Allen finished the last of the soup and set the empty bowl down. The decision was made. He would play their game, at least for a while, and see how things turned out.

He stood up, stretching his arms to relax his body a little.

He decided to not waste any more time and to tell Lishia his answer right away. He started walking toward the command tent in the center of the camp.

As he walked, his eyes fell on a smaller campfire off to the side. A group of four soldiers sat around it as they huddled together against the cold.

They held bowls of soup in their hands but none of them were eating. They just stared into the flames with their faces empty and devoid of expression.

No, actually there was some emotion on their faces. It was just hard to differentiate from emotionlessness on a surface level.

It was grief.

Allen recognized them soon. It was the same group he had talked to earlier, the ones who had been laughing and joking along with him, but something wasn't quite right.

He remembered there being five of them before but now he only saw four. There was Jason, Zac, Avgron, and Micheal.

Dean was missing.

It took him a second to realize what that meant, but he eventually understood. He thought about going up to them but then decided against the idea.

Allen pushed aside the heavy tent flap and stepped inside. The air inside was thick and accompanied by the low murmur of a discussion.

Lishia, Luna, and Eunice were gathered around the large wooden table in the center with their heads bent over the map spread across it. The flickering light from the oil lamps cast long shadows making their faces look grim and weary.

They looked up as he entered the tent, their conversation stopping abruptly. Suddenly there was silence.

"Allen," Lishia said. She straightened up from the table with her sharp yellow eyes locking onto him. Her expression was hard to read. It was cautious and analytical and maybe a little hopefulness thrown in there too. "Have you decided already? That was quite fast."

He walked further into the tent and the rough canvas flap fell shut behind him, suppressing the sounds of the quiet and grieving camp outside.

The warmth inside was a welcome change from the cold night air outside.

"Yes," he said simply, meeting her gaze without flinching.

"I've thought about it. While technically I have nothing to do with the war you are fighting, again, sitting around and doing nothing isn't really the way I do things. That's the entire reason I ended up here anyway," he said, lying as he breathed just as ever.

He paused, letting his words sink in. "I'll side with you," he stated.

A flicker of surprise that was quickly hidden passed over Lishia's face. She clearly hadn't expected him to agree so easily and this soon.

Luna, who was standing beside Eunice's chair let out a small and almost inaudible sigh, not seeming too pleased by the turn of events but it wasn't like she could do anything about it.

Eunice just watched him, her red eyes narrowed slightly as her usual playful expression was replaced by an assessing gaze. She was still trying to figure him out.

"Good," Lishia said finally with her voice returning to its usual and all-business tone. "That's… good news. You've come at the perfect time, actually. We were just about to discuss our next move to figure out how to deal with the aftermath of today. You should join us."

She then glanced down at his clothes, looking at his torn, scorched, and blood-stained remnants of his sweatshirt and trousers.

A slight frown touched her lips. "But first," she added, "you need to change. Those clothes look like they went through hell and back."

She pointed to a neatly folded pile of clothing lying on a sturdy wooden crate near the tent wall. "I have arranged for a new pair of clothing for you."

Allen nodded and walked over to the crate. The clothes looked simple but for the standards of this world they were rather good quality ones.

Well, I guess I can't always wear the hoodie and trousers. Would have preferred to though, he thought to himself as he reached down and pulled the ruined sweatshirt over his head, tossing the shredded fabric onto the floor.

He wasn't particularly concerned about changing in front of them. After all, they were people who saw death on a daily basis.

As the clothes came off, the flickering lamplight hit his bare skin, revealing that his back and chest weren't smooth. They were covered in old marks.

The marks that were given to him by his relatives, and some even by his own sister. Of course, there were a few that he had inflicted by himself as well.

Long, faded white lines from old cuts crisscrossed the skin on his arms while patches of shiny, tight skin showed where he'd been burned badly on his back a long time ago.

It was a clear difference from the fresh and pink skin on the rest of his body where the system had just healed the burns from the explosion.

He hadn't gotten a new body in this world therefore all his old scars had come along for the ride.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Luna's eyes widen for just a second before she quickly looked away with her cheeks turning a little red.

Eunice glanced over while her face was unreadable before she focused back on the map like she hadn't seen anything. Lishia just watched him for a moment, with her sharp eyes taking everything in before she also looked away, giving him space.

None of them said a word. They were soldiers and they knew scars. But the sheer number of old wounds on him clearly took them by a little surprise. They were being polite, by not asking questions.

However, Allen did notice their quick and averted glances. He looked down at his own arms and at the familiar, faded network of white lines against his skin.

Right. Forgot about those, he thought to himself.

They were just part of him like his hands or his feet. He rarely thought about them anymore. But seeing their reactions reminded him once again that they were not normal.

System, what is this about? he asked internally, annoyance flaring up a little.

I thought you were supposed to regenerate me, weren't you?

[Regeneration along with other buffs only applies to injuries sustained after system activation.]

The system's reply was instantaneous and utterly unhelpful.

Of course, Allen thought to himself pulling the clean and rough tunic over his head. The fabric felt scratchy against his skin.

Health insurance only covers new injuries, huh? You truly are a cheap, capitalistic piece of shit system.

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