Awake in Rome

“…There is news of a great disturbance in the northern front. More legions are being assembled to be deployed thither. Howbeit, we await letters detailing the encounters of soldiers there before deciding on how to proceed.”

—General Claudius Decimus Aurelius, grand commander of the northern legions.

***

JULIAN

The snow on the plains kept morphing into a slurry mixture with the sand as the sun cowardly peeped out from among the clouds, having no fury or sting whatsoever. Although it had been many months since we last saw it shine, its spineless arrival rid the day of its very delinquent ray of hope.

In the corridors of the horizon, death smiled. The horror it vomited: countless dark armors swarming like bees, endless waves of tall entities, claws, and jaws bashing against resilient shield walls. The battle cries engulfed the atmosphere, gradually harmonizing into some melodramatic music in my ears.

From my position far behind the shield wall, what I saw made my skin crawl. Blood, delicate organs, and body parts flew around like pieces of common artifacts in a marketplace. And although my orders remained to stand my ground, I could barely move. Firstly, because the land kept dragging my feet and slowing me down. Secondly, my metal armor seemed to have conspired against me, sinking me into the mud with its weight.

“Hold steady!” Echoes rose from battle-laden voices as countless arrows blotted out the sky, descending like rain. I kept my shield up as high as I was taught, but my quivering hands refused to hold it steady. Goodness me! I dropped it and began to flee. Maybe I would somehow outrun the shower!

Nonetheless, a tremendous force suddenly speared me into the slum. I landed face-first. For some seconds, I was unable to breathe since my orifices were occupied by slimy mud tasting like sugarless chocolate grains. I managed to react by pulling out my face, spitting, and gasping for air. Then, I sensed a heavy body on top of me.

Propelled by a sudden rush of adrenaline, I swiveled around swiftly, pushing him off my back.

The sight of him was shriveling. He was like a barbarian, but not quite. To me, he should not even qualify as a mortal, and if Hades had a brother, he would qualify as him.

Even the sun fearfully hid its face again as he hovered over me. His eyes glowed in the gloom. Red, like scalding coal. His canines, bare like those of carnivores, were the only weapon he wielded aside from his devilishly long claws!

Cold chills swept across my spine. We were told this was a battle against infidels and invaders who dared to defy the peace and invade Roman territory. In the first few months, we drove them deep into Antarctica, conquered their land, and even shared the spoils of war. But gradually, they peered out again, growing to become thorns on our flesh.

Currently, this enemy we face right now is definitely not the barbarians. I have fought those infidels! This is different.

The figure jumped on me again, and out of mere reflex, I attempted to push him away, but since he wouldn’t move, I folded my fist and aimed for his eyes. Unfortunately, my hand landed in between his teeth, and knife-like pains tormented me.

I screamed! But not just because of the pain, but because it felt like my blood and life were being sapped out of me.

How could a human have such razor-sharp teeth?

It could be that it was just those teeth that tore body parts like pieces of fabric. If this was the fact, then this was not a battle we could win without the gods coming down in person to fight on our behalf.

As all my energy was continuously drained, the gods came to my aid. Several arrows pierced this barbarian’s skull, and down he went, his lifeless body descending on me and protecting me from further waves of arrows.

His black blood slurped onto my face, and I glanced around under his suffocating weight. The battlefield had already been covered with Roman corpses.

Perhaps I was about to join them as well.

The fact that this adversary could also handle weapons and arrows was a devastating blow that left body bags in its wake. While I was still pondering these things with fading consciousness, a fresh gust of wind invaded my lungs as this heavy body was hauled off me.

“Get up, soldier!” a hoarse voice yanked me back to reality. I looked up, only to see our Lord Commander in his lustrous armor, all covered in grime. This sprung up an iota of faith within me. He quickly pulled me to my feet, glaring at me sternly through his artistically crafted silver helmet.

“Can you hear me?” he shouted.

“Yes, sir!”

“Good. Because I need you, Lieutenant Julian. You must head to Rome and tell these happenings to Caesar Augustus himself…” Before he could finish his sentence, a dark being pulled him from behind. I froze!

“Go…!” his voice rang out as he struggled with this entity, whatever in the name of Jupiter it was. I managed to snap out of my shock, whipped around, and began the race of my life.

I leaped over piles of dead bodies and weapons on the way, but when a dark silhouette zipped past me, I halted. My pupils dilated, and my chest rose and fell erratically.

I drew a dagger from my side and took a good stance, my eyes darting from angle to angle. Then, out of nowhere, I saw a claw aiming for my face. I ducked as quickly as I could, but in a split second, another hand grasped my throat, lifted me, and slammed me hard on the ground. My thorax began to complain. The speed of these creatures was one thing I couldn't fathom. I could barely see them on the move.

Several hearty coughs pushed out of me as I managed to rise to my feet again. If there was one thing I must do, it was to survive. Someone must live to tell these tales, and I was that person. One of these creatures grabbed me by the collar and pulled me close. That was when I finally got a close-up look at this barbarian enemy.

This one had a hollow expression on his face as if being driven by nothing but primal instinct. His wrinkles were so deep they almost formed scars. He pushed his face close to me and sniffed me, some ethereal scent following. Then, I made my move. I plunged my dagger into his jugular vein and squeezed.

He swiftly let go of me, dropping to his knees and holding his neck while black blood slurped out. I let out a deep breath and turned to leave, but his loud squeal stopped me. I whipped around, only to see him pulling the dagger out. His open wound began to heal in front of me as if invincible stitches were working wonders on his flesh. No way!

“He was dead! He was dead…” I shouted repeatedly with widened eyes. He stood up, flashing a death glare at me. My heart jumped into my mouth, and my legs started quivering.

He took slow strides forward, his intention clearly written on his countenance. But in an instant, a warrior dived at him with a long spear. They both went tumbling into the snow.

“Go, Lieutenant! Tell Caesar about the blood of the North!” I heard that familiar voice of my Lord Commander rising from the squabble. “Don't forget us, Julian. Write our story in the Book of Kings!” His echoes began to fade, sending tears into my eyes as I turned to leave.

These are the events I must report to Rome, for indeed, the end was near.