1
April 14th 1912, Industrialis District. – The Federal Republic of Ayster
The cold spring air falls harshly over the Aysterian front line as the cold sea breeze pushes over the trenches. Thousands of men both young and old sit quietly, their rifles pointing towards the endless void ahead. The odd few functional radios murmur Bella Ciao through the thick static.
Lieutenant-Colonel Miyato lies in his bunk, holding up a frail photograph of a young boy and woman, his shadow casts on to the photo as the old oil lamp’s flame dances in the breeze. He lets out a gentle sigh, as he turns over, trying to get to sleep before his watch starts.
As Miyato closes his eyes, a sound he had been dreading pierces his ears. With a shaken breath he closes his eyes, taking one long inhale, followed by a long exhale. The reluctant groans and panicked cries fill the bunks as he jumps out of bed, grabbing his rifle from the weakly mounted hook. He holds his rifle in his hands, moving his fingers down the cold iron barrel. With a shaky hand he pulls a 5-round stripper clip out from his side pouch, and slowly opens the receiver, pushing the clip inside the fixed magazine. He lets out a deep sigh and puts a stern face on.
“Comrades! It is time!” He declares as he shakes his sleeping brothers in arms awake while an out of tune bugle rips through the air. “The Queens wretched Militia has arrived! Time to make your homeland proud!”
“Sir!” A young voice from behind shouts.
Miyato turns towards the voice, a man no older than 23 squeezes his way through the ever-growing river of soldiers. On his chest, two embroidered silver chevrons lie next to his name tag ‘ Corporal W. Aiza ’
“Corporal Aiza” Miyato says with a polite yet stern tone.
“Sir... In case things don’t go well...” Aiza pauses, trembling at the sound of the long metallic creaks from the artillery cannons as they slowly roll towards the frontline. Aiza takes a deep breath and grips the firm leather strap of his rifle. “If things don’t go well... It was an honour to fight with you sir!” Aiza says while trying to stay strong, he lets out a weary smile and takes a long deep breath.
“Corporal, it is an honour to fight alongside you.” Miyato taps Aiza’s shoulder and pauses in his step. The crowd of soldiers stop with him. Lieutenant-Colonel Miyato turns to the meandering river of men, young and old and unclips a worn flask from his belt, watching all the men grip their rifles in false confidence.
“Boys! no... tonight... you are no longer boys...” he pauses, turning towards the end of the tunnel, watching the muzzles faintly flash as the roar of Mountainians run up the beach. He turns back to his comrades and lets out a smile “Tonight... you are MEN!” he declares raising his flask to the damp wooden panels above, allowing small whisky droplets to fly from its loose opening onto the dirt filled walls.
“It is an honour to fight alongside all of you! We will bring glory to this great nation tonight. While our wives and children sleep at home. We are here! Keeping them safe from the invaders!” He turns back to the end of the tunnel and grips his rifle, watching as the artillery shells rip through the skyline.
“Tonight... We make them proud...GLORY TO MAU AND THE GRAND AYSTERIAN EMPIRE!” He raises his rifle and marches towards the frontline with his battalion, the endless river of soldiers cheer as they advance. Chanting patriotic hymns through the tight passageways to the frontline.
“I’m surprised they haven’t written you up yet...” Aiza laughs awkwardly.
“For what?” Miyato chuckles while sipping the stale whisky from his flask.
“For calling Ayster an Empire...You know how the higher ups feel about that...” Aiza’s voice falls flat
“We are a Republic in name only... It seems the emperor is the one making the decisions at times...” Miyato says with a tight lip.
Corporal Aiza flares his nose and shyly lowers his head, gripping the strap of his rifle as he watches his boots splash atop the small puddles beneath him.
“Colonel... You don’t think the stories are true... right?” Aiza whispers to Miyato
“Which stories?” Miyato asks with a raised eyebrow
“You know... Queen Isabella... She is immortal, isn’t she?”
“No way! Immortality doesn’t exist!” Miyato laughs.
“I heard how she was during the Spirit crusades. That woman is insane... If she is here tonight... I don’t know if...” Aiza grows quiet as he pulls on his rifle strap, his eyes locking onto his feet as they march through the muddy ground beneath them.
“Don’t worry Aiza, we will be fine.” Miyato assures as they leave the crumbling tunnels.
2
Miyato points his rifle over the damp sandbags, firmly placing his calloused finger on the trigger as he watches the Mountainian offensive hastily make their way up the beach, all wielding what seemed to be swords and shields. The artillery continuing to rain down onto the beach in front of them, crushing the oncoming infestation.
Miyato’s Battalion, ‘ 4th South Ayster Battalion ’ holds control of the eastern wing of the trench, their bullets cheer through the cold spring's night, distant pangs whistle back to them through the breaks in gunfire as they collide with the Mountainian armour. Through the deep night sky, Miyato notices a long red flowing dress slowly walking off one of the landing rafts with a large black scythe in hand, letting its deep orange blade carve through the beaches surface. With a trembling hand, he lowers his rifle, his eyes widen with each neatly placed step the queen lays beneath her, leaving no disruption to the sand, Until the scythe follows behind. He looks around at his comrades and watches as they continue to pick off the knights that continue to bring their infestation to their beach. Without a second thought, Miyato places his hands upon the wooden ladder beside him.
“THE QUEEN IS HERE!” He beckons out. “Don and Ack companies! We are going over the top! We will capture the Queen and make this nation proud! Charlie, Esses Toc companies, prepare to cover us!” Miyato pulls himself up the ladder and over the top of the trench.
He stands there, crouched and waiting for his comrades to pull themselves over the musty sandbags.
“Don’t be so foolish!” a worried cry calls from behind.
Miyato turns around and notices Corporal Aiza standing before the ladder.
“The artillery fire, the bullets flying, not to mention the minefield! You won't make it down there! You have a wife! Think about Himari! Think about your son!” Aiza pleads out.
Lt-Col Miyato straightens his lips and lets out a heavy breath before looking onto the beach, narrowing his eyes as he looks out at the horizon.
“Corporal. Look at them.” he says sternly, pointing towards the herd rushing onto the beach. “Look what they have and look what we have.”
Aiza grips his rifle and nods with confidence, aiming his rifle over the wet sandbag and reloading it.
“Corporal...” Miyato’s voice grows quiet as he climbs back into the trench. “If anything happens to me... and I don’t make it... Tell my wife to go to The Grand and ask for Diego...”
Corporal Aiza looks at Miyato with a raised eyebrow, he lowers his finger from the trigger. “The Grand?”
“Yes, just do that for me Corporal.” Miyato says as his eyes begin to swell slightly.
“Yes Sir.” Aiza’s voice displays a tone of confidence as he places his finger back on the cold cast iron trigger.
Miyato climbs back over the ladder and looks towards the shore, looking over the bloodstained beach, thousands of Mountainians lying dead before them. His eyes move over to Queen Isabella, not a single scratch on her body.
He hastily pulls a green flag from one of his pouches, blowing the whistle that embedded itself in his webbing, It’s sound echoing through the trench between the explosive crashes and gunfire.
“CHARGEEEE!!!” He commands out to his comrades as they all charge towards Queen Isabella jumping over the sandbags, placing wooden panels atop the barb wire strips, slicing through the Mountainian Swordsmen with their bayonettes as a wave of hot brass shields them from above.
As Miyato, Ack and Don Companies charge from the grassy hilltop onto the beach, he notices six faint lights shining in the distant horizon. Through the soot and dust filled air of no man's land and the thick fog of the sea, the apparition of six large wooden vessels grows close. Their sails majestically swaying as the ships tear through the sea’s surface.
“Don’t waste your bullets! Let the artillery make numbers of the cattle aboard those boats!” Miyato calls out as he slices through a retreating Mountainian peasant.
The symphony of shells rip through the air, hurtling towards the fleet, falling just shy of the small armada crashing into the water. The coarse smell of gunpowder fills the air around them as the Artillery behind them spit indiscriminately towards the wooden vessels.
Miyato and his comrades grow closer to the queen; His left hand tightens around his rifles cold forestock as he positions his bayonet towards the queen.
“Ack flank towards the east! Don to the west, keep her contained!”
Ack and Don companies split from the group, beginning their flank on Queen Isabella.
Miyato eyes her up and down, and slows down in his charge, He lifts the rifle up towards him, burying the rifles butt in his shoulder as he grips the trigger with a shaking hand and takes a deep breath. Through the iron sight he moves the barrel of the rifle down to her stomach. ‘ Just a shot to incapacitate her... ’ he thinks to himself as his hands lightly dance, inching closer to the queen, his right foot crossing his left, then his left crossing his right.
Suddenly, multiple large flashes beam from the ships, followed by a deep booming roar. Hundreds of hardened steel balls power through the Aysterian Night sky towards the entrenched soldiers.
“CANNONBALLS!” Miyato shouts out to his comrades while subconsciously ducking down, his rifle buries itself into the bloodstained sand. With narrow eyes he looks over to Queen Isabella, she slowly moves her hair from her face, her white eyes brightly shining, illuminating the space around her. Miyato’s chest grows weary while he looks back towards the trenches, the muzzle flashes barely visible through the dust and smoke behind him.
One by one, his comrades begin to surround the queen, leaving a space directly in front of her. A space fit just for him. Queen Isabella stops her advance and raises the scythe over her shoulder its obsidian handle glistens against the distant explosions, her eyes fixate onto Miyato while he pulls his rifle from its newly made bed and gets into position. He stands before her and raises his rifle. His finger lightly trembles upon the trigger as he moves towards the queen, moving one leg in front of the other. With each step, he takes a long shaky breath. as his comrades’ circle tightens, he aims the gun to her stomach. The rifle’s muzzle sitting just shy of her. She tilts her head to the side and allows a small smile to appear. He pulls the trigger. Her pale skin begins to shine softly while she grips the handle of her scythe. The bullet pauses in the air. As if she had frozen the space around her.
Miyato furrows his eyebrows as his eyes dart around the beach. The Mountainian army is still advancing through the beach onto the grassy hills so time can’t have been stopped? Unless... Time must only be paused in this space around them?
Suddenly, his comrades fall to the ground, one by one letting out agonising cries as a circle of blood begins to form around them.
She steps closer to Miyato as he raises his rifle up to her. The bullet that had left his rifle, now sits between her fingers. She lets out a gentle smile and throws it towards one of her soldiers, exploding as it hits his plate armour. With a gentle smile she looks at Miyato. Placing her cold hands on his face.
“You look familiar...” she says with a soft smile before pushing him back onto the ground. Without any effort, she takes his rifle from him. Melting the barrel with just a touch before discarding it like a bored child.
Miyato watches from the ground as Queen Isabella continues her advance towards the trenches, the artillery shells crashing to the ground around her.
Miyato grabs his bayonet from the sand. Watching his rifle melt into the ground around it.
“Sir are you okay!” A worried cry shouts from behind.
“What was that...” Miyato whispers to himself, looking back at his comrades as they stand behind him “You’re all alive?”
“The injury was healed once she walked away...” One of the younger cadets announces.
“She can heal and injure at will...?” he whispers
“Sir, I heard she was Immortal?”
Miyato lifts himself up from the bloodied sand and watches the queen
“It’s...Impossible...” he mutters to himself. “Pass me a rifle.” he says, his voice growing stern.
The two companies combined have around 150 men, including Non-Commissioned Officers, they all look around, their faces all shades of confused at Miyato’s request, their quiet mumbles fill the space around them.
“That isn’t a request. It is an order!” Miyato commands
One of the Ack Company sergeants reluctantly goes to hand Lt-Col Miyato their rifle, before it can even reach his space Miyato snatches it off the sergeant, its hard leather strap slapping his wrist as it jolts towards him.
“Don Company, split off, half of you clean up the remaining mutt... the other half return to your post. Ack Company on me.” Miyato commands, aiming the rifle towards the queen.
Don company splits up, half of them hesitantly return to the trench. One of the Sergeants blows his whistle and waves a small yellow flag as the 34 men carefully make their way back to the frontline, trying not to sink in the sand as the rain begins to fall around them knowing one wrong step could result in their demise.
“Chihiro, You here?” Miyato asks with stern tone.
“Still here, Kosuke” he says, adjusting his helmet.
Miyato lets out a small smile and steadies his hand. The Artillery shells clash with the cannon balls around the beach, explosions filling the depths of their ears.
Kosuke takes a deep breath. Breathing in the soot filled air and sings to himself as the cold iron muzzle fixates onto Queen Isabella.
E se io Muoio....da Partigiano...
O Bella Ciao... Bella Ciao... Bella Ciao...Ciao Ciao...Ciao...
A small tear traces itself down Kosuke’s cheek as he pulls the trigger. The small brass round flies out the gun, hurtling towards the queen, hitting her in the back of the knee.
She falls to the ground. Distant cheers from the trench fill the air between the explosions.
“Go capture the dog.” Miyato commands, handing the rifle back to the sergeant.
The Ack company commander nods assuringly as they run towards the fallen queen, readying their rifles for a possible confrontation.
Kosuke and Chihiro watch as they fade into the wall of ash and soot. Kosuke takes a deep breath and turns towards the sea, the litter of dead Mountainians staining the sand, creating abstract art pieces with their remains.
Chihiro presses his palm against Kosuke’s shoulder and let out a deep sigh. Taking a cigarette out of his pocket.
“Want one?” He asks.
“I’m good.” Kosuke whispers. Taking the photograph from his pocket, rubbing his thumb over the image of the woman and child.
“I think it’s time...” he says with a dry mouth, as a prickling heat crawls up his neck.
“It seems the rest of them have started to retreat. I’ll go get Isabella.” Chihiro lights his cigarette, his silver lip piercing shines in the light for a split moment.
“I’ll see you soon... Kosuke...”
Chihiro takes a long drag of the cigarette and takes the rifle from his shoulder, running up the beach behind Ack Company. Kosuke takes off his webbing and carefully slides the photo back in his pocket, taking off his jacket. With a deep sigh he ties it to his webbing.
He runs his fingers down his arms tracing the line work of his dragon tattoo that sat around his wrist. His eyes move down towards the swaying beach grass before him. As the explosions and gunfire begin to fade away, he takes a step forward into the dust filled air and takes a deep breath.
BOOM