“Have you ever looked up at the sky, and wondered what it would be like to fly?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Well… I suppose it's because I don’t have time for wondering. No one does, not in this world of ours.”

“Nonsense, we all have time for a little bit of wondering. Even grumpy old bastards like you.”

"I'm not that old."

"I beg to differ."

"How rude."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Well, I chose to take it as one."

"That is... inadvisable."

"Everything is inadvisable to you."

"Not true."

"It is."

"... perhaps you're right."

"I'm always right."

"Are you?"

" Of course. Especially about dreaming."

“Dreaming?”

“Yes. Dreaming”

“What is that?”

“... I suppose I don’t really know.”

“Hm.”

“Hm indeed… Well… the moon… its gorgeous tonight.”

“I suppose it is.”

----------------------------------------

“ Lady General! We must retreat! Their forces are too many for us to handle!” a man screamed to her. He was covered in blood, so much that it looked black against his pale skin. Screams and explosions rang throughout the air, the clanging sound of blades clashing together was a relentless din. Horses, their riders long gone, ran for their lives, spooked by the flashing of lights and the rapidly approaching enemy. Yet she didn’t care, she never had. Returning to the man before her, she gave him a cold smile.

“ Are you suggesting we flee like cowardly dogs?” She asked, a dangerous lilt to her voice. The man rapidly shook his head.

“ No Lady General. I simply worry for the lives of our men!” His words seemed to ignite a dangerous spark in her eyes. He had to force himself not to flinch away, his instincts screaming to flee. The Lady General was a dangerous woman who should not be bothered with such trivial things. But if they continued this battle… it would be a death sentence upon them all.

“Have you forgotten what more is at stake?” she challenged, her tone cutting off his pitiful attempts to form a compelling response. Words failed him as he tried to devise a response that would satisfy the blood-stained monster standing before him. Scoffing, the woman gave him a cruel smirk.

“Return to your position Captain and do not try me again. Next time, I may not be so kind as to let you go free…”

The man’s face paled as her words fell upon his ears, horror, and fear in his eyes. She did not care for the lives of the soldiers that she was in charge of, that much was clear. He wouldn’t be surprised if she had come here fully expecting all of them to die. As the flickering light from the flames danced upon her face, casting black shadows, it revealed a stark truth: she was no mere commander, but a ravenous beast drenched in the blood of her men, a living embodiment of heartless destruction. Petrified he turned, ripping his gaze away from her hypnotizing gaze, fleeing into the fray. The woman watched his retreating figure vanish into the relentless chaos of battle, and her disgust for the man radiated from her like heat from a fire. "What a coward," she seethed silently, her thoughts a venomous whisper amid the tumultuous turmoil. Suddenly, hearing a noise behind her, she spun around, her heart racing, only to find herself locked in a bone-chilling gaze with a dragon of monstrous proportions. The colossal creature's monstrous maw yawned wide, a searing furnace of fiery breath that enveloped her in an overwhelming wave of scorching heat. A disgusting stench, akin to rotting flesh, wafted through the air, assaulting her senses and leaving an indelible mark of terror in her mind. Limbs and decaying chunks of flesh from the soldiers it had mindlessly devoured were strewn across its mouth, she could even see a foot impaled on one of its long serrated fangs. Then, the dragon lunged forward with relentless determination, and the bloody void rushed up to embrace her. As she teetered on the edge of her doom, her wide eyes beheld an unsettling sight within the beast's gaping throat: sinewy, nightmarish arms sprouted from the abyss, their gnarled fingers outstretched in a desperate attempt to take her, dragging her ever-deep into the nightmarish depths from which they emerged. Then, with a sickening SNAP, the dragon’s maw closed, and all went black.

"Are you kidding me?!"

Han screamed angrily, gripping the screen tightly as she shook it back and forth, her face turning purple from fury.

" Is it even POSSIBLE to pass this level?"

She threw the controller onto the cold concrete of her home. The grips, dusty and worn from age, were barely holding on anymore, and the many buttons and joysticks were sticky, with an odd crustiness to their feel. It was if Han could say anything about it, a disgusting thing. But she couldn't bring herself to simply throw it away. She had conquered nations, and cities, destroyed demons and dragons, and slain millions of tyrants of the shadow realms with that trusty controller. But, now, as an insurmountable beast faced her knowledgable hands, her ancient mind filled with the ways of the gamer, was it time to say goodbye to her trusty companion? Surely not, it would be like removing a child from their mother only to throw them in a ditch to rot and die.

"Alas... Is it time for me to do such a deed? Must I remove such joy and happiness from my pitiful existence? This... game... it is so much more than that... It is a life that exists somewhere else... No. I can not give up... I must Prevail!"

Stolen novel; please report.

Han cried out, clutching her hand in a fist as she ranted to... well... to no one really. It was just her in those cold steely walls, it had been like that for almost a decade now.

"Ay, keep it down wontcha? Some of us actually have a life and are trying to study."

Her heart leaped with terror, as she spun around, eyes wide, to see who this unwanted intruder was.

"What? Mad that I interrupted your... your..... Whatever THIS is?"

The intruder asked, eyes narrowing as he held her under intense scrutiny.

“Do you not know what KNOCKING is Ren? You could have given me a heartattack! What if I died from the shock of you suddenly appearing?”

Han yelled dramatically, much to Ren’s great displeasure and despise.

“Don’t be stupid.” He spat.

Han gasped in mock offense.

“How could you? My own brother… my own FLESH AND BLOOD….. Breaking my heart in such dire manner… I fear I will never recover to see the light of day again.”

She pretended to collapse, greatly enjoying the look of vexation on her elder brother’s face.

“Oh grow up Han.” He growled rolling his eyes at her immature actions.

Han got back up, finding the floor a very uncomfortable place to be, while shooting a completely rambunctious grin at him.

“I’m a great sister. Admit it.”

“I will not.”

" You will. And I'll be there to hear it." Han teased, prodding at her brother's harder outer persona.

" And when you finally give up, I'll be the first to relish in my newfound peace" Ren snapped back, his calculative black eyes shining with a bit of humor.

"Ah, but I will never give up Ren. You will say it one day, whether you like it or not. And I'll make sure that all of us are there to see it. Me, you, Chungho, even Charis."

" IF you can even find Charis." Ren said dryly.

"Oh I will." Han lilted, grinning even more obnoxiously at him. She loved it when she managed to get under his skin. It was so satisfying, like finally beating an intense level in a game you've been playing for years.

"Anyways, did you at least finish what I asked you to do?" He questioned, rubbing between his brows as if he was already anticipating Han's answer and the migraine that would surely come as a package deal alongside it.

"Yes." She answered immediately, all the while searching her mind furiously for any possible request Ren could have made within the past 3 hours.

"No, you didn't. Don't lie to me." Ren sighed while shooting her a sharp look.

"Hey! How would you even know?" Han protested. It was rather rude how her brother was so certain that she was deceiving him. Like, she was deceiving him, but that didn't make it any less rude.

Ren sighed again, running his hands through his messy brown hair. Unlike Han, Ren had taken after their mother in every way. From his tall lanky stature and his sharp facial features to his fair skin and untameable brown hair. Thinking about it was a bit odd to Han. She never realized how quickly they both had grown up, but now, looking at her brother, a young man in his own right, it felt peculiar. She, never really did grow up. Even after their parents had gotten up and disappeared, Han still clung to her childhood. It was like a lifeline really, she could never move on. Because, if she moved on, that would mean that she had given up, and Han was the kind of person who NEVER gives up. No matter how many years it takes.

But even she, sometimes felt like it was too much. Not having parents was a challenge, especially in the great city of Ravenwood. If she and Ren weren't careful, they could be taken away by the mindless clunkers outside, taken to an orphanage, never to see each other again. But they were always careful. Always. Ren had made sure to implement hundreds of precautions the day he gave up on their mother and father. The young Han didn't agree with them at first, but after witnessing multiple of her friends be carted off by clunkers, she begrudgingly played along. But deep down, she knew that her mother and father would come back. They had to right? They promised her.... they promised...

"-Hello? HELLO? Earth to Han?" Ren snapped, peevishly waving his hands in front of her face. She scowled at him and he sighed.... again.

"Get your disgusting appendages out of my face." She pushed him away ignoring the look of complete exasperation he gave as he looked up at the ceiling, muttering who knows what. Probably something about self-control so that he didn't ' fucking murder his last living kin' or some bullshit like that.

"Did you hear my question?"

"Huh? You were talking?"

"Fuck you."

"I love you too."