I open my eyes. It’s still dark outside, but I always had a habit of waking up before everyone else.

I stumble out of the tent, feeling around in the dark until I find a grip hold on a tree nearby. I hack up a glob of spit and pucker my mouth, about to spit it out.

I pause, then swallow the spit instead.

“That’s a bad habit.” I mutter to myself. Poor hygiene like this was an easy way to start a disease outbreak, especially with everyone living and sleeping so closely. Someone could step in the spit, maybe take off their boots and get it on their hands, rub his eyes or eat or something like that. Then if I was sick then he gets sick and the cycle continues…

Yea…

My mind wanders away from that subject as I walk through the woods. I pass by a couple of early risers on the way, grunting in acknowledgment. I untie my water bottle from my back and flip in around a couple of times before kneeling by the river and filling it up.

Glad we got a day to rest this time, normally before a big battle we would have to charge in only hours after arrival, so we would still be tired from walking across the mountainous terrain. This time though, I guess we got lucky. I didn’t really know how it happened, but we were already about to fight in the capital city, very close to the end of the war.

That’s a pleasant surprise at the very least. I thought the war would drag on for at least another year. I smile and excitedly grip my fists. I didn’t have anything against the Lysterian population, but those narcissists on the other side cruelly dragging out the war despite its inevitable conclusion. They've caused so many unnecessary deaths for no other reason other than their pride, and they were all in that city. They deserve everything that’s about to come to them, then we can focus on rebuilding with the Lysterians.

Although that would be somewhat difficult with the way some leaders have been acting. Despite the king promising friendly relations post war there was a lot of intrinsic hatred for Lysterians within the population, something I think is a very silly view to hold, after all nobody can choose the place they’re born. It’s definitely going to be a rough transition.

I splash my face with the river water and begin heading back. Glad I got here before the rest. I watch as people, a combination of men and women, begin to strip down to their undergarments and begin wading into the river, washing off the dirt and sweat from their bodies. I knew the river was about to get absolutely filthy as more people started to wake up. I watch as the sun begins peeking over the horizon.

… And there it is, that should be the signal to wake up.

A piercing horn splits through the air, so loud that the ground begins shaking, I watch as birds fly into the air en masse while deer and various other furry animals dart out of the trees.

I chuckle, that’s another reason I get up so early. Waking up to that thing was a great scare every time.

I begin to walk back. Right, a rare day of free time. No drills, no training, no nothing. The calm before the storm I guess. Well, it’s not like I didn’t appreciate it. The pace we had to travel the week prior was absolutely breakneck with little to no rest. The terrain was also horrendous to travel over.

I sit underneath a tree and listen to my surroundings.

“You any nervous?”

“Hell nah, I’ve already shaken all that stuff out of my system.”

“Of course brother, no use worrying about the future gotta live in the present!” The two men laugh their fears off.

Our projected numbers are pretty overwhelming. This battle should be very one-sided, though of course anything could happen, one should always have a little fear of death in them to keep them sane. But it’s nice that people are in good spirits, puts me in some good spirits as well.

“Derke! Where’s your shield and spear?!” A woman comes up to me and yells. Well not just any woman, she was my battalion leader.

“I left it back at my tent.” I think for a couple seconds then decide to respond honestly.

“The hell are you thinking? We could be attacked at any moment. Don’t you know that one of our patrols was wiped out yesterday? Scouts never came back from that hill over there, found a bunch of bodies.” She points behind us, far in the distance.

“Is that actually true?” I murmur to myself worryingly. “Sorry, I just wanted a couple hours without having to haul those heavy things around. I’ll get them immediately.”

My commander nods. “It’s good to relax though. Don’t get too wound up before the fight.”

“Yes sir- I mean ma’am.”

The commander gives me a stinky eye before walking away.

Whoops, too used to my old commander who was a man. Though I think he got injured during the last battle I was in, so he had to quit. Only been with this new one for a couple weeks.

I hoist my spear and shield behind my back and return back to where I was sitting underneath the tree.

Ohp, someone else took that spot while I was away better find another spot. I turn around… Hesitate for a couple seconds… Then turn back.

“Mind if I join you here?” I ask the young woman staring at the ground.

“Wha-? Oh, yea sure.”

I slowly bend to the ground, resting my back against the trunk.

“Why are you here?” I immediately ask.

“What? What do you mean?” She turns her head.

“Drafts haven’t been done in a while. The youngest people here are all around their mid-twenties but you look barely out of your teens.”

“Oh, I uhh, It’s a pretty boring answer, but I just need the money for my family.”

“You get paid?”

“I mean… I don’t, but my family gets a nice check from my joining… yea.”

This girl… Despite what she said it felt extremely reluctant, as if she were forced to join.

“Hey, don’t be nervous. This may be the last battle in the entire war, and it’s also very much in our favor.” I reassure her. “You probably won’t even see a single enemy.”

She looks at me suspiciously.

“Hey, I’m telling the truth. Not saying it just to say it. We’re at the capital! And if the reports are true, a lot of them have already given up and fled. Trust me, you won’t have to be brave, you won’t have to fight, you won’t have to do nothing.”

…

“What’s your name?” The girl asks.

“It’s Derke. Yours?”

“Dina.” Then, she gives me a mischevious smile. “You trying to hit on me or something? Strange for you to assume that I’m nervous.”

“Mmmm, your feet look kinda nervous though. Maybe wanna hide that better next time.” I point to her relentlessly tapping her feet, which she had been doing throughout our entire conversation.

“Ah that? That’s just to calm my nerves.” She says without thinking, then she awkwardly turns away in embarassment.

“I’m fine, thanks for the encouragment.” She says after a couple of seconds.

I lightly pat her on her shoulder before standing up.

In the distance people were gathering around a field, large and heavy tree branches plunged into the ground, forming two little nets across the field.

“Looks like they’re setting up a soccer game over there, do you want to join?” I ask Dina.

“I’m fine, wasn’t not much of a sports person back at home. I’ll watch from over here though.”

“Alright, let me show you a couple things then.” I crack my neck and begin jogging to the field.

“Mind if I tag in?” I ask.

“Hm? Oh Derke! Okay we got twenty-four!”

We split up into teams and line up across the field. The opposing side is ready with the kickoff.

Around us a group of spectators were beginning to form.

“Derke, didn’t I just tell you to have your arms on you at all times?” I hear a woman’s voice from behind me, her face poking through the crowd.

My hair stands up on end. “Commander! I uhh… Well, it’s kinda too heavy for… ya know?”

“Alright alright, don’t worry and focus, I got a couple bets riding on you, so don’t let me down.”

“Heeeh?” People are already gambling? The commander too? “Yes ma’am?” My attention turns back to the field as the ball is kicked into action.

3-3, only one of those points I scored.

I glance at Dina in the distance, still watching the game underneath the tree.

Ah man, this performance has been nothing but embarrassing. I always bragged about how good I was at soccer, but the one time I play it I wasn’t even that much better than all these amateurs. I was horribly rusty.

I whip my head back to the field as I sense the ball barreling for me during the kickoff.

Hohoho, are they underestimating me? I thrust my chest out, stopping the momentum of the ball and catching it underneath my feet. My teammates begin running forward, all in hopes of getting my pass.

Well, you’re not gonna get it, this is my moment, I gotta show off at least once. I kick and begin to dribble the ball forward. I feint a pass as the first runner blocks my way, then quickly lob the ball over their head from the back of my heel.

Ha! If there’s any time to unveil my secret weapons it’s now! I furiously sprint forward to catch up to the ball.

I’m there before anybody even gets remotely close and continue dribbling forward. Right now would be a great time to pass, as I sensed at least 3 defenders closing in on me. But… One of the defenders steps in, trying to kick my ball out into the field. I suddenly slow my run, causing a sudden change in ball speed. I then veer sharply to the right and spin past another defender.

“I got nobody on me! Hit me!” I could hear a teammate yelling at me, but I continue stomping on forward.

I can do this by my— Ah! The ball suddenly disappears from beneath my feet.

I walk off the field sluggishly. My commander clicking her tongue as I approach her.

“I don’t know much about this game, but I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to pass the ball when you’re cornered like that.”

I hear uproarious laughter as another man happily skips towards us.

Commander sighs and digs into her pockets.

“I’ve come here to gloat and to gloat hard.” The man lightly prods her shoulder with a huge smile.

“You were sooooo confident too, haha! Oh is that the golden goose himself?” The man diverts his attention to me. If I recall correctly, he was also a commander from another sector of the army.

“Heyyyy, don’t get too hard on yourself! We all make mistakes! On the bright side your mistake got me 50 daans richer ahahaha!” He grabs the bag of coins from out of the commander's hands giggling like a kid.

My commander turns and snorts. “Lucky guess, you were making so many excuses during the game, I felt sorry for you. Plus, it’s a good lesson to never gamble, you hear me Derke? Might ruin your life in one night if you aren’t careful.”

“Yes…” I murmur before being interrupted.

“Yes that’s right! Never gamble!” The other commander slaps me on the back. “Unless you’re me! Ahahaha!” He walks away giddy.

“Mmm, if he dies tomorrow. I can get my stuff back. Maybe a stray arrow…” The commander thinks to herself then glances at me.

“Hey do you actually feel bad? We’re just having some fun here, nothing too outrageous.”

“You wouldn’t get it. It was a matter of pride for me. I’m always so plain, this was my one chance to show off a little.”

“Oh? In that case you did pretty good. ‘Who is that guy?’ ‘Holy cow he’s good!’ Everybody was talking about you. All the ladies fell in love!”

“Really?”

“No, not really, just trying to cheer you up here. ” The commander laughs light heartedly.

“Oh. I look back down crestfallen.

“Come on, I heard they have some real meat for dinner today. A couple of people went foraging and they were able to snag some wild animals. She grabs me by the back of my neck and begins marching. Her uptight attitude from earlier had all but completely vanished.

“Did I ever tell you my name by the way?” She then asks.

“…No you haven’t Ma’am.”

“Ah, in that case, my name is Percess.”

I nom on a rabbit leg, it was bland, chewy, and tasteless, but all meat tasted good when you haven’t had it in months.

“I don’t even care that much about dying anymore I just want to eat some good food before I get stabbed in the chest or something.” I stretch out and groan.

“You said it. When I get home, the first thing I’m going to do is get married, then get fat, then sit around for the rest of my life.”

“Sounds like the dream to me.”

“Oh man that sounds good.”

“Hell yea!”

The boys around the fire all simultaneously look into the sky, daydreaming about their futures.

I look to Dani, who was sitting next to me.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. Don’t really have a family to return to so…” She preemptively responds and shrugs.

“Why not? You’d have completed the contract when the war is over, no?” I ask. “Nothing stopping you from returning to them.

“Hey, if your family sold you out to potentially die for some cash would you ever want to see them again?”

“Maybe. Only if I become so rich that they beg me to come back though.”

“Oh, that does sound pretty nice. I might start my trading empire when I get back. Get richer than the king himself.”

“You’d be hard pressed to do that. Especially with how wildly successful this war’s been, Oliviand’s now the biggest powerhouse in the world baby!”

“…Do you feel strongly about this war?” Dani then asks.

“What do you mean?”

“Like, do you care if we win or lose, what this means for the future of our country, you know all that kinda of stuff?”

“Yea, I do wish Oliviand success. Though I’m not super intense about it like some people. Why?”

“Oh no, just curious, you sounded pretty enthusiastic there.”

The two of us stop talking.

…

Huh? Was that a boring answer? I didn’t really leave much room for discussion did I?

“Do you like our country?” I then try asking.

“Eh, the country has never done me any favors so… I don’t hate it though. I just don’t really care that I was born here.”

I nod my head, a reasonable answer.

I then yawn. “I’m kinda tired, so… I’m going to go to sleep. I like to wake up early.” I pat Dani’s shoulder before standing up.

“Oh, okay, have a nice one.” She looks up and waves me off.

I start to walk away then hesitate and turn around.

“Hey, how about this. The war should be over in a couple weeks and we’ll be free. How about we stick together afterwards? We can travel around the country for a couple years.” I boldly proclaim.

“Huh? Don’t you…” She hesitates. “Don’t you have family and friends to return to?”

“It’s fine. I can send letters, hey look, this war has taken five years off my life. I need to live the next five years at double the pace to catch up.” I hold my fist out. “What do you say?”

“Oooooooooh.” A small cheer rises around the two of us.

“Eh??” Dani looks around embarrassingly. “You didn’t have to say it in such a weird way!!” She returns the fist bump. “But, why not, I got nothing else to do anyways.” A giant smile forms on her face as she accepts my proposal. An image burned into my mind as I wake up for the next day.

I open my eyes alert. As much as I tried to get quality sleep, as I thought, the impending battle makes it hard to relax.

It’s still dark outside as usual. I’m still awake earlier than usual, nothing out of the ordinary.

I think back to last night and I smile widely. Ah, it’d be a big bummer if I got really unlucky today. I stumble out of the tent and look to the moon, slowly drifting down the horizon.

“BURN IT DOWN!”