Locked Legacies

Chapter XXXIII: Letters from a soldier

On Maxim Island, the situation was much different; their days weren't filled with discoveries and bonding time with family. Instead, they suffered the upcoming winter during the cold nights, poured water in their bleeding wounds, tried to endure the pain of their every muscle as they fought with the enemy, attempted to avoid the Flamma Respirarum's fire as the air army attacked, trembled in their drenched coats as the Hydro Arbitrium flooded the area and drowned a couple of men, among thousands of other. By the third month, they were exhausted and in incredible pain, watching people die around them as naturally as one breathes.

It was all a haze; the roaring in the background, the shrieks in pain, the tears as a fellow soldier cried by his friend's bleeding body, the destruction of, not only nature in the place that was once so beautiful and alive but of the hundreds of innocent lives. The thought of thousands of people receiving the news that they'd never see their brother, son, nephew, or friend, again... The idea of the impact it had made their fear and ache seem almost irrelevant.

All of them had been taught the concept of Hell when they were children. Adults had told them to be obedient, decent, responsible men because, if not, they would end up there. Because, if a sinner didn't ask for forgiveness, there would be grave and eternal consequences. "They will throw them into a fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth," stated Matthew 13:42. Yet, as they stared into the massive burning fires and heard the injured's screams, some wondered if that was really it; that was what Hell was like. An inhumane place created by the same old men that had warned them about it.

But it was simply a terrible and unfair reality, most of which would slip out of Augustus' mind; he wouldn't have been able to tolerate thousands of such mentally devastating memories, his defense mechanism couldn't allow it after the past two years. His cries in fear, the whimpers in pain, the deep emptiness in his core that he couldn't seem to fill as he remembered his family and the traumatizing images of burning skin and gushing blood would merge into one; he would just take glimpses of it, the soul-shattering feeling of it all.

Yet he would remember something as clear as day. In the fifth month, not knowing that there were only 30 days left, he received a letter. For a moment, those papers seemed to numb the cold and deaden the starving pain in his stomach; "Your Highness," he had been woken up from his restless sleep against the mud and stones of the cave.

A chuckle of relief was the only thing he could manage to let out as he reached for the envelope. With his shivering hands, partly from the freezing feeling of his dripping body and a bit due to his excitement, he managed to open it. As soon as he saw the outside, he could recognize its sender. The drawing of a heart in the back, which was then crossed out with ink, gave away the identity of the pair.

Immediately, he smiled, getting a glimpse of the feeling of finally being home. In his mind, he could already picture Gabriel scolding their sister after she had drawn on it and doing his best to fix the envelope.

Dear Auggie,

How are you? Everyone is alright over here. Even though Mama misses you greatly and prays for you every day, she is now doing better, knowing that you will probably return soon. Father is still very stressed, so we don't see him that often, but he says it shouldn't be long until you come back. He hasn't said it, but I think he misses you too. Unsurprisingly, Elliana has remained a dalcop. She keeps talking about her favorite five rocks that she went to see up close with Lucas and some girl. But who even has favorite rocks?! She is insane. I am currently in training with Lucas and, honestly, I think he is an excellent teacher. Maybe he should replace Joel; he doesn't give me advice about girls while we fight.

Anyway, I hope you are alright. I can't wait to show you what I've learned to do with my sword and see if you come back with any impressive scars.