❝ Thank you. For believing in me when I didn't believe in myself. ❞
After rescuing a girl from the League's captivity, Hawks is faced with an alarming problem: she doesn't remember much about the past week. Now, under the Commission's orders, he has...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It was one of those nights where the city of Fukuoka was at rest, and the local heroes seemed to have finally caught a break. Hawks had been patrolling in the air for a few hours now but still nothing stirred in the dark labyrinth of pavement streets below.
He sighed softly, reveling in the peaceful evening air. It filled him with gratification and just a little bit of hope that what he was doing meant something for the future of heroes and civilians: a world that was safer.
It was a night like any other. The sky around Hawks was a blanket of darkness, with only the moon and its surrounding stars to guide his way. The tiny white specks twinkled proudly, seemingly aware that they were beacons of hope for the lost souls staring up at them, including the one with bright scarlet wings.
And just like any other night, Hawks was practically drooling as he thought about tonight's chicken dinner.
However, what made this night different from the others, was a little something called providence. More specifically, it was the faithful meeting of two people who'd learn to play the role of both the saved and savior. The meeting of two lost souls who would end up saving each other.
Tonight, fate was feeling generous.
Just as Hawks was about to clock out for the evening and score some poultry goodness, an explosion in the distance shook the sleeping city, immediately catching his attention.
No rest for the wicked and even less rest for the weary, as they say. Something like that.
With no time to call in backup—not that he really needed to, half the city probably heard the noise—the hero sped towards the collateral site.
It was a sizable eruption, Hawks judged as he came closer, based on the tall flames and almost scalding heat. He was gonna have to be quick; his feathers won't survive long in this fire and neither will any hurt civilians. His top priority was victim recovery.
Hawks' golden eyes darted frantically as he focused on any signs of the living. Thankful to his keen bird-sight, he zeroed in on an unconscious young woman in the midst of the angry inferno.
As he dove in, the crackling of the fire began drowning out the sirens blaring nearby.
Upon closer inspection, the girl was still conscious; her eyelids fluttering when he approached her and lips parting, as if attempting to speak to him.
"I've got you." The wing hero carefully lifted her limp body into his arms. Though it seemed she completely passed out before she had the chance to talk, her head lolling back onto his shoulder. Even through his clothes, her skin felt unnaturally cold, as if she were an empty vessel.
He sent out a few feathers to blindly search for anything else breathing.
Hawks was just about to take off when he caught a glimpse of a tall figure limping into a nearby manhole. Once the flames around him created a clear opening, it didn't take long for the hero to recognize the League member.
