ㅤ ᅠ ㅤㅤ⁺FRANCE, 1944. It was the best kept secret in history. Nobody knew when would it happen. It could have been on the clear afternoons of April or the humid nights of August when the rains soak the beaches of the Normandy Coast. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ But it happened on June 6th. In the early hours of the morning, the Allied Fleet appeared on the horizon. Over the waters, they sailed more than 5k warships and in the back, the command ships, crammed with antennas, surrounded by dozens of landing crafts. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ These transports, sliding in the rough sea, they're now heading towards the five French beaches that the troops chosen for the invasion, referred only under codenames where the incursions from a few countries would take place. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ D-Day, as it would be described in the history books, had begun hours before, during the early hours of the morning, when eighteen thousand paratroopers jumped behind the germanic lines. Their job was to prevent enemy's retreat at any costs. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ Scattered along the Cotentin peninsula, every single one there had at their side the surprise element. And Death. There it was an exception. For enlisted men and officers of the 29th and 1st Divisions of Infantry, this would be a bloody dawn. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ Squeezed inside the boats, bent over, with the clothes soaked, they bounced in the waves, the “hellevator”, as the whispers said. The engine noise made them dizzy, the smell of diesel made them nauseated. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ Every one of those men carried knives, pistols, grenades, rifles and had in their backpack a set of shovels for digging trenches, gas masks, rations, and first aid kits. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ Many had not slept for two nights, restless in anticipation, others didn't want the morning meal, and the weakest were seasick. In one of these transport, someone called attention for the coldness, a young man with black hair and eyes, average in everything. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ That's Asriel. Asriel looked up at the sky. A rainy morning and gray, different from all the others. He didn't know, but he would carry this colour in his eyes for the rest of his existence after today. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ The sun beams cut through the clouds, descended in golden light, penetrating like spears into the surface of the sea. From inside, the vessel looked like a fish can — filthy, smelly, not allowing them to see how much of terror was waiting for them. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ A lot, this is war, after all. —Hold the line, — came a voice from the megaphones, urging the helmsmen to hold the formation, which was threatening to break with the ebb and flow of the waves. The sky filled with airplanes ready for a fight. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ Farther up, invisible to human beings, he saw angels of death. They shared his power, he should be their commander if not for such order coming from his beloved brother. He was an archangel, and now he envied those there, up in the sky. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ He got an order to remain on the physical plane to record earthly battles. Under the order of his oldest brother, he had enlisted in the army. Went under different names, different faces. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ He tried to behave like the other recruits, but he had a dark personality, which had earned him the reputation of being psychotic, intimidating. After the traumatic experience in the first war, he had deliberately chosen not to make any more friends. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ To bolster his cover, he'd declined all promotions, remainin' in the ranks as a soldier, a thoroughly ordinary nobody without any unusual attributes. He look to those around him,he would remember those names, he need to. No one else would. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ He gave a small smile when he heard someone afraid about sharks in the water. — If you're going to open your mouths, it's better for some pray. And keep your heads down, The captain screamed he ordered, and immediately half the recruits began praying in a low tone. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ —Hey, Clarence.— A corporal nudged his partner, who was praying with all his might. — I thought you're an atheist. — mate, at a time like this any help is welcome — he justified himself, and would have prolonged the convo if it hadn't been silenced by a bang. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ Suddenly, everything was engulfed in a smokescreen, the powerful German guns, were kept silent until then, giving the false impression that the enemies soldiers had been exterminated. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ Not a minute later, as soon they feet touched the ground, the war had taken on another dimension, more terrible, frightening. Rockets exploded over them, shrapnel rained down with dirt. Asriel threw himself on the ground, then got up, lookin for the lieutenant. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ A close explosion sent a shard of steel in his direction hitting the lieutenant in his forehead. When he stood up, his rifle full of dirt, he saw himself in the middle of a battalion made of ghosts. A third shoot, exploded not in the ground, but in the air. ㅤ ㅤ

ㅤ ㅤ It threw Asriel fifteen meters to the right, burned his forearm, charred the sleeve of his jacket, disoriented him for a few seconds, and when he regained his posture he had sand stuck to his face. ㅤ ㅤ