"Elpis, wake up, we're being attacked!"
His eyelids opened, staring at the sky. When was the last time he wasn't woken up by someone?
He got up on his feet and grabbed the sword that was resting next to him. He glanced at the place he had slept, which was the ground. Readers like him didn't have the privilege of sleeping anywhere else. The ground was where they belonged.
It had been some months already since this had started. The army had been trying to hold their own against the Queen and her monsters, but as one of those creatures fell, more of them died in the process.
They were losing, very badly, but their honor didn't allow them to see that.
Not long ago, the army came across some people trying to develop a way to bring back time. They didn't believe them at first, but after they recognized them as the Children of Praise, the newest awakened vessels of Praise, they vowed to protect them. Which was what they were doing at the moment.
Sitting on top of a colossal bridge, he saw a gigantic monster towering over his comrades.
The beast was sitting at about seven meters while standing on its two legs, which was enormous, but small compared to the size of the bridge.
The beast's body seemed similar to a human's, with four limbs, a torso, and its head. But at the same time, it was very different.
Its feet were giant, being able to crush many humans at once with just a step. Its nails were sharp and long, making it harder to get to him.
His legs were long and had stone growing on them, making it impossible for a sword to penetrate.
A thick leather strap, trimmed with coarse rope, crossed his chest, secured by a silver medallion etched with a beast's grim visage.
Its arms were gigantic, carrying giant boulders in each hand, and each was twice the size of a normal human.
Its head was disgusting; it had one eye, but a very big one. Its eyes were bright red, like it was bloodlusted.
Its ears were sharp, like those of a demon, and near each of them, a horn grew, bending toward the front of the face.
It had many teeth, all covered in human remains, and yellow from eating so much.
From what he had heard, this creature was called a cyclops. And it was of the seeker class, but a devil rank, meaning it has transcended to a destructive instinct, annihilating anything it saw.
He almost dropped his sword at its sight. He was a reader, just how was he supposed to kill something like this?
Many others ran past him, rushing to attack the monster, but as fast as they entered the fight, the faster they left it, being killed in an instant by the cyclops. Even the ones that were the seeker class were having trouble attacking it. He had heard reinforcements were coming, but what until then?
Were they just going to have to attack and die?
...Why were they even doing this? It was clear that it wasn't possible to scratch the monster, even more, kill it, so for what were they doing it?
For honor? To be known to have died honorably?
Elpis gritted his teeth.
'This is sick!'
They were dying for nothing; they weren't going to be remembered, even if they died by the hands of a god. Their death was the same as any others, so why did they always say it was special?
He had never heard of those who died ever again, so if it wasn't for honor, why were innocent people dying?
Why weren't the so-called reinforcements the ones assigned to protect the research of the vessels? Why them? Why were only readers and seekers allowed to die?
It was simple to answer. Bearers were a lot stronger than seekers. And if a beast far too strong even for them was to appear, they didn't want to waste them.
They valued much more than a seeker or reader.
So in the end, your class determined your worth as a human, nothing else.
Readers like them were disposable, not worthy of anything. Even if they were innocent, that made them even more worthless.
...
...
The cyclops had been defeated after a group of bearers arrived to save the day, but approximately fifty-two casualties had occurred. All for nothing, their death had no worth; they didn't achieve anything. It had been for nothing, everything they had done with their lives.
Elpis walked through the sea of corpses, trying to remember each of their faces. That way, they weren't forgotten; that way, they weren't alone when crossing into the afterlife.
But his heart froze as he recognized one of them. It was one of his brothers, someone he looked up to and cherished. He remembered eating with him the other day, and now he was just a dead corpse.
Elpis kneeled next to him, staring at his dead eyes emotionlessly, rubbing his finger against his cheek.
His brother was very kind, helping anyone. From giving his portions to another in need, to getting in the way of attacks for others. He remembered how he used to scold him for throwing himself for others like that. But he kept saying that it was his duty to protect the higher-ups.
...
"Was that how you died?"
He clenched his fists and frowned deeply.
Why did the innocent always have to sacrifice themselves for the others?
He couldn't bear it anymore, seeing human lives being thrown away like they meant nothing. Like they were worth nothing, he was tired of it.
...
...
He had left the army after that, which had shamed his name all across the land, but he didn't care. That way, he could protect his own honor and pride, helping those innocent and shaming the strong. Since he was free from any duty, he could finally visit Avrie for the first time since time had frozen.
But he couldn't find her, which made him think that the girl had died.
Just the thought made him grit his teeth. It fueled the fire burning in his eyes.
And from that point, he wandered the outskirts, helping those he came across. But what he didn't know was that one day he would have to make a decision that would make him question his ideals.
Some merchants had asked him if he could escort them across a cursed forest. At first, he hesitated, not wanting to face monsters that might be stronger than him. But his pride made him accept.
And so, they began walking through the forest, with an eerie feeling growing inside his chest every second. It was quiet, which made the scream that came not long after they entered the forest even more creepy.
He rushed over to where they were coming from, and saw a little boy being attacked by an arbor. At first, he stared in confusion, not having seen something like this before. But it didn't take long for him to come to his senses, rushing toward the boy and getting him out of the way of the tree's vines.
The small child clung to him as he ran towards the others, but the veins didn't stop, which endangered all of the merchants.
He scowled seeing this, knowing he wasn't going to be able to protect all of them. He could sacrifice the boy; that way, the merchants could live, or he could let it ravage on them and escape with the boy.
But which of their lives was worth more...
"Shit..."
He threw the child at one of the merchants and opened his arms, letting himself be devoured by the veins. It was a heroic sacrifice, a very honorable death. But it had no meaning, as the veins didn't stop after him; they caught every single one of the merchants, and the boy, and in the end, all of them had ended up being devoured.
All because he couldn't choose.
...
...
He had a lot of time to think over his life while the arbor was feasting on his core. He regretted his decisions that led up to this moment. He had made such a big fuss about his comrades dying for nothing, but at least their deaths gave the reinforcements time to arrive, and in the end, saved the lives of many.
But in the end, he had done nothing else than doom everyone who had trusted him.