📖 POV – Daniel (the boy)
The victory horn echoed across the field. My men raised banners high, chanting my name as though I was the hero of this conquest. But my fists were clenched behind my back.
When the dust settled, a call came.
General Soren wanted me in his command tent.
I entered—still armored, still stained with smoke. He stood over the war map, calm as stone.
"Victory," he said. No smile, no praise. Just one word.
I bowed stiffly. "Yes, General. But it wasn't mine. You turned my assignment into child's play."
His gaze shifted—sharp, piercing. "You think war is for your pride, boy? You think battles are tests for you to prove yourself? Wrong. War is survival. War is the empire's will. If you had failed, if one mistake had slipped, it would've cost us men. I don't gamble with soldiers' lives."
My jaw tightened. "Then why send me at all? Why assign me command if you'll never let me stand on my own?"
Soren stepped closer. His presence was heavy, like a mountain pressing down.
"Because," he said low, "the king sees something in you. And if the king sees it, I will sharpen it. But don't ever confuse sharpening with spoiling. You're not ready yet."
My chest burned hotter. I wanted to argue, to shout, to demand the chance I deserved. But the words stuck in my throat.
Soren leaned in, voice almost a whisper:
"When the time comes, you'll lead alone. And if you fail then, there won't be anyone behind you."
I left the tent with his words gnawing at me.
The cheers of soldiers outside felt like mockery.
This wasn't my victory.
But one day, it would be.
And when that day came… I'd make sure no one could take it from me.
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