(Y/N) POV:

You stopped running once you reached the bus stop. You took big breaths, there were other people present, that meant you didn't miss the bus. You checked the time, you were even early. You smiled in relief at yourself before noticing (B/F/N) already sitting in the few seats of the bus stop, meaning that they were one of the first to arrive.

You facepalmed. Do they wake up at 3AM or something to be that much early? You walked towards them, smiling a bit. You were still tense, apprehension flooding your veins from stress and exhaustion. Yet, seeing their familiar face put you a bit more at ease. You greeted them.

-"Hey (B/F/N), Not too stressed for the exam?" You asked them. They perked up from the scrolling of their phone and grinned at you, already a ball of sunshine this early.

-"(Y/N)! Nah I'm fine. What about you? You look even more tired..." They spoke with concern, noticing your eye bags. You couldn't blame them, your body was just working on hopes and dreams right now, only the stress from the exams were holding it all together. You nonetheless smiled and sat down next to them.

-"Don't worry, after this exam, I'm gonna hibernate. Only a few more hours to go." You chuckled, they smiled a little, glad your mood was still up.

-"So what did you dream of tonight?" They asked, still fascinated by how your nights went and how you lived a full on adventure in your subconscious. You eagerly told them, sometimes you would slip a joke or two, making the two of you laugh until the bus to your fate finally arrived.

-"Angels first." (B/F/N) teased as they let you enter the bus. They never missed an occasion, finding it funny how your new soldiers friends saw you as an angel. Some didn't even know your name and just called you «The angel of the trench» when talking to others. In some way it's a good thing because those stories travel all the way through the different trenches.

Even though you didn't want to, it was hard to stop rumours from being whispered around. So, you were glad it wasn't your real name being shared amongst every soldier. It even warms up your heart when Berthold tells you that those stories about the «Angel of the Trench» made desperate soldiers a bit more hopeful about their future.

Anyways, although your mood had been lifted up during the ride thanks to (B/F/N), the moment you stepped out of the bus, stress hit you again like a wave. You and your best friend shared a look, your summons weren't even in the same building.

-"Well...it's time I guess." You sighed. (B/F/N) clutched a bit your arm and spoke reassuringly.

-"It's gonna be fine, you worked as much as you could." They told you, making you smile a little.

-"You're right. And (B/F/N), good luck to you too." You called out as you two parted ways. (B/F/N) smiled at you before disappearing through the doors of their building. You sighed once you were alone before quickly going to your own building, trying to put your mind at ease as all your year's work was on the line.

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You put down your pen as the bell rang, putting an end to the exam. You were done. And you actually did a pretty good job. You felt so many things at the same time, you wanted to cry, laugh and throw up all together. That was it. All your work and studies. You didn't have to worry about that anymore.

The corridors were quickly filled with tons of students. All having different expressions, some were ecstatic while others were crying. While walking towards the exit you talked with a friend from class to compare your answers. After realising you had written an entire maze for a question when the answer could have been found way more easily, you finally crossed the doors to the outside.

As the fresh air hits you, you let out a breath to try and push away the nausea. Across the campus you could see a couple of extroverted boys running around while screaming in joy and throwing their bags in the air. It was pretty tempting to be honest and maybe you would have even joined them if you didn't feel so...tired.

You held your head, feeling your eyelids grow heavy as you walked drowsily. Now that the stress, the adrenaline and all of that went off, you felt like you were gonna collapse. Sounds in your ears were getting duller, your head was aching and your legs felt weak. You sat down in the field, your bag to your side.

-"Are you okay (Y/N)?" (B/F/N)'s voice called out, making you perk up from your daze. You didn't even reply and just gave a weak nod before lifting your head to look at them. The sun rays were hitting your eyes but they then moved so their body covered it.

Now you could see properly the concern written over their face. They were holding their bag with one hand and the other held a sandwich they had prepared previously, a bite already taken. You felt hungry, too. But more disoriented than anything. Realising you were about to faint, (B/F/N) quickly crouched down next to you and put a hand behind your back to support you as you were sitting.

-"(Y/N). (Y/N) look at me." They said, their voice firm yet concerned. You turned your head towards them, your eyes confused and blurry. They fixed your hair out of your face so you could breathe properly.

-"Calm down okay, I'm here. I know you're surely exhausted but hang on a bit." They told you gently, their hand reaching for their phone to reach your mother's contact. Exhausted? Yes...it's true you were. How long has it been since you had a proper night of sleep? A week? More? Those weird lucid dreams had drained all your energy.

-"I...I don't feel good..." You muttered, closing your eyes. The world was spinning when they were open, worsening your headache. (B/F/N) panicked every time you closed your eyes, fearing that you were just gonna faint here.

-"Hang on (Y/N). Try to keep your eyes open, I'm calling your mother to pick us up." They said, tapping your cheek slightly with their finger to keep you awake while pressing on the call button. This was embarrassing yet strangely soothing. Unfortunately your state didn't get better, the exhaustion of the past week compiled and pulled you down like a rock.

-"I think I'm gonna pass out.." You mumble to them, and right after you spoke, your eyelids closed again and you just had the time to feel your body falling back before faintly hearing (B/F/N) call out your name as they caught you in their arms. It then all went black.

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'Now this, this is strange.' You thought, as you felt your body slumping down. 'Have you been sitting 50 meters above the ground or something?' Even though you had fainted, you could feel your body falling, falling, falling... You couldn't move nor open your eyes, you didn't even feel air in your ears as you fell, you just knew you were falling.

Then, you suddenly landed on what felt like a huge, half-deflated mattress. It slowed down your fall, until your body suddenly laid in something wet. The sudden feeling made you shiver and instantly sit up, you could move again. You looked down at yourself. You were sitting in one of the large and deep puddles of mud of the trench. Great.

You cringed as you stood up, hearing the disgusting squishing sounds. No need to say that your outfit was ruined. Usually your outfits weren't affected in real life unlike your energy, you hoped it'd stay this way for tonight.

Wait, «tonight»? No it wasn't night, you were just used to saying this. You frowned as you remembered the previous events. Right, you passed out after your exam. What a way to celebrate it. You hoped that (B/F/N) was okay and that people helped them with your... unconscious body. '...That's awkward.'

You sighed as you wiped yourself at least a little, you glanced around for any sign of Berthold and Christoph, you always appeared next to them, or at least a nearby soldier. However...there was no one. You furrowed your eyebrows, feeling the cold air traveling around the trench. It was cold and dark, like usual, but it was silent. No soldier in sight.

-"What's happening..." You mumble to yourself as you start to slowly walk around, looking for any sign of life. Usually there would always be a soldier or two sitting in a corner, playing with dice or sculpting a little wooden figure to send to their family but now there was none.

You shivered, the cold wind giving you goosebumps as you stood in a simple baggy sweatshirt and trousers. Not the most beautiful outfit but you had figured that for a written exam, it was best to be in something comfortable. Now it gives you the slightest comfort as you got worried for your friends. Well, maybe imaginary friends since it's all still just a dream but still a friend!

After all for the same reason that you were so exhausted, it's been more than a week since you appeared in those trenches every night, so now you get used to this strange reality, making friends with most of the soldiers here. But as you look through the empty trenches, something tells you that it will not be like the other times.

'Why is this so silent, and where is everyone?' You thought as you shivered. Your legs were shaking a bit, after all you had just collapsed in exhaustion and now you still had to move and spend yourself physically. Does the world have a problem with you to put up with this sick joke?

Nonetheless, you kept wandering. The trenches were messy and the footprints in the mud gave hints that people had been running. Equipment was scattered around, left out as it was. As if people left in a rush. Worry spread more into you and you quickened the pace across the trenches. You wanted to call out for your friends but you figured in this context it wouldn't be the smartest.

So, you grabbed on yourself and kept wandering through the thin muddy corridors. The fog was thick and it was hard to see through, you almost slipped tens of times. Then, as you were about to turn at a corner you heard people whispering. You furrowed your eyebrows and focused more to listen to what was said, you noticed an accent that you never heard in the trench.

You threw a glance ahead of the corner and saw a few men, about three, that you didn't recognize whispering to eachother in a rush. They had their weapons ready and looked tense. Worry crept onto you as you realised they weren't wearing the German uniform. Instead of a dark green colour their uniform was navy blue.

The french uniform. One of the men then glanced at where you were so you immediately backed away and hid behind the wall, your heart beating fast and hard. Upon seeing the spot empty, the french soldier furrowed his eyebrows and slowly approached, his hand tightening on his rifle.

-"Is someone there?" He asked, while taking slow steps towards your hiding spot, making you panic. His teammates looked at him and readied themselves too. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on your side as the sounds of equipment and wood falling suddenly resonated through the trenches from behind you.

It wasn't you, but it wouldn't take long before the soldiers would check on it and see you along the way. Indeed, upon hearing the commotion the soldiers immediately turned around and held their weapons close to themselves in any case. When one of them started walking towards where you stood, you didn't wait for him to find you and quickly started running desperately across the trench, fear and panic swallowing you whole.

-"Hey, you!" The french soldiers shouted as they saw you and two of them started chasing you, not reassuring you in the slightest so you kept running faster and faster. Fortunately the trenches were made in zigzags so you weren't on full sight and too much of an obvious target to their rifles, something that wouldn't have been possible if the corridors were straight.

Your brain then started panicking over why the heck were french soldiers here. You recognized the trench, it was definitely the one you always appeared in with Christoph, Berthold and all others. Your blood ran cold at the thought of them. What happened to them?

If the French had succeeded to pass through the No Man's land and enter the trench, the outcome of the soldiers present is quite obvious, you just hoped it wasn't too late, even though you weren't sure of what you could do. 'So wonderful.' You thought sarcastically.

-"Why is this all happening to me?!" You screamed in frustration as you ran. Yes, it wasn't a wise idea and yes, you kept indicating your position, but right now your brain kept on insisting it was just a dream so logically you didn't really risk anything, right? Even though your body kept indicating it wasn't.

-"I Just want to sleep!" You kept on going, on the brim of just breaking down. At least maybe you were confusing the people chasing you. Upon turning a few corners you then saw movements ahead of you. Other soldiers! For a second you froze, thinking it was french soldiers too but then you recognized the uniform and the faces of some soldiers that you had spent some time with.

-"Hey! Wait!" You called out, trying to reach out to them. You sighed out of relief when you saw they slowed down, but it quickly went away as you realised they turned around and targeted you with their rifle. Of course, they knew they were coursed by french soldiers, so it's logical they assumed you were one, moreover the distance between you and the Germans were too far away for them to recognize you.

You tried to tell them it was you but as you moved more towards them, one of them aimed and pressed the trigger. Your eyes widened and you stopped abruptly as you heard a gunshot. Your life flashed before your eyes, you didn't even have the time to scream and your body had instinctively closed your eyes tightly, waiting for some huge pain to burn at your skin as the bullet would come in contact with you.

But it never came. You just felt an uncomfortable feeling like a needle fazed through your skin.

You dared to open one eye and saw that the German soldiers had rushed to your side immediately when they recognised you. When they noticed that you weren't injured, relief and confusion flooded into their eyes, but they didn't wait a second and pulled you with them since your legs were too wobbly to work normally.

-"Wh...What..where..how..." You kept muttering, as your knees kept giving out from the fear you just felt. You had goosebumps all over your body and the slight envy to throw up from the sudden intense fright. Yet you kept questioning yourself, what happened? Where did the bullet go? Why didn't it hurt you? (Not like you were going to complain)

The soldiers whispered a few things to each other in a serious yet panicked tone and you got your answer as you looked behind you. One of the two french soldiers that had been chasing you was now on the ground, dead. The bullet had really fazed through you as if you were air.

The other soldier stood there, looking at you with bewilderment and fear, almost not bothered by the death of his comrade as he kept pondering on how the bullet didn't hurt you. What kind of demonic creature were you? Taking advantage of the shock he was in, your new friends pulled you away to a more secluded trench. Slowly you got over your own shock to follow them on your own.

At some point your little group finally stopped to catch their breath. You looked at your companions, they were four, five if you included yourself. You remembered having talked to them sometimes with Christoph and Berthold. They were some of the soldiers that were very nice yet that didn't want to accept that you were NOT an angel of some sort. After that you stopped being concerned over yourself, you started worried about your friends.

-"Where are Christoph and Berthold? Were they able to escape?" You asked, furrowing your eyebrows as you analysed their expressions. One of them shrugged, while another was watching for any signs of french soldiers returning. However there was one that seemed to betray himself by avoiding your gaze, so you obviously targeted him.

-"Where are they?" You approached him, voice firm. He gulped and lifted his hands up, it seems you were more intimidating than you thought.

-"Listen I don't know! I just caught a glimpse of Berthold when we were ordered to retreat, he was rushing the opposite way." He spoke, clearly sounding uneasy.

-"He...he rushed the other way? Why didn't he try to escape directly?" You asked weakly, worried about your friends.

-"I don't know, but that was the way to the infirmary, and Christoph is still unable to walk properly with his injuries." The more he spoke, the more concerned you were getting. 'Stupid Berthold', you thought nervously. Why did you influence him to be a good person? Now he's risking his life to rescue his friend. 'Okay that's actually pretty cute but still.'

-"I need to go find them." You firmly decided. The other soldiers looked at you with surprise and the one you spoke to paled.

-"What? No! It's too dangerous!" He exclaimed while holding your arm. Your gaze however was cold and determined.

-"Did you see how the bullet you shot fazed through me? I don't risk anything. Now let me go." You told him, feeling a bit ashamed from the guilt tripping you pulled on him but hey! He had really traumatised you with that shot. The soldier frowned and looked down but his grip didn't get lighter, and you swore it just became more firm.

-"I... I can't, I really can't." He muttered, closing his eyes tightly. You felt the gaze of three other soldiers on you two.

-"Why can't you?" You looked at him in confusion but he didn't seem to have heard your question. He kept avoiding your gaze, his grip on your arm unfaltering, you noticed he was trembling a little bit too.

-"Trust me I really wish I could, Berthold, Christoph...Thanks to you they are my friends and I'm worried about them but we can't go and check on them...nor let you go." He told you, a sad yet determined look on his face. You couldn't help but blink blankly at him. This guy had some problems that started to concern you too.

-"Listen little guy, I love you but we kinda don't have the time for you to rant on your life unfortunately. I just want you to let me go, or to tell me why you can't." You said, getting a bit impatient. The trench was attacked, you didn't know where Berthold and Christoph were, and the French could see your little group at any point.

The soldier looked a bit embarrassed from being called out. Fortunately the one man that was previously watching for any signs of the French soldiers returning came back and answered your question bluntly.

-"We can't because we were ordered to retreat and to bring you with us. And when we're ordered something, we can't disobey." He said while pointing at his own flag mark on his cheek. The other soldiers nodded bitterly. You glanced at the one that was holding your arm, he was looking at the ground but you could see he had a frown on his face.

Now you felt pity for them. They were really just puppets and that mark was their strings. They were just pawns useful only to receive orders and proceed them. But you knew their existence couldn't be summed up at only this.

You could testify your ideas. When you first met those soldiers they were indeed just pawns, all identical but now they have their own personality, their own feelings. It meant that those rules could change.

-"You told me that Berthold had stopped retreating and turned back around to retrieve Christoph. It means he disobeyed, right? That means it's possible for you to do the same." You tried to reason him, but he still looked hesitant. However it was clear he was battling in his mind. You swore that his flag mark flickered for a second before he breathed out and let you go.

-"Thank you." You smiled at him and he smiled back, feeling like he was free, maybe it was the first time he ever disobeyed. You hid how you rubbed your arm to soothe where his tight grip had left a numb feeling.

-"Be careful." One of the young men in your group said, he grinned while taking his rifle. Looking a bit more excited than he should.

-"We'll buy you time. Those Frenchies won't know what hit them!" He laughed, the others giving him concerned looks, you too sweatdropped at him.

-"Uhm... Don't kill more than necessary, please?" You asked. He pouted but after some convincing he nodded. You gave him a thumbs up and quickly after, you had started to run again through the trenches, in the direction of the infirmary.

Please be okay, please be okay...