Though his father was a revered soldier, the old Venan never seemed to agree with the war methods of old. Kavud Huv would often catch glimpses of him and his mother arguing. Arguing about whether killing was necessary. Whether the treatment of prisoners was fair. Whether training children to be cannon fodder was the right way to go. The debates always ended the same way: the two veterans would part ways, Kav’s father leaving their home to catch a breath of air, his mother proceeding to inculcate him on the ways of the Venan Defence Force. Training with his mother was nothing short of hell; days of physical and mental exhaustion littered Kav’s childhood. He was a constant subject of discrimination for his mother, who didn’t hesitate to criticise his softness. Not once did he get more than four hours of rest a day, which he either spent eating, sleeping or listening in on his parent’s arguments. He rarely cherished moments from his youth, but the ones he did were those he spent with his dad. Most of these were still training sessions, though they were more laid back, his father behaving like any parent should: loving, yet strict. The two would often spar in the days before Kav’s self-proclaimed pacifism, then spend the rest of the day discussing strategy and engaging in exhausting physical activities. Though the training regimen was much the same as his mother’s, what set practicing with his father apart was that they did so together. They bonded over these sessions, not drifted apart. Kav felt a love for his father that would have stood the test of time. Two memories which Kav remembered clearly often repeated themselves in his head. The first was one in which he had bonded with his father more than ever before, on the night of his fouteenth birthday. They had just finished sparring, and both were lying on the floor of their training room, sweat trickling down their foreheads, chests heaving quickly as they regained their breaths. For a while they lay still, staring at the ceiling. Kav hadn’t noticed his father sit up until the man spoke. “Son.” Kav turned his head to look at his dad, worried to see a bothered expression on his face, his gaze distant. “What is it, dad?” he’d asked, sitting up himself. “Can you promise me something?” “Yes, of course.” “When you come of age, you must be the saviour of the beaten. The broken. The damned. Our people… We are doomed. This war, it will destroy us. You have to promise me that you’ll save Ven. You have to promise me that you’ll defeat whatever demons you may have, defeat those that have made plans for our planet. You must be our saviour. [i]Promise me[/i],” requested the father, looking deep into his son’s eyes. “I… I promise. But dad… why?” he said, returning his dad’s stare. “Because one day… One day I’ll leave you. I won’t be here anymore to lead you… to guide you. I need the reassurance that I won’t be sending my only son into a doomed world. I need the reassurance that you’ll be the one to fix it.” It was then that the two hugged, both of them crying, before the memory faded into the next, more recent one. Kav was now twenty-two, serving in the Venan Defence Force alongside his dad in the second Venan War. The city which Kav called home was a war zone. Explosions filled the area. Corpses, of both soldiers and innocents, littered the streets. The earth scorched the sky, black smoke blocking what view was left of Ven’s large sun. Kav was kneeling next to his father, hands pressed down against the veteran’s chest. Tears streamed down his face. It couldn’t end like this. It couldn’t. His father was a soldier- the best of all the soldiers. He couldn’t just die like this. He couldn’t just die from a gunshot wound. Kav’s eyes caught his dad’s, their gaze one of pure love. “Dad-” said Kav, his voice full of pain and sadness. “…Kav. I love you, son.” “I love you too, dad. I-” “Remember… what you promised me. Remember your promise. Save our… people. I love you.” His father’s last words. A wave of emotion passed through Kav as he let out a howl of grief, his tears mixing with his dad’s blood. His two remaining squadmates watched in silence, they themselves grieving for Kav’s loss. It was their silence that had momentarily snapped Kav out of his sorrow as he tackled them out of harms way, a bomb exploding where the three of them had just been, leaving nothing but a crater in their wake. The bomb obliterated the body of Kav’s father, leaving of him nothing but memories. Later that tragic day, Kav had, in his grief, found an object that would help him fulfill his father’s wishes. Or rather, it had found him. Kavud Huv was a Green Lantern. --- [b]Two Months Later, Oa...[/b] Kav’s pacifistic attitude was proving to be a problem. He sat in the New Warriors eatery, established by famous Earth-Lantern Guy Gardner, massaging the latest bruises he acquired during a gruelling training session with none other than Kilowog. The trainer had been, over the past two months, getting more and more insistent that the young Venan defend himself, his attacks getting increasingly aggressive in hopes that Kav would fight back. However, Kilowog found himself once again disappointed, as Kav made no attempt to retaliate. Shaking his head, the drill sergeant had told the recruit that if he kept on with his refusal to fight, his inevitable death on the field won't be viewed as a warrior's death, but as a coward's. This was promptly followed by "Poozer". Frustration welled up inside Kav. How was he supposed to carry out his father's wishes, let alone serve the Corps, if he couldn't overcome the need to keep his hands clean? There was simply no way he could do either of those things without engaging in some sort of combat. But he couldn't hurt anyone... Not after serving in the Venan Defence Force. He'd seen the cruelty inflicted on the battlefield to soldiers... to innocents... to his dad. With the thought of his dad came the memory of his death. Holding his head in his hands, Kav sat still, a tear rolling down his cheek.