The soldier cocked his rifle, and replaced his mag. The rest of the cars started. He looked at the young man who shot some of his friends to death. Unable to resist, he shot the dead man twice in the chest, before placing his rifle aside.

“Calm man,” one of the old soldiers said.

“Fuck your calm, bastard killed three of us!”

“And? For a civilian, he wasn’t afraid to get his buddies safety. We’re after their life, it's only fair. I do share the sentiment, lad.”

The soldier didn’t reply. He looked at the road where the vehicle, the magiborne, and the VIP went. “You think they can catch them?”

“Magiborne is going to make it hard. If we had nailed the driver, the truck, we could have got them. Our allies want her delivered.”

The soldier eyed the city. “Knia’s burning, all those people.”

The old soldier pulled his hat down. “Perish that thought, we got to make sacrifices, and put our foot down now, lad. Once this is over, we’ll put our rifles down, that way, no one goes to that place ever again.”

The soldier nodded. He looked at the corpse of the young man. “What should we do with this?”

The soldier eyed the young man. “He was just defending his friends, lad. No need to mock the dead more than it should be.”

The soldier nodded. “I’ll have him wrapped.”

“I’ll help you.”

The old soldier went to get a body bag while the soldier took the rifle from the young man’s hand, and the bolt-action slung across his shoulder. He then dragged the corpse to the side while waiting for the old soldier. The old soldier returned with the body bag, and helped the soldier place the corpse inside of it.

The two then carried the body. “Poor fool, got involved in this mess.”

The soldier didn’t reply. He saw the hateful look on the others, but seeing the look on the soldier, they let it go. These guys were professionals, and even though they lost their brothers just now. It was part of the cruelties that they must prepare.

If they want liberty, and the choice to go back home. Then they would have to act on it. No more meddling from foreigners and powerful companies. Just the people doing their best to make sure that no other soldiers are turned into butchers, forcing people on pens, and in camps, treating their fellow humans like cattle. They might be eager to kill demikins, but they were not butchers. Even they had enough of all the killing and the fighting.

Far from home, always losing brothers and sisters. Having to watch their friends just die for the sake of these bastards who have nothing in their mind other than profit and the resources.

They were one of the few military bases who were involved in this siege. Their Commander, their leader, a Magiborne named Elric had called out to them.

They had fought enough. Perhaps, they are doing something wrong here either. Facing their own people, creating chaos in their oldest capital, but it had to be done. If they wouldn’t listen to their petition, then they would have to listen to their roar.

If those roars couldn’t be heard, then the sound of gunfire should have alarmed them. Although there have been exchanges, and firefights all over the city. Most of them came from places where their brothers were making a show. The rest of the firefights, where blood was being spilled, was to remove the roots of the problem. They intended to remove the officers, the personnel who wanted to continue the war on the Easternside.

Not everyone of those people are in the city, but most of them should at least be around. They only need four or five of them in order to make a demand. The summit leaders were for the other countries to negotiate, and consider their investment. They know that they are ruining some of the honor of their country, and if doing this means that they wouldn’t have to be butchers, then they would gladly pay this single price.

Some may call it absurd and crazy. But if those they protect refuse to listen, then it’s their duty to pull them by the ears, and even punish them to make them listen.

The soldier didn’t want to think of the citizens that they had to involve in all of this. Although most of them were acts, and perhaps there are many who’ve gotten involved in their reckless plan. Then it was a small price to pay compared to the bigger plan that they were going to do.

A civil war that could change the Holmian states. If anything, this plan was the lesser evil compared to the bloodbath they were going to do.

Sacrifice one city, instead of burning their nation. The soldier had no clue what their leaders were thinking, but he at least knew that this would solve some of the problems that they had.

That this was a reminder that they are playing with the lives of soldiers who didn’t want to fight any longer. Still, the soldier wanted to ask if this would go as perfectly as they thought they would.

The two of them took the body to the base’s mortuary. It was one of the places where their dead were placed. One of the officers looked at the body, then checked the body before placing it on one of the tables.

The soldier turned towards the door, following the old soldier when they heard the officer shout and choked. The soldier turned to the commotion and saw something unbelievable.

The bastard that they shot to death. The guy who ‘sacrificed’ himself to save his buddies stood in front of them and was holding the officer by the neck.

The ‘bullets’ that they shot him were coming out of his wounds, dropping on the ground. “Don’t move,” the man said, his voice deathly cold.

“I’ll snap this man’s neck if you ever try anything.”

“Drop your weapons, and tell me where the hell I am.”

The soldier slightly lifted his rifle when he felt his world turned upside down. The officer, thrown at him groaned, the soldier who tried to fire was grabbed, and the assault rifle he held dismantled like it was a kid’s toy. The young soldier tried to push the officer away, and fired his rifle when he heard the sound of metal shattering under that young man’s feet.

Bloody red eyes stared at him. He tried to draw his second, when the young man knocked the officer with one slap, and then lifted him as easily.

“A fucking magiborne?”

“Magiborne?” There was a legit confusion on him. Then the dead man held his head, and clarity returned to his eyes. “I see...tell me what year is this before I break every bone in your body for shooting me.”

“It’s 1980…”

“57 years, huh, that’s seven years too late,” he clicked his tongue. “I hear noises outside. What’s happening?”

“I,” the soldier, wanted to curse the man, but there was an oppressive tone of voice and aura. It felt like he was in front of one of those giant predators. Not to mention that he saw how clearly. He heard that most of the magiborne have white hair and red eyes, but this man didn’t have that signature hair, and his hair had a reddish tint to it.

Not to mention that his eyes were not complete blood red, it was like piercing blue eyes were mixed with red.

“You aren’t answering. I admire loyalty, resolve, but I am not in the mood to be pleasant.”

The man grabbed his other hand, and slowly put force into it. “I can give you time to think about it.”

The soldier hurriedly explained, standing on his tiptoes, fearfully explaining everything. He had wished that the two would wake up or others would, but they didn’t.

The man took in what he had heard, and then asked another question. “This is Knia City in Holmia, in the year 1980?”

“That's right.”

“And that there is a group who are asking for freedom from attacking the Easternside and continuing their control over?”

“Yes!”

The man had been holding him for a while and he showed no sign of tiredness, as if he didn’t matter despite being in full gear with almost forty kilograms of equipment.

“I see. It looks...things have gone awry...this was a gamble in the first place.”

The person looked at him. That stony look on his face remained steadfast, unflinching, and rather cruel. It made the soldier squirm, and he felt like he was losing control of his limbs.

“That should be enough...I can get a gist of what’s happening, but to think that I would end up in a situation like this.”

He eyed the three people inside the mortuary.

If he had felt fear before, then right now the soldier only felt despair.

Of all the people that they had to shoot down.

It had to be someone who immediately became ghost and haunted them!

karsev

Thank you to those who are reading!