And so, with Edward and I being promoted and given our own battalion to lead, not to mention Pierre realizing Vivia had lied to him about being Edward’s wife, we had begun preparations for our first campaign against the Kingdom of Carmen. Oddly enough, the person most excited for this momentous occasion was none other than Vivia the Princess herself.

“Rejoice, ye scrawny but toned men!” She tried her best to motivate the soldiers, “For today, you will all become great men on the battlefield! Shall I sing you a song to wish you good luck on your grand siege to take back your homeland?”

“Hell no!” Everyone berated her in unison, “Don’t soil the moment, lady!”

“Soil the…! Ugh, have you no shame, man!?” She yelled back, “To not only deny the Goddess of Song’s blessing, but to also spit on her very talent with your subpar words… How despicable!”

“What the hell’s she talking about?” Aaron nudged Edward and I, hoping desperately for an answer, “She’s acting crazy again.”

“Ah, that’s her usual demeanor.” Edward quipped, “Like her little gag or something. Even we don’t know why she’s so hell-bent on the idea of being a Goddess, but please don’t take offense to that.”

“No, it’s not like I’m offended.” Aaron raised an eyebrow, “I’m just sort of wondering if she genuinely believes her own words or not.”

“But of course I do, flamboyantly arrogant General!” She fwipped back to address him, “Ask your dear friend Edward here, he’s witnessed the greats my vocal cords can reach! Vocal cords, or should I say, vocal chords?”

“That pun only works when written out.” Edward stuck his tongue out as he read her mind, “People who can’t Analyze others just won’t get it otherwise. In any case though, your singing has only brought me misfortune, so I’m definitely not gonna vouch for you on that one.”

“Whatever do you mean?! Has not my beautiful concert swayed yours and that Old Man’s hearts to stop bickering on the ship?”

“Yeah, Arthur and I stopped bickering for a short period after that, yes, but what happened after? It didn’t even take a day after we made it to the island before he once again chewed me out a hundred times more than he would have without your stupid song.”

“Hold on now, what’s going on between you and Arthur?” Aaron stepped in between the two, “Look, never mind all that! The more we talk about unnecessary things, the more our heads will get clouded during the actual charge. We shall settle all disputes in the confides of the base, but the moment we set foot on the battlefield, our only thoughts will be of…?”

“WAR!” The crowd erupted in cheers as they saluted proudly.

“Good! Looks like you’re getting the hang of it finally!” Aaron clapped his hands, “So with that, General Meil, won’t you do us the honor of sending the letter of challenge to those rat bastards?”

“Will do.” I replied, “Except my return in even less than a day!”

“Hurrah!” Everyone yelled out.

Seeing as Edward had to stay behind to plan out some tactics on his end with the other two Generals, I was thus assigned to be the one to travel to Ren, where I’d request to see the enemy General and hand him the letter. At first, the idea of having a General go all alone straight into the heart of the enemy base and diplomatically request a date and time at which the battle would occur seemed dangerous to me, but both Aaron and Pierre explained that this is just how it’s done in Sulfury. One would think I’d be worried that the Carmenians wouldn’t follow along with these now outdated rules, but if there’s anything I could bet my life on, it’d most definitely be their love for tradition and their pride. Without a doubt, they will hear me out and let me go back home safely. That is the proper conduct, after all.

“You nervous?” The wagon driver glanced back at me as he drove along the road, “I know he’s the reason your home’s destroyed, but please don’t lash out when faced with the King. He’s as scary as all the songs described him.”

“Lash out? As in – mad?” I pointed to myself with a head tilt, “You must be misunderstanding something, as I was neither born nor raised here. I’m from Abyssus Solis.”

“Eh?” His eyebrows twitched, “So why the hell are you risking your life for a country that ain’t your own?”

“Well, it’s not my country…” I recalled the faces of Lune, Edward, Cecily and more, “But it is my family’s country.”

“Ah, so your relatives are ours.” He turned back around, “Should’ve just said so from the start. You confused me there!”

Well, he’s kind of wrong, but I won’t bother correcting him after purposefully phrasing it like that. Obviously, I hold no relations to anyone as far as I know, as I don’t even remember my biological parents’ faces. But even still, Joseph has taught me that one can love even the strangest of strangers as he would a father, and Lune and Edward have shown time and time again that a family is worth dying a hundred times over for. I have no qualms about proceeding with this plan, none at all.

“We’re here.” The wagon driver dropped me off, “This is Ren. Now good luck, kid! Come back quick so I can take you home. Trust me, I don’t like you being here just as much as I don’t like being here myself!”

“Thank you very much!”

At first I wanted to ask what he meant by that last thing, but I soon realized before I even got the chance to inquire about it. Now I’ve never been to Ren personally, but from the limited knowledge I possess of it, add to that the description from Lune’s stories, and I can properly surmise that what I see and what I’ve heard do not match up at all.

The entire city has been demolished it seems, probably due to the war attack that has occurred at the very start of it all. In place of all the houses that used to house thousands there are now nothing else but roads, railroad tracks, hotels, and factories being built. Not a single sign of the folks that used to inhabit it, as they were either killed by now or ran far, far away. The place is a far cry from the lovely and thriving community it had built up over the span of countless centuries.

“This should be the place…” I gulped as I knocked on the door politely and sheepishly made my way to the nearest guard, “Um, excuse me, yes, I am Meil of the Rebellion.”

“The Rebellion? You?!” The guard couldn’t contain his laughter, “Wowee! I knew the Rebels were desperate, but to have no choice but to choose a dirty monkey to be their representative General? This is actually hilarious!”

Grr…! No, keep calm, Meil. This isn’t the time to be losing one’s cool. I need to just smile and agree no matter how many bad things these people say to me. Just got to politely seek an audience with the King, hand him the letter of challenge, and be on my way. Nothing to it but to do it!

“Yep, ha-ha… That’s me!” I chuckled uncomfortably, “I wish to seek an uhh, an audience with the King.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard.” He clicked his tongue and pointed with his spear, “Down that hallway and to the left. Don’t go off track or we’ll kill you on the spot.”

“Yikes. No need to tell me twice.”

Doing as he said, I had made my way through the hallway, each step echoing loudly throughout. It was kind of chilling, the air I mean. Not a single person was present, and I hoped to my God high above that no one would suddenly pop up and scare me. That being said, the walk there was pretty underwhelming, all things considered. Not a single person ever showed up, and before long, I had found myself standing in front of the large doors to the left of the hallway, just like the guard told me to. But something about that door felt… off. It wasn’t anything logical, or anything factual for that matter. It was just a feeling, a dangerous emotion that was constantly sounding the alarm in my head.

“Wait, that voice…!” I suddenly leaned up to the door, “It’s her! It’s Vivia’s singing on the other side of this door!”

Vivia?! How is she here, and why?! Did she follow me? No, there’s just no way. Even if I didn’t notice her, the wagon driver surely would. This means that she might’ve snuck out and rushed here on her own, but that leaves us with the question of why? Back when we first met, she explained that she’s against her father’s plans to take over this country, and even Edward vouched for her, so why is she just on the other side of this heavy steel door where her father should be, singing proudly as if everything is falling into place?! I need to check it out…!

“…No.” I suddenly backed off, “Rushing in won’t solve a thing. This is a trap.”

“Damn, looks like I underestimated you, monkey.” The guard showed himself from behind me, “Gotta say – I’m impressed! You’re the first person to see through my little prank!”

“Prank?” I questioned him, “Hold on, why can I hear her voice here? And where’s the King?”

“You’re lookin’ at him, twerp!” He took out a crown and, in a flashy display, propped it up onto himself, “Chant Carmen in the flesh! Surprised?”

This is the King of Carmen? He’s a lot… skinnier than I had imagined him to be. I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s about the same body shape as me, it’s just that when I imagined a big bad emperor, I kind of thought of him as, well, big. He also looks pretty young, which begs the question…

“Hold on, how old are you?” I asked.

“Thirty five!” He proudly exclaimed.

“But wait, if Vivia is the same as me, and I’m just turning 22, then that means…”

“Don’t dig too deeply into that, dammit!” He ran to hush me, “Look, so what if my wife’s a bit older than me? And so what if she popped into my bedroom when I was at a tender age?”

So what? Dude, you were thirteen! That’s legal, yes, but it’s super weird! How can that woman sleep at night?! N-No, never mind. We’re getting off track here.

“Whatever. Just take this declaration of war and be ready to fight. I’ll be taking my leave now.”

“Hold on, shouldn’t you at least think to take my daughter with you?!” He beckoned for me to come back, “I mean, don’t you find it odd how she’s here at all?”

“Oh right, now that you mention it.” I recalled, “Why is she here?”

“I’m afraid you won’t believe me if I am the one to tell you.” He said as he took the piece of parchment from me, “Enter those doors. I know I called it a trap, since there are a ton of armed men waiting for you in there, but I’ll call them off and let you chat with her properly before making your next move.”

“Wow, you could’ve mentioned that earlier.” I rolled my eyes, “Besides, how can I trust you when we’re enemies?”

“Trust me or don’t, but I give you my word as the King of the most prestigious country this world has ever seen. I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but we Carmenians pride ourselves on our traditions, and it simply isn’t tradition to attack an enemy before the battle officially begins. The only reason I had set up this ambush was for the off chance that you’d be a crazed assassin or something. Surely, you can understand?”

This guy is just sounding more and more suspicious, but each time I try to turn around and leave, Vivia’s voice turns my head back to the door. I just can’t leave without getting an answer, so I’m always swayed back into the King’s palm. Then again, his Yellow Eyes show no signs of dishonesty, and his body language has been showing nothing but trustworthiness so far.

“Maybe…” I clicked open the doors, “Maybe I do.”

In the very next moment, I saw a music box playing a recording of Vivia’s song in the room, rigged to a massive pile of explosives. Thinking to jump back to avoid as much of the blast as I could, I noticed my body refused to do so. In fact, it only inched closer into the room, before shutting the door. Catching a slight glimpse of the King’s face, I saw his deadly stare and golden teeth smiling back at me heinously. In the end, the bomb detonated.