The white heavens that surround me aren’t the heavens I had imagined. The light everyone seeks is the same light that’s blinding me. The reds of hell are gone and my blood is in fact, transparent. As it now runs through my dying body, I reach out my hand to him, why has he forsaken me?

A planet beyond the Earth it once was has fallen into pieces. In the year of 2465, the war within the planet’s countries had gone out of control where everybody hated everybody. Among the land of the dying, there was a young knight named Neryan, who was injured badly enough to hardly being able to move. He crawled away hoping for a chance to live. The corpses around him worn the faces of his friends and Neryan’s heart was so horrified that he no longer felt sorrow for his fellowmen’s deaths. Fading away, his consciousness shut off.

The few survivors of the war were taken to the nearest cities but in Neryan’s case, he was taken to Thezes, a green land which used to be called “The Valley of Life” and was now flooded by the cold rains of the new age. The dead bodies of warriors, women and children floated and seemed to emerge from everywhere in the valley.

Slowly regaining conciousness, Neryan opened his eyes and found himself hospitalized. He had passed out and didn’t know what had happened or where he was. He started yelling, hoping somebody could hear him.

“What’s the problem?” –Asked a nurse who had just entered the room unexpectedly-

Neryan as surprised, she looked worn out and had several wounds in her face, arms and hands. Neryan stared in fear and wonder, he finally asked –“What happened? Where am I?”-

The nurse gave him an unpleasant smile, which reflected no more than concern.

“I can’t stay here,” Answered Neryan impatiently

“The transportation is scarce, only a war tank would be able to take you at this moment. Plus, Gabrielle City is probably already destroyed since the enemies have already gone through that path. Please young knight, rest for tonight, who knows if this city is going to continue safe tomorrow.”

The nurse exited the room quietly. Neryan closed his green eyes in dismay, he put his white hands on his face and he suddenly began to cry. What purpose is there in life now that Gabrielle City is down in ruins? He had left his sister there, she was blind, she couldn’t defend herself, run or hide. Neryan had promised her that he would come back, but now everything had now become meaningless.

That night, the moon was darkened by the black clouds that sheltered the sky. The only light came from the few settlings set by the people who remained alive. Neryan heard a strange noise coming from the roof of the hospital, he became curious and slowly raised to follow the sound, but then it stopped. He remained quiet in case it was heard again, but no luck. Thinking it was just his imagination, Neryan walked back to his stretcher, but before he could lie down again, he heard the noise which now seemed to be louder. Neryan opened the window and looked up since he was on the higher story of the building, he saw nothing. He closed the window and quickly turned around as he saw a shadow passing by the door. He bravely walked after it but the halls were too dark the shadow could slip away without him noticing, or it could as well, attack, letting him defenseless. He went back into his room and locked the door but then he felt a presence sharing the same space as him. He looked back and there it was; the shadow with the shape of a human who seemed not to have noticed Neryan was there. Neryan reached up his hand to get his sword but then the shadow, now proved to be human, took out two sharp blade swords and slashed right in front of Neryan’s hand.

The moon finally came out; a silver ray of moonlight entered through the window and had illuminated this person who was wearing a fabric-made armor and a scarf that hid the person’s face. Neryan was shocked he could not move a muscle, he moved his hand back and crawled away slowly. A female voice coming from the intruder said; “Don’t you dare to go against me”.

Neryan’s voice was being held back because of his insecurity and shock, until he finally answered back to her, “I… I wasn’t…”, but before he could finish speaking, the girl interrupted him; “You were!” Screamed the woman, slashing her sword in the air, but then a strong cough stopped her. She threw her sword to the ground and put her both hands against her neck as she coughed loudly in pain.

Neryan stared and after a second thought, he gave her the water the nurse had given him.

“I’m Neryan, how about you?”

“Thief?” he asked curiously.

“You cannot know my real name, so say, you got some food?”

Neryan nodded his head and got an apple he had received from the hospital. He handed it to Thief, who ate it desperately after taking off the scarf that covered her face. Neryan noticed she was a very beautiful woman; he smiled and asked, “When was the last time you ate?”

“Yesterday, bread from a bakery in Etellia, I stole it. Good thing nobody noticed, hah ha. So, you got some more?”

"Not until you help me.”

"Huh? Fine, help you in what?”
”I need to go to Gabrielle’s City.”
"Did you know you need to cross Etellia in order to get there? I’m not going back in there, too bad sir.”
“So where are you going then?”
“Hell if I know! Anywhere I can hide from the police who have been chasing me around since I can remember. But hey, this isn’t that bad of a place if you ask me.”
“Don’t be a fool, this city will fall very soon, just wait and see, and we’re too close from the war.”
“Let’s do something, you helped me now I’m going to help you, how’s that sound? I owe you a favor anyways.”

Neryan’s face shone in joy. Before he could say another word, Thief interrupted; “We must get going before the sunrise if you don’t want to be caught, the entrance to Etellia is now strictly forbidden, but I know a way to get there unnoticed, just follow.”

That night, Thief and Neryan walked miles of the isolated and dark forest called Neebe, where the only sound heard was the blowing of the wind which hit the trees where not even an animal remained alive.

Thief smiled with tears in her eyes which she had held in for years, Neryan embraced her and covered her up with his cape, until they finally fell asleep on that ice cold night.

“Yes, I’m sorry!”

The morning’s warmth finally came to Neebe Forest when Neryan had opened his eyes before the sunrise. He hadn’t seen such beauty for so long. He turned to look at Thief but she was no longer by his side, she was now sitting near the lake shore, eating from Neryan’s food. Neryan yawned and then stood up and walked towards her.