- 32 Hours Later -
In a military truck that was heading to the border between Russia and Norway, Mikael and his squad can be seen chatting and doing their own things.
"Hey guys, what are you going to do after this is over?" One of the members said to everyone in the truck. He was trying to strike up a conversation to relieve some tension.
One of the members who was sitting in the corner of the truck said, "I want to marry and have a family."
Another one said, "I want to sleep."
"I want to play Elden Ring again."
"I miss my parents; I'll be seeing them first when this is over." Most of the members of the squad nodded in agreement with that statement.
"What about you, Mike?" John asked him.
Mikael was silent for a moment, then said, "Maybe I'll just come back and draw more."
John chuckled and said, "As expected."
"How about you, John?" This time, Mikael asked.
John looked at the ceiling of the truck and said, "I want to build a school."
Mikael widened his eyes at that. "That was... unexpected."
John laughed a little and said, "What? You thought I would go around this fucked up world and look for Goth girls?"
Mikael shrugged and said, "Sounds very much like you."
They shared a laugh and then John said, "This past year really changed me, Mike."
They then went silent again, remembering their past and thinking about the future. John looked at the member in front of him, who were reading a thick book with no cover.
"Hey, your name is Tom, right? What are you reading?" John asked Tom.
With a hint of annoyance on his face, Tom looked at John and said, "Yes, and no, I'm not sharing my book."
John immediately shook his head and said, "Of course not. I'm just curious as to what kind of literature and genre you are reading."
Tom stared at John for ten seconds before he said, "I'm reading a fanfiction novel about a guy who got transmigrated as panties in Marvel." Tom then resumed his reading and immersed himself in the novel.
"..."
Both John and Mikael were speechless, and they didn't have anything to say at the moment. John then looked toward Mikael and said, "I didn't think there would be someone as weird as you, Mike."
Mikael just gave him a side-eye and said to Tom, "That's... an interesting novel, Tom. I used to read those genres about transmigration and reincarnation as well."
"You did?" John exclaimed in a surprised tone.
"Yeah, I just never told you or anyone about it," Mikael shrugged.
"What a nerd," John shook his head, still recovering from the shock.
"Better than a pervert," Mikael retorted, and John clutched his chest and put on a face.
Tom suddenly laughed at their remark. John just turned to talk to the person on his left, while Mikael turned to Tom and said, "Can I take a look at your novel?"
Tom hesitated for a moment before nodding and handing it to Mikael. Mikael then said, "Thanks."
While Mikael was reading the novel, Tom suddenly said, "I think we have a similar taste in these things, Mikael."
Mikael just chuckled and handed the novel back to Tom, then said, "I'm sure we don't, Tom. Thanks for sharing, by the way."
Tom received the novel and put on a thoughtful face while staring at Mikael. He then asked, "Who's your favorite character?"
"Sure, this might sound weird to you and most people. My favorite is Death from DC," Mikael said with confidence in his voice.
"I knew it! We have the same taste, although I prefer Death from Marvel rather than DC," Tom said while giggling.
"My favorite is Raven from DC and Rogue from Marvel, by the way," John suddenly chimed in, grinning like a gecko in heat.
Mikael just chuckled at John and returned to Tom, "Oh? Why'd you prefer the one from Marvel?"
Tom scratched his head and said, "Well, I admit that the one from DC is hot and beautiful. But, she's too flat for me."
Mikael's face immediately froze, frozen like the ice in Antarctica or the North Pole.
"Pfft, hahaha, agreed!" John suddenly laughed and grabbed Tom's hand for a handshake.
"I'm Sorry," Tom said apologetically. Mikael just smiled at him and brushed it off.
"It's fine. They're just fictional characters. We'll never meet them anyway, right?" Mikael said while leaning back in his seat.
Tom nodded then went back to reading his novel, while John leaned back with a wide smile plastered on his face.
...
- 3 Hours Later -
*BOOM*
*Ratatata Ratatat*
*Brrrrtttt*
Sounds of bullets and explosions roared on the harsh and cruel battlefield. Mikael's squad was deployed to the north, meaning right at the front of the battlefield.
From the information they were given, the front was quiet and silent. Mikael and the squad was sent to check the situation, but fate just dealt a harsh blow to him and the squad.
They were ambushed. Many members of his squad died at the same time, including the squad leader. Only a few members managed to find cover in the trenches, including Mikael, John, and Tom, who brought the military box that can connect directly to their commander for dire or emergency purposes.
"Tom! Try connecting to the commander! We'll provide cover fire for you!" Mikael shouted in the midst of explosions and bullets flying at them.
With fear on his face, Tom nodded and immediately began working on connecting the radio to the commander.
Mikael took a deep breath and shouted at the remaining squad members, "Everyone! Prepare cover fire in 3! 2! 1! Fire!"
*Ratatata Ratatat*
*BOOM*
*Ratatata Ratatat*
"Tom! How's the situation?!" Mikael shouted before reloading his gun.
Tom turned towards Mikael with a look of horror on his face and shook his head, "I-It's broken... I can't fix it... I-It's over..."
"What did you say, Tom?! I can't hear you! Speak louder!" Mikael shouted again and waited for Tom to answer. But Tom dropped everything on him and took out the novel he had been reading before from his bag and started reading it with the look of horror still plastered on his face.
"Tom! Tom! What the fuck are you doing?!" Mikael shouted again with a furious tone.
Mikael was about to make a run to Tom, but John, who was beside him the whole time, held him and said, "Mike!"
"What?!"
"Just let him be... there was a jammer, and it rendered our radio useless. Just... let him enjoy himself with the thing he loves," John said with a sad look on his face.
Mikael was about to ignore John, but when he saw Tom, who was immersed in the novel and seemingly unaware of his surroundings, Mikael slumped back and breathed heavily.
"I guess this is it, Mike," John said with a dejected look.
Mikael turned to John and said, "Yeah, I guess this is it."
After a brief period of silence, Mikael suddenly pulled his journal from his bag and opened it. This journal was different because inside, there were no words, only drawings. Drawings of characters from both DC and Marvel.
Even in times of war, Mikael didn't forget about what he was passionate about. He flipped through the pages until he came to a specific page. He then ripped the page and looked towards John.
"Here, John. A little gift from me," Mikael said, handing the paper to John.
John accepted the paper and then looked at it, "Harley..."
John then looked at Mikael, who was just smiling at him, and said, "You know me best, Mike. I owe you one."
Mikael shook his head and said, "No, thank you for everything you have done for me in the past, John. You helped me a lot since my parents' death. I owe you a lot, John."
John chuckled and said, "Many people around our age don't want to become friends with me because I'm a pervert. Some want to be friends with me just to get close to my parents. But you are different, Mike. You are my best friend and my only friend in this world."
"Heh, I guess we're even," Mikael laugh a little, followed by John.
"Arrgghhh!!!"
A member was down and his friend beside him, who saw the death of his friend, roared in agony and charged at the enemy without caring for his life. The only thing on his mind was revenge.
*BOOM*
"Are you afraid, Mike?" John said while looking at the drawing of Harley.
"Absolutely. But, my grandma told me not to fear death and instead, we should welcome it," Mikael said with a nostalgic look on his face.
"Why?" John asked.
"Because she said, death is a part of life, and she believes that death is just the beginning." Mikael answered while sighing.
Mikael and John looked at each other and laughed. They then shared a brotherly hug.
John then placed the drawing of Harley in his breast pocket and said, "I'll be going first, Mike. It has been the best thing in my life knowing you."
"Me too, Mike... Me too."
"Goodbye, Mike."
"Goodbye, John."
John then charged at the enemy while shouting, "Harley Quinn! I love you!"
*BOOM*
Mikael then prepared to join John in the afterlife. But before he did that, Mikael opened the journal again and flipped over to the last page, a page that was special to him.
He then ripped the page and said, "Oh Death, I'll finally be in your embrace... even though I'm sure you didn't look this beautiful in real life. But, I have hopes haha."
Mikael just laughed at himself and pocketed the paper in his breast pocket. He then looked at the sky and said with a smile on his face,
"Mom... Dad... I'm home."