darkness is coming

Rayni woke up in the early morning to find herslef alone in bed. She looked at the wall, then outside the window where she could see Rexander patrolling the area. She wondered how Rexander could function with such little sleep, he truly did have beastly stamina.

Where are you going?" Rexander asked her when he saw her dressed for town. 

"Around JumJum, I want to see how business is doing here."

"I will come with you, Hawkeye and Falcon have gone to scout the area and gather intel." Rayni nodded her head and together they walked around town. They were pleasantly surprised to see that business was doing well. There were herbs and spices not found anywhere else at the highest quality and materials of high value in the Mainland scattered all around. Trade would surely flourish in Valkore, if they could clear Agho and make a stable port area to trade with the rest of the continent. A fortune awaited them if they could overcome all the trials and tribulations. 

"I did not expect there to be a library here," Rexander commented, as they passed the centre of town. 

"Let us go inside," Rayni suggested, Rexander following her.

"Welcome to JumJum's very own Heritage Library, my names Maxwell give me a shout if ya need anything," An overly-animated, chubby man welcomed them, his rose-tinted cheeks happily puffed and pearly teeth shinning. 

"Hello," They greeted back. Rayni's eyes travelled through the countless books, it was much bigger inside than what its exterior had indicated. As a child that lived in the library getting lost in her imagination this place was a glimpse of heaven to her. The titles of the books were much different to what she had read before and there were countless names on them, she had never heard of. She spotted a few classics amongst the sea of books, how long had it been since had read those? Her heart ached to read them once more, to relive the emotions they had invoked in her - happiness, grief, joy, laughter, and so many more. She lived life through them. 

"Theres a section on the history of Valkore, these will useful for us," Rayni noted, already placing a few books in her hand to study. "What a perfect place for me," she remarked happily. 

"We should eat before you burry yourself here," Rexander advised knowing that Rayni often lost track of time when reading. "I saw an inn selling food nearby," 

As they waited for their food to be prepared at the inn they heard a commotion outside. A frail looking old woman with long white hair and unusual grey pupils was screaming random sentences, waving her hands wildly and moving sporadically. 

"They are coming!" She screeched so loud, Rayni was surprised that only a few villagers had gathered around her. 

"Not this again," A nearby shopkeeper huffed annoyed. 

"Men in black robes," The crazy lady continued, "Many men, black robes, dark night, bright fire, white rose, blood rose, thorns, thorns, light, light, light!" She chanted random words together. Rayni tried to decipher what the meaning could be but was unable to rationalise anything the lady was saying.

Those words sounded strangely similar, had she read it in a book before?

"Tragedy. Tragedy. History repeats itself!" She anxiously turned around in circles, making herself fall on the floor. Rayni went to help her get up but before she reached her, the lady grabbed Rayni by her shoulders and stared deeply into her eyes. For a short second, Rayni could have sworn she saw the ladys' lifeless grey eyes fill with bright purple. "You have returned," She whispered to Rayni, before she rose and screamed "Darkness is coming! Run! Run! Run!" In the next moment she was gone madly, running down the street. 

"Rayni, are you okay?" Rexander asked, as he knelt to her side and helped her up.

"Yes I am fine, is she okay though?" Rayni asked once she was upright, her eyes still fixed on the direction the lady ran off too.

"Don't worry about Nana, the loony granny she is. She forgo her sanity a long time ago," Hima, the owner of the Inn stood by the door and assured them having grown accustomed to Nana's antics.

"What happened to her?" Rayni asked.

"Don't know, she's always been this way. Pay her no mind shes a madwoman talking nonsense about 'darkness' all the time," Hima waved them inside, "We cooked a hearty meal for you both, come eat,"

"Lets eat, you must be hungry," Rexander gently tugged Rayni inside when she had not moved. 

After their meal Rayni returned to the library to research more on the history of Valkore, whilst Rexander returned to their house where the next Troop meeting was to be held. Majority of her time was spent learning about the history of actual land, collating notes of interesting and useful information she had come across in her red leather journal. Later on in the evening, when she was flicking through a random book, about monster anatomy that she had found on a random shelf, she was shocked to find names for the all the creatures they had encountered on their journey here. Her eyes widened reading the authors name, surely it could not be?

Dr Nana Erudite

Surely, Nana Erudite and Nana, the old lady screaming wildly in the middle of town were not the same person? How could such an intelligent woman become the person she saw in town? 

"Dearie, you can stay as long as ya like but it is very late now just ta let ya know," Maxwell, the librarian they met in the morning informed Rayni.

Rayni looked at the clock, it was almost ten. "I did not realise the time, thank you for telling me," she quickly returned the books and bid Maxwell farewell. The streets were quiet and everything was very dark, she tried calling Mith but was unable to reach her. She heard whispers in the wind but shook it off thinking it was just her anxious mind. She then forced herself to be calm when the whispers got louder, and when she quite clearly heard rushed footsteps behind her. It was fine, everything was fine she kept reassuring herself as she walked briskly home. Rayni had never felt fear quite like this. It was so potent yet in a sense it did not feel like hers. 

"Rayni!" She heard Rexanders voice call from ahead.

"My Lord!" She called back, grateful to hear his voice and to see him walking in her direction with a light gem glowing in his hand. 

"What was so damn interesting you stayed out so late in the library? Are you even aware of the time?" He scolded her, obviously worried for her. He had thought she had gone to bed early but when he walked into their empty room he knew exactly where she was and immediately left to get her home. 

"My apologies, I lost track. I will be more careful next time," Rexander looked questioningly at her startled expression. 

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Rayni forced a tight smile and responded, "Yes, just tired.". She took a quick glance behind her before walking alongside Rexander. "How was your meeting?" She asked to which Rexander sighed.

"Not good, the monsters are much more intelligent and stronger than what we had prepared for, more planning and careful thinking will be required otherwise things could easily take a wrong turn," Rexander explained, the stress of the day reappearing on his face.

"Hmm, speaking of I found a book on monster anatomy I think you should take a look at it. It had the monsters we encountered on the way here."

"Those monsters must be native to this land for it to have already been recorded," Rexander remarked slightly surprised to hear that such records had survived the years of isolation Valkore faced. 

"What is more interesting to me is the author, Dr Nana Erudite," She recalled.

"Nana?" Rexander repeated. "As in the lady that was screaming her head off a few hours ago? Surely, not,"

"I thought the same, but who really knows?"

"Erudite is an old surname. I once met a man in my travels who said that all those with Erudite in their name were natural, born geniuses. I thought he was talking big but he was rather smart and so was every Erudite I met since," Rexander thoughtfully commented.

"True, I think all of the most renowned scholars in the Eastern Valleys had that last name too," Rayni agreed. "Names truly are powerful, seeing as their meanings manifest so deeply in a person." She looked at him curiously,"Why did you name yourself Rexander Leonard?" She asked him after a moments silence.

"I read it in a book about a hero that defeated an evil dragon when I was a child, the name stuck with me since," Rexander answered. 

"What book was it?" Rexander furrowed his eyebrows trying to remember.

"I don't remember, perhaps you'd know," Rayni gave him a judging side ways glance.

"Do you know how many stories are written about hero's defeating evil dragons? You will have to give me more details," Rexander playfully rolled his eyes.

"What does Rayni mean?" 

"In the old tongue of the Eastern Valleys it means 'light again', literally. However, the meaning behind the name is better understood as 'bringer of light'"

What a pretty name for a pretty person, Rexander thought as he looked at Rayni. There was no denying her beauty that grew more prominent with every passing day. Had she always looked this beautiful, or was it that he only noticed recently?

"It suits you, you brought the light, the hope, back to Valkore. No one believes in Valkore more than you," 'and in me', Rexander finished internally.

Just then the words of House Valaria's Head Priest, Hairo echoed in Rayni's mind.

Cursed child, you are destined to bring misery wherever you go.

Those words had condemned her to another lifetime of misery. What her father named her upon birth was not Rayni but Mallory - that quite literally meant 'cursed child'. Rayni was not her true name, how could she 'suit' it? Her destiny was not to bring light but to bring darkness. How would Rexander react if he knew that? Would he still regard her the same, she wondered as they walked back in a peaceful silence. 

---

"No." Rexander stubbornly decided.

"Rex, she knows those monsters we need her,"

"The scouts will gather as much intel as they can, and relay it to her so she can tell us what they are or we can find out from this book," Rexander placed the book Rayni had told him about on the table. Gareth picked it up and read through some pages.

"Mai this does seem to be pretty accurate, its got all the monsters we faced before in a good amount of detail," Gareth concluded. 

"See Mai even Bear agrees," Myra sighed as she gave up trying to convince Rexander to bring Rayni along. 

"Do you not find it odd how much our Lady knows about monsters that even we, famed monster hunters, do not?" Gareth asked.

"What are you suggesting Bear?" Rexander questioned defensively, to which Myra only rolled her eyes. Gareth raised his hands in mock surrender. 

"I'm just wondering what damn book she read and where she got it from, the Temple of Cordelia are against documenting monsters of any kind unless it is a few random facts in a story about heros. So where could she have gotten this book from?" Rexander frowned at that, it truly was strange that Rayni knew so much, and which such scary precision. As smart as she was, could she have really remembered an entire catalogue of monsters from a book she read a while ago in the Eastern Valleys where such books were not even allowed?

"We aren't accusing her of anything Rex, but you must admit that is strange how much Rayni knows," Rexander only sighed in response. 

"She's a great traveller too, knew all the things to do and not do. That could not have been her first time on a journey such as that one," Gareth added.

"Not to mention how the sight of those monsters did not scare her one bit, those were some gruesome sights that should have had any lady squealing," Myra pointed out. 

"Damn... Who really are you Rayni Rose?" Rexander asked out loud the question that had been bothering him for a while. Myra looked at Rexander intently, he knew what she was suggesting with her look. "Tell Eduardo to look into her," Myra nodded her head and sent her messenger bird away. Eduardo Castel was once a talented but lawless mage knight that Rexander saved from the gallows as a teen, he has followed and worked for Rexander since. His current role being the leader of the Classified Special Agents Division of Valkore, whose purpose is to essentially acts as spies and investigators for the good of Valkore. 

"Commander!" A young knight urgently knocked on the door.

"Enter, what is it?" Rexander called inside, immediately alert.

"It is the Lady," Rexanders heart fell to his stomach and he just about finished listening to what the knight was saying before he was out the door and in search of Rayni. 

---

"Darkness will come again," Rayni recognised the voice, it was the lady in the black robe again.

"What darkness?" Rayni asked, she kept hearing this word but found no meaning it. 

"The same that devoured the Blue Mountains,"

"How can we defend against it?"

"Read the tales of the past, they will guide you. There is truth in the stories,"

When the outside light gently woke Rayni up, she rushed to the library and searched through every book till she found one that told a rather interesting story. She took it with her and went to tell Rexander. It was light outside this time but she felt as uneasy as she did the night before. Where had all the townspeople gone? Why were the streets so eerily empty?

"So you returned," A distorted voice spoke from behind her. She tensed and felt frozen at her spot, she wanted desperately to move but could not."You should have died then," The voice cackled, she felt a rush of energy towards her and the just darkness, just darkness. 

----

"That child is alive?"

"She always has been,"

"Hmm, who is that boy?"

"The son of Alvastor. My, my, my, how that boy has grown."

"The last of House Bhukam, what a strong warrior he has become."

"True to his name,"

"What of the girl that married him?"

"Ah, the child of House Valaria born with no magic,"

"A child of such a house born a commoner? How pathetic,"

"Be wary she knows of our magic too well,"

"They all shall soon,"

"Darkness is coming."