The Armor

      He stood there, his helmet and armor in place. What kind of enemy was this being in front of him? While he had fought hand to hand with dozens of them before, this time something felt different. What he saw was neither a monstrous creature with ten thousand teeth nor a ruthless, savage warrior he might defeat. He raised his shield and took his guard, but she made no move. Though he couldn’t make sense of it, he didn’t want to strike first either, because to do so, he would have to lower his guard.       Then, it snapped him. The one in front of him was more vulnerable than he was. She had neither a shield nor any gear. The world froze, and the setting changed. He wasn’t on a battlefield anymore. He was standing in a vegetable aisle, fully armored, surrounded by carrots and onions.. Why? Because this was how he was everywhere. His armor.. plate on his chest, his boots on his feet, his guard always raised.       His shoulders sagged. He took a deep breath. The eyes that gazed at him, smiling, seemed to draw him in, as if they had a magnetic pull. The armor, first his chest plate then the rest... Crumbled, piece by piece, and fell to the ground. To an outside observer, he would seem defenceless, vulnerable. But inside, he felt stronger than he had ever felt in his life. Now, there was something far more better than armor on him: Amore..