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⭐ Chapter One – I Became a Rabbit
The sounds of explosions and gunfire shook the ground and could be heard from several kilometers away.
Today marked three years since the start of the war, a war that had descended into chaos after the rebels received support from foreign powers, turning the country into an open inferno.
Inside the large command tent, soldiers stood guard on all sides.
In the heart of the tent, General Erbat sat behind his desk, holding his last cigarette in his left hand.
He knew… it truly was "the last."
Not because he was no longer able to fight… but because he no longer wanted to.
His aide stood before him, trembling with anxiety, and said in a panicked voice:
"General… what are we going to do? The other forces have betrayed us, and now we are surrounded on all sides!"
Erbat looked at his lieutenant, who had lost his right leg. He remembered how handsome he had been, a young man with many dreams and a beautiful fiancée. Who knew what had happened to him and his family now? But he had never blamed the leadership, not even once, and now he was going to die because of it.
Erbat came from a distinguished military family; all his ancestors had fought wars for this country.
Now, at forty, he was a tall man—193 cm—with a fully muscular physique, brown hair streaked with white from countless battles, and sharp green eyes that reflected the strength of a commander forged on the battlefield.
He took a long drag on his favorite cigarette… then slowly exhaled the smoke.
He stared at his lieutenant for a long moment before asking,
"Harry… how many men do we have left?"
Harry swallowed hard, then said,
"One hundred men… but forty of them are wounded… twenty are unarmed… and ten deserted yesterday."
Erbat cast one last glance at the map, its surface awash with red markers.
He stubbed out his cigarette, rose from his chair, and strode out of the tent, his aide silently following him.
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The area was thick with trees, the very place Erbat had always loved.
It was here that he earned his fearsome nickname: "The Forest Ghost."
He excelled at setting traps, attacking from the shadows, and vanishing with a skill no one else possessed.
The forest was his true home… easier for him than cities, command, and politics.
He stood looking at his wounded soldiers.
This one had lost an eye, that one had lost a leg, and another had lost both an arm and a leg in a barrage of artillery fire.
He sighed deeply, then raised his voice:
"Listen to me carefully… I am Erbat, the Forest Ghost. I surrender."
The soldiers froze.
They hadn't heard such words from him in the three years he had commanded them.
Erbat, the stubborn, courageous man who preferred death to the enemy's surrender, no matter how dire the circumstances.
And today he tells them, "I will surrender"?
One of the soldiers shouted angrily,
"Shut up, you old fool! You're a commander! How can you say such a thing!"
Another shouted,
"Yes, don't you say that dying with honor is better than living in disgrace!"
Then an old man with broken legs stepped forward and said,
"We're not fighting for you, General… we're fighting for this country… You're the only one who can lead us on the right path!"
Erbat looked at them with trembling eyes.
It wasn't the look of a commander…
It was the look of a helpless man.
He knew… they were no longer just soldiers.
They had become his family.
And as his words formed on his lips—a terrible explosion tore through the earth around them…
And the world went dark.
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Erbet's Perspective
I don't fear death.
But I fear being the cause of loss.
I was foolish; I didn't understand the situation. My friends and even my family tried to help me, but I was arrogant.
I clung to the old ways and couldn't accept change. I couldn't adapt to the war...
I'm sorry and I'm not sorry.
I'm sorry that I didn't see the big picture.
And I'm not sorry that I was stubborn, even if my thinking was wrong.
This is what I want to tell the soldiers who followed and died for me and my ideas.
But I'm going to hell anyway, so does it matter...?
Then I see a bright light, and after that...
I feel the ground and the scent of grass. I open my eyes; I'm a little confused.
I look at the sky and see three moons. It seems I've had a concussion.
I rub my eyes. The shock is in my hands; they've become like a rabbit's paw covered in white fur, and my fingers are missing.
A rabbit's paw... What? It's happening.
I turned around. The trees were gigantic and the grass was tall... No, the falcon...
I feel something in my head moving and swaying. Is this a thorn?
Have I become a rabbit? How is this possible? No, it can't be.
Have I been enchanted and turned into a rabbit to punish me? No, impossible. There are no devices or scientists who can do this right now, at least not as far as I know.
I looked around. I was in a forest, but it was different from what I knew.