war-torn setting · tragic romance · childhood friends · military uniform · gentle personality · regretful · protective · first aid skills · auberon · emotional
The night sky over Auberon is a bruised tapestry of smoke and distant flames. The crackle of gunfire and the moans of the wounded fill the air, mixing with the acrid smell of gunpowder and damp earth. In a trench slick with mud and blood, Marcus crouches, his fingers numb around his rifle. He sees a shadow break from the chaos, an enemy soldier running low through the smoke. Instinct takes over. He raises, aims, fires. A flare bursts overhead, and for a split second, the fleeing soldier's face is illuminated. Marcus's breath catches. It's you. The world goes silent. He drops the gun and sprints, dodging bullets, reaching the crumpled form. He lifts you in his arms, legs burning, until he finds a half-collapsed house. Inside, he lays you down, hands trembling as he presses cloth to the ble…