The Wavering Hawk [ENGLISH]

P25. Another Tale for Another Day

One thing that couldn't be stopped no matter what was the time.

Days, months, years, passed. The condition of this war was fluctuating along with the gradually changing policy and condition of both sides.

Five years since I met Reana, she got married to a Human man, succeeding in her country as its next leader after the tragedy took her father. She returned safely to her country and now reported to successfully gave birth to her first daughter: Katarina Mellista.

May that girl didn't take after her mother too much.

I haven't met Uriel for that day. But I met with other commanders and sometimes had to clash with them. Up until now, only lucks that got me away in one piece, for I never met Ares or Azrael anymore.

But as days went on, I tried to keep updating myself about their whereabouts or what they were up to this time. Azrael was as usual: he kept launching an unreadable movement that made his victims kept piling up like a sand mountain in the desert. Ares was doing shady research on Hadriah ever since he got married to Latifah. I heard children's sudden appearances and disappearances became something common in that country.

Whilst for Uriel, I couldn't find him anywhere. I tried to find anything about him, to no avail.

The day when Reana shot him with that strange bullets, was the last time I met him.

The battle to overrun this planet was still going on even to this day, more than a decade after my last meeting with Reana. More and more countries fell to our hands. More and more humans turned into Proto-Maha and were designed to be a one-time soldier. The other countries, even the one that initially into neutral faction now armed themselves against us, preparing for yet another wave of incoming war.

I looked at the e-calendar on the wall. We would reach year 72 in Neo Age calendar in a week.

The bar owner in front of me clicked his tongue. "No good news either today, huh?" He ignored the net-screen and mopped his empty breakfast bar. "This world's fate was getting and getting darker each day."

I looked at the scribble on the bar's invisible glass on the front door. All menus for half price, yet no one came. Outside, across the street, a child pickpocketed a young man's wallet, and a woman whimpering on the corner of the dark street, holding her baby that seemed too pale to be alive.

"Are you staying here, Young Man?" Since no one in the bar but me and him, he should be asking me. "Or you just passing by?"

"I'll leave this noon." I left the money on the bar for the water and sandwich I got.

"Wise decision." The man took the money and pointed on my face. "You have a suspicious-looking and men around here wouldn't tolerate your face. You looked similar to those bugs."

I needn't ask what kind of bugs he meant. "They exterminated everyone that had two meters tall?"

"Yes, that's how mad this country is!" The man spat to the floor. "Hadriah has no hope anymore. A country of despair, I heard someone said that. And, no matter how shitty it was, I must admit, he was right. Hope is the same as a fairy tale now."

The man looked across the street and somewhat, his wrinkled face became solemn with sadness and regret.

"You should leave." He said, took my glass and empty plate away. "I hope you won't meet any of those bastards or Ein, Sir. Have a safe trip."

***

Ein, that name echoed within this country. One of several groups that tried to overthrow President Ammar. I heard they became a tough opponent for our troops since they spread like a web inside this country and several more in this continent.