6 YEARS AGO

15.06.1636

16:41

"...Each time I see a mist... it reminds me of how useless I am... of how useless I was when they needed me the most.

...Each time I see smoke though... it reminds me of how much my life has changed over the years. From a little boy that was running each day of his life... to a warrior that seeks revenge for the people he had lost. And yet... I am still not enough to make them proud, even after all those years.

I despite fire... even if I use it almost every day now. Fire took everything I had that day, whether it was by a gun or a simple small tool. Yet I'm still questioning myself... why do I use this small tool so frequently if it is the same tool that took even the last thing I had?"

There is a small memory of the little Six, crying around a dead corpse, that we've already witnessed.

[630G]-...FOUR!! WAKE UP FOUR!! FOUR, DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME TOO!! FOUR!!!

"Why do I... still like to use this fire that it makes, even after everything I've witnessed? Is it truly the ore that makes me addicted to it because of its calming effect? ...Or is it something that I didn't find about myself? Or maybe..."

And it doesn't take long before the memories cuts to the point on which the corpse is on fire, while the two figures stay next to it, watching it burn.

"...do I really like watching this smoke it creates after? Like I used to watch when this whole incident happened? If so... why do I like it so much? It only hurt me, and it will always hurt me each time I remember, so why would I like it so much?"

[CHE5TER]-...C0NNER! C0NNER, pay attention!

Yet the memory fades, as we found ourselves somewhere in the past after the whole incident happened, where young CHE5TER is looking at little "C0NNER".

[CHE5TER]-C0NNER!!

["C0NNER"]-...H-Huh?

[CHE5TER]-*sigh* You want me to call you "Six" or what?? What should I do to make you pay attention to me when we are training?

["C0NNER"]-O-Oh... u-um... Sorry, Mr. CHE5TER. I-I wasn't... My mind was somewhere else.

Yet CHE5TER seems a bit annoyed by this response for some reason.

[CHE5TER]-C0NNER, everything that happened is in the past now! It's been two days already! You have to learn to move on!

["C0NNER"]-I-I know, I just... I-I'm just...

Yet the kid seems sad, almost as if he wants to cry. CHE5TER doesn't seem to be the best master in these times either.

[CHE5TER]-...You know what? Just forget it... Go take a break for a while and we will continue a bit later. But please! Pay attention to me! I didn't take you for nothing, kid!

The kid doesn't say anything, he only looks ashamed at the ground, while the young ruler leaves the training room and lets him alone. He is pretty upset, actually, and while he is alone, he just goes to a wall and sits down, taking his rest.

But it seems like tears come from his eyes, yet he wipes them out immediately with his right hand, refusing for some reason to cry. But it doesn't seem as he can control these feelings of his either, as he sobs a little while wiping his tears. So, in order to stop himself from this, he looks around the room to analyse it better this time. Yet he notices a desk on which there are all kind of weapons, so by pure curiosity, he gets up and wipes his tears for the last time, before he goes towards the desk.

When he finally gets next to it, he looks at all the weapons that just stand there, yet it's a bit too early for him to choose one for himself. He is just curious, that's all. From the weapons, he sees a sword, weapon that his master wields, weapon that He used to save him. He takes it a bit in his hands and tries to move it around for a while, but it doesn't take long before another weapon gets his attention.

He sees a simple bow, yet for some reason he gets more attached to that weapon than the sword itself. So, he puts it down and takes the bow to try it out, even though the bow is a bit too big and heavy for him to even hold it. Yet he doesn't give up, even if he almost falls on the ground from it. He takes one of the arrows from the quiver that was on the desk and tries to arrange the arrow so that he can aim with it. Yet it's a bit hard for him since the bow is so heavy, but he succeeds in putting himself in a better position than before, looking around for something to aim at, noticing a training dummy.

It doesn't take long before he tries to aim at it, looking through the bow, with the arrowhead's direction towards the dummy, pulling the bowstring as much as he can, before he strikes... Or, well, tried to strike. Because the bow is heavy for him, his aim got destroyed the moment he let go of the bowstring, not to mention that his pulling wasn't strong enough, so the arrow barely flew. So besides sadness... he is now disappointed as well.

17:13

[CHE5TER]-RY4N, I don't know what to do anymore! I don't know what to do to help him! No matter what I try, he is not paying attention to me! He doesn't want to learn!

[RY4N]-CHE5TER, be patient with him... He just joined us after that tragic event he has witnessed. It's normal for him to act like this.

Both of the brothers seem to argue a bit about little Six in the Great Leader's office, yet Six seems to be listening quietly, without them knowing, from the door that was barely open, upset about what he is hearing.

[CHE5TER]-I can't be patient forever, Brother! You know I have a lot to do already! I have the Council which already gets on my nerves every day, I have the missions of the base to plan each night, I have to supervise the Underground City, and now I got myself being a teacher for someone that doesn't even want to pay attention to me! I know it hurts him and all, but I barely can make myself some time for him and he doesn't even want to listen to what I'm saying! I don't know what to do to make him understand this situation anymore!

[RY4N]-But that shouldn't mean you have to go harsh on him. He is just a kid, CHE5TER. We were the same as him. And right now, these aren't the best times for him either.

[CHE5TER]-*sigh* I know. But I feel like I'm losing my mind with everything that's on my "Have-To-Do" list. I was tired already even before I took him, and now I'm trying to wake myself up even earlier to have some time for him as well. I'm still trying to... get used to everything. You know that already, RY4N.

Yet Six leaves as he doesn't seem to want to listen anymore, still upset.

[RY4N]-You know... you acted the same when we had our incident. I couldn't even talk with you properly for days until you got better and managed to recover even a little, just enough to start your work as the new Great Leader. Don't put the blame on him for what happened. Fate simply wasn't by his side this time.

[CHE5TER]-...Alright. Yeah, I guess you are right. I will... try and go easier on him from now on.

[RY4N]-I'm always right, Brother! Now, take a rest before you go back to him and clear your mind. Arguing with him won't solve anything.

Yet as they stop talking, we see little Six again, wandering alone the hallway.

"...Over the past few days, He was pretty busy, even busier than I remember. The whole thing regarding the letter got into His top priorities, and I barely managed to see Him anywhere myself. Yet... to be honest, He was always busy, even the moment I've joined Him.

I remember that He was waking me up very early in the morning, yet I didn't really mind that since I was used to it from my past life, but He was always looking tired because of it. Since that... and all the anger thrown towards me because of His tiredness... I thought myself as another burden to Him for many years. Yet I never really told Him how I felt about all of this... I just kept it to myself.

When I joined, I remember that I wasn't really talkative to anybody, as I was barely talking with the other soldiers around me. I can't say I'm talkative now either though... to me, nothing really has changed. Yet even now and in the past, the person that I talked the most with was Him in the end. I don't know why... but I always felt more safe around Him than around anybody else. I guess I really saw Him as a model for me, even with all of His imperfections.

And it's true that He used to make my life even harder than it already was, but I guess I was making His as well. The trainings with Him were something that I really didn't enjoy doing, as His methods were too much for me, but knowing that He learnt the same way just made me wonder how many people actually suffered the same fate as me. As for my loneliness... it's a feeling I still didn't get used to it.

He was... the one who gave me my name. C0NNER... He gave me this name the moment I decided to help Him, to join His team and fight into this war even if it costs my life. I've never understood why did He choose this name to me, or why did He even give me a new name... yet I used it and I will forever use it until I meet my end. A new name means a new beginning, so maybe He only wanted to give me this gift of rebirth. Yet back then... I was still using my former nickname, as an old habit of mine... and maybe as a memory as well."

[LUK3]-Oh? Hey! C0NNER! Wait up!

Little Six stops from his walk and looks back at the young man that was calling him. It's young LUK3, the same man that tried very hard to be friends with the new guy years ago.

[LUK3]-How are you doing, little guy?? Wanna come with me and some of my friends to take a fresh air?

Yet little Six doesn't really respond at first, he is just looking down, waiting for the man to leave him alone.

[LUK3]-Come ooon! I promise you will have fun! Pretty please??

Then he looks at him a bit unsure, until he finally nods affirmatively and says one word, silently.

["C0NNER"]-...A-Alright.

[LUK3]-Hahah, I promise you didn't choose the wrong answer, buddy! Let me just bring the others and we will go around the city, alright? I will show you around!

Yet again, he doesn't say a word. But he seems to be looking at LUK3's nose, on which he has a small bandage from the mission in which he tried to save Six's group.