Chapter 313: The resolve to die in battle
" Damn it, damn it, damn it !" Dave swore as he received the news. The fact that they, as Neophytes, might soon be replaced to be sent into Perilith should have brought him relief. It should have been exactly the tonic he needed to soothe his strained mental state.
Except, he still hadn’t completed the mission He had given Dave. So then, it should have been a relief that until official orders came, the Neophytes would still be entering that accursed dimension. Yet the trauma of almost dying nearly every time he entered made it impossible for him to muster any kind of positive emotion about returning to that place.
As if that wasn’t enough, he’d been given the ultimate bad news right at the very end! Nero and Vanessa were going to be put into a separate team and would be going to the most dangerous areas of Perilith yet unexplored!
The good news was that only volunteers would be put onto their team due to the dangerous nature of their mission. The bad news was... Dave had to join their team whether he wanted to or not, for his mission was focused on Vanessa to begin with.
Dave paced around his room, his eyes turning red from mania as he was slowly being driven to the very limit of his sanity. Eventually, he decided to take drastic measures. There was no way he would be able to complete his mission if he kept playing it safe, and this was the perfect opportunity.
Since the place they were going to was supposed to be the most dangerous, no one would bat an eye if Nero and Vanessa died.
With his decision made, Dave reached into his card case as he began preparations for some extreme measures.
Meanwhile, the base was abuzz with activity as all Neophyte teams were prepared, possibly for their last mission in Perilith. It was unknown how long Sage Morphius’ trial would last, and could end in hours or go on for days. As such, they had to maximise their efforts in these potentially last few hours.
When Nero awoke, completely unaware of when he had fallen asleep, he found himself in a private room with a nurse standing over him, waiting for him to wake up. Before he could even ask any questions, she used an Eldrim card and sent a wave of cool, refreshing energy coursing through Nero’s body.
All the fatigue and exhaustion that he had been feeling in his body previously seemed to have faded away.
"Dr. Iris has other duties and so cannot see to you," the nurse said coldly. "Yet she passed on some instructions for me to give to you. She has artificially returned your body to its peak state so you can exert your maximum strength, but your body will ultimately still be unable to tolerate its usual amount of exertion.
"By creating pockets of aether that feed energy and vitality into your muscles and organs, as well as your bones, she has allowed your body to tap into energy sources other than your own. Yet if you sustain too much damage, or if the energy runs out, you will immediately return to your exhausted state. If you sustain any heavy injuries, you will probably have to undergo a long rehabilitation process, as your body cannot tolerate any more aetheric healing in the short term."
"Understood," said Nero as he got out of bed, nodding to the nurse who looked at him as if she had some personal vendetta against him. At the moment, he could not delve into the mystery of why she didn’t like him. After checking himself and ensuring that she hadn’t done anything to harm him in any way, Nero quickly slipped into a nearby bathroom to quickly change into his uniform.
Once changed, Nero promptly left the hospital and made his way to the armory to once again change into the tight, yet by now familiar, gear for his excursion into Perilith. Arming himself once again with the Neo series glaive, Nero departed for the command office, where Vanessa was still arched over a map, writing down notes with a pencil.
"Have you decided our destination?" Nero asked, taking in the electric sense of urgency that pervaded across the base as dawn approached.
"Everything is ready," she said, looking up at him, yet her voice was restrained, and carried a hint of doubt Nero was unused to. Even Vanessa’s expression carried a hint of doubt that somehow seemed foreign to her.
"What is it?" Nero asked, mentally ready to learn about unforeseen perils regarding their destination. Yet, for once, it seemed that he had incorrectly guessed what was the issue.
"I think it’s best if you see for yourself," she said, and led him to the briefing room where their team was waiting for them.
As soon as he entered the room, Nero realised what the issue was. This time, their team consisted of twelve members, though it wasn’t the additional members that was the issue.
Vacant eyes and expressionless faces greeted him, looking blankly at the walls of the room, as if in a daze.
Most of their team consisted of the Neophytes who had been struck by the Abstract curse, and had been left in a state of deprived emotions!
Nero was stunned. He had expected that their mission would be difficult, but this was a problem he had not seen coming! How could they... how could...
Before he had a chance to even feel any righteous indignation, Orion, the officer who had previously protested sending Neophytes into Perilith at all, stepped forward from between the crowd.
With confused eyes he looked at the man who had so fervently fought to protect them - to protect mere teenagers - and searched for answers. His impression of Kolar was not the greatest, but even then he never thought that they had stooped so low that they would just throw Neophytes to their deaths - especially ones who had suffered devastating injury in the line of duty.
"After you left the meeting, it was already established that you and your team will be sent to the most dangerous areas, with the highest chance of casualty. As such, Lieutenant Earl declared that while all able Neophytes will be mobilized, only those who volunteer on their own will be added to your team. None who volunteered were turned away."
"Is this what ’able Neophytes’ means?" he asked. What he actually wanted to was if ’able Neophytes’ referred to those who were crippled in combat, to drive home the seriousness of the horror he was witnessing.
Physically, these soldiers may be fine, but mentally they were very much broken.
"Yes," said Orion, nodding firmly, his expression turning serious. "Private Nero, I understand you are quite familiar with Dr. Iris. Ever since the incident with the abstract curse occurred, those who were affected have received the highest level of medical care and attention of Kolar. Each and every one of these soldiers is a potential Mystic or greater, and their future potential will never be sacrificed.
"But after days of examination and testing, using the latest and most cutting edge methods, Dr. Iris firmly declared that none of these soldiers are still under the effect of the curse - their bodies entirely free from all external influence. It’s just that they are suffering from an extreme form of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that has been artificially created.
"According to her final evaluation, they can either overcome their current state through psychological treatment and an extreme display of willpower, or they will forever be left scarred, unable to actually recover. When that evaluation was released, all of them were actually assigned to be sent back for treatment. The first batch has already gone, and the remaining soldiers were supposed to be a part of the second batch to be sent away. Yet when it was announced that Neophytes could volunteer to join you... they all volunteered."
A heavy silence filled the room as Nero and Orion stared at each other.
Vanessa, Dave, Bael and Noman - all of whom were also in the room - quietly looked towards Nero with complex emotions, waiting for his reaction. The other soldiers, the very ones who were being talked about, all listlessly gazed at the floor or on the walls.
Yet as Orion’s words fell into their ears, they somehow found it within them to turn and look. All of them looked towards Nero, as if waiting for his response.
"They volunteered, and you just accepted?" Nero asked, his voice subdued.
Orion shook his head, his complex emotions evident within his eyes.
"It wasn’t-" he began to explain, but his words were cut off by a lethargic, feminine voice.
"You said ’ rest, recover, and return to fight together as comrades in arms ’. Do not turn me away. I am still a soldier. I can still fight."1
Nero turned to look at the familiar face of the girl he had seen, sitting in a corner, trembling and devoid of all willpower. He almost expected to see eyes radiating with will and passion, yet it was still those dead eyes that looked back at him. It was still that pale face, that looked like all emotion had been frightened out of it.
Orion, too, looked at the girl with pained eyes, and continued to explain.
"Accepting them into the expedition was a point of great contention among the officers. But, as it stands, despite their current state, their combat readiness has not actually dropped. They follow orders like trained soldiers, and when ordered to fight, they fight like warriors. Ultimately... it was decided that if great will power was what it took to help them recover, then going into battle might actually help them overcome their condition... and if they are destined to live the rest of their lives like this, then it might just be better to..."
Orion tried to speak, yet the rest of the words failed to come. In the face of these young warriors, who had volunteered for service in the most perilous of circumstances, he could not belittle their resolve to fight and reclaim who they once were. He could not demean their resolve to die in battle, if that’s what it took, by calling it a mercy.
In Chapter 295, Nero looked at them and told them those words in an attempt to encourage them. For those that want a refresher, they can go and check it out again.