"On nights like this,"
Ori continued slowly, "someone ahead lights a flame. You don't know what that flame illuminates, nor where it points, but in this cold, dark night, it is the only light and warmth you can see.
"Then you'll want to follow that light. You don't know whether the person who lit it is headed in the right direction, nor whether you'll reach the end together, but..."
He paused. "Since the world is already like this, why not try? Dying in the darkness is still death. Dying on the road chasing the light is still death."
He raised his head and watched the sun slowly rise over the horizon. "Maybe we really can walk toward the dawn."
"I grew up amid chaos and hunger. All I ever saw were lives like wild grass."
He turned back to the young officer beside him and smiled. "And withered wild grass in the wind needs only a tiny spark to blaze into a roaring fire."
Hearing him, the young officer froze slightly, then sighed softly. "A very unique perspective."
He raised his hand, removed an exquisite Gem and Gold Inlaid Pistol from his waist, and held it out to Ori. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my friend. Your advice has helped me greatly."
Ori glanced at the pistol but did not take it. "I was merely speaking casually about the insights I gained after following the Commander through all this."
The young officer looked at the bloodstained man before him. After a brief pause, he withdrew the gun he had offered. "I hope we have a chance to meet again."
"Hopefully not on the battlefield,"
Ori glanced at him, then said softly, "Oh, right. The commander said your Mercenary Group should still have several dozen Enhancement Drugs. Do you have