The gates of the underworld rained fire from the sky. Sergeant Spoon bit her lip as the fire crashed into the protective shield around their encampment. Visible saturations could be seen in the magic shield, meaning it would surely collapse at any minute. And when that time comes, they’ll be at the mercy of their enemies.

Her heart raced at the thought. She had no authority to devise a strategy to get them out of this situation, and even if she did, she wouldn’t know what to do. This attack had been unprecedented. The enemy shouldn’t have been able to get this close to them without an alert being sounded long before.

A few soldiers gazed hopelessly at the sky, speechless. Their weapons were held loosely in their hands. Sergeant Spoon could hear one of her Privates hurl in a bush. She didn’t blame him, her own stomach felt weak. The firepower being unleashed at them was overwhelming, and if the intel she had received was correct, it was only one guy’s power.

Magic has been an aspect of life since the start of civilization. Its usefulness ranged from normal everyday tasks to a weapon of mass destruction. Except, as far as Sergeant Spoon was aware, this amount of power shouldn’t be achievable by one person.

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“What do we do, Ma’am?” her corporal asked through struggling breaths.

“There is nothing we can do,” Sergeant Spoon, said bluntly. “Not against that.”

“Are we gonna die?”

The question floated through the air with no answer. She didn’t know who asked it and didn’t particularly care. Dreed began to sweep in through the ranks at the encampment. Soldiers cried and prayed. Others looked at pictures of loved ones. Sergeant Spoon felt no particular emotion. She’d escaped death multiple times before, but now it seems that her luck has grown short. No one was waiting for her back home, anyway. Her only regret would be failing to protect her country.

The bombardment came to a ceremonious end as the fire burned through the magic shield. Cries of desperation filled the encampment. A few brave souls, accepting their fate, picked up their weapons and faced the enemy. They were encircled and had nowhere to run. The best they could hope for was taking some of the enemy with them.

Sergeant Spoon felt the same.

“If we do die,” she faced her small squad, “Let’s die stubbornly. Last one standing has bragging rights in the afterlife.”

…And then the chaos of war unfolded.