Aquilas froze. The human-like being started walking towards them, the sound of the being's footsteps clacking sharp and clear on the glass-like ground of the Rift. The creature's eye bothered her in a way she can't seem to place.
It was obvious that this humanoid being was superior to the other creatures, the way they all stopped in their places, as if waiting for an order.
The moment it got near enough, Aquilas quickly assessed all of its features. The being looked quite human, but it was obvious that he wasn't.
The humanoid creature was dressed for business, wearing a high class suit. What was strange, however, that it wore an eye patch over its left eye, while its right eye remained changing colors. He gave off an aura of dominance, which was probably magnified by its way of clothing.
Tamsin's words echoed through Aquilas's head, and then her eyes widened as she realized that the creature they were facing was apparently a Jaeger. Aquilas stepped back, taken aback.
"Humans? Here? Aero's been going overboard with throwing humans from the invaded worlds." The Jaeger frowned. "Coffee shop? That's the first I've heard of a coffee shop. Is it, by some chance, called the Twelve Kirin Cafe?"
What? Aquilas wondered how in the world the Jaeger knew about the cafe. "Of course. Your expressions tell me. So, Joshua is here as well, huh?" Aquilas heightened her guard.
As if on cue, at the mention of the angel's name, several beams of light shot down, turning every Shadow it hit into fine dust. It looked like a spectacular meteor shower. The Jaeger easily dodged the light beams, while the other creatures weren't so lucky. As the lights faded, they could see the silver-haired angel standing in the middle.
"Moto, huh?" Joshua said, referring to the Jaeger. Then he turned to the group. "Sorry I'm late. I had other business to take care of. But my, what a big mess you've landed in. An army of Shadows and a Jaeger. Honestly, you humans never stay out of trouble." Aquilas remained silent, just like the rest of the group.
"It's a honor to meet you, then," the Jaeger, Moto said, bowing mockingly to Joshua. "Did you come here to save these humans?"
Aquilas silently hoped so. She could see Joshua tightening fist fists, like he was agitated. "It's because of these humans that Alita died. She put her life on the line to give these humans a chance to escape."
Alita? Aquilas thought to herself. Was that the other angel Tamsin was talking about?
"Humans are damned foolish. But I gave them a chance to prove themselves, and their fighting spirit showed through. I began to see why Alita thought the need to sacrifice herself for them. Therefore," he said, expanding his arms out, "I feel that I should probably reevaluate my opinion of humans. Or these humans, at least." Taking a step forward, the sound resonated in the entire Rift, and the angel's body began to glow.
"I'll fight with you. I'll get you out of the Rift."
Thank goodness. Aquilas said to herself. Beams of light fell down from the sky, eliminating large clusters of the Shadow army. When each beam of light cleared, a golem made entirely of light, holding a large shield and sword appeared, and began engaging the Shadow army.
"Alita probably told you all not to engage a Jaeger, right? And yeah, if you did back then, you'd probably die. I get this feeling, though, that you're worth more than you look. Why don't you take that Jaeger down? I'll keep this army busy."
Aquilas nodded. She looked at the Jaeger. It was probably very strong, and she highly suspected that it had great powers that it would probably use against them. She needed to be very cautious in approaching this enemy. It was like no Shadow nor Reaper that she had encountered before.
Suddenly, Aquilas wasn't in the Rift anymore.
At first, she thought she had gone blind. She could see nothing but darkness around her.
It took a couple of seconds before her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She realized that she hadn't gone blind. She froze as she realized where she was. It was the place she had seen in the memory she had retrieved when she drank the mixture---the same, horrifying place.
She was in the same room she had been locked in when she was young.