19:49 PM.
The smell came first.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbX80KdVZk
Before sight. Before awareness. Before Voltase even realized he had fallen asleep.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwTuYwEuMa
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7vZdAO5iK
The thought surfaced through the fog of his half-asleep consciousness.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmWUh6Lge7
I'm back.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGl1fD0Cia
To the same place.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EQg1f8sLT
same dream.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnlOZoZP5E
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZLCdZURfc
Accustomed to death, resurrection.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡef4te7tjk2
the same hell, over and over.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjjf3pcxdC
Voltase opened his eyes.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtxbYPFQVQ
And as usual, what he saw was a corpse's face above him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ejZAYukAx
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOSPpnS9cN
The same battlefield.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKr1GhdUOMn
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWG1THv3z6H
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTIv1uVFCY
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlhE0z1hXn
This isn't my body.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBjztxAAdd
But it feels like mine.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjTBvSAV9k
At least, for now.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Ft7h3etCY
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKln3hhuokZ
Tonight, Voltase had no intention of dying.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3v5QT46jNR
Not again.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHmZXICoca
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaZ5fAj0DU
Not the pain, the blood, even the corpses around him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88y5BnHs6x
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdacHuyyTU
No.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZp0F8uo1v8
I won't let that happen.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTJHEeXT7v
I will survive.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYLdFIdhog
I'll do whatever it takes to survive.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSo37hktblW
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwme4iMRALk
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDRJwzTQaG
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NvBwTKINB
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBpqoiqnQF
tried not to think about who they had been before.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt1Rt6wulqb
They were just corpses. Just flesh and bone. Nothing more.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2VKkai4SQ
Don't think about their families, the dreams. how they died.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOTAMRT2Pj
Focus on the goal.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjK1GmGZm1
Find that man.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRmkDpEM2Y
Save him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNiNyjCv4BX
And save yourself.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkk3ZzFxnNZ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQyHp0z5hT
He's there.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbGvrW9VdB
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjwhaPETje
Must get there.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBv3wGTTHtA
Must save him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtk5U3zRob
This time, I won't let him die.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQJuckNoS5
When he finally reached that pile of corpses, he saw him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXvAhJooyk
The man was still alive.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaX4LHeIew
Voltase stopped, his breath quickening not from exhaustion, but from sudden relief.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJmzF89lDD
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88NoFEnJ1M
He's alive.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkPXp2Z8QH
He survived.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbfuraPrBK
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV155GB8HJm
"Hey."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUsrLApuuo
No response.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUg9jmmxig
"Hey, wake up."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexAz7MatLu
He shook harder. The man's face creased slightly, like someone sleeping who didn't want to be disturbed.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsy60jA5Ktu
"Wake up, idiot. We don't have much time."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zWky30L5G
Finally, the man's eyes opened.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqRt2XhV9d
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkm5engaDe2
Voltase moved faster than his thoughts.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7GtZfcOfC
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvOyvRuXIp
"Listen to me."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEB4j0cCLAX
His voice was low, firm, and urgent.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFS1iumvfgE
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz54eL2rohY
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wJn2ZV8eR
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7Ufi8QVUy
Silence hung between them.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhR49Yk9Ab2
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNB3CRXLqGY
One small nod. Barely visible. But enough.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDo6kMDoNj
Voltase exhaled in relief. He released his hand from the man's mouth but kept close.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8c8W75EjF
"Good."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡav6mMgVYNZ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡea0C6rA5fd
He's the enemy.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEmIjklZB9
Or at least, he should be.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3DsIS96YP
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMzFB2oMqW
"Who are you?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QYio1ZnUN
The man's voice finally came out hoarse, weak, but still laced with wariness.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qieHbSOeu
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnHySR7dRa
"Someone trying to survive," Voltase answered shortly. "Same as you."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3YdRSLMKD
The man frowned. Doubt flickered in his eyes. Distrust. But there was also something else something akin to curiosity.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8mgOx3BaT
"You don't look like you're from our side."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqG2kNQgnL2
"I'm not from their side either."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMPWlYyb30E
Voltase pointed to the corpses around them.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJuOYDPLAm
"I'm just... someone trapped here."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMNYYmUqwO
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqMmIYw62T
Because he was indeed trapped. Trapped in this dream, in this body, between endless death and resurrection.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaXNUTaEme
And all he wanted was to escape.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOgq0RG3zq
"We don't have much time," said Voltase, steering the man's attention away from unanswerable questions.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYvsVjGpqS
"They're coming. Three men. With bayonets on their rifles. check these bodies, and if they find us alive..."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7j3DOR2elL
He didn't need to finish. The man already understood.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbeXlLREHYo
"How do you know?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7N4L3HtNkz
"I've seen it happen."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6PyS7SbwD
Twice. But Voltase didn't say that.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaPztexszz
"Trust me, or die here. The choice is yours."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2U6PJZ6vF
The man stared at him for a long time. Too long. Voltase was almost losing patience.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44lRtq0qds
But finally, the man nodded again.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmaaNbERRb
"What do I need to do?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJneFStqX1
Voltase explained his plan quickly.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpFhw79aZ7
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwA8ROgpfV
"Have you used one of these before?" asked Voltase.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIT5bWQHr2W
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWVOnZ2ZUQ
"I've been fighting for years."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ikRwiyU2M
"Good. Because we'll need every skill we have."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKfvldjrpu
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgaKEtol3rp
"They'll come in three minutes," he said, recalling the timing from the two previous dreams.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBuc073Eep
"We'll play dead. Hide among the corpses. And when they're close enough..."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOBJvODkB2
He pressed the tip of the bayonet with his thumb, feeling its sharpness.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pUOM3w2EQ
"We strike."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXLlPXAJiG
The man stared at him with wide eyes.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXh7gNfty8
"This is insane," he said. "You know that, right?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cMFde1WTR
"Maybe."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpMTOfQ0jz
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxgV4eBlU1n
"But it's the only way to survive."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKIe1oKdAN
He closed his eyes.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkumQMniBWg
"Play dead. And when I move, follow."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15blHI7XKF
The man was silent. Then, Voltase heard movement beside him the man lying down, pulling corpses over himself.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRE0tXnmaAW
"I don't know who you are," said the man, his voice muffled by the dead flesh.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkIdRTNXAA
"But I hope you're right."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLw9eVjqtBd
"Me too."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1o1NYjfaIx
And then, they waited.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpldrk2BxB
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoIjX9rSN7t
One.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡer9u4DzmfV
Two.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JnqwDEdXp
Three.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcp7rW3il1
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8UMaKR048
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgteDKoBcXQ
Footsteps.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3MIB823du
Far in the distance, but growing closer.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNv3yAsBLE
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7J9ZKiMOK
Voltase held his breath. His body the strong, adult body locked in invisible tension. Every muscle ready. Every sense alert.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOypX4FTuL
The footsteps drew closer.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94pQ6aJgMl
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vphl3OuQa
They were checking the corpses. Making sure no one was still alive.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzU4nTtHd3z
Just like before.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2hrYeVdoq
Just like the two previous times.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTRnK2V314
The first thrust came seconds later.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIzrXtAYYA
Thunk.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8xZUAfHPI
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8u4owqMOO
Thunk.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHC0NuOyzdD
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8XvcPhjM0
Soon.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ774tQrsSLw
The next thrust will come toward me.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7EAmdKR0Y
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOqW5xVFMc
This isn't my body.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8sExEwBcE
But I know how to use it.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKdg5krYy9
Or at least, this body knows.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSmqMW669o
Footsteps stopped right beside him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNfv6Q0uXu
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7MMyC6eYe
Now.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPz0ULesV5b
Time to move.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXuZhdSBDb
The bayonet thrust came from above, piercing the corpse on the surface.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhYWqGC7oO
Thunk.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzPTos3C36
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhyBpAlb4Z
No.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuv8KBO9H9
Not this time.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIXjASkCAS
I won't die again.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlBlarL4Zz
Before the bayonet could touch his body, Voltase opened his eyes.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGuBqJhPGe
The world moved in an instant.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6QQc83RJH
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tWGpivQfP
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzmYPbRRSJ
Crack.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ycC3JKmP2
The sound of crushed cartilage. The sound of tearing flesh. The sound of blood spraying out like a fountain.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMagrnb8d4
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRDjOSw7I4
Without a sound. Without a scream. Just the wet plop of his body hitting the ground.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3evdYeXtHm
Voltase stood over the corpse, breathing hard, his heart pounding fiercely in his chest.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1vhlkDLfj
He killed someone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEFEG3443O
He had just killed someone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3i4hJuMpV
For the first time in his life, he had taken another person's life.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVzSe6AsvY
But the feeling that came wasn't guilt. Not regret. Not even disgust.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpgUgr0swO
What came was a coldness in his chest.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoWNwhGkGu
Emptiness.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFhQ6EiPtY
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1eCZyz1UU
This isn't me.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NRd0Dk7YY
It's this body.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XCAOcrJzC
It's a dream.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFnAvkDh8y
Not real.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LqFHkLxA7
Not real.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGEA3q5TRr
Not—
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPIOCwpncM
"Gunshot!"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYKvU9Twia
A shout from the side shattered his thoughts.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWJY8aVEC9
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0pBJsKuJ0
Bang!
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPL4XL3Hts9
The gunshot echoed across the silent battlefield.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKPUkj3mND
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01pQ4YHSKa
One left.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXytPOd1Hyy
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJj8LOOJPb
Trigger pull.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIFl1ENghx
Bang!
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdY7b6DYoy
The bullet flew from the barrel, cut through the cold night air, and entered the young man's chest.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrcjVImVGW
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2YIbUasfh
He fell.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZIXr6nkoB
Slowly.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4B9gaQ6LD9
Like a felled tree.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPAatn52Cf
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWaycBHEJ8
Bang!
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZxTDU2ggv
The young man's head jerked forward, and then, everything stopped.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1GFn3ntIL
Silence returned to the battlefield.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJv0kdJeT7r
Three bodies lay on the ground. Three lives taken. Three deaths in a matter of seconds.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWidLjZeHs
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxT85pJoNh
Voltase collapsed.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijfR14UWAc
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vrG5fZHbQ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBUdVwOaZ6
He killed someone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxHSh4v0Ep
Two people.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPgMAUj38k
Two lives.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ3eOPhdOSo
Two human beings with families, dreams, hopes.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGXttquydB
And he killed them.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6f7v4Wquhn
The feeling the feeling that should have come earlier finally arrived.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsASyjKnma
Not guilt.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTRvPcnrpl6
Not regret.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGktwat6CBC
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5LvVYlEPs
He looked down, seeing his hands his blood-soaked hands. Fresh blood, still warm, still flowing between his fingers.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPDcSe9G4l
This is human blood.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9EqPPIDUu
Blood I just spilled.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwr8LVPFj82
Blood can never take back.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3MC9G7hc9
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOQlASqjGA
He was young.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHSYEnuY5U
Maybe the same age as the blond man.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkvqJz489M
Maybe he just joined this war.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKBI9ERaxx
Maybe he didn't want to be here any more than I did.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVzdUoESA4
But he killed him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEtly7cRm7
Without hesitation, doubt and giving him a chance.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJ9DScQjrb
Why did I do it?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXlLTpuACs
Why didn't I shoot to wound?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0AS371WKQZ
Why did I kill him outright?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFo4tWKY7UE
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7206Xo3Xvi
And Voltase, for the first time, understood.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYfbS1BpDF
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmiaANlrSYD
Because here, in this hell, there was no room for mercy.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTA7PejV9KM
Only death, and those who managed to avoid it.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCoyHJIIY5f
Footsteps beside him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXVViwwTf9
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1LFu0TAV2X
He stared at Voltase with an unreadable expression a mixture of admiration, fear, and perhaps, respect.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnfxU88Os5
"Are you okay?" he asked.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4Jxzfc2Cr
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CMcBsq4iD
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL50ijd3lGP
"What are you doing?" asked Voltase, his voice still hoarse.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7O37Y0p9J
"Looking for anything useful," the man answered without turning. "Bullets, food, water, information. Everything is valuable here."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklG1myjkFJ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKxBX20C7V
"Should I...?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5K7IWABlqG
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDN95JbPwJF
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ThYugVNe9
Mine.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BSiPdWTmj
The word felt strange in his mind. As if the corpse were property, not a person.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWN3alGU6PK
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWUFt7S4cy
With stiff movements, Voltase knelt beside the corpse. His hands still tremblingbbegan searching the uniform's pockets.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qJtt8vFok
He found a pack of cigarettes. A box of matches. And a kit bar emergency rations wrapped in brown plastic.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVYNMJ6PQe
The kit bar caught his attention.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0mQv974eB
He hadn't eaten.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ660WynWwGN
When was the last time he ate?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybVGzxZqoD
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMmseTLSJ1
His stomach growled loudly, and Voltase realized just how hungry he was.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuc7qCA8I0
But I can't eat here. Among the corpses. With the smell of blood and death all around.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwYaZqLibe
I'll throw up.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpYvfttmNL
But his stomach kept complaining, and the hunger grew more unbearable.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AgqmoFlNE
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPUScnywDh
You have to eat.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZndJjrE3IZ
Your body needs energy.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYjTcsQYno
If you don't, you won't survive.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVoyvKfNvc
With still trembling hands, Voltase began to tear open the plastic wrapping.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMjihSmGwW
The rustle of plastic caught the blond man's attention.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6Rmil3UEK
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHBkmBiIS5
And then, his stomach growled.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPf1XNO6u1
Loudly.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9YHLK9fyk
Embarrassingly.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwcBsTAj19
The man patted his stomach with an awkward expression, and Voltase almost smiled. Almost.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtG9dPPmEl9
"Are you hungry?" asked Voltase, even though he already knew the answer.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BL5Z3NVFH
The man nodded, no longer able to hide his hunger.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9T6UCJy1X
"It's been days," he said, his voice soft. "Since... since I got trapped here."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUQas3GdNc
Voltase stared at the kit bar in his hand. Only one package. Not enough for two people. But—
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZeBrL44zGe
He broke it in half.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dPe480Oyh
Half for him. Half for the man.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlll3xgTo5d
He held out the piece of kit bar.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeB8HcktP1
"Here."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmlUDENKfM
The man stared at him with wide eyes. Doubt flickered in his gaze mixed with curiosity.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4O6WaFZ0VG
"For me?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPIrGYqQMU
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSA2RXhqbE4
"Thank you," he said, his voice almost a whisper.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEdAJWPYmS
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2GJ3hXxzy
Voltase stared at the piece of kit bar in his own hand.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwr27gOJRAQ
Now my turn.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVxWJv42iC
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyjNyXSDuT
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5DsFzFpvR
You have to eat.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzZRxo1vjd
Your body needs energy.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUR4EoQsMy
If you don't, you won't survive.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VMGocXXLj
You'll die here.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADlxHgLR1W
And if you die here, maybe you'll die forever.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGopi63Ne0B
With renewed resolve, Voltase shoved the entire piece of kit bar into his mouth.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmAtwlSyMpO
It tasted terrible.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5gvJZNqAQJ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzo6Zkw01Lu
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngKeV5vzpl
Don't throw up.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhkfhVhJ9C
Don't throw up.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4FukymPiO
You need this food.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDJfJ89uQr
You need the energy.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYz1q0n9Qwa
He swallowed with difficulty, feeling the kit bar drop into his empty stomach like a stone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGPZMgFxDn
And then, he almost cried.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡav4ecV3CHa
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvKYHoIpll
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Wt4Xw3VZY
But he couldn't.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcF3kut2X51
He was trapped here. Among the corpses. Among blood and death. Between two worlds that were never supposed to meet.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwL7dFv8Jd
And he didn't know if he would ever escape.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSw8Fv8QGaZ
A bottle of water was held out in front of him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMewoOhzSW
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6h0t8kn83i
"Drink," he said. "You look like you're about to pass out."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVgHCZMeFp
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fct1UaVm7
The water was cold and refreshing, and for a moment, he felt a little better.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1C0HSV0YrL
"Pretty bad, isn't it?" said the man, sitting down beside him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggLRFLGFxP
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrVwkOUu6i
"What?" asked Voltase, confused.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOukYtxgQj
"The food. Tastes like garbage, right?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpb2SoQ5yCB
The man smiled a faint smile barely visible, but enough to soften the lines on his face slightly.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXJ828pAcv
"I'm used to it. But every time, it still tastes the same."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmVnPEsdjd
Voltase didn't know what to say. So he just nodded.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVbipLv4ot
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpcZj914Fn
"I don't know who you are," he said finally. "But I'm grateful. Because you saved me."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfblv4r3EMf
He turned to Voltase, and for the first time, his eyes those dark onyx eyes seemed a little warmer.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCS5815arH
"We haven't introduced ourselves."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7pkWFRkw1
He extended his hand.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz58T5I8b5n
"Hello, my name is Kwan Won Shik. Call me Won."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7XxseZeZH
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQzF7kJt6Q
He took the hand, feeling a firm but not painful grip.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUDekBQGa2
"Natt," he said, without thinking. "Call me Natt."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfO8M9x0w2
Won raised an eyebrow.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hnGtqIDs9
"Natt?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKecGDUAGxz
"Yeah. Natt."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYde8bVWw5
"Strange. But okay."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡar1XuR822x
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5OpJL817J
"What happened to you?" Won finally asked. "How did you end up here?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuC64fHaoX1
Voltase fell silent. He didn't know how to answer that question.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQNQvq74WX
"I... don't know," he said finally. "I just... suddenly found myself here. Don't remember how or why."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAEpFhR4vR
Won nodded, as if understanding.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnF1AcP4Ugu
"Me too," he said. "I don't remember much. Just... battle. Blood. Death. And then, I was lying among these corpses."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRiZr7i7sfE
He stared at his own hands also blood soaked.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaWbUnn0XT
"I don't even remember how I got here."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAL6XyJN57L
They sat in silence again, each lost in their own thoughts.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJM8s7VEDw8
And then, Won stood up.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbI2Lc8W5D
"We have to go," he said. "It's not safe here. They might send more people to check."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBjzkR1Ngy
He extended his hand to Voltase.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphJKvJ4kd5
"Come on."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixGRd2D19d
Voltase took the hand, and Won pulled him to his feet.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bpo84bk1h
"Where are we going?" asked Voltase.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEFJZYFjyF
"I don't know. Away from here. Wherever is safer."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkr7J8c8taN
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMA3ecVhGR
In the distance, fog began to descend thick fog that hid whatever lay ahead.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFGftfv2Um
"Have you been here before?" asked Won, without turning.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5mJepXxpP
"Yeah. No. I don't know."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkjVg8y2Ab
Voltase shook his head, frustrated by the blurriness of his mind.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6GZgCxcMn
"I feel like I've seen this place before. But I can't remember when or how."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDurLKnF54O
Won stopped. He turned around, staring at Voltase with sharp eyes.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBP9YamXVC
"Me too," he said. "I feel like I've seen you before."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPbNzzCTvo
Voltase stared back, and for a moment, something stirred in his chest something akin to recognition.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwfVdhSSVT
"Maybe we met in another life," he said, half-joking.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOIuy1qIUm
But Won didn't laugh. He just stared at Voltase seriously.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPABOuJbdX
"Maybe," he said. "Maybe we met in another life."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIKu6gyExO
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QQaQ74dBH
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0c9qQHeRu
He laughed softly a bitter laugh.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJGlkxxziM
"But it seems that promise will never come true."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsxg8qfQ1m
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtavS01UW90
But he kept listening. Because it was the only thing he could do.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8XrT1Rvdr
Finally, exhaustion began to overtake him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBigjsuueq
His eyes grew heavy. steps started to falter. The world around him began to spin.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVxytORQab
"Hey, Natt."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88Iu21uKOo
Won's voice from a distance.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxcnXJKgf6
"Are you okay?"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7mmlW3xLT
Voltase wanted to answer, but the words wouldn't come.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGy0rrFM6Hv
He fell.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANLLzNflug
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pjDi4PNs6
"Natt!"
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8zgG7dlYU
Won knelt beside him, his hands grabbing Voltase's shoulders.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXm5E8GZt0
"Hey, hold on. Don't pass out."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYILb8Hj9l
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIwAcd4zI6
"I'm... tired," he whispered. "I'm just... tired."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡth4jVB6HTX
Won gripped his shoulders tighter.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05Pfzx3rFu
"You can't pass out here, Natt. You have to hold on."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfpf4TVQbF
"I'm... trying..."
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBS4upuUm6Q
And then, the world went dark.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwl39IswqT
03:15 AM.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQLFVBgXAN
Voltase woke with a jolt.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNna8p8eAj
His eyes snapped open, his chest rising and falling rapidly, and for a moment, he didn't know where he was.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56LCATVZMF
A white ceiling with hairline cracks.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gj1KfX6OU
Curtains drawn tightly.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6W9Q0jNqz
The dim glow of streetlights outside the window.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdca6HPgDq
Dormitory room.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVmPp3fKAL
The real world.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCRMWGbOSK
He was back.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYiaevuzfa7
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1WxXYga0k
But there was something else.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfrLehZNal
A strange feeling in his chest.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DD4fvGgIc
Not pain. Not fear. But something deeper something he couldn't name.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuzuexRIlH
He survived.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PnZtX67si
For the first time, he survived that dream.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iwvq2uglr
He didn't die.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDNgL5C5W4
He closed his eyes, trying to remember the details of the dream. Faces. Voices. Feelings.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOuSJv07pf
But everything was beginning to fade.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMgrQdzDkl
Like fog slowly dissipating under the morning sun.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3tvXLTSq2
He remembered the corpses. The blood, pungent, fishy stench.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkuqvWwFgH
The fight how he killed two people with his own hands.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiPjNIhheD
Terrible taste of the kit bar in his mouth.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDR9YRI8Juq
He remembered...
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Z5E5HWXIU
remembered...
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGaUmSjSxe
What was his name?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFB2lozhX0
Voltase frowned, trying to remember.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGz61h1SuY
The blond man.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5LqUxUmou
The man he saved.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Yg4tCFJoL
The man who talked to him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0owXtwcLCh
The man who...
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynjVMj0Kgs
But his memories were blurry. The harder he tried to remember, the faster they faded.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4Z7kv8aXJ
He remembered there was someone, talking to someone, walking with someone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtYEqu7dup
But his face... his face was gone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnybS8eVrNs
Like a photograph fading in the sun.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkIvnUJHaL
He only remembered his smile. Only the lower part of his face. Thin lips curving slightly upward. A firm jaw.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJw8fAd8twi
But the upper part...
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrOGgXgKYJ
Eyes. Hair. Eyebrows.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLo742eZ3g
All gone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgGsBf2v1Z
Swallowed by fog he couldn't penetrate.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDG0NyyAel
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSipHjj9jM
Why can't I remember him?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifHCfKLtbT
Why do I remember everything except his face?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQOzMeiIxD
But even as he asked, he knew the answer.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6107yoescf
Because it was just a dream.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDuZyfAvrp
Just a dream that fades like all other dreams.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWArcJNedy
Nothing in it is real.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9ZxPQH45k
Nothing matters.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnSuIFf5YI
But there was a part of him that knew that wasn't true. He was too tired to think about it.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GF2QkzwTL
He lay back in bed, staring at the cracked ceiling.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4CQjKpno1
His phone on the nightstand he checked the time on the cracked screen.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBA5wxdo2jV
03:15 AM.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ysfJ0M15C
Still night.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAu9LIQTmzL
He could still sleep.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedHRVCGl1Q
He closed his eyes, trying to rest his weary mind.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3B36lDQL7
But even with his eyes closed, images from the dream kept appearing behind his eyelids.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvK1JJfg59
Warm blood splattering across his face.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwgZF1DWHd
Blue eyes frozen in shock.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34IsC9lD6R
Corpses scattered around him.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75ob0jxV6M
And the feeling the feeling he couldn't forget as his bayonet pierced the man's throat.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKE3Vs3wJuq
He killed someone.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9Y33qiDAx
Two people.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvE2XZsSXD
Two lives.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgW1ooJsvuB
Two human beings.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0pNI9fn9b
And he didn't feel guilty.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RFCBk5CQz
That was the most terrifying part.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQr92YkWh3D
But the fact that he felt nothing. The fact that he could kill without regret.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflu9WAkFXL
Who am I?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2VidNVonH
The question surfaced in his mind, but he had no answer.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzJ895W9Te
Who am I in that dream?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gVfKCvQID
Who am I who can kill without guilt?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjLdrhm2Y7
Who am I who feels cold and empty after taking another's life?
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHHwlPHe3F
No answers.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfXt0yjX9S
Only darkness.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgg36HYJpqJ
He finally fell asleep again.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vMqjwtL8X
No dreams this time. Only empty, peaceful darkness.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0tbR77cS1
But even in his sleep, there was a faint feeling that this wasn't over.
ns216.73.217.98da2 
and then Add to home screen.