The Raven's Requiem

((This is a fairly old piece that I did a while ago. Essentially, its the prologue to a story in a fantasy setting I've been developing. Its actually a prequel to what I plan to be the main story, meant to describe how certain events came to past. Most of this is actually ancient history long forgotten in my world. I've made some adjustments to it when I submitted this piece to my School Literature and Arts magazine, and I've received some very positive comments on it.

We step into the world of Ana, into the forsaken realm of Empyrea, the location of a war of dark powers that forever changed the course of the world. Though the primary evil has been subdued, it has not been defeated entirely, as nightmarish creatures still wander the land. Thus, it falls upon a group of skilled scouts to patrol the charred earth, in case if there are gatherings of monsters intent on threatening what remnants of humanity that managed to escape Empyrea and flee east to Altair.

So with that tidbit of background out of the way, enjoy!))    

Raina and her group foraged through the charred jungle. Above them were ebony clouds, hanging like the robes of a reaper. It was one of the few constants throughout these lands in addition to the smell of ash and sometimes burnt flesh. Almost everything else was unpredictable. Sometimes a cold wind would blow by, at others a wave of heat would rise. The landscape was either jagged and torn, flat and barren, or any combination of the two.

The leader of the group could only look on in sorrow and pity. She had called these once fertile and tranquil lands her home only a few decades ago. Then the Ascension War came. Now the land was warped beyond recognition, resting in dark times. Perhaps for the rest of its miserable existence it was to be this hollow wasteland. Few friendly things, creatures and plants alike, lived within this dead jungle now. And as it stood, Raina was thankful that’s all they came across so far.

Amidst these thoughts, a single drop of water on her cheeks brought her to a stop. She looked up at the sky, where it came from. Soon enough, more rain came down… growing denser by the second. The sudden lightning bolts above, which were red as opposed to blue or yellow, were all the proof she needed to know that they would be caught right in the middle of a monsoon.

Raina didn’t need to say that they needed to find shelter. That was the first thing on all their minds when there was even a drizzle. And as fortune would have it, a structure became visible above the trees and thorns. They sprinted for it, managing around any obstacles that obstructed their path. Upon getting near, Raina was able to tell that the building was an abandoned temple of the kingdom of Empyrea.

Warily, the group proceeded into the ruins. It was intact enough to shield them

from the rain.

“We’ll stay here until it eases. Then we move again,” Raina announced.

Given the nature of the land, that could’ve been hours or days. It was always better to plan for the long term, though. Quickly, a fire was prepared from some spare wood that they collected along the way, and a camp was made. Precautions were taken to ensure it couldn’t be spotted at a distance and bring unwanted attention, such as placing it in a fully intact room. A heavy cloth was tossed over the doorway to further prevent any ray of light from escaping.

The camp set, and a roof over their heads to keep them dry from the thundering storm, they all started to rest easy.

           

“Why do we still venture into these forsaken lands?” asked the youngest of the group, Arcus. “Infernals, Abyssals, and gods know what else…”

Raina spoke sternly, “We venture into it to scout out those very same beings. To determine whether or not they pose a threat to all we have rebuilt in Altair… That is our primary purpose. We can’t afford to lose vigil…”

She began to trail off, but Arcus nodded and saw her point. Raina stood up and left to start her watch.

“She says we need to keep our vigil… and yet she is still lost in the past…”

Arcus looked at Baelin in surprise. “Lost in the past?”

“She still looks upon these blighted lands with nostalgia… She is still easily lost in long past memories,” Baelin said distastefully. “Out of all of us, she is the one who should keep her vigil.”

“Bite your tongue, Baelin. Out of all of us, Raina is the one who has seen the most. And for that matter, lost the most,” rose Alva’s voice, in earnest defense of her mentor.

“Bah! Regardless, it is unsuitable for a leader to dwell on such things. Her nostalgia will be the end of her, I promise you that.”

Baelin would’ve held his tongue if he knew that Raina was just outside, and heard every word he spoke. But she decided not to interrupt.  One reason was because he scarcely spoke his real mind with her around, particularly because despite his disagreements, he was at least a little respectful. Another was because deep down, she knew he was right. These lands and her time in them inspired lost feelings that were unsuitable for someone who wished to survive. But tossing them aside was next to impossible for her. Raina had decided long before then that this would be her last journey into these lands, but now she decided it was final. Perhaps it was a mistake coming again in the first place. 

She looked down to her bow hanging in her right hand. Now this was no ordinary bow. In fact, it was only a bow in form, but it could meld to the carrier’s preferable weapon. It was a power that she volunteered to have… a weapon that chose her. There were only three others like it in all existence, and there were only four people who could use them, Raina included. But the rest had already hidden their heirlooms away and embraced a peaceful life.

Then she heard something… The crack of a stone falling to the floor echoed throughout the cathedral. Her companions didn’t hear it over their own conversation, and she decided not to bother about it. She was on watch, after all. 

She strung back her bow, and a silver shard materialized from the string, serving as a makeshift arrow. She then walked slowly forward, scanning the ruins from top to bottom. Large patches of darkness covered certain areas, but she was able to see past them. The bow granted her other powers, including the sharp vision of an eagle. But despite such a boon, she did not see the intruder.

…Until she heard shuffling above her.

She turned and shot, hitting her mark… which seemed to be, at first, a statue of an angel, hunched over, wings spread. But when the arrow pierced it, the figure flinched and let out an inhuman howl, then fell off the side of his perch. His landing was a mix of a disgusting thud and crack. The body didn’t move for several seconds, and Raina then eased her grip on her bow. Her would-be-assailant appeared to have died.

Naturally, the commotion did not go unnoticed by her comrades, who rushed out, arms at the ready. Upon seeing Raina at ease, they too calmed. Baelin immediately went to see what it was that had been killed.

“What manner of foul creature is this?” he asked in disgust.

“Whatever it was, it is now…” she abruptly cut off her sentence as she looked back at it. Something about it didn’t sit well with her. Its corrupted aura was suddenly strong. “Get back from it!”

Baelin looked at her as if she was mad, but complied all too happily when the creature suddenly began to stir. As it stood, Raina had a better look at the creature. It wore worn robes that bore regal traits about them, and had long black hair which was in a mess. Something about “him” seemed eerily familiar. Then its eyes opened.

Everything around its glowing silver pupils and irises was but a pitch black. As he tore the crystal shaft out of its chest, a low guttural growl emitted from its mouth. It raised its right hand and struck the ground hard. As it did so, a burst of black fire erupted, and formed a wall which divided Raina and her Companions.

Baelin immediately tried getting through, but as he reached his hand through, he pulled it back in agony. All but Raina looked at it, as it had not been burnt, but withered and decayed to its bone.

Raina had only heard his pain, but was unable to see what the cause of it was. She could only focus on her enemy now. The creature bared its jagged yellow teeth as it charged, flinging its clawed hands recklessly at her. Meanwhile, she kept pulling back her bow string and kept filling it’s body with crystal arrows. But despite the fiend’s clear pain from the shots, it did not seem to otherwise be hindered. By her will, in an instant her weapons flashed and were changed into a pair of twin long swords that felt light in her hands.

She stabbed both of them into the creature. But that wasn’t so effective either. In fact, the creature clutched the hilts of the blades, attempting to snare her hands. A swift kick knocked it off, and she withdrew her swords from him. The silver metal was stained with black blood, and as she turned to see her opponent, she saw that the gaping wound that the swords had left was closing unnaturally quickly. It was also now that she saw that the flesh was growing around the crystal arrows.

The creature regained its composure, and leaped off the ground, its beating wings allowing him to stay in the air. Raina responded by shifting her weapons back into a bow and pulled back the bow and aimed. By now, volleys of arrows began coming through the fire, directed at the flying fiend. But the moment they passed through the burning wall, they disintegrated into dust.

One arrow managed to get through, only for the creature to snatch it in midair and snap it like a twig. During this moment, Raina unleashed her own missile, but this time placed a lot of effort in its power. And it paid off.

The creature wailed as the shaft of light tore right through, and it fell to the ground immediately. Raina wasted no time in taking the offense once more. Her weapon become two swords once more and she charged. As the creature was getting up, she plunged the blade in her right hand right into where his heart should’ve been, and plunged the other sword into his back.

The creature fell down onto its hands and began to gasp wildly. Not long after, it began to shake violently, and then was still. Raina recovered the sword from the back, and placed it beside the neck, ready for the killing blow. But then she heard a familiar voice.

“Finish it… Kill me… Please…”

Raina froze. Could it be? After all these years?

She placed her hand on the man’s shoulder, and slowly he turned his head. The clothes were tattered, his hair messy, but that face, which was no longer that of a deformed abomination. There was no mistaking it.

All she had the strength to ask was “What have they done to you, Asriel?”