The Aura Ascendant: A Knight's Unbroken Path

The battlefield was filled with chaos—explosions echoed in the distance, the pungent smell of smoke filled the air, and the ground trembled under the weight of mechanized war machines that were continuously moving throughout the combat zone.

Amidst the carnage that was happening, Seventeen, a soldier from a special unit was closing in on his target.

Everyone in his small unit had a special mechanical left eye—the Ocularis Lens. It had always been their reliable partner in every solo mission they had.

At this time, Seventeen was alone and as he moved, a series of data flashed in his mind as the Ocularis Lens calculated trajectories, enemy movements, and optimal movement patterns to reach his target.

It was an incredible piece of technology that not many could possess. It was a gift from the faction that had turned him into one of their most lethal weapons.

Then, after several hours on the battlefield, its crimson lens glowed faintly, as it started overloading. There were simply too many calculations happening, so Seventeen had to minimize or lessen its usage for a while.

"Number 17, status report," The voice of his superior sounded through the comms with a lot of noise in the background.

"Mission is proceeding as planned," Seventeen replied as he looked at his surroundings. "Enemy forces are retreating. I'll secure the objective."

The Ocularis highlighted a path through the debris, and Seventeen followed it without hesitation. He had done this hundreds of times before—eliminate the target, complete the mission, survive. But this time, something felt off.

The Ocularis detected no anomalies, yet his instincts screamed at him to be cautious.

As he reached the objective—a fortified bunker—the Ocularis suddenly flared with warnings. 

[ DANGER. INCOMING HOSTILES. HIGH THREAT LEVEL. ]

Before he could react, the ground beneath him erupted in an explosion that blinded him for a brief moment.

Seventeen was thrown into the air and his body slammed against the rough remains of a collapsed wall.

"Ugh…" He felt the pain all over his body and the Ocularis immediately began analyzing his injuries. 

[ Critical damage has been detected. Seek immediate evacuation. ]

He tried to move, but his body refused to obey.

'This is it, huh…' Seventeen thought as he knew that his mission failed. Being incapable of moving in this place filled with enemies only means one thing, death.

He didn't know how long had passed but he soon noticed someone approaching through the haze of smoke. Then, he saw a few more figures coming—soldiers from his own faction with their weapons aimed at him.

As he thought he would be recognized as an ally and was about to be rescued, he immediately felt something off. The weapons they were using were different.

'Why are they using those? Wait—'

Soon, he noticed that the man at the back who was slowly approaching was Commander Moore, the man who had given him the Ocularis, the man he had trusted… and he was wearing the uniform of the opposite faction!

"Seventeen," Commander Moore said with a voice devoid of emotion. "You've served your purpose."

With just these words, Seventeen immediately realized what was about to happen.

His Ocularis flickered, its calculations immediately made sense of the situation. 

[ Hostile intent confirmed. ]

Unfortunately, there was nothing Seventeen could do. There was no escape. His body was broken and his systems had started failing.

This betrayal was something he didn't expect the most considering how great his records were.

"Why?" Seventeen said, barely audible, as blood pooled in his mouth.

He stared up at Commander Moore, the man who had trained him, who had given him the Ocularis, who had once called him a "perfect soldier." 

"The Ocularis Lens Project has enough data… We need to take it back." The Commander replied. He was not willing to explain more.

There were only a limited number of Lens, so there were a lot of reasons why Seventeen had to die. Anyway, Seventeen was only a pawn for them that could be replaced at any time.

Seventeen couldn't believe it.

He had given everything to the faction—his body, his mind, his loyalty. And now he was being betrayed and was about to be thrown away?

He had many things he wanted to say. He wanted to curse him and kill him with his hands… However, there was nothing he could do…

"Cowards…" This was the only word he could utter. He was already too weak.

Then, the last thing Seventeen saw was the muzzle flash of Commander Moore's gun.

The Ocularis Lens also went dark after a few moments...

***

When Seventeen opened his eyes, he expected to see the cold, sterile walls of a faction medical bay—or perhaps nothing at all.

After all, he believed that he had already died.

Instead, he found himself staring at a canopy of lush green leaves. Sunlight was filtering through the branches.

The air was fresh, filled with the scent of flowers and earth. It was nothing like the war-torn wasteland he had known.

"Hmm? Is this heaven?"

Although he didn't believe he'd go to heaven, he just couldn't help but assume, considering how comfortable it was. Well, he believed that he should be burning right now if he was sent to hell.

He tried to sit up, but his body felt... wrong. It was smaller and weaker.

His hands—no, a child's hands—trembled as he raised them to his face.

He touched his left eye, the one that had once housed the Ocularis Lens and he felt strange.

It wasn't mechanical anymore, it was just a normal human eye but it wasn't entirely ordinary either.

As he blinked, a familiar glow flickered in his vision. 

[ System Rebooting… ]

[ Analyzing Surroundings. ]

"Where... am I?" he whispered and so, he realized that his voice pitch was high and unfamiliar.

At this time, his Ocularis Lens also finished its inspection of the surroundings.

[ Environment analysis complete. No immediate threats were detected. ]

Just after that, memories flooded his mind, but they weren't his own. They belonged to Hayden Gray, the 8th child of Baron Gray, a minor noble family in a world of knights and magic.

The memories came in fragments—a stern father, five older brothers, two sisters, a mother who had died after giving birth to him, and a life of quiet neglect. 

Hayden had been a sickly child, almost overlooked by his family and destined to be sent to a Knight Academy to train as a squire.

Since he had nothing to inherit, and they weren't rich enough to send him to better Academies that may educate him, they chose the free Knight Academy which would at least guarantee him a job once he grew up and became healthier.

Anyway, Hayden's body was his.

Seventeen—no, Hayden—clenched his fists.

The betrayal that he faced, the war-torn world he had to live in, the carnages he created... it all felt like a distant dream.

However, he knew that those weren't dreams. It was too vivid… He could only guess that it was probably his past life's memories being awakened.

After all, there were bedtime stories in this world that were quite similar to such a setting. What happened to him must be similar to those tales.

But there was a flaw in this train of thought.

'No… This is not just recalling my past life. The Ocularis Lens is together with me in a different form… It's weird.' Hayden thought.

However, just thinking about it made his head hurt. In the end, he decided to accept his situation for now, albeit filled with questions.

"I'm alive," he said, with his youthful pitch. He wasn't used to such a voice but he still couldn't help but smile at it.

"And I won't waste this second chance."