[*]
His eyes, dark as lacquer, flickered with firelight—deep and grim.
The young man's eyes were usually exceedingly clear, but now they seemed veiled by a black fog.
After a long moment, he said in a low voice, "So it's a dead end."
A silence fell, leaving only the CRACKLE and POP of sparks from the fire.
"Little General," Amy clapped her hands lightly and smiled at him. "Weren't you just talking about dedicating yourself to the country, vowing to serve it until death? Why are you so afraid now?"
"If I were born in a chaotic age, with no one but myself, my death would mean nothing. But now, with my family and country in peril, even if I'm willing to die in service, I fear it won't be enough to save a collapsing state."
