JJ looks around after being dragged off into the forest by chains. After being released, he gets off the ground, baffled. The forest around him looks eerily similar to the one he fought in during World War I before being sent through time. As he walks, he notices ammo casings and torn pieces of clothing scattered on the ground.
He stumbles upon dead bodies—German, French, Belgian, British, and American soldiers. Kneeling down, he checks one of the bodies and recognizes an old comrade from his deployment days.
"Michael… so you died, huh? It was an honor serving with you, brother."
He recognizes his friend by the dog tags, but when he reaches to grab them, they crumble into dust. JJ lets out a sigh. "I guess it wouldn't be that easy."
A cloaked figure appears, walking by before sitting down on the ground. "Hello, friend."
JJ looks at the figure, but instead of preparing for a fight, he simply responds, "Hello."
The figure pulls out his own set of dog tags. "I also served in World War II."
JJ pauses. "World War II, huh? The Brits and the French called World War I the war to end all wars."
The figure chuckles softly. "Yeah… look what good that brought them."
JJ laughs a little. "World War II… was it started by the Jerries or the Habsburgs?"
The figure chuckles again. "The Germans. The Habsburg Empire was dismantled after the war—split into Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria, and Yugoslavia."
JJ, slightly shocked, responds, "I guess I should pick up a history textbook, huh? Might do me some good."
The figure shrugs. "It would do a lot of people good. World War II was a mess. Some would say worse than World War I."
JJ raises an eyebrow. "So, what were you in the war? Marine, navy, ground infantry?"
The figure pulls out some dog tags. "Infantry. I served for Italy, then switched sides during the Italian Civil War."
JJ, surprised, responds, "Huh, an Italian Civil War in the middle of a world war. Funny how things work out."
The figure shrugs. "Yeah, I refused to shoot at the civilians I was supposed to protect. I joined the civil war to fight for democracy, but some of my brothers called me a coward, saying I was just trying to join the winning side."
JJ nods. "Me personally, I'd sit a civil war out, but you probably had a good reason to join. What was it about anyway?"
The figure sighs. "Fascism versus democracy. It was after Benito Mussolini was deposed—one thing led to another, and the civil war broke out."
JJ shakes his head. "Damn politics. But let's change the subject. Why are you here, and why am I here?"
The figure pulls out a knife and stabs it into the ground. "We're supposed to fight... but I really don't want to fight a fellow veteran."
JJ sighs, "I agree, but I don't want to be stuck here forever."
The figure nods. "I understand. Take this knife and kill me. I've done enough killing in my life, but I'm already dead, so don't feel too bad about it."
JJ's expression saddens. "I see. Are you sure? And you're an undead, yet you seem to have a whole lot of free will."
The figure shakes his head. "Yeah, but I have a strong enough will to resist the one who revived me. I also died with no regrets, so reviving me wasn't the best idea. But that doesn't matter now."
JJ smiles. "I see, brother. I'll make it painless. And thanks... I'm glad to have met a fellow soldier who went to hell and back. Though I'm curious—did you have a loved one to go back home to?"
The figure nods. "Yeah, I did. Her name was Mariah. She was beautiful, but I hope she moved on after I died."
JJ's smile brightens even more before pulling out a photograph. "This is—or was—my wife, Anabel. She was gorgeous, and I miss her every day."
The figure, surprised, says, "Huh, she looks similar to my wife. Where is she from?"
JJ, still smiling, replies, "She's from Italy. Why?"
The figure smiles. "My wife mentioned she had a family member who moved to America. Maybe they were related?"
JJ laughs. "I see, brother. Well, we have great taste in women!"
The figure starts to laugh as well. "I agree, brother. Thanks for this talk. I'm glad I didn't have to fight anyone today."
JJ grabs the man's knife before pulling out some holy water, pouring it over the blade, and saying a prayer over it. "This will kill you instantly and painlessly." He then wraps a talisman around the handle of the knife. "This will keep the man from bringing you back, so you can finally rest, my brother."
The figure smiles, accepting his death. "Thank you... and goodbye."
JJ plunges the knife into the figure's chest. The figure is briefly filled with a golden light before fading into dust, blown away by the wind. Only his dog tags remain on the ground. JJ smiles as he picks them up. "Santino, huh? That was your name?" JJ holds the dog tags tightly. "Brother, I'll make sure these make it back to your family, or at the very least, back to Italy where they belong."
JJ stands up and starts walking through the forest. The tags begin to glow, pointing him in a northeastern direction. "Huh, maybe my new friend decided to help me out one last time."
JJ continues his walk through the fog-heavy forest until he finds himself in front of a strange building. He notices Tera and Jamal already there, both looking confused as Jamal holds a glowing pair of dog tags.
"JJ, I see... so you also had to fight someone, huh?" Jamal says, leaning against the wall.
JJ smiles. "Nah, but I made a new friend. We had a conversation, I had to off him, and I found his dog tags. They led me here."
Jamal smirks. "We had to fight and could've died, and you made a new friend? Well, I'm glad one of us didn't have to fight to the death."
JJ lets out a laugh. "Yeah, I agree." He walks over and sits next to Tera, waiting for Luna and Sunny to inevitably make their way there.