An open field, once beautiful and full of life, now a graveyard drenched in blood.

“My Lord Sama!” a soldier cried out bowing to his superior. “The enemy is retreating! We are victorious!”

His superior remained silent. Though his body had begun to hunch with age, he held a power within him that none could deny. His eyes, though faded with age, had a fire that burnt within them as his gaze unwavered from the carnage before him.

“Can any claim victory when faced with such a sight?” the man said half to himself. “Both sides have suffered a tragedy this day.”

Picking up his staff, he began to walk towards the aftermath. Seeing this, the soldier lifted himself to his feet to follow.

The two walked in silence amidst the smell of blood and smoke. The crows had already begun their work devouring the corpses.

It was then, that their penance was broken by a high pitched cry.

“Impossible…” the superior marveled to himself as he quickened his pace through the corpses.

Following the sounds, the two made their way through the bodies and weapons until at last they saw it.

Covered by a body that had wrapped itself around it, their lay a baby, crying at the presence of his cold and clammy place.

“A child?” The soldier cried drawing his long blade. “What is the meaning of this? Had they no honor at-”

The superior raised his hand calmly to silence the soldier.

Kneeling down amidst the corpses, he loosened corpse’s grip from the child, and lifted the bloody bundle up.

“My Lord Sama!” the soldier cried out. “You could not possibly be thinking-”

“A child has been abandoned.” The superior sternly replied. “There is no thinking needed. We shall take him back with us.”

“With all respect my Lord,” the soldier argued. “These are the ones who slaughtered our people!”

“It was men who slaughtered our people, not children.” The superior retorted. “We are not born good or evil based on where we are. We are born human. We decide what to become later on, influenced by those who raised us.”

The soldier shook his head. “The village will never accept him.”

“You may be right.” The superior replied, investigating the child’s wrap.

Around the child’s neck hung a pendant. On which stood the writing of the foreign invaders.

Taking a knife from his hip, the superior flipped the pendant over and began to etch new writing into it.

“Courage.” He said holding the pendant up so the infant could see it. “The road that you have come to is treacherous at even such a young age. Keep this with you always, and you shall find you can come through it!”

Putting the pendant back in the infant’s wrap, the superior picked up the child again. With a nod to his disapproving subordinate, the two made their way back to the village, to rebuild what had been lost that day, and to move forward to a new future.