Chapter 27: The Commander's Mirror.
The anger building up in the Commander felt like a burning inferno, ready to incinerate everything in its path. Now that his entire unit was down, he had to take on the monstrosity head-on. He was determined not to lose, but the only question remaining was: did he truly possess the strength to win?
The Commander's eyes gave off a blinding, bright yellow shine as his body began to violently release electric charges. The surge of energy scorched the grass beneath and around his feet, turning the earth black.
"Let's end this," he declared, his voice tight with desperation.
His plan was to overpower the monster with pure, unmatched speed. He held a high success rate if his speed metrics could surpass the creature's own instantaneous movement. The Commander charged his energy, and yellow lightning surged out from his body, forming a contained, crackling electrical barrier around him.
"I can win. Now, with the odds in my favor," he insisted to himself, raising his axe high up to his shoulder in a classic fighting stance.
But with all that grim determination, it was heartbreaking to see his plan instantly annihilated. Suddenly, an intense, crushing shockwave was released from the monster.
"This can't be good," Cassian muttered, feeling the sheer magnitude of the power surge even from his distance.
The Commander snapped his head up. As the lingering dust cleared, his eyes widened in horrified shock: the monster was releasing a type of energy he was far too familiar with—a power that surpassed his own.
GROWL!
The monster's entire body was convulsing, releasing thick, black lighting charges—electricity far more powerful, volatile, and lethal than the Commander's yellow current. With this display, the Commander's entire strategy was shattered. He was back to square one, with no viable chance of retreat. The monster seemed to be displaying its power to show the Knight that fighting was utterly futile.
Yet, even with the utterly impossible odds, the Commander did not back down. In fact, the yellow lightning and energy radiating from him doubled, and his electric field violently expanded in size. Silence reigned between them as his resolute gaze locked with the monster's bloodthirsty red glare.
Cassian watched from the carriage with a slow, wide smile, excitement finally overcoming his boredom. In this fight, he was rooting for the monster—not out of malice, but because he hoped the creature would survive long enough for him to analyze it completely.
He turned his attention back to the Commander.
"Even with a huge disadvantage on your side, you still choose to fight. You've really gone mad," Cassian mused aloud.
"Are you stupid? Or are you simply overconfident?" He chuckled, but his expression suddenly shifted, hardening with unexpected insight.
"Or are you just fighting to help those around you, to save and avenge your comrades, so you don't disappoint them?" he continued, his voice softer.
"Or are you just fighting so you don't repeat a mistake you probably made a long time ago?" He raised a hand to his chin, sinking deep into thought.
Just a few minutes of observation were all Cassian needed to analyze the Commander's character, decipher his superficial strength, and pinpoint his core psychological weakness and fear.
He could tell that from the very beginning, unlike the others, the Commander was trying too hard to act his position, terrified of making a mistake that would cost the lives of his comrades and the people he was meant to protect.
Somewhere in his mind, the Commander reminded Cassian of himself when he was younger. He was just a little boy, struggling with tension and family trauma, desperate for the love and attention of a father, a mother, of a family.
He did everything he possibly could so they could be proud of him, but they found unreasonable faults in every single action.
"The plates are arranged too orderly. If I take one out, they'll break."
"The water is too full. It will spill."
"Useless. Go cut the grass in the neighbor's yard, and don't come back until it's perfect."
Despite the constant verbal abuse, he still performed every task perfectly for love, hoping that one day they would celebrate him, and he would finally feel the genuine love of a family. The support, the joy, the warm feeling that comes with acceptance—it was all he ever wanted, but never got.
BOOM!
The loud sound and ensuing shockwave violently shook both Cassian and the carriage, snapping him out of his sad, reflective thoughts and back to the terrifying reality of the battle.