It was two o’clock in the morning, the sun still proudly rose above the autumnal meadows.

“ Where d’fuck am I? “ A man rose from the narra-carved bench he found himself at. He was Roycelt Lannes, first lieutenant of the Charlie Company of Apodoraclea’s Special Expedition. Lt. Roycelt along with his captain was assigned to infiltrate the outskirts of the Jularall province as part of reconnaissance for an offensive to be conducted by winter’s first breathe, preparation was the key to any successful war, and for the Radiant Republic of Kalsetiyanai, anything in its name will be done.

Except, he and the Charlie Company were intercepted by knights belonging to the Twilight Order of the Tayfarath mid-transit, resulting in the deaths of who-knows how many at this point, for all that matters for the lieutenant, everyone else has gone missing. Something must have happened in the middle of the ambush that led him to escaping with his bodily-bits intact, and unfortunately landing in the middle of nowhere. During the process, he was heavily wounded by sharp glass-like shards that had rend everyone else into strips, but those horrific scars . . . were all bandaged up?

“ Hmm, must have been m’mates, could always trust those lovely shits to patch me up. “ He grinned with pride, although that was soon replaced with bewilderment. “ Where the fuck are they though? “

As he turned his head, he was met with the sight of a well-sized bungalow house, a strange family of three, presumably a mother and her daughters, peeked outside of the door. How fucking long was I in a coma, and who the fuck are these people? Roycelt's thoughts scrambled around his empty head. They weren’t hostile for sure, if they were then he would be long-dead, or maybe being beaten to it. The lieutenant never considered himself to be the brightest man, but he knew that eventually the field commanders would be asking questions. First things first, get his equipment, and get the fuck out of here.

“ Aight. “ He stood up proudly to introduce himself to his saviors. “ My name is Lieutenant Royce- AGH! “ A sharp pain attacked his ribs, it may have been horribly bruised during a fall, sending him back down to the bench. “ Shit shit goddd . . . “ Morphine would be nice to have now, he thought.
“ C-careful! “ An elderly woman rushed to his side and patted his shoulders. She had a fair complexion typical of the Etharividian ethnic group, along with the rest of her family. The woman was dressed in the traditional Ardenarai robe, they were probably relatively well-off, a blue kirtle with a long-sleeved blouse and ankle-length white cotton skirt. Sumptuary laws prevented mere peasants from dressing as elegantly as nobles, so they were all forced to have a weird fashion sense, funnily enough.

“ Oh fucking dear . . . sorry. Where is my equipment, baba (old auntie)? and my clothes, where are they? “ Roycelt looked downwards, he was dressed in nothing but rags befitting a caveman.

“ We are drying it, you can be at least thankful for that, men nowadays…. “ She sighed in annoyance. “ I’m Egleria, the two with me are my daughters Marsecere and Venca. The things you brought with you are in the cupboard along the kitchen-area. We found you by the mountain’s foot when we went scavenging for fresh mushrooms to cook. “

“ Well, can I have it? I need to get going. “ plainly asked Roycelt, much in a hurry after all.

“ Idiot, you wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for us. Ingrate. “ rebutted Egleria, casting him a look of disappointment. “ Take it if you can, we won’t stop you. “

Roycelt’s face filled with anger and stomped hand upon the bench. “ Hey look fuc- GAAH! “ momentarily forgetting about the wounds he possessed, he once again squealed in pain. Egleria went back into the house, not batting another eye towards the lieutenant. In due time, Roycelt accepted the weight of his situation and went back to lay down on the narra bench.

-#-#-#-#-

In the next two days, Roycelt’s wounds have already formed themselves into scars thanks to the augmentations installed in his body, allowing him to move at an acceptable capacity to help around with household chores. He considered leaving once given the sign to return to a rally-point, but that wasn’t needed for now. Roycelt found this particular family to be the very mild sort of type, no conflicts, the elder sister Marsecere commonly went out to help with harvests as the men of this village had been preoccupied by the crown’s conscription. The younger one usually helped out with her mother, Eglarie’s houseworks. While chopping up firewood, as the months have started turning chilly, Marsecere approached him while wielding a basket.

“ Mother’s made lunch for you. “ Marsecere was a woman probably in her late adolescent years, she was around an inch or two taller than Roycelt when the two stood side-by-side, much to the man’s dismay. Long russet-colored hair flew down up to her shoulders, her signature clothing consisting of a wool dress dyed with green that resembled the fields of spring, with puffy sleeves and self-made floral embroidery. Meanwhile, Roycelt was still topless and dressed in spare linens acquired from the attic.

“ A few more and it will be a job well done. “ Roycelt placed down another slab of lumber into the cutting-trunk, and split it apart with an ax. “ What’s in it? “

“ You men always like overworking to show off don’t you? We have enough firewood for the week. “ Marsecere casted a judging glare, causing Roycelt to go red with embarrassment. “ Look at it yourself. “

“ Don’t have to be so fierce about it… “ The man approached her and looked inside the basket. It was a set of four sandwiches filled with cured meats, enough to feed an entire family. Excitedly, Roycelt quickly grabbed one of the meals and took a bite. Marsecere merely watched him eat, sitting by the side benches. “ What are you looking at? “

“ Nothing, it’s just funny seeing you like that. Kind of half-cute and half-pathetic haha. “ She giggled “ You also kind of eat like a horse, just make sure you work well enough to repay the costs feeding you and all that. “

“ Woman, why you always got to be in my hair? Don’t you have anything better to do? “ Roycelt snapped back and continued chewing.

“ Just curious, that’s all. “

“ ‘Bout what? Just ask instead of gawking like that all day. “ Roycelt sneered and continued chewing

“ Y-you are from . . . Kalestiyanai, right? What do you guys do over there? I’ve heard it’s not so-pleasant compared to our beautiful country isn’t it? “ She asked a little bit excitedly “ You seem to be rather too strong too, I could tell you are not normal from the first glance. “

“ Haaah! That’s what your–what? god? told you? “ He almost spat his food laughing, and sat on the cutting-board. “ I work as a volunteer for the Radiant Host, a soldier for the motherland that raised me. It’s been hard for us, sure, but we will make sure that the chains that shackle every poor Ardenaraian will be severed. Life’s good, we got every god damn human right under the sun unlike you folks out here, and I’m proud to serve to maintain it. “

“ That’s not so true, you men only know how to wage war and murder, how is that in any form, the freedom you speak of? “ Marsecere asked, offended by his condescending attitude. “ I’ve heard your men shoot people like us just for money. And wiped out many others in the past. “

“ What?! Who the fuck told you that? “ Roycelt felt very confused by her statement.

“ My friends in the village. “ She replied. “ And the tales of our people’s interactions with your kind as well. Money is all that really matters doesn’t it? “

“ Those fuckers . . . . I’ll kill them.“ Seeing his beloved motherland being bad-mouthed made Roycelt’s blood boil with anger, although seeing Marsecere looking at him with contempt replaced it with self-shame. He looked away, not wanting to confirm their prejudices. “ I’m not like that at all, I mean it. “

“ Wow, Roy, very convincing. You need to work your attitude if you ever plan to continue living in Ardenarai.“

“ I-It’s not because I’m from the republic, that’s racist bullshit you know. . . “ Roycelt replied to her teasing, making Marsecere laugh about the irony of the situation.

“ Sure looks like it. “

The two stood in silence after that exchange, Roycelt continuing to eat the sandwich Egleria made for him. The sun was already starting to slowly dim as it passed the horizon.

“ It’s getting a little cold . . . “ Marsecere shivered a little. To solve this problem, she stretched out her left palm, and conjured a small flame out of it. It is a simple cantrip learnable even by amateur magis, but this made Roycelt’s eyes widen in fear. He immediately put away the last pieces of his sandwich and leaped at the woman.

“ Hey what the fuck?! “ Roycelt held her left wrist and began desperately blowing wind into the flame. “ Put that away! That’s gonna fucking kill us all! “

“ WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?! “ Marsecere squealed in shock, not expecting the turn of events that provoked the lieutenant. The rest of her family, the mother Egleria and her little sister Venca went outside rushing to check on what’s going on.

“ Magic, that’s all that’s fucking wrong. “ Roycelt started to put out the flame by extinguishing it with his hand, scalding his skin in the process. “ Put that away asshat! We might fucking die here! ”

“ What’s going on young ma- “ Egleria shouted but was cut off by Marsecere’s agreement to the lieutenant’s demands. .

“ Alright alright . . . “ The flame was put out in due time, leaving all four parties in silence. Roycelt sat back at the cutting-board downcast. Ashamed of what had transpired, the lieutenant eventually stood up and went to the back of the house, where a small shack he had made for himself was present.

-#-#-#-#-#

The next morning after breakfast, Roycelt went to intercept Marsecere before she went to the town-market.

“ I’m uh, sorry. “ He apologized bashfully outside the bungalow’s front door. “ I didn’t mean to call you that, you know. I was doing what I thought was right. “
“ You could have at least tried apologizing sincerely instead of merely justifying yourself. “ Marsecere passed through him in annoyance. “ Just leave me alone. “

“ W-wait I’m really sorry, I really did fuck up. “ Roycelt grabbed her wrist again, but the grip was gentle enough for her to break away. “ I’m an idiot who doesn’t really think much; but, I just– don’t want to see you die. “
“ What? “ Marsecere was bewildered by his statement, wondering how anyone could possibly die to just a simple cantrip. “ Do you think I’m an evil witch of some sorts? “

“ No– It’s just that I’ve seen a few grueling cases about that thing back in our home. It's illegal back home because of the danger it possesses towards its users and all those around them. The criminals who ignored it tend to have morphed into monstrosities, aberrations indistinguishable from their former selves. I don't want your family to have to deal with that. “ Roycelt explained to her about the things that had been taught to him.
It made Marsecere chuckle, a surprise, but a pleasant one for Roycelt. “ Do you think a person like me would turn into a demon? You are worrying for nothing, but nonetheless, it’s alright, thanks. I’ve been told about that certain point-of-view, pale magic. “
“ Pale what? “ inquired the lieutenant, he always disliked it when people talked about things he didn't know about.

“ Magi who interact with the world beyond utilize pale magic, while their powers are a great boon to their communities, tales have been told of when they had been fielded in the war against Kalestiyanai. Whatever happened back then has damaged both of us, causing the deterioration of magic as a whole. I’m just using basic sorcery, I can cast it without worshiping some idol or waving around strange effigies. “ Explained Marsecere.
“ That wasn’t told to us, what if it’s the same thing? “
“ And you say the people of Ardenarai are the savages. '' sighed Marsecere. “ Just come with me into the fields later. “

Whatever it meant, at least she wasn’t mad now, Roycelt thought.

-#-#-#-#-#

It was late in the afternoon now, Lt. Roycelt spent his time mopping the house clean of its accumulating muck, and doing repairs on the deteriorating rooftop. Apparently no one in their family knew how to do such repairs, relying instead on village smartasses with no certifications, they were rewarded with a leaking ceiling for that. He was getting used to life in Ardenarai, consisting of a whole a lot of menial labor in the day followed by night time festivities, reminds him a little about home. Roycelt did wonder how his brother-in-arms were doing over back home, did his family already think he was dead?

Oh, and he was getting late for his appointment.

Hurriedly, he dressed up in his uniform overalls, having been thankfully patched up by Egleria over the past few days, and went outside. Where the fuck was the fields she was saying though? wondered Roycelt, maybe she meant the farmlands which were , , , five kilometers away. It was going to be a painfully long walk, usually in the military they were provided motors for such occasions. The very few men that were present in the town gave him only a cautious glance, wary of whatever the stranger was planning. They only had hints of which place Roy came from, probably, otherwise they would’ve been coming with their pitchforks at his doorsteps, or they could’ve been scared shitless of him.

It was strange though, even if it had been debriefed to them way back. The countryside of Jularall, at least some parts of it, are pale and ghastly in appearance. Sometimes the plants appear to shift in appearance, a tree’s rough bark seemed to pulsate gently, although it could’ve been a trick of his imagination. The walk wasn’t tiring at all for a trained person such as him, he was used to much further patrols, in due time he reached a cliff overlooking a river, of which had already been frozen-over. Marsecere focused on the view ahead, sitting by the withered grass, and yet seemed indifferent to her surroundings. Roycelt didn’t want to interrupt her moment, but apparently the woman managed to sense his presence.

“ You took a while, Roy. “ Marsecere seemed pissed off about his tardiness, making him frozen with anxiety. “ Next time I won't invite you out here. “
“ Shit, sorry, I got distracted on the way. “ Roycelt scratched the back of his head, his russet hair having since then grown a few inches longer from the standard undercut issued to most mercenaries on the field.

" Well, there is nothing we can do about that. I wanted to ask you something, that's why I called you over here. " She turned her face to him.
The scent of dried herbs hung upon the air, subtle with a claylike fragrance. It wasn’t that he just noticed it now, the chillness of autumn’s wind, it had always been this way, except something about it Roy couldn’t describe has been bothering him as of lately. Maybe it was the seriousness of the situation? Her look didn’t signal displeasure, rather, it was a reflection of her own fears. This was bad.

“ Do you . . . intend to kill us? “ Marsecere asked Roycelt, whose mouth was open agape by shock. She had unveiled an icepick hidden upon her dress, pointing it in the direction of the lieutenant. “ It makes perfect sense, why else would you be here? Your kind only appear in Ardenarai to ruin, gathering us like cattle to be stolen away. Mom–I am nothing but a slave in your eyes? “

“ Huh? what the fuck are you s-” Roycelt was a trained combatant, so when Marsecere lunged with the icepick into his chest he was able to quickly dash out of the way. The tip only then grazed his right arm, making a small cut. “ Fu—wait get a grip on yourself, why the fuck would I kill you? What’s this all even about? “
“ I know, you know. You are all the same people drooling at the faintest sight of gold. My Pa’s been killed for your sh–god . . . do you freaks all only care about money!? “ Painful tears flew out of her eyes, she had been pathetically swinging the pick into him, although only being met by the wind. “ After you’ve disposed of me, everybody back in that village will be slain by those very hands we’ve saved. “

Marsecere’s footwork was desperate, a simple girl who had spent her entire life in a cozy village would never be able to match someone such as him, a man that murdered for a living. Mercenaries of the Radiant Host were often augmented with various implants to level their combat effectiveness on-par to the mages of Ardenarai, and even without it, Roycelt was easily one of the more competent ones in his generation, as he thought. This encounter would only last a minute.

He could notice himself that Marsecere seemed to be intentionally clumsy too, as if she was hesitating on landing a killing blow, or was it just her being plain bad at combat? Roycelt wasn’t very sure, maybe she didn’t do it out of her own personal grudge, but rather out of fear for her family and friends.

“ What is making you do this? Don’t you know how pointless this fight is?! I thought . . . . “ Exasperatedly questioned Roy
“ I know! But I must try! “ She lashed out, charging at him with all her strength, he only had to sidestep any of her efforts to kill him. Marsecere was already getting tired, visibly sweating from all the action. “ If I don't, what will become of us?! “

The fourth time she attempted to thrust the icepick, Roycelt deflected the point to the thin air , grabbing her arms with both hands, and disarming her weapon into the ground. Roy then quickly kicked it right into the riverside, the pick making a distinctive CLANG as it tumbled into the frozen water. Marsecere continued trying to resist out of his grasp, thrashing around panickedly.

“ STOP! “ Roycelt shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to shake the woman out of her paranoia-induced breakdown. “ This is . . nonsensical, it’s all pointless. I-I-I . . . I’m not one of them now. “
“ You would put away your people . . . just for this place? What a load of bull. “ Marsecere didn’t believe him when he said it, mocking it in a half-sarcastic tone. “ Do you really expect us to believe that!? “

The identification badge on his orange-black uniform’s chest, the silver insignia of the Apodoraclea, was forcibly torn away by Roycelt, thrown into the earth. He then stomped upon it, signaling the point where he finally turned away upon the place where he came from. “ It’s all behind me now, everything. I don’t want to kill anymore. “

Marsecere’s warm tears dripped into his shoulders as began sobbing loudly, letting loose all of her feelings against Roycelt in the process. The moment finally brought comfort to the both of them, if only briefly, but still a foreboding sense of doom never left Roy. A dull pain momentarily emanated from his chest, likely from the internal radio receiver implant judging from its location; it had likely malfunctioned during the skirmishes with the Twilight Order weeks ago, although strangely it was still capable of receiving signals, just not interpreting them.

Thoughts for another day

[TBC]

(non-canon)