Chapter 4: Delusional Darkness

Notes from the author: Sorry it took long for the next chapter. I ended up getting some major writers block on how to flesh out this chapter. As much as possible I wanted this chapter to at least provide some framework for the upcoming chapters. I hope you all enjoy!

Everything was dark. All alone in his space of emptiness, Kireru sat down, rocking himself slowly. He knew he was unconscious and that everything right now was in his mind. He needed to process everything that happened. If the town was attacked that quickly, especially while the commander did a news report, then that means that they were just outside of the Empire's borders. But why would they attack this town, it had nothing to do with the war, there would be no benefit nor any good motive to attack it. The next question he had in mind was the power of the walkers. They were huge and were packing serious firepower. However, they didn't look like the walkers shown from the interview. They were bigger and had more armor. The camo patterns on them as well were different. They were red and white over the dark grey that he saw on TV.

Come to think of it, even their heads were different. They had two pointy horns that stuck out at the back of the head, almost like the wings you would find on the helmet of Hermes, except more sleek and less "wingy". In the darkness he saw the road he was on before the attack. Ghostly visions of his parents could be seen along with Mina and other citizens. His parents approached them, placing their hands on his cheeks.

"We're sorry Kireru, but our time here is up. We have to leave you now and head on up. We love you... We'll watch over you from above" his mother spoke in such a calming voice. Before he could reply to them, their image faded away into the darkness. As Kireru looked around, another vision appeared before him, taking the form of Mina. Her head was dripping with blood, left arm missing and her right leg cut in half. Seeing this, Kireru stumbled back, tripping. She slowly approached him and with a trembling voice.

"Kireru... I wanted to spend more time with you... I wanted to be with you forever... I love you, loved you, and always will love you. Guess you'll still be a ****** for awhile but, keep on living, I'll be watching from above... My love"

She caressed the shocked and startled Kireru's face before fading into the darkness. He didn't know if this was a dream or if this was really happening. Before he could begin to comprehend what happen, Kireru awoke from his unconscious state. He saw other boys his age all around a dim lit room. They were either slumped against the wall or laying, curled up in a ball. He didn't know how long he had been unconscious, but if he was in a different place, then he must have been out for quite sometime.

Kireru slowly stood up flinching and grinding his teeth as he did. His body ached and his legs felt sore. Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and in came a few soldiers as well as a man wearing what appeared to be an officers cap. The soldiers were only in their combat fatigues but they were still armed with rifles, ready to kill if anyone of the boys in the room showed any provocation. The officer smirked slyly as he tipped his hat.

"Everyone of you boys in this room will now be taken to the laboratory for tests. You all belong to the Alveste Empire's Army Corp"

The officer shoots a glance towards Kireru.

"If I were you, I'd beg to score high on these tests, less you want to become fodder for the front lines. Depending on your test results, you will be drafted into the different branches of the Army Corp, or transferred to other branches of the military"

A few whispers came out of the mouths of some of the boys, Kireru was trying to pick up on what they were saying, hearing words like Walker corp or, Army Special Forces. The officer grunted as they whispered.

"Silence! None of you will ever score high enough to get into the Special Forces, nor the Walker Corp. Those branches require near perfect results when it comes to mental aptitude and physical aptitude. Seeing as none of you were born in the borders of the empire, you all are surely to score low"

With that, the commander spits on the floor and turns away, exiting the room with the soldiers following suit. Behind them appeared a group of men who appeared to be scientists. They asked the boys to stand up and follow them to the lab for their tests. As Kireru followed the scientists, he observed his surroundings. The base itself looked very dull. The walls had no emotions emitting from them, nor did the floor or the lighting. As they passed each room, Kireru looked inside the windows as he passed by, seeing soldiers chatting, reading, cleaning their gear and eating food. It seemed like they were all just going about their day as usual despite partaking in a mission that murdered innocent people.

Upon arriving at the lab, Kireru and the other boys were seated down infront of long tables. On the tables themselves were papers which appeared to be their tests. Once everyone got seated, one of the scientists began to roam around the tables and in a loud and voice he explained.

"If the officer in charge of this F.O.B hasn't exchanged pleasantries with you yet, then allow me. Welcome to Junction 13, Alveste Empire's newly established F.O.B. You are all here to do your tests and get drafted into your respective Corp and roles correct?"

The man pointed held up a few sheets of paper, similar to the ones on the tables.

"Your first test will assess your logical reasoning as well as how dumb you are. Afterwards you will be tested on your mental aptitude, something you'd want to score high on if you want a decent military career"

The scientist pointed to a row of chairs that looked futuristic and retro at the same time.

"The next few tests afterwards will be physical capabilities as well as marksmanship. Should you score high in all of these and with the clearance from the commanding officer, you may end up in the elusive Special Forces or the Walker Corp. But no one who isn't a citizen of the glorious empire has ever joined either of the Corps. Back to the topic at hand however, you may start with the logical test whenever"

The scientist walks away from the center, leaving the boys to start their test. Kireru stares down at the paper in front of him. So many things are still processing within Kireru's mind that for 3 minutes, he stares blankly at the paper, spaced out. Kireru thinks to himself, if he wants to make it through this alive, the best corp to get into would be the Walker Corp. He slowly comes back to reality, reading the questions on his test paper to himself.

"Are you willing to obey any orders given to you without hesitation?... Are you willing to fully commit yourself to the Empire..."

The list of questions that seemed pretty kiss *** went on. Of course he said yes to all of them, he wasn't the hero type nor did he want to be the hero type who would reject the ideals forced upon him. He wanted to survive, to have the advantage, even if it meant kissing the *** of an empire. The other questions that followed were more tame, talking about certain situations amd what you would choose to do if put in said situation.

After around 20 more minutes of answering, Kireru finished his test, handing it in to one of the scientists. They then led him to the seats which Kireru saw earlier, strapping him into the seat before dialing numbers into a console nearby. After they finished configuring the machine, one of the scientists, holding some weird goggles hooked up to the machine, stood infront of Kireru. He cleared his throat before explaining to Kireru.

"This machine will test how capable your brain is in terms of processing data surges or even forced data flow. This is a very important test, especially if you want to join the Walker Corp"

The scientist placed the goggles onto Kireru.

"As you know, your brain processes information constantly, from the words I am speaking to even the most basic detail of this room. However when operating the Walkers used by the Walker Corp, your brain will be pumped with data from the machine itself via a neural link. The link allows you to control the machine almost as if you're controlling your own body. You'll be wearing goggles like these which provide a heads up display showing ammo, fuel and energy levels as well as a direct view from the head area of the Walker"

The scientist then gave a thumbs up to the others who booted up the machine. The view inside the goggles was dark, nothing could be seen at all. There were circular pads placed on the temples of Kireru's head that were attached to the goggles. As the machine came to life, a whirring noise could be heard followed by a sudden shock to Kireru's head. He grinded his teeth and clenched his fists as the pain continued to increase, without giving him time to tolerate it. A view suddenly appeared within the goggles, it was blurry at first but after a few seconds, it became clearer.

As Kireru looked around, he noticed that he was in a destroyed city, explosions going off around him and the sound of gunfire ever so close to him. Without him controlling it, whatever he was viewing began to move. It took cover, crouched behind a building, staring down at the streets below. The cars appeared to be very... Small? Realization hit him that he was viewing some sort of combat footage from a Walker. Occasionally his walker would peak out and take shots at enemies on the otherside. Every shot that passed near him or that he fired caused him to flinch which blurred the view from the goggles, but only for a split second. 5 more minutes of combat footage played, but by that point, Kireru adjusted to the pain that he was experiencing. After those 5 minutes, the machine was turned off and the goggles were taken off of Kireru's head.

As they unstrapped him and lifted him up, Kireru stumbled to the floor, struggling to stand up. He was sweating profusely and gagging as he took deep breaths. The scientist who put the goggles on him stood before Kireru.

"What's your name boy?"

Kireru responded, stuttering.

"My name.. Is K-Kireru"

"Well Kireru, you endured around 5-10 minutes worth of combat footage from a Walker. And it wasn't just footage, your brain was processing everything the pilot was at the time. Your connection was never cut and was steady the entire time. If you look around you, it appears out of the batch of garbage you're clumped with, you're the only one who can become a suitable Walker Pilot"

He held out his hand, offering it to Kireru. With all his strength, Kireru grabbed onto the mans hand and pulled himself up.

"I'm surprised, because you lasted even longer than a lot of those who get recruited into the Walker Corp. A lot of them build their endurance during training but you? You seem to have endurance naturally built into you. Look around you"

Kireru blinks as he looks around the room. His vision and hearing is slightly but temporarily impaired but he can see the other boys sobbing on the floor and hearing them scream out in pain.

"They can't even process the system booting up. That alone just shows the weakness of those who were born outside of the empire's glory. But I musn't keep you here longer. Head outside of the lab and the guard stationed outside the door should take you to your next tests"

Kireru nods as he limps his way to the door, the screaming of the others fading as he walks farther away from them. As he steps outside of the lab, he stretches and his limp begins to fade. The guard outside speaks with a sharp tone.

"Follow me to the designated area"

With that, he guides Kireru to the outside of the base where he sees what appears to be a shooting range, and an obstacle course. The soldier in charge of the next tests handed Kireru a handgun.

"This is a Walther P210. No matter which Corp you're put in, this gun will be your bestfriend in the most dire situations. Whether you're using a rifle or riding in the confines of a walker, you'll always end up relying on this"

Kireru hesitantly grabbed the gun. It felt smooth in his hands and fit well. He felt the slide, the grip and even cocked it back slowly.

"Fire an entire clip down range, you can be fast or slow, but you'll be timed. Depending on how many bullets you land and where as well as how fast, will determine your score. We'll start when you're ready"

Kireru didn't know how to use a gun properly. Sure he saw some stuff in movies and shows but, did they really show the proper stances or techniques needed to using a gun to the best of your abilities? Kireru put his right foot forward and held the gun with both hands, lining up the sights with the target. He took a deep breath and sharpened his gaze.

"I'm ready"

The soldier held up his hand above his head

"3... 2... 1... Begin"

His hand flew down and his other started the timer. Kireru began to pull the trigger, firing at the target. 5 seconds passed and Kireru was able to get all his shots on target and empty the clip. The soldier approached the target board and nodded slowly.

"None hit the center, but your grouping was tight. I'd say somemore practice and you could become a marksman"

He walked back to the firing area where Kireru was.

"You won't be needing that gun for now, hand it over and head to the obstacle course. The sergeant over there will instruct you"

The soldier held out his hand to Kireru. Looking at the gun, then to the mans hand, Kireru silently handed the gun over to the man. That's right, there was no need to reply to anyone's comments or remarks. He was just doing as he was told to survive. Kireru walked away from the soldier and towards the obstacle course, looking at his hands as he did so. If that were a real person in front of him, would he really be able to shoot them without hesitation like he did to the training target? Maybe if he was still back in his original world he would for sure, not harm anyone without reason or justification. But he was given a second chance, and if killing meant surviving to find his purpose in this world, then kill he would.

As Kireru did his time in the obstacle course, from the void, Avela watched him from her Orb. She smiled as she saw him completing the course. He was of course, nurturing the very seed she planted within him without him even knowing. He wasn't ready yet however, he may be already questioning his morals, but there's still no fuel for the fire, but fuel would arrive soon, if she was patient enough.

"That's right Kireru, you were given a second chance... Stay alive and do as your mistress desires, and you will be rewarded with your purpose in this pathetic world"

Avela began to laugh, the sound echoing in the emptiness around her. Meanwhile, Kireru, who finished all the tests, was escorted back to the room where he woke up, left to wait for the results of his tests.

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