Chapter 5 – Echoes of the War
Everyone broke down in tears as Smoker recalled his past life.
“…Explains your coldness,” Lioren muttered, arms crossed.
“You said you wanted to change the system from the inside,” Saera said, tilting her head. “Then why did you join us?”
“A year ago, I met a man… He wore a white robe and had a terrifying aura—an emperor’s aura,” Smoker said, gazing out the window. “He asked me to join him. I refused. But he made me realise something… As long as the five elements and emperors exist, people like us will never rise. We’ll never change the system from within.”
“You’ve suffered too much…” Rai whispered, wiping away his tears. His voice suddenly rose with anger. “It’s this system’s fault!” He stood up, flames sparking at his feet. “This system of five elements has created armies, nations, and wars. And I—Rai, 37th Anderian Emperor of Flame—shall acquire all elements and end this cycle of war once and for all!”
—
Meanwhile, an urgent meeting was called in Velmora. The generals, royal guards, and Commander-in-Chief gathered to discuss the strange events on the battlefield.
“The Water Emperor’s interference is… concerning,” Faeron said, rising to speak. “Who knows what might’ve happened if he hadn’t sensed our arrival.”
“Selric’s betrayal has already weakened us,” Mira sighed, sipping her coffee from the sofa.
“From the data I’ve analysed, Selric was in contact with the Water Emperor, Hate, for over a year,” Taren added, flipping open his laptop. He displayed photos and messages showing secret meetings between Selric and the white-robed man.
“…Come to think of it,” Izak said, frowning, “a man in white approached me too, about a year back. The description matches Hate’s.”
“Wait—he contacted you? I hope you haven’t betrayed us, too,” Malrik asked, tension rising.
“Who knows…” Izak shrugged. “Selric had contact too.”
“Enough!” Faeron snapped. “I know Izak. If he were an enemy, he wouldn’t be telling us this.”
“The bigger issue here…” Taren interrupted, removing his glasses to clean them, “…is what I found from analysing Hate’s aura—left behind on the bullets he blocked.”
“Ooh?” Kael raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t even fire those to hurt him, did you?”
“No,” Taren nodded. “And even if I had, he could’ve dodged them easily. But…”
“But what?” Malrik barked. “His aura… is stronger than even His Majesty’s.”
Taren’s voice trembled. “In other words… Hate is more powerful than our emperor.”
“Not to mention the Eagles…” Malrik crossed his arms, reclining into the sofa. “With Smoker, Rai, and Lioren, they’re not just rebels. They’re a real threat.”
“And that girl—the one who yelled at you,” Mira added, placing her cup down, her tone sharpening. “We still don’t know what she’s capable of.”
“Tch…” Izak stood abruptly, frustration written across his face. “This is going to turn into a disaster.”
“The monsters from the Third Guild,” Kael finally spoke, his voice gruff and wild, “they’ve been running loose ever since Rai destroyed their base. They’re attacking civilians!”
“We deployed B-rank soldiers and below to handle it,” Taren said, turning toward the window, eyes on the night sky. “But with the Gerdon Fire and the ongoing war, we’ve already lost ninety per cent of our troops.”
“And then there’s Rai’s speech,” Mira muttered, casually pouring herself another coffee. “Calling the elements a curse—it’s sparked rebellions all over. Should we crush them before it spreads?”
“That would be convenient,” Malrik said coldly, his voice devoid of empathy. “Human lives are like insects—easy to replace.”
“Watch your tongue, Commander-in-Chief!” Izak snapped, his aura flaring with fury. The very walls of the chamber trembled. “If you weren’t one of us, I’d strike you down right now.”
“Enough!” Faeron intervened, rising between them. “That’s your final warning, Malrik. Comparing people to insects is inhuman.”
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“Ho?” Malrik smirked. “So the mighty guard’s finally angry.”
“In any case,” Taren interjected, shifting the topic, “crushing the rebels is exactly what Rai wants. If we act rashly, we’ll be playing into his hands.”
“A government survives only with public support,” Faeron reasoned. “Lose that, and we’ve already lost the war.”
“He’ll just make another speech about us killing civilians,” Kael growled, slamming his fist against the table. “And when that happens, it’s over.”
“Yes,” Mira said coolly. “More will rise in rebellion.”
“This war isn’t just about brute strength,” Faeron warned, locking eyes with Malrik. “It’s a war of hearts and minds. I hope you understand that.”
“Well, Selric’s and Smoker’s betrayal has complicated things further…” Mira finally put her cup down, her expression turning serious. “There’s growing distrust among the soldiers. No one knows who to rely on anymore.”
“The same goes for us, doesn’t it?” Malrik added, gesturing with his hand and glancing at everyone in the room. “Even among us, suspicion lingers.”
“At the very least,” Faeron leaned back into his chair with a faint smile, “we trust each other. Don’t we, Izak?” He patted Izak’s shoulder.
“I’ve already located The Eagles' hideout,” Taren finally said, breaking the silence as he scrolled through his laptop, eyes sharp. He turned the screen for all to see.
The room fell silent. Eyes widened. No one spoke—but their surprise was palpable.
“You sure are amazing, Taren!” Kael let out a short laugh, his usual edge softening for a moment.
“Ho?” Malrik smirked. “So even the hot-headed General knows how to laugh. Interesting.”
“We’re launching a surprise assault on their base—immediately!” Izak snapped into action, his voice commanding. “We can’t afford to waste a second!”
“Distrust among the soldiers… rebellion from civilians… and those wild guild monsters left behind after Rai destroyed the Third Guild…” Faeron stood slowly, arms crossed. His gaze was sombre. “We’re already losing this war. The longer it drags on, the worse our odds become.”
“So we just strike and destroy them, right, Mr. Guard?” Mira stood and stretched, cracking her neck. Her tone was lazy, but her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
“Mhm… we’ll attack at midnight,” Faeron said, a slight smirk playing on his lips. “After all, I love disturbing my enemies in their sleep.”
The Eagles still remained in the hall, some still grieving over Smoker’s tragedy.
“Abilities evolve in humans when they go through emotional trauma — like what happened with me and Smoker,” Saera said casually, munching a chocolate bar. “Say, Rai… that day when Paron was reduced to ash… what triggered your flames?”
Rai rested his forehead on his hand. His tone grew quiet and heavy.
“I still don’t want to believe what Dad said to me that day…”
Tears streamed down his cheeks and fell to the floor…
After training at the school, as usual, Saera and I went to watch TV. But Dad stopped me.
He held my shoulders tightly. His face turned dead serious — something I had never seen before.
“Listen, Rai. This world is hell… there isn’t a single damn dream worth living.”
I didn’t know what to say, how to react. To me, the world wasn’t hell back then.
“You’ve heard of Ragnarok, right? The day when the gods will descend to destroy this rotten world. That story gives hope to people who hate this world… but Ragnarok hasn’t happened — not in the last two thousand years of mankind’s history.”
I just stood there, silent. A hundred thoughts swirling in my head. Why is he telling me all this? I never saw the world as cruel. Not until then.
“And so someone has to do it. Not a god… a human!” he said, voice trembling. His eyes were filled with tears — the first time I ever saw him cry.
“Someone has to soak their hands in blood and end this cursed world… someone has to destroy it.”
“And what do you expect me, an eleven-year-old kid, to do with all this?” I thought, my face wet with tears, just like his.
Then he looked straight into my eyes.
“Say, Rai,” he whispered, wiping his tears, “You’ll help me destroy this world, right? You have the fire element… We’ll need all five to end it.”
My eyes widened. Destroy the world…?
I remembered Saera crying every night for about six months after the ghetto massacre. I imagined Mom’s face soaked in blood, screaming as the world collapsed around her.
“No way I’m doing that,” I thought. “Like hell I will.”
But I couldn’t say it out loud — not yet.
“Answer me, Rai,” he said. “You’ll help me, right?”
I shook my head slowly. “I don’t want to destroy this world, Dad. It’s not hell… I never want to see Mom or Saera cry again. I’m sorry… but I can’t help you.”
The moment I said it, his eyes turned red with rage.
“I see… If it were my real son, he would’ve understood. He would’ve stood by his father!” he shouted.
“Wh-What do you mean, Dad?!” My voice broke. I didn’t want to disappoint him, but how could I go along with that?
“I should’ve never let her take you in that day…” he spat. “Should’ve just let you die in the rain… on those mall stairs!”
I froze.
“What do you mean, Dad?” I asked again, my voice trembling, my face turning pale.
“Even a fool can figure this much out… You’re adopted, Rai!” he yelled, anger exploding from him.
His words pierced right through my chest. I fell to the floor, unable to breathe, unable to believe it.
Suddenly, flames burst from my hands — wild, uncontrollable, enough to burn down the whole ghetto. The moment the fire appeared, my dad ran away from me. But he was too close… the flames caught him.
I never saw him dead, but I never saw him again either.
I rushed back home in panic. Saera was trapped in the middle of the fire — I ran straight through the flames and pulled her out.
Then I found Mom. She was bleeding and coughing, but alive. I saved her too.
The fire had gone berserk. I wanted to go back to rescue my other friends… but I couldn’t. The flames wouldn’t let me through.
In the end, only three of us made it out alive — Mom, Saera, and I.
“I hope we haven’t disturbed your sleep, Eagles!”
A sharp, familiar voice echoed through the hall.
Lioren’s eyes narrowed. “Izak.”
Everyone stood except Smoker, ready to fight.
And a minute later, the Royal Guards, Generals, and Commander-in-Chief arrived.
Next Week in Chapter 6 – Eagles at War
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