Alone. That's what he felt. He felt alone.
Blood coated the once beautifully colored green and golden shards of glass. Blood was smeared on the soft sand dune and muddy dirt. Blood was strung on the bodies the familiar looking black birds ate from. Blood mixed in with both the salt water from the ocean, and the fresh water inland.
The moon sat high in the sky. It was the middle of the night; a nigh familiar to that of one of many he had seen many times before. The beaming rays from the sun had long passed, forgetting about the current situation that had unfolded just beyond the prairie fields.
If there was any God above looking down on these tainted lands, what they saw was incomparable to the sight Mike saw through apathetic eyes as he stood just above a small hole in the dirt that was created by a large explosion.
Unlike what he felt, he was not alone. There were several occupants in the hole behind him, yet they remained silent giving him the proper time to collect his thoughts. He was thankful for the time, though he rather speak to someone now rather than later.
Lowering himself into the large crater, the occupants around him were awake, with only the three knights they had retrieved earlier taking a nap. Beside him was Private First Class Green and Princess Leccamaradel. Out of all the people present, they were his closest confidants. Both to a certain degree had been with him when horrific events happened, their presence kept him from going over the edge this early.
Quietly readjusting his white tunic, he wore underneath his battle gear, all Mike could recall was the burning sensation in his eyes as the images from the complete desecration of the rear-echelon units, and the following recovery efforts flashed through his mind.
Over 150 dead, ambushed by what was believed to be only 30 hostiles from the Demon Lord's army. That alone made him unsettled and sick in the stomach. Just like the world he had left; this one was cruel. He truly wondered what the Demon Lord's modus operandi was.
He chuckled lightly as he recalled his child of how he was raised by a cop and a chef.
Feeling someone's eyes fixated on him, Mike scanned the hole until he traded glances with Princess Leccamaradel. Her brown eyes and dirtied-silver hair were the only things highlighted under the moonlight, thus when she caught his gaze, she shuffled uncomfortably as she posed a question to break the awkward silence, "Are you not going to sleep for the time we have?"
"No." Mike responded in a semi-business-like manner as he brushed his right hand against the rifle slung over his chest. "Someone has to keep watch in case of trouble." He said while motioning to the other seven Rangers who were also staying awake.
"May I ask another question?" Not knowing what to say, Mike nodded his head letting her continue, "What is your world like?"
Lowering his head into the collar of his white tunic, Mike along with the others spent time in thought. There was always a knack at the back of his head that wanted him to find someone that would listen to the stories he held, yet he could never find the proper "somebody" nor the courage to strike a conversation and properly speak about his home, let alone his home world.
Glancing once again around the hole, Patterson, Baker, Thompson, and Richard sat waiting for him to respond, while Malkovich, Green and Simon sat anxiously as they watched the surrounding approach.
And there was a second question. Marco Politer, Eugene Fritz, Anne Rena. Along with the three knights' names and the buildings and culture he had seen, it was clear some level of Germanic influence existed. Thus, he wondered, was he really in another world? Was he sent to some alterative Earth where magic and supernatural things existed?
Noticing that Lecca was curled up in her knees with a soft look on her face, Mike found the answer he was looking for. "Earth, humanity's home world…" He began hesitantly. "Unlike this world it is a place without magic or anything supernatural. The way we grew as a species was through intellect and craftsmanship."
"To be honest, our technology alone makes the magic we've seen practically obsolete." Captain Thompson cut in clearing his throat.
"Magic-obsolete?" Lecca parroted with large eyes.
"Correct." Thompson said. "Though magic would be an amazing discovery and would certainly be useful in the advancement of humanity, any worthwhile applications you can think of have been already overtaken by machines." Lecca listened intently as she sat up straight, "Cooking, cleaning, recreational activities. We have progressed far enough so that technology is something ingrained in our culture."
"Yeah." Corporal Richard cut in. "Hell, I'd be willing to bet that another world revolution would come around. Magic users Vs. Technology and non-magic people. Who would be right?"
Pondering on the explanation provided by the three men, Lecca rested against the wall of the crater as she gazed at the pearlescent moon and its accompanying stars numbering well over the millions. She began to paint a picture of the world described in her mind.
"Just remember that a fair portion of the technology invented was made to be used against one another." Mike said staring at the FDE carbine in his lap.
"Yes, we too have practiced the art of war against one another. Not even the Demon Lord can bring humanity together as one."
With Mike now looking towards the stars, the conversation has seemingly ended with the words Lecca spoke. Brushing her hair from her eyes a sense of envy overcame the princess. Though Mike and his comrades were an enigma to her, they remained human at their core even with their daring jobs as "Holy Knights" and "Rangers".
A question tugged at her heart which forced her to speak her mind, "What is it you want to do now." Her voice grew weak as she curled up into her knees once more.
"I just want to go home." Mike clenched his rifle as he kept his gaze towards the stars. "This place… It's beautiful… But we're kept here under the assumption that we are to kill the Demon Lord. It's cliché as hell, but it's the reality were in."
A thought suddenly came to Mike's mind as he shot his head towards Lecca and spoke firmly waking up the three knights. "You said we were summoned to this place. Is it possible that anyone from our home could be here?"
"It is possible…" Lecca said uneasily.
As her mouth closed, a large roar emanated in the distance. A wave of sand and dust kicked up from the shockwave which blew past the hole and ran all the way to the city. Looking over the edge, Thompson and Mike spotted a large plume of smoke rising from the eastern tree line.
"Was that ours!?" Sergeant Malkovich called out as he calmed down the panicking knights behind him.
"Get ready to move!" Thompson ordered as he withdrew his rifle and pointed it at the origin of the explosion. "We need to get back to the city!"
"Yeah, just watch yourself." Mike said in return. "Recon guys said there were a few at the hilltop over there." He said while pointing to a small tree covered hill near the city entrance.
Illuminated by the dispersed rays of light from the moon, shadows were casted upon the battlefield filled with bodies as the eleven climbed out of the crater. Their destination required them to move through several fields. Each had white burnt flowers that protruded from the ruined ground.
Other than the flowers that acted as small headstones for those killed during the attack, not a single facet of life could be seen as the group stepped onto ground level. The beauty that once laid across the fast fields were gone. In a mere hour, humanity had destroyed everything and created a wasteland.