After several seconds of being squished by a metaphorical long, winding tube, Gaius reappeared in an alley. It was actually a gap between two buildings — an inn the boy had stayed in as a stopover for one night and a provision shop — that led to nowhere. He looked at the calm town — news of the defensive lines collapsing clearly hadn’t reached Feng-Lang yet, although the areas closest to Eo-Seu were probably evacuating as he spoke.

From what he could guess, the rulers of the Eastern Territories had never expected to hold the Lifespring’s troops at Eo-Seu, not when most of its territory had been overrun. The attack had been too sudden, and the fact that a veritable defence line had been erected was already a miracle, in and of itself. No, the true grinder would most likely be at the shores of Feng-Lang, and with the main body of the Eastern troops on their way, the battle would most likely be a permanent fixture of the East for the foreseeable future.

But that didn’t change the fact that over a hundred Knights had fallen in the past few hours alone. Although the defenders at Eo-Seu had managed to inflict disproportionate losses on the Lifespring’s troops, Gaius had the sinking feeling that they were not as permanent as they should be.

He exhaled slowly, and stepped out of the alleyway. People were carrying out their daily activities — buying, selling, talking to each other…all these made the battlefield he had just escaped from seem somewhat illusory. He turned to his left, where the inn he’d stayed in a few nights ago was at. It was open, and the sounds of people chatting cheerily as they ate just made the whole thing seem even more surreal. Would anyone believe him if he walked in and started yelling that Eo-Seu had been fully overrun by Conrah’s forces? He couldn’t quite tell.

Gaius took a deep breath and walked into the inn. A few heads turned to look at the newcomer, turning back a moment later when they saw that it was a child who’d entered. There was an empty table in the corner of the eating area, and a waitress drifted by when Gaius occupied it.

“What will you have, dear customer?”

Gaius glanced at the menu. Roast meat…the lunch menu was full of roasted foodstuff, and the boy thought about the dinners every night at Eo-Seu. He wasn’t sure if the chefs made it out, but non-combat personnel were probably sent away when the first warnings were sent out.

“Your signature roasted chicken, please.” Gaius glanced at the menu and sighed. “Some apple juice too.”

“Very good. It’ll be ready in ten minutes.” The waitress bowed and walked away after Gaius slid a few silver coins over to her. He looked around, while emotions he didn’t know the name of welled up within him, and his gaze fell onto his backpack.

His backpack, which was sitting on the chair opposite to his, was empty, save for the box that Gaius had placed the depleted Crystal of True Restoration inside. The boy had changed clothes a few times, but none of them had made it through the wash before the events earlier. But these clothes were given to Gaius in Ark City a year ago, when Major Degurechaff inducted him into the Harvesters.

He couldn’t exactly return to Eo-Seu now to recover his lost clothes.

Gaius heaved a sigh, and then turned his attention to the chatter around him. Most of them were about the on-going battle at Eo-Seu, which was definite proof that news hadn’t reached this town yet. Even now, people were still heading towards the doomed landmass, probably unaware that the God of Water had crushed resistance there until a new line of defence was set up properly at the shores of Feng-Lang.

After all, small groups of people clearly foreign to this city landed every so often and asked for a room, only to be turned away at the counter. There was a steady stream, and by the time the waitress returned with his dishes, Gaius had counted over ten such groups drop by. In a different time, this whole thing would have been hilarious, but Gaius could still feel the aftermath of Eo-Seu’s fall on his psyche.

He heaved yet another sigh, and began to dig in.

The chicken’s taste was muted, but it was to be expected. He polished it off quickly, washing it down with the apple juice, and then walked out of the inn. Outside, over twenty groups of people were sitting close to each other, each of them occupying a pavilion that dotted the town square. Gaius never really noticed it, but right now, the sun was blazing down on the Eastern Territories.

These groups had probably stopped over at this place to avoid the worst of the midday sun, and to fill up their bellies too. It made sense, from a logistical and discomfort-averting viewpoint, to stop at noon and find some place to eat. It just so happened that over twenty groups of such people had such an idea, and the result was that most of the pavilions that dotted the town centre were occupied by relatively foreign people. Gaius could see a lot of people glaring at the groups that had occupied their usual noon spots, but since most of them had seen them descending from above, no one really had the guts to complain to their faces.

Gaius watched quietly from underneath the shade of a tree as these groups continued to eat and chatter. The boy’s companionship with the other Knights was only a few days old, but yet he could remember the faces they made as they headed straight towards certain death. These Knights were dead, and yet, they would forever be alive in the hearts of those who watched their final act. For the sake of their families, the brave defenders had fought tooth and nail to the very end.

His chest heaved, and the boy had to forcibly stifle the cry in his heart. His eyes were full of warm liquid, and Gaius raised his hand to wipe them off. So much sacrifice. When will it ever end? Will anyone ever sing tales of their valiant, last moments? Or will it just be another page in the book of history?

The boy wasn’t sure.