The Night Of The Forgotten

The soldiers who survived the battle began entering the capital. Some were injured, some were barely alive, and some had lost the will to live.

As they entered, murmurs spread through the crowd. The cold words that followed were like poison to the surviving soldiers.

"Hey, did you hear? More than half of the soldiers got killed in the battle," a man whispered to another.

"Who cares? They died because of their own faults," another scoffed.

"You're right. What did they ever do for us? Nothing. They're just in the army for free food and money. Talk about greed." A man threw a stone at them.

The stone hit Nitin, but the pain was nothing compared to what he had already endured. Without stopping, he walked past it as if it had never happened.

"Exactly! We work harder than these freeloading bastards," an old man grumbled.

"The king and the generals saved all these soldiers," a girl said.

"You're right! They're the real heroes," another girl murmured, smiling and jumping in excitement.

Livio gritted his teeth as he walked, leaning on Oliver for support. His desperate eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on a grieving mother, holding the remains of her son.

"No! It's a lie! No one can kill my big brother! He's a hero! And heroes always win!" The child sobbed, his teeth clenched, his face soaked in tears.

A man from the crowd sneered, "Hero? He was as useless as you. Thank God that bastard is dead."

"Yeah, at least his food rations can now be used properly," another laughed.

"What did you say, you bastard?!" The boy lunged toward them, only to be held back by his mother.

Livio lowered his head, unable to bear the weight of his fallen comrades.

Nearby, a group of girls chattered, oblivious to the grief around them.

"Ahh, I want to see the king! He looks so hot when he's covered in sweat," one giggled, covering her face with her palms.

"Ohhh, I wish I could be his concubine," another sighed, looking up at the sky, blushing.

"I want to see his wild side too. I want him to choke me," a third girl whispered, biting her nail.

"Bitch, you're a pervert!" the first two said in sync.

"And what about you two? You're sluts!" The third girl ran away, chased by the others.

Hearing that, Sebastian broke down crying. Tomasz and Luka tried to calm him while Ethan hugged him. They were all at their mental limits.

Nitin's gaze suddenly fell upon Mr. Mogambo's wife and daughter.

The little girl was holding a circular crystal—past us—a device that could record and replay moments. She had been watching a recording of herself playing with her father, but as she saw the returning soldiers, she stopped.

Her eyes searched the crowd, gleaming with hope. Her hands clenched together in anticipation, her throat dry as she swallowed repeatedly.

"Please.... return it. My wife is my life."

Luka's mind echoed with those words, a memory now laced with pain.

Nitin met the wife's gaze. He had been forcing himself to remain composed, but as their eyes locked, the weight of his grief crushed him. His legs stopped moving, his head bowed.

The sudden halt caused soldiers behind him to stumble. Some fell, too weak to stand again. Some, barely clinging to life, passed away right there.

A husband died right before his wife, never getting the chance to touch her soft, waiting hand.

"Hey, Nitin, why did you..." Alaric stopped mid-sentence. He, too, turned lifeless upon seeing the woman whose world was about to shatter.

Viktor's legs trembled.

Sebastian collapsed to the ground, unable to contain his emotions. His grief poured out like an ocean.

Mr. Mogambo's wife stood frozen, her chest heavy, her senses numb. She couldn't think. She couldn't move. And then, her grip on her daughter loosened.

The little girl slipped from her hands.

Her hair veiled her face as her shining tears fell to the earth. The grieving land accepted them in silence.

The girl ran toward Nitin and wrapped her small arms around him, looking up at his face.

Nitin couldn't bring himself to look at her. He closed his eyes.

"Hey, Mister! Look, I made a doll for my father. Isn't it amazing?" She beamed, holding up her creation.

Ethan crouched beside her, the only one with some strength left.

"Yes, it looks beautiful," he said.

"Really?! My father really liked my art. I can't wait to show him!" She jumped excitedly.

Her mother collapsed to the ground, her sobs muffled by her hands, desperate not to let her daughter hear her cries.

The girl wandered between the soldiers, stopping in front of Viktor, who held something wrapped in white cloth.

Viktor's eyes widened. His throat dried. His legs instinctively stepped back.

"Hey, Mr. Viktor, what are you holding? Can I see it?" She pointed curiously at the bundle in his hands.

Viktor's heart pounded. He clutched it tighter to his chest.

"Is this what a father should be? Or did I never understand what it meant to have one?"

He tried to speak but couldn't. His lips trembled, opening and closing without a sound.

"It's nothing!" he yelled before running away.

The little girl turned to Ethan. "Mr. Ethan, why did he run away? Doesn't he like me? And where is my father?"

Ethan's eyes filled with tears. To hide them, he hugged her and sobbed into her small back.

As his tears fell, Matteo wiped them away.

The next evening, the soldiers sat at the dining table in silence. No one touched their food.

Ethan's tears dripped into his water cup. No one spoke.

A waiter approached them. "Excuse me, gentlemen. Some people from town wish to meet you outside."

Ethan slowly rose and stepped out. He saw four or five girls and one boy waiting outside the army castle.

"I don't know them… oh, so they're the friends Nitin and the others mentioned."

He returned and explained it to the others. They all stepped outside, their faces void of color.

Someone was missing.

Athena rushed toward Sebastian and grabbed his hands. "Where's Livio? Is he okay? Tell me, please."

"Don't worry. Physically, he'll be fine after two to three weeks of rest," Sebastian muttered, looking away.

"Physically? What about his mental state?" Athena's voice trembled.

A gentle pull from behind stopped her.

Elena softly called out, "Manager... please, get a hold of yourself."

Athena slowly dropped her hands. "Can I visit him?"

"I'm sorry, but no outsiders are allowed inside the castle. Please understand," Viktor said gently.

A cold breeze rustled fallen leaves as they all shared their emotions with one another.

The girls broke into tears.

Eero did his best to support them.

And just like that, the night faded, and the sunlight brought a new hope for the survivors.

"Carefree life? Hnnnn....… Fuck it."

Nicolas stared at the ceiling.

It felt like he hadn't slept at all.