The Wavering Hawk [ENGLISH]

P23. Rise

Once again, I took a step further from her. This time, Reana noticed it. She looked at me, betrayed and terrified. "Neil? Neil, what are you doing?"

I thought I wouldn't make it. Those words wouldn't come out of my mouth no matter what. That happened before and might happened again this time. But as the drugs returned me to my original state, those words came so easily.

"I had a promise to Bryan." I told her. While I couldn't formed a smile on my face, at least I could make those words, still represent what I was feeling right now: guilt. "I had a promise to safe you."

***

"Neil!" Someone called me for afar. Not too far, but somehow, her voice seemed to fade away, like voice from the other side. "Please tell me you're not doing what I'm thinking!"

Above me, planes and jets of Union passed, tried to shots down Leviathan with all of their ammunition. It ignited fire, that alone should be dangerous to Leviathan, but the swarm of insects and animals, as well as soldiers of Alliance's, armed by thruster boots launched counter attack almost immediately. With acid bullets, they broke every engines active within their perimeter, even with caused too many casualties.

On the ground, combatants of Alliance's defeated fifty percent of Unions's soldiers. I could see more guns used this time. When I looked at the Union, I saw the strange bullets and dagger they used, it glowed in green light, like bioluminescent.

I turned to the soldiers that dragged Reana away. "Get her out of here." I hold the riffle on my back. "Do it even if you have to die."

Reana protested it of course. She fought harder but the strength of four men was no match against her small fight.

I looked at the battlefield once more. Trapped in the in between was the civilians of Earthlings that ran to find safety. Among rains of missiles, grenades, bioweapons, and soldiers, they cried, ran, to reach this place. Not all of them managed to do it. Something crawled in my chest. The image of Fatima smiled along with Reana, resurfaced, bringing me the same pain I felt when life left those eyes.

Why couldn't I just avert my eyes from them?

Earth still had many civilians, lose thousands of them wouldn't mean anything. They could still produce off springs later, so why?

The image of Fatima once again, resurfaced. I lift my hand and touched her cheeks, felt the warmth and the real life that flowing through her.

"Another legion has arrived!"

We all reared to the sky, idly watched as Leviathan swooped down, landing an Alliance's troops to the battle field.

No one saw it coming.

No one but me.

Any Humans who had sharp senses would only felt a gust of wind swept over them. They didn't even realized that their body sliced in half when that gust of wind swept the land.

The silvery metal of a spear danced in the air.

"Longinus."

When Reana stood up once more, shock took over her, as some of medical team were butchered to death. While she was in shock, I looked to the battle field where the Longinus holder already gone.

But I could hear the battle was already took another turn over there.

"What is...?" Reana looked over and saw the mentioned legion. She didn't even able to finish her words. But she looked up at me. Realization hit her. "You knew that?"

"One of Alliance's high commanders has arrived. The Longinus holder: Uriel. Oberstleutnant Uriel. Codename: Giza."

I looked to the battle field ahead. Some soldiers that were left, went ahead before me. But Reana's shocked stare burn a hole on my back.

"How could you...?" Reana choked by emotions and tears that dwelled up in her eyes. "Neil?"

"Angels don't have mercy." When we exchanged looks, Reana looked at me in disbelief, as if she never expected me to say such a thing. "Just like all Martian, including me."

Both of Reana's eyes wide opened in unabashed shock. "Neil, you ... Don't—please don't tell me you're..."

As I saw a hint of brown in her irises, the dissapointment, anger, and a hint of disgust within was directed only to me, I knew I have no chance anymore. This is a one way with no turning back.

I nodded at her soldiers, who now became cautious of me. "Take her."

But Reana didn't give in so easily. The moment after her surprised, right after those guys began to dragged her away once again, she regained her consciousness.

"What--whatthe hell were you thinking?!" Reana screamed to my face. "You told me that you are a Maha and that's that?! If you're really a Maha, then why are you heading there? You're going against your allies! Have you gone crazy?!"

Crazy. She got a point. Maybe something wasn't right in my head. But one thing I know for sure. One thing about her that never changed.

"You liar!"

"Yes."

"You're crazy."

"You're right."

Reana broke apart. Tears running down on her cheeks. My fists clenched, restrained from the urge to come to her and wiped away those tears.

"What can you do? You can'do anything even if you go in there!"

"Maybe." I told her. "But I can keep someone from danger."

"Then what would left for you?" Reana fought as hard as she could. But her voice, her tears, and her stamina betrayed her. "There would be nothing left ... Neil. Nothing left if you go in there."

"You spoke as if I chose to die."

"Didn't you?" The young lady looked at me right in the eye. And that was the moment I knew, this lady had seen through me. "Did you not really think of dying out there, Neil?"

This is irrational. No matter how high her score in human's psychology, she couldn't have read through me without any profesional examination. She just stared at me. She couldn't--ah, No. That was her. That was Human's irrational capabilities. Their own unique way of understanding others. 

That ability inside any of them and I doubt anything like this would happened. Really, such a waste species. 

If only I could let someone else died again today. 

But enough is enough. Fatima, Bryan, Omar, and all other's lives that wasted upon this useless war, everything should ended today. And I don't want Reana to be the last on the death list. Not today. Not ever. 

"Reana." As my mind made up, I took a step further from her as I took Lohengrin out of its holster. "Please be careful."

I'm glad I met you.

Then I turned around, launched Lohengrin right at the chains that attacked us all at the same time. The banging ring of our weapons collided seeped to every pore of my skin, gave me a tingling sensation that only last in a war.

Thank you for everything.

The chain shredded under merciless slash of Lohengrin. It pierced right to the core of Gleipnir. Right at Dimitri's face. Just a moment before everything ended. But right there, something blocked Lohengrin. Something made my weapon returned clean with no stains of blood on it.

I got the Lohengrin back when that weapon returned. Right when someone else interrupted between our fight. The double silver spear that pierced even the flesh of The Son of God. Longinus.

"You look terrible." Uriel, smiled as he stood in front of Dimitri. "Siding with Humanity brings you nothing good, it seems."

***

We returned to the prolog. And The Countdown begin! March to the end!