The bloodshed on the battlefield was enough to make even the most conditioned man retch. Constant gunfire directed towards the Shadow Trenches forced General Alexander to keep his nausea at bay as he ordered another round of bombs onto the Inferno Legion. He debated for a moment whether or not to advance his troops. The Inferno Legion made his mind up for him as they released cans of chlorine gas into the Shadow Trenches. 

"GAS! GAS! GAS!" General Alexander screamed, ordering his men to put on their gas masks while he did the same. For a moment, the fighting seemed to pause, and it was completely silent, except for the coughing of one of his soldiers. General Alexander couldn't resist the urge to look towards the sound. He turned his eyes to his left, and was met with a horror that would haunt him until the end of his days. One of his soldiers, on the ground, floundering like a fish out of water, coughing uncontrollably, with no gas mask on. About ten men stood still and stared at the poor man while the hydrochloric acid formed quickly in his airways, causing them to swell and suffocate him. Within five minutes, he was dead. 

General Alexander had to direct his attention from the dead man to the front, where his gunmen waited for the call to fire. He climbed up the ladders in the trench to where the gunmen sat, their fingers on the triggers. "Hold your fire," he said, as he peered through the fog, trying to see the other side of No Man's Land. All of a sudden, he saw at least ten individuals approaching the trenches. All bore the symbol of the sun across their chest. 

General Alexander realized who they were, and screamed at his men to get into the trenches. "GET DOWN!! GET DOWN AND COVER!!" But it was too late. The men lit themselves on fire, becoming engulfed in flames, as though they were walking bonfires. They ran straight for the Shadow Trenches, and jumped in, burning everything in their paths. Several soldiers fired on the Flares, but the flames that engulfed them served as protection against the numerous bullets, melting them instantly. There was no choice but to retreat. 

"RETREAT! RETREAT!" General Alexander screamed as a bullet from one of his fellow soldiers whizzed past his head, grazing his cheek and splitting it open. As he led his soldiers away from the Trenches and Flares, General Alexander grabbed the one personal belonging that he had left; a photo of him and his late wife, Cambria, holding their only child. For a moment, he was back home again, carrying his daughter on his back while she shrieked with laughter, while Cambria giggled at their antics. There was no fear of death. There was no military title. He was just Alexander, a proud father, and a faithful husband. 

The sound of one of the cannons exploding brought him back to reality. If he didn't get out of there before the rest of the Inferno Legion got to the Trenches, there wouldn't even be a button left for the government to give his daughter. General Alexander grabbed the photo and ran towards the last transport, ordering the driver to leave as fast as he could. There was no hope of winning this battle. The Sun Empire was advancing. If they weren't stopped soon, they would be at the capital within two weeks. The Shadow Kingdom was doomed. 

The only small beacon of light in General Alexander's life was the hope of someday seeing his daughter, all grown up, married, with children of her own. While there was no hope for his kingdom or his legion, there was hope for his little Star.