I turned and walked toward the door. As I reached it, my hand resting on the handle, I paused.
"Colonel Dickson."
"Yes, Commander?"
"You will be in charge in my absence."
"Sir!"
I gave a small nod and stepped outside. The door closed behind me.
As I walked down the hallway, the eyes of my subordinates followed me. Soldiers and officers moved hurriedly through the corridors — the restless rhythm of a nation at war.
I exited the hall and stepped outside.
Every soldier and officer who passed saluted. I returned each salute without hesitation. These people trusted me with their lives, despite knowing so little about me.
Whether private or general, all of them showed respect — and I made sure to return it.
Yet the smell of burned wood and gunpowder still lingered in the air.
Even weeks after capturing Nythera Springs — the capital of Varlinia, once home to the Royal faction, now under our control — the scars of war remained.
I sighed and looked up at the sky.
It was still blue. Still beautiful. Unchanged.
Lost in thought, I barely noticed when I arrived at my office building.
I entered.
No one was inside. Only an eerie silence welcomed me.
I walked through the hall, climbed the stairs, and reached the end of the corridor where my private office stood. Stepping inside, I sank into my chair.
"I haven't had proper sleep… or food," I murmured. "How long has it been… three years?"
Exhaustion finally claimed me.
My vision faded.
"Wh… where am I?"
I stood in a place both familiar and foreign.
Mist surrounded me — thick and endless — leaving only a single narrow path ahead.
I followed it.
Step by step, the air grew heavier.
Then I saw it.
A village… burned to ashes.
"HELP! PLEASE! I BEG YOU — SPARE US!"
A desperate voice echoed through the smoke.
I ran toward the sound.
What I saw froze my blood.
My past.
The day my parents and brother were killed by the Royal faction's guards.
My hands trembled as I watched my younger self standing there — helpless — alongside my family.
"STOP!" I shouted. "GET AWAY FROM THEM! RUN!"
But no one heard me.
The mist thickened, swallowing everything.
I ran blindly until the world changed again.
I stood at the foot of a mountain.
I knew this place.
A cave rested nearby.
As I approached, a child stepped out.
I stopped.
My breath caught in my throat.
It was me.
My younger self.
A knocking sound echoed around us.
The child looked up, eyes filled with pain.
"WHY?" he screamed."WHY DID THEY DO THIS TO US?! WHY?!"
My eyes snapped open.
I was lying on the floor, trembling, sweat covering my body.
The door burst open and a woman rushed to my side, kneeling beside me.
"Commander! Are you alright?"
"Yes… I'm fine." I took a slow breath. "What happened?"
"I knocked several times," she said. "Then I heard something fall. I forced the door open and activated the emergency line. The doctors are on their way."
"I see."
I steadied myself and looked at her.
"Thank you, Miss Fren. But why did you come here?"