vi. next door.

more than half a year has passed since EuOIa has seen yet another change of command.

as the old guard handed over their duties to the new guard, we welcomed a new chapter in the history of EuOIa.

since then, the tumultuous memories of the past had slowly faded. the vengeance of the previous generation had been forgotten, bit by bit, as time went by.

then, at the stroke of midnight on the 31st of December, the melody began.

it permeated the air of every house, of every village, of every hill and clime.

It rang:

"Wasn't it just yesterday
I couldn't find the words to say
To fill the empty silence
To break the awkward moments

A little smile and laughter shared
A friendship sparked because you cared
This path we tread won't be smooth
But together we will pull through

Walking hand in hand, heart to heart
Joining voices to sing and dance
When I start this song, you'll sing along
And we can just go on and on and on

When we look back, will we remember
Each moment of this year?
The days that mark our time in here
Threaten to disappear

All that we have's the present
To cherish while we can
Seizing every chance we're blessed with
And leave with no regrets..."

the next morning, when the people awoke, they realised that the old guard had left them.

no one could explain their mysterious disappearance. some said that The Dark Raider had come in the night to abduct them. others thought that they had all been afflicted with a disease with no cure. however, the explanation most people believed in was that the old guard had "moved on to a higher place."

and so, they mourned.

and as they mourned, they erected a monument, and adorned it with the memorabilia of those whom they had loved and hated.

it still stands today, as a reminder of those who had once led our people.

let it stand for a million generations, as a reminder of what had transpired over the past two years.

let it stand forever.

(to be continued...)