Chapter one

Captain Cecis stood atop the rugged hills overlooking Ethea, a thriving trade hub that linked numerous towns of the Greek empire via an extensive river trading network. As he gazed upon the tranquil town, he couldn't shake off the gnawing feeling of foreboding that had settled deep within his heart.

The news had just arrived that the Persian army was marching towards Ethea with a force approximately five times larger than their company. This conflict was just a minor battle in the larger war between Greece and Persia, which had been ongoing for two years. The war had started when the empire of Persia began their expansion into Greece. Throughout the war Cecis, alongside his brother Salus, and friend Demest, had gained authority and risen through the ranks by displaying their prowess with the spear. Although Cecis had risen to become a Captain commanding a hundred troops, and both Salus and Demest had become successful Officers, commanding fifty troops each, Cecis knew they would still not be enough to win the upcoming battle.

Cecis knew that this battle would be their last, and the weight of the responsibility to protect the innocent townspeople bore down heavily upon him. Cecis, Salus, and Demest had been brought up as Spartans, raised on the ethos of duty, honour, and courage. They had trained for years to prove their mettle in battle, honing their skills and strengthening their resolve. However, they had never thought that they would be sent here, to Ethea, to die.

Cecis and his men stood there, the sound of distant horses grew louder, as they watched the Persian soldiers steadily approaching in the distance. The ground shook under their feet, a enormous cloud of dust rising behind the Persian army. Their shields and swords shone, their uniform armour and superior numbers casting a somber mood across the Spartan soldiers.

Cecis knew that they had to move quickly and precisely, without making any errors if they even hoped to protect Ethea for a short time, much less survive. He signalled to his men to form ranks, and they rushed to set up a defensive force in the narrow streets surrounding the wall of Ethea. Cecis aimed to strategically position themselves at choke points, utilising the narrow spaces to their advantage. This would force the Persians to engage in smaller groups, thereby reducing the impact of their numerical advantage during combat. Although Cecis knew in the long run they would still be worn down by the overwhelming Persian forces…But somehow he still had hope, the three had faced many grim battles before and managed to come out alive.

The Persians arrived at the outskirts of Ethea like a wave, flooding into the narrow streets. The battle began in earnest. The Spartans fought with all their might, knowing that the fate of Ethea and the surrounding towns depended on their skill and discipline.

Cecis led a handful of skilled spearmen, including Salus and Demest, through the narrow streets, engaging in battle with a towering man wielding a longsword, surrounded by a formidable group of spearmen. But Cecis remained unflinching, drawing upon the rigorous training he had undergone. Pushing forward with Salus and Demest at his side, they managed to dispatch the four spearman defending the swordsman from the front, displaying their superior teamwork and skill. Bellowing with rage the swordsman leapt forward, swinging his massive blade towards Cecis’ group.

With a skillful dodge, Cecis evaded the first few blows, but one of the spearmen beside him wasn’t so lucky, almost being split in two by a sweeping strike. Seeing an opening, Cecis bellowed in rage and rushed the overextended swordsman, dealing a critical blow to his knee causing him to stumble. Salus instantly followed up, piercing the large man in the neck with his spear. The Spartan soldiers quickly routed the rest of the uncoordinated group of Persian spearmen, some even daring to turn and flee.

As the clash of steel echoed through the streets, the Spartans used every tactic at their disposal to take down the Persian soldiers. Despite killing many groups of Persian soldiers, far too many remained, and the outcome of the battle seemed inevitable. Yet, Cecis and his troops fought on with unwavering determination, driven by the unbreakable discipline Spartans. Desperately praying for reinforcements that they knew would not arrive in time.

Cecis and his company fought on, even as their numbers dwindled. It was like a dance of death, with each move carefully calculated and executed. But eventually, they started to thin and began to be pushed back toward the town wall, and Cecis felt a sense of despair wash over him. The Persians were only gaining more of an advantage as the battle went on.

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The Spartans dwindled until they were down to just a handful of soldiers, including Cecis, Salus, and Demest, all covered with wounds. They fought on with a fierce determination to uphold their Spartan values of duty, honour, and courage, defending Ethea until their very last breath.

Cecis, Salus, and Demest and a group of two other Spartans frantically fought to keep the groups of Persian soldiers back. They decided to retreat back to a different street to gain a better position, but this idea quickly faded as they saw another large group of Persians round the corner, trapping them on both ends.

Cecis, Salus, and Demest had been brothers in arms since their earliest days growing up. Raised together as Spartans, they had been moulded by the harsh discipline and gruelling training. They had always been a tight-knit trio, more than friends, more than comrades - they were family.

Cecis and Salus had never known their parents and had grown up in the Spartan community, where to Cecis, Salus and Demest were the only family he had ever known. They had been with him his whole life.

Despite the many battles they had fought and the countless enemies they had faced, Cecis had never once doubted that the three of them together could be bested in a fight. But now, as they faced the advancing Persian soldiers, he knew that this time would be different. The odds were against them, and they were wounded, outnumbered and trapped.

Cecis took a steadying breath and shared a look with his brothers. There was no need for words - they all knew what had to be done. They would fight until their last breath, and they would do it together.

With fierce determination, Cecis barked an order to the other two spearmen, "Follow me!" and led them down a nearby alleyway. It was a dead end, but it would provide them with cover and a defensible position, stopping the Persians from approaching them in multiple directions.

The first to fall was one of the nameless spearmen commanded by Cecis, he felt a twinge of regret but continued to fight, he had to. Felling another Persian soldier, Cecis stumbled and received a glancing strike tearing open his left shoulder, causing him to scream in pain. Demest lunged forward in desperation to stop the Persians from closing in on the wounded Cecis, but his strike stuck and caused him to lose his balance and fall towards the man he’d struck. The man groaning but alive pulled out a knife and stepped forwards, almost falling upon Demest, stabbing him through the gut. Cecis was horrified as he watched his friend fall to the ground, his life slipping away.

In a fit of rage, Salus thrust his spear at the soldier stumbling with the knife, striking him dead. Cecis was jarred out of his shock and pain as an attacking Persian charged at him. With a quick move, Cecis thrust his spear into the Persian's heart, killing him instantly. He furiously lunged forwards and plunged his spear into the neck of another Persian, watching as the enemy soldier fell to the ground.

But Cecis's victory was short-lived. With the loss of Demest, the three spearmen were suddenly overwhelmed by the Persian soldiers, and one of them stabbed Cecis above his hip with his sword. Cecis could instantly tell the wound would be fatal, and with one final effort, he jabbed his spear into the attacker whose sword had gotten stuck above his hip, before slumping over on the ground, bleeding out.

As Cecis lay there, gasping for breath, he found some relief that at least he had died an honourable death with his brothers, and wouldn’t have to live in a world without them.

This was the end.

Suddenly everything was dark. All sound disappeared, and Cecis was left alone in the void. Confused and disoriented, he tried to make sense of what was happening when he heard a voice.

[System initialising…]

[Assimilation of 12th universe complete.]

[Entity has sustained considerable damage…]

[Repairing entity for evaluation…]

[Achievement granted: Enlightened.]

[Entity selected for Tutorial.]

[Transfering…]

The last thing Cecis noticed before the darkness was dispelled was a screen floating in front of him.

Status:

Name: Cecis

Species: Human

Type: Enlightened

Condition: Healthy

Compatibility: 9

Grade: (Z)

Level: 1 (Z)

Experience: [0/13XP→(LV 2)],[0/715XP→(Y)]

Statistics:

Strength: 0

Agility: 0

Endurance: 0

Vitality: 0

Magic: 0

Mana: 0

Aura: 0 (+5%)

Intelligence: 10 (MAX) (Enlightened)

Free points: 9

Achievements:

Enlightened: Entity has reached maximum Intelligence and cannot put System Stats into Intelligence. Allows communication between anyone with the Enlightened Achievement. (+5% Aura).