The Time from Before

A Change in Perspective

Harper cautiously entered the perimeter of the outpost. She couldn't help but think. How did the structures that made the outpost what it was stand? You know, the Bullet Rain that pelted the bunker every once in a while wasn't exactly the softest of events. Entire sections of the bunker should've collapsed due to it alone.

She saw a few collapsed buildings, but then, a thought struck her. She had been stationed at this bunker plenty of times. This... This wasn't the layout she was used to. Rather, everything felt separated into different buildings, rather than the interconnected feeling she could recall from so long ago.

Did these creatures rebuild the outpost?

She never got a good look at them, as she was only imagining what they looked like from what Allen told her. Of course, she still had a mission to complete, but she still had to get a look.

Then, just before she rounded a corner, she heard voices. Or, from how she could describe them, "bubbly and strangely wet". She couldn't understand what they were saying, but she could kind of understand how those words felt. The meaning was lost on her, but the emotion wasn't. They sounded strange, confused, maybe uneasy.

That was a good thing, as Allen specifically wanted confusion to fill their minds. He never mentioned it, but Harper was sure he wanted the creatures to clear out so that she would have an easy time completing her mission. The flares and all weren't really necessary.

She was pretty sure he was a leader that she could rely on almost unconditionally.

But she had to be quiet. The voices were still there, and she could've sworn there were maybe six or seven. What could they be doing so close to the edge of the outpost?

Well, not that there's much to do around the middle. Or, so she thinks. She wasn't too sure.

'Focus, Harper. Seriously.' She thought.

As she waited, the voices slowly faded. They must be leaving. And when it went silent, she poked her head out around the corner. It was clear.

Taking a deep breath, she rounded the corner with her rifle shouldered. She couldn't see much, but what she could was the dimming glow of Allen's flare. It must have hit the ground at this point, so where she should be headed is in that general direction.

All she knew was that a small little shack had something special. Or so the Sergeant said. Harper never had the best eyesight, so she took Allen's word at face value.

Back to the task at hand. She couldn't see or hear any creatures nearby, so that was a relief. Harper kept a snail's pace, making sure she was as silent as possible.

At this point, the flare's light died out, leaving Harper only her wits to find what she needed. A cold gust of wind rushed by, sending a chill up her spine. Shivering, she looked up into the sky.

The wow factor she experienced was phenomenal.

She had never seen the stars so clearly before. Hell, she's never seen the stars in person. With the world in eternal war ever since she was born, the skies were always cloudy and gray.

Maybe she shouldn't have joined the Arctos Dominion. Sure, after she was separated from her family and stranded in the middle of a battlefield, having been rescued by soldiers from the said faction, only to be raised by them and eventually offered a job, only to reject that job and... join the fighting force?

Man, she really owed it all to the Dominion. She tried to purge the thoughts of regret. She was in debt, and the only thing she could do to repay that debt was to fight for them for as long as they raised her.

But they're gone now, right? At least she can repay them in spirit.

'I... I really do miss them. It feels like yesterday you guys woke me up, begging me to join you and attempt to flee. Why didn't I go? After all this, all I'm left with is guilt and the feeling of being lost. And I'm alone. Sure, I got Allen, but he isn't my father figure. Gosh, I think I'm gonna cry.' Harper was in deep thought, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. 'Just you wait. I'll find where you guys went. And I'll... I'll do...'