《A Soldier's Life》


 Prologue- New Beginnings

    Dont be like me. I had only ever wanted to be known after I die. You know, like General Washington, Elvis Presley, Martin Luther King,Julius Caesar, and such. There weren''t any wars. I wasnt able to play any music. I didnt care enough about the current movements. I hatedpoliticians. I only thing I was good at was researching and inventing things. At first, I thought I could be famous people who invented things like Leonardo da Vinci, Nickola Tesla, ect.


    I had had this dream for as long as I could remember. In middle school, I studied hard to get top scores. In High School, I was already doing four differant Concurrent enrollment classes. I got accepted into a prestigous University and continued to study. I published multiple theories, and one of them got noticed.


    By Graduation, I had a well paying job with the U.S. Government. I couldnt care about what I was making or who and why someone used it, I just wanted to become a Famous Inventer. While I did my job, I spent my own time researching how to harness the power of the Void. An elusive subject to even think of, but that was why I was researching it. If I could figure some way to control the Void, or even lay down the basics, I would be the most famous Inventor of my era.


    I was nearing a breakthrough, either a step to the final or the secret of the Void, I could feel it. Then I was told I had a meeting with my Boss. This was big! My Boss was second only to the President, and I was going to meet him one on one. The meeting was scheduled for the next day. I was so excited on my way home, I didn''t notice the gang of thugs hiding in the alley. When I passed by, they jumped me. I quickly gave them everything I had, but they wanted what was in my head.


    They somehow thought that I had secret infomation. They thought that I was just being stubborn, but I honestly had no clue what they wanted. After I told them I had no idea what they wanted from me for the thousandth time, they took my to a secluded building and beat me, for an hour straight. They didnt hold back. Punches, kicks, even throwing rocks at me. They didnt let me pass out. Everytime I was about to, they would dump freezing water over me. When I actually went unconscious, they thrust my head underwater until I woke.


    They eventually grew tired of my lame responses. I had seen their faces, and they couldnt let me go to the police, at least that is what they agreed upon. They each drew their knives. They didnt just slit my throat like I wanted, they took their time. They started with my toes. With each one they cut off, my screams of pain grew quieter an quieter. When they took all ten toes, they moved up, slowing dragging their knives through my legs. When they reached my Manhood, they took it as well. They continued on their journey, eventually reaching my fingers. One by one they were dropped into the collection. I saw my chance and took it. With my fingers gone, my hands easily slipped through the blood soaked bindings.


    I kicked the closest one between the legs. He dropped to the floor, dropping his knife. I clumsily grabbed it between both of my palms. In one smooth move, or as smooth as was possibe when my feet were tied to a chair, I twisted around and stabbed the one behind me in the stomach. As the handle reached the flesh, I was yanked back as countless knives were thrust in and out of my already broken body.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    I sighed as my vision dimmed, even as I was continually stabbed. My last thought was one of regret. Not that I couldn''t become famous, though I would likely be on the new for a few years as the most grusome murder, or that I hadnt managed to kill them all. No, my final regret was that no one would shed a single tear about me. No one would care. What would they say about me? That I worked hard? That I was a good man? No one would even care enough to have those thoughts.


    I closed my glistening eyes, never to open them again, until some asshole flicked my forehead. My eyes shot open. My bodies felt completely normal, better than that, it felt more than normal. I lifted my hand to my eyes. The scar on my palm from when I was twelve wasnt there.


    I slowly stood up and examined everything, including my manly pride. Everything was still there. It was a dream, it was all a dream!


    "Hey Moron. It''s rude to ignore someone."


    I looked towards the source of the sound. In front of me stood a handsome man in a black two piece suit.


    "I''m apologize for my manners. I just had the most realistic nightmare."


    "What Nightmare? That was all real, you''re dead."


    I barely caught myself. My mind raced. I noticed that I wasnt in my room. I noticed that I was in an endless space. There was no ceiling nor floor. I was dead. Was this the afterlife? What now?


    "Yo, you''re being rude again."


    "What does it matter? I''m dead already!" He growled, suddenly looking like a demon from hell,


    "It matters because I decide if you go on to the next life."


    I hesitated as he turned back to the man in the suit. "Theres a next life?"


    He readjusted his tie before responding, "I wouldn''t say so otherwise. I may be Lucifer, but I dont lie about the small stuff."


    "Small stuff? This is my future! Its not some small thing!"


    He glared at me, "I cant even remember the last time someone insulted me, but I can recall what I did to them."


    "Go ahead, I''ve already suffered enough."


    Lucifer tilted his head in curiosity, "You''re ignorant, but brave. Or retarded. And before you say anything about how thats not the politically correct word, shove it up yours. Correct is correct, regardless of its harshness."


    I couldn''t disagree with him. "So what world am I going to?"


    "You have two choices, reincarnate with basic knowledge of the world, or reincarnate with the memories of this world."


    I thought for a moment, "What did I choose last time?"


    lucifer just laughed, for many minutes. "I have never been asked that question before and I''ve been doing this for who knows how long! Just for that I''ll give you my boon."


    "What does that do?"


    "Nothing special, all your trials from your previous world will transfer over to your new one."


    "How so?"


    His eye twitched in irritation, "If you got punched regularly, you will have a blunt resistance. Events that happen near your death will have more effect. The older the event, the less chance of it having an effect at all."


    Would that mean...nah, I''m not going to bring it up. "What now?"


    "Choose the damn option. Either knowledge of your new world or memories of previous world."


    "Memories. Spent too much time gaining it, would be a shame to lose it all."


    "Finally!" Lucifer exclaimed as he snapped his fingers. My body started to disappear from the feet up.


    Just before it reached my mouth, I called out to Lucifer, "See ya soon Lucy!" I disappeared before he could attack me, though he did try.


    The next time I opened my eyes, I was being held by an exhausted looking woman. I had reincarnated as a baby, meaning this was my mother. I had a new family, in a new world. From the looks of the room, it was a medieval era. I wondered what kind of mayhem I could cause.

 Chapter 1- Easy Life

    The hardest thing to get used to wasnt the fact I was a baby, or that I had a new family in a new world. The hardest thing to get used to was my new name. Aaron Voidwolf. The first name was fairly average, apparently in both worlds, but holy crap! That last name! One of the first stories my parents told me was about our name. We were one of the first families that managed to tame a Magic Beast and it was a Voidwolf.


    Pretty cool, even though I had no idea what that was. What caught my attention however, was that I had been researching Voids in my past life, and I happen to have been reborn in a family directly connected to Void. Even better, they were connected to a species who knew how to control them.


    Now, I was completely confused how a creature could control something so advanced without any tools. I learned that Magic was a thing in this world and not just illusions, though Illusion Magic existed. This wasn''t a good enough explanation for me.


    My parents were amazing people. We were a noble family that governed over a small city of little over ten thousand. My Father was a gruff man that was earnest and hardworking. He made sure to learn all the servants'' and Guards'' names. He trained alongside the Guards and joked with them. He kept his face shaven and his hair cut short, simply because he didn''t want to bother combing it.


    My Mother was the most loving and most terrifying woman I had ever met. She was a beautiful woman who could easily turn heads, not that anyone allowed themselves to do so, because of my Father. If you made a mistake, she would ask you what you did wrong, how to improve, then have you fix it. She would rush you, and would patiently wait there until you could say what you did and how to improve.


    We all had brown hair so dark that it was black in the shade. Both my parents were good looking, so naturally I was to, though I had yet to turn one years old. So then again, what baby wasn''t the cutest thing ever? When I was finally able to crawl, I took advantage of it. I figured out how to get out of the crib in seconds, then I made my way to the library while my parents were sleeping.


    I had to constantly hide from Servants and Guards, but I made my way there. I could only reach the very bottom shelf and could only let it drop the few inches to the floor. I struggled to open the cover. It was only until I managed to open the cover that I realized that I had no idea how to read this language. I despaired for a few minutes, but refused to give up! And I was tired from crawling here.


    Luckily the book I had pulled down was a picture book. You never know how hard it is to learn a language until you try to learn your first, luckily we forget that. I fell asleep sometime in the middle of the night and the book. Oh my Mother was pissed! She nearly destroyed the Manor looking for me, only to find me sleeping on an open book.


    This happened time and time again. Everytime I could sneak out, I did. Sometimes I made it back into the crib before I fell asleep, most of the time I didn''t. I wouldnt start back unless I was sure I could make it in the crib, because I thought it would be better if they regularly found me in the library then passed out in one of the hallways.


    My Mother hated that I was constantly getting out. My Father found it hilarious, but if he didn''t want to sleep on the metaphorical couch, he didn''t let it show in front of Mother. Eventually my Mother gave up and just put my crib in the Library. I was finally able to read their strange language a month before my first birthday. I wasn''t fast, but I was able to read and understand context.


    The house was in a flurry preparing for my birthday. My Mother struggled to decide on a dozen little things all at once while my Father was busy trying to organize the city so he could spend that night with me and Mother. I would tire myself out just trying to watch everyone rush about. I just studied the world and watched the Guards train.


    I learned early on from my studies that the world was extremely dangerous, with everyone having to kill at least two other people on average. That seemed like a lot, but the vast majority of those killed were done by soldiers and other people who trained to kill. I watched the Guards training to learn to defend myself.


    My first birthday party was amazing, awkward, and confusing. All Nobles and other prominent people near the city had been invited. The majority came, but they all sent or brought gifts. The best two gifts, and the most useless at the moment, came from friends of my parents.


    My Father''s friend was the General of the 3rd Army. He brought what you would expect, a sword. The sword was somewhat bland, not that I cared either way, but its strength wasn''t in its looks. The sword was made of Soulsteel, a material renown for being capable of storing and using the user''s mana. It was half again as strong as steel, and only and eighth heavier. I was a wonder gift, but not one that I would be able to use in near years.


    Mother''s friend was a renowned Adventurer. They had already discovered the entire planet, but did not change the name. Adventurers fought back monsters and the occasional Magic Beast. They protected the villages and cities when the military couldn''t or wouldn''t, for a price. He came with a book. Apparently he had been informed by Mother that I loved books. The book was a beginner''s guide in Magic.


    The others brought gifts of money and simple gifts like toys or something for my parents. I spent the rest of the night read the book while keeping my small hand on the handle of the sword. My parents and their friends talked nearby. They all knew each other.


    "So Justin, what has have you been doing this past two years?" Asked the General to the AdventurerStolen novel; please report.


    "Oh nothing really, just doing what the soldiers should be." You would think that that sentence would provoke an argument from the General, but he just laughed.


    "True, but tell me, can you defeat an army of trained soldiers?"


    "I could hold them back, but how is playing soldier for you, Adam?"


    "Uuggghhh! I was just assigned this new Lieutenant. He''s a noble, and boy is he spoiled. He thought that just by being an officer, he wouldn''t have to do PT. When I called him out, he argued with me, a General!"


    "What happened to him?" Asked Mother.


    "Susan, you would be proud, I grabbed him by the ear, and dragged him behind me while we ran. Every time he tried to escape, I assigned him another lap. By the end of the day, he had shut up and ran eighty six laps!"


    "How many do you usually run?" Asked Father


    "Twenty."


    "He didn''t catch on after the thirtieth?"


    "Robert, after that incident, I checked on his family. He likely turned out the best he could. They were all fat pigs, who thought the world belonged to them. I am just happy the kid joined the military to get away from them and is actually improving."


    "So how is governing?" Asked Justin


    Father sighed, "I would rather be out there with you. So much freedom, no responsibilities, not a care in the world." He smiled, "Then I turn around and see Sarah and my son, and wouldn''t trade it for anything in the world."


    Both Justin and Adam had longing faces. They wanted that life. Why didn''t they find someone they loved and settle down? Apparently Mother thought the same and asked.


    "Sarah, if I could find a girl that would take me, I would. But I have more scars than skin. I have the charm of an Ogre and have never managed to stay in one place long." Explained Justin


    "I could never leave my men. I couldn''t trust another with their lives. Maybe if I could, I would." Said Adam


    They spent the rest of the night telling stories and joking. I turned back to my book and read until Mother picked me up to put me to bed. I refused to let go of the book or sword, which is quite hard when both are heavier than you are. Mother just sighed and picked them up alongside me. She gently placed me inside my crib, placing the sword beside it. She sang to me as she usually did.


    It might have been the fact that she was my Mother, but I had never heard a voice as beautiful as hers. I saw from the corner of my eyes that Father, Adam, and Justin were watching and listening from the doorway. I drifted away dreaming of the tales Mother sung. Stories of love, bravery, and justice flew through my mind.


    Years passed. I was now four, my fifth birthday party was going to be tomorrow. I had read all books in the library and couldn''t wait for the new book that Justin always brought. Adam would always bring amazing items for battle. Last year he gave me a single gauntlet made of Soulsteel and Titan Leather. None of the pieces Adam brought could fit me, but they would automatically change size once I was in a certain range.


    The next day was exciting. Justin gave me a book about the types of Magic Beasts. Adam gave me a thin chestplate made of condensed Mana. I had read about condensed mana, but never seen it. Apparently, it would absorb most magic from magic attacks and defend against ordinary attacks. Most didn''t use condensed Mana even if they had access to it because it took years to make it yours. Before you could use it to its fullest, you had to slowly replace all the mana in the item with your own. It was slow and hard work, but I planned to make it mine. The chestplate was meant to be worn under a normal shirt or even an additional piece of armor. It would mold itself to my body shape making it noticeable when worn underneath.


    As normal, Adam and Justin stayed for a few days to catch up with my parents. However, this time Adam caught me studying the Guards training.


    "You want to be like them?"


    He caught me by surprise, "No, I want to be better." I said as I spun around to face him.


    He just chuckled before his face hardened slightly, "Then you''re going to have to work for it!" He shouted. "Drop and give me twenty!"


    Before I noticed what I was doing, I was only the floor doing pushups. I had never done one before, and it showed. I took over half an hour for me to do the twenty, yet it never crossed my mind to stop. Once I was done with the twenty, Adam ordered me to run around the estate five times. I rushed to obey. By this time, we had drawn the attention of the Guards, who stopped training to watch a General shout at a toddler. He noticed then staring and shouted at them to do the same as me.


    When Justin and my parents came out to see what was happening, they saw the entire Guard force and I running around the estate and doing exercises. Justin and Father smiled as they saw me not give up. Mother just sighed and turned around, back into the manor. She came out a few minutes later with a few other maids with barrels of water. Adam dismissed all of us, and we all swarmed the barrels of water. One of the Guards placed me on his shoulders as he ran.


    The next day was even worse as Adam woke all the Guards and I an hour before dawn to do more PT. We didn''t eat breakfast until three hours till midday. Then we exercised till and hour after midday for lunch. We exercised until sunset and all stumbled into the dining hall. At this point, neither they nor I cared that I was technically their superior. We just wanted food.


    My mother hadn''t wanted me to train while I was this young, but knew I had to be able to defend myself. My Father thought the younger I started the better. Justin just laughed at me from the shade of a tree as he read his book. Adam complimented me on managing to keep up and not give in. This continued for the next few days they stayed here, Before they left Adam ordered me to continue Training. By this time, I instinctively obeyed every order he gave me, the magical powers of a NCO at work.


    I obeyed his orders and continued to train. I would wake up early and train until sunset. I would then try to condense the Mana around me to form a Mana Core, which would allow for the storage and ease of use for mana. Day in and day out, I continued this routine. The next year, Adam was proud of me and continued to force all the Guards and I into PT. I was now keeping pace with all the others.


    Another eleven months passed. I was condensing my mana and could feel that I was close. Just before I nodded off to sleep, it formed. It was very anticlimactic. No loud noise, no burst of strength, just a see through ball of light blue mana. Now Mana doesn''t have color, but the thinner it is, the lighter it is. The blue color didn''t matter in anyway, and as I strengthen my core it would dark, or even change color. It was different for every person.


    My last thought before I nodded off to sleep, in my room this time, was that I was turing six in a month and was already a mage. Booyah!

 Chapter 2- Research

    I was turning eight in two months. Mother had hired a tutor for me and Father was teaching me leadership and governing. The lessons were boring as I had either read it in a book or had known it in my previous life. My tutor was getting irritated as I didn''t bother to hide my boredom and disinterest. Eventually I just let loose and just told him I knew everything. Of course, he didn''t believe me and started to quiz me about things he had yet to ''teach'' me. I answered every question correctly and then started to quiz him.


    He held out fairly well, but then I started to include questions about Calculus. He got so frustrated that he stormed out of the room. To his credit, he stopped by my Mother to tell her that he quit and that she should get an even better tutor for me. At first my Mother was a little more than upset, but calmed down and even excitedly hugged me when I explained what had happened.


    My parents asked me how I knew so much and told them honestly about the books I read. The next week, there were hundreds of new books in the Library. I dived into the new knowledge. I would eat and sleep while reading a book. I didn''t even stop reading as I relieved myself, taking the book with me. I only stopped once a day, which became difficult to discern, to train until Midday.


    Justin came by a month early to visit. He said that he wanted to take a break from Adventuring. Amazingly, he had brought a new book, even though the Library had over a thousand books, many of which Justin had not known about. As always, he would sit and read under a tree while I trained. He would occasionally look up and correct a stance or posture, but would otherwise just silently read. He reminded me of one of my friends in High School. My friend was always reading, but always seemed to know when he was supposed to pay attention.


    Adam came back a week later, which was weird considering he would always arrive the day before my birthday. The night of his arrival he dragged Mother, Father, and Justin into my Father''s Office and soundproofed it. I tried to get in to hear what they were talking about, but I wasn''t able to penetrate Adam''s Magic with my own. Seeing that it was pointless to continue trying, I returned to my book. I could already read twice as fast as my Father, and had read the entire library by the time my Birthday came around.


    I noticed that the Guards were more alert and out in more numbers. Normally I was allowed out into the city to explore and play as long as I had one of Father''s direct aids come with me, but I wasn''t allowed out. The servants were much more tense and a few were always stealing glances out windows towards the East. I grabbed the map and looked to the East. I had already seen it and memorized it, but if something had everyone so tense, better safe than sorry.


    Towards the North East was the Capital, but they weren''t looking there. The South East was the sea with the nearest land being too far for a threat. Due East was the Kingdom of Veodin. That didn''t make any sense. Veodin was a Market Nation. Sure they had a military, but it was purely self defence. They were focused on trade. Their Pastries were delicious and their clothes comfortable. They wouldn''t attack anyone, let alone one of their trade partners. I simply couldn''t figure out what had everyone on edge.


    I couldn''t figure it out so I stopped trying to and instead focused on being ready for it. I woke up earlier and stayed up later. I practised until the sun went down, then I would focus on my Mana Core. I worked so hard that even Adam was starting to get concerned about me, and he didn''t even know about my Mana Core.


    My Birthday came and went. Justin gave me another book and Adam taught me a new technique. Father got me a pair of gloves with the Family Emblem. The Emblem was a Wolf head with the Arcane Symbol for Void in its open mouth. The Metal of the Emblem was cool to the touch, having been sewn through the glove. Mother gave me a Telin, an instrument resembling a guitar, but with a much greater range of sound. She said that I should do something other than train, explore my interests. So I did. I already knew the basics of how to play the Telin, so I just practiced what I knew.


    I would train until the sun went down, then I would condense my Mana Core, allowing for more Mana, then I would practise until I fell asleep. This is how my eighth year went, and my ninth. I was skilled enough in combat that I sparred with the guards. I had a Core so Condensed that it had turned from a light blue gas to a black gas then to a light blue liquid to a black liquid that filled the entire core. As I condensed my Core, the harder it became to do so.


    I had become so skilled with the Talin that I would stop everyone as they would listen. It become so bad that I eventually had to start sneaking out and go into the forest. I had found a tree stump in the middle of a clearing. Everytime I could, I would sneak out and just sit on the stump, playing. Playing the Talin relaxed me and I enjoyed it. I had never understood it in my previous life, but I perfectly understood it now. I taught myself how to sing and would sing as I played.


    I would just sit there listening to the sounds of the forest. My eyelids would become heavy as I listened and I would just play. I didn''t play a song from the city, I would just play along with the forest. Apparently the creatures of the forest liked my music, because I would finish playing and open my eyes to see predators and prey laying in the clearing. I didn''t mind, they seemed content to just sit there and listen.


    The forest creatures started to recognize me as I would walk through the forest and just follow me to the clearing. A few months passed and I started to notice that even Magic Beasts were starting to listen in the clearing. It was amazing. Predators and prey sitting peacefully together. Magic and Non-Magic creatures calmly listening. Of course, not everything was great. Everyone in the city was still stressed, but I couldn''t figure out what about. Father would increase the Guards every few months until all the Guards were on a daily rotation, switching out only at night or day.


    I didn''t know what was coming, but I knew when it was nearby. The Animals started to fearfully glance around and run at the slightest noise. The Beasts started to become more agitated, but would also bolt at an unexpected sound. I started to train even harder, and trips to the healer become regular. I forced myself to spar against two or more of the guards. I would condense my Mana throughout the night. It was taking its toll, but I was improving my leaps and bounds.


    Adam and Justin came to visit for my Birthday again, but this time they came a month early and Adam came with his army. Justin came with a group of Adventurers, and they didn''t look like the collection types, they looked like they fought demons for a warmup. The most worrying thing wasn''t that they had brought combat ready people, but that neither of them were smiling. My entire life, I had never seen either of them without a smile on their faces.


    A week before my birthday, my Mana Core changed again. It was no longer liquid, but instead it was disappearing. I could feel the Blackened liquid mana seep into my body. I didn''t feel any different, so I didn''t worry about it. It had now became a trail everytime I worked on my Mana. I felt like my mind would explode with all the effort I had to exert to continue.


    The night before my Tenth birthday, I was playing in the forest. The tension was slowly easing out of my body. The forest was peaceful. It was truly blissful, until it wasn''t. The Animals jumped up, causing me to open my eyes. They ran off into the forest, all heading West. The Beasts all bolted up and growled towards the East. One of them ran up to me and laid down, barking at me. It was obvious he wanted me to got onto his back, so I did. My ''mount'' stood back up and as one all the Beasts ran towards the threat, whatever it was. Wolf Beasts, Bear Beasts, Leopard Beasts, and even Ape Beast crashed through the forest as one massive force.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    The Beasts cleared the forest, but stopped at the treeline. I couldn''t blame them, I couldn''t move after I saw what was in front of the city. An Army that stretched for miles, behind it stood a Behemoth. I had only read about Behemoths. They were Beasts that stood hundreds of stories tall. They were slow moving, but were nearly indestructible and could use Magic. A Behemoth was already a multinational threat, but if a Nation had actually managed to tame one, it was a threat to the world. The world was so large that thousands of nations could fit on a single continent, and there were over eighty continents. No one had ever traveled around the world as it was so dangerous and large.


    I could only think of one nation that could have the power to tame a Behemoth, the Empire. There was only one Empire, as it had destroyed any other nation that dared to take the name of Empire. They were only held in check by the Kingdom of Edingard. If the Empire had managed to send a force this large, though it would only be considered small by their standards, what had our Kingdom of Teldron done?


    The Behemoth certainly explained why the Beasts were so aggravated. Beasts hated Behemoths by nature, like Cats and Dogs, if the Cat could flatten cities by stepping on them and Dogs were able to eat a man whole. My ''mount'' laid back down and shook me off. I didn''t hesitate to run as fast as I could towards the city. The West Gate was open and the Citizens were rushing to evacuate, but not everyone was going to make it. The Guards knew that and had already prepared to die letting as many escape as they could.


    If that Behemoth attacked, it would be over in an instant, but the Empire had placed it in the back of their formation. They wanted the City intact. I saw the Empire start to wheel Trebuchets towards the front. They wanted the City mostly intact. I did some quick math, not even half the City would get out before they started their attack. I had to act fast. Breaking into a music shop, I grabbed an Amplifier and rushed up the wall. The Guards and Soldiers were so busy preparing that they didn''t see me. Adam was there directing. Justin and his comrades had set up at the front gate, ready to take on any enemy that streamed through once the gate was broken.


    I strapped the Amplifier to my Telin and swung it around my back so I could climb up the Gate House easily. The men there were as preoccupied as the ones down on the wall. I climbed up the center Battlement, set the Amplifier to its max setting, and prepared to play. I could see the Empire''s commanders preparing to fire the Trebuchets. I started to play. The Amplifier, set to its max volume and aided by my Magic, blasted throughout the city, going over the horizon. Everyone stopped moving.


    <hr>


    The Empire''s Artillery men stopped loading the Trebuchets. The Soldier''s stopped shuffling about. The Citizens calmed, but kept evacuating, making it faster. All the sounds of War preparation had ceased, instead replaced by a calm melody that was soon joined by the most wonderful Lyrics and voice many had ever heard. Aaron played with everything he had. He put his heart and soul into his song. He silently prayed with any God listening to aid him. Robert Voidwolf listened to his Son play with tears in his eyes. Susan Voidwolf was proud and terrified for her son.


    The only disturbance was the Behemoth that had started to move towards the source of the song. It didn''t even notice the men it crushed underneath it. The men on the wall were so entranced by the song, they couldn''t even move to attack the Behemoth. Once it reached the wall, it gently laid down, not making a single noise. Even laying down, its eyes were level with the Boy playing the music. Aaron didn''t even notice the Mountainess creature that laid but feet before him. He was so captive by his own song.


    Aaron played for hours, never stopping as he feared that he wouldn''t be able to halt the battle again. As the time stretched on, the Behemoth slowly closed its eyes, its breathing evening out as it fell into a deep sleep. The Songs played brought memories with them. The City had emptied out after the second hour, the citizens now headed towards the Capital. The City Soldiers and Guards had completely prepared and now just stood listening.


    After the fourth hour, Aaron''s Voice had died and his fingers cramped. He was forced to stop playing. It took only a minute for everyone to break out of their dreams and memories. A single howl sounded out from the Forest, quickly followed by hundreds more howls, roars, and screams. The Beasts of the Forest rushed out and charged towards the Empire''s Army. The Trebuchets released, many breaking from having been under pressure for so long. Archers released their hail of arrows. Warriors charged as they roared.


    The Empire''s men clashed with the Beasts. Each Beast was easily taking dozens if not hundreds with them as they fell, but the Empire had men to spare. Beasts unleashed their Magic, forming mountains of Earth, forests of Ice, and Hells of Fire. The Guards and Soldiers from the City avoided releasing their arrows into a Beast, instead aiming for a Soldier. The Beasts fought to the last creature, not a single one turning to run or showing hesitance. The Empire''s men charged towards the walls, practically unimpaired by the rain of arrows.


    The men on top of the Gate House had to pull Aaron off the Battlements and quickly carried him over to a healer, who saw to his throat and fingers. The hour was nearing Midnight. Adam was right there with his men, firing arrows and pushing ladders off. Normal men wouldn''t have enough strength to manage such a feat, but Adam was doing it repeatedly. When the ladders become too numerous for him to push off, he drew his sword and fought.


    The Empire quickly wheeled a battering ram forward. They had to wheel it around Behemoth''s sleeping form. They broke through the Gate in only ten strikes. Men streamed through, only to be halted by Justin and his comrades. They numbered only nine, but they held back thousands at the gate.


    As valiantly as they Defended the city, numbers overwhelmed them. The first to fall was the wall, Adam falling with it. With the wall taken, the Empire flanked behind the Adventurers and slowly drowned them in corpses. Robert and Susan mourned their fallen friends, but knew they died with smiles on their faces. The last line of defence, the Voidwolf Manor, held only a hundred defenders. Aaron still lay unconscious.


    As the Empire''s men quickly made their way to the Manor, Robert and Susan promised themselves and each other that if anyone was to survive, it had to be Aaron. The last of the Defenders heard them, and promised themselves the same. They easily broke through the front gate. The Defenders met them head on in the courtyard. Robert and Susan launched their Magic. Robert''s Void Magic made large chunks of ground and Empire Soldiers disappear. Susan''s Fire Magic engulfed dozens, while her Healing Magic healed the Defenders. The Defenders knowing they were going to die, broke their Limits, temporarily granting them Magic, despite being of common birth, but also sealing their deaths.


    The bodies piled up. Each Defender that fell was surrounded with piles of their dead foes. The last twenty Defenders retreated back. Robert held them back as Susan quickly carried Aaron to their emergency escape route, which would automatically carry Aaron down an underground river to a hidden shelter ten miles from the City. Susan laid him down and lovingly stared at his face. She wished she had more time to see him grow into the wonderful man he could become, but she had to settle with parting from him with a kiss.


    Susan set the raft speeding away and sealed the entrance. She wiped away her tears and smiled. She broke her Core, granting her ten times the Magical Power, but sealing her death just as it had done her last Defenders. She walked out of the shed and unleashed her Magic. Robert did the same, breaking his Core. Susan''s Flames engulfed entire blocks of the City. Robert''s Voids swallowed legions of men. They died, not from blades, but their timers had run out. Robert and Susan collapsed to their knees and held each other as they watched the sun rise.


    "Happy Birthday Aaron." Muttered Susan


    "Live a good life, for us if not for yourself." Breathed Robert


    They expired with smiles on their faces and perfectly at peace. Their bodies were swarmed in seconds. The City had fallen, but at great cost to the Empire. The Behemoth had been put to sleep, which it wouldn''t awaken from for a century at least. While this Army had been decimated by these valiant defenders, the Empire had Millions more extra that it could send if it wanted. In the greater scheme of things, they hadn''t affected the Empire in anyway.

 Chapter 3- What is Hope

    I woke up face down in a river. My first thought was I must have tripped, but then I remembered the Empire. I went from a boy that was terrified of his Mother''s wrath, to a scared boy worried that everyone he knew was gone. I stood up from the river and located the sun.


    It was falling in the West, meaning the day was nearly over, and also telling me what direction I needed to go. I ran for all my worth. I needed to know. Maybe the Empire had left peacefully. Maybe the Capital had sent reinforcements. Maybe they had managed to hold them off.


    The sun set and the moon rose, yet I ran. After half an hour, I could smell it and adjusted my course. The smell got worse the closer I got. When I finally broke through the tree line, I stood on top of a cliff, overlooking the city. Even at this great distance, I could see the mountains of dead. The Behemoth still slept in front of the gate, though no noise came from it. In fact, there was no sound. Birds weren''t crying. The wind did not blow. Any creatures that were there before, had run off. It was eerily quiet.


    I noticed all of this in a second, yet none of it registered. I had to stop myself from jumping off the cliff to get to the City faster. Instead, I was forced to run around the cliff. I reached the city by midday. The day''s heat made the stench many times worse. As I reached the gate, I inspected all the bodies of the Defenders. It had never really occurred to me why Soldiers from my old world had worn dog tags until I noticed the majority of the dead were unrecognizable. Hours of searching turned into a day, a day into two. On the third day I found my parents.


    They were surrounded by the dead of the Empire, nearly buried. After I had dug them out and laid them side by side as far away from the carnage as I could, I just stared at them. I had expected to cry. I had wanted to cry. But all that came out was an oath. An oath, not of pathetic things like Justice or Revenge. I swore an oath to become stronger so that I may be able to protect my loved ones. So what if I recognized the Empire a threat to everything I knew. I grabbed one of the countless weapons around and bound my oath with my blood.


    I spent the next week sorting Defender from Empire bodies. I lined up the Defenders in neat rows, sorted by Guard and Soldier, and Soldiers by their Division Numbers. Luckily, each Soldier had their Division Number stitched on their shoulder. Not that it mattered for the Empire''s dead, I just threw them all in a pile to be burned. I only ate the scraps that I found when I was too weak to lift a body. I only slept when I couldn''t lift my own arms. My feet constantly slipped in the bloody mud. After the first day, I couldn''t notice the smell, but I knew it was there and it became ingrained in my head. In less than an hour of work, I was covered head to toe in blood, guts, and mud.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    I dug the graves of the Defenders one by one, taking another week. Maggots had started to emerging a week ago, but something was keeping them away, I guessed it to be the sleeping Behemoth. I placed my Parents, Adam, and Justin separate from all the others. At the head of the massive graveyard, I buried them. I grabbed a scrap of wood and wrote their names on it, detailing the date of their death, and that they were surrounded by the dead of their foes. I placed a similar plaque at the heads of all the divisions, listing them off in case anyone was to come to try and reclaim the dead.


    With them all buried, I went inside the manor. It was ravaged, but strangely, none had been taken. I left the rotting pile of Empire Soldiers as I walked through my home one last time. I grabbed everything I would need on my journey, through I knew not where I would go. All the other valuables, I moved into the family vault. Each Noble House had a vault like this. Once closed, only a direct blood relative could open it. If there were no such relatives, the vault would automatically open.


    I had such fond memories of nearly everything in the manor, that by the time I was done, practically everything had been moved into the vault. I didnt even think it to be so large. With everything safe in the vault, I put my armor back on. I had taken it off the second day, but it had still been caked with the blood and mud. It was a constant reminder about Adam. I kept a book about the world with me. It explained geography and Beasts, all very generalized, and was the last book Justin had given me.


    I kept the gloves my parents had given me. I would keep the Voidwolf legacy alive, so as long as I could. Pulling my backpack on, I grabbed the burning piece of wood and walked out of the manor. It was a long march from the manor to the mountain of corpses outside the city walls. There was no ceremony of any sort. I tossed the torch onto the pile and didnt stop or turn back.


    As the mountain of corpses erupted in flames behind me, I finally shed a tear. It was the first tear I had shed in this new world. Hitching up my pack, I walked on, letting the tear fall off my face as I walked through the Graveyard.