"Ashes of Crestfall: The Rise of Aaron San Agustin"

At dawn, Aaron returned to the recruitment center. The city streets were still quiet, the sky painted in shades of navy and gray. He stood outside the glass doors for a moment, feeling his heart pound in his chest with something between fear and determination.

He clenched his fists, exhaled, and walked inside.

The recruiter from yesterday—Staff Sergeant Carter, his name tag read—looked up from his paperwork and nodded.

"Morning, San Agustin. You're early," Carter said.

Aaron shrugged, trying to hide his nerves. "Didn't sleep much."

Carter smirked. "Good. You'll get used to that real quick." He stood up and gestured for Aaron to follow. "Physical's in fifteen. Let's get you processed."

The examination hall smelled of antiseptic and sweat. Rows of young men stripped down to shorts and socks, each moving between stations as medics checked blood pressure, eyesight, reflexes, and coordination.

Aaron kept his head down, quietly obeying every order. When a nurse checked his pulse, her brow furrowed slightly.

"Your heart rate's elevated. You nervous?"

He swallowed hard. "A little."

She smiled kindly. "Don't worry. Everyone is."

Hours later, he sat alone in a waiting room, clutching a paper cup of water between trembling hands. His mind buzzed with fragments of his old life—the data center's hum, Lucas's laugh, Elena's voice, Aunt Coleen's quiet sobs when she thought he wasn't listening. Everything he'd lost weighed heavy, but something deeper burned beneath it all.

A door opened and Staff Sergeant Carter stepped out, holding a folder. He glanced at Aaron and nodded.

"You're in," Carter said simply.

Aaron blinked, stunned. "I… I passed?"

"You passed," Carter confirmed. "You'll ship out in two days for basic training at Fort Benning." He handed Aaron a thick envelope. "Read everything here. Don't be late."

Aaron took the envelope with shaking hands. "Thank you… sir."

Carter paused, studying him with a gaze that seemed to pierce through his worn-out exterior. "Look, San Agustin… the Army isn't easy. It'll break you down before it builds you up. But if you want it bad enough, you'll make it. You got that look in your eyes—the look of someone with nothing left to lose."

Aaron swallowed, nodding silently.

"Get some rest," Carter said, turning away. "You'll need it."

That night, Aaron packed what little he owned: two changes of clothes, a photo of his parents from Crestfall, and his worn Bible that Aunt Coleen gave him as a child. He sat on his mattress for hours, staring at the cracked ceiling one last time.

Fear whispered to him, reminding him of his failures. But deeper than fear was something else—resolve. A quiet, burning determination to become someone he could respect when he looked in the mirror.

At dawn, he called Aunt Coleen.

"Aaron?" she answered sleepily. "Is everything okay?"

"I just wanted to say… I'll be gone for a while," he said, his voice tight with emotion.

"Gone where?"

"The Army," he whispered. "I joined up."

There was silence, then a quiet sob on the other end. "My boy… my brave boy… I'm so proud of you."

He closed his eyes, letting her words fill the aching emptiness in his chest. "Take care of yourself, Auntie. I promise… I'll come back stronger."

Two days later, he boarded the bus with dozens of other recruits. As Velmont City faded behind him, he felt a strange peace settle over his soul. For the first time in his life, he wasn't running away.

He was running towards something.

The bus rumbled down endless highways, fields of green and gold stretching out under a burning blue sky. Some recruits slept. Others joked nervously. Aaron simply sat in silence, staring at his reflection in the window.

"You're not powerless anymore," he whispered to himself. "Not anymore."

And deep inside, he believed it.