Hannibal’s rear, which was already engaged with the main Roman front, but would not break as Rome had at Cannae.
Soon, the sounds of the battlefield left him. The world around him became quiet as he returned to a better place, a home he had not seen for many years now — a distant house, alone in the hills surrounding by lush green fields — a place he remembered from his childhood.
When his feet touched the road that led to the far-off estate, he saw her, Julia.
Oh, how he marveled her at beauty — how he craved the touch of her lips and longed to hear the soothing sounds of her voice. He had longed for her his entire life, an impossible dream that had come true. She was his soul, his reason for living each new day, and for her, he would always protect her from the monsters of the world, even at the cost of his own life.
Unlike in his dreams each night, this time, however, Gaius did not wake up. He did not hesitate to keep walking forward until she was in his loving embrace once again.
His war was over. Now his life could begin — a perfect dream made real. For her he would live and endure.
