Merleiah: The Fall Of The Rising Kingdom

I. Darkness

The prophesy started mid-afternoon. Despite the scorching heat that made bodies prespire to no one's liking, they still walked under the weighning sun to do their own little tasks. Banners were lifted up from the strings that were tied on one pole to another: the banner of the golden kingdom.

The smell of freshly baked pastries wafted through every nose that passed by the famous bakery. Assorted sweets and desserts were piled delicately on a long wooden table outside it.

Gold and royal blue flags were raised on every houses, signifying the might and power of the kingdom.

The place was full of vibrant colors.

The men in the docks worked doubly to finish delivering goods. They cleaned and furnished their boats and cleaned their cannons. Everyone was waiting for the signal to fire the fireworks.

Amidst the sweaty bodies swarming the streets, smiles were plastered on every faces. It's always like this: busy and happy. But today, both became doubled.

A look of excitement and anxiousness
could be seen in their eyes.

A messenger from the castle suddenly and hurriedly walked through the people and stumbled on the raised platform. All waited in bated breath.

The messenger straightened his hat and stood straight. He cleared his throat.

"The queen is undergoing a difficult labor!"

Scared murmurs and whispers filled the place. They all cared for the queen. The messenger continued.

"But do not woe still! The Dydeon healers arrived as I left the castle. So no time to waste, my dear friends! Finish the preparation!"

Everyone released a sigh for they know that the Dydeon healers were the best of all.

Only the royals could get healing from them because only them could access the royal's golden blood.

Unlike the commoners whose blood is purely red. But despite of the difference, everyone treated each other like friends. Royals or not, everyone are treated right.

They heeded the messenger's command and continued what they were doing.

A fisherman who's cleaning the decks of the ship noticed that the light and heat of the afternoon sun was eerily fading.

He stopped scrubbing the deck and stood up. He looked at the sun. And slowly creeped unto the edge of the deck.

He held the railings tightly. His knuckles white with his tightening grip as every second the light of the sun is devoured by a patch of something dark- something foreboding.

It's only an eclipse. He sighs to himself and thought to resume cleaning. But before he could take his eyes away from the sun, black and ghostly things emerged from the sea still far from them.

"What the-" he whispered and dropped his scrub. It made a loud bang sound and it caught the attention of his co-fisherman.

"What's wrong, Leyus?"

The fisherman who dropped his scrub stared intently into the faraway part of the sea, his eyes wide with panic, his body stiff with fear.

The co-fisherman stared at the place he's staring and as soon as he had seen it, he shouted and ran to his master. He stumbled upon reaching him and talked fervently, no one in the vicinity understood his stuttering words.

"The-there dark t-hings sea! D-dark in -sea!"

"Calm down, mister! And speak slowly."

The people around them threw amused glances at each other. The co-fisherman took a deep trembling breath and spoke with as much patience he could muster.

"There are dark creatures that suddenly emerged from underneath the sea. One time I was sweeping the deck and then they just pop out of nowhere! And the sun! The sun!"

The co-fisherman abuptly pointed to the sun. And everyone hadn't noticed until he pointed it out.

As they saw the sun slowly getting dark, their eyes trail away from it because now, they could see clearly the dark ghostly creatures that he'd described.

There, a thousand dark things waited. And when they finally glided towards their place.

Everyone screamed.

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