Book of Sins Volume 1
Content
This is a story of the sins committed by the ancestors of the Fraigenöf family. Listen well.
This is a tale that begins more than 400 years ago. Once upon a time, there was a clan of alchemists, known as the Fraigenöf family. They made different concoctions and oils, although most earnings were made from soap. The Fraigenhöf family was very skilled and they were famous. Eventually the family grew larger and became a finical backbone in Emrad. The family head became one of the 18 council lords to the king, which is conferred based on inheritance. There were two young brothers in the Fraigenhöf family. The elder was called Edward and the younger was called Albus. The brothers where clever, and they got along well. They grew rapidly. From their father and the rest of the family, they learned alchemy. But… The brothers gradually became dissatisfied with this. They were already too skilled at making soap, hefty concoctions and oils. The young pair had an unyielding thirst for knowledge and realized that they cannot uncover the truth about alchemy in their lifetime. So, they turned to the pursuit of the art of Petra est Deus. The pursuit of medicines that can extend life. The two brothers immersed themselves in these studies. The adults of the Fraigenöf family were concerned that they had turned away from their real work. But the two brothers did not listen to them, believing that all they did was for the sake of the family. They realized that they had to travel the world in pursuit of this goal and left the family soon after. The journey was a difficult one, after venturing from place to place learning new crafts. After 9 years they finally arrived at the city of a hundred spires, Pran. One can notice the characteristics of gothic style architecture which involves stone structures, large expanses of glass, pointed arches, clustered columns, sharply pointed spires, intricate sculptures, ribbed vaults and flying buttresses. They heard rumors about a great theologian and practitioner of alchemy Albert Magnus. After several hours they found this old alchemist and humbly begged him to accept them as students and impart his teaching to them. The brothers held out the precious gold dust they had preserved throughout their entire journey and finally a certain aged alchemist accepted them as students. They rapidly became the talk of the town. The two brothers where diligently studying alchemy in the far-away city of Pran. Luckily the alchemist who became their mentor was no fraud and under his capable instructions they began to study alchemy in depth and even gaining knowledge about creating homunculus. Albus definitely had more talent than his elder brother. After just one year, he had begun to get a grasp on how to make the homunculi. The elder brother, Edward redoubled his efforts so as not to fall behind his skilled younger brother, even forgoing food and sleep in favor of studying. One day they walked the streets selling medicine to support themselves and fund their alchemical research, they bumped into a young woman who sold apples in the marketplace and she left quite the impression in both brothers’ hearts. This was their first time meeting Angelina. Albus was the first to fall in love with Angelina, giving her food and other supplies. The affection was evident, as the young lad had no problem to do anything Angelina suggested. Later the elder brother would find out that she was known and branded as a thief, and looked down on by many of the locals, but her neighbors in the poorer residences considered her an angel. The brand was given to her for stealing an egg to feed one of the orphans in her care, who had fallen ill with severe pneumonia. She had sold her hair recently, and so there was no way to earn the money. For a few pieces of gold, another person in need betrayed her and she was jailed for a month. Afterwards she continued to care for the orphans and took on many odd jobs to support them. If others were hungry, she would give away her own food without resentment. She was devoutly religious and visited the church to pray despite the dirty looks she received for her obvious poverty. They say that Angelina was bought in Browsco by traffickers and came to Pran as a slave. She supposedly escaped from the hands of the slavers and settled down in the slums and began to look after children with no families. A bright morning in May, the trio headed out for the annual festival. The idea was that Angelina wanted to go see the carnival and watch the performers. While watching, Albus gives Angelina bread, which she is later known to take to her brothers and sister. The two brothers drinking and enjoying the festivities and falling deeper into love. Albus appears to have drunk too much so his brother lays him on the bed. It is then that Edward offers to walk Angelina to her door. In that timeframe, Edward learns about Angelina’s “family”, and about her having the mark of a thief. He also learns that Angelina is a great person, helping the orphans and the disabled ones. In one of Alberts lectures the brothers learn that alchemy is a science that attain the supreme truth. That is why all of alchemist texts are written in an arcane code. Because alchemists believe that only those with the wit and skill to solve the code have right to understand the truth. In this timeframe Edward already learned about Angelina and Albus noticed that Edward have been acting strange lately. As Edward asks Albert that with all the knowledge they have of medicine and chemistry, isn’t there something alchemy could do to help people? Albert appeared quite annoyed by this question, says that his forebear Paracelsus asked much the same thing. “If you ask me… For an alchemist to run about practicing medicine is tantamount to heresy. The purpose of studying alchemy is to attain the truth for one’s own self. That knowledge is there for us and us alone.” Edward now deep in his conscious sees Albert in a new light. Until now, Edward believed that his path was the right one. That he should stick to that path, and that no one else’s path had anything to do with him. As he asks himself, if it’s a path that no one else will follow, what is the point of illuminating it? Edward asks a question which would pertain to love and walking the road to the world with someone else. Albus, now worried and possibly suspicious, asks if he talks about Angelina. Albus cries that he loved the girl first, making his older brother uncomfortable. Albus now with a face full of anguish and despair says to Edward: “Wasn’t Angelina supposed to fall in love with me?... are you going to butt in and steal her? That’s not fair… right? Bother!!! Brother!!!” After that day Edward haven’t heard a word out of Albus since then. Even though the brothers always got along so well before. Another bright day, Edward goes to the church where he happens to meet Angelina. Seeing her pray for those who are misfortunate makes Edward wanting to help Angelina, decides to propose to her and abandon the pursuit of alchemy. Angelina accepts and the two now-lovers hug and kiss. The priest touched by this encounter, says “This kiss shall be proof of your oath, and henceforth you shall be man and wife.” But as they walk out of the “empty” church, they do not realize that Albus is right there, his head touching the chair in front as he cries, as his rage manifested on his inner demons. That night, an apprentice vanished form the house of a certain alchemist. In Pran’s golden alley the children taken care of by Angelina was in tears. When Edward met these children, they said a man dressed the same as him came and took their big sister away. That alchemist was Albus, his younger brother. Edward looked across the entire country for Angelina and Albus. But the two were nowhere to be found. It seemed they had fled to a foreign country. Edward set out on a journey to find them. The journey was painful and long as Edward searched absolutely everywhere. In the first journey he had Albus with him, but this time he was completely alone. He searched, and he searched, and he searched… He searched for twelve years, then in the Omrage province of Saintedîl, Edward heard rumors about a strange man and woman in the town of Lecolline d’Sorciere. It was the spring of the twelfth year since that day in Pran. In this village Edward met a peasant who told him a man from Emrad and a woman called Angelina wandered here about 7 years ago and settled down in a mansion not far from here. Edward didn’t hear anything else the peasant had to say. He heard nothing at all, as he said to himself “I’ve caught you! On that day twelve years ago, you stole Angelina from me and disappeared. I’ve been searching for you Albus … My brother. And now you will discover the extent om my rage!!” At that moment Edward was thinking neither of his brother nor of Angelina, any thoughts of others had vanished. There was rage and his desire for vengeance against Albus and that was it. His twelve-year journey had transformed Edward into a beast. Edward rushing towards this mansion with a dagger in hand, stormed into the mansion and met his younger brother. After a conversation filled by anger and despair, it ended with Albus laughing so loud that it was almost a shriek. Edward finally understood that Albus was no longer the person he used to be. Just as the long journey had twisted his heart with hatred. Something must have happened to Albus as well over the past years. While traveling Albus would beat Angelina into following her, to which he complied, but she would not smile for him or love him as he truly wanted, instead she would cry at the man’s miserable state. Albus Fraigenöf was initially shown to be an easygoing, expressive, polite and cheerful individual. Whatever positive traits he may have, however quickly banished once he learned his love was unrequited and fell into deep madness. Maniacal, self-centered, uncaring, sociopathic, insane and completely detached from any ounce of sympathy, Albus became a miserable man devoid of any ounce of morality or full of anguish, despair, sorrow and grew to become increasingly evil over time. During the seven years at the manor in Saintedîl, Albus and Angelina grew more distant with one another to the point that Albus allowed the villagers to imprison her and she got sick after. Albus would research the means to get the Petra est Deus or elixir of life in order to heal her. Edward notices he had made a philosopher’s egg and the workspace was just like the room of their teacher in Pran. It was filled with a huge number of tools used for alchemy. Edward struggled to make any contact with Albus. He seemed obsessive and would only rumble about that he is almost there, making the highest accomplishment in alchemy. The creating of a soft stone. The means, in other words something that produces an elixir that can cure any disease: The Petra est Deus. Albus tells his older brother that Angelina is sick and imprisoned. When Edward returns to her, they would exchange words of what happened the last twelve years. Trying to heal her, Edward also settles down in the manor as he tried to develop the Petra est Deus separately. In his rush to cure Angelina’s illness, he could see nothing else. Even Albus himself was of no consequence to him. For the sake of the Petra est Deus he gave no thought to the needs of his own body. Edward didn’t sleep for days. He would pass out on his feet, wake up on the ground and start working again. He had to hurry, since Angelina had already grown too weak. From time to time he would have caught sight of Albus as it seemed he too was trying to create the Petra est Deus. During the journey Edward had many different experiences, through good luck and bad. From his experiences from different alchemist throughout the world, he breathed a new wind into the alchemy he had studies from his teacher in Pran and the dark clouds began to dissipate. The object that produces the elixir of life… The accumulation of all the secrets of alchemy – the Petra est Deus was born into this world. Edward running as fast as he could, for he had finally made a cure for Angelina. Finds the prison she was staying at in flames. When the two former lovers meet. Edward notices that she herself had set ablaze the prison. She had lived with Albus for twelve years, even though she would have a long life because of the elixir, they could not be together. Angelina cuts of her long-silvered hair and throws it at Edward. The villagers drags him away from the fire as he watches Angelina burn to her death. The two brothers talk one final time when Albus claims Angelina never loved him no matter what. Edward counter that she did in fact held some affection for him, else she would have tried to escape which she didn’t. With all that was left of Angelina was a strand of hair. Both had managed to create a Petra est Deus or commonly known as a philosopher’s stone. On that spring day… as the field mustard bloomed in Lecolline d’Sorciere. The brothers parted ways… never to meet again. Following Angelina’s death in the village of Lecolline. The elder brother departed while the younger brother remained. However, Albus’s heart was no longer that of a human. He vowed revenge against the villagers. Another 23 years passed and the younger brother Albus had created a homunculus in Angelina’s image with her silver hair which he had immersed in a preservation culture fluid since then. He had injected it with the elixir of life in hopes of brining it to life. However, the Angelina homunculi was not the only one Albus created. He made even more homunculus to accompany Angelina, so she would not feel alone. Albus finally settled his debts with the villagers, as he bundled up the villagers screams into a bouquet for Angelina. Lecolline village was destroyed that day by the will of a single alchemist twisted with grief and hatred. Albus came to the realization that the homunculus would not act like Angelina. He would strangle her, discard her and taking her for dead, as he leaves to wander alone. In truth the Angelina homunculus survived. Another 29 years had passed since that day, since the day Edward lost Angelina and the day he parted from Albus. Edward returned to Lecolline only to see it in ruins. Edward believed it was his responsibility to deal with what Albus started. Since it was him who originally lured him down the path of creating the homunculus. But 29 years had passed since he last saw his younger brother and Edward had grown old with little time left. So, he committed a grave sin. That he will never forget. He took advantage of the desire for revenge in the hearts of the Lecolline survivors. The Petra est Deus he had created for Angelina. Had the power to cure all diseases and prolong life. However, it had another power. A human mind can be dissolved into it and be preserved. So, Edward decided to use the nearby well and dissolve into it and control the hearts of the villagers who drank it. And then he could pursue the homunculus who Albus had built and eradicate them form this world. Heaven permits sinners nothing, neither peace nor death. Edward was allowed only one thing. His hatred for the homunculus. On the other hand, Albus returned to the place he was born. It had been seventy-six years since the brothers left Browsco. He had come here to die. His intention was to create a spring of life and dissolve himself into it. But he came up with an idea at the last minute. He thought there must be a lot of memories in Angelina’s hair. So, to keep the memories in liquid form he thought of melting them in the elixir of life. Like that, if a woman came to drink it, that would make a second and perfect Angelina. But he had a problem, Angelina’s hair was on the head of the homunculus that he had created in Lecolline. And then for the first time, he finally realized that he was old. The elixir would make someone age every five year, but he was already too old at this point and would not make it to Saintedîl. So, he lured a child to drink from the well after he had dissolved himself into it and everything went as he planned…
Type
Journal, Personal
Medium
Papyrus
Location
Authors
Signatories (Characters)
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