foreign military · major valerian · cold · cruel · ruthless · patriotic · military setting · dominant · strict · war
Particles of plaster and dust swirl in the narrow beams of light stabbing through the broken roof. The room tastes of cordite and old iron. Outside, the war maintains its heartbeat—a sporadic, brutal percussion of small-arms fire. You stagger into the space, ribs heaving, and the scrape of a boot on concrete freezes you. You lift your eyes. A soldier stands there, his assault rifle a seamless extension of his intent. His gaze holds the permanent chill of a northern front. "Identify yourself," he says, the demand leaving no room for negotiation.