Their captain was fighting fearlessly. That sent a message stronger than any war order. All the comrades fought, for their own lives, for their fellow brothers’ lives.

More and more spearmen fell. And in order to fence off the opponents, some soldiers originally enforcing the shield wall went up to battle. That left the remaining soldiers like Heechul in a more burdened situation.

Heechul tightened his grip on his shield, glanced at the sword in his hand, and learnt to stop thinking. All strands of thoughts had to be cast out, as those would most likely be discouraging thoughts. He refused to be a burden. He refused to be a hindrance. And he knew he’s not alone.

They struggled. But they remained determined. They kept fighting. And they left no room for regret.

The battle wore on and on… and on… and on… until dawn.

To Heechul, it was like a wakeup call slapping him out of a nightmare, when fear soaked shrills of their opponents shot into his ears. And then someone shouted in joy, “Reinforcement is here!!”

That was a magical stimulant. The Y-ians all cheered loudly. They all had new energy injected into their veins.

On the contrary, it was a hallucinogen to their rivals. The war cries from the reinforcement troop ground their hearts to ashes. The knowledge that they were surrounded and out-numbered killed their spirit and ripped off their ability to fight.

***

The Y-ians welcomed their victory. They occupied their opponents’ camp. Leeteuk, captain of the reinforcement troop, came to salute Hangeng in his tent.

“Thank You!!” Hangeng pulled Leeteuk into a brotherly embrace.

For a long time Leeteuk hugged Hangeng. Being a captain himself, Leeteuk fully understood how exactly it was for Hangeng, his longtime comrade and friend. When he himself saw the size of the opponent troop, he was overwhelmed. His first thought was how Hangeng’s troop managed to hold them off. He could feel the magnitude of relief in Hangeng now. Just as vividly Leeteuk could picture the moment when Hangeng witnessed the vast mass of opponent soldiers, the degree of his fluster and the weight of his captain’s duty on his shoulders. However no matter how intense those emotions were, a captain just couldn’t let slip any in front of his troop. Only now when Hangeng was with Leeteuk could he let down his guard and showed his true feelings a little.

“So how are the others?” Hangeng inquired.

“Siwon and Henry are doing great. Both will be promoted soon. I am recommending Siwon to be my assistant captain.” Leeteuk said as both of them sat down by a table.

Hangeng poured mead into two mugs, glanced at Leeteuk as he touched a more sensitive question. “How about Donghae and Hyukjae?”

Leeteuk got his mug from Hangeng. He stared at it for a moment, and saw the knot between his brows as melancholy crossed his face. “Still no news… We all miss them…”

Hangeng’s heart sank. Nevertheless he strived to maintain a hopeful tone. “They are good soldiers. They will be fine. We all know how difficult it is to message news in such times…”

Leeteuk nodded. “Yes… let’s not lose hope…”

“I have all my best wishes for them…”

“They are always in my prayers…”

Silence descended upon the place.

……

On his way back to his own camp Leeteuk looked up at the sky. He pleaded from the bottom of his heart. Please keep them save… and bring them back… PLEASE!!!

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A/N: This is a shorter chapter. But it's a logical break. For now, our beloved characters are safe. I will update soon.

A/N2: Now all the main characters in the story have been mentioned at least. I find it interesting to have more main characters in a story. It's at the same time a challenge though. Your comments help me a lot, as usual!

A/N3: Would you be so kind to like my page Joni0717? More likes I collect the better chance I can get my novels published. Please please please~~