A puddle of black blood sprayed as it’s body fell to the ground—

“!!!”

“ZhenKai and Daiki take my two flanks. ChaiWen, my six o’clock.”

Deep Ones. A half-fish-half-humanoid monster.

Nobody was hallucinating. Two girls were missing, and there were sentient-class demonica around.

“We’ll gear up properly and leave towards where we came.”

I shot the tents and stomped them down. Fortunately nothing was hiding inside.

We did a clean sweep of the campsite. I slugged my PRANA-type AWP over my shoulder and hooked on a few PP-grenades over my belt.

ZhenKai open fired.

“What?!”

I turned towards the forest and pulled the trigger.

Bloodeaters swarmed out of the trees.

“WAIT?!!!”

And very swiftly they moved in to close in.

“What do we…!”

I shot the nearest PP-grenade.

The wave of prana, blew my consciousness away for a split second. My body felt incredibly heavy right after. The Bloodeaters had temporarily lost their ability to fly and flopped to the ground.

“D-Damn it.”

“No. No way this…”

As I shot and stomped every last Bloodeater on the ground.

“We’re moving.”

“““Understood!”””

“A nod would be enough. Save your breath.”

We advanced quickly. Unnatural gunshots rang out in the distance.

“What…”

“We’ll head in that direction.”

I had no idea if it was Sergeant Pang or someone else. But since it continued in the general direction of the fracture site we were supposed to regroup at, trying to save whoever was in trouble was the first objective we had.

We quickened our pace towards the last position where we heard gunfire—the depths of the thick coral forest.

At an uphill incline, we found ourselves engaging a swarm of Deep Ones. Their disgusting bodies illuminated by the morning light, razor sharp teeth lifted into a grin as large beady red eyes widened into a smile. There were almost a dozen of them, all holding sharpened sticks.

“Split up!!”

We took cover between the trees and opened fire.

The Deep Ones weren’t stupid to let themselves be shot either. They slipped through the gaps of the trees and flanked us.

I shot an imminent Deep One who was aiming for Daiki-ssi. Its head burst like a watermelon.

And another who approached Mr. ChaiWen… he dodged its spear and sliced its stomach open with a swing of his bayonet before I could do anything.

We managed to kill four Deep Ones, the rest fled. But… the respite only lasted for a short while.

“AAHHHH!!!!”

“ZhenKai!!”

Corrupted Venom Eels and Galvanic Crabs took their place, ambushing us from above.

.- ▫☆\*: .｡ _ ▫.｡.:*☆▫.-⌎

Lin ZhenKai was a man of few words. He often kept his thoughts to himself, speaking only what was necessary.

Actually, I bumped into him once even before we officially met. On the way here when I was stepping down from the airship, I remembered that he offered to carry my luggage. It was unnecessarily sweet of him. He was a reliable person even before we became squadmates.

◜\⌝▫◆▫.

“Guys. I think it’s over for me.”

ZhenKai said, finger brushing over his neck. There was blood.

“I won’t make it.”

He got bit by the Venom Eels. The expressions of both Daiki-ssi and Mr. ChaiWen darkened.

I quickly opened up whatever medical kit we had, hoping that I’d find antivenom or something similar but…

“It’s too late.”

Many more crabs and eels were approaching.

ZhenKai leaned against one of the trees, clammy sweat on his skin with heavy breaths. He raised his gun and continued to fight.

I knew as much as he did—we couldn’t save him.

“Cadet Lin ZhenKai.”

I’m sorry. I raised my rifle.

“Despite our short encounter, it was an honour working with you. "

“Thank… you.”

The venom only took a few minutes to take effect. By the time the wave of demonica ended, he was already gone.

.- ▫☆\*: .｡ _ ▫.｡.:*☆▫.-⌎

Sometimes I wonder why Kim HaeLi joined the military. She was witty, silly, outspoken, unabashed, and sexy. She said she admired her elder sister for her achievements in the field, but was her intention really that pure? Admiration could only push one so far.

I wish I could’ve asked her more about it.

I wish I could’ve seen her rise to the top.

She would’ve looked so good in a general’s uniform.

◜\⌝▫◆▫.

We finally reached the clearing. Low coral plants and flowers covered the plateau which reached the cliff’s drop. And… above the plains was a small Cloud Hive.

Waiting. Taunting.

Laying in the middle of the open field was a girl still breathing. Blood poured on the white flowers.

Kim HaeLi.

I couldn’t hear her voice, but I could read her lips.

Run.

¸☆▫.-⌎.- ▫☆\*: .｡ _ ▫.｡.:*

Kim Daiki was more of a spoiled brat kind of guy. He took things lightly and liked to crack jokes to liven the mood. He and HaeLi were similar in nature. Both were naive, extroverted greenhorns that were excited to learn and grow.

If only their last names were different.

I would’ve shipped them.

They look good together.

◜\⌝▫◆▫.

Daiki lost his mind and ran towards HaeLi.

Deep Ones, Bloodswarms, Corrupted Venom Eels, Jellyfish, Sharks, Thunder Rays—demonica split out of the Hive and attacked.

Even a PP-grenade wouldn’t be enough to stop this one.

Daiki, you idiot.

I grabbed Mr. ChaiWen’s shoulder.

“We’re leaving!”

“But Kim Daiki—!”

“He’s dead!”

I know it’s morally incorrect.

I know it hurts to admit.

But this was what the Hive wanted.

We can’t listen to the siren song.

We had to leave…

ChaiWen pushed my hand away, and defied my orders he charged in.

“Liu ChaiWen?!”

“Daiki! Get back here!”

Yet, despite my efforts, we all fell for its bloody serenade.

-☆▫.-▫.｡.:* ▫⌎.☆\*: .｡ ▫.-

The person who left the strongest impression on me was without a doubt Liu ChaiWen.

As I had mentioned, he had good looks and a killer charm. While I wouldn’t say I’d fall for him, I admire his zeal and passion.

Behind his exuberant personality, he was probably the only one in the squad who took his dreams seriously.

I wish he hadn’t done what he did.

◜\⌝▫◆▫.

“EunHa-nim… I think this is the end. Hahaha.”

“No… rest, you’ll be alright.”

“I’m sorry. It’s my fault that I put you in so much trouble.”

ChaiWen stumbled and hurt his leg while we were escaping, pained groans leaked from his lips. Seeking shelter behind a rock, we were forced to a temporary halt.

We were the only two left alive.

ZhenKai was bitten in the neck by the eels during the first ambush. His death came by the venom that coagulates blood in his veins.

HaeLi died from blood loss, having served as live bait to lure us in.

Daiki was skewered into the ground by a Deep One that attacked from above.

And ChaiWen…

“EunHa. Leave me.”

“No. I’ll carry you.”

“EunHa!”

“I’m trying to save you!”

I was going to lift him on my back when he finally revealed his leg which he had been hiding. The skin was severely swollen, black veins protruding—spreading.

“I was hit.”

By a small box jellyfish. He admitted with a pained smile. The poison was… advancing.

Death was a common thing on the battlefield. This fact was obvious.

“I can’t… I can’t just leave a comrade behind…”

I know it’s something I should get used to. It should be easy to tell what I should do in this situation. So why…

Why?!

“UGHH!!”

BANG!

I aimed up and pulled the trigger. It pierced a Deep One who tried to sneak up from above.

Its corpse fell no more than ten metres away from us. Our position had been compromised.

“ChaiWen! Remember your dreams! Remember what you’re fighting for! You wanted to be an admiral, remember?! Don’t give it up! Don’t you give up! You have to live! You must live!”

A will to live.

Everyone had a reason for living…

“So you actually remembered…”

He squinted his eyes. A tear drew a line down his cheeks.

“Thank you.”

Get a hold of yourself!

“ChaiWen!!”

He slumped to the ground.

“…Please!”

I grabbed his shoulders.

Tight.

ChaiWen!

Liu ChaiWen…!

Wake up!

WAKE UP!!

-☆▫.-▫.｡.:* ▫⌎.☆\*: .｡ ▫.-

It was a failure of decision making, a failure to hold command and order. They entrusted their lives to me, I foolishly let them die just like that.

Just like last time, just like this time, my blunder had killed everyone. Why was I even still alive?

“What happened to the rest?”

Sergeant Pang asked, his expression grave.

I lowered my head. His hand flinched.

“It was my failure. I’m sorry, I…”

“Eun… Ha, it’s not your fault.”

Ayumi squinted her eyes at me.

“HaeLi-ssi too… sacrificed herself… for us.”

She held my hands weakly. Her eyes trembled.

“…We will take the path towards the main road. The scouts have already reached the terminal point. We only need to find them there.”

Sergeant Pang said.

I wanted to ask why… why when I had already warned him about the looming danger that the scouts didn’t perform their duties during the night.

“If they’re gone as you said… then there is no reason to wait any longer.”

But my anger turned to guilt.

Sergeant had been waiting for us.

He expected us to survive.

But in the end, I was the only one left.

Their death’s could’ve been prevented if only I focused on reaching the fracture site. I should’ve just ignored my wish to save another life and focus on the mission. I…

“Let’s go.”

I don’t know. I don’t know what I should’ve done.

¸☆▫.-⌎.- ▫☆\*: .｡ _ ▫.｡.:*

Sergeant Pang SeungJi was one of the few most compassionate leaders I’ve been put under in a while. He was quite nonchalant but, during times when it counted, he was there for us.

I just… wish I had pushed my opinion harder against him. If he had taken my word more seriously, this…

◜\⌝▫◆▫.

“This is Sergeant Pang of the Tear Site Inspection Squad. A Cloud Hive was discovered. Four personnel have died, one severely injured. We need assistance immediately! We need immediate—”

A spear had pierced Ayumi’s stomach.

Her hands managed to grab the shaft before it managed to come through the other side. I killed the Deep One who threw the spear.

She crumbled, I held her.

“Ayumi! Hang on!”

The din in my ear was deafening. I could barely hear Sergeant Pang’s words as the sounds of my heartbeat thumped like mad…

I pulled out the spear from her. She coughed up in pain, but I didn’t have any other options here…!

Dropping the bag and pulling out the first aid kit, I grabbed the whole box of gauze and forced them all underneath her shirt.

We had no time.

“Put pressure Ayumi! Put pressure and take deep breaths!”

She nodded, wincing. Tears spilled from the corner of her eyes.

Please. Don’t die. Don’t die.

The Deep One turned the corner and jumped at sergeant.

“Uwaarrgghh!”

I rammed into the demon creature with the stock of my rifle.

When sufficient distance was achieved, I fired. Black blood sprayed everywhere. Sergeant Pang propped Ayumi up.

“EunHa! I’m counting on you!”

“Roger that!”

I swapped the half empty magazine for a new one.

We crossed the low river. And ran past a man wearing common clothes.

“What the…”

Who? I turned around impulsively.

“Sergeant! He…!”

“Leave him!”

“…But!”

Am I stupid? Ayumi was dying.

We don’t have time… to waste on a guy like that. So why…

EunHa, you will soon meet the God’s Emissary. When you do, you must… must protect him.

“!!!”

Every tick of the second closed the distance between us and the approaching horde. My body moved before my mind could react…

I gripped tight around the rifle’s handle.

“Hwang EunHa!!”

Sergeant Pang yelled.

I jumped past the coral shrubs and pushed my way towards him.

This is stupid.

I’m going crazy.

People fight everyday.

People die every day.

So why was it wrong to leave someone like him to die?

This selfish thought of, ‘I don’t want another life to end because of me’. When will I ever learn my lesson?

Or because of some stupid prophecy?

He is your fate. It spoke to me over and over, the Saint’s oracle.

A Deep One rushed out. I pulled the trigger.

The bullet blew off its head. Blood splattered against the clothes of the man still standing there unmoving. The Bloodeaters and Corrupted Cloud Eels quickly locked onto my revealed position.

“Wake up!!”

My hands reach his wrist.

Don’t let go of him, ever.

“—?”

“The fuck is wrong with you!”

I pulled him towards the direction of our escape as I got ready a PP-grenade.

“EunHa what…”

“Move your legs not your mouth!”

I hadn’t the time to care how this man knew my name. Pulling the pin, I threw the grenade towards the imminent horde.

Sergeant Pang sniped the grenade mid-air, and a blast of prana incapacitated all the demonica in its range.

“Damn you.”

Was all Sergeant Pang said as the four of us ran from the point.

“W-Where the hell is this?!”

“Fucking shut it and run!!”

A stunned look on his face as he registered my words.

It came to my realisation that this guy wasn’t a soldier. Question spun in my mind. Why now? Why here? And why did it have to be me?

“Hwang EunHa.”

Sergeant Pang stopped.

“I’ll leave Wang Ayumi to you.”

He pushed Ayumi into my care.

“What?”

“She can’t last much longer at the pace we’re moving.”

Shit. Her lips are so pale. How much blood had she lost? He loaded his shotgun.

“I’ll hold these bastards off. Find a place to stop her bleeding first.”

“You what…”

“Go. I don’t want to see another person die.”

You… why…

“Go!!”

The blast of his shotgun rang out. A hole was blown into the demonica swarm.

An explosion of a grenade, the whole wave was incapacitated.

Useless… it’s useless! It would’ve been much better if you just followed along! What’s the point trying to be a hero when you’re going to die?!

If only Ayumi wasn’t in such a critical condition we would’ve…

“No! I won’t—”

Against my complaint, he, the God’s Emissary, took my hand.

“EunHa. I don’t know where the fuck this is. But let’s go!”

He already had Ayumi lifted over his shoulders. And with his finger tightly wrapped around mine, he ran.

“—SERGEANT!!!”

Slowly, gradually, the sound of imminent gunfire slowed.

…I didn’t even know where we were, or how it even happened. When I came to, I was in a cave treating Ayumi’s wound. Desperately.

The puncture site was deep. Injecting her with morphine and cleaning it up with antiseptic, I forced a gamgee into the wound to stop the bleeding.

My crap, shoddy first aid…

She groaned painfully.

I’m sorry. I’m sorry!

-☆▫.-▫.｡.:* ▫⌎.☆\*: .｡ ▫.-

⁛ Origin Year 134, 2nd of Hana.

With my hands gripped tightly against the door handle, I pushed it open. Taking in a deep breath, I greeted.

“It’s an honour to meet you… Saint Wu XiaoLe.”

Seated behind the rich oak desk was a woman with bright pink hair and silver blue eyes. Paperwork was strewn all over the table’s surface.

In a military uniform instead of her saint’s dress, she looked almost burnt out with that forced smile. The saint, I heard, was graceful as was majestic. But seeing her like this, I couldn’t help but feel offbeat.

Why was she forcing so much upon herself? What drove her to this state? Why did she look so… desperate?

“Hwang EunHa.”

She recited my name.

The kindness in her voice warmed my heart. But there was an inkling of unexplained reverence and terror in her eyes.

She shifted out of her seat and stood in front of me.

There was an emotional impression in her eyes. Her sticky gaze, I didn’t know how to respond to. I didn’t even know why the Saint called me today.

“I’m glad.”

“Wha…”

“Happy birthday EunHa…”

And then she hugged me.

I froze. This was the first time I met her so… is this a test of sorts? Did I just fail? I know today is my birthday, but the fact that she knew was an even bigger surprise.

“Um…?”

“S-Sorry, I got ahead of myself.”

She slowly lifted from me, wiping a tear from her eyes. I… seriously have no idea what was going on. Did I offend the Saint in any way?

“Nice to meet you, EunHa. May I call you such? I don’t mind if you call me XiaoLe.”

“Eh, uh…”

What was this… the saint was offering me friendship? No way, there must be some trick to this. I don’t believe she called me to her office out of the blue just to make friends or wish me happy birthday.

How did she know about my birthday anyways? Had she been stalking me?

“Then… Saint XiaoLe?”

“That would do fine. Thank you EunHa.”

I didn’t know why I thought she felt much more mature than what her age suggested.

“Oh yes, I can’t forget. Here.”

“This…”

“It’s a gift for your birthday.”

She presented me with a platinum ring. It looked a little worn out, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

“Okay?”

I was confused. Why would she give me something like a ring?

She smiled solemnly.

“I know it’s abrupt, but I have an oracle for you.”

“Huh?”

An oracle? For me?

“For you, and you only. So listen closely, EunHa.”

Her languid expression from earlier turned grave.

“EunHa, you will soon meet the God’s Emissary. When you do, you must… must protect him.”

“From this point onwards, you shall suffer many pains, and it will challenge everything you once thought as important. You, and him, will face many hardships together.

“He is your fate.”

“But most important of all, don’t let go.”

“Don’t let go of him, ever.”

“The fate of humanity depends on this.”

¸☆▫.-⌎.- ▫☆\*: .｡ _ ▫.｡.:*

⁛ Origin Year 134, 13th of GuYu.

Wang Ayumi was my friend. A comrade that I’ve been with on numerous missions. Whenever we were paired up, she would always be by my side, the sweetest person I’ve ever met. She was scared, timid—kind. Like a little axolotl.

The moment you see her, you’d want to coddle her up. She wasn’t suited for a battle in the front lines. She’d serve much better supporting us from behind ranks.

Even when fate was against her, she didn’t allow it to break her spirit. She tried her best to face her fears for others.

I wish… I wish I had known about her plight earlier.

Much… much earlier.

◜\⌝▫◆▫.

“Eu… nHa.”

Her breathless voice…

“Sor…”

“N-No. D-Don’t speak, it’s all fine! Ayumi! You must survive…!”

Please. Live…

“I-I’ll definitely pull you out of the army after this. I’ll find people to help you make your dreams come true. You’re going to become a designer. It’s a promise! A promise okay?”

I shed tears that she should’ve. She closed her eyes.

“Th… k, ou.”

“Ayumi…?”

A tear slid down her cheeks.

◜\⌝▫◆▫.

Her hands were cold.

They had been cold ever since then. I had been holding her hands for so long, why did I only realise it now? The absence of the rise in her chest, the pale-blue colour of her lips.

Was it because of the dark that I didn’t notice?

A minute ago she was alive, breathing. A minute ago… Ayumi, I thought we promised?

I would save you.

I would help you achieve your dreams.

I would make sure you don’t go through this kind of suffering again.

So why…

I raised her body and pressed my forehead against hers. Tears… no matter how much I shed, how much I begged, how many times I prayed…

Again. And again.

How many times do I have to go through this?

How many deaths do I need to cause to learn from my lesson?

How many…

Just how many people will die because of me?