The last batch of our soldiers had no choice but to fall back to the city, while the rest remained. As we pulled ourselves back in the present, to the actual reality, we told ourselves that there's no escape, there's no way we can postpone this war. I stepped forward and I walked in front of my army as the air filled with anticipation. "My fellow warriors," I began, my voice carrying a weight that demanded attention. "Tonight, we stand in a battleground we never prepared for, and we are going to fight a battle of which we don’t know the outcome. Facing a force that defies the natural order. But let me remind you, it is precisely in the face of the unknown that the true essence of our courage is revealed. We are not mere mortals; we are warriors with a spirit forged in hardships and uncountable exams." I paused, letting the gravity of my words sink in, before continuing. "The shadows that looms upon us are dark and unpredictable, but they cannot extinguish the light that burns with
I kept on fighting, shooting and burning holes through their bodies, until one of them managed to snatch a gun from one of our soldiers. He aimed at my gun and burned it, half of my gun was just gone, with only the lower part left in my hand. I tossed the remains of my gun aside and cartwheeled to my right, narrowly dodging his incoming fires. However, in the midst of my evasion, the tip of my shoe got burned off by the shot, revealing the tips of my toes. Standing tall, despite the setback, I held one of my throwing knives and prepared myself for the next move. As he prepared to fire at me again, I swiftly threw the knife into the mouth of his gun, blocking the opening just as he pulled the trigger. Panic filled his eyes as he saw his gun turning red, and before he could react, it exploded in his hands. With a loud crash, pieces of his existence rained down. As I regained my senses, my attention was immediately drawn back to Jackallion. I sprinted toward him, using all my
Then we rhymed together, the weight of the world seemed to lift just a little. “The clouds are dark, The storm's quite stark.It's then you see, Night will be.But skies will clear, Chirps you'll hear.Flowers will bloom, Spring will resumes.The sun will glow, Joy will grow.The greatest year, Without a fear.When night does fall, Light covers all.”Finally, I caught sight of him gesturing next to me. I quickly glanced to my left and noticed a tiny sapling sprouting amidst the flowing river of my blood."Dad, is that a sapling?" I exclaimed, my eyes widening in surprise. I turned my head back to him, only to see his image fading away like ashes in the wind.Glancing to my right, I noticed the city, where a small group of our army was being pressurized by the army of the creepers.They were retreating and fighting simultaneously, and it seemed like they were on the verge of losing.Gripping the sword's handle tightly, I pulled it out of my body, feeling the burning sensation
I can't even begin to express how grateful I am!" Tears welled up in his eyes. Despite the relief, my heart still felt heavy. We had lost so many lives, and I couldn't shake off the guilt of not being able to save Nina. Shifting my focus back to the city and its current state, Jackallion had disappeared after the battle. I know this because we discovered countless bodies, but there was no trace of him, his mask, or whatever he was wearing. The drill machine in the center of the city continued to operate relentlessly, causing damage to nearby houses and trapping unsuspecting soldiers and civilians injuring and killing few in the process. Four hook-like appendages emerged from the machine, firmly anchoring it to the ground. Our attempts to shoot it down proved futile as our fires only bounced off. The city was unrecognizable from its former self, but thankfully, we had managed to relocate the citizens to a safer location. Veronica rushed towards us after a few minutes, whispering
It was like an underground tunnel, well-built and secure, but it felt as if a storm had passed through it. The right path of the tunnel was destroyed, but the left path led us to a control room with another door inside. Inside the control room, the control panel had been sabotaged. And there were two lifeless bodies of soldiers sitting in front of that panel. "Do you think the creepers did this?" Kai asked. "Definitely, but there's someone working with them!" I replied, staring at the destroyed cameras in the corners, with no data stored in the computers. “How can you be so sure?” He asked. I raised my eyebrows while my gaze stuck on the camera “Creepers don’t give a damn about who’s watching them.” "Who could it be?" Kai muttered, turning towards the door. "Kai, can I ask you something?" I turned to him and he nodded. "How did the creepers come into existence?" I asked. "They were created by Asher and William. They came to be after a failed experiment!" He answered confiden
"I need two teams of experts to begin preparations for the burial of the deceased. Get ready for a small memorial service," I instructed. “We can’t leave our dead like that!” "But... but... what about the city?" Caleb inquired. "We may have to consider starting anew, somewhere else," I replied, my gaze falling downward. A soldier spoke up, "Are you suggesting that we abandon our home?" "Come here," I beckoned him over. As he approached, I led him to the corner of the Whisper's Oasis. "Take a look," I pointed towards the city, now reduced to ruins. "The power station has been destroyed, the humidity is increasing, and who knows for what purpose creepers enter the city, maybe they planted bombs everywhere, or maybe they have spreaded all across the city spreading virus everywhere. What then? More suffering? Sickness? Pain? More death? And let's not forget, even if you manage to survive all of that..." I paused, allowing the weight of my words to sink in. "One day, you could be sl
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, feeling a rush of emotions overwhelm me. Tears streamed down my face, a mixture of sadness, relief, and guilt. Kai rushed over to me, sensing my distress. I let out a cry, "They snatched my son from me and I can understand whether to mourn his death or the fact that I was responsible the one who killed him." As I wiped away my tears, Kai spoke softly, "Tell me, what else is troubling you?" "She has forgiven me for killing Nina!, but I can't bring myself to accept that forgiveness." I believed I didn't deserve it. Kai embraced me, "You are punishing yourself unnecessarily. What happened was not your fault and you didn't had any intention to kill them! She did a right thing forgiving you, and so should you!" He embrace me. "I've brought nothing but pure suffering for them, they'd been better off without me." I blamed myself for the destruction that had befallen the city. But Kai urged "Look closely at the people's faces, see the joy and won
"I am sorry!" I apologized once more in the normal volume, but she continued to stare at me, prompting me to whisper, "Alright, alright!" "What's going on here?" I whispered this time. "This has been the situation here for as long as I can remember," she remarked, referring to the city. "I'm sorry," she added, "but if I hadn't instructed you to remain silent, we would all be in trouble." She grabbed a glass and poured water into it, while the glass tilted. Confused, I gazed at her. "If I hadn't done it this way, it would have made noise," she explained. "What exactly are you all afraid of? Have the creepers invaded this place?" I inquired. "Creepers?" She looked at me puzzled. "Yes, those pale-skinned creatures," I clarified. "No, we've been eliminating them for as long as we can remember. That's not what we fear," she responded. "Then what is it that you fear?" I insisted to know, just as we heard a woman calling out for someone. "Angus?" she called out, her voice filled w