2 Chapter 1

𝟏𝟔/𝟎𝟑/𝟓𝟒𝟕 𝐤𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫

"Mikhail hurry or we're gonna be late." said my brother Ygor, he was three years older than me at that time, I miss him, he always was more responsible than me.

We were running to our jobs, we worked at a textile factory, it was at the border of the industrial district of Kraven with the slums, it was a bit far away from our home, but it was still the closest to home compared with the workplaces of my other brothers and sisters, because of this we would often go by foot, to avoid paying passages of the train. We needed to save every bit of money if we wanted to eat.

At the factory, we would work for fourteen hours, with just one break for lunch. It was repetitive work, I was the last one in the production line, I just put the finished product in boxes, before other kid takes it away. My brother dealt with a drawing frame, a machine for drawing, twisting, and winding yarn.

"That one is escaping, quick, take it" my friend Raz warned me, packed the textiles with me, and he pointed out one who would be passing through us, I stretched myself and pick-up the shoe and quickly put it inside a box.

"Thanks, I almost let it pass me"

"It's nothing..."

"No talking in the line." said one of the managers angrily, one of the few adults in the entire factory.

Lunch was my favourite part of the day. We would have 20 minutes to eat the food we brought along with us, my mother would cook for us in the dawn, the food was cold but still delicious, and we could talk with our friends and workmates.

"Did you hear? there is a saying that Mr Chernoff will become a Saint" someone in the line said

"Awesome, maybe after that, he will allow us to work a few hours less per day, I would be so happy to work just twelve hours a day, " I said.

"You are being naive," one of our workmates said, he was a bit older than us, even older than my brother. "My father said that whenever a saint is proclaimed nothing ever changes for the better"

"You don't need to spoil their contentment, dude," said another boy at his side.

"But maybe this time it will be different" - Raz said.

"It won't, the sooner you get this, the better, and let's end this here it's almost the end of the lunchtime" and just like he said the alarm rang to indicate that lunchtime was over.

One or two hours after lunch, the production line stops with some familiar screams. The only reason the line ever stopped was that a machine had broken, or someone was gravely injured… I could hear the commotion so I stared in the direction where it happened. It was in the section where my brother worked, I got worried, there was a crowd between us, everyone was looking at the scene, and since I was a bit younger, therefore shorter than the rest I couldn't see much.

I climbed the treadmill just to see a bit better. and from there I could see only the face of my brother in agony, lying at the treadmill on the other side of the factory. I jumped and went direct to him, pushing people and saying "he is my brother",

𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴

When I got to him I couldn't understand what happened to him, his arms were crushed by the machines next to him, probably his clothes were caught in the shaft. There was blood everywhere near him, and he was screaming. His lower arm was almost flat and parts of the bone could be seen in the skin, almost like popping out, with blood running down from it.

"Ygor hold up, you gonna be fine," I said with tears in my eyes.

"You are Ygor's brother right?" the manager came to me and asked

"Yes, I am"

"he will be liberated from work to go the church seeking a healer, you can tag along with him, but return in one hour"

"ok. sir" I said rubbing down my teary eyes

A new worker was assigned to the machine who crushed my brother's arms and everyone was back working.

I helped my brother to go to the church, the best way I could, he couldn't stop crying from pain, each step his arm would move a bit causing massive pain.

At the church the priest and assistants picked him up and put him in a bed, he would be here until a healer from the cathedral could come here to heal him.

The priest prayed for the Godking to save this boy, and I followed him.

For the Godking who rules Kruschen

the slayer of the evil god Markov

the keeper of the skies and earth

the progenitor of fire and water

father of all saints of the realm

be the crown in thy head

the faith people have on thyself

who has the power of life and death

I pray for thy infinite forgiveness

for our sins and wrongdoings

and hope for thy realm has no end

dispel the evil temptations of us.

and bring to thy citizens joy

holy is thy name

𝘎𝘰𝘥𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘠𝘨𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺, 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴. 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦

I stayed at my brother's side until my time was almost over, long after he had fainted from the pain. I returned to the factory and worked many hours until it was time to go home. I took a train to go home quickly. I told my family what happened and we all went to the church by train, except my 2 younger brothers

when we reached the church, Ygor has already passed away, the priest said, that his arms were suffering a serious infection and as the healer still didn't come they had no other option than to cut his arms, to try to save his body, but he died from blood loss after they cut their arm and failed to stop the bleeding.

𝘔𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴

On that day my mother cried as if there was no tomorrow, and my father was silent.

𝟏/𝟏/𝟓𝟓𝟎 𝐤𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫

"Wake up everyone, we will be leaving soon." said my mother to everyone in the room. She was a loving mother and cared for us a lot. I think that the death of Ygor affected her too much, and when Svetlana died after, I was seriously worried about her well-being.

I had eight siblings, ten if you count the ones who died at my mother's belly, I had five brothers of which three were younger, and three sisters, of which only one was younger than me.

Vasily the older one being sixteen years, worked in construction with our father and shared the same name, he hated the city and wanted to leave and become a farmer somewhere else when he comes of age.

Vânia, my oldest sister, was fourteen years old. I didn't really know what she worked until I was an adult. our parents were deeply against her job, but there weren't many jobs available so she took the one who could help us put food on the table.

Ygor, who died three years ago, but would have been thirteen years old at that time, was my favourite brother when I was younger, he was kind, and whenever Ygor could he would play a lot with his younger siblings, I included.

Svetlana, who would have been eleven years old, worked with Vânia for a time and she left to work in a shoemaking factory, which made our family happy for a while... until she died of disease last year.

Vadim was eight years old, and he was recently fired. He spent his days in the street trying to steal anything he could to eat until he got a new job, but our parents didn't know this, they would never approve.

Natasha, my youngest sister was six years old, she was about to start working, lucky her, or not soo much, I don't know anymore... I always cared much for her, she was a bit sickly when younger and couldn't work when she was five like us.

Pyotr, a two-year-old baby, my mother was always taking care of him, I didn't have the chance to interact a lot with him, since Ygor's death my mother wouldn't let him go of her arms.

"Wake up Natty, Vas told me that the festival is very nice, that there are very stands for children to play, and delicious food to buy," I said to my sister who was still trying to sleep.

It didn't take long until she got up.

Today was a festive day. Every ten years a festival happens to celebrate the founding of Kruschen when the Hero defeated the evil god Markov and became the Godking. The Holy Festival gathered tens of thousands of citizens outside of the city, and they distributed gifts to the people, things like foods, cups, small plates, clothes for adults, and candies and toys for children and in the end, the Godkin himself would appear and say some words for his people.

I left our room and heard father and mother talking in their room.

"We should have left at night, we will be late if we leave now, darling." said my father from his room

"We will be on time by taking a train"

"Taking a train? Are you crazy?"

"It will be worthy, Vasily, the children deserve some fun without having to walk for miles, and if we get on a train, we shall be early enough to get everybody some gifts before they run out"

"I'm against it, it will be too expensive and probably we won't get anything, last time there wasn't enough gifts for everybody remember?"

Mother got a bit angry and closed the door, but this didn't stop hearing their voices

"Don't be such a killjoy, not in front of the kids at least, they are so excited for the festival"

"They need food, not fun. If we had more food to keep everyone well-fed, Svetlana could have survived..."

This hit my mother hard, as she got enraged, they started to seriously quarrel. a few minutes later was decided that my father would stay at home

"Let me be at home with Pyotr then, he is too young to understand the festival, and is one passage less to pay!"

" Pyotr will be coming with me!"

"Be reasonable, Yelena!" - said my father "he is a baby he won't even remember this festival. Bring him to the next one."

My mother hesitated for a second, but agreed to my father's proposal, and left my brother at home

We took three trains, one to change the line we were on, another to take us to the central station, and another that took us outside town where the event always happens and every train was crowded with people doing the same as us.

I was eager to go to the festival, not because of the stands or gifts for the people, but because it was the first time I left the city. When the sunrise came I couldn't believe my eyes. I've never thought I could see so many colours, I grew used to seeing just the bland colours of the city. Through the window of the train, I could see the orange sunrise enlightening a field of wheat in the distance, making it shine like gold, while the grass shone greenly beneath the skies who was changing colours by the seconds, as the sun goes up, the skies becomes less dark and gain more colours, first, it was an orange, but soon enough it becomes a beautiful blue sky with a few white clouds.

When we arrived at the festival there was already a crowd of people at the front of the gate

"Mommy, when the gates open?" asked Natasha

"Soon, darling. After other Godkings and saints enter the palace they will open the gates for us.

"where are they, Mommy?"

"they enter through another gate"

"they don't want to feel the smell of the people," said Vasily.

"don't say something like that Vasily, the Godking and the saint's work hard to protect us."

Time passed and more people would come by the minute. A few moments before the opening of the gates there were so many people that if one tried to see the end of the crowd, it wouldn't be possible.

"Mommy, I am tired"

"Here rest a little, Natty," my mother said and took Natasha to her arms.

"Wow, there are more people than last time!" said my brother Vasily.

"Fortunately, we came earlier"

And a commotion could be heard in front of us.

"Children when the gate opens let's get the gifts first, then we can go to the stands after, okay?"

Everyone agreed with our mother, and when the gate opened people started to walk through the field around the palace to take their gifts. The movement was slow because of the number of people trying to go in the same direction.

The people got anxious by the thought they wouldn't get any gifts, for many of the people there, those gifts were food their families would eat for the days to come. so they started pushing the people in front of them.

"the gifts are running out," said someone in the crowd, and in a blink of an eye everything changed, people got desperate to get their gifts and rushed to get their own, the sound of people shouting and screaming

"hold each other's hands, children!" shouted my mother, and we quickly abided.

Vadim held Vânia's hand, who held Vasily's, who held mine. I tried to hold my mother's hand who was carrying Natasha, but it was too late, she was already too far away, and soon enough we lost track of her in that sea of people, which flow made us walk in different directions

"Are you seeing that tree?" Vasily shouted to us, appointing his head to a tree a few feet in front of us "when we reach it, I want you all to climb it, it's too dangerous to be here, Vânia help Vadim, I will help Mikhail

"I got it," said Vânia

When the tree was at our side, Vasily grabbed me and helped me climb the tree, Vânia did the same followed by them climbing themselves.

At the tree we were safe, Vadim was crying while we searched for our mother and Natasha, we could see all the people rushing to go to the stand of gifts, some people would fall, and never get up again.

one hour later the crowd dispersed itself, what I saw kept in my nightmare for many years to come, thousands of bodies lying in the ground, people who had fallen were stomped to death, and not that far from our tree, there it was mother's and Natasha's lifeless body, we came down our tree to see mother, they both weren't breathing. We were all crying now.

And at distance I could see some people taking the bodies and moving them away, I thought some people could be saved and they were bringing them to healers, I Hoped mother and Natasha could have some chances, but they were moving the bodies just in order to the carriages of the saints and Godkings of other realms could pass.

And the Godking himself didn't appear to say anything, not even to a temple to pray for those who were gone, he went to another palace where international invitees were to be held.

That year's festival was named "Bloody Festival" after that, where more than five thousand lives were lost

At that time I didn't know but that palace was used as a military base, and a few days prior an army drill in the field happened. Many trenches were made, and they did a poor job of covering them. Many people have fallen because of it, and by consequence died.

The last festival came almost fifty thousand people, they were expecting this year to come sixty thousand, but two hundred thousand came, they didn't have enough manpower to hold the crowd, much less gifts to everyone to pacify then.

When we went home, we told father what happened, he didn't cry or anything, he just kept sitten, he wouldn't speak or move, looking back I think he blamed himself, if he went, he could save mother and Natasha. if he could persuade mother to stay, they also would be alive.

𝟎𝟐/ 𝟐𝟕/ 𝟓𝟓𝟓 𝐤𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫

It's been four years since my father died. After our mother died, he would spend all our savings on booze. He died in a cold alley after being beaten up for not paying for its booze. I think he had already given up on living by that time

Vadim got arrested two years ago and we didn't get any news from him until he died in jail during a rebellion, and the prison sent us a letter.

Vânia also lost her life last year, she was working and some man killed her, it was not uncommon in her line of work.

Nowadays it is just me, Pyotr and Vasily, we were in the industrial district helping Pyotr to find a job. We were absent from our jobs so we would not be paid for today, but since we notified our jobs about this absence we wouldn't be fired.

We went to almost every place in the city to find a job suitable for a child, but there wasn't any. These are hard times, everyone is looking for jobs.

"Just let me work at a coal mine and let's end this idiot search, there isn't any other job than coal mining"

"You can't work at a coal mine Pyotr!" said Vasily

" I agree with Vasily, it's too dangerous, and you will have to move to another city!" I said.

"We need the money, you can't pay for my food forever, Vasily didn't even lunch today"

"I didn't have lunch because I wasn't hungry, that's all."

"Bullshit" - said the little one

"It's true" - said Vasily, but it wasn't, even Pyotr could see that Vasily was getting thinner by the day.

Our little discussion ended when a man shouting the news came to our ears.

"war declared! The heavenly kingdom of Kruschen has declared war against the celestial Kingdom of Kato, more info in the papers, buy it now!"

I got curious, but I couldn't read that well. I could at the best see the prices of food and things alike, and even so, we didn't have the money to buy it.

"Let's go home," said Vasily.

At home when it was about to go dark, someone knocked on the door. I opened the door and saw a few soldiers, the one in front was holding some papers, and behind them, many people followed.

"Excuse me, are you Vasily Volkov?" the man asked

"No, that's my brother" I answered

"Could you call him, if you please"

I called him, and soon he was at the door.

"What is this about? he asked"

"By heavenly decree, every male citizen above 18 years old to 30 years is to be conscripted to the army for the war against the celestial kingdom of Kato, I am here to take you to the training grounds".

"Sorry, but I can't leave, my brothers, I am all they have left," Said my Brother

"I am afraid this is not a request, it's an order, if you do not obey you will be arrested"

Vasily stayed quiet for a second before answering

"Okay, understood"

"you can't be serious Vasily"

"You can't leave us, Vas!" said Pyotr who heard us.

"if you leave we won't have any option left than to let Pyotr go work at a coal mine"

"If I go to jail, the same still will happen"

"There must be some other way" I looked at the man in military garb, but he didn't look to care about this.

"If he won't come, he will be arrested, but young man, how old are you?

" I am fifteen"

" wonderful, boys with fifteen or above can enlist if their parents allow it"

"I will enlist too"

"No you won't, we have no parents so I am responsible for them, I forbid!" Vasily said looking at the man.

The man looked at me.

"There is nothing I can do, Young man, Mr Volkov we need to go, there are still many houses to go yet.

"Just let me say goodbye"

He turned to us and hugged each one of us, Vadim cried, but not myself.

" I will be back, just wait for me!" he said before leaving with a forced smile

But he never came back.

𝟎𝟖/𝟎𝟗/𝟓𝟓𝟖 𝐤𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫

I woke up at four A.M. I moved from my old home years ago, I have too many painful memories, and now I work at a weapons factory on the other side of the city. I Have to wake up very early to go to the train station in order to arrive on time.

A few years ago Kruschen Lost the Visogi war, and my brother never came back, he lost his life in the battlegrounds. I got a letter of condolence. I couldn't read at the time, but I took it to a neighbour who could, and he read to me. "He died with honour fighting for his Godking." said a part of the letter. I couldn't express my anger, my brother didn't want to go to that war, he wanted to leave the city and become a farmer, and his dream was swept away from him.

Pyotr also died some years ago, during the war he went to work in the coal mines and lost his life because part of the mine collapsed with him on it, and I was alone since then.

I walked through the slums until I got to the Salim river train station. It was dawn but there were a lot of people waiting just like me. There was gossip about a fire on the other side of the slums some hours ago, but it was already put out. I didn't want to be near them for long. I'm not good with crowds, so I waited for the train outside the station looking at the river.

Then I saw something strange it looked like a tree trunk floating but as it came close and it moved I thought it looked like a human body

"hey, what is that?" I shouted "is that man in the water?"

Some people came over to see what was happening. but I got an answer quickly

"Hel-p mee" the man floating in the water answered weakly.

"Someone help him!" I shouted to the people around me, but no one reacted" really... no one." and then I jumped in the water and started swimming in his direction.

"h-el..." the man drowning tried to say something, but I caught him and brought him to the river shore

"shit, you are bleeding, we need a healer, we need to go to a church"

"No church!" said the man

"you're gonna die without one."

"be it, just end my suffering, and inherit my will." the dying man said placing a dagger in my hands

"what the fuck man?" I tossed the dagger back to him and tried to raise him, but he was too heavy for me to carry. "Help! Somebody Help, this man gonna die" I shouted but there was no one nearby, I wasn't even near the station anymore.

"please kill me"

"I won't kill you," I said a bit angry

"Please, I beg you, end this pain?" he pleaded

"... no I can't, I'm not a murderer"

The man put his dagger in my hands again

"you won't be a murderer, you will be just a man helping a friend" and he tossed his body against the dagger he put in my hands

"What?" I pushed the dying man, and could see he stabbed his own heart, and in his torso now visible, it was like his belly was ripped apart by a beast.

" I hope this blessing... be of more (cough) worth to you... than to me, ple-please inherit my (cough) will and avenge u…" and he died, his body felt on the ground at the edge of the river.

𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺.

I heard a strange voice in my head and passed out.