19:49 PM.
The smell came first.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmXnAXCJdx
Before sight. Before awareness. Before Voltase even realized he had fallen asleep.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7jPYoiHSC
A pungent, fishy stench a mixture of old blood, rotting flesh, and soil soaked with bodily fluids. seeped into his nostrils like toxic smoke.
It clung to the roof of his mouth. Settled at the back of his throat. Made his stomach churn despite being empty.
Here again.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIfit7xbn0
The thought surfaced through the fog of his half-asleep consciousness.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJvKOUb0LI
I'm back.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPW5nrx1Ce
To the same place.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWE2KsZDIv9
same dream.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTyRXyxRLu
But something was different this time. Something he couldn't immediately identify. Perhaps because this was the third time. Perhaps because his mind. although still constrained by the thick fog shrouding his memories was beginning to grow accustomed to this cycle.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7trpEgl2sg
Accustomed to death, resurrection.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIIy1kj5jE
the same hell, over and over.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazjXN3X0tQ
Voltase opened his eyes.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOSJ3Aavib
And as usual, what he saw was a corpse's face above him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyL94FaUiy
That face a man with grayish skin, eyes wide open with pupils frozen in eternal terror, and a gaping mouth as if trying to scream but never getting the chance, no longer surprised him.
He had seen it twice before. The same face. The same expression. Even the corpse's position atop his body was identical.
even if the maggots are still wriggling and roaming on the surface of the remains, it is said that the meat is.
With a rough shove no longer trembling like the first time, no longer panicking like the second Voltase pushed the corpse away.
The stiff body rolled sideways with a wet plop, just as before, and Voltase found himself lying among countless piles of flesh and bone.
The same hell.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBctiROKh7N
The same battlefield.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjn4BSXogVp
The same dark, starless night sky. The same mud-soaked earth, saturated with blood. The same smell. same wind whispering through the corpses, like the murmurs of the dead he couldn't quite hear.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13Q3o3C5yN
Voltase sat up slowly. The body he inhabited a tall, sturdy man's body, with strong hands and a scar on his left arm moved with strange obedience. As if this body knew itself better than he knew it.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoXnnEMiLW
He stared at his hands. Not the small, delicate hands of a child with rounded fingers, but large hands with calloused knuckles and prominent veins on the back.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7TeC5vN38
This isn't my body.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8aJBogFpsC
But it feels like mine.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sp3ojUvHW
At least, for now.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4Ro4BUGeZ
He moved his fingers one by one, making sure everything still worked. The memory of his first death the bullet in his chest, the blood flowing out, the darkness slowly swallowing him was still fresh.
So was the second the strong hands strangling his neck, the air slowly fading, and the despair of realizing that this time, he wouldn't survive.
But tonight was different.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrPbX1P61U
Tonight, Voltase had no intention of dying.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLglA184dQh
Not again.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOnUWteN7j
He had died twice.
Twice was enough.
Twice was more than enough to make him understand that if he remained passive, if he kept letting this dream run its course, he would die over and over.
Perhaps forever.
And that more than anything was the most terrifying thing.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSotEcwvN8X
Not the pain, the blood, even the corpses around him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjKNeUXKVB
But the thought that he might be trapped here forever. That every night, he would return to this place, and every night, he would die in a different way. That there was no end, no escape, no hope.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWNLOVxxxh
No.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBJO0J1igK
I won't let that happen.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGgGROCrV5
I will survive.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadFY3oCT1j
I'll do whatever it takes to survive.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9trOSIri3l
With newfound resolve resolve that felt foreign in his chest, like a small flame flickering in the darkness Voltase rose to his feet.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdxEjPmZ7H
His legs the long, powerful legs of a grown man carried him through the piles of corpses. Each step produced a soft crunch of broken bones beneath his boots.
Each step brought him closer to the goal he had just set.
The blond man.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacHvmvn2R7
The one who survived the last battle.
who died in front of me in the twiced dream.
Voltase didn't know why he was so certain that man was still alive. because in the two previous dreams, that man always survived until the final moments.
there was something about him something important, he couldn't let die.
Or perhaps because, deep in his heart, Voltase knew that the only way to survive was not to be alone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50jvnfcHhv
He walked past countless piles of corpses. Some were still intact, their faces frozen in their final expressions.
Others were half rotted, with peeling skin and bones protruding through decayed flesh. Some bodies were completely destroyed burned, or shot multiple times, or crushed by something Voltase couldn't even imagine.
He tried not to look too closely.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE31Uyd0jzN
tried not to think about who they had been before.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMNOaYbJNq
They were just corpses. Just flesh and bone. Nothing more.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9eZZa22B3O
Don't think about their families, the dreams. how they died.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8x5Z4Q6ijM
Focus on the goal.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcSN4A5gXH
Find that man.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF0ST7kC8I6
Save him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlUw5ZbPYa
And save yourself.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTRIOHTW15
In the distance, he saw a pile of corpses higher than the rest. Like a small hill made of flesh and bone. And behind that hill, he saw faint movement something moving, something still alive.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGTEXwOuEO
He's there.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtI9mPcQ44
Voltase quickened his pace, almost running through the scattered bodies. His boots stepped on a severed arm, and he heard the crisp crack of bone beneath his feet. He didn't stop. Couldn't stop.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1zfca3Ct7
Must get there.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmygU7qZjqT
Must save him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyu3Qb0JYf3
This time, I won't let him die.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWjR4CO9Im
When he finally reached that pile of corpses, he saw him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD655Tjoce7
The man was still alive.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UEDkf6Cl9
Voltase stopped, his breath quickening not from exhaustion, but from sudden relief.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNV2ZUl7FHC
The man lay among the corpses, his body almost entirely buried under a mound of dead flesh. Only his head was visible—a pale face with tangled blond hair, filthy with blood and mud. His eyes were closed, but his chest still rose and fell with weak yet steady breaths.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgn6w3pQc6
He's alive.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEh5V0OREJ
He survived.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1uOGKYlt8
Voltase knelt beside the man. His hands the large hands that no longer felt foreign grabbed the man's shoulders and shook him gently.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjiaAuVKKD
"Hey."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnkL4wrmCV
No response.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsubCLmWMBF
"Hey, wake up."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHS9ygNuNy
He shook harder. The man's face creased slightly, like someone sleeping who didn't want to be disturbed.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3xLHAssrs
"Wake up, idiot. We don't have much time."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpioWHARd4
Finally, the man's eyes opened.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhX9xf1MIFe
Dark onyx eyes like two black gems reflecting the dim light of the night sky. stared at Voltase with a mixture of confusion and wariness.
For a few seconds, the man just stared without moving, like a wild animal just waking up and not yet deciding whether to fight or flee.
And then, his mouth opened to scream.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wBIYIKKHN
Voltase moved faster than his thoughts.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyyAYsTe5h
His palm covered the man's mouth before any sound could escape. He leaned close, only a few centimeters away and stared into those onyx eyes with an intensity he never possessed in the real world.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5jRJ55bHG
"Listen to me."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJ4CVC4fx3
His voice was low, firm, and urgent.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaNR1u8vNh
The man stopped moving. His eyes remained wary, but there was something in them perhaps curiosity, perhaps hope that kept him silent.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYMrBusYfY
"Cooperate with me if you want to live,"
Voltase continued, the words flowing smoothly like water in a stream. As if this was something he had rehearsed, something he had thought about.
He had planned since the first time he woke up in this hell.
"Because two are better than one."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpKChLbakS
He stared into those onyx eyes, searching for signs of understanding. Signs of agreement. Signs that this man whom he didn't know, who should be his enemy was willing to listen.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsyO6WyxVQ
Silence hung between them.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbB7GYi7QGS
Voltase could feel the man's breath against his palm warm, uneven, filled with restrained fear.
He could feel the tension in the man's jaw beneath his touch. He could see the sweat on the man's forehead, mixed with blood and grime.
And then, slowly, the man nodded.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7sHZsCiF5
One small nod. Barely visible. But enough.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yl8zI3eYm
Voltase exhaled in relief. He released his hand from the man's mouth but kept close.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLBrAspMfC
"Good."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TIeBHYTGK
He straightened up, his eyes quickly scanning the logo on the man's uniform. Faded olive green the same as the corpses around them.
The same as the soldiers who came to check the dead in the two previous dreams.
He's from the same side as those who came to kill.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBW7pRVghTE
He's the enemy.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9ae89o4zP
Or at least, he should be.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BEs4FeOWx
Voltase pushed the thought aside. It didn't matter now. What mattered was survival. What mattered was getting out of here. What mattered was not dying again.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhB8BcsZOW
"Who are you?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLknQBDNn1O
The man's voice finally came out hoarse, weak, but still laced with wariness.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRoxEvj4end
Voltase looked at him. Those onyx eyes still stared back with uncomfortable intensity, as if trying to guess his intentions, his motives, the truth behind his words.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwkLEDay2R2
"Someone trying to survive," Voltase answered shortly. "Same as you."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5esxXgeic
The man frowned. Doubt flickered in his eyes. Distrust. But there was also something else something akin to curiosity.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJEO3tsMbJ
"You don't look like you're from our side."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLy9zvLPp66
"I'm not from their side either."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6GHICHZom
Voltase pointed to the corpses around them.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHGzxcNR96
"I'm just... someone trapped here."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4839APPQZ2
The man fell silent. His eyes continued to scrutinize Voltase, searching for lies, for deception. But Voltase wasn't lying. Not entirely.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQVKcrhw4Z
Because he was indeed trapped. Trapped in this dream, in this body, between endless death and resurrection.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEDWATbtqH
And all he wanted was to escape.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHN5qOL9iru
"We don't have much time," said Voltase, steering the man's attention away from unanswerable questions.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD96y75i45B
"They're coming. Three men. With bayonets on their rifles. check these bodies, and if they find us alive..."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgTaQUQryP
He didn't need to finish. The man already understood.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGatXyhPEv5
"How do you know?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmibhMZUYN
"I've seen it happen."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpxM56IFwT
Twice. But Voltase didn't say that.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2yMgb9o6A9
"Trust me, or die here. The choice is yours."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFJTH70WoI
The man stared at him for a long time. Too long. Voltase was almost losing patience.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9xa7Rr15M
But finally, the man nodded again.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn40xaO5n9z
"What do I need to do?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlw27lMxmwh
Voltase explained his plan quickly.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTJf8ubM9m
He retrieved two rifles from among the corpses—long rifles with bayonets attached, just like the ones the inspecting soldiers carried. tossed one to the man, who caught it with practiced ease that showed he was no amateur soldier.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7cBRaOzwcr
"Have you used one of these before?" asked Voltase.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3qzgH9xvD
The man nodded. His hands long fingered hands with calloused knuckles held the rifle comfortably, like an extension of his own body.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3vVZbdovl
"I've been fighting for years."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDE7MdSijC3
"Good. Because we'll need every skill we have."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG31hZRguCo
Voltase fixed the bayonet onto his rifle quickly. The blade long, sharp, with grooves along its sides to channel blood gleamed under the dim light of the night sky.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaClGyi5Im
"They'll come in three minutes," he said, recalling the timing from the two previous dreams.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeah59KNRp
"We'll play dead. Hide among the corpses. And when they're close enough..."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbHXIWWzFo
He pressed the tip of the bayonet with his thumb, feeling its sharpness.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡieREIMBiCR
"We strike."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUaD9rgoldO
The man stared at him with wide eyes.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEGB84ys7e
"This is insane," he said. "You know that, right?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW17UsWfJ98
"Maybe."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSJHm2KTlP
Voltase lay down on the ground, pulling two corpses over his body. The cold, stiff flesh pressed down on him with suffocating weight, and the stench nearly made him vomit.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDB5tYSc3Ol
"But it's the only way to survive."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsbZiqXhzk
He closed his eyes.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HpYiHdhJr
"Play dead. And when I move, follow."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKK0Is6gDr
The man was silent. Then, Voltase heard movement beside him the man lying down, pulling corpses over himself.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWpEaKTG8k
"I don't know who you are," said the man, his voice muffled by the dead flesh.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGQS70X3li
"But I hope you're right."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrn1KlmvU8O
"Me too."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQORsxCiObq
And then, they waited.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6mhHqKG4U
Silence returned to the battlefield. Only the wind whispering through the corpses, and the pounding of Voltase's heart in his chest.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUIPKAgz42
One.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4eEJHriGF
Two.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNddk7yu0rV
Three.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡur6UvnhSPs
He counted the seconds in his head, trying to measure time. In the two previous dreams, the soldiers always came about three minutes after he woke up.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3FLc8Fc9K
His breath caught. He could feel the weight of the corpses above him not just the ones on the surface, but the burden of all the deaths he had witnessed.
The burden of fear still settled in his chest. burden of hope beginning to grow, even though he knew it could destroy him.
And then, he heard it.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAWABO7qY2
Footsteps.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtU9GXNgF3A
Far in the distance, but growing closer.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEgTasPmOY
The sound of boots stepping on muddy ground, followed by the crunch of broken bones beneath them.
And among those steps, other sounds voices speaking in a language he didn't understand, but with familiar tones.
They were coming.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdGnBX3UZx
Voltase held his breath. His body the strong, adult body locked in invisible tension. Every muscle ready. Every sense alert.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhK5vp1xzlP
The footsteps drew closer.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYre0Rhcmc4
He could hear them talking now. Words in a foreign language perhaps German, perhaps Russian, he couldn't be certain. But some words felt familiar. Words like "check," "clean," and "dead."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiSdfPY0Xs
They were checking the corpses. Making sure no one was still alive.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdXoBSuCcW
Just like before.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIgcznyVuy
Just like the two previous times.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LYjOgyz5B
The first thrust came seconds later.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfwdz8w039
Thunk.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYl4t6JKwx
The sound of metal piercing flesh dull, wet, horrible. Voltase felt the vibration in the ground beside him, felt how the corpse nearby shuddered from the bayonet's thrust.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXYA2jRrR3
Thunk.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfKzd0BXLd
The second thrust. Closer this time. Voltase could hear the blade piercing bone, and he imagined how it would feel the dull pain, the sensation of cold metal tearing through flesh, and then darkness.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiz3e2MdTN0
Soon.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOecvrXrYV
The next thrust will come toward me.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVW0hm1oSv
He gripped his rifle tighter. His hands the large hands with calloused fingers didn't shake. Unlike his hands in the real world, which always trembled from nervousness or awkwardness.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMTKQG2PUB
This isn't my body.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7TDsRQAsq
But I know how to use it.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45BV4K8eF4
Or at least, this body knows.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡve7QN1RNWR
Footsteps stopped right beside him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYlnPTBXYf
Voltase could feel someone standing nearby could feel the weight of that body, could hear their heavy breathing, could smell the sweat and cigarette smoke clinging to their uniform.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFfawI0PUY
Now.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMiYHwLHW4
Time to move.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAEPo6EOjW
The bayonet thrust came from above, piercing the corpse on the surface.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUrzv7yn9k
Thunk.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0P2mCV09Ue
The flesh tore open above him, and Voltase felt the cold metal tip stop just above his chest only centimeters from his skin.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6YRJSTn1a
No.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGztn5ym4XK
Not this time.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUGm07ndgu
I won't die again.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAleyUWoJX
Before the bayonet could touch his body, Voltase opened his eyes.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jj23BpFj3
The world moved in an instant.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMq8crGoGo
Voltase pushed the corpses off him with strength he didn't know he possessed. The dead flesh flew aside like rag dolls, and in less than a second, he was in an attacking position.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvS5wlOJiS
The soldier above him a man with short black hair and dark eyes full of surprise had no time to react. His mouth opened to scream, but before any sound came out, the bayonet on Voltase's rifle had pierced his throat.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAHL25VckN
Crack.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1qJwQLmhW
The sound of crushed cartilage. The sound of tearing flesh. The sound of blood spraying out like a fountain.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTs6NnQudi
Voltase felt warm droplets on his face fresh blood, thick and sticky, with a sharp metallic smell.
He felt how the bayonet sliced through flesh, how the bones in the man's neck shattered under the pressure, how the body stiffened in the spasm of death.
And then, the man fell.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvwenWLO2t
Without a sound. Without a scream. Just the wet plop of his body hitting the ground.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWsG0vmqn5
Voltase stood over the corpse, breathing hard, his heart pounding fiercely in his chest.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBaj72dGMt
He killed someone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPRVY586iL
He had just killed someone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG00RpCX8ho
For the first time in his life, he had taken another person's life.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGdzLMDzML
But the feeling that came wasn't guilt. Not regret. Not even disgust.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboH7BAPa2O
What came was a coldness in his chest.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQL1yJIJ7I3
Emptiness.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Ftyu8gte3
As if a part of him had died along with that man. if he had crossed a line from which there was no return, and now, there was no going back.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIfqhoISIJ
This isn't me.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡve66GGFyOg
It's this body.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyaHfhPbzv3
It's a dream.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSxssvWcax
Not real.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNd4rVHAhDL
Not real.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfREh4084Ns
Not—
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIEDqHbeml
"Gunshot!"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzeS49WXZv
A shout from the side shattered his thoughts.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaL3IUFfhVZ
Voltase turned quickly and saw a familiar sight the blond man standing among the corpses, his rifle raised toward the second soldier who had just realized what was happening.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrwqmQnt2p
Bang!
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtv5BbfW0WH
The gunshot echoed across the silent battlefield.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPlesEtuGp
The man a soldier with brown hair and blue eyes fell backward with a gaping hole in his head. Blood and small pieces of brain sprayed into the air before his body hit the ground with a dull thud.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmF5R9rRyzY
One left.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURMdPcA2Vo
Voltase saw the third soldier a young man, probably no older than twenty standing among the corpses with an expression of frozen terror on his face.
His hands held a rifle, but he didn't move. Didn't shoot. Just stared at Voltase with eyes full of disbelief.
And then, Voltase raised his rifle.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyToPalmXHw
Trigger pull.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIMdSpjtvW
Bang!
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2w8Zn4mH7
The bullet flew from the barrel, cut through the cold night air, and entered the young man's chest.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86qs8dk06i
The man's body staggered backward, his right hand still gripping the rifle flung to the side. His blue eyes light blue, like a summer sky widened in shock, as if he couldn't believe this was happening to him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGKJ5oPaN9
He fell.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNayYNlyekQ
Slowly.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5NfvsToQzP
Like a felled tree.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9cq8g4skY
And when his body hit the ground, Voltase heard another gunshot from the side the blond man had shot the young man in the back of the head.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsmGfBDN6I
Bang!
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69igmlDD4H
The young man's head jerked forward, and then, everything stopped.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcaRNmDOOyD
Silence returned to the battlefield.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfiqj2Td5ig
Three bodies lay on the ground. Three lives taken. Three deaths in a matter of seconds.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwQNw684lc
And Voltase a twelve year old boy who had never hurt anyone in his life stood among them with fresh blood on his face and a bloody bayonet in his hand.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4UYcKAt36
Voltase collapsed.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXQdEhN4yH
His knees hit the ground hard, but he didn't feel the pain. All he felt was overwhelming exhaustion exhaustion that seeped into every bone, every muscle, every fiber of his being.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxh68Wje3o
The rifle in his hand fell with a clatter on the ground. His hands his large, strong hands began to shake. A tremor he couldn't control.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFZdw0VPSd
He killed someone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGDHQnM2fW
Two people.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJEq1iiFTl
Two lives.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQanGlaakn
Two human beings with families, dreams, hopes.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvfdlXDgd1
And he killed them.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5aZyerZ2a
The feeling the feeling that should have come earlier finally arrived.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdnzSvCeHFr
Not guilt.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7kV04O5Nq
Not regret.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLfyJs5qO6
But a deep nausea, rising from his stomach to his throat, making him want to vomit but couldn't because his stomach was empty.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQyGDrDYIW
He looked down, seeing his hands his blood-soaked hands. Fresh blood, still warm, still flowing between his fingers.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVwQun7X0Z
This is human blood.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VkkN8wMYB
Blood I just spilled.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bUw8Y1sRh
Blood can never take back.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXhDmCAo0U
He closed his eyes, but the image didn't go away. The young man's face with blue eyes his expression of shock, his open mouth, his body falling slowly to the ground all etched behind his eyelids.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMyHbOzoul
He was young.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhneSAcsthu
Maybe the same age as the blond man.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsq2nM1GZ1c
Maybe he just joined this war.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfgGofHlQ3
Maybe he didn't want to be here any more than I did.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8I8uFoKhC
But he killed him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPiDILILKk
Without hesitation, doubt and giving him a chance.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQ2o3OxNen
Why did I do it?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBs8ibbesYC
Why didn't I shoot to wound?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6zkBct08M
Why did I kill him outright?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcNFP4uZNk
The answer came quickly and coldly.
Because if I hadn't, he would have killed me.
That was the logic of the battlefield and survival. logic that knew no mercy, no morality, nothing except one rule: Kill or be killed.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrVE5zZzQ9
And Voltase, for the first time, understood.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGupWmoQdMg
Understood why the soldiers in the previous dreams had been so cruel.
Why they checked the corpses with bayonets.
Why they gave no quarter.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF90OnBDOjG
Because here, in this hell, there was no room for mercy.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGVEAPMLe1
Only death, and those who managed to avoid it.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrHf0oKiLP
Footsteps beside him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrBIrWv2m6
Voltase looked up and saw the blond man standing nearby. His face was pale, his eyes dark, and in his hand, he held a pistol a small pistol he'd taken from one of the corpses.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk95yBqVx3E
He stared at Voltase with an unreadable expression a mixture of admiration, fear, and perhaps, respect.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJsvRpFhKC
"Are you okay?" he asked.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YQ0vWr0cd
Voltase wanted to say no. Wanted to scream that he wasn't okay, that he'd just killed two people, that he felt like he was going to die.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHRTfUhOQ9
But what came out of his mouth was only
"I'm... fine."
The man nodded. He walked past Voltase, toward the body of the young man with blue eyes. With efficient movements movements that showed years of battlefield experience he rolled the body over and began searching its pockets.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHM42blf3V9
"What are you doing?" asked Voltase, his voice still hoarse.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuShvnRIBc
"Looking for anything useful," the man answered without turning. "Bullets, food, water, information. Everything is valuable here."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YvPVJxoRN
Voltase watched him for a moment, trying to process that logic. Then, slowly, he stood up. His legs still felt weak, but he forced himself to stay upright.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4AZenumAz
"Should I...?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhj2GFOedym
"If you want. But if I were you, I'd check the body closest to you. It's yours, you killed him."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrliyHxbJ7
Voltase stared at the corpse beside him the man with short black hair and dark eyes, still lying there with the bayonet in his throat.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16pJONAa3h
Mine.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcTjuYZwQJ
The word felt strange in his mind. As if the corpse were property, not a person.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5uXvwkbO1
But he understood what the man meant. Here, on this battlefield, death was the most valuable currency. And the dead no longer needed anything they carried.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdERHMQKRv
With stiff movements, Voltase knelt beside the corpse. His hands still tremblingbbegan searching the uniform's pockets.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvCXBwwgCX
He found a pack of cigarettes. A box of matches. And a kit bar emergency rations wrapped in brown plastic.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNIM30OPte
The kit bar caught his attention.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5rT8PE01C
He hadn't eaten.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0TilVe8Dz
When was the last time he ate?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvi8W3WTwc
In the real world, he'd had lunch in the cafeteria with Marie. But here, in this dream... he couldn't remember the last time food touched his lips. the last time he didn't feel hungry.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWaT2MsMf3f
His stomach growled loudly, and Voltase realized just how hungry he was.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFQprw2ugP
But I can't eat here. Among the corpses. With the smell of blood and death all around.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuuDUj4uBU
I'll throw up.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJSo6DTxwX
But his stomach kept complaining, and the hunger grew more unbearable.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2Rv5aNjWz
He stared at the kit bar in his hand brown plastic with faded lettering. This food might be months or even years old. But here, in this hell, food was still food.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsX9t4rloR
You have to eat.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00jbJn4Tf5
Your body needs energy.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOUXAz6Mpt
If you don't, you won't survive.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUEuUgZ6du
With still trembling hands, Voltase began to tear open the plastic wrapping.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJrVlsK5ld
The rustle of plastic caught the blond man's attention.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcy48GDqaY
He turned, his eyes immediately landing on the kit bar in Voltase's hand. For a moment, there was a flash in his eyes a flash that looked like hunger he couldn't hide.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhoIhZNZNOD
And then, his stomach growled.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjnDsksXAP
Loudly.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKboCfZmYUk
Embarrassingly.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1Y6H9koHs
The man patted his stomach with an awkward expression, and Voltase almost smiled. Almost.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQRP5SCWaG
"Are you hungry?" asked Voltase, even though he already knew the answer.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLRiPV0mYS
The man nodded, no longer able to hide his hunger.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQILjUyxMyp
"It's been days," he said, his voice soft. "Since... since I got trapped here."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmnnS8iEOL
Voltase stared at the kit bar in his hand. Only one package. Not enough for two people. But—
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmPJ5IWcyh
He broke it in half.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RrWLS9MLL
Half for him. Half for the man.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSkipLvD5O
He held out the piece of kit bar.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQspqN6s2id
"Here."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYTiAjQw3J
The man stared at him with wide eyes. Doubt flickered in his gaze mixed with curiosity.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSG3wGqksx7
"For me?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFFG3TxCkT
"We're both hungry. We both need energy."
"Fair enough"
The man hesitated for a moment. Then, slowly, he took the piece of kit bar from Voltase's hand.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6OZp2m9gT
"Thank you," he said, his voice almost a whisper.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk36jjlPXM4
He ate the kit bar slowly, carefully, making sure no crumbs fell to the ground. Each bite seemed like treasure, and the expression on his face almost like happiness made Voltase feel slightly better.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKFHs5KMmz
Voltase stared at the piece of kit bar in his own hand.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCccgO4C5IE
Now my turn.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMfqOU57Rl7
He brought the kit bar to his mouth, but before he could bite, the fishy stench of the battlefield invaded his nostrils.
The smell of blood, corpse, and death.
Nausea returned.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6K84vNb9dy
He lowered the kit bar, trying to steady his breathing. His stomach growled, but his mind refused to eat in a place like this.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2tNfRv0Wb
You have to eat.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4dVNOjuIp
Your body needs energy.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPAKmbWsi5k
If you don't, you won't survive.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJOVrSY8Xs
You'll die here.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1ZJQntn6B
And if you die here, maybe you'll die forever.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemcQQ9jsAl
With renewed resolve, Voltase shoved the entire piece of kit bar into his mouth.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqlxkjY4MT
It tasted terrible.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzc1WtsqDbI
Stale hard bread, coated with cheap chocolate that tasted like wax. But beneath that taste, there was something worse the scent of the battlefield seeping into every bite, making him almost vomit.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHTDrfycbC
He chewed painfully, fighting the nausea rising from his stomach. His hands still trembling covered his mouth, trying to hold back whatever wanted to come out.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80vSrachfE
Don't throw up.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAlI4rynk6
Don't throw up.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpWvSggTKG
You need this food.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SBbIpSWxP
You need the energy.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhUYhyJIhz
He swallowed with difficulty, feeling the kit bar drop into his empty stomach like a stone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczyrGXzd5W
And then, he almost cried.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdqhWbzEmb
Because of the death he'd witnessed, death he'd caused, the hell he couldn't escape. Of the dream he couldn't wake from.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Syma9E05Z
He wanted to go home. Wanted to return to his small, cold dormitory room. Wanted to hear Marie's cheerful voice. Wanted to feel safe.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7VByluAvlt
But he couldn't.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oIRzMEQbp
He was trapped here. Among the corpses. Among blood and death. Between two worlds that were never supposed to meet.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAdLjxzE7m
And he didn't know if he would ever escape.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsRQe6gF4P
A bottle of water was held out in front of him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvUE4vGupT
Voltase looked up and saw the blond man standing before him with a water bottle in his hand. His face pale and exhausted held an expression almost like concern.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZ12ss1umb
"Drink," he said. "You look like you're about to pass out."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNDu6ev5IW
Voltase accepted the bottle with trembling hands. He unscrewed the cap and drank greedily so greedily that some water spilled down his chin.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDFh5EUGn5
The water was cold and refreshing, and for a moment, he felt a little better.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRm6kxMs3z
"Pretty bad, isn't it?" said the man, sitting down beside him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcWxdTOatH
Voltase stared at him. The man with his tangled blond hair, pale face, and dark onyx eyes looked younger than he remembered. Perhaps still in his early twenties. even younger.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1oUES8dYh
"What?" asked Voltase, confused.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPm1GU6sZ2
"The food. Tastes like garbage, right?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46yE0kjvY7
The man smiled a faint smile barely visible, but enough to soften the lines on his face slightly.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFQPHEeNTY
"I'm used to it. But every time, it still tastes the same."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGshRNrbAe
Voltase didn't know what to say. So he just nodded.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlLX6Zvibb
The man sighed. He stared at the dark night sky a sky without stars, without a moon, without anything except endless darkness.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrmFGFO8X8
"I don't know who you are," he said finally. "But I'm grateful. Because you saved me."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQNMZd7Y2q
He turned to Voltase, and for the first time, his eyes those dark onyx eyes seemed a little warmer.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqR3BkI5PM
"We haven't introduced ourselves."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUrGHn2D7K
He extended his hand.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ELGSvwT6k
"Hello, my name is Kwan Won Shik. Call me Won."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMbEYlW5Xz
Voltase stared at the outstretched hand. That hand with long fingers and calloused knuckles looked strong, but also weary. Like someone who had held on for too long.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xj7v3YnxN
He took the hand, feeling a firm but not painful grip.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cmjlMZ7RI
"Natt," he said, without thinking. "Call me Natt."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOFPQ6wYfH
Won raised an eyebrow.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyWGCYAf7H
"Natt?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBum4PUDEd
"Yeah. Natt."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLJyzE5Ajw
"Strange. But okay."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKihSqrc1yY
Won released his grip, and for a while, they just sat in silence among the corpses. The night wind rustled around them, carrying the scent of death they no longer noticed.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWlo3u0CEf
"What happened to you?" Won finally asked. "How did you end up here?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8lOShhE9l
Voltase fell silent. He didn't know how to answer that question.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hclJOAq9E
"I... don't know," he said finally. "I just... suddenly found myself here. Don't remember how or why."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EzVjZHZBT
Won nodded, as if understanding.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu72GEhU7RC
"Me too," he said. "I don't remember much. Just... battle. Blood. Death. And then, I was lying among these corpses."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcG6uQF5oju
He stared at his own hands also blood soaked.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHfTski9bC
"I don't even remember how I got here."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ412DmSfhLy
They sat in silence again, each lost in their own thoughts.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhpqe3NYt4
And then, Won stood up.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3EmDBfyxU
"We have to go," he said. "It's not safe here. They might send more people to check."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsHdQ6FwSt
He extended his hand to Voltase.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaniMeFXqGc
"Come on."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNouh59aWrw
Voltase took the hand, and Won pulled him to his feet.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalLqDCsG1e
"Where are we going?" asked Voltase.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡco7GgjINlT
"I don't know. Away from here. Wherever is safer."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTtKYDzyef
Won began walking, and Voltase followed. They walked past piles of corpses, past puddles of blood starting to dry, past the remnants of a battle they had never witnessed.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKFztJbRME
In the distance, fog began to descend thick fog that hid whatever lay ahead.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVa2F6uAMv3
"Have you been here before?" asked Won, without turning.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcT5F4bo3JK
"Yeah. No. I don't know."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIGyt3VCQy
Voltase shook his head, frustrated by the blurriness of his mind.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApJSLnSAcE
"I feel like I've seen this place before. But I can't remember when or how."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xu9lRxFrT
Won stopped. He turned around, staring at Voltase with sharp eyes.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsi5AFwLDd
"Me too," he said. "I feel like I've seen you before."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMyuyy71mT6
Voltase stared back, and for a moment, something stirred in his chest something akin to recognition.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehbkYJUXTo
"Maybe we met in another life," he said, half-joking.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEERT52uKf
But Won didn't laugh. He just stared at Voltase seriously.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolZrg6VFUQ
"Maybe," he said. "Maybe we met in another life."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEtWSk37mE
They walked for hours or perhaps just minutes. Voltase couldn't measure time here. Time felt different on this battlefield.
Slower. Heavier. As if every second was a burden he had to carry.
Won talked a lot during the journey. He told Voltase about his family about his mother who died when he was young, his father who became a soldier, and his younger sister still waiting for him at home.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZ8XBVaJpK
"I promised I'd come back," he said, his voice filled with longing. "I promised I'd finish this war and go home. But..."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPemD0rThj0
He laughed softly a bitter laugh.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyIzIRcj2N6
"But it seems that promise will never come true."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIodEXilpaN
Voltase listened without saying much. He didn't know what to say. No words could comfort someone trapped in a hell like this.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyoZxzx8USs
But he kept listening. Because it was the only thing he could do.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQaJ2H6tNh
Finally, exhaustion began to overtake him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gSmKdsefZ
His eyes grew heavy. steps started to falter. The world around him began to spin.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1Am7USevg
"Hey, Natt."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgB7aH4ow75
Won's voice from a distance.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyehBMc5xL
"Are you okay?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrKxXHPK92
Voltase wanted to answer, but the words wouldn't come.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxIgBy44Ea
He fell.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUDy7gVZOy
His knees hit the ground hard, and for a moment, he couldn't move. His body felt like lead heavy, stiff, refusing to cooperate.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYMakWuPuE
"Natt!"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ53EwI4pG3g
Won knelt beside him, his hands grabbing Voltase's shoulders.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZT342eLvch
"Hey, hold on. Don't pass out."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIoJJ1klGQ
Voltase tried to open his eyes, but his vision was blurry. Won's face pale with onyx eyes swam before him like a mirage.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczJbFCsfFo
"I'm... tired," he whispered. "I'm just... tired."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPa1HjvlmM
Won gripped his shoulders tighter.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnn41FQ5Sq
"You can't pass out here, Natt. You have to hold on."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxrVivd2Ld
"I'm... trying..."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ejaqqImRX
And then, the world went dark.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JUzJ2VzPa
03:15 AM.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHvrosOmBX
Voltase woke with a jolt.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmz1FX0Tc6
His eyes snapped open, his chest rising and falling rapidly, and for a moment, he didn't know where he was.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlULNDCXGKE
A white ceiling with hairline cracks.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlh2DXsaxhv
Curtains drawn tightly.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNCcMw2zb3
The dim glow of streetlights outside the window.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpvU4mTx8h
Dormitory room.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8tZnCnCy4
The real world.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9JsEfD6UW
He was back.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi61N5ce668
He sat up in bed, his hand reaching for his chest feeling his heart pounding fiercely beneath his unblemished skin. No wounds. No blood. No pain.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6meqD0pZr
But there was something else.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89gXimbozP
A strange feeling in his chest.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNess92CEHm
Not pain. Not fear. But something deeper something he couldn't name.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGlge7bQxR
He survived.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShsxyWDU9I
For the first time, he survived that dream.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShPYyfMa0D
He didn't die.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5EUZCRDC7P
He closed his eyes, trying to remember the details of the dream. Faces. Voices. Feelings.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqVFw8qyDx
But everything was beginning to fade.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknfzfxYTos
Like fog slowly dissipating under the morning sun.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmXDMBUnvM
He remembered the corpses. The blood, pungent, fishy stench.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNsmC6HLC0
The fight how he killed two people with his own hands.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNix49CmCYh
Terrible taste of the kit bar in his mouth.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVNxjUcMaB
He remembered...
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPG0wKrLLT
remembered...
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEk2DMhdM9Q
What was his name?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOQsTQFVeV
Voltase frowned, trying to remember.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAAqLLXSXJk
The blond man.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVID92qGBjc
The man he saved.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy17Y8xJGUk
The man who talked to him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqlbOfucey
The man who...
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs29jfQhuvu
But his memories were blurry. The harder he tried to remember, the faster they faded.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FsOPto86O
He remembered there was someone, talking to someone, walking with someone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCO1Naranpb
But his face... his face was gone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KaoPGuH8C
Like a photograph fading in the sun.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyxePhLNq5
He only remembered his smile. Only the lower part of his face. Thin lips curving slightly upward. A firm jaw.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjv94UW9SH
But the upper part...
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDOTF5QHAB
Eyes. Hair. Eyebrows.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPY3GaF9sS8
All gone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGteIs6z0m
Swallowed by fog he couldn't penetrate.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXo53v6plOw
Voltase sighed in frustration. He clenched his fists his small, delicate fists, not the large hands with a scar on the left arm.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabiMgz2Zst
Why can't I remember him?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEdTDwECol
Why do I remember everything except his face?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZpFhmKp1h
But even as he asked, he knew the answer.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUYfZsFii3
Because it was just a dream.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnlDAWPFrU
Just a dream that fades like all other dreams.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1WXkLfP5s
Nothing in it is real.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdYmOzYhpI
Nothing matters.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflc9FKyMhF
But there was a part of him that knew that wasn't true. He was too tired to think about it.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdvoSRKPJ2
He lay back in bed, staring at the cracked ceiling.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tGgZo2c2e
His phone on the nightstand he checked the time on the cracked screen.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQ9q5fEfrv
03:15 AM.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofOCb6gQQJ
Still night.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vcErvXkAk
He could still sleep.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6Qu8yHer5
He closed his eyes, trying to rest his weary mind.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT4vSJURcI1
But even with his eyes closed, images from the dream kept appearing behind his eyelids.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIMGC29rAS
Warm blood splattering across his face.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15akGC5qfW
Blue eyes frozen in shock.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUKTUaPIDO
Corpses scattered around him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4sG8JpnUl
And the feeling the feeling he couldn't forget as his bayonet pierced the man's throat.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQFixJyfPy
He killed someone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsMefUvugJ
Two people.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBaBesVcND
Two lives.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmrqbTNnRS
Two human beings.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHuBDBLzpQ
And he didn't feel guilty.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tYwP2r61P
That was the most terrifying part.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFxwvoKpq2
But the fact that he felt nothing. The fact that he could kill without regret.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXRJ1Gvzyo
Who am I?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaE6YIHrwWX
The question surfaced in his mind, but he had no answer.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQetMd038Lm
Who am I in that dream?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAfEjGLfUQ
Who am I who can kill without guilt?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehjblW8dne
Who am I who feels cold and empty after taking another's life?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAfcRS1ENk
No answers.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKAK2Jn5rK
Only darkness.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIELuR9JgrL
He finally fell asleep again.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEfNs1F3uy
No dreams this time. Only empty, peaceful darkness.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDOh5ljdW5
But even in his sleep, there was a faint feeling that this wasn't over.
ns216.73.216.217da2 
and then Add to home screen.