The wagon rolled on. Wenzels and his companions travelled through all kinds of one-horse towns along increasingly bumpy roads. Several days had already passed since Irnfrid had joined them. During the journey, she had repeatedly drilled Wenzel with questions, or at least it felt like that to him at times. But she didn't mean any offence. She was simply interested in finding something out about him. The other two men, on the other hand, mostly just sat by quietly, as they had done for most of the journey.

  "Where are you from, Wenzel?" - "Meglarsbruck, but I was sent to boarding school in Olemar."

  "Do you have any siblings?" - "I used to have a brother, but he's no longer with us."

  "What are your parents' names?" - "Althun Bertold and Hildegard." à Wenzel didn't want to tell her, that they weren't his real parents.

  She listened with interest to all of this. She also told him a lot about her childhood, which she spent as the daughter of a master carpenter in Soldach. Wenzel always answered affirmatively and feigned a little interest so as not to appear rude. Basically, though he didn't have much interest in the lives of others when he had so many areas needing improvement of his own. In general, however, it was obvious to everyone that she was mothering him to a certain extent. She always made sure that Wenzel ate enough at every meal. Wenzel put up with it, even though he was, of course, no longer a child. He was almost seventeen!

  Last night it had rained for the first time in a long time. But not much had fallen from the sky, which probably wouldn't make up for the drought. In the morning it was already starting to get warm again, even though the temperature was definitely more pleasant today. Wenzel sat down next to the driver and looked out into the at least somewhat refreshed countryside. Irnfrid chatted to him a little while holding his hand. But soon the boy, who was still tired that morning, nodded off again. He dozed off, leaning on Irnfrid's shoulder as the journey rumbled along.

  Then Wenzel saw a man. It was an absolute unit of a man, wearing black armour with an animal design. He still looked relatively young, though twenty-something, but had a very serious, fearsome look about him. A pretty woman with long brown hair ran up to him laughing joyfully and flung her arms around his neck. Then she looked him in the eye and the two of them kissed. "I love you," the woman said to him. Around them were tents and a red flag, which one couldn't quite make out. Wenzel had no idea who these people were. Suddenly he "jumped" into another setting. Now we were in a bedroom. Two people, a man and a woman, were lying close together in a bed. They were doing what you would expect. Wenzel wanted to look away but couldn't. Straining himself, he tried again and ... bang! Suddenly the dream was over.

  The boy opened his eyes. He was still sitting next to Irnfrid. The next moment, however, he realised that they had left the road and had started to roll blindly into the forest. The vehicle had come to a halt. Standing next to them the boy saw the two others. They were approaching them angrily. Wenzel looked over at the lady. She also looked at him and said: "What have you just done?" The boy replied: "Wait, you saw that too?" - "Yes."

  "Then what was that?" But before Wenzel could get an answer, he turned away and thought for a moment. Only now did it dawn on him that the woman in the vision had been Irnfrid. Did that mean...... "Those were my memories," the woman stated. "I....couldn't even do anything anymore. Suddenly, there were only these images from my past in front of me. Did you see them too, Wenzel?" The boy confirmed. Then he asked: "The man in the armour, he is your husband, isn't he?" The woman was a little embarrassed for a moment, realising that Wenzel had seen something very personal from her life, but then replied: "Yes. You'll meet him soon."

  The boy was still holding her hand. As the lady looked at him, he could sense her thoughts and feelings. He felt that she was somewhat in awe of his abilities, but above all she was full of joy and hope. At that moment, her joy rubbed off on him and a smile crossed Wenzel's lips. That day, Wenzel had learnt that he could read minds. Apparently, this only worked if he touched the other person. The four of them then got their cart back on the road and continued their journey.

  A few days later, they finally arrived. When the wagon could no longer pass through the dense forest, they got out, unhitched the horses and walked the rest of the way to the camp on foot. They finally reached a clearing where many tents had been erected and where there was a hustle and bustle of men and women. Some were practising sword fighting, others were carrying sacks or looking after the horses and other livestock. It was a large camp. The group marched straight towards the leader's tent, which wasn’t much bigger than the others. He wasn’t there. Then they went to a large open tent not far away. There were a few men sitting at a table. They were chatting while looking at maps spread out on the table. On the tent itself was the red flag of the Martyrs' Brigades. As they approached, Wenzel and his companions were spotted by the men. Logically, the information about who was being transported here had already reached them.

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  They stood up. The one in the centre was a huge man with broad shoulders, a very muscular body and a full beard. As he walked towards them, Wenzel recognised him immediately. It was Irnfrid's husband, who was now a little older than in her memories. He approached and literally, not necessarily figuratively, looked down at the boy. His wife stepped behind Wenzel and pushed him forward a little, signalling that he was the person in question. He then held out his hand and said: "My name is Theodor. I am the leader of the martyrs. Nice to meet you!" His presence was powerful. The lad shook his hand and replied: "I am Wenzel. In a way, I already know you." At this statement, Theodor had to raise an eyebrow in astonishment. Irnfrid then immediately went on to explain what the boy had meant. Theodor listened, but Wenzel could in no way read his thoughts or emotions from his face. The man always had a stern, serious facade.

  He wasn't asked by Theodor to show or prove his powers. "Interesting," the boy thought to himself. Apparently, he trusted his lover’s word unconditionally. Another man approached him next. He had long, brown hair and was not very tall. He also wore glasses. Taking the initiative, he immediately grabbed Wenzel's hand and shook it. The person introduced himself as August, the chief of staff. A rather banal name for a man who somehow gave the impression, that he didn't belong here among all the hard-boiled men. However, it took great skill and knowledge, not only of military matters but also of the situation in the country, to be able to manage the role of organising and coordinating the troops and creating alliances. August was a clever man, which was precisely the reason why Wenzel perceived him as different from the other insurgents.

  Three other commanders then introduced themselves to him. Their names were Rizzo, Brahm and Tassilo. Then he was asked the quintessential question: "Would you like to join the Martyrs’ Brigades, Wenzel?" When he heard this, the lad hesitated a little. But he knew he had no choice anyway. There was nowhere else he could go now. Besides, these people would welcome and support him, so what if they were fanatics? Wenzel finally accepted the offer.

  To celebrate, Theodor threw a party that evening! A large pig was brought in and grilled on a spit. All the men came together. They rolled logs to the campfire over which the pigling was grilled, so that they could sit on it. But many also simply sat down on the grass. Before the meal began, Theodor announced: "Men, today we are celebrating the arrival of a new comrade! Everyone, say hello to Wenzel! The boy stood up and briefly introduced himself to everyone, but immediately sat down again. At this many shouted out happily. Everyone was friendly and in a good mood. The speech continued: "But today we are also celebrating the dawn of a new era. From today onwards, the resistance of those who gave and are giving their lives for the Holy Order will begin to become a revolution! Like an unstoppable tidal wave, it will sweep everyone away and wash away injustice!" The crowd roared enthusiastically. This man was an inspiration. So much so, that he almost carried Wenzel along, too. But one thing was clear: Wenzel felt accepted here. However, the leader had not introduced Wenzel as "the Chosen One". This gave the boy food for thought. When the serving of food began, a horde of hungry men pushed their way to the front to get their share. In the end, everyone got something anyway, it was just a matter of not having to wait for too long. Then the evening got off to a lively start as everyone drank beer. Wenzel was also offered one and didn't dare refuse. So, he drank his first beer today. He didn't like it. It usually is like that with one’s first beer...

  People started playing music and dancing. Though, many also just sat together, chatted and laughed. One or two lads approached Wenzel and asked him "where he came from" or "why he joined". Wenzel answered the questions very briefly. He didn't want to talk about it too much. Then Theodor approached him with two of the commanders and shooed the others away. "Brahm here has already introduced himself to you anyway," Theodor began. "In the future, he will be your companion, your bodyguard. The same goes for Isidor here." The second commander introduced himself as Isidor. "That's quite the preferential treatment," Wenzel thought. But this was hardly surprising. The two addressed him as the Chosen One this time, so he had to make it clear to them straight away that he didn't want that.

  However, he did have one question that was bothering him. He turned to Theodor: "Why didn't you tell everyone what I am?" The man paused for a moment and then replied: "Because the time is not yet ripe." He paused again and, without being asked, added: "Soon." Afterwards, Wenzel talked with his new "friends", meaning bodyguards. They both seemed nice. The blonde and strong Brahm radiated a warm-heartedness that one couldn’t normally fake, while the dark-haired Isidor was quite talkative. The party lasted well into the night. The boy got on reasonably well with his two companions. Fortunately.

  Wenzel looked up at the starry sky and into an uncertain future. The adventure had begun.