Year 3002 Midohira, Daikidageda
Rintaro was lying down on the floor, misery and helplessness drawing the worst out of him. The surgical strike by Haizaki and his comrades had taken everyone by surprise. Haizaki had moved them all deeper into the woods, where there was a clearing between the bushes and the trees. Rintaro could see the top of a spacecraft, a little different than the one Jill had arrived in. His gaze turned towards his friends; Kaaron and Sketa were holding their trembling hands, trying to comprehend the series of events that took place before their eyes. Kyota and Momoku appeared to be equally shocked seeing fully transformed human-like figures with features of animals, despite being sufficiently knowledgeable about Idiosyncrasy. The epiphany of Haizaki’s strike was the cause of their bewilderment. Haizaki had not truly captivated them, the confidence in his prowess driving this decision. On the other hand, Jill, Mujika and Jinx were tied in cast iron shackles and were taken away from the scene, probably closer to the spacecraft.
“Did Raki betray us?” an angry Fusan exclaimed at Rintaro. “How did you not see this coming! Rakuten is not someone who would take such wild decisions without giving it a thought. Did you not have the slightest hint that she is up to something? ”
Rintaro did not respond. He looked at his wavering hands and tried calming himself down by drawing deeper breaths and planning his next moves. He saw Haizaki, having an animated conversation with a sinister looking woman. Trying to make the most out of this opportunity Kaaron scooted towards Rintaro, cautiously, signaling others to keep an eye on Haizaki.
“What are you thinking, Rintaro? We need your friends from Earth, to save us from this flying terror.” he said, partially pointing towards Haizaki. “Perhaps,” he paused to look around to scout the area, “I could sneak out behind the bushes and go towards Jizen’s spacecraft to try and get some help.”
Rintaro continued staring at the end of the cliff where he last saw Rakuten, unable to make sense of the situation. “I…” he mumbled, “Lo-lost Raki.”
Remembering the inconsolable moment, Kaaron looked towards Rintaro, unable to speak.
“I lost her. I lost the only person I could call mine. I lost our unborn child growing inside her. I lost everything!” he said as his eyes got moist and a few teardrops started rolling down from the corner of his eye. "Haizaki was cruel enough to target the naivest among us. I lost this battle, and I also lost the war to protect Daikidageda, even before it started.” Rintaro said, pointing towards a bush with a scarf hanging by it, which Rakuten had dropped before she jumped off, in an attempt to end her life. “Why did she trust Haizaki and his schemes? What did he say to her? How are they able to convince Raki so easily, first Jizen, and now Haizaki? What is this unique trait of humans from Earth that is grabbing her attention?” he wondered.
Rintaro shook his head, to try and live in the moment. He looked towards Haizaki who seemed to have sent the older looking woman in a certain direction. He signaled Kaaron to sneak out, from behind the bushes, and try to find help from the other squad members that perhaps would have arrived with Jill to Daikidageda. Rintaro saw Haizaki walk towards him, hoping that he would not spot a missing Kaaron.
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“How have I not crashed on the ground, yet? she wondered.
Rakuten could feel her altitude being maintained, while her wings tried hard to keep her airborne. She tried focusing on the muscles on her wings and felt a tremendous amount of strain on the back of her shoulders. She looked to her left and then to her right, in quick successions, and saw two large feathery wings flapping in a rhythmic motion to generate a thrust. She attempted to move her fingers in a slow swirling motion and later, her hands and legs sideways. She was able to move them with a noticeably more effort as compared to usual. She took a deep breath and focused all of her strength into her wings, which made the skin around her back burn slightly, with the friction caused by her majestic wings against it. She could sense a wave of heat pass through her arms, all the way towards the tips of her wings, allowing her to cut through the breeze and pull herself upwards. She tried to fly along the river, her confidence being bolstered by every turn she took. She descended gradually and took a few cautious hops before landing steadily on the ground. Rakuten looked around, hoping for Rintaro to miraculously appear and watch her first ever flight.
“Will he be alive?” she panicked. “What have I done!” she exclaimed.
The chaotic screams in her head appeared to have developed some sort of cohesion and had started to sound like a singular voice.
It said, “Trust your instinct, Raki, you have me now.”
Taking a deep breath, Rakuten snapped, “Only my friends cal-”
“I am more than a friend, Raki.” it said.
“Wh-” Rakuten looked quite overworked, “What are you?”
“I am more than a friend, Raki. I am-” it laughed, “you.”
Rakuten widened her eyes and looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.
“Stop looking around, Raki. Trust yourse-” it paused, “Trust me-” it hesitated, “Trust us.”
“Us?” Rakuten asked.
“Trust our instincts, Raki.” the voice said confidently. Moments after this conversation, Rakuten felt a sudden urge to break out into a rather brisk walk and start drawing deeper breaths. She took off in a fast paced sprint, as she started approaching the river.
“Just how many times have I done this, in the last two years!” she squealed. “It never worked for me. If it does not work today, I will drown in the riv-”
“This is it, Raki, this is the time to be free!” it said, sounding triumphant.
Rakuten felt her blood gush through her arteries and reach every cell in her wings. As she extended the span of her thick brown wings, she felt the thrust pushing her upwards in the air. Trying to overthink the situation, she skipped a flap in her sinusoidal rhythmic motion and fumbled her way back on the ground, only to instantly regain control over her flight. Within seconds, she was fully airborne.
“Am I flying?” she wondered as she tried to look around the valley and appreciate the peace in Midohira from a different perspective altogether. Rakuten felt an urge to arch her back and taper her body in a slender form to try and speed up. She trusted her instincts and let them drive her. As the movements of the rest of her body eased, her wings started exerting more pressure, allowing her to soar high in the sky. She was flying closer to some low clouds almost cutting through one of them. She charged downwards, towards the river, at a fairly acute angle. She resisted her temptation to angle herself up, before something untoward happened. Just when she was about to slam herself into the water, she pulled herself up. She began gliding over the river, as droplets of fresh water splashed on her face.
“Rin needs us. Fusan needs us. They all need us.” she whispered politely, hoping that her new-self would react.
“I see. Why do they need us? Why does Rintaro need us?” the voice asked.
“Because he is in danger. And I want to protect him.” Rakuten snapped.
“I see. Why do you want to protect Rintaro?” the voice asked.
“What kind of question is this? Because I love him. He is my-” Rakuten irked, “Everything!”
“I see. I trust you, Raki. Trusting you is like trusting myself. Let’s go and protect Rintaro.” it said with a confident voice. “However, I would like to learn more about how we could love someone who is not our kind.”
“He is my kind.” Rakuten responded.
“He is your kind, but not our kind.” the voice added. “Tell me about it, some other day.”
This conversation, devoid of a sense of empathy and love, reminded Rakuten of the stories Jill had shared with her, about the nature of humans on Earth. She let her new aggressive-self take over and leaped in the air, extending her exalted wings. Approaching the cliff she had jumped from, she tried to look for Rintaro, Jill and others, but could not spot them. Rakuten decided to go towards Jill’s spacecraft that she had spotted earlier, hoping that there would be some help available there.
As she was approaching the spacecraft, Rakuten saw a restless Kaaron, having a conversation with a small group of comparatively taller humans. As Rakuten glided towards the ground, the taller humans on the ground crouched and started staring at her. One of the members walked upfront and partially transformed, extending his arms in the form of a huge shell, trying to defend the others from a potential threat. The others tried to hide Kaaron behind them, signaling him to take cover.
“Rakuten!” exclaimed Kaaron, almost startling everyone. He started running mindlessly, making his way around the squad members from Earth. He reached closer to Rakuen, wondering if he was dreaming or experiencing reality.
“Is it reall-” he paused, “you, Rakuten?”
“Where is Rin?” she asked impatiently, waiting for Kaaron to respond.
“He is around, he is safe, for now.” he said, with a sense of calmness in his voice, while not letting go off the sense of urgency in his voice.
The chief, Sayla and Prasacca followed Kaaron towards Rakuten, in an attempt to make out who the eagle really was.
Trying to sustain the sense of urgency in the air, Sayla began, rather hastily. “I was in a disguise, blending into the woods. Haizaki is here with some of his comrades. They have Mujika, Jinx and Ji-” she paused, “Jizen, in chains. They cannot transform. Haizaki is with Rintaro and the other humans from Daikidageda. He would certainly attempt to try and take them back to Earth.
Everyone stopped staring at Rakuten and their heads turned towards the chief. Rakuten appeared to be noticeably disturned by the fact that Haizaki was bound to take Rintaro with him.
“How many have captivated Mujika, Jinx and Jizen?” the chief asked.
“Five of them, including the bitch, Aisa, are holding them captive.” Sayla said as her eyes grew red with anger.
“We need to protect them. They are the strongest we have got right now, especially Mujika and Jinx. They are the only ones who can fight Haizaki and his comrades. Sayla, take Prasacca with you and try to free them. Remember,” he paused, “Strike silently. Aim at freeing Mujika first; she could paralyze the enemy with her quills.”
The chief turned towards Rakuten, “Eagle-lady, you are Rakuten, aren’t you?” he asked authoritatively, with absolutely no hint of warmth in his voice, not waiting for her to answer. “As crazy as this sounds, we must fight Haizaki and save the humans. No-” he paused trying to strategize the most optimal plan, “You must fight Haizaki and I would protect your friends. Haizaki can be lethal in the air and only you can fly and protect us.”
Sayla and Prasacca were on their way, towards the opposite side of their spacecraft, trying to trace their route to where the captives were held. The chief prompted Kaaron to guide them to the point where Haizaki was holding Rintaro and the other humans from Daikidageda.
“Fly around the woods and surprise Haizaki. Be fast, be agile and strike with all of your strength.” he said looking towards Rakuten.
Unable to process the situation, Rakuten froze on the ground, as she saw the chief and Kaaron disappear in the woods. “But… I… I am not ready.”
“Yes, you are.” she heard the singular voice in her head, a voice that she was feeling confident to rely upon with every passing moment.
Rakuten took a sharp leap and started flying in the direction Kaaron had pointed in, wondering how she would fight a mighty Haizaki. She dreaded the fact that Haizaki would separate her from Rintaro. The aggressive eagle in her enabled her to use her fear as a motive to be aggressive in her approach.
As she turned around the woods, she got a clearer view of the opening in the woods. From a distance, she could see some movement. Rakuten spotted someone who appeared to be like Rintaro, standing strong, with a rock in each of his hands. He had aimed one of the rocks towards a taller man, who appeared to be Haizaki. Her heartbeat paced up, seeing Rintaro alive and being able to defend himself.
“I am coming for you, Haizaki.” she whispered, her face turning furious.
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