Had I become soulless?

Legends warned me about it. Nothing more than fire spread through my deserted veins. A dying tree, erected on an island in the middle of an unending ocean, reflected on the clear water as its leafless branches waved with the soothing breeze. However, the land was made not of earth but of dark ashes which soared through the wind.

Was I at fault?

Did I burn its life?

It didn't matter. There was nothing I could do anymore, save to step through the water that encompassed half my legs and approach the burnt tree. Blue flames wrapped my hands when I laid them on the ashes, but no heat nor pain surged from them. Instead, they burnt the ashes into the azure, dissolving them from existence. Ironic.

Ground emerged beneath the dead leaves. Infertile, but seeded with the duty to be freed from the ashes. Just as Jenny had done with me.

Jenny was a friend of mine. An acquaintance, rather. Her golden hair and emerald eyes were something I had never seen before. More importantly, she awoke new feelings in me.

After my ninety-seventh excursion concluded, the war ended. We won. But then what? There was no one waiting for me back home. I knew nothing more than war. That was my home, not the soft bed I could sink into at any moment.

"Aren't ya gonna take your groceries?" Jenny chuckled behind the counter in front of me.

She was the cashier at a grocery store not far from my apartment. Not the closest one either, but I discovered it when my usual store was temporarily closed down. The only reason I kept coming back was because of her. Only she was able to fire things, other than guns, in my head.

Speechless, I took the bag in which she had just put the groceries into and walked towards the door. But I couldn't endure it anymore. I needed more than those emotions to leave the war behind.

I turned around and asked her, "Excuse me, ma'am. This is a selfish request, but would you like to drink a coffee with me?"

Three entire weeks had passed since I gathered courage up. That rush of adrenaline always made my heart pump.

Jenny stared at me for a few seconds before giggling.

"Do you even know my name?"

With no answer reaching my head, I merely stood still with my mouth open. My brain was so stagnant that an old lady had to ask me to move away from the door.

Jenny kept laughing until she decided to end my suffering.

"I'm Jenny. I have nothing better to do, so sure, let's meet at nine o'clock tomorrow at the park."

Without notice, my mouth curved into a smile. Thanks to her, my life started to regrow the color that had been buried under ashes.