Code Geass: Juanjo of the Colonization

Turn 1: Obedience

Madrid, Spain, 1570

These past few days seemed to pass by without me realizing it, and that doesn't really say anything, considering the fact that both of my parents and my little sister had been unjustly executed as traitors of Spain for something they haven't done.

Knowing that both Mamá and Papá are merchants, it should be suffice to say that they have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the case of my little sister, on the other hand... I just couldn't fathom why she needed to join my parents in the gallows.

However, as I stand in front of General Rodolfo Monteverde, the man that spearheaded my family's execution, with my neck, hands, and feet in chains, my mind stayed cloudy as it had been for the past few days, disabling me from thinking clearly. I could at least see that the general was sitting behind a makeshift desk with nothing but a candle on top of it. I only kept my head hung in a daze even though the person in front of me already started talking.

"I must say, you Mercados are quite a handful," the general crooned as he eyed me from head to toe. "It's definitely a pity that your sister, Rafaela, had to join Carlos and Luisa to the death. You might be wondering why I still haven't let you join them."

I kept silent after his last sentence. I think I don't want to know the reason anymore.

"Hmm, quite the silent type, are we now, mi hermano?" Monteverde taunted. "I daresay you won't be silent anymore once you find out what's going to happen to you afterwards."

I then heard someone enter the dungeon room where we were. I moved my head a little upwards to see a soldier carrying a piece of paper I immediately recognized as...

"Ah, your cedula," Monteverde chuckled, taking my cedula from the soldier. "Gracias," he thanked the soldier before going through the paper. "Nice, your parents like to give you simple names, don't they now? It's only a shame that..." Monteverde then held my cedula right above the candlelight as I watched it burst into flames before he continued, "...you won't be keeping it anymore."

This time, the same soldier brought a blank cedula and filled it up. After writing everything that I would have and putting his seal on it, he looked at me and said, "From now on, your name shall be Juan Jose de Cincel. You shall become a great tool for this country... or maybe for some of our people, at least."

At this, my blood finally started to rush to my head in my fury.

"First, you took everything my beloved family owned, then you took away my whole family, and now, you even strip me of my own name!?" I bellowed. "You might as well have let me join Rafaela in the gallows! What more do you want to take away from me!?"

Monteverde then let out a cold, sinister laugh that made my hair stand on their ends. "It's really funny you should ask that, mi hermano."

Before I even realize what was happening, two soldiers grabbed me by my arms and forced me to kneel in front of Monteverde.

"Direct his face towards me," Monteverde instructed the soldiers. "Open up his eyelids."

The soldiers did so by yanking my hair behind me and forced my eyelids open with their fingers so I'm now face-to-face with Monteverde and there's no way for me to look away from him now.

As he started speaking, I could see that both of his eyes suddenly started to glow in a violet and red color. Seeing his eyes more clearly, I could discern a symbol on both his eyes that look like birds.

He crooned in a voice that echoed loudly all throughout the dungeon room, "To answer your last question, I'm also going to take your own free will!"

"W-what? What are you –"

I stuttered for a moment, but I then heard Monteverde speak, "I, Rodolfo Monteverde, command you, Juan Jose de Cincel, to do anything the Spanish people of the ranks order you to do!"

Right after he said this, I could swear I saw the symbols on his eyes fly towards mine. I then felt as though something inside my head was being rearranged, be it thought or memory, I wasn't sure. But whatever it is, it would be nothing good.

As if it wasn't enough, Monteverde added, "Oh, and for good measure, you will forget your real name and will go under the name Juan Jose de Cincel, just like what I have written in your new cedula."

Once again, the symbols flew towards my eyes. Right after that, I realized that I couldn't seem to remember my own name, no matter how much I grind on it.

The soldiers pinning me to my position finally let go of me as another person entered the dungeon room.

"Ah, Capitán Gonzalez, you're just in time!" Monteverde jovially greeted the captain while I fell on the floor, gasping on all fours.

"W-what did you just do to me!?" I squealed, still trying to catch my breath. For some reason, whatever it was that he did to me seemed to seep me of all my energy.

"Just a little something to make sure we still have a use for you," Monteverde replied, turning back to me. "You see, it would be counterproductive if we just hang you just like the rest of your pitiful family, so why not just turn you into something that could be of use?"

Monteverde then looked at Gonzalez then said, "Capitán, why don't you try him out? He'll be of good use, I promise."

Skeptical at first, Gonzalez turned to me and commanded, "Hop five times!"

Then, as though my whole body was attached to numerous invisible strings, I immediately got on my feet and hopped on the floor.

"Make him do something a little more difficult, eh?" Monteverde goaded Gonzalez, laughing loudly, his voice echoing through the dungeon.

Before I could react, Gonzalez dictated, "That soldier on your right, slap him across his face!"

Once again, as if my hands were being controlled by invisible strings, I turned to one of the soldiers that held me up a while ago and gave him a big slap across his face.

"Gahaha! This is wonderful, Henerál!" cheered Gonzalez. "Say, mind if I take him with me to our new colony? I shall really need someone who would obey my orders without question."

"Actually, I intended him as a parting gift for you, mi amigo," Monteverde chortled. "Besides, he'll be a lot more trouble if he stays here in Spain."

Still incredulous of what they just made me do, I roared, "You can't just order me around like that! I still have my own free will since I'm a –"

"Bang your head on the wall until you're knocked out!" Monteverde then snapped at me.

With no way of stoppingmyself, I rushed to the nearest wall of the dungeon and hit my head on the wallseveral times. I could already feel hot blood dripping all over my face, but Istill went on hitting my head until I couldn't see clearly anymore. Finally, Ifell limp on the dungeon floor as everything finally went dark.