I remember when I joined the academy—I had ideals.
Ideals I believed would guide me for the rest of my life...
Or at least, that's what I thought.
In theory, we defended order, the homeland, peace.
In practice… well, the simulations showed us another side of all that.
That day's exercise took place in a ruined replica of the city center.
Ruins, smoke, ash.
We advanced in formation, taking down virtual enemies with near-perfect choreography.
But just when we thought we had everything under control—
a missile struck just a few meters away.
The blast was deafening.
The building next to us collapsed.
I was buried under rubble. My body ached, but I managed to crawl out.
Around me, other cadets were screaming, injured.
I tried to help, but the structures were too heavy.
I was helpless.
Then I heard gunfire in the distance—coming from the old central plaza.
Without thinking, I ran toward it.
And I saw them.
Three enemies stood waiting in silence, surrounded by flames and fog.
One of them raised his sword.
The others followed suit, pointing their blades at me.
I chuckled between gasps.
—Well… hand-to-hand? Even though there's three of you?
I crossed my arms and shouted:
—Let's go, then!
They charged.
I barely had time to block.
The swords clashed with violent sparks—metal lightning in every strike.
Their movements were fast. Lethal.
A split second—
One attacked first. I dodged.
But another tried to stab me from behind.
I blocked just in time and disarmed him.
I tried to counter, but he was slippery.
Eventually, I landed a blow—my blade piercing his chest.
He dropped to his knees… smiling.
With his last breath, he flung a handful of dust into my eyes.
—My eyes! You cheating bastard! —I screamed, blinded for a moment.
Blind and furious, I decapitated him.
But there were still two more... and now I was hurt, exhausted, and half-blind.
I couldn't win like this.
My only chance was to turn weakness into bait.
I dropped my guard at the torso.
One of them noticed—he went straight for it...
But it was a fake-out.
He aimed for my head instead.
I dodged just in time, though his blade cut across my cheek.
The metal burned against my skin.
I staggered back, panting.
My moves were slow. Sloppy.
I was about to fall.
That's when reinforcements arrived—
Four soldiers.
One shouted:
—Take aim!
The others raised their rifles.
—Fire!
The first enemy was torn apart.
Only one remained.
They took aim again.
Fired relentlessly.
But the target kept moving—dodging, enduring.
He launched himself at a soldier and split him in two.
He rushed toward the next—
I stepped in.
I drove my sword into his back with everything I had—straight through his chest.
Even so, he managed to slash the soldier in front of him before collapsing.
I froze.
The enemy's body stood upright for a second... then dropped.
Breathing hard, I dropped to the ground.
One soldier yelled:
—He's still breathing!
Another replied, laughing:
—Not even a damn bomb could kill this idiot.
The wounded one muttered:
—I'm not dying before I sleep with your sister...
Their laughter broke the tension, if only for a second.
Until we saw it.
One of the bodies moved.
The fallen enemy rose.
He pulled out a syringe filled with some strange liquid and injected it into his arm.
—What the hell...?
I rushed to strike him—
But then he started convulsing, screaming.
His skin tore apart.
His body grew.
Veins exploded.
Blood and flesh hung from his bones.
He was transforming.
What emerged... was no longer human.
It was twice my height. Monstrous. A mutant.
We opened fire.
It was useless.
The creature looked at us and charged.
It grabbed two soldiers—
Crushed their skulls like overripe fruit.
I vomited in disgust. Screamed:
—What the fuck is that!?
It locked eyes with me.
Charged.
I raised my sword and prayed:
—God… give me the strength to kill this goddamn freak!
It slammed into me.
I went flying.
Slammed into a wall.
The world spun.
Barely conscious, I raised my sword from the ground.
—Come on... come closer... —I whispered.
The beast approached.
I had no strength left.
Everything went blurry.
Then—
I heard a whistle.
The clean sound of a blade slicing air.
The beast froze.
Dropped to its knees.
Behind it, a familiar figure stepped forward.
Thomas.
The last thing I saw was his smug grin…
Then, darkness.
[SUDDEN EXPLOSION]
The blast snapped me back to reality.
I realized I'd lost track of the group.
I had to catch up—so I ran.
After a few minutes, I found them.
A guard greeted me:
—Well, well… looks like Second-Class soldiers aren't used to a little chaos.
I stayed quiet. Ignored him and walked past.
I approached the president.
I asked how he was.
He replied:
—I'm fine thanks to Thomas. He follows orders and has escorted me properly!
I knew I was unfocused.
That's when Thomas approached and gave it to me straight:
—Traytros, I know this wasn't planned, but honestly, you need to stay focused. You could get killed over one blind spot.
He was right.
I had to be here. Present.
Instead of proving myself to the president, I was just making things worse.
Thomas then said we were moving out.
As we walked, I asked what was next.
He said a helicopter was coming to extract the president, but we needed to secure the area first.
—Wait, just the president? What about the others? —I asked about the Chancellor.
He replied:
—The Chancellor is dead. She died in the attack. The other government members aren't a priority. Only the president.
Only the president?
I get that he's important, but in situations like this… shouldn't we help everyone?
They're all human, after all.
I said nothing.
But my face betrayed my thoughts.
We kept walking through the palace.
Everywhere we went—destruction.
No one alive.
We reached the rear garden.
It looked like a battlefield.
Corpses—enemies and allies alike—littered the ground.
But at least the situation was under control.
A group approached.
Special Operations Forces.
They spoke to the president:
—Mr. President, are you alright? Come with us. The helicopter should arrive soon.
The president was now under their protection.
As they walked away, Thomas and I were left alone.
I took the chance to ask:
—Hey… why are we abandoning people we can still save?
—Traytros, the civilians are being rescued. The politicians... are being located.
—But... why don't we go and help—
—"There are things you still don't understand, Traytros! This isn't the time to think. Just do what you're told… or die." —he interrupted, frustrated.
He walked off.
I stayed behind, alone...
Thinking.
That's when the helicopter took off, roaring above me.
Its wind slapped my face.
A spotlight from the chopper illuminated me.
I stood still, watching the president fly away.
The truth is—
none of us matter.
Not my comrades' lives.
Not mine.
We're just pawns.
Used for convenience, no matter the cost in human lives.
Does that mean I'm complicit in this lie?
Or just another fool caught in it?
[Sound of heavy breathing]
I was in my room. Doing pushups.
Sweat dripped onto the floor, one drop at a time.
Remembering that simulation made me feel just as powerless now…
Lost in the ruins.
"It's been a week since the attack. I haven't heard from Thomas. Nothing's happened. Everything's been... quiet."
Quiet.
But that word didn't bring me peace.
It made me feel like something was building.
Then my phone vibrated.
I paused—hands still on the ground—before slowly standing.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead with my forearm.
Grabbed the device.
A new message.
From an unknown number.
It simply said:
"Tonight, C189."