Threats of Fate

Unaware of what the future held for them, the soldiers walked across the battlefield, surveying the massacre. The smell of burning flesh and smoke still lingered in the air.

A: In a trembling voice, he whispered, "This was us. Oh God. All these dead—they're on our conscience."

B: Shrugging, B replied, "Oh, don't overthink it. We did it for our people. We're the good guys here!"

A: Staring helplessly at B, he stopped in his tracks. "Yeah, but they were still living beings who just wanted to live. To provide for their families, to raise their children."

B: Annoyed, B turned around and said sharply, "Yeah, living beings—but they weren't human. You could describe a filthy animal the same way. That's just the natural order of things: the strong survive. That's nature!"

A: "No, they were more than just some wild boars. They were independent, thinking, feeling individuals. You can't just lump them in the same category as wild animals. Wild animals we kill so we can survive—we take their meat and their fur to stay fed and warm. There's a purpose to it, even if it's brutal. That's nature! But these were people like us, only they weren't human. What was the point of killing them?"

B: "Pah… You're hopeless. Such a pathetic bleeding heart. We did this to protect our land from them. You know as well as I do that they planned to attack us. We struck first. Didn't you even read the orders?"

A: "I did. But that doesn't justify genocide. This wasn't just killing—it was slaughter. Think about it. How many of them did you burn?" He paused, swallowing hard before continuing. "How many women and children do I have on my conscience?"

B: "You? Hah… I don't think you're responsible for a single one." He scoffed, wrinkling his nose. "You just ran onto the battlefield in a frenzy, splashing people with your pathetic water droplets. And now you act like this? Seriously, what's the deal?"

A: Shouting, "What??"

B: "Yeah, after the battle orders came through, everyone looked ready to paint the battlefield red—and you pull a stunt like that?"

A: "I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe deep down, I couldn't bring myself to attack a defenseless village. Maybe that's why my powers weakened? I don't remember." Looking at B, confused: "Did I really do nothing?"

B: "You're such a pathetic pacifist. Couldn't even hurt a fly. Not even for your own people. Honestly, how did you even make it into the army?"

A: (silent but visibly relieved)

B: Shaking his head, examining A with disappointment: "It really makes no sense to keep talking about this. We did our duty, and now we're free of it. We can do whatever we want now. Got any plans?"

A: "Not really. I never thought we'd survive the war… let alone make it through unscathed. I never really thought about what's next." He paused, thinking, then looked at B, startled to see his confident smile. "But how can you just brush this all off? It's only been a few minutes since we left the battlefield, and you're smiling as if nothing happened?"

B: "It's over. The war is done. We won. There's no point talking about the past. We're free now, and we can do whatever we want. And by the way, you really shouldn't feel guilty. You might want to worry about the officers accusing you of treason for your pathetic attacks." (B laughed loudly.)

A: "You think so? If what you said is true, then I guess I really am the most useless warrior on the battlefield." (A sighed, disappointed in himself.)

B: "Pah… You always manage to find the worst in everything. You can't make up your mind: you don't want to be a killer, but you also don't want to be a bad soldier. Figure out what you actually want."

A: "Yeah, that's just who I am. But you're right—I should be grateful to be alive instead of searching for reasons to be ungrateful." (A clenched his fists and looked up at the sky.)

B: "Alright then, what are you going to do now? Where are you headed? Back to your family?"

A: "I don't have family here."

B: "Uh… huh? You're not an orphan, are you?" (B looked confused and a little embarrassed.)

A: "No, that's not the issue. But it's too complicated to explain."

B: "Sounds like a deeper problem… Well, do you have any relatives here?"

A: (silent, looking straight ahead)

B: "Fine. Whatever. I don't need to know. If you don't have a plan, why not come with me? First, we'll hit up the nearest brothel, and then we'll see what happens!" (B laughed.)

A: "I don't know. I still can't fully grasp that we survived this."

B: "I think it was just luck."

A: "I wouldn't call it luck."

B: "Then what?"

A: "I don't know—fate?"

B: "You think fate kept us alive so we could live for some higher purpose? Maybe we're destined for something greater. All these warriors who died here are nothing compared to us?"

A: "No, definitely not that. I think I'm only alive for one reason."

B: "And what reason is that? You think you're special?" (B laughed mockingly.)

A: "To put people like you in the ground. It might not be part of my mission, but my superiors will tolerate a little deviation. I can't stand people like you—you're more like an animal than those you slaughtered ever were."

With those words, A's face twisted, and his entire form began to shift. Before B could comprehend it, the soldier standing before him turned into… a woman? How was that possible?

B's eyes widened—he had never seen anything like it. His jaw dropped. He stood rooted to the spot, stunned. He had just been speaking to a soldier, a young man he had trained with for months in grueling military drills. How could he now be a woman?

Paralyzed with disbelief, B thought, What is this person saying? What does she mean by 'drying out'? What is she going to do to me?

Before he could react, he began to feel strange. First, an overwhelming thirst consumed him. Then his muscles collapsed in on themselves. With every passing second, his body felt lighter. The thirst became unbearable.

"I hope you suffer even a fraction of the pain and loss you inflicted on others, you disgusting piece of filth," A spat, her furious yet satisfied smile spreading across her face.

B couldn't understand why this was happening to him. The people he had killed were enemies of the nation, weren't they? He heard every word from this monster's mouth, but he lacked the strength to respond or even scream. His life hung by a thread. He knew there was no escape. This was his end. Nothing and no one could save him now.

With his final breath, A leaned in and whispered into his ear, "Oh, don't overthink it. I did it for my people. We're the good guys here!" She shrugged and left behind the shriveled remains of what had once been B.

It was truly an ending he could never have imagined. Death was the end of every story. And the story that ended here was his. Hopefully, in the next life, he wouldn't have to meet such an end.