Soulforge Legacy Series

I managed to make it back to the unit compound, or whatever it was called, just in time for our exercises. And no, I didn’t get lost more than three times. And no, I wasn’t out of breath. I was just trying to take in as much air as I could just because. No reason whatsoever.

As I reached the field, I heard the demon that was Major Demitri as he boomed out the first orders. “You will run around this field at top speed. You will not stop until told to stop.”

They were the same everyday. Though, this was the first time he was saying it with the rest of the command staff next him. Just as I managed to join my squad, the mass of bodies shifted. Turning as one and sprinting off.

Even tired as I was, I knew that it would not be a good idea to lag behind. Not when the Major tossed bolts of lightning at you. None of them were charged more than what you would get from a static shock, but that was more than enough motivation.

Mana poured out of my pool and into my body, pushing it nearly as hard as my little game of tag in the woods last night. A game that would have left me bedridden with strains and tears if not for the healing spell running rampant through each muscle.

Still, even with its help, there was only so much I could do. Ever so slowly, I moved back in the mass. By the middle of the third lap I was last and still losing ground. Something that was not missed.

“OI!” Major Demitri yelled as electricity snapped at my arm. “Who authorized you to run so slow?”

“No one Major!” My words came out ragged as I tried to pull in yet more air. All while trying to keep going. Within moments, he and the Captain joined me in my run. Flanking me as they both gave me a once over.

“Seems you learned how to lose the animal traits.” The Captain commented.

“Yes Ma’am.” I wanted to say more. To let her know that I could now shift too, but that would have required too much air. Well that and the fact that she didn’t likely care. In fact, something told me I would end up in trouble for pushing that extra info at her.

“Must have taken you a few hours.” Her comment seemed odd.

“Minutes ma’am.” The moment the words came out of my mouth, I knew I had somehow fucked up. Especially given the expressions on their face. Both seemed to darken as she glared at me.

“Is that right?” Her voice was colder than ever. “Then tell me where you were last night.”

“In the forest with the pack, ma’am.” What was going on?

“Witnesses?”

I didn’t have to think hard. While the pack as a whole knew where I was, I knew of only one who had actually seen me running through the forest. “Alpha Liam, ma’am.”

“Convenient.” Her scowl deepened. “Halt private Vulpier.” This was the first time she was calling me by a rank though given her tone, it wasn’t a good thing.

My shoes kicked up dust as I slid to a stop and turned to face her. Even as I wanted to drop to the ground and gulp in air, I stood at attention. Both of them stopped no more than a few feet away.

“So you are telling me you did not come back last night?” She demanded.

“No ma’am.” Her expression didn’t give anything away as I tried to figure out what the fuck was going on.

“Private Thomâs was found dead in his bunk this morning.” Private Thomâs? Who the fuck was that? “It is known that you and he have been butting heads ever since you joined this unit.” Well that didn’t narrow the list down.

Still, I wasn’t here so there was no chance that I was the one that killed them. “As Alpha Liam. He will vouch for my whereabouts for the entire evening.” He better given how even I don’t know what happened between passing out along the river and waking up on that dog bed.

Wait, was that his dog bed? Why did he have a…actually, forget it. Now isn’t the time to think about any of that.

“Convenient that he was called out to deal with a swarm of demons.” Well, fuck. That wasn’t good on multiple levels. Mostly for the fact that I now had no one to vouch for me.

At least, not until he got back. Something that I decided to point out. “I recommend we ask him when he returns.” Was I a bit snippy, maybe. But I was tired and being accused of murder. Something that didn’t matter given that the guy would be back sometime today. That is if he wasn’t already back.

“Oh,” for some reason she seemed taken aback by my statement. Well, it wasn’t like mouthing off to a superior was a good idea. Especially in one that mirrored some militaries in organization. “You think you have a right to tell anyone here what to do.”

Welp, with those words I knew I had stepped in it. From here I could either try to salvage the situation or push forward. And while I knew that my best course of action was to go with the former, I couldn’t. Not when I was being accused of killing someone.

Actually, fuck defending myself. What about the fact that he wasn’t truly dead? “I did not kill him. I had no reason to kill him. Hell, even if I had, it isn’t like he would stay dead, so killing him is a moot point.”

Her face actually turned a fairly distinct shade of red as something started to click clack against something on her legs. A quick glance revealed that her fingers had shifted and were tapping against the sheathes for her short blades.

“Murder is murder,” the Major spoke up. Pulling my attention away from the Captain as he continued. “Even if someone will come back, they do so at a price. Both in terms of experience and trust. How would you feel if you were killed by someone you were supposed to go into battle with?”

Okay, so he had a good point. Still, I wasn’t here so I couldn’t be the killer. And surely there were other suspects. Not that I could ask. It would just make me seem more suspicious.

Actually, fuck it. “Are there any other suspects or am I the only one being questioned?”

“Everyone else has an alibi.” The words pushed through the Captains gritted teeth.

“So do I.” I pointed out.

“We confirmed their alibi.” Major Dmitri scoffed. “Something we cannot do for you.”

“It is not my fault nor my responsibility that you are unable to do your job.” Oh, I was so fucked. Even if they did manage to clear me of this, I doubted that these guys would forget how I was talking to them. But it wasn’t like I could stop now.

“All of the evidence we have points to you…” The Captain started.

I interrupted her to ask one simple question. “What evidence do you have that points to me?”

“Eyewitness testimony placed…”

Her words caused me to narrow my eyes as I spoke over her once again. “I have the right to face my accuser.” I needed to see whoever it was that was trying to get me into trouble.

“You forget your place private!” The Major roared. “And you forget that this is not Earth. Those rights you had no longer apply. Those laws no longer exist.” Well, fuck. There went plan A. Well, plan E, but meh. Onto the next plan to get me out from under this accusation.

“Then I request,” I held up a hand, “No, I demand to see my lawyer as well as talk to the military police.” Surely this city had something like the people in all the various tv shows.

“You do not have the right to demand ANYTHING.” Oh, even the Major was starting to turn red. Maybe I pushed this a bit too far.

“Actually,” a new voice pulled my attention off the two of them and to the crowd that surrounded us. Apparently the whole unit had stopped their run to watch and listen. Though, none of them were the ones that had spoken. No. That was the guy with the maid. The one from my first day.

“I think that is a good idea.” He continued. “They are allowed to use a truth seeker after all.” What the hell is a truth seeker? Whatever it was, the shiver that raced through the crowd told me I might regret going down this path.

After a beat of silence, the Major let out a roar. “I don’t recall telling any of you to stop running. GET BACK TO IT!” As one, the whole group took off. Leaving me, the Captain, the Major, the maid, and her master. None of us said a word. We just stood there, waiting. Watching each other.

One of them must have sent a message off as a pair of uniformed officers showed a little bit later. They didn’t hesitate to pull the four of us into the nearest building. Shoving me into a room with one of them as the other took the rest someplace else. Likely to ask them what was going on.

The room was sparse. In fact, it held a desk and a few chairs. One of which I took. Collapsing into it as I waited for whatever the fuck was about to happen.

Time passed but eventually the other officer returned. However, he wasn’t alone. With little more than skin and bones, another person seemed to float in behind him.

“I am here to read the truth in your words.” The figure’s voice was faint and as full of life as it looked. Even when the officers stopped, it didn’t. It continued around the room to stand behind my chair. All the while I kept my eyes on it. “Please face forward.”

Haha, no. That was not happening. I was not going to let some unknown thing stand behind me. In fact, I think I will go stand in that corner on the opposite side of the room.

Just as I turned to get up, its boney hands gripped the sides of my head. For something with no real mass, it was stronger than me.

“Where were you last night?” The first officer asked as the other looked to be typing something into his terminal. Likely taking notes.

“In the forest.” My words came out flat and forced. Like something was forcing me to answer his question.

“Partially true.” The wispy voice trailed across the room.

“I was with the pack.” The words were once again pulled from me. Though this time I made sure that they were as truthful as I could make them.

“True.”

“Have you killed anyone?”

What kind of question was that? And what counted as anyone? “No.”

“False.”

I had yet to kill any…actually. Fuck. There was Michael and his team. “Yes.”

“True.”

“Did you and Thomâs fight?”

I scoffed at that question. We had thrown down once or twice, both on the field and off. “Of course.”

The officer’s voice easily blocked the wispy voice behind me. “Please answer with either yes or no.” He was starting to get on my nerves. He needed to ask one fucking question yet here he was asking everything but the question that mattered.

“Yes.” The word came through my teeth as I tried to not snap at him. Mostly because it would likely lead to more issues than not.

“True.”

“Are you human?”

“No.”

“True.”

“Are you part beast?”

“Yes.”

“False.”

Wait, what? I wasn’t? Then again, with how Liam had spoken about shifting, their beasts had a personality of their own. Yet I didn’t.

“Are you shielded from mental attacks?”

“No.” What kind of fucking questions were these?

“True.”

“Do you have any mental skills?”

“No.”

“False.”

What mental skill did I have? I didn’t have a way to hear thoughts or attack someone with my mind. Or did they consider anything to do with my mind as a mental skill? If that was the case then, yes, I did have a few. “Yes.”

“True.”

“Do you have any mental skills that affect others?”

“No.”

“True.”

“Do you have any mental skills that strengthen your mind?”

“Yes.” What were they digging at here?

“True.”

“Are you a demon or in any way partially demonic?”

“No.”

“False.” Wait, what? I was partially demonic.

Of course, a moment later I recalled the way the whole SoulStone transformation went down. How I wasn’t just a Kitsune but a Demonic Kitsune. “Yes.”

“True.”

“Are you working with the demons?”

“Never!” The glare from the man had me rolling my eyes as I answered again. “No.”

“True.”

“Did you return to the unit last night or early this morning?”

“No.” While I was able to answer him with that one word, I wanted to point out that his question wasn’t a yes, no question.

“True.”

“Did you kill private Thomâs?”

About fucking time. “No.”

“True.”

I expected the questioning to end there but it didn’t. “Did you pay for him to be killed?”

“No.”

“True.”

“Did you have plans to kill him?”

“No.”

“False.”

Fuck. I couldn’t answer yes to this because something told me they would find a way to use that answer against me. I mean, I had plans, but they were more of imagined ideas of how to get back at him after he pissed me off. Not once had I thought to actually go through with any of them.

“I fantasized killing him. That does not mean…” I tried to get out only to be hit in the gut by something. Whatever hit me was either fast, small, or invisible as I didn’t even see a blur before the attack hit. “Yes.” I had to force the word out. Already knowing the answer would bite me in the ass but it wasn’t like I had a choice here.

“True.”

“I think we are good here.” The second officer slid a hand up. Likely sending off a message or something. But with his words, the three of them left.

As for me, my eyes traced over the floor. Not really seeing it as my mind tried to go through everything I had just been asked. To figure out what the hell was going on because most of those questions had nothing to do with the situation.