Chapter 2: Welcome to Lonfre (1)

Not long after I lost my footing, I immediately pulled the parachute cord that was directly connected to the pack on my back. It quickly reduced the intense pull of gravity that had been dragging me down, and now, I was essentially swaying in the sky for real.

From a height of at least 300 to 600 meters, I looked down past my boots. What I was experiencing felt completely real, this was not a scene from the war movies I used to watch in my previous life, this was not the level of a war game, this was reality, with enemies below trying to intercept our attempt, the paratroopers, to land in the territory they controlled.

I also could no longer deny the sensation of projectiles from below whizzing past me. Even though none of them struck my body, the feeling alone made me incredibly paranoid.

And as I looked across the sky, I saw other transport aircraft releasing their paratroopers in beautiful coordination, like strokes of paint decorating the sky with artistic lines, that is what we are, the true conquerors of the sky.

Ah, this is why in movies I always liked scenes like this, even though if you asked me whether I wanted to be in their situation, I would definitely say no, but here I am.

"Ah...."

But that view was quickly ruined when I saw one of the transport aircraft get hit by flak right near it, immediately damaging one of its propeller engines.

If you think they still had a chance, you are wrong, because the fire that had initially started on the wing quickly spread and devoured the entire body of the aircraft make it like a magic fire lantern flying to light up the sky.

From below, I looked up and saw the paratroopers from that burning aircraft jumping while carrying raging flames on their bodies, those unfortunate souls now not only had to face the fall from such a height, but also the fire they carried with them. Honestly, I doubt any of them would survive, if anyone witnessed the horror of that sight and heard the screams filling the sky around me, they would agree.

As I bitting my lip I was forced to watch those human torches who were my comrades just moments ago falling in sequence. My stomach churned, not because of the height, but because of my utter powerlessness as a medical personnel to save them. This was excruciating, but once again, there was no way to save them.

The aircraft finally lost its balance and began pitching its nose downward. It looked like it was about to crash.

Huh? W-wait!

Panic spread through my body as the aircraft tilted to the left after losing control, and from the looks of it, it was heading straight toward me. Some of the paratroopers had already become its victims, struck and caught in that moving disaster.

Wait, what should I do? What should I do?

​ I darted my eyes around in a desperate search for a solution, but everything felt useless. In this world, these parachutes were nothing but simple sheets of fabric with no steering mechanism at all. I was a sitting duck suspended in the air.

​As a last attempt to survive, I threw my weight violently to the left. I began kicking my left leg downward with every ounce of strength I had, praying that the sheer momentum of my struggling body would shift the silk above me.

​Is this working? Please, just work!

​For a terrifying second, nothing happened. Then, I felt a sharp tug on the risers. My trajectory shifted ever so slightly. My view of the horizon tilted as if the world itself was leaning away from the impending disaster.

​It worked. It actually worked!

​Slowly but surely, the burning mass of metal glided past my right side. The heat was so intense it felt like it was peeling the skin off my face, but I had moved out of the direct collision path. It was my first successful attempt at handling a life or death situation, and my heart was hammering so hard against my ribs I thought it might shatter them.

“ARGGHHH!!!!”

“MOM!”

“I DON’T WANT TO DIE!”

As the burning plane passed near me, besides the heat that made my eyes sting, perhaps myself felt the "pulse of life" from the people inside suddenly extinguished simultaneously.

“I’m lucky…”

It might sound heartless, but I was relieved that it wasn’t me. I was so grateful that I almost cried. My hands were still trembling from the shock of surviving such a near-death experience.

“Elise! Elise!”

Someone was calling out to me. The chaos drowned their voice among the explosions everywhere. But since they refused to stop, I shouted back, trying to locate them.

“Elise! I’m here!”

After searching for a moment, I finally found the source. At my three o’clock, I saw a familiar man. His face carried that usual calm expression. It was Lieutenant Bulgers, his body hanging beneath his parachute.

“Elise! Good job!”

Amid the orange glow of flak explosions relentlessly fired from below, Lieutenant Bulgers smiled and praised me for what I had just done. Even though we were several meters apart, I could see the pride in his eyes.

“Damn it…”

I quickly wiped the tears that had been running down my cheeks. Don’t blame me. This was my first time nearly getting hit by a plane consumed by hungry flames. But still, what’s wrong with me lately? Crying like this? Damn it!

But in the end, the distance between me and Lieutenant Bulgers kept getting farther apart, all because of the unpredictable wind direction. It was something already expected, even back in bootcamp we all understood that during landing operations we would be scattered no matter how hard we tried to land at the same point.

I gave a salute to Lieutenant Bulgers as he drifted farther from my sight, I knew we would meet again.

We were all trained, for months we had been fed with knowledge on how to survive behind enemy lines where they were already waiting to kill you. So now, I was not too worried, as long as I remembered my drills, I would stay alive.

Strangely, the air temperature still made me shiver a little even though fiery bursts kept striking across the sky, but in the end, they were not suitable to keep me warm.

The people below were clearly not satisfied after taking down that aircraft earlier, they were still violently spewing their projectiles. Of course, they were highly motivated, perhaps they saw us as a threat to their country and their families back home, but they were the ones who started this first.

We originally held ourselves back from getting involved, but they provoked our neighbors into invading us, just like them, we also have people to protect back home.

“About sixty meters…”

I whispered to myself so I would not forget, the ground below was becoming more and more visible. The closer I got to the land, it felt like my speed was increasing, even though earlier, when I was still swaying in the clouds, everything felt so slow.

"Shit..."

From the darkness, I could see that the point that would become my landing spot was a dense cluster of trees packed so tightly together that there was not even the slightest gap between them.

Honestly, I had hoped to land on flat ground with thick bushes around it to shield me from the enemy’s sight, and flat ground would also mean a smooth landing. But who am I trying to fool, this is war, of course nothing goes smoothly.

“One… two… three!”

Immediately, I shut my eyes and brought both of my arms up in front of my face, a natural reflex meant to protect vital parts such as my eyes, my nose, even my neck and throat from the possibility of sharp branches. In the next second, the world seemed to explode into the sound of fabric and wood scraping against each other.

CRACK! SHRRREEEKKK!

Within the embrace of my own arms, I could feel my body slamming into the Lonfre forest canopy several times with enough force to make anyone jolt.

After that, I could also feel the hard branches repeatedly lashing against my thick uniform, stabbing into the medical pack I was holding, and occasionally striking my helmet with metallic clangs, as if I had offended them.

Each impact was so strong that my lungs felt compressed, making it hard for me to breathe. Every time my body broke through another layer of branches, I braced myself for pain that might pierce my ribs or my vital organs.

But somehow, a small miracle happened. The thick coat and heavy equipment I was wearing acted like a shield. I fell through gaps between the branches that were just large enough, avoiding a fatal collision with the main trunks.

Then, suddenly, my movement stopped with a violent jolt.

JOLT!

My body swung back and forth like a mad church bell. I choked as the parachute harness wrapped around my chest suddenly tightened, holding the entire weight of my body.

I slowly opened my eyes, and in the end, there was not much I could see because the surroundings were very dark.

The smell of wet soil and crushed pine leaves pierced my nose, replacing the scent of gunpowder and aircraft fuel from earlier. I tried to move my legs, but they only kicked empty air. I looked down and realized that I was hanging about five meters above the ground. My silk parachute was firmly caught on a large branch above, wrapping around it like a giant spider’s web.

“For God sake… this is really not funny,” I whispered, my voice trembling as the adrenaline began to fade.

I tried to check my own body. Shoulders? Still in place. Legs? Still movable. There was no blood flowing, no stinging pain that indicated an open wound. I had survived that landing without a single scratch. Maybe the Goddess of Misfortune was taking a short nap, or maybe she wanted me to stay alive so she could play with me longer later.

But that luck ended there.

Now I was hanging alone in the middle of an enemy forest, trapped between a burning sky and a ground that was likely filled with Varexil patrols. The distant sound of AA fire still echoed like unending thunder, but here, beneath the dense forest canopy, silence began to creep in.

I have to get down quickly before someone—

Creak!

But before I could finish the sentence in my mind, the sound of dry chains rang out loudly, it did not happen just once or twice, the sound kept repeating at irregular intervals, suggesting that someone was stepping on them.

I realized where the sound was coming from, it was not difficult, because it was right in front of me, where I was now hanging helplessly on a tree that refused to let me go.

The longer it went on, the closer the sound seemed to get, with leaves from the trees and bushes moving in a way that was completely unnatural.

“Uhm!”

I pressed my lips together nervously, panic returned to my body, this feeling truly brought overwhelming terror to me.

At this point, I could only hope that whoever was approaching was one of my comrades, it did not matter if I did not recognize them, as long as they wore the Arken military uniform, that was enough for me. My trembling hand eventually managed to reach the pistol I was carrying, even I was quite surprised that I could do that.

The rustling grew louder, accompanied by the heavy thud of boots crushing dry twigs. My heart hammered against my ribs so hard I was afraid the enemy could hear it. I gripped the cold handle of my pistol, but my fingers felt like lead, stiff and unresponsive.

​Please, let it be Pat. Let it be Freddy. Please, anyone but—

​The bushes finally parted.

​Two figures stepped into the faint, flickering light of the distant AA fire. My breath hitched in my throat, freezing the very air in my lungs. They weren't wearing the olive-drab of the Arken military. Instead, they were clad in sharp, cold, bluish-gray uniforms that seemed to blend into the shadows of the forest like predators.

​On their shoulders, the unmistakable insignia of the Varexil Empire caught a stray glint of light. Their helmets were angled low, and the long bayonets attached to their rifles looked like silver fangs in the dark.

​I froze as my view to the entire world narrowed down to those two silhouettes.

​Every muscle in my body turned to stone, leaving me hanging there like a piece of meat in a butcher's shop. I forgot about the pistol in my hand. I forgot about my training. I even forgot how to breathe. The "Goddess of Misfortune" wasn't taking a nap, she had just delivered me directly into the hands of the monsters I was supposed to fight.

​One of them stopped and tilted his head, his gaze sweeping across the dark canopy. For a split second, I thought the shadows would hide me, but then his eyes locked onto the white silk of my parachute tangled above.

I tried to stay still, but my weight made the harness groan. Above me, most of the thick white silk of my parachute slipped from the tree branches. Every time the sky beyond the forest canopy exploded with orange bursts of anti-aircraft fire, the shining white fabric became an invitation to my own death.

​"ᚴᚼᛅᚱ ᛁᛋ ᛏᛅᚦ?" The soldier in the lead muttered, his voice sounding like gravel grinding together.

​His comrade stepped forward, looking up with a slow, predatory grin that made my stomach turn.

​"ᛋᛅᚦ ᚼᚢᚾᚦᚱᛅᛏ... ᛋᚴᚼᛅᛏᛏᛅ!"

I did not know what they were saying, but it was clear that it was nothing positive.

However, perhaps because of the remnants of my will to survive still clinging to the corners of my body, I suddenly remembered that I was holding a pistol in my right hand. This was not an ordinary pistol, it was small, unnaturally light, and could only hold a single bullet, not because it was poorly made or meant for a brief exchange of fire, but because it was never meant to be used on the enemy—

“ᛋᛅᚦ!?”

“ᛋᚴᚼᛅᛏᛏᛅ!”

The two enemy soldiers immediately showed expressions of confusion and panic when they saw what I was doing.

Yes, the pistol I was holding was not aimed at them, but at my own head. Because from the very beginning, the reason why a medic was allowed to carry a weapon was not to disable enemies who tried to harm them, but to ensure that we would never fall into enemy hands alive, us, the Magic Medics.

I am a valuable asset, even the enemy would think twice before hurting me, but still, I do not want to be taken to the enemy’s homeland and live like livestock, bred and forced to mate with someone I do not even know, only for the child to be taken and handed over to the state, what kind of life is that?

​"ᚠᚼᛅᚱᛒᛁᛚᚴ!"

​"Don't... Don't fucking come near me!"

​My voice came out as a fractured whisper, a pathetic plea that lacked any of the fire I had felt back in the aircraft. My hands, which were supposed to be aiming my pistol, were shaking so violently that the cold steel of the weapon clattered against my gear.

​The soldiers stopped for a moment, tilting their heads like curious predators listening to the whimpering of a trapped animal. They didn't understand my words, but they clearly savored the fear in my tone.

​"ᚼᚢᚾᛏᛅᚱ... ᛋᛅᚦ ᚼᛅᚱ?" One of them mocked, his voice dripping with a cruel amusement as he stepped even closer.

​"Stay back! I said stay back!" I screamed this time, my vision blurring with tears of pure, unadulterated terror.

However, one of them still ignored my warning, they were completely convinced that I did not have the courage to do it. Maybe they were right, according to procedure, I should have already blown my brains out the moment they found me. Because in the end, even if I were captured and later rescued by allied forces, I would still be brought before a military court for refusing to follow the prescribed protocol.

Haha…

I could only let out a bitter laugh in my mind as the enemy soldiers continued to approach me. I truly had no other choice left, I had to pull the trigger of this pistol, now.

But…

“This isn’t fair! I haven’t even healed anyone yet! I haven’t even set foot on the ground! What is this!? Are you fucking playing with me!?”

I shouted in frustration, venting all the anger I had toward this endless streak of misfortune. Once again, tears began to stream down my cheeks, and this time, I could not wipe them away because my other hand was completely immobilized, tangled in the mess of straps.

And the enemy soldiers in front of me only laughed at the suffering I was going through.

“This isn’t fair…”

I had no energy left to care anymore. Slowly, I brought my thumb closer to the safety of the pistol. In the end, everything felt meaningless, fragments of my life in this world began to surface, especially those small, fleeting moments of happiness during bootcamp. Was this what they meant by a life flashing before your eyes?

“Goodbye…”

I did not even know who I was saying that to, but my finger had already settled on the trigger. All that remained… was to pull it.

My finger tensed as it made contact with the cold metal of the trigger, pressing against my skin, just a fraction of an inch away from ending everything. I shut my eyes, waiting for the darkness to finally take me.

BANG!

The sound was deafening, but there was no pain. Instead, something warm, carrying the sharp scent of iron, splattered across my cheek.

My eyes snapped open, and what I saw was the Varexil soldier in front of me staggering, a gaping hole torn through his chest, his bluish-gray uniform instantly soaked in a horrifying shade of deep red.

BANG! BANG!

Two more shots rang out from the darkness, dropping the second soldier to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

From within the shadows of the bushes, a figure emerged. It was Lieutenant Bulgers. His face was a mask of cold, rigid fury, the orange glow of distant explosions reflecting in his hollow eyes.

He walked straight toward the two bodies lying on the ground.

BANG! He fired a single round directly into the first soldier’s skull. The body jerked, but Bulgers did not flinch.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

He moved to the second soldier, pulling the trigger again and again. The sound of hot lead tearing through flesh and bone filled the forest’s silence, a merciless, rhythmic execution. Even after their hearts had clearly stopped beating, even after their faces were no longer recognizable, Bulgers kept firing until his magazine clicked empty.

The silence that followed was far heavier than the gunshots. Bulgers stood over the shattered remains, his chest rising and falling, his face splattered with the enemy’s blood. Slowly, he turned his head toward me.

I could only hang there, trembling, staring at the man who had just saved my life by becoming a butcher.