A group of noble students was around the line, looking at the soldiers marching in an endless line. They too were trying to enter the marching army, yet the guards had their orders; despite the nobles' pleas and display of rank, they were to be pushed back and handled with discipline.
They soon saw a Master leading his horse, his silver robe and blond hair fluttering gently, while his presence was almost divine. They pointed towards him as they once again tried to merge ranks.
One of them decided to wrestle the guard, while another jumped on his arms, buying time for a lad to slip by and head rush towards the marching army.
-----------------------------
Luther lifted a brow as his hand moved and caught someone by the hem of their robes, lifting them and continuing to march. It was a brat, wearing Imperial Academy robes of the Rovan Royal Academy.
"Please, let me join! My brothers are already on the line; I am almost an expert! I can fight! I am eighteen!" The youth stated as he was carried away, now eye to eye with a Master. He could see the soldiers and men beside him laugh.
"Why is a brat, wet behind the ears, not in class? Eighteen years old, my ass, you still have your mother's milk around your lips..." Luther said as he smiled, not letting him go yet. He was waiting for someone to come and take the brat away.
The lad looked to be around fifteen or sixteen years of age; his brown hair was messy, a sign of his struggle against the guards.
"Please, in the name of our Emperor and our Empire, let me join! I swear I can fight; I will not trouble anyone! Our teachers are gone to battle as well! Our classes are empty; every veteran and professor has been called away. Please, I am not much younger than him! He is even half blind, damn it!"
The teenager struggled as he pointed towards Aurelian and used the names of his Empire, aiming to hit Luther from the patriotic side. He felt like a fool, as soldiers and knights laughed at his remark when he pointed towards the half-blind Aurelian.
"Haha...lad, I am from Salerion, can't you see? The names of your Empire and Emperor do not affect me...As for the half-blind lad, well, he has had his share of battle and already bedded a woman, unlike you. You want to go conquer without having yet been a man? Dying with no heirs? It is the brats like you on the front line that crush older soldiers' hearts. You have no clue what it is to see brats like you dying in front of older men, whose sons are your age..." Luther said as his gaze became emotional. He was around seventeen when he went to the front lines with Louis and Alexander, who were around twenty-four.
Alexander seemed to wish them banished from the army, due to their ages, as what did it mean for an Empire when its children were fighting on the front lines? The morale of the older soldiers would be affected; it was a tragedy for young lives to be ended like that. It only showed how despairing the situation was. Thankfully, Louis and Luther ran faster than the guards, and Thomas had to step up for them at that time...
The boy's eyes became emotional as he heard Luther's reasoning; he was right. Yet he also became startled as he soon looked at their banners and crests...He recognised this banner immediately; it was the Holy Mountain Aure, the Silver Roc - the Holy City Aurelian.
'Aurelian has come, ' he thought as he looked towards the half-blinded man, scars appearing as he walked, unable to be hidden by his armour.
The conversation seemed to be gathering attention, as the Salerios and Aurelian flags were noticed. There was a young man, known to be seventeen and half-blind, and people immediately identified him.
"The Aurelians have come, led by Aurelian himself!" someone shouted, but soon a commotion was heard, as someone was riding towards them in a hurry. It was a man who was wearing black armour, bearing the crest of the Imperial War Office, while a mana crystal stood in his hand, brought close to his mouth.
"MAKE WAY, MAKE WAY! AURELIAN, GET ON YOUR HORSE! MARSHAL VENELUS HAS REQUESTED YOUR PRESENCE IN THE ARMY'S OFFICE IMMEDIATELY! MAKE WAY, MAKE WAY, STOP CAUSING A COMMOTION, MEN'S LIVES ARE ON THE LINE! MAKE WAY, CIVILIANS AND SOLDIERS!"
The rider arrived in front of Aurelian, and he picked up the teenager, throwing him to a guard who had begun to organise the lines once again, pushing civilians backwards. Space had to be made for the Aurelians to ride forward; their presence was required.
"Young Aurelian! Our War Marshals request your presence at the front; there is too much work to be done, and your advice will be needed. Get on your horse and ride after me with your knights." The man made eye contact with Aurelion, who was now getting on his horse. His gaze soon shifted towards the Royal Guards, his eyes widening as he saw Princess Eleonora preparing to ride with them as well. He said nothing; he could not.
"Alright. Men! On horse!" Aurelian gave the order, and soon, they raced forward as the guards and civilians had already made way. The Civilians dared not disobey; if something like this was happening, it meant that there was urgency, and when they heard that lives were on the line, they stepped back.
Their flags waved as the Aurelians strode forward, yet it still took them a lot of time to exit the city. This was an Imperial Capital; it was massive as it housed a billion souls...
They were soon out; however, they had not stopped advancing. The line was long, and after three hours, Aurelian finally saw it.
Creatures of myths and legends.