Chung gripped his spear tighter. Despite the recent knots and blisters on his hands, he couldn't feel anything. His knuckles shone ghastly white in the dim light of the early morning. Thin cracks and scars ran across the networks of thick veins on his hands.
Dark clouds and dense fog from the eastern sea moved westward across the land like a blanket, hiding the sun's rays. The wooden outpost creaked as terrible winds rode with the darkness. The wind battered Chung's coat against his body violently, threatening to throw him over the tower's edge.
Small puffs of mist escaped Chung's thin, cracked lips as he parted them to blow warm air into his shaking hands. He disliked night duty. Today should be no different, but it was. He had stood all night diligently watching the horizon. Listening. Waiting.
Chung would later recount that he was so focused on his task that even in the empty darkness, he could see clearly as dawn. A few times he thought he'd seen the messenger pigeon, but it was just a nightfowl in search of food. Nonetheless, he kept his eyes trained on the horizon, scrutinising every movement.
Perhaps he was too focused on trying to spot the bird from afar to prove he saw well enough in the dark. But he had completely missed the pigeon's arrival. Were it not for the bird's ceaseless cooing, Chung would have completely missed it. The bird stood atop the perch, twitching its head left and right as it watched Chung.
"Ah!"
Taking the bird down from the perch and into the hut, Chung carefully untied the message strap around its ankle.
WAR OVER. RETURN TO BASE.
Chung leapt from the tower and hurried to the military camp below.
ns 15.158.61.21da2
