Never Again

Define war. Define it in all of its complexity. It holds the power to obliterate reality and spit out nothing but skeletal structures. It creates monsters, only to destroy them in the next breath. It tears people apart, souls apart, families apart. Its flight or fight. It's kill or be killed. Yet the manifested pain isn't simple or explainable. It's physical, emotional, and mental. It destroys your very core, taking a piece of your humanity with it. It's unforgivable. It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth that can never be rid of. It will haunt you forever. The blood. The screaming. The agony. But when does it end? Is it when the last person dies at the hands of another? Is it the first smile breaking through amongst the sea of tears? Is it when a morsel of relief settles in your heart? Or, in reality, is the prospect of a climax just an optimistic dream? Is hope just an illusion we hold onto as to not drive us to complete madness? Can we not stomach the thought of this agony to outlive us?

Ash Ketchum started to believe it may never end.