Beneath the night sky, a cold so sharp it felt as though it could tear through flesh seeped into the trench.
A knight, clad in armor marred with dark, dried blood and battered beyond repair, turned his back on the defensive line he had guarded for so long and stepped into the darkness.
His fellow knights watched him go, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear and awe yet none dared to stop him.
He halted in a wide clearing, barely lit by the pale moonlight. The air was still, thick with a sinister presence that seemed ready to leap from the shadows at any moment.
The knight's gaze fixed on a single point ahead. Beyond the veil of night stretched endless blackness. A storm of emotions stirred within him, casting deep shadows across his weary eyes. At last, he looked up at the round moon above and tears glimmered as they streamed down his face.
Then, from behind him, a shadow approached. Instinctively, the knight turned, his hand gripping the hilt of his greatsword.
But as he charged, he froze mid-step. The figure emerging from the darkness was not an enemy, but his superior holding two glasses, each trailing a thin wisp of smoke.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! What a strange fellow you are,"
the superior laughed, his voice echoing softly across the clearing.
He held out one of the glasses.
"Here, take it. I know you're not fond of this, but it isn't just a drink. It carries my heart to warm your body under this cold moonlight."
The knight accepted it in silence, both hands trembling slightly.
His superior continued, his tone turning faintly amused.
"Your squad leader ratted you out again. Said you vanished from the defensive line without so much as a goodbye."
The knight said nothing, his eyes still lifted toward the moon.
"The war we've endured…"
The superior's voice grew heavy.
"It's not merely a conflict between kingdoms. It was the Kingdom of Glaberon that first ignited these flames, setting the continent of Carbanis ablaze. Beldoras, our homeland, was dragged into it along with our allies, Bronis, and even Lubenis, who were once our brothers. Ideologies and armies collided, and soon, all of Dravanis burned."
He paused for a moment, his breath frosting in the cold air.
"Not long ago, Dravanis was a land of freedom countless kingdoms, countless lives living in peace."
A sorrowful shadow passed over his face. "But that peace shattered when Lubenis our brother nation broke its oath to Beldoras and joined hands with Glaberon and the Kelbrani Empire to invade us."
The knight lowered his head, haunted by memories of endless battles and near-deaths.
"The Kingdom of Bronis and its allies sacrificed much to protect us,"
the superior continued.
"In the end, they stood with us and together, we brought down Lubenis."
He looked at the knight with eyes filled with grief.
"And yet, through all of it, you survived. Through dozens of battles, death reached for you again and again but never claimed you. That's why they call you… the Embracer of Death."
The knight closed his eyes, letting memories wash over him. The words echoed within him not as honor, but as a curse disguised in gold.
He had wanted to die a thousand times, and yet, each time the blade came for him, fate turned its face away.
"In the final battle,"
said the superior,
"you threw yourself into Bronis' Helprism assault yet you lived. When I asked you why, your answer struck me to the core."
He sighed softly.
"At that moment, I understood. You are a man who cannot die even if you wish to."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"You met Leana the saint of Beldoras and from her, you learned something profound. Ever since then, you've seen it coming: the fate of our kingdom. You knew Glaberon's Helprism would engulf us, consume us in flame, and bring our fall."
The knight sank to his knees, clutching his chest. His breath trembled not from pain, but from the unbearable weight of foresight.
The superior placed a gentle hand on his head.
"Peace talks between Glaberon and Bronis have already failed. Bronis, in exchange for survival, is withdrawing its troops abandoning us."
His superior's eyes glistened now. He wiped them with the back of his hand.
"Glaberon demanded that Bronis forsake Beldoras or face destruction at the hands of Glaberon and the Kelbrani Empire together."
Silence hung between them, broken only by a distant rumble.
Then, faint at first but growing louder the sound of jet engines split the night sky.
"They're here,"
the superior murmured.
"Finally."
A bitter smile crossed his face as the thunder of aircraft drew near.
Explosions began to echo from afar, setting the heavens ablaze.
"It has been an honor to speak with you,"
he said quietly.
"You'll survive again, won't you? …Good luck, my friend."
The knight, clad in battered armor beyond repair, lifted his gaze to the moon once more.
For a moment, it seemed as though he were recalling the most precious moment of his life something he had once sworn never to forget.
Through tears, he smiled faintly.
Then, a bomb fell near him.
Fire and shockwaves engulfed the field where the Beldoras army once stood.
Beneath the burning moonlight, screams rose one after another, echoing across the night.
And beneath that same moon where the two had shared countless conversations both men were swallowed by the explosion and the towering wall of black smoke.