MLSB- Part 1

This is the first Part of "ML:SB". It was released on 06.03.2024.
== Plot ==
As the world continues to turn, times continues to pass. Heroes come and go. Legends continue to exist within the world's memory. And yet, the pain and suffering are always there. And the people who have experienced them in the first place... are the true heroes on this planet.
This is the brief story of Maxwell Wilson- a young general with a heart of both fire and steel. Having lost many people dear to him while he was younger, he managed to close himself inside of the relatively safe confines of his own mind, throwing the key away as he continued to dream of a better world, free of despair. He uses his newfound strength to oppose the evil of the world, and even goes as far as to burn it to the ground.
And yet, it is never enough. It will never be enough. The heart is like an elephant- it may move on, but it never forgets. As long as Maxwell continues to live, his memories shall remain.
== Story ==
The current story takes place in the middle of a war-torn battlefield. Many people lost their lives here, and their skulls shall remain forever- grim testaments of humankind's own mortality. In the middle of this mess, a young man runs forward, eager to receive his next assignment. His name is Maxwell Wilson- an aspiring hero and a general in the world's army. Armed with his gun and his faith, he prepares to put his skills to the test as he reports to his superior.
As he runs forward, the soldiers on the battlefield look around and salute him. It is clear that there is a deep level of respect for him, and those brave warriors have a lot of it. They love him, and he loves them back.
After a few minutes of running, he manages to reach a rendezvous point. A lone hill, in the middle of nowhere. Shadows dance around it as Maxwell takes a deep breath and prepares to face the inevitable.
Managing to find his superior, he stands in place and salutes her. She turns around and nods.
"Late as always, Wilson."- She says- "Normally, I'd let that go. But we're in the middle of a conflict. We can't afford to be lax and lazy."
Max looks down.
"Forgive me, madame. I've been hard at work, and I barely had any time to think about an entire battle."- He says- "Are our forces doing well?"
The woman, whose name soon turns out to be Hannah, pulls out a clipbord and puts a mark on it. She seems to be intrigued by the fact that Max cares about his subordinates, and believes that she made the right choice when she suggested his promotion,
"According to the reports of our scouts, the enemies in question seem to have a... strange disposition. Almost alien-like. I'm not quite sure what that means, but I know that they're doing serious damage to our ranks."- She says- "Max, you and I both know that we're participating in a losing battle. Those mad beasts truly mean business, and that's something that our warriors don't know about. Their army is like an unsinkable ship. No matter how hard we try, it can't be sinked from the outside."
Max nods.
"So. You are implying that I must... step in again?"- He says- "I appreciate your trust, madame, but don't you think we're going too far?"
Hannah raises her eyebrow.
"What do you mean, Max?"
Max sighs.
"I'm just saying what everyone would say, madame. I resonate their feelings and wish to project them as I fight."- He says- "But killing them all, like that crazy general from a few decades ago? I am sorry for expressing free thought, but I believe that it's impossible for a tower to fall if you simply remove its core. Sure, it may do some considerable and lasting damage, but the fall of this dark army's not guaranteed."
Hannah finally sees how wrong she was. She takes a moment to reconsider her own decisions, takes a deep breath, and remembers how she almost lost her own family years ago... just because she made a demon general very angry. She turns around and sighs.
"In that case, it may be best to draw that... creature out of its own waters. Show his face to the world, then erase it for good."- She says- "Maybe then, its so-called cronies will see how wrong it is to fight our mighty army. See that it's done."
Max realizes that he can never convince his superior to let go of her grand desires. He decides to be a good soldier and do as he is told, out of fear that his allies may suffer because of it. And he does not want anyone to suffer.
"Of course, madame."- He says- "I shall be on my way."
Hannah smiles.
"You're a good man, General Wilson, Kindness runs inside of your veins."- She says to him- "But... try not to go too far. We don't want to lose you. Our army would be nothing without capable men such as yourself."
Max nods.
"Yes, madame."- He says- "I shall thread carefully on this thin ice."
Hannah smiles again.
"Good journey, comrade."- She says- "See you on the other side."
Max salutes his superior one last time, readies his weapon and prepares to join his companions on the battlefield. Once there, he manages to knock down a group of the strange beings, saving the lives of two scouts that were stuck against a giant rock.
When they see who managed to save them, they turn around and salute him.
"General Wilson! It's an honor!"- One of them says- "We thought we were goners, but we're safe now! And it's all thanks to you, sire!"
Max smiles, and motions for them to stand normally.
"You're flattering me. I was just doing my job."- He says- "So. What's your report? Is the prognosis a good one?"
One of the scouts shakes his head.
"Far from it, sire."- He says- "The forces of those alien things are far too overwhelming."
The other one sighs.
"Yeah."- He confirms- "Their blasters made short work of the fourth division, and put serious dents inside of the third one's defense. If you've got a plan to turn this around, it must happen now. With all due respect, of course."
Max sighs.
"Anything else?"
Both scouts shake their heads.
"Nope."- He says- "We are eager to return."
Max nods.
"Good."- He responds- "You're free to go, soldiers."
The scouts stand tall and salute him.
"We shall make you proud, sire!"- The first one says- "We won't let ourselves get caught like this! Not anymore!"
Max nods again.
"Very well."- He says- "Then prove how determined you truly are."
The scouts nod.
"You got it, sire!"- They exclaim- "Tally Ho!"
Then, without any doubt left, the two scouts prepare to reach a safer region. However, they soon step into a pair of land mines and nearly blow themselves up, if not for their general shooting the mines before they blow up.
Having saved the scouts under his command again, Max sighs.
"I am surrounded by a bunch of fools. They have good hearts and strong spirits, but they still have a long way to go before they become experts in the arts of battle."- He says to himself- "I was sent here to train them for the worst of circumstances. And yet, there's no better teacher than Life itself. No one can teach you better. I should know, because I'm being constantly taught by it... "
And then, he sits down, remembering the time when the biggest incident happened.
At that time, he was staying with his fiancee- the beautiful Leah. A gorgeous and powerful woman, with the heart of a lioness. She and Max fell in love after he saved her from a band of fake vigilantes that she was attempting to punish on her own. Her bravery impressed Max and made him want her for himself. And so, she soon became his woman.
"Oh, Maxi! There you are!"- Leah says and embraces him lovingly- "I was wondering what happened. Thinking about you makes me very worried."
Max sighs.
"You know how it is, sugar. Same thing every single day. Defend the pallisade from fools. Write reports of the units. Train the greenhorns in the art of battle."- He says- "It's a mission with no end, but seeing your face makes me feel like I'm in Heaven."
Leah buries her head in Max's chest and starts to weep softly.
"Dearest, I had the most horrible dream last night. I was sitting out here, cooking your favorite food. And then, I saw a huge explosion in the military compound. I witnessed your body falling from the sky. Nothing was left of you, not even a single sign of life."- She says- "I was so terrified, dear. To lose you in such a horrible way... a woman musn't experience things like that. Please,take better care of yourself. Your sister thinks that you're working far too hard, and she's right. You must mix pleasure with pain, not the other way around."
Max sighs again.
"Believe me, I'd really like to. But military work's no joke."- He says- "I signed up because I wanted to protect our planet. To respect and be respected. I have a purpose and that's what keeps me afloat. But my duty's something that lasts for a lifetime. I can't just let those people down."
Leah shakes her head and embraces him even harder.
"No. You're not disappointing anyone."- She says- "You're the coolest man I've ever met. Your bravery shall be remembered for years to come."
Max smiles.
"I love you, my sweet angel."
Then, the two of them kiss passionately. Both of them have been starved out for love. Finding each other made them much more hopeful for a good future.
After kissing for a few minutes, Leah looks up and smiles.
"You know what, darling? I've gotta come clean."- She says- "I know that you're not much of a family man, but I want to be honest. Right now, I really want a baby. I want us to have a family of our own, far away from any kind of problems. I want to see our children run around, happy and loved."
Her eyes tear up a little bit.
"Am I asking for too much?"
Max shakes her head.
"Far from it. This is exactly what I want, too."- He says- "You see, when I look into your eyes, I see the future ahead of me. I can see our little children, becoming powerful and determined like us. So, yes. I also want a child of our own. Seeing the little kids of the lesser units fills me with hope."
Leah smiles.
"Then how about we do it now?"- She asks- "Hop on, honey! It's time for a wild ride!"
Max raises his eyebrow.
"Hold on."- He says- "Are you really that enthusiastic?"
Leah smiles again.
"Look into my eyes."- She says- "What do you see?"
Max does this without questioning her motives. It does not take him long to see how much she wants to make this happen. Her determination is truly inspiring, and it fills him with joy and hope for whatever comes next.
Having seen what he wanted to see, he nods and pulls her closer.
"If that's what you desire, how could I refuse?"- He says- "We want a child, and we want it now. So, let's do this."
Leah grins.
"Come here, sweetheart."- She says- "It's showtime."
As the two of them start to kiss passionately again, the dream turns into static, and changes to the time when their hometown was attacked by a group of raiders. Those trained warriors managed to bring grief to the community, bringing down countless buildings and murdering many good people. Unfortunately, poor, sweet Leah was among the casualties. 
When Max returned from his late night shift, he wanted to see his beautiful wife again. She was close to becoming pregnant and he really wanted to continue loving her. Instead, all that he saw was ruins and despair. He hoped to see his wife still alive, but what he saw was far more horrifying. It turns out that Leah's remains were crushed by the rubble, her right hand sticking out of the ruins, as if desperately calling for help. Max tries to pull her out, but even his best efforts are not enough to move away the wreckage.
He prepares to try again, but soon feels a sharp tug. He turns around and sees his own sister- Abigail- who seems to be very worried.
"Max! What in the world are you doing here?"- She asks him- "There's still danger in this place! You can't just waltz in!"
Max looks at her, utterly shocked.
"What happened here, Abi?"- He asks her- "Who did this?!"
Abigail shakes her head.
"We don't know, but we plan to find out!"- She says- "Now, come on! Everyone's waiting for us outside. We shouldn't keep 'em waiting!"
Max shakes his head.
"I'm not going anywhere without Leah!"- He exclaims- "Alive or not, we must pull her out!"
Abigail sighs.
"Believe me, I tried to set her free from that rocky prison. I pulled, and pulled, but the grip of the earth's far too strong."- She says- "We can't pull her out, Max. Not without the help of an entire team of excavators and demomen."
Max looks at her incredulously.
"Are we really going to leave her here?"- He asks- "Are we just going to move on with our lives and forget about her?!"
Abigail shakes her head.
"No one's getting left behind. That's what we promise to each other, right?"- She says- "It's just a basic procedure. If you're not strong enough to take down a powerful monster, don't you want to train to become stronger than it? Isn't this the way you do it in the army?"
Max sighs.
"I... guess?"
Abigail nods.
"Then stop crying and stand up!"- She exclaims- "Leah doesn't want to see you sad and lost in the past. She wants to see you happy. So, try to be happy. For her sake alone."
Max looks down.
"I... will do my best."
Not long later, Max is promoted to the rank of General for his bravery while leading an entire squad to clear out the enemies who destroyed his hometown, ensuring the safety of everyone. He soon approached his superior- GA Hannah- in the hopes that she would listen to his desperate pleas.
As expected, the result did not go well. GA Hannah thought that Max was mad, willing to disobey his orders to save a loved one instead of continuing to serve King and Country. However, when Max threatened to leave his place in the army, Hannah realized just how valuable of an asset he truly is. Against her instincts, she decided to allow Max and a small squad of well-trained excavators to pull the woman out, knowing that he wouldn't be able to serve well if his fiancee was still in the ruins.
Upon his return, Max was met with a faint growl. It came from the same spot where Leah was buried under a mound of rubble. From the looks of it, a monster had decided to go in there, making the place its home. The excavators were terrified, and with a good reason. But Max's command was far too convincing. They soon got to work, laboriously (and unenthusiactically) chipping away the rubble.
Not long later, most of the rubble is cleared away, revealing a small hole in the ground. As everyone watches, a small group of rats eagerly emerges from it, scattering in all directions. Then, much to their dismay, a rotten hand claws its way out of the remains of the wreckage, easily cutting through the tainted dirt.
Max watches, horrified, as his undead fiancee climbs out of the ruins. She catches one of the excavators by surprise and pounces on him, sinking her sharp teeth into his delicate neck and drawing out an alarming amount of blood. And then, without any remorse, she lunges at the rest of the warriors, who run away at the sight of her monstrous appearance.
Barely able to believe that this is her, Max approaches the undead Leah as she prepares to feed. He gently caresses her cheek and kisses it, only to gag and puke a few moments later. And yet, her unsightly appearance does not bother him. He was used to seeing her beautiful face, and nothing has changed yet. In his eyes, at the very least.
"It's still hard to believe that you're gone. I did so much to keep you safe and sound, yet life managed to one-up me once again."- He says- "I'm sorry, Leah. I really am. I wanted us to bring new life to this world, yet lost the one of my own love."
As Max continues to ramble, Leah lunges at him and attempts to bite him. This sparks an immediate reaction from the young warrior, who leaps back and draws his gun, completely forgetting that this creature used to be his fiancee. When she attempts to lunge again, he fires a single laser round through her skull, ending her suffering instantly.
Now that the tension is finally over, Max sees what he did to his love. He falls to his knees, thinking that he killed her a second time.
"Leah. My love."- He says- "I... I'm so sorry. Forgive me. I didn't want to do this."
And then, the story changes to the moment when he returns to GA Hannah and reports the success of his mission, barely able to hold his tears back. He can clearly remember how she told him the exact same word, now burning bright inside of his mind.
"Tell me, Wilson."- She says- "Are you willing to let your fiancee's sacrifice be in vain? Or are you finally going to let go of that past of yours?"
Snapping back to reality, Max realizes that it was all just a bunch of fragments of the past. Fearless and determined, he readies his weapon and prepares for another busy day on the battlefield.
"Well, madame."- He mutters, still thinking about those words- "There's only one way to find out."