Age near five
Loran has built a habit of sneaking into the mansion’s library and look through the books.
He was very much interested in knowing the history of the kingdom, Livlong.
This is where he lives and his mother’s story has piqued his interest.
He knows that magic isn’t real.
It is absurd to have something like existing in the real word.
But he is still curious so he makes theories and for making more theories related to the legend.
He needs material and some more info about the history of this world.
He hopes that the library of the mansion can help.
His first few days of this new hobby, he didn’t get to do much reading.
He would only visit it to see how many and what types of books there are in the mansion’s library.
To his surprise, there were many books.
Some where romance novels, others were related to philosophy, few were about history, there were many religious books too and then some miscellaneous books.
He can guess that romance novels are his mother’s favorite.
He once asked his mother to tell him what she was reading about.
He had guessed with his relatively average grasp of language that the book she is reading is quite spicy.
He wanted to play a prank of sorts.
But he didn’t expect that she would start talking about the whole story.
She probably had thought that Loran wouldn’t understand anything.
However, he did understand everything she was saying because of his uniqueness.
He had to pretend sleeping to prevent her from talking about her novel in such explicit details.
He hid his red face with a pillow to not let her mom see his tomato face.
Philosophy and religious books are definitely of his father.
He like philosophy knowledge and is a very pious believer of the All Maker.
He visits the church of the All Maker three times a week.
There preachings of the church are apparently quite peaceful and bring him peace.
He is always in a great mood whenever he gets to visit there.
Loran has never been there so he isn’t sure what that place is like.
He once asked his father once “Why they never bring him with them to the church.”
According to his father, it is believed that when a soul is nurtured at home with love and care by their parents.
Then later bringing them to the church for a baptism gives the child forever blessing of the All Maker.
At his fifth birthday, he will get to visit that place and see it for himself what it is all about.
When he first heard that he can only call it superstition.
After all, it is quite abused and doesn’t make much sense.
But if he looks it at a magical stand point or a mystical stand point it does make sense.
If magic were to exist, of course, Gods would be involved in it.
His theory is that, certain actions can lead to a sort of a “blessing” as his father said.
This is a manner of pleasing the so-called God to get his blessings or protection.
‘So, it is a good luck ritual?’
It made him a little suspicious as in the story that his mother told him.
The people performed rituals to get the power of magic.
Could the existence of magic be possible with the help of rituals to get blessings from Gods?
But what about the powerful being?
That being also sounded like a God or an evil God.
He shouldn’t really think too hard on that as that is just a children story.
It is clear that it is all made up for children.
There probably is a more detailed account of that legend.
If he gets it then his curiosity can be satisfied.
For now, he could only wait and see what is this blessing is all about at his birthday.
For now, he can just look at those books and just imagine what might be written in them.
He isn’t that good at reading Flames of hearts.
So, it isn’t like he can read the book even if he gets his hand on it.
So, he can only look at the covers and imagine what it could be about.
Later though, he would lose interest because of his inability to decipher the text within.
He will try again in the future when he is fluent in reading Flames of hearts.
Age five
When he entered the church of the All Maker.
He come to realize that this place is quite a beautiful and even bigger than any mansion that he has ever seen.
It could just be the effect of perspective as the church is quite beautiful looking and has a pretty big hall to listen to the preaching.
The All Maker has a sacred emblem that can be seen everywhere in the huge place.
It is probably a symbol of sorts that is used to denotes the All Maker himself.
The emblem has many symbols that doesn’t make much sense to Loran.
But he does notices hands like shapes and them creating the world.
The symbols probably represents hands and how the All Maker made the world.
‘It is also made of Gold.
Every emblem is made of Gold?
When did Gold started growing on trees?’
His first impression of this place is that, people really love religion for some reason.
He can understand liking something.
But not to this degree that he would want to devote his whole life into it.
‘I don’t like this place.
But I guess I shouldn’t judge it based on first impression.
I will give it another try…’
Loran’s mother and father, like everyone else, closes their eyes and listens to the preacher preaching about All Maker.
Loran himself closes his eyes to not stand out between everyone.
He listens to it and understands few things about who even All Maker is and what is this religion.
What he grasped from it is that the people believe that all existence once was a scattered mess and a meaningless collection of nonsense.
There was no order or light that could be used to see or sound that can be heard.
In short, it was all a mess.
But the All Maker built the scattered mess into a beautiful creation and all the life.
After that, life came to be.
Rest is all about how the All Maker wants everyone to be together and be at peace.
Sharing “His” world with each other and be relieved as All Maker is always with you.
Because he is the one who made you.
‘Sigh.
It is pretty standard lore of a deity.
The name All Maker now makes sense too.
“He” made everything and so he is All Maker… Not very creative with his own name though.’
The preaching was 30 minutes long and by the end of it.
His mother and father looked really emotional and at peace.
It looked like they really are happy to be here.
Loran didn’t understand much and so he just pretended and didn’t show any sign of his indifference to all.
Later he was baptized and nothing else happened in there that he found important.
It was quite ordinary and as he had expected.
However, he did come to understand few things.
So, he made many theories about how can magic be a real thing.
The thing he understood the most is that the magic which is in legend is somehow related to Godly beings.
That can be described as how ancient humans learning from the powerful being and made their own language to understand the magic.
They technically detached magic from a God.
Making a new branch of magic that doesn’t need God’s approval.
‘Are these sacrilegious thoughts?
I am not really believer of anyone and I am allowed to think whatever I want in my mind.
It is the only place where I can be me and make silly remarks.’
Now to another theory, it could be that the powerful being in the story later found the humans quite amusing.
So, he stopped his viciousness by letting ancient human understand the magic to use for themselves.
That way he might just had been the first God of humans and the first religion.
He doesn’t know any history.
Otherwise, he would have fun comparing every religion with his theories.
There are eight religions and the few that he knows are…All Maker, Goddess of Cosmos and Earth God.
There are few more official God with actual religion.
But because of his disinterest in this topic.
He never really paid much attention to them.
So, for the time being he can only call these baseless “theories” flawed.
How are they flawed?
Well, it is pretty obvious because they originate from a children’s story.
Even if he presumes that there is some truth to it.
His thinking isn’t right even with that possibility.
Like in the first, if ancient people found a new branch of magic.
Then where is the magic now?
Shouldn’t it exist and seen everywhere in the world?
Not to mention, such a power brings cruelty.
Just like powerful being.
such a magic would only beings another powerful being in the shape of a human who might be even crueler.
In the second theory, if the powerful being himself gave the understanding of magic.
Then what happened?
He won’t just stop his viciousness just because he found some believers of some sort.
Why an evil God like being would give powers to the ancient people if it isn’t planning the most horrifying joke of all time?
He can make a guess that God-like beings don’t think like humans.
So, feeling empathy is ridiculous.
‘sigh’
He sighs.
But as he doesn’t know anything and his theories are based on a legend that is actually just a children story.
He rejected them both and stopped thinking about them.
‘So many thoughts and theories but all led to failures.
I just can’t wait to grow up and actually learn history or something.
With my current level, I might become some historian of sorts in the future.
My dad surely would be proud if that were to happen.
Heh, that is just a dream at the moment.
As a child, I should just enjoy the big birthday party that I will be getting.
I am so excited.
Tee hee.’
So, he waits patiently for his birthday party at night.
***
At night when there is supposed to be a party for his fifth birthday.
Loran only able to hear screams and cries for help.
His mother held him closer as she cried her lunges out.
He stared at his father’s corpse who died while trying to protect his family form destruction.
Everything around him was being turn to ruin.
The War has seeped through the borders and a huge bombardment is happening at the capital city of the Livlong.
The booms are being dropped and everything has been destroyed as it is stained with blood of people.
However, this isn’t the most shocking thing for him.
Even the death of his father couldn’t compare to what he is looking at it.
His eyes are burning and destroying the retina of his eye.
His body has turned weaker and he can’t feel his mother’s warmth.
Only thing that is in front of his eyes is a sky that is engulfed with fire that is falling at Livlong.