Soldiers were loading up their catapults with  boulders wrapped in cloth  and  dousing them in oil. It was around two a.m. They wanted to attack early, so the kingdom of Lyndell would not have time to react. Bang! The first catapult threw a rock of fire into the distance. This was the signal for the soldiers to get up and ready for the conflict to come. As I arose, I felt a drop in my stomach, for I knew today would end in great victory or a silent death.  

“Leonidas! Quit messing around and get ready!” I quickly got up and finger combed my dark hair back, to get it out of my eyes. I began to put on my bronze armor, and grabbed my sword and  shield. As I left my tent, my eyes were blinded by a bright warm light. It took me a moment to adjust, but I soon realized that the front of the  Kingdom Of Lyndell had been swarmed in bright orange flames. Moments after the flames died down, the wall to the right of the gate came crumbling down revealing a village in the first sector. This was our chance to start the siege.  

We hopped on our horses and began to ride down the hill at which our camp was positioned. After we made it to the hole in the wall, the General shouted “Halt!”  We all signaled our horses to stop. I looked over at the General.  His bright silver armor stood out on his tall built figure giving off a blinding stance. 

“Remember crew, although in a weakened state, they still have one trick up their sleeve. The Beam of Golden Light is somewhere in that city, so keep an eye out.” The General signaled to me. “Leonidas  and his crew will go in from the left, while Cleomenes and his crew will go from the right. Me and my crew will wait here for the archers and catapults. Now, go!”

 As me and my crew began to go through the first sector of the city, I thought about the “weapon”. On one fateful night, I was out on the battlefield protecting my city, for I knew my family was in that city. After a quick victory, we all cheered and began to head home, but right before we made it to the entrance, a golden light came down from the sky, and quickly took down the city in an instant flash leaving nothing behind. I fell to my knees and broke down into tears, They were gone. Today, I knew I had to get to that weapon, to rid it of its existence. I quickly shook my head. I did not want the horrors of that faithful night to take me away from the task at hand. 

I was lost in the train of thought when suddenly I heard “Sir!” I turned around to see what my soldier had to say. “Don't you think it's odd that there is no one here?  Not even one dead corpse? I mean look around. There's no signs of life in this town. It's almost as if no one ever lived here ” 

I answered him in a calm tone, for I knew what I was leading my crew into, and I knew we would most likely walk into a plethora of enemy soldiers . “No, I don't, soldier. I think they evacuated to the inner part of the third sector when we shot off our catapults. “But Sir…”. I interrupted quickly, for I did not want my crew to panic. 

“Remember now, the Kingdom is surrounded by rivers on all three sides. If anyone even tries to escape they have to get through our armies.  Now, let's move on. We have a kingdom  to take!”  

As we were marching on, I saw my reflection in my soldier's shield to my right. My dark gray eyes said it all. They knew the horrors of losing family and knew what it was like to suffer through hell. Maybe that's why I took this job as Captain. After all, I was supposed to step down after that night, but maybe I wanted the suffering to stop by dying a heroic death in battle. 

After marching on for what seemed like hours through the first sector, we made it to the second wall gate, which was open. I mumbled under my breath, “This is odd.” I was expecting some kind of force, or an attempted ambush by now, but there was nothing. Now, I'm starting to agree with what my soldier said earlier today. “Wait here soldiers. Cleomenes and his crew should be here soon. I'm going to go in to see what's going on. I'll fire a fire arrow up in the sky if I need anything.” 

I began to march through the city and took my time looking around as my horse galloped slowly through the main street. I noticed the houses were brand new, and it looked almost as if no one lived in them. There were no marks or footprints, or any sign of a lively city on the road. Nothing seemed worn out. 

“I knew we were marching into unknown territory, but this is odd. There is still no one  around,”  I said out loud. After I made it to the third wall, I saw a paper nailed to the golden brick wall. Before I even read the paper, the wall had me blinded in a trance. It was so tall, it made me feel as if I was an ant in another world. The gold glistened and blinded the eyes at first, but I soon adjusted, and began to read the paper. 

It said, “New World Order shall start after the Battle of the Ages, be not afraid for we, the Golden Will, strike  down on the day of the fiery night, to make the mark of the ages. For we believe the world is infected and needs to be cleansed of the low life scum that are a threat to our lively ways and beautiful city.” 

The realization hit like a stone being thrown at me. I hopped on my horse and ran back, through the desolate city, for I knew this was a trap, and they planned on ending the war by eradicating us and our armies. Quickly, my horse dashed me through the city, but I was too late. A huge yellow beam came down from the castle in the center of the kingdom and shot down in the first sector. A huge blast came after the beam shot down, and the momentum of it threw me off my horse, leaving me gasping for air. 

As  I closed my eyes, I saw a Golden Beast in the distance coming my way.

 ‘Is that a…”  Darkness overtook the body. I knew I was finished, and would, be with my family soon.

 “Goodbye,” I whispered in a painful tone as the world around me slowly faded away.