The first arrow was fired at sundown.


    Georgie knew this, and he knew this well, because every day at sun down he would look towards where the sun was setting and try to at least take a single second to enjoy it. Enjoy it as well as he could, of course - While others saw a pleasant mix of colours, all he could really recognise was a smudge of washed out yellows and greens that all just sort of... blended together. Despite this, still, he would look at the sun as it went down, and wonder how he found himself here, relentlessly following Dissonance''s every order and doing things he''d never expect to be doing a few years back. And as another day came to an end and he watched, lost in thought, he couldn''t overlook the whizzing noise passing right by his ear, snapping him out of his momentary trance.


    Picking up his bow and aiming it with expert precision towards where he deduced the shot to have been fired from, he let his eyes wander around, scanning the edge of the flower field for the possible archer. Sapana was soon by his side, lighting a torch and putting it in one of his hands while he wielded an axe in the other. Georgie wasn''t sure where exactly Dissonance found him - The three of them meeting had been so long ago, it was hard to recall. But he knew one thing for sure - It must have involved fire. As the two men stood still and watched in silence, they finally saw two figures emerging from behind the trees at the edge of the field, dawning armour and wielding swords. Georgie kept his aim steady, speaking;


    "You''re trespassing on private property. If you don''t leave now I will be forced to-", Georgie started, giving the usual phrase Dissonance had drilled into their heads.


    It was important to try and keep everything clean and political, otherwise people might get outraged when the deaths of locals or strangers pop up where they shouldn''t.


    "Cut the formalities!"


    Sapana moved forward, pointing his axe towards the two figures.


    "These are those traitors that tried to take our potions! They''re here to break the kid out!"


    He turned around, pointing to the house. Georgie waited for a few seconds and then lowered his bow for just a short while, tilting his head with a grin.


    "Is that so?"


    He asked, moving his glasses down and over his face. Instantly, the colours around him went from bland, identical shades, to vibrant and clear ones, showing him exactly who was standing at the edge of the field. One had sunglasses. The other, a dirty yellow sweater.


    "...Well then, let''s show them how we deal with traitors around here!"


    Breathe in. Breathe out. Keep your grip steady. You''ve got this.


    Tom could feel the sweat building up on his palm, making the steel sword slip from under his control. He could feel his heart pounding, the sensation making his whole body tremble. His eyes stayed focused on the house in front of him as he lay low in the grass, feeling the various flowers touching his skin and bandages. Daffodils, tulips, lavender, poppies, gladiolus, peonies... his mouth was beginning to get awfully dry, and his burns seemed to be more bothersome than ever. Not to mention the cold wind, the wet grass, the-


    Breathe in. Breathe out. Don''t get distracted. Focus on the house.


    He had to remember. Remember who was in the house, and what was happening. Because someone he truly cared about, a boy he had started calling his best friend, Taza, was inside, and he had no way out himself. This was their only shot at getting him free and giving him an escape from it all, maybe finally making the choice to run away from this city and leave it all behind. Maybe he could build a future with this newfound ''family'' they had managed to form, and maybe things would finally be okay from there-


    Breathe in. Breathe out. Fonda fired. They''re distracted.


    But what was the point of running, anyway? He had been doing that all his life, hadn''t he? He promised himself that when he found the man with the voice, the sweater and the glasses he would stop and he would finally try and learn more about the memories. But this is a cycle that will never end, as long as they''re here and Dissonance rules above them they will always, always suffer. But is there another way? Is there a way to stay, but be free from that tyrant at the same time? Maybe-


    Breathe in. Breathe out. They''re after them. They''ve left the house.


    No time to think. Time to move. Now!


    And just as he ran motivated by fear when the stranger with the crown chased him, just as he ran after the man with the signing voice all his life, and just as he ran away from everything that came before, he ran towards the house, driven by the flame of hope for a better future burning in his heart. Because in front of him there was injustice, there was tyranny and there was a possibility of breaking it all down. He just had to take the first step, and that first step, whether he could handle the pressure or not, all depended on how he acted here. And even though just seconds ago he was doubting himself, now he knew - He knew that whatever happened, he would do anything he could as long as he had a chance at saving his friend.


    Because right now, that was all that mattered.


    "Oh Will! Don''t run! There''s nothing to be afraid of..."


    One thing Will noted about Georgie was how intense he seemed to get when fighting, compared to his rather calm personality when he saw him around the city. He knew that Dissonance had strange ways of training his two bodyguards, one of them including the so called ''hunts'' - It was often that the people in the city would find Georgie and Sapana chasing the local leader with bloodlust in their eyes. They''d shout, push people over, have long fights that resulted in damage to virtually everything around them, and would usually spiral into insulting one another for days after. This essentially meant that the one thing these two specified at was chasing people down – That, and sounding incredibly intimidating as they did so.


    Georgie was nearby. Will could hear his voice echoing from virtually every direction, his sing-song tone cutting through his very psyche. Luring him into the woods where he could not see Tom in the flower field was certainly a good idea, until he realized that he himself was lost and struggling to find his way. Only a few seconds later, he felt something slamming into him, causing him to collapse to the floor and hit the back of his head on a nearby tree. His head was spinning as he got to his knees and got ready to stand, dodging an oncoming arrow just in the nick of time. He rolled to the side and finally got to his feet, already feeling his reality fading as he did so. He knew that if he were to black out here, he''d be a goner. He raised his sword and got ready to block as another arrow was fired, this one stabbing into a thick, leather strap on his chest plate by sheer luck.


    Will quickly pulled the arrow out and dropped to the floor as Georgie fired another, doing so at speeds so quick it was impossible to keep up with. He dodged two of them by hiding behind a large boulder, and as Georgie got close, Will grabbed onto his arms and tried to force him over to his side. He succeeded, leaving the man lying in front of him and giving himself a head start as Georgie got up to run once more. He could already feel himself getting out of breath, wheezing and coughing as he lacked air to breathe. It wasn''t hard for Georgie, who did stuff like this on the daily, to catch up with him and knock him to the ground. This time, he put his knee on his thigh, essentially pinning him down and leaving him immobile. Will lifted his sword and swung it but the other deflected it with his forearm, which was protected by a steel guard. The sword flew away at great force and lodged itself in a nearby tree, leaving Will with no weapon and no hope for survival.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "It''s funny, Will.", Georgie started, attaching his bow to his back and removing a small, steel dagger from a sheath on his right leg.


    He moved it close to the man''s throat, and from the fear alone, he could already hear the passing whispers of a memory getting ready to embrace him and lock him away from the pain. The blade stung him with its chilling temperature, clearly a weapon not often used and reserved only for unusual situations – Situations like these.


    "It''s almost like you thought you had a chance at getting away from me. But that would be stupid. Even from a man as... unusual, as you."


    And as always, Will was already fading out, barely able to comprehend what was being said to him. Because every time Will was about to face something where he''d actually be required to act, to be brave, to do something of use, he was snatched away. Because he was useless. He was a useless piece of garbage and never contributed to anything of use and oh god he was so afraid he couldn''t even think straight-


    "But as a distraction, now this... is interesting."


    ...useless, I''m useless, I''m a horrible person and an even worse father, I can''t do anything right and I always need help and why am I even here doing this I wanna go back I just wanna go back to the fog being alive hurts too much I just want to forget all of this again just take me back to the strangers take me back to the cold glare to the crown to the laugh to the sword to the discs to the I don''t care just take me back


    Why am I not going back?


    "...I''ll make sure to tell the kid you gave it a good try. Right before I drown him in that little lake by your caravan."


    And as Georgie moved the dagger back, getting ready for a deadly slash, a large, unidentifiable shape slammed into him, and he was forced aside, his weapon tumbling away. Will reacted instantly, pulling himself away from his thoughts and rushing to grab onto it. A bright, orange light filled the area just as he did, Sapana appearing with his torch and axe, the latter stained with blood. Will''s eyes were instantly drawn to Georgie, now in a vicious fist-fight with Errett, who had tackled him only moments ago. Will now focused his attacks on the man who had taken Taza away in the first place – A personal spite building up inside of him.


    Will lunged forward, moving at a speed faster than he could fully comprehend. It was like something else than his raw strength was driving him, something far deeper, stronger, and darker. Way, way darker. Sapana clearly wasn''t expecting it, letting his guard down long enough for Will to stab his axe-wielding hand from the side, blood seeping out as he did so. The man backed away and dropped his weapon, unable to hold on, beginning to blindly wave his torch around. Will dodged one attack, then the next, and then the next. And as he looked at Sapana, all he could see was him grabbing Tom, pushing him into that cave, and dragging Taza away. Nothing more. Just the pure hatred and lust for revenge. But revenge tends to blind you, and Will had failed to account for how quickly someone like Sapana could flip a situation like this around.


    During one of his blind slashes, Sapana ducked to the floor and kicked forward, knocking Will on his back. He tried to stand up but felt a strong kick to his stomach, causing him to curl up in pain. He watched helplessly as the steel dagger was once more picked up by its rightful owner, Errett nowhere to be seen. For a moment the two spoke, as if behind some sort of wall, their conversation muted and unclear. And then, without any further attacks, they ran to the side, disappearing into the dark woods. Will now saw Errett – He was slowly standing up from the floor, holding onto a large bruise on his head, blood pouring from his forehead and onto his face. Despite this, still, he rushed forward and checked the other man first and foremost.


    "Will... Will, you feeling okay? Did you break anything?"


    Will shot up almost instantly, grabbing Errett''s hands and stopping him from doing anything.


    "Errett, you''re bleeding! What did he do to you? Are you alright?"


    The man fixed up his sunglasses and gritted his teeth, trying to move his focus away from his overwhelming pain.


    "That doesn''t matter right now! Where are- Where are they?!"


    The two men looked around, noticing Georgie and Sapana had long disappeared. For a moment, it seemed a blessing, giving them a chance to get away and live. But they were soon reminded why exactly they were out here, fighting for their life – And that reminder was a shout for help.


    A shout for help from an archer hidden deep in the forest.


    "Taza!"


    The boy, who had been sitting on his floor and sobbing into his knees until now, rapidly wiped his tears away with his sleeve and looked up. Although his eyes were still slightly blurred, it wasn''t hard to recognise the teenager forcing his way in through his window. Blonde hair, a red patch on top of his shirt and way too many band aids and bandages for him to be considered ''cautious''. Taza instantly shot up, rushing over and wrapping his arms around his shoulders, receiving a hug in return. He backed away, already bouncing on his feet from excitement.


    "You''re okay!", he shouted, putting his hands together.


    "When Sapana threw you down that cave, I thought- I thought you were dead- And- And he told me about the explosion, and-"


    "Some things happened, but we''re all fine."


    Tom grabbed his friend''s shoulders and narrowed his eyes.


    "Right now we have to get out of here. We have to go before-"


    "Time''s up."


    The two boys turned around, and in the doorway, found none other than Sapana, a torch in one of his hands, meanwhile the other hung limp by his side. Tom could not overlook the blood gushing right out of it – But the man seemed to ignore it. His full focus was on the teenagers in front of him, their fear outlined in the warm glow of his torch. He didn''t speak, instead making his first move. Tom pushed Taza to the side and readied his sword, just barely managing to deflect a swing from the torch. The fire was close to his face and produced great heat, reminding him of everything that happened at Errett''s house in an instant. This small flashback was enough to stun him and leave him completely unguarded as Sapana swiftly kicked his leg, causing him to collapse to the floor. Taza took this moment to react, rising up from where he had fallen and tackling the man by pushing himself into his waist.


    The next few moments were the most messy and chaotic of the night – Firstly, Taza got off Sapana before he could gather himself and helped Tom stand, the boy readying his blade for another attack. He pressed it against the man''s throat, but deep inside knew he would never have the motivation to take a life, right here, right now. And the one under the blade must have seen it, too, and instead of saving himself, picked up his torch and threw it onto one of the tables – A table filled with dry flowers, which quickly lit on fire, a fire which began spreading to the walls. Tom grabbed onto his friend and the two stumbled outside, Sapana giving chase. Without his torch or axe he grabbed onto one of the arrows Fonda had fired and began swinging it around like some sort of dagger – At this stage, it was clear to see he was getting desperate.


    Tom dodged one of the man''s blind attacks and spun around, his sword cutting right through his chest plate and leaving a rather large gash. Sapana looked down in disbelief, then back at Tom, and finally, his eyes settled on his newly found weapon. His eyes wandered back to the small house Taza had once lived in, now up in flames, the fire slowly spreading further and further out. That''s when the man knew – He knew he had done too much to ever be able to look Dissonance in the eyes and give a report of this whole incident with pride. He cursed under his breath, turned back, and ran into the night, disappearing somewhere in the woods. And while Tom seemed satisfied with the result, his friend definitely was not.


    "Tom... Tom, the flowers..."


    Taza grabbed onto his friend''s shirt and tucked at it, his teary eyes locked on his house. The flames began spreading onto the grass and consuming the many flowers, the colours fading from them as they became dark and shrivelled.


    "They''re all gonna burn... every single one of them, the whole field, it''s gonna-"


    "We have to go, Taza!", Tom exclaimed, already feeling the smoke fill his lungs.


    He pulled his friend along but he remained unmoved, watching the fire spread in silence.


    "Taza, I''m sorry, but there''s nothing we can do. We have to go! Now!"


    Tom came closer, grabbing his friend by the shoulders and turning him around so he was forced to look him in the eye.


    "All battlefields turn into poppy fields eventually, right, Taza?"


    The boy sniffled.


    "...They do... they always do."


    He wiped a few more tears away, and let himself be led home. And as the two boys walked away from the field, the flames only grew stronger and stronger, consuming more and more of the daffodils, tulips, lavender, poppies, gladiolus, peonies and everything else the field had – And there was nothing that could have been done. There was no way to stop this destruction, this pain, this suffering, because what had happened there that night was only a start – A start to something far worse, far more twisted, far more painful.


    It was the start of a war.