《Dystopian Dictator》 Prologue Lana ran¡­as fast as her small body could allow her. Her bare feet scraped the uneven stone slab that was the street she was running on. She jumped over an obstacle instead of moving around, but her short dress caught on it and she stumbled instead. Luckily, Lana managed to recover and continued running. The wrapped thing between her arms was undamaged too, so that was another relived. Lana was afraid to look back, what if they followed her? The thought made her whole body shook, that would mean the end for her, or maybe even her entire family, she knew. So she kept on running. She frantically turned her head around, looking for a way. Her house was close by, but there was no way to get there without going around the city and wasting time¡­ ¡®Time to take a shortcut¡¯ Lana thought, she entered into an alley next to the main road and found a one-floor house with an uneven wall, ¡®this will do.¡¯ She threw the wrapped object over the building, and then she started pulling herself up the wall. Her feet quickly dug into the uneven pavement and started moving her hand upward, one at a time, pulling her body to follow. When she reached the roof, her right thumb had blood seeping out from the sharp stone she grabbed. She sucked the blood up with her mouth, picked up her wrapped thing and continued for her home. There was no reason to run at this point, she knew, as she jumped from one building to another, no guard will be patrolling on a rooftop. But the feeling of being follow still lingered in her mind, so she picked up the pace and continued going. When her home was in sight, she looked around for the lowest building she could find, and hopped down into the street below, she luckily hadn¡¯t broken her leg doing so and had safely arrived at the street of slum. The road was old and poorly made, only big enough for two people to stand next to each other; the street was deserted except for a few children playing quietly around the corner, the building was small and packed together. Lana took a deep breath of the air; it smelled of old food, dead plants, and a year old stink. It smelled of home. Lana walked through the street anxiously, trying not to catch any attention, thing was different here in the street of slum, people could smell suspicious behavior from a mile away, and would likely report you to the guards to earn a few extra points as much as blackmailing you to their advantage. She greeted the children around the street that she had barely known despite living next to each other, their eyes following the wrapped object in Lana¡¯s arm. After what felt like forever, she finally arrived at her home sweet home. She repeatedly knocked on the door, murmuring ¡®open¡¯ with every hit, she had already risk thing enough. The doorknob gave a cracking sound, signaling it being unlocked. Lana turned it immediately and smashed herself in. ¡°Lana, where have you been?!¡± asked her brother, Ren, half angry and half alarm. She did not answer, but gave a last quick glance out the door and relocked it. ¡°Lana?¡± Her sister, Sophia, realized that she had come back, and went to embrace her ¡°Thanks fate, you are okay.¡± Lana nodded, embracing her sister back ¡°Thanks fate that I am okay as well, sister.¡± Suddenly Ren pulled her away ¡°What¡¯s that in your arms!?¡± Lana gave out a wary smile ¡°Food¡± She put the wrapped package she had carried for what felt like a century on the ground and untied it, revealing, a single loaf of bread. ¡°How did you afford it?¡± Her brother asked, worrying ¡°Mom and dad don¡¯t even have any point left.¡± Lana looked down at her feet, she had to tell them at some point, so she¡¯s might as well get it over with. ¡°I¡­¡± She said, struggling to say the word ¡°Stole it.¡± ¡°WHAT!?¡± A drop of tear formed on her eyes as her thought recalled the event. She was wandering through the city as she often did on the day without school such as these. She was walking passed through the bread factory and found a container of fresh bread, prepared to be delivered to the noble who reside in the Last Stronghold, and to be eaten as their morning snack or something along those lines. And Lana, half starve from eating so little food, had snatched one from the container and made a run for her home. A drop turned into a stream as shame overflow her heart, she stole! A crime in any light. But instead of telling her brother and sister whom she loved the story, she decided to tell them the deeper why, out of shame. ¡°Mom and Dad are cutting their daily ration to feed us¡± Lana started to say, words pouring from her mouth as tear pouring from her eyes ¡°Any points they earned, they spent it to buy us food. I thought¡­I thought, us three can share the bread, and save tonight ration, so dad and mom can have it tomorrow¡­¡± A hand was placed on her shoulder, she looked up, and it was her sister. Sophia wiped the tear off her face ¡°Stop crying, Lana. Let¡¯s eat.¡± She smiled and nodded. Sophia turned back to the bread, and split the bread in half, and handed one of them to her. ¡°S¡­Soph¡± Lana struggled to say ¡°W¡­we should split it in t¡­three.¡± ¡°Nonsense¡± She responded and pushed the bread into her arm, then split the other in another half ¡°You the one who stole it.¡± ¡°Thank?¡± Lana responded. ¡°This is wrong¡± Ren said, but he joined in the meal regardless. Lana pulled a small chunk of the brown part off the bread and stuffed it into her mouth, it was sweet, probably was baked with honey or sugar. Its taste brought a tear of joy in her eyes. ¡®So this is what the nobles eat¡­¡¯ She thought, it was better than anything she ever had, and it made her felt guilty for not sharing it with her parents. Maybe she could save half of her part for them, but she would need to find an excuse for its existence though, she was afraid of what they might think of her if they know that she had stolen something. With another chunk in her mouth, Lana raised her head from the bread and gave a hard look at her two siblings as if she had never seen them before¡­ Ren, 3 years her elder, was a male teen with thick brown hair and quite well built, resembling their father. He resembled Lana so little that you wouldn¡¯t know at a quick glance that they were related, the only things they had in common was their deep green eyes. He was to join the picking this year too, Lana remembered; she hoped that he could become a mechanic like he always wanted. Next was her sister, Sophia, 2 years her elder, people had said that they looked very similar and Lana could see it. They both shared a round face, slender built, and the same golden mess of a hair they inherited from their mother. There were differences though, while Lana kept her hair long, Sophia kept hers short that it only reached her shoulder, and her eyes were mother¡¯s ocean blue rather than their father¡¯s green, a lot of people also said Lana was prettier too, the fact that Soph didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡®But she was smarter though, and braver too.¡¯ Lana thought, as she biting in another piece ¡®She always see thing nobody else see.¡¯ ¡°So¡­good¡± Sophia said, and Lana nodded in agreement. Tch!Tch!Tch! There was a knock on the door, an impatient one. ¡°What¡¯s that!?¡± Ren said, alarming. The bread¡¯s taste turned bitter in Lana¡¯s mouth ¡°They follow me¡± ¡°What do we do!?¡± Ren asked as the knock was beginning to get louder. Sophia started pulling apart the rest of the bread into smaller chunks that could easily be eaten ¡°We must get rid of the evidence.¡± They all started stuffing the bread into their mouth, even the part she was meaning to save for her parents. But the sweet taste it once has had turned sour from the fear that started to form in Lana¡¯s heart. But she¡¯s continued eating regardless. After the last piece of bread had been eaten, Lana was now forced to confront the guard, who was starting to threaten to bring down the door. Sophia gave her a pad on the shoulder ¡°Be strong, little sister.¡± ¡°I will¡± Lana promised, wondering whether or not she would be able to keep it or not. She took a deep breath and unlocked the door. The door of their house open outward and Lana confronted the man outside. He seemed to be a middle-aged man, cladded in white body armor of hard plate and leather, covering his entire body with white boot and gloves, and a helmet with a darkened glass visor. The only part that the uniform didn¡¯t cover was the lower part of his face, which was covered with a shaggy and thick brown beard. Slung behind his back was a military solar gun, and on his chest was a metal badge in the shape of a gun, the symbol of the city¡¯s police force. ¡°H¡­hello, officer¡± Lana said, a small part of her still hope that she can somehow get away with it. ¡°Don¡¯t try to fake it, girl¡± He declared, crushing that small hope ¡°I know what you did, and you know what you did.¡± ¡°How?¡± She asked with a breaking voice, a wave of confusion and despair hit her. He pressed his finger on the device on his wrist and a flash of hologram formed into a small transparent screen over his hand. To Lana¡¯s horror, the screen displayed the footage of her running through the street with the stolen bread in her arm. ¡°My overseer had complied the footage, and it helps me track you to here.¡± The watchman said, closing the hologram screen in his hand ¡°What you did is no common transgression, girl, no being quick and nimble going to help you. And besides, your hands are still covered with breadcrumbs.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Lana quickly looked at her hands, they were, as he said, covered with the breadcrumbs from what they had eaten. She tried to wipe them out with her dress, but then realize that it was useless. At the other corner of the room, a different door opened and emerged her parents, who had been resting from their tiresome work on the field the day before. ¡°What is happening, officer?¡± Her mom asked with a dreadful voice. Though she and dad were agriculturers, classify as people best fit to produce food for the city, that didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t smart, as soon as they saw that a city watchman, they knew that something was wrong. ¡°Well, madam,¡± The man at their door said, ¡°Your daughter had committed a capital offense; she had stolen something that belongs to the noble.¡± ¡°Why would you do this, Lana?¡± Her father asked, not even trying to find out what she actually stole. ¡°I¡­was¡­hungry¡­¡± She tried to explain, every word caught between her mouths. It didn¡¯t sound like a good reason, but it was the best she could say with her terrified state. Her father turned back to the watchman ¡°What will happen to her now? Officer?¡± ¡°According to the updated law by the supreme leader Musol¡­¡± He stated, reading from the hologram screen on his wrist ¡°Stealing, especially from the noble, will be punished via execution.¡± ¡°Execution?¡± Lana said, echoing the word, she had expected to take some sort of punishment, but a single loaf of bread going to cost her¡­her life? An impact had hit her mother as well ¡°Please, officer, Lana¡¯s a sweet girl, please ignore it just this once, and I promise she will never do it again¡­¡± The man shook his head ¡°Sorry madam, the law is the law.¡± Her mother crumbled down to her knee, sobbing, realizing that her no words could save her daughter. Dad kneeled down to comfort her. After what felt like an eternity of silence, her father raised his head ¡°Do what you must do, officer.¡± Something seemed to click inside Lana. She had realized that she was as good as dead now, her parents had given up on her and nothing waited on Lana¡¯s future but the horror of the execution pit. She didn¡¯t even try to resist as the watchman put a handcuff on her wrist and attached a cord from the handcuff to his own arm so she couldn¡¯t try to escape. But her sister''s voice seemed to breathe back some life to her. ¡°No,¡± Sophia said, ¡°This isn¡¯t right; nobody should be killed from just stealing a bread, that is ridiculous.¡± The watchman turned back and replied with a solemn face ¡°The supreme leader determined what is right and what is wrong, girl, and it is not for us commons to question it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how right and wrong work!¡± Sophia disputed and tried to reach out for Lana¡¯s handcuff, but the guard quickly pulled out his solar gun and aimed it at Sophia¡¯s head, forcing her to back down. ¡°Sophia, stop.¡± Their father told her ¡°The matter had already settled.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Soph, it¡¯s alright¡± Lana found herself said, ¡°It is better this way.¡± A streak of tears ran down Sophia¡¯s eyes, this was the first time Lana seen her cried. The two sisters embraced each other. The officer swung his solar gun back on his back ¡°Your other daughter¡¯s action had bordered on the offense of treasonous talk and disruption of the police force¡¯s work¡­¡± Lana¡¯s heart dropped to her feet, was Sophia to have the same fate as her too? ¡°¡­but since it is not a physical offense, I shall ignore it for your mother¡¯s sake.¡± Her mother gave the man a smile that was half gladness and half sorrow ¡°Thank you.¡± The man nodded and turned to Sophia ¡°Just don¡¯t say those things again; other watchman is not as kind as me.¡± ¡°You call yourself kind?¡± Her sister asked with a dangerously irritated voice. The watchman ignored Sophia, and left their home, dragging Lana behind him. She took a last look at her home and family. ¡®It is better this way¡­¡¯ That was the last thing she told her sister as an attempt to comfort her and maybe even herself, it might actually be true. Their neighbor often said that, with their jobs, there was no way her mom and dad could raise three children, with Lana gone, Soph and Ren would have their share of mom¡¯s and dad¡¯s ration increase, and they might be able to sustain them till Ren got his own work¡­ ¡°Maybe it do is better this way¡­¡± She said under her breath, the words gave her a strange courage to face what to come. Lana suddenly felt a tinkling sensation all over her skin, and that was when she realized that she was being stared. The people of the street of slum had come out of their home from the commotion at Lana¡¯s and took on the street, and what they were seeing right now was a watchman arresting her. They started murmuring to each other on what they thought happened. ¡°Can¡­we go faster?¡± Lana asked the guard. ¡°Why?¡± He asked back, ¡°Your life going to end regardless, so why the hurry.¡± ¡®He made a good point¡¯ Lana thought, but that didn¡¯t make her happier about it at all. When they finally leave the prying eyes of the street of slum, they arrived at the train tower, a slender three stories building made of marble, making it an odd sight among the crude building surrounded it. Lana raised her head when the tower was right in front of her, at the top floor, a gigantic glass tube run through the center, and continued around the city to the other 11 similar building for a speeding railroad to ride through, connecting the town together with this mean of transport. ¡®The ride that takes me to school every day is going be the ride that I take me to my death.¡¯ Lana thought sadly. The watchman and his captive climbed the stair of the tower for the third floor, where they waited for the train along with others who wished to travel the same way as well. And once again, everyone was staring at her again, making their own assumption on how did this 11 years old girl was arrested. ¡®The eyes¡­¡¯ Lana thought, her skin felt like there were a million spiders crawling all over it ¡®It is already bad that I am going to die a lawbreaker, but worse to have all the city knew about it.¡¯ An eternity later, the train arrived at their tower, its door opened and the people started to pour out. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± The watchman said and tucked the cord of Lana¡¯s handcuff, signaling her to follow, so she did as he bid. He led her to the last cargo, one which was reserved for the police force, and other than a pair of watchmans who exited the compartment to take the patrol on the street of slum, they had this part of the train for themselves, of which she was gladded. The officer pushed her on one of the seats, then attached the handcuff¡¯s cord to the spot above her instead of his wrist, ensuring that she will not be able to escape. As the train started to move, the man who had arrested her reached for the button below his seat pressed it, and it automatically pulled outward, revealing, a pack of water. ¡°Perk of being a watchman,¡± He said and pulled one bottle out from the drawer and pushed it back to its original position. He uncapped the bottle and took a big gulp. After he had drained near half the bottle, he handed it to Lana. ¡°You can have the rest.¡± He decided. ¡°Thank you¡± She replied, and took the bottle, though it was hard to drink with her hand tied together, she had eagerly drained the rest of the water, which managed to lighten her mood until she realized that this might be the last thing that would ever enter her mouth. ¡°Lana, is it?¡± The man suddenly said ¡°Don¡¯t take it personally, okay? I¡¯m just doing my job; I took no pleasure delivering a young girl to her death.¡± She nodded in understandment, keeping the supreme leader¡¯s law was his work; after all, she couldn¡¯t really fault him for it. Faster than she would have wished, the train stopped at the Crushing tower, and outside, she knew, was the execution pit. They emerged once again from the train, the watchman pulling her by the handcuff as they descended down from the tower, and when they do, in front of them was the entrance of the pit itself. ¡®How convenient¡¯ Lana thought bitterly, as they made their way across the street, where another person who wore similar armor as the one who arrested her, but colored black instead of white. He handed Lana¡¯s handcuff cord to him and then said his farewell, but to her or to the pit¡¯s guard, she could not say. As soon as they went passed the pit¡¯s gate, they unlocked her handcuff and threw it away, and instead started to lead her around with a solar gun instead. He half guided half forced her to the first checkpoint and forced her hand on their scanner. The hologram of her citizen¡¯s data formed into the air and dissolved away just as fast, signaling her existence was deleted from the mainframe. ¡®I¡¯m not even a person now.¡¯ Lana thought, once again sadly. The man pointed her to the second checkpoint, which was a small building, separating the entrance and the pit itself. So she did as he bid once again. Inside was empty, except for a tray of cloth and a female guard in black armor equipped with the same solar gun. ¡°Took off your cloth.¡± She commanded her voiced strict and hard, her gun pointing to the tray of cloth ¡°Your life is doomed, but your garb is still worth something.¡± Lana nodded and took the dress she was wearing off over her head. Her emotion turned dark, this dress was her favorite, a grey dress that was originally black but faded, but she had loved its crossing pattern. She still had 2 more spares at home, and Lana supposed that Sophia would be having it now, but dresses were not really her sister¡¯s style of cloth though. She threw her dress on the pile, gave it a silent farewell and turned back to the guard. ¡°Your underwear too.¡± She said. A drop of tear run down her face as she took off the last thing that was covering her body, and she stride out to the last checkpoint, dirty and naked. The cold air of the afternoon hit her bare body as she emerged from the building, sending shiver through her spine, one of her hand covering her undeveloped chest while the other pressed between her legs. ¡°Faster!¡± The guard near the pit snapped at her ¡°The time for execution is near!¡± Lana walked up the step, and finally had the close look at the pit for the first time. 50 feet deep and 20 feet wide, the concrete pit looked like the ground was punched down into the earth. But she couldn¡¯t saw the bottom though, for the pit was covered with pile and pile of naked corpses, rotting and smelling so much that Lana nearly vomited, and here and there she could saw mice crawling through them too. If her history is corrected, the Supreme leader who ordered the pit to be built had decreed that the corpse shall only be removed once a year by way of burning, as a reminder for the people to not break the law. The guard on the control station pressed a button, and a platform swung up from the pit. ¡®I had to stand on it.¡¯ Lana realized, and so she did, the smell and sight of the deep pit made her uneasy and light-headed. Lana had seen the execution in order before, the school once took a few classes to watch it from outside the fence. Every time the clock struck a new hour, the guards will fired their solar gun at the people who were judged guilty and the platform will also retract at the same time, sending the dying lawbreaker into the pit and joined the death below. Later, Soph had told her that it was unnecessary complicated, and she had agreed. Lana nearly smiled at the memory. Nearly. She started to turn around, killing time as she was waiting to be killed, she was not to die alone, it would seem. Next to her was a young man, standing solemnly as he waited for his death, a young woman standing cross-handed, who seemed to be more in a foul mood than actually afraid, and a boy younger than she was crouching down on his platform, sobbing and crying for his mother. But they did not seem to take notice of her though. Lana glanced out to the fence, her family was not there, whether or not she was happy that they wouldn¡¯t bear the sight of her death or was sad for not be able to share the last moment of her life with them, she could not say. As time pass, Lana relished the memory of her life, the time that Ren taught her on Math till the end of the night, the time her mother took her to buy her favorite dress after she received a lot of points, the time that her father took her to see the last time the supreme leader emerged out from his last stronghold 2 years passed. And the time that Sophia¡­oh, Soph¡­ She would miss Soph most of all, she knew, she was more than a sister to Lana. She could remember fondly of the time she taught her how to climb, the time they played at the schoolyard, the time she had taken the blame for her when she had broken their family¡¯s relished cup. Even the often time when she rambled out on things and Lana had listened quietly to her for hour on end¡­ ¡®I¡¯m okay with this.¡¯ Lana decided, convinced on what she thought ¡®With me gone, they will have a better life. I am¡­at peace.¡¯ The clock rang, signaling the passing hour, and the guards in front of each of them loaded their guns. She closed her eyes. ¡°It is better this way.¡± But suddenly, a louder sound rang, a sound of a¡­bell? She opened her eyes; she couldn¡¯t believe what was happening! She turned to the Last stronghold on the horizon, the sound did come from there. ¡®A single rung of the Last bell would mean a message at the gathering plaza.¡¯ Lana remembered the protocol ¡®But two would mean declaring a curfew, everyone must return to their home and all activity must be ceased¡­including execution!¡¯ The guard lowered their weapon, waiting for the bell to may or may not ring the second time, and so was everyone who were to be execute, with more positive note. ¡®They will probably resume the execution tomorrow.¡¯ Lana knew, yet anticipating for the bell regardless, an extra day would mean that she could return home and tell her family a proper goodbye, she might share a last meal with them and might even a final kissed from her mother and father. Then the second bell rang, and Lana''s heart was shot into the sky from happiness. The guard, knowing the protocol too, started unloading their solar gun. The boy next to her had stopped crying, the woman had smiled, and the man had signed a big wave of relief. But then the third bell rang. ¡°What?¡± Lana gave out a shrieking cry as the third rang of the bell echoed through the city and her crushed spirit. She had never heard the Last bell rang three times before, but she knew what it meant¡­instead of signaling the curfew, it told the citizen that the supreme leader had died. ¡°May supreme leader Musol rest in peace,¡± The guard in front of her said, reloading his gun ¡°And all hail supreme leader Gorbach, may his reign be strong and mighty.¡± ¡°No¡­¡± The word caught in her throat as the guard blasted his gun, the platform retracted, and Lana fell down to join the death below. The heir He raised his head from the book in his hands; the sound of the giant bell ringing echoed through the Last stronghold as the realization went through his mind. ¡®Three rang¡¯ Gorbach thought, oddly calm as the bell went on and on, ¡®Something happens to my father.¡¯ He pressed his book on his bed; pulled open his curtain and let the afternoon light entered his bedchamber, and then stretched his own body to give it more possible movement. ¡°It seems that I had finally become the supreme leader,¡± Gorbach said out loud, a little disturbed for the nothingness he felt from his father''s death. There was a knock on the door, and Gorbach gave it permission to enter. ¡°Sir¡± The servant outside the door of his room said, all humbly ¡°I don¡¯t want to interrupt you, but, your father had¡­passed away.¡± ¡°Yeah, I had heard the bell.¡± Gorbach replied, ¡°It is, quite hard to miss.¡± ¡°The council had also invited you to make an arrangement for your father¡¯s funeral and your coronation.¡± The servant added. ¡°I suppose that is to be in order.¡± He replied, and looked at his current simple garb of black jeans, green jacket, and grey shirt. ¡°Tell them that I will be in the council room in about half an hour.¡± The servant nodded and retreated away ¡°As the supreme leader command.¡± ¡®I need to get used to that.¡¯ Gorbach decided solemnly and went through his closet. He picked an outfit that was plain, yet fancy, which was preferred in a council meeting. The innermost was a green collar shirt with a black tie, covered by a black trench coat that only reached halfway to his thigh then again with black side cloak with gold inlaid, fastened together by his treasured silver medallion, for the pant he decided for a dark green trouser, inlaid with gold linen, coupled with black leather belt coupled with a silver buckle of a simple shape, and a pair of polished black leather shoe. ¡°This ought to do,¡± Gorbach said to himself, then instinctively reached onto his desk and grabbed a silver pin in the shape of a smashing fist, the symbol of the designated heir. But he suddenly realized that he wouldn¡¯t be using it anymore. ¡®I suppose I had to pin this on someone.¡¯ He thought, it was the tradition to name one¡¯s closest relative as the heir, but the problem was that¡­he didn¡¯t really have any at the moment since he was, quite frankly, the last of his line. Gorbach sighed and slid the pin in his coat¡¯s pocket, and then with one more check on his cloth, he stepped out of his bedchamber. Another servant, a girl this time, greeted Gorbach in front of his cellar ¡°Will the supreme leader be attending the council now?¡± ¡°In a moment¡± Gorbach replied, ¡°Have servants moved my essential belonging to the leader¡¯s chamber, have it done in two hours, and here.¡± Gorbach handed his book to the female servant ¡°Deliver this to the archiver, see whether or not they had its following volume, and make sure that it been made into a paper copy.¡± She nodded ¡°It will be as your leadership said.¡± ¡°One more thing¡± Gorbach continued, taking notice of her ¡°You are new here, correct?¡± The girl nodded, her long brown hair fluttered as she does ¡°Yes, I had been picked to be a servant 2 years prior and had complete my training a month ago. I served at the Heart Holdfast now.¡± ¡°I see¡± Gorbach replied, slowly looking up and down her body ¡°After you finish your tasks, go wash yourself and wait for me in the leader¡¯s chamber tonight.¡± She startled and backed away ¡°Your leadership, I am only a servant; surely a courtesan is better for such¡­¡± Gorbach gave her a devious smile ¡°But no courtesans are like you, I wager.¡± The servant girl blushed ¡°If the supreme leader wishes it.¡± ¡°And see that no one sees you entering my cellar as well, it is best to keep it a secret.¡± She nodded once again, all humbly, and Gorbach started his journey for the council room. Waiting along the hallway was two royal guards; distinguish from the watchmen out in the city by the gold inlaid in their white body armor. The two saluted to Gorbach as he went passed, noticeably more stiff than the day before. So he told them to act normally and gestured them to follow. The council room was quite a long walk from the part of the Last Stronghold Gorbach resided in, and it was no coincidence, though luckily to him this will be the last time he had to walk this path, as he would be sleeping in the leader¡¯s chamber now, which if he remembered correctly, was about half a minute walk from the council room, and that was no coincidence either. As they walked through the hallway of Heart Holdfast, Gorbach observed the place around him, long corridor with polished marble flooring and painted stone wall in the color of cream and gold, lit up by beautifully crafted chandleries hanging from the roof. There were a few windows too, made of stained glass and silver banded, giving the view of the courtyard outside the Last Stronghold. A ravishing place, and he owned it now. The thought put a smile on his face. A lot of people passed by him, servants in their plain black drabbed, hurrying through the stronghold to run errands for such and such, royal guards in their white and gold armor, helmet, and solar gun, to keep the peace in the castle, courtesan in their colorful flowing fabric, giggling sweetly every time he went passed them, and last were nobles, cladded in expensive dresses and suits, made of velvet and silk, they were a selected group, the people who had proven their loyalty to the supreme leader through their action, and was given the hospitality of the Last Stronghold, for them and their children and grandchildren, to live a luxurious life inside the wall of the castle. Yet all four groups saluted to him all the same. After halfway through his walk, Gorbach encountered a large balcony that gave had a nice view of place beyond the Last Stronghold¡¯s wall, so he gave the order for the guards to stop, for he wished to take a long look to the city he would be ruling.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. At the horizon, he could see the eighty feet concrete wall of the city, marking the reach of his dominion. Twelve spires created a glass circle that was the railroad system his ancestor, Maoss, ordered to be built, in front of the Last stronghold gate was the gathering yard, and through a large street, it met the trading square, which it split again into four more main roads, reaching for the three main gates that led outside the city, and dividing it in to many districts known today. He could saw the great building too, the grand church to his left, and in his right, the great barrack and the bump in the ground that was the execution pit. Though there was more beyond it that he controlled, the misery crossing, Adol¡¯s dam, the farmland across the weeping rush and that odd mountain off to the west that was too far for anyone to properly control, this was all he ruled over. ¡°Everything you see, is our domain.¡± His father once told him; back when they were still on good terms. Gorbach nearly chuckled at the memory, the more appropriate line would be ¡°Everything that is beyond that wall is a desolated wasteland, all you see here is our domain and that is all it is, lad.¡± But unlike most things Gorbach didn¡¯t like about his father, he couldn¡¯t fault him for it. For all everyone knew, they were the only people left, and hundreds of years of sending out scouts around the land, they could not find any city that was not turned to ruin. ¡®I look enough at the city, I think.¡¯ Gorbach thought, always referring his dominion as ¡®the city¡¯, as it had no name, for there was no reason to differentiate it as there was no one else to compare to. He turned around and finally made his way to the council room. Before the gold inlaid wooden door of the council room, Gorbach ordered the two men who followed him to stand guard outside, and he entered to meet his advisors. ¡°We have been waiting for you, the supreme leader.¡± Lord Corlius said, and saluted to him, the other two lords in the council room did the same. ¡°My apology, it seems that I had taken my sweet time walking here.¡± ¡°None need, your leadership.¡± Another advisor, Lord Rubos said, standing up, his grey cloak flustered when he did, ¡°The council awaited your pleasure. We are all very sorry for your loss; it must be hard on you.¡± ¡°My father¡¯s untimely death will grieve me till the rest of my day.¡± Gorbach lied, his voice had more sarcasm than he intended ¡°Pray, how did he die?¡± Lord Corlius sobbed, which would have felt genuine if Gorbach didn¡¯t know that his tears were all fake, ¡°I afraid the fate sees fit to give him a death no fit for the man like him. Supreme leader Musol was hosting his favorite courtesan alone in his cellar when he choked on his food and took his last breath.¡± ¡°The poor girl was terrified.¡± The last advisor, Ptis continued the story ¡°And ran away to call for help, but alas, it was too late.¡± ¡°Such a terrible death for such a great man.¡± Lord Rubos finished sadly. Gorbach nearly had to hold back his chuckle ¡®He died as he lived, eating and whoring.¡¯ ¡°We can save the grieving for later, my good advisors.¡± Gorbach said, lied again at both part of the sentence ¡°Let¡¯s us discuss the matter at hand.¡± Lord Rubos nodded, the thing that he did best ¡°The supreme leader had decreed, and it is our duty to advise them.¡± They sat down around the council table, a round wooden board with once again gold inlaid, carved with the scenery of the past supreme leaders in a commanding position. Gorbach looked at the three much older men around him. ¡®A legacy of my father¡¯ He thought, Gorbach would be fine with just the city, but he supposed that not everything would go the way he wanted. ¡°There is a lot to attend to, I believe.¡± Lord Corlius said, his golden teeth and bald head sparked up every time he opened his mouth, which Gorbach often found distracting ¡°We must pick a proper uniform for our glorious leader Musol to be worn in his funeral.¡± ¡°He had always liked to wear his grey trench coat if I remember correctly.¡± Lord Rubos pointed out. ¡°Not to mention, we must arrange an escort for the hall of leaders, a large number of nobles will be wanting that honor, I would wager¡± Lord Corlius continued. ¡°There is also the matter of picking the right men for your coordination and arranging the commons for the gathering as well. We had to rally up the courtesans too. The woman who tends to the leader¡¯s need in his life must also tend to his need in his death.¡± Lord Ptis nodded, drawing attention to his long hair and incredibly muscled built ¡°They are a good lot, I will miss them gravely, especially that red hair one, Tristy, if I remember correctly.¡± ¡®Is it her that you miss, or her cunt, sir?¡¯ Gorbach thought Lord Ptis was known to enjoy hosting courtesans as much as his late father was. ¡°Let¡¯s us rally them with the least force as possible.¡± Gorbach said instead ¡°I had heard that there was quite a large problem on the courtesans when my uncle died.¡± ¡°There is, supreme leader.¡± Lord Ptis spoke ¡°A few of them had tried to escape the stronghold in the guise of a servant, but we manage to capture all of them back before they passed the gate. Rounding them up peacefully is a perfect solution, your leadership.¡± Gorbach nodded, he had planned for the courtesan as a whole in his mind, but sadly the many who had once laid with his father will have to reside in his father¡¯s tomb for the time being. He then noticed that the council room had fallen into a noticeable silence. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Lord Ptis exclaimed as he sipped the wine that the servant poured for him ¡°Talking about past thing reminds me of Supreme Leader Musol. Do any of you remember all the grand decrees he made?¡± ¡°Do you all remember the ¡®Yellow dawn¡¯ Rebellion?¡± Lord Corlius spoke up ¡°Near two thousand rebels unite at the Bleaked Mountain, the biggest one I ever seen. Luckily, there was a traitor in their rank, and he told the Supreme leader the rebel¡¯s location. And a day later, the mountain was decimated by a raining explosive ordered by our glorious leader! Remember that, Lord Rubos?¡± ¡°I remember¡± He replied and smiled ¡°I am that traitor, after all.¡± All three of them laugh, while Gorbach sighed under his breath, old men loved to talk about the past. ¡°And that time¡­¡± Lord Rubos continued ¡°Remember when a servant stole Leader Musol favorite wine glasses, the richly ornate one in the shape of a snarling wolf? He commanded for that servant is feed to the tiger, and afterward decree that all theft shall be answered with death henceforth.¡± Lord Ptis smashed his wine cup on the table, laughing harder than before ¡°I could still see the shock in the common¡¯s eyes like it was yesterday!¡± ¡°To be true though¡­¡± Lord Rubos added, ¡°The crime rate drop-down by nearly three quarters, so we are doing something right.¡± Gorbach frowned, which none of the advisors didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡®Drop by fear, the way it was for generations.¡¯ Part of him thought, while the other part astonished on the sick enjoyment these people seemed to be currently having. The council¡¯s meeting went on for near two hours, of which time many preparations were made for the coming few weeks. In the end, the advisors bided their farewell and left to attend their own business, leaving Gorbach in the room, void of any company. ¡°A council of selfish, lickspittle and degenerated, and all of them an old head.¡± He said to himself, trailing his finger across the carved image of the council table, sighing down all along the way ¡°I really really need to work on that.¡± Being a supreme leader didn¡¯t mean he had the full control, he had known that for quite a long time, there were still people he needed on side, plot he had to uncover or made, and major factor he needed to gain to advance politically, otherwise, he might found an assassin slipping into his room one night, the fate that a few of his predecessors had ended up with. One thing is clear now, achieving what he had vision will be a long process. Gorbach raised his head, his eyes fixed on the large portrait of his father, drew on the time he recently took on the role of the supreme leader after his brother died without any children. Gorbach found it quite uncomfortable how much he and his father looked alike. ¡°I had never loved you, father.¡± Gorbach told the representation of his decreased forbear ¡°But rest assure, your dominion is in good hands now, a better hands even. And changes¡­will be made.¡± The angry girl 1/2 The sound of the leader¡¯s escort could be heard even when they were not still in her sight. It was a mix of trumpet trumpeting and guard¡¯s boots smashing upon the ground, joined in by the nervous chatter of the people of the city below her. Sophia¡¯s nails dug into the tree bark of which she was crouching on, but whether or not it was from nervousness, anticipation, or anger, she could not say. ¡®He should be passing through the trading square by now.¡¯ Sophia thought, her hand reached into her hoodie¡¯s pocket and touched the thing inside. With Lana¡¯s gone, mom and dad had given Sophia all of her sister¡¯s things, but this was the only one she took, Lana¡¯s doll. It was a ragged little thing, only had a vaguely humanoid shape and a few strings that was meant to be a hair had nearly all fallen off, but Sophia knew that Lana treasured it greatly. She had taken it to sleep with her every night and to school every day. ¡®She said it was better this way.¡¯ Sophia thought, squeezing the doll gently ¡®But, it¡¯s not. I miss you, sister.¡¯ But her feeling was not pure sorrow though, she was angry too. Angry at her family for not trying to help Lana more, angry at the watchman who took Lana away and still called himself kind, angry at the Supreme Leader Musol for his stupid laws, but most of all, angry at herself, for not being able to do anything to save Lana. A tear started to form in her eyes, but she quickly wiped it away. She must be strong, for Lana¡¯s sake, for the last time she broke down, Sophia could only gave her sister a sad embrace, instead of a word of confidence she should had gave her. For the past week, she had been visiting the execution pit near every day, to maybe catch a last sight of her sister, or what remained of her, but the place was built so that you will only see the pit when you are over it. One night she had decided to break into the site but realized halfway through that she had no idea what she would actually do when she did found her sister¡¯s dead body. On that same day her sister was taken from her though, when the Last bell rang its three rungs, Sophia¡¯s sorrow had turned into near-mad but bitter laughter. Oh, how ironic it was for the leader to die the same day as Lana, who was sentenced to death by that leader¡¯s own law. Sophia¡¯s laughter was so long and loud that her parents need to muffle her to avoid any more guards arriving at their home. Later Sophia had heard several rumors on the man¡¯s death, some said that he had a stroke while lying with his courtesan; some said he choked on a chicken bone instead, but some would say that that wasn¡¯t right, it because he just eats so much that he choked, or maybe his belly explode, forcing the servants to sewn it back together for his funeral. But one thing is clear, he was dead, and he died horribly. ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡± someone shouted, and Sophia gave Lana¡¯s doll a last squeeze for luck then turned to the street. The first to appear was the guards, several column of watchmen marched in unison in front of the escort, followed by the royal musicians, playing their instruments for apparently all the world to hear in a marching tune, then the dead Supreme leader followed. Sophia leaned closer, the glass coffin was carried on shoulders by ten nobles in matching black outfit, and they wore a sorrowful expression, of which Sophia knew that a few was faking. Inside the coffin was the dead man himself, cladded in gold and grey coat, his black hair trimmed back into a handsome hairstyle and his fat belly was smoothed out. His handed was arranged to have them holding an elegant cane over his chest and around his body laid many flowers of gold, red and black. Sophia was surprised, he actually looked better than the last time she saw him, which was two years ago, back when he emerged from his Last Stronghold to pay customary tribute at the hall of leader, she had remembered him as a big fat oaf, a man who looked twice his age with tired eyes and coarse laugh, far from competent and further from respectable. Then she realized that they probably dressed his corpse to look as grand as possible for his funeral. That made her even madder. As far as Sophia could remember, she had been against the Supreme Leaders as a whole. The system relied on them to actually be a decent human being to work, and some of them were, like Geor the generous and Jefikus the Just, but the rest were not. They went on and on in their greatness, registering new law on their ever-changing whim and saw the city as their own personal playthings. For they are the one who hold all the power, and people who are not nobles could do nothing but quake in fear, living in this miserable city as it was the only place left in this dying world. ¡®At least this one is dead.¡¯ Sophia thought and pressed her hand over her sister¡¯s doll ¡®Please rest in peace, Lana.¡¯ The escort continued slithering through the road, like a snake of finery and expensive garments, some of the nobles were afoot, some rode horse which was raised and breed in the farmland across the weeping rush, and the rest rode in cars, complex machinery that only the nobles and the commons on work could use, with its cushion seat, self-rotating wheels and booming engine. She had remembered Ren telling her about it with excitement a few years prior after his class took a visit at its factory, and that was when he decided that he wished to become a mechanic in the future. Future, that was another thing that differentiates her from her family. Lana had always said that she wanted to be shop keep when she grew up, a simple life, she said, a life of selling essentials and making people happy, while Sophia¡¯s ideal work was still non-existence, as her hobby consisted mostly of reading file in the public archive and rambling out about things to anyone body who willing to listen, who mostly was Lana.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡®I¡¯m good with history.¡¯ Sophia thought when her mind drifted through the memory ¡®I suppose I could make a decent archiver.¡¯ But it would all be for naught, when the picking day came to them, the higher up will be the one to choose which work they would do in the future, based on their score, body, and even look. Ren¡¯s strong build will work against him, despite how much he scored in science and math, in the end, he will be selected to undergo training to be a miner, forced to dug into the earth for gold and gems for the nobles to decorate themselves. Lana, if she had life and retain her prettiness when reaching her teenage year, would be pick as a courtesan, to be nothing more than a beautiful object for nobles to gaze upon and had their way with. ¡®It is better to have no expectation.¡¯ Sophia had realized that long ago ¡®So you will never be disappointed with what you get.¡¯ Sophia slapped her face; she realized that she had pondered out for too long; it was time she returned to gazing at the escort, hoping that no one of significant had already passed by. Speaking of which, who had to come but the threes advisors themselves, judging from the handsome destriers below them and the many royals guard who marched by their side. Sophia had learned their name at the school, their works at the library, and their true nature beneath the history¡¯s text. The bald man with a golden tooth must be lord Corlius of the Rivergate family, while the man with hair reaching his back and insanely buff body is lord Ptis of the Guardhand family, and the last one with a semi-ugly face, sandy hair and can only be lord Rubos of the new-made Dawndoom family, but more commonly called by the name ¡®Traitor of the yellow dawn¡¯ by the people whose relatives were part of the rebellion. All three of them wore a black suit and coat, though with great variation from each other. All of the three had a solid gold pin of a sunburst on their shirt, a symbol of their positions. ¡®Next can only be¡­¡¯ Sophia leaned even closer. And there he was, the new supreme leader, Gorbach Godlead. Sophia had never seen the man before, he was never with Supreme leader Musol when he made his few progresses around the city nor did he make any progress himself. He seemed to be no older than 25, his thick black hair swept to the right side of his head in a neatly comb fashion. He had a handsome face though, with sharp and lean features, and she heard a few giggling from the girls beneath the dead tree. His face was also complimented by his clothes, a black long trench coat with thick golden inlaid; under it were a white long sleeve collar shirt and a tie. His black trouser was fastened together by silver medallion, and over all of it was a grey mantle tied together with a rope of gold. He was sitting on the backseat of the fanciest car in the escort leaning casually and crossed legged. She could notice an earpiece on his ear, and he wore an expression of someone who would rather be anywhere but here. A sudden realization went through Sophia, it didn¡¯t matter whether or not the old Supreme leader die, for a new one had taken his place, and in all likelihood, he would be as bad if not worse than his predecessor. As the frustration kicked in through her body, she started to lose balance and fell off the tree. Her face landed on the dirt where the dead willow once grew from, it was not a far fall, barely 10 feet, but it still hurt nonetheless. Nobody was helping her up though; they were too busy watching the new supreme leader. ¡°Fuck the new leader¡­¡± Sophia said out loud, full of bitterness, her hand dug into the dirt ¡°Fuck the city¡­¡± She pushed herself off the ground, her cloth and part of her face dirtied by the soil, but she didn¡¯t bother to wipe it away. Her hand curled together and compacted the earth inside. ¡°Lana, this one is for you.¡± She spoke under her breath and flung the dirt at the supreme leader. She watched as the ball of soil glided over the crowd and made a splat sound beyond her sight. ¡°Who threw that!?¡± A voice boomed out ¡°Who dare throw such filth at the supreme leader!¡± ¡®I actually hit him.¡¯ Sophia thought, more surprised than terrified. The crowd starting parted away and pushed her forward, and then she realized that she was doom. Two royal guards ceased Sophia by the shoulders; one of them pushed her thumb over the device on his wrist while the other pulled out his gun and pressed it over her head. ¡°A word and she¡¯s a dead girl, your leadership.¡± The guard said, turning toward his supreme leader. ¡®So this is it.¡¯ She thought, history shall know her as the girl who flung dirt at the supreme leader on his coronation day, and she was surprised by the fact that she¡¯s somewhat okay with it. Her attention turned to the supreme leader, who had climbed out of the car and was striding toward her. He had already wiped away the dirt, it would seem, for his beautiful grey cloak was now partly stained brown, a servant quickly rushed to him and tried to reach for the dirtied cloak, but he simply pushed him away. A moment later, the supreme leader was upon her, he gave the guard with the gun pointing at Sophia¡¯s head to hold, then kneeled on the ground, so his eyes could match her. ¡®Green eyes.¡¯ She thought as the supreme leader studied her face ¡®The same as Lana.¡¯ As Sophia was considered spitting on the man¡¯s face, he got up and asked: ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Soph¡­¡± ¡®Why did I say that?¡¯ ¡°¡­Sophia¡± The supreme leader raised his eyebrow ¡°Which is it?¡± ¡°Sophia, Soph is¡­¡± She paused as bitterness seeped into her mind again ¡°¡­was what my sister calls me.¡± ¡°Pray, Sophia¡­¡± He said, his way of speaking had a nobleness to them ¡°Why did you throw a pile of dirt at my face?¡± ¡®Why is he asking me this?¡¯ A thought went through Sophia¡¯s head, then she realized she had to say something. ¡°Your father¡­¡± Sophia started to said ¡°Is a vile and evil man¡­¡± ¡®This is just an unsounded accusation; you can do better than this!¡¯ ¡°¡­He feasted in his grand castle while many starve outside, and did nothing to help them. He spent most of his time in his lavish life and little to no time rule. And when he did, he does it through fear. Corruption leaked under his reign and many men, women and even children perished during it¡­¡± ¡°Did your parents tell you all this, Sophia?¡± The supreme leader asked suddenly, breaking her sentence. ¡°They were too much of a sheep to speak out on your father¡¯s terrible reign.¡± To her surprise, the new supreme leader smiled ¡°And you are afraid mine might be the same as well?¡± Though confused on his expression, Sophia nodded. ¡°I will try my best not to.¡± He whispered to her and rose from his knee, and commanded the guards holding her arms to release her. ¡°I took a liking of this girl.¡± He decreed to everyone around him ¡°Take her back to the Last Stronghold, wash her up, put her into something more presentable and send her to¡­¡± He pondered for a moment ¡°My old bedchamber.¡± ¡°But your leadership¡­¡± One of his advisors, Lord Ptis said: ¡°This girl makes a capital offense that is punishable by death!¡± ¡°Then in the name of the supreme leader, I pardon that offense.¡± He responded, then gave another look at Sophia. And just like that, the escort continued on their way. ¡°We best get going then.¡± The guard who had pointed a gun on her head a second ago said: ¡°His leadership had commanded it.¡± The angry girl 2/2 ¡®What¡¯s just happen?¡¯ Sophia thought, still confused about the event that just unrolled, it was logical to assume that she would be executed for the thing she did, but she wasn¡¯t. He even granted her a pardon. But why would the supreme leader want this dirty thirteen-year-old girl in his castle? One of the guards nudged her forward with his solar gun when the entire escort had gone passed. Sophia considered making a break for her home, but decided against it, as they were both armed and she did not trust her speed. So with her two new friends, she began her journey to the last stronghold. They went up the Tiffan Street, through the trading square and then the Donel Street, which led to the gathering plaza and the main gate. In their walk, Sophia could saw that the city seemed to be near-deserted, which did not surprise her; this was the coronation day, after all, most people who had seen the escort passing them will most likely follow it to the hall of leader to watch the ceremony unfolded. Though there were some people who lingered, and they watched her and the two guards. Sophia felt almost amused, what a strange sight she would seem to them, a girl half-covered in dirt being escorted to the Last Stronghold by two guards like some kind of prisoner, even though not wearing any handcuffs. The main gate seemed like a castle of its owns with its stone wall, watchtowers, balconies, and a gigantic metal double gates. One of the guards who were escorting her pressed an earpiece on his helmet and muttered something into it, contacting his overseer, most likely, and a minute later the gate started to swing open. They gave her another nudged with their guns and they all went in. Inside was a garden, or in noble¡¯s term, courtyard, filled with flowers of many different colors, beautiful sentinels and bushed cut into a shape of an animal, for no particular reason than to look pretty. A few servants tended the plants, a gardener, people who were trained for these specific tasks. A moment later, two young women in colorful gown dashed out into the courtyard, they took a quick look at Sophia and talked to the guards. ¡°This is the girl?¡± One of the women asked, and the guards answered with a nodded. ¡°So his leadership wanted to¡­¡± The other woman continued. ¡°Probably¡± Replied one of the guards, who gave her a quick side glance ¡°though why would he want that is beyond me.¡± The first woman nodded ¡°She is skinny and flat as a boy, but regardless, we will quickly prepare her for the supreme leader.¡± The guards nodded and gave Sophia a final nudge and sent her over to the two women, who took her forcefully by the arm into the castle. ¡°There had been a large decrease in our workers recently, with the last supreme leader dying and all.¡± The woman explained as they walked through the painted stone corridor of the castle ¡°Including me and Betha over here, there were about 30 of us left and too many noble¡¯s needs to attend to. So no wonder the supreme leader wants someone fresher, but putting you through the courtesan training first would be a much kinder fate.¡± Sophia nodded, but not of understanding. Even though the words were left unsaid, Sophia had realized what would happen to her, he did look at her face for quite an uncomfortably long time, after all. The prospect did not frighten her though, which she did not know why. The two women took her to the place they called the courtesan quarter, which was airily empty, and took her to its bathhouse. They pulled off everything she was wearing, hoodie, jeans, and even underwear, and dumped her into a tub of water that was so hot that it made her nearly scream from the heat, but she managed to hold her tongue. The two then used a pair of matching brush and started scrubbing her skin to remove the filth which covered her body. When her skin turned pink and the hot water turned cold and grey, did they let her left the tub¡­ ¡­to be dumped into another tub of warm water mixed with perfume, smelling of many different flowers and started drenching her body and hair with it over and over till the sweet smell sunk into her skin. Repeatedly, she had complained, repeatedly, she was ignored. They finally pulled her out, for real this time. They covered her in a towel that though was elegant, was oddly small. Then they took her to the dressing room, where the real nightmare has begun. After drying her entire body, the two women argued on what style of hair should they gave Sophia, for her shoulder long curl had limited capability in that sort of art. Finally, they decided on a small braid around her head and left it at that. Next came the gown, they had found the one her size, a green and blue flowing velvet fabric, with yellow bows tied on the chest, the wrists and around the skirt. Accompanying it was a pair of the heel made of glass and long blue silk gloves. They tied a pearl and Sapphire necklace around her throat, punched a hole in her earlobe with a strange machine and attached a pair of dangling earrings in a shape of a golden star to her ears and finally, a tiny chain of gold chained with a giant chunk of emerald was woven into her hair. Last came her face, many layer of powders was dumped onto it, resulting in her having several coughing. They pressed a red stick onto her lips that seemed to leave a large mark, and around her eyes were stabbed with black paint. After the task was all done, they brought Sophia over a mirror, and the sight that stared back half surprised and half shocked her. They made a pretty girl out of her, it would seem. All her freckled and scars on her face were all covered, and her lip was dyed bright red and turned plump. Her hair which seemed like a fade straw most of the time had been turned into a beautiful golden curl; a long braid went around her head like a crown of sort. The bare shoulder gown they gave her hold loosely on her chest with its complex design of blue, green and yellow, its lower part reached the ground, covering all her legs, which reminded her that the two women did not even bother giving her any underwear. She was utterly astonished, and utterly absurd. Her mind wandered to Lana, and wondered whether or not she would like the outfit if it was her who was here. Sophia had a feeling that even the more feminine Lana would also dislike it. ¡°You are the prettiest girl I ever seen¡± One of the women complimented, of which Sophia was not flattered. ¡°My old clothes¡­¡± Sophia suddenly remembered, Lana¡¯s doll was still in there. ¡°You will get it back when the supreme leader decided what to do with you.¡± One of them replied sharply. Sophia bit her lips, and nearly cough at the taste of the paste covering her mouth, then stiffly nodded. ¡°Good, now let¡¯s get you to your destination.¡± So up they went, through more corridors and more stairs while Sophia attempted to find balance on her glass heels and the gown that it kept sticking on, till in front of them was a door that was more elegant than others around it. A servant who had joined them along the way circled through his keys and unlocked the room, and then the two courtesans shoved her inside. ¡°Wait for the supreme leader here, and don¡¯t touch anything!¡± One of them warned and locked the door. Sophia decided to touch everything. The first thing she noticed was how small the room was, sure, it was bigger than the room that Ren, Lana and she shared, but only by twice. A large feather bed dominated one side of the room, a closet and a simple work desk another, a large shelf of some kind the third and the last a small balcony.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Too small and too simple.¡± She muttered on the state of the room. ¡®Why would an heir to the city sleep in something like this? A rich commons had better room than this.¡¯ Sophia shrugged on the thought away and turned to the bed, then jumped down on it. It was softer than anything she had ever laid on, she started rolling around on it, purposefully ruining her hair and her stupid gown, which did nearly nothing to them. After she was bored with the bed, she got up and spied on the desk. It was made of plain black wood, and the stuffs on it were neatly arranged, and one of them was¡­ ¡°Ohhhh¡± Sophia found herself said; she climbed out of the bed and grabbed the thing she saw. It was what looked like a spherical plastic ball the size of her fist, but she touched the button in the back and it started to shift ¡°As I thought, a Stalus.¡± Sophia spoke out loud, a device that could display hologram; contact other people and many more. She had seen it with her classmate, more specifically the one with rich parents, as it was too expensive for nine tenths of the common to buy. This one seemed to be even more high tech than that. It had a movement tracking, quadruple projectors, and something called game. She put the Stalus back on the desk, as she felt like she was being too absorbed by it, its bottom opened up to balance itself out. Sophia then glanced through the desk again. She pulled out one of the drawers, which was packed full with belonging and paper, and hiding deep inside it all was the last thing she would think to find in a supreme leader¡¯s room. ¡®Now why would he hide a jar of fucking cookies in here?¡¯ Sophia pondered as she pulled the glass jar out from the drawer and gave it a good shake. Then decided that he wouldn¡¯t notice a few missing. She took a big bite of one, and the sweetness poured over into her mouth, it tasted better than anything she had ever eaten, better than even¡­the honeyed bread. The memory turned the cookie¡¯s sweet taste into a bitter one. The powder they put on her face must be wearing off too, for she found herself wiping her eyes with her gloved hand. She ate the rest of the cookie, and then carefully put the jar back into its place. She tried to light up her own mood by spinning out off the desk¡¯s chair and took a look at the large wooden shelf. It was filled with¡­books. ¡°Weirder and weirder,¡± Sophia muttered, and pulled a few out; she did not recognize any of their names at all, even though she believed that she had at least took a quick glance over half the books in the public achieve. The covered was very strange too, some of them were made with the simple art of shape arranging into different things, some with a single item over a plain background, and a few of them had what looked like a teenage boy/girl standing over scenery in an awkward pose. Sophia opened the page, and the feeling of the paper was just wrong. ¡°Never seen a book before?¡± A voice suddenly ringed up. ¡°Well yes,¡± She replied, out of instinct ¡°All the books in this city were in data form.¡± Then her eyes followed the voice, and it was the supreme leader, standing over the door. His voice just sounded so casual she couldn¡¯t help but answer in the same casual way. He eyed up and down her cloth, then shifted his gaze away ¡°What are you wearing?¡± ¡°This is what they gave me.¡± He shook his head and sighed, then went over his closet and pulled out a black jacket and tossed it to her. Sophia nodded in gratitude and wore it over her bare shoulders. The supreme leader then gestured to the servant outside, who handed him a bottle and a pair of wine glass. ¡°Fancy a drink?¡± He asked her as he filled both glasses with fresh purple liquid. ¡°I¡¯m thirteen.¡± Sophia pointed out. ¡°I pick out the one with the least alcohol.¡± He said, as he handed her the glass anyway ¡°And besides, I myself started drinking at ten.¡± Realizing that she didn¡¯t have much choice, she took the glass and gave it a small sip, he was not lying, the wine tasted more like a glorified grape juice. ¡°Why am I here?¡± Sophia asked bluntly, remembering. The supreme leader put his half-drank glass on the desk and sat on its chair, then gestured for Sophia to do the same on the bed. She then noticed a gold pin in the shape of a smashing fist on his chest, a symbol of the coordinated supreme leader, but that couldn¡¯t be, for the ceremony lasted until sunset, and it was only a few hours after her encounter on the street. ¡°Sophia, that¡¯s your name, right?¡± He asked, as if to check. ¡°Yes,¡± She replied, then realized that she should be adding something to the back as she was within his grasp figuratively and literally, so being respectful would be wise ¡°¡­your leadership.¡± ¡°Just calls me Gorbach.¡± He said in such an informal tone that it surprised her ¡°As to answer your question, I had already told you back at the street.¡± ¡®I took a liking of you¡¯, Sophia remembered, but what did that mean? ¡°Did you notice the three advisors who rode in front of me?¡± He asked suddenly. ¡°Lord Corlius, Lord Ptis and Lord Rubos.¡± Sophia listed, recalling their name. ¡°When I took over, my thought was that ¡®Oh, these people are the one who led my father astray, I better be careful.¡¯¡± He said in a voice that sounded like half a compliant ¡°But now that I spent quite a significant amount of time with them, I tell you, they are fucking unBEARABLE!¡± Sophia startled at the shouting word, the supreme leader, no, Gorbach faced shifted into a snarl ¡°All they did was complain over and over about the same darn thing, vying for my favor, licking my feet in every opportunity. ¡®This family held too much power¡¯, ¡®Mine holds too little¡¯, ¡®Your cloak is so nice today¡¯, ¡®This guy is plotting against you¡¯ and on and on and on and on! It is so hard to keep a straight face when you know that despite all this, they are probably plotting something behind your back themselves.¡± ¡°So what does this had to do anything with me?¡± Sophia asked when he finished. ¡°Well, as it happens, this morning I was in quite a foul mood.¡± He explained ¡°The preparation for the funeral and coordination ceremony had taken frankly too much of my time for the past week. But as I was lightening up my own mood by musing on the fact that I had at least reduce the resource and time that is used on the ceremony itself, so it could be used at other times, a ball of dirt landed at my face.¡± A small smiled form on her face, then realized what she supposed to say ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He lifted his hand ¡°None need. The things you said, it was something that I am screaming in my head for the last few years. It took both wit and bravery to speak that sort of thing, and to the supreme leader¡¯s face too.¡± Sophia suddenly eyed the man in front of her in confusion. In the past, every time she spoke on and on about the supreme leader and the city¡¯s corruption, the typical reaction she received was disbelief, horror or disgust. But now, someone was agreeing with her, and that someone was the supreme leader himself, no less. Gorbach shook his head ¡°Sorry that was¡­uncalled for. I had been penting my emotion for quite a while. I was usually more collective than this.¡± Sophia grinned ¡°None need.¡± This time it was the supreme leader than gave out a smile. ¡°Your leadership¡­¡± Sophia said with the genuine tone, as a realization hit her. ¡°Gorbach¡± He corrected her. ¡°I first thought you are just another corrupted dictator, here to continue his father vile reign, but I couldn¡¯t be more wrong.¡± He chuckled ¡°Are you saying that just to please me, or are you actually believe in what you said.¡± ¡°The latter¡± Sophia replied quickly ¡°You are nothing like your father.¡± He nodded, took a sip at his wine ¡°Not a corrupted dictator¡± He mused ¡°That is good, but I aspire to be more than that.¡± Sophia raised an eyebrow, what could be better than that? ¡°Let¡¯s me tell you something, I want to make changes. I had seen the wrong, not just in my father, but in this city itself. I don¡¯t want to be just another good supreme leader; I want to be the one who made the city itself good.¡± ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± Sophia asked him. ¡°Because you are just the person that I need,¡± He told her ¡°You are smart for your age and braver than anyone had a right to be. You point out my father¡¯s wrong, I want you to do the same to me.¡± Sophia raised an eyebrow; she had never seen anyone wanting to have other people pointing out their mistake before, let alone the most powerful man in the city. ¡°I am only one person; I need someone to tell me when I go too far. I need someone I can share my thought to, discuss plans with and running important errands.¡± ¡°But why me?¡± Sophia asked once again, why would a supreme leader need a 13-year-old girl to help him on his work ¡°Why not anyone else older, or one of your nobles¡­¡± ¡°I had already voiced my concern with my current advisors.¡± Gorbach told her ¡°I had a few young nobles who I trust and grow up with me, but that¡¯s the problem. They will hesitate before pointing me out for certain.¡± ¡°But you and that tongue of yours that will mostly get you executed are perfect for it. Not to mention, you are a common, it is past time we had someone outside the Last Stronghold advising me.¡± Sophia nodded, he did seem to be inspired to make a change, only nobles were allowed to aid in the supreme leader¡¯s rule for many centuries. ¡°So what do you say?¡± He finished ¡°Will you become a Watson to my Sherlock, a Sam to my Frodo, and an Egg to my Duncan?¡± ¡°What are you even trying to say with that?¡± He shook his head, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. What I¡¯m saying is that I want you¡­to help me on my task, making the world a better place.¡± ¡°In your image¡± Sophia pointed out, still doubtful. ¡°In our image¡± He reassured her ¡°And soon, in everyone''s image.¡± Sophia stopped for a moment, the supreme leader himself is asking her to help him make a change, and he seemed very genuine about it too. Her hand reached for her sister¡¯s doll, but it was not there. ¡®This one for you, Lana.¡¯ She smiled ¡°When do we start?¡± The watchman The man sprawled around on the ground in his pool of blood, his limps twitched inhumanly before he finally died. Armone cocked his solar gun, the sensor brightened up as it was automatically prepared for the next blast. A middle-age woman ran for him in a hurry, her stained apron flapping before her ¡°Did you get him?¡± The food tender asked, still out of breath. Armone pointed at the man he had killed ¡°I believe I do.¡± She gave the corpse a disgusted glance and turned back to him ¡°Serve him right, stealing right off the factory, the nerve of some people.¡± He nodded and kicked the corpse over, his white leather boot become stained with blood ¡®I will need to get these washes later.¡¯ Armone thought, as he tried to pry open the dead man¡¯s stiffed fingers out and pulled out the thing he stole, a slab of salted ham. ¡°Shit, it¡¯s covered with blood now.¡± The food tender complained as she received the ham back from him ¡°I suppose we can drench it with some water and sell it in the damaged item¡¯s shop. The head tender going to kill me.¡± Despite all that, she gave Armone a polite nodded ¡°Thank you, officer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to be of service, mam.¡± As the food tender left the area with the meat, Armone kneeled next to the dead man and forced his lifeless thumb on the device on Armone¡¯s wrist to scan his fingerprint, then tabbed on the headpiece that was fixed into his own helmet. ¡°Dane, delete this man data on the mainframe,¡± Armone told his overseer, or what some of them would more prefer to be called, the guy in the chair, working behind the scene and providing support to the legions of the guard. ¡°Theft?¡± Dane asked back through the headset. ¡°Yes,¡± Armone replied. ¡°Again?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°And did he try to run?¡± ¡°That is why he¡¯s dead.¡± There was a sigh coming through the headset ¡°They never did make our life easy, do they?¡± He nodded, Dane had been his overseer for 5 years now, and Armone had gotten used to that careless attitude of his. ¡°Well, I did that now.¡± Dane reported a moment later ¡°And I also sent for the scavenger to clean up the body, they should be there by sunset.¡± ¡°Thank you, Dane,¡± Armone told him, but didn¡¯t get a reply; for Dane probably had moved on to help the other guard he was overseeing. Armone glanced at the man he was lying on the ground, he was about the same age as he was, about 40, by the look of it. He wore a black simple garb, a uniform of a servant of the last stronghold, which confused Armone, servants were the last group of people he would expect to see stealing food, as they were allowed to eat anything that was left in the nobles share of food, which was nearly one-third of the city¡¯s supply. But then the answer hit him with as fast as the question, the man was probably stealing for his children. While the city workforce was provided every day with the bare minimum of food they need, along with a few points to buy more for their good work, the children were not. So the parents of those children must split their own ration to feed them till they were picked for their own work in the picking day. ¡®I suppose I must have created an orphan or two today.¡¯ Armone thought, this was not the first time he killed someone on his duty, nor was it the second or the tenth. In his 25 years of work as a guard, he had inflicted some violence upon the people of the city for the sake of peace and order. When he first started, he was uneasy about the killing, but as he was trained to be a guard, he had learned to become indifferent on his work. ¡®I did not feel joy from taking away someone¡¯s life, but I feel no sadness either.¡¯ Armone contemplated, wondering whether or not that made him a good or a bad person. He was about to contact Dane and asked him whether or not the man whom he had killed had any children, but decided that that would be a waste of everyone¡¯s time. ¡®Besides, it¡¯s not like I can adopt them or anything.¡¯ He continued his thought, scratching his chin through the brown beard on his face ¡®I already had three to take care of.¡¯ Armone gave the dead man one last glance and decided that it was the time to finish his shift back at the barrack. So he turned away and started walking back to the authority district. He slithered along the wide pathway of the industrial area, coughing from time to time from the pollution the factory caused. At first, he meant to head for the smoke tower, so he could catch the railroad for the authority, but he later decided to walk to the barrack on his two feet instead, for the sake of making more patrol. Along the way some of the factory workers on their duty gave him a few unnerving glances, which was to be expected, a bloodied watchman is always a bad sign. It was not until he crossed the street of Ivank did he felt more at ease, from that on it was not hard to find the great barrack, just looked up and go to the biggest building in the entire area. As Armone went through the great arch of the barrack¡¯s gate, he was greeted with a friendly face, a pair of guards off duty who was firing their solar gun on the outdoor targets. The two had taken their visor helmet off; letting Armone knew who they were instant, Sure-fire Paul and Three-finger Hedge. Like his nickname, Sure-fire Paul was hitting the target thrice in the row when he noticed Armone ¡°How your shift, Arm?¡± Hedge glanced at his bloody outfit ¡°Not very well, I assume.¡± Armone nodded back, ¡°A food thief.¡± ¡°Another one?¡± Paul asked in a rhetorical fashion ¡°This is why I don¡¯t want to have kid, man, the hassle you had to go through on feeding them.¡± ¡°Wanna try on Paul, Armone?¡± Hedge asked, waving his left hand, which was missing two fingers ¡°He is beating me by three to one; you participating might even the odd.¡± Armone shook his head ¡°I afraid not, I had to buy somethings in the trading square for my wife today.¡± Paul shook his head ¡°A pity, I was hoping for some competition.¡± ¡°See you tomorrow then.¡± Hedge finished, and then turned back to Paul ¡°I show you competition.¡± Armone moved on from his two brother-at-arms, Sure-fire Paul was the 15 years younger than him, and was vain and proud as anyone of his age, especially because he was the best of his year. Another was Hedge, a brave man of the same age as his, who earned his nickname when he assaulted a small rebel base and they had bitten his ring and little fingers off in their attempt in escape, but Hedge still managed to capture them all, and now he was able to fire his gun like he still had all of his fingers. When he finally reached the great barrack, he made off to the locker room. He placed his gun into the holder and attached a cord into its barrel to recharge. Though the solar gun had its own self-charging system, it would be incredibly stupid to leave a lethal weapon lying around outside to recharge with the sunlight, so the barrack had the holder which connected to the solar panel at the roof instead. After that was done, Armone moved to his locker, pulled the scanning device on his wrist and attached it to the hole on the locker, then pressed his thumb into it. After a moment, the locker swung open. Unlocking multiple straps and holders, Armone stripped off his white armor off layers by layers, the one that wasn¡¯t dirty he dumped into the locker, the one that was he threw into the basket in the other corner in the room, to await washing by the washers. When his body was left with only his undergarments, he searched through the locker for a cloth to change to, and picked a grey polo shirt and a blue jean. He also swung a backpack over his shoulder, which he kept in his locker as well, for it was part of the protocol that guard could carry only a gun. When that was all done, and Armone walked out of the locker room, he noticed a man he had never seen before walking through the hallway, he didn¡¯t seemed to be wearing uniform of a guard, and his outfit was simple, but of great quality. ¡®A noble on inspection¡¯ Armone realized suddenly, and bowed down. A noble who was not assigned to a ruling position in the workplace rarely came to inspect the said place, the one who was assigned only from time to time. So it was a rare sight to see any of them here. The noble nodded in appreciation for the gesture ¡°Please, went on your way.¡± Armone did as he commanded and made for the reception area, which was strangely empty. So he was able to quickly come to meet the distributioner of the lower barrack, Eve.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Ohi¡± She greeted him, her head lying relatedly on the reception table ¡°Working hard or hardly working, Army?¡± ¡°The former, I think.¡± He replied with a smile, Eve was quite a delight for the common watchmen. ¡°Armone the boring, that ought to be your nickname.¡± She replied, smiling back. ¡°Whether or not I play your banter game or not doesn¡¯t sum up my existence.¡± Armone told her ¡°Now can I get the today¡¯s provision, I had a family to get back to.¡± ¡°You are no fun.¡± Eve grumbled but still handed him a box packed with food that could last him till tomorrow¡¯s afternoon ¡°Your points already transfer, by the way. Your daily weigh plus stopping a thief gives you right about 20 points in total.¡± ¡°Thank you, I guess.¡± ¡°One more thing before you goes.¡± She continued, as Armone was about to go. ¡°What is it?¡± He asked, starting to become annoyed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t supposed to tell you this¡­¡± said Eve, leaning closer for the sake of secrecy, even though they were the only two people in the area ¡°When I was moving you stinky lot¡¯s provision here, I hear the higher-up talking¡­¡± ¡°That happens when you eavesdrop.¡± ¡°Shut up and lets me finished my story. They are discussing who to replace officer Jacob, and you are the most prominent.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Armone asked, skeptical. ¡°I swear on my mother¡¯s grave.¡± She said, which wasn¡¯t really promising because her mother had passed away in the execution pit, thus did not have a grave ¡°They are talking about giving you a course on commanding and made you into a sergeant.¡± ¡°Sergeant¡­¡± He repeated the word, the promotion meant more consistent point, respect from other guards, and better equipment. Not to mention, sergeant Armone had a nice ring to it. But it would also mean more work though, and less time to spend with his family. ¡°Thank you for the information, I suppose.¡± She grinned ¡°And when you become that, don¡¯t forget on who you got the new from first.¡± ¡°I will try.¡± He promised, and took his leave from the building, and make off to the trading square. Following back up the Ivank Street led Armone to the trading square. As the order of guards inspired fear and sometimes hatred in people, he had found that being out of uniform is sometime quite relaxing, but it could be unnerving too, as he was now without a solar gun or any other weapons, and leave him with only his hand-to-hand combat ability to defense himself, which he was quite bad at. But an officer cannot carry a weapon outside his duty unless, for practice, that is another of the protocols. The heart of the city, where the trading square was located, is an orderly arrangement of shops and stores, for the common citizen to spend their points which were earned from extra work, and was used to buy products like clothes, foods and household items. There was good stuff that requires a large number of points, and bad stuff, which only costs one or two at most. Armone went over to the product store and brought a few loaves of bread, a slab of pork and chicken, a few lectures and a few pieces of fruits. He also brought treats as well, for Marthos he bought a thick chunk of jerkies he like to chew on, for Markis a bottle of sweet brown drink he often praised on the taste, and for little Beth a sweet caramel covered apple she loved. All these three things costed him near half the point he received today, but he did not regret it at all. With all the things packed up neatly in a bag, Armone decided to make his way home, but he suddenly noticed a poor ragged boy no older than 10 was eyeing the food in his hand, and hungrily. ¡°Get away kiddo.¡± Armone told the boy, as he had a bad feeling about him ¡°Stealing is a capital offense.¡± Despite that, the boy still stared at the bag, and Armone realizes that the boy wasn¡¯t stealing, but begging. ¡®Parents couldn¡¯t feed him properly, no doubt, or maybe just a hungry boy from the orphanage.¡¯ The thought went through his head, but why should he give the boy his food? He had his own kids to feed. ¡°Fine¡± Armone muttered after the boy¡¯s eyes pried into him. He gave the boy a small piece of bread, and he didn¡¯t even give him any sigh of thanks before running away. Armone shook his head, wondering why he did that and went back home. H went through the street of Ballon and after the twisting alleys around the great church of Faith where he sometimes took his family for prayers; he finally finished his little journey. Armone put on a smile and pushed open the door ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± ¡°Welcome back, dear.¡± His wife greeted him from another room, so he followed the voice through the entrance room and into the kitchen, where Silva was still in her electrician uniform of baggy grey trouser and similar colored shirt. Armone gave her a small kiss in the cheek as a sign of affection. ¡°Stop it.¡± She giggled, her tired but beautiful brown eyes stared at him, her long black hair tumbled around her shoulder, her homely face, even though was growing wrinkled, is still beautiful as ever. ¡°Did you get the groceries?¡± She asked. Armone raised the bag of food ¡°What kind of a man you think I am to forget such a thing?¡± ¡°The man I married¡± She jested and took the bag away from him and dumped the content on the table, Armone went and help her arrange the items into the shelf. ¡°Where are the kids?¡± Armone asked as he pushed the bread into the upper cabinet and hiding away his gifts to keep it a surprise. ¡°In the living room.¡± Silva replied, unpacking his and her provisions and arranging it on a plate ¡°I think they are studying, at least that what I hope.¡± ¡°Picking day is coming soon.¡± Armone remembered, searching through the drawer for utensils ¡°But before that came the great test, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I just hope they do alright,¡± Silva said, with a sound that was half-worried. She stopped for a few seconds and shifted her head back at him. ¡°Go get the kids to the table, I almost finished here.¡± Armone nodded and gave her another light kiss on the cheek, then left the kitchen. He found Mathos and Markis in the living room like Silva said, sitting next to each other on the cushioned chair covered with a blanket, staring at the school-issued Stalus, which was just a flat that displayed rough image of their textbook. ¡°Studying hard?¡± Armone asked them from behind. ¡°We are doing homework, but I didn¡¯t understand a part in this.¡± Markis explained to his father ¡°And it seems that Mat didn¡¯t either.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t true, at least understand it half-way.¡± Mathos refuted his brother. Armone squirted at the question, remembering that he had failed these types of questions when he was his boy¡¯s ages ¡°You can ask your mother about it after dinner, I¡¯m sure she can help you.¡± His two sons nodded. ¡°But first, dinner.¡± Armone said and started to look around ¡°Where your sister?¡± ¡°Here,¡± Markis said smilingly and pulled over the blanket, Beth was hiding under the chair, in her hand was the family Stalus, which she staring deeply into. ¡°Beth¡± Armone called her name, in a half commanding tone ¡°Put that thing down and go eat dinner.¡± She nodded and scrambled out from under the chair and ran toward the dining room, her hands still clutching to the device. ¡°Beth!¡± He called his daughter and strode after her, followed by Mathos and Markis who were chuckling quietly. Their family¡¯s dining table was already arranged, Silva¡¯s and Armone¡¯s provision was in the center, his slab of cooked meat and salad of lectured and corn, and her roasted fish and potato. Serving with it was a few pieces of bread, sauces and a handful of chopped pork. The five family members took their seats, with Silva and him on the opposite side, Markis and Mathos next to each other and Beth on the last, who was still playing with the Stalus. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Armone decided and snatched the device right out of her hand. ¡°Daddddd¡± Beth complained. ¡°Daddy will keep the Stalus with him until we finish eating,¡± Armone told her in his commanding voice and put the Stalus in front of him. Beth sniffed and grabbed her fork. Armone gave a relaxed smile as he slicing the meat apart and handling them to his family. He was an orphan who did not even know his parent¡¯s names, so he took it as an achievement of the sort that he was able to start a family, and had a decent house of their own. It was in much help of his wife, and fellow orphan of the Sadness shelter, that he managed it. He took a short glance at his twin sons, Mathos and Markis, hitting their fourteen just last month, the two had taken Armone¡¯s look. All three of them had the same curly brown hairs, the same squared face and the same deep black eyes, not to mention, the two twins looked nearly identical, except for a few different. Mathos was trying to grow a beard, so a few wisps of brown hair was starting to develop on his chin, and Markis was a little bigger in size, as he was the elder of the two of them. He then glanced at Beth next, a girl of no more than six. She did not have his look, or his wife, as she was not theirs. Her mother was a younger co-worker of Silva from the dam, her father¡¯s unknown, she was still young and wasn¡¯t able to support Beth, so their family took her in. She had pale blonde hair, an adorable little face, beautiful grey eyes, and a cute squeaky voice. Though she was shy and a little selfish, Armone and Silva had loved her like she was their own daughter. ¡°So, are you boys ready for the picking day?¡± Silva asked their sons, which pulled Armone out of his head. ¡°If I said yes, that would be a lie.¡± Mathos admitted, ¡°Heck, Mark and I weren¡¯t exactly sure what we want to be.¡± Armone nodded grimly, as to join in the conversation. The two once had the prospect of their own future, in truth, but they said that about a year ago there was someone who told them not to expect anything, so they wouldn¡¯t be disappointed. That was all well and good, but doing so made the two did not have a focus on their study, and just determined to do well in every subject on the great test. ¡°The new supreme leader will be there too, right?¡± Beth asked, excited. ¡°Maybe,¡± Armone told her, the last supreme leader did not grace the city with his presence for the last few pickings, so Beth¡¯s only knowledge on him came from a few propaganda posters with his face on around the street. If the new one did show up, he would only require to make a few speeches and looked on the ceremony from his gate castle, so there was a large chance he might come. ¡°Speaking of him¡± Markis picked up the conversation ¡°There is a talk that he makes a girl he plucked off a street his personal courtesan.¡± Armone¡¯s eyebrows twitched on that ¡°I had heard.¡± He replied it was the talk of the great barrack for a few days, after the two who had escorted that girl themselves had recounted the story. A silent bestowed upon the table, with the only sound was the bread Armone was spreading. ¡°And?¡± Markis continued the conversation. ¡°And what?¡± Armone said, an irritation started to form in him. ¡°Father,¡± Mathos said too ¡°Didn¡¯t you feel anything¡­off, about that?¡± ¡°What type of¡­companion, he prefers is none of our concern.¡± Armone said decisively, trying to end the talk before it got out of hand. ¡°But¡­¡± Both of them tried to say. ¡°Enough!¡± He said right there and then ¡°Any more talk of the supreme leader and you two go to your room.¡± Their face displayed obvious discontented, but they stopped nonetheless. Leaving Armone wondering whether or not he was being too harsh on them. The rest of the dinner went on in utter silence, to Armone regretted. After it was done, he handed his children the gifts he had bought them earlier, hoping that it might be seen as an apology from his outburst, but if it worked, the two boys didn¡¯t show it. Afterward, Armone retreated to his own bed for a rest from the long day work, but he couldn¡¯t manage to sleep. The sunlight outside his window came and went when Silva joined him in the bedroom, and he was still restless. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Silva asked Armone, as she laid beside him. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Armone started to say ¡°What the boys said.¡± ¡°Oh come on now,¡± Silva said as she put her hand on his chest ¡°It just a random conversation.¡± ¡°What they said, bordered treason,¡± Armone told her, questioning the supreme leader is a capital offense, he left the rest unsaid on what that meant. ¡°Even you should know that that was a ridiculous law.¡± Silva countered ¡°And what are you gonna do? Take them to the execution pit?¡± Armone turned his head to meet hers ¡°I¡¯m not that heartless.¡± ¡°Relax, I was just joking.¡± She reassured him ¡°Just make it up to them tomorrow, that should be fine.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± Armone told her and threw the blanket over both of them. Silva gave him a light kiss and went to sleep. After some time, Armone managed to do the same, but what he dreamt of was a nightmare. The face of every person he had taken life away came back and haunted in his sleep. He tried to focus on his relished memory to ease his mind, like how happy Beth was when he bought her to watch the firework on the new year celebration of the nobles, but her face kept turning into the blond girl he had taken to be executed¡­ The change maker Gorbach turned closed the beautifully carved double door of the council room, wondering whether or not his ¡®advisors¡¯ would be talking behind his back the minute he left them to themselves. ¡°So¡­¡± Sophia asked him, lifting herself off the floor that she was sitting on ¡°How does it go?¡± ¡°Just as you said.¡± He replied, sighing. ¡°I would need you to be more specific than that.¡± Sophia told him, giving the ornate door a small knock ¡°As you can see, these things are quite soundproof.¡± ¡°Walk with me.¡± Gorbach decided, and gave a gesture to the three royal guards that were stationed in front of the door; they nodded and moved to follow them. Gorbach and his little retinue started descending through the corridor of the Last Stronghold, a few servants, royal guards and nobles passed by them as they moved. All three groups gave their supreme leader a gracious bow, but he had also noticed a few stiffed stare by the last group at Sophia¡¯s clean yet rugged face and the uncomfortable way she moved with her grey and white dress. ¡®Why am I surprised?¡¯ Gorbach asked himself, for the past few days of Sophia¡¯s stay in the Last Stronghold, this common girl who had flung a ball of dirt at his face had been in his presence repeatedly, so much so that a few¡­disturbing rumors started to float around. Gorbach had tried to reduce the tension by dressing her in noble¡¯s clothes of dresses and gowns, so she would have looked more fit in to the castle, but it seemed that the attempt had made it worse somehow. Though it was true that Gorbach had favored Sophia to quite an extent, even giving his old room to her, but it was only because Sophia was quite frankly more useful to him than all three of his advisors combined. ¡°Lord Corlius had been quite indifferent about the policy.¡± Gorbach explained to her as they climbed up the carved spiral stairwell for the third floor ¡°Until of course when I told him that I will need to reduce the noble¡¯s share of food for the plan.¡± Sophia stopped to think for a moment ¡°What¡¯s about Lord Penis?¡± Gorbach flinched at that, though Sophia was smart for her age, she was still her age. ¡°Refuse from the start, speaking of how it will destroy the status quo of the city and all that. The only one who is supportive is Rubos, but his constant licking of my boot came off more as condescending rather than supportive.¡± A brown hair servant rushed passed them as they went through the corridor, her shoulder bumped into him. ¡°Forgive me, Supreme leader.¡± She said quickly. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Gorbach assured her, his hand tucked into his coat¡¯s pocket. The servant rushed away afterward. ¡°So are you still going to go forward with this?¡± Sophia asked as they went around the corner. In truth, Gorbach did not have a destination in mind, but walking around kept his head moving. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Gorbach asked back ¡°You and I both know that giving ration to the young citizens too is a good thing.¡± Gorbach had known the system of parents sharing a part of their food is a terrible way of managing citizens and wasn¡¯t even sure how it even came to be. Not only did it slowed down the population growth, as it encouraged the citizens to not had children of their owns, it also caused starvation, which caused theft, which caused execution. All of which Gorbach did not want in the city he envisioned. When Gorbach had told his little group of advisors, Lord Corlius had expressed concerned that Sophia was having too much influence on him, of which he could not deny. For when she told him the story of her sister died, he has seen the glaring problem to the system and decided that it would be the first of many changes he would be making. ¡°But your advisors don¡¯t like it, do they?¡± She pointed out, pulling him back to the conversation as they slithered their way through the corridor with the view of the outside world. ¡°Don¡¯t even try to make it sound like that is a problem to you.¡± Gorbach spoke back, Sophia had made her disliking of the council of advisors very clear. Sophia laughed at that, the roughness in her laughter disturbed Gorbach in a way that he couldn¡¯t explain. It did not sound innocent, but it did not sound like it was sarcastic either, there was just something¡­off about it. ¡°Well, this policy of yours¡­¡± ¡°Ours¡± Gorbach corrected her; Sophia had put as much effort into the planning of this policy as much as he did. ¡°Yours¡± Sophia corrected him back ¡°I work for you, not with you, remember?¡± Gorbach shrugged ¡°If that is what you want, then I will be willing to take all the credit.¡± ¡°To get back to my point¡­¡± Sophia continued their discussion ¡°Yes, your three advisors are corrupted to the core, from what I can see of them. But it just seems to defeat the purpose of the council¡¯s existence to go forward with a policy that 2 out of 3 of them disagreed with, don¡¯t you think?¡± Gorbach stopped to think for a moment, she did have a point ¡°So what do you suggest I do?¡± ¡°Kill them?¡± ¡°Violent is out of the question, Sophia. My rule had just begun, and it is not stable just as yet.¡± ¡°Replace them then.¡± She suggested next ¡°Have someone who you actually trust advise you.¡± In truth, after that faithful day, Gorbach was half-afraid that he made a mistake of taking her into the stronghold, as her existence here alone was likely to tarnish his rule in the eyes of the nobles, and he only had a few words with Sophia before making her his personal advisor. But the fear faded away almost immediately. For the last few days, Sophia had given him many honest and useful counsels not to mention provided him insight about the city outside the Last Stronghold. She also had a passion for reading, which was a trait Gorbach appreciated anyone for having. He gave out a long sigh as his mind drifted back to the conversation ¡°I would love it if it was that simple. By tradition, a council member could only be dismissed if the supreme leader had a good reason for it, and I believe that ¡®You don¡¯t share the same vision as me¡¯ will probably come off as condescending rather than reasonable.¡± Sophia nodded in understanding. But her words did hold some truth though, Gorbach needed to do something about the council, otherwise, words will eventually soon get out that he ignored their counsel, and that would be very undesirable for his rule.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that you change that stupid system.¡± Sophia suddenly said, her tone noticeably shifted ¡°I just...wish¡­¡± ¡°That it was implemented a month earlier?¡± Gorbach asked, without thinking. ¡°Yes,¡± Sophia replied, her face half-stiffed as if she had taken his words as a slight. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that was careless of me,¡± Gorbach told her, wondering how much of a weird sight it would be to see the supreme leader apologizing to a thirteen years old girl. It was obvious from what Sophia had said about her deceased sister that she very much cared for her, likely even more than the rest of her family combined from the love and grief flashed on her face every time her sister¡¯s name was mentioned, though the emotion had been noticeably lessened over the days, it was still plain to see. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Sophia reassured him, her voice sounded broken, as if just thinking of her sister brought sorrow to her ¡°Lana, can you believe stealing that stupid honey bread is the first and only time that she broke a single law?¡± Her mouth let out a bitter laugh, which was near worse than her normal one. ¡°I had a sister too, you know.¡± Gorbach found himself said. ¡°Really?¡± Sophia questioned, her tone shifted to doubtful ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°Dead¡± He replied, his voice stern ¡°10 years ago she contracted an infection from outside the city, and the royal healer couldn¡¯t save her.¡± ¡°Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t ask.¡± Gorbach shook his head; he was the one that brought her up in the first place ¡°Ellie was 2 years my younger, a sweet girl, kind and smart, and was supposed to rule with me.¡± ¡°We all have our own ghosts, it seems.¡± He sighed in return ¡°Yeah¡± After a moment of silence, Sophia took her leave ¡°If you need me, I will be in the Stronghold''s archive.¡± ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Gorbach told her, a little too dismissive than intended. Sophia had been taken up to study history as of late, and there was nowhere in the city that had more knowledge than the giant achieves at the top of the bell rhyme. They parted way, one of the royal guards in their retinue leave with Sophia. ¡°Today¡¯s supreme leader work is finally over.¡± Gorbach said after a while, relief in his voice, and turned to his remaining two guards ¡°What should I do now?¡± When they gave no answer, Gorbach decided for himself ¡°I haven¡¯t practice on the solar gun for a while, might as well do that.¡± So there he went, back down the circling stairs, through the marbled corridors and a few more gates, he arrived at his destination, the back garden. Gorbach walked passed a pair of noble boys who were trying to hit each other with a stick and both were failing at it somehow. then passed an old noble lying on a cushioned chair gazing lazily into the sky, with a servant attending him, a few young noble girls were also playing with dolls near the flower bed. They all bowed to him when he passed by. That was what you mostly see of the back garden; a place where nobles came to leisured around and relaxed after they finished their hard work of whatever they do. Though there was the front garden, it was made for just being beautiful, and he had heard that noble said it was ¡®too close to the commoners than their liking¡¯, so they came here instead, the place which made for comfort. Most of the time, it was either the young or old who came here, for the between preferred the company of other nobles and luxurious foods rather than the beautiful greenery, the sound of children chattering and the vast toxic wasteland just outside the wall. Gorbach took a deep breath of fresh air. In truth, he had never liked it here, though not because of the reasons that he had listed, he had tried to bring a book here once but found that the atmosphere was too distracting to concentrate, so he mainly came here just for the scenery, as the sunset that could be seen over the wall here was very beautiful. He also came here to practice on solar gun, as the noble¡¯s firing range was also located here. ¡°And what do we have here?¡± Gorbach said aloud when he reached his destination, for he had found the certain someone he was hoping to find. Standing alone in the firing range was a man of his age, with thick brown hair and a well-looking face, cladded in an overall simple garb of bleached shirt, jacket, and black trousers. He was crouching on a bench concentrating on the noble-grade solar gun in his arms and the target he was aiming, but he broke all of those when he saw who had arrived. ¡°Supreme leader¡± He gave Gorbach a stiff bow, the gun still in his hand. ¡°It would be more preferable if you remain calling me Gorbach, I think,¡± Gorbach told his old friend. Howland smiled ¡°Very well, so why did you grace this place with your visit, Gorbach?¡± He shrugged in answer and took another gun from the holders ¡°I just believe that I haven¡¯t practice on this for a while.¡± ¡°Never know when someone will come for your head, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Howland jested, Gorbach only nodded for politeness and went to the firing area, his friend did the same. Gorbach took a deep breath and took aim at the target ¡°I had heard that Jaque is expecting a child.¡± Howland smiled with pride as he crouched down beside him ¡°3 months in now, or at least what that the healer said. May we name it Gorbach if it¡¯s a boy?¡± ¡°You may not.¡± He replied and pulled the trigger, the solar blast didn¡¯t even hit the target but simply burnt the wall behind ¡°You know that I do not appreciate the pointless appeasing gesture.¡± ¡°And you know that I did not wish to do it just for that.¡± Howland countered, and fire his own gun, which hit the target perfectly to his annoyance ¡°But if that what you wish, I won¡¯t name my son after you, but¡­¡± He lowered his gun ¡°If it¡¯s a girl, can I at least called her Ellie?¡± Gorbach¡¯s eyebrows twitched ¡°I will be less than appreciative with that.¡± ¡°I know¡± Howland spoke back ¡°But she meant a lot to me, Gorbach. Not as much as to you, but I miss her all the same.¡± Gorbach sighed ¡°Very well, but just spoke this with Jaque first, alright?¡± He smiled and nodded ¡°I will.¡± Gorbach shook his head and got back to practice. He and Howland had known each other since they were young, as he was part of a particularly old and important family of noble, the Goldeye, so he was see fit to be a constant companion to the heir of the city. From being raised together, they developed a closed friendship that extended to their adulthood. ¡°I suppose I must congratulate you.¡± Gorbach said, as he hit the outer edge of his target ¡°You will soon become a father, but I¡¯m not even married yet.¡± ¡°I sure you will find someone eventually..¡± Howland attempted to comfort him. ¡°Huh huh¡± He gave out a nervous chuckle, suddenly clumsy on the gun cocking ¡°Maybe¡± Gorbach decided to change the subject ¡°So, when will you be taking on the position?¡± Howland bit his lip on that, his finger froze at the trigger ¡°I had gone to inspect the great barrack a few days ago, and they are in quite a terrible state. But be that as it may, I am afraid that I¡¯m not ready to take the position as of yet, I still had a long way to go on military and security.¡± ¡°Study as long as you like.¡± Gorbach told Howland ¡°Just be quick about it, the faster you remade the order of guard, the better my reign will be.¡± He fired another blast, and nodded ¡°I will see to that.¡± Gorbach smiled and took another aimed, that was what he liked about Howland, since he¡¯s young, he was aspired to be the grand general, the man in charge of the order of guard, who acted as both police force and solider in time of rebellion. But instead of just asking Gorbach to made him one, as he knew that he would likely abridge his request for their friendship. Howland instead studied the art of justice and war, to make himself worthy of the position. Which was all well and good, as Gorbach needed someone who was actually competent at their job to work on what is essentially the most powerful position someone could have, not counting the supreme leader, the heirs, and the advisors. Speaking of whom, Gorbach cocked his gun after missing a shot and decided to lay back for a breathing break. As Howland continued firing, he put the gun aside and reached into his trench coat¡¯s pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Gorbach carefully unfolded the parchment and read the content. ¡®Lord Corlius is having a secret meeting with the captain of the royal guard every few days.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s a good thing I had that servant on my payroll, otherwise, this might go completely under my radar.¡¯ He thought as he put the paper away. Captain of the loyal guard was someone he had overlook, as the position¡¯s allegiance had determined the success or failure of many coups in history, he would have to win the man¡¯s loyalty before he was swayed into other lord¡¯s hand if he meant to rule for more than a month. ¡®These advisors really are giving me a headache¡¯ Gorbach complained in his head. Sophia was right, they were so much of a hassle than it was best to replace them, but the age-long tradition was really holding him back. He took a quick glance at Howland, and had a sudden epiphany. He might not be able to replace the advisors, but he could expand them. ¡°Howland¡± Gorbach called him. ¡°That is me,¡± He said and lowered his gun. ¡°What do feel about putting on a sunburst pin for a while?¡± The noble common The head of the sadness shelter was sweating to a suspicious amount, and not because of the thick church uniform she wore. ¡°It is worse than I thought.¡± Sophia murmured to herself, her finger anxiously tapped the Stalus Gorbach had given her repeatedly as she waited for the old woman in front of her to continue. ¡°As I had said earlier, mi¡­¡± She explained but stuttered as if did not know what to call Sophia ¡°The main problem is that the distributioners give us rations according to the numbers of orphans we write to them. But they only recheck the number once a year and orphans are always on the increases, so we never had enough food to feed them all.¡± ¡°I see¡± Sophia replied, a little too dismissive than she expected. As she was wondering how hard could it be to use the citizen¡¯s database to count the numbers of orphans without the head of the shelter¡¯s help. ¡®Look with your head, not with your eyes.¡¯ A thought went through her mind, it was something she liked to tell Lana back when they were still together. The saying essentially said that not to just see, but think of what you see, so she did. The old lady in charge of the shelter was undeniably fat, though Sophia could chalk it up to her holding a high enough position that she could feed herself better, from what she could see, most of the caretakers were not really in the best of shape¡­ She sighed under her breath, voicing her concern at this point of time would not be a good idea, as she only had Teera with her, not to mention the accusation would likely be considered baseless, for it only came from her suspicion and her suspicion alone. So she decided to hold her own tongue and made a mental note to speak with Gorbach later about it. Sophia took a quick glance behind the lady she was conversing with to see the orphanage behind. The sadness shelter, if anything, lived up to its name, the three stories building was constructed from uncolored concrete, giving it a somewhat miserable atmosphere, and the walls were very much windowless for some reason. Peeking out from the front door were several orphans, their faces dirtied, their body thin, and their clothes ragged. Sophia had remembered her parent¡¯s neighbors in the street of slum once suggested them to give one of their children to the shelter so they might be able to feed the rest properly. Looking back, she was glad that her parents had not made that choice, as Sophia could not bear the thought of either of her siblings living in such a place such as this. Overshadowed the orphanage was the great church of fate, its grandness and size gave an odd contrast to the bleak sadness shelter next to it. The elegant shape, the stained glasses, and the ornate gold outlay on the walls made it the greatest site in the entire area. Sophia could hear the daily prayer the priests and priestesses of fate were hosting for the people who attend the church, half a song, and half an annoyance. Atop the church of unnecessary spending was the golden symbol of the faith, literally, for it was a shining and ornate star and circle made of solid gold, stuck on the very top of the central and highest tower, with only the bell tower of the last stronghold being taller in the entire city. ¡°Well, I will be leaving right now.¡± Sophia decided, tucking the Stalus into her bag ¡°I will take everything you said today and bring it up with the supreme leader...¡± The head of the sadness shelter seemed to take it a wrong way and started to sweat even more than earlier ¡°P¡­please, gi¡­don''t¡­¡± Sophia made a sound that resembled her lungs collapsing ¡°Let¡¯s just go, Teera.¡± The royal guard standing behind her nodded, and they left the overweight lady behind. Anxiousness turned to frustration as Sophia walked through the twisting alley of the high common district, where the above-average commoners would buy their house. A few of them peeked out from their house, giving quite a queer look at her, but Sophia was used to it by now, even though these stares were more of curiosity than disgusted. She didn¡¯t know what to make of herself, to be honest, a common-looking girl cladded in noble¡¯s finery walking through the street with a royal guard on her tail. ¡®I am a noble in all but name.¡¯ Sophia had realized after sometime after she moved into the Last Stronghold ¡®But I will not become the like them.¡¯ Still, it was very hard to keep the mindset when she dined on a well-made meal every night and the fine clothing Gorbach had given her filled the closet in her room. Hell, she was starting to speak like them the more day passed. ¡°We can catch the railroad at Faith tower for the ride back,¡± Teera suggested suddenly, breaking Sophia line of thought. She glanced to her left, the last stronghold wasn¡¯t really that far ¡°Why can¡¯t we just walk? If we take the train, we will have to circle around the entire city before we can drop off at Noble tower.¡± ¡°Aye¡± She agreed ¡°But it will be much safer, milady.¡± ¡°Sophia¡± She corrected her ¡°And can you told me by what logic does taking a train full of people is safer than walking through a street full of people.¡± ¡°I had studied the statistic in the guard¡¯s training,¡± Teera explained casually. Sophia sighed ¡°Fine, the railroad it is.¡± They turned at the next corner for the nearest tower, and Sophia gave a quick glance at the guard following closely behind her. The day after she meets Gorbach, he had to assign Teera to her as a personal guard. She was a nice person, caring yet dutiful, and had been acting as her protector/caretaker ever since. But she could be too strict at time, to Sophia disliking. ¡®And she kept calling me that milady and treat me all highly too.¡¯ She continued thinking, as what Teera was doing didn¡¯t exactly help her holding up the image of not being a noble. ¡°Mila¡­Sophia?¡± Teera tried to call her, ¡°Can I have your attention?¡± Sophia pulled herself back to reality ¡°Y¡­Yes?¡± ¡°Please take a seat, we are at the train.¡± Sophia glanced around, half frantically; they were in fact, in the railroad and above the city below. She awkwardly took a seat next to the entrance, seeing that, Teera took the one next to her, and slung her solar gun off her back and placed it into her lap, for her protector liked to be cautious in a crowded place. As the train started to move from the faith tower, Sophia peeped out from the window behind her, as a way to distract herself. Her constant thinking maybe her strong point, she knew, but it might as well be her woe too. She would need to pay more attention while leaving into deep thought next time. It was not long until the train circled to stop at the desolated tower. And when the passengers left for the poorer part of the city, a very small part of Sophia wanted to join them. Since the street incident, Sophia had never gone back to visit her parent¡¯s home. Gorbach said that he had sent a servant to explain her family about the situation, but she still half-wanted to speak with them herself. ¡®But what would I say?¡¯ Sophia asked herself for the hundredth time ¡®¡®Sorry mom and dad, I will be living in the Last Stronghold from now on, and I also will be whispering suggestions into the supreme leader¡¯s ear as my work, so you don¡¯t have to pray for me in the picking next year.¡¯¡¯ Sophia wasn¡¯t ready to face her family, or at least what left of them just as yet. But the reason why did not come to her, was she still angry at her parent¡¯s about Lana? Was she ashamed for leaving them behind to live in the Last Stronghold? Or was she felt guilty for not bothering to see them for more than a week? She could not say, maybe it was a little bit of all three, or maybe it was even something else she hadn¡¯t realized yet. Nonetheless, it was too late now, for the railroad¡¯s door had closed and the vehicle started to move again. ¡®Next time¡¯ she promised herself, wondering if she would be able to keep it when the next opportunity came. The city raised and lowered as the train continued through its path, going passed tower after tower reminded her of a rhyme she was taught when she¡¯s still a young and gullible child. ¡°¡­River, Desolated, Bleak, Leader, Commercial, Authority, Crushing, Noble¡­¡± She murmured a part of it, though it didn¡¯t really rhyme, it helped people remembered the tower¡¯s name, half of them depressing as hell. ¡®This is the last time I will listen to Teera.¡¯ Sophia thought the sadness shelter was only about a ten-minute walk from the gate castle, though it was a little bit faster riding the railroad and taking a gigantic detour in the process, she never liked being in a train full of people for a long period of time. Not to mention, it felt even worse somehow wearing a gown she barely able to walk in, with a guard in a white and gold armor sitting next to her. ¡®Seriously?¡¯ Sophia clicked her tongue as the train made a sudden stop at the crushing tower, and the execution pit in all of its executing glory was in plain view to her. But what surprised her was the fact that she barely felt anything, but a small sharp pain in her chest. ¡°Why did I feel so little?¡± She asked herself, this place was supposed to represent the injustice that torn Lana away from her, and the pain of just the thought of it had hurt her gravely for much restless night, but why did she felt¡­nearly nothing now?If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Teera asked, noticing the distress plain in her face. ¡°N¡­nothing¡± Sophia replied weakly, still perplexed on what she was feeling, or lack thereof. ¡®Lana¡¯s¡­the pain felt like it was every day to me.¡¯ Sophia thought, as the railroad started to move again ¡®But now¡­ it felt like it happens so long ago.¡¯ Sophia tried to form the image of Lana back into her head. Bt it was useless, though her sister¡¯s face was still as clear as day, it was too hard to form the pain again. Sophia remembered that Gorbach once offered to have a team of scavengers dug up Lana¡¯s body from the pit, so they could give her a proper burial. But she didn¡¯t take it, for she knew that it would be a waste of everyone¡¯s time, and the only thing it could hope to achieve was just giving her mind a needless closure. ¡®I still care about you, sister.¡¯ Sophia thought, her mind filled with despair, knowing that it had to be true ¡®But wounds heal, and scars fade.¡¯ The rest of the ride was uneventful, as to say, she was not plagued with any more traumatic emotions. It was not long till the train stopped at their destination and Teera and Sophia made their way down the noble tower. ¡°Who goes there!?¡± The royal guard posted on the gate castle shouted when they approached the gate castle. ¡°Teera, of the royal guards.¡± She replied, cupping her mouth so her voice could be heard ¡°Escorting lady Sophia back to the Last Stronghold.¡± Though the guards posted in the castle was far away, Sophia could hear them whispering ¡®The leader¡¯s pet¡¯ as they raised the portcullis to let them through. She was used to it by now, of course, the noble¡¯s nickname they made up for her had spread to everyone in the castle by this point of time and it was what they called her behind their back for a while. ¡°You can leave me now, Teera.¡± Sophia told her when they entered the front garden, which was still pointlessly beautiful as ever. Though Gorbach had commanded her to be with Sophia at all times, the only attack the Last Stronghold could frankly provide were weak verbal abuses, which Sophia was used to by now. ¡°As you wish¡± She bowed and left, presumably for the royal barrack, where she would presumably be dozing off in her cell. When Teera went out of her sight, Sophia dug a handful of water from the carved fountain and splashed the liquid on her face to regain composure and to scrub her face to remove any dirtiness on it. A noblewoman walked passed Sophia and gave a disgusted look. Sophia ignored her and wiped the water on the skirt of her beautiful and delicate blue gown. ¡®I think I just gonna go back to my room and rolling around on the bed for the rest of the day.¡¯ Sophia decided, only being exposed to the toxic noble atmosphere for a few minutes and already sicken by it. She half-walked half-dashed for her one of the few safe spaces she had in this thrice-damned stronghold. Rushing passed a pair of royal guards and a few servants; she grabbed for her door and swung it open¡­ ¡­and Gorbach was inside. He raised his head from the book in his hand so his eyes could meet hers ¡°Oh hi, Sophia.¡± ¡°What are you doing in my room?¡± She asked the supreme leader. ¡°What? It was my room.¡± He refuted and closed his book with one hand ¡°I was just revisiting my old stuff, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Ah-huh¡± Sophia muttered with slight disbelief as Gorbach rose from her bed and went to search the bookshelf. Sophia closed the door and eyed what the supreme leader was wearing. Out of his usual dark trench coat, he looked like a completely different person in a simple green jacket, white t-shirt, and jean, the only thing that could tell who he truly was was his gold pin, which he wasn¡¯t even wearing, but instead slung across his neck with a metal chain like a necklace of some sort. ¡®A commoner girl in a noble¡¯s cloth and a supreme leader in a commoner¡¯s.¡¯ she thought, half-amused, half-uncomfortable. Gorbach pulled a book off the shelf and took a look at its cover ¡°I have heard that you went to see the orphanage today.¡± Sophia raised her eyebrow ¡°How did you know?¡± A hint of a smile formed on his lip ¡°Surely you did not wish me to reveal the entirelity of my complex and ever-growing spy network.¡± Sophia shook her head; she had a feeling that it was in fact Teera who reported on her ¡°I was going there for research, so maybe you can model your new policy using it as an outline.¡± He nodded his eyes not off the book in his hand ¡°And what did you learn?¡± ¡°Well, one thing I learn is that you should rename the place, ¡®sadness shelter¡¯ isn¡¯t a place where you grow into a productive citizen for your city.¡± ¡°I will see to that, what else?¡± Sophia sighed ¡°The rations system the orphanage had is astonishingly outdated, and I had a sneaky suspicion that the priestesses who take care of the place are stealing some or most of the food for themselves.¡± He nodded again, but with less enthusiasm ¡°I never think being the supreme leader is easy, but it just felt like every time I try to solve a problem, six more came up out of fucking nowhere.¡± He then pulled out a few more books from the shelf and proceeded to lie on the floor and turned over the pages. Sophia dropped her behind onto her bed as Gorbach continued his reading ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t you be¡­ruling, right now?¡± He closed his book again, but in a mild annoyance this time ¡°Being a supreme leader didn¡¯t mean that I had to be overseeing the city in all of my waking moment, Sophia. I actually like to have time for myself, believe it or not. Be glad that I entertain myself by reading a book, not watching feral dogs fighting an unarmed 12 years old.¡± Sophia nodded grimly; there was actually a supreme leader who once did just that. She climbed onto her bed and peeped over his shoulder ¡°Why do you like this sort of thing, anyway?¡± ¡°Asked the girl who coup up in the archives half the time she stayed here.¡± Gorbach retorted, his eyes returned to the book in his hand. ¡°It¡¯s different, what I¡¯m reading is history, what you¡¯re reading¡­¡± Sophia stopped for a moment, she had peaked into a few of them a few days ago ¡°¡­is make-believe.¡± ¡°It is said that a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies¡± He replied, with a strange calmness in his voice ¡°But someone who never reads lives only one.¡± Sophia raised her eyebrows, what he said was a little bit too poetic ¡°Where did you quote that from?¡± ¡°A book,¡± He said and pushed himself off the floor ¡°The white one with a lizard coin on the cover, if I remember correctly, you should give it''s series a try.¡± ¡°I might¡± Sophia decided and gave the supreme leader a passive-aggressive glance ¡°If you leave my room.¡± ¡°Fine¡± Gorbach muttered and scooped up the books he had pulled out ¡°See you on the morrow then.¡± When Gorbach finally left her room, Sophia took a deep breath and decided to settle down for a short nap. She threw a silk blanket over her body and closed her eyes, starting to drift into sleep¡­ After a few hours, she woke up from a nightmare, sweaty and filled with fear. She grabbed hold of her hands, and it was shaking frantically the way she never saw before. The image of the last moment of her dream still lingered in her eyes. It was Lana, naked and bloodied, reaching out for her, screaming, begging for help, with thousands of corpse dragging her down, trying to bury her little sister in a pile of flesh and rot. But the problem was that she didn¡¯t feel any sadness for her dead sister, only disgust, dread and fear. And she was sickened for feeling that way. Sophia went for the window to throw the curtains opened, to let the moonlight lit up the room. ¡®I suppose there is no dinner for me now.¡¯ She thought though she doubted that she would even have a stomach for it. Sophia turned to the room''s desk, slumping lifelessly on top of the smoothly cut wood was Lana''s doll, still dirtied and ragged. She strode there and took hold of it, so the doll was right over her chest, in an effort to calm her nerve. "Lana..." She whispered the fear in her heart shifted to loneliness, wishing for her little sister to be with her once again. Late she noticed that its left arm had a small tear on it, and wondered whether to have it fix or let it stayed that way, for the sake of preserving the memory. ''I wouldn''t be able to go back to sleep now.'' She realized and decided to go for a breath of fresh air. She went to the closet and threw it open; in it was many sets of gowns Gorbach had given her slung over the beam. The courtesan''s dress was also there, tugged in the deepest part of the closet, her old cloth folded in the back. She moved the jean away and threw the blue hoodie on her head, over the gown she was already wearing. Sophia glanced at the bookshelf after she closed the closet''s door ''Maybe I will give it a try.'' She tugged the doll into the hoodie¡¯s pocket and picked out the book that caught her eyes first. She tried to tug it into her pocket too, but it would not fit, so she dumped the content of her bag on the bed, put the book in and slung it over her shoulder. And she went for the balcony. Sophia tried to steady her breath, threw off her shoes, and climbed up the side of the railing. She dug her bare feet into the uneven surface of the wall and started climbing the Last Stronghold. As she pulled herself up slowly step by step, trying not to get her feet stuck on the stupid gown she wore, she remembered that it was a neighbor of her family in the street of slum that taught her the set of skills. And if she also recalled correctly, that person was executed a few months later for breaking into a storehouse to steal something. Regardless, Sophia had learned how to climb, and she passed it down to Lana a few years later. Sophia continued her ascend, careful at every change of holding, as this wall was on a very different scales from what she used to climb, the room Gorbach had given her was near the top floor of the castle, so a fall would mean her death, no doubt about that, and she did not fancy being discovered as a puddle of blood on the front garden the following day. After many lifted and shifted on the old and uneven stone bricks that made up the outer wall of Last Stronghold, she finally reached her destination. It was a place where the pavement came to a sudden stopped into a flat surface of the stone, making it a small platform she could be on and had a beautiful sight of the city below. She had laid a coarse blanket over the floor so it wouldn''t hurt when came into contact with the stone. Dropping herself onto the floor of fabric and stone, the feeling of it reminded her of the room she had back home, which she shared with Ren and Lana. She had always wanted to have a place to sleep of her own, back when her sister was alive, but now that she did, she missed being in a small cupboard she called a room, with Lana snoring softly by her side. She threw the bag on the floor, and pulled out a Stalus to activate its lighting ability; its top opened up and gave a dim shine from its built-in lantern. ''Using greatly advance technology as a glorified flashlight.'' Sophia thought, half-amused as she lay down and brought out the book she took from Gorbach¡¯s bookshelf. Flipping over its ugly blue cover and started reading. When she read passed a few chapters, Sophia found herself lost focus on the book. So she put it under her head, using it as a hard made-shift pillow to watch the night sky. The crescent moon smiled down from above as if to mock her, the stars around it shone bright, the many in the sky, and the one atop the church of faith. Her gaze shifted to the pointlessly grand church, where she could still hear the prayers from this far away if she concentrated. The religion of fate was something of importance for the city, a source of hope in the seemingly hopeless world and a beacon of light for the people in their darkest time¡­ Sophia had, from a very young age, known that the religion as a whole was likely bullsh*t. After all, in many instants in history, they shifted what they preached to go along with the current policy made from the last stronghold, and half the prayers they taught was about asking for their useless god to bless on the supreme leader. Yet now she was wondering whether or not what they preached about the life after this one was true or not. ''She will probably burn for eternity for the crime of stealing that stupid bread.'' Sophia thought sadly, wondering why she even thought about it in the first place. But Lana was a sweet girl, if the ''god'' was truly just as they said, she would not be sentenced to that. She could not be sentenced to that. "Lana," She said out loud, to her surprise "Wherever you are, you will always be with me in my heart. So please, for my sake, be at peace, and watch me help create a new world." The dead girl She waited patiently, like a feral beast bidding time for the right moment to strike its prey, her dirtied and naked body still as stone. The furry creature dug up and down the pile of a rotting corpse, taking a bite off the human flesh here and there, with her eyes following its every moves. When it started biting into her, she knew the time was ripe. Quick as a snake, her hand snatched the beast; the other one moved to help take hold of it. The rat squirmed frantically, being stuck in her grasp, and before she could let herself felt anything, Lana smashed the rat into the wall. It finally stopped moving, its head was but a puddle of flesh and blood. ¡®Food¡¯ she thought with hunger, her stomach roared for the mess of fur and meat in her hand. She quickly peeled out the skin that covered its dead body, pulled the raw rat meat apart and stuffed her face with hunger, even when she gagged at the smell and taste of blood. ¡®What am I doing?¡¯ Lana thought, despair filled her heart and a stream of tears reeked out of her eyes. Yet she still continued to bite into the raw flesh of the innocent rat she killed, its hot red blood dripping onto her chest. For other than the thousands of maggots crawling over the dead body piling around her, it was the only thing she could consume to sustain herself if she wished to stay alive. Even if she could feel her body wasting away every night that had passed. It was not long till she had devoured every last part of the meat in her hands, and was left with only the rat¡¯s bone and skin. Her hands shook in disgusted of herself as she set the poor animal¡¯s remain away from her, piling it with the other. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± She whispered with a coarse and sobbing voice. She had lost count on the number of its kind she had killed for the sake of sustaining her malnourished body, but to her sorrow, it would not be the last. ¡®I could make it my last.¡¯ She thought, it only took going hungry for a few weeks and the end would come to her, or she could smash her head into the bleached towering wall, the same way she killed those poor rats if she wanted it to be as quick as possible. ¡®I should have died that day.¡¯ The thought went through her mind for the millionth time, and the sad thing was she believed it was true. When the ancient bell rang for the third time, she should have been killed by the solar gun of that guard, or at least by the fall after the shot. But in a cruel twist of fate, she had survived both, only to be in this pitiful state. Lana¡¯s hand moved to touch her left shoulder, where the burnt wound had healed into an ugly and brown scar. The guard who supposed to execute her had somehow missed his shot, instead of hitting her heart and ended her life; the wound brought an unspeakable pain to her for more days than she could count, and she had to hold onto the wound, suffering through the leaking blood and waiting for it to heal. But Lana somehow could not say which was worse, the gun blast, or her fall. It was the pile of corpses, belonging to the people who had been executed that before Lana that reduced her fall and saved her life; otherwise, the drop would have killed her. She lifted herself up, her body shaken by the freezing night air hitting her exposed skin, to see her legs; the right had taken the entirelity of the fall, and now all the bones inside the leg had shattered apart and healed crookedly, rendering her ability to even walk, which made her life in the execution pit even worse than it should have been. She couldn¡¯t hop around on her remaining good leg, for the surface that was the pile of corpses was uneven and made her slipped and fell every time she tried to do so, and crawling on all four was out of the option. So all she could do was dragging herself around the surface of flesh and rot, grabbing hold to other human¡¯s remain to move herself forward. Lana¡¯s hand moved to her head. The hair that many of her neighbors praised as being beautiful golden lock was now a tangle messed, mixed with dried out blood and dirty filth, coarse and hard to the touch, and bad to the smell, though for the last part her body was giving the same effect. Repeatedly she had tried to fix her hair; repeatedly she only made it worse. Lana shook her head, she had taken up the habit of falling into deep thought lately, as there was nothing to do other than that but eat, sleep and cry in her new life in the execution pit. She let herself fell back down onto the pile of flesh and gazed into the sky. The moon could not be seen that night, making the star shone brighter than normal, but made her ability to navigate the pit much worse, though it made no matter, her eyes had adapted to darkness by now. It was barely a life, in the execution pit. She didn¡¯t even know how long had passed, losing track of time by the pain, misery, and loneliness she felt every single day. But Lana had remembered the day when someone else had survived the execution, a man of maybe forty, the blast had missed his heart but landed into the middle of his stomach instead. Lana had crawled to see him when she heard his whimpering for help after he landed on his back a few feet away from her. Blood was leaking from his wound, so Lana tried pushing her hands over it to stop him from bleeding out, all the while trying to comfort him with what she knew were empty sweet words, telling him that he would be okay. The man couldn¡¯t respond, for every time he tried to say something, he coughed out blood till he lost his breath. It had gone on for many countless hours till the life faded away from his eyes. Lana cried herself to sleep that night. As the army of stars traveled through the night sky, Lana reminisced about the person she had missed most of all, Sophia. She wondered what her older sister was doing right this moment, sleeping in the small little room they shared with Ren, most likely. She also wondered whether or not her sister would miss her. ¡®Why should she? I brought this onto myself.¡¯ Lana thought, if she didn¡¯t steal that stupid honeyed bread, she would not be here, hunting rats to stay alive. But knowing her sister, she would still miss her in spite of that. For more times than she was able to counts, Lana had hoped against hope that Sophia would appear over the edge of the pit, with a ladder in her arms, rescuing her from this hell and they would flee together into the sunset. But it was all a fantasy, she knew, to the rest of the world, whether they cared or not, the girl name Lana was already dead. If there was something she thought about slightly less, it was whether or not her surviving the execution was an act of god or not. After all, it was near improbable that the guard who paid the first salute to the new supreme leader would miss his shot in such a manner, and the chance of landing on her leg and saving the rest of the vital parts of her body was incredibly thin. Often she wondered that maybe her family might have prayed for her life, and the god had given her mercy. ¡®Fool¡¯ a voice spoke in her mind, a voice that resembled her own, but deeper and darker ¡®What kind of merciful God would save a girl¡¯s life, but still left her in such a place as this.¡¯ ¡®Maybe I should end it right here.¡¯ Lana thought, it wouldn¡¯t be hard, and nothing awaited this hell of a life but the fiery doom of the New Year¡¯s purged. So her fate would always be death, and it would come, sooner or later. She turned to the dirty and bloodied curved concrete wall closing around her. It was too smooth for any climbing, even if one of her legs wasn¡¯t broken. So the skill her sister had taught her was also useless to help her. Lana wondered how much of her shattered soul hadn¡¯t been crushed yet. ¡®No one can help me, and I cannot even help myself.¡¯ Lana thought, miserable, depressed, and filled with despair. She shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of her dark thought and dragged herself to the area where she discovered that it was the most comfortable spot to sleep on. Her broken leg hit into one of the rotting skulls along the way and she had to bit her lip to not wail in pain. When she finally reached the area, she wiped the tears out of her eyes; her naked body crawled into a ball of sadness and drifted into sleep, where she wouldn¡¯t have to suffer the hell that was this pit for just a few hours. Thck! Just a few seconds after she managed to close her eyes, she heard the strange sound, which alerted her. It sounded like something landed into the pit, but that couldn¡¯t be, for there was never an execution after the sun went down, and the sound was too soft to be a body falling. She tried to get back to sleep, but eventually, curiosity took hold of her and she pulled herself to the source of sound to investigate. Dragging herself over a pile of corpse, she squirted her bloodshot eyes at the area where she assumed the mysterious object had landed, and what there wasn¡¯t a pile of flesh and blood, wasn¡¯t an army of maggots and rats, not a wall of smooth concrete, the only three things she seen for more days than she could remember. It was a water canteen, sitting in someone¡¯s dead embrace. ¡°Water¡­¡± Lana gave out, her voice coarse from sustaining herself with rat¡¯s blood; she pushed herself down the hill of body, holding in the gulp of pain every time her broken legs hit into something. She didn¡¯t bother to think how the canteen was there, or any implication of its existence, the only thing that mattered to her was to get hold of it. When the canteen was in her grasp, her hand went for the attaching rope, pulled the cap open, and gulped down the canteen¡¯s content. The water was refreshing, and it felt like it was the tastiest thing she ever had. The liquid cleaned her throat, mixing in with blood that still in her mouth, yet it did not ruin the taste. She kept drinking from the canteen, the water ran down over her dirtied skin cleaning some of the filth, and then it was all gone. Lana tried to shake any water left in the canteen out into her mouth, and managed to get a few drops, but then there was nothing left. In frustration that she never knew she ever had, she flung the canteen away; smashed and shattered into the pit¡¯s wall and fell into a pile of body, and out of her sight. ¡®What is happening to me?¡¯ Lana thought when the frustration died down. She should be gladded that she had a real water to drink for the first time in a long while, not being angry when it inevitably ran out. Being in a pit was starting to affect her, she realized, and not in a good way. But before she was able to think more of it, she heard a second sound, quieter than the first but closer as well. Alerted, Lana dropped onto the floor and stayed still, trying to blend in with other corpses, for the guard who worked in the execution pit would kill her with their solar gun if they knew that she was still alive down here. After she gathered barely enough courage, Lana raised her head, took a look at the direction where the sound came from, and the sight filled her heart with hope and joy. A long and thick rope that could support Lana¡¯s weight was slowly being lowered down into the pit; the length was tied together for a foothold to climb on. It was her salvation. With all of her strength, Lana dragged herself toward the dropping rope, which had reached the layer of bodies she was on. Lana grabbed hold of the end of the rope and lifted herself into a stand position, pressing one of her legs into the first knotted, forgetting that it was broken. "Arghhhhh!!!" She cried out and fell over back into the piles of rotting fleshes, but still managed to hold onto the rope. In spite of that, she released the grasp willingly anyway. To think that even though her mean of escape this hell of rot and flesh was right in front of her, she still wasn''t able to use it. Despair took hold of her heart once again. ''Soph wouldn''t have given up.'' Lana thought sadly, tears starting to form into her eyes once again, ''But I''m not Soph.'' Yet the thought of her sister gave Lana a will power she never had, like Sophia was urging her on to go forward, to take the opportunity in front of her¡­ ''I will have to try anyway.'' Lana finally decided and stood back up. Putting her good foot onto the knot, she pulled herself upward, grasping the footholds above with both her hands, her bare skin dug into the rough surface of the rope. With a slight hesitation, she pressed her stiff and broken leg into the next knot.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The pain made her mind gone numb and Lana nearly screamed for a second time, but managed to force the voice in, for she knew that the worst had yet to come. Channeling all her courage, she lifted her good foot off the knot, putting her entire weight into her broken leg. As the pain came rushing in, Lana tried to distract herself with happy thoughts, but even the memory of her family couldn''t overcome the hurt from her fractured leg having to support her entire body. And then it passed, she managed to pull herself up and switched to her good leg, a great washed over her as her determination grew. ¡®Now I just have to do it twenty more times.¡¯ Lana thought grimly, but there was hope now, she could do it. So up she went, step by step, like how her sister had taught her. Grinding her teeth together every time she needed to apply weight into her broken leg, and somehow managed to endure the pain every time. Lana could also feel that the rope was slowly moving up along with her as well as if the person who had dropped the rope was helping her. But when she reached the mid-way point, things somehow got worse. As she was pulling herself up to another foothold with her left arm, she was in too much of a rush that she overreached her hand and the half-healed wound on her shoulder split open, bringing agonizing pain through her body. Lana wanted to scream, but she knew that if she did, her voice would be heard across the authority district, and she and whoever was there to rescue her would both be executed, and they would make sure she was dead this time. She couldn¡¯t give up either, though it was a shorter fall from the first time, she was still afraid of it, and breaking another leg would mean the end of her. ¡®There is only one option left.¡¯ She decided, as the blood from the newly-reopened wound dripped down her shoulder and across her frail and naked body ¡®I have to keep going.¡¯ She endured the pain of her two wounds, climbing closer and closer to the edge. In her fit of mad determination, Lana heard the voice of her friends and family urging her on, but Sophia was the loudest of them all, being part of both groups. Her sister¡¯s voice kept her going when in every moment she was ready to give up, hold by hold and knot by knot, the memories of Soph gave Lana the will power she needed to take on the hurt and escape the pit. When the edge was within her grasp, one of Lana¡¯s hands went for it to provide threshold for the last of her climb. But she didn¡¯t grab it; instead her hand caught into someone else¡¯s, a gloved hand which pulled her upward. ¡°Thank y...¡± Lana about to say, with a voice that was improved with clean water, but the words caught in her throat. For in front of her was a man in a white guard uniform, a gun in his other hand. "No..." Lana gave out, as all hope disappeared from her heart, they were going to kill her again, and this was all just a twisted and evil ploy to crush her depleting hope. Half of Lana wished to release her grabbing hand from his and fell back into the pit, ending it all by herself in a fit of twisted spite. ''Look with your head, not with your eyes.'' Lana suddenly remembered, it was something Sophia liked to tell her. She took a deep breath and looked at what she was seeing more closely. The guard was carrying a bag on his back, which he shouldn''t be, as Lana had remembered being taught in school that it was against their protocol to carry one. On his belt was a knife, which also was against their protocol. She looked up and down his equipment, though in a midst of the night, it seemed like it was a normal guard uniform, she could say that it was a little bit too dirtied and battered than what she normally would see from an actual guard. Not to mention, if she actually calmly thought about it, would there be a guard so evil as to do all of this just to crush her spirit? Her last silver of doubt disappeared when the guard shifted his gaze away when she saw her nakedness ¡°Are you alright?¡± Lana did not know what to reply, suddenly realized how much of a pitiful state her body was in ¡°Yes¡­¡± The man took a look at her bleeding shoulder, then at her broken leg ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± He pulled Lana off the edge of the pit, then lifting her into his arms like she weighs nothing more than a small sag of flour, which she probably did from barely eating anything. ¡°We can wash it with water and bandage the wound,¡± He said when he dropped her inside the building next to the pit, the rope he used to rescue her was pulled back and put into his bag. Lifting his visor for better vision, he showed Lana that he seemed to be about thirty years old, a few locks of sandy hair peeked from the helmet ¡°But we need to make you a clutch and a temporary protector for your leg. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Lana¡± She answered, weakly, her body still trembling what the pain she endured on her climb. ¡°I¡¯m Wall.¡± He answered, searching through the cabinet in the building and produced a bottle of water. He then drew his knife and cut a short length of his rope, then handed it to Lana ¡°Bite on this, and tried not to scream.¡± Lana nodded and put the rope between her teeth, preventing her from biting her own tongue. Seeing that, Wall poured the water into her open wound. Strangely, it did not hurt as much as she imagined, though she could still feel the rope¡¯s splinters digging between her teeth, and the water felt more like hot oil than anything. When the water washed away the blood and filth in and around her wound, Wall wrapped the area around it with a roll of bandage from his bag, Lana tried to move her arm, it still hurt, but less now. ¡°We had to have you check by Doc later, but this should work for now.¡± He finally said, tugging the bandage behind one another to make it hold together on her shoulder ¡°Let¡¯s go find you some clothes.¡± Lana looked at her exposed skin, she had spent so many days without any cloth that she forgot that she was supposed to wear one. Part of her had a sudden urge to cover her body with her hands, but she knew how stupid it was to consider about social appropriateness after this much time she was in this man¡¯s presence. Wall helped Lana walked by carrying her by the shoulder to the next room, where she remembered it was the one where she had entered the day she was executed, on one side was a pile of clothes from the freshly executed the day before. Her savior dug through the pile and threw her a bleached red T-shirt and a short dress pant. Though Lana would like her old dress back, she assumed it was already sent to the trading square to be sold at a cheap price, so she decided these would have to do. As Lana struggled to put on the pant with her broken leg, the clothes may be loosely fit, but still worked, she saw that Wall was still searching through the pile, picking out one that was still in good quality and tugged them into his bag, even some that did not seem to fit his body. Lana wanted to ask him about his action, but she knew that it was none of her business. Wall found a few pieces of sticks lying around the pit, he put two next to her broken leg and one under her foot, then tied it together with the rest of his bandages. After he gave it one last check that it would hold, he handed Lana a long one to act as a clutch. ¡°Try walking,¡± Wall told her. Lana lifted herself up and tried to put some weight into her broken leg. Though it¡¯s still hurt, she had regained the ability to walk, though poorly. When Wall saw that she could press her weight into her broken leg, he closed the visor of his helmet and turned to the facility gate ¡°Let¡¯s get going then.¡± ¡°But to where?¡± Lana whispered to herself, she would want to return to her home, but knew full well that the prospect would be impossible. Though she loved her parents very much, they sadly were, like Sophia had said, a sheep that would feel obligated to turn her in. But if she could not go back to the only place she ever knew, then she didn¡¯t know where else. Regardless, she followed Wall awkwardly with the help of her clutch through the building metal gate and into the alley below, the dreaded crushing tower overshadowed them like a dark tall giant with out-stretching arms. They turned left, right, left, left then right again through the twisting road, Wall seemed to have no problem navigating through the alley, which was strange because it was a new moon tonight and the road had little to no brightness to speak of. Then she realized that his guard helmet likely had night vision equipment attached to it. ¡°Thank you¡± Lana finally managed to say, as they proceeded through the alleyway ¡°For¡­saving me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He replied after a nod ¡°It is our belief that everyone, is worth saving.¡± ¡®Our¡¯ Lana noticed grimly, and she suspected that he was not talking about the order of the guard, which he did not seem to be a part of. ¡°You there!¡± A commanding voice called behind them, before she could ask him about his word. Her Lana¡¯s body frozen at the called, while Wall turned around to meet the voice calmly. ¡°What is that girl doing there?¡± The voice asked, as Lana glanced back at the source of it. The speaker was a guard, a real one this time, his gun dangerously pointed at her. ¡°I¡­caught her out passing the curfew, so I¡¯m taking her to the holding cell,¡± Wall told the guard, struggling to lie at first but the rest came smoothly. The opposing guard looked at Lana¡¯s crutch and the woods around her leg, then at Wall¡¯s bag and dagger ¡°Let me see your scanner.¡± Lana looked at Wall¡¯s wrist, in dim light, you could not make it out, but the device on his wrist was just a simple watch, not a guard device. As dread filled her heart, Wall nodded and reached out his hand ¡°Go ahead.¡± But as the other guard went to examine Wall¡¯s ¡®scanner¡¯, quick as a snake, Wall¡¯s hand formed into a fist and punched into the side of the guard helmet, toppling him over into the stone pavement. But as he tried to regain composure and stood up, Wall smashed the back of the guard¡¯s neck with the solar gun he quickly drew from his back, knocking the guard backed down. He didn¡¯t try to get up afterward. Lana would have had scream at the event unveiling in front of her, but Wall noticed her near outburst and covered her mouth, muffling the sound that would otherwise alert the entire district, and had brought half of the order would have come for their life. ¡°You kill him¡­¡± Lana managed to say in a wailing voice after Wall released his hand. ¡°I did not, at least I hope so.¡± Wall reassured her ¡°He is a common, just liked us, but simply was picked to be a guard. Get his equipment, we could use it.¡± Lana nodded, now calmed. She did as Wall asked; peeling off his gloves, and saw that the man was missing two fingers for some reason, then unlaced his leather combat boots, and pulled the gun off his grasping hand. Meanwhile, Wall pulled off the man helmet and then proceeded to tear apart the circuit board hiding under the plate protection. After he had thoroughly ruined the helmet, he threw it far behind them, letting it rolled away into the dark. ¡°His reinforcement would be here soon.¡± Wall told her, in half a hurry tone ¡°So let¡¯s get going, the passage should be by the next corner.¡± ¡®Passage?¡¯ The thing Wall said was becoming stranger and stranger. They turned at the next crossroad into an area between two storage facilities, an alley with thick stone wall at both sides and nowhere to go forward. ¡°It¡¯s a dead end.¡± Lana realized, she tried to look for the passage Wall was talking about, but she could see none, just bricks and mortars and stones on all sides. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a secret passage if you can found it with minimal effort,¡± Wall told her and moved to the right side of the alley wall, then started counting the giant bricks that made up the wall. When his silent counting reached thirteen, Wall gave the brick a light tabbed then pulled it off the wall. He moved the brick slowly, as to not make any sound, and also because it seemed to be very heavy. When the giant stone slab of brick left the wall, she saw that the mortar also came with it, so when put back in; it would be seamless that it was removable. Wall turned on the light function of his solar gun and flashed the bulb into the hole in the alleyway he had created, inside was a short drop to a stained ground below, then a tunnel overreaching a long distance away that the gun¡¯s small light could not illuminate. ¡°What is this place?¡± Lana asked Wall, filled with wonder yet anxiety at the same time. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know.¡± Wall said and turned off the light ¡°But it seems to be older than this part of the city itself, so I assume the constructor had built the wall over it. In any case, this is the furthest I can take you without explaining what lie ahead.¡± He gestured Lana to sit over the moved brick, and Wall slung the gun onto his back and did the same on the ground, he lifted his and spoke in a wary voiced ¡°There is, a safe haven, no, just a haven of sort half a mile away from where this tunnel led to.¡± ¡°A resistance?¡± Lana burst out, without realizing. Though the history was intentionally tainted, like Sophia had told her, the yellow dawn rebellion and many before them were a glorious uprising which many commons of their respective time flocked to. ¡°Barely¡± Wall admitted, his eyes noticeably lower ¡°We had to steal most things from the city, and barely scrape by. But we had food enough for everyone most of the time and treat them all fairly, though keep in mind that you had to work, sometimes hard work, but so does everyone else.¡± He raised his eyes to match with Lana¡¯s ¡°I cannot and will not force you to join us, so you should choose by yourself now. You can come with me to the cavern of the free, terrible name, I know, or we can part here, and you can go back to your family.¡± For a moment, Lana was tempted, ignoring all reasons and went back home to meet her family again, but she knew that it was impossible, even if how sweet it must be. The place where Wall would take her to was likely the best chance she had. ¡°I¡¯ll come with you.¡± Lana finally said, ¡°But can I at least say one last goodbye to my family?¡± It would be nice to be hugged by her parents again, to see Ren¡¯s smile and to speak with Soph, to tell her of what happened, and maybe even cry together. ¡®On that day, it was the first time I see my sister¡¯s cry.¡¯ It was bitter, but sweet as well, the tear expressed her love and despair, her grief and her joy, and it felt like she was truly expressing herself for the first time. The memory of that moment was what kept Lana forward, and she wanted to tell Soph that. But Wall shook his head ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry, Lana. But it is best that no one knows you are alive.¡± She could only manage to nod, with her small wish shattered into the ground ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± But as Wall lowered her down into the dark tunnel, a small realization hit Lana. Wall was coming back to the city, so why couldn¡¯t Lana too? After her leg got better, she could ask Wall to take her back here again, and she could surprise her family with her return and said the goodbye she wanted. She might even be able to convince Sophia to join her. Finally living life away from the giant grasp of the supreme leader and his unjust law, her sister would like that. For the first time in years, Lana looked forward to the future with a smile. The guard Armone tapped lightly on his hand device, making it displayed the current time as he sliding through the alleyway that was slightly off his today¡¯s patrol route. ¡®Two forty-five¡¯ He read hastily, brushing the scanner¡¯s display away with quite a grace, despite holding a solar gun in his arms ¡®I should be able to make it in time.¡¯ Armone continued to make his way across the high common district, pacing in his white leather boot over the inner street constructed with uneven slabs of stones. Since he started his career, Armone had always preferred patrolling through this part of the city over the other. His house was here, after all, and the people around this area were a lot more civil than the lower common district, so there would be a lesser need for him to subdue someone. Not to mention, they actually showed a slight appreciation for his work from time to time. Regardless, though still on duty, he had specifically and discreetly switched patrol duty with his fellow guards. So that he was able to come here on this day, more as a father than a city task force. When Armone arrived at his destination, he found that there were already a large number of people with the same intention as him, which was to be expected. Thousands and thousands of fathers and mothers surrounded the building that was the city¡¯s one and only school. A tall, wide and complex construction, not to mention messy, as a result of countless unplanned expanding it often had. Armone recalled that he barely remembered the seven years he had spent here, only making a few friends, half of which was already dead when he passed his thirty. As Armone made his way closer to the the building, the crowd parted for him in a way that was hard to notice, but he managed to see what they were doing regardless. ¡®A guard can have children too, you know.¡¯ Armone thought, slightly bitter, though understanding. A guard was always a fearful sight and they were all stressed for their children already, of which he could relate to. In any case, Armone continued to walk across the school¡¯s courtyard, in the general direction of the entrance. Standing guard on the entrance and keeping peace were two platoons of watchmen, whom he hesitantly went to meet. ¡°Armone, right? Are you a reinforcement or something?¡± His fellow guard asked when he approached. ¡°Afraid not, Hillar,¡± Armone told his fellow guard when he recognized her voice. Hillar¡¯s armor had a bronze outline over the pure white paint, representing her status as a sergeant. She, along with another bronze lined guard standing to the right of her squad each commanded 4 lower guards in their respective platoons. Not to mention, there were also two more platoons at the other side of the building, and a few more patrolling the hallway inside. At least that would be the case if they followed the protocol this year, which they had no reason not to. ¡°I suppose that makes sense.¡± She told him with a hint of condescending ¡°Not to offend you, but a single watchman would not be much of a reinforcement. Not to mention, we are basically assigned to guard a glorify school exam, so it should be alright.¡± ¡®An exam, aye, but the one that dictates your future, no less.¡¯ Armone thought grimly, despite Hillar being 5 years his junior; she had been promoted into a sergeant 3 years ago after showing potential for leadership. Despite her carefree attitude, which she got from being a close friend with Eve back when she worked as a common watchman, Armone had known of her prowess and ability to inspire loyalty, as he was the one who helped her when she at first struggled to adapt to her work as a guard. ¡°I heard the good new¡± Hillar said to him, shifting the conversation into a lighter topic ¡°You are to be a sergeant too, aren¡¯t you?¡± Armone nodded, Eve¡¯s eavesdropping seemed to be holding true after all. A week ago he was called to the head guard¡¯s office, belonging to the person who was the highest commoner in the guard¡¯s chain of command, just below the sub-generals, generals and grand general, who were all noble. The head guard told Armone that he had been selected to be a sergeant, that he would be given new armor and that his platoon was being selected from the recruit-in-training. So from that point on, two days of every week he was put in training to develop leadership skills so that he could be a more effective sergeant. ¡°Try to behave yourself, alright?¡± Hillar advised, she sounded genuine this time ¡°I heard that if a sergeant to be was determined as ¡®tainted¡¯ in any way; the head guard would retract their offer immediately and sweep all of it under the rug, then pretend that nothing happens between you and them.¡± ¡°I will try my best not to get into any trouble.¡± Armone told her ¡°It¡¯s nice talking to you, Hillar.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice talking with you as well, I suppose.¡± Hillar replied back ¡°Now shall we get back to our work? Or do you want to risk our positions some more?¡± Armone nodded, the exam would be over soon anyway, so he best left everyone to their own business. Armone backed away from other guards and gave a quick glance at the building, hoping that Mathos and Markis was doing well in there. As he joined back into the crowd, Armone contemplated how much of an important day this must be for his two sons. After all, today was the day where the great test commenced, the exam that compiles every single subject into one test, in an effort to verify which career does the student was best fit to have. The result would later be given to the head of each career, so they would be able to pick the students who were qualified to join their order in the picking day. ¡®Obviously getting the best point in as much subjects as possible are ideal.¡¯ Armone thought, remembering his own test, but he had met some people who deliberately failed at the subject which qualified them for the work they did not wish to do, so it really depended on the particular student¡¯s preference. Armone scratched his beard and started looking around, a lot of people had been gathering around the school as if to provide some sort of spiritual support for the students. Most of them were parents, some came by themselves and some came together, both to urge their children on. Silva was supposed to be here with him too, Armone remembered regretfully, but Adol¡¯s dam had broken down recently, destroying any opportunity his wife had of taking her to leave today. ¡®She will make it to the picking day though.¡¯ Armone thought, ¡®she had to, but for me¡­¡¯ The school bell¡¯s sharp ringing snapped Armone back to reality, the sound signal that the great test was finally over. ¡°Hope you did well in there, boys.¡¯ Armone thought, as this was the point of no return for them. The students started to slowly pour out the entrance, passing through the two platoons of the guard into the courtyard in front of him. Some went to meet their parents, but the rest seemed to left for home immediately. Armone waited patiently for his sons to come out, and when he started to become worried about taking too long, Mathos strolled out from the building, looking a little more gloomy than usual. ¡®It was the normal reaction, I suppose.¡¯ Armone decided for he remembered being the same after his own test. Armone lifted his helmet¡¯s visor and went to meet his son. Mathos mood seemed to lighten by the sight of his father ¡°Dad? Aren¡¯t you on duty today?¡± Armone pointed to his armor ¡°I¡¯m still am, but just taking a little detour for my boys. Where¡¯s your brother?¡± ¡°Mark¡­¡± Mathos said, with a slight hesitation ¡°¡­has¡­to do something before going home, at least that is what he told me.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡± Armone muttered, wondering what his other son could need to do, after the day of the great test of all-day nonetheless. Regardless, it would be intruding for Armone to ask any further, and boy this age needed their own space. ¡°How was the exam?¡± Armone asked, a typical question that was asked in this sort of day. ¡°Good¡­good, I guess.¡± Mathos replied with an expression that spoke of the contrary ¡°I goofed up on the law test though, despite your effort of tutoring me.¡± ¡°I see¡± Armone said with a nodded, but thought ¡®Then there will be no guard career for him then.¡¯ Mathos was not the best of build, so with his low score in law, it would be unlikely for him to have the same job as his father. Armone was relived for his son though, not disappointed, he knew that Mathos did not have what it took to kill a person for the sake of establishing peace. ¡°Ren got it worse though¡± Mathos went on ¡°I heard that he only did over average on engineering, poor him.¡± His son pointed at a group of people not far from them, where a pair of parents were talking with a brown hair boy of Mathos¡¯s age and they did not seem to be emitting any cheerful atmosphere. Strangely enough, Armone also noticed a noble guard of all people standing under the shadow of the school building and far away from Ren¡¯s group, next to the guard was a young girl longingly gazing toward the boy. The girl gave the guard a sign, and they turned away and make their leave. ¡®How bizarre¡¯ Armone thought, but did not thought much of it, as it was other people whom he did not know¡¯s business. ¡°Oh, here comes Markis the slow walker.¡± Armone turned, and his other son was there, strolling in a mood that did not seem to be either joyous nor sorrowful, but simply¡­perplex. ¡°Oh hi, dad,¡± Markis said when he noticed Armone, in a strangely monotone voice. ¡°How was the exam?¡± Armone asked. He shrugged ¡°Decent, I guess. But I¡¯m just relieve that it was at least over now.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Armone said though he could see no relieve on his son¡¯s face ¡°Let¡¯s go home then, I will walk with you.¡± Markis raised his head, surprised ¡°Aren¡¯t you suppose be to be working?¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Armone gathered his determination, he was taking as much risk as he could dare to spend time with his children on this day. He gave a wary smile, closed his visor and turned for the street ¡°Who said I can¡¯t do both?¡± The three went for the main road, so they could make a semi-direct path for their home. Armone noticed that everyone else around them was mostly doing the same as well, some crossed the road of Tiffan and made for the lower common, while others who dressed in slightly better clothing were making their way up the same street for the upper common. Armone also noticed a large group of scrawny looking children being guided back to the sadness shelter by a plump old priestess; he frowned on the childhood memories that rushed back to his head by the sight. ¡°Mark, what do you think is the stupidest question in the great test?¡± Mathos asked to pass time as they continued to make for their home. ¡®Stupid?¡¯ Armone wondered about the word, it bordered on rebellious thought, just like last time. But despite that, Armone was still regretting his outburst. So against all of his instinct, Armone let it be for the time being. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Markis replied to his brother in an uninterested tone, he seemed to be trying to recover from his dazed state with his gradual shift of tone. ¡°Well, for me it has to be the very first question of the writing test ¡®What is the name of the current supreme leader?¡¯ are you serious?¡± Armone nodded and tried to diverge the conversation ¡°So what did you answer it with?¡± ¡°Gorbachius Godlead, obviously.¡± He replied with a shrug. Markis¡¯s eyes widen suddenly ¡°Aren¡¯t you suppose to write his full name?¡± A single drop of self-doubting sweat formed on Mathos¡¯s face ¡°But I did, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°He got one more name between his first and last name, it¡¯s called a middle name, I think,¡± Markis replied grimly. ¡°Seriously?¡± Armone sighed, though his son¡¯s mistake was simply unforgivable, he knew how it occurred. A commoner did not have the last name; it was something you gained after you became a noble. And the middle name was even rarer still, only a few nobles in a hundred had one, as it is simply a sign of extra prestige. ¡°Gorbachius Mikhal Godlead.¡± Armone said to his son ¡°That is what you suppose to answer if you study properly.¡± Mathos shook his head in slight disappointment ¡°No Last Stronghold¡¯s work for me then, I guess.¡± The three continued to slowly make their way up the crowded street, with no one but the two other as their company. Mathos and Markis mostly spoke of the test, going over what they did wrong and what they did right, then either become sad or happy at the result. Though Armone was in a great mood from simply being with his son, he had to constantly remind himself from time to time that he was, in fact, still on duty, so he had to try keeping peace and order in this chaotic street using the gun on his back. One time a poor looking man was snooping around behind people suspiciously, so Armone pointed a gun at his head as a warning, and the man walked away with an irritated sniff. ¡°Come to think of it¡­¡± Mathos started to say as they got closer and closer to home ¡°With the great test over, we only got the picking to look forward to now, don¡¯t we¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Markis replied, his tone shifted suddenly, which was to be expected. The picking day was unarguably the most important day in a commoner¡¯s life, so a little anxiousness was very much acceptable. His son¡¯s hand reached into his pocket as if to touch something. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your mother and Beth will be there with you.¡± Armone told them, he left the rest unsaid, in a vain hope that no one would notice it. ¡°But not you¡± Markis pointed out with a small hint of bitterness. Armone could do nothing but nodded, the picking day gathered nearly a quarter of the city into one single spot, as not only the citizen of the age of fourteen, the group that was to be picked, but there were also their family who came to watch them, a small group of each order coming to make the picking, and the sort of people who would come to see the ceremony just for the hell of it. Every guard in the order was required to put on their uniform, if the city wanted to keep its peace intact. Armone glanced forward and noticed that they had reached the trading square. In an effort to lighten the mood he said ¡°What do you boys want? It can be anything, my treats.¡± Mathos¡¯s eyes beamed ¡°Really?¡± Armone nodded, the shared account of him and Silva numbered around eight hundred points the last time he checked, so it should be fine ¡°Take it as a reward for your hard works.¡± Markis shrugged ¡°We might as well.¡± ¡°But keep it under 50 points though.¡± Armone added, in an attempt to be cautious. His two sons nodded and left to find the gift that they would get themselves. Seeing that, Armone left and resumed on his duty by patrolling the square. ¡®That reminds me¡­¡¯ He thought, as he noticed Markis going through the old tool shop of all place ¡®I haven¡¯t actually told anyone about my promotion yet, have I?¡¯ That was not completely true; Hedge and Paul had squeezed the new out of him near as soon as he stepped out of the head guard¡¯s office, and it had spread through the great barrack like an oiled fire soon enough. But Armone had not told any of his family about it yet, which baffle him to quite an extent. He supposed he had a very childish desire to put on the new bronze lined armor and surprised his family with the new that way. Armone just hoped that his new uniform was ready before the picking, so he would be able to show it to his sons. ¡®After that day, I might as well lose them.¡¯ Armone thought, his mind wavering. After they were picked, Mathos and Markis would need to endure two years of hard training, whatever that may be, so they would develop the required skill for their respective careers. Armone had remembered his time of training, and that he had visited the Sadness shelter only twice during the two years period, though it might be because of the fact that he greatly disliked the place might came into factor. Suddenly, Armone¡¯s headpiece vibrated, signaling that his overseer wished to contact him. He stopped for a moment in hesitation and pressed to receive the call. ¡°Arm!¡± The voice of Dane called him ¡°Emergency!¡± Armone sighed ¡°And will you please explain what this emergency you speak of is?¡± ¡°How should I put this¡­¡± Dane started to speak, taking his sweet time ¡°A group of commoners had barred themselves inside the authority district¡¯s storage, arming themselves with solar guns and harassing anyone who came near, the guard there require the assistance of any nearby available watchman near the area.¡± Armone squirted, that was a situation that never happened during his career, but now he was more concerned with the prospect of leaving his sons. Regardless, he had no choice but to go. ¡°Alright, I will be there in a few minutes.¡± ¡°Godspeed¡± Armone shook his head to regain composure, and then turned to search for his two sons. He found Mathos in the discarded store, the place where items from the last stronghold that needed to get off ended up selling at a high price, his son was looking through one of the bench laid with pins, taking quite an interest in a few of them. ¡°Mathos, there you are,¡± Armone said in a rush when he found him. ¡°Dad¡± Mathos replied in quite a happy tone ¡°Which one will look be cooler on me if I were to wear them to¡­¡± ¡°No time, son.¡± Armone cut him short ¡°Do you still have the school stalus with you?¡± Mathos shook his head ¡°They took it back before the great test, but I still have the family one in my bag though.¡± ¡°Perfect¡± Armone said in a hurry and snatched the device right off Mathos¡¯s hand when he pulled it out from his bag. ¡°Sorry son, but duty called.¡± He explained to Mathos as he entered something into the Stalus ¡°I don¡¯t think I will be able to walk back with you guys anymore. ¡± He then handed the device back to his son. ¡°Here, I available you access two to the family¡¯s account, so buy whatever you want.¡± ¡°¡­Right¡± Mathos said, half dazed, half stuttering ¡°Good luck then, I guess.¡± Armone nodded in a rush and bolted off the store. He pressed the scanner on his wrist; it displayed a map of the city in a hologram image, with a marker on the storage that was currently being raid. ¡®I should be only about 5 minutes if I make a break for it.¡¯ He thought and did exactly that. Charging through the trading center of all its shops and stalls, shuffling through the crowd around the street and dashed to reach for the authority district, the place where he spent a significant amount of his life. Making through the orderly lined street of the military and police force division of the city, Armone passed a few storages facilitys that was not the one he was looking for, a few lesser barrack for guard without an official house to sleep in, and a few of his fellow brother-in-arms running for the same destination as him. Suddenly, in the corner in front of him, a small group of people not in a guard uniform was rushing down the alleyway in the opposite direction of Armone. The one on the front and seemed to be leading the group was a brown haired teenage girl with a common-looking face. The strangest things of them were that they were all carrying a bag that was filled with something heavy, by the look of it, and they were also carrying two solar guns on their back. ¡®Armo¡¯ Dane contacted Armone, as the armed teenagers rushed passed him ¡®The group I mentioned earlier had just leave the storage and is now on the run with some of the looted weapons, and to your direction, so you know, please try to catch them.¡¯ Armone put two and two together and pulled out his solar gun. Steading his breath, he aimed the gun for the closest thief, who was lagging behind her group. His finger positioned at the trigger as he prepared himself to kill someone. His hand clutched together in a sudden snap, firing his trusted gun. The blast went out, screaming and cracking through the air, and landed right into the back of his target, penetrating through her chest. Her recently lifeless body fell onto the ground. Armone cogged his gun to ready it for a second shot, as the group realized that one of their own had fallen. Some tried to go help their fallen friend, but the leader told the group to keep going. They ran into one of the smaller alleyways, hiding themselves from his line of fire. Armone considered pursuing after them, but decided against it ¡®They may be carrying more weight, but they are also younger and faster than me, not to mention I¡¯m already tired from my own running.¡¯ From the corner of his eyes, a group of guards who seemed to be following the thieves shown up from one of the alleyways behind him. ¡°I got one of them,¡± Armone explained to his brother-at-arms, when they passed by ¡°The rest went by that corner.¡± His fellow guards nodded as they thanked and resumed their path. Seeing that his assistance would not seem to be required, he went to examine the thief¡¯s corpse and what they stole. A strangely pretty blond hair girl only seemed to be a little more than 16. His fire had taken her by the heart, killing her instantly. Armone pulled the two gun¡¯s straps off her, along with the girl¡¯s two packed side bags, reclaiming the stolen properties. Upon opening, he found that they were filled with stacks and stacks of¡­explosives. ¡®Today is a strange day indeed.¡¯ Armone thought, he had studied this sort of weapon in his training as a guard. Pure destruction in the shape of a brick, his trainer and superior called it; due to its destructive property, explosives were not in used in daily guard duty, instead in a more serious time like suppressing rebellion and a huge riot. What more strange was that this type of explosives was not a throwable type, which could easily be used, but a planted and exploded type, which could easily disable with a little knowledge of the items. In any case, there was now a group of young commoners with a decent amount of lethal weapon in their possession, so quickly arresting them would be ideal. After a short while, a single guard returned from the group that went to pursue the thieves came back, and in a delighted coincidence, the returning guard was none other than his good friend Three-finger Hedge. What less delighted was his expression, however, so Armone knew that something went wrong. ¡°Did you catch them?¡± He asked his fellow guard. Hedge shook his head ¡°Disappear without a trace.¡± His new helmet, boots and gun contrast with his old and used body armor. He was attacked a week ago, and half of his equipment was stolen, and the price of his new one was cut into his pay, which greatly grieved him already. ¡°How much did they steal?¡± Armone asked. ¡°8 solar guns and 40 explosives¡± Hedge explained with a sigh ¡°Have you ever seen commoners stealing weapons before? It is a scary time these days.¡± He nodded grimly in return, it would be a bloody revolt at worst if this kept happening, or an armed riot at the very least. And both and everything between would be bad to the city¡¯s peace. His thought drifted back to his sons and hoping for their best on what to come. The councilor Sophia woke up from her sweet dream by the soft knocking on the door of her bedchamber. Irritated, she threw away the silk blanket that was covered her across the room, but it simply landed gently on the floor, to her dismay. ¡°Lady Sophia¡± The knocker spoke to her from behind the door, judging by the low and submissive tone of his voice, Sophia assumed that he was a servant ¡°The supreme leader wishes for milady to meet him at the spiral step.¡± ¡°Now?¡± She groaned. ¡°His leadership said to be as soon as possible.¡± The servant replied, ¡°The supreme leader also requests that milady put on her finest gown for the day as well.¡± Sophia sighed and told the person in front of her door to take his leave. Normally Gorbach had never dictated what she needed to wear, as long as it was ¡®noble-like¡¯, which was quite hypocritical coming from the person who wore commoner¡¯s clothes half the time. Regardless, to make her dressed more properly than usual likely meant that what would be happening today must be pretty darn important. Sophia hopped off the bed and threw open the curtain, letting some light entered the room as a meant to refresh her mind. The sun had already risen over the horizon a few hours ago. ¡°It¡¯s this late already?¡± Sophia muttered, maybe reading files from the achieve till it passed midnight might not be a good idea after all. She pulled the gown she was wearing yesterday off her back and threw it messily onto the bed. Searching through the closet, she picked the most unnecessary beautiful piece of fabric in her possession, a sky blue gown, decorated with series of tiny bows on the chest, not to mention flowing sleeve layered with transparent grey satin and bordered with linen of gold. The skirt part of the dress was very thick and on one side of it sewed near a hundred tiny piece of amethyst, each likely worth as much as her parent¡¯s house, arranging into the pattern of a flowing wind and fucking flower. Sophia took around 5 minutes to put on the gown, having the need to adjust the various bow and strap of this grossly beautiful dress. It was cut for obviously different girl, with perhaps fuller breasts and less thin body, the area around her chest felt strangely loose and the cloth did not manage to touch her waist, though she grew increasingly alarming as every time she wore this dress and any other one, she felt that the area was getting tighter. Sophia grabbed for a comb, though ornate, seemed quite old and tried to entangle her messy hair. When that was over, she noticed that it was growing longer; the lock that she remembered only reaching her shoulder was now tumbling over and reaching the top part of her chest. Sophia did not remember her hair growing at this sort of rate. ¡®It will be the length of Lana¡¯s at year-end.¡¯ Sophia thought ¡®I best find a way to cut it before that.¡¯ To look her best as Gorbach demanded, Sophia grabbed a necklace of sapphire and pearl, which brought out the color of her eyes, and then tied it around her wrist as she thought it looked better on her that way. After all that finished, she slipped on a pair of cloth shoes and made for her room¡¯s door. The person waiting for her was her personal guard in her usual guard outfit, but this time instead of tugging her hair under the helmet, Teera let a short braid of brown hair dangling out instead, which was quite a strange sight to behold. ¡°Were you ordered to be my escort?¡± Sophia asked her essentially babysitter. ¡°Not an order, really. More of personal duty.¡± Teera replied back ¡°Shall we go then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really have a choice.¡± Sophia muttered as they started walking ¡°I¡¯m basically living in his house, after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way to look at it.¡± Teera response ¡°Him commanding absolute authority over all of us is another.¡± Sophia nodded, but didn¡¯t actually agree to it. For if there was one thing she learned from living here, it was that the supreme leader did not, in fact, hold all the power, and could not, like the myth said, control everything. They found the man in question waiting the carved and ornate stair that was the place he asked her to meet him, standing behind him was his two usual guards. Gorbach had dressed himself to look extra Supreme leader today; cladded in a long crimson trench coat, the outfit was linen with thick gold threads, giving it an unnecessary glorification. Under it was a black thick shirt, linen with silver this time for some reason in the pattern of a blurry smashing fist, his golden symbol of position pinned properly above his right breast. His long slack pant was held together with an oiled leather belt with a dark metal buckle, a chain hanged from his right hip, hanging on it was a silver medallion and his thick boot was so polished that she could nearly saw her reflection on them. ¡°You are going all out.¡± Sophia noticed. Gorbach shrugged ¡°It¡¯s an important meeting, and sometimes you have to dress to impress.¡± Sophia remembered discovering a line similar to what he said in the book Gorbach had given her ¡°Isn¡¯t it dress for success?¡± ¡°Reality is often worse than fiction.¡± Gorbach replied back in a relaxing tone and reached out his hand ¡°How about we attend to our business then?¡± ¡°I suppose¡± Sophia then glanced at his gesture, remembering it was something that nobles do as a sign of closeness, so she hesitantly slid her arm into Gorbach¡¯s, who took hold of it and led her forward. ¡°So what did you need me for anyway?¡± She asked the supreme leader. ¡°You will know of what I need you for in a little while,¡± Gorbach said with a small sly smile, which did nothing to quell her dreading curiosity. The two and their three guards went through the corridor of marble, finery decorations and stained glass. With Gorbach around her arms, Sophia felt more anxious compare to the time before when she was just trailing after him. The nobles they passed were eyeing her more than usual, though Sophia could sense that their gazes were different somehow. ¡°I was thinking¡­¡± Gorbach started to say a minute into their walk ¡°What should your noble¡¯s name be?¡± ¡°This again?¡± Sophia asked with mild irritation. ¡°Dirtthrow or Earthball came into mind.¡± He continued, not listening to her ¡°But if you had better suggestion then I will be willing to hear it.¡± ¡°For the last time, you are not giving me a last name,¡± Sophia replied with a frown. She wished to remain a common, and what Gorbach¡¯s doing wasn¡¯t really helping. ¡°Very well then, you will just be Sophia for now.¡± Gorbach finished their little conversation and glanced forward ¡°And look, we¡¯re here.¡± Sophia raised her head; in front of the two of them were the ornate and polished double gate of the council room. The wood that made up the door was carved into a scenery of military battle, which seemed to be very one-sided as she saw a platoon of wooden guards firing into a horde of rebel mob, in the midst of battle was a person floating high above all in a shining radiant ¡®Wonder who¡¯s that supposed to be?'' Normally, Sophia would have parted with Gorbach at this spot and waited for him to finish his meeting, but Gorbach did not seem to have any intention to release her arm as he went forward to push open the door. ¡°Gorbach¡­what are you doing?¡± Sophia asked in a slight panic, she was his personal advisor, aye, but she did not sit at the table. ¡°I decided that you will be joining the council from this point on.¡± Gorbach said as he partially dragged her into the room, which was devoid of anyone but servants and guards ¡°I wish for you to voice your opinions in front of my other advisors, sharing your view without having me to tell you the content of the meeting afterward.¡± Sophia bit her lip ¡°I suppose I did not have a choice in this matter.¡± ¡°You do¡± Gorbach countered and released her arm ¡°You can leave now if you want, but know that I need you to help me keeping my sanity intact in these sorts of council meetings.¡± She sighed ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stay for this time.¡± Sophia turned around to see the room, which she had ever only seen in pictures when the teachers taught her about the politic in school. A near perfectly circular room, it was decorated with the most needless finery she had ever seen in this damn castle. A golden statue here and there, cart of multiple bottles of wines, shaped wine glasses, and shiny grapes, not to mention the floor was covered with velvet carpet in a strange and exotic pattern. Around the marble wall were the painted canvases of all 53 previous supreme leaders, arranging around the room, and over the ornate stone fireplace was the picture of Gorbach in a golden frame. Sophia looked at the canvas then to the current supreme leader, Gorbach had already possessed a good enough face as he is, but the painter had made him even handsome somehow, though the guy also gave him a solemn expression, like he had everything under his control, which contradict the frown, sigh and smiled he always seemed to express. The centerpiece of the room was unarguably the majestic round table in the¡­well, the center. Carved, polished and of course ornate, its size could easily fit a group of 60 people, the content of the carving was an unexpected map of the entire city. The last stronghold, the 5 main roads, major buildings like and the city wall were sculpted into the table so unnecessary vivid that it was nearly better than the hologram map her Stalus could displayed. Around the giant wood map were expensive cushioned chairs, six of them. ¡®Six? But there are only three advisors and the supreme leader.¡¯ Sophia contemplated as Gorbach took the most ornate seat behind the last stronghold part of the map. Trying to be seen as humble and not overreaching, Sophia took the one which was two seats away from the left of the supreme leader, just over the lower common district. ¡°It seems that my other advisors did not decide to come early.¡± Gorbach said, rather not disappointingly ¡°I already ate, but, you seem to haven¡¯t, so let¡¯s get you something.¡± In response to that, the servant in the room pressed something into her hand device, and not even a minute later another servant entered the room with a silver plate in hands. He gave a bow to the supreme leader and then placed the dish in front of her. Sophia looked at her meal, three sliced boiled eggs with a distinctive purple outer layer, showing that it was cooked in wine, a few sauce-covered asparaguses, chipped sizzling bacon and finally a pinch of orange spice. It was an exotic food, a noble food, and Sophia was already uncomfortable just from looking at it. For the past two weeks or so, if Sophia wished to eat something, she would walk to the kitchen herself then asked the servant there for the simplest food they had on hand, and even then she would usually get something like a bowl of spiced mushroom soup or a juicy sliced mutton. She just felt¡­wrong to have someone spent an hour cooking her meal and then brought it to her personally while knowing that near half of kids her age would go to bed hungry that very night. Sophia glanced at the commoner on work around her, but the only look they gave was lackluster.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. One of the servants served Gorbach a wine cup while the other poured the same purple liquid into hers. The supreme leader eyed her not eating the food, and said: ¡°Dig in.¡± Sophia nodded and decided that it was best to eat the food in front of her so it would not seem that she was being impolite. She grabbed the utensils the servant laid around her to slide the vegetable apart and ate them with the egg and bacon. It was delicious, but the fact didn¡¯t really make her feel any better about herself. She grabbed the cup of wine and washed the food down; the liquid mixed with the spice gave a strange sweet aftertaste. ¡°Like my uncle always said¡­¡± Gorbach spoke in a slightly good mood after taking a sip from his own cup ¡°One glass for flowing words, two glasses for courage and three glasses for losing your sense.¡± Sophia did not know what to answer to that, so she simply nodded and returned to her plate. As Sophia finished her meal and Gorbach flipped through a few pages of the book he hid in his coat, the council room¡¯s door creaked open. Sophia turned toward the direction, expecting one of the old head advisors, but the person entering was someone else. A young man with well-combed hair, dressed in a proper yet plain suit and tie along with one finery as a side cloak, on his chest was the sunburst pin that still retained its gold texture. Gorbach rose from his seat to greet the entering man, but instead of shaking each other hands, he pulled the man closed to him and gave each other a friendly hug. ¡®This must be Howland Goldeye.¡¯ Sophia thought as she handed her empty plate to the servant, Gorbach had spoken about getting one of his good friends to join the council, so seeing him here was no surprise. Sophia tried to recall the history of the Goldeye family, which was filled with 18 members becoming advisors, one fail coup which left only a single member alive of the family, and a few near extinction of their name. In any case, she had heard that this particular Goldeye had been Gorbach¡¯s constant companion when they were young and that he was promised the hand of the supreme leader¡¯s sister before the girl unfortunately died. Gorbach turned for the general direction of Sophia and waved his friend to come to meet her. She stood up in response, as it was expected of her, brushing her anxiety away and confronted the two men. ¡°Howland, this is Sophia no-last-name-yet, that clever girl I told you about.¡± Gorbach introduced them to each other. ¡°It is nice to meet you,¡± Sophia told him as a sign of courtesy. Howland studied her with a solemn expression for a little longer than she was comfortable with, finally, he moved away and gave her a little bow ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you as well; I heard that you had taken on the many centuries worth of history in the stronghold¡¯s achieve.¡± ¡°A person who did not learn from history will always be destined to repeat it.¡± Sophia quoted the line from Gorbach¡¯s book, a small proud smile formed on her lip. Howland chuckled at that ¡°You are a clever girl indeed, reminding me of someone I knew.¡± ¡°I am reminding you once again, Howland.¡± Gorbach said to his friend grimly when they leave Sophia¡¯s general presence ¡°What I want from you is honest counsel, not empty flattery, and also try not to act strange with my personal advisor.¡± ¡°I will see to that,¡± Howland replied with a smile that only a longtime friend could give each other. After that, Gorbach returned to his seat and continued reading his book, and Howland placed himself in the chair next to him by the right, filling up half the spots on the table. ¡®I wonder if the placement meant something¡­¡¯ Sophia contemplated, half sarcastically. The remaining council members arrived at the meeting room one by one, the ugly and meak lord Rubos came in and seemed to be incredibly nervous on the prospect having two new people joining the meeting, one of them a girl of thirteen, for he was sweating frantically from his palm and soaking crimson coat when he sat on Gorbach¡¯s left, between the supreme leader and Sophia. Next came lord Corlius, bald, plump and always richly dress, his golden teeth shone every time he smiled. He wasn¡¯t smiling at the moment though, for he had noticed Sophia and took the furthest available seat from her with a considerable defiant and irritated look, but seemed to be able to keep his mouth shut. Last to enter was the mighty lord Penis; he was beyond well-muscled, giving him a half handsome look in a freakish sort of way. His straight brown hair was longer than any woman Sophia had ever met. The lord displayed an amusing smile when he noticed Sophia, then claim the last empty chair, the one directly opposite to the Supreme leader. ¡°Now that the council members had all arrive¡­¡± Gorbach said to start the meeting ¡°Let¡¯s us attend to the matters at hand.¡± ¡°Yeah¡± Lord Corlius suddenly spoke in an annoyed tone, pushing himself off his seat ¡°Why is ¡®she¡¯ here?¡± ¡°I believe that the matter Gorbach wishes to discuss about concern over the upcoming picking day, my lord,¡± Sophia told him with a hint of condescending in her tone. Lord Corlius ignored her ¡°I am willing to tolerate you having ¡®this girl¡¯ as your¡­companion. But a commoner does not have a place in the council.¡± ¡°I value her counsel.¡± Gorbach said plainly ¡°Despite her age, she got quite an insight.¡± ¡°And this girl can speak, ser. Try to listen to her next time.¡± Lord Corlius shook his head in defeat and went back to his seat. ¡°Do any of us had any furthers problems with the addition councilors, ser?¡± Howland asked. Lord Penis shrugged, and the lickspittle Rubos responded with ¡°It is the supreme leader¡¯s decisions.¡± Howland nodded ¡°Then let¡¯s continue our meeting.¡± Sophia glanced at the direction of Gorbach and Howland, realizing their plan that had come to fruition. ¡®They are using me as a distraction.¡¯ She thought, biting her lip ¡®So that the fact that Howland joined the council was not that big of a deal.¡¯ But then a smile formed on Sophia¡¯s lips, the naming of advisor was always a prickly situation throughout history, as the old one would always be worrying about their influence in danger. By having them worried about common joining, they would not concern themselves with another noble joining until it became normal for him to be in the meeting. ¡®This is likely Howland¡¯s first meeting too, by the way, he¡¯s talking with Gorbach.¡¯ Sophia could not stop to be amused by Gorbach¡¯s deception and did not really mind that much on being used. ¡°Like lady Sophia said, picking day is coming in a few days.¡± Lord Rubos broke the short silence ¡°Each order of work have been sending the numbers of recruits they wished to have.¡± ¡°We need to double the number of courtesan recruits.¡± The lord of Penis told the council as a servant poured him a glass of strong wine ¡°There has been a shortage of them lately, most of the pretty one had gone to serve supreme leader Musol in his dark hall.¡± Sophia flinched on that, remembering her short but dreadful time as an assumed courtesan. She had seen many of their order wandering aimlessly the hall of the Last Stronghold, snatched by the arm by the nobles to fulfill his or sometimes her desire. Gorbach had expressed quite a disliking of the order and Sophia very much shared his view. Not to mention, increasing their recruits would mean decreasing the other, which might interfere with his reforming plan. ¡°That would not be wise¡­¡± Sophia said suddenly. ¡°And why would that be, little girl?¡± Lord Penis said in a slight and annoyed surprise of having someone spoke against him. ¡®Why is it unwise?¡¯ Sophia asked herself, to say that it is wrong to treat people like the thing to fulfill your desire would not be a good argument for these corrupt men. So she needed other arguments¡­ ¡°Think about it, my lords.¡± Howland came in ¡°A double in recruit now would mean a double in yearly courtesan we actually got in two years¡¯ time, and by that point, we would have sufficient amount of them already.¡± Gorbach gave a nod to that, so lord Rubos came in ¡°Besides, Lord Ptis, if we do what you said, they would need to pick the non-pretty one to fill their ranks, and it is best that we got the best of each year for our courtesans.¡± Sophia turned to Howland and gave him a nodded of appreciation, then to Gorbach, whose face was displaying obvious disgust over the topic but was luckily hidden by his hands that were crossing each other. ¡°Very well,¡± Lord Penis said, seemingly giving up, but the vile smile still remained on his face when he glanced toward Sophia ¡°It will be as the little girl¡¯s liking.¡± ¡°That does remind me.¡± Gorbach spoke in a tone that did not seem like the thing he was about to say came up to him this instance ¡°I had requested the order of distributioner and agriculturer to increase their recruit, do any of you had anything against that?¡± Lord Corlius, who had been silent for a short while in what seemed like his own notion of displaying discontent, spoke up ¡°So you are still going forward with ¡®that¡¯ plan, Supreme leader.¡± ¡®Supreme leader, not your leadership.¡¯ Sophia noticed, though it did not seem like much, the bald man had pulled off a layer of respect. Pulling a few more layers would likely resulting in him calling Gorbach ¡®boy¡¯ or even ¡®little runt¡¯. ¡°Our city had stopped growing for many generations now, and the restricted food had been a major reason of the problem. I don¡¯t know about you but I am not content to rule a lone depressing city on this decollated wasteland.¡± ¡°Then it will be done, your leadership.¡± Lord Rubos jumped on it immediately ¡°Your wisdom will not be blind to us.¡± As Gorbach groaned under his breath, Sophia realized her time had come to input something important ¡°This may not be related to the upcoming picking day, but it must be addressed.¡± Lord Corlius raised his head, more confused for seeing Sophia actually spoke up than interested, unlike lord buffed Penis who seemed to be amused by her. Lord Rubos still was sweating, not knowing what to do. Howland glanced toward her, and in an encouraging smile, said: ¡°Then speak up.¡± Sophia nodded ¡°It concerns the sadness shelter and the misuse of its given supply.¡± ¡°The orphanage?¡± Lord Corlius asked, ¡°Are you from that place or something?¡± Sophia shook her head, ignoring the lord¡¯s obvious condescending tone ¡°No, I am not, but I had been sort of inspecting the place for a while now, and I had a few evidence that the caretakers are taking part of the children¡¯s food for themselves.¡± ¡°I believe that we had a more pressing concern than a few priestesses stealing bread, little girl, let''re the guards deal with it.¡± The despicable lord Penis said dismissively. Sophia closed her eyes ¡®Very well then, I shall appeal to your terrible nature as a means to make my case.¡¯ She opened her eyes again and continued. ¡°Leaving this problem unsolved will make these priestesses believe that they could get away with defying the Last Stronghold, and it will be only a short time until this idea spread to someone else.¡± Every council member considered what she had said for a moment, in which time she turned to meet Gorbach¡¯s eyes. Sophia had spoken of this predicament with the supreme leader once before, but despite his promise, Gorbach was too focused on his big change to spare time to fix this minor problem, so Sophia felt she had no choice but to form her own solution and took initiative. She was afraid that Gorbach would be displeased by her taking action without consulting him first, but to her surprise and relived, he simply smiled back. ¡°Lady Sophia is right.¡± Lord Rubos said when he noticed the supreme leader¡¯s indirect agreement ¡°We must executed these thieves at once!¡± ¡®No, we cannot answer it with death; fear can only do so much¡­¡¯ The thought echoed in her head. ¡°That would be very much unwise, lord Rubos.¡± Howland told the older and uglier man ¡°Thieves or no, the people we spoke of are still priestesses, there will be a quell from the city and from the church even if we had a good excuse, and doing so would likely cause more problem than it solves.¡± ¡°Then what do you suggest we do?¡± Lord Corlius asked, still frowning after all this time. ¡°A weekly inspection by the distributioners and the guards.¡± Sophia offered ¡°This way, not only will it leave the caretaker less room to corrupt; it will also ensure that the amount of food could be better colorate to the number of orphans.¡± ¡®And when we at it, maybe even increase their amount of food by a little bit too.¡¯ She might have added, but Sophia knew she was pushing her luck; she could always speak with Gorbach later about it. The supreme leader stood from his seat ¡°Do any of us have any objections on Sophia¡¯s proposal?¡± No one spoke up; even lord Corlius, who had even grudgingly agreed. ¡°It shall be done then.¡± Gorbach said and returned to his seat ¡°I will contact the order of guard, distribution and faith to implement this policy.¡± The meeting went on for a few more hours, and the time period was filled with arguments, pleasing empty words and a few decision makings. After Gorbach dismissed the council, the old advisors made their way out of the room and the supreme leader and Howland turned to chat with each other. Lord Rubos quickly-paced passed her, Lord Corlius spat on her feet, which she brushed his stinky liquid away in disgusted. The last was lord Penis who walked to meet Sophia¡¯s eyes; his gaze seemed to pierce into her and made her body felt like it was crawling with thousand spiders. ¡°What?¡± Sophia asked him as he stood there. He examined her for a few seconds, then suddenly lowered his head to give her blonde curl a small sniff. ¡°Hey!¡± She cried out and slapped him on his cheek, which barely left a mark. Her face''s red from embarrassment. ¡°Not as pretty or as sweet.¡± The Penis lord muttered, his sly smile larger than before ¡°But the resemblance was quite clear. See you on the picking day, Elizabeth.¡± Sophia anxiously tabbed her fingers, half of her wondering what was that all about, the other half crept out by the chain of event. By then, Howland had already left the meeting room and Gorbach was making his way toward her ¡°The meeting went better than I expected.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Sophia responded in a daze, so Gorbach pressed his hand on her shoulder. ¡°No need to be nervous, you did good back there.¡± He encouraged her ¡°Let¡¯s go, I had ordered a tailor to make you your own gown for the picking day, and there is a slight chance that you might actually like it.¡± The outcast 1/3 Lana woke up suddenly from her nightmare, gasping in terror as the image of the decay-filled execution pit still lingered in her eyes. She frantically turned around to check her surroundings, as to see that she was not back at the rotting hellscape again, and to her relived, all she could see was the small stone cavern she had made her home. ¡®It¡¯s all right Lana, it¡¯s all right.¡± She tried to tell herself, repeating her own name as if she would forget the word if she didn¡¯t do so. After Lana eased down her mind, she pushed herself off the blanket covered stone she made into her bed and grabbed for the surrounding rock to provide support. Lana pressed her right leg onto the floor, to her surprise; she didn¡¯t feel any pain anymore. ¡®It barely hurt now.¡¯ Lana thought as she pressed down her second leg and stood up from her bed. Though it was still stiffed and she had to drag it everywhere, it was better than the time in the execution pit where the pain overwhelms her every time she as much brushed it on something. Lana started her day by peeling off the bandage Doc had wrapped around her left shoulder the day before. Blood had stopped seeping out from the wound at night; it would seem as she noticed that the bandage was very much clean. Lana ran her finger ran over the healed skin and gasped as it was still hurt to the touch. She remembered Doc¡¯s method of healing like it was yesterday, he had cut out any infected flesh with a burning knife, which brought her more pain than she was expecting, which was a lot already. Doc then sewed her skin together with a thread and needle, leaving a faded scar on her shoulder. Lana made her way toward the center of the room and adjusted the mirror that was attached to the ceiling. When she got the correct angle, the stone cavern lit up in dim light, letting her seen her surroundings better. ¡®It is best I get to work now.¡¯ Lana thought and threw the red faded t-shirt over her head, the same one that Wall had given her on the day of their escape. Hanging on the wedged stone around the exit was a jean color jacket she received when she joined the cavern, along with underwear she was currently wearing. She threw the jacket over her shirt to combat the morning cold and left the rocky hole she called her room. As Lana followed the series of reflecting mirror and light that lit up the stone corridor, she sewed her hand through her hair. Dried with blood and filled with filth, it would be impossible to turn it back to the way it was no matter how many times she washed them. so Wall yanked the harden straw-colored curl out with his dagger, leaving Lana¡¯s once-proud hair a less horrid mess and it became shorter Sophia¡¯s had ever been. Her face was likely worse as well, the last time she saw it, it was covered with filth and scar and dark spots. A drop of tear formed on Lana¡¯s eyes, but she managed to wipe it away with her jacket¡¯s sleeve. As she continued her walk through the corridor, Lana reached into her pocket and brought out two things, half a chunk of cold bread left from yesterday¡¯s dinner, and a handful of black circular pills. Lana dug her dirty fingers into the bread and stuffed the medicine inside. She started to nibble into the bread, which she decided to serve as her breakfast, the hidden pill was conscripted by Doc, he said that eating them two times per day would help her body combated the infection in her blood, so Lana took the healer¡¯s word for it. The downside of it all was that the medicine was the bitterest thing she had ever eaten; beating the rat¡¯s blood she drank to sustain herself in the execution pit by a considerate amount. Stuffing it with her food helped, but the bitterness could still be tasted through even that, as she suddenly experienced when she had eaten the part with the medicine in it and nearly coughed it all out, but managed to get it in. When Lana finished her cold bread, she licked her fingers to scavenge any remaining crust, as she often did back in the time she was still living with her family. Afterward, Lana tugged the empty bottle of pill back into her pocket, and that was when she touched onto something. ¡®Nearly forgot about this¡­¡¯ She thought and pulled the item out. In Lana¡¯s hand was an iron coin, half-covered with rust and so old that any picture imprinted on it had all faded away. The colony had given her the circular object when she arrived at the cavern, and Wall said that it was a mark of a member and a symbol of closeness of some sort. Lana tucked the coin away, for she didn¡¯t have any use of it at the moment. In maybe half a minute of more walking, Lana arrived at the lift. An old and complex contraption, it was a platform made of wood and band metal. A link of chain attached to each of the edge, and then came together in the center, which was then rise into a heavy pulley system on the top of the cavern far above her, and also to the turning wheel with handles on both sides in the center of the platform. Lana climbed onto the lift, and seeing that no one else would likely to come pulled the platform up, she braced herself and grabbed hold of the turning wheel, then started to turn it around with all her effort, and the lift started to slowly move upward. As Lana bit her teeth together, praying that the lift would not shake violently like the way it did five days ago, and the memory of her sobbing on the wooden platform with people surrounding her flashed through her mind. Even without that fear, pulling up the lift by herself was of great difficulty, for even though Wall explained that the pulley system reduced the weight of the load by near 5 fold, Lana still needed to handle the weight of her own body and the wooden and metal lift. She was always a weak girl who couldn¡¯t even fight back the school bullies, which was why Sophia needed to always protect her from them, and she couldn¡¯t even lift something that weight more than a sag of potato, the fact that made even worse after her time in the execution pit. It took all her strength for every turn she managed to make, and there was still a long way to go. When the lift reached its half-way point, Lana released her hands from the handle and fell down upon the platform, panting and heavy-breath from the effort. This was the first time she ever pulled the lift by herself, her arms were already sore and throbbing, and to her dismay, she knew she couldn¡¯t do it. ¡®Come on, Lana.¡¯ She told herself, gathering determination she barely had ¡®Sophia would not even flinch at this.¡¯ ¡°Here, let¡¯s me help you.¡± A voice echoed from the stone tunnel behind her, followed by a creaking sound of someone climbing on the platform. Lana recognized that voice ¡°Wall?¡± He nodded and took hold of the handle. Seeing that, Lana quickly stood up and grabbed for the one on the other side. ¡°On three¡­¡± Wall told her, raising up the lever in preparation ¡°One, two, three!¡± The link of chains clanked together as the wheel and pulley contraption lifted itself up by the combined effort of two people. It was mostly Wall that pulled all the weight, and the lift went up twice the speed it was going up before when she was pulling it by herself and not to mention the flow of the rising was better and constant now. As they made another turn, Lana glanced at the man who had to save her life not long ago, out of his guard disguise, Wall was slightly less intimidating, but also seemed to look more friendly as well. He was thrice her age but still had a youngness to his face, of which was not handsome, but not ugly either. His hair was a sandy mess on his brow and his eyes were an honest blue, the same as Sophia. Today, he was cladded in whitewash t-shirt, a light blue-and-white jacket, his well-polished coin sewed into the fabric over his heart and covering his legs was a pair of thick dark trouser. Across his neck slung a strangely pretty locket she had seemed him wore every time she saw him out of the guard disguise, it swung up and down as Wall moved the around the lever. ¡°Are you going to get your task?¡± Wall asked, breaking the silence. ¡°...Yes¡± Lana struggled to say, she was often awkward around Wall, which was terrible for he was the only friend she currently had in the free cavern ¡°You?¡± Wall shook his head ¡°Thirteen assigns me to go back to the city tonight, so I¡¯m getting the day off from the task. Lana nodded; quite sadly, this meant she had to eat dinner alone tonight. ¡°You should smile more.¡± Wall told her, in an effort to light up her spirit ¡°I know that this is hard for you, changing atmosphere and all that. But we are all family here, so you have nothing to worry about.¡± Lana raised her head ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Wall admitted, he was always honest ¡°Like back in the city, there are still nasty people you had to avoid, like that Marah kid for one, that guy is all smile but all nasty underneath. And we still live under the fear of the supreme leader discovering and destroying us. But at least we live free.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The lift came to a halt as they reached their destination. Wall said a small goodbye to her and walked off the platform for the opposite side of the hall, but Lana stood still, thinking. ¡®I really have nothing to worry about.¡¯ Lana realized. After all, she wasn¡¯t living with fear anymore, the food was plenty for everyone at most time here, and she was out from the dreaded execution pit at last. She tried to form a smile on her lip, but the grin she got felt force and ungenuine. ¡®It will get better once Soph is here.¡¯ She told herself, and went forward to meet the new day. Lana climbed off the platform and did something to the chain attaching next to it like Wall had taught her. The lift unlocked itself and slowly descended down back to the bottom of the cavern, so others might be able to come up. Then after going through a short tunnel, she arrived at the well hall. It was the biggest open area in the entire cavern, filled with near one hundred slabs of stone arranging into place to serve as tables and chairs, the ceiling was a little higher than the tunnel, so about 12 feet. At the center of the hall was a crumbling well, where the area got its name from, and on one of the sides was a small raised platform where some of the members would be making important announcements from time to time. Around the hall were also many entrances for other tunnels, reaching into different parts of the cavern. On one side stick a propaganda poster of the new supreme leader that they stole from the city, it was torn up and drew over as a pass time by some of the less-peaceful members. The hall was near-deserted, save for a score of her fellow cavern¡¯s members hanging about in the group. She looked around the room, searching for a tray of yesterday¡¯s dinner so she might have a few more bite for her breakfast, but the people who had woke up before her, which was likely most of them, had already taken it all. Lana rubbed her belly in disappointment and went for her task. The stack of stones was already mostly taken, leaving about ten of them inside the pot. Lana reached into the cauldron for one of the rock and turned it over, chiseled on it was ¡®foresting¡¯. Stuffing the stone into her pocket, Lana made for one of the tunnels, walking through it for a while and then turned for a short stair, dragging her bad leg up step by step. At the end of the stair was a peak of light, she squeezed through the hole and went into the outside world. Lana squirted her eyes as the shine of morning light hit her face, for she had emerged from a tunnel into a rocky mountainside. Though the surface inside of the cavern was the color of orangey-brown, the mountain itself was ash grey. The members had called the lone standing mountain ¡®Freedom Mount¡¯, which Wall said was another terrible name, but it seemed fine to her. Around the peak was a forest of the various trees with bleak green or red leaves, and at the other side was small stream of water which the member sometimes fished from. Lana turned to the opposite side of the rising sun; there, standing on the horizon was the dark towering wall of the city belonging to the tyrannical supreme leader. Inside of the concrete spire, Lana knew, was her sister, likely waking up from her bed the same time as her, and one day they would be reunited, at least that what she told herself. ¡°Soph, I miss you so much¡­¡± Lana found herself said, she also missed the rest of her family too, but not as much as the sister who had always been there for her. Lana often wondered if Sophia missed her as well, though a small part of her knew she wouldn¡¯t, as Lana was dead as far as she knew, somewhat wishfully, she liked to believe it was otherwise. Climbing down the non-steep side of the mountain, sliding in some part, crawling in other, she made her way down to the edge of the forest. Placing her feet steadily into the bleak soil below, she went for a set of baskets woven with dried leaves beneath the cliff. One of the old cavern¡¯s member was sitting there, guarding the fruits and herb they had gathered so far, but Lana did not greeted him for she couldn¡¯t muster the courage, so she went to grab one of the basket, slung it on her back and left, not speaking anything. ¡®Here I go.¡¯ She thought as she walked into the forest, trotting forward on a natural pathway through the sentinel of trees, plants, vines and even blooming flowers that decorated the bleak and desolate wasteland. Clinging between the branches was a tiny little bird who would give out a pretty sound when Lana approached before flying away. It was beautiful. For as long as she could remember, Lana had been taught that besides the farmland across the weeping rush her parents prowled on, the world outside the city¡¯s wall was inhabitable and toxic-ridden, but that couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. Yes, the soil her was bleaker than the city¡¯s, the air was very thick and she coughed on it from time to time, but overall, it was much better than she imagined it to be. Lana went deeper and deeper into the wood, as trees near the freedom mount were already all harvested for their fruit and there was none left. After maybe half an hour of trekking, Lana found an apple tree filled with ripe fruits hanging between ash green leaves. She slide the woven basket off her back and gently placed it below the branch, then stretching her arms and legs to avoid any cramp-like Sophia had taught her to always do, Lana pressed her good leg into the wooden surface, and lifted her body up and grabbed for the lowest branch. Pulling her weight upward and switched for her bad leg to allow herself to go further, Lana struggled for the stiff leg to fit into place. After she finally founded a foothold, Lana threw her body upward and swung her thighs to have a strong branch between them. After a good quick glance around, she reached out her hand and snatched a rich-red apple off a branch, pulling it off its stalk and let the fruit gently dropped into the basket. Then after she was sure that it had landed safely, she went for a second one, then the third and then the fourth¡­ This went on for a while, with Lana collecting the fruits of the tree, then climbing further up the branch and collecting more apples and dropped them all into her basket. She had foresting duty twice before, and she enjoyed it more than the other tasks. The forest here was filled with pretty flower and the breeze was airy not to mention comfortable at time. But probably the best part of this work was that she was able to climb a living tree. Inside the city, Sophia and her were only able to climb on walls of stone and metal, there were trees, but were few and all of them already dead, willow, dried up and twisted. But the many in this forest, though as bleak as the city¡¯s were alive and grew leaves of beautiful color. Lana let her hand brushed over the wooden layer; she could feel the life emitting from its surface, lush and bountiful. After she had plucked all of the ripped apples from this tree, Lana slid down from its branch, gasping and nearly cursed when she landed on her bad leg but managed to control herself to not let out any scream. Lana glanced at her basket; it was barely half-filled with apples, so as she slung it back on her back, she knew she still had a long way to go. For the rest of the day, Lana went through this part of the forest, gathering more fruits and plants to be cook into food for her fellow cavern¡¯s members. To her disappointment, Lana did not found any more fruit-filled tree like the first one, but she still managed to gather various items to fill her basket. She had found a few troops of mushroom, several handfuls of nut, wild carrots she had to dig it off the ground with her hands and a few more of fruits like oranges and berries. By the time the sun went near above her head, Lana was struggling to walk with the heavy basket on her back without, stumbling every time when she tried to shift the weight, so she decided it was best to go back to the meeting area. When she was back at the mountainside, the same member was still sitting in the same spot as Lana had seen him in the morning, but now he was joined in with the rest of the members with a foresting duty. They were resting together under the shade of wedging cliff to avoid the blazing sun with their own filled baskets beside each of them. There was also a member, walking around the site, handing out their lunch which came freshly from the cavern¡¯s kitchen. Lana sat at the far corner of the shade, too anxious to join in with the people whose name she did not even know. She took off her jacket, as Lana was sweating so much she was soaking her t-shirt, and then leaned on her basket as a way to make her break. The food was eventually given to her, a dozen or more pieces of biscuits, baked with dried berries and crushed nut. She stuffed a few into her pocket to save them for later then took a bite at the rest. She did not really like the taste, the berries were so sweet that it became tart and the nut was a little bit too bitter, but since it was better than rat¡¯s meat, so she did not complain. After she finished the last piece of biscuit, Lana reached into her basket and grabbed for a piece of apple. At first, she was shocked that the foresters were eating some of the fruits they gathered until one of them said it was okay to do so, and she picked up the practice soon enough afterward. Lana opened her mouth wide and bit into the juicy flesh of the fruits, letting its sour yet sweet nectar filled her throat and ran down her chest. It was too late when she noticed the worm crawling in the apple. Lana recoiled in disgust but did not release the apple as yet. The pink fat worm wriggled around frantically, as if trying to find a way to escape, just like the way all of those mice did as she tried to kill them¡­ And then the memory and sight of the execution pit flashed through the mind, she spat the half-chew flesh of apple onto the ground and tossed the worm-ridden fruit as far away from her as possible, letting it splat and rolled away on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡± She whispered to herself, shaken by traumatization, the sight of the decaying plain of flesh lingered in her eyes no matter how much she tried to blink it away ¡°That worm is no rat, and you aren¡¯t trying to hurt him¡­¡± That was when she noticed that the wormed apple had attracted a bird from the nearby branch in the forest, and it was now pecking into the flesh of fruit and worm alike. The sight alone lifted Lana¡¯s spirit, she took a closer look at the fowl, a tiny thing with orange and black feathers, its black eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Lana suddenly remembered a trick Wall once showed her when they were walking the forest together. She grabbed into her basket and brought out a few pieces of nut, crushed it between her tiny hands, and reached out the hand that was filled with the mix of shell and its inside. The tiny bird took notice of it, and after another pecked at the apple, the fowl spread its little wing and flew onto her palm, pecking into the shard. ¡®So cute¡­¡¯ Lana found herself thought as she saw the bird shifting around her hand, dipping its beak up and down to eat up the crushed nut on the palm of her hand. But as that was happening, by accident, the bird¡¯s peck missed the nut and landed straight down into her hand, piercing into her skin. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Lana exclaimed and flicked her hand around. The bird gave out a squeak and jumped off her hands as she did, pecking a few more nut shards on the ground and flown away into the forest. Lana sucked her palm, it was bleeding. The taste of blood reminded her of the rat she consumed, and she was shaking again. The outcast 2/3 Lana sucked her palm, it was bleeding. The taste of blood reminded her of the rat she consumed, and she was shaking again. ¡°You¡¯re alright?¡± A voice asked, and Lana turned to meet it. She was one of the members with foresting duty, Lana realized, a beautiful black hair teen of around 16 years, in her reaching hand was a canteen of water. Lana shook her head as a reply, so the girl grabbed for her wounded hand and washed it with water, then wiped any remaining blood with a piece of cloth she produced from her pocket. ¡°Thank¡­you.¡± Lana managed to say. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± The girl said and handed her the canteen, Lana nodded in thanks and took a sip of its content. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± The asked as she placed herself beside her. ¡°Lana¡­¡± She raised her eyebrow ¡°No new name yet?¡± Lana nodded. ¡°Mine¡¯s Light.¡± The girl told her as she stood back up ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± As Light walked back to her basket, Lana contemplated on the prospect of what she just said. It was a tradition of some sort for the new free caverners to pick a new name upon joining, in a way to symbolize their new life. Most had picked a meaningful word for name, while some took up the name of their lost loved one as their own, but the problem was that Lana did not know what her new name should be. She was thinking about calling herself after Soph, as a way to gain more courage by inhabiting her brave sister¡¯s name, but that would become very confusing when Sophia actually joined the cavern. The situation got to the point where some of the crueler boys had jokingly nicknamed her ¡®Lan the lame¡¯, and Wall told her to quickly pick a name soon, or otherwise she might be known as that even after her leg fully healed. When the lunch break passed, the time came the part of foresting duty that Lana liked to do slightly less, separating the forested good into a different pile. The members gathered around their load filled with fruit, vegetable, and herbs collected in the morning into one area and emptied the content into one big pile, then arranging them into their corresponded container. The work was tedious, picking up a few pieces of food at a time then dropped them into its basket without causing any type of damage, but it was made worse by the member''s constant chatting, however. With more than a dozen people in one place, a conversation was bound to happen, Lana knew. The speaking or even the noise in of itself wasn¡¯t really a problem, but it was because she wished to join in and to feel like being a part of this gathering of free people, but she just simply didn¡¯t have the self-confident nor the social skill she needed to do so, and knowing that fact pain her. As the task went on, Lana stooped down to grab for a cluster of berries and saw Light passed by with a few apples around her arms. Lana remembered that she did not give the girl who helped her back her water canteen, so after she dropped the fruit, she ran back to where she left it and mustered her courage. ¡®I can do this¡­¡¯ Lana thought, clutching onto the canteen with both hands. She had always been socially awkward, not fast tongue, brave and witty like her sister, she was more similar to her stuttering brother in that regard. But her inept of speaking with strangers had become much worse after her execution, but for why, she could not say. Lana gathered her determination and stepped forward. ¡°SCOUTTTT!!!!¡± A sound boomed from atop the mountain, where a watcher had been placed. The word echoed through the rocky range as everyone raised their head, including her. And Lana could saw it; a hovercraft on the horizon was heading toward their direction. Quickly, everybody around her bolted off to grab for any sign of their presence from basket to empty canteen to a pile of fruits and dragged them into the area under a wedging cliff, hidden from the scout¡¯s sight. Lana, also knowing what to do, went to help them, and afterward huddled beside her fellow members, hiding from the eyes of the coming hovercraft. Nobody spoke a word, but simply all listening for the flapping of the flying metal machine and waited for it to pass away without notice. As it flew overhead, Lana had a glimpse of it, a spinning blade spanning open like wings with giant solar guns under each. The sound didn¡¯t stop, but faded away in the opposite direction, meaning the scouts hadn¡¯t noticed the cavern members hiding under a Cliffside or the other in different duty. Lana gave a sigh of relief, which was joined in by the members around her. For a short moment, Lana felt like she was truly part of this family. Afterward, they all went back to sorting their good, which took the members around an hour and a half to finish. When that was all done, the foresters all picked up the now organized baskets and carried them inside. They squeezed themselves into the hole on the mountain and delivered to the storage room, where it would be used to cook tomorrow¡¯s meal and maybe the day after that. With all her foresting task done, Lana returned to the well hall, which was now bursting with members and activities, a few pit fire was lit to illuminate the large room as the sun outside was setting. Lana went for the pot and returned the chiseled stone, then found a lone table near a bonfire and took her seat. She rubbed her hands over the flame, as the temperature had greatly dropped again when it became dusk. Lana tried to glance around, hoping against hope that maybe Wall didn¡¯t go back to the city tonight, and he would be coming to sit with her. But despite her effort, she couldn¡¯t found the man who had saved her life and give her this place to call home, so she holds her hands together, praying for his safe return. ¡°There you are!¡± A voice that was not Wall called her, Lana turned to meet it and found Doc standing over her, a frown on his face. ¡°Good evening¡­Doc,¡± Lana said the name he picked for himself, a man of old age, his grey hair had fallen off and spotted was starting to form, but despite that he still looked strong and healthy, often had a warming smile to light up his patient¡¯s day. He was not smiling now though, a hint of distress could be seen on his face. ¡°You forgot to come by the ward to get your wound and leg check today.¡± He reminded her, though his expression had shifted to a strange sorrow. Lana gasped, she did forget ¡°S¡­sorry.¡± Doc waved her apology away and gave a few knocks on her bad leg ¡°It is healing better than I expected, a week or so and it should be back to normal. Not to mention, your face was a little bit less pale than yesterday, so you are definitely getting healthier.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Lana managed to say, after so long of pending up the emotion ¡°For healing me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Doc said and padded her on the head, though his usual smile did not return. He produced a bottle of pills from the medical bag he carried around with ¡°Here some more medicines. After you finished this bottle, you don¡¯t have to eat any anymore. Now if you excuse me¡­I had to prepare myself for something.¡± After a few minutes passed from Doc¡¯s leaving, there was a shout from one side of the hall, saying that dinner was ready. All the cavern¡¯s members stood up from their tables and went for the lifted stage, where the cooks had placed their large kettles and were handing out dinner in wooden bowls. Lana went to join the line that had formed; her mind actively anxious as two older people were squeezing from the front and the back. In the free cavern, there was no one near her in the matter of age, the youngest adult was the people around Light age of sixteen and some late fifteen, the oldest child was a seven years old boy named New, who had been born in the free cavern and had never entered the city once in his life. The line progressed on person by person till it reached Lana¡¯s turn. As she was given the bowl, she took a quick look at the content of the large kettles but was given a glare by Toad the main cook so she backed down. Regardless of that, the wrinkly woman poured a stew boiled with carrots, lectures, brown tiny mushrooms and a few silver of salted meat, the smell coming from it did not make her mouth watered, but it seemed to be tasty regardless. She was also given some more biscuits left from lunch by another member on cook duty. Lana gave both of them an awkward nodded in appreciation, and Toad waved her away so someone else could be served to. Lana returned to her original seat, and dug a spoon into her heated watery stew, trying to pay attention to the fact that she was sitting alone. She blew a small puff into the soup to cool it down and stuck it into her mouth, but then realized that the content was still too hot and gently spit it back into the spoon. After a few more times of blowing, she took it back in, and though not the greatest thing in the world, it beat most everything she had ever eat when she was still in the city. After a few more spoon of the soup, she grabbed for a biscuit and stuck it into her mouth, its taste as tart as last time, but the taste of her meal made it slightly better. Lana made a temporary stopped on her meal and raised her head to take a big look at the things around her. Judging from the numbers of people, three fourth of the members were in the hall, and even that, barely half of the room was filled, which shown that this was dug for a much bigger crowd of people. Unlike Lana, they sat in a group, sometimes in three, some in four, some in twenty. The biggest table was a big gathering of members around the age of 16-17, most of them female, but there were some males mixed in there too. There were familys eating together, friends eating together, even strangers eating together, and the atmosphere was filled with warmth and familiarity.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Lana dug the spoon into the stew and turned it around as a way to ease her mind ¡®This could be my home from now on¡­¡¯ Thought her ¡®The task is sometimes hard, but achievable, the food was decent, and even when we don¡¯t have any, at least we starve together. I could make this my life¡­¡¯ She was digging into the rest of her bowl when she noticed that the stage was removed with pot and bowl, and Doc was climbing up on the raised platform, his expression grimmer than ever. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Even with her eleven years old mind, Lana knew that this was not a good sign. ¡°Everyone, I did not wish to disturb your dinner, but I have some terrible news.¡± Doc started to say, though his voice was low, it managed to carry through the room. Behind him was the steward Thirteen, a man of forty who assigned the tasks for the members each day, his face was also grim just like Doc. Lana turned her head around, anxious about what to come; everyone had stopped eating and shifted their attention toward the raised platform. The older men of the cavern often received respect from the younger members due to their age and wisdom that came from said age. ¡°It pains me to say this¡­but our leader, the old Castrill, has sadly passed away.¡± There were only a few people who did gasp, Lana not included. Their 70 years old leader had been bed ridden for a better part of the year, as Wall once told her, and she had also overheard other members speaking that sooner or later, he would succumb to his illness. Lana simply felt a small hollow in her heart, reserve for knowing that a fellow human being had ceased to live. ¡°For many months, I had tried to save our wise leader, but I afraid my skill nor our medical equipment are simply not enough.¡± Doc said, his voice had a small crack to it like he was partly blaming himself ¡°The best thing we can all do now is to pray for him and cherished his memory.¡± Lana couldn¡¯t do the second one, so she raised her hands into a prayer, her rusty coin between her palms to give courage. But as she started praying, she realized that she had nothing no said about the old man, good or bad, she barely knew him, after all. Lana felt ashamed of herself. The rest of the dinner went on in silence, at least as silent as she had seen the members being, the group of teens was still chatting though, strangely. The stew¡¯s taste had gone bitter in her mouth, so after Lana ate her bitter pills; she picked up the wooden bowl and handed back to Toad, then went for the elevator and descended back down to her stone room. As Lana continued her nightly routine of scraping the rust away from her coin, she tried to light up her mood by musing why she would insist on picking a room that could fit two people deep into the cavern, when there were much smaller one which was higher and easier to take care off. As she tugged away from the coin, she gazed on a slab of stone that could be used for a second bed. Lana went to sleep on the stone bed with a longing look on her face. The next morning went on like the last one; she got up from her nightmare, ate a pill, walks through the tunnel, went up with the lift, with a few members helping this time, and then entered the well hall. The yesterday¡¯s leftover was still left intact, unlike the day before, so Lana scooped up some of the reheated stew into a wooden bowl and slurped it down to give her recovering body some nutrients before she went to pick up her task. ¡®Take care of equipment¡¯ the stone read with a tiny letter squeezed in to fit all of the words. Lana gave out a slight sigh; it¡¯s going to be a boring day. Lana entered into a different tunnel, then circling up a staircase that carved into the mountain; her bad leg was near a simple bother. Lana had remembered Wall once told her that this cavern was once a mine, but now abandoned after all of the gold and jewels mined away and the only thing left was rock and stone, so leader Castrill formed a secret colony here as a hidden haven for the oppressed people. At the end of the steps and out of breath, Lana arrived at the armory, where taking care of everything in it was her task for the day. Lana lowered her head to entered the room, on one side was twelve solar guns lying messily on one side, eight of them looked bland-new, a few suits of padded armors fit for a guard, a collection of daggers and a few more things like axes and clubs that the members crafted for themselves. Hiding on the corner was a neat stack and stack of something, covered by a sheet of dark fabric Lana told not to touch or even peeked under. Lana got to work by checking the solar guns and discovered that it had run out of any charges, so she scooped two up at a time, for they were very heavy. She carried them down the steps and went out onto the cliffside, halfway up the mountain. The light of the sun shone at her face as she left into the outside world where she stood on a natural stone platform large enough to fit a few people. There she laid down the guns onto the ground and in the open, making sure its solar panel rose up the correct way, and then returned to the armory to do the same with the other ten. After she finished the many trips, she returned to the armory and arranged up the weapons into orderly rows, cleaning some if need be and polished them up into better quality. Afterward, she went for the guard armors. Lana had once seen a guard shot by his own laser gun by a thief who stole it from him and had always wondered how much their armor could actually protect them. She had a sudden urge to try pressing a dagger into the padded surface but decided against it as she might accidentally damage the equipment. After Lana finished taking care of half of the equipment, she decided to check on the solar guns. To her surprise, it was already fully charged by the two or three hours that had she had left it. Lana grabbed up one of them and polished it with oiled cloth, running the fabric through its trigger, making sure not to fire it accidentally, then ran it through its muzzle, grip, and reloader, trying her best to make it to look as genuine as possible so it might pass off as a real one on Wall and other like him¡¯s foraging. As she went on to the rest of the gun, Lana glanced down from the cliff, where rather beautiful views of the cavern and its members going on their task. From atop the mountain, she spied members going on the task she did yesterday, she saw some with an axe chopping a different part of the wood so it could be put to use, like as fuel for fire, or even some weapons and defense, there was also a lone fisher trying to catch a trout in the stream with a sharpened stick and a handwoven net, she didn¡¯t seem to be having any luck though. Lana turned around to look for more. Deep into the cavern, she knew a lot more members were working on their own separate tasks to keep the colony alive, there were cooks working on food, members who harvest and grew wheat and barley inside the cave as to not attract any scout, men with pickaxe who cut stone into slab and expand the cavern, and steward who kept the activity active every single day. But Lana didn¡¯t felt like she was a part of them¡­ At the corner of her eyes, she saw a group of members not on task, with shovels in hands. They were digging a hole into the hard grey soil around the cliffside, next to them laid something wrapped in cloth, with a man she assumed was the steward Thirteen kneeling next to it, saying something to the wrap that she could not seem to make of. A sudden realization hit her; they were burying the old Castrill. As Lana observed the steward lowered the wrapped body of the deceased leader into the newly-dug hole, he whispered something to it, grabbed the shovel from the surrounding members and buried the dead man himself. Lana had little memory of the old cavern leader, she once received the task of taking care of the man, washing his body, bringing him food and cleaning his room. When he was not asleep, the old Castrill had spoken to her the entire time, though most of it delusionally. He asked for his brother and his young nephew, saying that he was sorry but also glad he left them, and he would always be called her ¡®Adola¡¯ then spoke something about how she needed to be a good wife to someone he did not speak of. When Lana finally mustered up her courage to ask the steward about these peoples whom the bed-ridden man spoke of, Thirteen shook his head in response, saying he had no ideas either. The ceremony she gazed passed, and everyone left the area like nothing ever happened. No sad orchestra, no weeping, no parade, no nothing. Lana returned to the task at her hand. After she finished polishing the last of the guns, she contemplated how hard it was going to be to march them all back to the armory. That was when a strange and unusual curiosity hit her, she looked at the trigger of the solar gun in her hand, then the barrel. She was always wished to know how this thing works¡­ ¡®Am I really doing this?¡¯ Lana thought as she adjusted the weapon that she had seen many people killed by, letting one of her left hand on the trigger while the other on its side, her elbow clutching on its end. The gun was obviously designed to behold by someone with a bigger size, but she still managed to hold it all the same. Lana let her fingers brushed the trigger, the scar on her shoulder throbbed wildly from the memory of pain. The solar gun fired suddenly, the recoil pushed Lana off her seat, making her fall flat onto the ground and spinning the gun in a different direction. Lana spat some of the dust in her mouth as she tried to get up when there was a hand reached out to help her got back up. ¡°You really need to work on your¡­well, everything on using a gun, really.¡± The voice said. Lana raised her head, and for a moment, her heart lightened ¡°Wall! You came back safe¡­¡± He raised one of his eyebrows ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be? I have been doing this for 8 years now, Lana. It will take something bigger than stealing to kill me.¡± Wall pulled her off the floor and took a seat beside her. He was still wearing the cloth he wore yesterday, the same locket dangling from around his neck. ¡°So, how¡¯re you been?¡± Wall asked. Lana shuffled in her seat ¡°Fine, I guess¡­¡± ¡°¡¯ Fine¡¯ is the answer of a person that has nothing to say, Lana.¡± He told her ¡°But I guess that is the best I can get from you.¡± Lana nodded, but Wall shook his head ¡°I know this is hard for you, but you need to open up, and fast, I can¡¯t babysit you forever.¡± When he didn¡¯t get her response, he sighed and changed the subject ¡°I heard that the leader Castrill passed away last night.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true...¡± Lana told him, and realized that Wall was likely distressed that he had gone away that very night. She shifted her seat toward Wall, and found him gazing into his opened locket, the way he often did when he was in deep thought. Lana once had an urge to ask Wall what was in it, as he seemed to care about what inside very much. But shortly afterward she realized that she would be intruding into his life if she did so, and backed down. After a moment, he closed his locket ¡°There¡¯s gonna be an election tonight.¡± ¡°Ee-lect-sion?¡± Lana asked, the word was strange to her. ¡°A picking of new leader.¡± Wall explained ¡°But we will all vote on any members, and the one who got the most votes win. It was in the old Castrill¡¯s will.¡± Lana nodded, this election seemed odd, but it just might work. Lana remembered Sophia saying that letting people voiced their opinion was what was lacking in the city, this might be what she was looking for. The thought of her sister made her felt longing again. ¡°Who¡­do you think will win?¡± Lana managed to ask. Wall grimaced ¡°My guess is the old steward, though the Robin girl had been gaining in popularity, but she was only here for a year and not to mention way too young.¡± ¡°You should be the new leader.¡± Lana found herself said. Not only did Wall have saved her life, but he even went out of his way to befriend and take care of her as well. Though his brutal honesty had really shaken her from time to time, he was the only friend Lana had here. Wall seemed to find that amusing and gave out a chuckle ¡°I¡¯m but a thief, Lana, stealing away into the night, looting resources for the cavern. I am not fit to be a leader.¡± He stood from his seat, and before taking his leave, said ¡°Vote for Thirteen, he¡¯s here for more than half his life, and had been managing the cavern for Castrill even since he became bed-ridden. He is the one who will keep the colony the way it is.¡± The outcast 3/3 The rest of the morning Lana spent on carrying the guns backed up into the armory with many circuits. In the room, she also discovered an extra set of armor, a gun, and a dagger, arrange and clean to fit in the same way as the one she already took care of. For a short moment and a first time in a while, a hint of a smile formed on her lip. Afterward, Lana made her way down onto the well hall, since the cook wouldn¡¯t be delivering her food to the armory due to her task being for her alone. As she entered the large cavern, there were a few people around already, so she went to the head cook Toad where she stood with trey below the platform, the old lady handed Lana a piece of bread for her lunch. But as Lana bit into her meal, she reached into a slice of ham hiding inside the bread. The meat was slightly salty, but it was still delicious and also strange as well. The cavern only had chicken, and only kept them for their eggs, not to mention she had not heard of anyone capturing a wild hog of this past week, so to have pork in her dough was very peculiar. Toad saw Lana¡¯s puzzlement and smiled ¡°Courtesy of our Wall.¡± After Lana took her final bite of the tasty bread of ham, she returned to her task, tidying up the armory and polishing any more equipment she hadn¡¯t cleaned yet. It was near the break of dusk when she returned to the hall once again. Tonight, Lana sat with Wall, along with a few of his friends around his age. The situation made Lana very uncomfortable, but at least she got a friend sitting next to her. She spied the supreme leader¡¯s poster at the end of the room; a ball of dirt had been smeared on his face today, and she hoped she had the courage the person who did it had. The dinner was simple but plentiful; a few slices of ham, boiled eggs, and chopped herb. Lana dined quietly, slicing up her food into pieces and stuffing her mouths with them all together. Wall rarely chatted with his friends, as if they were waiting for something, though he did from time to time made an attempt to converse with her, the attempt that she tried her best to respond, but without much progress. ¡°Look,¡± Wall said when they were near halfway done on their meal, pointing to one of the large tables ¡°That¡¯s Robin, the one I told you about.¡± Lana turned toward the direction; sitting at the very front of the table was a teenage girl of about sixteen to seventeen years, which surprised her because when Wall said she was too young, she wasn¡¯t expected her to be this young. The girl Lana assumed was Robin¡¯s lock of hazelnut colored and well-combed hair was tied into a short ponytail, and though her face normal looking, there was something in it that captivated anyone who as much glanced at it, like a sort of mysterious charm in a way. She wore a simple yet outstanding outfit, consisting of an unfaded grey t-shirt, a thin black jacket with orange slash going through the fabric and hoodie attached to the back, came with them a loose legging and a pair of warmed boots, a sharp dagger slung from her belt, sheathed in leather holder. She was chatting with the members around her tables, which seemed to be all around her age, and self-confident seemed to as if radiated from the way her face moved and in her strange mismatched eyes. ¡°And see the two boys next to her?¡± Wall continued and turned his hand ¡°The right¡¯s Jacob, the pale one in the left is Marah.¡± Lana nodded and followed Wall¡¯s pointing finger, boarding the girl was two teenagers who could not be more different. The right had short black hair, solemn and handsome, cladded in an only dark vest and a tight pair of jeans. His body was more than well-muscles and could probably bend a band of metal with his bare hands. His gaze was fixing around the people on the table, especially Robin who was next to him, not speaking but simply observing and protecting, in a way. The left boy had a wavy and ashy blond hair, his handsome face decorated with an easy smile and sharp eyes, and though his body was made of thick build, he didn¡¯t seem to be as strong as the right. His clothing consisted of a cream color coat and bottom-up shirt, his sagged pant buckled with a simple leather belt. The most peculiar thing about him was his skin though, it was near as pale as milk like the color was sucked out of him. The left boy was chatting to Robin, making her laughed through some jokes Lana couldn¡¯t heard. The two pretty boys sitting next to the girl was as different as night and day and sort of look like it too, contrasting each other like white and black. They were both handsome though, that much Lana could saw clearly. After all of the members finished their food, the time had come for the election. One of them brought out a bucket filled with light grey stones from deep in the mine and handed them out to everyone, making sure each member had one and only one piece. When every singles people had it, the bucket was emptied onto the floor and crushed into tiny pieces as a way of avoiding any sneaky business. ¡°Free caverner!¡± Doc said from the raised platform, a stone clutching in his palm ¡°As you all sadly know, our old leader has passed away. But life carries on, and so does this cavern, so we must have a new leader.¡± ¡°Unlike in the city we had all escaped from, however, it is not the duty of the last leader, but of all of us to pick the successor worthy of the old Castrill. You may vote for anyone you want, yourself, your friend, me, the stranger who you have never had spoken with before but secretly admire, anyone you wish. But know that our future is in our hands.¡± At the end of Doc¡¯s speech, the hall burst into chatting, some produced a dagger to chiseled their vote immediately, but many more waited to see if anything would happen before the voting closed. Lana clutched on her rusty coin, praying for god, then Sophia to give her courage. ¡°Everyone, may I have your attention.¡± The steward Thirteen spoke and stood up, everyone fell into silence when he did, listening on what he had to say ¡°I have heard that some people wish for me to be the new leader, so I believe I have something to say regarding the matter¡­¡± And so he did, Thirteen spoke of the duty he did every day, arranging tasks for every members, calculating food stock and keeping the cavern alive and its member as content as possible. The steward described how he became a member since he was barely a teen, escaping from the city with the rag on his back and nothing else, how he won the trust from the old leader and became the man¡¯s trusted friend. He spoke that, if the duty of being a new leader did fall into his hand, everything would likely remain the same, and if there were members who did not like that, he would not hold anything against them.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°But if you pick me¡­¡± He said to finish his speech ¡°I will try my best to keep this place the way it has always been, a home far from home, where we are all free.¡± A small uproar of clapping rise across the hall as the steward lowered down back to his seat, where he received several pats on the back from the people sharing his table. ¡°A man of experience and not to mention unambitious. We cannot have a better leader than that!¡± One of Wall¡¯s friends declared, and Lana could saw Wall nodding to it. And Lana supposed that was reasonable to assume. ¡°Members of the free cavern!¡± A voice went across the room, silencing other sound and turning the attention to the speaker, Lana did the same. It was Marah, who had stood up from his stone chair. ¡°Though I do like our old steward, surely we know that his duty will always remain the same, becoming leader or no, only he would have a ton less work on a former case.¡± Marah said to the members, his voice had a friendliness in him but a hidden edge as well, his way of speech was refined and Lana felt a strangely captivated from listening to him ¡°Surely, wouldn¡¯t it be better use of this rare opportunity to lead the cavern to a new direction?¡± ¡°Are you recommending yourself, Marah?¡± Some asked from inside the hall. ¡°A man who cannot bear even the sun cannot bear such a burden.¡± He said calmly, though Lana did not know what that meant ¡°But a better man, a better woman rather, is sitting next to me.¡± All gaze shifted to Robin, who smiled and gave Marah a peck on the cheek before he continued. ¡°She may be only here for less than a year, but Robin had proven herself to be a capable member.¡± Marah went on, a small smile was on his lip ¡°She can think for herself, she can take intuitive, she can fight, and she can lead.¡± ¡°Just a few days ago she brought us back a large amount of weaponry.¡± Jacob joined in, still seated, his tone loud and commanding. ¡°You mean the thieving in broad daylight which led to one member death?¡± Wall muttered sarcastically under his breath, but Lana could hear it all the same. But her gaze was still fixed at Robin, who was giving Jacob a peck on the cheek as a thank. ¡®Wait¡¯ a small thought formed in her head ¡®You¡¯re not supposed to be kissing two boys at the same time¡­¡¯ ¡°So this is what I had to say, members of the free caverns.¡± Marah returned to his seat ¡°You can pick Thirteen and keep things the way it is, or lets my girl Robin lead us to the brighter future.¡± There was a large uproar after that, big part of it coming from the table around Robin¡¯s, nearly as loud as one followed the old steward. Wall turned to speak with his friend, muttering grimly to each other. The hall waited for any more recommendation, but none come, so the voting officially started. Wall handed Lana his knife by the handle after he finished chiseling his ¡°Choose wisely¡± He said and smiled, and she nodded to that. One by one, the members stood up, and placed their stone onto the foot of the raised platform, and slowly it piled up like a growing little mountain. When the last vote was placed, some of the designated members scooped up the stones and split into separate piles then count them. Some had one to two some had about ten; there were two piles that was near as big as each other. ¡°Now lets us see the vote.¡± Doc said as he climbed up on to the platform ¡°There are one for Donal, two for Oak, one for Glass, four for Jacob, and I see about ten who want me to be the new leader for some reason, and one for Wall.¡± Wall turned to face Lana when his name was called, anxiety flushed over her as she waited for his response. But to her delight, he gave her a warm smile before he returned to the announcing. Doc made his way to the two biggest piles, where a member whispered something into his ears ¡°And it seems that Thirteen and Robin are tied at sixty-one votes each.¡± Several muttered of confusion rose around the room, as both members in question and their supporters made their way up to the platform, facing each other in an intense stare. ¡°How should we decide this, Thirteen.¡± Robin spoke for the first time; her voice was sweet and also filled with determination and humor ¡°A hand-to-hand fight? A second voting? Shared leadership? Said it.¡± ¡°There is no need for none of that.¡± Jacob said with a growl, his eyes turned toward the rest of the members ¡°The vote piled up to 141, but there is 142 of us. Meaning, someone hadn¡¯t voted yet.¡± ¡°Aye¡± The steward replied with a warm smile, his hand reached into his pocket and produced a stone ¡°And as it happens that someone is me.¡± Confusion erupted across the hall, some members were shouting, some became utterly silent, but all of it ended when Thirteen chiseled something on his vote and threw it into the pile¡­Robin¡¯s pile. The old steward turned to meet the young girl¡¯s face ¡°I entrust our future to you, Robin.¡± Chaos turned into an uproar as the hall became filled with cheer for their new girl leader, with nearly all the members joining in the chants. Lana had half a mind to do the same, to feel like a part of something, but the other half forced her not to. ¡°Win without saying a single word, what had we come into?¡± Wall muttered, and she wasn¡¯t sure what to make of that. After Thirteen and his friends took his leave from the stage, Robin turned to address her new followers, the grim Jacob on her right, the pale and smiling Marah on her left. ¡°Well¡­I guess you all are expecting a victory speech¡­¡± Robin said as she clutched her hands together, her tone had a small hint of happiness in it ¡°But I don¡¯t really have any planned.¡± ¡°I could almost remember the day I come here like it was just yesterday...¡± She started to say ¡°It has been about a year ago, I think, I escaped from the clutch of the city with a few friends, in a promise of freedom and a better life, and this place had those¡­but just not the types I expected.¡± ¡°Sure, I wasn¡¯t in a constant state of being oppressed anymore, and now I can sneeze whenever I want without being arrested by the menacing guard. It is certainly a better life here, but tells me, what freedom do we actually have?¡± Robin spread her hand ¡°Look around you, my brothers and sisters, and say with confidence that we are truly free. Free to live under the fear of scout? Free to wither away in this cave? Free to be buried when your life fade away?¡± ¡°At least we live free,¡± Wall muttered, but a hint of doubt had crept into Lana¡¯s heart. Robin reminded her of Sophia, making speech and being brave. ¡°I cannot accept that, I will not accept that. So it is time for some changes, no longer shall we be hidden, now we must let the supreme leader known of our existence, and liberate our fellow commons! We shall become¡­a resistance!¡± As the word went across the hall, members took up the chant. Some shout ¡°Robin!¡± some shout ¡°Resistance!¡± But one thing for sure was that all of them were shouting, and the cavern had never before seemed so energetic or so alive for something. ¡°Bloody hell, this bitch gonna kill us all,¡± Wall said out loud when he saw some of his friends were taking up the shout as well. When the cry died down, he stood up in defiance and asked: ¡°And how do you intend to accomplish that!?¡± ¡°First¡­¡± Robin drew her dagger, and with a gracious movement threw it across the room. For a moment, Lana was graved afraid that she was aiming for Wall, but it soared across the air like a bird of prey and stabbed into the supreme leader¡¯s forehead across the room. ¡°¡­we must increase our numbers.¡± The supreme leader 1/2 The day was sunny and cloudless; and it made Gorbach pitied the thousands of teens gathering over the plaza, for they would likely be baked by the shining sun for the entire ceremony. All while their supreme leader sat in a shade of the gate castle, sipping a glass of wine and resting his behind on his ornate cushioned chair. Gorbach shifted his black trench coat to make his sitting more comfortable and then contemplated his current position. He was seated over the large balcony, alone at the very front but royal guards standing by both sides; behind him was a row of similar seats, ranking by the importance of their position. Directly behind him were his council members, the three old lords and then Howland, whose seat was empty. Behind them seated their relatives, Lord Rubos¡¯s eight years old son and wife, Lord Corlius¡¯s nine offsprings along with his young fourth wife, next to all of them was the homely Jaque Machina, whose belly was steadily growing, then Lord Ptis¡¯s nobody, since he had no children nor wife. Behind them, all were the less ornate seats of other nobles, all cladded in their best finery, in attendants with their supreme leader to watch the ceremony commenced. Most of their seats were empty, for they preferred to socialize and dined on the luxurious food that was cooked by the servants in the royal kitchen and served all along the side of the hall instead of simply sat and waited. As Gorbach glanced down into the plaza below, watching as guards arranged a thousand of recruits into their spot, he took a sip from his wine goblet but found it empty. He was about to hand it to a servant to have it refilled when Sophia snatched the glass from his hand. ¡°Here, I will get it for you.¡± She told Gorbach, her other hand holded an empty platter ¡°I¡¯m going to get some more food for myself too anyway.¡± ¡°Fill mine too, if that the case.¡± Lord Ptis told Sophia and handed her his own empty glass ¡°2980 red, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Sophia ignored the lord and spun away, striding deep into the hall. So Ptis handed the glass to a passing servant instead, a small humorous smile formed on his face. ¡°The girl is growing more and more defiant every day.¡± Lord Corlius observed, openly and quite rudely ¡°She will benefit from a good spanking.¡± Gorbach frowned at that ¡°She is simply retaliating against us, my lord.¡± He explained, ¡°I¡¯m sure she will get better after a while.¡± ¡°But still¡­¡± ¡°Do not worry.¡± Gorbach tried to defuse the situation ¡°I am having her educated on our history. She will open up in time, and make an excellent advisor as well.¡± Of course, Sophia was actually educating herself on that, but there was no need to mention that. ¡°Very well then, the supreme leader.¡± Lord Corlius said, his voice still had some defiant, but less now, so that should suffice. Then as Gorbach was about to return to watching the gathering of his people, the bald man spoke up once again. ¡°Supreme leader, it has come to our attention that you do not have an heir of your body.¡± ¡°I am the last of my line,¡± Gorbach told him, putting a dismissive tone into his voice to cut away the conversation, the hint that his advisors did not seem to get. ¡°Having a designated heir stabilize your rule, your leadership.¡± Lord Rubos joined in ¡°You must marry and sire a child at once.¡± ¡®And then you can assassinate me and rule through my child.¡¯ Gorbach thought, quite bitterly, it was always the possibility. ¡°I have five daughters, four of them riped for marriage.¡± Corlius told Gorbach and waved his hand behind him ¡°Your leadership can take a look at them if you like.¡± Gorbach turned to meet them, Lord Corlius¡¯s girls blushed prettily when he met their eyes, even the one who was but nine years old. All had shared their father dim grey eyes, though luckily not his baldness. That much, Gorbach could said about them. ¡°I shall take it into consideration.¡± He promised them, it was the best he could give, avoiding the subject as much as possible. ¡°As the supreme leader said,¡± Corlius replied, though, from his voice, Gorbach knew he was expecting more than that. Sophia chose that moment to return, which Gorbach couldn¡¯t be more glad of. She handed him his refilled glass, and then after noticeably avoiding lord Ptis, returned to her seat with a plate of modest food, sitting down on the fourth row. Gorbach sniffed, with Sophia¡¯s new position, she should be seated on the same level as his other advisors, but they raised concerned over that so much so that he had no choice but to have her sit two rows down, according to Howland¡¯s advice that he should probably stop favoring Sophia too much, or it would anger the other advisors. Gorbach took another glance at the ceremony¡¯s preparation and saw that it had barely moved. He gave out a sigh and rose from his seat ¡°I¡¯m going for a stroll.¡± He declared. Sophia eyed him, slightly annoyed as he passed by ¡°Just after I grab something for you, you decide to move yourself?¡± Gorbach let himself smiled ¡°I have my own leave to go.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. He strode away to take a breath of air from all of the politics, which though was important, he sometimes found it quite troublesome. In any case, he would very much like a break from his work as a supreme leader. Gorbach took a moment to observed his surroundings, nobles were chattering and eating their food, that one remained the same, all of them stopped to bow when he passed by, but what interested him was the hall they were all in though. A lace carpet of vivid lining laid upon the floor, and all along the polished stone wall hung tapestries of the previous supreme leader¡¯s deed, with his father¡¯s unsurprisingly missing. The hall was on the top floor of the gate castle, used once per year just for this picking ceremony. Gorbach had remembered that the last few days were filled with servants running around the stronghold¡¯s storage and kitchen to make this all possible. ¡®Mayhap a praise was in order.¡¯ He mused and he made himself off with a plate of olives and slices of roasted ham ¡®Ten points for every servant perhaps, I had to speak of it to the head servant about it.¡¯ Gorbach took a quick glance around the hall ¡®There they are.¡¯ The royal guards who always accompanied him were standing the side of the wall, still as stone and solar guns in hands. ¡°Here,¡± He said as he approached them, handing the two the plate ¡°You can have it.¡± They glanced at each other, not knowing what to do. ¡°Have it.¡± Gorbach repeated himself, in a tone too hard than he intended ¡°Your supreme leader commanded it.¡± They nodded stiffly and took the plate, so he took his leave ¡®That¡¯s a decent enough start.¡¯ After he left the two royals guard to their own work, he still had some more time before the ceremony started. So when he noticed a pair of familiar young nobles chatting nearby, he decided to go and greeted them. ¡°Fill, Leaf.¡± He called them when he closed by. One of them turned to meet Gorbach, a small smile on her lips ¡°Gorbach¡± she called his name ¡°Or should it be your leadership now?¡± ¡°Gorbach is fine.¡± He told her. The other person turned, his dim grey eyes sparkled with mischief ¡°What¡¯s the ideas, not bothering to talk to us for the pass month or so.¡± Gorbach shrugged ¡°I had been busy of late, ruling and all that.¡± ¡°In any case, we are all here now.¡± Leaf said, ¡°So a catching up seemed to be in order.¡± Gorbach smiled ¡°I suppose it is.¡± Beside of Howland, these two were the only true friends he had in the last stronghold. One was Fillius, or Fill, as to reduce the seriousness of his name, a man of Gorbach¡¯s age with non-muscular built and short light hair; his smiling and unserious face contradicted his neat outfit of suit and tie, linen with gold. The second was a woman of twenty-two, closer to his sister age if she was alive till this day than his own, her long auburn hair was partly dyed green and braid to let it slide over her shoulder, she also dressed in the same color of orange and light green gown, enchanted with emerald and fire opal jewelry, her face decorated with light makeup. ¡°You are looking very sharp, impressive someone?¡± Leaf complimented him, her real name was Churchier Twotower, but since the color of her hair was similar to autumn leaves in the front garden and the forest far away from the city wall, his sister nicknamed her that, and it had stuck with her ever since. ¡°If you called all of the nobles population ¡®someone¡¯, then sure.¡± Gorbach gave out a sigh; he often found distaste in putting on a uniform to simply look proper when he needed to be a supreme leader. Sometimes he wished he could attend to his business in t-shirt and jeans. ¡°Is my lord father bothering you again?¡± Fillius Rivergate, the second son of lord Corlius asked. Gorbach gave him a powerless shrugged ¡°Just another marriage proposal, so nothing worse than usual.¡± ¡°Do not be concerned; he should be dead by 20 years.¡± Fill told him with a joking smile ¡°And then it will be my older brother who will be bothering you.¡± Gorbach gave out a soft chuckle, only Fillius could make that sort of jest, and that was what Gorbach found fun about him. Leaf had taken it differently, however, she frowned for a moment and turned to address him ¡°Why haven¡¯t you just tell them that you did not wish to marry?¡± ¡°Because that is simply political suicide¡± Gorbach complaint to her ¡°Speaking of marriage, where is your husband, I haven¡¯t seen him yet.¡± Leaf puffed up in sudden annoyance ¡°Still in bed if I remember correctly. He is whining and being a brat again.¡± Fillius started to break into a fit of laughter ¡°Did he wet the bed like last time again?¡± ¡°Thankfully, no.¡± She answered grimly and turned to face Gorbach ¡°I am still mad about this forced marriage, Gorbach. Sure, I¡¯m fine with marrying greybeard, at least they knew how to treat women and is going die anyway, but why did I have to marry a fucking eight years old!?¡± ¡°He is the last of his line, preserving his family is a must.¡± Gorbach told her with a shrug ¡°Besides, it was my father who planned your unwanted marriage, so take it up with him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s already dead.¡± Leaf pointed out. ¡°I was meaning to visit his tomb later this week; You can come with me if you want.¡± ¡°Shitting on his tomb you mean.¡± Fill added, grinning. ¡°I hated my father, but not that much.¡± Gorbach countered back with a small smile. ¡°Fillius¡± Leaf told him, her hand on her shaking face ¡°Your banter is likely the worst traits of you.¡± ¡°It depends on the matter of perspective, woman. At least I¡¯m not stuck in a loveless marriage with a little boy.¡± Leaf¡¯s faces redden ¡°You try sharing a bed with twelve years old for a few years and you will see how I feel.¡± ¡°Woman, a girl that age is cute and cuddly, the predicament with your boy is likely much worst.¡± ¡°You rotten¡­¡± ¡°Both of you, in the name of the supreme leader, stop!¡± Gorbach broke their discussion as he felt like it was going into a very unlawful direction, and also the fact that Fill rarely knew what he was actually talking about. Having friends was troublesome from time to time, but Gorbach let himself a faded smile, it was worth it, mostly. ¡°Gorbach¡± A different person called him, when he turned to meet the voice, he found that it was Sophia, coming toward his direction ¡°The ceremony is going to start soon.¡± ¡°Did the other advisors send you to fetch me?¡± Gorbach asked, slightly curious. ¡°I sent myself.¡± She replied, closing in to the three. Then suddenly, something flashed by his eyes and a moment later, Fill was crouching over Sophia, his hands stretching her cheeks, his eyes staring intensely and a smile of pure joy on his face. ¡°You¡¯re so cute!¡± Fillius exclaimed, moving his hands side by side, pulling Sophia¡¯s face with it, all the while screaming in slight agony. She tried to tell him to release her, but when he didn¡¯t, Sophia kicked him in the groin and finally, he backed away. ¡°You know¡­¡± Leaf started to say, as they watched Fill holding on to a spot between his legs and Sophia laughing at him for it ¡°When I heard that you make this girl into your constant companion, I was confused as to why. But now that I had a good look at her, I finally know.¡± Gorbach simply nodded. After a short moment, Sophia managed to contain herself ¡°You should go back right about now, Gorbach.¡± ¡°It would seem so.¡± He told her then shifted to his two friends ¡°Duty call.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good catching up, I suppose.¡± Leaf responded. ¡°Smell you later then, supreme Gorber.¡± Fill said, and with another sigh from Leaf, they parted away. ¡°Another of your friends?¡± Sophia asked after they were alone. ¡°The last two¡± Gorbach responded, ¡°Let¡¯s move then, it seems that I must attend to my business.¡± The supreme leader 2/2 Gorbach slid his arm into Sophia¡¯s, as in the tradition of noble and they walked back to the balcony once again. His little advisor was dressed in a gown that was cut specifically for her that day; a cross of white and blue waving pattern, with the fabric fitting her around the chest into a pattern of flowers, its long sleeves reached passed her hands. The frill all around the gown once was also decorated with baby pearls that rattled every time she walked, but Sophia had ripped them all off piece by piece, before announcing it was perfect. ¡°You have been very disrespectful to the other advisors of late.¡± Gorbach pointed out, his tone more curious than scolding. ¡°It is fun to rile them up.¡± Sophia spoke with the voice as innocent as a thirteen years old, but the confident of one as well ¡°Especially the bald lord, he always twitched when I as much speak up.¡± Gorbach allowed himself a smile, though he found little enjoyment from his advisor¡¯s suffering, it brought a small joy into his heart to see Sophia acting this way ¡°Some say that you are being stupid, but some will say that it is very brave.¡± ¡°My sister always said I am a very soul of bravery,¡± Sophia mentioned, she still often mentioned her dead sister, even though she had seemed to already pass on. ¡°And is it true?¡± He asked back. She shrugged ¡°I think I¡¯m just stubborn and always lets my temper got the best of me.¡± ¡®She is still a kid after all.¡¯ Gorbach thought, he had always treated her the same way as he treated his other friends, so he didn¡¯t often realize that fact. He snatched up a single ball of grape from the nearby table and flicked it into his mouth, then turned to meet his little advisor. ¡°How is your life here so far?¡± Gorbach asked. Sophia stopped to think for a moment, and then frowned ¡°Fine, I guess. The food is too good for my common¡¯s taste but living here is more comfortable than my old life to be sure. Between studying histories in the stronghold¡¯s archieve, reading the book you left me and chatting with you, I have little time to do much else.¡± Gorbach found something missing in Sophia¡¯s routine ¡°I had noticed that I am the only friend you have in the Last Stronghold. If you wish, I can arrange for some noble girls your age to accompany you¡­¡± Sophia raised her eyebrow ¡°Why should I wish to hang around spoiled girls who know not a single day of hardship?¡± That took him by surprise ¡°Surely you did not believe that every noble had the personalities that are similar to my advisors.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that bias.¡± Sophia snapped back, so Gorbach knew that she was still a little bias after all ¡°There is some exception, like you for example, but I just believe that living with all this useless finery ruined a person.¡± Gorbach sighed, he forgot that he was talking to an especially stubborn child for a moment ¡°Most of us are not all mustache-twirling degenerated, if you believe it or not, try opening up once in a while.¡± ¡°I only promise that I¡¯ll try.¡± Gorbach gave a grim nodded ¡®That is the least I can hope.¡¯ After a moment, the two were back at the balcony, Sophia separated from him returned to her chair, so Gorbach adjusted his clothing and took his seat cushioned seat once again, crossing his legs so he could be more comfortable. ¡°You¡¯re back, your leadership.¡± Lord Rubos said. ¡°I noticed.¡± In the gathering plaza and beyond the gate castle were now row and row of boys and girls, thirteen years of age, most dressed in their best cloth in a strange attempt to impress the orders. Plastered on their chest were their popular id, so the recruiter could instantly reach into their record and their score. There were about ten thousand of the fresh recruit down there, maybe even twenty thousand, and they were all about to be chosen to be work as one career for the rest of their life. The thought alone sent a shiver through his spine. Around all of them were the representatives of each order, most were the head of their respective work, along with a dozen recruiters, each with the number of recruits they was allowed by their supreme leader to take this year. Gorbach could saw the order of guard in their white armor, along with a few hundred platoons of them patrolling the area, the order of agriculturers was there too, along with scavengers, servants, constructors, sellers, courtesans, miners, distributors and a few dozen more. Gorbach remembered his uncle once said that these orders are the lifeblood of the city and were what kept it alive, and he inclined to believe it. Beyond all of that were common people who came to watch the ceremony from afar, blocked away from the plaza from a barricade of guards, with only a slight view of their relatives. When everything was ready, lord Corlius gave a signal to the nobles arranging the ceremony down below, and then it all started. The entire plaza fell into silence as Howland climbed onto the raised platform in front of the gate and below the balcony, he was on. Gorbach had assigned his good friend and advisors to be the one who opened the ceremony, and to his delight, Howland was doing very well. Howland went on about the history of the city and how it came to be, as per the tradition of the ceremony. He spoke of the supreme leader who established the concept of order, Stalus, Gorbach¡¯s far ancestor, and also the namesake of the high-tech device still in use to this day. Howland spoke of the importance of the picking day and how it sustained the city, while the fresh recruits listened on in silence, waiting for the moment of picking to come. When Howland finished his speech, he gave a bow to the people, which brought some gasps from the nobles around him, then addressed Gorbach to make his speech, as per tradition as well. The band of musicians below started to play their instrument and burst into the tune that Gorbach remembered Fill nicknamed ¡®supreme leader¡¯s theme song¡¯, he chuckled at the memory, knowing it was his turn. ¡°Wish me luck,¡± Gorbach said to nobody, lifting himself off his seat and striding forward. He grabbed on the balcony¡¯s railing and gazed at his people below, all silent despite their number, their eyes fixed at him. ¡®This is mostly the first time they see me too.¡¯ Gorbach thought, he had rarely attended ceremony such as these and made no progress officially, though he did from time to time cladded himself in common¡¯s clothing and took a walk around the city to see the state it became. Standing here, above the crowd of his people, reminded Gorbach of the time he saw his father at the same spot when last he bothered to attend to this ceremony. Perhaps it was about thirteen or maybe fourteen years ago, Gorbach had a smaller chair next to his father¡¯s, and on the other side was his sister on an even smaller one. His father¡¯s speech was written pre-advanced by one of his old advisors, and it was about obeying the supreme leader, following orders, accepting what you were given, and expected nothing more than what was provided. Gorbach¡¯s speech was given to him as well, tucking safely back in his massive chamber.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡®This is the moment.¡¯ Gorbach thought, his hands grabbed the railing tighter as he prepared himself for his speech ¡®This is the time to give them something different.¡¯ ¡°My people¡± Gorbach raised his voice, the words were received into the device that was installed into the balcony and echoed through the entire plaza ¡°Today is a very important day for us all, for you, for me, even for the people who did not come. This picking day is sacred and essential to our growing city, and I hope that it will be that way for all my reign and also the reign of my successors, whoever that may be.¡± ¡°As for me, I wish that my reign as a supreme leader will be hopefully better than my father¡¯s, and hope that I can create a true peace and happiness in this city, it will be a long and tiring process, but I promise I will at least try, so the only I ask from you all, my people, are to try believing in me and don¡¯t make any uprising. Regardless, though unlikely, I hoped that you all were picked for the work you wish to have. Thank you.¡± When the last word passed his lip, the silent from the gathering plaza down below broke as the populants who heard his speech took up a chant and raised their hands to accompany their shout. ¡°ALL HAIL GORBACH!! ALL HAIL GORBACH!! ALL HAIL GORBACH!! ALL HAIL GORBACH¡­¡± Gorbach spread out his arms, as a sign of receiving the chants. Most of them were doing it as per tradition and were forced to, Gorbach knew full well. But for a short childish moment, he hoped that some of them were sincere. Alas, Gorbach could not know if that was the case, so he turned back to his seat, his coat flapped against the blowing wind as he strided back and took his place over the cushioned chair once more. ¡°Your leadership¡­¡± Lord Corlius said, his voice concerned ¡°What you say¡­¡± ¡°¡­is not the traditional speech, I know.¡± Gorbach did not wish to continue the cycle of oppression no more and meant every word he said. Though it did not truly come from his heart, as he prepared it beforehand, it was the next best thing. He found himself turning to meet Sophia, who gave him a smile of approval. ¡®A supreme leader seeking validation from a thirteen years old.¡¯ Gorbach mused with a faded smile ¡®This world is truly starting to go mad.¡¯ Gorbach watched the rest of the opening ceremony unfolded, the highest priest climbed onto the platform and gave the blessing of God and himself to the recruits, quoting from his holy tablet about obedience and hard-working. Admittingly, Gorbach never truly bought all the things that the faith was preaching, but declaring himself a heretic would be quite a large political misstep, so it was best to keep believing. As the highest priest went on, Gorbach contemplated that though the position of the head of the faith required you to cast away one¡¯s name, Gorbach grimly noted that this old priest was once Pious Guardhand, Lord Ptis¡¯s uncle. Regardless, the highest priest closed his tablet and left the platform along with his escort of 4 high priests, all nobles converted to work for the religion. Following them were Howland who stepped up in his place and announced that the picking had officially begun. The first to go was the guards, marking the strong looking and well-law recruits they picked with pale white marking, on their cloth or even on their face. Quick to follow were the courtesans with their shade of hot pink, choosing out the prettiest girl for their order, and even some boys, for some nobles had that sort of taste too. The thought of these practices alone left a bad taste in his mouth. ¡®If all are good, this should be gone by a few decades.¡¯ Gorbach contemplated, though he would prefer it if it went away quicker, these things took time. As Gorbach gazed into the plaza below and watched more and more orders marked their recruits with different shade of dye, he noticed that Howland had returned to the hall. After giving a loving kiss to his wife, gently holding his hand over her growing belly as a sign of protection, he claimed his rightful seat as an advisor behind him. ¡°So you are really going for change, huh,¡± Howland asked in a friendly tone. Gorbach smiled ¡°What give it away? Is it my speech or the policy I tried to administer so far?¡± Howland chuckled ¡°To be true, what you said sound¡­how should I put it¡­very sincere.¡± ¡°I work on it for a few hours, if you are wondering. And give yourself some credit too, your opening speech was actually very decent.¡± He shrugged ¡°I just said what I suppose to say, not to mention I was stressed the whole time, any one of the recruits could stole a gun from the nearby guard and killed me on the spot.¡± This time it was Gorbach¡¯s turn to chuckle ¡°Why would they want to assassinate you? I am the one who is the supreme leader, remember?¡± Howland grimaced ¡°Aye, when you give me the honor of opening the ceremony, I had been researching in the archive, so to say, and found that that had already happened 4 times.¡± ¡°In over many centuries¡± Gorbach pointed out ¡°And only one of advisor actually died, so what¡¯s your point?¡± Howland sighed but then smiled ¡°By the god, I am all for your plan, but think of your friends sometime, alright?¡± Gorbach nodded ¡°Speaking of which, Fillius and Churchier managed to attend.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Howland glanced behind him to the seat reserved for Corlius¡¯s children, Fill¡¯s was the only one empty ¡°This is a big event after all; they had to show u Did Leaf have someone to take care of her little husband?¡± Gorbach shrugged ¡°Something like that.¡± Things went silent for a while, so Gorbach managed to continue watching over the ceremony, gazing upon his people as the sacred picking commenced. After a moment, he had an urge to reach into his coat and brought out a book to have a quick read and passed some time, but he resisted the temptation. Afterward a blurry of blue and gold went passed his eyes, as Sophia left her seat and walked toward the balcony. ¡°Stupid girl! Retreat from there at once!¡± Lord Corlius called out as Sophia rested herself the railing to have the better view of the ceremony, but Gorbach called him off and placed himself beside her, the hot breeze compliment the shining sun and blew through Sophia¡¯s growing hair as she gazed down below. ¡°You know what funny?¡± Sophia started to say, her eyes still on the picking ¡°I always never give a shit about the picking, but also dread it a little too. And now, I don¡¯t suppose I have to attend it next year.¡± ¡°You are already picked, in a way.¡± Gorbach told her ¡°You are my little helper, after all.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± She said, her expression shifted to longing. Gorbach recognized it at once, it was the same face she made when she spoke of her sister ¡°It¡¯s weird, I rarely thought of my brother, but right now, somewhere down there, he is being picked for some work he probably doesn¡¯t want. He might even notice me up here, confused, most like¡­¡± ¡°What does your brother want?¡± Gorbach asked, curious. Sophia had never mentioned having a brother before. Sophia shrugged ¡°He is fascinated with heavy machines, and always said he wanted to be a mechanic, but it makes no matter¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± Sophia seemed startled ¡°Renin, but my sister and I called him with just Ren.¡± ¡°If you want, I can¡­¡± Gorbach started to say, a little bit unsure whether or not if he actually wishes to do this ¡°¡­contact a certain people, so to say, and maybe have your brother train for the work he wants.¡± Sophia raised an eyebrow ¡°You can do that?¡± Gorbach gave a click to his golden pin ¡°I am the supreme leader; such little thing can be easily arranged.¡± Sophia gave out a warm smile ¡°Then perhaps, I would be most happy if you see to it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an agreement then,¡± Gorbach concluded, but as he was about to make the preparation for the arrangement, Sophia kissed him. It was just a little peck on a cheek, a sisterly kiss if you will, but it was nonetheless unexpected. ¡°That was¡­uncalled for.¡± Gorbach said as she moved away, his hand moved over his cheek. ¡°Relax; you are not the first boy I kiss,¡± Sophia told him with a smug smile. Gorbach smiled back ¡°But the first supreme leader, I imagine.¡± He moved his hand over Sophia¡¯s head and nuzzled her hair, which she complain upon. So after a quick apologies, Gorbach returned to his seat, leaving her to continue gazing over the ceremony. When he reached his cushioned seat and crossed his leg, he reached into his coat and brought out a headset. He put it into his ear and turned it around, a hologram flashed over his eyes, shifting through each contact as the knob moved. After a moment, he gave a press into the headset, and a voice came on. ¡°This is your supreme leader.¡± Gorbach told the noble arranging the ceremony below ¡°There is this kid name Renin, his resident is in the street of slum, I like him to be sent over toward the order of mechanic.¡± The noble did not question the request and quickly answered through the headset ¡°I will make the arrangement at once, your leadership.¡± ¡°See that you do.¡± ¡°There is also an incident that may require your attention.¡± The noble continued ¡°The head of guards had reported missing recruits who did not attend the assembly, and also there is suspicious activity with some of their family.¡± ¡°Suspicious?¡± ¡°Yes, your leadership, some guards reported that a group of them are gathering toward a certain direction, and are waiting for a command to proceed.¡± Gorbach sighed, though it might seem like a minor incident, it still might interfere with his plan of reformation ¡°See that they are brought back, use force if you will, but to keep the casualty low.¡± The thief Lana stood over the thirteenth brick from alley¡¯s entrance; both her good leg and bad leg anxiously tapping the rough stone pavement, for simply being back in the city again made stomach turned. After managing to muster the courage, Lana stepped away from the very spot she was assigned to stand guard and took a quick peek outside the alley; it was deserted, with no one to be seen, though not to Lana¡¯s relived, as the airily silent of the uniformed street from the authority district made her nervous and anxious. Lana quickly returned to her spot, tense and sweating. She reminded herself that she had a duty that must be kept if she wished for this crucial mission to be succeeded. ¡®Today is the picking day.¡¯ Lana remembered, her mind drifted to her big brother, Ren, who though was meek and were not always protective of her, was kind and caring. He was to be picked along with many others recruits that day, so Lana gave a silent prayer to him, asking that even if he did not come back to the free cavern with her, for god to at least give him the career he wanted. As she stood there, Lana¡¯s thoughts shifted from one of her siblings to another, and she found herself thinking of Sophia once again. Lana wondered what her sister doing right now, did she holding up in their house, still grieving for her, or did she came to watch Ren¡¯s picking. For a short moment, Lana had an urge to run back to her old home or to the gathering plaza in an attempt to search for her dear sister who had always been there for her, but the other, wiser part go against it. It would be a vain attempt; Soph may not even be there, and not to mention Lana was given the duty of staying right here, so the best she could do was hoping that Sophia had caught wind of Robin¡¯s plan and would be a part of it. That was when she heard a distant sound of boots smacking on the stone floor, for a moment, she froze, but then remembered why she was here. Despite her being in the authority district, she was not scared when a man in a guard uniform turned to enter the alley, for she knew that the man was truly Wall, recognizing his battered white armor. Following him was a small group of people, all had an anxious look on their face. Seeing that, Lana tried to put on a smile as the mean to calm them down, but her forced grin did not seem to make any positive effect. ¡°Thirteenth brick¡± Wall reminded her. ¡°Yes¡± She spoke back ¡°Is the young leader¡¯s plan¡­working?¡± ¡°For now,¡± He told her, gazing into the distance ¡°She is expecting at least three hundred people, so it will be only a matter of time before the supreme leader found on us.¡± Lana nodded grimly, noticing a sense of dread in his voice. She remembered seeing him speaking to Robin about it a few days before as well when the operation was announced. ¡°With these other plans in broad daylight you are meaning to launch, we will be permanently losing 6 passages at the very least if you are still going forward with them.¡± Wall had told their new leader. ¡°And we will still have 5 more, so what¡¯s your point?¡± Robin had spoken back with defiant, even though Wall was twice her age and bigger in size ¡°I know that you had been doing it for many years, but we have to take some risk from time to time.¡± ¡°When I slip into the city, I always need to be careful. Caution is what kept us alive.¡± ¡°Caution is what kept us insignificant.¡± Robin had argued, ¡°And I mean to change that.¡± Lana tried to snap back to the present when she saw Wall leaving the alley ¡°I will be getting a new batch.¡± He told her. ¡°Good luck¡± Lana told as he strided away, then turned to meet the people he left behind. Two of them were a middle-age couple, along with who seem to be their children, a working-age woman and a boy the same age as her brother, while the other group was a pair of girls of that same age, with one of them had a nine years old boy clutching to her skirt. Lana tried to remember her line, like the one she said to the several groups before this ¡°Do¡­do all of you have the coin?¡± The three of the same age reached into their pocket and produced one, while the rest nervously shook their head. Seeing that, Lana brought out a pounce and dumped some of its content into her palm, the metal coins clanked together as she did. It was the same circular object that she was given the day she arrived at the freedom mount. Lana handed them to the people that did not have one yet ¡°Welcome to the free cavern.¡± She told them. ¡°Is it true that we will have a better life there?¡± The little boy asked. Lana nodded as a reassurance, hoping that it was true. Kneeling down onto the ground, she pulled open the secret passage through its fake series of bricks. After a moment of difficulty, Lana managed to reveal the entrance to the dark tunnel for the people behind her. After giving a gesture, Lana grabbed onto the uneven stone bricks and descended down the short path into the dim passageway, illuminated only by the morning sun peeking through the hole in the wall. She landed incorrectly on her bad leg, sending a flash pain through her body, but still held on. The recovery of her leg had been going well; she was now able to walk normally without issue, though she still could not run without hurting herself. Lana turned to assist the others on their descend; helping them balanced their weight and made their landing softer than hers. When every one of this group entered the tunnel, Lana scrambled around in near darkness, if not for the blinking tiny lights lined on the top of the tunnel, searching through a pile of something hidden in the corner, picked up one and gave it a snap. The plastic stick started to glow a dim light, illuminating the dark tunnel with the color of dark red. Robin had ordered Wall to steal them from the guard¡¯s storage a day before, and Wall had agreed to do as commanded, though grudgingly. Lana handed the glowing stick to the eldest of the group, ¡°Straight ahead¡± She told them all, her voice nervous and still course ¡°There will be¡­a person waiting on the midway point¡­another at the exit.¡± The group nodded in appreciation and all walked deeper into the dark pathway, the red light of the stick became dimmer and dimmer as they walked away through the tunnel. And after a while, the darkness swallowed hold yet once again, the things on the tunnel¡¯s ceiling still persistently blinked its tiny lights. Seeing the event unfold before her made Lana thought of her own trek through the tunnel. The ground back then was damp and smelly, which still was, and Lana had a hard time walking with her clutch, so she had to abandon it near the entrance and needed Wall to help carried her, the only light source they had was his solar gun¡¯s flashlight. It was a hard experience, but as they went farther and farther away from the city, she felt a strange sense of happiness, as the prospect of a better life half excited but also half terrified her. Lana hoped that the people who took the same path as her felt the same. When all was said and done, Lana climbed back to the city¡¯s surface and pushed the block of bricks back into its place. When it all became seamless and seem like there was no secret tunnel, she stood back over it, anxiously waiting for the next group, seeking for their own freedom. Many more new batch came and went, some but a single family, some more than ten, led by the men and women disguised as a guard, assigned by their new leader to pick up the people who were secretly given the coin and the whereabouts of the cavern. Lana gave them all the extra items and led them into the tunnel, as she had been ordered to do. When She caught wind of the plan, Lana had mustered her courage and went to ask to be a part of it, in slight hope that she could meet Sophia again. But regardless, the little girl with a half-healed leg could only be trusted with a simple task of guarding the entrance, and a command to reveal nothing if got captured. Robin was the one arranging the entire operation, though some of the caverners said the person who behind it all was in fact, Marah, the pale face man that Lana had learned only a few days ago to have a strange skin disease that prevented him from being in a direct sunlight. Nontheless, it was their leader who led the mission on this day, leaving, if the talk was true, her boyfriend back at the cavern to support from the background. ¡®The next group should be the last¡¯ Lana thought, after a long while ¡®And then we can leave.¡¯ Being in the city made her more and more nervous by every moment, and she would love to return and huddle back in her tiny room deep inside the cavern. As she made that thought, they finally came. Wall led the group, and beside them was Robin, their young leader who took it upon herself to work on this part of the operation, also disguised in guard uniform, her curly brown hair dangled down through the visored helmet. Following the two were a few more caverners in the same armor and after them a large amount of city populant, at least fifty people after Lana¡¯s quick count. Wall and Robin seemed to be arguing ¡°If we take this much people, the guards will soon be on our tail.¡± ¡°That is the plan,¡± Robin told him back, her voice had a commanding tone to it ¡°Like I said, I want to reveal ourselves to those drenched nobles and the evil supreme leader.¡± Wall frowned ¡°And why would you want to do that?¡± ¡°A change must be made, Wally, a revolution is needed.¡± ¡°You are going to get us all kill.¡± Robin smirked ¡°Only if we lose. Beside, at least for today, nothing has gone wrong.¡± ¡°Yet¡± Wall insisted. Robin waved him away, as a means of dismissing. Wall muttered to himself for a moment and went to help Lana pulled open the tunnel. When the entrance had been accessible, one of the caverners went down and helped the city populant on their climb, while Lana handed out the iron coin to everyone, hopping into the dark passageway in turn. ¡°Did¡­you¡­see the supreme leader?¡± Lana asked when the curiosity overwhelmed her, the man had ascended to his rank the same day as her execution, and ever since then, Lana had a weird and unreasonable urge to know more about him. It was Robin that answered ¡°I caught a glimpse of him by the gathering plaza. Admittedly handsome, but had a really punch-able face. He was making his big evil speech, if I remember correctly, though I didn¡¯t pay any attention to it. He also weirdly hangs around this blond young girl, so I don¡¯t know what that about.¡± As Lana processed it all in, Wall ignored their young leader and waved everyone to go down faster. When nearly three fourth of the people had entered the tunnel, he turned to the two of them ¡°You two go down with them, I will be taking the rear.¡± ¡°No¡± Robin refused; one of her hand reached into her bag ¡°I have something to do first.¡± She swept away and stride for the nearby wall, to the dismay of Wall. On one of her hand was a roll of leather, in the other a bottle of black dye. Robin unrolled the sheet and plastered it over the wall, the leather itself already cut into a strange pattern, with holes here and there all over it in the shape of something. By then a small number of people who mean to join their rank had stopped entering the tunnel and stood behind the young leader, curious to see what she meant to do, one of those was Lana herself. In front of her was a pair of brown hair twin, one of them had a rusty tool attached on his belt, while the other a strange batch on his shirt. Lana asked them meekly to part slightly so she could see better, and they happily did as obliged.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Robin¡¯s hand was dipped into the bottle of dye, and then she used the black liquid to plaster it all on the leather sheet, her white glove, dirtied by the color of black. Her palm and fingers swept through the hole of hiding, covering each and every hole, and after a few minutes passed, she ripped the sheet off the wall and dumped it on the ground, leaving¡­a symbol. Upon the wall was now the image of a small but enlarged bird, soaring through the sky with its wing held high and shined a blinding light, on its background was a circular coin and a crossing solar guns readied to fire and fight. Under all the symbol was a beautiful text slogan, ¡®Freedom and Liberty¡¯. ¡°Bloody hell, she might as well put her face on that symbol.¡± Wall muttered behind Lana, which she didn¡¯t quite understand, the bird was pretty. ¡°Let¡¯s the fire of revolution swept through this evil city.¡± Robin proudly announced, bringing a cheer from all the people watching ¡°Now we can go.¡± Robin led the way for the remaining people, climbing down into the dark tunnel, flashing her solar gun forward to illuminate the secret pathway, and waving for the once-a-populant of the city with her flashing solar gun to follow her and made their way to the cavern. Wall stood by the entrance, guarding as they all went down one by one. Lana was next to him, for she was unsure whether to go along with the other or to wait back along with the man who saved her life not so long ago. After a moment, Wall suddenly sighed ¡°The color on that glove is not coming off.¡± ¡°You¡­didn¡¯t seem¡­to like her.¡± Lana struggled to say, she always was bad on starting a conversation. ¡°She is too rash and too full of herself.¡± Wall told her, there was no hint of hatred in his voice, but simply dismay ¡°But I suppose I do not have any say on the matter, she is, after all the rightfully elected leader of our colony.¡± ¡°She¡­is,¡± Lana said back, unsure what to respond with, still remembering that faithful day. Though Lana cared little for freedom and more inclined toward simply have a better life, Robin¡¯s speech do was heart moving. ¡°But if there is one good thing this sham of a plan manages to accomplish¡­¡± Wall continued to say after another sigh ¡°It is making you breaking through your shell, at the very least.¡± Lana quickly turned to meet Wall; she did not expect for the conversation to shift to her ¡°It¡­did?¡± ¡°I suppose¡± Wall told her and raised his visor; he had a faint smile hidden beneath his helmet ¡°You are taking initiative, asking for a role in this rash plan. You are certainly getting better.¡± For the first time in a while, Lana smiled, the way her lips shifted truly felt genuine. When Wall saw it, he came and nuzzled her hair with a faint laughter. The mess that was her lock of straw had grown so bad that Lana was too afraid to touch it herself, but his hand went around it with no hesitation. A tear went out from her eyes, though not of fear, but of joy. Wall had been more than just a friend to Lana this passed many weeks, he was the friend who saved her life, the friend who took care of her, the friend who tried to speak with her as much as possible, just so she could be able to fit in her new home. Not counting Soph, the sister with whom she grew up with, Wall was the best friend she could ever have. Then there was a gunfire, and one of the new caverner fell onto the ground, a puddle of blood formed onto the ground. There was a mass panic around them, the word ¡®guard¡¯ was on everyone''s lips, and the sound of many sets of boots smashing on the stone was getting louder and louder. Wall was the first to gain composure and tried to rally everyone into the tunnel, waving them in as fast as possible to avoid capture and execution for treasonous movement. As for Lana, a strange and unusual calmness caught onto her, she reached into her pocket and ran toward the man who got shot. Kneeling next to the man, she hovered her hand over his nose, he was no longer breathing. ¡°Lana! What are you doing!?¡± She could hear Wall shouting for her, most of them had gone down the tunnel by now. Lana knew she needed to freak out or at least hurry, but Lana simply pressed a coin into the dead man¡¯s chest, and gave him a silent prayer. ¡®He is one of us, at the very least.¡¯ Lana thought as she ran back to Wall as fast as possible, climbing back down into the narrow as the sound of guard¡¯s march coming in close. After the last person came through, Wall loaded his solar gun and fired at the wall above the entrance, sending it crumbling down and closed the hole on the wall with layered of brick. The tunnel turned into complete darkness, if not for his gun¡¯s flashlight, the glowing stick, and the flickering tiny lights on the tunnel ceiling. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving, that will not hold the guard for long.¡± Wall told the others, and he spoke true. It was not long into their run that they heard the bricks being shot at and kicked apart. The guards were forcing themselves through. Lana tried to keep up with the others as they ram for their life through the dark and damp tunnel beneath the city, with no light or goal in sight. Her bad leg was throbbing with pain every time she put weight on it, and her breathing grew rougher and rougher as time goes on. Halfway through the tunnel, the hurt became so terrible than she couldn¡¯t continue running. ¡°Lana, you alright?¡± Wall stopped to ask; many other caverners went passed them as he did ¡°Do you need my help carrying you?¡± Lana managed to shake her head, still grasping for breath ¡°I can¡­still¡­¡± A solar gun¡¯s blast hit Wall, and he fell to his knee. ¡°WALL!¡± Lana shouted in a panic, the blast had piece through his thigh, leaving a hole in its pass. Blood started to stain his body armor, slowly turning it dark red from inside out ¡°Your leg¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡± Wall tried to reassure her, clutching to his wound, but Lana knew he himself did not even believe that lie. He made an attempt to get up, but couldn¡¯t ¡°Go with the other, I will catch up.¡± For a moment, she was tempted, the guards were closing in, and she could save herself and live. But for the first time since she remembered, her resolve harden. ¡°No¡± Lana told him, sliding his arm over her neck, determination flashed on her face ¡°We will go together¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Wall asked as Lana struggled to raise his larger body up from the damp ground and moved him forward. ¡°In that execution pit¡­you saved my life.¡± Lana started to say, already out of breath, but still filled with the will to save him ¡°Please¡­lets me repay you.¡± With great difficulty, Lana stood up with Wall besides her, her other hand gripping to his armor so he did not fall; pain ran though both her legs from bearing all the weight. Wall tried to help by hoping his still good leg along with her, and after they found a rhythm, they were able to proceeded with their journey back to their home. ¡°You are going to be alright, Wall.¡± Lana told Wall, reassuring herself as much as reassuring him. Despite all her effort, the speed of their going was barely faster than a crawl. As the sound of guards marching came closer and closer, she could hear them loading their gun, preparing for another fire. More and more people went passed them, running for their life, none stopped to help. ¡®They want to live as well.¡¯ Lana thought, though bitterness already crept in her heart. She moved another step, and nearly stumbled, her body shaken with pain. ¡°Lana, let¡¯s me go.¡± Wall told her as they went forward another foot ¡°Save yourself.¡± She shook her head in defiant as her muscle contracted to take another step, her body shaken from the effort ¡°No¡­we can make it¡­¡± A gloved hand grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her away. Lana screamed, Wall was sliding off her shoulder as the guard tried to take both her arms into his hand. ¡°I got two!¡± Lana heard him shouting behind to his fellow comrades, who were getting closer as well. ¡°No¡­¡± Lana tried to say as the guard searched through his belt for a handcuff so he could arrest her, in the process pulling her away from Wall, who was trying to get back up and helped her, but couldn¡¯t. The sight of the execution pit flashed before her eyes once again, as she knew what fate awaited her now. ¡®Please¡¯ Lana gave out a silent prayer, closing her eyes so tightly ¡®At least lets Wall live¡­¡¯ But then there was a sound of a smash, and the clutching arms of the guard released her. Lana frail body slipped by and dropped onto the ground. Lana mustered her courage and opened her eyes. The guard helmet was smashed into, its visor broke and shattered, its owner laid unconscious on the ground. Standing over the armored man was one of the brown hair twins, a rusty wench in hand. ¡°You guys alright?¡± The other twin asked, as the one with the tool wrestled the solar gun off the guard¡¯s arm and shoots it into the dark distance. The blast likely did not hit anything, but it might manage to slow them down. Lana nodded her head in response and tried to pull Wall back up, his face had turned pale from the blood he was losing through his wound, and for a moment Lana¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She tried to wrap Wall¡¯s arm around her neck, struggling due to him being twice her size. ¡°Mark, you keep off the guards, I will help the girl carried him.¡± One of the twins told the other and positioned himself opposite to Lana, and together they lifted Wall up from the damp floor and stride forward. ¡°We are going to make it.¡± She told Wall, more confident than before, as Lana, him, and the brown hair boy but 3 years her elder found a rhythm in their walking. ¡°We have to.¡± ¡°You stop for us¡­for me.¡± Wall said to the twin with the wench and gun, watching their back and tried to scare off the following guards ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It is the right thing to do.¡± He responded, ¡°Back in the city, what does that girl said is your belief again?¡± For a moment, Lana saw Wall nearly laughed ¡°¡¯ Everyone, is worth saving¡¯¡± Hurried along the four went, balancing Wall along through the tunnel, with the glowing stick and the flickering lights being their only their company. All were hopeful, Lana knew, the exit was near, and they were catching up to the other running caverners. But then the guards started to fire their gun, for real. The blasts that was fired before were but simple warning and stray shot, Lana had then realized, for now, a column and column of concentrated energy blast had been launched, trying to take down as many people as possible, with no regard of life. The four had no choice but to sped up their pace, with exit nearly in sight, and salvation so so close. ¡°They must have received a new order,¡± Wall muttered, he was growing worse and worse by the moment, becoming delirious as the wound on his leg started to fester. ¡°We can still make it¡­¡± Lana tried to say, but then one of the shots hit the twin that helped her carried Wall, piercing through his left shoulder and sending the three all down onto the ground. Seeing so, the other twin dropped everything and went to help his brother. He checked on his wound, becoming relieved as it was not fatal and helped the other get back up. All the while Lana frantically tried to pull Wall back on his feet. ¡°Wait, we have to help them¡­¡± The wounded twin said as his brother started to go on without Lana and Wall. The blast had taken him on his shoulder; his wound was gaping out blood as he spoke. The other twin shook his head ¡°Sorry Mat, but we must save ourselves first.¡± And with that, they ran off, leaving them behind. Lana wanted to scream, Lana wanted to cry. When God had given her hope, it was torn away just almost instantly. A big part of her wanted to curl down into a ball and sobbed on the hopelessness of it all, but after she gazed at Wall, the man who had saved her life, kneeling powerless beside her, she knew she must still try. ¡°Soph, give me strength,¡± Lana muttered and pulled Wall forward. ¡°Lana¡± Wall tried to tell her. The sound of guards was coming closer and closer, and a sudden realization hit her that they were on the very back of the escaping line ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this. Run and join the other, I will hold them off here.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Lana shouted defiantly at the top of her lung, her eyes filled with tears. Despite her body was screaming with pain and exhaustion, she forced herself to take another step ¡°I¡­will not leave you.¡± But as the light of the outside world was in sight, another shot pierces into the side of Wall¡¯s stomach, and he coughed out blood all over her shoulder, losing a balance and started to fall. ¡°Wall, no¡­¡± Lana told him, and he only coughed in response. Lana gathered her determination and shifted Wall on her back instead. ¡°Please, Wall¡± Lana said as an attempt to keep hold of him as she carried him closer and closer to the exit, she could hear another shot piercing through his right arm, then another through his foot ¡°You¡¯re my only friend, you cannot die on me¡­¡± The escape was so close now, all of the caverners had reached it and were now cheering her and Wall on, though none came to help. In the center, she saw Robin argued with a hooded man, a strange device in her hand. ¡°Do it, Robin!¡± Lana could somehow hear the man said despite the distance, the voice belongs to Marah ¡°Do it, or you will doom us all.¡± Robin bit her lips and pressed the device. To Lana¡®s great dismay, she heard an explosion from far away, then a chain of it coming closer and closer to them. Her mind shifted to the blinking lights on the ceiling of the tunnel, then the stack of something she saw at the weaponry ¡°That damn bitch decides to collapse the tunnel.¡± Wall managed to say, his voice rough and crooked from the blood and injury. ¡°We can still make it, Wall¡­¡± Lana tried to tell him, she was dragging him by the floor now, pulling his wrist with her. The guards had stopped firing and were franticly searching for a way out, but the explosion was coming to them fast, and there were still fifty more feet to go before they safely went passed the last device on the ceiling. ¡°No¡­¡± Wall said and pushed her away and stood back on both his legs, his body trembled from the pain as blood seeped through his armor. Wall suddenly took hold of Lana, and then she realized what he was going to do. She started to cry. ¡°You¡­can still make it¡­¡± Wall told Lana and threw her toward the other caverners, her body spun through the air, landed and rolled onto the ground, sobbing all the way for her uselessness and her weakness and her loss. When she got back on her feet, Lana tried to run back to Wall, in a slight but vain hope that she might be able to still save him, but the other caverner around her had grabbed hold of her arms and legs, dragging her screaming and kicking self back away from the tunnel, in an attempt to stop her from throwing her life away. The last she saw of Wall was him falling onto his knees as the tunnel collapse around him, a name she could not hear on his dying lips. End of phase 1 note This is, as the title said, a note on the future of this story and concluding what happened so far. The first quarter of this novel had taken me roughly six months to write and I had quite a love/hate experience with it. Of course, I adore my own creation and love all the characters I created, even the one I killed. But writing can be tedious at time and I sometimes feel the urge to just stop altogether. I had fallen to quite a break, unable to finish a single chapter in three weeks, but hopefully, I will get better from here on out. For the second phase of my novel, I already finished three out of the thirteen chapters I intended for it, and obviously I will slow down the 2 days per upload I have going on. It will from here on out be a weekly upload on Friday at the same time as I am posting now. Since I am not a fast writer, some weeks will not have a chapter out, but I will release it as frequently as possible, for the sake of the six people who decided to follow this odd novel.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Regardless, I sincerely hope that you guys will start commenting on this novel, so we can make this novel a sort of community I like it to be. So here a plea from me, I like you all to comment what you like to see in the future of this novel. Do you want to see how much of a threat Robin can pose, or do you wish to see the history of how Gorbach''s friend came to be, comment on. The confidant As Sophia stood there deep inside the supreme leader¡¯s private quarter, silently watching as the sweated lord Rubos reported on the loss of the picking day, it was clear that Gorbach¡¯s mood was something that she had never seen him expressed before. It was not a frown or a sigh, not a disappointment or even disgust, his face shown was pure...wrath. ¡°How many did we lose?¡± Gorbach asked bluntly, and Sophia noticed him tapping his foot upon the floor, displaying his impatient. ¡°Ahhh¡­according to the head of the guard report...¡± Lord Rubos started to say to his supreme leader, who had placed himself on the cushioned and carved sofa of his solar, standing beside his usual sweating self was lord Penis, lord Corlius, lord Howland, and of course, Sophia herself. ¡°¡­about three hundred young recruits had been taken by this rebel group, along with half that number as their family.¡± ¡°Pray, and how did we manage to let near five hundred people slipped by unnoticed?¡± Gorbach said with half a growl, which nearly startled her. ¡°They use a secret tunnel, if it is to be believed.¡± Howland filled in, he seemed to be near as nervous as Rubos, though noticeably of different reason ¡°Built deep into the city so long ago that we have barely any records of them. Afterward, they destroy all of the tunnels they had used, killing twenty-three guards in their attempt to stay uncaptured.¡± ¡°We must have them properly bury.¡± Lord Corlius declared ¡°They had done their duty to their last breath.¡± ¡®I doubt that they are expecting that to be the last moment of their life, my good lord.¡¯ Sophia thought though she was quite surprised to see lord Corlius caring for someone who was not a noble. ¡°When we manage to dig them all up without collapsing half the city in the process, perhaps.¡± Gorbach said with an unusual amount of toxicity ¡°What else did they take?¡± ¡°Provision and weapons,¡± The penis lord told, he seemed to be strangely unconcerned about the whole thing, though to be fair, Sophia was not much different ¡°Along with certain amount of clothing and tools.¡± ¡°Insignificant things¡± lord Corlius declared. Gorbach gave out something that was half a growl and half a sigh¡°The meeting is dismissed, you all can leave.¡± Though his voice sounded more of simply ¡®leave¡¯. The three lords gave a stiff bow before disappearing through the gilded and carved doors. Sophia was about to follow them out too, but Gorbach said ¡°No, Sophia, you stay. You too, Howland.¡± ¡®Oh dear¡¯ Sophia thought, she did not like the tone of Gorbach voice; even when it was directed to Sophia, it still had a sense of anger to them. ¡°Have a seat, if you will,¡± Gorbach commanded them and poured himself a glass of wine by the nearby jug. Sophia took a nearby seat to the sofa, while Howland took the one opposite to her. All was tense in this hall of a chamber. Normally when Gorbach would hold a meeting with his advisors, he would call for the council room, but this time, that was not the case. To call the Supreme leader¡¯s quarter a bedroom is like to call the entire trading square a small stall. The room spanned two floors, with every inch of it all decorated with gold and ornate furniture and needless finery. The centerpiece was an audience area, with seats and sofas and a low carved table, laid with beautifully patterned carpet. Off to one side was a grand piano of golden oak, draped with a wolf pelt and on the other was a crystal tank of sort, filled with shining water and a pair of giant fish with sharp teeth, in a fit of biting each other. Different doors on this floor led to different rooms, one led to a bathroom with a large golden tub able to fit ten people and all along with the wall sets after sets of suffocatingly sweet bathing chemicals. The other door, of course, led to an entertainment area, with various game tables, unnecessarily loud set of speakers and the needlessly largest Stalus she had ever seen. There were a few more rooms as well, but Sophia had not gone to investigate them just as yet. The second floor, though smaller, was even more stupidly elegant somehow, with carved and gilded railings, decorated with tiny gold statues at every other bar. Its largest ornate door led to the actual bedroom, covered in marble and exotic carpet, its size could easily fit her old home two times over. The centerpiece was, of course, the bed made of carved oak and soft feather futon, and judging from the last time she saw it, about fifteen people could sleep on it no problem. ¡®It is no wonder most leaders became so corrupted.¡¯ Sophia thought as she was glancing around ¡®They literally sleep in the living embodiment of needless finery.¡¯ Gorbach had called her here from time to time, for a chat, for a meal or for some other reasons, and she could always saw on his face how much he wished to be back in his old modest room. There was also a spot where a stuffed full-size elephant had used to be placed by the corner the last time she came here, but it had seemed to be replaced by a set of plain bookcases and a working desk of the same material. Gorbach was draining the rest of his cup when Sophia shifted her focus back to him. He smashed it back onto the table, a little bit harder than necessary; a drop of wine stain tainted his shirt¡¯s collar. Howland grabbed for the jug and refilled the cup to its edge. Gorbach gave a nodded and took another large sip. ¡®This must be proper serious.¡¯ Sophia thought when she realized that Howland was actively getting the supreme leader more and more drunk as a means to calm his wrath. He also filled her a glass as well, in which Sophia left it untouched on the table. ¡°I got...plan,¡± Gorbach said between sips, twirling around the wine in his glass more violently than usual ¡°I have been...working on adjusting the appropriate amount of recruits each orders should have, even giving more to agriculturer and distributor so my new policy and others that will be following flow smoothly. And now, I got about twenty of them right on my doorstep, humbly but frankly complain that they did not have enough god damn recruits!¡± ¡°To be true¡± Howland said with a calming voice ¡°Food, supply, weapon, working force, this is quite a setback to the city.¡± Gorbach shook his head in frustration ¡°God, these self-proclaimed freedom fighters ruined everything.¡± ¡°I will see what I can do about them.¡± Howland told him and lifted himself off his seat ¡°Maybe sending out scouts and find where their base is or something.¡± ¡°See that you do,¡± Gorbach told his friend, his emotion seemed to be a little bit more in check now ¡°Thank for being a shoulder to complain on.¡± Howland gave a fade smile ¡°That is what friends are for.¡± ¡°One more slight headache,¡± Howland said before taking his leave ¡°My father had received a report from the guards who later perish in the tunnel collapse, saying that one of the escaped recruits is using, if I remember correctly, a tool of sort as a weapon and managed to knock down one of the guards chasing them.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Gorbach groaned with a sound resembled anguish ¡°And how does that fucker came by with it, pray?¡± ¡°The old tool shop¡± Sophia tried to add, being silence for this long destroyed her nerve ¡°It sells a simple tool that isn¡¯t in use so the population can fix their own home without the help of mechanic. It was created during the reign of Mugabos the Mighty, I think.¡± Gorbach sighed ¡°Have that place shut down till further notice; I don¡¯t want any potential violent boiling until I figure out what to do.¡± Lord Howland nodded ¡°It shall be done.¡± And with that, he exited by the door and left Sophia alone with the currently unstable supreme leader. Gorbach was tapping his finger impatiently when Sophia turned back to him, repeatedly pressing on the Stalus atop the table as it shaping around to display a hologram. When it was finally formed, the display shown the image of the symbol the rebel had left behind. A bird of some kind, in an act that looked like flying but strangely twisted. It hovered over a circle and a crossing solar gun, ready to fire and kill, under it was what seemed like their motto. ¡°¡¯Freedom and Liberty¡¯¡± Gorbach read, a great hint of annoyance in his voice, downing on his third cup ¡°Those two mean the same fucking thing.¡± ¡°So, Gorbach¡± Sophia tried to call him ¡°How¡­fucked are you?¡± He gave a depressed snickering, liked he was slowly going mad ¡°Not a minor setback, but also not something we can¡¯t recover from with a few hundred compromises, I probably have to work as hard as hell if I want to get the policy out as plan.¡± Gorbach suddenly shifted his gaze upon her, Sophia did not like his eyes, still, rage filled ¡°Tell me true, Sophia, do you have any¡­intel, of this, self-proclaimed resistance, back when you¡¯re in the city? Any rumors? Any ideas at all?¡± Sophia shook her head; she did not know of an existence of any rebel group when she was still living down in the gutter that was the street of slum. But that did not mean she had never hope for one though¡­ Since she could remember, Sophia had always dreamed of joining a resistance. She had read the document of the yellow dawn rebellion over and over, despite how much it was written to make the old supreme leader looked better than he ever actually was. Sophia remembered every single events of every uprising, even forming a game of sort to play with a few friends based on it, which got her in a lot of trouble with the teachers and sometimes even the guards; it was a miracle she had not been executed for treasonous activities yet. Regardless, Sophia often daydreamed of living free of the supreme leader¡¯s tyrannical rule, always one step ahead of the authority and overthrew the entire Last Stronghold; it was the life she once always wished to have. But now, with Sophia actually working for that said supreme leader, aiding him on the improvement of the city, she did not know what to feel about these rebels anymore. To be supportive of them felt like a betrayal to Gorbach, which had become her good friend despite how short their knowing was, but to despise them for opposing the supreme leader also felt like going against her school of thought she held not so long ago. So at that moment, her feeling was, to put it quite frankly, indifferent. ¡®It¡¯s not like I have no weight on the situation.¡¯ Sophia thought as she watched Gorbach downing his fourth glass of wine ¡®I help him drew up his plan, but I do not deserve to feel guilt for not feeling bad about something. Damn it, this is Lana all over again.¡¯ But as she gazed upon the half-drunk and irritated Gorbach, she knew she had to do something to help her friend. ¡®I need to get him to talk.¡¯ Sophia decided ¡®He will get better if he did.¡¯ And Sophia knew exactly what she had to get him to talk about. ¡°Gorbach¡± Sophia called him, which drew his attention off his fifth glass of wine ¡°I still don¡¯t get it. Why do you work so hard¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gorbach asked, twirling around the wine, in his glass as he did, noticeably less violently this time. ¡°Well¡­¡± Sophia started to say, choosing her words carefully ¡°I¡¯m not saying that what you are doing is wrong¡­but I want to know why do you want to help the commons so much? I live here for but a month, and I can see so much opportunity for you to become corrupted and tyrannical, but you still hold on to your ideal. Why? Why do you want to improve the city when so much when most of the supreme leaders before you left it worse off with every reign?¡± Gorbach gave a faint smile, he set his wine glass away ¡°If I told you that I am doing it from the goodness of my heart, will you believe me?¡± Sophia shook her head ¡°If you ask me when I first meet you, I might say yes. But I came to know you as a person, and you seemed to enjoy being a supreme leader a bit too much for me to believe that.¡± He gave a a soft chuckle, it was the laugh that he only gave out when he was with her, telling that what she had just said amused him ¡°You are not incorrect. Though I find being supreme leader a tiresome work, I do sometimes enjoy the respect and privilege I receive just from having this position. Yes, I may have abused my power from time to time, if I had to admit, but I want to believe that it was nothing serious.¡± ¡°Ah huh¡± Sophia muttered ¡°Then pray tell me, Gorbach. Why, do you stay a good person?¡± ¡°Very well¡± Gorbach said with a longing smile ¡°It is passed time I told you my motivation, anyway.¡± ¡°Helping a fellow human being is a part of it, to tell true.¡± He started to say, lying down on the sofa he sat on like trying to imply that they would be here for a while ¡°It is my dream to rule a city without conflict and violence, where every wrong will be right with better justice than we have now, and I just want everyone''s life to be a little bit less depressing in general.¡± Sophia nodded ¡°Go on¡± ¡°If I leave it at that, I will not be answering the question.¡± Gorbach continued ¡°I don¡¯t just want to become a benevolent supreme leader just for the sake of it, admittedly. Sophia, list me five supreme leaders on the top of your head right this moment.¡± She decided to go along with his little game ¡°Let¡¯s see, you, your father, Adollos, Donalius, and then Willemmus, the first supreme leader.¡± Gorbach shook his head in mild annoyance ¡°God, I forget that you are a history-obsessed child for a moment. There are sixty-three Godlead who hold the same position before me to choose from, and of course, you nearly say it at random.¡± ¡°I ask this question to a lot of people, both in and outside the wall of Last Stronghold. My father¡¯s name came up most of the time, since he was the current supreme leader, along with some others who insisted on putting their name on things they were built in their reign, but you know who came up most frequently of all? The good one.¡± ¡°Jeficus the just and Geor the generous?¡± Sophia asked. ¡°And Wigdis the wonderful too, though she was not actually as great as people made her to be.¡± Gorbach went on ¡°Only the very bad and the very good are remembered, Sophia. A hundred years from now, I will be already dead and buried, so are you, and everyone we all know, unless of course, the order of medic manages to discover a means to live forever, but I doubt that will be the case any time soon. What left of us will only be our bones, and that will be all gone too at some point, but the one thing that will remain, for a thousand of years, is our deeds.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to admit it, but all these good things I am doing, I did it so that I will be remembers. My father will likely go down as just another dictator who did absolutely nothing and just use his position to satisfy his endless desire, and I don¡¯t know about you, but I don¡¯t exactly want to be remembered that way.¡± Gorbach paused to let Sophia gave out a small chuckle ¡°Your laugh is simply strange, you realize that? Regardless, I want to be remembered as not just one of the good, but the very best that this city ever had. I want this reforming plan to be my legacy; my deed shall be to make this very city a better place for everyone from the bleak dystopian world we inhabited.¡± ¡°And all I ask for return¡­¡± Gorbach started to finish ¡°¡­is for them to still know by name for hundreds of years to come.¡± Sophia let the information washed over her head ¡°So, the reason you selflessly seek to help others around you is because of your very much selfish desire to be remembered?¡± Gorbach shrugged ¡°Basically. Now that you know why I do the thing I do, you can cease from being my advisor and confidant if you wish. I can find a better home for your parents and settle you there with a few hundred points as a reward for your good service¡­¡± ¡°No¡± Sophia told him, now she knew why Gorbach had never told her this before. He feared that she might think of him differently, but it didn¡¯t ¡°Whatever your reason for doing good is, all that matter is that you are doing good. And I will always stand by that.¡± Gorbach smiled at that, a widest smile she seen him had since before the mishap at the picking day ¡°Good, then perhaps it is time we get back on our work, a lot of things require some attentions, if we wish to have our first policy out on schedule.¡± The sad girl The free cavern was beaming with life and happiness, and nowhere so true than in the well hall, for there were warm foods and ale, with dancing and laughing and talking. More than half of the people in this lively mountain were glad to be free from the supreme leader¡¯s clutch at last, while the rest was glad for having so many new members joining this lonesome tunnel. Everyone was so happy, except for Lana. As a stream of tears ran down her face and dripped upon her wrinkled shirt, she tried to force a smile upon her lips in an attempt to join her people¡¯s celebration. But she couldn¡¯t even do that, and all it achieved was making her sobbed even more. ¡°Wall¡­¡± Lana muttered dryly. As she sat alone upon a stone slab that served as her chair, her bloodshot and teary eyes locked upon her lap and covered with her arms; she couldn¡¯t help but bitterly wondered why everyone was celebrating when it felt like the world had ended to her. The answer was so simple that it hurt. They won. With 433 commoners rescued from the hold of the evil supreme leader, not to mention only a single casualty, the resistance nearly quadruple in size, but that wasn¡¯t the only victory they had¡­ On the very same day that they were taking people from the city, many more teams of free caverners had entered into different secret passages and, taking advantage of what the group she was in as a distraction, took hold on of all sorts of supply. A group led by Jacob raided a solar gun factory, gaining them a large number of weapons, another group attacked the city¡¯s storehouse and brought them back enough grains and meats to feed the cavern for a quarter of a year, dragging back to the cavern by using wagons Robin ordered to be built beforehand. Fabric storage had been raided, medicines, electronics, tools, alcohols and so much more had been ceased to further their cause. The rebellion¡¯s future was looking bright, and Lana knew she should be celebrating the victory of her new home, but she just couldn¡¯t. ¡®The free cavern is not my home.¡¯ She thought as she continued to weep ¡®Wall¡­makes this a home.¡¯ She sat alone during the celebration, crying and moaning for the loss of her friend, occasionally raised her head from the table, hoping against hope to see Wall entering from one of the tunnels, alive and well. But it was nothing but a vain delusion, he was dead. ¡®I try to save him and repay my debt¡­¡¯ Lana thought as she scrubbed her teary eyes ¡®But he ends up saving me again, surrendering his own life for this stupid girl.¡¯ The memory was still raw and painful in her mind, the tunnel was collapsing behind them and the guards were closing in, Wall was hurting, and Lana refused to leave him. But he pushed her away, not letting her to die alongside him¡­ After the tunnel had closed up, Lana, sobbing and crying, tried to dig through the rubble to find Wall, in a hope that he was still alive among the pile and pile of stone and wreckage. It was a hopeless attempt, some of the rock was near twice her size, and every time she managed to move one-off, another three fell down to replace it, but Lana kept at it regardless, digging and digging until her hands were blistered and bloodied. By evenfall, the other caverners pulled her away from the task and dragged her screaming and crying from the wreckage. At the time, Lana felt she was so close to Wall, like if she managed to uncover a few more stone, she would found him, perhaps even still alive, hurting from the weight of stones, but Lana knew she was being delusional, for she had barely gone through a single foot of rubbles. The celebration grew louder and louder as the night went on, half chaotic and without order, the way freedom lover enjoyed. No matter how hard she tried, Lana couldn¡¯t make any sense of it, as if the whole world had all gone numb. She spied the people who once sat with Wall, they were his friends, as far as she could remember. They seemed to be saddened as well, but still joining on the celebration regardless, the worst part of it all was that Lana knew why, they still got each other, while she only got Wall, who was now gone. All she wanted to do now was to hide her head away into her jacket and continued to cry. A person dropped by, perhaps pitying her, he gave Lana a cup of sweet ale with a smile and condolence, though she could not make out the word. Lana tried a sip of the drink, thinking that it might help her mental state, but the ale was tasteless to her, not sweet, not bitter, she simply couldn¡¯t feel any flavors. She left the rest of the cup alone and continued to sob. The person stood there for a while, looking like trying to say something, but then left without another word. What worse about it all was the fact that Wall¡¯s death could have been avoided entirely, and the tragedy was all her fault. If she had not lagged behind to give that dead man a coin, or being exhausted in that tunnel, Wall wouldn¡¯t have been shot, and mayhap he might still be here. That made her cried even more. ¡°It should have been me¡­¡± Lana said sadly, and she knew it was true. She was the one who killed Wall, in a sense. It should have been her who got shot, the one left behind as the tunnel collapse. Wall was a valued member of the cavern and had been living there for more than a decade, while Lana was nothing but a weak and useless eleven years old girl. As the victory celebration reached its height, some of the members starting to sing and play a sweet song for everyone, and many bawdy dances and cheers were being performed on both floor and tables. That was when two people appeared before her. The pair turned out to be the brown hair twin, with one leaning upon the other, his shoulder bandaged from the wound he had taken in the tunnel. They too offered condolence for her lost, saying that they were deeply sorry for leaving her and Wall. Lana listened to them silently, not blaming them for any of the tragedy, but neither did she pay any mind on what they were saying, for as sad as it might be, she couldn¡¯t help but mellow in her grieve and shut everyone out. They introduced themselves as, Hos and Ark, thought Lana remembered those were not the names they called each other back in the tunnel. Regardless of what new name they picked, she did not even remember who had which, for she did not make any attempt to do so. After realizing that they would not be receiving any reply, they gave each other a quick look and then left her alone to her sobbing. ¡®Soph wouldn¡¯t have cried¡­but I¡¯m not her.¡¯ Lana thought longingly, missing her sister more than ever. Sophia¡¯s would help her get back up and they would deal with her grief together; Lana knew it in her heart. But the hope of reuniting with Soph here in this cavern now felt less and less possible every moment and was now but a childish daydream. For a moment Lana had an urge to sneak back into the city and cried everything into her sister¡¯s shoulder, but the thought of even returning there brought back the memory of Wall¡¯s death too much that it pusher her deeper into her sorrow. When all seemed darkest, Lana forced her hand together and tried to her best to give a prayer, asking for the holy god of the grand church of fate to help her in her time of need and to bless Wall¡¯s lost soul, but her hand stopped halfway as her fingers twitched in unnatural bent¡­it didn¡¯t felt right. ¡®No kind god would allow any of this to happen.¡¯ A dark voice crept into her mind, the very same one that spoke to her in the execution pit ¡®If there really is a god, then that god is evil, to give us a world full of pain and sadness.¡¯ The realization only made the crying worse. As more time passed, Lana could sense the victory celebration dying down, for the beating in her head was starting to go away, but the hurt still persistent. Suddenly she felt someone¡¯s presence coming near her. ¡°Cheer up, will ya? You are bumming everyone out.¡± A female voice told. Lana raised her head, and through her teary eyes, realized that it was Robin, the leader of the resistance, who was standing next to her. ¡°Lana, right?¡± Robin asked ¡°Is that the new name you picked? It¡¯s an odd one to be sure, but I¡¯m not judging.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s your original name, I see, didn¡¯t come up with a new one yet, huh? Mine¡¯s Robin, but I think you already know that, me being elected your leader and all.¡± She took a seat opposite to her, and after a moment, gave her a reassuring smile ¡°Look, I am distraught as well to lose a member, our numbers grow to 574, and, trust me, I truly want it to be 575.¡± Lana did not answer, all she wanted now was to be left alone in her grieve, to lets the pain washed over her and cried for the person she would never see again. Robin, realizing that Lana did not wish to answer, sighed and said ¡°Fine, I¡¯m sorry for collapsing the tunnel and kill your friend, satisfy?¡± Lana did not try to make any reply. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Robin went on ¡°If I did not close off the tunnel, the guards will reach us and arrest everyone who had escaped on the spot and even risk having our base being discovered. It is a hard choice, but a choice I have to make as a leader; I am obliged to save five hundred instead of two.¡± Lana nodded in silence, though she herself did not know whether it was out of understanding or politeness. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know a lot about Wall.¡± Robin admitted ¡°I have been here for nearly a year and I still can¡¯t remember everyone¡¯s name, can you believe that? And it will be a lot harder now after our numbers expanded to such caliber. Though this past week he¡¯s been bothering me quite a lot, telling me to advance with caution and all that. I know he wants what best for our little resistance and all that, but he really getting in the way of progress, you know?¡± Lana did not make any attempt to give a response, but simply stayed silent, wishing to climb into her bed and cry herself to sleep, but the only thing keeping her from it was the nightmare she might have. That last non-reply seemed to be the last straw, however, and Robin snapped. ¡°Oh, boohoo! Your friend dies.¡± Robin started to say, and the word made Lana¡¯s frail body trembled ¡°But guesses what, young lady, that experience is not exclusive to you. I watch one of my best friends die in my arms, so stop fucking sulking, it wouldn¡¯t do you any good, trust me.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Lana was shaken by her word, unsure what to do, she raised her head so her gaze could meet hers. ¡°Good, now you are listening to me.¡± Robin finally said and gave Lana a reassuring smile, which was strangely warming. After a closer look at her face, she saw that Robin¡¯s miss-match eyes were blue and green, and the determination sparkled in blue one reminded Lana of Soph. One of Robin¡¯s eyebrows had a fade scar running through, which gave her plain look a strange edge to it. ¡°I know what it¡¯s like to lose someone dear.¡± Robin told Lana, clutching her hands in hers as a sigh of comfort ¡°But weep only as much as you need to, Lana. For no matter how much tears we shred, it will not bring them back to life, trust me, I once cried my eyes out just like the way you are doing now. After your loved one perished, the only thing that remains is your memory of them.¡± Lana stopped to think about what had happened in this last month. Wall had saved her from the execution pit, had mended her legs and bandaged her wound; he saved her from a guard, and then took her to a safe haven that was the cavern of the free, giving her a new life. He took her under his protective wings, trying in every way to make her fit into her new home, always being there for her and simply talking and taking care of her. And then¡­and then¡­ Lana gave out a fit of sob as tears ran down her face ¡°There, there.¡± Robin tried to say ¡°Cherish the memory you had of him, and he will always be with you no matter what, that what¡¯s I do anyway. Here, have this.¡± Robin pressed something in Lana¡¯s hand, a hard tiny object of oval shape. She retracted her hand and saw what inside; it¡¯s a locket¡­Wall¡¯s locket. ¡°I have some of the members cleared away his room¡± Robin explained ¡°I am not trying to disrespect him or anything, but it will be a waste to lets them sit there and get cover in dust. Regardless, I found this on his bed, took a little sneak peek, and I think that if there is someone who might want it, that person will be you.¡± Lana¡¯s hands trembled as the locket sat on her hand, it meant a lot to Wall, she knew, but it would mean a lot to her to have it as well. As curiosity overwhelmed her mind, Lana¡¯s fingers touched the buds that locked away the picture inside, but her conscience went against it. Whatever the locket hold, it was not her place to intrude, the memory inside was precious to Wall, and Lana wanted to leave it that way, what mattered to Lana was the locket itself. She attached the chain on the back of her neck, letting the locket dangled over her chest, and strangely, she felt like Wall was with her again. The tears did not stop though, no matter how much she told herself to stop. ¡°You remind me of myself when I was younger.¡± Robin told her ¡°Shy, innocent and so so passive, despite the horror we all face.¡± Lana raised her head, still sobbing, she could not imagine such a person as Robin to once be someone like her, someone who is useless, weak-willed and rarely feel any positive emotions. ¡°I don¡¯t know who my parents, admittedly.¡± Robin started to say ¡°The sadness shelter claimed that I was born to a courtesan, with some stinking noble as a father, the pill the order gave my mom to make her barren was not working properly or something, I forget the detail. Regardless, she had no way to care for me so I was dumped at the orphanage, or so they tell me, but that bitch of a mother or my noble father never dropped by to pay a visit, not even once, so I really have no confirmation. Life is quite hard in this fittingly name place, but I try my best to keep it optimistic, which is, admittedly, my first mistake.¡± Lana nodded as the young leader went on about her life. She was only half-listening, fidgeting around the locket as Robin went on. It would be rude not to at least paid attention to her story, as she seemed to be trying to comfort Lana with the telling of her past. ¡°All I want is a simple life; you know, I just want to be happy, living peacefully, with enough food to fill my belly, and maybe find a handsome someone to settle down with, every girl''s dream, I sure you have something like that at some point. That¡¯s why I try my best at school, endure those wrinkly priestess endless abuses, and going to bed starving every night; I did not break, because of the hope for a better future.¡± ¡°Then snap, occurred a twist of fate, and that very future I dream of turned into ash, for the dark and unfeeling god who looks down on us all decided that I must follow my mother¡¯s shameful footsteps. In short, when the picking day comes, they decide that I will make quite a courtesan.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lana gasped, her hand clutched upon the locket harder than before. She had liked the story so far, it was so similar to her own, but the sudden downturn hurt so much. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t like it any more than you do, but sadly, we are not living in a fantasy, our past is our past, and we can do nothing about it. You are a young girl, Lana, so I will not subject you to the¡­training I got from the order of courtesans, just take my word on it when I said it is likely the worst experience a girl can face. On the first day, the old courtesans spoke of how rewarding the work can be. You will be intimate with the nobles, they say, you will be favored if you do your job right, they say, you will be given beautiful jewelry, they say, if you are lucky, you might be allowed to tend the supreme leader¡¯s crypt too, they say¡­¡± Robin spat on the floor ¡°I don¡¯t believe a damn fucking thing; more like these old hags were so beaten down that they can¡¯t see through the obvious truth. No one wants that life, I tell you. My dream was shattered at the moment that pink dye was dipped on my face; yes it is put on my face and right in my eyes, and it gave me quite a stink eyes afterward, which was nearly as worse as them picking me in the first place, like how evil you have to be to do such a thing? Regardless, my life will never be peaceful; food is never adequate, as they need me to be as thin as a stick to look my best, which is stupid because seeing ribcage under your skin is not pretty. The worst thing was that I will never have a lover, as it is in the courtesan¡¯s code to cast away your own affection and dedicate your life and body to the nobles, specifically pleasing the nobles.¡± ¡°But one night, year and a half into my humiliating training, I have a breakthrough of sorts; I suddenly realize that I am not obligated to do any of this. I am not forced to be subservient to these glorified harlots, the murderous guards, those awful priestesses, all of the nasty nobles, or even the supreme fucking leader himself. All my life I was taught to follow their will and obeyed the system, but I just realize that I don¡¯t actually have to. It was just as simple as that, the first step of taking control of your life is to realize you are not in control, I always said, the second is to get the fuck out of the city.¡± Robin turned around to see the cavern, with all of its people and the warming bonfires ¡°I only heard of this place through rumors, here say through here say, you could say, but I bet everything on it. I gather my courage along with a dozen of my friends whom I secretly managed to convince that they must break free from the system of oppression as well. Rebellious thought worked like that, Lana, when one comes to be, it will spread like a plague, a good plague though, to be sure, but quite an epidemic nonetheless. I picked the night of the full moon for my escape, letting the glow of moonlight guided us, and for poetic reason, I¡¯m sure you understand; we took our plainest outfit, which was still very skimpy, to tell true, the order didn¡¯t exactly outfit our wardrobe with the type of fabric you would normally wear. We escaped through the window, tying our bedsheets together and climbed down from our sleeping cell, which was basically a prison, then we were planning to use the darkness as our cover and climbed over the wall, but we were founded before we managed to enact our plan, caught by a squad of guards sent to arrest us.¡± ¡°What¡­did you do?¡± Lana asked. Robin gave a smile, a hint of smug on her lips ¡°I convinced them to join me, of course. Before they managed to handcuff all of us, I speak to them of the oppressive system of this city, the inequality between nobles and commons, and the fact that we had little to no freedom our entire life, and somehow, they listened. After I finished, they threw down their guns and renounced the very name of Musol Godlead-to-hell, which was when I realized that I got quite a talent at convincing people. The first to do so was the sergeant, and he gave one last order to his squad to join me for a path to freedom, I think I managed to charm him a little bit too. Isn¡¯t that right Jacob?¡± The man in question passed by and gave Robin a light peck on the cheek ¡°Yeah¡­you got me good.¡± ¡°Having Jacob with us, he hailed the gate¡¯s black guards to let his squad into their barrack, took them out with his solar gun and pulled up the portcullis, letting us through the city¡¯s wall and into the outside world. It was quite a victory, but our hope and spirit soon gradually withered away. We did not know where the cavern is, as it happens, so all we could do was to wander till we find some sort of clues. Soon our water food out, then our water, Jacob and his squad hunted the strange animals we found wandering the cracked and bleak wasteland, but it was not enough. It was not long till our number dropped down, two of my friends died out of starvation, along with one of Jacob¡¯s, then one of mine died from an infected wound, another simply collapsed from the heat, never to get back up again. It got to the point when one of us conferred that we should go back to the city, saying something close to ¡®freedom sucks ball¡¯ and that he would rather live in my so-called ¡®oppression¡¯ than don¡¯t live at all. I managed to convince him to stay with us, but he disappeared a day later. Jacob assumed he went back to the city, and said that it was fruitless to track him down. Poor guy, he would definitely be executed for desertion; I think his name is Daul or something along those lines, I tend not to dwell on stuff like this.¡± ¡°Regardless of that guy, we pressed on into the unknown, chasing the futile dream of freedom that was so far from sight. But when it seemed all hope is lost and we were basically crawling through the sand, we found the place and we¡¯re finally admitted into the cavern of the free.¡± Robin spread her arms, liked to confirm the fact. But as Lana thought she was finished, she continued ¡°As you can see from your time with us, as the name of this place suggests, we are free here, and with me as a leader, I will make sure we are also a force to be reckoned with, and perhaps every common will also be free as well, if our currently little rebellion did not go haywire on me. The time I live here is likely the best time of my life; I meet a lot of people, making new friends, connecting with old ones, developed a relationship with Jacob, but also meet Marah¡­¡± She gazed longingly upon the cavern roof, where the shadows of the celebration below danced by the campfire, creating a very vivid image ¡°Marah, is a strange guy, admittedly, he was born here and had never went into the city, but somehow a master of all things technology. He always makes me laugh with his joke, always had a way with his word and is just so so sweet, the opposite of a stoic and often time brooding Jacob, really, but the latter guy was also loving in his own way as well. Right now I manage to create a stable relationship between the three of us, but I¡¯m afraid Jacob is going to be tearing Marah¡¯s throat out any days now with this going¡­¡± Robin saw Lana¡¯s face, and it was as if she snapped out of something ¡°God, I just make this about me, didn¡¯t I? Sorry, you¡¯re the one losing a friend and here I am going on about my own life and problems, I do that sometimes. The point I tried to make is that, I feel your pain as well; I know what it¡¯s like to lose someone dear to you. But you have to move on, I can¡¯t let those five death loomed over my head forever, nor that Baul guy¡¯s betrayal, and so shouldn¡¯t you as well. Wall wouldn¡¯t want you to grieve over him too much either, I¡¯m sure he will also want you to move on.¡± She gave a clap on her shoulder with a smile ¡°So tough up, okay, or wallow in sadness forever, it is really your choice and I wouldn¡¯t judge.¡± Lana nodded in appreciation, she got that Robin was trying to make her feel better, in her own idealistic sort of way. Lana touched Wall¡¯s locket again, she certainly felt better now, at least a little bit. ¡®She dealt with this unfeeling world by changing.¡¯ Lana thought ¡®But can I do the same?¡¯ Wall could deal with this world, and so did her sister Sophia, but Lana was not either of them...or could her? ¡®Cherish the memory you had of him, and he will always be with you no matter what.¡¯ Robin¡¯s advice rang through her head, like the last bell that signals her death, but this ringing would signal her life. Wall would always be with her, no matter what happened, and his name would live on through her, so Lana would not forget the person who was with her in the darkest time of her life. Lana made up her mind. Robin, noticing her silence, stood up to leave ¡°Well, if you need anything else, Lana¡­¡± ¡°No¡± She muttered, and for the first time since forever, a look of determination formed on her face, and it was here to stay ¡°Not Lana¡± That name belonged to a weak girl, she needed to be a new person, for Wall sake and for her own ¡°I found my new name, it¡¯s Walia from now on.¡± Robin smiled ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± The lost father Armone let the water ran over his head, washing through his hair, his face, and his sadness. As his bagged eyes came to focus, Armone used a towel to dry himself and threw it down on the floor, the entire bathroom a complete mess from neglect. Armone rubbed his back as he opened through the bathroom door, his body hurt all over, despite not taking any serious injuries this past few days. Age was finally catching up him, it would seem, or was it grief that was causing this? He could not say. ¡®My sons¡¯ Armone thought as he passed by Mathos and Markis¡¯s bedroom. He was about to check whether or not they had woken up yet, but as his hand reached the knob, Armone remembered that they wouldn¡¯t be there. They weren¡¯t there for nearly a week now. He grabbed the stairway¡¯s railing, his legs wavering as he tried to balance down the steps. Armone found Beth at the end of the stair, sitting alone with a half-chewed chunk of bread in her hands. Her bag already slung on her back. Armone forced himself to put on a smile for his daughter ¡°Ready for school?¡± Beth nodded, though not eagerly ¡°Will mum walk me there?¡± Armone shook his head, hoping that his expression did not betray him ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Will mommy be okay?¡± His daughter asked. ¡°She will be¡­fine.¡± Armone reassured her and wished that what he said was true ¡°Give daddy a moment, then I will walk you to school, alright?¡± Beth nodded, and it hurt him so much to see how innocent she was, too young to fully comprehend anything. Armone left his daughter by the stairway and made his way for the living room. Armone found Silva the same place he left her last night. Thereby the window, she sat alone on the floor, glaring out through the glass plain. Several layers of blankets were draped over her, but she was still shaking, her eyes puffy and red, her face was a mess and starting to become thin. The room was stunk with the smell of several days of unwashed, combined, with the food he left her last night that had become spoiled, and the night before that, and also the night before that, all still untouched. ¡°Hey¡± Armone called her, standing by the doorway. He knew he should be sitting next to his wife or even embraced her, giving his grieving spouse a shoulder to cry on. But he just couldn¡¯t, for he was distraught in his own way as well, and he was afraid things might get worse for both of them if they shared their pain with each other. ¡°Oh¡± Silva gave out, not turning to meet him, her beautiful face seemed to display that her mind was very much elsewhere ¡°Good¡­morning, dear.¡± Armone scratched his beard, which was slightly tangled, even though he always kept it straight and trimmed not so long ago ¡°I will be taking Beth to school.¡± Silva nodded, though very slightly. Her eyes were fixated on the window, where the holy star atop the grand church could be in view as if she was giving a silent prayer. ¡®That is why we pick this house if I recalled correctly.¡¯ Armone remembered the memory of them going to the church and attended public prayers every week, though the happy memory did not make him feel any joy. ¡°The head of electrician is upset about your absent,¡± Armone told his wife, though the man understood their situation, the law is the law, and Silva¡¯s permanent points were decreasing rapidly, and her provisions had not been received for many days now. ¡°Tell him¡­¡± Silva stopped for a moment, her voice seemed so dry that it hurt his heart ¡°I¡­need time¡­to¡­¡± ¡°I will,¡± He told her "But get better, okay? Beth needs you.¡± ¡®And I need you.¡¯ Armone would have continued, but he must be the one who held this broken family together. Silva didn¡¯t reply, so Armone shook his head and went to give her a small kiss, though he wondered if she even felt it. ¡°There is still some food in the kitchen.¡± Armone told her, glaring at the spoiled foods ¡°Please eat, you need the energy¡­¡± ¡°Armone¡­why?¡± Silva started to say, her voice so shattered ¡°Our boys¡­why did they take our boys?¡± ¡®They weren¡¯t taken.¡¯ Armone thought, bitterly ¡®They go by their own volition.¡¯ But he couldn¡¯t tell Silva that, for he was afraid that her weaken heart might not be able to take it. So after a quick goodbye, Armone exited the living room, leaving his wife to her grief and leaving him to his. ¡°Beth, let¡¯s go,¡± Armone said his daughter before he could change his mind, and Beth picked up her bag and followed him out to the street. As the morning light glaring through the tall buildings around his home, Beth trotted by along behind him, though noticeably less merrily than usual. Together they passed around their neighborhood, so Armone trying to put on a half-fake smile for his neighbors, like everything was okay, like his wife was not grieving away in their home, like his family was not broken, like both of his sons had not decided to spirit themselves away and joined an unlawful resistance¡­ A moment later, they were at the faith tower, taking his adopted daughter¡¯s hand, he walked up the steep steps of the ascending stair for the station. But as Armone was halfway up, he felt a sharp pain on his ankle. It was a little thing, but it managed to make him stop temporary nevertheless. ¡°Dad, are you alright?¡± Beth asked, noticing his pause. Armone tapped his foot on the granite staircase to make the pain went away ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡®You are a guard and a sergeant.¡¯ Armone told himself when they reached the top ¡®Not to mention the head of your own family, no matter how small it becomes, so tough up.¡¯ Soon the train stopped at the faith tower, circling down upon the platform. Armone glanced at the guard cargo, since he was not in uniform, he would not be able to use it. So when the crowd in the train dispersed, he led Beth passed the nearest door and sat her and himself on the nearby opening seats in the packed cargo. As the railroad started to power up and moved forward, Armone glanced out the window and saw the golden symbol atop the church of fate. He wondered if Silva was still watching it, asking for an answer from the higher power they worshipped. ¡®God, tell me what did I do wrong?¡¯ Armone prayed to the star ¡®Had I been too harsh on my boys, or had I been too loose? Had I not hammered the importance of following orders into their head hard enough? Had I not been a good father to them? Please¡­tell me¡­¡¯ But alas, the god had decided to not answered, leaving Armone to pondered his dilemma by himself. When had they decided to betray their own city? He questioned. Had they been plotting this for all their life, or was it just a stupid whim they had overnight? Regardless of the reason, they left, and that was what hurt the worst. ¡°D¡­dad¡± Beth called him, tucking his shirt ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Armone shook his head, getting everything together, for what Beth said was true. They had arrived at the commercial tower, and many of younglings who had come for school on their own and with their parents were leaving through the cargo¡¯s door. Armone took Beth¡¯s hand and led her out the train, following along with the crowd. As they were descending the steps, the two passed by a blond haired girl in blue hoodie twice Beth¡¯s age and a man in plain black shirt twice her age walking alongside each other, and Armone strangely had a feeling that he had met them before. Their closeness seemed resembled that of a sibling, though they looked nothing alike. ¡°The gathering area behind the school seems like a good spot.¡± Armone overheard the girl said ¡°Not ideal, but the best spot in that miserable place.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to second doubting this idea a little bit.¡± The man said back ¡°Corlius will never shut up about it.¡± ¡°Relaxed¡± The girl replied ¡°Fuck that guy¡¯s opinion. This is a crucial step for your plan.¡± Their conversation sounded strange, but Armone had his own errand to be done so he stayed out of their business. From the tower, it was but a short walk to school, and soon they were at the front gate. They stopped by the nearby wall so Armone could give his daughter goodbye for the day. ¡°Study hard, all right?¡± Armone told her, sitting on his knee so he could meet her gaze ¡°Behave and listen to the educators. I will come by to pick you up as fast as possible.¡± Beth nodded and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. ¡°Dad, when will Mat and Mark be home?¡± She suddenly asked. And at that moment, the mask he forced himself to wear shattered, and the emotion he pent up for the last few days came pouring out. For that brief moment, he was no longer a guard, a sergeant, a husband, a father or even a man, he was just a person who had lost two sons, perhaps forever. Tears poured out of his eyes in the way that he did not know could. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Beth.¡± Armone sobbingly told his daughter ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± After a moment, he tried his best to regain his composure ¡°Go run along now, otherwise you will be late.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Beth nodded, though Armone could clearly saw that she noticed her father¡¯s tears. And with that she trotted away to the school building, alone, without her brothers. He tried to rise from the ground, staggering due to his emotional weight. He swung out from the school gate and rested himself by the nearby wall. ¡°My boys¡­¡± Armone muttered bitterly ¡°Why did it have to be my boys?¡± He had to admit the truth to himself, Armone knew. Silva, Beth, Mathos, Markis and him would never be a family again. If his sons decided to come back, they would be executed for treasons, and Armone would be compelled to arrest them themselves. But if the resistance rages on, they would either die in the fighting or be executed after they were captured. Their fate was all but sealed the moment they made the drastic choice. ¡®After that day, I might as well lose them.¡¯ The same thought he had on the day of the great test flashed through his head, but it had taken a bitter and darker turn. Armone nearly laughed from the terribleness of it all, but he afraid that it would sound more of a depressed sobbing instead. Then a fist was driven into his chest. It was not a hard punch, but not a soft one either. Nevertheless, it took him by surprise, and it made him stagnated down onto the floor, his chest still sore from the impact. ¡°Get up, you sad sack.¡± A familiar voice said as he was being pulled back up. ¡°Paul¡± Armone spit the taste of concrete from his mouth, he remembered his younger friend¡¯s red hair and rash attitude anywhere ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Come to pick up my sergeant, what else,¡± Paul told him, offering a hand to get back up, so he took it. Armone rubbed his temple, noticing that Paul was not in uniform ¡°You don¡¯t really have to punch me in the gut like that.¡± ¡°To be fair, Armone, you looked like you need just that.¡± Paul looked out toward the direction of the authority district ¡°Let¡¯s get to our jobs; our squad is assigned to a new task.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Armone said, he still got his new work, no matter what he lost. ¡°It¡¯s a short walk from here, let¡¯s go,¡± Paul told him, and off they went. ¡°Look, I know you are going through a rough time right now¡­¡± His friend told him as they slithered around the street, making their way out of the commercial district. ¡°How did you know?¡± Armone asked his friend, he had never told anyone at the great barrack about his family situation. ¡°Words get around, and it is also written all over your face.¡± Paul commented, ¡°I¡¯m not the only one who noticed it, Hedge knew, Eve knew, Hillar knew, even Garret, Jackson and Yillid are starting to noticing it too.¡± ¡°I see¡± Armone muttered, listening to every word, it nearly lighten his heart to know that his close friends cared. Nearly. ¡°I understand that your family is in a tiring time, but you have to get your shit together man. The fact of the matter is, the squad needs you, and this is going to sound weird, but I need you.¡± Armone eyed Paul with suspicion. ¡°A week ago when you offered my name to the head guard as your second-in-command, you give me another shot at this squad thing, and I will be eternally grateful for that. My past fuck-up with Sergeant Jacob still looms over me, even after so many months, but goddamn it, your downer attitude is really screwing with our performance. So fucking man up, Armone!¡± Armone pondered on the ringing words for a moment, his family was shattered, but he still got his work, his other family, as taught during training. He must remember that, and he had to be there for them. ¡°Speaking of the man¡­¡± Armone tried to hold a conversion as his attempt to get back to his usual self ¡°How long had it been, huh?¡± Paul shrugged ¡°Six months, maybe seven, I don¡¯t know. I never really like the guy, but he is a great sergeant, to be true.¡± Armone nodded, Jacob was a shining example of what a guard should be, law-binding, disciplined, unbent, and merciless. He was picked to be a sergeant as soon as he finished his training, and there was a talk that he would inevitably become the new head guard one day. Paul had been assigned to Sergeant Jacob, serving as part of his squad, which was quickly gaining prestige through the man¡¯s leadership. But one faithful night, they were sent to capture a group of escaping courtesans, who had somehow managed to pass through one of the city¡¯s gate and in the process killed the black guard stationed there. Without asking for permission from the order of the guards, Paul told that Jacob led his squad out into the wasteland outside the city wall, pursuing the escapee and brought them back for execution. A week passed, and they were able to catch up to them, but then realized too late that it was a trap. ¡°I could still remember it like it was yesterday.¡± Paul muttered, ¡°They tackles us from both sides and stole our weapons, and then used them to kill our squad one by one, Bernard, Glass, Trist, even Jacob, who took in like twenty blasts before finally went down.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Glass your¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, it was nothing serious, but she was my lover at the time.¡± Paul sighed ¡°Regardless, I was the only one who survived, and you know the rest.¡± Armone nodded, Paul had said that he staggered back to the city, weakens and lost. He would have been executed for failure, but Armone had made a case against it, pleading that it was not Paul¡¯s fault to be commanded to recklessly pursued the escaping courtesans. In the end, the head guard had decided to not executed Paul, but instead stripping him from all his points and his home in the upper common district then lowered his rank down to a simple watchman. A few weeks afterward, Paul had come to express his gratitude for saving his life. ¡°Look, we¡¯re here.¡± His friend told Armone, and they arrived at the twenty stories building named the great barrack. The two scan their fingerprints by the front gate, and then went inside. ¡°What is our assignment?¡± Armone asked as they climbed up the stair for their designated squad room. ¡°Nothing fancy¡± Paul admitted, ¡°We have to put up more posters or something.¡± Armone nodded, he remembered this as part of their work, though he often heard complaints, mainly from Hillar, that this work was more suited to other orders. But he knew better, it was one thing to see a fellow commons put out propaganda posters, it was another to see a force of authority putting them out. Soon they were standing in front of their squad room, guarded by a simple metal door with a plac that read ¡®C241¡¯ over it. Armone took a deep breath, trying to hide away all of his stress and worry. When he was ready, he put his thumb over the handle and the door swung open. ¡°Salutation!¡± Paul commanded, and immediately all three of Armone¡¯s subordinates stopped whatever they were doing to stand and stiff up, awaiting his pleasure. ¡°To your duty¡± Armone commanded, as per protocol, and everyone sat back down and returned to their task. Armone glanced around the room he was given, a small one, but suited its purpose, with fives lockers, a central bench, its own solar gun¡¯s stand, and window. Paul looked at his squadmate ¡°Seriously? I have been gone for half an hour and you guys hadn¡¯t finished putting on your uniform yet?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not my fault.¡± Jackson said he was pulling up the chest part of his armor when Armone and Paul entered the room ¡°Yillid want the squad room for herself when she was dressing.¡± The only one who had already put on her full guard''s armor looked up from her hand device ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry for not wanting you guys seeing me naked while I¡¯m putting on my uniform.¡± ¡°Yill, Jack, the sergeant is watching.¡± Garret warned, he was near finished and was putting on his glove ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss.¡± But that seemed to make her puffed up ¡°I¡¯m not the one making a fuss, Jackson just need to understand that I¡¯m not showing him my private part!¡± Jackson snorted ¡°Oh that is a far cry from what I was saying.¡± Armone groaned, a headache in the morning was just what he needed ¡°Stop¡± he commanded them, and as quick as that, they did as they bid. When he had their full attention, he said: ¡°I will ask for the barrack¡¯s constructor to attach a curtain room in the corner for Yillid¡¯s use, but until then, she will need to come to our squad room earlier than anyone else so as to not disturb anyone, is that clear?¡± They all nodded. ¡°Good¡± Armone finally said, he knew this new position would be hard, but never knew it was consuming as well ¡°Quickly put on your uniform, we have works to do.¡± Armone put on his own uniform in less than five minutes, for he was a guard for far longer than any of his subordinates had been. When he finally put on his helmet, he looked at the reflection by the window. His body armor was the exact same as his old one, but a lining of polished bronze ran over the surface, sliding all over his uniform like a tangled rope, binding and choking him from the outside. His squad wore the old plain white armor, but their left shoulder pad had the same bronze lining as his, showing their rank as a squad members, with Paul having it in both his shoulders. When everyone had finished putting on their uniform, Armone tabbed his helmet¡¯s headpiece, and immediately, a voice rang up. ¡°Connection establish to the squad¡­¡± His squad¡¯s overseer said over the device ¡°We are all ready, sergeant Armone.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He replied, but the speaker was not Dane. When Armone was promoted to a sergeant, a watchman¡¯s overseer was not fit to be working with him anymore. Quinn was the name of the new overseer, who worked with his squad from here on out. She was a freshly trained recruit, the same as three of his squad members, and was everything an overseer was asked to be. But sometime Armone still missed his old humorous companion. ¡°So many things changed...¡± He muttered, ¡°So many people left¡­¡± When all was said and done, Paul ordered the squad to give Armone another salute, and they went to their work. They marched for the barrack¡¯s storage units to retrieve the hologram poster, a tube-shaped device that could project a large image and could be drilled into a wall. The storage¡¯s caretaker handed Armone about four hundred of the items, packed into five bags, and he handed each of them to his subordinate. afterward, they went to exit the great barrack. ¡°We will cover more ground if we split up.¡± Armone told his squad ¡°Paul, you took Garret to the upper common, I will take Yillid and Jackson to the lower.¡± ¡°As you command, sergeant¡± Paul replied, his tone had noticeably changed, since, in their guard armor, Armone was his superior now. Yillid gave Jackson a stink eyes before going to talk with Garret, and Armone allowed them a moment to speak. ¡°See you at my place?¡± She asked, raising her visor and kissed Garret by the cheek. Garret smiled ¡°It¡¯s a date, Yil.¡± ¡°An in-work romance¡± Paul commented quietly, to not let the two overheard ¡°It will not last long, I afraid.¡± Armone nodded, though not of agreement. There was something sweet about these two, they reminded him so much of Silva and himself when they too were young. ¡°Let¡¯s move,¡± Armone commanded, and they parted. Armone and two of his subordinates marched down Tiffan Street and entered the lower common district. From all his time as a watchman, Armone could not help but be astonished on how different it was from the upper common. The building was not painted, the street twisted and crook, the environment stinks with horrible smell and seemed depressed in general. The only reason he could think of for a person to buy their home here instead of sleeping in the order¡¯s designated cell provided to them along with their work was to have a strange enjoyment on the fact that they had control over their life, something that Armone think was quite delusional and unnecessary. After they hurried through a decent amount of the district, passing by a few patrolling guards along the way, Armone ordered a halt to his squad as per protocol and commanded them to start putting up posters. He reached into his bags and pulled out one the tube, pressing one of its buttons, he slid two part of it away from each other, revealing its long hologram projector. Armone pinned the device upon the wall, pressed another button, and leave it on itself as the hologram formed from under the device. It was a close-up picture of one of the citizens who defected to the rebel group during the picking day, with his or her name displayed under it. Armone counted to ten, and the image shifted to the next person on the list, alphabet wise, as it supposed to. ¡°One down, seventy-nine to go,¡± Armone muttered, this will be a long and tedious day. He moved to another spot on the wall then activated another device, and he was greeted with the face of Markis. In the picture, his son seemed happy, and the memory of the days he took his family to take their yearly pictures rushed back to his mind. They had put on their best outfits; Beth was bobbling up and down all the way there, and Armone even bought all five of them each a stick of honey chickens. The stain the sauces left on Markis¡¯s shirt collar could still be seen in the picture¡­ ¡°Sergeant¡± Jackson called him from behind, ¡°The devices had been fully deployed in this area, should we¡­¡± He stopped when he saw the poster in front of him, Armone gazed longingly as the face on the picture shifted from Markis to Mathos. ¡°Sergeant¡­is that¡­your sons?¡± Jackson asked, his tone worried. ¡°No¡± Armone decided, his visor was down, so no one could see his teary eyes ¡°They are nothing but traitors to the supreme leader.¡± Gorbach 1/3 ¡°Are you really the supreme leader?¡± The boy in front of him asked. Gorbach gave a click on his pin, then handed the box of food to him ¡°Most definitely, go run along now.¡± The boy nodded and dashed away, letting the next child approached the table. Gorbach shook his head and received the next box from the distributioner behind him ¡®Not even a thank you¡­but no matter, it¡¯s not as if I¡¯m doing it purely for appreciation.¡¯ As he continued giving out set after set of provisions, Gorbach took a hasty look on his surroundings. He was in the city schoolyard, sitting behind a foldable table and chair, his coat draped over his seat. Behind him stood a group of distributioners and royal guards, standing over thousands of food boxes, neatly arranged into several stacks based on what ages they were made for. In front of him were lines and lines of children, waiting eagerly to receive their very own provision set for the very first time. Sophia sat by his side, sharing his table, herself cladded in her plainest noble clothing. Together the two had taken over the nine years old lines, while the few dozen of nobles who accompany them took charge of other ages. ¡®Nothing has gone terribly wrong yet, as far as I know.¡¯ Gorbach thought ¡®So this occasion is quite a success.¡¯ The plan was his idea, though he could not take full credit since he spoke it over with Sophia and Howland, perfecting it as best as possible, even came to inspect the site with her before enacting it. The intention was simple, for the first day that his policy came into play; Gorbach would descend down from the last stronghold to personally enact it, as a meant to ease the tension between the two social classes. ¡®They all have their own ideas on who I am.¡¯ Gorbach thought as he gave another child a provision box ¡®Now let¡¯s them see me right up front and revaluate that.¡¯ Naturally, a supreme leader coming out of his ivory tower would attach quite a scene, and attached quite a scene it did. Beyond the schoolyard not only stood the parents who came to pick up their children, but also a large amount of curious common coming to see Gorbach in the flesh, despite his recent appearance at the picking ceremony. ¡®I will show them who I really am, or at least the part that I want to show.¡¯ Gorbach went on in his head ¡®They shall see me as a humble man, a supreme leader who cares about their misgiving. And perhaps they will support the actions I would take throughout the rest of my reign.¡¯ As Gorbach handed the next child another provision set, a few minutes after he realized that this day would be filled with tedious work, he took a notice that Sophia was glaring around at all the nobles who had follow him down from the last stronghold. ¡°More come than expected, huh?¡± Sophia said, a strange tone in her voice. He gave a nodded, Gorbach had announced to the entire noble population that he would be coming to the school at this very day to distribute the food himself, and asked, not commanded, for a retinue to accompany him. Most definitely his friend came along Howland, Fillius, and Leaf, along with some other nobles. Most thought such an act was beneath them, and his old advisors shared the same view. Lord Corlius had stormed off from the council room after Gorbach announced his plan, and though Lord Rubos promised to attend his supreme leader, he stood by it the last second, citing that his knee was hurting. Which was certainly quite precarious for just before they left, his informant reported than he had seen the shifty advisor pacing around his chamber all morning. ¡®When I said none of them came, that was not wholely true.¡¯ Gorbach thought. He handed out another box and glanced at the table next to him, where Lord Ptis was leaning on his chair, smiling his strange smile like he understood some secret jab no other don¡¯t. Ptis was not handing the food himself, instead a pair of distributioners flanking him left and right had the honor to did the deed for him, which seemed to defeat the purpose of being here in the first place. Yet came he did, and even though his presence did not caused any mishap so far, it was still odd to see him at this place, observing everything. ¡°What do you think is the reason they are here with me?¡± Gorbach asked Sophia, he already knew the answer, but simply asking to start a conversation. ¡°For your favor, what else?¡± She replied, giving out another set while she did. Sophia had picked a simple gown of an undyed wool today, with her common hoodie worn over it, and she looked very lovely. ¡°What else indeed...¡± Obviously most of them did not care about the people they were feeding, but these nobles simply recognized that following their supreme leader¡¯s direction would make them seemed loyal in the eyes of their supreme leader ¡°But what matters is that they come.¡± ¡°Come as a sheep, to be fair,¡± Sophia muttered. Gorbach smiled ¡°I heard a wise girl once said that whatever your reason for doing good is, all that matter is that you are doing good.¡± Sophia raised her head, one of her eyebrows shifted ¡°So what, you trick them into being good people?¡± ¡°You could say that.¡± This whole charade was for the image, after all. With nobles showing closeness to the common, it would pave the way to lessen the disparity between the two groups. Very much crucial to the reformation process. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a friend to catch up to?¡± Gorbach asked, he knew Sophia avoided the line of her age for a reason. Sophia stopped for a moment as if she was carefully considering her word, the child in front of her looked on in confusion, so Gorbach handed the boy a provision box and waved for the next one. ¡°I have a few friends of my age.¡± She finally answered ¡°But we¡¯re not that close. They will notice that I was gone for a month now, but will not distraught themselves over it.¡± ¡°So you disliked socialization, even before you join me,¡± Gorbach observed. Sophia shrugged ¡°You could say that I¡¯m just the type of person who is okay being alone, and if I¡¯m not by myself then I always got Lana with me, until¡­¡± Sophia shook her head ¡°Regardless, though I still got this boy I¡¯m very fond of, he is one year older than me so he is probably recruited for an order by now.¡± ¡°I see¡± Gorbach replied, wondering why Sophia would tell him that ¡°Can you handle the line on your own? I wish to visit other nobles.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. She shrugged ¡°Go ahead.¡± Gorbach grabbed for his coat and slung it over his back. It was a simple piece of clothing, to compliment his plain grey shirt and dark trousers. After a hasty adjustment on his belt and the chain that held his silver medallion, he gave a playful flick on the forehead at Sophia and quickly excused himself before she could retaliate in any manner. He strode across the back of the table lines, replying to the greeting he received from the nobles who decided to accompany him as he did, nodding and thanking them for the effort they put in today. ¡®Whatever their true intention is doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ Gorbach thought after he greeted another noble whom he did not recall the name of ¡®What matters is that they come and gave the commons the illusion that we cared for them. The illusion that is at least true for me.¡¯ Gorbach glanced by to his right, where the only building of the school stood. It rose ominously from the floor in an orderly mess of concrete and junction, he could not determine how many floors it had, though perhaps the chaos of its plan was the beauty of it. He wasn¡¯t Elia, so he couldn¡¯t be sure. ¡®There is no need to tear it down, but mayhap it could be improved in some way.¡¯ Gorbach contemplated about the site, it would be good steps in reformation, as education was a major part of one life, but he was getting ahead of himself. He circled through the stack and stack of provision, thanking the distributioners for their works as they bowed as a means to salute him. Distributing food to the minors of the common was his first policy for a reason. Not only it reaped many benefits as a gateway to expand and improve the city, but it also showed the commons his good intention. The policy was sending a message, if you will, saying that he was here for the better, not for worse. But of course, such a drastic change to the system came with a cost. As a means to gain enough food to run the operation, several stores in the trading centers must be closed, and the noble¡¯s food supply was reduced by one-tenth of its original amount, to the complaint of lord Corlius, who was growing bolder and bolder by the days. Regardless, it was the cost Gorbach was willing to make to create a slightly better future for his peoples. He shifted his gaze to near the end of the table lines, where the nobles stationed there was giving food set to the children twelve years of age. Gorbach frowned at the sight ¡®What is happening with those two this time?¡¯ As he approached his friends, Gorbach saw what was truly going on. Fill and Leaf was sitting together, and even though they were providing the provision to the children as they should, Leaf was very much distracted by a nine years old boy clinging to the skirt of her dress, and Fillius was more interested in the food box he was rummaging through at the moment. Gorbach decided to address the problem at hand ¡°Fill, perhaps you can tell me why you are eating the children¡¯s provision.¡± Fillius was chewing on a dough of bread when Gorbach asked him. He held out his hand for a moment and gulped down the food in his mouth, then answered: ¡°I was hungry.¡± Leaf shook her head, she looked more tired than usual ¡°I do not believe that that is sufficient reason to be eating these children¡¯s food, Fillius.¡± ¡°Well, it is sufficient for me.¡± He replied and took another bite ¡°By the god, these things is tasteless.¡± Leaf gave a long sigh and laid down on the table, though to give of them some credits, the two were still handing out provisions for the lines of children waiting for their food. The boy who was clinging to Leaf¡¯s skirt was now trying to tuck her wrist to get her attention ¡°Churchier, I¡¯m hungry too.¡± As Fill was holding in his chuckle, Leaf turned to address the child with an annoyed look ¡°We will be going back to the castle soon enough, dear. So please wait until then¡­¡± The boy puffed up and started to pout ¡°But I want to eat nowwwww!¡± Fillius was on the verge of breaking into a fit of laughter ¡°Yeah, your lord husband wishes for a bottle of milk, Leaf. Why don¡¯t you perform your wifely duty and bring him some?¡± Leaf¡¯s face turned shifted annoyance to frustration, which oddly resembled her young spouse. So Gorbach decided that he perhaps should step in and defuse the situation. ¡°I can smell candies around here!¡± The boy continued to whine ¡°I WANT CANDY!!!!¡± ¡°Musolin¡± Gorbach called the boy with his name ¡°I believe that Lady Masia has ordered a servant to bring her a packet of sweet, so why don¡¯t you ask her for some?¡± ¡°Really?¡± The boy who shared the same name as his father said, then went running away, abandoning his noble wife in the process. Leaf gave out a sigh of relief ¡°Gorbach, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.¡± Fill was still digging through the provision set while everything happened ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll go out on a limb here and said that your marriage wasn¡¯t going very well.¡± She shook her head ¡°What else is new?¡± ¡°If you wish for it ¡­¡± Gorbach started to say ¡°¡­I can make an arrangement for him to be fostered by other nobles, and rejoin you when he became more mature¡­¡± ¡°No¡± Leaf refused Gorbach¡¯s offer ¡°As much of a pain as he can be, he¡¯s like a little brother to me.¡± ¡°That is quite a strange thing to say about your husband.¡± Fill added, then dig out a few slices of apples from the provision set ¡°Seriously, you are giving these kids apples?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Leaf shoot back ¡°The fact of the matter is, I¡¯m all he got. And no matter how much I hate him and our sham marriage, I still need to be there for him.¡± ¡°Remind me to choose my spouse by myself.¡± Fill muttered, then he seemed to have a realization ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that brat your cousin or something, Gorbach? ¡°Third cousin once removed,¡± Gorbach told his friends. Though they did not share the same last name, his great grand aunt had married into the Holycross family, and Musolin was the last of that line, the same as Gorbach for his. ¡°He has a drop of the Godlead¡¯s blood, to be sure.¡± Leaf said ¡°Why else would my lord father offered me as his bride.¡± ¡°Well, my own father often said that you are being very stubborn on not choosing an heir.¡± Fill pointed out ¡°Why not just give the pin to this boy and be done with it?¡± But when Fill caught Gorbach¡¯s expression, he had an epiphany ¡°Oh right, he¡¯s twelve, I got it. But to be fair, you make a thirteen years old girl as your chief advisor, so I do not believe you see age.¡± ¡°I see potential, Fillius.¡± He retorted ¡°Musolin was very much a pampered boy, while Sophia matured faster due to her poor upbringing.¡± ¡°Ah-huh¡± Leaf muttered. Fill raised his eyebrow ¡°Woman, you are acting very strange, and more than usual.¡± She shrugged as she continued handing out food to the line of children ¡°It¡¯s not my fault if you are too blind to see the truth.¡± Fillius gave out a sly smile ¡°You cannot rile me up, Leaf, simply give up on it. I make jape at your expense, not the other way round.¡± Leaf smashed her hand on the table, which startled the line of kids in front of them ¡°Then may I ask nicely for you to stop doing that?¡± Fillius tossed a chunk of meat up and down in his hand, before flicking a small bite into Leaf¡¯s mouth, landing in perfectly ¡°It is in my nature, woman, and it comes with the rest of me.¡± Leaf spat the meat on the ground and used the sleeve of her dress to wipe her mouth ¡°You rotten piece of¡­¡± Gorbach finally gave out a long and frustrated sigh ¡°Can you two please keep your play in just the bedroom?¡± Upon hearing that, Fillius dropped the provision set on the ground, scattering soup and vegetables on the schoolyard, while Leaf faced turned redder than the orange part of her hairs. ¡°How¡­did¡­¡± She was struggling to say. ¡°I don¡¯t¡± Gorbach admitted ¡°But I know that you two cannot stand each other, but you still together constantly. I know that Leaf is an adult woman in a marriage that could not fulfill her need, and I know that once a week or so, FIllius would disappear from his chamber through the servant passage to somewhere my informant can¡¯t track.¡± Fill was sweating bullet when Gorbach was finished, but still managed to keep his smile ¡°For your information, I was sneaking into the wine cellar and have some fun by switching the labels on the kegs. Not, eloping with Leaf, I do that some time else.¡± The woman in question shook her head ¡°You won¡¯t tell my lord father right? It¡¯s just a little messing around, I don¡¯t even like him.¡± Fillius looked hurt ¡°Ouch¡± ¡°What happens between you two is none of my business.¡± Gorbach reassured them, he had never understood the need for those sorts of acts, but perhaps it was because he had no interest in sex in general ¡°But please, for the love you bear to me, try to get along.¡± And with that, Gorbach turned and left them to their work. ¡®I wasted too much time with those two.¡¯ He thought concernedly, the lines of children had near completely dispersed by that moment in time. Gorbach estimated that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get back to his table and helped Sophia in time, so as he gave a light tap to his silver medallion, he decided to make one more stop. Gorbach 2/3 ¡°Howland¡± Gorbach called the name of his friend ¡°Mind if I sit with you?¡± ¡°Mayhap¡± He spoke back, a smile on his face ¡°It depends whether or not you are asking me as a friend, or as the supreme leader.¡± ¡°In either case, I know you won¡¯t refuse me,¡± Gorbach replied and pulled up one of the empty chairs. Out of all the nobles who accompanied him, Howland seemed to be most suited in simple clothing. Within plain shirt and short-sleeved jacket, he could easily pass off as a well-dressed commoner. Since Howland had finished with the distribution of food, Gorbach found him curiously observing the children, some playing with each other¡¯s, some meeting with their parents. Gorbach followed his friend''s gaze ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± Howland admitted ¡°I¡¯m just¡­imagining what it would be like to be a commoner, to grow up in the lower part of the city¡­¡± Gorbach smiled ¡°If you wish, I can strip you of your nobility status sent you off with a few points.¡± Howland chuckled at that ¡°Perhaps I am not that curious after all.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Jaque? She should have been here.¡± Gorbach asked his friend after a while. Howland shifted his gaze to the last stronghold in the distance ¡°She wanted to, believe me, but her pregnancy had taken a bad turn last night. The royal healers said she and the baby will be fine, but they suggest she stay in bed for a few days.¡± ¡°By the god, and you still come?¡± Gorbach muttered, feeling a pang of slight guilt for making his friend joining him ¡°You should have stayed by her side, at least for a while.¡± Howland shrugged ¡°It¡¯s not like I will be assassinated tomorrow, I have the rest of my life to spend with Jaque. Not to mention, it is her wish as well for me to be here, for the both of us.¡± ¡°I see¡± Gorbach responded, ¡°So, your child, is it a¡­¡± ¡°A girl¡± Howland responded ¡°We managed to determine it last week. Little Elia, we called her now.¡± ¡°I need to ask, but did you actually ask Jaque about this?¡± ¡°For naming our child after my first betrothed?¡± Howland responded, then gave a slight nod ¡°She is fine with it, Jaque and Elia are friends too, don¡¯t you recall? This name means as much to me as much to her.¡± ¡°Yes¡­Yes¡­of course.¡± Gorbach told him, though he had forgotten about it for a moment ¡°Then I wish you happy fatherhood.¡± Howland nodded ¡°I hope so as well, it will be quite a new chapter in my life. Jaque spoke about how we are going to raise our child together, so the girl can grow up with loving parents and we both can have a loving child. Though that would mean I will not be able to fulfill my duty as an advisor as well as before¡­¡± ¡°Lord Corlius had eleven children, and he didn¡¯t seem to be affected,¡± Gorbach said with a shrug. Howland couldn¡¯t help but chuckled ¡°Then I wish you a happy govern hood as well, Gorbachius.¡± They sat together for a while, gazing upon the lines of children of other tables which were getting shorter and shorter. The nobles who accompanied him were starting to disperse as well, gathering in one place to seemingly chatting. Gorbach was curious about what the content of their conversation was, though whether or not they believed this day to be a good experience or a bad one, it made no matter. There was no mishap, and that all he wished for. ¡°Remember how we¡¯re first met?¡± Howland asked all of a sudden. A pang of sudden guilt overwhelmed Gorbach, he couldn¡¯t remember ¡°I don¡¯t know, Howland. It was so long ago¡­¡± ¡°Well, I remember¡± He replied, and from his tone, he didn¡¯t seem to judge Gorbach for his forgetfulness ¡°It was a few days after my betrothal to your sister was announced, we were both only seven if I recalled correctly, and in that day my father had commanded the servant to dress me in my best clothes. He kept going on and on how I had to give you a good first impression, that since I will be your future brother-in-law, I will receive a high place at court and be given a position as an advisor, so I must become your trusted confidant, for the good of the Goldeye¡¯s family.¡± Gorbach smiled ¡°Well, you have accomplished most of those things, so your father should be proud.¡± ¡°He should indeed.¡± Howland said, a longing tone in his voice, which shifted away in an instant ¡°I had heard much of you before our first meeting. They say that you were a diligent and humble boy, though not the best of built. Never complain about your study, and had a heart for his closed one. My father called you a good heir, but still had a long way to go to be a supreme leader.¡± ¡°And pray, how much of that was true?¡± Gorbach asked, starting to recall their past as well. ¡°Most of it¡± He replied with a shrug ¡°We first met in your lord father¡¯s chamber; you were acting very shy, very much awkward when I tried to talk to you for the first moment. Though after we spent some time together, you started to open up. If I remembered correctly, you are already fascinated with books by that age, and you often talk about them when we were together.¡± ¡°How could I not, it¡¯s the one thing I always enjoy,¡± Gorbach said with a smile. Howland shook his head ¡°The problem was that I have no idea what you are talking about. I think there is a two months period where you talked about nothing but this boy named Harrion or whatever that can create water out of thin air, and I had no clue on who he might be. Regardless, you are quite an enigma of a friend, you like having me with you, but you also wished to be alone on most occasions. Despite being the designated heir, you never flourish around in your position. Not to mention you never like being the center of the attention, though from time to time you deliberately make it so. The childhood we had was quite a strange one. But everything changes on that faithful day, is it?¡± ¡°Howland, I believe you need to be more specific than that, I have a few days which could be attributed as that,¡± Gorbach spoke with a smile. ¡°You know which day I¡¯m speaking of.¡± Howland countered back ¡°When we were about twelve, you suggested that we should sneak out of the castle to see the city beyond the wall of Last stronghold. At first, I was against it, but you and your sister convinced me. It was supposed to be us two, Elia and her two lady-in-waitings, and a pair of royal guards for protection, but then a boy name Fillius found out about our plan, so we had to let him come with us too.¡± Gorbach nodded, it was quite an irregular way to meet a life-long friend, but sometimes god had his own volition. ¡°We sneaked out through the secret passage by the kitchen and emerged out from the tunnel at the feet of the castle wall. We are all wearing common clothing, so we fit right into the crowd around us, making our tour much easier. It was quite an experience you gave us, let me tell you. We strolled through the trading center, with common¡¯s food in our hands. We went to pray at the grand church, then gone to socialize with the commons our age at this very school. Some of us had come out of the Last Stronghold before, but never like this.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°I¡¯m sure the fact that we are still innocent children contributes to that as well.¡± Gorbach joined in. Howland nodded ¡°I suppose that might be true, but it all turned on its head after your sister insisted on visiting the lower common district, and reluctantly we all agreed. The entire place had a strange odor of rotten and spoiled thing, we passed by dead trees, house so poorly built that it seems like it was about to collapse, some street was so narrow that we could barely walk, some don¡¯t even have a proper pavement and was just wet dirt. The worst part of it was when we passed was a boy the same age as us sitting by the street, his body so thin that we could see his ribcage, and he simply stared at us as we passed by. I asked one of the royal guards how many people live in this place, and you replied ¡®About half the city.¡¯¡± Gorbach touched his forehead ¡°God¡­¡± ¡°For countless times, the other two girls asked to return to the castle, but you simply continued moving through the street. Finally, after a while, we all arrived on a rooftop of a high building. It was nowhere special, just above a few houses that were stacked together, but the view from it was astonishing. I wasn¡¯t even that good, to be truly honest, just a twisting street and uneven building, but as the sun slowly started to set and the world got darker and darker, I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off it. After a while, I turned to meet you, and I saw a strange look on your face, a sadness that pierced into your heart. That was when I realized that you have come down here before, and you brought all of us here for a reason. So I just watch, as this boy I know for nearly four years, gazing over his father¡¯s suffering people, as a realization hit me that I do not know him at all.¡± ¡°Is that what you truly feel? At that moment?¡± Gorbach asked Howland had never shared his view of that day to him before. ¡°Yes,¡± Howland answered with a nod ¡°It was nerve-wracking, to tell true, to see the side of friend which you never see before, or even actively try not to see. Our friendship changed dramatically after that, we went out a dozen more time, I help you study on politic more, once we even pack as much food as we can carry and distribute out to the commons.¡± Gorbach chuckled ¡°We were so young, thinking that it would matter in the long run.¡± Howland shook his head ¡°Well, perhaps it does, because you really show me what we have to do for the city. I was a noble to the core, Gorbach, pampered all my life, always sleep with a full stomach on a soft feather bed. Not to mention I was given the best education and never need to break a sweat unless I wish to. But on that day you took me to the city, you show us what less unfortunate soul had to endure. Gorbach, you make me care, and I don¡¯t want any talk about leaving a legacy of yours and whatever, I know that, deep down, you also care too.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Gorbach tried to say, for the first time in a long while; he was lost for words ¡°¡­don''t know what to say to that.¡± Howland shrugged ¡°Then don¡¯t, we are all friends here, after all.¡± Gorbach nodded ¡°Then as a friend, I have a favor to ask.¡± ¡°Of course you do¡± He answered with a nod ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I would need you to lead the nobles who accompanied me today back to the castle, I¡¯m afraid I have personal business to attend to.¡± ¡°What sort of¡­¡± Howland started to say, but then he realized the answer ¡°Let¡¯s me come with you then. I know you twos have a deep connection, but she meant much to me as well.¡± Gorbach shook his head, his hand brushed over the silver medallion hanging from his belt ¡°Sorry, I have to do this alone.¡± Howland nodded and stood up from his chair ¡°I understand. Quickly finish your business here then, I¡¯ll see you back at the Last Stronghold.¡± ¡°That is the plan,¡± Gorbach replied, and with that, Howland was gone to gather the accompanied nobles together. ¡°Everyone, I must thank you for being here,¡± Gorbach told them when they were all in one place. There were about forty nobles here in total, a small fraction of the noble population, but it was a good start. Standing in the small crowd were of course Leaf and Fill, who seemed to already patch things up with each other, and coming to stand next to him was Sophia, with a hard nudge on his hip for the flicking he had given her. Though a person he didn¡¯t seem to see was lord Ptis, but perhaps his advisor simply stood by the back. ¡°This represents the first step to the new era of the city.¡± Gorbach told them all, he did not really have to give this speech, but it was in order ¡°From now on, we shall move toward the expansion of our city, but also reducing the gap between us nobles and the commons we have sworn to protect. And after that, perhaps we all shall have the peaceful city we can all be proud of.¡± A considerable applaud went by after he muttered his last word. Gorbach also expected a murmur as well, for even this very much selected crowd of people would there still be those who did not wish for their privilege to be shaved away and give to the common people. But to his surprise, as far as he could see, there wasn¡¯t any, perhaps they were smart enough not to show discontent out in front of their supreme leader. ¡®Well, it makes no matter.¡± He thought. To them, Gorbach was still high above all, a symbol of power. And even though his position was rather stood over a thin sheet of ice rather than a solid ground, a large amount of them did not know that. And no matter how dangerous the things he did and the things he was about to do is, he had to take some risk, for his legacy, and for the brighter future for all. ¡°You know what funny?¡± Sophia started to say as the crowd started to disperse, the royals guard taking formation to provide the noble escort ¡°When I first started working for you, I always thought how depressing it actually is to know that, only when the person in charge wish it, shall the world become better.¡± ¡°That is not strictly true.¡± Gorbach told her ¡°But I wish to hear what you are leading to.¡± Sophia nodded ¡°But after a while, I realize that I was looking at it all wrong, what noble about what you are doing is that you know you are the only one who has the power to do it, and you follow through.¡± ¡°I never look at it that way before, but I suppose that is true.¡± He answered, ¡°And don¡¯t praise me so much, all this would not have happened if not for you.¡± A burst of sad laughter seeped out of Sophia¡¯s mouth ¡°Like you never have a plan to make any reform before you met me.¡± ¡°No¡± Gorbach admitted ¡°But you give me the courage I need to enact it, the type of push that I could never receive from any of my friends. So, thank you.¡± But before Sophia could make a reply, Gorbach made up his mind and gave her a hug, kneeling down on the ground and swept his hands around her back, pulling his little advisor into a brotherly embraced. After a moment, he could hear her said: ¡°Gorbach, let¡¯s me go.¡± An overwhelming amount of regret pierces into his heart ¡®Why did I do that?¡¯ he thought, Gorbach had enough self-control to not do anything on a whim, but what he did seemed to be a good idea at the time. Quickly he released his grip ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡± Sophia answered, and to his surprise, she was brushing, her hand curled around a lock of hair, which he had never seen her do ¡°It¡¯s kinda nice, actually. Just it was so sudden.¡± ¡°Here, let¡¯s me make it up to you,¡± Gorbach said, his hand reaching into the pocket of his coat and brought out¡­a candy. He unwrapped the foil and gave it to Sophia, who stared at the object. ¡°Why¡­do you have candy in your coat pocket? Like I understand that you sometimes eat snack, but I never seen you carry this around before.¡± Gorbach sighed ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, just eat.¡± Sophia did as she was bided and chuck the sweet into her mouth ¡°It¡¯s soft and squishy, not to mention has a really weird taste.¡± She complained. ¡°Its honeydew flavor, and you were supposed to chew them.¡± He explained, ¡°How was it?¡± She swallowed it ¡°Eatable, but I don¡¯t particularly like it.¡± Gorbach raised his eyebrow ¡°It¡¯s good stuff.¡± Sophia put her hands over her hip ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t like it, and nobody can¡¯t change that part about me.¡± Gorbach gave out a long sigh ¡°That is true. Just go ahead with the other nobles; I need to go somewhere first.¡± Sophia nodded, she had less idea on what he might be doing than Howland, but still didn¡¯t ask any question, which was kind of nice of her. ¡°For the last time, don¡¯t group me with these people,¡± Sophia said and left. ¡®Best I get going too.¡¯ Gorbach thought and gave a signal, and immediately a pair of royal guards came by his side. Gorbach looked up into the sky, wherein a distance, a railroad tower rose above other buildings ¡°Come on, we will be walking, the destination is quite close.¡± He told his guards. ¡°Is that wise, your leadership? Surely if we took one of the cars¡­¡± One of them expressed their concern. ¡°Yes, but we are doing it anyway.¡± He replied. Remembering the story Howland told, he wished to walk the city one more time. His two guards looked glanced at each other; a look of worry was formed behind their visor, but still nodded to obey regardless ¡°It will be as the supreme leader said.¡± So off Gorbach and his guards went, walking through the road of pavement like common men, attracting the attention of the people they passed by. Having the supreme leader at a public place was one thing, but to have him walking around the street with barely any guards was quite a sight to see. Gorbach greeted them as best as he could, trying his best to give them the approachable impression. But alas, no one came to speak to him. ¡®Centuries of oppressing would do that to them.¡¯ Gorbach thought, after so long. They would not trust a man who bore the supreme leader¡¯s pin. Hopefully, he would be able to do something about that in the future. Gorbach shook his head as they took another turn and entered the main street ¡®Today, I¡¯m done with reformation, now is the time to grieve. Besides, I¡¯m nearly there.¡¯ Gorbach 3/3 In front of Gorbach was a towering gate, the bars woven into a beautiful pattern of lily and hydrangea plant, with many figures walking through the field of metal flowers. In front of the gates was a flat area near as far as the eyes could see, and at both side of the gate stood a 3 stories barracks, with twenty slit large enough to fire solar gun through on each building. At the top of each of them stood a guard in black and gold armor, who was eyeing Gorbach and his protector suspiciously as they came. As they realized that Gorbach and his guards were approaching the gate, the two aimed their solar guns at him and shouted out a warning ¡°Back away! The hall of leader is off-limit, even for a noble!¡± Gorbach gave out a sigh; of course they didn¡¯t recognize him, with so few guards and so simple clothing, not to mention he would most often alerted them first before coming to visit, which he did not done this time. Gorbach grabbed for his pin and showed it to them, and after the two black guards saw a glimpse of it, they knelt down immediately. ¡°Pardon our ignorance, your leadership.¡± One of them said, her voice shaken, for she probably knew what punishment she would receive for the mistake she made. Gorbach shook his head from the sight, though black guards were part of the order of the guard as well, they were of a lower lot, being assigned to protecting or operating one particular area rather than serving as a bodyguard or a watchman. But since the leader hall¡¯s black guard was the highest rank they could rose, it was strange to see one of them made such a simple mistake. ¡®I suppose everyone can screw up horribly from time to time, I shouldn¡¯t fault them for it.¡¯ Gorbach thought. ¡°I might overlooked your transgressiom¡­¡± Gorbach told them ¡°As long as you two pick me a banquet of flowers from the hall¡¯s garden as a sign of apology.¡± ¡°At once, your leadership.¡± They replied at the same time. Each guard flicked a lever on their side, and the gate slowly started to swing outward, letting Gorbach and his retinue through. After he stepped inside, Gorbach took a good look around the area, even though it had been only a month since the last time he had been at this place. At the center was a large flower bed, growing with roses of many different colors, ranging from red to yellow to black to pink and to many more. Behind the beautiful patch of flowers was a large limestone fountain, with small statues donning around, carved into the fashion of each occupations. And standing high above all was a bigger figure, the platform he stood on spewing out water that washed over other statue before gathering upon the pond. ¡®I wondered if it supposed to mean anything¡­¡¯ He thought rhetorically. Gorbach shifted his gaze along the multi-color brick that served as flooring for this sacred place to its circumference, where the things that gave its name stood. Each atop of giant stone slap, rose metallic statues of every singles supreme leaders before him. Some stood near as tall as the wall of the city, while some only as tall as the leader they fashioned after. Some was made of iron, some of lead, some of bronze, some of silver, and there was a few that made of solid gold. The arrangement was orderly, with each supreme leaders lined up in the order of their reign. At the foot of the each statue lied the entrance to the leader¡¯s tomb, an underground hall designed according to their wish, where their body and treasures would lie for the rest of day. After Gorbach received his banquet of flower, a beautiful collection of black roses, he dismissed the black guard and made his way to his father¡¯s tomb. As he went though, he could feel the statue¡¯s eyes following him, judging with what felt like unapproval, as if he had tainted their legacy. ¡®They are just statue.¡¯ Gorbach told himself, as his spine shivered from their metallic eyes, ¡®And of dead men at that.¡¯ Finally, he arrived at his father tomb. Looming over him was an iron statue fifteen feet tall, make of the likeness of his father when he was little more than thirty years of age, but with smaller belly and straighter stance. His cold face seemed to look down on Gorbach in judgment and disgusted, like the thing beneath him was nothing but a disappointment. Over the platform which the statue stand loomed a dark oak door lined with gold. There was also a finger scanner next to it as well, so Gorbach proceeded to press his thumb on the device and the door swung opened, revealing the steep stairway to his father¡¯s resting place below. But before Gorbach entered the tomb, he gazed to the slab next to his father¡¯s, which had no statue over it just as yet¡­ ¡®One day, I will be in there.¡¯ Gorbach thought, the head of constructor had been begging his audience of late to design his tomb, which was sparely decorated at the moment ¡®One day, I will rot away into flesh and bone, and the only thing remain of me will be the metallic statue they made for me. But until then, I will live.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll be going in alone.¡± He told his two guards ¡°You two waited here.¡± They nodded, and after taking a deep breath, Gorbach entered into the resting place of his father, Musol Godlead. As he closed the door behind him, it was as if the entire world had fallen into complete darkness, for the light that had peaked in with him had disappeared. Remembering, Gorbach fondled around by his left and grabbed one of the lanterns that were placed by the entrance, the light inside lit up as soon as he touched it, illuminating the pitch black corridor once more. Then steps by steps he descended down, deeper and deeper into the dark tomb. ¡°Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five¡­¡± Gorbach counted the steps, if he remembered correctly; there should be exactly one hundred and sixty steps before he reached the bottom. As he went down, he let his hand brushed over the stones bricks along the wall, which was mostly still intact. His father¡¯s tomb was still relatively new, him only perishing not so long ago. Gorbach had for several occasions visited the underground grave of many of his forbears, some might still be navigable, but most had crumbled to complete ruin from the inside, burying the body of the supreme leader once more. When he was two-third of the way down, he found a found a dark figure crouching by the stairway. She was draped in a plain black dress that covered her from neck to feet, her face and hair covered with thick veil that only let out a small slit for her eyes to see through, Gorbach judged her to only about seventeen, so too young to be a tomb keeper, but forced to be it regardless. The girl startled when Gorbach approached, trying to hastily stand up and bowed to him, but she stumbled from her hurry and lost her footing. Before she fell down the stairs, Gorbach, out of instinct, caught her by the wrist and pulled her back up. As soon as the draped girl stood back up once more, however, she retracted her hand away immediately, backing away to nearby wall. The girl tried to say something, but only able to give out a crooked voice under her veil. A moment of silent passed, and the girl started to cry. ¡®This is sad.¡¯ Gorbach thought. It is said down in the city that courtesan is the worst occupation a person could have, and he believed every words of it. As per tradition for century after century, courtesans that had laid even once with the supreme leader must joined him in his grave and served as his tomb keeper, taking care in his rest in death as same as in life. Over his reign, his father had laid with hundreds of courtesans, and all of them were here now, having their life completely turn and forced to live the rest of their day in darkness, locked away from the outside world forever. ¡°One day, I will let you all go.¡± Gorbach tried to reassure the crying girl in front of him, and he was determined to make good of his promise ¡°One day this horrible system will end, and you shall emerge to the surface once more. Until then, please wait.¡± He could not know what the girl thought about what he had said, for her expression was hidden under her dark veil. And neither does she speak, for her tongue had been cut away as part of her conversion. So Gorbach had no choice but to leave her there on the stairway, both of their days worse than before. After a short while, Gorbach finally complete the flight of stair and arrived at the main part of the tomb, the burial chamber. In front of him was a sudden opening to a large hallway. The ceiling, the floor and the wall built entirely of bricks made out of black ash, the stone roof that was near thirty feet above gave this underground complex a strange airy atmosphere, which was even further by its length, which stretched as far as the eyes could see. Gorbach shifted his lantern to let it illuminate by his side, neatly place along the wall was his father¡¯s worldly belongings. Lining from his cloths, silverwares, furniture, and taxidermied animals, like lion, giraffe and giant shark. All along the wall was also various tapestries and painting, displaying vivid and strange images. His father, if anything, was quite a profound art collector and displayer of grand wealth. Gorbach shifted his lantern to the other side, where the same sort of relics could also be found.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Gorbach strode onward, descended to the end of the grand hall, with a lantern on one hand and the banquet of flowers on the other. As he moved along, he found more and more tomb keeper scattering along the hall, cleaning off the dust on the treasures and repairing the hall as best as they could, but none of them carried a lantern, for they were forbid not to, and were forced to adjust to the complete darkness. The tomb keepers all stopped what they were doing as he passed by to make a bow like everyone he met. But the eerie silent and dark atmosphere made their sign of respect felt so terrible. But Gorbach regardless pressed onward, for he had business to attend to. It was not long till he reached the end of the hall, where the lines of treasures abruptly ended and instead the hall raised up a platform ten feet tall with a staircase leading up to it. Gorbach climbed up along the path, and the only thing he found was his father¡¯s glass coffin, with his father¡¯s remain still inside. Musolin Godlead looked nearly the same as he did on Gorbach¡¯s coordination ceremony, which was done just outside the hall of leader. His grey and gold coat that hid his large belly was as straight as ever, and his hair still remained neatly trimmed after so long. His expression still was the same calm and resting, the way the healer had made it. Though it would seemed that his muscle had tensed up, for he had lost his grip on the cane and now it had tumbled to the side, and a strange smile was formed on his lower lips, giving him a strange look that seemed to imply that he enjoyed being dead. Gorbach brushed his hand over the glass coffin, and felt that its surface being cold, due to the machine hidden inside it that preserved his father corpse. But it could not do the same for anything else, it would seem, for the flowers scattered around his body had now all shivered up and died. Gorbach pulled one black roses out from the banquet and dropped it over the coffin ¡®He deserve that much, at least.¡¯ After that was finished, Gorbach climbed down the stair and turned to his right, where another set of doors had been placed among his father¡¯s belonging. It was Gorbach¡¯s true destination, and he had been dreading to reach it ever since he set foot onto the hall of leader. With one more deep breath, he pushed the door opened and walked in. The place he entered was smaller than the main hall, not to mention with lower ceiling, but it hold more meaning than that room ever will be for Gorbach. The only feature of the room were several standing slab of stones, arrange in an orderly line among the brick floor at both sides of the room. Every one of them had a deepen hole in front of it, some of them covered. Gorbach made his way toward the corner of the room to one of the first few slabs. One of them had a plac on it, read ¡®Adola Godlead, wife to the supreme leader, perished at 25¡¯. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m¡­come to pay respect.¡± Gorbach told the grave. This room was built to be the tomb of the supreme leader¡¯s loved one and loyal servant, like advisors or any nobles who had been most useful to him during his reign, so they could all be with him for forever in the afterlife. Gorbach shifted his weight nervously; he had always been awkward on the topic of his mother, since he had never really known her. She died when he was only three due to poor health, resulting in him having no memory of her. Though Gorbach had heard other noblesthat his father was very a different person before his mother¡¯s death, rarely sleeping with courtesans and always charismatic to his court, though Gorbach could not bring himself to believed that. Regardless of that, unlike his father, he felt an obligation to love her, and to be a good son. Gorbach plucked three roses from the banquet, and gently placed it upon his mother¡¯s grave. He then closed his eyes, trying to remember what she looked like, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not form her face in his head. The only thing Gorbach could recalled of her were her eyes, beautiful and sparkled, filled with warmth¡­the warmth he barely remembered... Gorbach gave a stiff bow to his mother and moved onward, turning around from grave to grave of advisors. Until the found the one he was looking for. ¡®Elizabeth Godlead, daughter to the supreme leader, perished at 13¡¯. ¡°Hello sister¡± He said to the tombstone, placing the rest of the banquet over her grave ¡°I know I had just been here last month, but¡­I needed to talk to you again.¡± The grave didn¡¯t answer. Gorbach shook his head and placed himself between the tomb and the wall ¡°Here, I got you something.¡± He reached into his pocket and brought out a handful of honeydew candy ¡°It¡¯s your favorite¡­¡± He laid the gum beside the flowers ¡°There were supposed to be one more, but I gave it to a friend. I hope you don¡¯t mind, which you shouldn¡¯t be. You being¡­¡± Gorbach gave out a sigh ¡°¡­dead and all.¡± Gorbach shifted his seat and started to tap on his medallion ¡°Today I finally administer a policy to provide food for the city¡¯s minors, there will be less starving children in the street from now on. I hope you are proud of me, sister.¡± The grave didn¡¯t answer. Gorbach sighed ¡°Elia, how I miss you¡­¡± He yanked the silver medallion off its chain and carefully turned it by the corner. After he heard a click, he pulled the lid of it off, and hiding inside the hollowed out medallion was an old picture. With shaking hand, Gorbach picked it up and unfolded it. The picture revealed a boy of fifteen and a girl of thirteen, standing next to each other with a wide smile on both their faces. Gorbach felt a sharp pain in his chest, since it still hurt even after so long. After all, this picture was taken in the same day her death was seal. The memory of it still haunt him at night, ten years ago, Elia has repeatedly asked their father for his permission to see the world outside the city¡¯s wall, and after a month, he could bore the annoyance and allow her to do so. Gorbach remembered her asking him to come with her on the journey, even taking this picture when they were waiting to pass through the gate. It was only the two of them, for Elia wished it to be with a brother sister experience. They set out late in the morning on a car designed to navigate such a terrain, with twenty royal guards serving as their protection. Their retinue went out through the northern gate, crossing the great weeping rush into the farmland, so the two could view the plantation and livestock of the city before entering the outside world. When they were many miles away from the city, they started to see why it had been named such a way as wasteland. The ground was so dried that it cracked apart, most of the trees had shivered up into dry husk and seemed to have died for decade, and any sign of civilization they met had all completely collapse and were very near the point of disappearing into the landscape. Gorbach had thought that the wasteland was a terrible sight to behold, and from being in it alone made him nervous and heavy breathing, but Elia had said that it was beautiful in a way. That was the type of person his sister was, seeing the beauty in everything, no matter how little there is. When Gorbach asked her to why she thought that she replied ¡°The land is so damaged, but it can still be brought to life, if we put our mind into it. It¡¯s the beauty of potential, Gorbach.¡± ¡°You had such a wonderful mind, Elia.¡± He told the grave, but bitterness also filled his voice, for it was such a trait that led to her death. When they were awhile away from the city, they chanced upon a beast along their path. It was a scrawny little thing, resembled the hounds that the castle kept in the pen under the castle. The royal guards were going to drive it away, but Elia told the retinue to halt and went to observe the dog. Gorbach had warned her against it, but she just wouldn¡¯t listen. His sister gave the beast a chunk of meat, which it tore to immediately. But when Elia tried to give it a pet, it snapped back and bit her in the arm. Everything for Gorbach was a blur after that. He remembered Elia screaming, holding on to her wound as blood started to slowly spew out. He remembered the dog being shot in the head by one of the royal guard as another tried to wash and bandage Elia¡¯s wound. After that they quickly put his sister back into the car and drove her back to the Last Stronghold, seeking medical aid from the royal healer. As they went, Gorbach was left with his dying sister; her wound gotten worse and worse as second passed by. As she cried into his shoulder, the only thing Gorbach could give her was words of comfort, and bad one at that, for he was as terrified as she was. When the retinue reached the castle, however, the healers were not much help. During the time for them to get there, the bite wound¡¯s color had turned into a disgusting green, and she suddenly gained a burning fever as well, making everything worse. Not to mention no matter how much medicine they gave Elia, she did not get better in the slightest. His sister was bedridden for weeks after that, and Gorbach always stayed by her side, comforting Elia on her dead bed. They would just talk, about their life, about the world, about their father, anything to distract her from the growing pain she feel every days. He would feed her, helped the healer washed her wound, and comforted her when she burst out into tears. Their father, Musol Godlead, on the other hand, had never come to visit, drowning himself in wines and women to keep away either the sorrow or the guilt. Though he did come once though, thirty-five days after the bite. When he arrived at the door, seeing his son by the bed and his daughter wasted away to her sickness, her arms near rotten, their father spoke but a sentence before leaving, but it had stung than anything Gorbach ever heard¡­ ¡°You have my leave to die.¡± Though Gorbach and his father had already had a falling out with each other, this was the moment he decided that Musolin Godlead was not a man to be respected. Two days later, however, it seemed that Elia was getting better. Her fever had cold down; she managed to eat a full meal without retching for once, and was energetic enough to ask for a walk around the back garden, which Gorbach happily obliged. Afterward he tugged his sister back to her bed, spoke their good night, and went to sleep together. When Gorbach woke up, however, Elia was dead, passed away in her sleep. And the last words he heard from his beloved sister was ¡°Good night Gorbach, see you in the morning.¡± Gorbach, back to present day, gazed out into the door that led to this chamber ¡°I blame him for your death. The healers were developing the medicines, and if you managed to hold on for a few more day, we might¡­¡± He shook his head, what does it matter, they¡¯re both death now, and he was the only one of them that left. ¡°I really wish you¡¯re still here, Elia.¡± He told the grave ¡°You would have made an excellent heir, and we could have ruled together¡­¡± Gorbach gave one last look at the picture, to remind himself what Elia looked like, with her long beaten gold hair and lovely blue eyes, her face so round and soft. She looked like a little angel sent from heaven, she looked like a princess from a fairy tale, she looked like a girl you could trust¡­ She looked exactly like Sophia. The sergeant 1/2 Armone tabbed his eyepiece, listening to what his overseer had to say. In while his four subordinates waited patiently in their squad room, anticipating for what to come. After a moment, Armone removed his hand from the helmet, then he turned to meet his squad, a grim expression on his face ¡°An attack at medicine storehouse. We need to be there in ten.¡± ¡°Finally!¡± Paul said with a wide smile. He quickly went to the gun stand and threw each squad member their respective weapon. Armone caught his, which had silver linings across its surface, manufactured only for the use of a sergeant, with more firepower and options. This would be the first time he would use it against real people. ¡°Garret, it is your shift to be in charge of the extra equipment, do you have them prepared?¡± Armone hastily asked. The teen in question nodded, gesturing to the bag that slung by his side. ¡°Let¡¯s move then,¡± Armone told his squad, and they exited out of their squad room in great haste. From there they half march-half ran through the great barrack and into the street below, the moon glow light their way through the nightly path. ¡°Sergeant¡­¡± Jackson called Armone as they moved to their destination, raising his speed to match up with his pace ¡°I know I¡¯m ready¡­but my hands are shaking.¡± Armone shifted his eyes to the boy, though not very noticeable, his solar gun was vibrating through his palm. ¡°This will be your first real battle, so it is natural to be nervous.¡± He told Jackson in an effort to calm his nerves. The boy shook his head ¡°But even Yillid¡­¡± ¡°Everyone had their own way of handling stress.¡± Armone said ¡°Even now, she might be dreading the experience as much as you do. But for the moment, try regulated your breath and remembered your training.¡± Jackson nodded; the face under his visor seemed to be slightly more relaxed ¡°As you say, sergeant.¡± Armone returned, though a small concern started to form in his mind. From the training he arranged for his squad these past few weeks, he found Jackson to be the least talented member of their group, only slightly better than Hillar when starting out. Armone gave a careful look at his subordinate. With his dark hair and sharp feature, Jackson had the look of Jacob, though sadly none of his talent. The late sergeant was a man of legend, after all, so no doubt the recruiter wished for another in his younger brother, and perhaps that was the reason this boy rise this far. ¡®It makes no matter. What not good can always be improved.¡¯ Armone thought, Jackson was quite eager to prove himself on a battlefield, so he would surely become an excellent guard in time. Paul tabbed his wrist device, displaying the map of industry district ¡°A few more turns and we should be there.¡± Armone nodded and turned on his gun ¡°Everyone, have your weapons ready. We do not know what to expect.¡± Finally, his squad reached their destination, a medium-size warehouse stood by the road, intercept on both sides by other warehouses with tiny alleyway between them. Several watchmen were at the scene before they did, standing over its entrance. They gave a respectful nodded when his squad arrived. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Armone asked the guards. He remembered their names in his time as a watchman, but it would be unprofessional to greet them now, with so much occurring. ¡°A group of commoners, several of them armed, had sneaked into the warehouse in an attempt to steal medicine.¡± One of them explained ¡°Luckily we were patrolling this very area at the same time and managed to trap them inside. Our overseers, however, had told us that the order will send a squadron to handle the situation.¡± Armone nodded ¡°Thank you very much, we will take it from here.¡± They nodded and moved aside, no doubt waiting by to serve as a backup. Armone turned to look at the warehouse, which seemed to have a sign of recent battle, with shattered and blasted wall and door wedged together. ¡°Paul and Jackson, you two secure the perimeter.¡± Armone commanded, trying to remember what was taught to him in leadership training ¡°See if there are any other entrances. For Yillid and Garret, go secure the door, the thieves might come out at any moment.¡± All of his squad gave a salute and split to do as he commanded, while Armone himself tabbed his earpiece to gather more information. ¡°Quinn, I need footages from the security camera inside the warehouse.¡± He told his overseer. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that is not possible, sergeant.¡± Quinn replied, her voice distorted through the communication line¡± They had broken all surveillances in the area upon entering.¡± Armone shook his head ¡°Then can you check on the camera¡¯s last footage to determine their numbers and how many of them are equipped with weapons?¡± ¡°I will see what I can do.¡± She said and cut away. Paul and Jackson choose this moment to return ¡°There is a bigger entrance for truck outback, but there is a fingerprint scanner, and only distributioners or the supreme leader can open it.¡± Paul reported and pointed at the wedged door ¡°That door is the only one they got.¡± ¡°We can try going through the back.¡± Jackson suggested, ¡°I try the front door, and it seems to be locked from the inside.¡± ¡°Jackie, I once see that sort of door opening before.¡± Yillid spoke out against it, when she and Garret came to join them ¡°Seeing how slow it is, they will probably be alerted far before we can squeeze ourselves in.¡± Jackson bit his lips ¡°I suppose you are right.¡± Yillid smiled, which would have been pretty if half her teeth were not broken ¡°I always am.¡± Armone decided to ignore them and tabbed on his headpiece, for Quinn had returned to make her report. ¡°From the footages, I managed to gather, there are thirteen of them inside the warehouse, six with solar guns, the rest armed with sticks and knives. Their position scattered around the warehouse.¡± She told him ¡°But that was near 20 minutes ago. So be careful, sergeant.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Armone nodded ¡°Thank you, I will call again if we need anything.¡± ¡°And one more thing, you do realize who they are, right?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Armone responded, his throat tightened as he did. ¡°Best of luck then, sergeant.¡± Armone turned back to his squad, who was hearing to the first half of the report as well ¡°Six guns, one more than us, huh.¡± Paul said. Garret glanced at the few watchmen waiting by the corner ¡°If we request for their helps we would have the advantage.¡± Armone shook his head ¡°Our squad is tasked with this mission, we must do it by ourselves¡± He then pointed at the warehouse¡¯s front door ¡°We are going in through there. Garret, ready the explosive.¡± The boy gave a quick salute and went through the bag of equipment, bringing out a brick-like object, attached with multiples set of wire and counter screen, and started implanting it on the door. ¡®He is more or less the most reliable of the younglings.¡¯ Armone thought. Light hair and tall for his age, Garret was always dutiful and obedient, always put the good of the mission first. That was why Armone made him the third-in-command, after him and Paul. His lover, on the other hand¡­ Armone turned to Yillid, who was checking on her wrist device again, swiping through map and information to pass the time. Quite a wildcard, that one, considerably the most talented fighter of the three. From her curved features and short brown hair, she might have been a beautiful young girl, but her broken teeth hindered it completely. Armone had heard a rumor that on her picking day, Yillid used a hammer to smash her mouth, ripping apart half her teeth as to not be picked as a courtesan. He did not know if it was true or not, and hoped it was just that, a rumor, for such a capital offense that bordered near treason was a crime punishable by death. As her sergeant, Armone had the ability to command her to tell the truth, but he rather not knew. ¡®Not to mention her stupid feud with Jackson is getting problematic.¡¯ Armone thought with a shook of a head. Though they were willing to cooperate with each other when they were commanded to, he afraid that such a resentment that born from virtually nothing might compromised the squad one of these days. Armone gave out a long sigh, a few days after he was selected as a sergeant; Hillar had had told him ¡®You are not the one who picked your squad members, so you must learn to live with them.¡¯ And he supposed those words had some truth to it. He shifted his sight to the three of them, all still needed guidance in their own way¡­ ¡®With Mathos and Markis gone forever, they are likely the closest thing to a son I will ever going to get.¡¯ Armone thought sadly. He shook the thought of his two lost sons away and looked at the warehouse. There was little to no doubt that the people trying to steal the medicines were part of the same rebel group that spirited away a large amount of city¡¯s populant in the recent picking day. But ever since then, it was complete radio silence on what they were up to. For all Armone knew, this might be the first time they remerged from their hiding hole. ¡®Perhaps one of my sons might even be in that very warehouse¡­¡¯ Armone thought, and his hands started to shake. Quickly, he swung his solar gun over his shoulder and reached to his armor¡¯s belt. Strapped on it was a bottle of pills, which he pulled open the lid then swallowed a handful of it, which managed to calm his nerve. For the past few days, the distributioners were conscripting these medicines to him, and though it had taken it tolled to his daily points, the pills helped Armone dealt with his emotions very well. Armone lets his eyes refocused as the medicines took effect, letting the rush of chemical flew through his body. In the process he looked at the night sky, the only things that could be seen tonight was a shining full moon, its glow¡¯s strangely beautiful. He wondered what was left of his family was doing right now. Since he knew early on that he would had a night shift at this day, Armone had asked his wife to pick up Beth from school, so by this time they should be in bed by now. Silva had been getting a little better now lately; she managed to get back to work and taking care of herself. Though everything she did was somewhat sluggish, like she always got something in mind, and every morning Armone would found her sitting in the living room, gazing out through the same window¡­ ¡°Sergeant¡± Garret called, handing him a switch to the explosive ¡°It is done.¡± Armone shook his head; he had time to think about his personal problem later. For this moment, he had to focus on the now. And with that, he took the switch and turned to face his squad. ¡°Everyone, get out of the blast distance,¡± Armone told them. The last thing he wanted now was getting his squad injured on their first proper mission. When everyone was safely stood back, Armone took a deep breath and pressed the button. Immediately the explosive set at the center of the door gave a click and exploded into a blast of fire and smoke. The force of explosion swung the door inward, bending it inside out and ripped away from the wall. The explosive also caused a loud ringing sound as well, which could easily fracture an eardrum if stood near it enough, and even not could still make anyone temporary lose their hearing. But guard helmets prevented that, so his squad was completely protected. ¡°Go! Go! Go! Go!¡± Armone shouted, and his squad burst into the warehouse. As per expected, a few of the rebels had stood next to the door, with the intention of ambushing any guards who tried to force themselves in. Two of them now lied on the floor with burnt skin and raptured ear, both equipped with solar guns. Upon entering, Paul fired his weapon at both of their heads to put them out of their misery. ¡°Spread out!¡± Armone commanded his squad, and they split apart to attack all of the area at once. Since the rebels were still in a state of shock from the explosion, He employed a fast attack strategy to subjugate them as effectively as possible. Armone took a left turn around the stand crate, and then quickly climbed up the ladder to the hanging over the stack of crates filled with medicines. Of course, before coming to his squad had studied the warehouse¡¯s layout, so they knew where to go and where to strike. When Armone emerged to the metal hanging, he found three rebels standing over it by the other sides. Only one of them was armed with solar guns, other twos only wielding a hard wooden stick and a crowbar respectively. All three were still dazed from the explosion. Armone quickly kneeled behind the railing and steadied her breath, which gave him enough time to see that none of them were one of his sons, nor anyone he knew. He then pressed the solar gun¡¯s trigger, firing a blast of concentrated energy across the warehouse, piecing through the solar gun-equipped rebel¡¯s head, killing the thief instantly. The other twos, though perhaps had not regained their hearing, still noticed their friend falling lifeless onto the ground. One of them yanked the solar gun from the corpse of her dead comrade, while the other swung himself around and ran along the railing toward Armone. ¡®That one is either brave, or mad.¡¯ He thought as he cocked his gun, the boy was barely fifteen, no older than his son. But Armone then instead aimed his weapon at the girl, who was trying to activate her newly acquired solar gun. At a quick glance, Armone could see that she had rarely handled a gun before, but regardless Armone knew she could still cause harm with that weapon, his decade of experience taught him that. So with another shot, he took her down. But when Armone managed to cock his gun again, the last rebel had reached him faster than he expected. The boy swung his crowbar at Armone, and for being caught off-guard, he instinctively raised his left arm to block the attack, letting it take the majority of the blow instead. Armone had to bit into his lip to endure the pain. Despite that, he knew he must make a comeback. He let himself backed up against the railing to stay balance and use his unhurt arm to fire his solar gun¡¯s third blast. But alas, such a fire could not be done accurately, so the blast instead hit the thief in the shoulder, which though luckily managed to knock the boy backward. ¡°The upper level is neutralized,¡± Armone spoke into his headpiece quietly, his left arm still throbbing with pain from the crowbar. Though his body armor protected him from breaking any bone, he had a feeling that he would be feeling this agony for a few days. Not to mention, with the pain so great now, he would not be able to use his solar gun properly for a while. Armone swung his gun over his back then turned to the wounded rebel, who was trying to hold in the blood that was gaping from his shoulder. With a quick contemplation, Armone kicked the crowbar off the platform then used the handcuff from his belt to tie both of the boy¡¯s hands to the railing, taking away his ability to move. ¡°Stay here,¡± Armone told him. The boy¡¯s wound was not fatal, though perhaps would render one of his arms useless forever, but it made no matter. If these thieves truly were the same rebel group from the picking day, which they likely are, then perhaps some interrogation and torture could make this boy spit out where their base of operation was. Armone knew he was acting out of order, for he was commanded to simply subjugate the thief, but maybe, just maybe, it might mean a quick end to the threat of the city. The sergeant 2/2 With a few rubs of his throbbing arm, Armone swung himself down the ladder to rejoin his squad, biting through the descend from his injury. Upon his landing, he found Jackson crouching behind a stand of crates, the face behind his visor covered in sweat. ¡°How¡¯s the situation down here?¡± Armone asked, offering his good hand to the boy, who gladly took it to stand back up. ¡°Paul took down three, not counting the pair from the entrance¡± Jackson explained ¡°Yillid three, Garret one, I none yet¡­¡± Armone counted the number from the top of his head ¡°That left one.¡± Jackson nodded, and shifted his gaze toward the stand on the other side, where Armone could saw a foot peeping out from the corner ¡°The last guy has a gun; he and I are fighting for a solid minute now.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Armone said, ¡°You go around the back and attack from behind; I will go in the front and distract him.¡± ¡°Are you sure, sergeant?¡± Jackson asked, ¡°Surely I will make a better¡­¡± Armone looked at his wounded arm, he would not be able to make any decent shot without both his hands ¡°There¡¯s no time to waste, go.¡± The boy nodded and silently took off. ¡®I haven¡¯t played the bait since¡­forever.¡¯ Armone thought, he was taught the specific tactic through training, but as a watchman, he rarely battled people who could fight back. He pulled his solar gun into his hand cocked it, purposefully letting his opponent knew his whereabouts from the sound. In the midst of silence, He could hear the rebel shifting his stance and walked toward his direction. Armone took a deep breath and ran out of his cover, firing an unaimed blast at the thief, which naturally hit the floor, in due time he went to hide behind the next stand. Luckily, the rebel reaction fire came too late, for a moment later a blast hit the floor behind him. ¡°Hey!¡± Armone could hear Jackson called from the other side of the warehouse. Perhaps the boy did it on a whim, or perhaps he was trying to help Armone by pulling the attention of the rebel to him before he made his next shot. But regardless, the call gave the thief an extra second to react before Jackson¡¯s blast could hit him, allowing the rebel dodged the fire then let it passed by the side of his head rather than hitting right in the skull. The blast continued onward and pieced through a container box, tumbling it down with rainfall and cracking echo of bottled pill in front of Armone. As Jackson went into cover to dodge a retaliation shot from the rebel, Armone decided that he had to take the situation into his own hand. He kicked away the medicine bottle in front of him and kneeled down on the ground, putting his gun over the fallen box and used it for aiming as a replacement to his other hand. With a steady breath, he fired. Fortunately, the rebel was so distracted by Jackson that he did not notice Armone¡¯s gunfire before it was too late. The blast pierced through the center of his chest and blood poured out, sending the thief collapsing to the ground, the life fading from his body. Afterward, Jackson came to meet Armone, his eyes gazed upon the collapsed box lying on the floor with a worrying look ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, sergeant. I sabotage the mission.¡± Armone sighed; he kneeled down to pick up a bottle of medicine. ¡°As your leader, I will take the blame for it this time. But be sure to not make the same mistake again.¡± Jackson gave a salute ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Armone threw the bottle back into the crate ¡®The distributioners can deal with this later.¡¯ Luckily, most if not all of the bottles were still intact, so the toll on the mission would not be much ¡°Let¡¯s go meet up with the other.¡± They found the rest of the squad gathered in the other end of the storehouse, speaking of their successful first mission. None of them seemed injured, and any blood that stained their armor seemed to be all from their eliminated enemy. Paul turned to see Armone and Jackson as they approached ¡°What took you so long?¡± Armone decided to ignore his second-in-command ¡°Did you all suffer from any mishaps?¡± Paul shook his head ¡°Fortunately none, only two of the seven we fought had a solar gun. So it was pretty easy, really.¡± Armone rubbed his wounded arm ¡°I see¡­¡± Garret and Yillid were sharing the moment together, as they often do. But when Jackson approached near the two, Yillid turned to address him, near half-mockingly ¡°How many did you take down?¡± Upon hearing that, Jackson started to nervously shift his weight between his legs, which was all the answer the girl seemed to need. Armone shook his head, from his two-decade worth of work, freshly trained guards would often try to turn their work into some sort of game or competition, as a way to not face the morality of their actions. Most of his colleagues had done it; Paul was still doing it until his incident outside the city, and admittedly Armone had done it for a few years as well. He glanced at the three; eventually, they would have to come to terms with their duty. But for now, he should be allowed it, since it could be a part of their growth. But then, Armone noticed something, a small movement in the corner of his eyes coming from somewhere above. At first, he thought it was nothing, but then he could saw it again, closer this time. Out of instinct, Armone ran to the closest railing and pulled himself up with his still good hand, groaning at the weight he put on it.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Garret, noticing Armone¡¯s odd behavior, turned to see him ¡°Sergeant, what are you doing?¡± From up here he saw it clearly, a young girl lying over the crates of medicine, a sharp knife in hand, and was crawling closer and closer to his squad that she was near above them now. A dangerous intent on her face. Armone bit his lips ¡®I am sure we took down all thirteen of them. So the footage Quinn got must not be able to see every nook and corners of this warehouse¡­¡¯ ¡°Everyone! Watch out!¡± Armone shouted, but that proved to be a mistake. For it left the rebel no choice but to make her move. The girl immediately swung herself off the shelf and descended down on his squad. ¡°This is for my friends!¡± The girl was shouting, her knife aimed at Yillid, and even though she was wearing armor, the weapon could still deal critical injury. Armone cursed, Yillid wouldn¡¯t be able to react in time, nor could Armone fired his gun from this posture. It was his fault for not searching thoroughly, and now on their very first mission, one of his subordinates was about to be injured¡­ Then suddenly, the sound of gunfire echoed through the warehouse, followed by a sudden scream, and the corpse of the rebel fell upon Yillid, a hole through the girl¡¯s chest. Jackson then cocked his gun, reloading his fire, his face strangely calm and collected. ¡°Oh, thank god,¡± Armone muttered out loud, his fear had not come true. At the most vital moment, Jackson managed to remain collected and quickly took down their enemy. Yillid was shuffling out from the bloodied body when Armone returned to them and was wiping the blood off her armor, to little effect. She then turned to Jackson ¡°You almost hit me.¡± The teen in question lowered his gun ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°The angle you shoot your gun is dangerously close to my head.¡± She said, running her hand over her helmet, which there was a thin line of burnt surface running across it ¡°If you had lowered your gun just a tiny bit, the shot would have broken through my helmet and splatter my brain.¡± Jackson swung his gun over his back in mild frustration ¡°But I didn¡¯t, did I? And I manage to save your life, so you¡¯re welcome.¡± Yillid rolled her eyes and gave a light kick at the dead thief ¡°Please, do you think I can¡¯t take her on my own? Yes, I am a little bit grateful for what you did for me, but that does not change the fact that you might have killed me back there.¡± Jackson shook his head ¡°And no matter how much you complain, it does not change the fact that you are speaking of possibility, not reality.¡± Yillid groaned, and then turned to Garret ¡°We need third party opinion on this. Gar, who is in the wrong here?¡± ¡°Jackson might have been acting too rash as you say.¡± Garret spoke in a mild tone ¡°But if I was in his situation, I would have done the same.¡± Yillid sighed ¡°Whose side are you on again?¡± Paul seemed to think this was the best time to speak up ¡°Well technically you are in his situation, Garret. We all are literally standing next to each other.¡± A look of shame appeared on the third-in-command ¡°I¡­was distracted on watching the sergeant.¡± Jackson gave a glare at Yillid, with a terrible look on his face, the worse Armone seen so far ¡°So that¡¯s it? You would rather have your strong and handsome Garret saved you instead of me. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Garret pressed his hand on the other boy¡¯s shoulder ¡°Jackson¡­¡± Yillid puffed up ¡°I would rather save myself; I don¡¯t want to rely on anyone.¡± A gleam of anger was in Jackson¡¯s eyes ¡°But you still do. That is why you are mad and lashing out at me. You hate it that you need help, but since you are too egotistic to hate yourself, you use me like your fucking scapegoat!¡± Her face turned bright red ¡°I wasn¡¯t mad at you because I¡¯m mad at myself. I¡¯m mad at you because I¡¯m mad at you!¡± ¡°STOP!¡± Armone gave a stern command, and immediately the two cease their argument, even Paul was startled; for the man had rarely seen Armone raised his voice so loud. ¡°As your sergeant, I will not allow any of this pointless bickering to tear our team apart.¡± Armone continued, turning to his lone female subordinate ¡°Yillid, no matter how you look at it, Jackson saved you from potential danger. So swallow your pride and thank him.¡± Yillid made a soft groan, and for a moment Armone thought she would refused to follow his command. But then she gave a small nod to Jackson, though half-heartedly ¡°Thank you, for saving me.¡± ¡°And Jackson¡± Armone went on ¡°I understand that you are feeling unappreciated, but it is not a reason to lash out on your teammate. Apologize to them at once.¡± The boy nodded and gave an apologetic gesture to the other two squad members ¡°Garret, Yillid, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Yillid turned away in dissatisfaction, but Garret received the gesture ¡°As long as you apologize, that''s fine.¡± Armone gave out a long sigh ¡®I¡¯m suppose that¡¯s a start.¡¯ ¡°Then if everyone is in agreement¡­¡± Armone told them; gazing to the ladder that led to the railing ¡°We have one more unfinished business.¡± But as Armone was leading them up the ladder, he pulled the girl aside. ¡°Yillid¡± He started to say ¡°I understand that you have a complex on being able to rely on yourself¡­¡± She shrugged ¡°I don¡¯t really think at it that way, but please go on.¡± Armone nodded ¡°The fact of the matter is, we are a team, and it is impossible to not rely on each other. We are in this together for a long while, so you must open up to everyone, let¡¯s other help you sometime. Even Jackson, I know you dislike him, but we are a family now, try to give him a chance.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Yillid started to say, her feet started shuffling on their own ¡°¡­will take what you say into consideration.¡± Armone sighed ¡®At least she is being honest.¡¯ After that was done, his squad returned to the boy whom Armone left over the railing, who seemed to be even worse for wear. Without the heat of battle to distract him, Armone managed to have a good look at the boy. The rebel was barely fifteen, with light features often found in the lower common. His clothes, though properly wash, seemed to be repeatedly worn for many days. The boy¡¯s face was as pale as milk from the blood loss, which had slowed down at that point. He had fresh bruises on his wrist from his attempt to free himself from the handcuff. Though curiously, there were already several bruises over other parts of his body as well. ¡°We are taking you back to the great barrack.¡± Armone told him with a commanding voice ¡°You shall be extracted of all information you have with any method necessary. So perhaps you wish to confess the location of your unlawful resistance now to be done with it.¡± The boy raised his head to meet Armone¡¯s eyes, and without a word or hesitation, he bit his tongue out. Garret was the first to react, his armored fist launched into the boy''s face to stop him from what he¡¯s doing. But alas, it was too late, for when the boy turned his head back, with bloodied face and broken nose, he spit his severed tongue out from his mouth, landing bloody on the metal floor. Armone gave out a disappointing sigh and stared at the defiance-filled boy ¡°Kill him.¡± Garret raised his head ¡°Are you sure, sergeant?¡± ¡°He is no use to us now.¡± Armone replied ¡°And if he wish to die alongside his comrades, then let him have it.¡± As Armone turned back to exit this cursed place, a loud gunshot sound boomed through the warehouse once more, followed by a soft thud of a lifeless body hitting the floor. Armome shook his head ¡®It was a stupid idea anyway.¡¯ The new girl 1/2 The tunnel was collapsing¡­The guards were closing in¡­and her friend was wounded. The last thing Lana heard him said was for her to leave him behind and save her own skin¡­and she did¡­ ¡°Wall!¡± Lana gasped as she suddenly snapped away from her nightmare. She was sweating, and her eyes were watery with tears, the blanket she used to keep herself warmth was entangled on the floor below. Lana lightly slapped her face repeatedly with both hands, trying to get her sense back together ¡®Stay calm, it¡¯s just a bad dream.¡¯ She swung herself off the bed and took a deep breath of the morning air, preparing for another day, her hand unconsciously grabbed for Wall¡¯s locket ¡®I¡¯m no longer a crybaby that is Lana now.¡¯ She thought, to get herself moving ¡®I¡¯m Walia, a dedicated member of the free cavern and the resistance.¡¯ So thus Lana¡­no¡­Walia grabbed for her jacket that sat among the pile of things on the other stone bed and swung it on her back. Checking on the reflecting mirror, she determined that it was the break of dawn, near the time where everyone was supposed to wake up. After grabbing the remainder of her things and stuffing them into her pockets, Walia pulled open a canteen of water and took a large sip to clear her throat. Then after a moment of hesitation, she mustered her courage and exited her room. ¡®Am I really doing this?¡¯ Walia asked herself as she was finding the best position to perform her task. It was not her duty, and she had no obligation to do it, but it was what Walia wished to do. After she shook the doubt away, Walia cupped her hands over her mouth, and on the top of her lungs, she shouted¡­ ¡°Everyone, wake up! It¡¯s time to work!¡± One by one, caverners started to pop out from their stone hole along the tunnel, which was so so empty not long ago. Most were slumbering from their wake; one or two gave a curse. But some smiled and greeted her warmly, which bright up Walia¡¯s day by quite a bit. With that done, Walia skipped her way to the lift, where a few members were there already. After a while of waiting for more people, the contraption started to slowly move upward, stopping from time to time to pick up more caverners as they reached different sections of their base, all readied for their day. And among them was a person Walia was meaning to search for¡­ Her hand gave one last tab at the canteen hanging from her hip, and after a sudden realization that she did not had not muster her courage to do it, Walia strode forward to the person she was looking for. ¡°Light¡± Walia called the girl¡¯s name, putting on her best smile, and hope against hope that she didn¡¯t get the wrong person. The older girl turned to meet her, her beautiful long hair was messy from waking up. Light smiled when she saw her ¡°Oh hi, Lana, right?¡± ¡°I go by Walia now.¡± She corrected her, hand reaching to her belt ¡°I¡­have something to give back to you¡­¡± With a hasty snatch, Walia pulled the canteen off her belt and handed it to Light. ¡°My canteen¡± Light let out, a small surprise in her voice, taking the item from Walia¡¯s hand ¡°I was actually looking for it the other day. Is it with you this whole time?¡± Walia nodded meekly, but then realized her slip-up and nodded again, more enthusiastic this time ¡°Yeah, I¡­can''t find the right time to give it back to you.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Light replied as the lift came into a sudden halt, for they had reached the well hall. The older girl attached her canteen onto her belt and exited the platform, turning back for a one last moment ¡°I will see you later then, Lana.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Walia!¡± She shouted, but when Light was out of sight, she shook her head frustratingly. ¡®I stuttered again.¡¯ Walia thought, she was trying her best to cast that sad stupid girl away, but it still managed to linger. Walia sighed as she followed the crowd out the lift ¡®I suppose I can¡¯t become a new girl overnight.¡¯ After telling herself to drop her terrible attitude, she quickly moved forward to the task¡¯s pot, which had been upgraded from a simple cooking pot to the one large enough Walia could fit in, for the task that must be delegated were multiplied so much from the new caverners that came in. With as gracious movement as possible, Walia tiptoed up the pot and dug her hand into it for the nearest stone her hand could reach. The newly carved text into the stone simply said ¡®kitchen work¡¯. ¡°This is¡­good¡± Walia said, finally, she was certain about something. She slid the rock into her pocket and quickly paced away to let¡¯s other have their pick. As she was walking down through the tunnel deeper into the cavern in search of the kitchen, their old cook passed her by with her two assistants, a pot of yesterday¡¯s leftover in their hands. ¡°I get cooking work today, heading to the kitchen now,¡± Walia explained when they ran into each other. ¡°Great, Free will gives you order until I get back.¡± The old woman said in her usual low tone ¡°It¡¯s still very early for work though, why don¡¯t you follow us and eat a morning meal? We put in quite a work reseasoning the soup.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± Walia quickly responded, then made her way to the kitchen where Toad and the other two came from. What was called the kitchen for the free cavern was, in fact, a mined out cave about one hundredth the size of the well hall, which was pretty large by its own right. With slab and slab of stones stacked together to work as a table, barrels packed with water to use for cooking and off to the side were a section where food gathered the day before were stored. As Walia entered into the kitchen, only one person was presence, a woman of twenty investigating on the stock. ¡°Free¡± Walia called the older woman. Since the numbers of the cavern members had greatly increased, the numbers of permanent cooks had to be increased as well, and Free was one of them. Rumor had it that she actually had been working in the Last Stronghold kitchen itself until her escape, but since Toad was here before her, the old cook continued to be in charge of the kitchen.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Good, you¡¯re here.¡± Free said, unlike her superior, she had a very harsh voice ¡°Go grab the wild carrots and chopped them up, Toad said we are making salad today, siting that everyone hasn¡¯t eat vegetables in a while or something.¡± Hesitatingly, Walia glanced at the set of knives on the table ¡°I¡¯m¡­not good with sharp object.¡± Free gave out a sigh when hearing that ¡°Then just wash the damn things, I can have other folks do it later anyway.¡± She nodded, but inside Walia felt like she wanted to pull her hair out. A part of Lana was still in her, after all. She had to work harder to become Walia, or else that part would be stuck with her forever. ¡°I still don¡¯t get that Toad lady¡± Free complaint as both of them work, helping Walia to reach for the basket of carrots ¡°You suppose to cook what the eater wanted, not what you think the eater need. And what kind of name is Toad anyway.¡± ¡°I heard that when she was young, she had a lot of pimples, and people mockingly called her that¡± Walia remembered, trying her best to engage in conversation ¡°But she embraced it as her name.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still stupid.¡± Free responded ¡°But she is older, so what can I do? Here¡¯s the carrot, when you finish, come back to me.¡± Walia nodded, as energetic as possible ¡°As you say¡± Walia went to the barrel and opened its cog, letting the water in it slowly washed over the carrots one by one and set it aside for cooking. As she did that, more and more caverners arrived at the kitchen to do their work, the first few of which was the head cook herself. From there Toad took charge of the cooking operation, delegating tasks and working here and there. Normally Lana would be very self-conscious around so many people, but now Walia simply felt excited to be a part of something, even if that something is such a simple thing as cooking. ¡°Oh, Walia, you got the kitchen work too?¡± A voice called her from above, and coming to crouch next to her was one of the brown hair twins, a basket of cabbages in hands. Walia hesitated for a moment ¡°¡­Ark, right?¡± The boy shook his head, his face had a thin smile on it ¡°Hos, actually¡± ¡°Oh¡± Walia shifted her gaze away ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, most people can¡¯t tell the two of us apart at first.¡± He responded and started washing the vegetables in his own basket. ¡°I will try my best to remember next time, I promise,¡± Walia told him ¡°My twin brother has a bit bigger built than me.¡± Hos explained ¡°That¡¯s might help.¡± ¡°What task did he get today?¡± Walia asked after a moment of silence, trying to be as talkative as possible. ¡°Combat training¡± Hos answered, standing up with his washed cabbages, so Walia did the same with her carrots ¡°He¡¯s pretty excited for it.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡± She replied, among many things that had changed in this cavern of the free were a lot of new tasks that were given out, most of which were not necessary work that helped maintain the cavern. One of them was combat training, led by Jacob, who was now known as the right hand of their leader Robin. The task consisted of practicing usage of weapons, not only solar guns but also knife and staff, and increasing endurance by running around the mountain and carrying weight. Walia remembered the one time she received the task, at the end of the day, she returned to her room battered and bruised, with no strength left in her body. She did not like it, but Walia knew Robin put it in for a reason. ¡°Have you heard the news?¡± Hos asked as they walked ¡°The group Robin sent into the city to steal medicines are all dead.¡± Upon hearing that, Walia nearly lost grip of her basket ¡°¡­really?¡± He nodded grimly ¡°Robin tells us just this morning. They did not come back for two days, but she still lives in hope. But last night one of our other thieves heard the news that they were all killed during the raid¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s horrible.¡± ¡°Yeah, even though their dead bodies were thrown into the execution pit by now, Robin said we are making a gravesite in their memory this afternoon¡± Hos explained, ¡°Jackson, upon hearing it, swear a bloody vengeance upon the supreme leader in their name in front of everyone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s brave of him¡± Walia replied, though, at the very back of her mind, she wondered what the supreme leader got anything to do with it. ¡°Yeah, the very soul of bravery, our general,¡± Hos responded, though his voice had some strange tone to it. With that, Walia and her friend set their basket on the table, and while Hos continued his work on the vegetable, chopping and splitting them apart to be suitable for cooking. Walia was handed a large salted trout and a brush, with the task to scrape away its scale. This work was tedious, going back and forth with the brush and pulling away from the hard but slimy scale of the fish, so it could be chopped apart and added to the salad. Not to mention with no one to talk to, Walia felt like it was going on forever. After who know how long, Walia was finally finished with the fish, so she handed it to one of the cook and was given a short break as a reward, for it was near lunchtime for the kitchen crew. Being responsible, Walia went back to her sitting spot to gather up the fish¡¯s scale and dumped it into the designated trash, returning the brush back in its place and gathered up the rope which tied up the fish beforehand. As she tried her best to untie the knot so it could be kept for later use, she found a short length of detached rope that seemed to have fallen off from the main length. As she picked it up, she saw that it was not thick enough to tie anything heavy, nor was it longs enough to be used for any proper purpose. As she sat, she saw Free passed by, a set of bowl in hand ¡°What should I do with this?¡± Walia asked her and showed her the rope. ¡°Just throw it away¡± She replied, as Walia assumed she would. But as she stared at this short length of rope, she became somehow attached to it. ¡®It is small and useless, just like my old self. But perhaps it still might have its use.¡¯ With that, Walia dipped it into the washed water, dry it a little, and stuffed the rope into her pocket. Not long after the lunch break come, since the kitchen crew needed to distribute the food, their rest came much faster than the other. One by one Toad handed out the food some of the caverners were making beforehand, a chunk of bread stuffed with berries. With a short hesitation, Walia took a big bite into hers. ¡®I still can¡¯t taste it.¡¯ Walia thought and gave out a sigh. Doc had said that her inability to taste anything was because of the traumatic event happening to her recently. But now that she was Walia, she was happiest she ever had been, she was connecting with the people who cared for her and whom she cared for, but she still couldn¡¯t taste anything. ¡®It might never come back, and I don¡¯t know if I can live like that.¡¯ She thought, but Walia shook the thought away. She shouldn¡¯t think about such sad things, it would only make her feel terrible, so it is best to push it into the back of her mind and don¡¯t pay attention to it. ¡°Walia¡± Hos called and sat next to her, his hand extended ¡°You can have one of these.¡± She shifted her gaze to see. In his hand were two apples, picked freshly from yesterday. ¡°Thank you, Wal¡­I mean, Hos.¡± She said, stuttered for a moment. Even though she knew she couldn¡¯t taste it, it was still a kind gesture. ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss about it.¡± He said and handed her the ripper one ¡°Like really, I sneaked them out from the storeroom, so it is best to keep it as our little secret.¡± Walia nodded and bit into its surface, and even though she could not taste its sweetness, she still could sense its juice flowing into her mouth, and that alone warmed her heart. She took several more small bites all around the apple, up until she noticed a small worm peeking out from its surface, trying to wriggle its way out from the fruit. Calmly, she pulled the creature out with the tip of her finger. ¡°Hos, catch¡± In a sudden movement, Walia chucked the worm onto the boy. ¡°Ahhh!¡± As soon as he saw what it was, Hos leaped out of his seat in a sudden panic, dropping his half-eaten apple ¡°Waliaaaa!¡± She gave a happy giggle, and after another bite into her apple, she stood up and ran away, with Hos running up behind her, laughter in both their mouth. ¡°You two! Stop running around in the kitchen!¡± Toad shouted and gave Hos and Walia a clout in the ear, making her gave out a yelp before apologizing. ¡°That was fun,¡± She said to herself, and she decided that moment like this is what Walia needed to live for. The new girl 2/2 Soon the kitchen crew¡¯s lunch break came into an end and it was time to return to their work. Baskets and bags were filled with berried bread and handed out to various people, tasks to be handed to the rest of the cavern members as their lunch. ¡°Walia, here¡± Toad handed her a wooden tray filled with various food of good quality ¡°This one is cooked specifically for Marah, deliver it to his workroom.¡± Walia looked at the tray and what was on it. A wooden bowl filled with cleanly sliced cabbages, carrots, tomatoes but weirdly no fish, cooked and covered with oil and deliciously-smelled sauce, serving next to it was what seemed to be a bottle of water mixed boiled with herbs. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he get the same like everyone else?¡± Walia asked, out of curiosity. ¡°The high ranking officers get better food, that just how it is.¡± Toad explained, ¡°But Marah¡¯s is even better than Robin¡¯s, for at least her meal resembled the rest of us.¡± She pointed at another tray, where a pair of berried bread dipped in honey and sugar was prepared ¡°The left hand has something that is called wheat and gluten allergy, so he can¡¯t eat any bread or milk, not to mention the kid swore off all animal-related products, so I can¡¯t even make anything from meat and egg.¡± ¡°I see¡± Walia nodded and took the tray, but Toad continued to explain. ¡°Luckily, we are making a salad for the cavern¡¯s dinner today, so I just use the product to make that, now I just need to cook up another dish for his dinner. You know where his workshop is, right?¡± ¡°I do!¡± Walia told as she left the kitchen, and with careful walk, she ascended upward the tunnel as to not spill anything. ¡®Now if I remember correctly¡­¡¯ Walia pondered as she entered the well hall, which was strangely populated for this time of day. The mystery was immediately solved for her, however, when she saw who was in the center of the crowd. Standing atop one of the tables was Robin, the leader of their resistant, treading around her spot in her leather boots and shouting something to the large crowd gathered around her, her jacket and hair flapped at her every turn as she addressed her people. Of course, from the spot Walia was on, she could tell what she was saying, but Walia knew it must be something rousing and inspiring, and Walia could not help but admired her for it. She made a decision, finding somewhere to leave the tray on and reached her hand into her pocket, bringing out the string of rope she collected earlier. With her other hand, Walia grabbed for her hair, which had quite regrown quite well and was starting to regain its color. ¡®I think, she wears her hair like this¡­¡¯ Walia thought and tied her hair with the rope, creating a small ponytail, resembling Robin¡¯s hairstyle. ¡®It will get longer as my hair continues to grow.¡¯ She told herself ¡®But for now, this will do.¡¯ After one last glanced at Robin and her speech, Walia grabbed for the food tray and left through the tunnel that she believed led to Marah¡¯s workshop and kept on walking, traveling deeper and deeper through corridor and staircases into the mine at the depth that she never knew even existed. A few minutes later, Walia reached her destination. The entrance was so small that most people needed to duck their heads to get in, but not Walia though. As she entered, she found the entire room to be illuminated by a series of electric lantern hanging along the wall, under them were many set of workbench equipped with screen and pad, all lit up, scattered all around them were electric parts that she could not possibly name. Slithering among the stony floor were wires, lot and lot of them, thick and thin, large and small, the things were all over the ground, some even slung along with the ceiling, all connected to electric devices to power the various machines in the workshop As Walia carefully navigated the room, trying her best not to trip on anything, she tried to recall the story she heard of Marah. It is said that the man was a master of technology; creating his workshop with only spare parts from the stolen goods they got from the city, and even rewiring solar panels onto the top of the mountain to power his equipment. Couple it with his brilliant mind and talking ability, he had become a trusted confidant and lover of Robin, the same as Jacob, though quite lesser due to his weak condition and skin disease, causing him to be dubbed, almost jokingly, the left hand by the cavern. ¡®When there is a hand, there are fingers too.¡¯ Walia thought humorously, the group in question was Jacob¡¯s top subordinates, which comprised of the best fighters of the cavern, half of which, if the rumor was true, were guards who came with him from the city. While Marah¡¯s was simply the people who work with him in his workshop. ¡®I wonder if I can qualify as a pinky toe¡¯ Walia thought, though she was already quite happy as it is, she wanted more work to do as part of, not just the cavern, but the resistance as well. Regardless, the left hand¡¯s fingers were not in the workshop; however, for they must be going up to get their lunch, nor could Marah himself be found. But there was a door leading to another room, so he might possibly be in there. Walia found a nearby empty workbench to leave the tray on, and then she slowly grabbed the door¡¯s handle and pushed it open. ¡°¡­so, is everything going according to plan?¡± She heard a deep and dark voice said as she peeked in, a voice that she remembered was definitely not of Marah. Walia froze in her place; there was something in that voice that gave her chill. For a moment, Walia was back to Lana again; her newly-healed leg began to throb and nearly lost balance. It had taken all her got to snap back to Walia once more. ¡°Who do you take me for, of course they are.¡± Another voice replied this one she knew belonged to Marah ¡°Jacob is training up an army, just as I convinced him to, and I have already drawn out a plan of attack and it will be ready in a few weeks or so, that is, if you give me the map as you say.¡± ¡°I am not the type to cheat on my promise, here,¡± The other voice said, and then there was a flick of a small object, then the sound of something landing on a palm.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°With all due respect, you look like the type to do just that.¡± The voice of Marah replied, followed by several thuds of footsteps as one of them walked across the room. Walia knew she knew that this was something that she clearly should not be listening to, but her legs couldn¡¯t budge away a single inch, nor could she spoke a word. So she simply stood there, leaning forward and peeked through the gap of the door as dreaded curiosity overwhelmed her. From her position, she saw Marah standing over a device she could not make out, his pale skin shone from the light-emitting from it. The left hand inserted something into the device, and it started to shake as the glow started to shift into a hologram. ¡°I have never seen that version of Stalus before,¡± The owner of the deep voice said, he was somewhere in the room that Walia could not see from this angle. ¡°I make it myself, it doesn¡¯t work as well as city-manufactured one, but I give it a lot of function I need it to do.¡± Soon the hologram completes its formation, and it revealed itself to be¡­a flat screen of some kind. It¡¯s featured a serie long winding tunnels intersecting with each other, or at least that what Walia assumed it was since she could not see very well from the small gap of the door. ¡°Of course it¡¯s through the sewage.¡± She could hear Marah complaining ¡°Is this legit?¡± ¡°Why would I betray you now? I have helped you lot this far.¡± The other man replied, Walia could hear an irritation boiling in his tone. ¡°Still, it would be smart to test the passage first.¡± Marah replied, ¡°You won¡¯t mind if I perhaps convince Robin to send a few of our soldiers in first and make some preparation, will you?¡± ¡°Do whatever the hell you want.¡± The other voice said in a dismissive tone ¡°Just try not to do anything that will lead back to me.¡± ¡°That would be favorable to both sides.¡± Marah replied, ¡°If all go as plan, our vanguard will deal significant damage to the supreme leader.¡± ¡°Ohhh, that is what I like to see. Don¡¯t tell me what it is yet though; don¡¯t want to spoil the surprise for myself.¡± The voice said, his tone had shifted to a happy one, but it still possessed the terrifying weight that made her body went numb ¡°Though I must ask, your young leader, how is she doing?¡± ¡°Very well, actually¡± Marah replied with a grin ¡°She has a natural charisma that makes people follow her, so her leadership position is quite solid. She also had a strong force of will and self-righteousness so much so that she will never believe what she does isn¡¯t right.¡± ¡°Sound likes a terrifying young woman.¡± The other man said, a hint of something that resembled¡­ wholeheartedness was in his voice. ¡°Rightly so¡± Marah responded, a faint smile on his face ¡°I can¡¯t help but fell for her, which I try my best to not let it compromise the plan. But regardless, those same natures give me the ability to manipulate her to do as I like without her even knowing, that is why I give the old leader a pinch of powder that seals his fate and convince Thirteen to throw the election so her transition to a leader went smoothly, after all, and being one of her lovers also help.¡± ¡°One of?¡± The deep voice asked curiously. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Marah shrugged ¡°I¡¯m afraid the one time our leader is not certain about something is which person to kiss. She just happened to fall in love with two different guys at the same time and instead of just pick one like most reasonable people, she decided to snatch both fish and make us wry for her attention like some sort of sick game. She won¡¯t admit it, but she like when we were on each other throat, I can see it in her face. Like, pick one, woman! At this point I wouldn¡¯t even be mad if she picks Jacob, I just want this to be over.¡± ¡°You youngling is all the same, thinking that your sobbing love story is the most important thing in the world.¡± The other voice complaint ¡°This Jacob, I assume he is also important to your cavern.¡± ¡°The designated second-in-command and chief general, no less.¡± Marah replied, a pinch of mockery in his voice ¡°Though no matter how commanding he seems, he is irrational to a fault, hanging over stupid things like grudge and revenge, so he shouldn¡¯t really be a threat. Unless Robin dies on us and leaves him in charge, then my influence over the cavern will be cut short if that is the case.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s pray for that not to happen.¡± The other man responded, ¡°Now that our business is over, I must take my leave before the people back at the castle make note of my absence.¡± ¡°Wait¡­before you go, I need to know something.¡± Marah abruptly said, ¡°I have been pondering this for a while now, why are you helping us?¡± There was a small silence as if the man seemed to have paused to think ¡°I have no need to tell you, just accept my help and uphold the deal.¡± ¡°Very well then, deal off.¡± Marah said, his hand grabbing for the projector and slid it into his pocket ¡°I already have all the stuff I need anyway, double-crossing you right now will setback nothing.¡± But then, the man started to laugh, his booming voice echoed through the small cave and froze Walia to the core ¡°You are quite daring and self-interested, kid, that is why I what I like about you. If you really wish to know, then I will tell you.¡± As the man spun around the room, Walia could finally catch a glimpse of him. A hulking figure with unnaturally thick built, he wore a hooded black cloak that hides his face and clothing, leaving nothing but a strain of long brown hair to seep out. He was a monster of a man, and it was as if an aura of intimidation radiated out of him and suffocated everyone around. ¡°That Gorbachius kid¡¯s antic has gotten quite out of hand, soI need to speed up the plan that I have laid down.¡± The man said, his tone shifted to a strange tone, mix of anger and amusement ¡°He appoints a thirteen years old girl to sit his council, and that may seem like an incompetent move at first, that girl is smarter than most of the noble court combine and had a great influence on him, no other advisors had that much say as that damn brat anymore. Not to mention he is shaving away the noble power, my power, and give it away to the common people. His father may have been an incompetent fool, but at least he is able to be manipulated, but this boy is not the case. If left like this, the nobles will fall in line with his reformation belief and that will be the doom of me. A new bloodline of puppet must take the pin of a ruler, with people like you and me pulling its strings, if I ever wish to matter.¡± ¡°And not to mention¡­¡± The man finished, and Walia could almost feel the sly smile on his face ¡°It is quite fun to fuck him over.¡± ¡°I¡­I see¡± Marah replied, and she could saw a strain of sweat all over his face as it tried to contort and hide his unease. ¡°If that is clear, I shall resume my leaving. Oh, and uphold your end of the deal, otherwise, you will regret it.¡± He said. Marah gave a stiff nod ¡°A seat at the table of the new government, you will have it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad we are at an agreement.¡± The men said and left Walia line of sight, then she heard of a sound of something moving, then something moving back to place, then an echoing footsteps that faded away after a few seconds. But as Walia tried to get away, that was when her knee failed her, and she stumbled back, crashing onto the nearby workbench. The act also knocked a few things over, creating a sound as they clangored with the stone floor and solid wire. ¡°Who¡¯s there!?¡± Marah called out and swung open his door, leaving no time for Walia to refocus herself. ¡°How long have you been here?¡± He asked demandingly, and Walia could see a sheathed knife on his belt, and one of his hands was holding on its handle. ¡°I just arrive here.¡± Walia quickly said the lie came almost naturally to her, for even though she did not understand half of what they were speaking of, she knew she had heard something she was not supposed to hear. Walia gestured toward the tray, which was still intact ¡°Toad told me to bring you your lunch.¡± Marah eyed Walia suspiciously, then after a long tense moment, he said ¡°Give it to me then. And clean up the mess you make on the way out.¡±