Chapter 2

"I won't survive this, I won't?" Benn murmured under his breath. He wiped off the sweat from his forehead, and fixed his grip on the hilt probably for the hundredth time, the weapon felt so unfamiliar. His eyes wandered from soldier to soldier-sword to sword, brain searching for hope in these armored bodies and blades. A few steps from him stood a stout bald man, chest puffed out, face seasoned with countless scars, and his eyes keenly inspecting the edge of his blade.

'I will die here, I am not a warrior definitely not a hero. I am nobody, just a number in this battle. Damn you Bennjamin and damn those books, how can they make wars and battles look so glorious.' Benn cursed everything that has led him here, his twisted expressions evident enough to show his horror.

"How old are you boy?" Benn jumped up to the heavy voice. "huh.....Eighteen sir." he stuttered barely audible in the chaos, how could he maintain his calm while watching an army taking a position on the opposite hill.

Even Benn's untrained eyes could see the difference between the formations of both the sides and he was definitely on the wrong one, the enemies seemed so organized in their formation. He had read about the formation, it was called 'Eagle's', at the forefront were the foot soldiers making its body, on both sides of the enemy army were the claws the cavalry and behind the body and the claws spread the archers just like wings of the predator.

"..... I bet ya ten shrilling that it the best inn." ".... I wonder who the next lord of..." "...Kylian where is he..... ?" light-hearted conversation engulfed their army, conversations befitting a caravan rather than a battlefield.

"Am I the only one who can see the enemy line ?" Benn asked the Veteran quizzically not sure what made the ally soldiers so relaxed just moments away from a life and death battle.

The veteran snorted-"There " he pointed out at a distance towards the front of their formation. Separated by ten paces away from the main army formation stood dozens of men, from such a distance with so many soldiers in between it was hard to tell about their features but the only things common about them were their bald heads and missing armor with a band around their arm.

"Is that a slave band? Are they slaves ?" astounded he asked as his eyes fell on one of the bald soldier's arms which had a shining red color band, its glow even visible from his position.

"Not just any slave boy-" the veteran shoved out his chest and spoke with a smug "Jeyan Warriors 'slaves' from Borkun Mountain." he emphasized on the word slave.

Benn's eyes opened wide in excitement, though it was the first time he had ever seen a Jeyan but tales of their fierce nature and unparallel strength filled countless of book all around the world. Recently he had come across an old manuscript that claimed the Jeyan race used to be the smartest race, they were inventors, creators their inventions and intelligence made them a potential threat to the gods themselves so Cephalic the God himself stripped Jeyan's of their intelligence.

Benn halted his excitement.

'No trusting those damn stories Benjamin, they could color even these nauseating wars.'

Benn's chain of thoughts was cut short by the loud horn which rang in their lines soon followed by another horn on the other side of the valley. His face dried off the blood as reality hit him hard again. His life was at a mercy of the enemy blade but getting executed for deserting was the last thing he wanted. Adjusting his grip he took a step forward, ready to charge as he had read in countless of adventure stories.

"Wait" the familiar voice of the veteran sounded from his right, bewildered Benn looked around. No soldier in their formation was moving, all stood still, every eye focused towards the vanguard on the advancing warrior slaves as they were 'forced' to charge towards the enemy formation towards the valley.

One-fourth of the enemy soldiers advanced, outnumbering the slaves by almost a hundred soldiers.

"....W..what ?" Benn looked at the veteran who had an uncanny smile on his face, his scars twisting unnaturally with his shady smile making him look even more intimidating.

The veteran spoke, his eyes fixated on the advancing slave warriors-"Slave bands won't work as effectively on them as they do on us, just two months at most, today is the last day." his smirk got wider as the two sides ran down the valley, a bloody battle was always fun until you were participating.

"Come on Kylian"... "Cut them to pieces..." .... "Kill them... KILLL THEMMMM YOUUUU SLAVEEEE" shouts and curses rang on their side of the valley as one slave was advancing faster than the rest of the Warrior slaves, the only slave among 3 dozen slaves who wasn't a Jeyan.

"Who is that ?" Benn asked in amusement, not sure the slave was a fool or just suicidal, Benn agreed on the latter. "He sure is desperate to get killed."

The veteran gave out a small laugh and spoke, his eyes on the sole slave soldier. "Have you ever seen a monster ?"

"No" Benn replied, looking at the Veteran with narrowed eye, thinking what he was getting at .

"You will soon see." the veteran further added with a giggle.

As the slave named Kylian was 3 strides away from the enemy line he jumped with a bent knee, hitting straight at the enemy soldier's neck. Without even confirming, the slave swung his blade midair aiming for the soldier's head beside him. Even though the enemy was alerted by then still he was not fast enough to go unscratched, Kylian's sword neatly severed the soldier's sword arm.

Whispers around Benn turned to a chorus of cheering as the slave killed one and literally unarmed the other within seconds of the clash, then he effortlessly parried a sword. The rest of the Jeyan slaves crashed into the enemy lines just after Kylian. Benn looked at the battle astounded, Jeyan slaves were at least three hands taller than the enemies and appearance was not the only thing that distinguished the two sides. The slaves fought ruthlessly just like caged animals, they punched, kicked, jumped which made it impossible for the enemies to predict them. A Jeyan with a blade jutting out his abdomen bit one of the enemy soldiers' leg crippling him amid the battle. The enemy soldiers had to stab the fallen bodies of slaves just to avoid such incidents. The battle was moving quick. There was blood flying, weapons swinging and bodies dropping of both sides on the battlefield.

"I bet Kylian will kill at least a score of 'em...." "....He is tired, he ain't surviving this one." "Look five down..." "Half month income on that slave, twelve at most...." the soldiers were enjoying the battle as if watching a fencing bout.

Benn eyes again shifted to the slave 'Kylian' , holding a bloody sword surrounded by both dead and alive soldiers, his breathing erratic with all the killing. Kylian's body was covered in patches of blood and by the way the slave was dancing through the enemy line Benn doubted if even a single drop belonged to him.

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Three enemies advanced towards Kylian, all from a different direction getting desperate to watch him bleed like them. Ignoring the two on both his sides he turned and lunged towards the one on his back. It was the back you have to be careful about, his master had literally engraved it on him. Kylian thrusted his sword towards the enemy's neck, trying to end him as soon as possible. Seeing the lunge towards him with an inhuman speed and with a sword aimed right at his throat the soldier panicked and instincts kicked in, he closed his eyes shut and moved his head lower, his arms moving not to evade the attack but to cover his face. Before his hands could cover his face Kylian's sword hit his helm which sent the helm flying , the soldier lost his balance by the sudden impact and fell to the ground with a buzzing sound in his head.

Fighting through the headache and his fatigue the soldier took a moment before getting up and soon realized two more of his comrades had fallen, blood still gushing out their freshly cut wounds, their blood darkening the already bloody ground.

'I have to end it, I have to end this calamity before it swallows a dozen more.' was the only thought that rang in the old soldier's head. Holding his breath the soldier took a step forward towards the 'calamity' ready to make the most contribution he or any other soldier would make in this battle, just hoping he was forgotten by 'IT'.

"Don't." the 'calamity' firmly spoke almost commanding the soldier. After taking a moment 'it' turned, facing the old soldier. The soldier looked at Kylian with shock, beneath all the blood and gore stood a young boy of not more than 20, indeed younger than his own son. It was not his age that rose pity in the old soldier it was his eyes, light blue like a thin ice sheet with a bottomless depth, wisdom and sorrow beyond his age. If eyes reflected the soul then those pale blue eyes were the embodiment of hardships and loneliness.

The old soldier took a deep breath and took a step forward, his lips curved into that of a smile, a smile unfitting amid a battle, a smile of a man who knew what was to come. The soldier had made his decision and so had Kylian. Both of them advanced.

Kylian's sword penetrated the soldier's heart in an instant and in the next moment the body joined his comrades on the ground, the only smiling corpse in the whole bloody field.

Kylian felt a wave of content in his gut, he always does after taking lives. It felt like he was born to rob people of their lives, the blood and killing made him feel complete, made him feel alive.

'You are not a monster son.' a female voice resounded in his head, a voice too familar.

Kylian twitched, he had yet again lost himself to the blood and gore. "I am not a monster," Kylian reminded himself but the words felt hollow to his own ears.