At the borders of the kingdom, a family treads on needles, attempting to cross to the neighbouring land with the help of several people serving the prince.
With tightening tension between Icaris and Darto, the flames of war spread across the hundreds of defensive lines on the land connecting each kingdom. Thus, they had to take an unorthodox and dangerous path, not known to many, through the trials of nature. Unfavourable conditions and rocky terrains are the tip of the iceberg. Thus, those travelling through here don't do so in large groups.
I meet up with my family on the treacherous route to Icaris due to the time-consuming manoeuvre.
Even then, the boy rarely speaks, gazing down with regret and emptiness in his eyes.
I leave him in the carriage with my mother and siblings and join my father at the front, guiding the horses.
The silent night marks the next chapter of our lives.
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"The annoying fly died." A rough voice echoes in pure darkness.
"Which one," another voice, belonging to a woman, responds.
"The one at Darto."
"Ah. That's good. The plan was a success."
"No...he was killed by someone else."
A light pierces the void, pushing all attention to one wooden coffin. A man clad in a black coat and mask walks to the coffin. Shadows from beneath the coffin rise and open it to reveal Zepdas' preserved corpse.
"You, out of everyone, should know what I'm talking about, Morja."
...
"What are you implying?" One sentence from the man erupts shadows from his body, pulling hell from its roots as screams of pain and corpses float to the surface of his shadow sea. A Mirage of agony diverges from every inch of the man's demeanour.
"..."
"..."
Morja's intimidation silences both of the mysterious people hiding in the void. He turns his attention back to the corpse and touches the hole in its chest. He smiles and takes out a scroll from his coat pocket. It details a mission about infiltrating Darto.
"Perfect," says Morja.
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One month later...
Icaris Kingdom, South of Sovlet Region
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A man wearing a brown beret and long leather coat with an inner white shirt and black pants travels on a carriage amidst white vegetation. The ferocious snow has retrieved its fangs, allowing smooth and sailing movements.
He is heading to a town of nothing worth noting except its survival in a harsh habitat of monsters. The lord of this town was noted to be a descendant of a fallen noble from the fragmented era of Icaris. Situated far from the frontline and surrounded by monsters, it's one of the safest places in the current era, ironically.
A chilling breeze flaps his coat, revealing bandages wrapped around a stump on his right shoulder. The man is missing an arm.
He flips through a small ragged notebook placed on his thigh to a new empty page and starts to write his day with his left hand. With the carriage shaking, he practises writing, each character unintelligible.
The constant war for the past month between Darto and Icaris died down, leaving a short moment of peace for the man to cross the borders.
The man stops when he notices his destination approaching.
YOU ARE READING
A Background Character's Fate
Fantasy"In war, commoners are the victims in victory or defeat." Struck by poverty amidst a long and devastating war, an ordinary mercenary dies among the countless corpses on a snowy battlefield. Yet by a stroke of luck, he regressed to his younger self...
