Chapter 3: Decisions

~ 7 Years Ago~

At the Heinrich Army Camp in Berlin, Germany, in the room of a general distinguished for his numerous achievements for the Cold War, the owner of the said room and a stoic young soldier held a lengthy conversation.

"So, what do you plan to do now?" asked the General while holding a letter of resignation in his seat. The person in question was a young Julius Leichtenberg, the very same man who gave his superior a letter, and the very same man who can't answer the question given.

"Hmm, no plan, huh?"

The general stood up and took a hefty gander of the pictures on the wall. It was mostly filled with medals and a huge portrait of him with the German Flag, but on an inconspicuous side of the room is a little portrait of his batch. Their batch. He picked it up to reminisce about the distant past.

"You were so cute back then. Poland had Wojtek against the Nazi, and Germany had you against the Soviets."

After a little pause, he put the portrait down and looked at the soldier. As always, it was as expressionless as a corpse.

"The Child of War." he muttered, his eyes in a distant past. Then, he snapped back into the present with a smile.

"But now, look at you! You're just 18 years old and you're already taller than me." the general stood in front of Julius and looked at the mirror on the wall before sighing.

Now that he was up and close, he inadvertently copped a glance at the boy's pretty face, which even had traces of lipstick.

"A real hit with the ladies too." He wipes the lipstick begrudgingly with his thumb before licking it. "You're what I thought I look like back when I was still hitting on your Mom. A real hell of a lady. Hell, I say to you..."

Julius stood erectly and with proper posture without a word while looking straight into one direction only, the front. It was the proper way of presenting oneself upon meeting a superior. However, it didn't quite sit well with this superior. He was always the type to talk a lot. Sometimes he wonders if the higher-ups are just that lacking in staff.

"... Won't you say anything to make me feel better? You don't need to be so formal with me you know."

"... But my mother is kind. She and the squad members-"

"And me."

"... And you, took me in when I was just an infant and raised me with care-"

"Ah, you just made me even more depressed. That just means that she hates me in particular. What a mess." The general sighed. 

He went back to his desk and grabbed the letter of resignation to slap Julius with it lightly.

"... Do you know the reason why I'm saying all this?"

"..."

"It's because you're resigning and you don't even know what to do with your life. Look, I get that you're tired of all the war and shit that's going on, and that you're at an age where you start to question things about yourself. But, what will she say to me when I just kick you outta here, knowing that you'll probably wander into some brothel here in the capital and stay there for the rest of your life?! Your mom will kill me!"

"(Whispers) Don't lump me in with you."

"What's that?"

"Nothing, General."

"... Anyways, I'll give you a week. If you don't have a plan until then, I'm not letting you out anytime soon. Goodbye Lieutenant Julius."

"... Glory to the German Republic."

THUD!

After Julius left, a long-suffering sigh came out of the general. Although the boy is usually obedient, he is at the age where he's rebellious. He went back to his desk and brought a pendant out of the drawer in his desk. When he opened it, a beautiful woman's face was inside. If you were to describe her, it would be something along the likes of-

" As lovely as the tulips of spring, As dazzling as the sea at dusk." He muttered with yearning. "I'm doing the right thing, right? I miss you already-"

Monica.