Question?
Do you want to win the war?
Or do you want to end the war?
***
"Are you ready Alexander?" Luna asked him.
There was no answer. Just a blank expression on his face. She slowly approached him. Luna Kneeled to match his height.
"Are you ready?" she asked again, gently holding his head.
Alexander grabbed her arms but struggled to remove them. His grip on Luna was weak. It was as if his hands were numb.
"I don't want to do this anymore," Alexander mumbled, pleading with a sad look in his eyes. "Please, don't let me do this."
There was a moment of silence between them. Luna caved in first and embraced him. Alexander didn't even try to push back. He was shocked, but also felt comfort for a second. This was the first time someone showed a sign of affection towards him. Her body was so warm, it reminded him of his sister who took care of him at the orphanage.
"You must have it rough?" she asked as tears started to fall. "It's not fair to let a child fight our battles."
She released him and started fixing his uniform. "You don't have to worry. This is the last time. After this, there will be no more fighting." She said with a big smile on her face. A smile that could melt the coldest of hearts.
"No more fighting?" he asked.
"No more fighting, I promise."
***
"Aaaaah!"
"Aaaaah!"
"What is that?"
Nobody present on that day could see anything. All they heard were screams… the sound of flesh being torn apart… and then silence. The only thing that remained were pieces of humans and blood. It was as if a creature had taken a bite and left.
"No! please spare me… Aaaaah!"
"Everybody retrea…"
When the dust cleared, only Alexander was left standing. His hands were covered with Luna's blood. Screaming and crying over Luna's lifeless body.
"No more fighting?" he cried. "You promised me, no more fighting."
A mage appeared, trying to sneak behind Alexander. The mage tried to stab him but like the rest, they suffered the same fate.
"Who was that?" Alexander asked, being oblivious to his surroundings. "It doesn't matter. I've had enough."
***
Alexander walked aimlessly across a burning city. The smell of burning corpses filled the air and thick black smoke covered the sky. There was destruction everywhere. Buildings turned into ruins in an instant. This was the result of one of the worst disasters to ever transpire in the Kingdom of Valentia.
The sound of metal scraping could be heard as he walked. Sparks shot out like fireworks as he dragged a black sword. He was injured, but that didn't stop him. His mage's uniform was ruined. Covered with blood, but still recognizable. It was a heartbreaking sight. To see him struggle to find people. He stuck his sword on the ground to avoid losing his balance. Suddenly a bunch of rocks fell from a nearby building.
"YOU DAMN BASTARD! I'm GOING TO PERSONALLY KILL YOU!" a voice roared behind Alexander.
Surprised by those words, he turned his head only to be greeted with a stray magic spell. The spell nearly Alexander's face off. The force was strong enough that it knocked him off his feet. He slowly got up and saw the culprit who attacked him.
It was another mage with the same uniform. The man was in his early 20s. He was missing an arm and half of his face was burnt. Alexander looked at him with a blank stare.
"Captain?" he blurted out as if he was asking a question.
"Captain?" the man repeated. "Are you serious?"
Alexander remained silent as if he was confused by the question. The man didn't hesitate to charge up another spell. The expression on his face changed.
"I've had enough," Alexander mumbled as he turned and walked.
"BASTARD!" the man shouted, "Don't you walk away."
The man launched his spell at the boy. A beam of light sped through the air but disappeared before it could reach Alexander. It was as if the spell was swallowed up by something.
"What? What is this?" the man asked the boy.
"I've had enough."
"You don't have the right to say that."
In a split second, Alexander managed to close the distance and proceeded to stab the man. He gently pulled out the sword. Almost falling over due to the weight. The man stumbled to his knees as blood gushed out.
"What… the hell… was that?" the man asked gasping for air. "You dare betray us?"
"I've had enough," Alexander replied as he slashed the man's head off. The man's head rolled off to the side. "I never betray anyone. I'm just sick and tired of being your tool."
The smoke finally got to him. Combined with the smell of burning corpses, it became a toxic environment. Eventually, Alexander fell to his knees. He was coughing violently. His eyes couldn't stay open for long. Alexander was ready to accept his fate and to die a meaningless death. That was the plan until he heard a faint cough from a distance.
The cough was like a spark of hope. He picked himself up and headed towards the sound. Alexander found a girl who was trapped under a fallen building. She was barely hanging on to life. With the last of his strength and magic power, he managed to clear some of the rubble.
The girl managed to crawl out from under the rubble, but she was badly injured. The two looked at each other and noticed the uniforms they had on. It turns out he rescued the enemy. The two remained silent for a second. They just stood there, looking at each other. At that moment, the two felt conflicted. They had a choice to fight each other or to retreat.
"So, tell me where's your army?" Alexander asked.
"I don't need one." She replied. "To be fair, I could ask you the same thing?"
"Honestly it doesn't matter anymore." Alexander took up a stance. He was preparing to fight. "Throughout this battle, I have lost sense of who is my comrade and who is my enemy."
"Well, I guess we have no choice then." Her hands began emitting a purple light. "Before you die, tell me your name."
"I don't see the point, but you can call me Alexander."
"My name is Katherine."
The two remained silent as a gust of wind blew by. When the wind died down, Alexander charged in and swung his sword. Since he was exhausted, it wasn't as powerful. Katherine raised a barrier to shield herself but was surprised when Alexander easily broke through. Before they both realized it, a bright light shot down from the sky.
***
Alexander woke up in a panic from his sleep. He was feeling dazed and sweating as the train he was riding sped across the countryside.
"Just a dream. It was just a dream." He said breathing heavily.
His heart was racing, and it took a few minutes for him to calm down. Alexander was still exhausted from swimming. His left arm was numb and then he felt a surge of blood flowing across it.
"Damn… my arm. It's numb." He mumbled, trying to get some feeling back in his arm. He managed to move a few fingers, so he decided to sit back and wait for the numbness to go away.
"I must be missing her if I'm having dreams about her." Alexander mumbles to himself with a grin, "Honestly if it wasn't for her, I would have never escaped."
He leaned against the window and watched the two suns set behind the mountains. The train continued at a steady pace towards its destination, which was the capital city of the Kingdom of Valentia.
From there he was going to meet up with an old friend in the morning, and together they would head to the Magic Academy the following day. He was excited to finally leave the Kingdom of Samar behind, but he couldn't shake the feeling something bad was about to happen.
***
Two out of the three moons were visible that night, and Katherine woke up from her sleep screaming. Her heart was racing as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. She left her bedroom and headed to the kitchen to drink some water. She was shaken by the nightmare, that she didn't realize her right arm was numb.
"Why now?" She asked herself, as if she knows what is going on. "I have a bad feeling that something bad is going to happen."
She headed to the balcony to get some air. She stood there looking at the city, it was beautiful and the streetlights looked like stars heading to the Castle. She could help but admire the view.
"Where are you now, I wonder?" she thought to herself. "I can feel you getting closer. That explains the nightmare I had… Alexander, I can't wait to see you. I should get some sleep. Because tomorrow is going to be a great day."
…
The train arrived at the capital in the morning. The station was filled with people, even though it was early in the morning. Alexander grabbed his luggage and sword from the train and headed for the exit of the station. Alexander looked around hoping to see a familiar face.
"You're not free yet." A voice came from behind Alexander.
He quickly turned around to see nobody there. It was like someone was stalking him.
"I have a bad feeling about today," Alexander mumbled, as he prepared to leave.
***
Question?
Do you want to win the war?
Or do you want to end the war?
Better question?
Is there a difference?