The training base in Nexus was alive with noise. Tens of thousands of armored soldiers filled the wide expanse, their boots thundering against the stone ground as they stood in rigid lines.
Dust hung in the air, shining faintly in the dull glow of overhead lamps. It was the final training test session. After today, there would be no more selections. Every man and woman here would officially become part of the true, complete Sovereign Protocol army.
Royce stood off to the side, arms crossed, his face as unreadable as he could make it. He had been through these training sessions countless times, yet every new one seemed to gnaw deeper at him.
These soldiers believed they were fighting for a cause...
Restoring Earth, saving humanity, bringing glory to Nexus. They shouted, marched, fired their weapons, followed orders with precision. They were strong because of course, Kael had turned them into machines of war.
But Royce knew the truth. And it ate at him.
