Blooming Flowers, Withering Dreams

The following day, Athen traveled into town to meet with Aubrey and Martha. Besides playing chess, Aubrey had mentioned an interesting location in the forest that they would explore later.

Meanwhile, Malric was alone in his study.

"Malric." The old man appeared directly Malric.

"Ah! You scared me Master, how may I help you?" Malric was startled, nearly knocking over a glass of water all over his desk.

"You should leave this town." 

Malric was baffled for a moment, taking a few seconds to gather his thoughts.

"Why would you say that Master? Is something going to happen?"

"I'm not sure. Consider it an old mans hunch." The old man responded, he seemed unsure of even his own statement.

"Although I can't explain the reasoning, I highly recommend you leave with your family as soon as possible. The Capital would be much safer."

Malric took a few moments to think it over,

"I'm sorry, Master. But I can't forsake my people, especially not on a 'hunch'." He said with a deep bow.

The old man looked at Malric for a few seconds, before sighing and vanishing back into the shadows.

Alone once again in the study, Malric quickly left the room to find Franz. He told Franz that they should scout the area around the town more, which surprised Franz as this was the second time Malric had asked of this.

"Is something the matter?" Franz asked.

"I've heard more rumors of a possible western front from other nobles, and although they seem baseless I would prefer not to take the risk." Malric quickly came up with an excuse.

He had approached Franz with the same task after Athen's celebration, so saying there were even more rumors would provide a valid enough reason.

...

"This is the spot," Aubrey said softly.

In front of them was a gorgeous rock formation, at the bottom was a nice cavernous area that went a few feet deep, and the rocks stretched nearly 25 feet above. 

This area of the forest was particularly dense, so it also provided great shade.

"I found it while I was scavenging for any herbs, and I thought it would be a cool place for us to hang out in the future." Aubrey added on.

She seemed a little nervous to show Athen and Martha, but to her surprise they seemed just as amazed as she was.

"It's so pretty! This is perfect, great job Aubrey!" Martha said as she looked around the area.

Athen brought over a very flat rock and set it down in the overhung cave,

"This would be a great place to play chess too, it's quite the incredible rock."

Large rock formations were relatively uncommon in this area, as the land was mostly flat.

They immediately set up a game, with Martha and Aubrey playing. Martha showed good growth at the game, aided by her slightly more 'educated' upbringing. But Aubrey was a genius, at least in Athens eyes. 

He certainly wasn't any good at the game, but his skill had grown. Perhaps because he was in the body of a young child again, but his intelligence was developing rapidly and he seemed more capable than ever.

That said, within just a couple days since Aubrey had learned the rules, she was already winning 50% of the games against Athen. He noted her exceptional calculation abilities, which far exceeded his own. 

He only had the edge due to experience and slightly better strategic planning. 

After playing for another hour or so, they went back to town.

And so they had a new 'hangout spot'. During any of their free times, they would more than likely be found here. 

Day after day, Athen would begin by surveying the cropland and speaking with the locals before reporting to his Father. Every other day he would help with paperwork and on others he would have a few hours to himself.

When he had time to do as he pleased, he would go to the rock formation and spend his time with Martha and Aubrey.

And then in the evening he would practice swordsmanship for a couple hours, ensuring that he stayed fit and ready for anything.

The Holy Empire was currently defending the Eastern and Northern fronts without issue, but if something were to change in the next few years, it wouldn't be unlikely for Athen to find himself out near the battlefields.

Nobles could find themselves on any battlefront even as young as 13, and although they wouldn't directly face combat, they certainly weren't safe.

And so, three years passed.

Athen was relaxing in the cave, listening to the sounds of nature while he rested his eyes. Then, from the trees, Aubrey and Martha both approached.

"Oh hey you're already here?" Martha said.

This was the first time he had beaten either of them to getting here, hence her initial surprise.

"Yeah, my Father let me go early since everything has been smooth sailing. Speaking of which, how is your father doing Aubrey?" Athen said lazily, only sitting up to ask Aubrey about her father.

"He's doing much better, he injured his foot bad enough he can barely walk but it's getting better everyday.

"Oh that's good! I was really worried when I watched him fall over," Martha added, sitting next to Athen.

"Ughh I'm so bored though. It's just the same thing everyday, I wish there was a bit more excitement."

"I hear that, all I dream about anymore is looking over paperwork and doing math." Athen said, his current situation feeling awfully familiar, likely due to his past life on Earth.

"Hehehe~ Thanks to Lord Vars, I've been able to study so many interesting things. I'm truly grateful to you guys for the opportunity." Aubrey said, clutching one such book in her hands.

Over the last three years, Aubrey's talents only developed further and further, to the extent that Malric wished to hire her. The only reason he didn't was to give her more time to study further and find her path, but he would be the first to act once she was ready to work.

"It's the least we could do, honestly." 

They sat around, idly chatting for the next half hour before Aubrey and Martha had to return to town. Athen stayed behind for a bit longer since he had a long night ahead of him. 

He was going to join his Father on a trip to the Capital to assist in negotiating a sale of a bulk shipment of food to a noble. His Father started leaving the matter of negotiations to Athen a year ago, when Athen had made his skills known. 

Although he wasn't nearly as experienced or wise as his Father, his negotiating tactics were very effective. As long as he had a clearly defined desire, usually decided by his Father, he could almost always make it happen.

Nearly an hour later, when the sun was beginning to set, Athen heard the sounds of movement from deeper into the forest. This wasn't a strange occurrence, but the sounds seemed awfully loud so Athen felt a need to at least check it out.

As he got closer to the sound, Athen started to control his breathing like Franz had taught him. This would allow him to move sneakily and efficiently.

He carefully climbed at a tree, focusing towards around 50 feet in the distance on the forest floor.

Huh? Are those?

Soldiers. And they weren't from the Holy Empire. There was a small soldier camp set up with a few patrolling guards

Shit! I need to get back now!

Athen's heart pounded, he had heard of his Fathers warnings about a possible western front opening but to think that a group of soldiers had completely slipped in. This wasn't just a threat, they were being invaded.

Athen climbed down the tree and left the area, he made sure not to make any noise that could alert the soldiers. Once he got far enough away, he broke into a full sprint. His legs screamed in pain as he pushed them way past their limits, but he didn't care. 

The dense forest began to thin, and from above the trees he saw smoke.

Shit. shit. SHIT!

There were dozens of pitch black clouds rising above the trees from the direction of town. He hoped, with every fiber of his being, that everyone was safe.

It was then that he saw the town. The town that he had essentially grown up in and recently grown to love was in flames. Every house, every building, every crop was engulfed in a terrorizing fire. 

He saw many of the townspeople running around in the streets in a panic, being sliced down by the soldiers dressed in black.

Mothers, shielding their children. Siblings, holding each other in prayer. Fathers, fighting to protect their family. They were all murdered without remorse. Not even children were spared.

No, they seemed to target children first.

The air reeked of blood. Athen could barely breathe at the sight and smell.

These people had treated him like their own blood, caring for him and teaching him valuable lessons over the year. 

But now? They were being butchered like livestock. 

Then, Athen heard a sound from behind him.