Darklight: The New World

Part 4: Acid Raine

She was sat at his desk, a room which not many people had ever been permitted to sit in. This room Master Kisa had considered as his place of sanctuary - his place of solace and peace that only his closest and most trusted friends and colleagues were allowed to enter. The space was small and intimate, a simple small square room with a desk, behind which were two long, thin windows next to each other that looked out on Eresmai. It s layout was much like that of Rammachandra’s office, although on a much smaller and less grand scale. The walls on both sides of the room were floor to ceiling bookshelves containing the most important information on Skry history and the research into Arcane Abilities. The room was kept lit by four up-lit lamps in each corner of the room. 

There had been no trace of Master Kisa since the operation that had taken out Rammachandra. Soran had said that Rammachandra claimed that she had killed Kisa, taking him out when he confronted her on his secret mission - the mission that even Raine didn’t know about. But how could the Commander trust Soran? He’d just disappeared off to Utopia on his own, risking not only the safety of Eresmai if he was caught and his mind probed - but also his own life. He may be the most powerful being on the planet but with the revelation that his thought dead wife was the new High Matriarch Of Utopia she was sure that his judgement had been impaired. Commander Raine was Kisa’s second in command, where he was the cultural leader she was the military leader and so she was now the head of the Skry Nation. Because of Soran’s reckless actions Eresmai was on high alert again, readying itself for further combat. She was looking over city-wide power reports on one tablet computer and live intelligence reports on Utopia City with the other. Apart from reading unusually high electromagnetic energy in the city, more than likely Soran himself, nothing else was out of the ordinary. Regardless, Soran would have to answer for his recklessness.

There was a knock on the door.

“Enter” She commanded and the door opened revealing an aged, slightly haggard tall Skry man who seemed to demand respect.

“Ah, Sage Gaius. Please take a seat” Raine gestured to the seat on the other side of the desk.

“Commander Raine, I must say that this is somewhat unexpected” The man was wearing a traditional long Skry trench-coat over simple brown linen trousers and a white t-shirt. Compared to Raine’s not so modest modern choice of couture-style clothing the Sage appeared positively bland. But it was to be expected - Sage Gaius was one of the oldest amongst the Skry, he worked as the Culture Minister in the old world - he was chosen by Kisa himself. Raine was comparatively young, born only fifteen years before Rammachandra’s cataclysm.

“Oh really? I’m surprised you weren’t expecting this” Raine replied with a grin. “I suppose you know why you’re here?”

“My dear, once you’ve been in politics for as long as I have you know an offer when you see one” he said, smirking back at the woman in front of him.

“With Kisa gone I need someone to act as a liaison between myself and the people. You well know I’m not a people person, I’m a woman of military action and the choices I’m going to be making in the coming weeks and months are going to be difficult ones. Is that something you think you can do? You are well known and respected by the masses and you’re the kind of man I need. What do you say?” Her dark eyes were digging into his striking green ones, she noticed the deep lines of age on his face and he noticed the smooth paleness of hers, noting her large dark eyelashes and silvery eyeshadow.

“Well it’s a challenge I’d like to accept” he replied.

Raine simply smiled.