"Morning, Hector, let's get up...," I heard Hector faintly waking me up with his gentle voice, slightly shaking my body."Morning," I responded, my voice sounding faint as half of my soul still lingered in the realm of dreams. However, slowly but surely, awareness started to seep in as I felt the morning warmth embracing my body, accompanied by the dazzling sunlight piercing through the darkness.
Though my eyes were still reluctant to open, I began to respond by stretching and acknowledging the fact that morning had arrived.
Ah, my sleep was so brief, and my body still felt the fatigue that had overtaken it. Yet, suddenly, memories of Val abruptly resurfaced, disrupting the tranquility of my morning."Val," I suddenly exclaimed, remembering her, "... we have to visit Val."
Orion nodded, understanding my concern, then said, "I took the time earlier to check her barracks, and she hasn't returned yet. Perhaps she's still at the infirmary tent; let's wash up and go see her."I nodded in agreement, and together with Orion, I headed towards a nearby pond. We quickly washed our faces and bodies, donned our armor again, and descended from the hill with a sense of urgency.
As we reached the foot of the hill, imagine our surprise when we found Val's tent from last night had been dismantled, leaving only Hyperion's tent, still standing tall and unoccupied.Orion and I hurried towards one of the nurses, then urgently asked, "Excuse me, where is our friend who was here yesterday?"The nurse paused for a moment, looked at us, and then said, "Oh, you're the friends of that girl from yesterday. Early this morning, she left the tent, bid farewell, and when we asked her to rest a bit longer, she refused. Ah, she left a letter for you."
The nurse then handed it to us.I quickly took the letter and read it."Hi, Hector, Orion, or Hyperion.By the time you open this letter, I may already be far from you. I may not return for the next week.I will join the front lines of the Nordfeuerkriegertruppe Brigade - the Northern Fire Warrior Brigade, and I will meet you as soon as their battle is over.Oh yes, if Hector reads this, please take care of Orion and Hyperion for me during this week.Thank you.With love,Val"And that's all that was written on the piece of paper.
I asked the nurse again, "Did she leave or convey any other messages?"The nurse shook her head and continued her work.
Damn, I felt so disappointed. The fiery enthusiasm that had ignited within me earlier this morning, no, even since last night, and the promise I had made to Val that I would visit her in the infirmary tent early in the morning... Didn't that mean anything to Val?
Couldn't Val wait until morning and bid us farewell in person before leaving again?Why convey her farewell only through a letter?
Was she hiding something?
I felt so consumed by disappointment and frustration, my eyes welling up with tears, my lips trembling uncontrollably out of sheer anger.
Realizing how disappointed and upset I was, Orion approached me and patted my shoulder, saying softly, "She's always been like that. Let it go. Let's go home so we can make it to the dining hall on time, or we'll get punished again."A warrior who seemed so composed, now stood beside me, vastly different from the figure I encountered last night.Though he exuded self-control, I could still see the clouds of sadness and disappointment in his eyes, even though his face displayed a small, albeit fake, smile.I nodded and followed Orion's advice.
We bid farewell to the nurse at the tent and ran back to the mountaintop, arriving at the dining hall earlier than usual, only to find the two of us there.We quickly grabbed our breakfast and finished it off."What are we going to do today?" I asked, as I finished the food on my plate.Orion paused for a moment from eating and replied, "Same as usual... running, physical training, sword practice, and horseback riding..."His answer didn't exactly fill me with joy and instead instilled a sense of dread within me."What? All the training here involves muscles? I won't be able to handle it..." I screamed inwardly."What time does it start?" I asked again.Orion paused for a moment, then unlocked his gear and checked the time, before replying, "In 40 minutes, we still have plenty of time.""Oh... okay," I replied.
We finished our food and cleaned our eating utensils, drying them and returning them to their place."40 minutes... I could go back to my room and rest a bit longer...," I thought.
However, before we could leave the dining hall, as we stood at the entrance, we crossed paths with a group of warriors clad in more magnificent and gleaming armor than ours. They walked with confident strides, laughing loudly, their conversation mostly in a language I didn't understand.I continued to watch them as we walked away from the dining hall with Orion, when one of them suddenly spoke up, pointing at us, "Hey, look, isn't that loser there? And he's brought a friend today... looks like a newbie around here."The rest of their group immediately chimed in, "Yeah, you're right, let's approach them."
With a mischievous smile, they walked towards us. I noticed Orion, who initially seemed calm and composed, now starting to feel uncomfortable. I also observed that not only Orion, but most of the occupants of the barracks near us, also chose to distance themselves from the group of warriors, perhaps reluctant to provoke trouble with them.
Suddenly one of them approached, patting my shoulder and leaning his elbow on mine. "Hey, you young warrior," he said arrogantly, while laughing scornfully. "What's your name? Just joined?"I responded curtly, while noticing Orion taking a step back from me, "Hector, I arrived yesterday. Please remove your hand from my shoulder.""Huh? A newcomer being so arrogant already? Let me tell you, here we are the most powerful, so keep acting like a loyal subordinate to your master. You can learn from your friend over there, look, he knows how to do what he should," one of them said assertively, pointing in my direction.
Their rude and overbearing behavior clearly angered and frustrated me. Without a second thought, I spoke up."Excuse me, but do you not know manners? Do you think just because I'm new here, you can threaten me? And do you think intimidating my friend is commendable? You're just lowly creatures craving for respect!" I retorted, responding to their earlier remarks.Orion quickly pulled my hand and gestured for me to stop talking, then he said, "Apologies for my friend's audacious behavior. This won't happen again. Allow us to leave the dining hall first," he said in a fearful tone, bowing his head, unwilling to lift it."Heh, you want me to forgive your friend? Certainly not that easy, you skinny monkey warrior, get out of here," said one of them harshly, pushing Orion until he fell to the floor.
Unwilling to accept his behavior, I retaliated with full fury, "I guess I can't just let you walk away this time. You really are lower than a dog. How dare you push my friend who just apologized, and speak rudely to him. Hey, let me remind you all, I'm not afraid of any of you. I just don't want trouble. But you started it first, so I guess it's okay for me to confront you now."I was truly unable to contain my anger and frustration towards them. Even if punishment awaited me after this, I didn't care anymore."You insolent brat, hey, gang up on him," shouted the one from earlier to his companions.
Quickly, I pushed Orion away from my position, then prepared to attack. I realized that I wasn't as strong as them, I also hadn't received training on how to use the sword and weapons attached to my body, and I was physically weak, but their actions and words were unacceptable.I endured a barrage of attacks, they hit my head hard, kicked my stomach, and stomped on me while laughing. It hurt, it hurt so much. However, I didn't stay silent. The anger flowing through my veins had become my ammunition, and I became stronger. Slowly, I began to rise and fight back, although I still lost, as there were six of them while I was alone. But, even though my head was covered in blood, my lips torn, my ribs broken, and my hands were very sore, I felt satisfied because I could retaliate against them, even though I didn't win. At least, I taught them a lesson that there was someone who wasn't afraid of their arrogance.
Seeing the situation worsening, Orion ran to the front gate and requested assistance from the barracks guard."What is going on here? Stop it, I said stop your actions," shouted the barracks guard with a booming voice.The man who had asked me to do 200 push-ups yesterday managed to stop them from continuously ganging up on me.I was in pain and unable to get up, my head was spinning, my vision blurry, but I was still conscious enough."Hey, you knights, where is your dignity? Have you thrown away your oaths and shamelessly ganged up on a newly joined warrior? You should be mentoring and supporting him to thrive here, not beating him until he's injured. I am very ashamed of you. Alright, maybe you feel very powerful, today you will receive twice the usual tasks, plus you will take turns guarding the fortress with me for a week, understood? And, yes, due to your bad behavior, you may be demoted," said the old man with great anger."But he started it...," one of them protested."True, he refused to respect us, and acted so arrogantly. Who does he think he is...," another member of their group chimed in."I said be quiet... I don't need any excuses from you, whatever it is, you're still not justified in taking matters into your own hands. You can inform me if you feel it's too much. Don't forget my words today, understood?" the old man said sternly again."Understood...," they muttered, looking down with annoyance."Where are your faces? Why aren't you facing forward and instead looking down, is that how a knight behaves?" the old man asked again."Understood...," they said this time firmly, with their gaze fixed straight ahead."Alright, everyone disperse, get ready for training in 25 minutes, quickly have breakfast if you haven't," the old man said.
The knights immediately dispersed. The tense atmosphere had somewhat subsided, and every resident of the barracks began to resume their normal activities as before.The old man squatted down and extended his hand to me, asking, "Are you alright, my child? Let's go to the health unit for a check-up.""Okay," I said, wincing in pain."You, Orion, help me lift his right side, I'll take the left," he instructed Orion, who had been standing at a safe distance."Roger, executing," Orion said quickly, and immediately lifted me from the right side.Then, with their support, I slowly staggered towards the health center.The sun was scorching, burning my wounded body, making it feel even more agonizing. Every movement pierced me, every gust of wind felt like knives piercing my cracked skin. It was excruciating, almost unbearable to stand. However, I endured, suppressing the pain so as not to worry Orion.Slowly, I turned my face towards Orion, and I was surprised to see him so pale, his gaze vacant.I realized that he had felt so helpless all this time, struck by various unfair treatments he had experienced. That's why Val was always by his side, ready to support and protect him.Perhaps he was still traumatized seeing me being attacked by a group of cruel knights, right in front of his eyes, without mercy.
After walking for 35 minutes, we finally arrived at the treatment tent."Nurse, please check the condition of this young warrior. He was just ganged up on by his seniors," the old man said quickly and firmly."With pleasure," the two nurses replied promptly, immediately fetching medical equipment.They carefully treated my wounds, checked my heart rate, and examined other vital signs.Then, they examined my pupils and conducted some palpation examinations on me."It seems he has suffered bone fractures at several points, and he may also have suffered a brain injury from being hit quite severely on his right temple," one of the nurses revealed."Perhaps we need to provide more intensive care for him, so we hope you can leave the tent first and wait outside," said another nurse.
Then Orion and the barracks guard exited the tent, leaving the two nurses to begin their work.All I remember is them administering a little chloroform* vapor to me, and then I fell asleep.I didn't know what happened after that and how long I slept.
When I woke up, I found that the sky was dark, and Orion was beside my bed."Are you awake?" Orion asked with a trembling voice, tears of joy streaming down his face.I turned to him and nodded faintly."I'm thirsty, could you moisten my lips a bit?" I asked weakly.Orion immediately stood up, poured some water, and approached the side of my bed cautiously. With great tenderness, he slowly fed me water, bit by bit, as if watering life back into my weakened body."Thank you...," I said.
Suddenly, I saw Orion's face turning red, and a few seconds later, he burst into tears. "You're foolish. You're really foolish. What's wrong with you?" he said with a tone of heartache.".... I told you not to pick fights with them. We don't need to confront them like that because we won't win. You know that you're alone, and you haven't mastered any combat or weaponry skills yet, but you still challenged them and put yourself in danger. Look at how badly injured you are...," Orion continued, still wiping away tears."You don't need to worry about me. I just did what I should do....," I replied softly."What are you talking about? We're all friends, and we all look out for each other. You know I'm not Val, and I can't possibly step forward to save you because I'm weak. But you still faced them, alone, knowing well that you would lose and get battered. You should have restrained yourself and let them say whatever they want...," Orion continued, still sounding sorrowful."Orion, listen to me. Do you know why Val was never afraid to face anyone even though she's alone, she's a woman, and even facing the strongest enemies she couldn't defeat? Because she believed that her efforts wouldn't be in vain. Even if she got hurt, even if it meant suffering, even if she was hated by many, she wanted to give meaning to our lives. Justice, truth, honesty, they're indeed hard to achieve. But if we never try, when will we know? And this isn't just about success or failure, but we have to show that we're not weak, and we're not easily submissive and oppressed, while also opening their eyes. While Val isn't here, let me protect all of you, even if I'm weak and it might get me hurt," I explained to Orion with a smile while patting his shoulder.Orion started to smile faintly, and stopped crying.
"You're right. We should be able to distinguish between right and wrong, even if it means facing risks and consequences. Hector, I want to say, I'm amazed by you and proud to be your friend. If only I had a fraction of your courage that I could boast about and use to protect the people I care about. Ah... never mind... you must be tired, let's get back to rest..." He slowly regained his composure, becoming calm again.
Orion helped me lie back down and adjusted my blanket. "Goodnight, Hector. I'll visit you again tomorrow morning," Orion said softly.
Although my body was still very weak and my wounds still felt painful, I felt relieved to see Orion regain his composure and find a little strength within himself. Even though the night was cold and dark, my feelings felt warm because of Orion's presence by my side. The discomfort of my body felt less significant, because of the comfort and warmth I felt in his presence. With a peaceful feeling, I drifted off into a deep sleep.
____________
Note: Chloroform is no longer used for anesthesia due to its high risk of serious side effects such as respiratory depression, heart failure, and even death. Additionally, it can cause central nervous system side effects, including permanent brain damage. Safer and more effective anesthesia developments, such as ethyl ether and modern anesthetics like sevoflurane, isoflurane, and propofol, have replaced the use of chloroform in current medical practice.
Disclaimer:This story is purely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, institutions, or events in the real world is purely coincidental. The author has endeavored to present information related to scientific applications and facts as accurately as possible, yet it cannot be avoided that certain modifications have been intentionally made for the sake of the storyline.It is important to note that scenes in this story are not recommended to be imitated without professional supervision as they may pose risks to oneself or others. Interpretation of this work is the responsibility of the individual reader, not the author.Therefore, it is advised for teenagers to seek guidance from parents or caregivers when reading this story.Additionally, it should be noted that all images used in this novel are solely for illustrative purposes to enhance the context of the story. Depictions of characters from image to image may not always be entirely accurate or exact due to AI-generated technology.