With directions from Captain ?thena, Sachi made his way to the Red Charles. By that time it had been several hours since his tantrum on the beachhead, and he hoped that Victoria would be home by now. He also hoped the young noble wouldn't still be mad after the way she stormed off. Navigating how to interact with a young woman of her status seemed like walking through a maze filled with potential offenses around every corner. He wanted to apologize but was afraid his new partner might already be done with him. He wouldn't have blamed her for avoiding an Elv like himself—beatings tended to nip at his heels. As he marched past increasingly impressive inns and shops, passing by many Dukes and Duchesses with his head down, ears hidden in his spiky red hair as best as he could.

  She probably hates me now too. Sachi's thoughts became grim. I couldn't have looked weaker.

  Sachi had a habit of jumping to conclusions in his mind. And when riled up, there was little anyone could do to snap him from the false realities he had constructed. He knew training would take time, but results unseen today felt like no results at all. He kicked up the occasional loose pebble from the street as he marched toward the Red Charles, feeling cowardly beyond belief. Did someone as pathetic as him even deserve comrades after his display on the beach? Yet, for some reason, he desired the approval of Private Ramses. He needed to apologize properly, and waiting didn't feel like a good option.

  He arrived at the slightly oversized doors of the alehouse and made sure to reposition his Red Wing badge before walking in so others would know his Private status immediately. Upon stepping in, Sachi was met with the sunken faces of Gilgamere's most influential figures; many slurring before the afternoon had fully passed. A few noticed his tall ears, but upon seeing his Wings they held back their crueler comments. Still, some whispered at their tables to one another in disbelief that an Elv would be here at such an early hour in the day—or at all.

  Sachi ignored the whispers and carried on toward the bar area where Lady Ella Ramses was fixing drinks and brushing off compliments too forward for daylit hours. It took her a moment to spot him in the crowd, but when she saw that spiked-up crimson hair in the crowd, the barmaid's face lit up.

  "Sachi!" she shouted over the crowd with a hand cupped around her mouth. "I'd love to talk but as you can see we're packed right now! Victoria is upstairs, you can't miss her room—just knock!"

  Just knock? Sachi's dark cheeks nearly turned purple as he blushed. I'm gonna see Victoria's room? He froze realizing Victoria had said nothing to her mother about their training incident. "I'd hate to bother her if-"

  "It's fine!" Ella said only half listening. "Just go knock, okay?"

  Sachi nodded nervously and found his way to the stairs at the far end of the bar; a bannerless staircase with steps built directly into the wall to give off the illusion that the staircase was floating. He ascended those stairs while hugging the wall, anxious not to make an ass of himself by falling off in front of so many people. It was an uncomfortable climb that put a knot in his stomach, and Sachi wondered how anyone could use those stairs every day. Halfway up the stairs, he gathered himself and fixed his posture: shoulders back, head straight ahead. It was time to face his guilt and bite the bullet, for Private Ramses deserved an honest teammate.

  It was true, no one would have missed Victoria's door. Her name was carved in an arc of bold letters on the second door to the right; a dead giveaway. He tapped hard on the door twice and swallowed as he heard footsteps approach.

  The door opened and it was clear Victoria had not been expecting Sachi to show up in such a dramatic fashion. her gray eyes grew wide when she spotted him. "Ummm... hey? What are-"

  Sachi raised his arms with open hands, showing he meant no alarm. "I'm sorry. Your mother told me to come up here—I guess it's busy down there. I just needed to say I'm sorry." He bowed his head without bending his back. "Thank you for standing up for me on the beach—no one ever does. I bumped into Captain ?thena after I ran off, and I know now that I was being a coward. I won't be running away ever again—I swear it." He put his hand over his heart, still afraid to meet the young Duchess' gaze. "I came here to fight, so please don't give up on me."

  Victoria crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway with a raised brow. "You're pretty dramatic for a boy, y'know?" Sachi felt embarrassed by the comment, but the young Duchess wasn't finished. "We'll all die if you lose your head like that on a mission." Her eyes glazed over again with scorn.

  "I... I know." His shame was all too apparent by the shaky tone. "I'm going to be better."

  Victoria studied the half-Elv up and down then let out a sigh. "If you two ever try that shit in the field, I'll shoot you both myself."

  Sachi chuckled at the thought, knowing he'd heal from a bullet wound better than Faron. He raised his head to look down at Victoria's eyes again. "Deal."

  Silence took the corridor and Victoria rolled her eyes. "Fine. You are forgiven, but don't get used to it." She raised a single finger. "This is a one-time thing."

  Sachi nodded at the request.

  "Good." She stared at his posture. "You hungry?"

  The partners went downstairs for a bite, and once again Sachi was blessed with the Duke's addictive cooking. Today's lunch: a cheeseburger with the works, plus seasoned potato crisps and sweet corn on the side. Even for bar food, the tenderness of the meat and fluffiness of the potatoes stood out from any Green Edge delicacies. Sachi munched on, wishing he was capable of crafting something so delicate and beautiful himself, being watched by Victoria who wore a slightly grossed out face.

  "Damn. He overcooked it again." She pushed her half-eaten plate forward.

  "Overcooked? How could you say that? I've never had a burger this good."

  "Of course you haven't," she snickered. "But I've seen what my father can do on a good day. Trust me, this isn't a good day for him." She looked on at the meal with a furrowed brow. "Something must be distracting him." She shook as if to rid the thought from her head. "So, what's your plan now? With him, I mean."

  Sachi finished the last bite of his burger. "To be honest, I have no idea. I've been fighting Faron for years and never beat him. I could find Mira and tell him to kick that rude jerk's ass again, but all that would do is make him hate me more."

  "Well, that's probably true. He'll never stop if someone else always fights him for you."

  "Yeah. So, that just means I have to beat him... somehow."

  Victoria tapped at her cheek in thought. "Maybe you should talk to him. I know you boys can get hot-headed, but you may not need to fight this one out."

  Sachi grew defensive in tone when responding. "Have you not seen the way he treats me? He's a trash person."

  Victoria shrugged. "See! you'll never win him over with that kind of attitude. I think you hate him just as much, maybe even more than he hates you."

  "That's not my fault," hissed the half-Elv. "He's been picking on me since we were kids—all because of my ears!" His voice raised and caught the attention of several veteran drunks. They eyed over him with disgust for a moment before returning to the conversations at their tables. Sachi lowered his tone and looked back to Victoria with shame on his face. "Sorry."

  Victoria brushed off the outburst with a wave. "Don't worry about it. You're not the first person to shout in here and you won't be the last either. I mean... it's just a well-dressed alehouse."

  Sachi leaned back in his chair, still feeling a bit self-conscious about the outburst. "I just don't get it. Why would he hate Elvs so much?"

  "Well, the Elvs of old did own our ancestors. So, there's that..."

  "Oh, come on." Sachi shook his head. "That was so long ago."

  "Not that long ago, only five hundred years or so. Hel, this entire Kingdom was born out of that hardship. I get that you didn't do it personally, but many families had their futures taken away because of what Lord Artur did here—especially in the Green Edge."

  Sachi looked toward the floor. He hated hearing about the sins of his forefathers. "But me and my father... we're not like them."

  Victoria continued. "I don't know what Faron's deal is, but I know Humans better than anyone. So, believe me: we're the best at holding grudges. I'm still fuming at a carriage driver who nearly ran me off the road a few weeks back—rat bastard."

  "None of that's my fault though," jumped in Sachi.

  Victoria responded without emotion. "And it wasn't the ancient Humans' fault they got enslaved, but the ancient Elves chained them all the same."

  Sachi didn't have a well-enough-formed response to that, he just wiggled in his seat, feeling uncomfortable. "Do you hate me?"

  The smoke-eyed Private grinned as if the answer was all too obvious. "No. I wasn't affected by it—I didn't grow up in the Green Edge. I'm not some farm girl or fur trapper unaccustomed to comforts, and I didn't have to grow up looking at the rest of the Kingdom, blaming my neighbors for not being able to live there myself. No..." His smile turned serious. "I'm a Duchess, so I don't care about that shit. I was blessed by Fate. The only thing that matters to me is my dream to become a Captain." She raised a brow. "I can't do that if my team is too busy with infighting to rank up, now can I?"

  "Hmm..." Sachi wasn't sure how he felt about that answer, though he did admire his teammate's honesty. He rubbed at his eyes in frustration. "Shit... he's gonna want an apology, isn't he?"

  Victoria laughed under her breath. "Probably. So, you may want to start practicing."

  Sachi left the Red Charles with a head filled with steam. He was glad to have regained Victoria's trust, but the thought of playing nice with Faron felt worse than a cold knife in his stomach. He wandered back to the barracks, walking against traffic, hazy from countless versions of his conversation with Faron playing out in his head. In most scenarios, Sachi got his ass kicked just for bringing up a truce between them, but there were a few instances where he was simply met with a dirty scowl. Sachi prayed for the latter.

  Sachi didn't pay attention to his steps until realizing he had once again found the Generals' Walk, where the faces of this Kingdom's greatest leaders were displayed. The stone Generals were waiting for something, staring forever with those unblinking eyes, but what it was, Sachi couldn't distinguish. He just kept walking along, feeling the silent judgment of the Generals' faces at his back.

  As Private Van'Heatah reached the Scarlet Aerie's southern face, he spotted a familiar tuft of hair, spiky and red just like his, and a black mask that only man wore. His Captain looked as if he had been napping the morning away and yawned deeply as he stepped out of the palace foyer. Revin Holo spotted his Private immediately with the eyes of a falcon, and waved to him like a child—or like Mira.

  "Hey there, Private. I heard orientation went well. Did you enjoy your run on the beach?" He squinted with a clear smile under his mask, whether it was mocking or not Sachi couldn't tell.

  Sachi winced at the thought of his Captain knowing of his cowardice. "Oh. You saw that, Sir?"

  "Bah-ha-ha! No, I ran into your new squad mate—he was steaming like a teakettle." Revin's eyes looked gleeful.

  Sachi felt compelled to ask, "Do you mind if I ask what he said?"

  "Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you—some pretty harsh words if you ask me." He motioned the closing of an imaginary zipper at the front of his mask. "Besides, my lips are sealed. It wouldn't be right for a Captain to play favorites."

  Sachi knew he shouldn't ask, but he did anyway. "Did he tell you why he hates me?"

  "Yup! He was very vocal about that subject." Captain Holo closed the distance between them with his hands in his front pockets. "Just know this: people are funny, Private Van'Heatah. Lots of times they say one thing and do the other. I'm sure one day you'll notice it. There's a contradiction that lies in every Mortal." He rustled the top of Sachi's hair and grinned. "Just keep your eyes open and you might see it too."

  Sachi didn't feel satisfied with his Captain's vague and frankly irrelevant answer. Nor did he care for having his hair played with by someone taller. "Are you crazy too?" he asked.

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  "Bah-ha-ha!" Captain Holo let out a hearty chuckle and kept walking away from the palace. "You know it!"

  Sachi watched as his Captain left, eventually returning to his path as well. He walked around the Scarlet Aerie and back to the barracks, dreading the coming interaction with Faron. His heart pounded as he saw his new home and the crowd of soldiers sitting outside. Many Corvus Kingdom soldiers carried dory swords: shorter, single-handed weapons that packed a heavy blow either way you swung them. The soldiers practiced their strikes in the open air, cutting down imaginary villains and lawbreakers. It was an odd sight to see so many outside, about four dozen, but the weather was nice so Sachi didn't pay much attention to it. That was until he stepped inside.

  There was a horrible racket coming from the third floor, like major construction was going on; hammering of nails into wood. With so many new recruits it seemed new bunks needed to be built, and the Royal woodsmiths had no care for keeping their volume down. Sachi entered the barracks unable to hear his own thoughts, met with nothing but the pounding of hammers. He tried to not let it bother him, but every smashing clack! from above sent a rush of blood into his temples. However, Sachi's attitude flipped when he was greeted by the sight of Dallis and Faron laughing merrily at the foot of his bunk.

  Sachi muttered under his breath. "Shit." Luckily the workers above made it too loud for either of the boys to hear him. The half-Elv thought of turning around when he laid eyes on the two getting along, feeling more than awkward in the moment, but he took a deep breath and pulled himself together. He called out to his bunkmate over the pounding, "Hey, Dallis! I see you met my squad-mate."

  Dallis turned with a grin. "Oh, hey..." He snickered before continuing. "How was the run?" The chubby boy turned back to Faron with his hands over his mouth, laughing hard. "I can't believe I said it."

  "Woo-ha-ha-ha!" Faron exploded, slapping at his knee as he laughed.

  Dallis turned back and saw Sachi's expression, unamused and betrayed. "Hey, now. I was only kidding." He pointed back at the boy with a big mohawk. "Your old pal, Faron, was just telling me about today. Sounds like you two really got into it."

  Sachi scratched at the top of his head, feeling an urge to run again. "Yeah... I guess so." He looked past Dallis to Faron, who had a foul grin on his face.

  What is he planning now?

  Dallis noticed the tension in the air and thought it would be best to defuse the situation. "Don't worry, my squad's training went terribly too." He looked back and forth between Faron and Sachi. "Do you guys want some dinner?" He patted at his round belly. "I'm starving!"

  Sachi had just eaten and wasn't looking forward to the taste of the mess hall slop Victoria had warned him about, but he didn't want to be rude. "Let's go."

  Faron stood as well, "Yeah, let's do it pals!"

  The early dinner was rather uncomfortable for all parties, except for Faron who seemed Hel-bent on revealing all of Sachi's childhood embarrassments in one night. Dallis occasionally laughed, but he thought it was cruel how Faron went on about all the beatings he had doled out to the half-Elv over the years. Still, Faron was amused by his stories even if no one else was; all tales where he was a hero putting a self-righteous outsider in their place. He was the savior of the Green Edge in those stories, a righteous young man punishing those who created the world he and his neighbors were all forced to live in.

  Dallis munched down on his food and tried his best not to make Sachi feel unwelcome eating with them, though he didn't want to be rude and tell Faron to shove off either. It was the first day, and from the rivertown boy's perspective they were still all supposed to be comrades. He thought soon they'd all be friends, but to get there he would need to wade through the muck of turmoil Faron had brought into the barracks.

  Sachi didn't seem to mind the stories, or at least he didn't show his frustrations on the outside. He wanted to lunge across the table and challenge Faron to another fight, but instead he tried to take Victoria's advice to heart kept his anger close to his chest. It was awkward, but every word from Faron's mouth was a potential clue to how they might get along one day. He hated Sachi's arrogance, so Sachi planned to educate himself. The only history he ever learned was of the Corvus Kingdom's most recent wars, for Wilhelm had done his best to shield the boy from the hasher realities of their Clan's past. It wouldn't be easy, but he had a feeling Victoria could help him track down some history books. Next was Sachi's ears. Although Sachi couldn't do anything about that, he could hide them. He had seen Captain Dori wear a headband, perhaps he could get one too to pin down and hide away the large tops of his ears. Finally, it seemed Faron detested how weak Sachi was. The way to solve that was simple, he had to train harder.

  After dinner, the boys marched back to barracks, Faron still going on about how few people enjoyed being around Sachi from their hometown. The construction had halted, and the woodsmiths had left for the day. In the bunks, several other Privates awaited. Sachi hadn't met them yet, but it was clear the young men had all met Dallis already. The infamous Uele Parrish was there, a tan half-blood with red eyes that sent shivers down Sachi's spine. Two others were there as well, Connor Bane and Lukas Joyvall. They all made introductions before Faron played the role of troublemaker once more, revealing a family-sized bottle of rye he had hidden in the duffel he'd brought from the Green Edge.

  Still high off the thrill of their first few days of being accepted into the Royal Military, some of the new recruits in Sachi's bunkroom decided to join Faron in a bit of drinking. Dallis joined in, and not wanting to come off as a wet blanket, the half-Elv decided to join the circle of chairs too. Sachi never liked the smell of any liquor, and found rye especially foul on the taste buds, but everyone was laughing, and he felt in some odd way that sitting with his fellow recruits that night felt right. He was one of them, nothing less; nothing more. He belonged in that circle.

  "That's when I tell her!" Uele was finishing a story. "Sorry, girl. You can't expect a dog not to take whiff—am I right, boys!" He slapped his knee at the crass punchline, laughing like Sachi imagined a walrus would sound. "Ooo-Ooo-Ooooo!"

  The other young soldiers hooted and roared out in their own fits of laughter. Sachi could tell the young man was lying, they all could. Uele looked like he'd never kissed a girl in his life. But the room of strangers was laughing along, and they all needed to let their hair down after their first few days.

  "How 'bout you, Sachi?" Uele turned his frightening red eyes to the half-Elv. "Got a pretty farmgirl waiting back in the Edge yer gonna write to?"

  Faron answered for him with a roar of taunting laughter. "Woo-ha-ha-ha! Not a chance!" He pointed rudely at Sachi's face. "The girls saw those floppy ears and hid in their lockers to get away." The mohawked teen clutched his stomach. "Woo-ha-ha-ha!"

  Sachi rolled his eyes. "I've never had a girlfriend."

  Faron poked harder. "He's got eyes for that mean Duchess on our squad though..."

  Dallis spun in his chair to look Sachi in the eyes. "That girl you were joking with at lineups is a Duchess...?" He paused in admiration. "No wonder I was so afraid of her."

  "It's not like that!" Sachi's tone was immediately defensive, his cheeks turning as pink as brown skin could be from the alcohol and embarrassment. "She's not my girlfriend! We just met at the exams." He then added, "I think she already hates me for ruining training today."

  Faron scoffed again. "Well, ya sure did a great job at that!"

  Sachi closed his eyes and let out another guttural sigh. "Is it my turn?"

  The drinking game they played, The Spade Game, had simple rules. At the center of their circle was a deck of cards. At each recruit's turn, they'd draw, and depending on the card's number, an action would be taken. For example, drawing a two meant "you." Meaning, if a two was drawn, the drawer would be allowed to select any member of the circle to drink on their behalf. Similarly, a three meant "me." Meaning, the card drawer would have no option but to take a swig of the rye for themselves. All the actions had fun rhymes to match the number associated. On Dallis' last draw, he'd pulled a seven, which equaled "heaven." Each recruit raced to stretch both hands as high as they could, and the last to do so was told to drink.

  Sachi drew a six, so everyone drank because only males lived in their barracks. He shook his head after the long pull of dark liquor. He felt how numb his lips felt and knew speaking would be a Ren Holo-sized task.

  Faron was next. "Woo!" He called out in glee. He flipped the card revealing a two. The suit of the card was spade, so the action's effect was doubled. "Fuck you, Long Ears."

  Sachi groaned and reached for the bottle again, shocked it was still almost half full after their long night. He sipped the rye twice, bits of the drink leaking out of his lips' seal and down his dark chin. "Gleh!" He nearly coughed from the burning sensation in his throat.

  Connor Bane drew next. King; "Sing." The recruit broke out into popular work song from the mining colonies where he'd been raised up north. The tune was called How My Pickaxe Swings. It was a lovely song detailing the rough life of a Corvan miner; their struggles and sacrifices. However, Sachi had never heard the song before and didn't know the words, so he had to drink.

  Next was Lukas, who much to Sachi's relief drew a three and had to take the next swig for himself. Then came Dallis again. A jack; "get back."

  The circle of boys hopped out of their seats to race one another to the closest wall behind them. Having drawn the card and being ungifted at jogging, Dallis was last to touch the wall behind him. It was his turn to drink.

  Sachi rubbed at his tossing belly while stumbling back to his chair in the circle. It was his turn next, but Dallis could see how poorly the half-Elv was walking. "Are you alright?" He asked with kind eyes.

  "Yeah, yeah..." slurred the half-Elv. "I got it, Dallisss..." The sudden sprint turned the alcohol's creep into a rush Sachi was having a tough time navigating through. He never had been invited to a party by the other teens of Palos, so the sensation of being intoxicated was akin to learning how to walk. It felt awful, but what would they call him if he quit now?

  Sachi pulled his next card. It was an eight; "rate."

  The card's meaning was simple. He was to show off a talent of any kind. The circle would rate his skills on a scale of one to five. If the average rank was less than three, he'd have to drink again. With only one real talent, Sachi decided to show off his Radiance. With a quick twist of his hand, and the loud cracking of bones sounding off, Sachi broke the fingers on his left hand to a point where many were sideways or upside down. The circle of soldier gasped in horror for a moment, then turned their disgusted shrieks into hoots of awe and his green flames ignited around the broken joints to mend the digits back into their original shape. The half-Elv flexed the new fingers as he balled and opened the hand a few times.

  The talent scored three fives and a one from Faron—no drink needed.

  Then, Faron drew for the final time. "Ha!" He flashed the card to Sachi's face; it was a jester. "The fool! That means I get to make a new rule for this game." The largest of the new soldiers tapped at his jaw, pretending to think about what his new rule would be. "I got it..." He pointed at Sachi with the card. "The new rule is: Only Elfs have to drink."

  It was a clear personal attack and everyone in the game's circle knew it.

  "Fuck's your problem?" Sachi asked slowly with a scowl.

  "It's just a rule, Long Ears..." He shrugged sarcastically. "Go to bed if you don't like it."

  It was a challenge, Faron was looking for another fight. But a third option existed that the new recruit had not considered when he made the rule.

  "You know... Hic! I know lotsa people hate me for my ears and all that. But here I... Hic!" He cleared his throat. "I just wanna prove 'em wrong..." His speech was slurring to the point where he rocked a bit with every word. He reached for the bottle anyway. "I want to show this Kingdom that us Elvs can be heroes too... Anyone can." He put the spout to his lips and flipped the giant bottle. Poisons like alcohol were just another form of physical damage. His emerald flames might have had to work overtime that night, but Sachi didn't shy away from Faron's challenge. The half-Elv placed the empty bottle at their circle's epicenter, letting out a small but foul-tasting burp. He leaned in and pointed a swaying finger towards Faron's chest. "You'll see... Hic! One dayyy..." His mouth was beginning to hang loosely too, and his tongue wasn't functioning as well as he liked.

  The game was over, Faron's humiliating stratagem had backfired, and all eyes now darted between the two Green Edge teens. Faron couldn't keep himself from glaring as Sachi made his drunken speech. The mohawked goliath scoffed at the dream, verging on disgust in his expression. Dallis noticed the rudeness and turned the question back on Faron.

  "I guess that's game over..." He tried to chuckle off the awkwardness and failed. "That was a..." he found it hard to find the right words. "Well, it was a good try at a prank, Faron. I guess Sachi will be paying for that tomorrow, right?"

  The big farm boy didn't even look at the chubby recruit trying to make peace, gluing his scowl to the half-Elv who squirmed in his chair as if his bones were made from cooked noodles. Faron's face started to turn red in frustration.

  "You Elfs just love to ruin everything..." Faron sounded like he was ready to throw another punch. "Don't ya, Long Ears?!"

  Dallis opened his mouth to defend his bunkmate, but he too was aware of how cruel the Elv Clan was to their people centuries ago. He was a lost boy who just wanted to see them all get along. But the thought of chains burned in the back of his mind, so the rivertown lad's voice came out softer than a mouse's squeak. "It's not like it was Sachi's fault."

  "No." Faron said straightforwardly, still pinning his eyes on the Elvish boy tilted in the chair next to him. "But we all had to live with it." He stood from his chair and dragged it loudly out of the circle. Faron tossed his military-issued shirt off and hopped into a top bunk at the far end of the room. As he rolled away from the group, he called over, "That dream of yours, it'll never come true, Long Ears. No one needs 'a hero' like you!"

  Even in his hazy state Sachi was able to hear what Faron was saying, nothing new; same as always. Yet the truth in Faron's words somehow landed through all that liquor clouding Sachi's mind that time around. He may have been seeing double, but he was resolved to prove his squadmate wrong. He would show them all, no matter how many people screamed that Elvs had no place in their Kingdom.

  Stumbling, Sachi rose from his seat and pointed a shaky finger at Faron's roost. "You juss wait, 'kay?!"

  After that, Dallis helped Sachi back to his bunk, holding onto the wall to keep the pair of lightweights from falling over. As Sachi climbed his way into his bunk, he decided that alcohol wasn't for him. His Radiance was already working in full effect, and the headache he felt coming wasn't worth the minuscule buzz he'd enjoyed through the game. The drunken boy rolled into bed and cloaked himself in the scratchy blanket he'd been issued.

  He thought loudly to himself: He's right... I'd be a terrible hero here...

  A voice from beneath his angst saved the boy from falling asleep with a frown.

  "For the record... I think you're pretty cool for fighting Faron so many times." Dallis' whispers hit the Elvish boy's ears like unexpected piercings from the mattress below. "I wouldn't have the guts to even fight a guy like him once." With that Dallis slumped into his bunk. "You're gonna hate yourself for drinking all that at the end though..." Sachi heard the rustling of blankets, then the light snores of his bunkmate settling into a noisy slumber.

  Any praise felt good when in that lowest mindset, even though Sachi recognized how prideful it was to enjoy the compliment. There were few who had ever flattered him in his short life, so each of those compliments had been noted in Sachi's memory.

  Brave! He thought to himself before the night took him away. I'm brave.

  Sachi's intoxicated mind dreamt of a battle between stars that night; two rival forces equally matched at every clash of heavenly stardust. The bright forces waged war for days, destroying his world little by little with every clash of blinding light. He was keeping up with the stars' chaotic battle, somehow racing at the same speed as the warriors as they raced around the world for countless revolutions. An uncomfortable ease washed over the half-Elv as he observed planetary devastation with a semi-omniscient presence. He was at home in that war. Not once did fear slow him down or steal his focus. Then finally, when the world could stand no more pain, Sachi stepped between the two soldiers, soaked in Holy brightness, and ended their battle.

  After all—isn't that what a hero would do?

  (To Be Continued...)

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