She was shaken awake—firmly enough that she almost manifested a mana blade into her hands.

Disoriented under the white sky high above the tree canopy, her warm breath dissipated into the growing afternoon. Letting her body shake for heat, she remembered last closing her eyes with a camouflaged parka around her body, a thin layer of snow covered her, thankfully not touching her. No more than an hour ago, she had dozed off as her squadron had made a pause to determine their location in the seemingly endless woods of the Frontier.

Just over the horizon the sun was fading. With her hands, the young silverette wiped away her sleeping daze as she corrected her posture and leaned on the tree behind her. As her vison cleared, Lecca looked to the darkening the tinted skies. She was absorbed by the frostbite, and she snuck her hand out of the parka covering her, catching a snowflake that quickly melted in her palm. Closing her palm and letting her mana-filled fingertips return to the wooden rifle hidden on her lap, she tilted her head to the side letting silver strands fall across her face.

Rook was the one to have awaken her. He was the last security watch they had hastily set up.

For most of the astounding distance they had traversed all day, Rook was the one to lead the squadron through the rocky and unstable areas of the Frontier. He easily cut through the frost and chilly gusts of wind. The man was an enigma, even to the battle-hardened Mike. Even his own comrades seemed to know little about him, but they were more than happy to have him on their side.

Lecca clasped her shivering hands together. It was a hasty decision to make the march to Glacies. There was no planning, no backup, no support. Just initiative. Tilting her head back she closed her eyes once more. It would be a fight to conserve the energy she needed for the ten-day journey ahead. Her body groaned and wailed in pain, yet she continued without stopping, with little sleep.

Rook had stayed in an unyielding silence. His face was still long hidden by his helmet, sunglasses, and his scarf. His metal and wood rifle remained firmly in his hands and his stray gaze stared out to the forest beyond as unknown thoughts crossed his mind. Upon seeing a three horned deer in the vast beyond, the silent man raised his left hand and formed a finger gun. Still, within silence he shot the handgun. The childish act made the princess smile. She was glad to see that even in the direst of times, there was still humanity in the soldiers that marched ahead without fear.

“Lecca.”

Quickly rounding the tree, a brown-haired man walked five paces ahead of her and turned around to face her. Her lover looked down upon her with a soft glance. A smile slowly grew on his lips, something he couldn’t control.

“Mike.” She smiled back, hugging herself and tilting her head back straight. She wondered if they were moving again.

“You seem comfortable, all bunched up,” Mike relayed his observation of the bunched-up princess. He himself had denied the opportunity to wear one of the parkas, opting to stay mobile in the case of a firefight. It wasn’t the wisest of decisions in hindsight.

“Are you jealous?” She chuckled hiding her face under the parka.

The taller soldier looked down at her with a gentle smile, he had truly grown a soft spot for her. This small trade of words was just another conversation that would last for ages. A small part of the agent wished he didn’t have to continue this mission. And all he truly wanted to do was go to some far away place and enjoy his time with the one that was truly his. His team had been overshadowed by the orders of the Federation, so she was all he had.

For now, any feelings she had would remain hidden away for the sake of the mission. It was his decision to push to returning to Glacies, now it was the time to play the pivotal role in changing the outcome of this new war.

Lecca was sure everyone present knew; she was to return in an official capacity as a member of Yondel’s government. That meant she would be an enemy, yet no one dared to break their shut mouths. It wouldn’t be long till she took the reigns of the military and would assume all responsibility for the hundreds of lives extinguished over the past year. Her connections within the Federation would paint her as an ally, but no one knew how long that would last.

With an outstretched hand, Mike looked at the princess. “Breaks over. We need to move.” He calmly said knowing that this comfort of silence should be the last thing on their minds.

“Showtime gentlemen! A scouting regiment saw that we might encounter hostiles.” Kendrin warned as he returned with Saws, James, and Janie from their security rove.

Rising from the snow-covered ground, Lecca brushed herself off and held her rifle firmly in both hands.

Once more they traversed the thick forest in a single collum.

A single drop of rain fell from the sky.

It fell directly on Lecca’s parka. Making her flinch from the sudden impact.

Following soon after, the darkened skies cried upon the planet. Still, no fear plagued their minds as they marched through the freezing wet grounds. Their boots were beginning to soak through, and their pants tried to fight off the growing rain. Heavy breaths paved the current path ahead. Beyond where they marched, there was a small village that possibly had larger transport to help get through the Frontier.

Slamming his boots through the next puddle ahead of him. Mike remained alert as he took the lead of the formation. His wooden rifle remained over his shoulder, his revolver resting in its holster. They had less than five hours to move another ten miles before the first deadline was missed to cross the border. They needed to get ahead of the oncoming invasion to avoid friendly fire or crossfire between the Kingdom’s forces and the Federation military. It was a crapshoot and he had to make this work before the war reached the heart of Yondel.

Even with the rest she had, Lecca’s legs were shaking and tingling from walking more than 27 miles in seven hours. Though she was a soldier at heart, she had to admit that she was often relegated to short travel due to her duties as princess. She never truly joined her men on the long campaigns spanning several nations’ worth of miles. Even now she pushed through. Being over encumbered was something she used to push away her tiredness.

“We’re less than five hundred meters from the sighted contacts.” Kendrin said, “Keep moving and we’ll cut them off before they reach the main force.”

Looking up at the small hill they were climbing up, Lecca almost stumbled jut managing to catch herself on a nearby vine. A small pain emanated from her stomach, and as she fought to stand up, the rain poured down her face and a gust of wind shed her hood from over her head. I’m pushing myself too much. A small amount of mucus vile and stomach acid rose into her throat, yet she fought against the urge to hurl. Her entire body was cold and damp from the rain. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep warm from the angle they were walking at.

Pulling her hood back over her head, she ignored the growing warm sensation in her abdomen. She adjusted herself and paced ahead at a quicken speed catching up with the soldiers that didn’t notice her momentary absence from the formation. Almost slamming her boots into the ground, she dug herself deep into the muddy snow as she kept right behind the still silent Rook. No one had said a word since Kendrin had notified them of how far they were from the unknowns. Not that there was much to talk about. They were still on mission.

“Set up an ambush here,” Kendrin exclaimed as he stopped them no more than 100 meters from the target. Spreading out between the scattered boulders and evergreen trees, Lecca found herself nestled in between two sets of fallen trees. Her entire body was concealed under the first long, and she maintained both visual concealment and cover from the second log just in front of her. She had taken the precaution of covering both herself and her rifle in snow. She would be a ghost once the bullets began to fly.

Mike remained towards the front like the born Ranger he was. With Rook by his side, he was confident in the overwhelming force they had. It wasn’t just guns that would determine the battlefield: he long knew that magic would be the ultimate equalizer. And now, he knew that with the paratroopers behind him, this would be an engagement not even worth mentioning in the history books.

“Got greenhorns up ahead. Goblins, ogres, and possessed.” Jamie grunted as he moved to the tree adjacent from Mike and Rook.

“Possessed?” Mike questioned.

“Skeletons that were awakened by some sort of conduit.” Jamie explained, “A simple bullet to the skull or spine will knock em’ out.”

Peering downrange through the irons of his rifle, Mike refrained from speaking his mind. Killing such fiends wouldn’t be an issue long as he hit two small targets. Generally, this would prove to be a problem, as hitting the head or the spine specifically was almost impossible. However, they were still a pile of bones. Long as he hit the body, the ligaments that survived years of decay would be shredded and the pile of bones would fall to ground with no contest.

Center mass as usual.

Nothing had changed. Not when he was holding a gun.

“Contacts.” The staff sergeant was the first to say beating Saws with his scoped rifle. “Looks to be twenty-or-so. A platoon.”

The riflemen looked over at the staff sergeant. Saws kept his eyebrow raised as he slowly returned to his scope.

Rook wrapped his hands around the rifle he had tightly. “On you, Kendrin.” He said in a low growl.

Behind the magnified scope atop his marksman rifle, a single water droplet distorted the image presented through the glass. A wiggling tail followed as additional drops of water fell from the canopy above. He was entrapped in the chaotic storm that ravaged the Frontier. Water would wash away the blood that was being spilled, this was no different.

Kendrin had knelt low behind a tree, his armor and gear were biting into his cold, wet body. The darkness of the sky was only enhanced by the overcast and grey clouds. The orange and yellow beams of the sun was gone. He adjusted in his cramped space, his fingers tightening around the heavy rifle. His weapon was an extension of himself. He saw much of the same with the princess who had concealed herself deep in the woods. Is Mike her husband? He questioned. Unlike the agent ahead of his men, Mike was a man with a calm heart, but not one that could withstand the challenges of engaging the enemy from beyond standard engagement distance.

Only the princess could understand that.

The cross reticle was just right of a distant shadow. Squeezing the trigger back, gas rushed out of the barrel and a single lead bullet broke the sound barrier as it tore through the frozen wonderland.

The figure slumped to the ground. Dark splotches covered the darkened snow.

“Weapons free.”

“Play the music!” Jamie cried. His weapon barked out thirty bullets within seven seconds. Not once did he take his finger off the trigger as he removed the empty magazine. The barrel of his rifle was smoking as more barks emerged from the other’s weapons.

Aligning the metal post sight on a target, Mike slammed the trigger back and the goblin he had targeted had its heart explode and its body fall to the ground from the snap of the round’s sonic boom. Lifting his right-hand Mike fumbled with the metal bolt. His eyes furrowed before he lifted the bolt and chambered another round. Letting out a heavy sigh, he aligned his sights on the next target repeating the same process until the target hid behind a large rock meaning he had missed his second shot.

Lecca remained on overwatch. She had yet to engage the target as the monsters began to scatter throughout the forest. Unlike the first and second time they had engaged the monsters; these were intelligent enough to avoid gunfire and take cover. The goblins as numerous as they were, they did not pose as much as a threat as the ogres did. Calming her heart, Leccamaradel peered deep into the dark. It was impossible to make a clean shot in the darkness, but all she had to do was wound the larger monster enough for it to retreat rather than engage Mike and the other paratroopers on the grounds ahead.

Her eye narrowed.

A single sonic boom emerged from her rifle.

She let out a grunt as the recoil kicked into her shoulder.

Her hand instantly flew up and chamber another bullet with ease.

Shifting her rifle slightly to the right, the metal post fell upon a goblin that snuck its small head from behind a tree.

Opening her eyes wide, she felt a bolt of lighting pass through her hand and into the firearm. As a purple fissure split the wooden stock, the metal bolt burned a red hot as she snuck her finger around the trigger and pulled without remorse. Instead of the goblin collapsing from a bullet to the head, the sonic boom kicked up snow around her and blinded her. A blinding light illuminated the forest making the paratroopers on the field lower their heads and take cover. Mike and Rook were the only ones to see a flash of gold and purple rip across the forest tearing through not only the target, melting its face off, but furthermore the several targets hidden in darkness.

Shards of wood and rock and dirt covered the unsuspecting targets fatally wounding or kill them.

“Do you truly believe that this wasn’t the Architects intended?”

“I know. We’re beyond that.”

Letting go of the breath she was holding; Lecca lowered her head into the snow. A rush of adrenaline and heat rushed throughout her body, a resounding thunder echoed in her ears, and she couldn’t feel anything in her head or fingers. Each time she blinked a void of white was presented to her, one of abnormal perfection. The warm sensation in her abdomen grew, and she let out a shaky breath as the continuing gunshots kept her heart on tempo.

“Move it up!” This time, Mike landed a clean headshot to the last Ogre. Again, the body collapsed to the ground with a gruesome hole. Rasing his rifle he kept pace with the silent Rook ahead of him. The paratrooper swept his rifle left as he slammed his boots in the ground to keep his footing. The clatter of his firearm echoed in the forest. Mike watched the man unload his next magazine into a group of seven wounded monsters. Snow kicked up from just behind their bodies, and blood began to seep out from the many holes that were so kindly decorated by the rifleman.

“Corporal, we’re moping up here!” James shouted as he moved up with the other three riflemen in a single file. Creeping down the dirt-snow lane the men fired mercy shots at those unlucky enough to have survived the anti-material blast that Lecca had fired. They proceeded unchallenged. Low moans emerged form the remaining three monsters that were gathered under a large boulder. Their reveille call came as the four peered around the corner from the left and chewed the enemy apart with automatic fire. They double tapped the deceased enemies and proceeded back towards where they began the ambush.

“—No substitutes can do what we do for a living.”

“You are a partner to me…”

“Let’s dance!”

“Is it wrong for me to stare at you?”

“I won’t lose you again.”

Why did she remember these words?

How did she remember these words?

“When I look at you—you at me, I can understand you.”

Who said that?

“We made it this far… What’s one last journey?”

Salty tears escaped her eyes. A harsh moan escaped her mouth as she shot up from the ground slamming her back into the log above her. Lecca looked through her distorted vision and a bright smile formed on her face. The pain in her abdomen grew more, but it was something she was slowly growing used to with the passage of time. For crying her expression fell the wrong direction, and as spit and snot fell from her face, she slowly lowered herself into the snow facing upwards towards the unending sky.

So that’s what—It’s a miracle and a curse, isn’t it?

Running a hand over her stomach, more tears escaped her eyes. The sensory overload had slowly faded away as she regained full control of her body. The wisping cold touched her skin and kissed her gently.

When was it?

Ah—Was it that day?

It no longer seemed as harsh.

“Clear! Get the princess then let’s get a move on, we’re burning time!”

Raising his gun, Mike took a step forward.

“Why are you still here?”

Mike still marched ahead. The void of white spanning before him.

“Are you in a hurry to die? Staff Sergeant?”

Taking his finger away from the trigger, he slung the rifle over his shoulder and began to run ahead, towards the unknown. His boots were soaked wet, his clothes stuck to his skin and caused him a great deal of discomfort, yet he moved ahead. “We have a mission to carry out!” Shouting with all his might, he ignored the growing shadows around him as he walked to endless and non-Euclidian environment.

“You left us behind!”

“You died before I could reach you!” Mike barked. Agony reaching through his words.

“Our voices! You heard them!”

Breaking into a sprint down the void, his heart pounded through his chest, and he heaved in breaths as he ran to a destination with no end. There was no place to go. No place to hide. Just the will and courage to move forward. He had carried others burdens for so long, perhaps now the weight was beginning to slow him down.

Looking over his shoulder, his eyes widened.

Shadows were following him.

Reavers were following him.

Slamming his foot into the ground, Mike turned on his boots as he hastily withdrew his rifle and pointed it at the horde of Reavers that were walking towards him. “Stop this! Let me rest!” He cried pulling the trigger and killing the first of many. Racking the bolt with more efficiency than before, it was only a matter of nine seconds before he had burned through the bullets in the gun. Dropping the weapon and withdrawing his sidearm, the staff sergeant held the silver revolver firmly in his right hand as he aimed.

Cocking the hammer back, the trigger was as light as a feather.

“You forsaken us? How many hats have you worn, Mike?”

Letting out a blood-curling scream, the OMFS agent watched as the bullet tore through a Reaver that was wearing the same equipment as he did in the field.

Like a glass window, the figure shattered into a million pieces.

Again-and-again. Mike killed.

It was all he knew.

He was tired.

“Just kill yourself.”

As the cylinder rotated to the fifth and last bullet, a black hand emerged from the ground and pushed the barrel under Mike’s head.

“Let me help you.”

Both of his eyes opened wide.

He could see, clearly.

In an instant the cry of a bullet tore through his jaw and exploded out the top of his head.

Red mist.

Just beyond the border of the frozen forest, Mike’s heart began to race. On all technicalities he had been cleared as a Holy Knight for the kingdom of Yondel, and personally vetted by King Aldrecht. He shouldn’t have to go through the motions of entering Yondel as a foreign agent, let alone an invader. The tension in his body had led him to gripping his seat tightly. By a miracle, Corporal Kendrin had managed to find a local path through the forest and even managed to take a poor man and his wooden carriage hostage. He had mixed emotions, but they would soon cross through the border.

This would all end sooner than later.

He had been in the field for so long, that it felt like he was going on leave after a long deployment on Earth. He was acclimated to an ever-changing environment for the past year. He had gone beyond and grew beyond what the Ranger Regiment could have asked of him, special tactics, large-scale operations, criminal justice, law enforcement, magical theory, politics. The extra knowledge he had gained in this world made his original job as a gunslinger all too distant. He almost felt like an officer or diplomat at times.

The Rangers…

He had been away from Earth, from his brothers for over a year. The last time he had set foot alongside those within the regiment was a time where he was whisked away to this foreign world. It plagued his mind what would happen if he returned to America. The wishes of the others that were here with them were not to stay in this world of horrid fantasy, but to return to something more familiar. To return to home. Mike yearned for such things as well, yet he didn’t revel with the goal of reaching that. He had spent too much time in this world, and he was attached to it at the core. The world had already moved on without him—there was no doubt. His sister, father, already mourned. The 75th? Wrote down their loss in the field of Peshawar. There was nothing left for him at home. Unless time dilation in this world was so different that only minutes had passed, there was little hope to go home—at least to a world that remembered him.

There was an answer he sought out.

What is her connection to the Void? To the Architects?

Leccamaradel Emma Arish.

Raising his head, Mike faced Lecca. He then reached out his right hand and grasped hers, which she held out, waiting for his own. Interlocking their fingers, their palms touched together. Her cold skin slowly warmed against his. Her smaller hand snugly found itself resting in his larger hand. Her fingers rubbed over the callouses that had built up from years of training. It was a small reminder that he was a soldier at heart. Of course, her own were not frail and weak. She had spent her own time within the military, and she was the king’s blade. Such a position was not granted to those weak and out of practice.

Leaning over, Lecca rested her head on Mike’s shoulder. Even with the cloth cover above them, everyone one in the carriage was fighting for warmth in the bitter cold. He provided a gentle and tender warmth. Not just by body heat, but he was kind enough with the world turning to draw blood. It was one of his many strengths. With war, he would be one of the few to keep their pure humanity alive.

Feeling warm in his face, the staff sergeant gently patted her silver locks. They had grown more comfortable with the idea of the public display of affection. Perhaps it was a symptom of war and the constant reality of battle. Either way, to be worried about such miniscule things, especially this form of fraternization was something no one could give a damn about. Bullets and gunpowder were the only thing on the paratroopers’ minds.

Nothing was happening.

As the carriage pulled to a clearing, it began to trot down a clearly marked dirt road. The change to a smoother road was welcomed by all, but such things were rarely unoccupied. Kendrin clenched his jaw as he adjusted the magnification on his marksman rifle.

They were all anxiously waiting. Unknown territory had made way for hostile grounds.

Rook narrowed his eyes. He was concentrating his rifle on a distant hill. Not lowering the weapon once since they had conducted the ambush deep in the forest, he waited for a target. For something to kill.

“It’s okay. Live for all of us.”

Publicly Available Information: A Forgotten Promise:

Princess Leccamaradel Emma Arish, and the Holy Knights under her command were directed to survive and find new lives beyond the borders of the Frontier and the Kingdom of Yondel. Their word has been broken, and now they return to a shattered nation that is boiling under the pressure of war.