Reincarnated as a step-dad in a fantasy world

The battlefield was a chaotic and harrowing scene of destruction. Explosions from bombs and artillery shells echoed through the air, sending tremors through the ground. Smoke and dust filled the air, making visibility difficult. The sound of gunfire and the cries of wounded soldiers added to the cacophony of war.

Amidst the chaos, soldiers clad in various uniforms fought fiercely, taking cover behind whatever wreckage they could find. The ground was littered with debris and craters caused by the relentless barrage of explosives. The stench of gunpowder and death hung heavy in the air.

On this tumultuous battlefield stood a soldier, a symbol of resilience and expertise, wearing a worn-out uniform, evidence of his years of service and countless battles fought. Despite the chaos around him, the man, Jack, moved with precision and agility, skillfully avoiding deadly traps set by his enemies.

Surrounded by comrades just as experienced as him, Jack led his unit through the perilous landscape.

Despite being outnumbered, they fought with courage and resolve. Despite the enemy having the advantage in numbers, Jack's foes retreated.

As the enemy finally retreated, a tall and handsome man with brown hair and black eyes approached Jack.

"What is your analysis?" Jack asked the man, Paul.

This man had been by Jack's side for more than a decade. He was present even before Jack became the accomplished man he is now. In fact, there is a chance that had Paul not been by his side this whole time, he would have died long ago.

They had shared the bitterness of defeat, the joy of victory, and had cried together as their former comrades fell one after another until they were the only ones left alive. He knew this man more than he knew himself, thus he always considered his opinion before doing anything.

Lowering his weapon, Paul replied, "We've won this battle, but the enemy outnumbers us. They'll regroup and attack again. We should get out of here before they come back."

Jack nodded his head in agreement, "I think the same."

He turned to observe the forest surrounding them, sighed, and turned back to Paul. "For now, let's return to the hill we came from and take refuge in one of the caves there."

Paul nodded and turned to stare at the soldiers who were on the ground, groaning from exhaustion, "You lazy bunch, get off your asses and get moving! We don't have much time!"

The soldiers grumbled in dissatisfaction but still complied, aware that Paul's words were accurate. If they wasted time lying on the ground here, they wouldn't know how they died.

However, there was still someone, a man, who was still kneeling on the ground, crying over the fallen body of a soldier.

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?! I SWEAR IF IN THREE SECONDS YOU ARE NOT-"

"Alright, alright, I will take care of it. Go support the others in securing our route and making sure everyone is ready to depart." Jack patted Paul on his shoulders.

Paul cast a side glance at Jack, then nodded his head and left to execute the orders.

Jack observed the person on the ground, a man, for a moment before walking toward him.

Crouching next to the crying soldier, he asked with a soft tone, "Is it your friend?"

Only after he spoke did the man realize that someone was next to him. Looking up at Jack with his swollen eyes, the man stiffened when he realized that the one who just spoke to him was Jack.

"C-Captain, I'm sorr-"

"At ease," Jack smiled at the man, who seemed rather young. 'Too young to be sent to war,' thought Jack with clenched hands. Still, he forced himself to maintain the gentle smile on his face.

Hearing his words, the young man visibly relaxed. Turning to stare at the corpse before him, he answered Jack, "It's actually my brother, my twin brother to be precise." As he spoke, the tears that the young man had managed to keep in check threatened to spill over again, but he firmed his heart and continued:

"Despite the fact that we have the same age, he was always the one who took care of me. He did anything to protect me, even joining the army because he wanted to protect me and our country. But to me, he was always my guiding light, and I didn't want to lose sight of that guiding light. So, despite his refusal, I also enlisted in the army," the young man tightly clenched his hands, tears dropping from his eyes.

"I-I should have l-listened to him. Had I... he wouldn't have taken a bullet while trying... to protect me," the young man said while sniffing.

Jack gritted his teeth, his anger soaring when he thought that this whole war that was killing so many innocents was caused just because of some rotten politicians and their misplaced ego. But soon, he sighed and calmed down.

Reaching out, Jack took the identification tag that was around the dead man's corpse and read the name "Donny" engraved on it.

Turning to the sobbing young man, he placed the identification tag in his hand and said, "There's nothing that I can say that will bring back your brother or ease the pain you are currently feeling. Just know that your brother and all those who have sacrificed themselves in this war are heroes. The only thing we can do to honor their memories is to continue to stand tall, to never falter, and continue to do so until the end of this war or until the end of our own lives."

Jack rose to his feet, executed a military salute towards the battlefield, and solemnly uttered, "May the souls of all our fallen brothers find eternal peace."

The young man wiped the tears from his face and slowly stood up. Reciprocating the same gesture as Jack, he said, "May the souls of all our fallen brothers find eternal peace."

Looking down at his brother's corpse, he added, "Rest in peace, brother."

Jack nodded his head and patted the young man on his shoulder, "Let's go before it's night."

Together, Jack and the young man walked back to the rest of the unit, who were ready to depart.

The young man rejoined his group while Jack regrouped with Paul. The instant he came near, Jack heard Paul say, "You are too soft."

"For the thousandth time, it's called having empathy, not being soft!" exclaimed Jack in a frustrated tone.

"Yeah, right," Paul snorted and advised, "then you should stop feeling empathy; otherwise, it will lead to your downfall."

Having said his piece, Paul turned back and left Jack alone.

Sighing, Jack glanced behind to observe the battlefield one last time before turning back and going to take his position at the head of the unit. Soon, they left the battlefield behind them.

As Jack and his unit made their way back up the hill, it started raining heavily, slowing down the advance of their unit. Thankfully, they eventually came upon a cave capable of accommodating all of them and decided to seek refuge in it.

Soon, the initial darkness of the cave was replaced by the intense light emanating from the soldiers' flashlights.

Walking to a secluded spot in the cave, Jack sat and observed his soldiers who began unpacking.

A minute or so later, Paul approached him and suggested, "I believe a well-prepared meal would boost the morale of the soldiers more than the usual jerky."

'Since when do you care about the morale of the soldiers?' Jack thought with raised brows, but didn't comment on it, knowing that this friend of his likes to cook. Instead, he took on a confused expression and inquired, "What is wrong with eating the usual jerky?"

"People are not like you, you know. Us normal people prefer eating something different from time to time," Paul teased.

Shrugging his shoulders, Jack replied, "Do as you want."

Hearing Jack's approval, a hidden glint flashed through Paul's eyes, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared.

One hour later...

"Here, it's for you," Paul placed a bowl containing soup before Jack.

"No thanks, I prefer eating jerky," Jack said after glancing inside the bowl.

"Just give it a try; it's not that bad, I promise," Paul insisted.

"I... sigh, alright," Jack put back the jerky he was intending to eat and took the bowl of soup.

Bringing the spoon to his mouth, Jack's eyes slightly widened in surprise, 'It's strangely delicious.'

"Delicious, right?" Paul smiled.

"Well, it's at least edible," replied Jack with a smirk.

"Tsk, I will leave you to it," Paul clicked his tongue and left Jack alone.

Despite what he said, Jack very much liked the food before him, so he finished everything in his bowl. It was rare for them to eat anything aside from jerky, so even if the food wasn't that great, he would still eat it.

When he finished stuffing his stomach, Jack leaned his back against the cave's walls and tilted his head to look at the ceiling, his mind filled with thoughts about the war and all the damage it caused.

All of a sudden, the ceiling of the cave became blurry, and just after, an insufferable pain erupted through his whole body.

'W-What is happening?' Jack groaned while holding his head in pain.

"Arrgg..."

"Ugh..."

Despite the fact his whole body was aching, the instant Jack heard groans of pain near him, his eyes concentrated to look where it was coming from, but what he saw mortified him.

All of his subordinates were on the ground, groaning from pain; some were even vomiting blood. Everyone seemed agonizing, no, not everyone.

Struggling against the pain, Jack's gaze focused on a particular figure who seemed to be the only person still standing.

"P-Paul," Jack muttered in disbelief. He wasn't stupid; the instant he saw the condition in which he and the others were, he deduced that they had been poisoned. Since the only one on his feet was Paul, then it was obvious who was the cause of this situation.

He knew there was always a risk of being poisoned, but he never thought it would come from one of his unit members, especially Paul, who was his best and only friend.

The pain Jack felt due to the poison was really bad, but knowing that Paul, his closest friend, was the one who poisoned him hurt more than any physical pain. It was tormenting.

"Oh, don't give me that look. You had it coming long ago," Paul asked as he approached Jack.

"W-W-cough cough- Why?" Jack inquired as he coughed blood.

The sheer pain he felt just from talking was like twisting a dagger, piercing his body. But Jack didn't care about that; the only thing on his mind was understanding why his friend had betrayed him.

"Oh, it's quite simple!" Paul exclaimed with a distorted smile. "I needed to climb the ladder, and you were becoming annoying to the higher-ups. They were certain that someone as righteous as you would cause a rebellion one day, so they charged me to kill you. If I accomplished this mission, I would become the new war hero."

Paul's smile distorted even more, and he theatrically made a sweeping gesture in the air, as if he were envisioning the future or directing a dramatic scene in a film, "just imagine, all over the country, people would narrate how I, Paul O'Brien, the sole survivor of today's battle, managed to cause the Zetanian army to flee."

"D-Don't... speak b-bullshit, I know you, that's not... your only-cough cough - goal!"

Paul's distorted smile stopped, replaced by a cold one as he uttered, "Seeing how you got yourself betrayed by me, I doubt you know me as well as you think. But you are right; it's not the only reason."

"T-Then what is it?" Jack wondered with a hateful glare.

"Well, you are going to die anyway, so there's no need to hide it anymore," Paul chuckled. "I'm Zetanian."

It was like an explosion went off in Jack's head. Some weird behaviors and actions of Paul he had discarded as his friend being weird fell into place like pieces of puzzles, forming a whole picture.

"It seems that you finally connected the dots. Too bad it's too late," Paul said as he took out his firearm. "I will end your sufferings in memory of the good old time," he said with a sincere smile.

"F-Fuck you!"

"Hehe, I will also miss you, Jack Green," Paul said, and then...

Bang

A bullet exited Paul's firearm, finding its mark in Jack's heart.

As he felt himself dying, Jack thought, 'Ahh... what a pathetic ending for a supposed war hero...'