Premortal

Chapter 50 - 51

Chapter 50 – Combat Training

The next day the new unit met in the selected location precisely on time, each recruit being determined to make a good impression.

The first day's training was not to be too rigorous. Speed, agility and power exercises were the order of the day. In each of these Ethan featured in the bottom quartile and by day's end he was the butt of many jokes.

'The colonel has the agility of a tree.'

'With your strength, you could give a flea a real run for its money.'

'For a colonel you do a bloody good impersonation of a private.'

This is just a small sample of the taunts that he received, and each was met with laughter and approval by the rest of the division.

The look of Ethan also seemed to lend itself to their ridicule. Although Ethan stood five foot nine inches, his slouched posture, which was a function of his lack of self esteem, made him appear shorter than that. His build was also quite slight and, despite the crooked path he had taken, compared with his comrades he still retained a sort of boyish innocence about him, which was consistent with his baby face.

Ethan was tempted to quit but it was the two Generals that kept him motivated. They assured him that he was doing well and they told him that an abundance of speed, power or agility was not essential to fulfil the sacrificial role. It was a matter of endurance, and they assured him that he was immensely strong in that area.

The Generals explained to Ethan that the men were naturally jealous of him, but that he would earn their respect by enduring their attacks. Then they would gladly accept him as their superior. All of this reassurance was effective in keeping Ethan motivated, despite the abuse from his colleagues.

He finished the first week with a measure of hope and returned to his abode. Once there, as he tried to relax, he reflected upon the path that he had taken to his current position. The grand collection of tier three graduates was made up of those who were power-thirsty and those who were slothful followers looking for an easier path.

Ethan was not overly power-hungry and thus he was more accurately described as lazy.

In the early days of his development in the Kingdom he had applied himself to learning and growth, but gradually he had lost interest. It had been years since he had attended a class, and he spent the better part of his time mulling around and slacking off. Unfortunately this absence of purpose had had a disintegrating effect on his feelings of self-worth. For this reason he had become an insecure spirit who found it difficult to feel accepted. Without classes to attend his opportunities to make friends diminished, and his falling self-confidence made it difficult for him to make friends, and feel accepted, during the course of being idle.

Increasingly he had taken to remaining in his abode. It wasn't that he particularly liked being alone, it was simply that he lacked the confidence to not be alone. Gradually his abode became his prison. While the door to his cell was unlocked, increasingly he lacked the strength or will to push it open.

The new cause had come as a breath of fresh air to Ethan. It was something new and exciting and it seemed to offer the type of shortcut that is so appealing to one who has failed to seize his opportunities.

Prior to the presentation of the alternate plan, Ethan had been concerned about what would befall him on earth. As he didn't attend classes anymore, and had ceased to interact with other spirits in a meaningful way, he had very little comprehension of what would occur on earth, but he knew enough to suspect that he was going to find it very difficult.