1776 — Ingolstadt
History will one day say we never existed.
That absence will be our final proof.
I was a student then. Young. Curious. Dangerous without knowing it.
The university halls were silent at night, thick with the smell of wax and old paper. I stayed long after others left, reading texts that raised more questions than answers. The Church called them forbidden. I called them necessary.
That was when the paper appeared on my desk.
No sound. No hand. No warning.
Just a symbol drawn in ink — a simple circle. Perfect. Closed.
Inside, a single sentence:
If you seek knowledge without permission, walk east at midnight.
I knew better than to ignore it.