Rich

A Vanguard Story

Everyone knows who they are. This is how they began.

He was never meant for the battlefield. He was meant for the fields.

Rich wanted only the quiet life of a farmer—soil beneath his hands, family at his table, and a future that stretched beyond the fences of his land.

But when disaster came, it left nothing but ash behind.

Drawn into conflict, Rich must decide whether grief will bury him—or forge him into something harder. Training will strip him down, battle will scar him, and every step will push him closer to a new identity he never wanted. The line between survivor and soldier is thinner than he ever believed.

This is the story of how a farmer became Vanguard.

This is one in a series of short stories exploring the origins of the War Angels—told one soldier at a time.