[*]
His eyes, like polished lacquer, flickered with firelight—dark and chilling.
The young man's eyes were usually exceptionally clear, but now they seemed shrouded in a black mist.
After a long moment, he said in a low voice, "So it's a dead end."
A heavy silence fell, broken only by the crackling of sparks from the fire.
"Little General," Amy clapped her hands lightly and grinned at him. "Weren't you the one who wanted to serve the nation with utmost loyalty and die for your country? Why do you seem so afraid now?"
"If I had been born in a time of chaos, with no family to speak of, my death would mean nothing. But now, with my family and country in peril, even if I'm willing to die in service, I fear it won't be enough to save a collapsing dynasty."
