After the sudden return, the cadets were transferred to the military barracks for temporary treatment, especially Cain and Rika. As for the other three, they would be quarantined there for a few days before they could return to their respective dormitories.
Although it was called quarantine, the three would only stay in the military barracks temporarily and be given an exemption from training for a few days until their emotions, fatigue, and tension from their first fierce battle subsided.
However, with the situation as it was, whether it was Abel, Peter, or Louise, none of them had the desire to return before seeing their leader wake up from his sleep.
The incident indeed brought disaster to them, but on the other hand, it was also a blessing because it could strengthen their bond to unite as a team with an unbreakable bond, which was a rare find in this day and age.
Inside the car cabin, Peter and Dosh sat alone. The two were recounting the events that happened not long ago, but it felt like several days had passed.
Peter explained, from the moment of their arrival at the place, the search, the tension within the team, and the awakening. Then came the shocking discovery that could bring a breath of fresh air to the humans living trapped in this place.
New information from a golden era. The mere mention of the name could spark a frenzy among people who adored invention, especially researchers.
General Dosh widened his eyes. He turned to the side and witnessed his vision distorted as the boy's body in front of him emitted a thin brown aura, forming a layer that protected his skin.
"T-That?"
Peter nodded and released the tension that entangled his body as he let out a short sigh.
"Yes, that is an attribute. A raw elemental power that roamed the planet in the past, and was originally developed to be a weapon of mass destruction."
The general held his breath when he heard the word 'genocide,' never imagining that humans in ancient times had such cruel thoughts.
As someone who lived through difficult times, when the world was on the verge of destruction, he believed extending a hand to others in need was something that needed to be instilled within oneself.
Not because he wanted something in return, but because it concerned the survival of humanity that was on the brink of extinction. If humans could not unite, how could they be free from the shackles of hell that plagued them?
Good and evil were relative. The reason General Dosh held to that belief was that he did not want to forget his own roots as a human being.
"The leader found this power for the first time, and even gained access codes to activate a computer that had been dormant for hundreds of years."
"Cain did all that!?"
General Dosh leaned back in his seat. He let out a long sigh as he tried to sort out the flood of information that caused his brain to throb in overheat.
Finding a secret place that the previous team missed, waking up a computer containing information from a civilization hundreds of years ago, and a great power that could make the cadets hunted by the greedy elders who hid in the shadows out there.
For a moment, the man held his chin while staring down. The expression on his face was flat, seemingly forgetting that he was with someone else.
"General?"
Dosh snapped out of his daze and glanced at his side. He nodded and opened his mouth to cover his mistake.
"Continue your report."
Peter nodded and continued his report, which described a fierce battle and a mysterious encounter with a figure in a robe. Yet the longer the man listened, the sentences that came out of cadet Peter's mouth turned into sharp knives that shredded his ears.
"That's all the report from me. But, General, can you please?"
"Yes, I know."
Dosh's voice was deep, laced with authority that froze the atmosphere in the cabin. His sharp brown eyes glared at Peter and spoke in a low, threatening tone.
"Never reveal this conversation to anyone, do you hear me? It'll stay between your team and us, tell the other too."
Peter gulped. For the first time, he realized that, besides the giant monster, he faced. The person in front of him was far more terrifying.
"Yes, I swear by the honor of my friends and myself."
General Dosh raised his eyebrows, then grinned fiercely, feeling amazed to see the determination and unity among the team.
"Good, now go and meet your other comrades. I'll take care of the rest."
"Thank you, General."
The cadet pushed the door beside him and jumped out. He bowed his head briefly before closing it and then left towards his comrades at the health facility in the barracks.
Left alone, Dosh leaned back in his seat while he took a deep breath. He stared at the cabin roof, which looked close, and whispered to himself.
'I have to hide this fact from anyone. It is for the sake of those children who have fought on the battlefield.'
Dosh lifted his smartwatch and searched for the private number of someone with great influence in Babylon city. A comrade, who once roamed the desolate land together with the others. He typed a short message that read: {Can we talk later?}
Seeing the notification that his message had been sent, he was relieved of some of the burden that had been assaulting him from all directions. The man closed his eyes, trying to formulate words to create a report that could be accepted by the higher-ups later.
After spending some time racking his brain, General Dosh concluded and glanced towards the hospital building in front of him.
"I apologize…"
***
While General Dosh was struggling with the shocking discovery made by his student. Far from the military barracks, in a place where the district was filled with tall buildings adorned with luxury.
In one of the mansions there, two people were walking on a small pathway in a private garden. Each side was lined with a well-maintained hedge of neatly trimmed grass, a gentle breeze fluttering the silver hair of a girl walking beside a man in his early forties.
Although the whole city was filled with futuristic-style buildings with advanced technology, most of the mansions in that district had gardens that brought back the past. A time when living things mingled with nature.
Those were the times when all living beings felt the happiest.
Their footsteps stopped near the iron gate that creaked when opened by one of the house servants.
"Father, I will take my leave and return to the training facility."
Luna cast her soft gaze at her father. Her thin lips parted, revealing a blossomed smile like a flower in the winter, strong with determination.
The father nodded, grabbed the girl's shoulder, and pulled her close to his chest. Luna did not refuse and snuggled up close. One of the man's hands grabbed her silky hair, gently caressing it as he spoke.
"Luna, don't worry about your mother. I will do the best I can to save her, so."
They parted, and the father's eyebrow raised when he saw a black shadow enveloping his beautiful daughter's face. He chuckled and pinched Luna's cheek, which caused the girl to wrinkle her eyebrows.
"Ouch, dhat huts."
Seeing the girl's cheek puff up, the man's smile returned. He patted his daughter's head, which was level with his chest, and continued his words.
"You too, fight your way to become the warrior you long for, even though I am a bit worried about your well-being. But at the same time, I'm sure that my daughter can achieve her dream, fist pump."
The man raised his clenched fist right in front of the pouting girl. Luna's blue eyes sparkled, showing glittering stars that enhanced her cuteness. She nodded and grinned, then punched her father's clenched fist before turning around.
"Father, I'm leaving."
"Um, be careful on the road."
The father watched his daughter get into the family's black sedan. The engine roared smoothly as the vehicle drove away, taking his daughter to the place where she would fight and develop as a person.
The father's gentle expression instantly turned flat, not showing the slightest emotion. It was one of his abilities: separating family matters from public matters.
He turned his body and was about to head to his mansion, but stopped when the smartwatch on his hand vibrated. The man raised his hand and showed a slight twitch in his calm expression when he saw the name displayed on the small screen.
'Dosh?'