Quiet rattling of the carriage drowned the sounds of the forest. Sirius, however, wouldn't notice them anyway, as he was deep in thoughts. He blankly stared at the road drifting away into the distance, like a flow of the river. Eventually, he got tired from worrying and leaned back with a grunt.

"Are you alright?" Asked Gregor from the driver's place.

"Thinking about the tribunal and stuff."

"What are you going to do?"

"I... don't know. I don't want to flee Kingdom, but I am afraid you are right."

"Will you survive though? Alone in the wilderness..."

"Uncle Verden taught me well. From gathering food to making a shelter without magic."

"He might have expected this outcome."

"You are probably right..."

The squeaking noise of the wheels diluted the heavy silence between them.

"Why did you need so many metals?"

"I want to have my own supply for magic circles. Chalk is also for them, a nice filler material, neutral to mana and such."

"Tin is cheap, and so is lead, but copper? A whole crown for that ingot..."

"An alternative is gold. I don't know of any other metal with such properties."

"Fine... Order's paying anyways."

"I think they spend much more on the ritual chalks, even if the gold contents are tiny."

"Sure thing... But why do you actually need to study metals? Didn't you move on to the alchemy?"

"You see..." Sirius sat back up. "I think that running away is my future, but I want to postpone that as much as possible. In the meantime, I want to learn and study for as long as it is acceptable."

"And then?..." Gregor asked with sadness, dreading Sirius' leave.

"Father Gregor, you said so yourself. I can be killed by them at tiniest misconduct. One day I have to escape. I promise to return."

"Return? What for?" Gregor asked, afraid of the confirmation of his thoughts.

"I want to stop them."

"No... No-no-no-no, wait." He dropped the leash, making the carriage stop.

"What do you mean no? They fearmonger the whole country, killing whoever they dem a heretic."

"But they also protect others."

"Others who share their views."

"Not only. Do you actually think the whole Kingdom believes in the Twin Gods?" He said in a hushed voice.

"Why not? Don't they kill those who don't?"

"My boy... There are many gods in this world, and they can not force their faith. On the south people believe in the god of sea and fire. Druids in the Betweenlands believe that the world itself is the deity."

"And? They are not the part of the Kingdom anyways."

"You don't get the point. Southern areas are Kingdom's territory, yet their belief somehow still exists, don't you find it strange?"

"How do you know that?"

"Ravenloft is a big city, you heard traders' tales about beasts. I heard about lots of smaller areas further from the capital that retain their own gods."

"You think they don't kill anyone who tries to undermine their faith?"

"How else could it be otherwise? They are the force that keeps the Kingdom together."

"Doesn't mean they are a good force."

"You are too weak to uproot such an organisation anyways."

"I know... That is why I learn."

"So that is the reason?"

"Of course. They won't listen to a little runt from a village on the edge. If only I was stronger..."

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Gregor silently took the reigns and urged the horse to move.

"Do you think I am too ambitious?"

"I just don't believe it is the right way to deal with things."

"Is it because of imminent war?"

"So you know..."

"Duh, of course I know. More and more people enroll into guards, and our small village grows new layers of walls each year. It's been a long time since it all started."

"Did Verden tell you?"

"Yes."

"Understood." Gregor sighed. "Yes, it is correct. The tensions between Republic and Kingdom are at the peak right now. Everyone in the church rumours about the war."

"Didn't you say there are Betweenlands in the middle of the continent?"

"They are indeed. Actually, they are vaguely split between Republic and Kingdom, but the Druids still claim it to be their land."

"They don't have a country of their own?"

"No, Verden should have told you, there are multitude of tribes that act like city-states. but each of them hold power to stop two major countries ploughing through their land."

"So, why would the war come?"

"I don't know... The only thing we are sure of is that a lot of priests and deacons are taken to further trainings with no one to return yet..."

"Strange things... One more reason to dislike them." Sirius snarled.

"They have their reasons, even if they aren't voiced."

"Well, I have reasons to hate them anyways. They took my whole peaceful life and destroyed it in a single day, and now they try to trample me, like a weed. I will come after them, and I will destroy their tyranny."

"Won't the Kingdom collapse?"

"I don't really care. The whole system is deeply flawed. Better build a new one after this one burns to the ground." The anger seething inside Sirius made the metal bars rattle. "I just need to start relying on myself only."

"Do you understand that there will be blood of countless people on your hands?"

"Blood..." Sirius' bravado suddenly disappeared. "I... am not sure."

"And then there is the chance they will send killers after you. Trained soldiers, mages and such. Will you kill them?"

"I would want to avoid that..."

"Do you think you can talk them into submission?"

"Talk? If I was stronger they would listen!"

"But when will you be stronger than them?" Gregor asked insistently.

"I don't know... No one will want to listen to a murderer too, though." The dilemma was tearing him apart.

"People spend their whole lives trying to reach the peak to change their homelands, only to see the peak get further with every hurdle they pass... Some don't even reach second ascension in their whole lifetime."

"Whole life without reaching a peak?.. Does it even exist?"

"People say the King and the Pope are the most powerful mages, only ones who reached the peak of the magical prowess."

"No. They didn't."

"What?"

"Condensing Manapool is wrong. Condensing Thought Constellation is also wrong. And so does condensing Mind's Eye. There must be another way, I am sure. The only correct way..."

"And you want to find it?"

"I WILL find it. And I will prove them wrong. If only I had more freedom..."

And they both fell silent again, promising to keep everything said a secret. Sirius daydreamed about the future, where he will come back to the Kingdom and save the people from the oppression, giving them free knowledge and teaching them the true meaning of magic. If only it was that easy...