"Get down! We're in enemy territory," a harsh whisper echoed through the quiet forest, shattering the serenity like a stone through a glass window. The words, uttered in my native language, sent an icy shiver down my spine. I froze in my tracks. The warning was clear, but the realization that there were other Eltrudians nearby sent my mind reeling. It felt like I had been plunged into icy water - the shock was that sudden, that complete.
"D-don't worry," I stuttered, emerging from the underbrush with my hands raised in surrender. "I'm Eltrudian too." I was a mess, my uniform tattered, and the numerous scars on my body.The Eltrudian soldier's eyes widened in surprise. "How...," he began, but his words trailed off into silence. He was astounded to see a fellow soldier in such a state.
"I am the sole survivor after my squadron was killed," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. The soldier looked me up and down, his gaze filled with suspicion and disbelief. I knew what he was thinking - a spy. Someone as frail and battered as I was couldn't possibly be a true Eltrudian soldier, a warrior of Lyria.
After a quick, whispered conversation with another soldier, they decided to take me in. They provided me with a new uniform, cleaned my wounds, and gave me food and water. But then, they tied me to a tree. Confused and scared, I questioned them, "Uhm, excuse me? Why am I tied to a tree?" They ignored my questions, leaving me in a state of distress and fear. "I'm not a spy," I cried out in desperation. "I am Finn Ember, a devotee of Lyria!"Impersonating someone else, especially a devotee of Lyria, is considered a grave sin in Eltrude. The soldier's face twisted in anger as he shouted back at me, "You dare sin by bearing the name of the almighty Lyria!"
I was terrifedd. This was it. This was how I was going to die - accused of impersonating a devotee, a crime I would never even dream of committing. I had spent my life worshiping Lyria, and now I was going to be executed for a crime I didn't commit.
As the soldier raised his gun it BANG countered with a bullet.
"Spy, did you do this? He screamed angrily. I noticed something unusual about the bullet. It looked old and rustic, and there were engravings on it. My heart pounded in my chest as I realized what it was - a Verdian bullet. "RUN! This is a Verdian bullet!" I shouted, hoping they would listen. But they didn't.
"Oh, so now you admit you're a spy. A mere child's trick won't scare us," one of them scoffed. Those were his last words. A second bullet blew through his head before he could react, his blood splashing across my face. I watched in horror as the shadowy figure took out the rest of the Eltrudian soldiers one by one.
As the last soldier fell, silence fell over the forest. The shadowy figure stepped into the moonlight, revealing a face that made me sick to my stomach. It was a VERDAN?! The sight of my sworn enemy sent a wave of fear crashing over me. But there was no time to dwell on fear. The enemy was here.
