Chapter 3: Best of Luck (2)
"Oh, you're done?"
"Yes."
'Obviously.'
The young man entered his prison room, which he has been sharing with several people for the past few years; however, currently, there are only two of them left.
The others have already gone before them; some have already fulfilled their due terms, while others were successfully conscripted into the military force ahead.
The latter was the intention of the interview he just came out of.
Every young person who has served five years of their sentence is eligible to apply for the penal military; basically, it is just in lieu of being granted a pardon.
"Hey, have you already gotten in?"
His only remaining prison mate, who was 10 years older than him, was still in his third year, which is why he could only look in envy.
"Mm? Results come next week."
"Why are you happy then?"
'I look happy?'
At his senior's words, he immediately touched his lips, and indeed, the tips of his lips were still raised. It was some sort of habit whenever he interacted with people; often it was just to keep himself out of trouble or, most of the time, for something else.
He rubbed his face, and as if turning off a switch, his expression became neutral, almost indifferent, which was the real him.
"Creep. I still can't get used to that."
Of course, it is extremely difficult to keep up with this strange habit in front of people one sees daily.
In another sense, there was no benefit in faking himself inside the room.
Every one of them is just as satisfied as long as no one meddles in their own affairs and does not cause trouble for the group.
He ignored the man who was looking at him pathetically and instead proceeded to the tiny space that was his own territory in the small prison.
Without changing his clothes, he laid himself on the bottom bunk bed and stared emotionlessly at everything his eyes fell on.
Like every day, he thought that it was also tiring, especially so because he had to act.
He looked at the little mirror stuck to the side, reflecting himself.
The dark hair that was usually unkempt was combed just for the day. His face exuded a good mix of youth and maturity, though it was still pale and gaunt for new reasons.
If there is a notable improvement, it would be the absence of the dark circles around his eyes, as he was no longer lacking in sleep. Well, it was the best thing about the five years of imprisonment. He thought it was funny, but his expression remains blank.
Despite his healthier appearance, his eyes, which were said to mirror the human soul, were showing otherwise.
His light brown eyes were hollow, as expected of the husk he has become.
Like a routine, his eyes then skimmed from the mirror to a picture beside it; it was a family picture from when he was 17, when they were on an island resort for a vacation. At that time, his mother's health hadn't yet deteriorated, his siblings were about to enter high school, and he was earning significantly well. That period was their happiest; life was still good and extremely kind.
He closed his eyes, savoring the dull ache in his chest that comes with recalling the good old days.
The last five years were filled with guilt and regrets. Of course, he could only blame himself for his family's downfall.
After that fateful day, five years ago, his mother, despite her illness, went through hell and high water to at least prove the crazy bastard Kerioth had just set him up.
He wouldn't be so stupid to not realize he was deleting all records of an artificial intelligence if it were true.
But a battle started on the darknet could only be traced in the same environment, and he was the only one capable of proving his innocence.
Obviously, the plea wasn't granted considering the impact of the last act.
That one last transaction, involving him in the crime, was definitely the final nail in the coffin.
It was three days before he walked out to the light; how could he be so negligent?
The single act of stupidity would still keep him up at night sometimes, even after five years had passed.
Eventually, he was convicted of ten years in prison; it could have been worse, given the outcome of the crime, but was reconsidered due to his age.
A lot of things happened then.
While stuck inside the prison, the world outside was struck with a cataclysm that never crossed anyone's mind—the advent of the Great Abyss, the start of the apocalypse.
It happened while he was in his second year of detention.
The Abyss—the Gate to the Otherworld—was an enormous, unending hole that appeared out of nowhere and magically turned everything where it sprouted to dust.
An enormous chunk of land as large as five states was completely erased from the map.
Adding to that, and worse, the opening of the gate resulted in the appearance of various creatures previously only heard of in fantasy-themed stories—demonic beings, spirits, beastmen, elves, dwarves, orcs, and others.
The true hell of it was that all of these creatures were more hostile to humans than they were to each other.
The hows and whys of the appearance of the Abyss were still unknown. But what became the inevitable result of it were the unending battles among all races. Of course, the humans, especially the Lohiyans, were the most disadvantaged.
Ultimately, the natives were pushed to the brink of annihilation.
They weren't prepared for an alien invasion, much less for aliens with high-caliber ammunition. They were nothing more than grasshoppers wielding advanced technologies, firearms, and bombs against giants with magic, demonic powers, and other incomprehensible abilities.
The technology they were so proud of couldn't even graze the skin of the invaders.
Fortunately or not, help came from the forces of humans who were also Otherworlders.
Those were the only things he knew of from outside.
In the end, he couldn't be bothered about the rest.
Whether they achieve their purpose or not, or whether humanity prevails, just like in the hero movies, he no longer gives a damn.
Care is a luxury for those who still have the object of their care.
As for him, the only reason he could persist in life until the present is because he cannot and doesn't want to die intentionally.
And just like every other day, he slept with these heavy thoughts lingering in his head.
***
After a week, the result was released, and as he expected, he was absolved of his alleged crime and was enlisted in the penal military force.
"I'm envious..."
His remaining roommate, who was convicted of swindling, was sulking as he said his goodbye.
"Perhaps they'll have you join another room."
"Hah, probably, though I don't really want to. Isn't it fun to have this whole thing to myself? But well, these are uncertain times; maybe they'll let us out soon."
"Yeah."
"Anyway, good luck out there, kid."
"Mm."
When the waiting period was over, he only briefly said goodbye to his senior.
For five long years, the small prison room has been his residence.
After seeing him off, the senior simply went back to his own bunk and went about his own business; it was the same for every person that left.
Now that it was his turn, he could also feel the detachment.
He simply walked down the corridor without looking back.
***
When he arrived in the hall of the center, there were already twenty or more prisoners lined up in front of a short platform.
After a couple of minutes, only around thirty people have gathered.
"We are against those trying to usurp Lohiya. Like how we loathe them, they flash their fangs at the mere sight of us."
An overbearing man in a military uniform briefed them on what to anticipate in the coming days; the words behind his expressionless face show his utter disdain for the likes of them.
"You will be grinded to the point where you'll think that this stifling place is much better. But the moment you stepped out of your prison door, death had already come upon you, and you are not your own. If needed, evil will be fought with evil. Both of you lot and the freemen would share the honor of dedicating your lives for the world; death would treat you on equal grounds."
Ignoring the overview that just makes him want to defect, his eyes wander towards the faces of the other people behind the military man.
For a moment, he caught the eyes of the lady who did the interview, but he remained passive and just stared blankly. There was no merit to acknowledging her or faking himself anymore.
Unexpectedly, it was the lady who first averted her eyes.
"As with the others before you, your ashes will be the foundation of Lohiya that shall overcome."
"Hey…"
While he was still pretending to be attentive toward the front, he heard someone calling out to him. Besides him was a guy, who seemed to be as young as Cyrus, staring at him in a daze.
"Aren't you Liberator? "
"…"
"Ah, you really are!"
The cheerful voice of the kid was heard by the others, stirring them up, who then grimly murmured his name. He was already used to the reactions every time the title was mentioned.
However, not to the kind of reaction of the guy beside him.
"Ah, I'm sorry for causing a disturbance. I'm Clint, by the way."
It was somehow suspicious. Normally, as a force of habit, he would put up a façade to get along with people. But he decided to be different this time around.
"Liberator? Maybe."
After the last step of their release was done, they were finally led outside the stuffy prison building.
The time was about noon on a supposedly hot and cloudless summer day. But instead of the blue sky and scorching heat of the sun, what welcomed them was the white, dreary atmosphere seemingly covered in red fog.
'I see.'
"Oh, God."
Clint covered his mouth in surprise at the sight before them.
Even the air was different. Probably because of the particle-like thing in the surroundings, breathing is not as good as it could be.
Nevertheless, he wasn't bothered. Instead, he inhaled the air of the setting where he chose to die someday.
Prompted by the people who are now his superiors and together with the others who are going to be his brothers in arms, he walked out of the detention center's gate, right into the outside world, which bears no resemblance to the one he remembered.
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