Gael Jag waited alongside the others.

His hands were sweating, he saw the Wraith, and he looked like he was unworried. His eyes were placid, and he was looking far away.

The Owner who was talking to the Soldier guarding the bridge had stopped the carriage from its track. Gael Jag could feel the barrel of the gun pointed at them, the hair of his skin rose.

“Are these the supplies?”

“Yes, we are here to deliver it, here are the papers.”

“I see that we’ll conduct our inspection, and after that, you will all leave this carriage and return far away from this place.”
“Tsk, this is our land, you have no right to say.”

“Maybe I don’t, but if you want to die so badly then go ahead. Just don’t interfere with the battle, and you might live.”

His words were arrogant, but even Gael Jag could understand that. Even inside this carriage, he could see the draconian army filling the sky with their wyverns, every single one of them was carrying weapons forged from the fires of the volcano that could be seen from where the carriage was standing.

“The mouth of the world,” Gael Jag said.

The mouth of the world was located near the ancient tree that even the lavas of that volcano could not burn. It was said that the people of the Cascade once offered their bounties to the Draconian people, hoping, that they would safely allow them to stay in this nation of islands. It was at their mercy that the islands closest to the equator could survive, and it was their mercy that allowed them to live peacefully.

“The dragons were the ancients, and that War Maiden wants something from them?” Gael Jag thought. Indeed, the Lord of All Dragons, and the Ancient One that has once ruled this world was none other than Draedan, the Dragon that would walk on oceans, leaner of mountains, and the one that sits on the mountains with ease. How can the War Maiden possibly defeat that after defeating Kaiser?”

“I said move, Cascadian, this is no place for you to linger!”

“We are here to do our jobs damn it! You broke the backs of our nation! First, you kill our people, second, you take our nation, and now you don’t even want us to do our living? Screw you all-“

He stopped talking when gunfire sounded out.

“Soldier, I told you that this is a battlefield, and really, is this all you can do? First, you forgot to surrender, second, you intend to trick us with this lousy scheme. Do you think that you can easily trick us? Do we look like mindless drones to all of you?”

Gunfire rang out from every direction. The ones hiding in the carriages took the cover, they mounted their rifles on the side, and fired back. Gael Jag ran out, he pounced at the man who shot the Owner, drew his blade, and slit the throat of the man. He pulled his knife back and leaped back to cover. His eyes turn back to where the carriage was. The Wraith that was just sitting around was gone.

“He decided to move huh?” He thought.

“Come! Rush in now!”

An explosion rang out, and under the cover of the smoke. Gael Jag sprinted and slid through one of the tents. He then took cover, he pulled his six-shooter, took a long breathe, and decided to dash outside of the tent. It was then that he saw the flares that dotted the sky. Like day fireflies, they became straight lines made of light, piercing the landscape.

He heard the fire of the artillery cannons, the scream of the soldiers of the Alician as they face the draconian people. He heard the arias that seem to be a song composed of a million choruses, the skies became a painting for lines and shapes; every single one of them encompassing the area. He saw the wielders of the Alician Family, their swords at hand, their power bursting forth as they face the unkind enemy.

Humans fighting against dragons, a tale that he heard as a child. In front of him was the battle…of what exactly?

He forgot to breathe.

No, he couldn’t breathe with the gunshot wound in his chest.

The light dazzled him that he didn’t realize that they entered the war zone that was beyond them.

What were they thinking of entering the realm where only those who knew could exist?

Gael Jag despaired.

Gael Jag’s heartbeat whimpered, it slowed down as the colors of the world seems to vanish.

He landed flat on his back. He looked at the sky, whimpering, shaking, eyes tearing up as the sounds were slowly drowning out. He was having a hard time breathing, and his eyes slowly losing its light.

“Looks like you can’t reach this place, huh,” a voice said.

Gael Jag peeked. He saw the usually stolid-faced Wraith looking at him with his eyes frowning.

“It’s always like this, when faced with those who are strong, we Bleak Walkers never go far. We are always pawns, tools that are used until our deaths, we are always at the mercy of those who are stronger than us. Still, we walked this Bleak path because it was the only path for us. It’ always like this, the young dies, and they despair, knowing that their goals are unreached.”

The Wraith kneeled before Gael Jag, his hands holding Gael Jag.

“Do not worry, Brother, soon, you can rest well, and let me handle this. I advised you once, but it seems that didn’t stop you.”

Gael Jag weakly held on, his eyes bloodshot, struggling to breathe, he said lastly:

“Please don’t leave me…alone.”

“I’ll see you out, Brother.”

Gael Jag held on tightly to the cold hands of the Wraith. The Sigil that was on his eyes didn’t last long, and soon, it crawled to the eyes of the Wraith. He slept, his eyes tightly closed.

“You are rested now,” the Wraith said, picking up his body. His figure blinking just outside the place of chaos. He placed Gael Jag on the ground, joined his hands on his stomach and bowed his head as if he was apologizing. He looked up to where the clash was, there was a skin merging on to his body.

The Wraith disappeared, and Gael Jag as well.