Chapter Text
"I held the statement; 'dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori' in its absolute valor, not knowing that it was nothing more than another depiction of unimaginable terror."
Ever since I was enlisted into Team Neo, one of the Academy subdivisions, I came to learn of the notion of patriotism and heroism that is related to battle. Of course, being the youngster I was, I naively thought that to enlist in the war was to reach the apex of the glory, the marvelous tales of fighting for one cause. That is what me and my friend were always taught in the classroom, to be brave is to fight for one cause no matter what it takes. Whenever we had nothing better to do during the weekends we would play pretend with the scenarios being that we were the undeniably righteous warriors and those who dared to oppose us were no better than some insignificant barbarians. While we were playing games together, our teacher, Cain Storm, would often come to see us, sometimes chuckling in amusement whenever we had quarrels about which scenarios to play with. There were times when his daughter, Susanna would accompany him, often joining in to play with us. Although her presence was a bit rare during those times we did become close to her as one would consider his playmate. Mind you, we were still children during such a time.
I still recall the times when I always had plans to either trick or prank my friends in whatever manner I could think of. Sometimes it is as simple as putting a fake cockroach in one of my classmate's desks, and there are also more meticulous ones, such as replacing a few of the red beans with cockroach eggs in my friend's bowl. Well, it's not like I changed much in that aspect, but it was still nostalgic to recall back on it. I would usually play my pranks on whoever I wanted to, sometimes I would target seniors, but even the freshmen wouldn't be safe from my little mischievous venture. The only exception is probably the teachers, and that is only because I am not a fan of the so-called 'disciplinary actions'. Making other people laugh and seeing others smile also brings a degree of satisfaction to me.
During such time I would also be acquainted with students from Team Exo, most notably the constantly-sleepy Benjamin. One of his traits that stands out to me is his overly calm demeanor, so much so that it made him prone to falling asleep all too easily. Even with the pranks I tried pulling on him, he would never give me the satisfaction of seeing his expression, often brushing it off or ignoring it completely. It was then to my knowledge that he is also proficient in exobot piloting just as I am. Our Academy was the kind of place that would train cadets from around the world with quite advanced technology, most notably the Exobot being the main focus of the cadet here. I began to befriend him, yet before all that could progress any further, my teacher would soon revolt against the Academy.
In the span of the time Cain is enlisted in a solo mission, he comes across an extraterrestrial being that tells him of the grave threat of the outsider forces to usurp peace upon Earth. That creature would later be Cain's companion known as Lakusa. All of Lakusa's stories would indirectly support Cain's prejudiced view toward the aliens, which would only become worse and more radical over time. He grew more and more paranoid and wary of the extraterrestrials, and would often tell us of the various retellings of stories that somehow justify the prejudice towards the aliens. At that time, I harbored no doubt towards him and even thought of Team Neo as glorious warriors who push through and fight for the prosperity of mankind.
All of this was nothing more than a time when I still maintained my innocence and childlike view of he world in general. It is but another part of my long-gone past, an era left behind forever. Had I known of what was brewing to happen soon, perhaps I wouldn't have had to leave it all behind. Maybe I can try to change my teacher's mindset, maybe I can try to convince others of the gruesome reality behind it all.
Yet, what are the uses of 'maybe', other than to comfort the self that had suffered in the foregone past?