The Betrayed Hero

Chapter 10

As soon as Percy entered his room, he dove face first into bed, his muscles relaxing against the feathery, soft mattress. The scent of lavender from his freshly washed sheets enveloped him, lulling him into a state of tranquilly. The day's exhaustion melted away as he closed his eyes. He was exhausted after the tour; he flipped over on his back and stared up at the ceiling, his fingers playing with the single bead connecting him to his past. The bead was a reminder of his journey, a symbol of the obstacles he had overcome and the people he had met along the way. It brought him comfort and reassurance, reminding him of his strength and resilience.

As he lay there, lost in his thoughts, a sense of gratitude washed over him, filling his heart with warmth and abandonment. He was determined to leave and have a new beginning. He felt something touching his leg—something soft—while moving around on the bed. Sitting up, he looked down at the pile of clothes placed on the foot of his bed, which he had failed to notice earlier. The clothes looked normal: plain black skinny jeans, a full-sleeved plain black t-shirt, a dark navy blue hooded cloak that surprised Percy, a pair of combat boots, and a belt that had a buckle with the symbol of Chaos joined with a scabbard to hold 'Luna' on its side. The belt and scabbard were made of metal, giving them a sleek and polished appearance. Intrigued, Percy picked up the clothes and examined them closely, noticing intricate details and expert craftsmanship. As he held the cloak in his hands, a sense of excitement and anticipation washed over him, fueling his desire for a fresh start and the unknown adventures that awaited him.

Sighing, Percy got up from the bed and made his way towards the bathroom for a shower to get ready for his introduction with all the other members of the army. The bathroom was as big as his room at his mom's apartment, with marble countertops and a luxurious bathtub. The walls were adorned with elegant artwork, creating a sense of opulence and grandeur. Percy couldn't help but feel a mixture of awe and nervousness as he prepared himself for the challenges that lay ahead. After the relaxing shower and drying himself, he changed into the clothes that were placed on his bed, but he struggled to put on the cloak. After managing to successfully put on the cloak, he stood in front of the mirror and tried to tame the mess of his hair. Finishing and looking presentable enough to stand in front of the army, Percy let out a breath, but his eyes fell on the damned bead once again, reminding him to not let his guard down easily.
Before his thoughts could start running a marathon, there was a knock on the door.
Percy let out a deep breath to calm his nerves, tucked the bead in his t-shirt, and walked over to open the door. There stood the Army trainer, dressed just like him but with a dark green cloak, smiling brightly at him. Percy let out a chuckle at his enthusiasm.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"I would like to think I am."

Laszlo huffed out a laugh but asked, "Does your armour fit you?"

"I did not get any armour," Percy said, his brows furrowed, confusion obvious in his tone.

Laszlo smirked. "Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't," Percy pressed, narrowing his eyes at the trainer.

"Just press the Chaos symbol on your belt," he pointed out, his eyes filled with mischief.

Percy did as he was told, and instantly an armour was clinging around him, fitting like a glove. Percy gaped at him; he had not expected something like this.

While Laszlo just laughed at him and patted his back, "C'mon now, Zale, you don't want to be late for your own ceremony.".

"Huh," Percy breathed out before it clicked him that his name and his identity were now 'Zale' and that was something he needed to get used to. And he followed Laszlo towards the ground where the ceremony was going to take place, tapping the symbol again to shirk off the armour.

While they were walking towards the ground, Laszlo filled him with all the information that was necessary for the event. Everyone knew that there was a new commander to lead the army; all the soldiers from the army were present; there was a feast held as a welcome for their new commander and the Chaos assassin; and he was also told that a very good response was received from people for the new commander and assassin. Laszlo further stated that the Chaos assassin was known for being extremely competent and merciless, creating terror and respect in both comrades and enemies. He also informed him that the event would serve as a sign of togetherness and strength, emphasising the army's dedication to their new leader and their objective of reclaiming calm in the land.

Just as they reached the spot, Laszlo stopped him, made him pull up his hood and wear his armour just like he did, and told Percy not to remove his hood in any condition. Under the hood, it was pretty comfortable; he could still see clearly and breathe without suffocating. The hood covered his face successfully, just leaving his lips open.

Percy turned around to face the ground, which was bigger than a football stadium with a small stage on one side. There were hundreds—nearly a thousand—of soldiers on the field, all chattering among themselves. He felt his nerves acting up; he had never been the one to face the crowd unless it was a battlefield. Chaos, who was standing just a few steps ahead of them, strode towards them with poise and smiled at him. "Are you ready to face the crowd?" He asked

Percy glanced up at him and simply replied, "No." He could never be prepared to face a large gathering of people he had never seen before.

Chaos chuckled and patted his back. "You'll do fine. Now let's get this show started" and walked on the stage while Laszlo gently patted his arm, gave him a reassuring nod, and followed Chaos. Percy closed his eyes, took a long breath, and followed them to the stage.

Loud applause broke out everywhere as soon as Percy entered the platform, but he stiffly bowed at everyone and stood next to Laszlo, keeping his hands behind his back so that no one would see them tremble. Chaos put up a hand, silenced everyone, and started talking.

"As you all know, we have our new commander and my assassin nearly after a decade. I would like to introduce you all to "Zale-". And after that, Percy zoned out, thinking about how different all this is: him leaving everything behind his friends, his family, and his girlfriend; to start everything new, he was starting a new life; he needed to forget them; he needed to move on, but the weight of the bead on his neck was his assurance of the betrayal. But he also promised himself that he would not forget the ones who stood beside him and fought for him; the bead would be a reminder of the ones who were loyal to him. And after that, Percy zoned out, thinking about how different all this is, him leaving everything behind, his friends, his family, his girlfriend; to start everything new, he was starting a new life; he needed to forget them; he needed to move on, but the weight of the bead on his neck was his assurance of the betrayal, but he also promised himself that he would not forget the ones who stood beside him, who fought for him. The bead would be a reminder of the ones who were loyal to him and his friendship, not the betrayal that he faced. He was going to get over them; he knew it would take time to forgive them for his anger to subside, but he knew he would eventually forgive them; he knew it would take him time to think of building something permanent, but he will do it someday. He knew that mending would take time and reflection, but he also believed in the ability to forgive. Even after the betrayal hurt, he was still committed to establishing deep bonds and constructing a future based on loyalty and trust.
Soon Percy was pulled out of his thoughts when loud cheers and claps were erupting. The ceremony was done, and he was now officially Zale, the commander of the Chaos army and assassin' he could see Laszlo beaming at him, his hood now pulled down, clapping for him, and Chaos smiling at him gently, his hands clasped behind his back.
The trio walked down the stage and joined the soldiers for the feast. They congratulated him with smiles, laughs, and firm pats on his back. He felt himself enjoying something for the first time since the war. He was happy.

Sometime during midnight, the crowd slowly started to disappear, retiring to their chamber to rest for the next day with tired smiles and full stomachs.

Chaos came to stand next to Percy, who was listening to Laszlo rambling about how apples had dragged him into the stables just because he did not want to get wet in the rain, but stopped when Chaos joined them.

"I think you both should return to your rooms. You have training to do. Zale, you will start tomorrow first with Laszlo at 7 in the morning after breakfast, and then with me." Both the boys nodded at him and started to walk towards their rooms, while Laszlo continued with his story.
Percy felt a small smile creeping on his face.

Yes, this was his new start.