Chapter 133: Quinn Larisch (Part 5)
Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for the other agents to start respecting me. Maybe it’s just because of my age or because I worked almost directly under General Ryker most of the time, but the other agents saw me as one of them a lot quicker than I anticipated they would. I was also allowed to go home late in the evening on the weekdays, and Ryker even sometimes let me spend entire weekends at home, depending on how things were going. I often thanked him for these acts of kindness, mostly because my parents were always overjoyed to see me.
Although General Ryker was in charge of the military's security and strategy branches, we spent most of our time working on strategy. And that was because… we were on the verge of entering a war against our neighboring continent, Racafi. This revelation came as a shock to me. I had always thought Racafi were our closest allies, and there was never any mention of conflict at the academy or from my parents. The idea that we were on the brink of war was kept entirely secret from the public.
At the time, the brief skirmishes between our two nations remained at sea. Neither country wanted to go into or acknowledge they were in a full-blown war, but if either country tried to enter waters considered enemy territory, it was very common for battles at sea to commence. It was like a secret war that both leaders kept under wraps from their people and the rest of the world.
This is how I learned the main reason why the economy has taken such a steep decline for the past two decades was finally answered. The queen had overly funded the military, hoping that war would break out and we would win. These acts were big gambles made by the queen, almost as if saying to Racafi that we wanted war. That said, if we ended up winning this war that had yet to break out, it’d be because of these risky financial investments.
Additionally, the condition Ryker mentioned earlier regarding the necessity that all government agents must become an iris wielder also cleared up. So far, we’ve been fortifying our forces amongst our naval blockade and our nation’s border in preparation for war. The more iris wielders we have, the better, and as a government agent, I understood that I’d have to be ready to fight.
With my ability, I specialized in torture and interrogation for any captured soldiers from Racafi. General Ryker joined me during my first few interrogations, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly and was soon capable of doing interrogations on my own.
As an interrogator, I quickly learned when to be ruthless, gentle, threatening, and downright inhumane. I wasn’t proud of my actions as an interrogator, but if it meant protecting my family so they wouldn’t have to go through the same treatment one day, I was willing to do whatever it took to keep them safe.
When I first entered the room wearing my government uniform, most soldiers roared with laughter, chattering about how Iasa must be in rough shape if they’re now bringing in kids to do a job like this. I didn’t mind their derogatory comments… I just got the job done. I learned all kinds of weaknesses in the human body from both my mother and the academy, and despite my youth, iris amplified my strength to the point where I was as strong as two grown men.
Not long after I began torturing a prisoner, they were begging me to stop, questioning how a kid my age could be so ruthless in between their cries. Once they were willing to talk, I could usually extract loads of information about their military. Some prisoners had thicker skin than others, but almost everyone fell victim to my ability. All I needed was a name, an “in” to one of their memories, and I could twist their perspective on things using override. If a Racafi soldier truly believed our two countries were going to war with each other and they were being thrown onto the battlefield as death fodder, they became far more willing to reveal more military secrets.
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Until I joined the government, Iasa may have taken the initiative, but against a far bigger country like Racafi, most accepted that we probably wouldn’t have a chance in hell. Our military was only around a fifth of Racafi’s assumed military size, and their technological advancements in war exceeded ours. Not to mention, they had 'The Six Paragons', six mighty iris wielders that were like heroes to the people of Racafi.
The only thing that made up for those deficits were our strongest iris wielders. One man in particular climbed the ranks at an astonishing speed thanks to his feats on the naval battlefield. Becoming the head of the naval branch just two years after joining the military, this man was General Kane, also known as ‘The Halos Guardian’, a legacy wielder of one of the nine mythic Los abilities.
Just because I wasn’t out on the frontlines, that doesn’t mean my role was undervalued. As I grew more comfortable with my ability, it became easier to extract crucial intel, and sometimes even, I was capable of turning their soldiers to our side. By overriding their memories of where their loyalties belonged, soldiers we once captured were now on our side against Racafi.
By the time I turned fifteen, I had been promoted to ‘Lieutenant General’ and worked as Ryker’s right-hand man. Three times a week, the generals of each branch would meet and discuss matters regarding the war. As Ryker’s lieutenant, I sat in on nearly every meeting. I was even given the floor to insert my opinion from time to time.
Three years. Three long, tiring years. I was hoping that if I proved my loyalty to the kingdom, I would maybe be able to sway some of the higher-ups and bail my parents out of the age of divination. As an agent, I learned that specific noble families were exempt from adhering to the trials and age of divination law. I had hope… I really did.
But when I subtly brought up the idea to Ryker, it was the first time I had seen him become angry with me. Of course, I had seen this fury of his dozens of times beforehand, but I was never the one being targeted by his wrathful words. This time, though, he wasn’t yelling or threatening me. He calmly spoke to me as he reaffirmed that the trials and age of divination law are sacred parts of our kingdom that must not be disobeyed.
The very fact I had spoken out against such laws so carelessly could've put everybody I know and love at risk. Myself, my family, Ryker, anybody he cared about, and more. Ryker ordered that I never speak about such things again. From that moment, I realized I was just a pawn to the government and would be thrown away once I was deemed useless.
I dwelled on how that conversation went down for weeks. I was angry… pissed off at myself for letting my emotions get the better of me, therefore clouding my judgment. I still had three years before I would be forced to enter the trials. There was plenty of time to figure something out, and yet I might’ve possibly thrown away the only chance I had at finding an out.
And yeah, looking back, I messed up big time. Because from that moment, everything just went downhill.
Coming up on four years in the military, the cost of my ability began to take its toll. I was cautious, only using my ability when I felt it was needed. And even when I used my ability, I attempted to alter memories on a much smaller scale in most instances. But after so many uses over the years, it was only a matter of time before my luck began to run out.
While walking the halls of our headquarters on an early morning, an agent greeted me as we passed each other… an agent I knew well. But when I attempted to return the hello, I couldn’t think of her name.
I had forgotten. I’d known this person for four years and greeted her nearly every morning, but for a brief few seconds, I couldn’t remember her name… or how we had met.
That was the first warning, but I didn’t realize it. I considered it could’ve been because of my ability, but I chalked it up to the early morning sleepiness and the stress of the pseudo-war getting to me. Despite our best efforts, Racafi now had us on the back foot. They had gathered their forces, and it seemed to everybody like a full-blown invasion was imminent. I tried to ignore it, but…
When I spent time at home, tiny mannerisms of mine began to change. I would sit in a different seat than normal for dinner, I couldn’t recall my childhood toys, and I started having other favorite foods than I used to. But worst of all, one day, I had even forgotten which room was mine.
It was evident enough these were the consequences of abusing my ability. But I couldn’t stop. I had to keep going because if I didn’t… my father would die in less than a year. I had spent so much time trying to find a way out for my family that I had lost sight of something so simple, how old my parents were.
And my father… would soon die from the age of divination if I didn’t do something to save him.