I'm afraid that you should start taking those dreams seriously...

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-«I'm sorry, but it seems your friend won't wake up any time soon, they're still in a deep coma. However I can assure you that their condition is stable. Despite their heart rates sometimes increasing for unknown reasons, nothing seems to be endangering them. Of course, we'll tell you immediately if they were to wake up or if we get more information. Do their parents know?»

-«Yes, I've contacted them immediately. Doctor, please take care of (Y/N) for me.»

-«Of course (B/F/N).»

-«I'll come back tomorrow.»

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?‽? POV:

I gazed at the report my officer just gave me. I lost another trench... I keep retreating from my early progression to Paris. I felt anger bubbling inside of me, my iron grip on the paper threatened to rip it. However I couldn't allow myself to show weakness, especially in front of my subordinates. The officer stood motionlessly in front of me. I had not told him to leave so he didn't move a muscle. The control I held over my people soothed my irritation of losing my control over the course of the battle.

-"What a shame... The trench has resisted for months. But, heavy losses are to be expected in the ongoing war." I spoke, sounding disinterested. I had to make it look like it wouldn't be a problem to our side. Yet internally I was fuming. France has been acting up more recently. I needed to get information on the attack and the behaviour of his soldiers.

I finally looked up to glance at my officer. The flag on his cheek, my flag was a sign of my perpetual hold on my land. This always filled me with pride. Pride for being so powerful, for being the one in control, no pride was held to the soldiers' achievements.

-"You said the retreated soldiers had just arrived here, yes? Is there anyone who ought to give me answers on what happened?" I asked, out of pure selfish hypocrisy of politeness. It wasn't a question. It was an order. I needed to have at least one personal report in detail.

-"I'm not sure, my lord." The officer spoke, his voice as still as a robot. Yet his words made my eyes narrow. Was this a no? Who did this officer think he was? He was a nobody, a single dust in my golden empire.

-"Not sure?" I snarled. His stance straightened even more if possible. The reaction made me smirk a bit. I always despised when my people dared to simply show an ounce of emotion, yet fear was a reaction I despised less. It made me feel powerful.

-"The soldiers of this battalion are quite strange, my lord. They're more inclined to disobey, or to show some resistance. Now that we retreated them, the infirmary is full and loud. They seem more expressive...more alive..." The officer trailed off, his voice sounding a bit more thoughtful. I didn't like that. People shouldn't be thinking. They should be obeying mindlessly to countryhumans without a thought.

-"Strange indeed..." I muttered out from tight lips. I glanced at the officer while harshly putting down the slack of paper on the table, startling the officer and putting him back into place.

-"But why, pray tell, does this affect my will for a report from them?" I asked, returning to my previous point. I could always get more information about this weird battalion later. The officer shifted a bit, uneasy beneath my gaze. It was unusual. Why does everyone suddenly start getting more rebellious against the usual order of non-feeling citizens?

-"Their overly emotional state left them in some kind of mental turmoil... I don't think they're available to tell you what exactly happened." His words frustrated me even more. What was happening? I leaned back down on my chair with a sigh, rubbing my forehead. This couldn't be happening... I didn't have time to waste worrying about useless things.

-"I don't care. Do you have that batallion's records." I said firmly, holding out a hand expectingly. The officer robotically took a closed file and handed it over. I looked through each paper, a frustrated and bored look on my face before I paused on a soldier's record. My eyebrows furrowed.

-"You said these records had been filled by the infirmary when they arrived?" I asked, confusion in my tone. The officer nodded.

-"Yes, my lord. They're the latest ones. Is there anything bothering you?" I didn't reply to him yet, looking over the file. I then looked up at him, my stance determined.

-"I want you to call a soldier to come to my office. I don't want any excuses."

-"In your office personally my lord?" The officer's stoic face couldn't hide the surprise in his voice. After all I never called any mere soldier to my office usually. But something was wrong and I needed answers.

-"Yes. And I want it as soon as possible, I don't want to wait."

-"Of course. May I ask what is the name of the soldier I shall bring to you?" The officer asked as he got back into military stance, ready to leave. I hum and look up from the file.

-"Werner, Christoph Werner. A name already familiar to us, is it not?"

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Beware.