Becoming Protectors

Captain Okata's speech is quite moving, at the same time he asks us to be able to take our lives, but at the same time we feel that he is against it. And that it is an end to which he submits when he has no choice.

-I will never kill! I swear it. Replies Hirion.

-Don't say things you can't keep small.

-I know very well what I am saying and I will never kill.

-So if you can't do it, then it will be your friends who suffer. But I was like you for a while. When I joined the army after my contact with the Cloud of Rey, I swore never to kill. So I was under the orders of Captain Nieth and three other people, Miel, Aji and Portelo. Soon we became a tight-knit group. The captain was sometimes severe but he was never unjust or mean. Everything he did or said to us was for our own good. On our first mission, we were sent to arrest arms dealers in the town of U-Same. So we infiltrated and hid in the shed where the exchange was to take place. I had Miel by my side and we waited for the two groups to arrive with the weapons and money. During the transaction, we prepared for all eventualities except this one.

One of our friends had been spotted and captured. Portelo was dragged to the ground by one of the gangsters. They had smashed his head on the ground before they started beating him to make him talk. I couldn't stop him from intervening as the captain signaled us to wait for the head of the arms dealers. He was one of the pillar members of this organisation, he occupied the place of the Fool. My teammate still managed to keep me in place for another five minutes which seemed interminable until the Bishop entered the shed. He was dressed like a harlequin or a jester, he had a white mask with a smile without an evil tooth. It was quite disconcerting as a spectacle, he seemed to be dancing as he walked while Portelo was being slaughtered.

Unfortunately I made the mistake of rushing at him from one of the beams supporting the ceiling. I don't know how, he managed to dodge me and he made dozens of swords appear under his turquoise cloak which rushed towards me. After that I lost consciousness because one of them laughed at my skull with such force that I thought my head was going to explode. After a few moments I started to wake up. I was lying on my stomach and my face was bathed in blood. I saw the rest of my group fighting while Aji tried to move Portelo who seemed to be out of breath. I could barely get up again when a bullet hit Aji in the shoulder and dropped Portelo in pain.

I then tried to make myself useful by confronting the shooter and I took my katana out of its sheath. The man had a rifle with a sort of blade at the end of his butt and I immediately rushed at him so that he would not have time to reload.

He was rather lively and he managed to parry all my shots with too much difficulty. So I used my power to throw him off balance and knock him over. Not leaving him the

I jumped on him and put my blade to his throat and ordered him to drop the pistol he had managed to pull out of his jacket.

Instead, he smiled and while arming his weapon he said to me :

-You're just a kid. Here, if you want someone to obey you, you have to scare them. And a monster like me will never be afraid of you.

When he finished his sentence, I felt his finger clench against the trigger and I pushed my blade into his throat so that he couldn't shoot Aji again, who was collapsed on the ground.

That's how I killed for the first time and against my will. It changed me forever and I wish it would never happen to you...

I thought I was shedding a tear in the back of his eye as he finished his story.

-Uh I... I meant that... Try to articulate Hirion, too moved by the story to be able to speak properly.

-Forget about Hirion. We are in a new world. I said to her.

-Exactly what I said...

-I understand and respect your story. But I refuse to kill. Succeeds in articulating Hirion.

-Neither do I, that's not why we're here. If we have power, it's to save lives. Continue Lyra.

The captain's reaction is completely unexpected. He finally smiles and says:

-You have passed the last test.

-What! We were all shouting.

-Yes, you passed. Every time I am given a group, they are not afraid to think as a team. They all think they can do it on their own and when they get to that test, they don't hesitate to fight to the death. And that's not what I'm asking you to do. I am asking you to fight to protect your friends no matter what it takes, and I would never ask you to kill a man or woman in cold blood. I have killed before, but only on battlefields to defend my life or the lives of my friends.

The clones are beginning to turn into an ivy statue in our image behind Captain Okata.

-I am delighted to have, for the second time, a group that will be able to move forward with the true values of this world. That of love. This may seem strange coming from a military man, perhaps even contradictory. But if you are fighting for something other than your friends or family then you will get lost on a path from which there is no turning back. So we can go back to the centre and have lunch together. I would love to get to know you all a little bit more.

Once again, appearances were deceptive. I don't think any of us expected such a turnaround. We expected everything but that.

It seems that Captain Okata's character is more complex than he suggests. He passes in the middle of us and when we turn around to follow him, we are right in front of a training ground, as if we had never left it.

-I think I like him after all. Lyra whispers to me.

-Me too... I'm starting to like him too. I answer her.

-In any case, we deserve a big meal. Because I'm starting to get hungry. It's a crime to skip breakfast. Wistom exclaims.

-I hope there will be vegetables, because I'm not going to eat only meat like you. Say Hirion to make fun of Wistom.

-Hey, I sometimes eat fruits and vegetables. Answer Wistom.

-Yes, I do. When that's all there is to eat, like in the forest. Lyra replies.

-No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I remember eating vegetables last year.

This last reply ended up making us all laugh and even the captain smiled at this little joke.

-By the way, I have good news for you. Said the captain.

-You do? What's the good news? Ask Lyra.

-You will be able to see your parents in five days. Once a month, all new recruits can spend a day with their families.

-That's great. Let go of Hirion.

-Yippee. Lyra exclaims

-We'll be able to tell dad all this. Wistom tells me.

Captain Okata stops his march and turns back towards us.

-No Wistom. None of you have the right to talk about what's going on here. Officially, you are in the army of his majesty Emperor Meji III and that's all you have to say to your parents. The same goes for your powers, they don't have to be used in public. They are there only as a last resort, otherwise you can manage on your own or avoid conflict.

-You are not even allowed to experiment outside? asks Hirion.

-No, simply because if someone sees you, you risk putting yourself and your family at risk. The world we live in is nothing like where you were before you were born again. Forget everything you have been told, now you are coming into real life and it is full of unscrupulous people who will often have the law on their side.

After that, the captain goes back to the exit. We see Captain Haka fighting again but this time he faces three people in heavy armour and he, as usual, is bare-handed and in kimono.

We pass again in front of the armoury and I allow myself to slow down a little to observe a row of masks. They are all more impressive one than the other, the first one that caught my eye is that of a samurai with a splendid brown moustache, the second one looks more like a black and red gorilla, the third one like a white rabbit head and finally the last one I linger on, it is night blue, with like a burnt trace on the right cheek, strangely, it has no hole for the eyes. These masks remind me of my childhood, when we used to prepare plays and make our costumes and masks.

-It looks like the one in Qomu. Don't you think so? Wistom says to me, stopping next to me to admire the masks a little closer.

-Yes, it does. It looks like the one he wore for the play where you played an ogre who came to destroy the village, whereas he was a spirit who came to protect us. I answer him.

-It goes back a long time, now he lives in B-Frost I think.

-Yes, I think so too. He must have been quite disoriented when he arrived up there.

-That's the least we can say. Arriving in a region where the average temperature is -20°C, it must have been a shock for him. But we'll discuss it later because the others seem to be waiting for us, hurry up.

-I see that you admire the collection we have. Well, you should know that it is in the wise custody of Commander Perenn and that he sometimes maintains it by using it during training in the Combat Arena. I will take you there if you are interested.

-With great pleasure Captain. I will answer him.

Then we continue walking around the museum. Once out, we go up another floor and we arrive at a huge reception hall.