Seriously aren't you going to join us?" Raaya called out. He opened his eyes and looked at them. "But I'm not a teenager"
"Ugh!"
"Seriously!" They groaned.
"You're not even 20 yet! It's still dozen months to go!"
"Fine, let them see what a bunch of teenagers and a soon-to-be-adult can do! Are you happy now?"
He smiled smug and pushed himself off the wall "I can live with that"
"Fighting!" They yelled simultaneously as they raised their fist. Their fighting spirit raised in anticipation of the battle to take place the next morning. Even more believers then you could expect, none of them stopped to think of any chance of failure, winning the conquest was all they could think of all through the day.
When the news was released publically to the whole of Main city, no one shared the same thoughts of victory with them. That a bunch of teenagers could defeat the entire Jaegers association in a fight. Just imagining the Five of them taking turns after turn against multiple people already told the tales of failure in itself. Against all olds albeit, those that had momentarily held the glimmer that a miracle could happen were, actually... either drunk or had done so sarcastically.
Still the group in question held no thought of what others had to say to them. Their mind was set on the glorious battle they were to win the next day. It was all they had peradventure dreamt of that night as they went to sleep.
Contrary to the rest of her friends, Raaya didn't have a bliss dream and that was becoming she never even closed her eyes to sleep.
Seated on her front pouch. She silently went through the worn out papers in her hand. The papers weren't actually papers rather, these papers contained printed images of moments in her childhood. They were probably the last she had. The war changed everything, now things like pictures had gone extinct. It's not like they couldn't invent a new camera, one that even worked better with the aid of the spirit technology they had invented using Monsters and Demons core and body parts but it was just that the only thing on everyones mind was to survive and how not to be eaten by these creatures.
Though they had the Spirit Dome to protect them, People still constantly lived in fear everyday that slowly they had forgotten the joy of being alive and even how to live joyfully. Family's adapted themselves with living a choreographed life. It was almost like they were back to the Stone age but the improvised weapons and bioengineered humans showed that they were far past such times and way ahead former times.
Raaya sighed as she flipped those pictures one after the other. The long can burning with fire inside produced a few ray of lights that fell on the girl's face, illuminating her facial features with a tinge of fineness.
Her eyes skemped through the pictures, landing on the two children that were playing on a swing. White fluffy snow covered the roofs, floors and all around them making the scenes look harmonious and pure. Raaya's finger slid across the pictures stopping just below the kids full smiling face. Such level of happiness, like one she had never seen before. It looked strange, it felt strange. She had completely forgotten what it felt like to be that happy. Looking at the smile on the face of the boy, she was lost in thought.
Where had the smile gone to?
How could someone who had been the most happiness, the most liveliest and the most kindest suddenly become so cunning, dark hearted and twisted?
Perhaps it was always there, he never showed it and passing through the trauma of losing his beloved family all at once that too before his very eyes, broke every thread of humanity and kind heartedness he had been clinging unto.
She couldn't help but feel pressured. Her unwilling to fully let go of the times they had shared, of the person he used to be too, burdened her with the responsibility to help him out of the pit he had jumped into.
"I suspected you would be up" A voice rang out behind her. Raaya turned around to see Alia making her way to the front porch. A think blanket wrapped around her shoulders to fight the chilling cold of the night breeze.
Alia came and took a seat next to Raaya in front of the burning can. "you're worried about tomorrow fight?" She asked.
"You know I'm not, it's_it's Alan I'm worried about" Raaya replied heavily.
Alia looked at the picture in her hand. She stretched her fingers and took the bunch of paper's away. Interested, she also began to peruse through the pictures. Each one of them holding images of happy children
"I've never seen the both of you this happy"
"These were times we had everything. Our parents were friends, his mum and my mum were close friends so we also grew up as close friends too. Alan used to be lively. He was the most empathic person I knew. Yet now_ I fear the man he's gradually becoming." She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She never used to leave it down but for tonight she felt like feeling the wind sweeping through the strands of her black and white hair. "I fear that he might become a monster and I suddenly feel responsible for him. Like if I had been a better friend then he would not have retrogressed into the state he was now."
"You're wrong" Alia spelled out. She looked into Raaya's eyes. "Everyone has their own level of problems to deal with. How we chose to respond to these painful moments is of our own designs and no one els's. Alan go down this path, even if he becomes what you fear. It still had nothing to do with you. You also went through the same thing that he did, even worse than him yet you chose to not erase humanity from your senses. Rather you are fighting to see that one day in future no one would ever get to suffer what you did. That shows just how strong you are Raaya"
The fire reflect the small smile that Raaya showed on her lips. She drummed on her palm with the pictures for a while. As she stops, she takes one last look at the pictures, she saved the image in her head, when she was sure she seen enough of it, she stood up, walked to the burning bin and dumped the pictures in it. Alia didn't stop her, like she is said. Everyone had to make certain choice at some point in their lives
"You're ready to fight against him?"
Raaya shook her head "I know I am not strong enough still I don't want to give up. He is actually the only contestant I see as a trouble, the rest would be like a toothpick for me. The chances of me losing in the fight with him is higher than fifty percent."
"What difference does it make? This doesn't mean you would forfeit the fight right? If I know you better then I'm sure it only make you even want to fight against him the more to see what the outcome would be." Alia siad
"If there is anything, I hope nothing more than to beat him and prove that he was wrong about family."
"Then do what you want to do. If there is something you should not do, that is to show him mercy. You said it yourself. He is not the man you used to know, so you know he would not think for a second to save you some face. Neither would he think to go easy on you"
"What if I lose?" Raaya asked with a sigh. Not that she was scared about this but she felt burdened by what losing entailed. Losing entailed not being able to go for the mission and that, she could not afford.
"Then lose like a gladiator" Alia said righteously "give the fight your all that even though he wins no one would remember he did, they would only remember that you gave them a good fight"
Raaya rose a brow. The girl gave such a nice pep talk still she couldn't help but give the motivator an incredulous look. "Lose like a gladiator?" She asked skeptically.
"Whatever you know what I mean. We lost at the battle ten years ago but all everyone remembers Is that we should have won cause your mum gave it her all."
Raaya nodded and smiled.
Alia held unto her shoulder and continued "so even if you lose make his victory look like sh*t"
"You don't have to keep repeating it. I get your point already"
"To our Victory" Alia made a fist.
"To our Victory" Thier fist bumped and the two of them smiled. The golden light from the burning twigs in the can made them even look more beautiful under the starry night sky.
"We should get some sleep, dawn is in a few hours, we don't want to go for the Conquest looking like Zombies."
"Of course we don't."