HEYYYYYY!!!!!! Long time no see peeps!!! I know it's been an extremely long time since I've updated and I really don't have an excuse to cover up the whole time. But I can tell you fate apparently didn't want me to start writing yet a couple of weeks ago since when I finally tried to get on to write ... my computer wouldn't turn on.

You know, whenever I would read a story and people would say their computer broke or they lost their story, I would think, 'man tough luck.' ... I now see what's it like. Luckily, I could still get documents off my hard drive so I didn't lose my story.

Anyway, I've finally got a new computer and wrote up the next chapter and am now presenting it to you all for your pleasure ;).

Once again, sorry it took so long and I still can't guarantee any upcoming updates. I'll be quite busy this year being the Vice President of SGA while also taking courses very important to the degree I'm working on. So, wish me luck both for classes and finding inspiration to write.

I'll stop now and let you read the awesomeness of Machai's time in the tenth unit!! XD

~~~

As he walked down the grand hallway, he admired the effort put into each part of the hall. Each pillar had its own designs, which looked to be parts of history, and the artifacts on the podiums were most likely priceless.

The others were looking back and forth excitedly, conversing with each other about anything and everything. Machai picked up a few conversations like what the army would be like and their plan to rise up in the ranks.

Once they got to the end of the hallway and everyone was out of the room, the 'tour guide' turned around and addressed the group.

"Hello everyone, my name is Hevo and I'll be taking you to your quarters and answering any relevant questions about the army. You may choose to wander if you wish but know I won't be waiting for you if you get lost." He turned around to keep walking. "Now, this statue was made by ...," and that was how the majority of the tour went.

Though, as they passed one intersection, the tour guide actually stopped and said, "These two plaques here are probably some of the oldest and most important artifacts in the universe. Not because of monetary value, but because what is written on them." Machai couldn't really see them since he was so far away but if he strained his eyes he could make out two silver edged plaques with white writing on a solid black background.

"These two plaques each contain a prophecy." And that was when Machai lost complete interest in it. He'd had enough of prophecies and wanted nothing to do with them. However, he had a bad feeling that somehow, he was a part of one whether he liked it or not. He just hoped Hevo didn't speak them out loud.

"One of them is known as the Great Prophecy and the other as the Minor Prophecy, though I don't find foretelling the heir of Chaos very minor." There was excited chittering going on between everybody as they rushed to read the prophecy.

Machai just stood off to the side and let everybody pass him, not wanting to get even an inch closer to it until it was time to go.

'I bet you're the main one in both of them.' Machai almost jumped at Razack's voice in his head.

'Well good day to you too. You finally decided to separate your mind from mine?' Machai said with some amusement. He always wondered what it would feel like to link your mind with another and 'fall asleep.' Of course, Machai did try it with Razack controlling his body but he never hit deep sleep.

'Yep, I thought I should pipe in to make sure you didn't delude yourself into thinking you're not special or something.' Machai groaned while Razack laughed. All Machai could do was hang his head, because he was pretty sure he would at least play a minor role in both prophecies. He just hoped he wasn't the main one in either. Definitely since the minor one was becoming the heir of the entire universe.

Machai sighed, 'yeah, knowing me I will somehow get mixed up into it like every other time.' He paused, thinking for a second before a slightly malicious smile grew on his face. 'You know, I'm starting to feel tired so maybe whenever this prophecy stuff starts I'll give you control and try out this sleeping thing you do.'

Machai's smile grew a little bit more when he was met with nervous silence. 'Very funny, little one.' A scowl formed on Machai's face which only grew when he heard that small chuckle in his head. 'You and I both know the prophecy is meant for you and I am here to help you along your journey. Have faith and train hard, and I know you will overcome any challenge you may face.'

With that, Machai felt Razack retreating back into his mind and tightly weaving himself back into his consciousness. In a way, it felt quite strange when he really thought about it, but it was also very comforting to always feel your most trusted companion with you.

Back to being aware of the outside world, he found himself at the end of the tour group instead of the middle before he was interrupted by his friend. He could still clearly hear the tour guide and he absently wondered what made his voice sound the same no matter what distance he was.

The walk lasted another 20 minutes or so before entering one of the wings in the residential part of the complex.

If Machai had to use one word to describe it, he would say it was ginormous. The entry room was filled with lounges and small screens with a receptionist desk dead center in the room. The solid white marble wall held various paintings and other items with thick columns spaced out every twenty feet. The desk was a circular shape with a diameter around 50 feet and a massive column sprouting from the middle, reaching all the way to the ceiling.

In the middle of each wall was a large doorway that most likely led to the actual living quarters and were labeled Wing A, B and C. Overall, Machai was quite impressed with the area, definitely since this was supposed to be the lowest unit.

"Alright everybody, this room is the common room. It's where you can hang out and chat with your fellow comrades and also obtain any information available to you. Now, you all will be staying in Wing B for the duration of your time in the 10th unit. Each room holds five beds, one bathroom, and a small sitting area. Additionally, each person will be provided a chest to store their clothes and other belongings. I should warn you though that while we don't permit stealing, we are not responsible if anything is stolen." There were a couple of wary side glances with that.

"The men's dorms are on the left side of the hall while the women's are on the other. Both genders are allowed entry to either side as long as there aren't any complaints from other roommates." There were a couple of sly and leering grins coming from some of the bolder males. Machai just rolled his eyes at the immaturity of some of them. He was looking forward to seeing one of them slapped.

"Meals last two hours with breakfast at sunrise, lunch at noon and dinner at 6:00. Training for this unit starts an hour after sunrise so I recommend eating early. A map can be procured at the help desk to find your training grounds, cafeteria, etc. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask the help desk." With that, he nodded to the group and disappeared through Wing A's door.

Guessing they were on their own now, pretty much all of the group headed towards Wing B to claim their preferred room and bed. Since Machai was one of the last in line, which he didn't really mind, he knew to head towards the back, middle area unless he wanted to have an awkward moment and walk into an already filled room.

He watched some people enter in different rooms and looked for someone who he at least seemed like he could get along to enter a room. Spotting a grey haired man around his late thirties or early forties with a serious but calm expression, he followed him into a room about 15 doors from the back.

Inside there were already two people unpacking next to each other and chatting back and forth. Judging by their light tones, easy banter, and almost identical looks, Machai would hazard a guess that they were twins.

They both paused and looked at both the man and Machai with a more serious face, most likely judging them. Machai couldn't see the man's response but he gave a very small upward tilt of his lips and a nod which seemed to pass their initial inspection.

That out of the way, he inspected the fair sized room. Each single sized bed was along the wall to the left with a door to the bathroom on the right closer to the back wall and an open living room that could comfortably fit all five of them closer to the door.

The two already in the room had the two beds closest to the door while the grey haired man took the last bed. Preferring not to be in the middle, he chose the fourth bed next to the guy.

None of them really had much to unpack since they probably all preferred to keep their supplies hidden from the others until trust was garnered. However, all of them unstrapped their weapons and laid them on the bed for the time being. Machai also laid his weapons down as a show of trust because that was exactly what it was.

The twins were the first ones to make a move. "Hello, my name is Jeos and this is my brother Kelo. We're twins from the planet Jacovik and we look forward to working with you guys." Jeos said this in a respectful, though neutral, tone and Kelo nodded at the end.

They looked to be in their mid-twenties and both had dark golden skin with two small, spiral horns jutting out of their head. They each had three fingers and their eyes had a bluish tint to them that surprisingly matched their skin tone.

Seeing they were looking at Machai next, he responded. "My name is Machai. I'm a lone traveler that has been to many planets and hasn't settled in a long time, and I joined Chaos' army to try out a new experience and learn what there is to offer."

They gave him small smiles and nods before turning to the other guy. He spoke up in a gruff voice, "Razalric. I was saved by Chaos' army some ten years ago but my family didn't make it. I decided to train to become a warrior and join so that I may help save someone else."

Machai gave a little bit bigger of a smile and nodded towards him with respect shining in his eyes. While the past event wasn't pleasant, he used it as motivation to better himself and later, others. He wondered how good of a fighter he was if he'd been training for at least ten years.

His body structure was muscular, but not bulging and it definitely matched his greatsword on the bed. He was around 6'8" and had a skin tone of a lighter shade of navy blue which made his golden irises really stand out. Smooth scales ran down from his shoulders to his wrists to protect the outside of his arms. There were most likely more running along his legs and possibly chest but he couldn't see them. Machai thought his body structure and weaponry would be perfect for a commander's position. He absently wondered how well he could lead men into battle.

A knock interrupted them from further conversation and someone opened the door (which couldn't be locked until tomorrow). He was quite short around 5'2" with peppered tan skin and green, slitted eyes like a snake.

Machai could instantly tell he was nervous no matter how hard he tried to hide it. "Hello, I was wondering if this room is full and if not, I could join you guys." Machai look towards the twins since they were the first ones in the room. He gave a shrug when they looked towards him and went back to his bed.

Jeos said, "Sure, you can have the bed in the middle. We just finished introductions so you have perfect timing." He finished with a bright smile and Machai wondered if he picked up on the small guy's nervousness.

The short guy smiled and introduced himself while heading over towards the middle bed. "Hey, my name is Nafeary and I'm from the planet Dinaru. Umm, I love learning new things and look forward to meeting you all."

They all nodded towards him with small smiles and re-introduced themselves. As Machai looked at his new teammates, he was starting to look forward to his time in the army. It had been so long since he'd worked with another and he wondered how many mistakes he would make or if he would try to do everything by himself.

He inwardly shrugged to himself as they all headed off to dinner. The twins were wearing down Nafeary's shyness surprisingly fast while Razalric and Machai trailed behind them in amusement. He couldn't wait to start training with them and stretch some old muscles. It's been awhile since he's truly trained.

~~~ Three Months Later ~~~

Traveling through the infinite universe were ten ships filled with troops of the 10th division. Each ship held 100 infantry and 50 more specialists such as healers and mechanics. Machai and his unit were located on the leading ship with the commander of the mission.

He was exceedingly proud of his unit for working hard in order to attain the position of the strongest five man unit in the entire 10th division. He sighed as he leaned back into a cushioned seat as he reminisced about the training he and his friends underwent to bring them to this day.

The 10th unit's trainer, though calling him a drill sergeant would be more accurate, worked them to the bone on the first day. Even he was slightly winded, so he couldn't even imagine how the people passed out on the floor felt, at least, before they passed out ... though, they probably felt pretty good after passing out now that he thought about it ... lucky bastards.

Over time, Machai and his roommates became a well-coordinated team. Jeos and Kelo, while fun loving addicts on the outside, were completely serious during training and on the battlefield. Jeos was beast with the sword and shield combo while Kelo dual wielded long daggers and swords with throwing daggers as his ranged weapon. It actually surprised Machai during the first training session to watch determination and resolve enter their eyes. He wondered if they too had a hard history and were making up for it by protecting others.

Nafeary turned out to be an excellent strategist and a wealth of knowledge. He was able to analyze any situation and come up with the best counter plans in only seconds. The shy boy was a completely different person on the battlefield too. He was a magic user specializing in support magic and healing but also knew a good bit of offensive spells too to protect himself. Another thing amazing about him was that he could wield a bow very well. He wasn't an expert but could hold his own with it.

Razalric was just as he assumed he would be. He was focused and driven to be the best he could be and complete his goals in life. Machai would almost say he was just as good as Rufeir who guarded the light sword. If he could get a master to personally teach him then Machai knew he would become one of the best great swordsmen out there. His strength and speed with that gigantic weapon covered his weak points just as well as a shield too.

Machai worked best up front with him. Razalric being bigger and having a more intimidating weapon drew more attention from the quicker Machai which allowed Machai to get closer and quickly finish them off. Razalric took the heavy hitters too which Machai couldn't battle with since he only used a limited amount of strength.

He basically limited himself to being slightly stronger than the size of his body should be but didn't cut down his speed too much. He also didn't reveal any of his abilities. Though, he was pretty sure Razalric saw him the one time he did use his water ability to save a comrade. Machai was fortunate enough that his teammate was willing to let it slide.

Turbulence jarred him out of his thoughts as they descended onto the planet. Most of the ride was silent with nerves and with the notion that now they were really doing their jobs. The bay doors slowly opened with a groan and everyone stood to exit. Machai walked with his unit to the commander's tent to wait for further instructions.

On the way, Jeos finally spoke up, "So, you guys looking forward to some action and proving our place in this division!" His voice seemed to pump up some fellow soldiers around them and a small smile found its way onto Machai's face. He spoke in a strong, smooth voice and said, "Yes, it is time for us all to prove ourselves today."

He saw he pretty much had everyone's attention so he raised his voice slightly. "We have trained long and hard to where we are today and I think it's time to show the universe how far we've come!" While not a cheering out loud motivational speech, it got the job done to lessen everyone's nerves and get them to look forward to testing their metal.

In return, he got smiles from the twins, a shy smile from Nafeary and a respectful nod from Razalric. As they entered the tent, Machai became serious as he spotted the commander at the head of the war table. The table itself had a holographic image of the city taken over by the enemy. More and more red dots and information was coming in every second as scouts sent in their gathered information.

It was looking like a 1,500 red dot army with 150 yellow dots meaning civilians. The group of red with many of the yellow dots in the center was most likely the enemy's base of operations and having the hostages with them prevented Chaos' army from just barging in and annihilating them.

The commander looked up and nodded towards Machai before explaining the plan. As he listened, he thought about how much respect he's been given since joining the army. His skill alone would be enough to guarantee his position, but his personality and positive attitude towards others just pushed him above and beyond.

Machai would always help someone in need and even help train his own teammate when official training was over. Whether it was teaching them new moves or sparring with him without holding back, since surprisingly few could handle true killing intent from a friend or outside a battlefield, he would always be willing to give aid.

That was one reason why his team was the top unit in the whole division. While they each were individually skilled, practice against a real opponent that one would face on a battlefield was hard to come by.

After all the details were laid out, Machai agreed that the plan was as sound as it was going to get in the short amount of time they had and the commander went out to rally the other unit leaders to divulge the plan.

For the next hour and a half, the units were put into position around the edges of the city. Machai was with his unit, the commander's unit and six other five man teams as they headed down three streets that lead straight to the capital.

It wasn't the main road so hopefully they wouldn't run into as much trouble, but they were still expecting a formidable resistance. Machai's group led in the front since they had the best detection rate and could spot sneak attacks before they commenced.

They also were the strongest in general so they would either be able to repel any attacks or at least hold them long enough for one of the other squads to back them up.

Soon their paths started intersecting with other units, creating a much larger force. Machai could tell that a few units encountered some trouble judging by some cuts and limps he saw. Luckily it didn't seem like anyone was too injured to be held back.

As they finally neared the main base, a deep cry of pain from a familiar voice whose safety was supposed to be guaranteed sounded out.

Machai turned around to see the damage and how exactly someone got past him and saw a dead assassin with smashed legs signifying breaking them from a high jump. The assassin obviously jumped from one of the taller buildings, but he couldn't have come from the front since Machai was constantly checking water vapor displacement.

This must mean he ran across the buildings from the back and jumped down. He also must have had some type of concealment ability or item to get past the commander's personal guard.

He quickly made his way over with Nafeary who had some medical knowledge if any of the healers hadn't already made it. However, it seemed the healers were already there, though, judging by their faces, there wasn't anything they could do.

As he neared, the commander was coughing up blood from a fatal neck wound. The dying man's eyes instantly locked on to Machai and croaked out his last phrase.

"Lead ... my men ... to victory..."

Even though the setting was somber, Machai was cursing inside his head for getting close enough to the commander for him to know that he was more than he revealed and would make sure anyone he lead would achieve victory.

Though, the commander was a good man to talk to and crack a good jock with after hours, he also was an excellent leader and Machai wished he was in his personal guard so he could have stopped the attack. Sadly, he wasn't and now he had to end this mission with a victory in honor of the late commander.

He quickly and efficiently took over and was immensely grateful he was filled in earlier with all the details, even the ones the others leaders weren't filled in. He absently wondered if the commander prepared for this scenario. 'Smart bastard,' he thought fondly.

After getting everyone back on track and using the commander's death to motivate his men to avenge him, they invaded the building. There were a couple of traps and barriers that would have been harder to get by if Machai didn't lessen some of their effects or get rid of them altogether, discretely of course.

Even after everything he'd been through, Machai had always cared about his men, and he felt every single death under his command, even if he didn't show it.

The battle lasted into the afternoon of the next day due to some type of magical barrier, but they eventually bypassed it. However, the leader of the opposing force committed suicide and burned all the documents so they were unable to gather any information about the organization that was attacking.

At the end of the day, the 10th division left with a complete victory but not without their loses. In total, 192 good men were lost during the battle and another 89 were injured. Comrades mourned for their friends but quickly celebrated their victory. Everyone knew the risks and none would want to be cried over.

The ride home was filled with boasting and ego stroking while everyone had a good laugh. As the ships unloaded their occupants, the commander ship was filled with a loud exclamation of "POOL PARTY!!!"

Many men and women chuckled, cheered and groaned but all headed off to the pool after getting changed.

The pool was located outside on the grounds and could easily hold 1000 people. There was even a lazy river ... for the lazy people of course. The shape of the pool was close to a splatter effect with a big center and smaller off-shoot pools.

Machai's and three other units went to one of the off-shoot ones with a volleyball net to start up a game. When they arrived after changing, Machai was already relaxing at the side of the pool with only his armor off. Jeos groaned out loud and whined, "Maaachaiii, this is the time to loosen up and have fun! Not sit around and wait for hard training to take away fun time!"

Machai lazily opened one eye and replied, "I'm quite loose right now and I find stretching out and relaxing a nice pass time. You can make training fun if you want but you can't make it less strenuous."

With a mutter of "lazy bones should go to the lazy area," everyone laughed and jumped into the pool. However, as they picked out teams and got ready, it soon became apparent they had an odd number of people. All eyes instantly locked on to the oblivious Machai.

Jeos grinned and called out in a sing-song voice, "Maachaaii." Once again Machai opened a single eye and sighed out, "Yess."

He soon became wary when he saw the shit eating grin on Jeos' face and everyone smiling at him.

"There's an odd number of people so now you have no choice." He drew himself up all proudly like and said in a faux command voice, "Go change and join us." He even held himself with his chin up and eyes closed, like he was waiting for a 'yes, milord' or something.

There was a slight pause on Machai's end before he said a little stiffly, "Why don't you go ask someone over there," as he pointed towards the central pool. "I'm quite comfortable."

Some people started to notice Machai's reluctance to enter the pool and wondered if Machai really wanted to relax or to not get into the pool. It didn't make sense for it to be the latter but the pauses and his voice was pointing towards that conclusion.

However, Jeos was oblivious and kept pressuring. "Ahh, come on. You'd totally rock at any sport you play and I honestly would rather have our commander and friend play with us than someone random."

Jeos and everybody knew he was guilting Machai into doing it but now many were curious about what exactly Machai's fear was.

They all stiffened slightly when a weight seemed to be pressed upon them. It wasn't anything physical but it was definitely something, and judging by how Machai was really Looking at them, he was the source. It was like he was assessing them.

It only lasted a second, but when Machai agreed and went to go change, the people he left looked at each other to make sure they felt it too.

Jeos nervously chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Did anyone else feel like they were being judged if they were worthy?" Many nodded in agreement and grew contemplative expressions.

One of the women spoke up doubtfully, "Do you think he was afraid of the water?" Kelo immediately shook his head and said, "No, we've had training in the water, and honestly, he completed in record time; he was that good. He was a natural and looked like he was in his element.

Silence descended upon the group as they tried to figure out why Machai seemed reluctant to enter the water. However, none of them could come up with anything and waited to see if they could figure it out when Machai came back.

They saw Machai exit the building ten minutes later and watched as he walked over to them.

A quick gasp from one of the spy unit members told the other units something about Machai shocked her and ... nearly brought her tears.

As he came closer, more people started to notice the crisscrossing scars littering Machai's body and everyone in the pool were struck silent. When he finally reached the edge of the pool, some were gaping in horror, some had expressions of shock and some had a tense, emotionless facade to hide their true feelings on the matter lest they burst and start shouting for blood.

What they saw was so past torture they couldn't even imagine how it happened. There was very little skin left unmarked and they could all tell they weren't just surface scars. They were deep incisions and stabs, and, honestly, they were surprised he survived whatever ordeal caused that.

They were brought out of their shock when they finally really looked at Machai and saw he had crossed his right arm over his chest to grab onto his left arm in a nervous gesture. He even averted his eyes slightly which was so un-Machai like that they knew they stared way too long.

To try and cover it up, Jeos plastered a smile on his face and said, "Well, you coming in so we can cream the other team?!"

Machai's soft smile made everyone's heart skip a beat. It was another un-Machai like action, but they couldn't help but think it fit perfectly on his face. They all made a vow that day to do everything they could to see it more often.

Machai jumped into the pool with a burst of laughter and everyone pushed what they saw to the back of their minds. While they couldn't question Machai to get their revenge, they could at least take his mind off what was definitely one of the hardest decisions he'd ever made.

Now it made complete sense why he didn't want to get into the pool. Everyone had their shirts off and shorts on which would have made Machai wearing a long sleeve shirt and pants suspicious.

However, they couldn't help but feel grateful that Machai was willing to show them something so personal. Because there was no doubt that there were a few people who saw him on the way, and information spread quickly through the army.

They played multiple games before calling it a day and heading back inside, laughing all the way to the dorms. The past was the past and they all could tell that Machai wasn't going to let it rule over him, so they didn't feel the need for him to release his burden on one of them.

Their respect for him knew no bounds after knowing he's persevered through so much and could still be such a great person and leader. Most fell asleep that night thinking how thankful they were to have a leader such as Machai.

~~~ Chaos POV ~~~

Up in his office Chaos sat mulling over the day's events. The only major thing of note dealt with the 10th division and their new commander. Once the army came back with surprisingly few loses, Chaos went to check the battlefield and found a few inconsistencies after Machai became commander. Don't get him wrong, he was relieved that there were so few loses. However, he knew next to nothing about his slippery Savior and wanted to see if he could find anything.

Some shots seemed to swerve in midair, many of the traps weren't dismantled properly or just destroyed altogether and most interesting were some of the dead bodies that didn't have a clear cause of death or just died in a strange way.

Many seemed to have died by suffocation which the only mage in the 10th division who could conceivably do that was on the other side of the city. Chaos had a strong feeling as to who was responsible for the low death count even if he couldn't prove it and couldn't figure out how he did it!

When the army came back and asked to have the pool to themselves, he was in no position to deny them their first celebratory victory party. As he watched his little enigma head back inside to most likely change. Chaos wondered why he didn't do so with the others while also seeming reluctant to get in. However, his question was soon answered as Machai walked back to the pool.

With his enhanced vision, he could clearly see the many jagged scars littering his body and all he could do was gape in silence. Chaos had rarely seen someone with so many scars, let alone ones clearly from torture.

He thought back to all the times he'd talked to Machai but wouldn't have ever assumed he had been tortured as close to death as possible. He could see how it went now. Tortured nonstop until death was almost upon him, but to be snatched back to reality before the sweet relief of death by gentle, healing hands, only to be tortured brutally all over again would have been horrible.

As it seemed Machai was accepted by his peers, Chaos walked back to his desk and leaned back into his cushioned chair. While this didn't exactly help figure Machai out, it was a very personal thing for Machai to show.

It brought a smile to his face to see Machai loosening up. He may be trying to figure him out, but he also would like Machai to appreciate and enjoy his time in the army. As he watched the game come to an end and everyone left laughing back to their dorms, he started his already overdue paperwork with a quickly depleting smile.

~~~

How'd you like it! Feel free to leave a comment or like and I want to thank all my loyal readers who's stuck with me through my slow updates. If you have a question or anything, I would pm me because I probably won't see comments on the chapter.

Alrighty, then. I'll see you guys later!!

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