Awakened
~Chapter 1: Waking Up~
"He's alive," gasped a surprised voice coming from the crowd of murmuring red-armoured people.
"Huh?!" exclaimed a young man as he threw his body forwards into a sitting position, glancing around at every face which surrounded him. His sapphire eyes were filled with confusion as a number of militants murmured and stared at him. None of these people looked familiar.
Out stepped a blonde haired woman, practically hidden behind her armour and cloak. The man stared at her with worry, shuffling back slightly. "Who are you?" he asked quietly, almost too afraid to ask. "And where am I?"
The woman turned to one of the militants standing beside her before turning back to face the young man. "You don't know where you are?" she asked him.
"Not at all," the man answered. He then blinked, his face becoming more alert as if he had recalled something. He leaped out of the ice box from which he had been awakened, running out of the large room which had a somewhat abandoned feel to it with the amount of vegetation growing.
"Wait!" the woman yelled, running after him, followed by the group of soldiers. The younger man didn't seem to listen to her as he scrambled up various obstacles to make his way back up to the surface. Once he had reached his destination, he froze.
With wide eyes the black-haired man stared at the collapsed city which had been buried beneath its own rubble. Skyscrapers lay on their sides with poor structures built on top of them from the debris of the fallen city.
Seeing the younger human struggling to comprehend the sight, the woman calmly yet cautiously approached him. "I am Colonel Jessica of Ragna," she introduced confidently. Her voice almost startled the man as he turned to face her, hyperventilating from the shock.
"What is this place?" he asked her, now demanding for a direct answer.
"You are looking at Neutral City," Jessica explained. "The people there believe that they can live in harmony with the Forest."
"The Forest?" The man seemed confused, but then he realised what she meant. He turned his head and saw the large forest not far from the city. It looked like a normal forest at first glance, but he knew that it was something much more. This was the same forest which had attacked Earth.
"It's a hostile force which has caused the world to be this way," Jessica continued as the baffled spirit stared at the beautiful threat. "We people of the city of Ragna seek to eliminate the Forest in order to restore the glory humanity is said to have once had."
But as the man continued to stare at the Forest, an old woman with silver hair made her way to the group. "What are you doing here, Jessica?" she asked.
Jessica scowled. "None of your business, Yolda," the harsh militant responded. The woman, Yolda, was already focused on the new face before her, seeing that he was wearing the clothes of a scientist.
"And who are you?" she asked him.
"Oh," the man hesitated before trying to gain a bit of formality. "My name is Shunack."
"Shunack," Yolda quietly repeated to herself, nodding her head once as she memorized the name. She then made eye contact with him again. "So tell me, Shunack, are you with them?"
Before Shunack could respond, Jessica stepped in front of him, blocking him from Yolda's view. "He means nothing to you," she spat. "We found him in stay-field hibernation."
"So because you found him he is now your property?" Yolda questioned. "A new toy soldier in your childish games?"
Jessica growled, looking as if she was about to strike the elder woman, but an older man landed beside the fellow elder.
"What seems to be the problem over here?" he asked confidently, though he already had a vague idea of what it was just by seeing Jessica and Shunack.
"Hajan, your timing couldn't have been more perfect," Yolda mused, smiling ever so slightly with a hint of smugness as she did her best to remain formal, turning back to look at Jessica.
"Oh, it's these guys again," Hajan frowned, seeing the accompanying soldiers aiming their guns at him and Yolda. "What are they doing this time?"
"They seem to have found someone who was put into hibernation a long time ago," Yolda deduced. "And Jessica seems to have claimed him as her property." The woman then spoke directly to Jessica. "You cannot force someone who is unfamiliar with this world to join your army. He could not handle the amount of pollution you produce over in your city."
"Then we'll let him decide," Jessica negotiated. "He can go with you if he so wishes; it's not like he'll be of any use to us."
"Very well," Yolda agreed, looking at Shunack. "Shunack, come with us. You do not want to become affiliated with the Ragna army."
Shunack stood in thought, listening as Jessica said her piece. "Don't go with them, Shunack. They are just fools who have surrendered to the Forest. Come with us and help us restore the world to it's natural state."
"Destroying the Forest will not return the world to normal!" Yolda argued, frustrated with Jessica. "Our city has proved that humans can live in harmony with the Forest!"
"The Forest don't co-exist with you, they are just toying with you!" Jessica shot back.
As the two argued about which side was the right side, Shunack tuned them out so he could think about which side he wanted to be on. He wanted to join the Ragna army and help rebuild the world to make up for his mistake in the past, however he did not have the physical strength to join such a strong nation of militants. But maybe he could learn something from Neutral City if he got to know them. Maybe there was truly a way of living in harmony with the Forest, or maybe he could grow stronger in the city of a harsher lifestyle, thus preparing him to join the Ragna army without looking like a weak being.
Coming to his conclusion, Shunack turned to face Yolda. "I suppose my only safe option is to join you," he said quietly, noticing Jessica's face of disgust out of the corner of his eye.
Yolda smiled calmly. "You made a wise choice, Shunack," she told him. "I can assure you that you will eventually grow to like Neutral City, as different as it may be to your time."
Now having calmed herself back down, Jessica decided to speak. "Join them if you wish, Shunack," she uttered, walking past Shunack to head back to Ragna with her unit. Before she left, she briefly stopped beside him, leaning in close to his ear. "If you ever find yourself thinking about joining us, you know where we are," she whispered before finally leaving.
Yolda and Hajan watched as Jessica and the troop left before turning their attention back to Shunack, seeing that the young man was thinking heavily, looking like he may have regretted his choice.
"Come," Yolda commanded, but not with a harsh tone. "I will find a place for you to stay. The people of Neutral City will welcome you warmly, unlike the people of Ragna."
Shunack just nodded, acknowledging what Yolda had said before Hajan startled him by slapping him on the back, chortling.
"You'll be fine, young man!" he grinned. "Sure it may be quite strange to you at first, but you'll grow to love Neutral City in a heartbeat!" Hajan then walked beside Yolda as Shunack stood still for a moment, partially because he was processing the pain in his back, before pacing after the pair.
~End of Chapter~