Chapter 20 : A Warrior's Fate

Tall buildings toppled on the blood-soaked asphalt beneath, crushing the remnants of the great military machines of humanity along with their pilots. A grim scene of blood and destruction, formed from the collective corpse of a once great city and its people.

The dead sat clutching their weapons and holding onto their most precious belongings. Mostly pictures, lockets, or letters sent by loved ones hiding in faraway places, hoping to escape the horrifying demonic menace.

The battlefield where these brave men and women put up their last stand reflected their bravery. For every hundred humans who met their fate there, one demon shared in it.

Even they, with all their magic and might, could not escape the clutches of death. Their heavy, thick, armor they trusted to keep the pebbles of anti-magic thrown at them at bay lay broken and charred upon their mutilated forms. The many holes and cracks revealed a soft body beneath the hard, metallic exterior, one made of flesh, blood, and bone.

the scene of such carnage proved to be too much for even the sky to watch over without feeling remorse, for even it wept for all those lives lost. Raindrops fell against the backdrop of the rising sun. an attempt from god to hide the foul deeds committed in the name of survival.

Two men, soaked in rainwater watched over the remnants with distant eyes. behind them 8 others stood in place, taking in the somber scene in complete silence.

One was too young to be on a battlefield, his short black hair and youthful face trained by the physical and mental scars of battle. While the other was a man at the end of his career as a soldier, unkempt beard and graying hair adorning his wrinkled face. a face of one no longer fit for the front lines.

"we arrived too late. There is nothing we can do for them."

"we can avenge their deaths…let's go, we need to report what happened here back to HQ. how many were lost?"

"approximately 59,000 soldiers, 9800 tanks, 2200 HX5 jets, 6800 Scorpions, and around 85 AM air defense systems… the major factories housed here were destroyed as well, but they were rather small in size, so these losses would probably be regarded as—"

"unproblematic, yeah I know…fucking politicians. hiding safely in their bunkers treating the death of soldiers as a game of numbers. maybe they should be dragged out here to see what it is like firsthand."

"…"

"call in the scavengers, we need every last bit of unused anti-magic ammo, weapons, and fixable gear sent back for redistribution… let's go, we are needed elsewhere."

The two men walked away from the battlefield followed closely by their comrades. But their steps quickly came to a halt when faint pleas for help sounded near them.

Beneath the rubble of the once vibrant city, a demon lay in a pool of his own blood. His arms and legs were torn apart by artillery fire, his armor minced together with his flesh, and his face burned by and mangled.

"he's a young one… a demon begging humans for mercy is a rare sight, but I suppose you got your fill of killing unarmed civilians and the regular soldiers protecting them, didn't you? Might as well turn to beg now."

The demon struggled to talk. The right half of his face was scorched down to the bone, and blood oozed out of his mouth every time he tried to utter a word. Those pleas for help were likely the last words to ever escape his mouth.

"he probably doesn't even know that we are human, the shock was too much for him. do you want me to deal with this commander?"

Faint blue light enveloped the young soldier's arm as he spoke, a light many demons saw right before they met their maker.

"…no, leave him be…let him suffer."

the faint light disappeared and the soldiers walked away, leaving the demon sprawled on the ground, grunting in pain as he looked at their backs getting further and further away.

The last thing he saw before darkness took his sight was the soldiers' emblem on their shoulders. Bearing the image of a fierce dragon carrying a broken sword in its mouth, a symbol of their commitment.

The scene slowly turned into nothing but a black canvas and the sound of the failing rain and steady footsteps grew silent as well. And amidst that silence, Adam found peace.

But his was a short rest. A knock on the door brought him back to reality, causing him to open his eyes and face the reality he was living in the present.

He awoke hours ago but decided to stay in his chambers, reliving memories from his past. Memories of friends, mentors, and lovers he promised so much to, yet delivered so little.

He feared that he would forget their faces if he neglected to think of them, leaving him truly alone. But his fond memories slowly turned into sour ones. Ones of loss and pain, the only kind a soldier who lived through such a war usually has.

To think it all boiled down to this…you always believed in destiny commander, and you even got me to believe in it too…for a time. is this it? is this our destiny? My destiny? To be the last human on earth, doomed to wander alone in some hopeless search of what we have lost?

Another knock sounded across the room, but this time it was followed by a stern, disciplined voice.

"Moren, master Onvyr needs to see you immediately. get dressed and come out post haste please, I shall guide you to him."

Adam sighed and stood up, already dressed in the clothing provided for him. a regular black tunic and pants, nothing too different from what the average human wore at one point in time.

He opened the door with a creek, revealing the figure of a tall, skinny demon, dressed in fancy formal attire with his head held high, in stark contrast to Adam himself.

"your face is unshaven and your hair is overgrown, well at least you aren't nude…No matter, please follow me quickly."

The two walked through the many halls and corridors to the sound of their own hurried footsteps. Passing by many empty rooms but only a very few of their inhabitants along the way.

"I'm Haru by the way, I'm responsible for procuring equipment, food, and whatever else one would need in here."

"why are you the one coming to fetch me? Did you run out of guards or something?"

Haru stroked his clean-shaven face before continuing, now with a half-smile on his face.

"we are out of guards yes, have you not noticed how empty this place is? After that little scuffle in the Dra'ig's place last night most clans had to send their soldiers to get some special orientation in case they came to face similar magic later on. I heard the Ash'ai clan is organizing it oddly enough…speaking of which, you did a good job in subduing the assassin and saving two clan heads."

"is that enough to get me out of doing that penance quest you think?"

Haru chuckled at Adam's naivety, finding a certain lovable charm in his overinflated sense of optimism.

"no, but you did us all proud"

"us?"

"your clan, the In'shi clan. you hold our name after all—ah there it is, master Onvyr should be waiting for you just behind this door here. I have to go, I must attend to some other matters, take care Moren."

Haru hurriedly walked away, leaving Adam behind before he could muster a reply or even return formalities.

Part of the clan huh? the poor bastard actually believes it too…whatever, I better get a move on.

Adam opened the door, revealing a massive storage space filled to the brim with old boxes and broken weapons and tools. It was a far cry from Onvyr's office where the two met previously.

Dirt and trash littered the cold stone floor, and the smell of mold and rust hang heavy in the air, making breathing difficult for anything with a nose. It was a good place to store unused garbage, but hardly an appropriate meeting spot for any self-respecting person, human or otherwise.

"ah, Moren! I'm glad you made it so quickly. I apologize for not letting you get more rest but this is urgent, come. You'll want to see this."

Onvyr showed himself, leaving his spot behind a stack of wooden crates to greet his disappointed guest.

"nice place you have here."

"I came here to retrieve a little thing for you, trust me you will like it."

A big steel rectangle sat atop a number of filthy boxes with a small keyhole in the middle of it, untouched by any rust or damage in stark contrast to every other item in the vicinity. Adam brushed his hand across its surface, removing the accumulated layers of dirt sitting on it.

Once enough was brushed off, a few markings were revealed, itched into the very metal itself.

"HECA 12 prototype… what is this thing, it's obviously human-made but I've never heard of that designation before."

Onvyr handed Adam a key, and without uttering a single word Adam shoved it into the keyhole and turned it clockwise, hoping that the mysterious container would open and reveal its secrets to him, but it remained closed no matter how many times he turned it or how much force he used.

"try coating the key with some of your augment power."

Onvyr spoke with a big smile on his face, clearly just as excited as Adam to see what secrets the ancient container held within.

"alright, I suppose it can't hurt to—holy shit."

Once Adam turned the augment-coated key the whole container shook gently before splitting open before their very eyes, revealing the suit of armor it held within its metal walls.

Its black finish and metallic accents gave it a powerful aura fitting its purpose. The heavy plating on the chest, arms, legs, and back provided both protection and flexibility to the wearer.

If it wasn't for the missing helmet it would've been the model armor for an augmented soldier, however, it was nothing special, nothing that Adam hasn't seen before.

"this is pretty nice but I've seen many like it before. It looks slightly different in design but I can't see how that would improve its function much, I'll still take it though—wait, it has no openings, how am I supposed to wear this thing?"

Adam picked the armor up and studied it closely, examining every nook and cranny of it with a great interest that slowly turned to disappointment as he realized it was too similar to the armor he was used to and was unwearable to boot.

"it is far from ordinary, believe me. Try injecting some augment power into it as well, it was made for soldiers like you after all, you'll see."

Faint blue light coated the armor, leaking into the slits between its plates as if it was being absorbed by it. suddenly the armor flew away from Adam's hand and stood on its own, growing in size and hardening before opening wide, welcoming its new master with mechanical hums.

"wow…that is something all right. Armor that is powered by augments, what an absurd idea. Is this the technology of the so-called golden age?"

"it is, I'll tell you all about how I got my hand on it later but—"

"but this doesn't change anything…it is a nice gift but I still won't go on that penance quest of yours If I have even the slightest chance at finding other humans. Whoever was controlling that girl said that he served humans, I have to interrogate her. get more information about it."

"I have a solution that works for both of us, but put on that armor first, get comfortable in it, and come meet me in my office…there are a few guests waiting for you there as we speak."

Adam stroked his chin, feeling the small growing hairs on his face he couldn't help but remember Haru's remarks for a split second, almost causing him to crack a smile.

I suppose trusting him for now isn't the worst decision I could make. He didn't trick me or try to assassinate me so far, that has to count for something…right?

"fine…I'll join you there once I'm done here."

"fantastic I'll be—"

"but remember, humanity will always come first for me Onvyr…always."

"of course."