Prosarea, Peacius, 2nd Day 1st Phase 1457th Set.
The walls of the training dojo shuddered as Teiga swung his wooden katana 180 degrees, generating strong winds that could easily blow down deeply rooted bamboos. Random black dents were starting to form on the wooden walls that surround the swordsman, it was as if the dojo contained a madman scratching the walls every second. Sweat from his arms trickled down the wooden katana, making the sword appear to be glistening. Sounds of heavy breathing echoed around the empty dojo while the afternoon sun turning the dojo into an oven.
"I am getting closer to perfecting my own move. Just a little bit more..." mumbled Teiga to himself.
WIth another deep breath, Teiga slid his right foot back while simultaneously bringing his wooden sword to his right hip. He tensed up his muscles to the point of nearly tearing his muscle strands. Eyes closed and all his senses concentrated on his surroundings. Teiga whispered the mana manipulation chant.
"O plerus, incimbia cercum me."
Blue flames engulfed the sword that Teiga gripped tightly. Feeling the limit of the amount of mana entering his body, pulses surged through the young man's body. At the sound of a sweat droplet hitting the floor, Teiga swung the katana with ferocity and decisiveness. The wind generated carried the blue flames throughout the entire dojo before striking the walls with a deafening "BANG!". After the remaining flames dissipated, only blackened walls remained. What was once a brown varnished wall, is now black. The blue mana flames were supposed to be warm but with Teiga's natural talent, it turned into an empowered mana flame.
"Oh my Xanis. Teiga! What happened!?" exclaimed Henestia. "I heard a loud sound coming from the dojo and came to check."
Henestia gaped at the blackened scene of the dojo, dumbfounded by a seemingly impossible scene unless the dojo burned down. Teiga slouched his broad shoulders and lowered the wooden katana. Seeing the sight of mana drained Teiga, Henestia decided to not chase him for answers. She gently ushered her beloved son back to the main building of the mansion before fetching a cup of cold water for Teiga to rehydrate himself. He proceeded to gulp down the cup of water in one shot.
"Here, have a drink and take a short rest before bathing," Henestia lovingly suggested. "I am proud of you to be able to come up with such a powerful katana swing."
"Thank you, my mother. I will not disappoint you in the future."
"I know you won't. You are my son after all." replied the proud mother.
The sound of the main entrance doors swinging open and slamming the side walls reverberated through the mansion. Both mother and son jerked up in surprise at the sound of the doors. The precious moment between Henestia and Teiga was further ruined when Levi stomped into the drawing room of the mansion. Levi's face wrinkled into a face of rage while his hands clenched into fists with an envelope in hand. Eyes burning with anger and hands shaking with fury.
"Those damn Verseriens! Ordering us to do whatever they please!" roared Levi as he slammed himself onto the sofa.
"Honey, what happened at the Information Brokers HQ?" questioned Henestia curiously.
"The damn Verseriens are absorbing the HQ into their own empire's intelligence unit. Now I have to work under those pigs!" Levi replied.
The oblivious Teiga was utterly confused at the current situation as he did not know of the annexation of his homeland, Peacius.
"My father, what in the world happened to make you so furious?" asked Teiga.
WIthout saying a word, Levi reluctantly handed over the crumpled envelope to his son. On the envelope was the golden Verserien Military seal that sealed the envelope and Teiga's name. Using a letter opener, Teiga slit opened the letter addressed to him. He read the letter carefully, word for word and line for line.
On the letter, the sender wrote:
To Teiga Ura of the renowned Ura clan,
This letter is sent to you, with the aim of informing you of your enlistment into the Verserien Military. War has broken out across the continent of Pacifia when Noct and Persidius attacked Alantieus. Thus Noct will attack your homeland of Peacius soon. In order to protect Peacius, the Empire of Verserius has kindly decided to protect it and improve its prosperity.
As per what Duke Leinov of Peacius has announced at the city hall on 2nd Day 1st Phase 1457th Set. All Peacian males aged between 14 to 40 will be enlisted into the Verserien Military. This is decided upon careful discussions between the Peacian government and the Royal Court of Verserius. Your enlistment is vital in ensuring the peace of the continent of Pacifia and the safety of your loved ones.
All enlistees will be granted both Verserien and Peacian citizenship. Meaning that the enlistee can live in both Peacius and Verserius with the benefits of both nations after the war. You are hereby required to report to Prosarea City Hall on 5th Day 1st Phase 1457th Set for allocation/posting of military vocations. If you are absent from the enlistment process, your clan's aristocrat status will be stripped away regardless of reason.
The Empire of Verserius is looking forward to work with such a refined individual.
Yours sincerely,
Imperial Military Council of Verserius.
Once Teiga had finished reading the letter, he soon realised what he was being dragged into. Even with all the attractive benefits of being an enlistee in the Imperial Military of Verserius, the young man knew that he had to go to battles and risk being killed by a stranger on an unfamiliar battlefield. Dying as an anonymous person, buried in a mass grave. No recognition whatsoever. Scenes of his parents crying over his death flashed in his mind. He imagined the last thing he sees before dying is a sword swung towards his neck. The very thought gave Teiga cold feet. He was stumped, sitting on the soft sofa, holding the dreadful letter in his trembling hands. Henestia placed her hands on her son's shoulders and leaned in for a comforting hug that hoped to calm his son's wavering heart.
"We will discuss this later during dinner. Teiga, go take a bath and try your best to take this sudden news in," Levi said.
Slowly, Teiga raised up from the sofa and stumbled a little. His face was as white as freshly fallen snow. Henestia wrapped her hand around her sullen son and assisted him to the bathroom.
"Teiga, you have anything that you need help in, just call me. Okay?" Henestia said.
"Alright..." replied Teiga as he took off his upper-half of his grey training robe to show a sweaty muscular back and arms with some minor scars from the continuous training in cultivating his own technique.
As Henestia left the bathroom, Teiga took off the rest of his clothing and stepped into the warm water of the 10m wide large bathtub. The whole bathroom was foggy from the mist, foggy just like Teiga's mind. Unsure of what to do now, should he run away or face reality. If he runs away, his family will face the consequence of his cowardice. But if he faces reality, he may die.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
In the corner of his mind, Teiga recalled what his father said to him when he was only 7 Sets old, that one needs the determination to learn the Ura blade. Now that he has learnt the Ura blade, it meant that he has the determination and he should show it in his actions. The young man solved his dilemma by further believing that he should have the determination to survive the war and live a fulfilling life with his loved ones till they die of old age. His belief will become the motivation Teiga relies on to survive the bloody war.
A full moon silently floated up in the night sky with sparkling stars accompanying it. In the dining room of the mansion sat the family of 3, a solemn atmosphere filled the entire room. Even the butlers and maids were requested to leave the room. Despite having a scrumptious dinner laid out on the table in front of the family, no one moved their own silver utensils. At last, Teiga broke the silence.
"My father and mother. I have decided that I will enlist into the Verserien military. I cannot risk the reputation of the prestigious Ura clan," Teiga said assertively. "Please respect my decision, don't waver my thoughts with persuasion."
"Very well. I will support your decision," Levi said. "Take care, my son. Come back from the battles alive. Remember there is still a home for you here."
Meanwhile, tears welled up in Henestia's alluring eyes. She quickly stood up from her seat and ran out of the dining room, trying to not let her husband and son see her crying. But as much effort she put into hiding her cries, her muffled cries could be heard from beyond the doors separating the hallway from the dining room. Teiga's heart was pierced by feelings of guilt of letting his mother cry. He could remember clearly his mother smiling as she handed him a basket of fruits while he was training in the dojo. Now instead of the warm smile that he knows so familiarly, Henestia's face is only wet from tears and red in colour. Knowing that this sight could shake his resolve, Teiga quickly reinforced his determination. Levi only sat at the end of the table with his hands interlocked with each other and his eyes closed, contemplating about his son leaving for an inevitable war. The Ura family is only one of the many families broken apart by the war. On that fateful night, numerous other families also began to prepare to say farewell to each other. Be it, peasants, merchants, scholars or aristocrats, all of them solemnly sat at their dinner table.
***
Prosarea City Hall, Peacius,5th Day 1st Phase 1457th Set
At the front city hall, several tents with armoured Verserien soldiers in them were set up to process the enlistees. Some tents were labelled, "14-20 Sets old", "21-30 Sets old" and "31-40 Sets Old". With a heavy heart, Teiga proceeded to queue up behind other enlistees at the "14-20 Sets old" tent. The queue moved so slowly that people were starting to act up and tried to go back on their decision of joining the Verserien military. Teiga saw people trying to run away from the queues but only to be stopped by groups of muscular Verserien soldiers who pushed them back to their own queues. There were people who squatted down with their hands on their heads mumbling their regrets, there were people who were crying tears of sorrow, there were people who just accepted their fate and went with the flow and there were people who were excited to enter the battlefields. The gathering square in front of the city hall was filled with emotions. Parents, siblings, grandparents, wives and friends stood at the side of the square looking hopelessly at the enlistees. Finally, after witnessing so many scenes of sadness, Teiga is finally at the front of the queue in the tent. In front of the young man was a table filled with papers with personal information of enlistees written on it. The Verserien soldier in charge of the tent browsed through the papers trying to find Teiga's personal information. The soldier attending to Teiga had a strict and condescending look on his face, believing that soldiers of other nations or empires are inferior to the soldiers of Verserius.
After an inefficient 3 minutes, the soldier finally found the correct paper and shoved the paper into Teiga's face.
"Hey you, get a damn needle at the corner of the table and prick yourself on the damn thumb. Then stamp your bloodied thumb on this blank spot on the damn paper," the soldier demanded emotionlessly while pointing to a blank space under all the personal information. "After doing so, slot this damn paper into the damn box behind me. Then proceed to collect a damn wooden sword you know how to use at the counter behind the damn tent."
"Yes, sir." replied the surprised Teiga.
After finishing the confirmation process, Teiga walked behind the tent to see different types of wooden swords stacked on top of makeshift shelves. Standing behind the counter was a soldier who looked like he couldn't care less about other people.
"What kind of sword do you use?" asked the soldier tiredly.
"A katana," replied Teiga with pride.
"Okay..." the soldier said as he nodded and proceeded to draw a katana from the shelves.
"Here, take this and proceed to the circular arena where you will *yawn* tested for your abilities by battling with a Verserien soldier. Just follow this cobblestone path and you will see it," ordered the soldier.
"Yes, sir."
Holding the wooden katana, Teiga walked towards the circular arena with anticipation. His face was brimming with excitement, he couldn't wait to face off with another opponent other than his father, especially a professional soldier. Reaching the circular arena, the eager young man saw a panel of 4 judges who wore armours different from a typical foot soldier of Verserius. Teiga thought to himself "The judges are definitely commanders or higher. I need to prove myself. I can't disgrace the Ura blade!". Before Teiga took another step into the arena, one of the judges shouted at him to stop and introduce himself.
"I am Teiga Ura of the Ura clan. The successor to Levi Ura of the next head of the Ura clan!" exclaimed Teiga proudly.
"Hoh? A member of the swordsman clan? We are looking forward to your sparring session," one of the judges said.
"Hah! No one is able to match my swords skills. Even a member of a famous swordsman clan" boasted a Verserien soldier who stepped out from behind the judges.
Teiga's sparring partner had a muscular build and held a wooden long sword that the soldier placed on his shoulder. The soldier's face was filled with the look of triumph and a grin stretched across his freckled face, clearly believing that he can win Teiga. The judges then signalled both the soldier and Teiga to enter the arena. The floor of the arena was filled with sand and dust, the sunlight shone directly down on the two men. With each step of the two men, dust was lifted up and footprints were imprinted on the sand. The soldier walked 3 steps before stopping and letting the tip of the sword touch the ground while Teiga walked 4 metres away from the soldier before stopping and shifting the wooden katana to the right side of his hip. Slowly both opponents got into their ready stance. Teiga slid his right foot back and the soldier brought up his long sword to the side of his face and trained his eyes on the young man.
"Both of you are allowed to use magic in this spar. But no deadly intents are allowed. The winner will be decided if someone steps outside the arena or faints. That's all. You all may start if you are ready." declared one of the judges.
"PREPARE TO BE HUMILIATED, BOY!" insulted the Verserien soldier.
Hearing the insult, Teiga closed his eyes and began to focus on the surroundings. The Verserien soldier took one step forward and began to charge towards the concentrating man. Sensing hostility in his surroundings, Teiga started to whisper the mana manipulation chant.
"O plerus, incimbia cercum me."
As practised, the whole wooden katana was engulfed in blue flames. Despite knowing that his move has not yet been perfected. Teiga still tensed up every single muscle in his body and gripped the katana firmly. Everything around the mana manipulator slowed down in his mind as mana surged through his body. Sensing that the limit of the mana entering the body, and trying his best to reduce the temperature of the flames, Teiga swung his katana tenaciously, diagonally in the direction of the charging soldier. The swinging of the blade threw wind that carried the blue flames at the soldier. Realising that the flames were about to reach him, the soldier tried in desperation to dodge the oncoming flame but his efforts were hardly enough to dodge the wide area of blue flames. The flames pulverized the wooden long sword and slammed into the unsuspecting before dispersing into thin air. Immediately after the flames completely disappeared, only Teiga was left barely standing after draining his mana while the soldier laid on the ground unconscious in a humiliating manner. The panel of judges stared at the scene in disbelief, all of their mouth wide opened and eyes shooting looks of surprise at the enlistee and the soldier. The judges recovered their composure after a while and started to whisper to each other anxiously.
"We have seen the rather fast battle. I must say, we are very impressed. You just defeated one of the most seasoned soldiers in our military forces. He went through countless battles. And you defeated him within a minute! Anyways, we will announce your vocation tomorrow. So please proceed to the military encampment at the plain fields just outside of Prosarea. We have assigned tents to you and provided you with clothes. Everything is taken care of," announced another judge.
Teiga immediately felt energetic after hearing that he has defeated a seasoned soldier within a minute. Before leaving the arena, he carried the unconscious soldier back to the judges and left for the military encampment.
"I thank you, judges for providing me with a chance to present my own abilities," Teiga said as he bowed down to the judges.
After expressing his gratitude the judges and leaving the unconscious Verserien soldier. Teiga left the arena for the encampment.
From this day onwards, Teiga will officially be a soldier fighting in the war. Leaving his parents will not be the worst thing he will be experiencing...