Shadow's end

Chapter 5: Rising tensions

Drash'aa waited in the Council chambers getting annoyed. Rasocren was three days late and still showed no signs of responding to her call. She was about to go fetch him herself when the front doors burst open and a strange man walked in the room. His hair was short and choppy, his skin had a bit of a grayish hue to it but, it was his eyes that really struck her. They were savage yet cunning like those of a rabid fox. It was not until he spoke that she realized with a shock that it was actually Rasocren. "Why have you disturbed me?!" he said aggressively. A little surprised, Drash'aa said, "I have called you over because I require you to attend your duties as Councilman". Hearing the savageness in his voice, Drash'aa got worried when Rasocren said "I WAS attending my duties by making myself more knowledgable on all matters of our hidden history. And as I was reading I fell across a certain book." he held up the book entitled R'odash the betrayer "What I found within was a treasure trove of knowledge. And truth". Her confusion and worry increasing within her, Drash'aa said: "I know there is truth within those pages. I wrote that book myself. However, I do not understand why you are so... unlike yourself". Rasocren smiled and responded "You have not written the entirety of this book, or have you forgotten the writings of this falsely entitled betrayer? They explain much about us and, take my word for it, I have lived what he describes in the early stages. It showed me that there truly are people out there who understand this feeling I have, the feeling that I am repressing my true self". Drash'aa processed his words carefully only to be confused.  What was all this talk about R'odash's writings? It was not possible that Rasocren had read them, because she had burned them herself. "Rasocren, you are starting to worry me. There are no entries of R'odash's journal in that book. And even if there were, they are the words of a madman who betrayed his own people. Why would you think that to be the truth?". Rasocren was silent for a moment. Then, Drash'aa thought she imagined hearing a low rumble and soon realized that it was getting louder. What scared her more though, was the fact that this noise was coming from Rasocren as she realized that the rumbling was actually a sort of feral growling. Rasocren quickly rose his hand and, in a panic, thinking her life was in danger, Drash'aa put herself in a protective stance and closed her eyes. When nothing happened, she opened her eyes again and saw that Rasocren was holding up the book, open to reveal... she couldn't believe it. She took the book and read for herself. With a look of utter shock, she looked up to her son and feebly managed "But how? These were never here". Gentler than she thought was possible for him, Rasocren put his hand on her shoulder and told her "It does not matter mother. What matters now is that we tell the people the truth. They must know". Seeing the danger behind such words, Drash'aa backed away and said "No. No, no this must not come to pass. My son, R'odash was corrupted by his dark nature when he wrote these words. By his last entry, he was fully turned already. You have started to turn already but it is not too late to stop it". Rasocren erupted "And do as you have!? Mother, don't think that I do not remember the passage where you turned, if only for a moment, on your fellow council-member and THREATENED him for speaking his mind!" "I never-" "YOU CANNOT PRETEND THAT IT NEVER HAPPENED!!!!" A painful silence filled the room and Rasocren kept talking. "I wouldn't have believed it, mother, if I had not seen as such for myself. But the fact of the matter is that every time I have suggested something that you did not agree with, such darkness seeped from you that you seemed a different person". Drash'aa looked away in shame, not denying what Rasocren was saying. He cupped her chin with one of his fingers and lifted her head to look towards him and he said "I am not saying that you should suppress it because of your savage lack of control, mother. Quite the contrary, what I am suggesting is that you learn to control that part of yourself in short bursts. Little by little until you become your true and perfect self without becoming a mindless savage". Tears rolling down her face, she tore herself away from Rasocren and this time, it was her turn to yell in outrage, except her voice had turned different and a sinister darkness emanated from her. "YOU DISGUSTING LITTLE WORM, DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT I HAVE TOLD YOU!?!? TO DISOBEY ME AS YOU HAVE IS INSULT ENOUGH BUT TO QUESTION ME WHEN I GIVE YOU A CLEAR INSTRUCTION?!?! I SHOULD HAVE LET YOU DIE THE DAY YOU CAME TO THIS WORLD LIKE THE FILTHY, LOW-LIFE SCUM YOU ARE!!!!". Speechless, Rasocren only stared at his mother as she returned to her senses, fear replacing the pure hatred in her eyes. Her voice back to normal, Drash'aa said "Rasocren, my son, I never-" but Rasocren cut her off with a wave of his hand and walked away without saying another word, leaving Drash'aa to weep alone in the council chambers.