The Story Of Soldiers

Chapter 19

Dajjal leaned back on the chair, a low groan leaving him as a knock on the door was heard.
"Enter." He spat curtly, the door swinging open to reveal a girl.

"What do you want," he spits, leaning backward and cracking his back.
"It's about the trainees, father." The teenager spoke robotically. "What is it?"

Dajjal's previous boredom was replaced by curiosity. "Come closer, then. Tell me."
The child moved stiffly, her green eyes trained on her father.

"Kaze, Kamlyn, and Kiora grow stronger by the day," she rattled off to her father, "They might even be as strong as Embress 332."
Dajjal tossed his head back and howled with laughter. "My children, strong as 332? Don't be silly, darling. It's a shock they were even chosen for this program."

When the girl didn't speak, Dajjal prompted her to. "What about you, sweetie?"
"Yes, a shock indeed," she said emotionlessly, "I'm surprised they even fit the criteria for such a government program."

Dajjal chuckled silently, thinking.
"Say, have any of the soldiers gathered information on 332? I'd like to...speak, with her."
She nodded. "Yes, father. She's currently on a patrol near the border."

Dajjal thought for a moment before an idea crossed his. He smiled, standing from his chair.
"Prepare a group of soldiers, daughter. I'm going on a small... business trip. You're in charge well I'm gone."

"Yes father," the girl responded dutifully, beginning to prepare a group of some of their best soldiers.

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Embress walked along the border wearily. It was an isolated part of the borders, and she knew there was nothing to worry about, but being too close to enemy territory made her nervous.

It wasn't like the enemy knew about the base, anyways. They didn't know that the children being trained to take them down were just on the other side of a border that they didn't even know existed.

Dajjal wasn't there either. And all his soldiers were just weak-minded rookies that he picked up off the streets and manipulated into joining his forces.
Embress scoffed at it. Wimps. They couldn't even see past the lies they were being fed.

Embress thought for a moment, bored with her patrol already even though she'd only been on duty for a few hours.
She snapped at herself internally for being so weak, this was nothing.

Suddenly, an enemy plane came into view.
Shit! It's must've been invisible. They caught me off guard. That'd be a bad look. No matter, I can take these losers. They're weak.

As she looked up, her eyes trained on the enemies logo. It was a black cross with a dark red circle higher up on the said cross. Inside the circle, a serpent was depicted with a black dahlia flower beneath it.

Embress tensed as it landed, rolling her shoulder and bracing herself for a fight.
However, when the man stepped our, Embress' mind short-circuited.
"Y-you-." She was suffocating on her own air.

"Well hello, 332." Dajjal Heitai joked. His voice was light as if it was all a damned joke. As if everything he'd done was just a fucking joke.
It made Embress' blood boil. She wanted to grab the man and bash his skull in just like- no.

No. She reminds herself. Stay calm. You can take this guy.
"What do you want." she snapped. Embress didn't know why she'd asked instead of just killing the bastard right then and there.

"It's simple really," Dajjal said smoothly, "Tell me. What do you think of my son?"
Embress narrowed her eyes, not letting the confusion cloud her brain. "What do you mean?"

"888," Dajjal said, and Embress' blood freezes at the realization.
"889 and 887 too, of course. So tell me."
Embress stared at the ground, feeling out of her own body. Move. She screamed at herself. Kill him. Run. Fight. Do something!

But she just couldn't. Her legs were rooted to the ground, her entire body stiff as a bord.
She wanted to cry, to scream and sob and kick and kill the monster that had- no. Don't think of that.

"888-" she choked, "Who?"
"Kaze Hiro Heitai. Looks similar to me, correct?"
Embress only had to think for a second before it clicked.
That boy. That damn boy. His eyes, his hair. Just like him. That was his son.

She'd been inside of the enemy's home at some point. Two years ago when she'd taken those children.
She could've killed him, she could've taken revenge, she could've done so much more. But she didn't.

"No..."
"Yes.".
"YOU'RE LYING!"
"I'm not."
"Y-you are..."
"I am not."

Dajjal turned and retreated back to his ship as Embress collapsed to the ground.
He had done what he'd come for. This was just the first seed.

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"DAJJAL HEITAI IS ON THIS PLANET!?" Robinson screeched.
"H-he is!" Embress sobbed, "He was- he came to me, and then he-."
She began to hyperventilate rapidly.

"We'll handle it." Diaz snapped, "Don't worry, either of you. Go back to your quarters."
"Are you sure?"
"Don't question me. Go."
"Y-yes, sir..."

------------

Kamlyn's heart hammered in his chest, shivers running through his body in waves.
His father was on this planet. That man- that monster. He'd thought it was safe now.

When they'd been taken here, Kamlyn had thought Dajjal could no longer hurt them. But he could now. Because he was here. They were all going to die.

"887!" Diaz snarled from above him, anger flashing in his eyes. "What the hell do you think you're doing out here!?"
Kamlyn cowers under the angry gaze, fear overflowing his senses.

"I-I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep, s-so I left the room, and then I heard-." He cut himself off as he sobbed, covering his eyes with his arm.
"I-I'm sorry!"

Diaz felt his heart break. All he could see in the child was himself. The way he cowered- just like he had. The tears- just like him. Sobs- just like his own. Pain- just like he had gone through.

Diaz took a deep breath through his nose, before exhaling through his mouth. He tried not to let the anger corrupt his thinking. Diaz knew said anger was irrational- then again he couldn't really control it.

"It's fine," he muttered, getting a confused look from the child, "But just this time. You'll be punished if this happens again. Understood."
His voice leaves no room for argument, and all Kamlyn can do is nod his head.

Diaz takes him back to the dorm, seeming distracted for the walk there.
Kamlyn is scared. That's all he could feel. Fear.
Then he sleeps, completely forgetting the previous failure at doing so.