The Strength of a Soldier: Male Reader x Pyrrha Nikos (Part I)

Chapter II: The Great War

Author's Note: This story is told through a flashback voice over. Italics represent dialogue taking place in present day.

"General Ironwood?" Winter asks. "If I may sir, who is that man?"

The man in question is currently being held in a small interrogation room on General Ironwood's personal airship. He's seated in one of the metal chairs, elbow resting on his knee, his one arm bridging the gap between his legs.

"His name is (F/N) (L/N)." Ironwood tells Winter.

"And who is (F/N) (L/N)?" Winter asks.

Ironwood chuckles. "That's a difficult question to answer." Winter continues to wait for her superior's response. "Simply put, he's a soldier. A war hero from the Great War."

"I'm sorry sir, I must have misheard you." Winter says. "For a moment I thought you said he fought in the Great War."

"You heard me correctly Schnee." Ironwood says. "Though biologically he's only 18, he was born over 100 years ago. He's been kept in a cryogenic state for the past 80 odd years."

"I wasn't aware we did that sir." Winter says.

"We don't." Ironwood responds. "Though the technology has been readily available for at least a century, the Kingdom of Atlas has never induced a cryogenic state upon someone. (F/N), was the exception."

"What made him so special sir?"

"I suggest you take a seat." Ironwood says, leaning against the window.

Flashback

80 Years Ago:

"As you know, the Great War was the largest war in Remnant's history." Ironwood says. "It was fought between the four Kingdoms of Remnant, Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and Atlas' predecessor, Mantle."

Bullets fly through the air as the sound of gunshots and explosions drown out the screams of soldiers on the battlefield. A soldier dressed in a Mantle uniform runs with his head down and slides into cover behind a rock. Another Mantle soldier is crouched against the boulder, holding his gun to his chest, paralyzed with fear.

"Hey!" The newcomer says, hitting his compatriots' shoulder. "Snap out of it soldier!" He shouts as the ground blows up several hundred feet away as a mortar shell hits. "You either move or you get killed!"

Nodding vigorously, the soldier manages to choke out a strangled "Yes sir!"

Staying crouched, the two move from behind the rock and make their way across the battlefield, firing at the enemy. Another mortar shell hits, this time closer, sending dirt and both men flying into the air.

"At the time, Mantle was searching for ways to turn the tide of the war in their favor. Funneling trillions into research, our scientists were able to produce advanced weaponry utilizing dust capabilities, something that had never been seen before."

"Keep pushing men!" A Mantle captain yells. "They're falling back!"

Hundreds of Mantle soldiers advance along the battlefield after their retreating enemies, firing hundreds of rounds a minutes from their guns. Those unfortunate enough to be hit by the hail of gunfire scream as they're immolated, or else rendered silent from being stunned by electricity or being frozen solid. Occasionally one of the frozen soldiers will fall with a sickening shatter, breaking into pieces.

"Move aside, the heavy artillery's comin' through!"

The Mantle soldiers all scatter to one side or the other as a large canon like mechanism rolls out onto the battlefield. The soldiers manning the weapon turn a large crank, causing the weapon to heat up. A few seconds later, a large ball of fire launches from the canon, shattering the ground and setting it ablaze.