"This is Charlie. Hostiles have taken the Eastern Quadrant."
"Med-evac 20 seconds out, start bussing the civis."
"Hostiles have broken through MAT line. Bravo is moving back to rear-guard."
"This is Echo, we're being over-run in the Western Quadrant, we ne-"
"Echo, this is Alpha. Gather the rest of your troops and evac to Foxtrot Sierra."
"This is Bravo, it's been an honor serving."
"Bravo Squad full KIA, all units return to Foxtrot Sierra. Mana be with you."
The voices that rang so loud, yet so distant belted on the radio on the soldiers shoulder. How many rounds had been expended from the rifle they held? How many of their brothers and sisters have fallen to this horrifc enemy? Was there any point in holding on any longer?
These questions rang over and over in their head as they shoved the empty mag out of the smoking rifle to collapse into the blood-made mud. They couldn't tell how long it had been since this hopeless defense had started. Minutes? Hours? The only option now was to hold onto that small sliver of hope that the others will find a way out of this mess. All this lone soldier needed to do was hold them for as long as possible.
A thick sense of death forced the soldier to instinctively jump back from the wrecked vehicle they rode in on, barely dodging a slash from above. Training the barrel towards the source, another slash rushed them down with the intent to kill. By sheer luck, they managed to push the butt of the rifle away in time to block the attack, saving their life at the risk of their left arm.
Ignoring the lost arm that crashed into the ground, the soldier pulled out their pistol and charged it as much as they could with Mana. After expending a few rounds, they rolled forward to avoid another slash before firing once more. A loud, pain filled groan fell from the monster's throat as they collapsed to the ground ontop of the soldier. The crushing weight knocked the air out of their lungs, but they managed enough Mana to strengthen themself to push the corpse off.
"This one will do."
A voice suddenly spooked the soldier just as they stood, making them turn to try and shoot at the source. An invisible blade sliced their arm off just before they saw the target, making them collapse onto their knees. With no way to fight and quickly losing hope, the pain of their missing limbs and broken ribs caught up to the bloodied soldier. Looking up to the voice, they saw a hand reaching down to grab their face.
And just like that, the nightmare ended.
The soldier sighed as they stared up to the stone ceiling that had long since grown familiar. As their habit, they swung their legs over the side of the stone bed to rest their elbows on the metal legs of the armor they now wore. A few minutes passed since they closed their eyes to recollect the quickly fading dream, but it was all for naught. Soon, a grey mist filled their right hand, leaving behind a pistol that resembled the one from their dream.
After opening their eyes, they observed the pistol with a weary look before lifting the barrel to the side of their head. Without warning, they pulled the trigger after infusing it with as much Mana as the bullet could take. The explosive shot was quickly followed by the ring of metal hitting metal, then a chunk of metal hitting the stone floor.
"Still not enough." Their weary voice sighed from within the helm they wore.
Returning the pistol to the grey mist, they stood up and looked around the room. The usual sight of the grey stone walls and floors once more reminded them how alone they were. The shelves made into the walls carried a variety of blades, guns, and other trinkets made from the stone and metal used after carving up the area.
"Right." The soft voice rang out from under the sleek helm as the soldier stood up. After a habitual stretch, their heavy steps led them out of the door and into the wide stone-made yard.
The first thing they remembered was being here, in the bleak nothingness of space. They didn't know if it was because of the asteroid that had kidnapped them, the constant use of their Mana, or some other mysterious reason, but their survival on this forsaken rock was a mystery to them.