41st of Baratus, 3002

2977 days to the Cataclysm

The squad waited in a room at the Eirini Palace. After their embarrassing interviews, they were summoned by Randel himself for a meeting. They had no idea as to what was going on, all they hoped is that the meeting bore good news.

For the past two years, they were forced to forget what a good night's sleep felt like. Isaac often used the phrase 'blood, sweat and tears' to describe hard work, but the rest of the squad had no idea that phrase could be used literally. The battle training they had all day left them bloody from all their injuries, sweaty from all the exertion and on the verge of tears from all the agony.

But they endured. They didn't falter. They had no choice. Not because they were forced, but because it was necessary. Every time they felt the urge to drop their swords, a feeling from their past would sweep over them. A feeling that lodged itself in their minds for so long, that it became an obsession. A goal.

But not Elric.

For years, the people around him pieced together a vision of their future. A vision of what they wished to achieve.

But not Elric.

Everything they did, everything they've become, was for the sole purpose of ensuring their vision was no longer a figment of their imagination, but an attainable reality instead.

But not Elric.

He was different. And he didn't need the people around him telling him that, because deep under his confusion, he knew it. He knew he had no personality. Every time he would set his mind to something, every time he felt that he was becoming something, anything, a particular memory would invade his mind. He didn't know what that memory was, or where it came from, or why he was even having them in the first place, because it was never the same one, but then again, he got the feeling it was.

A shattering window. A decapitated head. A horde of hounds. A woman getting ripped apart.

These memories were as different from each other as black was from white, but somehow he had the feeling, maybe they weren't. Perhaps it wasn't black and white. Perhaps it was grey.

And once these memories would stop, whatever he set his mind to, didn't exist anymore. He snapped right back to where he started. Confused.

There was one thing he was sure of though. He didn't know why. But it was almost as if a voice in his head was guiding him towards this. Guiding him towards the sole purpose of overthrowing Zark. Even after his memories would send him back into a state of confusion about everything else, the voice in his head would propel him towards Zark.

But now, he remembered another incident. One he never did before. One where he found himself in a room identical to the one he actually was in, except the room in his memories was a mess. Blood was splattered all over the floor. The furniture was in pieces. The door was broken. But by far the most jarring sight was that of a bloodied lavender-haired boy with a cloth covering his eyes.

Before he could react to it though, he remembered a man entering through the door. He felt so... angry.

Hateful.

He recalled lunging at the man and being held down by him. He struggled to break free, but the man was too strong for him until he realized what was actually happening.

Elric stopped struggling, and the man let him go. When he looked up, he felt his heart skip a beat. The man was Randel himself. He looked around and saw the horrified expressions of the squad, leaving Zeke that is, he found it rather amusing instead, choosing to show it with a wide smirk.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Randel.

"I-I'm sorry, sir. I really didn't mean it. It's just th-"

"Don't worry about it, get back with the rest of the squad," interjected Randel.

Elric hastily got up and rejoined the squad. He could feel their confused stares, almost piercing through his body. He felt relieved when Randel clapped his hands to get the squad's attention.

"So all of you have been rejected quite spectacularly in your interviews," mocked Randel.

"Yeah. It wasn't fair! Those interviews were bullshit!" declared Zeke. "There's no way I'm not good enough to join the army, it just makes no damn sense. I'm clearly the best there is."

"Well, yes and no. Those interviews were bullshit, but not in the way you think."

The squad exchanged confused looks. "What in the world is he talking about?" they thought.

"It wasn't because you weren't good enough, it's because you were," continued Randel. "Every year, we pick one squad to join a secret faction that's a level above the three regular factions, we call it, 'The Black Ops.' You were rejected as a cover-up for the other recruits. Now, as the name suggests, your squad will be given the... not so ethical missions."

The entire squad let out a sigh of relief, barring Elric of course, he already knew. Furthermore, he was too busy suppressing the pain from his fight with Tadashi to care.

"I fucking knew it!" rejoiced Zeke. "I told you there was no way they would reject me!"

The rest of the squad exchanged excited hugs. Their training wasn't a waste after all, and more than that, they get to stick together. But not everyone was as enthusiastic. Alexa was suspicious. She eyed Randel and asked;

"What do you mean by, 'unethical'?"

The celebrations came to an abrupt end. Alexa had a point. In their excitement, they didn't pay attention to the 'unethical' part of Randel's revelations.

Randel took a deep breath and hesitated for a bit before he said;

"Let's just say, the worst thing you have to do is kill a few people who may or may not deserve to die. Will that be an issue, Costanzo?"

"As long as you hold up to your end of the deal, I don't care," she replied.

"What deal?" asked Vanessa perplexed. She had known Alexa for ages, and she never knew about any 'deal.'

"You haven't told them about it?" asked Randel.

"No sir, it never came up. Until now that is,"

"Well, the squad is basically your family. You can't hide something like this from them. Do you mind if I tell them?"

Alexa nodded, and Randel continued;

"To be brief, Costanzo's mother, Emily Wyatt, the bastard daughter of a man named Don Wyatt, is held hostage under him. Her father, Arthur Costanzo, escaped, but couldn't take his wife along. The grief pushed him to take his own life 6 years later. Now, Costanzo here agreed to work in the military in exchange for freeing her mother."

"Oh my god, why didn't you tell me this!?" exclaimed Vanessa, wrapping her arms around Alexa and hugging her tight.

"I didn't feel it was necessary to tell anyone," she replied.

"Don't you worry okay?" said Vanessa, releasing her from the hug and cupping her face in her hands. "We will definitely find your mother. I promise."

Alexa responded with a forced smile and a nod. She preferred to keep her motivations to herself, not because she didn't trust her friends, but because her motivation includes vengeance and she didn't want anyone trying to talk her out of it. But she also didn't want to endanger her friends. She knew if she were to do something reckless out there, should she cross paths with her mother's captor and her friends didn't know, it would put them in grave danger. Because she knew she wouldn't be able to control herself if she came face to face with Don Wyatt after what he put her parents through.

Her entire childhood, her father spent his time wallowing in his own depression. All he wanted was to get his wife back, but all she wanted was to have a father. The only memories she had of her father was of him spiraling deeper into self-loathing, and she hated him for that. For not being a father. But that day, she understood his pain. The day she found her father hanging from the ceiling, in a room with the words 'I love you, Emily' scratched onto the walls. His face as pale and lifeless as clay. His hands bloodied and missing half of their fingernails. His feet swollen and blue from the pooled blood.

From that day onward, she decided to honor him. She will free her mother, even at the cost of her own life. She had to. She was not going to let her lost childhood be in vain. She just... had to.

"Wait, something doesn't add up here. You're hiding something from us," chimed in Carleton, interrupting Alexa's introspect. "Why would you strike a deal with Alexa to join us? It's not like Eirini has any shortage of soldiers."

"Dude, shut up!" whispered Vanessa. "You're talking to an emperor, just let it go!"

"No, I won't let it go!" said Carleton as his voice perked up. "I have a family to return to, okay? My parents are doctors. Both of them. I've seen first hand what the death of a family member does to the family. I've seen the agony right in front of my eyes. Which is why as long as there is even one person in this world that loves me, I don't have the right to be reckless with my life. I refuse to go headfirst into war if I can't trust the person I'm working for!"

"Sounds like you're calling yourself a pussy using extra words," scoffed Zeke.

"It's not like you would know what family feels like anyway," retorted Carleton, without considering the consequences of his words.

"What the fuck did you say to me?" said Zeke, approaching Carleton with bloodshot eyes. "You're usually a pussy but all of a sudden you have the balls to say something like that... TO ME! You're the loser that no one cares about, the weakest of the bunch. You're a disappointment to soldiers around the world. I should get rid of you right here."

As Zeke approached him, Carleton began shaking in his boots, because Zeke was right. He was the weakest, and he was a coward. He knew he wasn't in the black ops because his performance was stellar, he was in the black ops because he was part of a stellar squad. But even he had something he believed in. He wasn't going to inflict that kind of agony on his parents for no good reason. The only reason he joined the military was that he was untalented at everything else. At least in the military he could be forced to be of some use. Obviously, he didn't want to die, but if he was, it had to be for something meaningful. And dying for a man with shady ethics didn't seem like the death he would be content with. So he wasn't going to die here, not until he knew the full story, and he definitely wasn't going to let Zeke kill him. He was going to stand up and fight. No matter how inferior he was.

But before the altercation turned into a brawl, Randel broke it up.

"Stop it, you two!" he said as he appeared between them.

Carleton immediately stood down, relieved he didn't have to fight, but Zeke was still enraged.

As Randel held him in place, he tried to reach out for Carleton, screaming at the top of his voice;

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT MY PARE-"

His threat was interrupted by Randel's lightning-laden boot that sent him flying straight up. His head broke right through and got lodged into the ceiling as he dangled like a disturbed chandelier. Randel pulled him by his leg and tossed him onto the floor.

"When I say stop, I mean stop. Is that clear, Lionclaw?"

Zeke wiped the blood off his face with his robes and gave Randel a deadly stare, not breaking eye contact as he got back onto his feet. He was clearly outmatched, but his pride didn't let him say a word.

"I'll make you my bitch someday, mark my words," he thought to himself.

"You're going to make me your bitch, eh?" mocked Randel.

"Did you just read my fucking mind? How in Xaera's name were you able to do that?"

"I didn't become an emperor by just wanting to be one, like you. You know what I'm known as outside Eirini? Any guesses?"

"The dragon emperor?"

"No. They call me 'The Drunken Emperor.'"

"How is that a good thing?" asked Zeke.

"It's because it doesn't matter what I do. I could be intoxicated every second of my life, and yet people fear me. You know why? Because I stand up for myself. If I have something to say, I'll fucking say it. So if you want me to be your bitch? Say it out loud!"

"You'll be my bitch someday!" said Zeke.

"What the fuck was that? I couldn't hear a word you said. LOUDER!"

"You'll be my bitch someday!" screamed Zeke.

"LOUDER!"

"YOU'LL BE MY BITCH SOMEDAY!", screamed Zeke. This time his voice resonated throughout the halls of the palace. After repeating himself a few more times, he finally calmed down.

"Good!" said Randel with a satisfied expression.

"But there's one thing you must know though," he continued. "There is a difference between standing up for yourself and insubordination. For example, if I tell you to go fuck yourself, you stand up for yourself, but if I order you to go fuck yourself, you better drop your pants and go fuck yourself. Get it? Remember, all leaders began under someone. Not because they were forced to, but because a good leader must relate to their subordinates, and what better way to relate to a subordinate than being one?"

"Absolutely!" said Zeke. "So basically you're teaching me how to take you down eventually, right?"

"Something like that," chuckled Randel

"This is literally the most inappropriate conversation I've ever heard," said Alexandria under her breath.

Ignoring Alexandria's comment, he then turned his attention towards Carleton;

"Now about your question, Richards," said Randel. walking up to him. "I wanted to make the strongest squad there is. Does that seem... shady to you? The Commander-In-Chief of a military trying to strengthen the military?"

Carleton gulped and nodded. He regretted ever bringing up his thoughts, and he sincerely hoped that Randel would just let this go. But he still knew Randel was hiding something, it wasn't that simple. He wanted to stand up to him and press him for answers, but he was a coward. He couldn't stand up to an emperor. He couldn't stand up to anyone.

"Any more questions?" Randel continued.

"No, sir," said Carleton, bowing his head in shame. "I'm sorry I insinuated anything."

With that, Randel walked to the middle of the room. He took out a circular device from his pocket and tossed it on the floor. It projected out the map of an empire, with the word 'ARCANUS' written above.

"With that out of the way, let's get to your mission briefing. As you can read above, this is the empire of Arcanus. One of our informants told us that Arcanus has the strongest weapon in the world. A weapon that can cause destruction on a planetary scale. So we sent an undercover agent there to find out what the informant was talking about. Apparently, she managed to find out what it was, but as she was drafting her report, she got caught. In haste, she sent us everything she could, but it wasn't much. All she could send us was this."

"You do realize I can't see, right?" said Gerard.

"It's an eight-pointed star," said Randel.

"Oh, I see. So what about it?"

"Yeah, that's the whole point of your squad now. You will infiltrate Arcanus and retrieve the weapon."

"Sir," said Alexandria. "Why don't you just raid the empire and take it by force? Why do we have to plan a heist for it?"

"If we take our forces and raid Arcanus, they could just use the weapon on us, and that will be the end of Eirini."

"What if we aren't successful and they figure it out?" asked Alexander.

"Then you're not as good as I thought you were. Anyway, it's your job to now find a way to sneak past the border. You're allowed to use all resources Eirini has to offer, and that ends your briefing."

Randel then burst into sparks and disappeared.

"Does he have anything against saying goodbye or something? The moment he's done talking, he just up and leaves in a burst of sparks," said Alexandria, shaking her head.

"Should I come along or do I stay behind and help you guys with the long-range stuff. Like finding out information about the border and all?" asked Isaac timidly.

"Are you seri-" Zeke tried to say before Randel appeared once again in a burst of sparks in front of Elric.

"Calm your aura," he said.

Elric nodded and closed his eyes. He felt Randel place his hand on his head, and when he reopened his eyes, he found himself in a large room with transparent walls that overlooked the city.

Randel sat down on a sofa and indicated Elric to do the same.

Elric sat down cautiously. He knew Randel wanted to ask him about earlier and he didn't have enough time to come up with an excuse. 'I didn't know what I was doing' didn't seem like a valid defense.

Randel smiled at Elric's visible fear and said;

"So, explain what happened earlier."

"Si-Sir I'm so so-sorry I did-" Elric stammered.

"Hey, calm down. I'm not angry, I'm curious. Just take a deep breath, have a minute or two to gather your thoughts or come up with an excuse, and then continue."

Elric nodded and followed Randel's instructions, and a few minutes later, he was ready to talk.

"So, sir. I was having a flashback. Not really a flashback, but something like a vision, but not really a vision. It was somewhere in between. When I was in that room, I 'remembered' it being thrashed with a bloodied boy by my side. My gut tells me that the boy was Gerard, but before I could confirm, a man entered the room, and I attacked him. Now all of this was a 'memory,' but somehow when I snapped out of it, I actually did attack you. I really didn't mean it. I am so very sorry."

"I see," said Randel, rubbing his chin. "Look Shirozou, something happened to you as a child, your parents were brutally murdered right in front of your eyes. Tadashi decided to erase the memories of that incident and everything before it. But you can never truly erase one's memories, which is why you remember your past whenever there is a trigger."

"My parents were... murdered?" asked Elric, unable to believe what he had just heard. "And Tadashi erased my memories? Why would he do that?"

"You know how Gerard is without his visor?"

"Yes," replied Elric, recalling the absolute madness Gerard would spiral into.

"You were like that all the time. Nothing we did could snap you out of the trance, which is why Tadashi chose to erase your memories. It had to be done."

"I see, sir," replied Elric, with the full intention of confronting Tadashi with the truth the moment he left this place. "So you're saying I attacked you because I remembered something from the past? I don't get how that works."

"Yeah, usually that's not how someone regains memories, but your case is different, very different indeed."

"And why is that, sir?"

"Remember Julius Brown?"

"Yes sir, he was the principal of the military school."

"Yeah he told me he called you multiple times, but you were lost in thought. Tell me, what was that thought?"

"I had another memory of a woman calling for me, sir. I don't see why Mr. Julius would disturb you with such a trivial thing."

"Yeah, usually he wouldn't, but he noticed something else at that moment. Something strange."

"And what did he notice?" asked Elric sitting up straight, his interest piqued.

"Your right eye," said Randel, pointing at it. "It was red. And not the type of red it becomes when you're on drugs. It was glowing red."

"My eye was red? I didn't notice that, sir. What does it mean?"

"It means you weren't just having a flashback, you were also