The training grounds always carried the same scent.
Oil, iron, and the faint sting of burnt metal blended in the air.
Lumia had grown so used to it that she no longer disliked the smell.
Still, after yesterday’s relentless bombardment, it felt stronger than ever—almost suffocating.
The rifle in Lumia’s hands snapped sideways in a smooth motion.
At the same instant, the three distant targets shattered all at once.
“Wow… that’s amazing, Lumia.”
Lock, standing beside her, widened his eyes.
“You’ve gotten even better at shooting, haven’t you?”
As he spoke, he raised his own gun and fired. Four shots rang out in quick succession—yet none of the targets broke.
“…No good. I guess I’m just not cut out for this.”
“It’s just a matter of training.”
Lumia wiped the sweat and dust from her face as she spoke.
“I’ve been taught by Lito since I was young.”
“Hey, I learned plenty from Lito too. And look at me,” Lock said with a friendly grin, free of envy or sarcasm. “You’ve got talent, Lumia.”
He meant it.
But Lumia couldn’t find it in herself to be happy about that.
“…By the way, where’s Lito?”
“At headquarters.”
“I see… another strategy meeting, I guess. He’s always busy.”
Lock muttered as he looked toward the direction of the base.
“Do you think… the three of us will get to eat together again?”
“…Not for a while.”
“Yeah… I guess so…”
Lito was from the same 56th Liberation Corps class as Lumia and Lock.
Yet he already held a rank two steps above them.
He was exceptional—on a completely different level.
“…It’s break time. Let’s go to the mess hall.”
“Yeah.”
Without another word, Lumia and Lock left the training grounds behind.
The war between the Liberation Army they belonged to and the Empire—an absolute power—had already lasted thirty years.
At seventeen, Lumia and the others had never known a world before the war.
They didn’t know how it began, nor why.
And yet, since the moment they were born, they had been forced to fight.
The Empire is evil.
The Liberation Army is justice.
That was the only truth they had ever been taught.
Even so…
not all of them could accept it without question.
Follow the story in the next post.
Add the game to your wishlist:
View game page