The Imperial Commander.
The highest rank attainable in the Solaris Empire, second only to the emperor and his heirs, with the exception of the crowned successor. Their deeds alone had changed the course of the empire's history. None could rival them in achievements or merit, and their power was a cornerstone upon which the empire stood.
There were only five Imperial Commanders in the empire. The only five to achieve the fabled five suns of the empire.
And here stood one before them, suspended in the air, silently receiving their salute.
After a moment, he glanced into the distance, nodded at the grand commanders, and disappeared like he was never there.
[A/N: Aura points +1,000,000]
It took a while for the army to comprehend what had just happened.
Snapping them out of their daze were the grand commanders' orders.
There was no need to clean up; the Imperial Commander had already done it, and unfortunately, he couldn't do anything about the large injuries.
They were only instructed to carry the wounded and the dead back to the Last Front.
The battle was over.
...
When they returned, before they could celebrate, a detailed accounts of the battles were demanded.
Of course, Baines was summoned to explain what had happened. The more he spoke, the harder it was for the others to believe. He obviously didn't tell them about the tattoos around the barbarians' bodies, or that he could speak their language, or even his bladeless sword. He just explained a way to read expressions, and how he just thought of the soldiers and the dragon knights doing things in reverse, and its effect.
The grand commanders couldn't believe any of what he said. 20,000 against over a hundred thousand, and they won. A part of the pyre-vanguard commander was already prepared for their deaths, however, Tasha Darkan, the young lady of the Darkan family, testified to watching him the whole time and corroborated his story in full detail.
Without a choice, they believed her and went on to the details from other soldiers.
Afterwards, the death toll was counted.
The number weakened anyone hearing it.
354, 752.
That was the approximate number of deaths during this war. What struck him the most was that the majority of that number happened during the final minutes.
Baines was called upon again to explain himself.
Thankfully, Mark and Justin were available to defend Baines.
Throughout, the commanders responsible for injuries hid their faces in embarrassment. Ultimately, the formations were banned on the last front. The casualty from just a little slip-up was unacceptable.
Then, a grand burial was held.
The names of the fallen were engraved on the Monument of the Last Front. The monument were the mountains that supported the front. Their names were engraved with the aura of a 7th star, so regardless of the snow, passage of time, their state would remain unchanged.
The mourning lasted five days, as was standard in the Solaris Empire.
Afterward came recognition and promotions for those who had distinguished themselves.
The highlight of it was, "Jin" was promoted from Battlefield Commander to Platoon Commander.He received new armor, a special commendation at the Last Front, and earned a new title:
"Battlefield Changer."
With his brilliant formations, he had turned the tide of a hopeless battle into victory.
Then a grand celebration followed.
Important figures from both inside and outside the Last Front gathered to meet the "Young Sun Commander."
To their shock, he was unavailable.
Offended, many demanded that he be brought before them.
The response they received was, "He is diagnosed with internal injuries."
That cooled their anger, for a while. The celebration was to last several days, so they assumed they'd eventually meet him. But even on the fifth and final day, he did not appear.
It became obvious: the Last Front was hiding him.
That was, until one of them investigated and found him in the infirmary.
The servants reported to their masters that the healers were working desperately, but his wounds refused to heal. It made them recall the story of battling a 6th-star warrior as a 5th-star.
That explained the severity of his injuries, relieving them of their anger.
The situation passed quietly.
And, almost miraculously, the day after the celebration ended, "Jin" recovered.
...
It was a new day after the celebration, and Baines lay on his bed in his new quarters.
It was a large, private room befitting a platoon commander. In the past month, he had found himself in new quarters than he cared to.
"Haa..." His eyes drifted shut, trying to relieve the thoughts of the unbearable pain he had endured. The last few days had been torture for him.
He didn't trust himself to keep his calm in the celebration they had, so he faked his injuries. He had ordered Eye to inflict a real internal injury, worsening it each time healers tried to fix it.
The pain had kept him awake night after night. But he had not once thought of easing it.
His family's pain had been far worse.
'Everyone, wait for me.' Tears slid down his cheeks as he finally fell asleep.
...
Knock. Knock.
Baines' eyes snapped open at the persistent knocking. He stood and noticed it was already the next day. The sun was already glowing through his quarters.
After a few preparations, he opened the door and found Tasha Darkan and her guards waiting.
She stared at him for a while before speaking, "You're coming with us," then she turned away.
And without a word, Baines followed, with guards forming a loose escort around him.
Halfway to their destination, Tasha asked, "Aren't you going to ask where we're going?"
"..." However he remained silent.
"The lady asked you a question," one of the guards nudged him sharply.
Still, no response.
"You—!"
"Don't annoy me," Baines said, voice low and cold.
He wasn't looking at anyone in particular, but the guilty party knew who he was speaking to.
Leaving them stunned, he continued walking as if he already knew where he was headed.
The Central Building, the Room of the Panel. This was where major decisions were made in the front.
There, Baines stood before the three grand commanders, another unfamiliar official, and the head of the Darkan family.
The Darkan head smiled, stretching out his hand, going straight to the point.
"From today, you are dispatched to the Darkan family."
Then they waited, expecting surprise or even resistance.
But Baines simply nodded.
And it left them silently pained. In truth, the Last Front had only taken from him.
Promotions? Better lodging? They were nothing compared to what he had given.
Baines felt no attachment to them and now, they had no power to refuse the Darkan family's request. The Darkans were one of the empire's pillars after all.
This had been the plan all along, was what the grand commanders painfully realized. The Darkan head had even risked his life during the war to make this transfer feel justified, and he could do it with no shred of guilt.
But it was all irrelevant now. Even Baines wasn't willing to stay any longer.
"You're not going to ask why?" the Darkan head finally asked.
Baines replied coolly, "Do I have a choice?"
They were left speechless once again.
Like he had said, a soldier had no real choices. It felt like he was redefining what a soldier really meant.
The Darkan head sighed heavily and spoke, "The truth is, your talents are needed inside the empire, not wasted fighting damn outliers."
Baines simply nodded.
…
News of his departure spread like wildfire.
Soldiers rushed to confirm the absurd rumor, and they saw it for themselves: Baines, seated atop a dragon, rising into the sky.
Many had come to say goodbye. But not once did he turn back.
Not even a glance.
It hit them harder than expected, like the realization that they had never really known him. That perhaps, he never belonged to them at all.
He had come. He had changed the battlefield. And then, like a ghost in a storm, he left.