A spring m like any other, it was calm and soothing. Gentle winds let the trees py. Slightly chilled air forced warmer clothes. It was a normal day in Atntis. Everything had just begun. The possibilities were endless. That was what she hoped for anyway.

  The South Gate Headquarters stood before her, as tall and majestic as always. It had the cssical design the military maintained in all aspects of their presenbsp; Behind the traditional appearance held modernisms for the fort of the soldiers. Everything o protect Atntis from the outside world. It was the wall of Atntis and its shield and protector. Assigo the border patrol was a duty nearly all took, unless circumstances allowed them to be exempt.

  Border duty was an honor. It was the greatest pride a soldier should have. They were on the frontlines of proteg the citizens from the dangers of the world beyond the barrier. It was a noble cause everyone supported and stood behind. It was something no one could doubt or see fault in taking. The distinguished honor roof of loyalty, duty aion to one’s try and King. Any achievements earned in the line of duty were highly regarded accodes. They were proof of one’s ability.

  It was for those reasons she stood at the stoh into the South Gate. She hat proof before she returned. ‘I’ll be back, father. I’ll show them my worth!’ The young Atntean girl, dressed in a white military uniform, took her first step into the pound.

  She had a small smile on her fabsp; Excitement triggered each of her steps. All of the stories she heard about the Gates created a fantastical image in her mind. ‘It’ll be different from the Academy. These are men and women serving their try. All of the prejudid immaturity won’t be here. Everyone here has to work together to keep Atntis safe!’ Her past was behind her. She didn’t have to worry about her appearance or status.

  Everything would work out.

  Chapter 198 – Delusional Fantasies

  “Who are you?” asked a female senior officer.

  “Yeah, who are you?” interjected Yuki, cutting off the story. Time jumped back to the present, with everyohered closely by Ayumi with heightened curiosity. The normally stone-walled Ayumi, whose past was more of a mystery than Tamamo-no-Mae, was actually revealing her secrets. Yet, her story was toe to believe, by Yuki’s judgment.

  Appearing a little put off by Yuki’s interruption, Ayumi tried to push through. “I said, I’m the new—“

  “Are you really expeg us to believe this?” Yuki looked around at the others to try to gain some support. “Right? Guys?”

  Haruo remained silent, not a surprising course. He would be of no help. However, Saki looked uain, possibly skeptical. Yuki leaped on it, regardless of the truth. He pced himself almost unfortably close to Saki to forething out of her. “W-Well, it is a little…out of character?”

  “See, I’m right!” Yuki turned back to Ayumi, emphasizing his point with his ched fist. “Who’s going to be believe this sweet little girl is the cold, merciless Ayumi we all know!” He presented an image pulled from her introdu of the little girl, she cimed to have been.

  Redness surfaced in Ayumi’s cheeks. She ripped the paper from Yuki’s hand and crumpled it up, before chug it off behio disappear far into the distanbsp; “It is embarrassing for me as well, but what I’m telling you is the truth!” Ayumi stretched out from her seated position to front Yuki directly. Her eyes said she was serious, but her face still blushed deeply.

  A moment of silence carried out betweewo, staring ily. Yuki lost the fight and backed away, looking a little away. “You ’t start going Tsundere on me now! You’re tsuntsun!”

  “…Yuki…” bemoaned Saki, before she whacked him in the back of the head.

  “Hey! You don’t even know what I’m talking about!”

  “It’s not like I hit you because I knew what it meant.”

  “Right,” nodded Yuki. He slowly turned back to Ayumi pnning to resume his debate, but stopped. “Wait…” Yuki looked back at Saki, who did not meet his gaze. His eyes widened in realization.

  Clearihroat, Ayumi interrupted, “ I tinue?” Saki had Yuki distracted enough that Ayumi accepted his silence as a forfeit of his ptform.

  The eleven-year-old child stood before a t woman. (Hey!) She clearly saw the senior officer badge attached to her uniform. It was hardly the first time she saw someone of such station, but the woman held a fierce look. The look killed everything in the girl in that instant. She hardened her features. She was a soldier. Certain manners and discipline was expected of soldiers. The girl had to obey how the system worked. “I’m the new graduate from the academy. I’ve been assigo the South Gate.”

  “Right, I heard about you from the Captain.” The woman looked the girl up and down, what little of her there was to examine. The child still had time to grow and be carefree, yet she was already a soldier. Life of those like her was just the same as those older. They received the same treatment, ign anything about maturity. It remained unusual to send a child out to the border, even if they were accepted as a soldier. Such duties waited until they finished growing. “’t believe they’re sending us children now.”

  The child reized the stare well enough. She experie repeatedly in the Academy. The reason was numerous, but the stare was always the same. “I’ll pull my ow, ma’am!” Despite her stature and age, she held the same trained look from any soldier.

  “You better. The reports cim you were at the top of your css, even among older cadets. Don’t let Academy life make you think you know what you’re doing out here. The demands of the patrol are nothing like what they trained for you. Just because you were good in practice doesn’t mean you’re ready for this. You have to prove your usefulness out here.”

  “I will, ma’am!” She saluted the woman, never breaking from her determination.

  The senior officer stared down at the girl in silenbsp; Her eyes read for any flicker or motion. She wanted a read on the child. “You act fident, but we’ll see how long that sts. I don’t know what and is thinking putting an eleven year old in charge of a squad, even with your marks. I’ll be watg you, Sed Lieutenant Eudokia.”

  “I uand! I’ll meet your expectations, Lieutenant ahene!”

  One of Athene’s assistants appeared from behind the woman. The young man stepped forward to repce his superior. While Athene fell into the shadows, eventually departing, her assistant presented Eudokia with her lodging assig. “Sed Lieutenant Eudokia, you have been assigo Barracks M. You will find your squad, the South 241st Squad, in the same barracks.”

  Eudokia listened in sileo the man g her orders. Her eyes read into his expression, while her ears pulled apart the varian his tone. ‘The same eyes, but there’s fear as the sourd a little jealousy.’ She saw his biform only carried a badge marked as Sergeant. He was a regur soldier, forced to start at the bottom and over a decade older than her.

  Life wasn’t fair. Fate wasn’t equal.

  The barracks were easy to find for Eudokia. In the course of her walk, she passed many soldiers along the way. None of them knew her, but it did not stop them from looking as she passed. They all had the same rea, bewilderment. ‘Barracks M,’ she o herself, when she reached the building. It had the same well-maintained appearance as every other building. It looked like it could stand for another millennia without ge.

  She pushed open the door, needing to put all of her weight into the effort. It creaked with her entranbsp; Light bled into the floor surrounding her shadow. ‘This is where I’ll find my squad…’ Eudokia stood ihreshold searg out fns hinting to her squad.

  Her appearairred the soldiers resting. They all called their attention to her the moment they realized a child was in their barracks. Those still ued were tapped or o get their attention.

  “Someoheir kid into HQ?”

  “Idiot, that’s a MP.”

  “Woah, you’re right. She’s got their white uniform.”

  “Sure it’s not some guy’s kid dressing up?”

  “Like she could fit their uniform.”

  “I’ve never seen one so young before.”

  “Don’t they usually stay in the Capital at that age?”

  “What’s she doing out here?”

  They were only whispers, but Eudokia heard them well enough. She grew aced to such voices. However, she was lost. ‘He purposely didn’t guide me,’ she realized. Her eyes sed the area trying to sort out any identification, but none of the squads had any markings. ‘Shouldn’t they mark where each squad is?’

  Res to the only option, Eudokia stopped in front of one of the soldiers. “I’m looking for the 241st Squad.” She gathered several bnk stares ay looks. It took a little while for a soldier to lift an arm and point in the dire. “Thank you.” Eudokia marched off with a new dire.

  “What was that about?”

  “Is she getting assigo the 241st?”

  “They did have their MP transferred back to the Capital.”

  “I feel bad for them. Getting a helpless child as their MP.”

  Ign the ents, the five cots assigned for the 241st Squad revealed themselves. She stopped in front of the middle of the cots. In silence, Eudokia stretched her eyes over the four members of the squad. They zily lounged in their spaces. None of them seemed very ied in her presenbsp; ‘These are soldiers? They don’t look anything like Atntean soldiers. They just look…bored…’

  It might have been that they couldn’t deploy until they received a MP. So they were forced to do nothing while waiting. It might have been the way they haheir off time. Eudokia didn’t know the reasons, she would uand in time. “This is the 241st?” She received nnition from any of the four soldiers. “I ask—“

  One of the men shifted i making it groan under his weight. He slowly made an effort to get out of his bed and worked over to the short Eudokia. Even at a slightly above average height, the man in the biform towered over her. “Who’s asking, kid?” His tone ignored any respect due between them. In his eyes, he saw only a child, ohat bothered him.

  Eudokia narrowed her eyes reading the man for a moment before responding. She never flinched despite his efforts to appear intimidating. “I’m Sed Lieutenant Eudokia, Lieutenant Sergeant,” Eudokia decred with io curb some of his insubordination.

  The Lieutenant Sergeant didn’t take her attempt at throwing around her rank well. A wrinkle appeared around his nose. “I earned my rank, Sed Lieutenant. I don’t appreciate our new White ign who’s actually in and here.”

  Ued, Eudokia tinued, “I’m gd you appreciate the of and. I’ll expect you to obey my ands.”

  The man took a step back, a little surprised by the child's unwillio back down and bold decration. He caught himself in a fit of ughter, which spread around to the other three soldiers. Nearly a minute passed before they recovered themselves. “You’re funny, kid. Like I said before, you might out rank me, but I’m the one in and. I’m the Squad Leader, you follow my orders.”

  “You’ll find that you’re w on outdated information, Lieutenant Sergeant.” Eudokia retrieved her transfer papers along with her new and papers. She presehem out in front, purposely keeping them low. “I’m the new Squad Leader of South 241st Squad effective today.”

  The man leaned down suddenly, no longer feeling secure in his position. Her decration also silehe other three and even garhe attention of the rest of the barracks. It had everyoaken babsp; “’t be…” He stared at the papers, almost expeg them to be hand drawn in with finger paints, but they were official. Even the General’s stamp sat at the bottom.

  Eudokia stared up at the man. “I expect you to follow my every and, Lieutenant Sergeant.”