Chapter 1 The Cursed Legion

My name is James Moore. I'm just your average high school student, dreaming of getting into a good college, finding a nice girlfriend, and sipping beer once in a while. I live in a small apartment complex in East London, where I've lived all my life. One thing about me that stands out is that I'm a huge fan of the Roman Empire—not the Holy Roman Empire, but the Roman Empire before its split into eastern and western empires that lasted from 27 BC to 395 AD.

I love history, but the Roman Empire period will always be the icing on my cake. No matter how badly movies portray the Roman Legion, I'm always cheering for them. Whenever I have free time, I'm always reading or researching about them—their civilization, the weapons they used, their enemies, and their tactics. Name them, and I bet I already know them by heart.

I always thought that I was born in the wrong era and that I always wished to live through the era of the Roman Empire, to join the Legion, follow Julius Caesar in his conquests, and live amidst the foundation of civilization in every city we raze. But as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for; it might come true... and this is exactly what happened to me, James Moore, or in my new name, Julius Tatius.

It all started on a Sunday morning, a normal day, nothing really out of the ordinary. As usual, I'm like any other Sunday, heading out to the bookstore to buy some school supplies as it's almost our mid-term exams, and the bookstore is just a few blocks away. While I was in the aisle of the apartment complex, I was greeted by someone. "Hey James, you're up bloody early today! It's almost your exam. Are you going to the bookstore?" The lady with the awful mouth is Mrs. Wilkins; she has always been looking out for me since I've moved here. I'm an orphan; my parents died when I was 15 in a car crash. My dad was a little tipsy drinking with my mom and hit a pole. Mrs. Wilkins and her daughter have always looked out for me. I greeted her back. "Hi Mrs. Wilkins, yes, I'm about to go to the bookstore. Does Penny need something? I could grab it for you."

"It's fine, James, Penny is already gone to the bookstore. Have a safe trip." I nodded in response and continued on my errand. While walking in the street, I suddenly heard a scream; there was a robbery in the local convenience store, and the robber had a girl hostage at knifepoint!

I was about to mind my own business, but in the corner of my eye, I saw the hostage, and it was familiar because I've seen this red-haired fairy girl numerous times. It's Penny!

Shit… Shit… Shit, this is all I could think about… Where's the police at? These pieces of shit are always late when you need them but will hound you if you commit a little offense. I looked in Penny's direction and tried observing the robber. He's disoriented and shaking; I could see numerous syringe holes in his left arm. This guy is a druggie who has no more money for drugs. I observed the druggie more; I could see that his eyes are starting to lose it, and he was panicking and would almost have no more sense of reason. I could see a small streak of blood on Penny's neck; I must do something...

I tried talking with the druggie as I kept getting closer to him. "Hey man, don't do this. You don't want to ruin your life. You could go to rehab and start anew." Penny saw me and is screaming for me to help her. The druggie… I reassured Penny with a nod and signaled her to calm down. "Hey man, your family needs you. Don't do this. The one in your arms is only 15 years old." The druggie is not responding; he's only shaking. My worst fear comes true; the druggie is already out of it and has no more sense of reason. I'm about three meters apart from the druggie when I saw him swing about to stab Penny in an arcing motion. I immediately ran and pushed the knife away. I failed to push the knife, but Penny got away from the robber. All I need to do is run when suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. When I turned my head back, I saw the druggie smiling and a knife embedded in my shoulder… Shit... Immediately after that, the druggie tried to stab me again; I blocked the first stab, but the second one got me… Rapidly, the strength in my legs gave in, and I fell down suddenly and heard gunshots.

The police are finally here. I wanted to curse at them, but I don't have any energy left… I saw Penny rush to my side; she's trying to stop the bleeding and directing the police in my direction, but I think it's no use. I know my body, and I know I'm dying; I got stabbed in fatal areas. I could see that Penny is trying to say something, but I can't hear anything at all. As my vision slowly became dark, I muttered my favorite Latin phrase, "Legio, Aeterna, Victrix!" "Legion, Eternal, Victorious!"

When I opened my eyes, I was expecting to be greeted by a nurse or a warm bed and welcomed as a hero, but what happened was far from my expectation. I was first greeted by a sharp pain in my head; foreign memories flooded my brain… Despair immediately hit me. I was disoriented and immediately calmed myself down and started to observe my surroundings. What I saw shocked me; I'm in the middle of the wilderness in front of an outpost for the recruitment of the 14th Legion. Caesar's Cursed Legion!