Chapter 18- Untitled 3

Next day,

When we reached the city of Lamel, the sun was already about to set. The city of Lamel, as I thought, is one of the most peculiar places I have seen (Although this is my first time outside the Capital). There was an aura of death hovering above this entire city but people were still enjoying their lives in any possible way they can. This city is also sometimes called the City of Sacrifice because of the large number of soldiers who die here every year but this place was still bustling with activity, I guess, since these people don't know when they might die, they try to enjoy each and every moment of their life as much as they could.

It took us around half an hour more to reach the camp. The camp was situated very close to the border. But for some reason the environment inside the camp was very grim. There were people moving here and there and no one seemed to have noticed our arrival. I know that most of the members of my squad including myself were commoners but we were still students after all and I don't think these people would ignore the fresh recruits in normal times. So if they haven't noticed us until now then that only means one thing, something big must have happened. I wonder if Alden and his team returned back to the camp.

It was only after 10 minutes or so when a timid looking guy approached us and asked, "May I ask who you are?"

Then I replied, "I am the leader of squad 2 from the Capital, my name is Aziel and this is my team."

"Oh! So you are the guys from the capital? That's great. I was on my way to search for all of you. Come with me, the Colonel has ordered all of you to meet him at the border."

So soon? We have just arrived and he wants us to go on a mission? Looks like the rumors about the Colonel are true.

I didn't say anything else and followed behind the man to where the Colonel had ordered me to come.

I arrived at the border. The walls on the border were built identical to the walls that were in the capital. And at the border there stood a man, he was around 6ft tall and had an arrogant expression on his face. He was exuding an air of dominance.

What a show-off! He is just trying to intimidate a bunch of kids using his aura. So the spiritual successor of St. Maria is just a bully hah. Well this is hardly a surprise considering how most of the big-shots act in front of the commoners.

The man looked at me for some time and then said in a deep voice, "You are Aziel?"

"Yes Sir! I am Aziel the leader of Squad 2." I replied. I really hope this guy doesn't try to exact revenge upon me because of my parents.

"I see, you certainly resemble your mother a lot. She had the same eyes and hair as you." Shut up you creep! Don't talk about my mother as if you were friends with her.

He continued.

"Yes, I know I wasn't really friends with your mother but I always respected her as a worthy rival, and one more thing, I can easily read what you are thinking just by looking at your face. I guess you have inherited your father's thought process. Sigh just looking at you brings back so many bad memories. I really feel like dying after thinking about them."

"O.K." I said in a mechanical voice.

"Now coming back to the main topic, I would like you to come here and see past this border gate." I did as he said.

The border gate was almost as tall as the walls. There was a telescope-type of equipment using which you can look past the walls. So when I did, I saw a scene that I would never forget in my life.

I saw Finlay standing in front of a big monster, if I am not wrong this monster is a Leonkey. It was around 25ft tall and it was releasing a massive killing intent. The monster was bleeding large amounts of blood. Why is Finlay not running away? It was only then did I see someone, he was a boy and he was bleeding from his mouth. Almost his entire body below his chest was frozen. That boy was Alden.

Seeing my friend in that terrible state made me panic but after a moment I calmed myself down and asked Col. Pint., "Sir, why haven't you acted until now? The monster looks terribly injured. You could have finished it already but why have you not?"

Me asking my superior a question could be considered a crime but I was not in the right mind to think about something like that. Against my questioning the Colonel just answered in a calm voice, "It was not the right time."

"I see. Sir, could you please open this door?"

"Yes, as you wish."

I gathered mana all around myself and used my strongest spell.

"Combination magic! Lightning Purgatory!"

Bright flames mixed with deadly lightning emerged from my hands and directly hit the already injured monster. The monster issued terrible screams. When the dust settled, there was a huge bloody hole on the stomach of the monster.

The monster, when it got hit by my attack finally realized that it would die if it were to keep fighting against us so it tried to run away. But Col. Pint., as if he were waiting for this opportunity attacked the monster by sending his spear flying towards it.

The monster wasn't very fast, which confused me a little as Leonkey is considered as one of the fastest monsters in this world, but when I looked at it again I realized that it was missing its tail. The spear reached where the monster was in a matter of seconds and then it stabbed through the monster's throat, thereby killing the monster.

Then I appeared beside Alden, his entire lower body was crystallized and he had no legs. They were destroyed like the shards of ice when the monster stepped on him. I looked at him with a pained expression and asked him, "How do you feel Alden?"

"I feel like shit. Even my balls have frozen how the hell am I going to have children in the future? That was some pretty good magic. Thanks for saving me and thank you too Finlay for sticking up for me when I was abandoned, I am really grateful." Alden said in a low voice.

"Alden you shouldn't…" Finlay tried to stop him from talking but Alden didn't stop.

"No, please let me talk. As you can see, right now I should have been crying and begging for a quick death but in all honesty I don't feel any pain. No, I actually don't feel anything at all. People say that a warrior loses all of the six sensations when you are about to die. Right now I can't feel the mana around me, I am also unable to feel anything through my skin and I also don't have any taste in my mouth nor am I able to smell anything. To be honest it's a fact that I am going to die." Alden said all that as if he wasn't talking about himself.

[Author's notes: - There are both 5 and 6 sensations in the world where Alden lives in as compared to the five we have in our world (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching). The common people in Alden's world have only 5 sensations whereas the warriors have 6 sensations. The 6 sensation are the five sensations along with mana detection.}

Then he suddenly started crying.

"Aagh! Uaagh! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Please save me. Nngh huff huff. I was going to bring souvenirs for my siblings, a new dress for my mother and a pair of boots for father how am I going to give these things to them if I die. Last night I even had a dream about my family members wearing all the stuff that I brought them. God isn't that cruel so why am I going through all this!? Why!? Why!? Why!!!!? I know! All of this is a dream I can't even feel anything, yes this has got to be a dream. If I were to close my eyes in this dream then everything would fade away. "

I couldn't take it anymore so I said, "Yes, just close your eyes and you will be all good."

Then he did as I said and after a minute he opened them once again and said, "You are a terrible liar, old friend."

Alden Spencer, the monster specialist of squad 1 died in action. His eyes just moments before he died weren't looking at me. Rather they were glaring at the heavens.

"Tap, tap, tap…"

The sound of dripping blood filled the surroundings and a memory flashed right before my eyes.

I see two familiar faces, a man and a woman looking at me with eyes filled with sadness and sorrow and then I hear the woman speak.

"Az, my son, I'm sorry".

Ah the first sentence she says is an apology, I thought

She continued-

"I know we've been unfair to you my child but trust me this is the last time".

"But mom you said the same thing last time too, you never keep your promise, you never play with me, you never…"

"Wuuuuuu Ooooohhhh!"

Before I could complete my sentence I got interrupted by the sound of the siren that reverberated throughout the entire capital.

"I know what you want to say and trust me both me and your father want to spend more time with you but we haven't been able to do so because of our duties. Please trust me child mama wants to spend time with you too". The woman said with a sad expression

"Az, you are our only child and we both love you a lot but we have our duties to fulfill as well and I promise that after this war ends, we will live a great life. The three of us will always stay together". The man said with an expression full of determination.

"Az, no Aziel, I know you must have felt lonely without us here and trust me, we always feel lonely without you too. But remember this; you are our flesh and blood. Do you know what that means? It means that no matter what happens the three of us will always be together. You will never be alone".

I nodded to what they said and forced them to do a pinky swear with me, I hugged them both and saw them off.

That was the last time I saw my parents, they died in the war.

"Tap, tap, tap…"

I am filled with a sense of despair. The blood that was dripping wasn't mine, hell I'm not even injured. I take a look at my lap where lies a lifeless body, with an aggrieved expression glaring at the heavens.

I am not even injured, then why do I feel like I'm the one who is about to die.

"Sniff sniff"

My vision is getting blurred because of the tears welling up in my eyes.

"Uaahhh! Aaahhh!"

It's been so long. Ever since the day my parents died, this is the first time I have cried. I guess something inside of me has died as well.