[*]
His eyes, like polished lacquer, flickered with firelight—deep and grim.
The youth's eyes were typically so clear, but now they seemed shrouded in a black mist.
After a long moment, he said in a low voice, "So it's a dead end."
A hush fell, broken only by the crackle and pop of sparks from the fire.
"Little General," Amy clapped her hands lightly and grinned at him. "Didn't you want to serve the nation with utmost loyalty, swearing to die for it? Why the sudden fear now?"
"If I were born in a time of chaos, with no one but myself, my death would mean nothing. But with our nation adrift and in peril, even if I have the heart to repay it with my life, I fear it won't be enough to save a great house from collapsing."
