Everywhere was filled with white mist. There were obscure flashes of shadowy figures that filtered through the mist, along with the brief lull of various sounds. There were sounds of children crying, of metal blades clashing against each other, and of warriors shouting in their loud voices as they let out their battle cries accompanied by loud explosions that filled one with dread. These sounds interfered with and meshed together, like a piece of horrendous background music that told epic tales of war and savagery. Everything was dreamlike, and nothing could be perceived clearly. But above the din of hazy mist and blood-curdling sounds, there was one above all else that could be made out with total clarity. It was the sound of insane laughter that sent chills down the spines of those who heard it. Following it were indistinct mutterings, like the whispers of the devil. Anyone who heard it would be driven mad and be dulled of their senses and would leave themselves open to the sile

It was late into the night but considering that it was the eve of the new year, the night sky was filled with dazzling light that gave one an illusion that it was still daytime.All around the streets were filled with festive decorations and from the homes of the city's residents came the joyous sounds of laughter and cheers as families sat down together to wait for the coming of the new year.At a certain park, in a corner where the lights and festive mood did not reach sat a teenage boy all on his lonesome.In the darkness, the boy could be seen looking around suspiciously and with caution. Making sure one last time that his immediate surroundings were free from any interference, Arran finally got around to examining the box.The polished surface of the box was decorated with fine grain patterns as well as frescoes and inlaid carvings depicting various wildlife. There was a deer with huge antlers branching out to the skies like a huge sky-reaching tree,

Inside the box was a bracelet.The kind that was big and bulky and could cover up your whole wrist. It was a big round creamy white bracelet that had a few jewels that looked like diamonds encrusted in it. The jewels sparkled like stars as they twinkled on and off.The entire bracelet shone with a soft glow as compared to the previous blinding brilliance it gave off and there was a metallic luster on it. Overall it was very beautiful.As soon as Arran saw it, his blood started flowing quickly and his heart was beating franticly as if he had just taken a hundred-mile jog. Arran felt like he always did whenever he had just finished an intense workout with his dad.Arran was frozen for what seemed like a very long time which in reality was a very short few seconds but in that time, he saw a lot of things that baffled and confused him.He saw scenes of raging battles filled with blood and slaughter, of wars being fought over and over again. Scenes of v

Arran woke up to bright lights overhead and a wet and sticky feeling all over his body.Looking all over at his surrounding, he saw all sorts of machines and apparatus that he did not know the functions of and some that while they were in various weird forms, he could still infer the functions of.Arran came to the conclusion that he was in what seemed to be a hospital ward. After checking his surroundings, he decided to check his own condition. That was when he was surprised to find out his own situation.Arran found out where the wet and sticky feeling came from.As it turned out, Arran was wrapped up and submerged in a small liquid bubble that was floating suspended in the air. It was through this bubble that Arran was seeing all that he had seen.Arran could also make out a group of people in uniforms who were making their rounds in the ward he was settled in. One of these groups came to check up on him, only to find out that he was awake.

After Rommel left Arran's ward, he made his way down the long hallway and climbed a fleet of stairs to arrive at the main command room. The room was already occupied.There were already a couple of people waiting for him in the room out of which captain Mei was a part of them, but compared to the rest of the people seated around the room, she was the least important person there. This was shown by the fact that she was not even entitled to a seat in the room even though this was her office and she was the base commander of this particular outpost.Rommel made his way to the head of the room where the winged warrior from before was seated. At this moment there was no sign of her wings on her body now. For that matter, Arran's wings were also nowhere to be seen ever since he woke up in the ward.As soon as he stopped in front of her, she asked, "well, how was it?"Rommel did not answer, instead, he placed the bracer that had now lost its glow on the table.<