It was about 5 years ago, not long after I was promoted to the rank of Commander. I was to oversee the "Rookie Training Camp", as well as the emergency deployment force. I was highly praised and revered as a Commander, because of how young I managed to achieve this position.
I'd always kept a distance from my past subordinates, because in my mind, showing aloofness to them was the best way to exert my authority. In exchange, I would guarantee them that their effort would come to fruition... That was how Kapel, who was of the same rank as me at the time, did it too. I understand the rationale behind it: should workers be too familiar with their bosses, they would end up listless in their jobs, as they'd think their bosses would be lenient towards them.
Everything worked out really well. The subordinates unconditionally and willingly listened to me and made noticeable improvements in their combat skills and efficacy in such a short time. I diligently trained them based on their abilities, all of them had potential, and by nurturing them at the right pace, they quickly became a capable team.
Meanwhile, I'd been enforcing my rule of thumb: keeping our distances. Despite repeated mistakes at the start, they'd become more proactive in performing their training, and I was happy with that.
I thought everything was working out really well... not until "that" happened, out of nowhere...
It was during a training session of "Rookie Training Camp", where they were being trained to alter between ranged and melee combat to aid them become more adept at both.
Then, abruptly, a strange, azure light was being emitted a few hundred meters from the camp's border. It instantly piqued everyone's, including my curiosity.
As I told them to resume their training, I went over to investigate the light.
I felt the air blowing from behind me toward the source of light, and it got more vigorous the closer I was to the light. It felt like I was being pulled towards the light. I kept walking as my steps were becoming heavier, until I witnessed what the light was.
It was a dazzling pebble-like object. I was clueless about what it actually was, so I promptly backed away while having my eyes partly covered by my fingers. I couldn't possibly touch it and expect nothing bad to come of it. Frankly, closing in on the object without preparations was foolhardy too.
As I was about to head back to contact the king and commissioners to inform them about the strange occurrence, the pebble suddenly began to levitate and make a strange noise.
The noise grew louder and louder, to the point of it reverberating across the flat land that was the area in front of the military camp. As I began to lose my composure and panic, a shock wave of distortion was sent from the dazzling pebble.
I thought I was a goner at that very moment. But to my pleasant surprise, nothing could be felt from that, nothing could be seen to have been altered... Everything was just the way it was.
Was I dreaming? That had to be a dream, right?
But it wasn't.
It was still here? What was that shockwave about?... What even IS that thing? I couldn't help but raise questions like an ignorant yet curious child.
At that moment, I didn't know that, the worst had yet to come.
As if the wave of distortion was answering to the pebble, it ricocheted off absolutely nothing, and the wave itself, became... distorted, it was a distorted wave of distortion. Then... then... in just an instant, with just a silent "fwop", small areas vanished completely, no trace of the vanished lands could be found...
Fences, buildings, and even the ground were collapsing. But even with all the noises from the collapses, they still couldn't overtake the screaming of fear and despair.
I didn't know what happened. I don't know what happened. All I knew was that, what awaited me, was nothing but a hellish nightmare.
Not giving a care about my constant loss of footing due to the abruptly altered ground, I dashed with all my might back to the camp that was in vicinity, yet felt so distant at that moment. Maybe it was because I knew what was going on in there... No... it was way worse than I'd imagined.
What presented before me wasn't soldiers running amok...
They vanished along with the infrastructure. And... and... some of them didn't vanish as a whole... instead, they... partly vanished...
Yes... only some parts of their bodies vanished.
The ground that was severely uneven was dyed red. A strong scent of blood was emanating through the air. Those who lost their limbs or fingers were writhing in pain, those that had a big chunk of their bodies missing and blood gushing out of them were already... There were clean cuts on the bodies, it was like a fleeting execution had just taken place, and the executor was nowhere to be found.
How did this happen? Why did my subordinates have to suffer such cruel fate?
As I stood and watched this egregiously gruesome scene, I queried myself.
Completely nonplussed, I couldn't even mutter a word. At that moment, I still didn't know what sort of power was at work, all I knew was that, what'd taken place there was irreversible.
Those who were at death's door, stared at me, anticipating me who was supposedly capable to do something, anything to save them from the unbearable pain. They were coughing out blood, crying tears of blood.
"Commander, please put us out of this misery." Their eyes were clearing implying that. But I just couldn't take their lives, even in the name of "saving" them.
I froze as if I've become a tree that was deeply rooted into the ground, as the soldiers who still had the ability to scream and scurry, fled like a hoard of preys from an invisible predator.
A dark hole leading to an abyss opened. One that's impossible to be refilled.
Lying on the ground, they lost color in their eyes one by one, lost their breath one by one, lost their warmth... one by one.
Oh, how I despise my incompetence!
I was a commander, yet I could do nothing but watch my subordinates meet their deaths in the most painful way possible... I couldn't even grant their last wish.
I felt so... empty that I couldn't even drop a single tear. Why wasn't I crying? Was it 'cause I've been trained to keep my composure no matter what is presented before my eyes?
Kapel, did I do well keeping my composure?... Was that even "composure"? When was the last time I cried? Yes, when my real parents passed away.