Aidan sat down on the bed and let out a loud sigh. This was his reality now and he had to decide what to do with it. 

Or did he?

He could just do the same that he always did – let things run their course, go with the flow and hope it will all be over soon. 

That reminded Aidan that he had no idea how old Adnan Minn actually was and what he looked like. If he was really lucky, he might already be approaching the end of his lifetime.

He slowly walked towards the big mirror hanging on the wall. Aidan hated mirrors and since childhood avoided them like a plague. Seeing himself gave him a weird anxiety – it was not that he had a problem with what he looked like, more like seeing his own reflection made him confront the fact that he was indeed real and had a corporeal form. And that was something he didn't want to think about.

Unfortunately Adnan Minn was not yet a grandpa. He seemed to be the same age as Aidan himself. Funnily enough Adnan's face was also eerily similar to his own – just a bit less pale. The General was also slightly taller, and his green eyes seemed colder and more distant. But they shared the same dark hair, long nose and full lips.It was clear that Adnan had led a healthier lifestyle than Aidan and was even less likely to suffer an untimely death. How unfortunate.

Adnan's wrists also didn't have any scars. Aidan didn't know how to feel about it – on one hand he hated those marks and the weakness they represented, on the other hand he had gotten used to the soothing feeling of touching the rough marks on his skin. It made him even a bit sad that he won't be able to touch them again.

What concerned Aidan the most though was that he had only been in this place for a couple of days and he had already managed to feel more emotions than in the last decade of his life. It felt weird and he didn't like it all.

If he were to continue existing as Adnan Minn, he had to find a way to take off the edge and stop the intrusive thoughts – be it with the help of alcohol or any kind of drug available in this wretched place. He also needed to figure out how to get out of this whole „torturing people" business. Hopefully it was not General Minn's only source of income.

Aidan decided to start with the easier task. He opened the door of his room and peeked outside. Sure enough his gloomy soldier friend was right nearby. Aidan gestured for him to come closer.

„I was wondering, where I could get some wine around here?" he asked, keeping his voice down.

The soldier gave him a confused look.

„General Kear or General Mung might have brought some with them. Is there a reason you would require wine?" he answered.

„To drink some, of course," said Aidan patiently.

What was it with these stupid questions? What other reason would he have? Bathing in it?

„Have you denounced your asceticism vows, General?" the soldier's eyes widened in disbelief.

His what? 

In addition to being an asshole was this Adnan Minn also completely out of his mind?

„Not denounced, per se. Just taking a pause," said Aidan carefully. 

An ascetic? Seriously? So this guy was fine with torture, murder and whatnot but alcohol was where he drew the line? What kind of moral compass is that?

Aidan would rather inhabit a body of a homeless alcoholic with incurable syphilis than live as an ascetic. The Universe was obviously having fun at his expense.

No, he was not going to play by these rules. Adnan Minn was about to experience a whole lifestyle makeover, and Aidan didn't care, if somebody had a problem with that.

Just when he was about to order the soldier to go fetch him the good stuff from other generals, he saw the tall handsome general from the earlier meeting appear in the dark hall.

„General Minn, I'm very sorry to bother you so late but we've received the answer from the savages. They seem to have swallowed the bait."

Aidan had nothing to say to that. He didn't care either way. But he nodded just to be polite.

„We will make our move immediately, so please put on the disguise and meet as at the gate," the tall man handed him a bundle of something that looked like rags.

Aidan was confused.

„Why should I put on a disguise? Weren't you going to send the best fighters?"

The other general gave him a crooked smile.

„Since when are you so modest?"

Great. He had dug his own grave. Boy, were these guys in for a surprise when they realized that Aidan was more useless in a fight than a fifth leg on a horse!

However, this might be the chance for an escape he had been looking for. If he gets killed in the battle... wait, no, WHEN he gets killed in the battle, he will be out of this life for good. And hopefully that will finally be the end. Aidan didn't particularly want to return to his 21st century slacker existence either. So he shrugged and accepted the bundle.

The slave outfit was skimpy to say the least. Thankfully it still covered certain parts of the body but all in all it was just not something anybody should ever wear outside of an adult movie.

Aidan didn't even want to think about what was the purpose of these slaves. Truly, the ways of this world were giving him a bad case of depression and reminding him of his forgotten anger issues. At least, soon it won't be his problem anymore.In front of the gates he joined the group of other men, that were dressed just like Aidan. They all looked a bit uncomfortble, and honestly no one could blame them for that.

The tall general was also amongst them and he was looking at Aidan with a weird expression. When Aidan looked back, the guy blushed and turned away. Before they left, the older general put fake chains on their ankles and wrists. They didn't get any weapons which made sense as there was no way to hide anything under these questionable clothes.

„General Minn, try crouching a bit. You look too tall for a slave," criticized one of the generals leading the way.

Aidan wondered, if they enslaved only short people here for some reason. Was it some weird kind of sizeism? Well, in any case it was good he was considered tall.

It took them a couple hours to reach the „savage" fort on foot. Aidan's back hurt, he was cold and his head wound started pulsating again. There was no way his mood could get any worse. Except it soon did.

The moment when they had infiltrated the fort and launched their „trojan" attack was when Aidan realized that Adnan Minn's body actually had an outstanding hand-to-hand combat ability. So outstanding in fact that before Aidan could even understand what had happened he had broken through the wall of enemy fighters and was standing in the middle of a long empty hall.

There was not even a scratch left on him.

Now that was not fair. How OP was this General? A master of torture AND a genious fighter? Clearly, while Aidan was wasting his time watching TV and hanging around weed dispenseries the outstanding Adnan Minn was training, improving his skills and not drinking alcohol.

„What a nerd," Aidan muttered under his nose and continued moving forward. He had no particular idea where he was going but he was hoping to meet an equally OP enemy and be cut down by him. Was that too much to ask?

Suddenly he noticed a light at the end of the hall – he walked towards it and ended up in a big room. Aidan looked around as he entered, and his eyes immediately picked out a blond youth who was lying on the floor face down. Aidan stepped closer and noticed that the boy was intricately tied up by a red rope – it didn't seem that he was capable of moving.