19:49 PM.
The smell came first.
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Before sight. Before awareness. Before Voltase even realized he had fallen asleep.
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A pungent, fishy stench a mixture of old blood, rotting flesh, and soil soaked with bodily fluids. seeped into his nostrils like toxic smoke.
It clung to the roof of his mouth. Settled at the back of his throat. Made his stomach churn despite being empty.
Here again.
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The thought surfaced through the fog of his half-asleep consciousness.
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I'm back.
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To the same place.
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same dream.
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But something was different this time. Something he couldn't immediately identify. Perhaps because this was the third time. Perhaps because his mind. although still constrained by the thick fog shrouding his memories was beginning to grow accustomed to this cycle.
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Accustomed to death, resurrection.
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the same hell, over and over.
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Voltase opened his eyes.
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And as usual, what he saw was a corpse's face above him.
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That face a man with grayish skin, eyes wide open with pupils frozen in eternal terror, and a gaping mouth as if trying to scream but never getting the chance, no longer surprised him.
He had seen it twice before. The same face. The same expression. Even the corpse's position atop his body was identical.
even if the maggots are still wriggling and roaming on the surface of the remains, it is said that the meat is.
With a rough shove no longer trembling like the first time, no longer panicking like the second Voltase pushed the corpse away.
The stiff body rolled sideways with a wet plop, just as before, and Voltase found himself lying among countless piles of flesh and bone.
The same hell.
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The same battlefield.
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The same dark, starless night sky. The same mud-soaked earth, saturated with blood. The same smell. same wind whispering through the corpses, like the murmurs of the dead he couldn't quite hear.
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Voltase sat up slowly. The body he inhabited a tall, sturdy man's body, with strong hands and a scar on his left arm moved with strange obedience. As if this body knew itself better than he knew it.
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He stared at his hands. Not the small, delicate hands of a child with rounded fingers, but large hands with calloused knuckles and prominent veins on the back.
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This isn't my body.
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But it feels like mine.
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At least, for now.
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He moved his fingers one by one, making sure everything still worked. The memory of his first death the bullet in his chest, the blood flowing out, the darkness slowly swallowing him was still fresh.
So was the second the strong hands strangling his neck, the air slowly fading, and the despair of realizing that this time, he wouldn't survive.
But tonight was different.
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Tonight, Voltase had no intention of dying.
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Not again.
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He had died twice.
Twice was enough.
Twice was more than enough to make him understand that if he remained passive, if he kept letting this dream run its course, he would die over and over.
Perhaps forever.
And that more than anything was the most terrifying thing.
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Not the pain, the blood, even the corpses around him.
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But the thought that he might be trapped here forever. That every night, he would return to this place, and every night, he would die in a different way. That there was no end, no escape, no hope.
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No.
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I won't let that happen.
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I will survive.
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I'll do whatever it takes to survive.
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With newfound resolve resolve that felt foreign in his chest, like a small flame flickering in the darkness Voltase rose to his feet.
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His legs the long, powerful legs of a grown man carried him through the piles of corpses. Each step produced a soft crunch of broken bones beneath his boots.
Each step brought him closer to the goal he had just set.
The blond man.
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The one who survived the last battle.
who died in front of me in the twiced dream.
Voltase didn't know why he was so certain that man was still alive. because in the two previous dreams, that man always survived until the final moments.
there was something about him something important, he couldn't let die.
Or perhaps because, deep in his heart, Voltase knew that the only way to survive was not to be alone.
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He walked past countless piles of corpses. Some were still intact, their faces frozen in their final expressions.
Others were half rotted, with peeling skin and bones protruding through decayed flesh. Some bodies were completely destroyed burned, or shot multiple times, or crushed by something Voltase couldn't even imagine.
He tried not to look too closely.
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tried not to think about who they had been before.
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They were just corpses. Just flesh and bone. Nothing more.
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Don't think about their families, the dreams. how they died.
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Focus on the goal.
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Find that man.
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Save him.
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And save yourself.
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In the distance, he saw a pile of corpses higher than the rest. Like a small hill made of flesh and bone. And behind that hill, he saw faint movement something moving, something still alive.
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He's there.
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Voltase quickened his pace, almost running through the scattered bodies. His boots stepped on a severed arm, and he heard the crisp crack of bone beneath his feet. He didn't stop. Couldn't stop.
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Must get there.
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Must save him.
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This time, I won't let him die.
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When he finally reached that pile of corpses, he saw him.
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The man was still alive.
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Voltase stopped, his breath quickening not from exhaustion, but from sudden relief.
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The man lay among the corpses, his body almost entirely buried under a mound of dead flesh. Only his head was visible—a pale face with tangled blond hair, filthy with blood and mud. His eyes were closed, but his chest still rose and fell with weak yet steady breaths.
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He's alive.
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He survived.
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Voltase knelt beside the man. His hands the large hands that no longer felt foreign grabbed the man's shoulders and shook him gently.
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"Hey."
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No response.
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"Hey, wake up."
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He shook harder. The man's face creased slightly, like someone sleeping who didn't want to be disturbed.
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"Wake up, idiot. We don't have much time."
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Finally, the man's eyes opened.
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Dark onyx eyes like two black gems reflecting the dim light of the night sky. stared at Voltase with a mixture of confusion and wariness.
For a few seconds, the man just stared without moving, like a wild animal just waking up and not yet deciding whether to fight or flee.
And then, his mouth opened to scream.
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Voltase moved faster than his thoughts.
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His palm covered the man's mouth before any sound could escape. He leaned close, only a few centimeters away and stared into those onyx eyes with an intensity he never possessed in the real world.
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"Listen to me."
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His voice was low, firm, and urgent.
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The man stopped moving. His eyes remained wary, but there was something in them perhaps curiosity, perhaps hope that kept him silent.
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"Cooperate with me if you want to live,"
Voltase continued, the words flowing smoothly like water in a stream. As if this was something he had rehearsed, something he had thought about.
He had planned since the first time he woke up in this hell.
"Because two are better than one."
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He stared into those onyx eyes, searching for signs of understanding. Signs of agreement. Signs that this man whom he didn't know, who should be his enemy was willing to listen.
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Silence hung between them.
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Voltase could feel the man's breath against his palm warm, uneven, filled with restrained fear.
He could feel the tension in the man's jaw beneath his touch. He could see the sweat on the man's forehead, mixed with blood and grime.
And then, slowly, the man nodded.
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One small nod. Barely visible. But enough.
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Voltase exhaled in relief. He released his hand from the man's mouth but kept close.
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"Good."
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He straightened up, his eyes quickly scanning the logo on the man's uniform. Faded olive green the same as the corpses around them.
The same as the soldiers who came to check the dead in the two previous dreams.
He's from the same side as those who came to kill.
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He's the enemy.
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Or at least, he should be.
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Voltase pushed the thought aside. It didn't matter now. What mattered was survival. What mattered was getting out of here. What mattered was not dying again.
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"Who are you?"
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The man's voice finally came out hoarse, weak, but still laced with wariness.
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Voltase looked at him. Those onyx eyes still stared back with uncomfortable intensity, as if trying to guess his intentions, his motives, the truth behind his words.
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"Someone trying to survive," Voltase answered shortly. "Same as you."
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The man frowned. Doubt flickered in his eyes. Distrust. But there was also something else something akin to curiosity.
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"You don't look like you're from our side."
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"I'm not from their side either."
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Voltase pointed to the corpses around them.
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"I'm just... someone trapped here."
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The man fell silent. His eyes continued to scrutinize Voltase, searching for lies, for deception. But Voltase wasn't lying. Not entirely.
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Because he was indeed trapped. Trapped in this dream, in this body, between endless death and resurrection.
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And all he wanted was to escape.
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"We don't have much time," said Voltase, steering the man's attention away from unanswerable questions.
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"They're coming. Three men. With bayonets on their rifles. check these bodies, and if they find us alive..."
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He didn't need to finish. The man already understood.
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"How do you know?"
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"I've seen it happen."
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Twice. But Voltase didn't say that.
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"Trust me, or die here. The choice is yours."
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The man stared at him for a long time. Too long. Voltase was almost losing patience.
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But finally, the man nodded again.
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"What do I need to do?"
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Voltase explained his plan quickly.
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He retrieved two rifles from among the corpses—long rifles with bayonets attached, just like the ones the inspecting soldiers carried. tossed one to the man, who caught it with practiced ease that showed he was no amateur soldier.
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"Have you used one of these before?" asked Voltase.
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The man nodded. His hands long fingered hands with calloused knuckles held the rifle comfortably, like an extension of his own body.
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"I've been fighting for years."
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"Good. Because we'll need every skill we have."
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Voltase fixed the bayonet onto his rifle quickly. The blade long, sharp, with grooves along its sides to channel blood gleamed under the dim light of the night sky.
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"They'll come in three minutes," he said, recalling the timing from the two previous dreams.
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"We'll play dead. Hide among the corpses. And when they're close enough..."
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He pressed the tip of the bayonet with his thumb, feeling its sharpness.
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"We strike."
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The man stared at him with wide eyes.
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"This is insane," he said. "You know that, right?"
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"Maybe."
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Voltase lay down on the ground, pulling two corpses over his body. The cold, stiff flesh pressed down on him with suffocating weight, and the stench nearly made him vomit.
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"But it's the only way to survive."
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He closed his eyes.
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"Play dead. And when I move, follow."
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The man was silent. Then, Voltase heard movement beside him the man lying down, pulling corpses over himself.
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"I don't know who you are," said the man, his voice muffled by the dead flesh.
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"But I hope you're right."
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"Me too."
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And then, they waited.
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Silence returned to the battlefield. Only the wind whispering through the corpses, and the pounding of Voltase's heart in his chest.
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One.
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Two.
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Three.
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He counted the seconds in his head, trying to measure time. In the two previous dreams, the soldiers always came about three minutes after he woke up.
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His breath caught. He could feel the weight of the corpses above him not just the ones on the surface, but the burden of all the deaths he had witnessed.
The burden of fear still settled in his chest. burden of hope beginning to grow, even though he knew it could destroy him.
And then, he heard it.
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Footsteps.
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Far in the distance, but growing closer.
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The sound of boots stepping on muddy ground, followed by the crunch of broken bones beneath them.
And among those steps, other sounds voices speaking in a language he didn't understand, but with familiar tones.
They were coming.
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Voltase held his breath. His body the strong, adult body locked in invisible tension. Every muscle ready. Every sense alert.
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The footsteps drew closer.
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He could hear them talking now. Words in a foreign language perhaps German, perhaps Russian, he couldn't be certain. But some words felt familiar. Words like "check," "clean," and "dead."
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They were checking the corpses. Making sure no one was still alive.
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Just like before.
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Just like the two previous times.
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The first thrust came seconds later.
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Thunk.
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The sound of metal piercing flesh dull, wet, horrible. Voltase felt the vibration in the ground beside him, felt how the corpse nearby shuddered from the bayonet's thrust.
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Thunk.
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The second thrust. Closer this time. Voltase could hear the blade piercing bone, and he imagined how it would feel the dull pain, the sensation of cold metal tearing through flesh, and then darkness.
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Soon.
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The next thrust will come toward me.
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He gripped his rifle tighter. His hands the large hands with calloused fingers didn't shake. Unlike his hands in the real world, which always trembled from nervousness or awkwardness.
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This isn't my body.
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But I know how to use it.
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Or at least, this body knows.
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Footsteps stopped right beside him.
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Voltase could feel someone standing nearby could feel the weight of that body, could hear their heavy breathing, could smell the sweat and cigarette smoke clinging to their uniform.
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Now.
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Time to move.
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The bayonet thrust came from above, piercing the corpse on the surface.
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Thunk.
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The flesh tore open above him, and Voltase felt the cold metal tip stop just above his chest only centimeters from his skin.
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No.
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Not this time.
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I won't die again.
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Before the bayonet could touch his body, Voltase opened his eyes.
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The world moved in an instant.
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Voltase pushed the corpses off him with strength he didn't know he possessed. The dead flesh flew aside like rag dolls, and in less than a second, he was in an attacking position.
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The soldier above him a man with short black hair and dark eyes full of surprise had no time to react. His mouth opened to scream, but before any sound came out, the bayonet on Voltase's rifle had pierced his throat.
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Crack.
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The sound of crushed cartilage. The sound of tearing flesh. The sound of blood spraying out like a fountain.
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Voltase felt warm droplets on his face fresh blood, thick and sticky, with a sharp metallic smell.
He felt how the bayonet sliced through flesh, how the bones in the man's neck shattered under the pressure, how the body stiffened in the spasm of death.
And then, the man fell.
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Without a sound. Without a scream. Just the wet plop of his body hitting the ground.
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Voltase stood over the corpse, breathing hard, his heart pounding fiercely in his chest.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bbGUA3XDC
He killed someone.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwUTyh0ign
He had just killed someone.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjsR97ZgOP
For the first time in his life, he had taken another person's life.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTqMvTby4M
But the feeling that came wasn't guilt. Not regret. Not even disgust.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmqKbvsyEz
What came was a coldness in his chest.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBN5YgUf5J
Emptiness.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ767yzEsJQ
As if a part of him had died along with that man. if he had crossed a line from which there was no return, and now, there was no going back.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyjyfrqHX0
This isn't me.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesvPXj8pbK
It's this body.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7Z7ZKx2Ok
It's a dream.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wtHhCWFcG
Not real.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICgL5A5kc1
Not real.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsHF1rlDDC
Not—
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLUQn9qNch
"Gunshot!"
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvyYsP4p6cu
A shout from the side shattered his thoughts.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQFQ6z8eOq
Voltase turned quickly and saw a familiar sight the blond man standing among the corpses, his rifle raised toward the second soldier who had just realized what was happening.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPs8IllDWBN
Bang!
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOF1Uw49gxC
The gunshot echoed across the silent battlefield.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetkZfhPIW9
The man a soldier with brown hair and blue eyes fell backward with a gaping hole in his head. Blood and small pieces of brain sprayed into the air before his body hit the ground with a dull thud.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVPG2TOOWu
One left.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡth0ya8fYde
Voltase saw the third soldier a young man, probably no older than twenty standing among the corpses with an expression of frozen terror on his face.
His hands held a rifle, but he didn't move. Didn't shoot. Just stared at Voltase with eyes full of disbelief.
And then, Voltase raised his rifle.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqbemrvnEX
Trigger pull.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxR59894Qbp
Bang!
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmr89WoEABy
The bullet flew from the barrel, cut through the cold night air, and entered the young man's chest.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSnGYRDErBJ
The man's body staggered backward, his right hand still gripping the rifle flung to the side. His blue eyes light blue, like a summer sky widened in shock, as if he couldn't believe this was happening to him.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBwjEXohvo
He fell.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZbM2miT5y
Slowly.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj37sY7xS2r
Like a felled tree.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHL3FZJeSVN
And when his body hit the ground, Voltase heard another gunshot from the side the blond man had shot the young man in the back of the head.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdtlLUauVx
Bang!
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE46D15vLwE
The young man's head jerked forward, and then, everything stopped.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQUnG8ujAO
Silence returned to the battlefield.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovenVkKhmX
Three bodies lay on the ground. Three lives taken. Three deaths in a matter of seconds.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FaMtCyoSi
And Voltase a twelve year old boy who had never hurt anyone in his life stood among them with fresh blood on his face and a bloody bayonet in his hand.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHX11FsnRc
Voltase collapsed.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5oyAHaB5q
His knees hit the ground hard, but he didn't feel the pain. All he felt was overwhelming exhaustion exhaustion that seeped into every bone, every muscle, every fiber of his being.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAYMQYcZXj
The rifle in his hand fell with a clatter on the ground. His hands his large, strong hands began to shake. A tremor he couldn't control.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6mb5700hE
He killed someone.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuP7zexlR6p
Two people.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kdjKw8VeE
Two lives.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ62Wv2KgPdv
Two human beings with families, dreams, hopes.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrnxgz837L
And he killed them.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdggP72bwDX
The feeling the feeling that should have come earlier finally arrived.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkBfhlAcT3
Not guilt.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtBREhVmA0
Not regret.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OeNuuQYjK
But a deep nausea, rising from his stomach to his throat, making him want to vomit but couldn't because his stomach was empty.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqvJF4gtt7
He looked down, seeing his hands his blood-soaked hands. Fresh blood, still warm, still flowing between his fingers.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGPrDZq2Qb
This is human blood.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEdusfgZjD
Blood I just spilled.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPxHjv8sSR
Blood can never take back.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbnN0O9QA8
He closed his eyes, but the image didn't go away. The young man's face with blue eyes his expression of shock, his open mouth, his body falling slowly to the ground all etched behind his eyelids.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtKw6pJerF
He was young.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg83QOUapG5
Maybe the same age as the blond man.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNg1pWLH7Ix
Maybe he just joined this war.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbBhclIhwJ
Maybe he didn't want to be here any more than I did.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGnT4vmRlY
But he killed him.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mqXhMTJbL
Without hesitation, doubt and giving him a chance.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvZoDo9IQz
Why did I do it?
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyPsqSWtNi
Why didn't I shoot to wound?
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINkYY9vqms
Why did I kill him outright?
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vzNj5xFxR
The answer came quickly and coldly.
Because if I hadn't, he would have killed me.
That was the logic of the battlefield and survival. logic that knew no mercy, no morality, nothing except one rule: Kill or be killed.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7SsttlByQ
And Voltase, for the first time, understood.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaCi25TqnM
Understood why the soldiers in the previous dreams had been so cruel.
Why they checked the corpses with bayonets.
Why they gave no quarter.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JtvJyMckh
Because here, in this hell, there was no room for mercy.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbebDvFMROG
Only death, and those who managed to avoid it.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0fEQ8x06z
Footsteps beside him.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Ou8Z0zxbp
Voltase looked up and saw the blond man standing nearby. His face was pale, his eyes dark, and in his hand, he held a pistol a small pistol he'd taken from one of the corpses.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwfQkDQf3J
He stared at Voltase with an unreadable expression a mixture of admiration, fear, and perhaps, respect.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrutm3kA4S
"Are you okay?" he asked.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡea7cu3e3Yz
Voltase wanted to say no. Wanted to scream that he wasn't okay, that he'd just killed two people, that he felt like he was going to die.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafQq2zI9wD
But what came out of his mouth was only
"I'm... fine."
The man nodded. He walked past Voltase, toward the body of the young man with blue eyes. With efficient movements movements that showed years of battlefield experience he rolled the body over and began searching its pockets.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGc0uUFnscn
"What are you doing?" asked Voltase, his voice still hoarse.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡManwiudx2U
"Looking for anything useful," the man answered without turning. "Bullets, food, water, information. Everything is valuable here."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pNegDSQU7
Voltase watched him for a moment, trying to process that logic. Then, slowly, he stood up. His legs still felt weak, but he forced himself to stay upright.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9bsYzvnJC
"Should I...?"
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsICs158M7i
"If you want. But if I were you, I'd check the body closest to you. It's yours, you killed him."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiib93xNWf
Voltase stared at the corpse beside him the man with short black hair and dark eyes, still lying there with the bayonet in his throat.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2PNDZvV9V
Mine.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAymiRoCRCK
The word felt strange in his mind. As if the corpse were property, not a person.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0p6m4ZW7Y
But he understood what the man meant. Here, on this battlefield, death was the most valuable currency. And the dead no longer needed anything they carried.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdMuv6ffSx
With stiff movements, Voltase knelt beside the corpse. His hands still tremblingbbegan searching the uniform's pockets.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMN6fyGhfc
He found a pack of cigarettes. A box of matches. And a kit bar emergency rations wrapped in brown plastic.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VZJA5rOGa
The kit bar caught his attention.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygia7hi7qP
He hadn't eaten.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNi6voE2s1
When was the last time he ate?
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuygrTvp3G
In the real world, he'd had lunch in the cafeteria with Marie. But here, in this dream... he couldn't remember the last time food touched his lips. the last time he didn't feel hungry.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fxzACuYwo
His stomach growled loudly, and Voltase realized just how hungry he was.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhGAH3lW0t
But I can't eat here. Among the corpses. With the smell of blood and death all around.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpxWs6ECl7
I'll throw up.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh61DwHTpHP
But his stomach kept complaining, and the hunger grew more unbearable.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFK6HVsi7i
He stared at the kit bar in his hand brown plastic with faded lettering. This food might be months or even years old. But here, in this hell, food was still food.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwGrrogUXd
You have to eat.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyYIQY4Zoj
Your body needs energy.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKnaSnld8bT
If you don't, you won't survive.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LUwQt6yxy
With still trembling hands, Voltase began to tear open the plastic wrapping.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jXouiBsVk
The rustle of plastic caught the blond man's attention.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn5DQT7cROH
He turned, his eyes immediately landing on the kit bar in Voltase's hand. For a moment, there was a flash in his eyes a flash that looked like hunger he couldn't hide.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Vnbu6N7Vg
And then, his stomach growled.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAKuzOn73K
Loudly.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXOvqY1Tl7
Embarrassingly.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqdkDx7TuJ
The man patted his stomach with an awkward expression, and Voltase almost smiled. Almost.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhkQXUD60p
"Are you hungry?" asked Voltase, even though he already knew the answer.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ALd2YnSAm
The man nodded, no longer able to hide his hunger.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvgLAlgfQm
"It's been days," he said, his voice soft. "Since... since I got trapped here."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWybQ7nleap
Voltase stared at the kit bar in his hand. Only one package. Not enough for two people. But—
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirlClZOpCg
He broke it in half.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2yvwP9clu
Half for him. Half for the man.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaLynSRM1a
He held out the piece of kit bar.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgCtN14xYw
"Here."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNNKe48NTa
The man stared at him with wide eyes. Doubt flickered in his gaze mixed with curiosity.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuuQJR5Y8Mr
"For me?"
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCxKxrukgI
"We're both hungry. We both need energy."
"Fair enough"
The man hesitated for a moment. Then, slowly, he took the piece of kit bar from Voltase's hand.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMlBL8HXxd
"Thank you," he said, his voice almost a whisper.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqhAr9FNU8
He ate the kit bar slowly, carefully, making sure no crumbs fell to the ground. Each bite seemed like treasure, and the expression on his face almost like happiness made Voltase feel slightly better.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrJ6kUGn8E
Voltase stared at the piece of kit bar in his own hand.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCZFIRF6iM
Now my turn.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBGmPqABcB
He brought the kit bar to his mouth, but before he could bite, the fishy stench of the battlefield invaded his nostrils.
The smell of blood, corpse, and death.
Nausea returned.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcB2HQDsBI
He lowered the kit bar, trying to steady his breathing. His stomach growled, but his mind refused to eat in a place like this.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFMHR1OB2p
You have to eat.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpXvGt50MC
Your body needs energy.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiq7eNkZHj
If you don't, you won't survive.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0HyPusbTb
You'll die here.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uwPvtq3RZ
And if you die here, maybe you'll die forever.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7S5ZpZ3IYC
With renewed resolve, Voltase shoved the entire piece of kit bar into his mouth.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOnvYRnv9E
It tasted terrible.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7R6zQ6A3J
Stale hard bread, coated with cheap chocolate that tasted like wax. But beneath that taste, there was something worse the scent of the battlefield seeping into every bite, making him almost vomit.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlstzkmym5e
He chewed painfully, fighting the nausea rising from his stomach. His hands still trembling covered his mouth, trying to hold back whatever wanted to come out.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwe93vSlVVA
Don't throw up.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTToysOiYh
Don't throw up.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1VogAWC1z
You need this food.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeJzzqDDoF
You need the energy.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvh07kjEUl
He swallowed with difficulty, feeling the kit bar drop into his empty stomach like a stone.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzuapaWf22
And then, he almost cried.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1cPOklZz8
Because of the death he'd witnessed, death he'd caused, the hell he couldn't escape. Of the dream he couldn't wake from.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWBpORpDGW
He wanted to go home. Wanted to return to his small, cold dormitory room. Wanted to hear Marie's cheerful voice. Wanted to feel safe.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1O6putGTue
But he couldn't.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvuKL892dZH
He was trapped here. Among the corpses. Among blood and death. Between two worlds that were never supposed to meet.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5BPPPnKmIB
And he didn't know if he would ever escape.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoSBDw6aux
A bottle of water was held out in front of him.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPVrLkp6Gj
Voltase looked up and saw the blond man standing before him with a water bottle in his hand. His face pale and exhausted held an expression almost like concern.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwToyomzFk
"Drink," he said. "You look like you're about to pass out."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOL8z7aPKsU
Voltase accepted the bottle with trembling hands. He unscrewed the cap and drank greedily so greedily that some water spilled down his chin.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1frqO8n6v
The water was cold and refreshing, and for a moment, he felt a little better.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6Voit5TKV
"Pretty bad, isn't it?" said the man, sitting down beside him.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBubCL5ViDs
Voltase stared at him. The man with his tangled blond hair, pale face, and dark onyx eyes looked younger than he remembered. Perhaps still in his early twenties. even younger.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpLYBlmWeN
"What?" asked Voltase, confused.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Sl99jxINN
"The food. Tastes like garbage, right?"
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCmZzTTkjx
The man smiled a faint smile barely visible, but enough to soften the lines on his face slightly.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSeIT6B6H0
"I'm used to it. But every time, it still tastes the same."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61VHS0RiOP
Voltase didn't know what to say. So he just nodded.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybc3JeadmM
The man sighed. He stared at the dark night sky a sky without stars, without a moon, without anything except endless darkness.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWUZ64Gjm4
"I don't know who you are," he said finally. "But I'm grateful. Because you saved me."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlApSK2d2BC
He turned to Voltase, and for the first time, his eyes those dark onyx eyes seemed a little warmer.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYaey164NX
"We haven't introduced ourselves."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0Qzw41vnY
He extended his hand.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwoQ2VSRRM
"Hello, my name is Kwan Won Shik. Call me Won."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LAWSqh5ZB
Voltase stared at the outstretched hand. That hand with long fingers and calloused knuckles looked strong, but also weary. Like someone who had held on for too long.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuQKDeN4KR
He took the hand, feeling a firm but not painful grip.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFTDZU0in7
"Natt," he said, without thinking. "Call me Natt."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMsfwHvt2F
Won raised an eyebrow.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWxWybuPYg
"Natt?"
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rCLQbW788
"Yeah. Natt."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNe0kjiu8hV
"Strange. But okay."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2q23WO33i
Won released his grip, and for a while, they just sat in silence among the corpses. The night wind rustled around them, carrying the scent of death they no longer noticed.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgeUQxtXdD
"What happened to you?" Won finally asked. "How did you end up here?"
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5sVHnstMT
Voltase fell silent. He didn't know how to answer that question.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWx08KOAFg
"I... don't know," he said finally. "I just... suddenly found myself here. Don't remember how or why."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnoIC9AIz5A
Won nodded, as if understanding.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aFQ1VoPlD
"Me too," he said. "I don't remember much. Just... battle. Blood. Death. And then, I was lying among these corpses."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlHSjDeuLL
He stared at his own hands also blood soaked.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPE8mZKIU1
"I don't even remember how I got here."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyx23PjAlBN
They sat in silence again, each lost in their own thoughts.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23qaiaZwv2
And then, Won stood up.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggLVmMNKx8
"We have to go," he said. "It's not safe here. They might send more people to check."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkDsU9TpZL1
He extended his hand to Voltase.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3tSJpBEzy
"Come on."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Dz0cvftIr
Voltase took the hand, and Won pulled him to his feet.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFrlEJds4Z
"Where are we going?" asked Voltase.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtT6wholHa
"I don't know. Away from here. Wherever is safer."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbh6JjdfUX
Won began walking, and Voltase followed. They walked past piles of corpses, past puddles of blood starting to dry, past the remnants of a battle they had never witnessed.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UCEimAGht
In the distance, fog began to descend thick fog that hid whatever lay ahead.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uAZ2PwwdM
"Have you been here before?" asked Won, without turning.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3H2aZ9OXPn
"Yeah. No. I don't know."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqG9fRQqvP
Voltase shook his head, frustrated by the blurriness of his mind.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWF9I570Zl
"I feel like I've seen this place before. But I can't remember when or how."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFXhcQwhV9
Won stopped. He turned around, staring at Voltase with sharp eyes.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniCaqU3Pic
"Me too," he said. "I feel like I've seen you before."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xGmhMLEOu
Voltase stared back, and for a moment, something stirred in his chest something akin to recognition.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOdZsQWHYd
"Maybe we met in another life," he said, half-joking.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GfpZN6m8E
But Won didn't laugh. He just stared at Voltase seriously.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OayXEZdrJ
"Maybe," he said. "Maybe we met in another life."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYh8ARGmEI
They walked for hours or perhaps just minutes. Voltase couldn't measure time here. Time felt different on this battlefield.
Slower. Heavier. As if every second was a burden he had to carry.
Won talked a lot during the journey. He told Voltase about his family about his mother who died when he was young, his father who became a soldier, and his younger sister still waiting for him at home.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dHaySdf0T
"I promised I'd come back," he said, his voice filled with longing. "I promised I'd finish this war and go home. But..."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPrpKnEwwb
He laughed softly a bitter laugh.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasPepqgDhJ
"But it seems that promise will never come true."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YWn3oTxzQ
Voltase listened without saying much. He didn't know what to say. No words could comfort someone trapped in a hell like this.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79GZhQRGrr
But he kept listening. Because it was the only thing he could do.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSDTEGkBSB
Finally, exhaustion began to overtake him.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzfe6vd8g3
His eyes grew heavy. steps started to falter. The world around him began to spin.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWg1SIvO1o
"Hey, Natt."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAqqz7qbUn
Won's voice from a distance.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96IYiR1FKk
"Are you okay?"
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7z7UQt1cS
Voltase wanted to answer, but the words wouldn't come.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZASzhyKkWe
He fell.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtccnZaCn9
His knees hit the ground hard, and for a moment, he couldn't move. His body felt like lead heavy, stiff, refusing to cooperate.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9s29ypupBm
"Natt!"
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGE86PXQOgN
Won knelt beside him, his hands grabbing Voltase's shoulders.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hu4zhlZZb
"Hey, hold on. Don't pass out."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HdsiNha8s
Voltase tried to open his eyes, but his vision was blurry. Won's face pale with onyx eyes swam before him like a mirage.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkRDbg6fKy
"I'm... tired," he whispered. "I'm just... tired."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxSxkkCjx3
Won gripped his shoulders tighter.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0fnHARNWr
"You can't pass out here, Natt. You have to hold on."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhO4IqLE4LI
"I'm... trying..."
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91AiDMRg0k
And then, the world went dark.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfz2aUAQNR7
03:15 AM.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0avInMvblk
Voltase woke with a jolt.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY87qIvJ5xw
His eyes snapped open, his chest rising and falling rapidly, and for a moment, he didn't know where he was.
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A white ceiling with hairline cracks.
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Curtains drawn tightly.
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The dim glow of streetlights outside the window.
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Dormitory room.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5snvGoY29u
The real world.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRShs9S8z99
He was back.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAWcfYUQvh
He sat up in bed, his hand reaching for his chest feeling his heart pounding fiercely beneath his unblemished skin. No wounds. No blood. No pain.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGl38IMYzWh
But there was something else.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH21Ip29oFo
A strange feeling in his chest.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXwJ78nGXp
Not pain. Not fear. But something deeper something he couldn't name.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Ljf0G2GxY
He survived.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3SUTdA8xZG
For the first time, he survived that dream.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1eWcs5SAD
He didn't die.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbm659WMBw
He closed his eyes, trying to remember the details of the dream. Faces. Voices. Feelings.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pIdWq2v95
But everything was beginning to fade.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡITSTTpVDky
Like fog slowly dissipating under the morning sun.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡElgaL8fOeO
He remembered the corpses. The blood, pungent, fishy stench.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohpEBGuiLw
The fight how he killed two people with his own hands.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTO41Lq5tB
Terrible taste of the kit bar in his mouth.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9JzcrBcfZ
He remembered...
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remembered...
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjSf6xUMI9
What was his name?
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uVpWWGBjl
Voltase frowned, trying to remember.
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The blond man.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdOO77AIg1
The man he saved.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJJUA006e3
The man who talked to him.
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The man who...
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But his memories were blurry. The harder he tried to remember, the faster they faded.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAOEP7BLw0
He remembered there was someone, talking to someone, walking with someone.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZARwcYeIL
But his face... his face was gone.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUebkk3VDO
Like a photograph fading in the sun.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7U3J0fbuy
He only remembered his smile. Only the lower part of his face. Thin lips curving slightly upward. A firm jaw.
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But the upper part...
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Eyes. Hair. Eyebrows.
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All gone.
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Swallowed by fog he couldn't penetrate.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61zrfa5z9r
Voltase sighed in frustration. He clenched his fists his small, delicate fists, not the large hands with a scar on the left arm.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTm5SIGTbW
Why can't I remember him?
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MAPGTyaJf
Why do I remember everything except his face?
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJyK1xSfYS
But even as he asked, he knew the answer.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgxbJBaWXC
Because it was just a dream.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNODj8TZQ9B
Just a dream that fades like all other dreams.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTbnfnf1N7R
Nothing in it is real.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wH38AypCW
Nothing matters.
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But there was a part of him that knew that wasn't true. He was too tired to think about it.
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He lay back in bed, staring at the cracked ceiling.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BkC33plZo
His phone on the nightstand he checked the time on the cracked screen.
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03:15 AM.
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Still night.
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He could still sleep.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePBcGON4KK
He closed his eyes, trying to rest his weary mind.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaujACHUQsU
But even with his eyes closed, images from the dream kept appearing behind his eyelids.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gP7j0DYkG
Warm blood splattering across his face.
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Blue eyes frozen in shock.
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Corpses scattered around him.
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And the feeling the feeling he couldn't forget as his bayonet pierced the man's throat.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQqxL0ceFg
He killed someone.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Cqx7Gk7E7
Two people.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86ufoH7LME
Two lives.
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Two human beings.
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And he didn't feel guilty.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCf17J7L9x
That was the most terrifying part.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfsCAt2FAM
But the fact that he felt nothing. The fact that he could kill without regret.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30JYbhFhor
Who am I?
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjY2uHpfwwV
The question surfaced in his mind, but he had no answer.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvPcsINdHv
Who am I in that dream?
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwN3XBH7c5
Who am I who can kill without guilt?
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0jtpoDEDZ
Who am I who feels cold and empty after taking another's life?
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KXmBwstrt
No answers.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3iMGOdfMDi
Only darkness.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBY0kf0Pgp
He finally fell asleep again.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡayLelpVLAM
No dreams this time. Only empty, peaceful darkness.
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbG3AkCZ9y
But even in his sleep, there was a faint feeling that this wasn't over.
ns216.73.216.243da2 
and then Add to home screen.