Sylvara's Rebirth A New Dawn for Abel novel Chapter 114

**Chapter 114: A Story from the Ashes**

“First of all,” Veyric began, his voice laced with exasperation, “they hardly possessed any stellar coins to their name. And secondly, attempting to travel with not one but two infants? That was an absolute nightmare. It was far simpler to freeze the Empress and carry her in a cryo-pod than to manage two little ones who seemed to demand financial resources at every single turn.”

Sylvara, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, leaned in, her curiosity piqued. “Alright, I’m following you. Please, continue.”

Veyric took a deep breath, the weight of the tale resting heavily on his shoulders. “After the destruction of the abandoned mining planet in the Twelfth Sector, General Kenobia’s parents sought refuge on the most desolate waste planet in the Eleventh Sector. They took on the most grueling, unpleasant jobs imaginable, all in an effort to scrape together enough funds to unfreeze the Empress.”

His voice dropped, thickening with gravity. “Then, disaster struck. Just when they believed they had finally accumulated enough money, they fell victim to a band of ruthless bandits. The parents were gunned down, and the cryo-pod containing the Empress vanished without a trace, swallowed by the shadows of that treacherous world.”

A chill ran through Sylvara as she absorbed the weight of his words. “So, General Kenobia was left an orphan?”

“Exactly,” Veyric confirmed, nodding solemnly. “He grew up on a junk planet, navigating the harsh realities of life, attending school, and, like you, he enrolled in a military academy. But he didn’t just attend any academy; he made it into The First Military Academy.”

A sense of déjà vu washed over Sylvara, a nagging feeling that this narrative was strikingly familiar. It reminded her of those melodramatic romance tales from ancient Earth, stories filled with heartbreak and heroism before the apocalypse had turned everything upside down.

“Right,” she thought, her mind racing ahead. “I see where this is going.”

Clearing her throat, she pressed on, “So, General Kenobia excelled in his studies, and His Majesty, keeping his identity hidden, was quite the enigma?”

Veyric’s eyes widened in surprise. “You already knew all this?”

“No, not exactly,” she replied, maintaining a straight face. “I merely spent some time raiding a library when I wasn’t busy fighting off zombies, and there was an abundance of romance novels scattered about.”

With a slight smirk, Sylvara continued, “Eventually, General Kenobia made a name for himself, only to return to Centria and discover that his classmate, his best friend, was actually the Emperor?”

“Yes, and also no,” Veyric corrected her, his tone serious.

“So, General Kenobia felt betrayed and stormed off in anger?” Sylvara ventured, piecing together the fragments of the tale. “Then His Majesty, eager to mend the rift, appointed him to command 150,000 royal guards?”

Veyric paused, the tension palpable. “After that, General Kenobia grew tired of merely wiping out bandits. He requested a transfer to Kolar planet to confront the Swarmborn directly. For five grueling years, he fought valiantly, earning promotions from colonel to major general.”

“But then,” he added, his expression turning grave, “he was poisoned by the Swarmborn. The attack damaged his central nervous system, rendering him incapable of piloting a mech. Upon returning to Centria, he discovered that his classmate, his best friend, was none other than the Emperor.”

Sylvara interjected, her brow furrowing in confusion. “So, he stopped the Swarmborn’s final assault, and that’s when he was poisoned?”

“Exactly,” Veyric confirmed, nodding gravely. “A high-ranking Swarmborn commander led that attack. General Kenobia personally beheaded him, but in the process, he was poisoned. Following that, the Swarmborn retreated one sector away from Kolar planet.”

“Upon his return to Centria,” Veyric continued, “due to his ties with the Emperor and the urgent need for treatment for the Swarmborn poison in the Fourth Civilization, His Majesty personally took him there. The Emperor valued loyalty and friendship, and General Kenobia was an exceptional general, so he accompanied him on the journey for treatment.”

Sylvara leaned in, her interest fully captured. “And what happened next?”

Veyric sighed, a hint of frustration in his voice. “As always, the royal family was mired in endless picky rules. General Kenobia had finally located his sister. Naturally, he wanted to keep her close, to protect her and cherish her. But the Emperor was determined to marry her. To elevate her status to that of the royal family, he overruled all objections and appointed General Kenobia as the commander of Centria’s 150,000 royal guards, making him the High General.”