Whispers in the Ancient Kingdom

Chapter 20: Judgement Night

It hung silverly above the Kingdom of Aranya, a moon so high that nothing went above it; below, the landscape shone like moonlit water. The events of the previous day played before my eyes like a film, etched into memory with every moment. I had faced that doppelgänger and lived to remember the confrontation. Indeed, it had shaken us all, but it had lit something inside me that I could not deny or mask. We had gone through darkness once before, and we could go through it again.

The air was charged with tension as we assembled in the village square. Anxiety clung to the eyes of the people; pale, they were from the dread and uncertainty. Tomas faced forward, urging the townspeople; Isla and Rafael stood on my left, awaiting what was to come.

"Thank you all for coming," Tomas said his voice steady yet firm. "We are going up against a threat unlike any that we have ever done before. Darkness has a way with twisting reality in such a way that we need to be one in order to be able to fight against it."

I glanced at Rafael, who furrowed his brow as he leaned against a wooden post. "What if this doppelganger shows up again?" he said, his voice laced with anxiety. What if next time he goes after someone else?

"We'll be ready," I said, trying to reassure him. Now we know what he looks like. We can't let fear do that to us.

Isla stepped forward, eyes feral. "We need a plan. If we're going to confront this darkness head-on, we have to be strategic. We can't let ourselves divide again."

Tomas nodded his head in accord. "I suggest patrols in the village and that everyone stays in groups. No one's to be alone tonight.".

As we told our plan, there was this silence that had descended upon the mob. Oldsters of the village, wise and revered, were to advance from the back, grave expressions on their faces.

"We listened to your debates, and we praise your courage," one elder, a woman named Talia said. "But we also have to consider the burden of prophecy. These shadows that are coming for us are not just in body; they are manifestations of our fears and doubts.".

"What are you talking about?" I asked, suddenly intrigued.

"The darkness feeds on despair," Talia said. "It thrives on our insecurities and fears. If we are to face it, we must confront our inner demons."

A murmur went through the crowd. Rafael looked awkward. "But how do we fight something like that? It's not like we can stab our fears with a sword.".

"Actually, you can," Talia said, her eyes sharp. "You must confront them, come face to face. Then you have the power to beat it."

I looked over at the others as the weight of what she said crashed down on us. "What if one of us can't face it?" I asked, my stomach churning with knots.

"Then we stand with each other," Isla declared firmly. "That's what we've done so far, and that's what we'll continue to do."

The crowd began nodding in unison, a sense of solidarity slowly building amongst them. I felt hope. "Then let's do this," I declared. "Let's face our fears together."

As night began to fall, when the sun had dipped below the horizon, we began to prepare for the long night stretching before us. We stood watches, dividing up in smaller and smaller units that patrolled around the village. I was to be paired with Rafael, part of me being relieved, the other part apprehensive.

"Are you all right?" I asked him as we strolled about the perimeter, shadows reaching out to grab at us like splayed fingers.

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I just-I was just thinking about what Talia said. I'm not very good at facing my past. It all seems haunting to me in some way."