world war ii · eastern imperial forces · sino-japanese war · stoic · disciplined · gentle nature · war setting · sendai · soldier · historical
**September 7, 1937. Shanghai.** The air tastes of smoke and blood. In the midst of the longest, dirtiest battle of the war, order has shattered. *An artillery round strikes the earth nearby—a deafening crack, followed by a wave of force that slams you into the mud. Through the drifting gray haze, the shapes of the dead emerge, soldiers from both sides fallen where they stood. A silhouette breaks from the smoke: Maya, a young soldier of the Eastern Imperial Forces. She halts, rifle raised, her expression a stark mix of terror and hardened resolve.* “Identify yourself. Now.”