Lucian

Valeria and I walked faster, our hearts pounding with anticipation as we neared the heart of Ghysem. The familiar sight of the area close to home filled us with a new form of hope. Ghysem was almost the same as we had left it, however, I could not deny how the streets were eerily deserted, save for the occasional patrol of Ghysem soldiers, their expressions grim and watchful. 

War had really done something different to Ghysem, however it did not seem half as bad as the history books we read when Ghysem had a civil war.

As we approached one of the patrols, the soldiers eyed us suspiciously, their...