From joy to sorrow

The red light of the evening spread over the village. Smoke billowed from the houses, children laughed and played. No one noticed the approaching dark clouds.

Maurice left his room and ran to the table. On the table, steamed meat and various fruits glistened. This day was special for Maurice. He turned 5 years old.

"Happy birthday, my son," said his mother, Elena, with warmth in her eyes.

His father, Karl, smiled and took a large notebook from the table.

— "This is our gift. Now write what you have written in this notebook. And here, the ink will last a long time. Now you won't have to worry about writing on leather, my child."

Maurice, overjoyed, stood up and hugged his parents.

— "Mom, Dad, you're the best!"

At that moment, the sound of hooves reached the village. A harsh, cold rhythm. Karl's expression changed. When he stepped outside, he saw knights in silver armor. Their leader was Lux - not a simple spy in plain clothes, but actually a trusted companion of Lawrence. He held a black banner that seemed to be a judgment on the village.

They broke into the village teacher's house. The people were confused. The confused teacher greeted them:

— "What happened, gentlemen?"

Lux sneered:

— "You don't seem to know. Today I heard scientific words from a child's mouth. Only you would teach such a thing. You know the law - reading and writing can only be used within the permitted limits. But you... misled the people. You committed treason. And in the Ostania Kingdom, the punishment for treason is only death. .

The teacher knelt down:

— "I didn't do anything... This can't be justice!"

Lux stepped forward. His sword flashed like lightning, and the next moment the teacher fell to the floor, covered in blood.

— “Kill them all!” Lux ordered, his voice harsh and icy.

"But... the village is innocent..." the young knight said hesitantly.

Lux got angry at him and pointed his sword at him:

— "Do you want to go against the order?!"

The helpless young knight nodded.

From that moment on, the village was consumed by inferno. Houses were engulfed in flames, screams and cries pierced the sky. Old people, women, children - everyone was massacred. The desperate pleas of the little ones - "Please, don't kill me!" - were torn in two by the flames, but not a single heart softened.

Karl went back into his house and picked up his sword. He dipped it in the fire, shook the burning weapon, and looked Elena straight in the eye.

— "Elena, run with Maurice! Keep him alive no matter what. I have to catch them!"

"No, where would we go without you?!" Elena burst into tears.

"If we both die, who will protect our child? You're the only one who has to run!"

At that moment the door opened and the knights rushed in. Charles swung his flaming sword and cut them down one by one. But the enemy was too numerous. Several spears pierced his chest at once.

As she fell, she remembered the happy moments she had spent with her family in the last moments of her life. Just be safe, my dear, Karl took his last breath. Elena, blinded by tears, grabbed Maurice and fled towards the dark forest. But behind her, Lux's voice rang out:

— Oh, the mother is running away with the child! After her! The dark night split in two as they rushed into the heavy silence of the forest. Elena hugged her son, her heart aching, and ran. Behind her, the sound of heavily armored knights and the clatter of hooves could be heard.

"Calm down, my son..." Elena said, as if giving Maurice hope.

They managed to hide among the trees, holding their breath. But the knights followed every sound and searched the surroundings. Then the dry leaves became crisp.

— "Someone has come!" said the knight.

Elena hugged her son, swallowed her tears and whispered:

— "Maurice, run! You must survive!"

"No, mother! I won't leave you!" Maurice shouted.

"Please, my child... be safe. For your father's sake... for my sake..." Elena said, suddenly standing up and focusing.

The knights rushed forward. At this moment, a soldier reached Maurice.

— "My son, forgive me. But you cannot live either. The descendants of the traitors who spread science will not survive," he said, raising his sword.

His heart pounding, Maurice instinctively reached out. His magic worked. The knight's sword flew like a bullet, heading straight for its owner. The soldier fell dead.

This was Maurice's first bloodshed - not of his own free will, but forced upon him by fate.

At that moment, several spears struck Elena. Her scream of death echoed through the forest.

— "Mo-ri-is!.."

Tears welled up in Maurice's eyes as he fled deeper into the forest. He stumbled, fell, got up again, hid. He wanted to scream in pain, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to live.

The knights searched for some time, but could not find it and finally retreated.

— "The woman and child are dead," they told Lux.

"Okay. Then we'll go back," Lux said, waving his hand.

…When the night was over, Maurice returned to his village. But it was not the same. The smoke was still in the air, the houses were in ruins, the streets were soaked in blood. The corpses on the road were the neighbors he had laughed with yesterday, the children he had played with.

Maurice knelt down and pounded the ground with his fist. His heart burned with pain.

— "Why? Why did I lose my parents again?!" Tears flowed.

But suddenly he remembered the knight's words: "To spread knowledge is treason."

The Inquisition from his past came back to him... people burned alive for knowledge... all brought back.

This new world was just as cruel, just as ignorant.

Maurice wiped away his tears. His eyes were filled with anger.

— "Well... Are you afraid of science? Do you want to keep the people in the dark? Then you will see the true power of science!"

The cry of a child echoing in the forest one day became a vow that shook the world.

Maurice pulled himself together and went home. Fortunately, he survived.

He slowly opened the door and walked in. Silence. Only cold walls and empty rooms.

He took the knife and stared at it for a long time. The longer he stared, the more the fire of anger and sorrow within him coalesced into one point.

— "I will overthrow this unjust system... You will feel the power of science..." he whispered.

Then he threw the knife with all his might against the wall. The clang of steel echoed through the deserted house like the seal of his eternal vow.

Month after month, day after day passed. Time flew by, ten years flew by. Now Maurice was 15 years old, a grown man. All this time, he lived in the shadows, devoting every moment to preparation.

He whispered to himself:

— "There's no need to hide anymore, ten years have passed, and I have everything I need."

Maurice mentally listed his arsenal.

Pistol. Assault rifle. Rifle. Sniper. Machine gun. RPG. All ready.

Moreover, he managed to build an attack drone. This was the most difficult task - he had to install artificial intelligence inside the drone. But he managed to build a computer and program the system. The drone no longer needs a controller - only commands.

He designed every part of the weapon himself, because in his previous life he worked as an engineer-scientist in the Japanese military.

But one problem remained: the weapons had to be used sparingly. It was not magic, it was not ready-made tools. Everyone spent a lot of time and effort on it.

Although he was able to make weapons from iron, the problem was ammunition. Bullets were not made of just iron.

Fortunately, Maurice found a large deposit of ammonia. He took a great risk to do so. Surrounded by predators, he had to run away from trees to survive as a child. Sometimes he would fall asleep in the tops of those trees. But when he found a large deposit of ammonia, his joy knew no bounds.

He was able to create bullets and RPG shells from ammonia and other chemical components. It seems that no one in the world has used such elements. This gave Maurice a huge advantage.

But the hardest test was living alone, cut off from people for ten years. Longing for parental warmth, loneliness - the heaviest burden. However, Maurice made his choice. He did not regret it.

During this time, he also learned magic. Due to the lack of proper instruments, he was sometimes forced to cut off his own hand to control it. But thanks to this, he understood the flow of magic.

He understood: magical energy comes from the mind, heart, and soul. It starts from the heart, like blood, and spreads throughout the body. When it gathers at one point, magic occurs.

Some people's mana is not suitable for magic. But their bodies adapt with extraordinary strength and speed. With practice, they can adjust their mana for magic, but they will always be weaker than those who are naturally inclined. This world also had its own balance.

Through this research, Maurice developed his magic. He even mastered storage magic, which allowed him to store an infinite number of items. One of the most useful abilities.

He increased his mana pool, learned to cast complex spells, and his ability to manipulate magnetic fields made it easier to craft weapons.

They also saved money by hunting and selling furs. Now the time has come. Time to set off.

— "I secretly spread knowledge among the people, awakening them to freedom. Science is the solution to every obstacle. Science is power," declared Moris.

He gathered all his weapons into his storage spell, then looked at the knife he had thrown against the wall ten years ago. Longing washed over him. He picked up the knife and strapped it to his belt.

He looked at the empty house for the last time. In his eyes - determination

nation, in his heart — an oath. He was confident in his purpose.

A long, painful, but great journey lay ahead.