Lost Emotions

Prologue

Happiness, sadness, love, hate, anger, fear. Emotions. Feelings that influence one's actions and decisions. Take those feelings away and what you have left is a highly efficient person, though they can hardly be called human anymore. Without those emotions, decisions one makes and actions one takes are based solely on experience and logic. No sympathy or pity, but no rage or grief either. Train those emotionless beings in the arts of war and battle from childhood and you get the perfect soldiers. No conscience to hinder them in their job, no fear of getting hurt or killed, no grief for fallen comrades, only soldiers who are the perfect killing machines in war.

But what happens once the war is over? The soldiers have lost their purpose once the killing ends. They have no place in the government and are feared due to their incredible combat potential, so the only rational options would be disposal or containment to prepare for the next war. The Rovaerus Kingdom currently stood before such a decision.

King Brath Rovaerus, king of the Rovaerus Kingdom, watched his ministers intently, while they were discussing about the matter of their country's so called 'Heavenly Soldiers'. After the war with the neighboring kingdom ended in an overwhelming victory, thanks to those soldiers, the populace and his minsters got cold feet due to the incredible power possessed by the Heavenly Soldiers. The people demanded the disposal of the war machines, despite the knowledge of their contribution to the kingdom. No, maybe because of that knowledge, they wanted them gone. If those soldiers would have kept their emotions after the magic ritual, they would've been seen as war heroes. But alas, the common people feared them and some of his ministers saw that as means to increase their social prestige by siding with them.

Good grief, he thought. Can't they see the enormous pressure we can exact on our neighbors? We would be safe for centuries. They had created the Heavenly Soldiers for exactly that purpose with the help of six archmages, who they invited from all over the continent with a tremendous amount of gold and treasures and now the ministers simply wanted to destroy the result of that gold? However, it wasn't just the ministers, even the merchants and leaders of other countries demanded their destruction. Until that was confirmed, they suspended all trade and support for the Rovaerus Kingdom.

With a sigh, Brath stood up and slammed his right palm onto the table they were sitting at.

"Enough! The Heavenly Soldiers are our lifeline to peace and prosperity, so there is no immediate need to destroy them!"

The ministers quieted down immediately, until one of them got up from his seat as well.

"Your majesty, we are clear about their potential, however the general public is not. They are afraid and fear a rebellion of the Heavenly Soldiers. We shouldn't risk the loss of trust from the citizens over an increase in our war potential. Others and I are of the opinion that they must be killed."

Barth nodded and looked towards the opposite side of the table.

"What is your opinion on this matter?"

The ministers' representative also got up and bowed

"We are of the opinion that they should indeed be contained but not killed, however should this matter become public, the uproar from the people will be even greater than if we don't do anything about it."

Barth nodded again raised his arms.

"You may leave. Expect my decision by tomorrow."

Once the ministers had left, Barth sunk back down in his chair and held his head. Damn, this is giving me a headache. In the end he had to decide the future of his country. Either the loss of respect and trust from the people, or the loss of security against invasions. In the end, after hours of doing nothing but thinking of the arguments of both sides, he chose the latter option. Disposal.