That's why I gave up on jumping the ship and headed for the general. Luckily, I caught him in the air. But our fall was not slow. I even tried to take as little damage as possible by covering myself. And it worked little or much.

When I came to my senses seconds later, I gently put the General on the floor.

The general opened his eyes slightly, saying,

"I'm sorry, Ryuu. I couldn't stop them. I got in your way."

"Don't say such things, old man. You did everything you could."

"That's not why. I've made a lot of wrong decisions in the wars I've been in before. Of course, this is a matter of willpower, but making the wrong decision more than once is a disturbing event for every person. Of course, being on your side in this war was not such a random decision I made. It was obvious that you would do such a good job. That's why I trusted you, Alpha Prime's son."

"But how did you....?"

"I knew him. His courageous behavior, his fighting style, his anxiety on the battlefield, you took it all from him. You have the honor of a warrior like him in your heart."

"Then you also need to know that I'm not going to let you down like this, right...."

He lifted his hand to show me the blade wound on his belly and added,

"Unfortunately, it's too late for me, Ryuu. But there is still hope for you."

"No, it doesn't have to be like that. We still have time, and I also need your help with those enemies. I can't just win against them like this. I need you to help me a little more."

"Then you need to get what you need now."

He slowly reached out his hand to me, put it on my chest, and said,

"With a technique, I learned a long time ago, I will give you the power of "One Inch". When this power connects with your other powers, you will experience something that you have never experienced."

"But how...?"

"Such a power can only be inherited that comes from a strong bloodline, just like you. If I give it to another person, he or she may not get used to the power and drag it into his body until death. In addition, it is short-term for your body to get used to the power. I'm sure you'll be able to control it when you get used to it."

"You don't have to do this. The power you will give me increases my debt and responsibility to you. You shouldn't just-"

"Your father had a phrase that he used to say, that I loved."

He looked me dead in the eye and said,

"If there is a possibility, a light or presence of goodness, there will be evil there. But it is light that allows even darkness to exist. And there's always light that prevails in the end. It is the thing that makes us move forward."

He then added,

"Now that I think about it, he was right. If I see him, I'll say you said Hi."

His skin became white and was becoming whiter every second. His pulse rate dropped and his chest was getting slower. I was watching the life inside him slowly disappear. He was slowly fading, just like an illusion.

"Old man, stay with me."

My brain was going numb once more.

The general put his hand on my heart with his last breath. I could see his hand shaking, I could feel it. It was really painful to see such a huge man trembling. But that wasn't the shocking thing. The general's eyes had suddenly turned a light yellow color and started glowing.

Then all of a sudden, I felt something. Just like he said, it's something I've never felt before. It was the "One Inch" power. I was able to feel it as if it was the blood flowing in my veins. It was quite a lot and It was like it was overflowing. But unintentionally, I managed.

When the general had finished giving his strength, his hand dropped to the floor and he closed his eyes. Now his suffering was over, but mine had only just begun. I bowed down my neck. I couldn't hold back my tears. Although I knew him for a short time, we had lost a valuable person.

The general, was now dead in my arms.

I was filled with a wave of incredible anger. So I got up with different kinds of feelings in my heart and checked my surroundings thoroughly before moving on. Meanwhile, Hiroshi finally caught up to me. He had seen the general's dead body.

So taking off his hat, he said,

"I am sorry you witnessed such a sight, Kid. But we have to move, they probably have a way to get through here."

I clenched my fist,

"I couldn't save him...."

But in return, Hiroshi looked confused. He gave me a surprised look, then understanding the situation, he became more serious,

"This isn't a playground, Kid. We are taking our positions on real battlefields. We can lose many more people while on this road, and you already knew that such things would happen in the war. Since the first day, you started this journey. But you also must know that you can't do anything about it. None of us can."

He then got his guns ready, looked towards another direction, and added,

"But at least know this. The general fought for you. Maybe he saw us all as a whole, but his faith in you was on another level. So continue this path, not because he is no longer with you, but because of what a dear comrade he is to us."

"You-"

"Come on, we are losing our time, Kid. We are going to lose more lives if we don't move."

*I have to focus more on what I can lose than what I've lost!* Was the thing that came to my mind at that moment. It was a word that my uncle use to say a lot. It was a word which very powerful and defined his personality. I guess it was for everybody who had their heart filled with these kinds of feelings.

I quickly collected myself and said, while looking at Hiroshi,

"They have Princess Mila. They are taking her somewhere with those ships."

"I know that. So we need to go. The fog is about to lift and we are still the wanted men. If they catch us, it will be impossible for us to reach him anymore."

"We will save Mila, and we will make them pay for it at any cost. No matter what happens. For everyone's sake."

"As you wish, Kid."

I slowly put the General down and walked away from there, looking at him one last time. Hiroshi and I ran into the forest to get out of sight. And we started to plan the outcome that we can have.