Karl felt a small sadness upon remembering his home, but he quickly smothered it. He had abandoned them without looking back; he would not hesitate now.
They were resting at an improvised camp in the mountains near the Sevan River, which served as both a geographical division and the border between three nations: Grand-Sati, Avalon, and his homeland, Lanark.
"Hey Karl, come take a look over here, since you're awake."
Karl turned his distant gaze to the right. There, his fellow soldier Asil called to him before slipping through some bushes without waiting.
Karl adjusted the hunting knife hidden at his side and approached where Asil was hiding. It was midnight, and the night breeze together with the sound of the river and insects did not inspire tranquility.
Asil was lying on the ground staring across the river. He whispered quietly:
"Karl, look. Those are the local natives. I've been watching them for a while, and it looks like they're performing some sort of ritual."
Across the river, faint torchlights appeared in succession, each carried by bronze-skinned men marked with various symbols across their faces and bodies. Their clothing was minimal, covering only their vital areas.
Lying down beside Asil, Karl thought for a moment before commenting:
"They often say these rituals carry some sort of curse against another person. A figure called the Pemon will skin you alive while you sleep and you'll die horribly."
"Bullshit."
"HAH. You know those are just strange stories to scare mischievous children."
"Yeah, and that doesn't stop it from being bullshit. Let's keep watching them for a while longer and report it later. I need a good drink when we get back from this."
"Whatever you say, weirdo."
Karl stood up and returned to camp. The only visible light came from the half-full moon overhead. He felt a strange déjà vu, as though this situation had already happened before.
'Surely it's the lack of money making me paranoid.'
He was part of a troop. He had recently been promoted to Corporal and hoped to climb even higher because of the guarantees he would receive if wounded in combat, at least some sort of insurance. Risky, but with great rewards. Taking advantage of the fact that they were secretly attacking Avalon's border outpost, they could loot a little before leaving.
They had spent two weeks traveling along the river on foot to reach it and would arrive within a few days. The relationship between Lanark and Avalon was, in quotation marks, "strained." The river often shifted the border between the two nations, and they had never reached a mutual agreement regarding that stretch of land.
So there would be war.
Days passed, and the operation became enormously complicated. During the ambush against the border checkpoint, they discovered that the third nation, Grand-Sati, had already arrived at least two days before them and had developed a similar operation.
"We're screwed."
That was the general thought among every soldier present. Armed conflict between the three nations was common, but usually one remained isolated from the others.
This time, it would not end with mere retaliation.
And apparently, the local natives had established a truce with the Sati in exchange for reconnaissance of the terrain and defenses, demanding the head of the enemy general who had been gradually invading their lands openly.
Karl felt that an escalated conflict was imminent. Then a hand rested on his shoulder. It was Asil.
"Listen to me, KV. I've been observing the indigenous group's movements these past few days, and even if they helped the Sati, they don't care much for them. We can turn them against each other. I need everyone's help here."
Karl looked him in the eyes. It was the gaze of a man determined to seize what he desired with his own hands. By force or otherwise, he would do whatever was necessary.
Karl made his decision as well.
"I understand."
They developed a course of action. Over the following weeks, the strategy took effect. They managed to destroy the Sati advance while also thwarting Avalon's attempts to secure the territory.
They were decorated and promoted respectively. Life unfolded exquisitely. Their golden age had begun.
Time passed, and by the age of twenty-three they were already Sergeants, their accomplishments preceding them wherever they went.
Karl sat during his break eating lunch quietly while thinking about tomorrow.
'I was looking for a less ambiguous reason to stop eating here, but this tastes disgusting.'
He took another bite and finally got sick of it. He proceeded to give the food to some dogs in the courtyard.
Outside, Asil stepped down from a carriage dressed as a Second Lieutenant officer. His audacity and intelligence had earned him much over the years. Though their bond had never broken, they were brothers forged by war.
Asil greeted him first.
"Hey Karl, long time no see. Did the infirmary turn you into a little girl or why do you complain so much about the food?"
"A donkey with two brain cells would cook better than this. The nurses may have nice asses, but I don't like this place."
Karl had remained in regular contact with Asil, trying not to lose track of developments in the conflict with the Sati or the Avalonians. He had been out of service for two months due to a minor fracture in his wrist, nothing serious.
"I see you're still just as restless, hehe. I've got something good for you now that you're here. Normally leaving the army right now would be impossible, and desertion probably isn't the best option if all your money's sitting in the bank."
"What are you planning? Spit it out."
"Don't say it like that, it sounds strange. Anyway, in summary, we're going to Kingston in a gesture of goodwill, as though we're establishing peace agreements. Then, when they least expect it, we'll stage a fake kidnapping and blame Sati spies so we'll have sufficient justification to move against the Sati together with Avalon. Under the table, we'll plant bombs in Avalon's key territories alongside the natives. They also want their share, and we'll exploit all of them. You just have to join me on the expedition, and afterward you can become a living dead man and start your life over. What do you say? Three birds with one stone."
Karl remained deeply silent. The corner of his mouth twisted slightly upward.
"Deal."
He shook hands with Asil. That cunning bastard would go far. As for Karl, his own path would unfold differently. Bureaucracy rocked him like a paper boat in a storm.
"By the way, take this. It's a decorative royal-edition pen, unique in the world. I know you won't use it much, but it's my recovery gift."
"You're insane sometimes. You know I'll throw it away or trade it for gold if I can, right?"
"Yes, I know what you are. It was good talking to you. See you later."
Karl turned around and tightened his grip on the glass case containing the pen. As he walked through the doorway, he tripped violently and found no support. His face slammed against the ground.
He awoke in the middle of the night. He was lying on the floor. A straw bed and a piece of cloth gave him some comfort. He was locked beneath the floor of a shack.
He had dreamed of his immature days as a young adult filled with dreams and ambitions.
Long ago, he had become a slave, and he was now around thirty-three years old.