Nathan

Year 2849 | Month 9 | Day 9

“Attention!” the Healer General shouts from a floating platform above the portal hub as he looks out over everyone. We’re all currently standing in a block formation in the center of the portal hub. And when I say that, I mean everyone. Including the higher officers, and even Anabel for some reason.

Makes me wonder if she was dragged into this because she happened to be here supervising us.

“Doctor Leodmir Archeron-” I flinch ever so slightly as the general says the doctor’s full name “-has opened a portal directly into the Forgotten Pass from the enemy’s side of the Warzone, giving them a direct path to our border with the Warzone. The purpose of our mission is to close that portal at any cost.”

An incredibly tense atmosphere radiates throughout the portal hub at his statement, drawing fear out of everyone here as everyone understands just what that means.

A Black Class Mission. An emergency that has to be completed at all costs, where any lives lost completing said mission are expendable as long as they achieve the goal.

It’s also the magicians and soldiers of the Republic’s worst nightmare to ever get sent on.

And my team is being sent on it as students… is this even legal?

I can’t help but wonder about that, but in the end it doesn’t matter what I think. Just what the Chairman and the council thinks.

Although I get the feeling there are several individuals on and off the council that are just as pissed by this mission and us being on it, such as Amelia’s mother and aunt, and the general who is currently staring pretty hard at his daughter with a frown on his face, who is standing right next to me.

After several seconds of silence, the general eventually clenches his fists and says, “Your individual officers will apprise you of your specific orders once we arrive. Now move out.”

“Yes sir!”

Not much later, I find myself gritting my teeth so hard I think I chipped a few of them multiple times before they healed themselves as we walk through the familiar mountain range not too far from my parents’ house. Which if what I heard a little while ago was correct, is probably just a pile of rubble at this point.

Thinking back on Captain Nichol’s orders, I can clearly tell that she doesn’t like this mission or our presence here any more than we or the general do. At least, that’s if her orders are anything to judge by.

‘You are a scouting party, so do nothing more than scout. Find the location of the portal alongside the Class C magicians and their corps and head straight back to report to the forward base before they make contact.’

Whether things will go well or not, I have my doubts. Very large doubts at that. But who knows. Maybe I might just be being paranoid.

I doubt it though. Not when the doctor explicitly ordered me to come here, and not when the doctor is behind this whole mission in the first place.

It’s obvious that it’ll be my last day in the military.

Where I’ll be going after that, I’m not sure, but that much is clear at least.

I glance at Aidan before pursing my lips, trying not to think about the location we’re at right now.

Should I tell him about my suspicions, including my powers? Or maybe just say goodbye?

We continue walking up the mountain for a little bit, and I spend most of that time pondering if I should say goodbye or not. However, right as I think I’m about to come to a decision on that topic, I realize where we’re going.

And it sends a shiver down my spine. Along with an urge to punch the doctor.

Please tell me he didn’t open a portal at that very same cliff that I was at when the accident happened…

We continue walking closer and closer to the cliff, making a cold sweat begin to drip down my body – which I honestly didn’t realize was possible – and stopping me from even thinking about talking to the others. Because I don’t think I’d be able to right now.

“Nathan?” I hear Aidan whisper incredibly quietly, catching my own and Cyria’s attention, “Are you okay?”

Before I can answer, the highest ranking officer of the group sends a message out to us all, stating for every sniper to go find a vantage point over the upcoming cliff.

I freeze for a second at that before stiffly replying with a ‘Roger that,’ and glancing at Aidan, just to point at my device’s screen which has him frowning.

‘Goodbye,’ I mouth to both him and Cyria, surprising them for a moment as I turn around and quickly make my way towards a particular tree that I remember being large and thick enough to work as a scouting post.

I vaguely hear both of them asking something from behind me, but I ignore it to continue forwards. Since I highly doubt I’ll be able to say anything back to them right now.

Ever since the accident, I’ve avoided the Forgotten Pass like the plague. Even if I’m technically immortal, the idea of being here just… it makes me feel like reality might warp again at any moment and do something much worse to my body than already has been done.

Back with the other members of Nathan’s group, after Nathan left

Aidan narrows his eyes at his rapidly retreating friend’s back.

“I feel…” he begins to mutter quietly, only for Cyria to finish with a frown, “like we should stop him?”

He glances at her in surprise before turning back to see Nathan vanishing from sight behind the trees.

“For some reason,” he says with a frown matching her own, “yes.”

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the two or the others in their group, Anabel can be seen at the midway point of the Republic forces watching Nathan go with a frown of her own.

“Stay safe,” she mutters with a frown before adding in her thoughts, ‘he better not slack on his swordplay.’