BY MIKALA WONG
June 10, 2025
FRESHMAN, LAS POSITAS COLLEGE

The Linyue Forest was filled with outcries of Velleity and Lummox soldiers as the clangs of swords echoed in the wind. Dusk skies painted the battlefield orange and purple with crimson blood scattering in the air. 

A hooded figure jumped from the trees and swung their sword at Prince Eros, but he deflected just in time with a slight cut on his cheek. He quickly got off his horse and drew his sword, the gold sparkling in the moonlight. 

“You can remove your hood, Daiyu.” The prince glared. 

She emerged from the shadows and took off her hood, revealing long black hair that blew in the breeze. Her gaze was vicious as she gripped her sword again, disappointed in her miss. 

They both lunged towards each other, slamming their swords continuously as sparks flew and their blades shone under the piercing moon. An arrow hit Daiyu’s back, not piercing her dragon-scaled armor, but immediately stealing her focus. She hissed angrily, throwing her sword in the direction of the arrow and leaving Eros behind. 

He yelled, quickly chased after her with his sharp golden sword. The prince swerved and ducked past other soldiers, barely catching up to her.   

Daiyu leapt on top of other soldiers and pulled her sword out of the Lummoxian soldier’s chest. 

Eros saw an opening and went for the swing; however, she quickly blocked the attack and defended. 

Their armies fought in the background, the night sky lit up with blood spatter and shouts, offering an overwhelming sense of déjà vu, as if they had fought this battle thousands of times. The smell of trees and iron filled their noses as fire smoke filled their lungs.

Cuts and nicks on their bodies bled, though adrenaline made everything painless. Daiyu and Eros stared into each other’s eyes, cursing each other dead, to finally end the suffering of their empires.

The princess escaped the prince’s sword and knocked him in the head with her handle. 

He cried out and clutched his head at the throbbing spot. 

Distracted, she kicked the sword out of his hand and went in for the final blow, only to be stopped by another Lummoxian soldier.

“RUN, YOUR HIGHNESS!” He strained. 

“OUT OF MY WAY!” Daiyu shouted, forcing her sword against his. She thrashed her sword violently, desperately trying to break away from the soldier.

The prince eagerly scrambled for his horse, making a run for it. 

As the princess watched her dreaded target ride away, the soldier also made a run for his horse, quickly grabbing the prince’s golden sword off the ground. 

Daiyu stole a bow and arrow from a corpse, aiming it towards him. The bow snapped and hit his shoulder, though he only stumbled and continued  off into the dark horizon. She let out a frustrated yell before signaling for her army to retreat. 

Suddenly, a black dragon with emerald eyes descended from the skies and landed by her side, a powerful dust cloud of leaves and dirt blowing through the entire forest. She quickly got on its back, leading her army back to Velleity’s military base and leaving behind a silent battlefield.

The remaining corpses lay still on the burning forest floor, blanketed by the light of the waning moon.