Joining the Military

Orchid ran to a guard on site, he pleaded with him to take him to his parents, since he had known the case well, he knew well that the two were identifiable, their bodies were barely put together.

"Son, you can't see them now, but as their son and the girl's brother, the government will send you a report and all the preparations will be done by us. So you don't have to worry. Okay?"

"Brother? What do mean? Where's Lily?" his eyes start to water the moment he realized she was with them the whole time.

"Show them to me!" he ordered,

"Son, we can't." he softened his tone, he understood he wasn't stable, who would be?

Within a second the guard was pushed away to the side, by a huge stream of water. Orchid rushed in, he was on autopilot, he couldn't recall learning a spell like that but he just needed to get through to find his family, he see their bodies to believe it.

He saw multiple cloths of white covering what look like bodies on the ground.

Jake appeared just before he could take them off.

"Orchid, not yet, they're not...in a good state." he tries to persuade him.

A tear streaked down his face,

"A good state?"

The same stream of water comes back at Jake this time but he slashes it easily with his sword.

"Orchids let's talk first, it's not good for you to see them when you just got better."

Orchid summons the very being he did when fighting at the temple, it didn't give Jake a chance to counter as it swung at him, causing him to crash into the wall behind him.

The goddess he had summoned pressed her hands into praying signs, and several streams of water shot out and pummeled Jake, thinking he was out cold, Orchid started to approach his parent's dead bodies but instantly lightning started to shoot down forming a gate preventing him from going forward.

"Orchid listen to me."

"Avaloteskitvara"

Hands emerged from the ground beneath Jake, to stop him. He sighed, and instantly vapor appeared as he struck them with lightning,

"When did you learn these?"

Orchid didn't let go and assaulted him with more attacks, it was all countered by him, they both were fighting relentlessly.

Orchid wasn't planning on stopping, he wanted to see his family, he couldn't believe they're dead.

"Amitabha"

A pool of water pulled Jake underneath. The whirlpool sucked him in, Orchid took the opportunity to race to the other side finally blowing off the white cloth to see three figures lying there disfigured. To his horror he fell to the ground, everything he conjured was dispelled. Jake got up wide-eyed and raced to him, he hugged him covering his view of the bodies.

Orchid started to cry on his shoulders, Jake with his free hand turned the cloth to cover them.

"Orchid.." he didn't know what to say to him, he just didn't want him to be sad anymore

*****

Military personnel started to surround them, the backup was alerted when the news that a guard had been taken outspread. They interrogated Orchid about why he did what he had, and after explaining, the guards let him off with a warning.

Orchid pledged to join the army swearing to get back at whatever that did this to his family. He registered for the intake right after his graduation. Jake tried to dissuade him from doing so, Racquel and Alek did their parts too in convincing him but he did not listen. He studied harder than ever before to get more spells under his belt.

Right after the graduation ceremony months later, he went straight to the military base to get listed in, he was resilient with his resolve, Jake too enlisted but a year before as he was a year older than Orchid.

Jake made sure to follow him whenever he could, it was difficult as they had to enlist in different classes. They trained at different times, but there were sometimes when their schedules clashed and they would see each other. Whenever so, Jake would stick to him like glue.

Jake always kept an eye on hi, he always asked around making sure he was alright.