A Soldier Adrift: An Isekai Story

“You may,” his father's voice resonated through the room.

Jason opened the door and was greeted by his father, who was sitting in his chair and gesturing for him to take a seat on the opposite side. His father looked rather serious, but he didn't comment on it. He sat down and waited for his father to speak first.

“Jason.”

“Yes?”

“How would you like to be trained by your own personal mentor?”

Jason blinked. “Pardon?”

His father took a deep breath. “Jason, your 17th birthday is coming up next week. As you know, teenagers who come of age at 17 will finally be able to feel the Vetron inside of them. It’s both dangerous and rewarding depending on how we handle it. That’s why I want to assign you a personal mentor to help you harness the Vetron safely and master it more quickly.”

Jason opened his mouth to say something, but his father continued.

“By the time you are 18 years old, you will enroll in Halford Academy. As my son, you must prepare before that. We can never know what sort of danger you will encounter.”

Jason appeared thoughtful. Halford Academy. He had done a bit of research about that school. Despite its amusing motto, the academy was prestigious and the only academy that specifically trained Vetron users. It was known to breed the most powerful Vetron users in existence.

Jason stared at his father. “So, who’s this trainer?” he asked, curiously.

“Her name is Celine Koshka,” his father answered. A hologram appeared on the table, showing a woman with long red hair, wearing a jacket with dark and blue colors meshed together, and glasses with a grin on her face. One noticeable feature was the visible scar on her right cheek.

“She is one of the top elite Vetron trainers. She will be your trainer for months until you enroll in the academy or until she deems you ready,” his father stated, his eyes shifting to him. “What are your thoughts about it, son?” he asked.

“I am not against the idea,” Jason replied, meeting his father’s gaze. He could see a tiny bit of relief in his eyes. “But…can we trust her?”

His father seemed surprised by the question. “Oh? I’ve never known you to be this cautious...” He narrowed his eyes at Jason.

Jason stiffened a bit but maintained a calm look.

His father's lips formed a small smile. “But that’s a good thing. Always be cautious, even if that person is your friend or best friend. Anyone can stab you in the back. But to answer your question, yes. We can trust her. If she does anything to endanger you, she will have to answer to our family.”

“I see. Then I can’t wait to meet her,” Jason replied with a smile.

“That’s good to know,” his father nodded, smiling all the same. “That will be all for today, Jason.”

Jason nodded at his father’s words as he stood up and walked to the door. Just as he was about to grip the handle, his father spoke again.

“Jason, before you go, how about we play a round of chess if you’d like, of course?”

Jason turned around in surprise. His father inviting him to play? That had never happened before.

“I remember you being fond of this board game, and I have some free time to spare. So, are you in?” His father's tone appeared to be hopeful like he wanted to spend more time with his son.

Judging from how busy his father was most of the time, that was likely the case. It was rare to spend time with him, so Jason had no reason to object.

“I’d be glad, Dad.”

His father’s smile when he heard Jason's words was forever engraved in his mind.

+++===+++

July 23rd, year 1564.

Today was his birthday.

When he woke up first thing in the morning, the first thing he heard was fireworks, which he thought were gunshots at first, but realized they weren’t. All the maids and butlers, even Albert, shouted "Happy Birthday" with a large banner with his face on it, complete with a crown atop his head.

Then his mother came into his room shouting "Happy Birthday" before tackling him without any warning and placing kisses on his cheek. It was annoying and a bit embarrassing. His dad, however, wasn’t present in the room, but his mother assured him that he would be at the party.

Did this kid experience this every day for his birthday? Oh, the nightmare, he couldn't imagine such a thing.

“Sir Jason, how was the surprise we gave you?” Albert asked beside him.

“Surprising,” he replied dryly while looking at the different clothes in the store. “Remind me again, why are we here?”

“To commemorate your birthday, Sir.”

“I get that, but why a clothes shop?” he questioned Albert’s choice. He thought they were going to a game store or something, not this.

Supposedly, he was about to spend the entire day at the house. It was when Albert suddenly suggested he go to a mall to buy a gift for himself. He agreed to the idea, finding no harm in it. It was a good idea to spend some time outside since he had spent the last couple of days mostly in the house, and at the same time, he was beginning to grow lazy.

Albert gave no answer to his question.

He cast a suspicious glance at him before hearing his mother’s voice behind him.

“Sweety!”

Oh. His mouth flung open and he just realized now why Albert suggested the idea. He had been played for a fool.

“Albert, you—” Before he could finish what he was about to say, he was dragged by his mother against his will.

“Sorry, sir, but it’s the Mistress's order,” Albert said, giving a short, apologetic nod.

Jason looked at him, betrayed.

‘Damn you, Albert! I trusted you!’

+++===+++

An hour or so had passed and his mother had yet to decide on what clothes he was going to wear for his birthday party. He had already tried on so many clothes, but none had yet satisfied her.

Albert, his traitorous butler, was standing at the entrance, guarding. Often, Jason cast an unamused stare at him, only to see Albert holding back a laugh. How dare he...

“Oh! What about this, Sweety?”

“How about this?”

“This?”

“Ohh~ this one looks cute on you.”

That was his every minute struggle, hearing those words again, and again, and again.

He couldn’t object nor protest to his mother. He didn’t dare to. He was slightly terrified of her. The moment she first hugged him, he could already tell she had enough strength to rip his body in half. Adding to that how she cracked an armrest with little ease...

“Mom, are we done yet?” He never thought he’d say such a thing in a petty voice. It somehow made him uneasy. Had he changed that much?

“No, Sweety. We gotta have you find the best suit for your birthday no matter what the cost.”

Looking at the time, it was 11:25 in the morning.

He could hear his stomach grumble.

And he was hungry. That was great.

“Is it really that important? I have some good T-shirts back at home for the party.”

“Those again? Please, Sweety. Those are old. We need to buy something new and better. It’s your 17th birthday we are celebrating. It’s the day where you truly shine in your youth like your dad and I did back in the day,” his mother said, looking like she was reminiscing about those days before her.

With that, Jason had nothing left to convince his mother.

“Alright, but it’s almost lunchtime.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be quick as a flash,” his mother winked, assuring him as she went back to the clothes aisle.

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Right, like he’d believe that.

“Sweety! Come here quickly, I think I found the right one for you!”