*
His eyes, like polished lacquer, flickered with firelight, deep and grim.
The young man's eyes were usually exceedingly clear, but now they seemed shrouded in a black fog.
After a long moment, he said in a low voice, "So it's a dead end."
A silence fell, broken only by the CRACKLE and POP 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 country with utmost loyalty and pledge your life to it? Why are you getting scared now?"
"If I were born in a chaotic era, alone in this world with nothing but my own flesh and blood, my death would mean nothing. But with the nation in turmoil, even if I'm willing to die for it, I fear it won't be enough to save a house on the verge of collapse."
