Rainmaker

4

I glance at the traveler walking ahead, his cloak billowing slightly in the evening breeze. He's been silent since we left, his footsteps steady, his eyes focused on the path ahead. I keep my distance, my mind racing with questions I'm not sure I'm ready to ask.

Finally, after hours of walking in silence, I speak up." You said you were the Rainmaker's apprentice," I begin, my voice cutting through the stillness.

The traveler doesn't look back at me, but I can tell he's listening. I think he's going to ignore me for a moment, but then he sighs, a sound that seems to carry the weight of years.

"My name is Kade," he says, voice quieter than before. : "And I was his apprentice before his disappearance."

I frown, quickening my pace to walk beside him. "What happened to him, the Rainmaker?"

"The Rainmaker... he wasn't just a figurehead. His power was greater than anyone knew. It wasn't just about calling the rain. It was about controlling it. And that kind of power... it comes with a price."

I stare at him, my heart beating a little faster. "What kind of price?"

He glances at me, his dark eyes hard and unreadable. "The Rainmaker had to maintain balance. He kept the storms in check and made sure the land got what it needed and nothing more. But as the droughts grew worse, the balance started to tip. And when that happens—when the rain becomes unpredictable—things get dangerous."

A chill runs down my spine despite the heat. "What do you mean by dangerous?"

Kade looks away again, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "If a Rainmaker loses control, the storms stop listening. And when they do that... they destroy everything."

I stop walking, the weight of his words pressing down on me. "Is that what happened? Is that why the Rainmaker disappeared?"

"I left before his disappearance," he admits, his voice strained. "I couldn't handle it: the power, the responsibility. I was too young, too scared. I left because I thought I could escape it, but..." He trails off, his face hardening. "But you can't run from something like that. Not forever."

"So why come back?" I ask, the question slipping out before I can stop it. "Why find me now, after all this time?"

"I realized that if I didn't come back—if I didn't help someone else learn to control the rain—then I was just as responsible for what happens next."

I stare at him, my heart racing. He left out of fear, and now he's returned out of guilt. And I'm supposed to trust him to help me learn control.

Before I can say anything, Kade steps closer, his expression serious. "I can't make up for the past. But I can help you. You have more power than you realize, and if you don't learn to harness it, you'll lose yourself to it."

I nod my head but don't say anything. It's meant as an acknowledgment. A silent agreement to trust him, this stranger.

Kade turns back toward the road. "First, you must understand that controlling the rain isn't about force. It's about balance. You can't just will the storm into existence—you must listen to and feel it. In a way, The rain is alive and responds to your emotions." 

I frown, remembering how the rain had come when I felt overwhelmed back in the village. "So... what do I do?"

"For now, just walk," Kade says. "Feel the wind, the air around you. The storm is always there, in the distance. You'll learn to feel it first. Once you can do that, we'll move on to the harder part—calling it."

I swallow hard but nod, my steps slower as I focus on the sensations around me. The wind is faint, but I can feel it shifting, tugging gently at my hair. It's like a whisper, something barely there but always present. And beyond that, I can almost sense something else—the weight of the storm, waiting just out of reach.

Kade walks beside me, his presence oddly calming despite everything. "It's not easy," he says quietly. "But if you listen closely enough, the storm will teach you."