*
His eyes were like black lacquer, flickering with a deep, grim fire.
The young man's eyes were usually crystal clear, but now they seemed shrouded in a black mist.
After a long moment, he said in a low voice, "So it's a dead end."
He then took a steamed bun and handed it to Amy.
A hush fell over them, leaving only the CRACKLE of the fire.
"Little General," Amy clapped her hands lightly and smiled at him. "Aren't you supposed to be serving the country with utmost loyalty, vowing to die for it? Why so fearful now?"
"If I had been born in a time of chaos, with no one but myself to worry about, my death would mean little. But now, with my family and country in peril, even if I have the heart to repay them with my life, I fear I cannot prop up a collapsing nation."
