****(POV)
That day started like any other normal day on the farm. Welner looked at the beautiful sky, sensed the morning breeze ruffling his clothes, and felt the pleasant temperature.
At that moment, he was truly glad to be alive and to be overseeing this place. In the beginning, he had done it to ensure a good life for his grandson. However, that had since changed: he had a reason to remain now, a very simple one.
"Morning, mister Welner!" A young girl greeted him. This one looked delicate and gentle, but he had seen her floor a veteran with one punch straight to the jaw when he had been disrespectful.
"Sir, I've done as you've suggested me, and it worked wonders! Changing the plant's position a bit helped so much!" A bubbly young man was radiating satisfaction from this seemingly simple success.
"Old man Welner, I got you some breakfast! Sunnyside up as usual. You have to eat well, or we'll be in trouble." A man that was almost as old as him but looked younger, thanks to being a Climber, cheerfully walked over with a tray full of food.
"Hey, why are you already awake old man? You should be relaxing in your bed. You were up late with us watching the events in Metropolis-H. Rest is important!" Said the one that had spent the night drafting emergency plans for the farm.
"Grandpa, you're awake!" His own grandson greeted him with a huge smile that didn't hide in any way the many cuts adorning his entire body and the obvious fatigue. He was working hard, too hard.
To truly understand the situation on the farm, one had to go back a bit in time:
Recently, Welner had been captured with many of the workers not moving a finger to help. Well, at least initially. Out of the 500, 145 banded together and ran to his rescue. Sadly they were then stopped by the guilds.
These loyal people watched in frustration as he was being tortured for information. Luckily Draconic had come to help extremely quickly as if bloodthirsty angels. Many thought this would end the incident but far from it.
Afterward was the period that the farmers called the purge. All of the 'assholes' that had only watched without even trying to help were kicked out. Many also didn't care anymore because Dimensional Legion hadn't even shown itself.
Many expected the farm to become a desolate area void of people, but the opposite happened. There still were 500 workers— no, they were true farmers by now. They were the ones that truly cared about this place. Well, the irrelevant people had long gone away.
They weren't even doing it in hopes of meeting Dimensional Legion. They were staying for him and the farm. But, they knew that him being in charge of things was putting a target on his back, all because of silly rumors.
That's why they decided they would do their very best to take care of him. Many began training even harder in order to have the strength to protect the ones they loved. His grandson was the same.
Every morning, Welner would wake up with a huge grin on his face and tear in his eyes, for he knew how lucky he was. This simple life was more than he could have ever hoped for. He had the best family members and not just the blood-related ones.
Part of him felt they were wasting time farming when they could be doing something else, but he also knew how important it was to have something to fight for. He knew how important it was to have a home.
He truly felt blessed and savored every single instant that he still had. One never knew when a calamity would happen after all. In fact, the scary news from yesterday had rekindled everyone's fighting spirit.
Just as he was smiling happily, Welner noticed the expression of a quiet girl nearby. This one always seemed lost in thoughts and was always researching something on her UW. Her brows were furrowed and her expression grave.
A few noticed it too and became tensed. Usually, she always seemed impassive to most of what was happening. Chances were that it was something concerning the farm in one way or another, and it seemed serious.
But just as they were about to start asking questions, a man they all knew well entered laughing out loud. He was in charge of the interview for new potential members. They were highly selective not to accept bad apples.
"You guys, I have great news! Actually, it's better than great news!" He declared grandiosely.
"There is something else that—" The quiet girl tried talking, but Frank gestured her to stop.
"This news of mine is urgent. Alright, I have an opportunity for you all. It will be in Metropolis-D, and it's 'training'. I've been told it will be extremely difficult and the teacher isn't responsible for any suicide that happens on the premises. Anyone interested?"
They all looked at each other uncomfortably. 'Training' was good, but what was with that suicide disclaimer? But the real problem was that it was in Metropolis-D. Were they supposed to leave the farm behind?
That is when Welner chimed in: "All of you, I will be fine here alone. Whoever wants to go should. I am just a regular old man, not even a Climber, but I know this: one should follow one's heart. Life is meant to be lived courageously!"
They all understood his meaning. He was telling them not to be weighed down by their insecurities, which included leaving the old man behind. For many here, he was more than a mentor. He was family.
That is when Welner's grandson proposed something: "How about we take turns? We can go by batches of 100 and train until we drop. Then we can come back and recuperate at the farm and send the next group!"
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"I'm not sure if there are 100 places, but we can try and get as many spots as possible." Frank approved while chuckling.
The answers were instantaneous and unanimously in favor:
"Hell yes, that works!"
"Call everyone in!"
"Many are Climbing. We can start with whoever is here or answers the call."
"Sounds good!"
Welner couldn't help but feel proud watching them run around excitingly, trying to assemble everyone. What made him feel emotional wasn't their drive but the fact that the right reasons drove them.
Well, perhaps that was only him being sentimental as an old man. He was getting old for sure. But somehow, he felt that he could leave his grandson with these wonderful people no matter what would happen.
Life was amazing at times. Welner would have never imagined that selling his farm to these mysterious people would have such an impact. Even now, he wasn't sure if they had only done so jokingly.
This was highly possible as there had been no sign of them since the very first day. Yet, he was so thankful. No matter what their intentions had been, they had helped him tremendously. He had no worries anymore, and he felt free to enjoy life.
Before long, Frank had organized them to stand in an open-air space under the warm sun. For some reason, they were all in a file as if soldiers. They all showed puzzled expressions as they still followed his directives.
They had spent enough time gardening together to know that he was up to something. They knew he wouldn't harm them, so they all waited patiently.
"Are you guys ready? Any second now, my friend should be here to pick a few people for training. Don't be too shocked." He was smiling mischievously.
"For a dinosaur like me, nothing is too shocking." Welner softly chuckled.
At his age, he was like a blade of grass in the wind. He would just go with the flow. Welner waited for the show peacefully. A few seconds later, something appeared, and he couldn't help but wisely utter:
"What the fuck is that?!"
"Surprised, old man?" Frank playfully asked.
They all jumped up as they heard the old man swear, but they had to admit: that's exactly what they had been thinking themselves!
A war fleet had appeared out of nowhere! At first, many thought it was a coincidence. After all, some had seen the news of the ships being spotted on a routine exercise. But then, the big yet sleek black ships stopped right above their heads.
Their mouths were completely open in shock as they couldn't believe their eyes. What was the Black Legion doing here?! But when they saw the ridiculous yellow car driving toward them, they were even more confused.
It landed as the door opened with a THUD. There was some annoyingly cheesy pop music being blasted inside. Soon exited a man in a cheap gray suit that looked so damn ordinary! This would be their first meeting with Josh MF Malum.
Welner couldn't help but feel something deep inside him resonate as he made eye contact with the newcomer. He had the feeling of exchanging gaze with someone even older than he was. But, he then returned to his senses.
What?! This man was young, exceptionally so compared to him. His mannerisms and his playful smile screamed of youth. Then why? That's when he understood. This man had lived, truly lived, way too much already.
But, he could feel it somehow: behind this happy-go-lucky persona, there was more despair than anyone could ever fathom. No, perhaps it wasn't that there was too much sorrow. It was that the man clung to it.
Welner had no idea why or how he knew this, but he felt one thing for sure. If anyone could teach his new family how to protect their loved ones, it would be this man….
Creator's Thought
So many get confused about what the term family truly refers to. It has nothing to do with blood: it's all about the people you open your heart and soul to. They get to know the real you or in some cases the better version of yourself that you become in their presence.