Dae stood in the centre of the crowd and raised one hand. Silence fell instantly.
'Haha, I thought people had forgotten about me', he said with a wide grin, turning to the old man. 'Seems that's not the case.' He walked toward a high boulder, speaking as he went. 'We have 15 minutes. Prepare yourselves. When support arrives, you'll join me on the battlefield. Until then—rest. I will hold them back.'
'Hold them back?' a soldier yelled. 'Alone?'
'Young fella!' the old man cut in. 'You remember the Great War ten years ago? It was him who ended it! Let him do it!' Dae's face darkened slightly as he heard it. (Dae: That's when I killed the former Warlord!) The old man pushed himself up with his one remaining leg, nodding firmly. 'And when the time comes, we shall fight beside him.
Am I not right, Warlord?'
'You are right, old man!' Dae's gaze drifted north. A great army was approaching. Their war cries grew louder by the second. Between them and the enemy stretched a wasteland—
strewn with bones, skulls, and fragments of fallen soldiers. 'They're near,' Dae said. He crouched to pick up some weapons. 'They sent scouts. They should've sent more if they planned an ambush.'
He strapped grenades to his belt, slung guns across his back, and packed ammunition into the pouches of his dark green military pants. Lastly, he fastened two daggers to his legs. 'Guys,' he said with quiet finality, 'I'm off.' With the brightened eyes of his comrades behind him, Dae stepped forward, into the wasteland.
The ground was uneven. Jagged boulders of all sizes jutted out, perfect for cover. Dae had crossed the line, now deep in enemy territory. Still—this was his domain. Suddenly he ceased his advance and gazed at the ground. He looked around as if searching for something. However, the bones and clothes were normal on a battlefield. Yet Dae's eyes never stopped on such a thing. He shrugged his shoulders. 'I must have imagined. Well, I wonder what Dean's doing right now… Mom and Dad…' He looked to the sky and smiled softly. 'After today, I'll take that break.'
That's when he saw it. The moon. But something was wrong. A part of the moon had turned crimson. 'What the fuck?', Dae asked. There was no time to dwell on it. A yell broke the stillness. He tensed. 'First survive, then figure out what's up with the moon.'
The soldier who had shouted now appeared. Enemy and Warlord stood face to face. But before either could strike, the moonlight deepened. It wasn't just red- it looked blood-soaked. The scarlet light bathed the battlefield. Dae immediately put his weapons away and raised both arms.
The enemy soldier hesitated. He removed his thumb form the trigger, his body till tense.
'What are you doing?' He pointed his gun at Dae, but kept glancing toward the sky. Dae's eyes stayed fixed on the moon as he spoke.
'I can feel it. Something's coming - something dangerous. It's been a thing I always had, feeling such supernatural things. That's why I think we should put the fight on hold and find out what's happening to the moon.' The soldier didn't lower the gun. His hands trembled, sweat pouring down his pale face.
'Put the fight on hold? You think this is a game?' (Dae: Damn. People these days have no instincts anymore.I can't be the only one feeling this… off.)
'Look, soldier,' Dae said calmly, arms still raised. 'I'm sure you've heard of me. People used to call me—the Warlord.' That name hit like a punch. The soldier froze, trembling harder now. He struggled to even hold the weapon up. (Soldier: I'm fucked.
Why did I have to run into him on my first mission? Why me?) Then - A hand burst out of the ground between them. And it wasn't human.