High School Soldier
All sorts of wounds

National TV broadcasts reported on the situation at the forefront of the war, aka the other world, and what happened that day. A reporter told him that the joint forces of Arevelk and Yekirnovo, plus the help of a TNI soldier, managed to defeat the rebel forces that had the aim of separating Arevelk from the Guild, and rule the country to join the Alliance.

Least casualties on the side of friends, how the TNI soldier helped Arevelk deal with the rebels, and the victory is expected to increase the confidence of the people if this war is not a place for ‘spend’ budget in vain.

Arunika raised her head when the recording of the condition of the troops in the other world was played. Only the buildings and fighting vehicles of the troops there, and the fifth soldier of the contingent who was training together were recorded, with no sign of Nio there. It had been almost half a month he had not gotten a letter from Nio.

The absence of a perfect Gate makes them both unable to exchange news directly, so forced to rely on written media such as letters and courier power.

Posters full of national symbols and words of patriotism are now seen more and more, especially posters showing that the military is opening new recruits. I don't know what happened, but Arunika's heart felt uncomfortable with the recruitment of new soldiers.

What is interesting is the illustration of two hands above and below, with the hands above forming a gun symbol and the hands below are looking up.

[The glory of the NKRI and the Red and White would not exist without the free struggle of the youth!], such were the words that adorned the two-handed illustration. There are still some posters with illustrations and words full of propaganda messages.

Founded in a hurry during the war, the Indonesian Army of Students was not as good as other TNI units that were much better trained in combat. It is the same irony, but not a few young people 17 years to 29 years who are willing to defend the homeland with the risk of losing their lives is very large, or not meet their loved ones despite the desire to win the war.

Civilians do not doubt the authenticity of the news that shows the victory of the soldiers against the enemy, despite the many rumors of birds in it. However, they did not care how many lives and blood were wasted in the cause. They will only accept with smiles and open arms the fighters if they bring victory, and will behave horribly if the soldiers fail to defeat the enemy.

The large number of casualties in the closed incident The perfect Gate that initiated the Alliance's first major assault on the TNI Expeditionary Force was considered the country's worst failure, but ‘no’ was blamed in the event.

There are many people who optimistically believe that soldiers can defeat enemies quickly and easily as weapons technology develops. That somewhat unrealistic thing has been broadcasted many times since the war began.

The face of Nio who hid the bitterness of the warrior was reflected in Arunika's mind.

But, the words of his beloved grandfather made his previously overcast mood worse. Some of his female disciples who greeted him in a friendly tone were unable to make Arunika's feelings improve.

He had not seen Nio since the dispatch of the new troops to another world. His dearest Nio whom he believed fought like a knight in a fairy tale.

If the military allowed a family of soldiers to enter the imperfect Gate to visit troops in another world, it was actually impossible to do so. However, in order to prevent important secrecy until the most trivial leaked, until now the opportunity has not been realized.

“Hmmm?”

Arunika felt a vibration on her smartphone, and there was a message notification from Nio. He believed that the man was sending a message with the expected content. However, he only froze while reading the message Nio sent.

His fingers trembled, his eyes showing a shocked expression that was not at all hidden. He knew, Nio would not send out a message like the one he was reading at the moment,

“What's wrong?”

“This message is not from Nio, right?”

At the same time, news coverage on national TV turned to the wounded soldiers who helped Arevelk deal with the rebels alongside the Yekirnovo Kingdom. A war filled with surprises cannot calm anyone down. The battlefield named ‘otherworld’ is not a fantasy world filled with peace, as expected of ‘otaku’ around the world.

**

The Warrior Health and Care Center is rarely visited by people, because soldiers are trained to rarely fall ill, except for injuries while on duty. The occupants of the inpatient or examination rooms are usually civilians of Arevelk and Yekirnovo, as well as prisoners of war.

The sound of a huge bullet explosion woke Nio from his nap, yet he could not go anywhere.

The 2nd degree burn forced Nio to undergo surgery, and the effect left the man unconscious for several days. While unconscious, his memories of fighting as an amateur soldier are replayed, including the bad memories of one of his toughest battles.

It has been more than half a year since he was sent to the battlefield as part of the Indonesian contingent for the Peace Forces and Guilds. He was used to the pain of – before he hated it so much – after going through various fights.

Various kinds of pain Nio had felt, including friends who sided with the enemy. The physical wounds he suffered may disappear over time, but the mental wounds he received from the betrayal required effort and sacrifice to treat him.

As if he had gotten used to various kinds of injuries, he did not express any expression when he saw the reflection of his face covered in bandages from the window of his room being treated. The only thing he could worry about right now was the state of his subordinates.

But, there were a number of fist marks on some sides of the wall, and the glass was cracked. With the various injuries he had gotten up to this second, there was no way Nio would still maintain his patience and sanity. He can't even cry.

Only a flat face full of lamentation in the heart was in Nio right now, but he should not always lament the bad luck that befell him.

The rebels have been exterminated, and it should be that Nio is currently in Girinhi Fortress with his subordinates. However, he was currently helpless, silent in the nursery, lamenting his lack of – which was nothing more than the actions of weak warriors. He may be used to fighting, but he's still a teenage soldier like a high school student. His mentality is not entirely like the elite TNI soldiers, although for some aspects he exceeds the special forces personnel. It's a miracle he's still alive after part of his body has been roasted.

On the battlefield, dead warriors were already the laws of nature. The people, the government, ordered the soldiers to fight and die willingly, while they took refuge in the underground city and protected a defense system that prevented the soldiers from retreating.

When deciding to register as a TRIP soldier, Nio knew that he was ordered to die sincerely for the sake of the homeland, and therefore he was accustomed to the threat of relentless death that remained until the war ended.

It was a painful fact that there was no other choice for the soldier other than to accept it.

In the memories of the moment of fainting, Nio saw his first unit almost annihilated. As the beginning of the battle began, there was nothing he could remember, except a lifeless body, the scent of gunpowder, and a puddle of rotten blood. He made it through various heavy battles, and ended up surviving. Nio only received the code name ‘Life’ he got, because it should be.

Even though his current mind was only filled with words and imagined what if he died sooner, he decided to live longer to continue serving as the servant of the people, and the protector of someone.

Nio looked at his horrible face in the reflection of the glass, he knew there was no way to restore his state as it was.

“I want to go home soon, damn!”

**

Nio's latest illustration, I drew it myself in a pose taken from pinterest.