NOVA

It all came down to this. Several months had passed by while I was in that cell with Flyn. Months of planning had gone into our escape. It was time to put those plans into motion. Days passed,yet we'd still hear the sounds of swords and the clash of steel outside.

The battle continued while we were imprisoned. And that was our exact moment to strike.

We awaited patiently for the skirmish to begin before we made our move.

When we heard the sounds of battle outside, we moved forward with our plan.

I took a few steps back, then sprinted toward the door. I bashed shoulder first into its rusted bars,sending it flying off of its hinges. We'd spent days slowly ramming our shoulders against the doors of our cells, ever so slightly weakening their stature,using the sounds of battle outside to mask our attempts. I broke out of my cell with relative ease, and Flyn broke out of his own not long after.

He inhaled deeply,exhaling even deeper.

"Ahhh! Freedom!"

"We're not out yet. We're still in the fortress, and run the risk of being recaptured. We need to focus."

"Relax Nova,we'll be fine!"

We made our way toward the central courtyard,where the Enemy commander stood. He wore heavy armour, steel, and it glistened off the sunlight. The ground beneath us was slick with mud. The Commander turned to face us, his eye's widening as they fell on us.

"Prisoners! Our Prisoners have escaped!"

The entire fort was sent on alert,with several of the archers turning their sights to us.

Enemies approached us from behind and I quickly turned to face them. I ducked between one of the enemies,crawling up his back and pulling him to face the archers. Flyn did the same, swerving behind his enemy just in time to use him as cover when the archers loosed their arrows.

The arrows pierced the bodies of our human shields as we took cover behind them. I drew a dagger from my enemies boot, then ran toward the enemies, throwing the dagger with pin point accuracy as it struck one of the archers in the throat. Once again, the sight their blood made my mouth water with hunger.

I leapt up the stairs which led to the archers nest,taking two steps at a time. Arrows whizzed past my body,some grazing me as I ran up the staircase.

Grabbing an arrow from the dead archers quiver,I rolled before stabbing it into his companion's kneecap,pulling it out and burrowing the arrow head into his chin.

Flyn appeared behind me whilst I held up the archer's corpse to shield us from the arrows.

"Go! Over the wall!" I ordered.

Flyn obeyed,leaping over the wall.

I let the body of the archer go and began making my way to the wall,however,my progress was halted when cold steel gripped my neck. I was hoisted off of the ground,kicking as I struggled to escape.

"A child?! The empire recruits children now?! How pathetic!" The Commander cackled.

He tossed me around like a rag doll,flinging me out of the archers nest,forcing me to land with a thud back into the main courtyard.

He leapt down from the nest, landing awkwardly before standing up to his feet. He drew his sword from his belt, waving it in the air.

"No one fire! Let's teach this boy a lesson in what war is really like!"

The Commander threw a shortsword to me. I picked it up,holding it tight in my right hand.

As I rose from picking up my weapon,the Commander let out a cry. I dodged to the side without looking, evading his strike entirely.

I popped up to my feet as quick as my body would allow, racing toward the Commander and slashing at his back. My blade struck his armour,the force of the blow sent vibrations through my whole body, making me cringe.

He swiped his sword upward,carrying with it some of the muddy earth,which narrowly avoided my face.

He's fast,but that armour is limiting his movement.

The Commander was ruthless in his fighting style,not very different than my own. He had me on the defensive,and that was something I hated. I had to attack, fight back. I backed away for a few more steps,ducking and swaying away from his attacks before burying my feet into the earth, forcing myself to come to a halt. I surged forward, pushing the Commander back, steel clashing, sending multiple sparks flying in my field of vision.

Think Nova...he's wearing steel plate...meaning he's vulnerable in four places...

Below his armpits, in between his thighs...they're unprotected.

I kept on the offensive,channeling my rage into each one of my strikes.

Control my breathing, inhale with every step,exhale with every strike.

The Commander grimaced,his eye's burning with rage. I could tell no one had put up this much of a fight. Common, for a coward hiding behind the walls of his fortress.

He raised his sword above his head to counter, giving me the perfect moment to strike. I drove my blade into the Commanders arm pit, causing him to scream in agony. His teeth ground together whilst his sword began descending at blinding speeds. Unable to pry my weapon free from beneath his arm, I leapt to the side,leaving my weapon behind. Once more his sword clashed with the earth, mud flying into the air for a few moments from the impact.

The Commanders glare met my eye's. He grabbed my weapon,tearing it out from beneath his arm,grimacing as he did so.

The Commander took my weapon in both hands, brought his knee to the blade and snapped it in two. He then threw what remained of the hilt to the ground in front of me.

As I bent to pick up what remained of my weapon, the steel of his boot came flying into my vision. His boot met my nose in a grisly collision, causing the bridge of my nose to shatter under the impact.

I blocked out the pain as best as I could.

Broken nose? I've taken beatings worse than this from my dad, and he isn't even trained to fight.

Regardless of how much I blocked out the pain, I couldn't change the overwhelming ring in my ears. Blinding light flooded my vision, making it nearly impossible to see. I saw the Commanders silhouette appear above me. Cold steel snaked itself round my neck,hoisting me off my feet. My arms dangled helplessly at my sides whilst his grip round my neck grew tighter.

His voice was a distant echo in my mind,growing louder until It was finally audible.

"-ildren! Hah! We have children! This is the empire's resort? Children because they cannot bring more men?!"

The Commander buried his fist into my gut,the pain rocketed through my body as I coughed up half of the rations the army had provided for me.

A constant barrage of punches found their way into my gullet,my ribs crunching  beneath the weight of his blows.

He threw me to the floor, kicking me in the side.

"Weak!" He yelled. "A fucking child...this is disgraceful!" He yelled,cackling while his boot bashed against my rib cage.

Those words...those words set a fire in my chest.

Weak? I am not weak! You... You remind me of him...

The fire burned warmer in my chest,each kick ignited a new ember, pain moulded into an uncontrollable rage.

I clenched some of the mud I writhed in in one of my fists.

I...I am not weak!

I rose to my feet,throwing the mud directly in his eye's. The Commander was caught off guard,yelling as the dirt fell into his eye's.

I grabbed the broken hilt off the ground, growling as I clambered up his armour, using his weight to haul myself up before I drove the broken blade into his neck. The Commander toppled to the floor as the blade sent warm crimson gushing from his wound.

I my hand fumbled round the floor,finally finding a suitable blunt object. I rose the broken piece of rubble off the muddy earth and smashed it against the hilt,hammering the blade deeper into his neck before I redirected the blows to his head. Over and over, stone met flesh,smashing his skull in. I didn't stop until I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder.

I turned to bash the strangers skull in as well,my actions fueled by rage. Instead of an enemy, I was pulled into a tight hug.

"Nova...you're safe now..."

Delion's voice...

Adrenaline pumped through my veins, even though I knew my body could no longer produce a heart beat,I felt as though it was smashing against my already paining rib cage.

I was soon hauled out of Delion's arms and my body was thrown into high alert once again, only for me to be raised in the air, with all the men cheering for me.

"Oh hoy lad! Ye broke into the fort and managed to free all the prisoners! Defeat their commander and lessen their morale! I knew ye had it in ye lad! Hah! I knew ye was somethin special!" The Lieutenant General yelled.

All of the men had gathered in the central courtyard now, with the bodies of fallen enemies laying everywhere. How long had I been bashing the commanders skull in to not realise they had broken through?

They all hoisted me higher than the dwarf could, and even the once stuck up lieutenant acknowledged me.

"You did well for a child." He said as he hoisted me atop his shoulders.

"Nova! Nova! Nova! Nova! Nova! Nova!" The men cheered.

A few days passed and when we had arrived back at the Imperial City, there was a whole city screaming my name. Roses were thrown at my feet as I sat behind Delion on his horse, with the ground shaking from the cheers of the countless people around me.

"Nova!" They yelled.

"Right on ye lad!"

"We love you Nova!"

"Noovaaa!"

"You did something great kid." Delion said,almost needing to yell over the crowd in order for me to hear him. "You defeated the Commander,broke enemy morale, invaded the enemies base, as well as freed a fellow soldier who was a PoW."

But...you guys do that all the time...why am I getting paraded like I did something special?

Oddly enough,my parade took me all the way to the Imperial Palace,where I met the Emperor for the first time. In his younger days,he was handsome, his beard had yet to grow and yet,his eye's remained as sly as it always had been before.

Emperor Roman approached me, kneeling in front of me as he placed his hand on my head.

"My, this boy is the one who took the fort?"

"Yes Emperor." Delion said.

Everyone around me knelt, and I was the only one who stood tall.

"All of my subjects kneel, yet you don't."

"I kneel to no man..."

Roman laughed,rubbing my hair as he cackled.

"A child with flare! I like that."

Roman stood to his feet, moving beside me as he beckoned for me to move forward.

"Why don't you follow me child? Delion will accompany us."

We followed the Emperor to a large room. It was extravagant,filled with elegant decor, a bed so large I reckoned a dozen people could sleep in it, and several paintings hung about the walls.

The Emperor pointed to a door on the far side of the room.

"In there is a bathroom, shower and clean yourself up...your blood covered body won't be allowed here in court child. There's also a set of fresh clothes inside as well, so feel free to change. Commander Delion, I wish to speak with you while the boy cleans up."

"Of course your grace."

I watched as blood fell from my body, water rinsing the muck and entrails from the limbs of my body. I had the shower dial turned to the hottest it could be, but I still couldn't feel the water...

When I'd finished, I changed into the clothes given. It was a tight doublet,with elegant engravings running through the fabrics. Black trousers and lavish shoes to boot.

How did they know my favorite colour was black?

Shaking the thought from my mind, I made my way back to the Emperor and the Commander, who waited patiently outside the door.

The Emperor smiled, brandishing that glistening white smile.

"Ah! Right on time. Come this way child,there is much we need to discuss."

The Emperor led us to a balcony,which gave a magnificent overview of the city, as the three of us sat down at a singular table.

"Would you like a drink child?" The Emperor asked.

"No...no thanks...I'm fine."

"You've no need to be nervous, I am more than happy to provide you with anything. Since you can't have wine, how about some condensed juice?"

I...won't taste it but sure.

We all sat,sipping on our drinks whilst the city cheers continued beneath us.

"Today is a time of rejoice. We've made a great triumph today, you...boy have made a great triumph today."

The Emperor crossed his legs, leaning closer to me.

"Tell me, what is your name child?"

"Nova Vi Britannia..."

The Emperor's eye's widened for a few seconds.

"Vi Britannia you say? Hmm..."

"Does the name mean anything your grace?" Delion asked.

The Emperor laughed. "Oh no Commander! It doesn't mean much. It's not something of importance at this stage."

Once more,his eye's fell onto me. "Nova,I would like you to replace Commander Delion for his spot as Commander of the Imperial Legion."

"Wait...what?"

I just captured a fort...

"Contrary to what you may believe, that fortress you captured from those barbarians, was our main trading outpost. Traders from all over sought refuge there from the countless horrors which prowl the night. They'd then make their way to the city in order to sell their goods. Naturally this makes it rather important since our city is well-known for its coal reserves and market place. Our economy was shattered for months because of those fucking degenerates." Roman said. He stopped for a second. "Pardon my language."

"I cuss all the time. Doesn't bother with me."

"You kiss your mother with that mouth Nova?" He asked with a smirk.

"You should hear my mom...she's ten times worse."

Roman laughed,clapping his hands. "Oh I like this child! Very much! All the same Nova, our army have been trying to reclaim that fortress for the past four years...you got it back single-handedly in just a few months. Defeating their commander,breaking enemy morale, saving a prisoner in the process,you're almost an army in in of yourself aren't you boy?"

"I mean...I guess-"

"I've also heard that you defeated more than seven of the most hardened veterans just to prove that you were able to fight. Not too shabby for a six year old boy. Again,so young and yet so well-versed in the art of war."

"I've been fighting my whole life...it's about the only thing I'm good at."

"Really? You don't enjoy anything else?"

"I've written a few scrap novels in books,written poetry, but it's kind of garbage."

"I'd love to read them sometime." The Emperor said. "You're well-versed in several fighting styles, and you hold your own very well for a boy so young. You project an aura of hate and rage, yet I believe those emotions can be channelled. I believe you already do so, and that makes you not only useful,but reliable. I want you to train our army Nova. The room I showed you in the palace is yours for the day until the barracks renovation is complete. I've ordered it to be outfitted with your very own private sauna and bath, as well as your own private room. Since renovations will take a few weeks, I wish for you to stay here,in the palace."

I spent the remainder of the day in my new room, pondering about what had occured throughout these past few months.

As the sun set over the horizon,slowly burning and fading away into an orange haze whilst the sky shifted into a dark indigo.

I slipped out of bed, making my way through the large interweaving corridors. I continued as much as I could,but the palace was almost a maze. I hated admitting it,but I soon found myself lost.

"Hey! Nova!" A light voice came.

I turned to see two girls, both looking exactly like the girl who had given me something to eat just a few months ago.

Each of their arms were hooked together, and they were almost indistinguishable from one another.

"You remember me? My name is Elena! I'm the Emperor's daughter. This is my younger sister Sonja, she's-"

"I'm only younger than you by two hours!"

"Still makes you younger!" Elena yelled.

The two girls argued,stomping their feet and crossing their arms. You were so feisty back then.

"Could you show me the way out of the palace? I need to do something."

"Like what?"

"My own business."

"You can tell us? Is it a secret? We love secrets! We'll keep your secret!"

"It's not a secret. Just tell me where I need to go."

"Why don't you follow us and play a game of tag with us Nova?" Sonja asked,blushing heavily.

"I don't want to play. Just show me the way out of here."

The girls smiles faded into frowns. They both led me through the palace, the two sisters still holding hands.

Elena led me to the front door where she had her servants open them.

Once again,I made my way through the city. As I did so,plenty of people gave me several pats on my back, congratulating me and showing their gratitude.

All of this positive attention was something I wasn't used to. I was used to being brought down, not praised. Told I was ugly and dumb, not amazing and handsome.

After trudging through the streets,I had finally managed to make it to the hospital, where I approached the receptionist. I stood up on a chair to get to her level, and she smiled at me.

"Ah if it isn't the cities little hero! Here to see your mother Nova?"

"Yes please."

"Well, you'll be happy to know that your mother was actually discharged  a few days ago!"

What?

"She was? I never..."

"There was a man who came to pick her up. Said he was her husband. Tall, black curly hair like yours but with a really...big boned face."

Oh no...

"How long ago was this? Exactly?"

The receptionist leafed through her ledger, the pages seeming to take ages to turn. I tapped my feet impatiently on the chair.

"You can't go any faster?"

"Be patient Nova,I'm working as fast as I can child."

"Work faster damnit!" I yelled.

I need to know how long its been...I can make a rough estimate on how much damage he's done to her...if I'll need a healer...or an undertaker...no. No she's fine...she's fine!

"Four days ago."

I burst off my chair,throwing it over as I sprinted my way through the city in a desperate dash to make it back home.

It hasn't been long. He can't have hurt mom that much...that sick fuck...I'm not going to be afraid this time...this time...this time I'm going to fight back. This time I'll win.