The sky was gray, and the wind was silent. The flat, wooded land had begun to stir with the first light of morning. The sound of monsters’ footsteps could already be heard from afar. Every morning, the same thing the same struggle.

People gathered. Some gripped their clubs, others held their swords tightly. No one knew how today’s battle would unfold; the only thing everyone knew was that the monsters never ran out.

Elira stood at the front of the crowd. Her green eyes shone with courage, as they always did. Her long, sturdy staff rested on her shoulder, as if all the hope in the world had been placed upon it. Despite her slender waist, her muscles were clearly defined, her body carrying a strength that defied hardship. As her gaze moved across the crowd, her pupils widened for a brief moment. People felt safe beside her; Elira’s cheerfulness was contagious.

But within that crowd, there was another pair of eyes: Kaela’s. Her jet-black eyes were barely visible beneath the dark hair falling across her face. The tired shadows under her eyes and the battle scars on her body were marks of the war she fought within herself. Unlike Elira, Kaela carried no staff; her weapons were taekwondo and kickboxing, disciplines she had trained in for years. She had some command of many martial arts, but these were the ones she relied on most.

A voice inside Kaela whispered the same question every morning: “Why are you still fighting?”

Yet she was still there.

Elira turned to the crowd and spoke in her strong, clear voice:

“We’re here again this morning! To protect one another, to survive. No one stands alone!”

A sudden stir ran through the crowd. Everyone raised their weapons and answered Elira’s words. Kaela, however, remained silent. For her, simply standing on the battlefield was harder than giving any reply.

The first monsters emerged from between the trees massive claws, razor-sharp teeth. Elira charged forward, her staff dancing through the air as she struck down the creatures around her. Kaela, in the rear line, deflected the first incoming attack and brought her opponent down with a single move. Every motion was flawless, yet the emptiness in her eyes cast a shadow over that perfection.

As the battle raged on, the thought echoing in Kaela’s mind grew louder:

“Why am I still here?”