seraph of the end: I am Raiden

The day Raiden died started like any other. The small town of Kuoh was quiet in the early morning hours, the kind of peace that made the world feel safe, almost timeless. Raiden had always enjoyed those moments, walking to his part-time job or meeting friends at the local café. But on this day, that peace was shattered.

It began with a sharp, piercing scream that echoed from the forest at the edge of town. Raiden, curious and foolish, followed the sound, his heart pounding harder with each step. What he found was something out of a nightmare—a fallen angel with shattered wings and eyes like molten gold, its body half-buried in the underbrush. It whispered his name, or something like it, and before he could react, everything went black.

When Raiden opened his eyes again, he was not in Kuoh. The air was colder, heavier, and the scent of blood clung to everything. He was in a stone cell, dimly lit by a single flickering torch. The voices of children echoed faintly beyond the walls, their cries and whispers laced with fear.

A New Reality

Raiden's first few days in the vampire city blurred together in a haze of hunger and exhaustion. He learned quickly that they weren't alone. Other children were trapped here, all orphans taken from the surface.

Among them were Yūichirō and Akane Hyakuya. Yū was brash, his anger sharp enough to cut, but it was Akane who reached out to Raiden. She had a quiet strength, the kind that made her a natural caretaker. She introduced him to the younger children and assigned him small tasks: fetching water, helping organize their meagre supplies, and keeping the little ones entertained.

"You'll feel less lost if you stay busy," she said one day, handing him a crude wooden toy that one of the younger kids had broken.

Raiden studied her for a moment, her calm expression hiding the same fear he felt. "How do you do it?" he asked softly.

"Do what?"

"Stay so... strong."

Akane's smile was faint but warm. "You don't have to be strong all the time. You just have to pretend long enough to help someone else."

Bonds in the Shadows

Raiden quickly became a fixture among the younger children, his quiet demeanor a comforting presence in a world of chaos. He found himself growing attached to them—the way little Haruto would tug on his sleeve, or how Aiko would light up when he told her a story.

But it was Akane he gravitated toward most. They often stayed up late, sitting in the dim corners of their shared cell, talking in whispers while the others slept.

"Do you think we'll ever get out of here?" Raiden asked one night.

Akane hesitated, her fingers tracing patterns on the cold stone floor. "I have to believe we will. For their sake." She nodded toward the sleeping children.

"And for Yū?"

Her expression softened. "Especially for Yū. He's angry now, but he's got a good heart. He just doesn't know how to show it."

Raiden chuckled quietly. "You've got him figured out already?"

"I've had practice." Akane smiled, a glimmer of light in an otherwise dark place. "He's like a little brother to me. Stubborn, but worth the trouble."

The Price of Survival

Life in the vampire base was a relentless struggle. Food was scarce, and every interaction with their captors felt like walking a razor's edge. Raiden noticed the way Akane shielded the younger kids, often going without so they could eat. He tried to follow her example, but it gnawed at him—the helplessness, the inability to protect the ones he cared about.

One evening, as they gathered the children for their meagre rations, Akane placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're doing enough, Raiden. More than enough."

"It doesn't feel like it," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

"It never does." Her gaze was steady, but her eyes betrayed a weariness he hadn't seen before. "But every little thing you do matters to them. Don't forget that."

Hope and Loss

The vampires rarely visited their cell, but when they did, it was to remind the children of their place. Raiden could only watch as the younger ones cowered, their tiny frames trembling under the weight of their captors' presence.

One day, Akane was taken.

She returned hours later, pale and shaking but alive. Raiden didn't press her for details, though the haunted look in her eyes told him more than words ever could.

"We have to get out of here," Yū hissed that night, pacing back and forth like a caged animal.

Akane sat silently, her hands folded tightly in her lap. Raiden wanted to say something, to offer some sliver of comfort, but the words wouldn't come.

A Fragile Peace

Despite the darkness surrounding them, there were moments of light. Raiden clung to those moments—the sound of Akane's laughter when one of the kids told a silly joke, the way Yū's fiery determination never wavered, no matter how dire their situation seemed.

But deep down, Raiden knew their fragile peace couldn't last. The vampires weren't keeping them alive out of mercy. There was a purpose to their suffering, one that Raiden wasn't sure he wanted to understand.

Still, he resolved to hold on to what little they had for as long as he could. Because in this broken world, even the smallest bonds were worth fighting for.