University Path - Short Fantasy Story (Part 1)

University, schooling at it has always been a dream, at least the dream of those who wanted the knowledge and power that came with it. I was among those whose sole purpose was to do so, and it was also difficult to achieve from the situation in which I lived. Alone and on the brink of poverty. It has always been this way, my parents died in one of the great illnesses that hit our city and killed over half a million people. Behind them what is left was me, and the old guard I call home. I vaguely remember that time, but soon realized that I had to do anything, just to raise enough money for food. And that's what my life came down to, at least until a few years ago. As I lived in a neighborhood that was home to several print shops, I began to find discarded copies of books. Over time, I began to regularly visit the neighborhood and collect all their shortcomings. I started learning, absorbing. I experienced every new information as a new ray of sunshine, and it brought me joy. News about the University has always been told everywhere. I could hear them at all the occasional jobs I did. In the warehouses, at the docks, at the bakery, even the busy jobs I did for the printing houses.

The principle of work and education was such that only the most talented, smartest and physically capable were admitted to the University. The selection system was not widely known, but there was much speculation about it. Only the education lasted for seven years and no persons under the age of twenty were admitted. The learning system is that once you become a student there, the only way out is to finish your studies with success or have someone buy you out of school after 5 years of study. Only the wealthiest people in the Empire had enough money to afford the services of an academic from the University. The people of all seven Nations were educated there. It was a kind of intersection of ingenuity and excellence. The person who has been redeemed, or whose services have been purchased, is sworn to have all his services, knowledge and abilities put into service by his employer without any talk. In case his services are not purchased, he is obliged to work in the service of the University for the next seven years after graduation. One more thing - nobody knows how to apply for admission. The assumption is that they have their own postcards from all over the world, and that you simply get a call at one point in your life.

My first encounter with someone who attended the University happened to me when I was employed at a nearby book store. I'll never forget that, I was nineteen.

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