Erend stood on the balcony outside his room, leaning against the cool metal rail as he looked out over the city. The streets below were still alive and glowing with streetlights, headlights, and the occasional neon signs that cast their colors against the dark.
Cars zipped along in the road in front of his house. Some carrying tired workers home, others bringing people from clubs or late dinners. A few stumbled out of bars, laughing and clinging to each other, blissfully unaware of the dangers that loomed in distant worlds — dangers that could one day reach them.
They didn't know what lay beyond the veil of this peace. The threats he faced daily to keep this world safe. The bliss of their ignorance seemed almost enviable and he felt a quiet ache knowing how much he had sacrificed to protect it.
"I guess ignorance really is bliss," Erend muttered to himself, watching the carefree city he had vowed to protect.
