Eyes opened slowly, like two horizontal up-down windows, and the side surface of the surrounding ambience could be clearly visible—though something about it remained faintly uncertain. The eyes belonged to a kid lying unconscious on the ground; no bruises, no cuts, nothing was off about the body, at least not at first glance.
In the near distance, a man approached silently. He was donning brown clothing with green spots on it. The man looked old—time had taken a huge toll on him. He had lightly slumping jaws that still seemed usable; his eyes were still full of charisma, like a rivulet on a calm, sunny day, though perhaps deeper than they appeared. Even though his body looked weary, he still seemed capable of certain powerful deeds—ones not easily named.
"If I make it to the market in time, then there will be no problem securing basic commodities. I just hope this here beach route is the right one… or am I lost again?" he mumbled to himself while continuously scrubbing his black hair, as though chasing a thought he couldn't quite grasp.
As he passed by, he spotted the kid on the shoreline—about 3.5 feet long, white hair nicely curved, young jaws, and a nice pale but shiny face. He looked just about 11 years of age, though something about that estimate felt loosely held.
"Well then, look what we have here," he grumbled as he picked him up.
As he was lifting the boy, a young cadet appeared from thin air—or so it seemed. He was dressed in the same attire as the old man.
"Commander Camador'e, sir—permission to portray the information."
Camador'e replied, "Proceed, and be brief about it."
Young soldier: "Yes, sir. Thanks for granting me a yes—and now for the ongoing report on the east side, Area 66B, Center 7: the G-gates have been breached."
His voice casually dropped and rose, a tensed tone barely contained; it could be sensed emanating from his strained delivery. He was already in salute mode, and his face was almost kissing the sand as he knelt down to pass the information—this was a symbol of honor, or perhaps something more rigidly enforced.