"Many greenhorns love the idea of being warriors. They adore the thought of their names being sung and their actions of bravery being mentioned. They carry with them this naivety into a coming war."
"And then they wonder why they fall?" Instructor Dravok Kain’s voice resonated through the quiet grassy plane.
"Let me ask you, greenhorns, a question. When you stand before a horde of mutated beasts threatening to drown the entire world in pain and death..."
"Tell me, on that precipice of the battle, what do you see yourself as?"
"Heroes, no? Guardians, no? Defenders, no? Noble warriors, no?" Instructor Kain said, and some of the students unconsciously agreed in their hearts.
Truly, that is what those who stand before others, facing opposition and risking death, are often called.
"You’re wrong, and being wrong in war means being dead!" Instructor Kain’s voice came at just the right time when they all silently agreed in their hearts.
His thick, growling tone was enough to make their hearts almost spiral out of control.
"There are no heroes in war!"
"If you get into war, sense of morality is a luxury, for there is no good or evil, only victory and defeat."
"You’ll face choices that no course or teaching can prepare you for. Kill or be killed! Sacrifice or survive! War strips you of morality and leaves you bare. In the end, you become nothing more than a beast among beasts."
"So etch this well into your skulls. There are no heroes in war; there are only killers! And do you know what does the majority of killing...?" He asked, pausing slightly before continuing.
"Weapons!"
"For that reason, I, Instructor Dravok Kain, will raise no heroes among you. I don’t train soldiers; I forge weapons. I create the coldest killers to have ever lived."
"So, if you sit before me now, you beg for me to turn you into a killer. If you cannot accept that, leave now..." Instructor Kain growled, waiting silently, but not a single student moved an inch.
Was it because they all agreed with his ideas?
Was it because they were now willing to become killers?
Absolutely not.
It was because, to stand before Instructor Dravok Kain was like standing before a hungry beast. One wrong move, and you die.
Even when they knew well in their hearts it would be ridiculous for an instructor to kill a student, none of them could still move from the fear in their hearts.
Before this beast of a man, even the rules, which were so clear, seemed like nothing but ephemeral whispers. Something that became null before him.
"Good. I trust that means your silence shows your willingness." He said, and the slightest hint of a smile finally appeared on the man’s face in the shape of a grin.
But with his scars, it only made him look even more savage and sinister.
"When we talk of war, we talk about its brother." He continued
"What is the brother of war? Death? Sacrifices? Victory and loss?" He asked rhetorically as they all silently listened.
"No. None of these is the true brother of war."
"The true brother of war itself is pain."
"If war is a beast that consumes everything in its path, not divided between good or evil, then pain is its shadow—always following, always reminding."
"Together, they are the twin forces that shape the battlefield, carving warriors from flesh and forging strength from suffering."
The Relationship Between Pain and War:
"Firstly, pain is war’s herald."
"Pain announces the arrival of war."
"It begins first with the tension before battle—the fear that coils in your gut, the tightening of muscles as weapons are drawn, and the raw agony of the first wound."
"Pain whispers, ’The beast is here. Prepare to endure.’" Instructor Kain whispered to them, further striking their nerves.
"Secondly, war teaches through pain."
"The sting of failure, the ache of loss, the searing burns of wounds—all are lessons etched into the soul. Pain hardens the body and mind, forging resilience and endurance in those who survive."
"Without pain, war would be chaos; with it, war becomes discipline."
"Thirdly, if survival is truly all that matters in war, then its only true price is pain.
In war, every victory is paid for in pain. And pain, it is either your own or someone else’s.
"Pain is the toll extracted for every step forward, every life spared, and every battle won.
"It is the brother that reminds you survival is not without cost."
"Fourthly, pain knows no sides."
"It strikes friend and foe alike—an impartial force that binds all warriors to the same grim reality. On the battlefield, pain erases the differences between enemies, reducing them to their most primal selves—creatures clinging to life."
"And finally, pain is not just suffering. It is transformation."
"It is through pain that each and every one of you here will evolve into a true warrior. Each scar will be the mark of your survival, a testament to the battles you have endured and overcome."
"It will strengthen your resolve, force you to become the best adapter, and fuel your hunger to emerge victorious."
"Today, I want each and every one of you to bear in your mind my perspective of pain and war. On your feet and repeat after me until you burn it into your skulls!" The man commanded.
They all rose to their feet as Instructor Dravok’s hand moved to his chest, clenched into a fist. The students repeated his actions.
"War is my brother, but pain is my blood!"
"War is my brother, but pain is my blood!"
"It courses through me, fueling my rage and sharpening my instincts. The voice in my ear that whispers, ’Keep going.’"
"It courses through me, fuelling my rage and sharpening my instincts. The voice in my ear that whispers, ’Keep going.’"
"Without pain, war is a beast without teeth, a battle without meaning."
"Without pain, war is a beast without teeth, a battle without meaning."
"For that, I do not fear them—I embrace them."
"For that, I do not fear them—I embrace them."
"For pain is not my enemy. It is my ally, my strength, and my proof that I’m still surviving."
"For pain is not my enemy. It is my ally, my strength, and my proof that I’m still surviving."
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A/N:
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In and Out_SnowySmoos.