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Ashes of Gunpowder: Rebirth of the forgotten soldier

Rzzy
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Synopsis
"50 km marching into nothing. Do this thing— does it always bring humanity to something? They forced us to say goodbye to our mother. They said it was for something greater. This is war." On 2054 Europe on the spark of war again, but for 4 years later the war is ended because the countries basically already tired of it, even though on the papper the war still ongoing. Follow a mysterious veteran, scarred by the cost of survival, having lost an arm and an eye in the brutal struggle. Yet, this ordeal was far from over. After a mundane trip to the market, the veteran perishes from an unknown phenomenon, only to awaken in another world. This new reality, strikingly similar to Earth's 1920s-1930s era. The once-mighty monarchy of Felsburg has been overthrown by a coup, replaced by the iron rule of Erzregen, the self-proclaimed Supreme Regent. With past memories intact, the protagonist begins to unravel the dark reality beneath the kingdom’s grand facade—widespread propaganda, growing militarization, and a populace coerced into unwavering loyalty. The new given family for the protagonist finds is fractured in belief. The father, Paul, is a fervent supporter of the new regime as an loyal paramilitary officer for the new government, while the mother, Inge, remains quietly skeptical. With tensions escalating among the neighbor countries and a nation poised on the brink of something far more sinister, how will this new world's grim destiny shape a veteran soul now bound to a vulnerable new beginning?
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Chapter 1 - Prolog

📜 Seventy Years Later after The Great War, The Forgotten Trench of Veldenmark

"What the hell is this!?"

"You've just found something incredible..."

In a long-forgotten war trench, its edges softened by time, two young historians, a man and a woman was now stares at the object they had unearthed.

The woman carefully lifted it: a weathered book, wrapped in a cloth that had protected it for decades. Though dirt-covered, the book had remained intact.

"This isn't just any cloth... Someone must have wanted this book to survive..." the man murmured as he examined the material.

Seventy years had passed since the war's end. The trenches of Veldenmark had become a historical site, where researchers searched for artifacts of the past, hoping to educate future generations about the horrors of war.

But what they had found today was unlike anything before.

A soldier's diary, a firsthand account from the era of the great war.

And what shocked them even more... was what was written inside.

"Born in 1921... began military service in 1931..." the woman read aloud, her voice trembling.

"This soldier was one of the child conscripts... forced into battle."

Silence hung between them.

The man exhaled deeply before muttering:

"This might be the only surviving diary of a child soldier..."

And it made sense. Those who had been forcibly recruited were mostly street orphans, abandoned by their families and left to survive in the alleys. They never had access to education, many of them couldn't even read or write.

Yet somehow, this child had written a diary...

The book was thicker than expected, given that it was written by a child. From the way the author described their experiences, it was clear—the writer was a girl.

But so far, there was no mention of her name. Like most personal journals, it had been written in the first person, with no introduction.

The woman slowly closed the book, brushing off the dirt covering the cover. The original color had long since faded.

But as she wiped away the last layer of dust, words began to emerge on the surface.

Her hands trembled as she read the title aloud:

"MY DAYS IN THIS GODDAMN WAR?"

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