An Ode to the Old Wars. Daiden heard the soldiers sing when he woke. His eyes fluttered a little, adjusting to the light. He moved his fingers, then his toes, and sat upright. With a sigh, he leaned against the wall and watched the Multana Soldiers merrily munch on Leda’s food. Van, Brine, and Stem danced near the light, mugs in their hands, red across their cheeks.

Daiden raised an eyebrow and looked around. He stopped near a set of barrels and chuckled. “We hit a room with alcohol. Can’t say they don’t deserve it.” He shifted to the side and noticed his armour on the floor, scratched and dented. His leather armour showed signs of wear and tear as well. He observed the rest of his body next, bandaged around the arms, pasted with herbs near his abdomen. He opened his palms in resignation, with a tired smile, and touched his face. The pain pinched at his skin, but he brushed along the scars. He sighed again, at the sight of dried blood on his fingers, and wiped it away almost mechanically.

“Well, I don’t seem to be bleeding anymore,” thought Daiden, stifling a laugh. He searched the room again, counting this time. “We lost six soldiers, then. Fuck.”

From the other end of the room, Deng rushed over to Daiden’s side. “You should have called out to me. How long have you been up?”

“Sit, why don’t you?” said Daiden, scooting to one side. “I just want to listen to what happened in detail.”

“It took some time, but we cleared the horde,” said Deng, taking a seat. “Turns out that the undeads are influenced by morale as well. They froze for a bit after the Acris fell. It was easier on us.

“Ah, your cloak created an explosion that hastened the process! Good work on that, by the way!”

Daiden managed a weak laugh. “They work! I hated that I couldn’t do better, but it helped…it helped. That’s good. I’m happy…”

Deng noticed the mood and chose to pause the conversation for some time.

“I’m sorry,” said Daiden, finally. “I…I’m sorry.”

Deng watched the trainee’s eyes well with tears. “Wipe them away. You can’t show this side to your soldiers! You can’t remind them of what they’ve lost to reach where we are at right now.”

Daiden hurriedly rubbed his eyes and apologized again.

“I forget that you’re young,” said Deng, kindly. “But you’re going to lead a lot of soldiers someday. This is the burden of command, you know. Your decisions, they influence life and death. But you can’t show doubt, not to those who follow you without question. For the smallest amount of time, they believe in their hearts, that no matter the odds, they are still likely to come out alive because of your command, your care. We bear that right now, hope.”

“I’ll get over it,” said Daiden. “I’ll get over it! This is just my first time.” He cleared his eyes once more. “It makes no sense that I’m leading this charge by your side. You…you’re a good leader, Captain Deng. You’re a good leader.”

“Let’s forget that for a moment…you should celebrate!” said Deng. “We didn’t find any reinforcements here, but booze? We found them by the barrels!”

“I can see that!” said Daiden, with a laugh. “Whatever it takes to keep us high on morale.”

Deng roared and jumped back on his feet. He hurried over to one of the tables and grabbed a mug, raising it high, with another cry for morale. “Look who’s awake!”

The soldiers naturally turned their eyes towards Daiden.

“Gah! It’s the Slayer of Undeads!”

“Hero Daiden!”

“Aye, when I get out, I’ll have stories to tell about an Acri’s defeat! Not one, but two!”

Daiden smiled, understanding some of the meaning behind Deng’s words. Their bonds had thickened through the ordeal, and the surviving soldiers conveyed as much to their benefactor. Hope. Everything they said looked towards the future. They believed it in that moment, that they would survive, to see the outside once more, to see their families once more.

“I can get used to this. Blood, thicker than water…how did that go exactly?” whispered Daiden, under his breath. “I see it, the burden of responsibility.”

***

With everyone else asleep, Daiden rested his eyes and embraced the blackness. He followed his aeter strands to reach the core near his abdomen and limbs, a radiant white, submerged within a sea of jade. The two colours interacted with a sense of harmony. Daiden relied on his Aeter Persistence to trace to his injuries. His body created small pockets of aeter, moving them towards the cuts and abrasions for recovery.

“I’m not a healer, but this should do for now…”

Daiden slowly returned to his feet and stretched a little. He punched out his arms first, snapping his fingers out wide. He stretched his hips next, then his legs.

“A little pain, but nothing I won’t forget in the heat of battle,” concluded Daiden. “Let’s see if I can fix my equipment now.”

For a few hours, Daiden worked with his tailoring kit to mend the leather half of his armour. It lacked Balder’s finesse, but worked for the time being.

“I should learn the basics of repair from Kir and Anvi,” thought Daiden, out loud. “I think the set will hold for now. Well, shouldn’t be a problem. I think…”

***

At the front, Daiden and Deng led the charge towards the entrance. They cleared the stragglers without hesitation. Quicker. Faster. From celebrations to combat, the soldiers reflected a ruthless demeanour in their eyes. Their weapons moved with precision, cutting smaller waves even without the need for command.

Deng directed his soldiers to search the empty fifth room. A few weapons, some food, and two barrels of water. They efficiently cut down on anything close to going bad, and shuffled the items in their spatial inventory – always at capacity. Leda aided in the process by cooking lighter meals, high on nutrition, and easy on the stomach. Their fortunes turned at the sixth door.

After some resistance, Deng announced his name and title. The lock clicked, and the handle turned. A reunion. Daiden watched the soldiers giddily drop their weapons and hug their friends. They occupied the sixth room while the Multana Captain explained their situation. He introduced Daiden as well, as a temporary captain in charge of the quest to clear the labyrinth. Their numbers tallied to a little over fifty now.

The seventh room offered medical supplies, a few essential herbs, and more food. Daiden and Leda finally reached the entrance, a place of familiarity. They watched the Acri-led horde turn towards them.

With a wounded body, Daiden charged ahead without a plan. It surprised both Leda and Deng. But with unrecognizable footwork, Daiden ignored the weaker undeads to reach the Acri. He split its arms with two quick attacks. He skittered to a halt from the momentum, well ahead of the horde, and turned part-way to return on sprint. His feet swiped at the sturdy Acri, forcing a tumble. Daiden swerved to the back again, hacking away at some of the interfering undeads, before beheading the strongest among them, their leader. He crushed the rolling skull under his feet, frightening the horde, also the newer soldiers. They shuddered when the labyrinth descended into silence.

Daiden clenched his teeth, overwhelmed by the memory linked to the loss of his soldiers. It bothered him. He lowered his head, hiding an expression filled with regret and disgust, even more when his body felt lighter, his swings faster, his attacks stronger.

“In worship we walk the path of blood…we can only move forward…” whispered Daiden, remembering their prayer to Ehedus. He turned to his comrades, sword raised, and with authority. “Kill them all!”

***

Author Note: I wanted to quickly address the part in this chapter when Daiden uses the phrase, “Blood is thicker than water.” While it’s now commonly perceived as familial bonds being stronger and persistent throughout the test of time, the actual phrase meant something else entirely. “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”

Funny, isn’t it? That it means the opposite of what it’s meant today. Daiden is referring to the bonds forged in the thick of battle, blood split and lost. Bit of a nerd. Sorry. Thought I might have some fun with it!