The team sits silently around the fire, munching on their rations in the light of the flickering flames. Nearby, Rasu scribbles down notes as Bairuel reports through the comms. Kavlina, meanwhile, stares at her cold rations blankly, her mind entirely confused. What were our superiors thinking?

“... And that is all, Squad Leader,” the comms crackle before it goes silent. Breathing out in relief, Rasu relaxes, stretching his arms as he yawns quietly.

“So their scouting was a great success thus far,” Evi remarks.

“None of them encountered any trouble as well,” Tari adds in satisfaction.

“I’m glad it went well…”

“Rasu,” Kavlina suddenly interrupts, “What are you going to do about the civilians?”

Tarak and Rasu both flinch, their faces filled with nervousness.

“What civilians?” Evi questions.

“So you haven’t told them,” Kavlina says, seizing the opportunity.

Silence, with only the echoes of the flames bouncing off the trees.

“What are you going to do about them?” Kavlina repeats, her voice restrained and raspy.

“Kavlina,” Tarak finally says, “Rasu is thinking of killing every person that has seen you.”

“Slow down,” Evi raises her hands, “What exactly is happening here?”

“Kavlina found an unmapped village while scouting,” Tarak explains, “She exposed herself to help a child, and she also stayed in a village home for the afternoon. Because the villagers, living near the fort, might actually report what they found to the enemy, if that happened, we would be in big trouble.”

“And that’s the reason why we have to kill these civilians?” Evi raises her voice and scoffs, “Because we think the villagers would report to the enemy?”

“Tarak, you don’t actually want to kill innocents, do you?” Kavlina asks, glaring at Tarak.

“Kavlina, if it’s between a group of strangers and a possible repeat of what we encountered…”

“So you’re willing to kill,” Kavlina whispers in disappointment.

“No, Kavlina, listen…”

“I can’t allow myself to kill innocents.”

“Even if it might mean possibly two times, three times, ten times, a hundred times more deaths?”

“You’re just guessing. But those villagers, they have nothing to do with this war.”

“When did you begin to think like Avalel?” Tarak argues. “It’s impossible to save everyone.”

“Squad Rasu, listen up!” Rasu abruptly shouts, silencing the group, “I’ve decided. Will all of you follow my decision, even if it is going against your beliefs?”

“Yes,” Tarak and Evi answer in unison, with Tari nodding in agreement. Only Kavlina is silent.

“Kav, how about you?”

“... Yes,” she answers reluctantly, “I will respect your decision, as a subordinate to a superior should.”

Rasu laughs. “Oh, you have no idea what I decided!” he exclaims. “Kav, sorry to disappoint you…”

Oh, no…

“... but I’ve decided to go against our superiors’ orders, at least to an extent,” he announces, “I don’t want to kill innocents, but if they end up not being innocents, then I will treat them as I treat the enemy.”

“What do you mean by that?” Tari asks.

“Team One, we have a job to do,” Rasu says as he picks up his equipment, “We are going to have a night scouting mission. Our objective: the village. Kav will lead the way.” He turns to Kavlina, his face slightly orange from the light of the fire. “We’ll see whether they’re truly as innocent and naive as you think.”

The team extinguishes their fire, their only source of warmth abruptly shut off, and they set off into the dark woods. Following Kavlina’s lead, the team arrives at the path where she had healed Sehlen, the damp dirt now trampled with the small footprints of various creatures.

“Directly in front is the village,” Kavlina whispers before resuming her quick pace. What are we expected to find? A sleeping, peaceful community? Or… No, that would be impossible.

Finally, they arrive at the village, the stone houses tall and majestic under the starlight. Unlike the day time, the village at night is ominously quiet, illuminated only by a central hearth of sorts. All the houses are dark, the windows shut, and with only the snores of asleep villagers whisking out.

“There’s nothing to see here,” Kavlina concludes in relief, “We should go back to camp and sleep now…”

“Wait,” Tari points at a faint light in one of the houses, “Someone’s awake.”

That’s… “Rehlen and Sehlen’s home,” Kavlina blurts out.

“You mean… the home of the family who you stayed with?” Tarak realizes.

Alarmed, the team shuffles over to the house, crouching just outside the window, leaning against the bricks. Through the light, they could see two silhouettes walking back and forth, the floor creaking against their footsteps.

“Are you sure?” a female voice questions. Aia?

“The evidence is laid before our eyes, Aia.” Ronul… Unconsciously, Kavlina shivers, her hand balled into a fist.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you think her clothing is strange? They’re not what travelers or even explorers can find, let alone wear. Her vest is designed for military use, Aia. You know you’ve seen them before, right?”

“Our instructor called it the Scout’s Vest.”

“So you remember from our training all those years earlier.”

“But it’s different, isn’t it? Her vest is a single color of beige. If she is really an enemy soldier, shouldn’t she be wearing a white or grey vest to blend in with the snow?”

“What about her overly large backpack, then?”

“You don’t mean…”

“In my curiosity, I took a peek inside her backpack. Do you know what I found? Anti-mine disks. Several of them, in fact. What traveler would bring these, unless they are expecting to run into a battlefield? Not only that, but a large stock of nakaya, the standard military ration for a soldier, regardless of faction or nation.”

“But…”

“There’s also something else I found: a knife.”

“A knife? Don’t many travelers carry it for self-defense?”

“Not your average all-purpose knife, but one with a sharp, polished blade and a worn grip… typical of military knives. You might’ve only seen a few since you were in the military for a far shorter time, but I’m very familiar with such weapons.”

“What are you going to do about this, then, if she is really one of the enemy’s soldiers?”

“There’s nothing else I can do,” Ronul decides, “but to report this to the garrison. Tell them there are scouts in the area. She can’t be the only one.”

“Even though she saved your child?”

Ronul clenches his fist. “Even when I’m on leave, I am still a loyal soldier of the Confederation. I’m sorry, Aia, but I can’t ignore this. I would rather have Sehlen coming home crying, his knee hurt, than being healed by a member of the enemy. In times like these, the nation comes before even the family. I’m sorry, Kav.”

Rasu shrinks from the window, his expression of disappointment and lament. “We have our answer now,” he mutters, “Not only are they soldiers of the enemy, but they also intend to report Kav to the garrison. This will not end well for us if Fort Habala knows of our presence.”

“So what now?” Tarak asks.

“We have no choice but to kill them,” Rasu answers solemnly, “Alright, Team One, let’s…”

“Where’s Kavlina?” Evi suddenly asks, pointing at the slumped backpack of Kavlina. The backpack is still warm, but the person has already disappeared.

“What?”

A crash. The door is forced open, splinters of wood landing everywhere. To the shock of Ronul, Aia, and even the scouts, Kavlina stands in front of them, her tall figure menacing and her face partially lit up by the light. In her right hand is the knife unsheathed, but unlike the usual silvery gleam, it seems to be clouded in an aura of bloodthirst… an atmosphere of death.

“Ronul,” she whispers, “I’m sorry as well.”

Aia crumples to the floor, her eyes bulging in shock as she falls. Blood pours out from the single wound in her neck, dying her clothing and the floor in a ghastly shade of red. Ronul staggers back, collapsing onto a chair. That was where we ate just this afternoon as well.

“She didn’t even have time to utter a word,” Kavlina laments gravely as she shuts Aia’s eyelids, “You were such an amazing cook, Aia.”

“Y-You… how…” Ronul stutters in fear. Stepping forward, Kavlina grabs his neck, pinning him to the wall as he chokes and gags.

“No nation is more important than your family,” she hisses, squeezing his neck harder, “Take a good look at Aia before you die.”

“Kav, the children…” A slash, and blood splatters across Kavlina’s face, soaking her hair and staining her vest. As she lowers her arms, a lifeless Ronul slides down the wall, now dirtied with streaks of fresh, red blood. Kavlina takes a deep breath, calming her quaking hands as she wipes off the blood and fat off the blade.

“Disgusting,” she murmurs, “Just like my father.”

“K-Kav?” a familiar voice calls out, the sounds vibrating in her ears. She wheels around, and to her horror, Rehlen and Sehlen stare at her, their faces terrified. Behind them is the old woman, her face shocked. Kavlina reaches a bloody hand out to the three, but they shrink away, their hands locked together.

“K-Kav?” the brothers call out again, as if that is all they could say.

“No…” Kav, the children… The last words of Ronul echo in her mind. “Don’t tell me… you saw it?”

They nod lightly. “Kav, why…” Rehlen sniffs, gulping down his saliva. Sehlen, meanwhile, could only stare upwards at Kavlina’s bloodied face, his large eyes bubbling with tears as he hugs his brother tightly.

“I thought you were a good person, Kavi-lai,” Sehlen whimpers.

“I’m sorry,” Kavlina quietly says as a tear drops from her eyes to the ground, immediately mixing with the blood. She had never intended for the children to see such a sight. In her rage, she killed Ronul and Aia, the two who had so warmly welcomed her just the previous afternoon. But it is too late now. Struggling, she raises her arm, and in one fell swoop, slices the necks of both of them, their bodies still in an embrace as they fall to the ground.

“Kill me, murderer,” the old woman commands as she closes her eyes, “Let me join my family in death.” In response, Kavlina slashes at her neck, and the woman smiles as she falls backward into the room.

I never even knew her name.

For many moments, Kavlina could only just stand there, the five cold, dead bodies lying around her. She stares at the worn-down ceiling, trying her best to ignore the stench of blood and flesh. This isn’t my first time killing someone, yet, why do I feel so… Tears flow down from her eyes.

“Are you happy now, Rasu?” she vents, “I’ve killed them. I’ve killed them. I’ve killed…” Yes, I’ve killed them. The family who welcomed me so warmly even though they didn’t know who I was. The house now emptied of any inhabitants. And the brothers… They were such innocent little boys. And I’ve killed them all. She slowly walks out of the house, her body feeling weak like a doll.

“Ronul, is something wrong?” A villager suddenly appears out of seemingly nowhere, his eyes immediately landing on the ghostly face of Kavlina.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he runs away. “Ronul and his family have been murdered!” he screams, repeating the phrase at the top of his lungs. However, he suddenly stops, a knife lodged in his spine.

“That should stop his screaming,” Rasu says calmly as he plucks out his knife from the man’s back, “Although it might be too late.” The houses light up one by one, the rudely awakened villagers trudging out to see what the commotion was. When they find the scene in front of them, some scurry away, grabbing essentials, while others reach for whatever tools they have in their homes, protecting their community to the end.

“This is war, Kav,” Rasu states with a pained smile, “You’ll see many more scenes like this, and all you can do are two things afterward: cry and weep in regret, or smile that it’s over. Leave these to us. You’ve done your part.” With that, he dashes forward, bringing out his rifle as Evi and Tari follow.

“Just stand here, Kavlina. You’ve done enough,” Tarak comforts before he rushes to join the others. Standing frozen on the ground, Kavlina blankly looks at the village, supposedly so tranquil in the night, being dyed, soaked, drowned in a blanket of pure red over the blank canvas of snow. She looks at the bodies of Rehlen and Sehlen, their open eyes staring back into her.

Do you hate me, Rehlen? Sehlen?

I thought you were a good person, Kavi-lai.

I’m sorry, Sehlen. Kavi-lai disappointed you. Just as she did to Aia, she crouches down and shuts the eyelids of Rehlen and Sehlen, her hands touching Sehlen’s knee for the last time. If there is a next life, let me be your Kavi-lai again.