Chapter Forty Eight
1231 Words
When the gods placed man on earth, they thought it best to give him potency to fight flesh-eating beasts lurking in the shadows. This decision was meant to be a gift, a token to show how much the gods adored their creation. Satisfied with this, they designed different abilities for man confident that he would use them wisely. As time passed, however, the gods realized something appalling. The beasts were not the enemies of man with abilities; no, men with abilities were an enemy to themselves. They began fighting against each other and relishing the violence, feeding off the pain of their victims. Upset by their treacherous behavior, the gods created another race, only this time, they did not grant man any abilities. Man would use their wit to conquer the beasts and devour knowledge so as to dominate the world.
Once again, the gods failed, for man with abilities did not wish to breathe the same air with mere mortals. You see, while man with abilities could not die, man without could. Because of this, men with abilities considered themselves superior, indestructible, gods. The gods watched in horror as man with abilities attacked mortals, stripping them from their homes, torturing their offspring, enslaving them, and finally killing them. The mortals lived in constant fear, while some gave up on life altogether. They chose quick deaths over the deliberate suffering they were constantly subjected to.
Tired of these repugnant acts, the gods granted mortals a way to preserve their own life; the vessel. Man with abilities would finally understand fear when they discover a weapon that could deem them mortal. The fear would make them stay away from man without abilities, and perhaps the two races would learn to respect each other, even love each other. The vessel’s main purpose was not to destroy man with abilities. It was meant to breed harmony between those with magic and those without. The gods decided that this would be their last attempt to forge unity between the two species. If their creations decided to wage a war against each other at all, dire consequences would be met.
Every living thing will meet its end. The gods would dominate the earth, free of any other being.
* * *
“It is magnificent…”
“Indeed Sire.”
“We need more, I am not planning to lose this war, Captain…”
“Mmmmh.”
“How many soldiers do we have?”
“Three hundred thousand Sire…”
“We need more.”
The Captain shot his head up, his face etched with dismay. Those were all his soldiers, the men he had personally trained, the men who could possibly survive the upcoming war. Where was he meant to get more men?
“I suppose the border guards have the required training, with a little more time-“
“How many guards are there?”
“Five hundred at least…”
“We need more.”
The Captain grounded his teeth in frustration. More? Where would he get more? Surely Dawson was not suggesting they recruit humans from outside their walls, was he? Leaving Chi was either as a result of banishment or a personal choice; no human outside Chi’s walls would fight for them. Well, apart from Luke and his men.
If at all they were alive.
“Sire, with all due respect, where am I meant to find more men?”
Dawson had been enchanted by the brilliant green hue of the vessel. It was extraordinary; you could hardly look away, yet if you gazed at it for too long, you began experiencing blinding pain. That was why both men had remained at the doorway leading to the vessel. The Captain, a frequent visitor of the vessel, had a high tolerance of the vessel’s torture. Dawson, on the other hand, had never been allowed to enter the vessel’s chamber. Prior to this afternoon, he had not even known of its location.
“I did not peg you for a simpleton Captain…”
The Captain, afraid of letting his rage exhibit, lifted his gaze towards the vessel. After a while, he blinked rapidly, keeping the blinding pain at bay. His distraction had done the trick; he wasn’t feeling murderous anymore.
“I want you to train every abled boy or girl in Chi…”
“But they already volunteered. After King Matthias’ death, young men and women offered themselves to be trained as soldiers-“
“I suppose this means that there are those who did not offer themselves at all?”
Once again, the Captain found himself staring at the illuminating green vessel. He relentlessly trained his eyes on the metal until his temples began pounding, and a metallic taste laced his tongue.
“Recruit every abled young man and woman, every boy and girl…as long as they can wield a sword…”
“But Sire the people-“
“The people need to understand what they are up against…Have you read the scrolls, Captain? Do you know what we are up against?”
The Captain tore his gaze away from the vessel as flashes of his encounter with a club-wielding, fire-breathing behemoth infiltrated his mind. He had barely escaped with his life. On that fateful day, the Captain had lost his son. A tear dangled at the base of the Captain’s eye as his son’s screams blared around him.
“Yes, I do…”
“Then you understand that the only way we win, the only way we get to dominate the earth, is through numbers…Pitting five soldiers on one creature is safer than one soldier against a creature…”
“The people will not like this, forcing children to join the war may lead to a revolution, we cannot afford to fight amongst ourselves…”
Dawson spared the vessel a glance before meeting the Captain’s impassive gaze. He was well aware that the Captain was one of the few men in Chi who did not fear him. This was probably because of his rank or perhaps the fact that the Captain did not fear death given the loss of his only son. If the rumors were to be believed, then the only reason why the Captain had not taken his own life by now was that he hoped to one day avenge his son’s murder. Dawson was wise enough to acknowledge that he needed the Captain. His wrath would help Dawson conquer the mages.
“Well, Captain, I am King, I decide what is best for Chi, and I am commanding you to do as I say…Whoever does not feel comfortable with my decision can come to me…”
The Captain’s mind reeled back to the images of his son gurgling in his own blood. He saw his pained expression, witnessed life fleeting from his body. Outliving one’s child was a painful experience, an experience he did not wish anyone to encounter.
If Dawson thought the people would simply concede to the idea of their children dying in the battlefield, he was in for a rude surprise.
“Very well, I will issue the decree…”
- Writer
