12. Beyond Good and Evil (13)

Marseille was ensnared by a sense of unspeakable unease.

Wrapped in a wool blanket, sipping field ration coffee, he sat in the chair, gazing up at the cloudless, star-filled night sky, leisurely waiting for orders.

No explosions from nearby artillery shells, no thunderous shock waves, no alarms suddenly blaring—it was a night of literal tranquility.

What should have been an ordinary, mundane evening now carried an air of bittersweet nostalgia for Marseille.

Yet, despite how idyllic this night seemed, Marseille was far from letting his guard down.

After the intense battle during the day, he was in a state where he could fall asleep even lying in a muddy trench, but sleep eluded him entirely.

Part of it was his duty to remain vigilant during the night watch; the other part stemmed from those "voices" that made sleep almost impossible.