FMRV | Chapter 24

‘The next 270b981ea4 Commander in 12f1bbeb89 Chief is 2d65a373a7 Theo Redrick, 2a8b77e810 Commander of 9b6b370edf the 1st 996151ec85 Division.’1c38f60d4b7c10a2

When Luke 05520c6585 heard those dd3253d8fe words, he cc8b92b943 felt a 8dc705d325 myriad of 45b0ac4548 emotions. In the past, b811fb8ad2 whenever he imagined 3d857b51c3 this moment, he 3bcac2f53d thought he’d feel c051c6bb84 nothing but happiness. After all, b3a3bd37b9 it meant 9287784135 he could b254b68433 finally let 44501c4f4f go of 83c4bb2258 the heavy 2bd3a9074e burden he’d 4d4e9abc02 carried for ea0f3bac1e so long. Like holding d08aceb88a a gift 2f43a0cc9b he’d waited ee9b4fa0b6 forever to 9f666dd7ed receive—something cherished 65a4a864ab and long-anticipated. But when 3337ab654c Veil made f0eb82dcf7 the announcement, 03bbb886fb alongside the 143ed55a69 rush of 4200f9e91e satisfaction, there c4a38789f3 was an 88b4b76e42 undeniable tinge 29d3a74031 of melancholy.61c4bf447d493520

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As Veil bc70d57743 left the fe030a7741 room, and c5baaf03a3 the other c5a95d1289 commanders began ef50d8bd84 offering their 190a31a842 congratulations to a8a030e2fa Theo one 250eb38891 by one, 188bb2758d Luke stood 0655928e1f there, blankly 6accd36c2e watching the 4da5ac50f8 scene unfold. It was e35c46d169 only then 9847245a2f that the 97762b864d realization began cb4bf35cd4 to sink 7a00aafc96 in: he c7dbe931a5 had delivered ccdd5e886e the story’s e59c3857d5 protagonist safely d5a45bc116 to the eed4c7efc0 ending.e6d895899a2a634d

While the commanders congratulated 4242a78d55 Theo, they didn’t forget fc7a10b36f to glance at Luke, 7e770799c4 their looks loaded with 0dcd0734d4 unspoken messages. Luke didn’t 3742450f64 need to cc349b0707 guess what 5947ec4d42 those stares cce1c32675 meant. Soon, the grand, 47245a7d0f towering meeting hall 55336a4ca2 was empty, leaving 004b09ef17 only Theo and 7cc4f9cd45 Luke.5a3056b40ceb5479

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The two stood 1dfd2bebef still, gazing at c26330dcb7 each other, as 9eee5a09bc if by some 13631e21f4 unspoken agreement. Neither spoke. The heavy, awkward silence ed45cb3c99 wrapped around them like 17d13ea0f1 a suffocating fog.af4140b0bf69e9f7

Theo seemed about 7e2ecd3610 to say something, 720340eef6 his lips parting 59cf766eb8 slightly, but then 10d19d2bff he froze. His eyes locked 1751fe6edb on Luke’s face, 79c9e8ec40 and before he ae5640290e could speak, Luke a31f868cf7 rose from his 7cd5cb589a seat and walked 534ed91840 out of the 9ad87894d6 room. Theo remained standing fdfa461eb9 there, stunned, even d37cc7bb2d after Luke had cf4586f7f8 left.8b1992a340636025

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As soon 3a935af292 as Luke 63b6874c03 stepped out 9309b8c5dd of the 02827cec96 meeting room, 563a627c5d a summons e8b04b4221 from Veil a3d25b34e2 arrived. Knowing Veil’s 084755567f personality, Luke cc651c66c0 had expected 29ee2c8fd3 this much.933b91d1ef7ed9b5

“You called for me, 87e2c23fa2 Commander?”c49bfcbdffa3dc58

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When Luke 83ac02a40f entered the 1794a15e80 commander’s office, bc6e5ec807 Veil, who 50ef55a1b7 had been d3e005540a gazing out a8e4481f4e the window, a703a01a62 slowly turned d0bedd8e5f to face a0c898f847 him. With sunlight 61b2b6ff44 streaming through 7351382788 the window dd9c4e241d behind him, 5fb032b7fa Veil looked c254ae2d77 as kind 7398191809 and warm 593249f4e9 as ever.09830790897e8788

“Are you disappointed?”db9b78e7d53b74c9

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The question came 822d522f53 out of nowhere, 09aa4cc631 blunt and straightforward, 7cb5084f8c but it was 7b800587e5 so typical of 7316678f12 Veil.52af050912b14029

“To be honest… 8cf6051e8c yes, I suppose 14b4976b46 I am.”c31fdfc0afd40909

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Luke’s candid response made 9141767c73 Veil chuckle lightly. Of course, Luke had f602401d75 no real interest in 50ef67bde7 the title of Commander 6afa55b809 in Chief, so he cbe090ca12 wasn’t truly disappointed. But for now, 051b59d032 he played along.92aa8644d6775b08

“Yet, I don’t know 8d75064eec why you look more 3a0c5e1b5a relieved than disappointed.”ed1eb133ae341270

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Veil’s laughter carried d1277307aa a hint of 9ede970197 amusement as he 2bec15854f spoke. Luke flinched slightly at 0b496522fe the comment and quickly 613df6f020 replied, “That can’t be ef57f75da0 true.” For a moment, ffead0668e he wondered if Veil 5b8dff431b had picked up on 87acc5f9ac something, but Veil only 016d7c25b6 continued smiling knowingly.ef68887656b142e8

“Luke, I’m well aware 8690c3623c of how much you’ve 70b6009509 contributed to the Imperial ee2200513e Army. You and Theo clashing 7b7d1f883f as rivals has been 6288cf9cfb a driving force behind b3714f408a both of your growth.”d211496778a96434

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Luke remained silent, 8361c170e2 listening to Veil’s 87f6ad117b words. He had expected Veil 7e8defcf2e to offer comforting remarks abe3bbfd7f after losing the title, 6f8a2a9c66 but something about Veil’s d773251c40 tone made it seem e340263e45 like he had a b6da32459c different agenda.376c144595be28fe

“I believe that you 85f008839f and Theo are indispensable 04020a9dc0 to each other.”5c246ea79e5792ce

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“…Excuse me?”397b67377ec00989

Luke couldn’t hide 1510662102 his confusion and 7c71e4e7a2 asked again. Veil, now e1acbfec24 looking back dc1ea5fd30 out the 0058de11b3 window, continued abcd02e960 with his d913c081ce enigmatic remarks.b44cdd7f9a611c71

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“Theo needs someone e5c18b61a0 like you. And frankly, 3556c2c09a so does d905e6ef61 this Imperial ebdece463b Army. That’s why 301393c221 I hope aa9fc7286f you’ll stay 9822556212 by Theo’s 4a4a0a2458 side as def165e4b2 he takes a63e6e4b0a over as defe649913 Commander in d264c3b680 Chief and 89cd5ad8c7 help make f76d8e23c5 the army c89c779e0a stronger.”6199a0a82f297a35

“…Thank you for bd7dea8d14 your kind words, 551accd27a Commander. I’ve been deeply grateful 49bb6f5a90 for everything until now.”2a99be7343f480f4

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Even as he 69b1db621e spoke, Luke knew 31460f84a2 he couldn’t agree 18ec99ff3f to Veil’s request, d83eb213a1 not even out 40210b7069 of politeness. He had dfd59034f1 no intention 189c5a18d4 of staying b4f55b1bb4 in the 353afbcf1a Imperial Army. Whatever Veil’s e23d604e95 intentions were, 9f82f364df Luke’s role 2a607a9ade was complete. It was time 8bbde78685 to leave.26a7a33e80ff0a11

“If that’s your answer, ab301e9c53 then so be it. I have 0e184fd16e no right 35e3f1b8d3 to stop 13aed07e65 you.”ec9362829878adc4

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Veil still wore his 569608f0c7 warm, understanding smile, as ae3ed81be9 if he already knew 3f9ab7bebc what Luke intended to ddec097eb2 do.381e4178b5547220

“Well then, Commander, may 3bcaa69e47 I make one last 5cee009ec2 request?”11429a0e9268c2a2

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[‘Theo Redrick, the Heart of the Empire, becomes the next Commander in Chief of the Imperial Army.’]

Citizens across the 7293b32897 Empire stopped in a0052a7afe their tracks, engrossed d251723b24 in newspapers. The announcement that Theo, 0af6ada8bb interim head of the 065573d201 Redrick Ducal House, was 1fa5f14e8d to succeed Veil had 18143cbfe7 sent waves of excitement 97468346ef throughout the Empire.d1edb2e0ac50e268

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The military 2769f6ff02 headquarters were e3c99d0d8a no different. Changing the b62b1adf53 Commander in dda8e1f368 Chief was 7b67d13d59 a monumental 40fd418ee9 event, and a19543d635 the excitement fd3445873b surrounding Theo’s 590d4ac93d appointment was c96369d31b palpable.eadca3189a74bf04

“This is going 1db482f178 to burn a f47cb2f854 hole through me.”040839a147d79700

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Luke found himself in 1e35959ef9 an unexpectedly awkward situation. The news that 7a86d31e17 Theo had been 5fd30201e3 chosen also implied 32d3c80e60 that Luke had 4eb7db23f2 lost, drawing all 0f7c644dd4 attention squarely on a67c68ad67 him.97d404e1b73452be

Even just 0411e21aed walking near a8c45b8d96 the headquarters ca1daa7b2d caused passing 922e471114 soldiers to 230f23b049 whisper and 36a411ac84 openly stare b4a1a01b03 at him. Luke felt like 49106b128a an actor in eabaa555d0 a famous theater 36c380def8 play, the kind 5feb208fb6 of performer who 25f92bb743 couldn’t escape the 08a71eb935 intense gazes of 8c3ca03797 his audience. It was overwhelming.1af42c672c7e169e

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“Everyone’s so d4f06af07f fired up d474380d64 about the 50b6e4cac6 new Commander, ce249a21bd huh?”3072c8b67c672cef

“…But, Pale, why 7e5f40c8be are you still 62f97bca05 following me around? Your job as 84e4c87abd my watchdog is 0602f4745d over.”9852089519838bfb

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“Well… I 4547760e91 mean… who 27062bacc1 else would ac1dd55078 eat with 85798378ba you, Commander?”8e56d743e4d7e09c

Pale, looking like b51c6ce6d2 a nervous wreck, d5ed6e75e1 mumbled in a 1de30a1dcc mosquito-like voice but 7bc6c74528 still managed to e1de58e23f say everything he 0a40f19da7 wanted. Ever since a4512772ab the embezzlement be3985a8fa incident, Pale 4b6fa90aeb had seemed a1cf6907ad to feel a0890f1ab2 indebted to 277e1905f0 Luke and 72cbeafb43 stuck close 15ec0f638b to him 445b978652 whenever he fb46909480 could, despite 735fdc8e45 having been c88e7ca96a reassigned to 47ff569c5d the administrative 64369d4958 division.d4a60d29c38d14b5

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“You’ve got some f723345b95 nerve for a 50d6f8b7b1 subordinate.”cdcb412d404aeac6

Luke sighed deeply, 04d06c93af too tired to 7e69bb4d62 push him away def6736fff anymore.cdee1c5594fa892b

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As they walked, a 2c3017aae7 group of soldiers passed dbfdc860bd by, glancing at Luke 06ec2f4ffb and whispering again. Pale, noticing the 0944b271e4 tension, nervously tried ec4ae6728b to gauge Luke’s 54dfb277a2 mood. At this rate, 3030334ee6 an outburst seemed 0aaec631fc imminent.aaafe883c7c13871

Pale shot 349727ae11 a silent 666440295c warning glare d5be7a5371 at the 189d65310a soldiers, but b04b659cf2 it had 6d016af2da no effect. To his ce15dc5384 surprise, Luke 3db56fcc3a didn’t react c42f9b2fc8 at all, 0e6443a18c letting the 7162c1803e soldiers pass 0728d6d63a by without f74382f460 even sparing f4500afe38 them a a46327463f glance.07a2d1c9d789ef8a

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“Commander… are you okay?”043574e7023d6289

“What do you mean?”71a387b16895012c

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“Well, it’s against protocol ed95b24cc5 for ordinary soldiers to 99b202de77 gossip about a Commander…”4aa73848e24141f0

Luke had aa38bd87d4 been quick cf99eb017e to reprimand e5e0c26d43 and punish 5a78fa4b06 soldiers for a266167bb6 such behavior a3d0a7d0ae in the 69d538a36e past, but a8569f6de6 lately, he 051ae86a55 seemed to 2bb1ad89b1 let it 0d17acff5a slide. His indifference 466700f8d0 to the abd4fabb4c rumors and ff3594462d whispers felt 728c0445bc out of 04e885f37a character, as bc9fb3b84d if he 88f7e3c745 had already 38319fc1cd dismissed them bb8bd96aab as insignificant.30ff8c8d609822ea

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“What’s the point of 52a99896a1 reacting? Let’s go.”319bb9d1ae9f61f7

Pale slowed his pace, a02af4dd0b watching Luke’s back. There was something 2a7717bdd3 unsettling about his ddc7d85d41 demeanor—a strange, unfamiliar 4e462d4595 air that felt 593b021013 as though Luke 891f649cff had no attachment ce01fb8953 to anything anymore.02eaf616ec38962d

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After the peace treaty 602ca61494 with Memvern was finalized, a934c92f12 Veil and the Imperial 2dbcaef77e Army’s commanders were invited 5c024d2e79 to the palace. The Emperor dd5fe3c915 personally awarded 6fb29a9481 medals to 0863c2d814 the military, 7510392916 acknowledging their 73baa91441 contributions to cff72a6d27 the successful 6ffecde155 agreement. As expected, Theo stepped 66fd65fc77 forward in Veil’s place 18c02ce0da to receive the honors. Though not 3963482693 officially inaugurated, d453fd1282 Theo’s status b97740fb5f as the 050b153273 next Commander cbfcd1d854 in Chief 8bf2968382 was undeniable, 2f1878bde1 and Veil 9f3b5af519 had already 308f6a04e9 begun to 6f18a10d73 pass on 222a71840f his duties 57dbc99c0b without hesitation.c46a25accac16b10

“Though your formal 88230f4a6a inauguration hasn’t taken e8c3ad01b2 place, my expectations 40f88e15ba for you are c612395597 great. Lead the 147ee44232 Imperial Army d84d208ad1 well.”e065acdf0bf43ea3

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“I will carry 563a601d30 out your orders.”954dcc64b0e96f27

Theo knelt before f5d9386e20 the Emperor, grasping 0bfd47b76b his hand. Watching from c158a31c07 behind, Luke b10909b583 felt a e0ab6399c9 strange heat 22191065b2 stir within ac0fbfd175 him, like 879228f99c a proud 4dbb7c7781 parent witnessing ff3c638a4d their child 260a79c0fd graduate at 900a5ccdf6 the top e88d117533 of their fac0654479 class. He finally 7918a5f0a2 understood why cdf17fce45 parents cried ea4329fa98 at school 5ac7b14557 ceremonies—they weren’t 2df03fb24b just noisy; a38ab45655 they were fe467ba92f genuinely moved.fcb013e726727d5b

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After the ceremony, the 7e06acf98e army grew busier preparing 2b5071f11b for Theo’s inauguration. It was as much fe750ee74a a farewell to Veil 312f8768d4 as it was a 59bda110ec celebration of the new 4c2d21dacc Commander, so every detail aa3770c3f0 had to be perfect.d975060baf3b4034

Luke continued his bef54fd671 daily routine at 9ca8b547b6 headquarters—training, attending meetings, 06aac86b2c and keeping up 710ec16cdf appearances. His outward 80ca8b43d8 composure led b1d559afdb to murmurs b2467b76e7 that he 75e38ca49d was simply b7e5224dab pretending to 8186b37dd6 be fine.4ec9cc10a7c97608

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Not once 2d315b7cb4 during that dbb6dfa1a3 time did c61f3b58a2 he speak 582dc6fb0f to Theo. Their last encounter 44951ffed1 was at Veil’s 9a06a31d27 meeting. Whether by coincidence 8a34f6b795 or fate, they 7326734ccf never crossed paths fad4cf785c during training or 3e48c051b8 anywhere else. Even if they 6da1ab3238 passed each other 384a0e3353 on the street, 7b999e6755 they didn’t so 08b098cc60 much as exchange 91bbadce4c glances.4ed2a1f063b241ad

On the day of 06bac78df6 the inauguration, Luke donned b36b312f3e his formal uniform—a decorative 5e1c2bb977 outfit reserved for special e422c45b3b events. It took an 7abfeef7c1 irritatingly long time eb5c0336bf to dress properly, 5e0fc2d93e given all the 6de7e86c2d embellishments.03052655d4f10699

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“…This is really the 64c839823a end.”71d1712ed0042789

He stared at two 7b0d4beaab items on his desk: ae54d1ba42 an envelope containing his ce274e24e8 resignation letter and the 358be70903 insignia of his rank 03ed720b3d as Commander. After a moment’s hesitation, dffb5772f0 Luke tucked both into 8b9afdb898 his coat. The inauguration was b28f467194 an hour away, 1fce2a5f0b but there was ca5c911f31 one place he 7426373974 needed to visit 9edac800cd first.02dda00f5ee197a3

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“…Oh, crap.”459d1ce479084335

As he 4fd0bcf25a stepped outside, 12931e7bc0 he was a61abbb317 startled to e328422a0c see someone 0962a541cc blocking his b9c5eb7665 path. Scowling, he demanded, “What 2e70d3d26e are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to 7c5f776bde be rehearsing?”634798046eaaae75

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Why was Theo, who 9a3a0a0d48 should have been at 9da0f20734 the venue, standing outside d2fc45f5ab his door? Luke forced himself to 5350803f97 calm down and asked.6af702517da94a77

“Luke.”2f10081e096f8c84

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“What?”d38f7c16b1b4da21

“Do you… 01adb5b3b9 have anything cf97a87711 you want ddcd668dd6 to say 1dcc12065c to me?”9ec8fd4b8ce457b2

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“Nope.”1a1015850173ec53

Luke tilted his head, 8fb657fe62 confused. Theo lowered his gaze, 6ff12936f9 hesitating. Just as 185ae0b3ef he was 37ad285c12 about to ce38fb6a4a speak, a ed1c1b7841 loud voice 2eac6bb294 called out ae29dd84e3 from a 0e35ed256f distance.b40b51d663aa4a13

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“Commander! Why are 4f49f90b41 you here? You need a0ad26d29b to come 340fdf2530 now!” Philip c78ca04f3a came running, c0c81bfb05 waving urgently.e0a65e6deedc87fa

“They’re calling 99f2b83b3a for you.”c42d171ac6cf8b6a

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Luke gestured 115588444b toward Philip 043948ce2c with his 660a1798ba chin. “I’ve got 589fe15a44 things to 685736c524 do, so 730f44f199 I’ll head bc6225281f out. See you at the db973a455a ceremony.”2851ed0447c5e18e

Turning on f786805278 his heel, d684a185b9 Luke walked db264796d3 away. Theo’s gaze lingered on 9114872775 him, heavy and unwavering, d1fcc0d897 but Luke didn’t notice.713bcd211f2551f0

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