"Ugh," Aaron groaned as he lay on the floor, in a pool of his own blood. He let out another groan as he turned his head to his right, only to see everyone in his unit dead.
Every single one of them had several bullet holes in their bodies. Also, with no one to provide medical care, they eventually lost their lives after losing a huge amount of blood.
Aaron was actually in a similar situation as well, and this meant that it was only a matter of time before he joined them.
'So, this is really the end, huh?' Aaron uttered in his thoughts as he stared at the clouds in the sky.
'Who would have thought the end would be like this?' He still couldn't believe that everything he had been working hard for was slowly slipping away from his fingertips before he could finally achieve his goals and dreams.
'All I ever wanted was to live a peaceful life while focusing on my goals and dreams, was that too much to ask?' Aaron continued to stare at the clouds, recalling how happy he had been before he became a soldier.
He hadn't always been a soldier, and he never had the desire to become one to begin with.
Unfortunately, the world changed, and Aaron had no choice but to adapt to the changes as well with just one thought in mind 'Survival.'
For as long as Aaron could remember, which seemed to be about a decade, this had been the only thought in his mind.
It was the only thing that had been keeping him alive until this very moment. He had trained and worked very hard, hoping it would be enough to keep him alive to witness the end of their useless war.
Despite being a soldier, Aaron's primary goal was to become a scientist again. His parents were wildlife biologists and he had been working hard to follow in their footsteps before the war began.
He had been raised as an only child in a rural town, and due to his parent's dedication to what they did, Aaron had been fascinated by animals as well.
He could spend hours observing animals in the nearby forest and this was when he developed the passion of studying and observing animals.
Just like his parents, Aaron pursued a career as a wildlife biologist and dedicated his life to understanding and preserving endangered species.
However, when tensions rose between nations and escalated into war, the world changed drastically, forcing him to change with it.
Initially, Aaron used his knowledge and expertise to assist by rescuing animals and people from war-ridden areas. But as the war intensified, Aaron was drafted, and before he knew it, he found himself analyzing enemy strategies and troop movements.
But despite his reluctance to engage in war, he quickly rose through the ranks to become an expert military strategist.
However, during his final battle, Aaron's unit was betrayed by an ally who gave valuable information to the enemy in exchange for refuge, and this was why everyone around Aaron had died, with him about to join them as well.
Aaron sighed a bit as he felt his eyelids becoming heavier by the second. He knew this was the end, so he decided to just accept his fate.
Although he was sad that he wouldn't be able to continue his studies of animals, he knew that right now, there was nothing he could do about it.
Aaron's breathing became steady and in the next few minutes, everywhere turned silent as he breathed his last.
In a matter of seconds, Aaron stirred awake to find himself on a comfortable bed and he could feel his body aching all over.
"Ugh," He groaned in pain, but then he suddenly realized something. "Huh?" Aaron blinked twice as he tried to adjust his vision to the room he was currently in.
He could hear the chirping sound of birds outside and he could also smell the faint aroma of herbs in the air.
The moment his eyes adjusted to his environment, Aaron croaked out in surprise with a hoarse voice. "What?"
He pushed himself upright on the bed, and he could feel the soft bed sheets he was currently sitting on, which were completely different from the hardened floor he had been lying on just a few minutes ago. But this didn't make sense because the last thing he remembered was the blood, the betrayal, and the rapid successive sounds of gunshots.
His comrades were dead, also wasn't he
supposed to have been shot in the heart and several parts of his body as well? So how was he still alive?
Aaron tried to make sense of this, but a soft female voice pulled him out of his train of thought, forcing him to turn his head to the side.
"You're finally awake," The female voice said, and Aaron could see a beautiful young lady around the age of eighteen seated on a chair, but the first thing he noticed was the young lady's pointed ear, which was definitely not what a human's ear should look like.
'Huh?'
'Pointed ears?' Aaron thought to himself in puzzlement, but then he noticed the female with pointy ears still looking at him with a calm but distant look in her eyes.
"W-Where am I?" He tried to ask, but it came out as a croak, he felt the dryness of his throat the moment he opened his mouth to speak.
It almost felt as though he hadn't drunk any water in days.
Meanwhile, Aurora noticed the look on Aaron's face, he seemed like he genuinely didn't know where he was or what had happened to him.
With a deep sigh, Aurora stood up gracefully and explained. "You're currently in your father's mansion and you're lucky to be alive."
"My father's mansion?" Aaron found it strange to hear this because he knew his father had died a long time ago, and his father definitely never had a mansion before he died. So he wondered what this female with pointy ears was talking about, but Aurora simply nodded and continued; oblivious to his confusion.
"Yes, that's where you are right now."
"Where is…?" Aaron subconsciously began to ask where his father was currently, but Aurora replied to his question even before he realized what he was about to ask.
"Your father is no longer with us."