The real deal

In a small town in the 19th century, there lived a young man named Bayaya. He was the pride of his family, a brilliant graduate of a prestigious cantonist military academy. Bayaya excelled in every discipline, from strategy to swordsmanship, and was unmatched in dueling. His skill became legendary; every challenge ended with him victorious. Yet, his fame as a duelist brought not only admiration but also fear.

One fateful day, Bayaya attended the funeral of a man he had defeated in a duel. Standing among the mourners, he saw the grief-stricken sister of the deceased, her cries piercing through the solemn silence. For the first time, he questioned the value of his superiority. His victories had brought nothing but pain and loss to others. "I excel in an empty pursuit," he thought.

Determined to find meaning beyond duels, Bayaya turned to mathematics. He locked himself in his room for days, immersing himself in the world of algebra and geometry. Equations and theorems became his new battlefield. The servants, puzzled by his sudden change, wrote worried letters to his father.

"Something is wrong with Bayaya," they reported. "He spends all his time scribbling strange symbols and diagrams."

His father, equally concerned, wrote to him: "My son, do not waste your life on mathematics. Return to the real world, where your skills can shine."

But Bayaya ignored the pleas. He was consumed by a new passion, tirelessly working to unravel the mysteries of hyperbolic geometry. His perseverance paid off. Years later, his contributions were recognized alongside those of great mathematicians like Lobachevsky. In Hungary and Romania, hyperbolic geometry became known not just as Lobachevskian but as "Bayaya Geometry."

Bayaya’s journey from a master duelist to a mathematical pioneer inspired many. He showed the world that true greatness lies not in defeating others but in advancing knowledge and understanding.