receive the captain¡¯s validation to become a true soldier. For now, they were only trite citizens who came because they had no other talents to show off.


    However, this was not true for her.


    The wooden weapon was lighter than her usual equipment, and the shield seemed so frail she was afraid it would shatter at the first impact. Only an ignorant could decently fight in those conditions. But it was all a training, she decided to not mind those small details as she only needed to succeed in one thing: to pass the examination.


    ¡°On guard! Fight!¡±


    Then, the recruits duelled each other to practice the basics of a direct confrontation with swords. Burning with enthusiasm, she charged at her opponent with all her might, looking for a way to end this fight in one swoop. But she was quickly repelled with a swing that almost snapped her shoulder. Unfortunate as she always was, her adversary was twice as big as her. This meant his range went further than hers, and his strength would obviously be scoring higher score too.


    Clenching her teeth in frustration, she hastily dodged the attack with a crouch. In general, this kind of opponent was slow and easy to evade, making the job easier for nimbler personas. However, that was only a common prejudice. The sword flew over her head, then quickly re-approached her from the other side. The options left was either to manoeuver a short jump, or to block the weapon with her shield. She choose the second, and raised her arm while sealing the air in her lungs to better withstand the shock.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The sword and the shield met with a frightening clamour, the impact still reverberating in her limb, leaving her in a short daze. That was a terrible mistake. Maybe her opponent was less influenced by the clash, he still could rose his sword above his head and deliver a slash at her. She was about to take a serious hit on the skull, which would undoubtedly leave her unconscious. Defeat was knocking at the door of her life.


    But not this time.


    With an agile roll on the side, she dodged the sword coming from above her. Then, using the momentum from her somersault, launched a powerful blow to his flank. Because he hadn¡¯t the time to rebalance himself, he wasn¡¯t able to raise his shield in time, meaning a direct hit that could not be avoided. A painful cry was heard, then a dense smoke covered the body before replacing it with a ball of fur. She did it.


    ¡°Recruit down!¡± Shouted the captain in charge of the training, followed by a medical team responsible for leading the injured out of here.


    She won, there was no doubt about this result. However, she still felt it wasn¡¯t enough to prove her value. Sure she did won, but it was against an amateur who invited himself in the army not for the honour, but for the money. Such simple-minded characters were not meant for greater things. She knew she was different from them¡­ Actually, she was better than them. Thanks to her family¡¯s traditions, she had undergone many trainings way harder than this walk in the park.


    But still, was this how you were supposed to feel, when you beat someone? This strange emotion was an unpleasant one that she hoped to quickly get rid of.


    A few days later, she was asked to pass a verbal examination, which mainly consisted of questions about her objectives, her expectations and other related subjects. She answered them all honestly, proving both her love for her homeland, and her desire to strive for peace. Receiving the examiners¡¯ congratulations, she left the room and walked out of the castle.


    However, before leaving the place before evening, she looked for an item in her pocket. It was an old relic from her family, a piece of paper damaged by the passage of time. Even thought it was badly degraded, it was still part of the tradition she strictly followed to ensure her victory. It was said that it was a letter given to a long-dated predecessor of her from a remarkable man. Unfortunately, both names were already forgotten, only the will remained.


    According to the sayings, it was supposed to act as a good charm for anyone wishing to join the army. Her big brother held it during his examination, and it granted him a place in the knighthood of the kingdom. That was why she hoped to at least stay on the same tracks as him. That was why she checked her pocket to take a look at the old treasure.


    She checked her pocket again, becoming more and more nervous as she did. Her hand found nothing inside, no matter how many times she verified. She looked in another, then another, but she was still met with inconclusiveness. Did she¡­ Did she lost it? No way. How will she become a knight without her good luck charm?


    ***


    Everyone had their own method to clear a cloudy mood, be it going out for a jog, drinking two glasses of weak alcohol or reading a book by himself. When they felt down, some people tended to long for solitude, a break time to reorganize their thoughts about their current situation, while others preferred to advert their mind from those cumbersome matters with something else. In her case, her work was actually what played a role of consolation. It was a fact she was half-embarrassed to tell others as she feared onlookers might think she was a loner.


    She wanted some company, she wanted to have people around her to talk about random subjects. But again, it was too embarrassing to ask others for her. In the end, the serenity of her workplace was her favourite refuge, a place where she could accomplish her ideas and dreams with the force of science. However, today she wasn¡¯t currently trying to avoid facing such simple obstacles.


    A few weeks ago, Galette Lion Territory declared war upon the Biscotti Republic.


    It was a baseless and bold declaration, even from the one ruling the neighbouring country. Not so long ago, they were friendly and all, the princesses got along pretty well with no disputes. Then, things started to slowly change. The princesses saw each other less often, until one completely cut the bridges linking them. And finally, this declaration of war between their country.


    She couldn¡¯t believe the galettean princess would willingly abandon everything she had built up with Biscotti. Unfortunately, that was only a foolish way of thinking. She had to face reality: Galette crushed several fortresses already, and were still marching on Biscotti¡¯s territory. As she wanted to spend some time pondering on this mystery, she actually couldn¡¯t at all because she recently received a specific order from Her Highness.


    ¡°Please, find a way to summon a hero.¡±


    That was truly a drastic measure, one you would be hesitant to take for many reasons. First, connecting two separate worlds was as interesting as it was dangerous. For example, if the alien world¡¯s fundamental laws were different from their own, who could tell what could happen? If two identic equations were suddenly giving different results, how much changes both world would undergo in one swoop? On the bright side, there were a few records about summoning heroes, which meant there was already a way to avoid such cataclysmic scenario.


    Second, and most important point: how would they know if the summoned hero would accept to join their side? After all, it was a plain truth that they were losing this war. Who in their right mindset would willingly join the losing side? Maybe the princess haven¡¯t thought about it, or maybe she did and prepared a gift sufficient to allure the hero. Whatever the case was, she received her order, and had to execute them.


    Right now, the knowledge about summoning was partially forgotten. The data were here, hidden somewhere in this grand reservoir of books. She only needed to fetch the book containing such information and she could begin the ritual right away. Assisted with many colleagues, they started searching for any clue a few days ago, however they only found some lines about divine energy they were already aware of, about the goddess¡¯s protection they were already enjoying on a daily basis, and even some ancient but obsolete methods to manipulate said divine energy.


    During their searching, they dig up many familiar historical events, many names as well that they could recognize due to the role they played for Biscotti in the past. It somehow thrilled the scientists as some began reading the books more for learning about the history of their country than looking for the summoning¡¯s requirements. It couldn¡¯t be helped, she thought deeply with a sigh, but she still wished they would not forget what their job consisted of.


    The library was a quiet sanctuary for anyone desiring to learn something, or just to appreciate some peaceful moments in this serene atmosphere. Yet, the assistant¡¯s mumbling grew louder and louder despite the presence of other unconcerned parties. They too couldn¡¯t force them to be silent as they were high graded of the National Research School. Nobody would dare to disrespect their senior, even if they were at fault.


    ¡°Hey, look at that! Did you know that about the d¡¯Arquien¡¯s family?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so the Tremper started to distinguish themselves only recently?¡±


    ¡°But who is this Trellia? I can¡¯t find any family name about her¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. Surely a nobody.¡±


    As the Chief Researcher, she should reprimand those dissidents. However, that would only help at making herself look too severe. Besides, they did were more or less doing their job, as they were only lucky enough to discover those little stories about their country¡¯s history. When you were looking for something in such a big pile of knowledge, it was bound to happen that you would find everything but what you wanted.


    That was why she didn¡¯t really mind it, and just kept looking at the book in her hand. Summoning someone from another world was feasible, but it wasn¡¯t only about the technical issues. A person from a different world, this meant a different culture, a different way of looking about the same things, different morals, and different ethics. And worse of all¡­ What if the hero was also different in appearance? The thought sent shiver in her spine, imagining herself summoning a monstrous being by mistake¡­ Or by pure unluck.


    ¡°But if it succeeds¡­ I hope it¡¯ll be a nice person.¡±


    The hero was bound to become an important figure in the Biscotti Republic, maybe even in the world. As the one who played a major role in his future summoning, it was inevitable that they would spend some time together. She didn¡¯t know how to behave if they summoned a¡­ Let¡¯s just hope it was going to be a nice person.


    She closed the book and sighed again. This one too didn¡¯t contain anything useful. Feeling a bit dejected, she went and put it back on the shelf then started to look for another bundle of papers which too would prove itself to be useless. Her finger stopped on a worn cover, brown certainly due to its age.


    ¡°Another old grimoire¡­¡±


    At first, she didn¡¯t felt encouraged to pick it among the other choices. However, she was reminded that they were still locked in this stalemate. As anything could be valuable, she still picked it up, looking at the first pages just to check if it really was about summoning-related theme.


    But¡­ Something surprised her.


    It was indeed a mere grimoire of the past¡­ Actually, it was just a diary. But the author¡¯s name was what shocked her the most. She read slowly each character, trying to delude herself of this confusing illusion. However, no matter how many time she re-read it, it was still written with the same letters. This long gone person held the same family name as her. He went with the name ¡°Friture Elmar¡±.

 Secret Epilogue

    At last, everything was settled. Thanks to Trellia spreading her protection on all kingdoms, the war waged between Biscotti and Galette was drawn to a dead-end, eventually resulting on a radical cancel of the galletean¡¯s invasion and the withdrawal of all of their forces on the territory. Maybe due to the confusing novelty, nobody dared to put a hostile face any longer. Did they understand it was the work of a god, and feared to incur his wrath in one way or another? Or maybe pure coincidence¡­


    Of course not, how could that be possible? Everyone felt the change in the air, and sensed everything wouldn¡¯t be the same anymore. The most evident proof of that was the number of men who fell during the previous battles. Despite some lightly injured, the death toll amounted to a null value. Nobody died since that evening, when Paladron witnessed a goddess sacrificing herself for the rest of the world.


    She probably wasn¡¯t able to tell if it was the best solution, nor if it was a solution they should have seriously considered. But she still did it, because she knew it was a choice only available to her with her immense power. It inevitably costed something tremendous, something you wouldn¡¯t regain in a lifetime, or even in an eternity.


    It brought its fair share of trouble to Paladron, but also many questions he wished she had answered before leaving this plane for one above theirs. ¡°In a sense, she hadn¡¯t change at all¡± he told himself internally ¡°It is just like her to take the easiest path to avoid the most serious topics.¡±


    He suddenly heard a knock on his door. Right now, he was quite busy with all the paper work from the aftermath of the battles. He also wanted to write an important letter for someone before the end of the day, then maybe ignoring the knocks wasn¡¯t a wrong choice. No, he still had his duties as the First General. Hearing reports from his subordinates was part of his job.


    ¡°Come in.¡± He said loudly enough to be heard from the other side.


    The door opened, revealing the petite figure of Friture Elmar. The presence of the scientist who was the origin of all this mess was unexpected. He too should be preoccupied by other problems. Not knowing the reason of his appearance, Paladron asked him with a stern tone.


    ¡°Is this about the aftereffects from the protection?¡±


    His inquiry was related to the new subject the scientists were studying at the National Research Center. So far, the spread protection did his job accurately, preventing everyone in its influence to die prematurely. Current assassinations attempts were thus cancelled, while many citizens that were about to die due to household accidents or natural incident, like landslide or getting struck by lightning, were miraculously saved.


    This too brought its lot of problem. Dubious sect rose, trying to profit from this untold event by luring people into their ranks. They were one of the problem Paladron had to deal with. Other examples could be the mental state of some people believing they were chosen ones, or simply found the grim hobby of attempting to kill themselves somehow satisfying. While the public order was on the verge of collapsing for various reasons, they wanted to check if it was possibly because of some hallucinogens created with the wide manipulation of divine energy.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    For now, they haven¡¯t found anything which would make the protection guilty. It was really a marvellous invention which perfectly worked. Just like what you would expect from the most brilliant head of the National Research Center, helped by the most potent goddess in history.


    ¡°No. We are still looking for any dissimilarities from our theorems and laws.


    For now, nothing unusual was found. The world is still the same¡­ Except with this additional rule which prevent people from dying.¡±


    It was still too early for having people dying of old age. They would have to wait months, maybe years until the first case emerged, and allowed them to validate this new law.


    ¡°Then you both succeeded¡­ You both managed to change the world, and saved everyone, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Exactly like he hoped. Exactly like what he strove for. The end result was a one hundred percent success. Now all they needed to do was to adapt to this new world. It would take some time, but they would eventually find a new equilibrium.


    ¡°Yes we did.¡±, answered Friture nonchalantly, but without smiling at all, ¡°Actually¡­ I came to visit you because I had a question I know only you can answer.¡±


    ¡°A question only I can answer, you say¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ When Trellia was lodging me, I frequently heard her saying she made mistakes in a distant past, but never mentioned them in the least.


    Do you happen to know what mistakes Trellia left behind, First General?¡±


    The mistakes left behind by the most potent goddess in history. This was not something the remaining gods, let alone the mortals, could probably deal with as you would with a dry wipe.


    The mistakes left behind by Trellia. Only a person close to her may know at least a few of them. Paladron was such a person who, Friture guessed, associated with her in the past. The First General didn¡¯t respond, because he didn¡¯t know how to answer him without causing a panic. That was a duty he wanted to shoulder alone. A cruel, stupid, but unavoidable duty. That was why he couldn¡¯t answer¡­ Not without knowing the scientist¡¯s intentions.


    ¡°I do¡­ Why are you interested? It doesn¡¯t concern you at all.¡±


    There, he saw a strong determination birthing in Friture¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Because I want to correct those mistakes.


    As the temporary Chief Researcher, I believe correcting those mistakes can reward us with crucial knowledge on divine energy.¡±


    Trellia was a massive chunk of power. Her ability to use an incommensurable amount of divine energy granted her possibilities that went even beyond the reach of other gods. Correcting those mistakes, which were undoubtedly related to divine energy, would serve as major leads to new discoveries. Those discoveries would certainly help the mortals attain new heights, maybe even give them the mean to oppose demons in the future!


    ¡°You¡¯re no more a temporary, Mr. Elmar.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ But it¡¯s still hard to stand where he used to¡­¡±


    Paladron could not laugh at this. Even he was still mourning the departure of his friend. But the past was in the past, and now the present was of more importance.


    ¡°But I want to correct Trellia¡¯s mistakes. It is also for the sake of this new world.¡±


    They exchanged their gazes for a short while, before hearing a low sigh from Paladron.


    ¡°Well¡­ On this point, you are not wrong¡­¡±