《Awakening Of The New Emperor》 The Sun Never Rises POV: Recruit 79 ''Ah shit!'' ''Why does this armor have to be so suffocating?'' Popping in the shoulder plates brought with it a sharp pain, one that despite how many times it happened¡ªI could never grow accustom. The rain hit the ground hard, pummeling into the wet mud below. My handmade sabatons, a pair of which I was able to hold a bit of pride in myself, sunk deep into mud. Despite the irritation I felt over such a little nuisance, I kept my composure. Otherwise, I might as well just give a good knock at death''s door myself. The muffled chatter around me came to a screeching halt in a matter of a second as the presence of the general became aware. His footsteps, while silent, still could be heard from across the entire base. Feeling a bit of an itch, I look downwards, causing my body to slack just a touch¡ªa rookie mistake, I might add. I felt the force of a clawed gauntlet slap against my face, purposefully loose. If it had contained any more blow, I might''ve just gotten knocked to the ground. Stiffening my body instantly as the instant regret flushed my soul, I look back upwards. The general stood right before me. Although clouded by his mask, his expression underneath was clear. He was not happy, and I completely understand. I was caught off guard, and that can never happen. Especially for someone like me, who strives to become a servant of the New Empire. "State your rank and number this instant," the general spat, towering over me. I trembled slightly, but managed to push through and keep myself together for just a moment. "I am a new recruit! Tagged 79, sir!" I reply, nearly stuttering in the process. Instead of replying, the general let the light of the blood moon shine gracefully over the katana that rested on his back, making sure that I saw it and understood what could happen if I was caught out of line again. He stood before me for many moments after, causing me to start sweating profusely. Why was he still here, standing in front of me? I was relieved not long after, as he began walking away soon after. A sharp pain attacked my wrist, similarly to the one I experienced earlier while popping in pieces of my armor, except this one was unrelenting. Steering my eyes slightly down, I notice my wrist had bore a pretty deep cut in just the crack between my rusted gauntlets and my vambrace pieces, blood dripping slightly down and splattering into the ground, joining the rain. Looking back at attention, I notice the general''s katana that was still sheathed, was slightly poking out. It was surely not like this before, at least when I noticed it just a few moments ago. ''When did he¡ª'' My thoughts interrupted as the general cleared his throat. "Who do you swear your allegiance to?" He shouted, almost shaking the ground. "Emperor Zhang!" We all shouted in unison, more particularly noticing that the rain has begun to come down even harder now. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. "Who will make the sun shine down upon us again?" His voice echoed. "Emperor Zhang!" We shouted once more, this time louder to generate more feedback for the general. We all didn''t want to be here, but we didn''t want to accept the consequences from any of the higher ranks. You see, he wasn''t the emperor. He was simply trying to become the emperor, like many. As far as I can recall, I''ve always served under Emperor Zhang... or Zhang. This group¡ªThe New Order, it''s all I''ve ever known, and will know. "Now, you guys are probably wondering why we have you all here," the general began explaining with his scratchy voice. "In fact, the Emperor himself called for this audience, an important announcement to be made indeed." "The Emperor is looking for his new right hand man, the man to stand beside him in his journey to rule over it all," he finally finished after taking a moment to pause. Voices erupted from around us. While kept to a low, everybody began mumbling¡ªto themselves, and others around them. "The Emperor doesn''t need another man!" "¡ªI be the right hand?" "Silence!" The general yelled, this time his voice causing my ears to ring¡ªmaybe even bleed if I hadn''t had seen it coming. The sound of metal clanking followed as everyone rushed to stand at attention once more, some being quicker than others as a sense of urgency creeped up everyone''s spines. Nobody wants to piss this guy off... ''Why wouldn''t he be the right hand? Is that why he''s extra stiff today?'' I asked myself. Two servants seemed to magically appear beside him, coming in from the shadows beyond. They carried a pedestal and some sort of book to place on it. "If you wish to participate in the race for the position, please step up and write your name down onto the book. That is all," The general snapped before quickly turning himself away, scurrying out as fast as possible. I watched as people pushed and shoved, attempting to make it over to the book quicker almost as if it was gonna run away from them. Almost as if the horde never ended, I kept getting pushed and shoved around until I ultimately fell to the ground, whiplash as my head hit the hard, wet ground and slung back upwards. My vision became blurry, but only for a second. I noticed a few people laughing¡ªat me, it seems. I didn''t mind too much. "Don''t even think about putting your name on that list!" One of them shouted. While most of us in attendance were recruits, like me, that didn''t exactly measure our difference in strength properly. They were miles stronger than me, and the only thing I matched them with was in rank... which for many of them, would change really soon. And for one of them, they''d become the right hand. *** I watched as time flew by quite fast, standing around¡ªloitering. I wanted to put my name on the book, but what would everybody think when they see me do it? How would I have a chance? It wasn''t a matter of talent or proper training at this level. I was always the weakest in the room, hell¡ªthe entire militia base for all that matters. Watching as the last person signed his name, I began walking over to the book, taking my time to ensure nobody is around. Looking over, I notice one last spot remaining on the list. I hesitated, of course. Anybody in my spot would, right? It was the only logical thing. I couldn''t bare another defeat anymore, it would simply just be unbearable. ''I have to try, for the Emperor, of course,'' I remind myself hopefully. Without thinking any longer, I quickly wrote my name down in the last remaining spot, feeling my stomach tie in knots just as the afterthought kicked in. "What''s done is done," I said aloud. "What''s that?" Another recruit spoke. The voice was still slightly distorted via the rain, but I could still tell it was close by. I looked behind, but got slapped clean across the face, reminding me of what the general did to me earlier in front of everyone. I fell to the ground hard, creating a loud thud. My face was evidently bleeding, noticing my blood drip into the wet mud below. "Sorry about that, just had to gauge the strength of my fellow competitors," the recruit said sarcastically, holding back a laugh. Another recruit came over and kicked me in the chest, knocking me back down just as I attempted to pull myself back up. "Well, that wasn''t much of a fight," he laughed, not afraid to let it out. They began circling around me, as I watched another gauntlet enter my view and into my face, causing me to silently shriek as I fell to my back again. After I refused to humor them with an answer, they began walking away, chatting amongst themselves. About me, of course, and there wasn''t anything I could really do against it, that much was true. More droplets fell to the ground as I flipped myself over onto my stomach, even raising myself up a bit with my knees. I must be bleeding still, what a shame... but these aren''t red. Ah, I was crying. That made more sense I suppose. A World Out Of Focus POV: Recruit 79 Looking up at the mirror, I began slowly dapping water all over my dirty, bloodied face from earlier, feeling shame still long after. My helmet stood proudly on top of the counter, glistening in the blood moon. It had been 100 years since the fall of The Great Emperor. Tensions have been rising as of lately between The New Order and the fellow militias, of which seem quite hostile towards us, for valid reason at that. I take a look over at the lone table in the corner of my room, peering over and onto the crumbled map that laid neatly. The map was standard issue, of course. Anybody who couldn''t be accurately aware of our situation posed a disadvantage. While beneficial for someone of my status, most don''t care enough. "I wonder if the general has one, and if he cares enough to look at it," I ask myself, trying to keep my voice down. Thin walls, low tempers. However my perfect balance of peace ended abruptly as a series of consecutive knocks on my door startled me back to reality. "I''m coming!" I shouted, not caring much anymore. Right before I walked over, I raced to put on my helmet, as of course, I didn''t want to cause any violations. Walking over the crammed room, I swung open the door. It was Recruit 24, one of the older recruits. He''s been around for a while, yet still hasn''t gotten a promotion. It figures as much, as he bares the same level of strength as me. "Ah, Recruit 79, you know I was just in the neighborhood you see¡ª" "Your quarters are right next to mine," I cut in. The man let out a slight chuckle in response. "Can''t I pay one of newbies an overdue social visit at this hour?" "You came here yesterday, waking me up before leaving without a word. I don''t think this is a social visit by any means," I reply, slightly annoyed. "Oh Great Emperor," he cursed under his breath. Tension seemed to rise quite fast, almost suffocating. I wanted nothing more to slam the door in his face, but that was obviously not possible here. Knowing him, he''d kick down my door just to make sure he can annoy me. "Come on, take a walk with me down the village will you?" He asked. This time, it seemed like a genuine request instead of a joke. ''Could it be out of pity for me?'' I questioned myself, intrigued by his energy shift. "Drinks on me!" He remarked. "Deal." *** We had exited the military base in swift time and made our way down to the village just outside. Greeted by a couple civilians, we headed on over to the bar. The sign was rusted, nearly falling off, but it still retained a bit of that neon glow it used to have. It''s been around since before the fall, so it makes sense that it wouldn''t be in the best of conditions to this day. 24 seemed to notice what I was looking at. "Pretty cool, yeah," he began speaking. "Most structures weren''t able to hold up against the test of time, and to think a bar made it through thick and thin," he finished proudly. Many people rushed by us to get in as we stood outside for an extra moment, clear that it was about that hour for drinks. We followed suit, pushing open the wide metallic barn doors and into the bar, where the melody of music and voices mingled together, piercing through my helmet and down in my skull. "I hate loud noises," I remarked. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Tell me about it," 24 replied annoyingly as he began walking over to the bar top, and I quickly struggled to chase down and join him amongst the others. People seemed to be quite aware of us, albeit just recruits. "Give us whatever everybody else seems to be ordering," 24 spat at the bartender, noticing all of the reddish drinks that surrounded us, everyone seemed to have been enjoying the same thing. The bartenders meager reply of "Yes sir!" came out very softly, obviously not that fond of having to speak such words. "So, did you sign up for the race?" He asked, looking over at me. "Yeah, although I am clearly not going to win. Was worth a shot though," I replied, thinking back to when I got my ass handed to me in the cold rain. The rain had stopped shortly after that, but that only just made it feel worse. "What about you?" I added. "Yeah, I did, one of the first actually. Just like you, I can say I''m not quite confident to be honest. A lot of brats who are full of themselves just because they were blessed with strength," he began speaking, voice cracking along with it. "And, I can''t blame them. Feel like I could solve all my problems if I was just a little stronger." I watched the bartender hurriedly slide us our drinks, a bit of liquid splashing out of the side of the cup. "Cheers to that," I applaud with my voice, snatching the drink and rushing it down my throat. The burning, dark red liquid felt warm to the taste as it slid down. 24 followed my lead, chugging down nearly the entire drink in one go as I only became a mere observer to this. "What do you think you''d be doing right now? If you know, the fall never happened," he mumbled, still rushing to take another sip. "For all that I can remember, I was serving Zhang. Without the fall, Zhang wouldn''t be around. I wouldn''t really have a purpose, then," I replied happily. 24 seemed almost disappointed in my answer. "You know, I''ve known you for over 10 years now, and you''ll keep giving me that bullshit answer," he whispered under his breath. "What do you want me to say then?" I asked. "Just pretend like you didn''t have a Zhang to serve. What do you think you''d find interest in?" He snapped, but tried his best to keep his composure in front of the public. "I... don''t know," I replied in all honesty. 24 let out a sigh as he slammed his drink down on the bar top. A slight rush of liquid swished around his cup, all that was left of it, of course. ''Seems to be in a bad mood, just like the general was,'' I thought to myself. "You need your own personality," he finally mustered. I was a bit confused by his question. What personality? Why would I need such a thing? "My duty is to serve future Emperor Zhang, I will have nothing else to distract me." "Maybe you should be more dedicated to our ruler," I added on. Initially, 24 must''ve thought I was joking, but my expression through the helmet said otherwise of course. Why would I be joking? Our ''conversation'' was quickly interrupted by the loud noises that a civilian made behind us. We both looked over, watching as a drunken idiot wobbled over, nearly losing his balance but catching himself on the booths that belonged to others. "Death to Zhang!" He shouted, looking over at us. Many people around him began to put as much distance between us and him. Anger began boiling up inside me as he began chanting it. "Death to Zhang!" Once more, until he stopped once I sat up. 24 didn''t sit up, instead, attempting to get every last drop of liquid out of his drink as he observed the events of which was going to unfold. I walked over across the now empty bar, everyone huddled away. Kicking him into the ground, I followed it up with a punch to his face the moment he attempted to get up for air. I continued to beat him down profusely, making sure he had no room to rest. Consecutive blows to the face knocked out a few teeth, it seemed, noticing as I examined the ground below us, now painted with fresh blood. After he seemed on the verge of death, I began dragging him out of the bar. Many were gathered around the entrance, but the group quickly broke up as I walked by, shoving open the metallic barn doors once more, this time with a half dead traitor still wasting oxygen in this fragile world. I kept dragging him until I made it a bit farther to the town center. Everybody watched, but nobody dared to interfere. They all knew what was next, as this had become a regular occurrence as of recent. It was a shame none of them could see what I do. I lift him up on a post, tying the loose rope around his neck, leaving him hanging around. This began choking the last breath that clung onto his already near-lifeless body. Within seconds, he''d be dead. But that wasn''t enough, of course. That wouldn''t show the might of the future Emperor. I stripped him away of some of his outer layers, including his light jacket, shoes, amongst other things, and his shirt. This left just his torn shorts and underwear hanging on barely. Angling my gauntlets perfectly to adjust the spikes, I began rapidly beating at his now bare chest. The spiked pieces of my gauntlet stripped blood and skin from him. I mercilessly beat him from all sides. After I was done, he was already long dead. Blood created a reflectionless puddle which matched the color of our blood moon, filling around the soles of my feet. His eyes, while dead, still bulged out in complete and utter terror. The people that had originally mingled to observe were now long gone. They usually were only here in case I had said anything publicly, like someone might do every once in a while. However, this man didn''t deserve those extra few seconds. As I began walking back over, 24 caught up with me just before I made it back to the bar. "Let''s just head back now, cut the day off early," he spoke calmly. Looking back at the fading shadow of the traitor, I continued onwards with him. "Yeah, sure." Pleading POV: General Aurelian "But Emperor, please reconsider¡ª" "Silence." Zhang''s voice was enhanced with his nexus energy, of which is in no comparison to my own of course, how silly of me to even think about that. "The decision is final, and the competition will bear fruit. This is in hopes to improve our mentality in these dire times," The Emperor spoke, shooting up from his chair which created a slightly rumble in the room. "But Emperor, we already serve you. What mentality says otherwise?" I asked. He didn''t answer. "If there''s a traitor, I''ll be sure to¡ª" While not answering once more, the force he gave off was clear enough. He wanted me to shut my mouth, of which I did. "It''s not about loyalty, Aurelian. It''s much more than that." My confusion seemed to have shown quite clearly, as my helmet had been taken off. My green hair glistened from the blood moon shining through the windows, which was evident from the mirrors on both sides. Zhang stood beneath the shadows, the only signal of his presence being his tremendous energy that was constantly being released. "Tensions are high, and everybody is trying to make that last push for the throne. Even our own occupied land that has been ours for decades is being threatened," he spoke calmly, a direct contrast to the situation that he''s describing. "T-Then we will show them," I stuttered. "That they cannot play games with us." Zhang lifted himself up, standing proud. "This is why you are my general, Aurelian. I need you out in the field. Show them, show them all. Show them who will be their true ruler," he finished. I gave him a proud salute, signaling my understanding before turning away. Grabbing my helmet, I make it back to the door and slowly creak it open, giving one last look back to Zhang, who was now no longer there. He was truly a frightening warrior himself, and that''s why I served him. *** POV: Recruit 79 I stood before the mirror once more, just as before. We had walked back in silence, not daring to utter a word. For no true reason, but it felt right. The silence was comforting after all, which was needed at times. I look up, giving a closer inspection of myself in the mirror. My eyes were a dry brown, signaling the lack of power. Combined with my dirt messy black hair that seemingly dripped with seat from the treacherously hot armor, I was a total mess. Giving another look over at my armor, I let out a sigh. It was a massive disappointment. I bore no weapons or cloak of any kind, just a shabby basic recruit armor with standard issue gauntlets, the bare minimum these days. Even with the few I had, I was still proud to be where I was. All I''ve known was here, and that was all I needed to know. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Thinking back to 24''s questions, I was slightly irritated still at the afterthought. Why would he ask such stupid questions? I brush off some of the accumulated dirt that stuck to my shirt before taking a seat down on my wooden bed, which was just as hard as ever of course. Looking around my body, I continued tending to different areas, especially some of the lower limbs of which got brutally beat by the fellow recruits earlier. Because of how frequent these became, my general physique became unfavorable. I was on the verge of malnourishment, as I wasn''t exactly beneficial enough to the future Emperor to deserve a good meal. Combined with my lack of physical strength, I couldn''t defend myself. It was okay though. The sounds of jumbled footsteps mauled my ears, shifting my focus back to the present, and what''s around me. I quickly rushed to throw on my armor, not caring about the little details that made it more presentable to others. The sharp pains that I endured while putting it on was belittled by my sense of urgency. Rushing to my door and swinging it open, I was able to catch one of the recruits going by. I didn''t recognize his tag by his armor or anything, but it didn''t matter. "What''s going on around here? Is there an emergency summons?" I asked. The recruit shook himself, attempting to rid free of my uselessly tight grip on his shoulder. He took a step forward, but looked back over at me. "No. Apparently a traitor was found within our own base. He met his miserable end swiftly, of course, but his body is hanging out in the yard. Everybody''s trying to see who it is." "Do you know?" I asked. "Where do you think I''m going?" He snapped, annoyed. How silly of me to ask. Before I could apologize, he bolted off with the rest. I was a bit interested as to who, but I''m not sure if I want to go out and see another dead body today. ''Ah, fuck it,'' I thought to myself. Racing out with the end of the crowd, I followed them through the halls and into the yard in a matter of just a few seconds, thankful to have my quarters so close. I could see the giant totem of which the body rested, however I couldn''t get a good perspective on who it was just yet, I needed to get closer. My curiosity got the better of me waiting for the situation to die down, so I began trying to shuffle my way through the tight crowds of people that continued to hoard around the totem, almost as if they wouldn''t stop coming. There were easily thousands at just this base alone, and it seems like they''ve all come out of hiding just to see. "Hey watch it!" "¡ªthe hell was that for?" A few stragglers got irritated by my pushing, but we were all going to see it anyway, I just couldn''t be patient for any longer than a few minutes. Finally, I made it to the totem. It was still a bit unclear as a few taller people stood before me though. However, they began to clear up, and my jaw dropped inside my mask at the sight of who this ''traitor'' actually was. The man''s skin was pale, almost just pure white. His clothes where shabby, which clearly indicated he was a recruit before I even saw his face, dressed just like me. Pieces of his armor was hanging down on the floor just beneath, some pieces missing. They were probably taken for scrap by a few of the others around here. But as I saw the face, I knew who it was immediately. It was recruit 24. But why was he hanging here? He had been serving for a lot longer than me, and was even the one who taught me more about the basic etiquette and how to properly show my loyalty to Zhang. While I found him annoying most times, I had considered him my friend. I gave a quick shove with my shoulder to the guy next to me, making him aware of my presence here. "Hey, do you know what this guy did?" "No idea," he replied. A guy next to me overheard our conversation and spoke up. "I heard he tried to assassinate the general!" "That''s not true," a third voice cut in from behind. "Nothing''s been confirmed, and he was probably just spouting blasphemy." That much was probably true. Usually for the more serious offenders, they''d torture them for a while before having a public audience for their execution. Rushed kills like this usually meant they didn''t do enough to give them the time of day. Still though, it confused me as to why he would do such a thing at all. "What a pity," I mumbled. I began taking a few steps back, letting others overtake my previous spot as chatter continue to light up the yard around us. ''I guess you really never know a guy,'' I told myself. The whole situation definitely made me sick a bit. Not so much the blood, as I was used to that. Shedding blood of those who don''t see the future was apart of who I was, and my mission. Recruits usually don''t get sent to battles. It was moreover the idea of a traitor. I could never understand their reasoning. Everybody has their own beliefs, even if they just aren''t right. I get that much. But why go out of your way to express such interests if you know the fate that follows those decisions? Walking back to my quarters, I decided to stop thinking about it that much. "I guess I won''t be getting drinks with him anymore," I spoke to myself, but not in my head this time. I was trapping too much of myself within. Collapsing POV: Recruit 79 I observe the scattered remains of my meal, slightly disappointed that I hadn''t savored it longer than I had originally. It was my first in a few days, so I was definitely hungry. The whole public execution from yesterday left a bad taste in my mouth. Haven''t been able to go in the city much after the whole incident, just felt a bit weird to be honest. Although, can I say it was public? It happened so quickly, and I don''t think anybody was there as audience to witness. Despite how unreasonably long I dwelled on the matter, he had committed an atrocious crime to say the least. The rising bits of smoke occasionally clouded my crammed quarters, making mental note of the demolition they''ve been doing as of recently. Due to the lack of sunlight, any farmland that couldn''t run on artificial nexus energy gets burned to a crisp and replaced with... anything. Perhaps the construction of a new cathedral is finally taking order? While many farmlands sit there, waiting to be demolished, the workers as of recent seem to have been taking their sweet time. Some land have been sitting around for decades, untouched because of the land owner''s sentiment to what was. However, this isn''t the past now. Once Zhang had fully taken control of this land, they couldn''t say anything to retaliate against his complete, utter rule of these surrounding areas. Still staring at the drying crumbs that remained on the metal plate, I quickly brushed it aside and stood up. I needed to get some fresh air, I think. I swing on by the side of my quarters to snatch my helmet, quickly throwing it on. I never usually took off my main armor plates unless I was freshening up or sleeping, yet sometimes I''d sleep with it on. We have to hide our face and body, punished otherwise of course. Our looks, physique, and other factors should not be a risk against our capability of working amongst each other. Running out of the door, I slow my pace as I exit onto the hard concrete. It was still pretty early in the morning, so the lack of any souls was pretty much to be expected, however it was definitely a bit odd. I strolled upwards, passing the yard from yesterday. The body still hung, which will eventually succumb to the unpleasant smell of rotting flesh. ''Hopefully they''ll take care of it soon enough,'' I thought to myself, thinking back to a few previous executions that took place. One body held atop for nearly 2 weeks... The benefits of living so close to the yard tend to not really outweigh the negatives at situations like these. ''I wish I had more influence around here, then I''d get an actual room like the soldiers have,'' I remarked within my own thoughts. While recruits were usually bond to tiny quarters, some of the higher ranked prospects got more comfortable arrangements. And if they became a true soldier of the future Emperor, they''d get even more amenities. I was very low ranking, my use of Nexus Energy being toddler level at best. My use of the sword is lackluster, as I am always too afraid of a real fight to properly sustain myself. The only weapon I can use is my fist, and that''s simply just to beat down those below me. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. However there are very few below me, but many above. So it doesn''t come in handy all that often, except for the situation at the bar as an exception. I scoffed. What use is it in moaning about it anyway? My self pity came to a crashing halt when the sirens came on. While it shook me just a bit, I paid no attention. The sirens go off once every few days. It simply means that another militia might be getting a bit too antsy, or a straggler was found on the outskirts of the village. Nobody can ever make it this deep into Zhang''s territory. Two guards came rushing by, almost in a hurry. "Well that''s unexpected," I talked to myself, slightly under my breath. I didn''t want to cause any disturbance to the guards if they heard me and hesitated for a moment. Finally, another pair of two guards came rushing by. They were a bit slower paced, so I started walking with them. "I apologize for my intrusion on the matter, but do you mind enlightening me on the situation? It seems pretty strange," I ask. "We don''t know much either," the far guard spoke anxiously. The other guard rested his head downwards just slightly. "Typically they''d only dispatch one pair to handle most of these alarms, however all of us are being dispatched. Maybe there was more than just a few stragglers?" He spoke in suspicion. "Could it be maybe a village resistance?" I asked, curiosity always getting the better of me in more important situations. "Unlikely. The village, while unnamed, has been utmost loyal to Emperor Zhang and his rule over the surrounding lands for over a decade now," he began explaining in response. "Not to mention, they don''t exactly have a lot of able-bodied men to stage something of high enough caliber to mobilize all of us in the base." ''Shit,'' I cursed, pushing away all my thoughts. ''If the worse came, would I be sent out to the frontlines? I can''t fight! I''m too weak!'' ''At least, if I die, I''d die serving the future Emperor,'' I remind myself, able to calm down just a touch, my expression hidden by the helmet. Few times am I grateful for the helmet, one of them is a time like this. As I continued my pace downwards with them, I thought about stopping and turning back. Maybe taking shelter in my quarters, or standing ''guard'' somewhere on the safer side of the base. That would be cowardly, though, so I couldn''t. The sound of explosions, almost in a symphony, erupted amongst my ears. Whatever it was, it was loud¡ªpowerful, and close. Very close. "Shit, what was that?" One of the guards spoke. We had all come to a stop at the sound of it, I even heard the slight tremble of the steel armor from one of the guards next to me. They weren''t trained for this. None of us were. This base wasn''t designed to handle an invasion. So, could it be? Could it really have been an invasion now?" Another series of explosions erupted, this time behind us. Whatever was attacking, was not only packaging very powerful weapons and/or nexus users, but was coming at the base from all sides. And they were only getting closer. We began sprinting towards the center of the base in attempt to regroup with others. "Could the general still be around?" I asked, worryingly. "H-He left for HQ right after his announcement," one of the guards stuttered. "That''s not good, not good at all," I reply back. The general would''ve been a great security and asset to fight against whatever was directly attacking us. It certainly wasn''t a resistance, that''s for certain. Finally, another explosion rung, this time knocking us all to the ground. Everything was black, before it became blurry. Muffled screams barely filtered through, noticing piles of dead guards surrounding me. ''What is this?'' I couldn''t speak aloud, choking on my own blood before spitting it up. I looked over, my vision still zapping between reality and utter darkness. A piece of metal protruded from the surface of my leg, piercing my rusted armor with ease. I noticed many armored guards, similar to us but very different in the same ways. Their aura was much more powerful than anybody on this camp, unrivaled. While the general''s aura still dwarfs theirs, he''s not exactly here right now. They came rushing in. Not out of urgency to help, of course. Silly of me to think they were on our side, the rescuers that I had dreamed would come in my mere moments before death. The guards became nothing more than shadows to me as I was unable to process anything. I heard mumbling to the faintest degree, I couldn''t comprehend what was being spoken though. I was falling unconscious... What a bummer... this is how I would die? Soul Crushing Famine POV: Zhang I observe the old footage on one of the recording artifacts that was handed to me just moments ago, displaying the destruction of one of our more centralized bases. While it wasn''t very guarded, it was still quite deep into my territory to begin with. How could they have gotten so far? I spun the video back, replaying it over and over again. A distinct section of the video became quite intriguing to me. Two guards along with what appears to be... a recruit? They were sprinting towards the center of the base, likely in hopes to reunite with others. However, a series of explosions killed both the guards and heavily injured the recruit, slamming them all against the back wall. The recording became quite choppy due to the aftermath of the impact, however I was still able to make out a few armored guards rushing in. It looks like the recruit had died off in the seconds they took to get there, but they still took time to examine all of the bodies. Moments following, one of the guards looked around and saw the camera that this recording was taping from. He got rid of it with one swift blow after he had come to a realization of what it was. These armored guards, can I even call them guards? They were not only aware of their surroundings, but also contained at least an expert level training in Nexus Energy, of which to easily blow through the reinforced walls of the base and rip through my guards. The guards stationed at these bases weren''t no strong opponent, that much I understand. But there should''ve been at least a fight, not a slaughter... I rewind it once more, this time zooming in on the intruders. Letting the camera adjust, I see a faint sign of a logo. The Hidden Lotus. Another militia, it seems. I should''ve figured as much. "Kaelith, you dirty bastard," I remark with a smile cutting through my face. One of my servants took a second to readjust themselves at the sight of my expression, it seems. How rude. "Get me Aurelian," I yelled. The servant looks over with a lump in his throat, that he proceeds to swallow down quickly, as he should. "Y-Yes sir, right away sir," he finally mutters out as he began skipping out of the room with great pace. I held the recording artifact in my hand before crushing it into pieces, the screen fading into pixels, and then nothing, along with it. The pieces fell and hit the ground with a loud thud, signifying the weight it held. What a pity. *** POV: Recruit 79 It''s all just... black. I could swear my eyes are open, so why can''t I see anything? I can''t even see myself, no matter how hard I try. There is a lot of other... ''things'' around here though. So could I be alive? But... the last thing I remember was dying. Not only were my legs pierced with sharp metal, but the blast alone had caused so much damage to me. And the guards, guards showed up just before me as I passed out. Surely they finished me off? The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The smell of rotting flesh, similarly to that of what I would smell passing by the yard, harassed my nostrils in a very unpleasant way. On top of that, the very occasional sound of dripping water was made evident. I couldn''t move either, and I didn''t know why. It didn''t feel like I was shackled to anything, although I probably was in some sense, especially considering this was probably a cell. My legs were there, definitely, and I could feel them move when I do. Yet they still feel restricted, or locked in place somehow. Could this be the doing of a nexus casting? Yeah, that makes sense. *** Hours passed. If I wasn''t hungry enough, now I was starving. The water was not the only noise now, as my stomach began turning because of it. I was clearly stripped of my armor, but that didn''t exclude the excessive heat that radiated in this dark room. Sweat drenched whatever torn clothes that I had on¡ªdidn''t feel like mine at all. ''Come on, what''s the point of keeping me alive just to make me die like this?'' I thought to myself. Seriously, this was one painful way to go. As far back as I''d remember, I''d always want to die in battle. It doesn''t matter how weak I was. That was the warrior''s most graceful death, right? Dying serving whatever majesty they had pledged their lifelong allegiance to? At least, that''s what I thought. However with recent events, especially Recruit 24 and his whole.. situation, to say the least. If he didn''t want to serve Zhang, even despising him to the point of execution, why serve him in the first place, I mean how does that make any sense? It''s basically wishing for death when it comes to that. *** Days have now passed. I was used to not eating. I was never deserving of meals, that much was true. However this was definitely not something I had passively trained my body to endure. Days without food is something that I''ve accomplished before¡ªalbeit no other option, but without water as well? I haven''t been able to even move a muscle really... Originally I had thought about it just as a way to occupy my mind. After all, I couldn''t just loathe around in darkness forever. But, it could be true now. I could really die here, and that''s a fact that I''ve had to accept. Found a way to move around though! That''s cool! If this was a nexus spell, it seems it has a pretty short duration. I can''t tell if that was intentional exactly, but that didn''t really matter. I had to take all the victories I could get. However, I can''t exactly figure out what I want to do with this newly gained freedom. I''ve tried wandering, but my lack of strength can''t pull me to anything but a timid crawl that seems to wear me out in just seconds. Over the past few hours, I''ve gained some distance of course. While I''m definitely quite the ways away from any wall, like I started at, that also comes at negatives. I can''t rest my head anywhere except the floor, and standing upright is clearly not an option with my lack of strength. I''d fall over near instantly. Finally, the water dripped again. This gave me an idea. I can try and make it to the water. While I am also starving beyond any capacity, I''ll die from dehydration before starvation. That''s a fact. If I want to make it any longer, then water would be my best bet. I don''t know why I have such a will to live, but anything''s worth a try now, right? Another hour has passed. The water is very loud now, which means I''ve finally made it. It has to be somewhere around here. The crawling''s been quite gruesome to put it lightly, however that''s nothing compared to sitting down. At least I''ve been able to do something. Gathering up enough strength to crawl just a bit more, I slowly pull my body in agonizing pain across the floor. These movements have left me with many scratches, clearly bleeding most of the time. I couldn''t even see my own blood though. By the feels of it, I also have infections. The blistering heat has surprisingly not gotten to me yet... Just as I had collapsed onto my chest, desperately pulling in any oxygen I can get, I could do nothin but lay there. Until it happened. It dripped again, but this time, I felt it land on the back of my head, in my hair.. This was it, surely. That''s what it was. I put everything I''ve had into flipping my body around, easily the most grueling task I''ve had to do so far trapped in this place, whatever it is. I sat there for a moment, before another drip happening, landing just on my cheek. Adjusting my position a little, I was able to just slightly open my mouth. This was all the strength I could muster at this moment, on top of the fact that I was already exhausted from crawling. And then it happened again. The drip. But this time, it landed in my mouth and rested on my tongue. The amount of water wasn''t a lot, but it''s better than nothing. I couldn''t help but even tear up a bit. Actually, I teared up a lot... The drips kept coming, enough for me to actually feel a bit of relief minutes later. At least dehydration won''t be on my list, I think. I hope this is enough, please be... Torture Beyond Measure POV: Recruit 79 It''s been a week now... Still trapped in this hellhole. It''s becoming unbearable, truly. I managed to drag my body over to water. While the source was tremendously slow, it was water, and that was definitely what I needed to push through for a bit longer. But what was the point, really? I don''t know how long I''d last without food, and even then, I definitely have infections at this point. I''ve gotten heat rashes, amongst other things, even moving an inch hurting as I slide my skin, just barely covered by a thin, old shirt or ripped shorts. There was no point to even attempt to move anyway. I''d be sacrificing my only source of water for a gamble to find something else. It was still all dark, pitch black even. Who knows if there is anything else? I had to get here somehow, but it could''ve very well been a closed off pit. And I am in no condition to start climbing, even though I might not make it to the wall to begin with anyway. I''ve tried looking through the eyes of the invaders. They easily secured our base within the hour, cutting down many troops that were most obviously dead. What was so special about me? And what was the point of watching me die slowly? Was that considered entertainment for them, rather than a quick, boring death? It''s now been almost two weeks. The suffering is insurmountable. It''s finally time to meet my end. I''ve made it a long longer than I thought I would, but if it was all going to be for naught, I wish I would''ve just stabbed myself in the heart before risking the chance of getting captured¡ªnot getting the water source, another option, so I didn''t have to extend my suffering for nearly an entire week longer. I can barely keep my eyes open. Usually I''d just fall asleep and wake up with an incurable headache these past few days, but I have a pretty good feeling that I won''t wake up from this. The hunger has finally driven me mad¡ªto despair. My eyes began closing, and I didn''t resist. Why would I? Is there ever gonna be light at the end of this dark, torturous tunnel? All my senses became fragile, unable to comprehend anything, not even the sound of the dripping water or my own painful groans. Just as everything went to black, I heard muffling. Something was there, or was I just trying to imagine things to make me feel better... oh well... *** POV: Unknown "For someone in the lowest of the ranks, they lasted the same length as the other test subjects¡ªsome of them being actual soldiers," one spoke behind me. "Yes, his mental endurance is quite remarkable," I reply back, in awe. We had sent two people to go retrieve him, so he should be fine. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "Is it time to continue onward with the experiment?" He asked once more, face still concentrating on the screens before us. "Yes," I answer. *** POV: Recruit 79 My eyes flicker open, tiredness absolute. However that didn''t matter, as I was alive. Shooting my gaze upwards, I notice that I''m now tied down to a chair. I''ve been taught how to escape these situations, but similarly to what I believe happened to the last room, these ''ropes'' are nexus infused. What a bummer... I still felt absolutely starving. I don''t know how I''m alive. But now, there was actually stuff to.. see? Outside of the chair that I''m tied to with the rope that leads down over and behind me, there''s a very dim light just over my head it seems, shining over the entire room. While small, it definitely looks dated. The brick walls look like they''ve seen better days, and dried up blood stains riddled the floors below us. Just as I continued examining my surroundings, a door opened from behind me. I didn''t have enough strength or free space to turn around, so I just waited as the sound of the footsteps gained distance towards me. Finally, a man appeared just before me. He wore a very ominous cloak, obviously torn, ripped on the edges, and just generally not well kept. A scarf laid comfortably around him, which contrasted the heat that still haunted this room. He wore black fabric gloves, along with messy red hair that stood out like a sore thumb. Scars covered his face, clearly a warrior himself, although I''m not sure if he still is. And that''s when I noticed something on his armor. The star symbol, used to reference The New Order. They were my allies. "Oh thank god," I said in disbelief. But they didn''t reply, and that''s when I decided to pay close attention to the symbol. I didn''t realize it at first, but the symbol was crossed out. ''Who are these guys? Are they friend, or foe? I can''t tell...'' I toss around these questions in my own thoughts. The man steps behind me once again, but comes out quickly, this time dragging a chair with him. He quickly brings it in front, facing me, and takes a seat following that. He held himself lousily, almost as if he had no care for anything. Maybe he doesn''t understand the severity of raiding an entire militia base and taking their men captive... Most people are wise enough to cover their faces around here, never really knowing someone for how they look but rather how they carry themselves. "Ah. You noticed the symbol, that explains that oddly worried expression of yours, although I can''t exactly blame you," he finally speaks. His voice crackled, almost as if he hadn''t spoken for years. I didn''t really have much energy to speak, my last few words all that I could muster. "You know, I''m very surprised you lasted as long as you did. You look like shit, but your alive. Not everyone we threw down there could say the same," he laughed. He thought this was a game, a joke, nothing more than his amusement it seems. What a sick man. "Who are you?" I finally muttered. The dude seemed unamused at what I asked, as if he was expecting something greater. If he knew what he had put me through, why is he expecting any words to begin with? "Ah! Questions, questions, yes, questions indeed!" The man spoke weirdly, almost like a lunatic. ''Has he gone mentally insane?'' I ask myself. "But tell me boy, who are you?" He finally snapped. What the fuck? "What do you mean who I am? Didn''t you slaughter all the guards and dragged me back to this forsaken hell?" I shouted, losing it. I didn''t care how I felt in terms of strength. "You talk like you''re best friends with these ''guards'', but really, what do you make of them?" He asked. "Are they your friends? Comrades? Mere Acquaintances?" "My friends, sick bastard, I''ve been with them for as long as I can remember," I spat. The man let out a smile. "Do they think the same way about you?" "What are you even talking about?" I replied. I was very confused. Not only was my chest tied in knots, with my head about to erupt, how was I supposed to make out what he''s trying to tell me, or ask me? He wants too much from me, that''s clear enough. Instead of answering me back, he got up and headed over to the empty table in front of me, leaning against the wall. With an injection of nexus energy driven down to his palm, he summoned a little artifact. It looks like... ah. A recording artifact, it seems. But why exactly does he need that? What is he gonna show me even? "Let''s take a watch, shall we?" He spoke calmly.