She channeled her mana into the the crest, watching as the Aquitaine team slowly surrounded the trap. As more plans landed and they were forced to retreat, the watcher brough her mirror up. She channeled her mana into it, creating the two way reflection with her team."Commander.""Withdraw the soldiers into the building. At once.""The enemy is here?""Yes. The trap, once sprung, will kill anything in its path. Withdraw.""Yes, at once."The watcher closed the mirror and began to chant. She started slowly, but once the soldiers she disappeared inside, she spoke quicker."These are our lands, imperial dogs."The trap was sprung.

Calixte ArcThe shield gem stopped the redirected bullets, it didn't stop the creature itself. The inky liquid tendril arm moved slowly enough that the shield gem couldn't stop it, but fast enough to put a small hole in my leg. FUCK!It would have a much larger wound, but Alphonse jumped the monster. He must have seen my failed attempt at shooting it and slashed the creature with a knife. The blade cut through its inky skin. The creature roared and turned around.I ripped the knife from my belt and charged mana through it. The blade started glowing and rocked violently. The metal wasn't enchanted to absorb mana properly, so I didn't know how long the knife would hold, so I had to move fast.Alphonse moved back and saw me. He pulled out his sidearm and fired. The bullets were absorbed back into the darkness.I jumped right as Alphonse fired. Despite Amos unloading a wall of bullets into it, the monster pulled itself up. There were holes up and down his body, but the big monster didn't

THE OFFICERNew Siberian CapitalOne Week Before InvasionSergey devoured the donut, eating its glazed, filled glory in two bites. He washed it down with coffee."That was disgusting."He finished crewing with an exaggerated swallow. "That's a talent.""You're the reason people call cops pigs. You act like a fucking pig."He grabbed another donut. "Listen, tits, one day-""Did you just call me tits?" I slapped his arm. "You are a pig."He waved his hand, shoving the second donut in his mouth. "Tits, one day you're going to wake up and find out that you've been on the force for forty years. Then you're going to drive to the donut join, buy yourself a dozen of the fullest, most pristine glazed donuts they have and you're going to eat yourself until your as big as I am."He said everything with a mouth full of donuts. "Jeez, Sergey. Don't talk with your mouth full."He shrugged and went for another donut. I don't know how a man in his sixties could put them away like that, but it was kin

"Did it work?" the master asked.Emer nodded. "Yes. The message has been sent. If nothing else, I'm sure my prince will want to come see me."The shadow snorted. "Prince, huh? Don't you want to lill him?"Emer shook her head. "No. I want to capture him and sell him to the highest bidder. That might be a connected Aquitese lord, or a new bider."The Shadow Master ordained to look at her. "I thought you had an outstanding contract?""I did, but she is agreed to double the pay fot Prince Calixte. I'll sell him to the highest bider, so I hope you've prepared. I can't let him get away this time."

Calixte Arc"I didn't mean to. Something hit me."Alphonse raised an eyebrow. "What? Were you daydreaming?... Your Highness," he added as an afterthought."No, I wasn't daydreaming," I said amused. "It was... I can explain later. We have to find that soldier-"The sensation hit me as the world spun again.As the sun came over the horizon, the dawn of the final push slowly arrived. I sat at the top tower, staring at no man's land that separated us from the New Serbian-controlled land.Someone else must have had access to that research. They were using it to attack me. I had... I had to get out of this.Alaska was beautiful. I wished I had got to see it before I had been reincarnated. I wish I had come up here to see it in this beautiful land in the other world, in a world where these lands were peaceful. A place where these lands wouldn't be soaked in a sea of blood in just a few hours.I could see my breath against the cold air as I breathed. My breath dispersed against the pale blue