8

: A New Beginning

The wings began to rise up into the sky above them, growing larger and larger with every passing second until they were fully spread apart. Soon after, a figure stepped out of the machine, revealing itself to be the most peculiar looking person that Kelwarin had ever seen. For starters, he had no idea why a gigantic dragon would be wearing what appeared to be an ancient uniform and carrying a huge spear in his arms. Even stranger was the fact that it was almost as if he hadn't even noticed the boy sitting behind the dragon's back before now, and judging from the surprised looks he was receiving from the others, no one else had either.

"Hey, hey… Are you guys okay?" The boy's voice was a soft whisper that could hardly be heard.

"Uh huh," Kelwarin grunted. He tried lifting himself off the ground and failed miserably. All of his muscles were weak and exhausted, not to mention the fact that the pressure on his left leg caused excruciating pain whenever he took a step. After struggling to stand up for quite some time, he eventually managed to get off the ground, albeit reluctantly, and limped over to the other two who had gotten down from the dragon. "I think I'm okay now," he said, wincing as he placed his uninjured hand on the metallic surface.

Tallulah glanced at him apologetically as she helped him adjust to his new position. "Sorry, Kel. Maybe you should try walking on your own first."

Kelwarin nodded as he started walking towards the direction of the other two people. When he had reached them, however, his movements suddenly halted, and he turned to glare accusingly at her. "What are you talking about? Do you really think this is normal?"

Tallulah raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Why is there a man walking right next to us? Where did he come from? How did he manage to sneak past the Imperial soldiers without being detected? And even stranger than everything that just happened is the fact that this guy is wearing a fancy-looking uniform instead of the usual soldier's uniform."

"Oh... That's because this uniform is for Imperial Soldiers only. The rest of our outfit is for ordinary citizens, who have to wear these uniforms when we travel to and from work. You can tell because most commoners wear brown clothes or simple shirts and trousers."

"What kind of clothing do Imperial Soldiers normally wear?"

"Well, let's see…" She scratched her chin thoughtfully and tilted her head to the side. Then she brightened. "I actually used to have the same uniform but my brother insisted I change out of it when he came home after his deployment abroad. However, now that I think about it, that was a pretty strange demand."

"Your brother…? So, who is your brother?" Kelwarin inquired curiously. "Is he a soldier too?"

Tallulah shook her head. "Nope, but he served as a corporal in the Military Police. He got injured while guarding some prisoners on a mission and ended up coming home early."

"Ah, well he sounds like a very busy man."

"Don't worry, you'll meet him soon enough. Right now we have to hurry. There are still things to discuss about the plan and I need you to focus on that right now."

"What? Why am I being forced to concentrate on the plans when my friend is in trouble?" he asked angrily.

She chuckled. "That wasn't my intention. In fact, all I want you to concentrate on right now is how we're going to get out of here safely. If we don't, you'll never hear the end of it from my dad."

The two of them continued to talk about various issues regarding the situation for a few moments longer. Then, realizing that they still weren't moving any further, Kelwarin realized that there was no other alternative than continuing onward.