Chapter 2: Refuge
... The Year 1026 ME/ Year 816.
'Upon the darkest days of the Kingdom, lightning has struck all across the lands from far and wide...'
Civilizations from all across the continent, towns where both humans and mamono's lived in peace and harmony; a flash of light covered their visions and faded within an instant. Thus, to their surprise and curiosity. Giants emerged from the massive smokes before they turned around; showing their deformed faces to the citizens. From curiousness turned into fear and dread; the giants attack the settlement without warning like crazed psychopathic drunkards. Their first victims were devoured and left no survivors behind.
Upon seeing the horrors, they fled in every direction while hundreds and thousands of giants walked upon the earth; towns and cities were rumbled down to the ground while citizens from every kingdom and nation were slaughtered as they tried to escape.
'From the mysterious superphenomenon that brought these flashes of lightning... unknown enemies' emerged and attacked the civilized nations without warning... one of them is Lescatie.'
On the massive river, Elt looked to his right side to see his big sis. Sasha didn't stop sobbing after witnessing the horrors she had seen hours ago. To his left, Yuriy and Eristia remained silent before looking up to the skies. He saw massive black trails of smoke coming from a distance. The city of Lescatie, his home, now ravaged by the giant monsters that devoured every citizen; either they are mamono or human.
"Oh Chief God, spare us from these giants..."
"We're doomed!"
"May the Chief God guide us in our way."
Elt then looked around to see the refugees having scared expressions, and many prayed to the Chief God for their salvation. He didn't say a word while a Holstaur walked past behind him with her daughter in her arms. Then Elt felt an eerie sound coming far from the river banks and turned around to peek up from the wooden rails of the ship. From there, he saw giants marched through the fields and roamed the lands.
He also noticed a single family in a distance that tries to run away before they were overwhelmed by smaller giants. Elt felt an urge to help them, but he couldn't and watched helplessly as they were being devoured.
"Just... what is happening...?" Elt uttered before looking down in grief and anxiety while tearing up a sob. "W-what... are these monsters...?"
...
After the Fall of Lescatie, refugees that came from the fallen kingdoms warned of the initial onslaught of giant humanoids that seek to devour all forms of sentient beings. Several Order Nations and the Neutral States heard of the continent have soon grown aware of the unknown superphenomenon that had occurred with the disappearance of many great demon realms, and important Order Kingdoms were soon replaced with unknown uninhabited lands and seas.
But the most dreadful of all, the two sides soon recognize that the Gods were no longer present in this new dark world, even the Demon Lord's main Demon Realm is no longer to be seen. While in the Cathedrals of the Order, the Bishops and Cardinals fell disorganized and pleaded for the Chief God, yet not aware that their connection with Chief God is no longer in the world.
Thus, these unknown giants swarmed throughout the lands across. Bringing death and destruction on every civilization, either human or mamono. Once the two sides soon recognized their greatest threats, they set their differences aside and worked together to bring down the giants for once and for all. But their path to victory is nowhere in reach.
Newer versions of Giants came, and they emerged with the ability to use claws to tear holes into their magic barriers, and not even the Baphomets could find an alternative solution for protection, thus realizing in a new world without gods, their magic could no longer perform to distort space, time and reality. The giant hordes kept advancing and never stopped until their enemies in front of them were devoured, then nations and kingdoms fell one after another.
...Two years have passed...
The Year 1028 ME, (Year 818), Unknown Peninsula.
...
...
...
"An Abnormal Titan sighted, 200 yards ahead!"
"Alright, engage the enemy with ODM Gear!"
In the middle of an open field, two men with green cloaks flanked the Titan with their horses. The Titan raised its hand and aimed for the man in the left, but the scout steered his horse right in time and turned left to avoid its deadly grab.
"Ash, do it now!"
"On it!"
The scout on the right, named Ash. Shot a hook to the Titan's back and let out a burst of steam coming from the gas and the Iceburst stone pushed him off into the air, then swung high for the right angle before shooting the second hook into the nape. Ash then pulled the trigger to speed up as he reeled forwards and slice off the Titan's nape.
The giant moaned and fell to its death.
"Way to go, Ash!" He heard his fellow scout cheered before his horse came to his side. "Not bad for a rookie."
"Well, I'm a graduate from one of the top ten," Ash smirked in pride. "At least our chances of survival must be pretty high."
"Yeah, but this is a different matter despite you're from Top Ten. Lest we have some abnormal Titans might be lurking out there from a distance." His scout partner comments with dread fill his face. "You heard about the new Titans that came out two years ago?"
"You mean the Soldier Titans?" Ash replied while raising his eyebrow in question. "Yeah, I heard of them. The 10th Commander of the Survey Corps got hit by a massive bone arrow."
"Yeah, and now we're stuck with an even incompetent commander." His comrade then exhaled with disappointment. "We lost a lot of our friends from the last expedition."
"Mhm..." Ash nodded at his words in silence. "Say, Deren. Do you think we can discover a lot of things we haven't seen in this outside world?"
"As long as we survived?" The scout, now named Deren, raised his eyebrow in question before making a warm smile. "Well, as long as we can survive. Maybe we will."
The two scouts rode their horses through the fields to continue their reconnaissance before deciding to head back to the outpost. Once they rode on top of the hills, Ash and Deren felt their eyes being shined under the intense sunlight before they came into their view to see something that they haven't expected to see in their lives... a massive trail of people. Both scouts gaped in shock to see a long trail of people walking down the path along with their carriages.
Ash couldn't believe what he just saw, and Deren has the same thoughts as him.
"Wh-... what the hell!? Those are people and where the hell do they come from!?" Deren uttered. "Just what are they doing out here in the Titan territory! Out of all places!?"
...
In the midst of the refugees, Sasha stood on top of the cart while looking around at the refugees before her eyes lifted to observe an open area. Looking out for the giants that might come at any moment. It has been two years since Lescatie has fallen and three days after they crossed the land bridge that led them to an uncharted land that is not known in the official maps.
"Sasha, are you sure there aren't any giants around this place?" Sasha looks down to a white-haired girl with tanned skin, and apparently older than her. "I-I wish we might find a new home one day."
"Don't be worried, Merse. I'm sure they will find a safer place where we can stay." Sasha beamed up, full of optimism before turning her back to the carriage. "Right, Elt?"
"Yep." Elt nodded with a smile before turning around to his childhood friend. "What do you think, Mary?"
"Mary" or otherwise known as Wilmarina Noscrim, nodded with a warm smile in her response. "Yeah... so then, we can all live together."
"I'd say, why don't we make our own farm once we can settle?" Elt turned around to hear Yuriy's explanations. "I mean, we can best grow up like adults do and make our food."
"Oh, yeah!" Yuriy stopped once he turned around to the blonde girl with a bob-cut hairstyle. "Then I can make and raise a Rabbit Farm, my father always wanted me to take over... but that is until the Giants came along."
"Hey, cheer up Luciana!" Luciana then turns around to another blonde girl with emerald eyes. "At least I, Alameria and Paula can help you raise it! Right, Paula?"
"Umm... y-yeah, we can!" Paula agreed.
"At least we don't have to starve anymore," Eristia muttered quietly before looking up to Sasha and Merse. "Well, at least Sasha and Merse took care of us."
"Yeah... it's like we went off on an endless journey." Elt breathed out with a smile before looking down at a young girl around the age of 5. "What do you think, Mimil?"
"I-I do find it, gweat!" Mimil smiled. "Let's mwake a new home!"
"I know Mimil, I know." Elt cooed while patting the girl's head.
Two years have passed since they left Lescatie as refugees and had been fleeing most of their times in their lives; going into the neighboring nations at one place to another before they all fell to the invading giants. Sasha, Elt, Yuriy, and Eristia had seen so many deaths in their way as they saw giants devouring human and mamono flesh, but in their long tiring journey; they brought many friends through their way. Wilmarina was the first who joined in after she lost her father to a Giant, then they saved Luciana from being trampled by fleeing people, meet up to help Merse to fix the carriage, saving the young Mimil from the brink of death from the giants, meeting Alameria and Paula letting them into their party because they have nowhere to go, saving two young orphan babies named Lisia and Emiyu. Then Francesca, her mother, and her three other sisters joined the bandwagon.
"I still missed father..." Francesca muttered.
"Your father is watching us and he will never let us go, Francesca." Franchia cooed while comforting her daughter. "Your father loved us all as a family. In these dark times, you made yourself to be braver and strong no matter how sick you are. That is why I am happy to see my daughter growing up."
"R-Really? Does he mean that?"
The Queen of Lescatie then nods. "Yes, he knew."
Upon hearing that, Francesca's three elder sisters just scoffed at them out of jealousy after seeing their mother who hugged the youngest princess out of the four While Elt sat quietly while looking at the back of the carriage before drifting into sleep. Not until he heard a terrifying scream coming from the other refugees.
"Wh-What was that!?"
"Elt, Giants!" Sasha replied frantically. "Hurry Merse, we have to get out of here!"
"I-I can't! There are too many people!" Merse grits her teeth while pulling the leash, trying to calm the horses down. "If we can't get out of here, we'll be eaten!"
Out in a distance, the people fled once they saw their sights of an abnormal 13-meter giant with messy black hair; running ridiculously at the refugees and went for the cart where Sasha and the other young children are located.
'Oh no!' Sasha widened her eyes in terror once the Giant came nearer while outstretching its arms apart. 'No... Please no!'
As the giant reached out for their carriage, the refugees were caught off guard by the sudden approach of the two cloaked riders heading straight for the giant in a hurry. One rider pulls out a gun and shot a white flare into its face to divert the Titan's gaze to the scout's.
"Over here, bastard!" Deren yelled while shooting another flare straight into the Titan's face. "Yeah! How do you like that smoke!?"
Sasha, Merse, and Elt watched the giant caught the attention of two mysterious riders under their green cloaks. The giant swiped its hand in its attempt to catch one rider, but the man jumped off from his horse before he pulls up an impossible stunt before their very eyes. His device shot a hook on the giant's back while in mid-air and swung up high in the air by the burst of the gas until he reeled himself forwards by the contraptions at high speeds before swinging his two blades, slicing off the giant's nape: successfully subjugating the gigantic monstrosity which fell to its death.
Sasha stood stunned at the dying giant as steam emitted from its body. Then she looks up and sees a young boy, apparently roughly at the same age as her. He wore a green cloak with an insignia of twin wings crossed together and some strange device which is strapped on his hips. Then thus, she heard his words speaking to her, a language unknown to her ears.
"Are you alright?" He asked her in his native tongue. "I'm Ash Cyrus... from the Survey Corps and you just got lucky."
Sasha blinked once, still in awe before a blush appeared on her cheeks once she took a good look at his face.
'I-Is he... a hero?'
Chapter 2: Ends
Author's Note: Well, Chapter 1 and 2 should've been a big Chapter one. But I decide to throw that idea away. Then as for Phantom Thief's review, I appreciate your comment. Thank you.