The 28th day of Spring, Year 2028 of the Pangaean Calendar.
A slash came from above.
With barely any time to react, Kai lifted his sword and used the flat of his blade to block the strike, sending a series of sparks as the two metals grinded against each other. Pushing back the attack, he put pressure into his lower body and jumped back, putting considerable distance between him and his opponent.
A thin sheen of sweat formed on his forehead and he felt the back of his shirt stick to his skin. It was high noon, and the humidity happened to be high that day. While fighting for four hours continuously would have been a piece of cake for him on normal occasions, he was finding it difficult to concentrate at the moment.
"What's wrong, Kai?" Horatio asked, a look of concern crossing his features. "You got a bit sloppy there. It's not like you."
"Sorry. It's nothing."
"Is that so?"
Faint apprehension still lingered in his voice but he didn't push the matter. Instead, Horatio sheathed his sword back into its scabbard and put his hands on his hips. His brown hair looked almost red under the sunlight. He said, "Let's call it a draw for today. It's almost lunch time, anyway. We should head to the mess hall."
"...Right."
While normally he spent training a little longer, today in particular, Kai felt himself distracted to an annoying degree, caught in the web of his own thoughts, which rarely happened, if at all. Especially on the battlefield. Even Horatio had taken notice of his unusual behavior. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Kai sheathed his sword as well.
"So, mind telling me what's up?" Horatio asked as the two of them made their way to the mess hall. He was nothing if not perceptive.
"It's nothing, really. Just a dream that's been getting on my nerves," Kai replied in a bland voice. Contrary to his words, however, his face showed no expression.
Horatio was taken aback. His voice sounded bewildered with his next words. But honestly, Kai couldn't really blame him. He, too, found himself acting strange. "Really? All of this is about... a dream?"
"...Yeah." He sighed. "That's why I said it was nothing."
"If it was truly nothing, it wouldn't be getting on your nerves like this," his friend and comrade replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "So, what was it about this dream that got you so on edge?"
"I'm not sure exactly," Kai answered, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "But in the dream, I seemed to know about things that I shouldn't have, and the people in it seemed all to real, with appearances and personalities of their own. I was completely aware that I was dreaming, yet at the same time it felt as if I was a part of that world. As if..." He hesitated.
"As if..?" Horatio urged.
"As if I was peering into someone's memories."
There was a stunned silence that followed his words as the two stopped in their tracks. Kai watched as Horatio processed the information, a look of confusion painted across his face. Then, a burst of laughter resounded throughout the cobblestone corridor. Kai had to refrain from sighing and just shook his head, expecting the reaction.
Honestly, it sounded like nonsense even to his own ears. Brushing the embarrassment aside, Kai just kept walking towards their dining quarters.
"Ha... sorry, sorry," Horatio apologized once his laughter died down, racing up to catch up to him, his blue eyes still sparkling with mirth. "But I'm sure you're taking this more seriously than you should."
"Mm, probably."
'Except...'
Kai didn't mention another detail about the dream that bothered him and instead, chose to keep his silence. Horatio was probably right. He was taking this way too seriously. Besides, it wasn't like him to have a dream get under his skin. He couldn't even remember the last time he got this bothered over something. And it wasn't even a nightmare.
Still, the dream did feel strange. It had a vividness and realism that almost matched the real world, and the people he interacted with even had distinct voices and personalities. And on top of that, it even seemed like he had a life of his own in that place. As if he belonged there.
He couldn't control what he did in the dream, but he was fully aware of what he was doing and also of the fact that it was, in fact, a dream, and THAT unsettled him to no end. It left a bad taste in his mouth.
But what bothered him the most was the fact that he had already seen the same dream three nights in a row.
The dreams always showed the same things and they would always end the same way; on the visage of a beautiful woman with dark hair and green eyes. Kai didn't know who she was, accept for the fact that she was a princess, but he couldn't deny that he had felt attracted to her in some way. And yet now, thinking back to the way she smiled at him within the dream, he felt nothing at all. As if even his feelings were nothing but an illusion formed by the dream.
"There you guys are!" A shout came from the other end of the corridor, rousing him out of his thoughts. He looked towards the source of the voice and noticed two people standing at the entrance to the mess hall, one of them widely waving their hand at them; a short, petite girl with pixie cut dark hair.
"Oh, looks like Brina and Hans are back," Horatio said from beside him. He waved at them in return and asked them once they got closer. "How was the escort, guys?"
"Boring, as usual," replied the short, dark-haired girl, the usual twang in her voice, a signature feature of her hometown. "I've seen poetry reading sessions more eventful than that."
"No kidding," Hans chimed in, a balled-headed tall man with a bulky frame. Another comrade of his that was sent to monitor the first prince under the pretense of escorting him; a side job given to them by the second prince.
The four of them walked into the dining hall, chatting about the recent escort mission and other things, such as the current situation in Svarta and the growing immigration of refugees within the country. Kai had half a mind to pay attention to the current state of affairs in view of the fact that it had nothing to do with him, but even he could tell the present situation was growing more and more dire as time went on.
"Those at the gates said that the recent ones were survivors from a tiny village called Stopen. Who knows who's going to be next," Hans mused as he placed his tray onto the table. Soldiers of all ranks filled the mess hall, wearing the standard navy blue uniforms, noisily chatting away about their families back home or the illustrious tales of their heroism, none of which Kai could relate to.
"Honestly, this whole thing is just stupid. To think goblins and orcs would have the guts to challenge us..." Horatio frowned. It was understandable he'd think that. In fact, many people did. And Horatio was one of the best warriors Kai knew.
While large in numbers, goblins and orcs weren't all that intelligent. They didn't have a human's or an elf's capacity for tactical thinking and reasoning, so they're attack patterns were easy to predict, and for this reason, there wasn't any fear of them ever pulling off a sneak attack. But still, they're brute strength and tough hides were still a force to be reckoned with.
Brina casually popped a grape inside her mouth and chewed, "They still have the largest populations on the continent, you know. So much so that their land's are probably bursting by now."
"The council thinks they've suddenly joined forces because they want to take over the lands so they can sustain themselves," Hans continued. "If that's the case, then it's only a matter of time before they get here. So far they've only attacked small villages and towns, chipping away at us little by little. They're probably building up their forces."
"Hmm... still, they're not as smart as us. Having big numbers doesn't guarantee that they're gonna win." Horatio turned towards him, eyes seeking validation. "What do you think, Kai?"
"I think that that way of thinking is what's going to get you killed one day, Horatio," Kai replied bluntly, not bothering to look up from his tray as he chowed down on his stew. "Never underestimate an enemy. You'll end up in your grave before you know it."
There was a long pause at the table and then Brina burst out laughing, unable to contain herself, and Hans soon followed after her. "Bwahahaha! That's our captain for you!"
"You know, Captain..." Horatio drew out with a disappointed pout on his face, mocking the use of Kai's rank. "That's not what I was asking about. And can you please not talk about my death so casually!"
"Ahem! Captain," A foreign voice spoke up, snapping everyone out of their playful mood. Kai looked up and saw Morgan Miller standing to the side, his posture stiff as he regarded his superior. "Prince Gabriel summons you. He says we've got a new commission."
"About time!" Horatio exclaimed as he stretched in his seat. "I've been dying of boredom since we haven't gotten to kick ass in a while."
"You're just a battle freak, Horatio," Hans deadpanned.
"Like you guys aren't," Horatio shot back.
Kai stood up, having finished his meal (he never left without doing so) and followed the soldier with buzz cut blonde hair and blue eyes. His black military uniform stood out amongst the wave of navy blue as they weaved their way through the crowd.
Yes, that's right. A BLACK uniform. One which Kai had on as well, the only difference being that he had a silky red sash wrapped around his waist tied into a knot on one side of his hips. An indication of his position as 'Captain'.
Horatio, Hans and Brina wore one as well, and so did the other Dark Knights in Svarta. It was the standard uniform for all members of his unit, an elite group tasked with removal of surrounding enemy bases and strongholds. The second prince, Gabriel Adelbert, was the founder and commander of their unit, the person who was Kai's direct superior as well as the most favored candidate to the crown of Svarta.
He was also the one who had presently summoned him.
Once they completed the long walk from the barracks and reached the prince's office, Morgan excused himself after announcing Kai's arrival to the prince and left the two young men alone in the room.
The office was littered with stacks of papers, weapons and tools of all kinds, but the exquisite furniture, rouge carpeting, and medals and ornaments that decorated the walls was everything you'd expect to see in a high ranking official's office. Kai regarded the cool, silent figure standing by the large window behind his desk, looking out at the scenery below. He was dressed in nothing but breeches and a red waistcoat that was buttoned over his long-sleeve white shirt.
Gabriel seemed tired, as if he had just had to deal with something difficult before summoning him.
"I heard... we have a new commission," Kai said, not bothering for formalities, as usual. He waited for an answer from Gabriel, but it never came. Instead, he got a question in reply.
"Tell me, Kai," the young prince started, never turning his face away from the window. "What do you think of the present day scenario? Do you think humanity will be able to survive the oncoming invasion from the Goblins and Orcs?"
Kai carefully regarded the question in silence. It wasn't like he hadn't taught about it before, but he hadn't really dived into the matter than just surface level estimates. After all, it didn't really matter to him either way. But when it came down to it, humans weren't exactly made for combat. And while magic existed, the number of people that could use it were scarce, and few and far between. Plus, with how lightly everyone seemed to regard the situation, he couldn't really hold out much hope.
"I'm afraid not," Kai replied. While he did want to give a more optimistic answer, pointless sugar-coating and hesitation wouldn't do anyone any good. "We've been taking out concentrated Goblin-Orc sites and constantly improving our technology. But that's as far as we can manage. At the most, you'll probably be able to hold out for a decade longer, not more than that."
Gabriel sighed. He finally turned his back to the window and slumped down on his desk, feigning exhaustion (Or maybe he really WAS exhausted... Kai couldn't tell). "I can always count on you to give me the brutally honest answers, Kai. I know it's not in your nature, but you could at least TRY to sugarcoat the truth."
"Forgive me, Your Highness, but isn't my honesty the reason why you asked ME the question in the first place?"
"Touché," he grumbled. He leaned back into his chair and folded his legs, his ash coloured hair scattering across his forehead with his movement. "Things do seem to be hopeless at the moment, don't they?"
Kai frowned slightly. The question was rhetorical, but the implication that the prince's words carried weren't lost on him. "Excuse me, but... 'at the moment'?"
Gabriel grinned, his hazel eyes twinkling, as if he was waiting for that very moment to reveal his next words.
"What if I told you... that there's a way for humanity to survive?"