The Garden of Sinners

Kazer walked down the barren path deprived of life and color. Along the lifeless path were mass grave sites, ruined buildings, deteriorated vehicles, skeletal remains of humans and animals, and withered trees. The only sound was his own steps crunching the dry, cracked road below him. As he approached a large cluster of buildings, more military vehicles populated the area. Beside some of the vehicles were the remains of soldiers and human-shaped robots. The motionless corpses of both were stripped of their gear. The only thing left behind were cracked helmets with a flag on them. However, the was flag sun-bleached, which made it hard for Kazer to make out what country the soldier had once belonged to. Kazer pulled out his map once again to reconfirm where he was.“So if the Alpha zone is here…” He paused for a moment and looked at the helmet once again. He inspected the faded flag and found a hint of red and blue bands.*BANG*Kazer jumped as

——“Annnnd done!” A cheerful voice called out from behind Kazer. He felt a soft push on his back as he stood up. His torso was wrapped in a thick, white cloth that was moistened with a clear disinfectant. His blue suit rested around his waist. Kazer examined his body, then turned and faced the girl behind him with a smile. She was about his height, with long brown hair that reached her waist. The tips of her hair had jade green highlights that matched her eyes. Her eyes smiled back at him as he averted his gaze. “You should really be more careful. I get Lloyd is rough with you, but you don’t need to push yourself to become something you are not. Some dreams aren’t meant to come true, you know.” She spun around Kazer and place a finger on his nose. “You understand, right?” She spoke to him in an overly friendly way.Kazer’s face turned beet red as he quickly turned around in a panic and placed his suit back on. W

“So here we are." As the morning sun lazily shined through the thick clouds above, Laetitia and Kazer stood at the entrance of the mist-covered city. They stood in the remains of a dried-up river bed that has not seen water for thousands of years. The orange mist was dense, and it spun clockwise around the city as if something was keeping it contained. The unusual barrier made no sound. Laetitia stood in front of Kazer with her blade drawn and at her side. She reached her right hand into her cloak and pulled out her mask. It was a dull leather mask with a torn front. After putting it on, she looked at the ground and noticed something familiar embedded in the gravel. She went to pick it up. “Umm… Cassius?” She turned to face him with a confused look while hiding the object she found. “Have you been here before?” “No, this is my first time being here.” Laetitia’s stare did not stop. “Look, I’m serious, when I came too for the first time, I was in those ruins back there. I show