OUT OF THE ASHES
When I was younger, I had immersed myself in books and movies of heroic battles. The tales were always gorgeous in a way-heart-pumping and engaging, filled with quick moves and dancing blows.
Heroes dashed between villains with ease, always golden, always immortal. Always confident and brave and beautiful.
The Strike Force taught me that all those stories were full of shit.
Real battle wasn't pretty. You trained to block and parry and dodge, yes, but you didn't think about it, didn't focus on long dancing combinations.