CHAPTER 69 -UNKNOWN OBJECTIVE-
PERSEFONI
It has been a month since the war started against Pleoca. Many people have lost their lives because of these ‘Blood Soldiers’ that have been rampant since the bombing on the border of Oskon and Pleoca.
There was a rebellion against the current government of Oskon for letting such things go unnoticed and unheard to the public, causing riots and even a civil war that is in progress for soon to be seen.
Pleoca has taken over three states from Oskon—Calvi, Norsen, and Sanquit—and used them as their own for military purposes, as for the civilians, they were brutally killed and tortured for information about the government.
However, that is not the only thing that is not in our favor. The Blood Soldiers have formed some type of paramilitary force that aligned themselves with Pleoca and are called generals in their respective states.
Fighting over hundreds of Oskon soldiers just to be one sided, it really pains me to see this country go to war and end up in the gates of hell. That is the reason why I decided to join the war myself, not as a soldier or politician but as my own personal best interest.
My own ways of fighting, my own ways of doing. That’s how I’ve been doing since the first attack in Calvi, fighting whatever wasn’t from Oskon and killing them with their own weapons.
I was able to hold back a six-man group on my own, while I waited for the main army to arrive. When they did, sticking around wasn’t the best option as my face was always revealed when I was fighting.
Keeping my identity secret was the only way for my parents to fight this war without any precautions of my well-being. Yet, my appearance in the main and sub sections of the battles is becoming increasingly difficult as people pray for my help in it.
Having no supernatural powers like the Blood Soldiers is not the way to save countless souls that have families—waiting for them in the refuge center in the capital of Oskon—since I couldn’t be in every battle there was. Minor or heroic, I still was human and I’ve missed some battles that were lost in order to win others.
That resulted in many lives lost for no good cause, and it also worked for my reason of being to discard the name of Colter Hart with no remorse of it.
Since…
I took a moment and looked at the night sky, swarmed with countless bright and clear stars. They were accompanied by the full moon, which I haven’t seen in forever, from a broken building that had burned and then shot but not completely destroyed.
…I started the war… if only I knew…would things be so different?
The scenery of the night's beautiful sky was the best thing I could only take in, anything other than that was just a strong and heavy feeling of guilt.
Now that my father and mother joined the war as the heroes they are, they don’t spend much time at home—neither do I—their faces and expressions seem like a distant memory of a dream that I would have after a long battle.
It was like coffee. People would still drink it with a handful of sugar just for it to taste bitter. That. That was the problem with my dreams.
I tasted the sugar as I saw my parents having a wonderful life and seeing me grow up, seeing them grow old and taking care of them. Just for me to wake up and leave that taste of bitter knowing that I can’t do that no longer.
Not until this war has been taken care of.
That was my goal, my anchor to this—what seemed like a never ending of battles and blood spattered all across the streets—hell loop.
Ending this war. If it was for killing the Blood Soldiers or even the president of Pleoca. That is what needed to be done, that was my end goal.
After reorganizing my thoughts, I grabbed the assault rifle and pistol that I’d been using since the beginning of this war.
The broken building I was in, worked as an undercover military storage—though some captains completely forgot or ignored it—since the second battle for Sanquit. Thankfully, ammunition and other weapons were still in good condition and shape.
I took the liberty to use this as my own base for operations when battles were fought, using a radio that communicated with the surrounding battalions that were ordered to fight.
Having this radio in my possession meant that information that is not leaked to the public could become my weapon, civil wars could start or end depending on the situation and agreement of the people.
Though having this giant radio on my back for every given moment meant that my fighting would be restricted to a bare minimum and let's not talk about the weight I have to handle just to stay agile to dodge bullets. Luckily, it had other forms and shapes for being a radio. Technology, I thought, grabbing the earpiece that was on the side of the radio.
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Now, all I have to do is test its range. Far or short, it would help me in the most dire situations that might cause my sudden arrestment of war crime. Amelia and Julian shouldn’t care much about my disappearance from the Legacy Academy, after all it’s been a month since I dropped out.
Other teachers along with the principal pleaded on their knees from my change of heart, but it wasn’t possible for someone like me. Professor Xavier just told me to not regret my actions and he will always be on my side, something that I found reassuring for some reason.
It had gotten to my head that, in this fight, alone in this hellish war, there were still people who are worth protecting. They are the reason why I should continue to fight, even if it meant my death.
“Battalion 32! Respond!”
The radio gave out a transmission, and the guy’s voice sounded, worried.
“Respond now god dammit! Sentinel Adams, the fourth Blood Soldier is heading to your current post! Evacuate the students now!”
Students?
Wait, there are still students in schools?
I hurried to the radio before another voice came through the radio, and this time it wasn’t the worried guy.
A cunning sound of amusement came from the other end, bringing me chills down my spine. Fear, I was feeling fear for the first time.
“Hoo, so this is the famous general Ethan, pleasure to meet you, and goodbye.”
The radio call was cut, no, the radio was destroyed.
Dammit…
I cursed out loud in my mind, having the fear I’d felt from the voice from the Blood Soldier still in my system. My hand hesitated to grab the earpiece. Shaking hard enough to make someone else think that I had too much energy in my blood, but it was the opposite.
If the Blood Soldier is there in that Academy, that means many students will lose their lives. I imagined how the Blood Soldier killed and laughed, a maniacal laugh that even by having it in my imagination made it real. Cutting limb by limb of the innocent students that had a family waiting for them back home.
I bit my lip hard enough for me to taste iron. If any single one of them died, it would be because of my ignorance and incapability to move from this spot because I felt fear from a voice.
After rapidly putting on the earpiece, I randomly got a shotgun with little to no ammunition. What mattered here was the lives of the students and not how many bullets I needed to kill this bastard.
Upon leaving the building, a stray vehicle–that hadn’t been touched since the bombing here–seemed more than capable of taking me to my next stop.
Or at least I’d hoped so…
Yet there was another problem in the table, one that I couldn’t handle no matter how much I tried to understand.
I felt my right hand instantly touch the earpiece and clicked a button.
I didn’t know where this academy was or which one it was. After all, I thought that every academy was halted because of the war and the war crimes that Pleoca started. Killing many innocents, children and women alike. No announcement of any sort was made from their end and they wouldn’t either, since they are allied to the Blood Soldiers.
“This is control seven, is the commander or general from earlier still in this branch of radio?” In between words, I was hesitant in any way that Amelia or Julian might recognize it even if I tried to deepen my voice.
If I was found this early into the war, then I will cross the bridge when the time comes. I thought, anxiously waiting for an answer from the general, driving aimlessly throughout the gray streets with working headlights.
A minute of two passed by before I got an answer.
“This is agent twelve, requesting for the caller’s ID.”
“No, I need to talk to your superior. There–”
I was instantly cut off by the robot man on the other side of the station.
“You may not talk to my superior until you have given your ID.”
The red car with white interior stopped harshly, which made my body and the car’s body move forward and back. The screeching sound of the brake pads hitting against the rotors of the old but elegant car.
Both of my hands tighten their grip over the steering wheel, they both imagined strangling the man on the other end of the radio transmission, because of this idiotic rule they made in the military to not answer questions from someone without an ID.
“Listen here, many students–innocent students–may die because of your super talking about your authority in the military. If you don’t pass me the general Ethan, you will take responsibility for what is about to be left in the academy–where you could’ve saved the lives of many who are the future to this nation.”
No words came through the radio but complete silence–though I could clearly hear his gulping and sense of guilt growing in him.
“And if I find them before you pass me the general and they are dead. I will hunt you myself to the end of this world. No government. No person. No president will lift a finger to protect you, because they will die alongside you.”
“Are you threatening me!?”
“Soldier, I don’t make threats. I make guarantees. So you either pass on the general Ethan or you will not get a wink of sleep until you are beheaded by me.”
Once again, there was silence but it was rather annoying. After seconds of silence I heard a handful of people talking and arguing about the right choice and whether to trust me or not.
The impatient urges of talking–louder than anyone in that place where ‘agent twelve’ was arguing–and saying the first things that came to mind when he as well told me to say my ID. Not being more important than a few repeated words, ‘that they will die no matter who they hide behind from’.
“General, you can’t be serious. You’re going to talk–”
Agent twelve’s voice was cut and another breached through. His voice was sincere but stable and operative at the same time. Now I knew why the Blood Soldier–Sentinel Adams–was so honored to hear him.
Before he spoke, he let out a sigh. This person was preparing for whatever he was ready or even imagining in his head that went wrong. “I am Ethan, general of Oskon and successor to the retired general Charles. Who do I have the pleasure to speak to?”
I don’t know why, but I felt anxious to speak to him. Even though it was through a radio, it felt like he could just know who I was just by speaking. Truth or lie. He would know, so keeping this to a brief truth but also not to reveal everything.
“Hello there, general Ethan. I am only here to ask for the location of where the Blood Soldier is attacking, the academy. Could you give me it?” I felt hesitant in even saying that, but it was now or never. Their lives were in the line. “I believe I asked for your name, but you do sound like a child–a mere teenager–so why would I give that classified information to you who won’t even give me your name?”
Refuting his argument of truth with another that was about to be true, if he didn’t give it in time. “That is not important, my name at least. However, the lives of those students are… and if you don’t give the location to me. They will die.”
“You are late, child. I have already sent an army of the strongest soldiers that Oskon possesses.”
“They won’t survive against something like that–”
General Ethan cut me off again. This time he wasn’t talking in an operative manner but instead it was a cruel and cold manner. Making me realize how war changes people just for a small chance of winning against something greater than them.
“It seems that there isn’t much to talk about anymore. Negotiating with a child only brings such grand disappointment, a waste of my time.” The sound of the radio frequency cut off and this time no other word was muttered.
Desperate, confused, and hopeless. All those emotions gathered around moments before I started the car, but didn’t. My eyes couldn’t budge from the steering wheel, replaying the words he had said.
I didn’t know what to do. I was lost in objective and emotionally.
I thought that the government was there to help the innocent and hopeless, but was I wrong to think that? Julian and Amelia didn’t–wouldn’t act like this–maybe just maybe they can help me. If I ask for their help they can help me stop the Blood Soldier from–
A small laugh of nervousness left my mouth. Not being able to contain it from escaping, my strength was not stable anymore. My hands began to shake in a panicked manner, chills ran through my body pulling my skin hair up. I could see every white dot there was in my arms.
Withdrawn from my current–unknown–objective, my thoughts, mind and heart felt out of place. I couldn’t wonder but to ask the one question that came to mind when general Ethan told me that negotiating with me was a waste of time.
“What should I do?” hearing my voice crack and soften to the images of the students brutally killed by the cold blooded inhuman being. A smile on his face and satisfied eyes.