He stood covered in mud and dust. Frozen in place, bullets whizzed by like the wind. He admired the blue glow growing larger and larger above him. To himself he asked, "Is it my time to die?"

  Date : 1947

  The Arcturus Imperium alongside the Rin Dynasty had been at war with the mainland alliance since time was invented to record it. Hence, it was officially called the War of '00. Inside the alliance was the Kingdom of Sang, Union of Liberions, Kaissereich Vun and the State of Abdul Hasa.

  There was no cause, there was no goal. All that you had to know was that eventually, you'd be sent to die.

  "Kura!", shouted his mother. Kura Arvanov was a young boy, atleast 10 of age. He had hair of pure black, a slightly brown tone and eyes the color of a ruby.

  His mother's voice reached him who was running in the nearby field with a instrumental device called a tambuli. You blew onto it and it made a soothing sound.

  This field on which Kura stood was wide, mostly flat with only a few haybales and irrigation systems to break the line. The air was cold from the northern winds, blowing the leaves off the trees that surrounded the farm.

  "Coming!", he replied back. He ran through the fields and onto the connecting path. Instrument in hand, his foot hit a small yet anchored stone. He tripped over, gathering his hands to catch his fall.

  "Are you okay?", her mother worriedly asked.

  "Yes, Ma!"

  He got up again and brushed off the dirt clinging onto his clothes. His mother had taken the incentive to move to him herself, helping him.

  "Dinner's almost ready. Can you buy some more ice?", her mother wondered with atleast five coins in her hand.

  "Yeah, sure. I'll get going.", he responded.

  She gave him a small basket, laying the handle on his palm.

  "Come back early!", she reminded.

  He was already far away when he signaled a thumbs up, agreeing with her mother.

  The town they were in, alongside his father and his sister, was the small coastal village of Rodina, just north of the capital of Arcturus, Trixt. It was a farming village, filled with endless fields of corn and rice.

  Surprisingly, the war had always been farther north and west, with naval combat only at the coasts of the mainland alliance. Atleast, those were what screamed from the audiographs. These devices could only be described as annoying and loud propaganda devices. It only had a speaker and somehow, they never stopped spewing out anthems and news reports.

  Really, you could never hear about anything other than war or the diplomatic prowess of the nation.

  For a while now, Kura had been running to the distribution center - one of the many supply hubs that acted as groceries aswell, containing rationed goods.

  There was no other way to obtain certain products such as ice and refined meat unless you controlled a production center, most of which are strictly controlled by the Parliament.

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  Upon arrival, he offered the coins to the man behind the counter.

  "All the ice bags I can get, please!"

  "Unfortunately, I can only really give you one bag. Inflation, I'm afraid."

  Kura's arms were crossed and his face was in dismay. Just a month earlier, the same amount could have bought two bags of ice. Inflation had been incredibly rapid in the past two years. Furthermore, you could buy 7 bags of ice with the same 5 coins back then. The war had caused a great lack of supplies on Arcturus, especially after the battle of the To-Yang Strait north of Arcturus.

  "That's good enough, sir. Here you go."

  He gave the few coins to the seller who counted the coins before giving him the bag of ice. Ice was one of the most affected industries by the inflation since supplies had to change their path to the capital where resources would then be distributed.

  "Thank you sir!"

  "You're welcome. Now get going!"

  And so, he did. He walked away from the center and almost to the path. But the ground shook heavily and engines roared throughout the fields. The cold breeze had stopped.

  At first, it seemed to be another one of the military's patrol convoys, usually containing five tanks and a few transports. However, as Kura counted each one of them, there were simply too many to be just another patrol.

  The convoy soon reached the center and passed it halfway. Kura decided to look where exactly they were supposed to be headed. It seemed as if they were going to his town, so he decided to follow.

  A soldier looked at his direction, wearing a worried, pale face. As Kura stepped alongside the convoy, the man signaled him to stop and move away. But Kura, being Kura, did not listen. Or perhaps, more like him, he did not understand him at all.

  Nevertheless, he paced with the transports as the man kept signaling him to turn around and leave. But this only made him more curious and also made him worried about his family.

  "Turn around and leave!", finally, the soldier exclaimed.

  "What? Why? I want to see why you're here!"

  "Just turn around, please! Leave this place and enter a military center or somewhere else!"

  Kura nodded his head in disapprovement. Military centers were not kind to children. Usually, conscription only allowed those 12+ years old to join the military. The only exception was if the boy had no where else to go.

  "I can't do that Mister! I have loving parents and an annoying yet kind sister."

  The man got off the transport and jumped to Kura. His boots sank to the muddy ground and his equipment clanked around as it collided with itself. He inhaled and exhaled deeply, calming himself down.

  "Kid, something bad is about to happen in your town, you should leave.", the man said, now in a more understanding tone.

  Kura's arms were once again crossed. But this time, he was rather mad.

  "I said, I'm not leaving! I'll go back to town with you people!"

  "What town?!", the soldier pointed at the village.

  Just as Kura's head turned towards his town, a bright flash of light consumed it. The ball of fire bright red and yellow, with a diameter that of the town itself. A wave of wind broke Kura's surprised yet terrified expression as the blast threw him atleast a few paces back.

  He ran towards the town while the man desperately tried to grab him away. His feet flew him as far as it could while his eyes were locked onto the direction of his home.

  He entered the gate and dodged a piece of burning debris. Sliding down the road, he missed a piece of falling scrap. Abruptly, he turned to the corner to his house.

  But there, he saw, was not his house but a pile of wood and bricks.

  He ran around the debris, hoping to see some sign of his family. But all he could see was fire, blood, bricks and more blood. As he weeped, still clinging onto hope, a soldier grabbed him and flung him into the back of their transport.

  "It's okay, young boy. You never saw anything here."

  But no words could silence his crying, even as the truck sped away from the town with a few soldiers.

  Approximately a kilometer away from the site, the audiograph in the cabin let out a burst of static before finally being comprehensible.

  "Comrades, I regret to inform you of an attack on Arcturus soil. Rodina had been subject to a raid by the horrible forces of the mainland alliance. The bright Arcturion military has been dispatched to the location and is now pushing back the enemy. Comrades! The alliance is more horrid than ever, attacking innocent people. Comrades! Do not ever let them get to you with their propaganda! Comrades! We must not surrender, for Arcturus!"