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 –or 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.

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”