[*]
His eyes, dark as polished lacquer, reflected the flickering flames, deep and grim. The young man's eyes were usually so clear, but now they seemed veiled by a black fog.
After a long moment, he murmured, "So it's a dead end."
A silence fell, broken only by the CRACKLE and POP of the embers.
"Little General," Amy clapped her hands lightly, smiling at him. "Weren't you just saying you would serve the country with unwavering loyalty? That you'd swear your life to it? Why the sudden fear?"
"If I had been born in a chaotic era, alone with no one to answer to, my death would mean nothing. But now, with our home and country in peril, even if I'm willing to die in service, I fear my death alone cannot save this collapsing nation."
