After Alphonse’s death, I spent the next few days in a funk. I wasn’t the only one, as he had trained nearly everyone in the squad at some point. The instructors let us have our space, though they did encourage us to keep up a bit of physical activity to maintain our shape.

The worst part was having to have a conversation with several important figures and informing them of the death. Duke Cornick was there, helping to maintain a calm voice of reason. The Church of Solaris was surprisingly ambivalent about his death, though they were interested in any books he might have left behind. I told them that there was a journal he left to me that contained a few more secrets to training aura. Surprisingly they took my refusal to let them examine the book in stride, though the wink the priest gave me let me know he knew more, but wasn’t about to press it. Not in front of the new leader of the Hunters. He was abrasive from the get go, and if it hadn’t been for the presence of the Duke I might have drawn steel for some of the insults he threw at Alphonse.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Three days later

“Clayson. I need to see you.” Daniels said that morning, pulling me out after breakfast. I followed him to his office, wondering what was going on. We had gone trhough basic drills in the morning to maintain our shape, but nothing strenuous. “Have a seat.” He said, pulling a chair next to mine instead of sitting behind his desk. As I sat down, he heaved a tired sigh and started talking, “I’ve been briefed on your history a bit, and have decided to break tradition this year.”

That alone caused me to lurch back in my chair in wide eyed horror. The Legion was all about tradition, and breaking it was not something done lightly. “Hold on now.” I started to say, worried that things would be counted against me, but I stopped when he held up a hand.

“Easy there, it’s nothing bad.” He explained. “Normally for their inauguration, recruits are slipped a bit of a sleeping agent during their dinner. It hits hard and fast, and lasts a good few hours. While they are sleeping, they are taken to the location where we do the real swearing in ceremony. This is our ritualistic way of killing the civilian, and waking to the life of a soldier. Thinking back on your history, and how drugs have been used against you, well. We can’t in good conscience do that to you. It would destroy your trust in the Legion.”

“Oh.” I said, deflating at the explanation. Thinking back on it, I realized he was right. If I were drugged, and woke up early then the first thing I would do would be to lash out. With the training I had now? People would die long before I could gain control of myself. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He said with a grin. “Instead, we will be putting a hood on you so that you are blinded, and you will ride in the wagon with us. Try not to use your aura senses, as it really is supposed to be a secret as to what we are up to. Also, don’t mention this to the rest of the squad. Just be ready tonight.”

“Yes sir.” I nodded, heading off to try for a normal day.

“Yo! Brandon!” Joffrey called out from the training yard as I walked by. “Everything ok? You gonna join us for training?”

“All good.” I called back. “No can do on the training today. I have some letters to write back home. That reminds me, we are deploying soon everyone. Make sure you have all your necessities taken care of by tomorrow night.”

“We allowed out to see family?” Dorian asked.

“All day tomorrow. Stay on base today.” I answered, heading to our barracks. I sat there, staring at a blank sheet of paper and wondering where to start. My parents could read, barely, as everyone learned as children. Then again, they had already made their views on me clear. Firming up my resolve, I started a different letter than the one I had originally planned.

Father Ennurian,

I hope this letter finds you well. Through my journey to the capital and training with the Legion, I have had many adventures already and feel that this life is only going to keep throwing more at me. Oddly, I find myself looking forward to each no challenge, wondering in which ways it will force me to grow. And yet, a recent loss tears at my heart and reminds me that death eventually comes to the longest lived among us. To that end, I wish to enlist your help, knowing you for the kind and gentle soul you are.

You know how my family treated me when they realized what I had become. I can’t fault them for their beliefs, for they helped mold me into the person I am today. However, I have grave concerns for Molly. She is the sole inheritor now, and the farm was never going to produce much. I am currently setting aside a portion of my pay, and was hoping that you would safeguard it for us until such a time as she may claim the money on her own. Should the worst befall me, then I have named her my sole inheritor.

I wish that I could close this letter with better news, but it seems that we are to head into danger almost immediately, hence the seeming immediacy of this letter. As soon as we are sworn in, we are to march to battle in order to prevent the rising of an existence that may threaten the entirety of the world. Since time is of the essence, I was also wondering if you would pass on a word of gratitude from me to both Caleb and Old Klein.

Thanks,

Brandon

“Letters home?” Thomas asked, sliding into a chair beside me.

“Yeah.” I nodded, sealing the envelope. “Or at least, my own hometown. How about you?”

“Bah, I’m good. I’m certain my folks have been getting updates on me every time someone delivers supplies here. The others all decided that nobody should be alone these last few days unless they specifically ask for it, so I volunteered to see how you were doin.”

I gave him a wry grin, “Heh, we’ve come quite a way, haven’t we? Who knew it would only take six months to turn us from a group of squabbling brats into a coherent force?”

“Squabbling brats?” He asked, mockingly offended, “I dare say not! I’ll have you know, I could have been the epitome of high society.”

“Yeah? Show me a noble with calluses as thick as yours.” I laughed. “Or even better, one with legs as thick with muscle as your arms.”

“Alright, alright, ya got me.” He chuckled. “So, you got everything squared away?”

“Pretty much. What did you have in mind?”

“Cards?”

“So long as Paul doesn’t join in, sure.” I said, patting my coin purse. “I can’t afford to lose much more pay to him.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Ready?” Instructor Amelia asked as the rest of the instructors started carrying the rest of the squad out in teams of two later that night.

“As I’ll ever be.” I said, letting her put a hood over my head.

“From this point on, you have to be silent. The rest of your squad will be given something with their antidote to ensure silence. You will have to do it by force of will.” She explained, then silently led me out and positioned me in the seat of a wagon. It took nearly ten minutes before we started moving forward, and I was surprised when we headed out of the city instead of deeper into it. The ride was uncomfortable, mostly because I couldn’t tell when we were about to hit any of the larger potholes. Another ten minutes into the eerily silent ride, and I felt us turn. What I thought was a rough ride seemed to just be a prelude, as this was obviously not a well maintained road. Luckily we only had to go for a few minutes down the bouncing path before coming to a stop.

I felt hands guiding me, and I followed them despite my instincts screaming at me to use my aura senses. Anyone who hadn’t gone through the self-control training would have broken, but I stayed true. I heard a creaking hinge, and a quiet voice hissed, “There are steps going downward. Be careful, as they are slick in spots.” That was all the warning I had, but it was enough. That, and the steadying hand on my arm as well as the sense of a body in front of me should I fall. It was still incredibly nerve wracking, especially combined with what my senses were telling me. The smell of fresh pitch and old stone, the dry stench of ancient bones, the drip of water into stagnant puddles. Wherever we were, it was old.

Eventually we bottomed out and I was guided to a chair. I could hear bodies coming down the stairs and being placed nearby. Then someone else would step up and give them a pungent liquid that smelled a lot like ammonia, and whisper, “Relax soldier. This is your introduction to the Legion. You have been given something to ensure silence. Stay still, and all will be explained.”

I lost track of time, but eventually had the hood removed. We were arranged in lines, and in front of us was a giant stone altar with the symbol of Solaris etched onto it, though it had faded with age. There was a high ranking clergy there, though I didn’t recognize his rank, along with an alchemist mixing something in a pot over a very low flame.

“We need a drop of blood from everyone.” Daniels said, walking around and drawing said blood with a silver needle before mixing it into a bowl and giving it to the alchemist. He nodded, then added it to the mixture, leaning back to avoid a puff of smoke as he expertly shut off the heat. While he did that, the priest opened a book, then walked over and made a sign of blessing over the pot.

“Welcome. Tonight, several citizens of the empire died, only to be reborn as Legionnaires. Like so many of their brethren before them, you will be reborn in the original church of Solaris. The same church that took in a battle worn and travel weary company so very long ago. A church that said company fought tooth and nail to defend against hordes of vampires. Ever since that day, the Legion and the Church have been linked. They bless our blades, as we defend the empire against its greatest threats. Tonight, you join the ranks of the Legion. You will be linked forever to those with you, brothers in arms against the darkness. Should one fall, a portion of his strength will be passed on to the surviving brothers. Solaris knows that warriors are often split, and has gifted us this means to know the fate of our brothers. Should you enter a holy place, the ink will react. Any of your brothers who have passed will have the flowers by their name bloom. White for those claimed by age. Red for those who die valiantly in battle. Black for foul play. May your first shield wall withstand the trials that it is about to face. Brandon, as Decanus, you are first.”

I silently moved to the indicated chair, turning to face my brothers as the alchemist went to work. The pain was indescribable. Liquid fire immediately soaked into my skin before rushing through my veins in search of something. I’ll never know if or where it found what it was seeking, as my entire body was burning. Through it all, I grit my teeth and tried to listen to Daniels as he extolled the virtues of a Legionnaire. At the end, he paused and looked right at me as he spoke.

“This is rarely done, but the others and I have agreed. There is one who needs to be honored tonight, though he isn’t here with us. He went above and beyond the call to train this group, aiding many of you in specialized training. So at the base of the wall, supporting you all with his knowledge and training, providing a solid foundation from which to build upon, Alphonse Grim will be added.” As he explained, I looked and saw the name there.

Once it was complete, the priest stepped forward. “Solaris, whose light guides our path. We ask your blessing on this ritual, and the linking of these souls. Reveal to them the fate of their brethren when they trod once more into your blessed light.”

As the priest spoke, I felt a similar presence to that of the winged girl who visited the night Alphonse died. Similar, but much more powerful. It lightened the weights that I hadn’t realized were dragging upon my soul. Then and there, I swore I would at least send a letter to my parents, letting them know of my fate so far. The vines twinning around our arms glowed with a gentle light, and I felt a strange sensation on my arm. Looking down, I saw the flowers around Alphonse’s name blooming a brilliant gold.

“The rarest of colors, though not necessarily rare in your profession.” The priest said with a gentle smile when he noticed all of us looking at the flowers. “The mark of one who willingly sacrificed himself for the protection of another. Usually you see it as a gold hearted flower with a red exterior.”

And so the night wore on, each member of our squad getting the same set of tattoos, the same lecture on what it means to be in the Legion, and watching in awe once again as the flowers next to Alphonse’s name bloomed in gold. Several of us had tears in our eyes, but those were ignored. It was a heavy moment, and nobody was going to hold it against anyone. After the last person received their tattoo, Daniels took the head position once more.

“There is one last thing to do Legionnaires.” Daniels said, placing a large book on the table and opening it. “Your names will be recorded here with the leftover ink. Should your brothers make it back to this temple, you will see a short description of the passing of those who walk before us. It is sealed with powerful magics, such that only those in your company will be able to tell the reasoning.”

As we signed, Daniels continued his lecture on the Legion tattoo we had just received. “That first night that the battered company arrived in this church, things were dire. For weeks they had been involved in a running battle with the vampires, though the original company didn’t know what they fought. They just knew that the enemy took a lot to kill, and was far stronger than any foe they had faced before. Supplies were low, and morale was even lower. There wasn’t a single legionnaire without injury, though that wasn’t about to stop them. As dawn broke, driving away the worst of the vampires, an elderly priest emerged from this basement. He offered the legionnaires aid, asking only that they protect his congregation down below. Without a second thought, the legion agreed. Far from home, they needed a purpose.”

“As soon as the deal was agreed to, a shaft of light shot through the church, alighting on the altar. Emerging from the intense beam was a wolf of pure white. It slowly descended from the altar, daintily stepping to the floor. The priest introduced her as Amaterasu, the fang of the sun god Solaris. He bade them to draw their blades, and she walked between each one, gently touching it with her fang. Each blade absorbed a portion of her power, though her fang grew chipped. She is the mother and fierce defender of the children of the sun, and was drawn to us for our ideals. The order of the Legion appealed to her, and so she offered this promise. So long as the Legion remained pure in their desire to protect the people, so would she lend our blades her strength. To honor her, each Legion thereafter has born the same tattoo on their left shoulder. A white wolf with a chipped fang, wearing a necklace of eagle feathers. The wolf is Amaterasu, while the eagle feathers represent the promise from those original legionnaires, whose former symbol was the eagle.”

As he spoke, we all started signing the book, leaving a bit of room. As the last of us signed, Daniels stood there and smiled. “Welcome to the Legion, brothers. Tomorrow you will receive your orders from your new commander. We will be available to help out with advice for last minute preparations, so feel free to seek guidance. On a more personal note. It has been our honor to see you grow under our tutelage, and we are proud of the soldiers we know you have become. We are Legion.”

“WE ARE LEGION!” Everyone, including the instructors, bellowed in return. We headed back to the city, this time being allowed to see where we were going. Unsurprisingly, the ride back in was as silent as the ride out was.