Raksha are strange creatures. We once hypothesized that they all shared a collective hive mind, until we saw how individual and different each one acted. We thought of them as animals, their intelligence varied from the dumbest Neanderthals, to the level of a normal adult of our species. Their language soundslike the same few words, the only variation being in different tonal shifts or pitches. They have one goal in mind, which we know from when they still had their humanity as cultists; to summon their God, the self-made one. How? How will they do it? That’s still something that is puzzling us to this day. The three demonic gifts, we know what they are, we just never saw them be used. How much power will they need to summon their God? Will they sacrifice themselves to do it? It is only a matter of time before it happens, but we need to route the Raksha and exterminate them completely.
— Jaeger Paul Zill.
People say it’s the staff or the tome that’s the key to summoning their silly God. All three of those demonic gifts are critical to the process. Think of it this way; the cultists sold their souls in exchange for the three gifts, yet the self-made was never summoned immediately and still hasn’t for years. They are missing something; we know what the tome does. It has the incantations, it transformed them into the ugly bastards they are. The staff has been recorded to sacrifice Raksha to empower other Raksha and their attacks. I witnessed it myself, a soul beam. At the time they only sacrificed twenty of their own and the soul beam that fired out killed many of the Jaegers that had responded to the hunt. That was one of the few times the Raksha had ever gotten away from us. But we know all of that already! What about the sword? No one has ever seen the sword! And there is no record of what that demonic gift does. I bet my life;the sword is the key!
— Jaeger Merry La lune.
Excerpts taken from “Of monsters and the Night Vol. 2” written by various authors.
“What does a Hathaway have that makes us different from everyone else?” Nimbus Hathaway gave the question to his only son, here in the fields of Lumencia. Nimbus spent the formative years of his son's life personally training him in the art of hunting, diplomacy, and interpersonal communications.
He stood tall, white hair cut neat and short, with silver eyes like every Hathaway before him. He was the current eighth head of his clan, just like his cousin Sigurd was for House Illum. He was born with no ather yet was as strong as the men who were. He was a once in a lifetime genetic specimen, and a living legend. He and Sigurd were integral in claiming Lumencia as their new home.
“What makes our styles and techniques unique?” Nimbus encouraged.
“Hmm,” Cecil sat on the grassy field, lost in thought at ten years old. There were many things that clan Hathaway had that other clans and houses didn’t.
Their origins, their ability to craft beautiful arrangements of music, and above all, they also had sacred battle traditions that only the Illums truly knew about.
“Tempo, we find the tempo of the battlefield. And match the rhythm of our enemies.” Cecil answered confidently.“personally though, l like tricking my foes into following the tempo I set.” He snickered mischievously while rubbing his hands together.
Nimbus sighed. “You aren’t wrong, but there are actually a few battle styles other families have developed that incorporate the idea of Tempo.”
Cecil crossed his arms and huffed at his father “You know I really dislike the questions you ask; they are always misleading and I’m correct most of the time! They just aren’t the answers you were looking for.” He winked and then stuck his tongue out “Not a good trait for you to have. This is why you don’t have a lot of friends at your age.”
“You need to stop hanging out with your grandparents!” Nimbus yelled out; his son had succededed in making him irritable.
“Hijo.” Nimbus growled out; it was the dying angelic language that was strictly used by Hathaways. In his language, Hijo stood for son. Nimbus only ever spoke in the angelic tongue when he was upset at Cecil.
“Honestly, you sound like my old Jaeger buddies or your grandfather sometimes.” Cecil was a strange boy, and his so-called ‘maturity’ infuriated Nimbus at times.
“Well Papá, I have been told I’m an old soul. Whatever that means.” Cecil shrugged knowing full well what the phrase meant. “If it’s not tempo, then it has to be awareness.”
Nimbus shook his head in agreement. “Yes, realization and perception are all things people have naturally though.”
“I don’t know, I’ve met a lot of people who weren’t able to read the room,” Cecil interrupted dryly.
Nimbus shook his head again, about to reprimand the boy, when he stopped and thought about it. His father knew that he wasn’t wrong. “No one else has our level of awareness… Well, other than Kai.” Cecil beamed when talking about Kai Illum, fifth son and eighth child of Sigurd. He was one of the few rejects of House Illum.
Kai was always with Cecil after Cecil finished his daily training,teaching Kai what Nimbus taught him. Kai wanted nothing more than to be a Jaeger and face the Night, like his soul and blood screamed out to do.
Nimbus respected the boy, respected all of the rejects of his family that rejected the notion that they couldn’t exist in this world and complete the life goal the First handed down to them. Yet, he knew that the rejects would never get their chance, get their bracelets, and truly feel a part of the family.
He and Sigurd had tried for years to change those old customs, yet that was one of the things the elders of House Illum wouldn’t budge on. That and Sigurd’s fifteenth son and twenty-first child Damien, an Umbra user, who was treated as a reject and denied his own positions and titles, just because he was born with the wrong ather.
It made Nimbus sick just thinking about it. He did everything he could to rebel against those notions and dumb customs. He was a reject that fought on the same level as Sigurd, who Nimbus would beat occasionally in duels and sparring matches. Yet they all came up with excuse after excuse because he was an anomaly.
Nimbus looked at his son, he too was seen as reject. A bad omen to his people. Yet here he was, training to not only spite the people who looked down on him, but to also be a beacon of hope to the others that felt like he did.
I did all I could, Sigurd did as well. He stared at his young son and his cocky smile, the son that acted beyond the years he had on this world. It’s your turn to change the tide and rebel against the old guard.
If there was one person that could help change the customs that Nimbus and Sigurd couldn’t, Nimbus knew it had to be his only son, Cecil. “Kai must have otherworldly abilities, I tried sneaking up on him once to play a little prank on him. He stopped me from twenty meters away.”
“It’s like he has eyes on the back of his head!” Cecil replied.
“More like eyes all over his head,” Nimbus said. The two laughed at their conversation. It was so easy for the father and son to speak to one another, as if they were old war buddies, Nimbus’s lesson had gotten derailed. As it usually did when it was just the two Hathaway men together, events like this were quite common. Nimbus cleared his throat.
“Our clan's version of awareness was developed together with our style of tempo. The four tenets of awareness, repeat them to me you, cheeky brat,” Nimbus said playfully.
“Awareness of others.” Understanding anyone around, whether in battle or relationships. Knowing who is an ally and what they can and cannot do. Fill in the gaps that they leave and strive for victory.
“Awareness of one’s enemies.” Bore into one’s prey and mentally burn their movements, abilities they use, and any techniques into permanent memory. Never stop thinking about their next move, and never underestimate any opponents. For even the weakest can still kill giants and survive.
“Awareness of surroundings.” Consider different aspects of your environment. Don’t fall into the natural traps and pitfalls that mother Aiolia has, instead fight as one with the land. Use the earth in favor to kill your prey.
“Awareness of oneself.” The most critical of all the tenets of awareness, a Jaeger who is unsure of themselves is just a liability out on the field. Know oneself and any limitations, do everything to hone and break those limitations.
The core aspect of Clan Hathaway, to know everything around them and everything within them on a physical, spiritual, and emotional level. To be as many steps ahead of their opponent as they could be.
That is Awareness!
“Correct. Remember my son, always be aware and always be two steps ahead of the Night.”
Cecil stood up, patting the grass and dirt off the back of his pants. He looked at his father and just smiled at him, “I'd rather be seven steps ahead, personally.”
///
Cecil thought of many different outcomes as he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. He was surrounded by a group of seven to eight Raksha who were in front of him, pouncing at the white paladin, who was currently protecting his fair maiden.
Cecil could see that just behind the pouncing Raksha were four of their brethren, mouths agape, charging dark orbs suspended in the air near their opened mouths. They were waiting for the right time to fire their attacks. William Zill was facing off against his own group of Raksha, but he was the only Jaeger in Cecil’s line of sight that could take care of the Raksha’s about to fire their attacks in front of him.
They will fire, nothing is going to stop them, so I still need to deal with their ranged attacks. Turning his head slightly, Cecil noticed ten Raksha danced behind him a few meters back, mocking him.
“Izkazz Izkazk IZkkia!” They chanted in unison. To Cecil, their tone and body language appeared to be speaking to him. “Just try to retreat, we will stop you. Come and let us bash your face in.” At least, that was Cecil’s translation.
Three enemy factions, no one to assist him, or at the very least, be able to assist him in time, was nearby. He also had a wounded, semi unconscious child that he needed to protect. With only one exit, one destination for him to go.
Nearby, Willam Zill came into Cecil’s vision, fighting against his own pack of Raksha.
He stared at William, the azure dragon who was elegantly stabbing the Night with his trident. Don’t worry about the four far away, focus on their attacks instead and the Raksha around you. Cecil believed that William would take care of the four ranged attackers sooner or later, he just knew it.
William was a dependable Jaeger and was one of the few Jaegers outside of House Illum whose power was closest to the twelve bastions of Lumencia. Cecil just knew that the azure dragon would help him eventually. He just needed to do what he did best until then, face the odds.
No big deal.
Cecil stopped in place, turned towards his assailants and beamed a confident grin. He prepared his sword arm in front of the group about to attack him, but just as the Raksha in front of him reached his sword zone, just as they began to position their clubs and fists to attack, the white paladin swung his sword. He stopped the swing in mid-air, causing a brief feint, and spun on his heels.
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He had decided to run away at the last second, dodging the club that smashed the ground where he once stood. The other Rakshas had no time to stop their running charges and piled up on top of the pack leader that swung the club, tripping over one another. Only the one at the end of the line was able to jump over its fellow cultist and give chase.
Cecil laughed at the creatures and did a quick copy of their ridiculous dance, mocking them in retaliation. Got to keep this pace, wait for the ranged attacks before doing any– The four Rakshas who were preparing their ranged attacks fired wildly at different times towards Cecil.
After they fired their orbs, they started to rant, rave, scream, and curse at Cecil for the dance he did. Four shots, I should be able to dodge one or two. But there’s still a chance one of these could hit the girl. The child was now fully unconscious and had no ather protective aura around her. Cecil also assumed that even if she was conscious, she probably hadn’t even started ather aura training yet.
And there was also the possibility that she was born a reject.
It was better to dodge or take any hit and get her away from the battlefield. The group of Raksha who were now in front of the retreating Cecil finished their dancing, already running towards him.
Cecil was sandwiched between two Raksha groups, one running towards him, and the other throwing four ranged attacks. It was do or die time. Cecil felt the orb attacks speeding towards him, getting closer and closer. His surroundings had nothing for him to hide behind, or to help deflect, other than the sword in his hand. So, there was only a few options for him to take.
He started to zigzag and skip; those hops allowing him to dodge the first orb which flew itself into the wall of the cavern near the entrance. While he successfully dodged the first one, he landed right in the trajectory of the next orb. It smashed into his back onthe side where his shoulder had gotten stabbed.
He winced in pain. By the goddamn First! Just how many times are my open wounds going to get hit today? The orb disappeared after leaving its mark, scarring the backplate of his chest piece and burning a small section of the cloth of his clothing underneath.
The orb was forceful, pushing Cecil forward towards the ground. He couldn’t fall, not now, not here, not with the girl he held in front of him. He gritted his teeth, causing blood to slowly trickle out of his mouth. He slammed his right foot into the ground and pushed with every muscle in his foot, thigh, and groin, hopping into the air to dodge out of the way of the oncoming third orb.
He had a special plan for the final orb once he dodged the third one, but soon realized that his hop was off balance, putting him in placed of the fourth orb's trajectory. I dodged the last attack too well. He chuckled under his breath, frustrated, but didn’t let that deter him. The third orb wisped passed him, and he felt the wind of the attack on the skin of his face.
Cecil quickly spun in the air to fix his off-balance position, howling out in pain as he stretched his sword arm as far as he could to reach the fourth orb, cradling the girl in his arms tightly. It was a guess, all estimates of what his natural sense could feel in the tempo of the battle. He really wished he had eyes at the back of his head.
I really wish Kai was here. His cousin, his best friend, and one of the greatest men he had ever known in his sixteen years. That Cecil believed wholeheartedly was a man who would never let him down. This hunt would have been over ages ago if he was. At least in Cecil’s mind.
Cecil stayed in the air, positioned with his sword arm to reach out to the fourth and last orb that was about to pass him. I hope I didn’t miscalculate. The orb passed under his outstretched sword arm. He had prepared every muscle in his wrist, forearm, bicep, and shoulder and rotated the blade of the sword to its side for this moment.
Cecil swung the sword like a bat and hit it with force, directing it straight towards the group of Raksha in front of him, changing its trajectory. It flew with added velocity and power, knocking the Raksha in the middle of the group.
Melting the head of the one that it hit, it killed the creatureinstantly. Residue of the burnt creature exploded around it, harming a few of the Raksha that were around its body.
The Raksha in front of Cecil and the ones behind him who fired the orbs started to flail their arms and bodies in shock. Cecil landed on the ground in a crouching position, staring at the bumbling Raksha that stood around the lifeless corpse of their kin, and gave another grin.
Hathaway style, Radiant step.
He pushed off the front of his feet and dashed into the group. Using momentum, Cecil rocketed into the air and readied his sword arm for another attack,
Hathaway style, Arc-Wheel.
He spun around in the air and chopped through three of his enemies around him, then he sliced downward against one of the Raksha to his left. One of the surviving monsters swung at Cecil’s neck with its claw, but missed its target and hit Cecil’s collarbone.
Cecil howled again, another painful hit that would have ended any other Jaeger or normal person in this world. Cecil, still in the air, decided to let go of the girl, causing her to fall towards the ground. The girl had awakened from her unconsciousness.
She let out a scream and tried to find anything to grab onto. She saw the blurry ends of Cecil’s scarf and almost pulled on it for comfort. She couldn’t see well without her glasses and missed the ends of his scarf completely.
It was a good thing she didn’t pull the scarf; as it would have ruined Cecil’s maneuvers. He used his newly free hand to grab the Raksha’s arm in his collarbone and rip it clean off. Dark ooze fired out of the Raksha’s wound, who fell to its knees,crying out in pain.
Cecil quickly scooped the child back into his arms before she hit the ground and positioned his body to land on the ground first, protecting her once again. He tumbled on the ground violently, hitting protruding jagged rocks that his open wounds on his abdomen and shoulder hit. Even the fresh wound on his collarbone wasn’t being left out from this onslaught of barrel rolls.
He cursed under his breath as it happened. After a few more awkward tumbles, he was finally able to find his footing, push his body upwards, and sprint towards the cavern entrance. The Four Rakshas that fired the ranged attacks started to charge their movements, only to turn around and see William Zill, the azure dragon, lunging towards them with his trident.
William killed the four Raksha effortlessly, spearing two of them at the same time. The other two switched to melee attacks only to see water flow out of the trident. The water formed into a dragon and followed Williams' trident movement as it crashed into the two Raksha. Both gutted by the azure dragon's trident.
William nodded to Cecil who, after sheathing his sword, gave the son of Lord Zill a thumbs up. Cecil looked down at the child in his arms. She had her eyes closed and was doing her best to hold on to him. Doing her best to forget that she had been in the Rakshas disgusting prison, to forget that she was currently at the hunt at the end of the world.
The entire time Cecil had held the child she hadn’t lost a single hair follicle on her scalp. He had succeeded in his promise. He had protected the girl and gotten her to safety unscathed. But there was no time to savor that small victory, Cecil could feel his wounds bleeding out again.
“Almost out, just a little more, and you're safe.” He whispered out. He didn’t know if his words were for the child, or to reassure himself to keep moving.
///
Bartz stood rigid in place, his eyes glowed slightly, a light greenish tint that then returned to their normal green hues. That’s not possible. He went over the events of what he just saw on the sightscreen. The battle started favorably, but the casualties were starting to pile up for the Jaegers.
The Raksha were many and it seemed to be never ending, fallen allies taken out by gangs of Raksha had their corpses dragged to the second altar. There, a new shaman Raksha took the place of the one killed by Oshi and Shaheen, holding the staff in the air and restarting their sickening ritual.
The child that was once on the second altar had awoken and was currently cowering in fear near the farthest corner of the cavern. The child pushed himself into a damp small hole in the corner of the wall. Raksha grabbed at the child, who stomped and kicked at the unwanted gray hands.
The Raksha continued creating their kin using the bodies of the bloodied and beaten Jaegers, a group of the Raksha stood at the ready to tank the hits of Jaegers ranged attacks that tried to hit the new shaman replacement. They would jump, take an ather filled arrow to the head, fall to the ground, and then be replaced by another Raksha waiting to join the protected line.
The creation ritual was also hurried along by the new shaman, nervously spinning the staff, causing the newly born Raksha to be true abominations. The Jaegers original appearance were now fused with its forced Raksha qualities. This process looked even more painful, and the Jaeger bellowed in agony, screaming out.
“Kill me, kill me, kill me, please!”
It felt the sting of the short sword into its chest, and it screamed even loudly as its once humane soul was ripped out and stored in the sword. Bartz had seen it happen four times already inbetween the attacks that took out the Raksha and paused their rituals.
But that wasn’t what had surprised him, it was Cecil and the way he fought. He really didn’t fight with ather. Bartz had used his eyes and filled them with his ather to see the flow of ather in all things, and Cecil was fighting like a reject, systemically defeating foe after foe after foe.
How could Bartz stand here and not do something? How could he allow these disgusting creatures to do what they have done to the people from the camp? These were people he met only a few days ago who only exchanged pleasantries, yet were risking their lives for his and everyone else at the camp… For everyone else in Aiolia and ZeO.
Selfish.
Yet he still stood in place, like the cavern they fought in, he was unmoving. To his right he heard the fall and crash of a few camping items set aside on a wooden box. He looked to see his Uncle Higginbottoms disheveled, on the ground carrying a book in his feathered fingers.
“Uncle Higs, you need to get back to bed. What are you even doing out here?” Bartz finally moved from where he stood and lifted his uncle by his shoulder. “I saw everything…” He said in pain, from when he fell forward after Marcus’s call. “I saw their rituals and quickly grabbed this book… Bartz I know what they are doing. Look.”
The Prof. held the open page of the book, it trembled slightly, so Bartz supported the book, holding the back of his uncles feathered hand. He skimmed through the pages and his eyes went wide. “That… it makes sense, the three items, everything they are doing, the fact that they captured Esmeralda.”
The Prof. broke free from his nephew's arms and kept walking forward, wobbling every other step. “What the hell? Uncle Higs where do you think you are going?” Bartz ran in front of the Prof., holding him back.”
“I need to tell them, I have to go tell Oshi, Cecil, and everyone else in the cavern about this,” he retorted, doing his best to push aside Bartz.
“We can just tell someone here about it, or send a messenger owl to Lord Ashsong near the entrance of the cavern.”Bartz protested.
“I have to go! I was given this hunt by Lord Sigurd, I’m… I’m a Jaeger of house Illum, even if I don’t have the abilities to fight anymore. I… I still want to do my part, I still want to save this world for you, for my wife and my daughters. For the honor that I was given and entrusted. I represent Lord Sigurd; I have to be the one to go.”
The Prof. fell to the ground, the stress, pain and fear was too much for him to bear. Bartz watched as his uncle cursed on the ground, pushed a few tears out and started to push himself back up to his feet.
Of all his uncles, the Prof., like Blaive, was always on Bartz’s side. He would tell him about the wonders of the world and of the different kingdoms and stories in the books he had in his personal library. His love of reading blossomed in those interactions with his Uncle Higs. The uncle whose dream it was to write a book of his own to pass down and teach the next generations of house Illum, ather, and any journeys the eighth and ninth generations still needed to go on.
In the world that needed to still exist.
“By the fucking First.” Bartz cursed out in vain, biting his lip. “Just give me the damn book!”
///
Cecil was hit by the amazing smell of fresh air; it was a healing moment after being confined in that hell hole. The outside world was his haven, if only for a few moments. He ran a few steps before the sentinel force that were several yards from the entrance rushed towards him.
“Situations changed. The kidnapped children are inside being used to create Raksha. You should send a unit inside to grab the few children saved by the Vanguard. We can’t fight at one hundred percent unless we get these kids out of there.”
“Are these Chieftain Oshi’s orders?” Lord Ashsong asked, a serious expression on his face.
“Nah, mine. Had to make an executive decision, you know how it is. End of the world, everyone’s busy in there.” Cecil smiled and winked at the Lord, who was only a few years older than him. Lord Ashsong continued to stare, and then he winked back and gave his own smile. He went to pull the child from Cecil’s arms, but the little girl clung to Cecil’s scarf and chest piece.
“No, don't leave me Papa…” The girl sobbed. Cecil's face had a small frown of annoyance. “I’m not your Papa kid, these people are fellow Jaegers. They will take you to the camp to be treated and protected.”
She clung harder, causing the scarf to tighten around his neck. “It feels safer to be with you… Not with them.” Cecil sighed and pulled her off his body before she caused him to pass out. “What’s your name?” He asked.
“Yuki.” She replied, squinting her eyes hard to see the face of the person who had been protecting her since she had reawakened into this world.
“I’m Cecil Hathaway, and that's Lord Ashsong. He and everyone else is going to protect you at the camp. I need to get back in there, save the other children like you, and hunt the creatures that kidnapped you. I need to go. The hell you went through is one of the most difficult things a child could experience in this life.” He brushed her hair with his hand and then cupped her face with it as Lord Ashsong pulled her away. “The other children they kidnapped are still in that hell. I need to be there for them, like I was for you.”
Cecil got up, letting go of Yuki's face. She instantly reached out for him but only felt the air. Cecil turned to face the cavern, the wound on his abdomen continuing to bleed. This is nothing. I must bear this pain. He started to jog back towards the cavern,limping in pain. Subconsciously, his hand went to the wound on his abdomen. The rest of Lord Ashsong’s sentient force noticed this.
A medic Jaeger grabbed his shoulder and stopped him before going back into hell. He began to use his Flame ather to heal the damage and wounds Cecil received in the battle. “You can’t go like that, at least let us heal you,” Lord Ashsong said.
Cecil looked annoyed, which caused Lord Ashsong to be perplexed. “Do you not want us to heal you?” He asked, cocking his eyebrow. Cecil just shrugged. “It’s been a long day.” Cecil wanted to do things his way, and that involved no ather of any kind.
“All the more reason to get some healing. You are a strange one,son of Nimbus,” Lord Ashsong said.
“I think that’s like a scion thing, son of Rae,” Cecil joked. He felt the warm flames burn over the wounds, not only cauterizing them but destroying the dead tissues and weakened muscles and forcing their rebirth.
In the elemental wheel, only a few ather elements could heal wounds, Flame being one of them. The level of healing and the extent of wounds and damage that could be healed all depended on the level of ather a person innately had.
If the wounds were done by powerful creatures of the Night,there could be difficulty in healing. So, doctors and surgeons would be needed, with ather nurses using their healing abilities simultaneously during procedures.
Cecil wasn’t at hundred percent, but now he could move around without bleeding out all over the ground. “Good luck, Lord Cecil.” The medic Jaeger said as he finished. Cecil thanked him and ran back to the battlefield.
“I want a small group to enter, about four or five of you. Your mission is to grab one of the rescued children from the vanguard Jaegers and bring them to the camp, then come straight back here.” Lord Ashsong commanded, as he gave Yuki to another Jaeger and she started to trek back to the camp.
//
Yuki started to gain pieces and vision of her memories of her time kidnapped by the Raksha, how they lured her and other children away from places they would play at. How the older kids would try and fight back against the creatures only to get killed in one blow. She remembered being eaten, and the fear that she felt as the notion of death and its concept was created in her mind, only to then wake periodically in a strange gooey sphere.
Yuki squinted hard at the image of the white-haired savior with the blue scarf, at Cecil Hathaway. She repeated his name in her mind over and over, making sure to imprint that name and never forget what he did for her.
Cecil's words continued to ring in her ears, that there were still others like her still in the cavern. The Raksha had killed her innocence. She would never be the same after today.
Children born into Jaeger families mature faster than other children, they are shown the harsh reality of Aiolia and the creatures against this land at a very young age. There is no springtime of youth for them, just hardship after hardship, training after training.
Watching your closest allies whom you grew up with, die in front of you. Killing your first human, possessed by a demon. Hunting a pure evil that is truly unrelenting and at times unstoppable. Here, Yuki’s world shattered like the youths of Jaegers before her, her parents who had every answer to all the mundane questions she asked, were really just as clueless of the world as she was.
She once thought that her father was the strongest man alive, only to realize that he, a lowly farmer, could have never hoped to stand against the evils outside of the fence around their home. Could never truly protect her or her mother from the Night.
Then the realization that her parents are not perfect. They don’t know every answer or at least the answers that matter in this world. They aren’t immortal, death is imminent, and will take her parents away just as it almost did to her.
They will either grow old and die, or be attacked by the Night at any time, any place. Maybe even at this moment they were already killed by the Raksha when they kidnapped her. The Raksha had taken so much from her, her safety included. She would never be able to have normal thoughts that a child civilian of her age should have ever again.
It made her angry, how powerless she felt at the loss of her childhood. She felt broken and it was the Rakshas doing, if only she had strength.
She was scared, and cried in frustration, knowing that she couldn’t do anything to get revenge. And that other children were in the same predicament as she was, getting carried to safety.
Cecil Hathaway. The name she burned into her mind, the name of her savior. The name of the only Jaeger she personally knew in her short life.
“PLEASE!!” She shouted at the top of her lungs, tears still falling from her face, snout comedically dripping into her mouth and onto the Jaeger’s shoulder that carried her. The blurry blob of Cecil stopped in his tracks, the ends of his scarf blowing through the air,
“CECIL HATHAWAY!!!” The Jaeger carrying her stopped moving and hoisted her up into the air for her in support, as if she knew what Yuki was going through. “PLEASE!”
Tears flowed out of her face and nose like a river running wildly, it was the rawest and ugliest crying one could do. Everyone there saw the true agony and pain that the Night caused as Yuki couldn't stop crying. The jaeger that held her tightened her arms around the girl, giving Yuki the needed assurance, she needed to scream the words she so desperately wanted to scream.
“MAKE THEM PAY!!” She held that shout until it turned inaudible and became a raspy whimpering mess of sobs. “Please…”
Cecil turned around and replied to the girl with his own shout, his own conviction.
“I VOW IT YUKI!”
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