As all of the other soldiers in his regiment easily jumped over the crevice, Cennet stopped suddenly, not out of any sense of fear, but rather from an inexplicable bout of fascination. Rising up from the deep crack in the uneven obsidian terrain was a red-hot cyclone of burning cinders. Far below the surface of the desolate battlefield was a churning torrent of molten rock. Despite the other running soldiers, distant explosions lighting up the horizon, and gunfire zipping past just over his head, Cennet stared into the scalding river of lava for several seconds, time he really didn’t have to spare.
When another soldier in his unit clapped him on the back as he passed, Cennet was roused from his trance and his attention locked back on target. He followed the rest of the formation to the top of a twisted rise of porous black rock overlooking a nightmarish scene of heavy combat taking place on a shifting arena of partially solidified volcanic rock. Several hundred meters away, he could just make out the lead ranks of the enemy force.
Cennet took up position behind a piece of the rock that jutted straight up, kneeling as he double-checked the clip in his assault rifle. He watched as the two soldiers immediately adjacent to him stood up and emptied their clips to suppress the enemy advance, knowing it would be his turn to stand and pick out individual targets as soon as their rounds were complete. He was already up when their weapons ran dry, having attentively counted each bullet they fired to anticipate his action.
The first thing he saw through the scope of his rifle was the face of an armored helmet looking down a barrel at him from across the field. A heartbeat later, he felt a sucking tightness compress his abdomen as a tungsten slug quietly entered and exited his body. Staggering backwards, he dropped his rifle and looked down at the gaping wound, the blood pouring out over his hands. As many of his companions looked on, some shaking their heads slowly, Cennet turned and limped away from the front line.
With his mind reeling from blood loss and his insides screaming in agony, he managed to walk for several minutes until he once again found himself staring down into the crevice. The promise of blissful oblivion was addicting, far too enticing for him to refute how much he needed it. Without a second thought, he leaned forward and silently tumbled down into the rolling lava.