[*]
His eyes were like polished lacquer, flickering with firelight, deep and grim.
The young man's eyes were usually exceptionally 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 silence fell, leaving only the CRACKLE and POP of the embers.
"Little General," Amy clapped her hands lightly and grinned at him. "Weren't you going to be loyal to the nation and swear to serve it until death? Why are you getting scared now?"
"If I were born in a time of chaos, with no one but myself, my death would mean nothing. But now, with my family and country in peril, even if I'm willing to die in service, I fear it won't be enough to save a nation on the brink of collapse."
