It was a flash of light. The sudden burst of brightness and warmth that overwhelmed his senses and cast him away from the cold that he had grown with. A flash of light in the silence of a war without chance of victory.<br/><br/>Five years ago, Hákon was brought to a settlement- no a<span style="text-decoration: underline"> facility</span>- along the tribal borders of the land called Russia. They brought him here after he fell into this world, after having witnessed the last stand of his people before despair could reach them. Perhaps the fates were kind to them, they would not suffer, they would not or could not have known what had transpired.<br/>The fates had other plans for Hákon, for him the battle was not yet decided, for Hákon the struggle continued. When he woke up, he had found himself in a world of white or what he later learned was called snow. The sound of creatures long dead in his world welcomed him and the endless blue of a sky barely clouded engulfed him, yet the warmth of his wounds reminded him that death had not yet taken him. The brightness of the world caused him several problems, this was the first time he experienced the sun's rays directly, specifically his eyes had problems adjusting.<br/>Though this place was unfamiliar with Hákon, a Jaegerman could not sit idle or soon he would be the prey. Two nights passed as he wandered through the forests until the sounds of vehicles alerted him that others were nearby, though soon the cries of fear and panic told him that something was amiss.<br/><br/>It was his decision to aid these people that eventually brought him into the HERO program, though it was not because he wanted to. They questioned him but it was only the arrival of Dr. Slate did they begin to understand his story, from his birth to the injections that led to initiation as a Jaeger. She saw the world through his eyes, a world covered in endless clouds, it's soil in a state of permafrost, the remnants of trees shattered by years of freezing temperatures and of a hopeless battle.<br/>Communication was only capable because of Dr. Slate but it was far from perfect. It took most of his time on this world to finally begin to comprehend what was being said and how he should respond, however broken as it may be. They isolated him so that he could be prepared for their world, he no longer suffered sever sunburns nor was he blinded by sunny days.<br/><br/>Or at least that's what he thought they were doing. When they sent him to the land called Brazil, they hadn't told him it would involve flying. It took a lot of effort for Dr. Slate and other heroes to get him to release his grip on his chair during flight and had to do so again when they landed.<br/>Hákon came to despise the sun here, the heat was unbearable and the stickiness of the humidity made it even worse.<br/><br/>Under the gaze of new mentors Hákon was pushed to improve, improvise and above all else endure. Though he could've done without what they called academics. He cared little for the attempts to humiliate him by forcing him to stand before the young blood, recite words that had little meaning to him and speak of stories that held even less. The idea of math and it's variation only served to confuse him further, he understood the need to number your foe but why concern yourself with angles and degrees? A Jaeger fought on instinct. He was trained to act as commanded, to disregard all thought of self if it meant protecting the settlement. The mentor known as Ante tried his best to teach him the meaning of these lessons but his manners of conveying were just as confusing. The man punished him by poisoning him with a drink that made him hazy and then dreadfully sick the next day, took away his hunting equipment and more often than not failed to explain anything in a manner Hákon could understand. Though admittedly the laughter did grate his nerves though those laughs were lessened when he demonstrated his training. While they sneers at his archery at first, his curses and their results proved that he had more experience in combat.<br/><br/>Aside from these lessons, the man known as David continued to question him. About his world, his markings, the dusk, his settlement, his technology and even culture at times. Though most were of little concern, when David questioned him about how he dealt with those infected or nearing infection, Hákon had given a cold answer; a Jaeger's task was to grant mercy to those who had fallen and to those who were beyond rescue. Hákon himself held a single arrow in reserve so that he could end his life without burdening a fellow Jaeger with regret. David chose not to pursue the matter further.<br/><br/>The woman 'Bloody Mary' was the only person he understood, she reminded him of the mentors back in his settlement. They understood that only the strong could protect the settlement, be it physical strength or through strength of will. Yet there was one thing  she seemed to lack, the foresight of character. She howled at him and the other young bloods, pushed them and at times seemed to enjoy their suffering but she never seemed to go beyond that.<br/>While the others kept together during the training, one was always trailing behind; Fuyuki, a young blood who held a strange power of ice. No matter how hard she tried, the young blood went each night to bed with bruises. When none of the mentors and other young blood stepped in to aid her, Hákon made the decision to help her the best he could. He slowed his pace so that she was not alone during the laps, increasing the pace when he felt she could keep up. Though he couldn't stop every bruise, Hákon made sure he was equally roughed up even if it meant getting yelled at by 'Bloody Mary' for failing.<br/>In turn she helped explain the reasoning to 'academics', though it took some time she managed to convey that they were a tradition, one aimed to guide young blood who did not rely on instinct. She explained that history was their manner of storytelling and that math served a purpose for 'scholars' though it seemed more useful for those ill suited for the hunt. Though at times he was sure that his lack of understanding was very, very trying for Fuyuki, she rarely complained too much nor spend too long wondering about a thing called 'IQ', they managed to work with one another.<br/><br/>*****<br/><br/><br/>The now familiar sound of screeching alerted Hákon that it was time to get up. He made to present himself to the mentors only to find himself falling, even as his descent slowed Hákon cursed in a guttural sounding language similar to modern day German. His heart raced in his chest and sweat had formed on his brow when his feet touched the ground. Though the world was still a marvel to him, the sight of a Dusk hive reminded him to why the fates brought him here. His face darkened as the mentors spoke, telling them of how proud they were... at least most were proud and that they should expect no comfort tonight. Hákon was eager to be on the hunt once more, no longer was he tasked with protecting a dying world he now had the chance to aid one that still had a role to play in the fates ordeals.<br/><br/>When he was presented with a chance to shower he took it though he chose to forgo using any soaps to prevent any lingering scents. Dressed in the combat fatigues he was now accustomed to, he prepared to journey towards their goal. Only to find that the fates held a cruel trick in store, not only did he had to endure another flight, he was unceremoniously dumped into salty water. Had he known that this was going to happen, Hákon wouldn't have bothered with a shower!<br/>He could see and feel  Fuyuki's powers in effect, the added chill surprised him, he had been under constant heat that his body had begun to forget the sensation of the cold. With broad strokes Hákon made his way to the water's edge,  he could hear the sounds of arguments, conflicting orders and some complaints. The Jaeger had little interest in leadership himself not too mention his English was still very much basic, right now he focused on making sure his equipment was unscathed. The two quivers he wore while soaked had retained all of his arrows and more importantly his bow was still intact. As he began to carefully  unpack the bag given to him, he saw a flash of light burst of light shoot into the sky. He was sure why it was needed but no matter for now he was focused on adding only what was needed for the hunt, such as spare bow strings, water and rations. Everything else he would take from the land, perhaps that was the only thing he would appreciate from the books, what was edible and what was deadly. Once he was certain he had everything needed, Hákon made his way to the rest of the group.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>