Zach hesitated at the doorway, turning back to the man. “Wait. How will they know I’ve started my enlistment here?”


    The man blinked, then smacked his forehead as if Zach had reminded him of something obvious. “Right. Almost forgot.” He reached into a drawer and pulled out a rectangular device with a small lens embedded in its surface. “Hold still,” he muttered.


    Zach froze as the device emitted a sharp flash of light. The man then fumbled in his bag, pulling out a blank sheet of paper. He scribbled rapidly across it, jotting down notes and filling in boxes, before pressing the device against the page. With a faint hum, Zach’s face appeared on the document, crisp and lifelike.


    “Here.” The man handed it to Zach. “This will settle it. Just show this when you get to Fort Redstone.”


    Zach nodded, glancing over the paper. “Thanks. One last thing—do you have a map?”


    The man let out a tired sigh, reached into another drawer, and handed Zach a folded map of the city. Without another word, Zach exited, stepping into the bustling streets.


    As he walked, eyes scanning the map, his mind drifted to the situation he had thrown himself into. This wasn’t ideal—not even close. A regular job would’ve been better, simpler. But regular jobs didn’t offer protection from Ren, “Glory” or Geroi.


    The military, however, was a different story. If they found Zach valuable, Geroi influence would be nothing. That kind of leverage was priceless. Still, there was a chance Geroi could pull rank, ''draft'' him back to the lab.


    If it came down to it, he’d argue to whoever that he was too much of a liability for sensitive work. Probably accuse Geroi of being negligent of their city''s military secrets.


    “Serve a year, get my papers,” Zach muttered to himself. “Then figure things out.”


    After that? Maybe he’d start a business. He could use his chemistry skills to produce something profitable—cheap products, undercut the competition. Labor costs wouldn’t be an issue.


    Zach randomly groaned. He was really voluntarily joining the military. “Yeah, real smooth, Zach,” he muttered. “Not like I had a choice.” It wasn’t a career—it was survival.


    The city thinned as he walked, the streets giving way to wide roads lined with sparse buildings. Carriages rattled past, their drivers focused on their destinations. Zach sighed as his feet ached from the endless walking.


    Would’ve been nice to have a few coins for a ride, he thought.


    Hours passed. Zach trudged on until a long, wide carriage came to a stop beside him. The driver leaned out, his face weathered but friendly. “Where you heading, son?”


    “Fort Redstone,” Zach replied. “I’m enlisting.”


    The man raised an eyebrow. “Recruiter already talked to you?”


    Zach nodded.


    The driver’s eyes scanned Zach’s clothes. “Huh. Would’ve pegged you for a lab worker. Glory, maybe, not a soldier.”


    “I quit,” Zach said flatly.


    The man blinked, clearly baffled. From inside the carriage, voices called out.


    “Hop on, man!”


    “Yeah, don’t walk all day!”


    Zach paused, realizing the situation. “Wait, this is a recruitment bus?”


    The driver answered. “That’s right. You coming or not?”


    Zach climbed aboard, finding the carriage almost packed. He squeezed into a seat at the back, wedged between a stocky man with calloused hands and a young woman with two deep scars running down her neck.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    “Hey,” he greeted them. "My name is Zach James."


    "Sup, I''m Iroy Chestbuilder," The man replied.


    "Hi. My names Is Ivonah, Houseclimber."


    What the hell kind of family names are these?


    It reminded him of Markinson family ''tombreakers.''


    As the carriage rumbled forward, Ivonah asked Zach. “So how long did you work at Glory?”


    “A day,” Zach said. “That count?”


    The words were barely out before the entire bus erupted in disbelief.


    “A day?”


    “You quit after one day?”


    “Did they fire you?” someone asked, leaning forward.


    Zach raised a hand, trying to calm them. “No, I quit. Lasted one day.”


    “Why? People would kill for that position," Ivonah asked, baffled.


    “I wanted a bit more freedom,” Zach said.


    The man beside him let out a low chuckle. “And you joined the military? Doesn’t sound like freedom to me.”


    "Trust me, it made sense for me.”


    The carriage creaked and jolted as it trundled down the road, the buildings gradually fading into the distance behind them.


    The road to Fort Redstone stretched wide, bordered by tall iron pillars flickering with pale blue light. Beyond them, the land rolled out in uneven patches of grass and stone, glowing faintly under the moonlight and the eerie floating lamps.


    Ahead, Fort Redstone loomed—a monolithic fortress of dark stone and iron. Towers capped with glowing beacons cast long, shifting shadows across the land. The walls, massive and reinforced with riveted metal plates, bristled with spikes and banners that fluttered in the cool night breeze. Surrounding it were smaller structures—barracks, storage sheds, and training yards with faintly glinting weapon racks under torchlight.


    As the carriage rolled closer, the terrain smoothed, and the road dipped into an entrance lined with stone pillars etched with military insignias.


    The carriage slowed and stopped just outside the gate. Soldiers in dark uniforms stood watch, their sharp gazes sweeping over the arrivals. The gate itself was a steel giant embossed with a crest—a single flower growing from a sprawling burial site.


    Zach stared at the crest, his mind wandering briefly. A symbol of death and rebirth? The Great War, maybe.


    “All right, everyone out!” the driver barked, his tone as sharp as the creak of the carriage doors.


    Zach hopped down, his boots crunching on gravel. A soldier approached, clipboard in hand, his face illuminated by the glow of nearby torches.


    “Papers,” the soldier called briskly.


    Zach handed over his document, standing at ease while the man scanned it. After a short nod, the soldier said, “You’ve started the enlistment process. Follow the corridor to the right. They’ll review your details and give further instructions.”


    “Got it.” Zach tucked his papers away and followed the group filtering toward the indicated path.


    The night air was crisp as he stepped back outside into a waiting area near the fort’s edge. The room he entered was functional and sparse—rows of plain benches, dimly lit by overhead lamps. Other recruits gathered in small clusters, their voices a mix of nervous murmurs and forced laughter.


    Zach chose a seat near the middle, surveying the crowd. Some recruits were fidgety, bouncing their knees or twisting their hands together. Others sat in silence, eyes darting to the door every few seconds.


    Spotting Ivonah and Iroy near the entrance, Zach waved them over.


    Ivonah hesitated before walking over, weaving carefully through the benches. She sat beside him with a short, muttered “Thanks.”


    “Anytime,” Zach replied casually, glancing past her as Iroy lumbered into the seat on her other side.


    Iroy, tall and broad-shouldered, leaned back slightly, folding his arms. His eyes scanned the room with a lazy alertness, as if he’d seen it all before. “So… anyone freaking out about these tests?”


    Zach shrugged. “Not really.”


    Ivonah shot him a sharp look. “Not really?”


    “Yeah. What’s there to worry about?”


    Iroy snorted. “Confidence for days, huh.”


    “Yeah, well, I don’t have that luxury,” Ivonah muttered, her voice tight. “I’ve heard these tests are brutal. Like, it''s ridiculously easy to screw up.”


    “Hey,” Iroy interjected, his tone lighter now. “Nerves won’t help. They want you to think you’re gonna fail, but half of it’s about keeping your head straight. Walk in like you’ve already won, and you’ll be fine.”


    Zach raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were worried. ”


    Iroy smirked, unfazed. “I kinda am. But, I''ll put my trust in my luck.”


    “You think luck’s gonna save you from a physical test?”


    “It hasn’t failed me yet.”


    Ivonah groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Oh great, I’m stuck between Mr. Overconfident and Mr. Overly Lucky.”


    “Hey, hey, I’m here for moral support,” Zach said, nudging her shoulder lightly. “You’ll do fine.”


    “Thanks for the blind vote of confidence,” she replied, though her lips twitched into a small smile.


    "Anytime. Bullshitting is one of my hobbies."


    "Fuck you..."


    Zach smiled.


    Their banter was cut short as the room quieted, an unspoken ripple of tension silencing the conversations. Heads turned toward the door.


    A woman entered, flanked by several armored knights. Her presence drew every eye in the room.


    Her dress, an elegant deep blue embroidered with silver patterns, shimmered faintly in the torchlight. She moved with a commanding grace, her vivid, golden eyes scanning the room with a calm intensity. The knights around her, tall and broad in intricately crafted armor, walked with a quiet, imposing authority. None of them wore helmets, their expressions hard and unreadable.


    Who is that?


    The woman stopped briefly at the far end of the room, murmured something to one of the knights, and then continued into a side corridor. The knights followed her, their armor clinking faintly with each step.