Soteria City—the first settlement built on the continent of Venetus over two thousand years ago. The nation shared a tremendous history. Unfortunately, most of it centered around needless bloodshed and violence. The wars that the country waged would never vanish from the minds of its citizens or those around the world.
A single Nemean passed through the entry point to the city and continued down the road. Situated in the driver seat was Kyros Aleister. His subordinate, Lieutenant Cassie, rested in the passenger seat while the duo of Huntresses', Runa das Meer and Sarra Zosime, stayed in the back.
Sarra pressed her face against the glass window and stared out in awe at the sight of the tall buildings. Never in her life had she seen such impressive structures.
While the little girl continued to marvel in the sights, the rest of the team remained silent. Not because of boredom, but because of the tense atmosphere in the vehicle. Most, if not all, of the tension, came from Kyros himself. His face stayed stiff the entire car ride to the city.
He dreaded the situation he found himself in. He envisioned his superior officers chewing him out for not following protocol. Following every mission, all soldiers must report back to headquarters unless told otherwise. But, in his moment of grief, he ignored protocol and remained in Pandora city. And because of all the other incidents, he unknowingly ignored their calls.
Despite his rank in the military, the higher-ups wouldn't hesitate to discharge him dishonorably. Almost everyone had it out for him—waiting for the chance to remove him from duty. He was always on thin ice around his comrades.
One mistake could mean the end of his service.
He didn't want that. He didn't spend twenty-three years of his life rigorously training just so that he could get kicked out of the military. He wouldn't know what to do with himself afterward. There was so much that he needed to do. So much needed to get done for the kingdom, for the people. His dismissal couldn't get permitted under any circumstance.
He planned to fight it. No matter what he had to do, he would oppose it. Should they question his loyalty, he'd immediately prove it. It took years for the man to reach his position. His goal was to climb higher and higher so that he could change the kingdom for the better.
Irritated with the silence, Runa spoke up, "So, what can we expect to happen at military headquarters? 'Cause if it's gonna be anything like with the War Dogs, then Sarra and I are getting out here."
Kyros looked up in the rearview mirror. "Well, I'm the only one that'll be on the hot seat. You and Sarra will most likely only be questioned to confirm my report."
"You don't plan on telling them about the other thing, right?" Runa inquired. She eased the blade of her spear behind Kyros' seat. The tip of the blade tore through the fabric and poked the man in the back.
Kyros jumped slightly and eased forward in his seat. "Don't worry; this is all about me. I won't mention you two that much."
"Is there something that I need to know?" Cassie wondered.
"Nothing," Kyros and Runa answered in unison.
"Why're you getting questioned anyway?" Sarra shifted her gaze over to the group.
"I didn't report back to headquarters after my mission in Pandora city," Kyros answered.
"Just because of that, you're in trouble?" Sarra tilted her head to the side. "Why're they making it so complicated?"
"Captain's been under their microscope for years. They've been waiting for the day that he messes up so that they can kick him out of the military." Cassie revealed.
"Surprised your country hasn't burnt itself to the ground," Runa leaned back in her seat and folded her arms behind her head.
"It'll be fine. We'll head to the Peak, answer some questions, and return to our mission." Kyros assured. Although, doubt lingered in the back of his mind. A gut feeling wrenched his stomach that things wouldn't occur how he initially imagined.
Everyone responded with affirming grunts. Afterward, Kyros delivered the group to the far, other end of the city. They left the Nemean and switched to another vehicle, the Griffon. The group entered the air vehicle and used it to reach their destination, the top of the mountain known as the Peak.
There resided a smaller, more lavish city of its own. Only those of high status could live atop of the mountain. Located in the far back of the city was the castle.
The Griffon landed safely in the courtyard, allowing the group to disembark. At least a dozen soldiers stood out in the yard with weapons in their hands. Kyros' eyes affixed to the soldier with the most apparent highest authority out of the group, judging from the high-quality armor that she wore. A red cloth draped over her shoulder. A medallion of the War Dogs featured proudly on her barely covered chest.
"About time you decided to show up," The woman said. "What took you so long, Kyros?"
Kyros approached the woman, ignoring the glares from the soldiers he passed. He stopped in front of the soldier and saluted. "Lieutenant General Damia. Forgive my tardiness, ma'am. I didn't mean to take so long to return."
"That right?" Damia brushed her fiery red hair behind her ear. A devious smirk crossed her face. The woman's knee smashed into the unsuspecting man's gut. It happened in a flash. He had no time to react.
Kyros dropped down to his knees and clutched his stomach. He clenched his teeth and resisted the urge to hurl in front of everyone. When he tried to raise his head, the force of Damia's foot kept his face pressed against the concrete.
"Captain!" Cassie tried to step forward, but two soldiers crossed their spears in front of her.
"Pretty sure they warned you about your conduct, Kyros. Not following protocol makes everyone look bad, you know? Is that what you wanted? You trying to make us look bad?" Damia increased the pressure on the man's head. Cracks formed in the concrete beneath them.
"No, ma'am..." Kyros answered through clenched teeth.
"Better prove it," Damia removed her foot from his head. "I gotta take you to the council. Try not to embarrass the military any more than you already have, okay?"
"...Yes, ma'am..." Kyros stood up and followed her into the castle in silence.
It was there the group came across familiar faces—the Hunter duo from Pandora city, Elma Chloris, and Chayse Raleigh.
All of it happened in a flash. The hunter in red crossed the room in a matter of seconds, appearing in front of Runa with a bright smile. He cupped both of her hands inside of his as he said, "Runa! What a coincidence meeting you here! No, not a coincidence! It must be fate!"
"You two know each other?" Kyros looked between the two of them.
Runa grimaced and quickly removed her hands away from Chayse's. "Yeah, we met back in Pandora city. I helped them capture that Exousia."
"My darling Runa was a huge help. If she hadn't shown up, Elma and I would've had some trouble dealing with him." Chayse looked over to Kyros and gave him a thumbs up with his prosthetic hand. However, his smile soon faded as he leaned in closer to the man. "Wait a second, who are you? What's your relationship with Runa?"
"I'm Kyros Aleister. Captain of the Fifth recon unit serving under--"
Chayse stepped back and released a loud yawn. "Too long! Too long! Just stick with your name."
Kyros immediately shook his head to the proposal, "I can't do that. It's the protocol for military officers to include their name and rank whenever introducing themselves."
The military man's tone was stern and curt. He made sure to remain as professional as possible, especially when in the presence of someone as dangerous and unhinged as Damia.
"I guess. But, whenever you do that, it sounds like you've got a stick up your ass." Chayse complained.
"That was a swear word, mister." Sarra pointed accusingly at him with a clear frown on her face.
Runa placed her hand on Sarra's arm and set it back down to her sides, "Sarra, it's rude to point fingers at people."
Those words came from the woman that repeatedly pointed her spear at people on numerous occasions. Kyros noted that the woman had a very skewed perception of rudeness. But it wasn't his business.
The woman's attention moved back to the Hunter, "And you, it's rude to swear in front of children. Watch your mouth."
"Oops, my bad." Chayse slapped his hands over his mouth as fast as he could, taking Runa's words to heart. "Forget everything I just said!"
"Chayse! Quit fooling around over there! We have to go!" Elma's voice carried from down the hall. Chayse flinched.
"Oh, guess I gotta go. It was nice seeing you again, Runa. Perhaps we could work together again sometime?" The tone of Chayse's voice changed into a flirtatious one. Kyros' eyes quickly shifted over to the Huntress to gauge her reaction.
There was no immediate change to her usual demeanor as she responded, "Sure, maybe someday if our paths cross again."
"If you'd like, I could pull some strings and request for you to become a retainer-like Elma and me."
"What's a retainer?" asked Sarra, her eyes beamed with curiosity.
"It's someone that only enlists their services to a single person or organization," Kyros explained to her.
"No way." Runa shook her head. She didn't even give the offer a second thought. From everything she witnessed with the country and its corruption, she wouldn't dare enlist her services to the wretched place. "I prefer my freedom."
The sparkle in Chayse's eyes disappeared as he said, "You make it sound like we're prisoners."
"Might as well be. You're only allowed to hunt in particular areas the Kingdom allows you to. Whereas Sarra and I are free to go where we please," She stated, "I don't know what you or your partner do here, but I'd rather be free to hunt."
A sigh escaped from Chayse as he shrugged his shoulders. "Fair enough. It sucks, but I understand. We would've made a great team."
"Chayse! Come on!" Elma called out to him once more.
"Duty calls! See you all again some time!" Chayse waved the group goodbye before he ran off to join with his partner.
"Had fun with that distraction?" The venom in Damia's words sent a shiver down Kyros' spine. "C'mon, we don't wanna keep the council waiting any longer."
The Lieutenant-General led the group to the council room. Far off to the opposite side of the room were the members of the council. Three senior women with stone-cold expressions sat there in high positions of the chamber, imposing as much power as they could.
"Let me do the talking." Kyros requested to the Huntresses behind him.
"That was the plan from the beginning," Runa assured.
And with that, the group walked down the red carpet spread across the marble floors of the room. Kyros' body stiffened as he noticed the fierce glares from all the soldiers around them. No matter how many times he showed himself before his comrades, he would always be an outcast to them.
He was their enemy.
"Captain of the Fifth recon unit, Kyros Aleister, has arrived," Damia announced.
Instinctively, Kyros and Cassie dropped to one knee and bowed their heads to the councilwomen.
"Rise." One of them ordered.
"Yes." Kyros and Cassie raised their heads and returned to their feet.
"It's been two days since we've last seen or heard from you," The councilwoman in the middle, Agathe, started off the meeting, "Care to explain what took you so long to get here?"
"Yes, ma'am. Two days ago, I was ordered by my superiors to investigate an Exousia sighting. Our investigation eventually brought us to the Pandora hospital, where we located the Exousia."
"Yes. We heard about that incident." The councilwoman to the left, Bethesda, nodded her head in response. The other two followed her lead.
"We also heard about your defeat at the hands of that Exousia as well." The final councilwoman to the right, Callidora added.
"Yes…I was defeated."
A playful hum came from the side of Kyros. The one responsible for it was Damia. She showed no restraint when expressing her joy about the man's defeat. However, behind her smile also laid contempt and disdain towards him. Whenever the public image of the military was damaged, she would violently take her anger out on either her subordinates or the person responsible for the incident.
"It also reached our ears that members of your squad lost their lives," Agathe revealed.
"…Yes…that is also true…"
"So, run us through the events of that day. What led you to confront the Exousia without back up?" asked Bethesda as she rested her chin in the palm of her hand.
"As we seem to recall, Zofia's army specializes in information gathering. Combat isn't necessarily their strong suit." Agathe reminded.
"That's for sure. Night Owls shouldn't try to be like War Dogs." Damia mumbled.
"I mean no disrespect, but I couldn't sit idly by and let the Exousia run rampant in the hospital. Dozens lost their lives thanks to that monster." Kyros retorted.
"And thanks to you, more people lost their lives. Had you waited for backup, perhaps those lives could've been saved."
"You don't know that for sure. The Exousia had the power of telekinesis."
Bethesda and Callidora quickly looked over to Agathe after they heard the sharp response. It was only for a moment. But, they seemed nervous. They regained their composure once she spoke, "You're correct, we'll never know for sure. But, it's not us that you need to convince that you did the right thing. It's the families of the men that died while under your command."
Kyros involuntarily flinched. Her words were as sharp as a blade. They pierced through the man without mercy or hesitance.
"Their families are stricken with grief. We tried contacting you as soon as possible, but you never answered."
"I…I was busy. Some urgent matters came up and…"
Kyros stopped the moment Callidora raised her hand. "Yes, let's move on to those pressing issues."
"We heard about the Varvara attack that you helped subdue with your comrades over there." Bethesda pointed over to Runa and Sarra.
"Yes, it was thanks to them and Aion that we managed to save the town," Kyros reported, "We also managed to uncover the identity of the terrorist behind the attack. Her name is Melanie Elisavet. She's an offspring of the last king."
"We are already aware of their identities," announced Callidora. "Believe it or not, there are others besides you that can do your job."
Kyros tightened his jaw and stopped himself from saying something that he would immediately regret. Those old hags always acted so arrogantly and smug. "If so, then we need to hurry up and do something."
"Rest assured. We have everything under control."
"What is it that you plan on doing?"
"That is none of your concern." Bethesda harshly answered.
"None of my concern," Kyros unconsciously exasperated, "how can you say that? I fought against that woman! I saw the carnage and destruction that she wrought on the town! I want to be included in her capture!"
"Calm yourself, Captain. Do not raise your voice at us." Callidora ordered.
"My apologies." Kyros took a step back and bowed his head.
"The reason it is none of your concern is that you're too close to this. You've experienced unfortunate events in such a short amount of time. We are taking your mental stability under advisement." mentioned Agathe.
"I'm fine," Kyros inwardly commented.
How he wanted to say those words. But, that would only backfire on him. One, it wasn't the truth. For the past two days, he had encountered death and destruction. If anyone could be okay after witnessing the things that he had, then they would be monsters.
"Because of your actions for the past two days, we've come to the decision that you are to be suspended," Bethesda announced.
Kyros' eyes widened. The words of the council resounded in his head. "What?!"
"Effective immediately."
"Hold on," Kyros took a step forward, "I realize that it was a mistake for me to have ignored the calls. But, I risked my life, fighting against Exousia and Varvara to protect this country and its people! Why do I have to be punished for that?!"
It was a stupid question. One that he already knew the answer. It was made clear to him on that fateful day all those years ago. Before he even knew it, several guards already trained their weapons on him. It didn't matter to those people. Always and forever, he was their enemy.
Before he could say anything else, a blade was held dangerously close to his neck. It belonged to Damia. Another playful hum came from her as she winked and stuck her tongue at him. The hum was different at that time. It was more sadistic. Like she had been waiting for the chance to slice his throat open.
"Have you become hard of hearing over the past few days? Didn't they warn you not to raise your voice at them?" She asked.
"We do commend you for your acts of bravery, Captain Kyros. Please understand that we are only doing this to help you. Others have wished for your dismissal and even your execution." Agathe explained, quickly glancing over to Damia.
"Would you prefer either of those?" Callidora asked.
"How long will I be suspended for?" Kyros lowered his head. He wasn't going to fight them on the matter anymore. There wasn't anything the man could do to change their minds.
"Until further notice."
"You are dismissed." Agathe waved the group off dismissingly. And with that, they were escorted out from the room. Kyros' head hung low the whole time. It was like he took the walk of shame.
"Oh, too bad, so sad. At least it's only a suspension." Damia roughly patted Kyros on the back. His hands curled into fists, but he did nothing else. "Use this moment as a lesson to learn from the mistakes you've made."
"Yes, ma'am." Kyros forced a head nod.
"It was good seeing you again, Kyros. We'll let you know how the rest of the mission goes." She waved the group off while she walked further down the hall. Once she left, Kyros' body eased up. It was always a challenge being around that woman.
"Well, that was rough to watch." Runa nonchalantly commented.
"You're telling me," Cassie agreed.
"Are you okay, Mr. Kyros?" asked Sarra with a concerned tone.
"I will be. That wasn't anything that I'm not used to." Kyros answered while reluctantly raising his head.
"Your military doesn't very well like you, do they?" Runa pointed out.
"Well, if it already wasn't obvious."
"That's just horrible," Sarra shook her head, "That woman talked about respect, but she never treated you with any."
"That's called hypocrisy, Sarra. You can see it a lot these days." Runa informed while placing a hand on her hip. "So, who was that woman anyway? She seemed to have high authority."
"That was Lieutenant General Damia Valence. She's the little sister of General Amos. She takes command of the War Dogs while he's away." Cassie revealed.
"Regardless of who she's related to. It doesn't give her the right to treat Mr. Kyros the way she did." Sarra voiced her complaint. "You need to do something about this, Mr. Kyros. You've worked hard to keep the people safe. You should be rewarded for your efforts, not punished."
Kyros patted the little girl on the head and brought up a smile on his face. He felt assured knowing that a little girl wasn't afraid to speak her mind despite her status. He wished he could've been as brave as her. But, the rules of the military restricted his freedom of speech. The man swore he'd continue to follow them until he gained the power to change them for the better.
A little mistreatment wasn't going to keep him away from his goal.
"Leave it alone, Sarra. It's not our business." Runa sternly told her.
For once, Kyros agreed with the Huntress, "She's right. Don't worry about me, Sarra. It's just a suspension."
"What're we gonna do now that you're suspended?" Runa asked.
"There's someone here that I want to talk to. Since the council won't help us, maybe this person can." Kyros turned his back to the group and headed off in the opposite direction.