3 years before
***
After we returned to the borders main base, Captain Mugen took me as an apprentice, not so really.
- If you wish to return to the border, you must learn the basics, I'm too busy to teach you myself, so I enlisted you to the military, you´ll learn the basic as the others.
- I understand captain.
- I'm not yet your captain, refrain to call me that until then.
- I must depart, I wish you luck Aron, I wish to see you back in the frontlines. - As he said that, Mugen turned around and left with firm steps as he always did.
"this must be the border main base, they must take all the survivors of the border and teach them how to become soldiers, yet, I don´t understand the necessity to do so, the main government must send reinforcements from time to time, yet they still recruit any orphan that knocks at their door…"
Thinking about the strange situation, Aron went through the door and ask the receptionist for directions.
He was a well built man in his late forties, with many scars in his face and arms, showing his battle experience, reminding me in how even the cooks were hard trained soldiers.
- I see you have captain mungen´s recommendation, orphan, eight springs old?, hahaha, the old man didn´t even hesitate to send a kid back to war, very well, is this what you wish, child?
- Yes, i´ve seen and been informed in how the war has developed.
- Big words kid, I hope you can still speak like that after you will go through. Go to the next room to your right, there are the newly enlisted recruits.
I walked past the reception; the corridor was wide, and its stone ground made every step sound.
* steps *
As I finally arrived at the door, I felt at atmosphere of decay and sadness, I knew what kind of people enlisted, but I still wasn´t enough conscious on how sever their lives had been ruined.
I stepped in
Inside, sitting in metallic chairs, were 8 men of different ages, young to old.
Yet everyone had the same thing in common, hatred.
Hate towards their enemy, anger towards the people who ruined their lives.
I sat in the only chair left and waited, I noticed a young man sitting right next to me, he looked young and somehow innocent despite the atmosphere on the room.
The rest of the men looked at me with curiosity but they quickly changed sight, they knew why I was here, just like them, I had something to do.
Except one person, who instead of minding his own business ask me:
- Hey what's your name?
The man sitting next to me, ask with his eyes burning of curiosity.
- Aron
- That's a peculiar name, what village are you from?
- Litua
-Oh…
News travel fast and soldiers probably gossiped about what happened in Litua, Elves suing a ritual to summon a demon to destroy a village, it was a tabu on its own, the men probably heard the gossip from guards and soldiers.
- Im sorry…
-you don´t have nothing to be sorry about, everyone here had their life turned around or destroyed because of the war.
- Oh ok.
The man refrained from asking more, my blunt speech made him refrain for asking more.
I felt bad for him, despite everything, everyone loses something, so I asked back.
- And what's your name?
- It´s Leonel, thanks for asking
-And what village are you from?
- I'm from Ghena, was from Ghena, Elves attacked it a month ago.
- I'm sorry for your loss…
Silence fell in the room, the already gloomy atmosphere turned depressing as the men recalled their respective memories from their home villages.
Soon, an instructor walked into the room, his green uniform was clean but showed obvious signs of combat and rough treatment, his face had a peculiar mustache his dark eyes could swallow the light out of air.
- Recruits, you have passed the selection process to join the Imperial army, from the moment you step into that door your training regime will commence, it´s still time to renounce and back off, we understand that you have a deep resentment towards the elves, yet, I'm obliged to recall you, how fortunate you are to have survived, then again, are you sure of our decision?
No one made a sound, the man in my right side was trembling, he probably was scared, months or days ago they were living peaceful lives as farmers or villagers until an unknown enemy massacred their families and neighbors, no one was ready, yet they felt it was their responsibility to avenge the dead, or could it be they had nowhere to go?
The instructor, who had done this procedure many times, sighed deeply, the many faces he had seen and the few he saw again passed through his mind as he turned around and called for another officer.
- I understand your decision and wish you the best of the lucks, may the heavens be with you, now, follow me to your barracks.
We quickly stood up and started walking, the narrow corridors showed clear signs of decay and damage, and the windows were scratched and dirty, yet their white marble color and the light reflected by the windows gave it unique texture, almost gothic.
I saw a platoon of soldiers marching through the window, the youngest of them all looked like a teenager, he looked young despite the burnings on his face and hands.
-We have arrived, from now on you are Privates of the imperial army, your soldiers id are in a box next to your bunk with your uniform and reglementary equipment.
- From now on you are no longer a civilian protected by the imperial laws, you are now a recruit judged by the military law, any action you did, do, or will do will be in your record, now, farewell soldiers, I officially welcome you to hell.