The rockets exploded the whole front of Yundo City Hall, shattering glass everywhere to fall and reveal the insides of the building. Pieces flew everywhere, falling to the ground of the plaza as well as inside the rest of the building. Yundo City Hall was almost demolished.

"Good job," Myungsoo commented as he started through the scope of the fire in action.

That was when the two noticed something peculiar through their scopes. The arm of a person sticking out through one broken walls dropped a small black object to the front of the building, leading to another explosion by the bushes that blew up the front corner of the first floor. The bomb created a large crater where it landed, the whole building suffering through a smoky fire.

"Did you see that?" Myungsoo asked.

"There is a person up that building," Daesung stated. "Could that be, Ranu Sojang?"

Realizing what just happened, Daesung and Myungsoo immediately rushed out of their seats. Daesung put up the speaker as he helped Myungsoo climb up the tank to exit. "Kang Daesung and Kim Myungsoo, we have an update. There is an unknown person inside Yundo City Hall. I repeat, there is an unknown person inside of Yundo City Hall. We need backup. We need backup, over." Daesung as sure to emphasize every detail and speak as clearly as possible, especially in the wake of a climactic discovery.

Myungsoo unscrewed the lid of the tank open and pushed the door open with his right hand with Daesung boosting him out. Myungsoo climbed himself out of the tank and crawled on the top, rolling as quickly as possible to land on the ground. Daesung threw a rifle out for himself to use as he exited. As Daesung landed, he quickly strapped his gun around his back and unbuckled a belt of different grenades hanging off, wrapping Myungsoo's waist with them as his weapon for entering the building. "Let's go."

With no Sotenans around, the two rushed for the broken down entry of Yundo City Hall to quickly investigate before another attack could occur. 

Sunggyu stirred face down on the ground, hearing nothing but the ringing annoyance in his ear. His ear drums were vibrating and his whole body was stiff. Sunggyu blinked his eyes multiple times to regain his vision, a sick feeling in his stomach like he was going to throw up. 

Pushing himself up, Sunggyu scanned the area to observe what happened. A whole wall of their room was torn off, glass and marble pieces everywhere on the floor. Paintings were destroyed, collapsed to the ground and burning in front of his eyes. On the debris from the explosion, he found several prisoners of their militia on the floor, finally waking up from the surprise and gradually gaining their senses. Looking through the broken wall, one could see the view of the Yundo City Hall Plaza, in which a statue of Ranu Sojang stood tall in the smokes. Sunggyu could barely believe his eyes, access to the outside for the first time in days.

"Sunggyu..."

Sunggyu turned his head to find Sungjong laying on his back right behind him, curling up into a ball as he struggled to sit himself up. "Sungjong!" he crawled right to his friend to help sit him up, careful to not aggravate any tender limbs.

Sungjong shook his head, opening his eyes in shock. "Please tell me I survived that and this isn't heaven..."

"You did. We did," Sunggyu promised, rubbing his back to ensure everything would be ok.

Another body stirred in the corner of the room, one whose arm was hanging off the broken down wall. His whole uniform was destroyed, burning whilst the explosion and his arms were charred. A rifle strap was wrapped around his ankle. It was General Kang, who lifted up his head disoriented of everything that happened. He slammed his hand against a piece of wood on his thigh and threw it off of him, lifting up his body in a rage from an unexpected nightmare. 

As he woke up, Sunggyu and Sungjong lurched forward ignoring everything else to try and grab the gun around General Kang's leg.

Leaping forward, the three of them grabbed a part of the gun all at the same time, but Sunggyu and Sungjong were at an advantage as they lifted up the gun and flipped General Kang over on his back. General Kang let go of the gun, with Sungjong gained majority of the gun as he placed it under his arm and took a careful step back. The crosshairs aimed right at General Kang's head, Sungjong's arms shaking anxiously as he was a trigger away from blowing off the head of his previous mentor.

"Why are you gonna do this?" General Kang tried to manipulate Sungjong one final time to save his own life.

"Shut up," Sungjong whimpered.

"I took care of you. I gave you food."

"Shut up General Kang..."

"I made you who you are today-"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Sungjong shrieked, waving the gun at General Kang's head. He was reckless, betrayed, saddened, every single feeling you could think of. But there was one emotion that Sungjong did not have.

Fear.

"You didn't make me who I am General Kang. My family did. My friends did. But you, you didn't do a single thing. It was all me, finally having the courage to do something with my life and try my best at everything I did. I'm not the weak person I was before. You helped along the way, but you figure out the people you need to get rid of. I don't need you anymore General Kang. You thought you used me? I used you. Don't underestimate Lee Sungjong."

"Sungjong, you imbecile!"

And a gunshot was fired.

Straight into General Kang's eye, blood splattering everywhere as he collapsed to his death.

Once a friend, no more.

"Sungjong... you did it." Sunggyu was in shock, covering his mouth as Sungjong saved his life.

Sungjong was no longer shaking, standing tall with his chin in the air. He held his gun steadily with no hesitation, knowing exactly what he did. He took a deep breath, Today, a new person was born.

"DROP YOUR GUNS!"

Both Sunggyu and Sungjong's backs were turned against the voice. The two of them froze, as they knew somehow they had weapons of their own pointing at them.

"NOW."

The voice was persistent and unfamiliar. Immediately, Sungjong dropped his gun to the floor and raised his hands in the air. Sunggyu followed suit, placing his hands behind his head.

"TURN AROUND."

Sunggyu and Sungjong side-eyed each other. The celebration could last for so long until another enemy revealed himself. Whatever their fate was, it was pertinent to follow orders.

"One," Sunggyu whispered.

"Two," Sungjong continued.

"Three."

With the final number called out in unison, Sunggyu and Sungjong turned inwards to face their fears, revealing their identities without any quick tricks. Their expressions marked with acceptance of their fate, they knew what was next could be the most emotional period they had ever experienced.

As it was.

"... Sungjong?"

Daesung and Myungsoo stood at the broken down door of the room, Daesung's gun aimed right between Sunggyu and Sungjong. Myungsoo stood behind him, his heart dropping to the floor and shattering into pieces as he seemed to recognize the two people standing before him. Myungsoo gently grabbed onto the barrel of Daesung's rifle and put it down. He blinked his eyes multiple times, which watered up upon the revelation. Sniffing his nose, a tear fell down his cheek. "Sungjong... Sungjong... is that really you?"

They could not believe it. 

Sungjong opened his eyes wider, wincing backwards as it looked like his very friend Myungsoo stood before him. Myungsoo... "This isn't a dream right?"

"Myungsoo... it's really you," Sunggyu sobbed.

Sungjong shook his head, refusing to believe that another of his closest friends stood in front of him. It was too good to be true. "Myungsoo, Kim Myungsoo, Sookim."

Myungsoo's eyes continued to well up with tears, showing no shame as he took a step forward towards his friend. "Jongie..."

"Oh my god." Sungjong covered his mouth as the nickname he was given before was repeated, all the proof he needed. "Myungsoo, it's really you."

Myungsoo and Sungjong walked through the rubble of the explosion, their arms wide open as they met each other with a tight embrace. The two could feel their hearts beating as Myungsoo could do nothing but squeeze him, ever wanting to let go. Everything he had fought for during this war was a tangible hug away. Myungsoo dug his face into Sungjong's shoulder, his knees buckling up as he was overwhelmed with the power of friendship. No broken arm would stop Myungsoo from holding onto his best friend. "Sungjong, you're really ok. Sunggyu, you were with him this whole time. I was scared for the both of you. Oh my god."

Sunggyu walked forward to join in on their emotional hug, Sungjong wrapping his arms around Sunggyu to include him on the long awaited reunion.

"Myungsoo, you're standing with me. The three of us are here," Sungjong weeped, rubbig his hands on both of his friends' backs as it was a joyous victory in the war.

"I knew I would find you," Myungsoo grieved, taking deep breaths to hold himself together. I knew you were alive when people doubted me. When people wanted to give up, I knew you wouldn't. Sungjong, Sunggyu, my best friends. I love you both. "I promised Hoya I would find you. Hoya guess what?" He yelled out to the ceiling. "I found Sungjong, and he's alive... Sungjong, this is a miracle."

Daesung watched the tearful reunion when he noticed the militia prisoners picking themselves up from the ground. Daesung noticed one person in particular struggling to get a large piece of wall off of his body. Daesung kicked the debris away to wade his way to the person. "Need help?"

Jongin's face looked like it was in excruciating pain as the piece pressed against his body, needing to escape as fast as possible. "I'll push, you pull."

Together, the two of them slowly picked the piece off of his body. Jongin could barely breath, but as the portion of the wall picked right up he was able to breath and sit himself up.

"Are you ok?" Daesung asked.

Jongin nodded his head. "We are all prisoners of war who escaped. Please help us."

Daesung nodded his head, reaching for his radio to make a report. "Kang Daesung. We found one, two, three, four... fifteen prisoners of war in this room who are alive. Please provide backup for Yundo City Hall..."

As Daesung made his report, Jongin pulled himself up to stand with a broken railing. That was when he experienced an agonizing pain in his side. Jongin bent over to stop the pain, breathing in deeply and holding his breath as he looked down at his side. Jongin whimpered as his shirt was soaked in blood. Jongin raised his fingertips to watch the blood drip, dark and rich in color. Jongin turned his head to look at the wall that fell on top of him. 

A large metal rod sticking out of the broken wall was soaked in his own blood.

After some time spent for their mini-reunion, Myungsoo let go of Sungjong which prompted an end to their hug. Myungsoo sniffed his nose and tried to get his act together, smiling like everything would end well. "Come on guys, we need to leave this building."

(((())))

"Woohyun. Nam Woohyun."

A medic bent over shaking Woohyun's shoulders to wake him up. Pressing her fingers against Woohyun's neck to feel his pulse, his heart was still beating slowly. The medic pressed down on Woohyun's thigh, in which an autoinjector was shoved in his body to protect him from the gases of the explosion. She pulled out the shot and placed it in her mini disposal bag, trying once again to wake up the unconscious soldier. 

"Woohyun," she called once more.

Finally, Dongwoo ran to his side and tried to knock some sense into his friend. "Woohyun!" he said in one fell slap to the face.

The impact of the hard slap immediately woke Woohyun up, turning over to his side and spazzing on the floor as he thought someone had taken him hostage. "STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT!" Woohyun held onto his cheek and opened his eyes. Above him were Dongwoo and the medic hovering to aid him. "Dongwoo!" he called out. He turned his eyes to the female medic above him, her appearance inviting and warm. "Hello there..." Woohyun spoke with a low undertone.

"Get the hell up," Dongwoo asserted, digging his hand behind Woohyun's back and propping him up to sit. "We're still in the war."

"What?" Woohyun scratched his eyes to clear his vision and check out the seen. Dust particles floated everywhere murky room, realizing that he was in the same building he last remembered staying. The opening of the room was blown up into pieces, and several couches and tables were destroyed in the process. Medics and other soldiers surrounded the area, discussing their next plans of action. Woohyun was confused as to how much time had passed, how they found him here, and what was actually going on. "There was a grenade in here, right?" His memory served him well.

Dongwoo nodded his head. "Very few of us survived the explosion. You, me, Minjun..." he trailed off.

But Sungyeol was with us... "And Sungyeol?" Woohyun asked.

Dongwoo gave no response, only a sigh of pain.

"Dongwoo. Where is Sungyeol?" Woohyun questioned with a stern look.

Once again, no answer.

Desperate for anything, Woohyun grabbed onto his friend's shirt collar and pulled him close, their noses touching and his breath making Dongwoo flinch as he demanded a response. "Dongwoo!" he screamed, his hands shaking as they almost choked him.

Dongwoo closed his eyes and grabbed onto Woohyun's shoulders, opening and closing his mouth as he tried his best to muster out the fine details. "Sungyeol is... Sungyeol is..."

"What?! Sungyeol is WHAT DONGWOO!"

Dongwoo let go of Woohyun's shoulder and reached into his front pocket, retrieving an object to show Woohyun.

The golden locket, in all of its glory shining brilliantly in the darkness of the night. "Sungyeol is missing. No one has seen or found him. Everyone who died from the explosion was found here... Sungyeol is gone all together. When I woke up, I searched the area to see who was alive. The only thing I saw with Sungyeol was his locket hanging over the corner of a broken desk." Dongwoo closed his hand with the locket in his palm and placed it back in his pocket. 

Woohyun started to breath heavily, choking on air as he found it unbelievable that Sungyeol could simply go missing. "Did he escape? Did he run away perhaps? We can't think so pessimistically..." 

The medic interjected with a statement of her own. "Whatever happens, the war is still ongoing. Sotenan forces are falling back and we need to more forward. Hopefully we can get a notice of where Sungyeol is along the way. But for now, we have to leave this are as soon as possible until Sotenans find us again."

"She's right." Dongwoo put his hand out to grab onto Woohyun and pull him up from the floor. He proceeded to dust Woohyun's uniform quickly and picked up his gun. With a serious glare, Dongwoo nodded to his friend that they had to move quickly. "We're all separated right now, but so is Myungsoo. And of course there is Sunggyu and Sungjong somewhere. We will find each other again, I promise."

Woohyun bit hip, breathing through his nostrils as he stared down at Dongwoo's pocket. The same pocket holding Sungyeol's locket, received from the child of a mother who was victim to the war. It was Sungyeol's most prized possession during the war, and he knew something bad was happening if he had just left it there alone. He had hopes that Sungyeol was still breathing, but his whereabouts concerned him. "Let's go. We need to find Sungyeol as soon as possible."

(((())))

The surviving prison militia left with Sunggyu, Sungjong, Myungsoo, Jongin, and Daesung leading the way out of the remaining ruins of Yundo City Hall. Everyone was wide awake and wired to no end, their jittery hearts racing after a pivotal move in the war. The adrenaline caught up to all of them, and with their lives spared for one more day they had to stay alert. They took their places behind two Korean tanks and met up with multiple Korean troops for a warm welcome and embrace back.

"This is Kang Daesung, we cleared Yundo City Hall with no signs of President Ranu Sojang. We uncovered prisoners of war at this place, including three Korean soldiers for our end. The rest are Japanese and Chinese," he mentioned through the radio.

"Hey, don't forget to tell them about the nuclear plans," Sunggyu warned.

"Ah yes." Daesung picked up his radio once again to keep in contact. "We have received news that Sotenan will be releasing air fleets to attack both Korea, Japan, and Australia."

Feedback fed through the radio as it sounded like special operations on the other side was trying to reformulate plans. In the meantime, the soldiers awaited their final orders to end the war. It was 2:00, and the battle continued in the wee hours of the morning until a final victor.

Myungsoo linked his hands with Sungjong, hugging him from behind and resting his head on his shoulder. He could barely grasp the idea that Sungjong was standing right in front of him, alive in well. Myungsoo never wanted to let go, hugging him tighter with the comfort that his friends survived through it all. "Sungjong," Myungsoo knew it was wrong to be mournful at a time like this, but he could not hold himself back from sobbing. "Sungjong, Sunggyu. We were all worried for you."

Sunggyu lowered his head and placed a hand on Myungsoo's shoulders, rubbing them in circles to comfort him. "We were worried for all of our safeties"

"This war was nothing like I expected," Sungjong reflected on General Kang and his role in the war. When their campaign was at a stalemate, it was a break from the fast-paced war to meditate over everything that occurred. Remembering the first time he begged for Hoya to do put him in combat, Sungjong immediately regret all of it. He had instilled his trust in General Kang for taking care of him during their prisontime, only to reveal that he was a player in this war the whole time.

But there was no time to dwell on it. Sungjong had to move forward.

"I am fuelled with the passion to win this war," Sungjong declared, intertwining fingers with Myungsoo's and bringing him to a closer squeeze. 

"Thank you. Kang Daesung, over." Daesung frantically gathered the remaining soldiers together to explain their final orders of the war. "We need to get to the Yundo Military Base off the coast of the city. That is where the airport and hangar is. No one is sure of what time these flights will leave, but we need to get there as soon as possible."

"The Yundo Military Base?" Myungsoo was worried for the state of his country and their position in the war. "We don't have moving transportation and the place is maybe 15 miles away. Our allied soldiers are too spread apart at this moment."

Daesung rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Lieutenant General Yoshida made this order, so we have to do it some way or another. We can't spend much time talking about this, we have to leave now!"

"But we also have the president to take care of," Jongin interrupted. He had been relatively quiet for so long, taking deep breaths as he held onto his side. Pressing down his waist with all his might, he tried to stop the blood from bleeding out.

There were too many sides of the Battle of Yundo that needed to be taken care of. 

Sunggyu raised his hand to pose a suggestion for the army. "Our goals right now are to stop them at the airport and find Ranu Sojang. Ask them for Korea and Australia to send their soldiers to the Yundo Military Base for backup. Keep all other soldiers with tanks here in the area except for maybe two or three. We need our air fleet to get to their airport and stop them."

"Our Korean and Filipino planes were shot down," Daesung shook his head.

"It looks as if Sotenan soldiers have fallen back. I don't know if it's due to our advancement in the war or whether they are recuperating until the sunrise..." That was when a big pain agonized Jongin, who started hissing to try and calm himself down. He started leaning against the tank, biting his lip to look as normal as possible.

Sunggyu cracked his knuckles, rearranging the plan. "Forget the plans. Everything else stays the same. Myungsoo and Daesung, take your tank with us because we'll need the support."

Daesung agreed to the terms and took out his radio. "Kang Daesung, operation specialist Kim Sunggyu with me..."

"Everyone, we need to be careful. Sotena is at an advantage until the sun rises. Stay alert and stay close to each other. Do not let your guard down at any second. Our families depend on it. What is the point of fighting for our country if it will be destroyed by the time we get there?" Sunggyu grabbed his gun on the floor and held it firmly under his arms. 

Myungsoo let go of Sungjong, the two of them nodding their heads at their oldest friend making plans for the war. 

"The game changes now," Sunggyu exclaimed, his eyes filled with conviction. "LET'S DO THIS!"

(((())))

Dongwoo and Woohyun made their way through the city, following Squadrant 12084 and 71226 through the city as they continued to search for the hiding Sotenan president.

With different leads of his whereabouts, soldiers separated in an effort to capture the Sotenan dictator as a sign of defeat to the capital. Yundo was a wide area, and with so much space to cover the allied forces spread their troops around to carry out their own missions for the war. The group found themselves hiding between restaurants and grocery stores for shelter when needed, opting for quick food to energize themselves after being awake for more than 24 hours.

Leading to the morning, Dongwoo felt a single drop of water on his nose.

Dongwoo touched his nose, feeling the wetness at the tip as another drop appeared on his hand. Dongwoo brought his hand down to observe the drop, squinting to take a closer look. Water. A cool breeze made him shiver as he stared up to the sky, dark clouds illuminated the the street lights and blurred by the rising smoke encapsulated the whole city as another drop fell on his forehead. "It's raining," Dongwoo confirmed, wiping the water off of his forehead.

Woohyun watched as several rain drops fell on his rifle. Sungyeol, I hope you're doing fine right now. "We have to move faster. It might be harder for us in the rain."

"I just received a message." One of the soldiers up ahead raised his radio in the air for a new update. "We need to move to the Yundo Military Base right by the port. An air fleet may be leaving soon to attack Korea, and we need to stop them as soon as possible. They have nuclear bombs that can wipe out whole cities."

Soldiers started panicking, looking to each other on what to do next.

"If it starts raining, that means they're gonna want to leave soon," Woohyun realized, hyperventilating at the fact that his whole family and country is in danger.

"It's no wonder we haven't heard of their nuclear power until now," Dongwoo slapped his forehead. "They're aimed where it hurts us the most."

"What are we waiting for!" Woohyun heckled, raising his gun in the air and shaking it mercilessly like he was ready for business. "I'm not letting our countries go down like this. We need to get to the base as soon as possible."

(((())))

It was a long campaign to get to the Yundo Military Base, which proved difficult as a rain started to pour into the night.

Suddenly, the sky was hazy with a mixture of clouds and chemicals to create a storm over the capital city. Rain showered over the town, and though it was not a huge distraction to the team it proved difficult moving around the dark city. Places were much more concealed, and the team had to stay careful of hidden Sotenan soldiers and impending ambushes. Following the prisoner militia was Myungsoo and Daesung's tank for added support.

The rain came trickling down. No one had a single idea how long they had been awake. 

Sungjong sneezed, holding his head as he felt lightheaded from the cold. Sunggyu took notice of this and ed his own uniform shirt to drape over Sungjong in the meantime.

"Hyung," Sungjong shook his head.

"I'm fine." Sunggyu let out a small smirk and patted his stomach to emphasize his protection with the bulletproof vest. He reached into his front pocket to grab a bottle, shaking its contents to reveal antibiotics for Sungjong's sickness. The team was able to retrieve the medic bag for their possession before embarking on their journey to the base. "Do you need your medicine now?" 

"Hey guys," Jongin called out.

The militia turned around to catch Jonging at the back of the line, almost limping and walking conspicuously with one hand on his waist and the other on a railing. His gun strap dangled down his arm and slipped to his elbow, straddling the rifle on the floor until he tripped face first into the sidewalk. 

"Jongin!" Sunggyu and Sungjong yelled in unison. Their whole army stopped with one of the prisoners flagging the tank to stop moving. Sungjong was first to spring immediately to Jongin and help him. Jongin had fallen straight into a puddle, continuing to hold onto his side as Sungjong helped push him to turn him over. "Jongin, are you ok-."

Getting Jongin on his back, Sungjong took notice to large dark red spot at his waist. Blood dripped from his side to stain the puddle he lay in.

"Sunggyu!" Sungjong moved Jongin's hands aside to press his wound and stop him from bleeding. Jongin's face was pale and a little unresponsive to his surroundings. His body was as cold as the rain, and Sungjong knew immediate action had to be done. "Someone get bandages. Jongin needs quick help."

"Sungjong, it's ok."

All the soldiers watched on as Sunggyu brought the backpack of bandages and pressings over to help Jongin. "Let's stay here for a little bit until the bleeding stops."

"No, Sunggyu." Jongin started to tear up as he lay helplessly on the floor, faintly removing Sungjong's hands off of his body. In every passing second, Jongin's face grew whiter as he accepted his destiny. "It's ok guys. You can just leave me here."

The top of the tank opened as Daesung helped Myungsoo peered over to see what was going on. His whole jaw dropped as he witnessed the unthinkable.

"Jongin, what are you saying? You're gonna be ok," Sungjong moaned, trying once again to press down on Jongin's body.

Jongin swiped Sungjong's hands away, shaking his finger as he began to lost himself. "Please Sungjong, don't make this harder than it already is. My time... my time is now," he coughed up.

Sunggyu's face grew weary, refusing to believe this could possibly be the end of Jongin. Especially after his passion to leave this war and see his family once more. "Jongin, we..." his voice started to break up.

"We can save you," Sungjong wept, trying to shake sense into Jongin to keep on fighting. "I couldn't have made it this far without you. We need you with us. Your family needs you."

In his final seconds, Jongin had the brightest grin Sungjong had ever seen since meeting him. In the darkness of the war, there was a light that only Jongin could only see. His destiny was made. "I knew of my fate the second your friend found me in the rubble, but I tried my best to play god and fight. This is something I need to accept. I asked myself, how far would I go for the ones I love? Whatever obstacles I was put under, I knew I had to live for my family. Unfortunately, sometimes nature takes its toll and tells you your time is up. The distance I've traveled to unite my family, escaping this prison, all of that to this very moment was out of love. Sungjong, I'm done. And I want to thank you for everything that you've done for me in this war. Where I am right now... this is my resting spot." Jongin used the last of his energy to hold onto Sungjong's hand and shake it like a companion, grateful for everything he offered him during this war.

Sungjong held onto both of his hands as he lay on the ground, sobbing over his hands uncontrollably. "Thank you Jongin."

With his final breath, Jongin closed his eyes as his life ended. "I love you mom," he spoke as his final words.

Every soldier bowed their heads in respect of the prisoner who led them out to victory. One soldier held his gun pointing to the air, staring up into the rain clouds for a sign of peace.

"What's going on?" Daesung asked.

Myungsoo could barely speak, having witnessed another death of a good person during this war. "Jongin died."

Sungjong leaned into Sunggyu's shoulder for comfort and refuge, hugging to his friend tight as he observed the death of a friend he made when the odds were against him. A very friend he stayed up talking to about his family, friends, dreams. Sungjong connected with him and shared a lot of personal traits, and knowing that he could not make it hurt his heart. With no words, all Sungjong could do was weep.

Sunggyu stared down at Jongin as his lifeless body, reflecting on some of his final words in this war.

How far would I go for the ones I love?

That was when everything hit him.

"Jongin... you're her son," Sunggyu cried, remembering the mother he met at the salad shop.

The rain started to pour harder.