A New Powerhouse

"So you're telling me, that right after the tragedy happened to your parents, you fell unconscious and can't remember anything after that?" said the marshal with a low voice at the silver-haired teen in front of him.

Enzo, who had his head down, looked at the at the marshal with watery eyes and nodded. "Look, son, It's hard to imagine what you're going through. Losing your parents, your friends and everyone you interacted with your whole life at such a young age is not easy. However, we found you unconscious in the middle of dead barbarian warriors, covered by blood. I believe your story but did any new person come to the village yesterday? Did you notice anyone unfamiliar?" asked the marshal.

He was only met with silence however, he was not bothered and continued saying "after a little investigation was done, we found that the men who raided your village were the barbarians from the east. They were all intermediate warriors, except their leader who was an advanced warrior. I'm sure nobody in your village could even put a scratch on them. these are highly trained soldiers. And they were all killed by one blow as if they couldn't even resist their enemy."

Enzo, who had a contemplative expression on his face didn't answer him as he kept tapping on the armrest on his chair. As the marshal was about to lose his patience, Enzo looked at him and said "Of course the barbarians would attack" The marshal looked at him with a confused expression on his face.

He didn't expect the boy in front of him to give him an answer unrelated to the question he asked. Waiting for an explanation, he heard a voice that seemed to come from an old man who has seen through the worlds and its mysteries. "As far as I know, 4 years ago, A tribe chief proclaimed himself khan and started attacking nearby tribes. But instead of looting and pillaging like they're used to. He killed the tribes' chiefs and leaders then proceeded to install his underlings as the new heads making it practically his tribe. I suppose he already finished uniting all the tribes and declared himself king Khan of the barbarian kingdom. As he stabilized his kingdom he turned his eyes to the west looking for expansions, however, he didn't want to directly declare war as this will put a strain on his new kingdom. So he sent masked soldiers to destroy unprotected villages and sow chaos in the region. This would nullify the treaty made a decade ago, create new conflicts and will definitely lead wars with our neighbors, then he'll jump in at the last minute and reap the benefits"

the marshal's eyes shined as he listened to the boy in front of him, he had a surprised expression on his face. He can't believe that this deep and smart analysis of the situation came from the mouth of a sixteen-year-old boy.

What baffled him, even more, is the boy's knowledge of neighboring tribes' situation. Heck, before becoming the king of the new rising kingdom, even the nobles in the capital didn't know about this small tribe chief that's revolutionizing the eastern barbarian tribes.

After ten years of peace, the nobles only cared about keeping their riches and the capital became embroiled in political wars. Everyone was fighting for his own interest. Nobody cared about a small ant rising from the poor east. Only recently when that "small ant" became a powerhouse and rose to the world stage with a battle-hardened army behind him did the nobles start taking notice of him.

Only he, a couple of higher-ups in the military and the king, paid attention before to this new phenomenon. However, because they were bound by the peace treaty made by the big kingdoms. They couldn't really intervene. And could only watch as a looming threat grew in power on their borders. And because this new king and the previously fractured east weren't important ten years ago. They weren't involved in the creation of the treaty and thus, weren't bound by it. The Kelibian kingdom's king sent his men on a couple of diplomatic missions to establish an alliance. But now that they found out what they were up to, that's obviously not going to happen.

Enzo, looking at the old man in front of him who was in deep thought continued saying " What confuses me however is even though there's indeed a peace treaty. Why didn't all the kingdoms band together and put down this self-proclaimed Khan in his place? Why would they let another powerhouse rise? After all, when there's a need for it, rules can be flexible"

After a moment of silence, the marshal, shaken out of his reverie. Looked at Enzo in a new light. He sighed then proceeded to light up a cigar. Taking a deep breath, blowing out the smoke and with a tired voice, he shook his head and said " The great men that gathered that day to make this peace treaty, for the benefit of the common people, are now gone. They were succeeded by their successors who are much more ambitious. Some want to prove themselves and bask in glory, some are watching the events unfolding and biding their time to make the greatest benefit, some just want to see the world burn, some want to conquer new lands, and our old enemies loved it when they heard that a new kingdom on our borders was born"

Enzo, hearing what the old man said, felt disgusted by the way these kings and nobles think. His entire family got murdered in cold blood. His entire village got slaughtered. Thousands of innocents are dead. And these sickening men, sitting in their castles, surrounded by women and riches. Never took a moment to contemplate about the innocent lives that were lost. And they never considered the ripples in fate that these decisions made. And they would never expect, how much a young man's survival from a catastrophe made by their choices, would impact their lives.

After letting his words sink in, the marshal looked at Enzo in his eyes and said with a deep voice

" Boy... I see a lot of potential in you, tell me, do you want to join the military, and fight those who ruined your life?"

Hearing his question, A light shined from Enzo's dull eyes as he smiled.

The marshal, however, felt a chill run down his spine. Because this was the first time he saw a bloodthirsty smile and a flash of scarlet light coming out of someone's eyes. From that day on, he would never forget that look, and history won't forget it either, as this was the moment that changed the entire fate of the world.