When I was younger, I had a book. It was small, old, and the cover was black leather, slightly worn from how much I read it. The ink was a dark, dark blue. You could only read it when the moon was high and it was late at night, because the pages were black, or so they say.
(It's true, though.)
You can imagine my annoyance early in the morning when my mother was still asleep and I had tried to read the title... I didn't put too much thought into it considering I picked it up from an old lady who was giving away her things.
The white cloud and its black rain, was the title.
It spoke of a time when light and darkness clashed with each other. The savage unknown faced with the up-front truth, but it was somewhat a game to light. The brutal insanity rose to her name with fire held in fist, lit with a burning chamber of charcoal in her chest. She was searching for adventure. Seeking something different from her quiet village full of weak women and strict order.
You see, when she was younger, she heard of a story from a man that said the gods of lightning and thunder would come down to earth for two days and two nights to find a queen of all. The queen of gods, of life, of death, of grace and fury. But only if she had defeated one thousand men. Once she defeated nine hundred, though, the god of the moon would send a being of equal caliber.
She was raised around women and warriors. It was meant to be. But her people...her family...
They didn't understand.
As she grew older, at age fifteen, she defeated nine hundred men. Then he appeared.
The darkness. Its overpowering silence and stealth masked by sparks of deception and lies, he was complicated. He didn't crave heart pounding danger, or get amused by riches and women. A shadow is fine with just observing. A shadow harbors no direct emotion. By manipulating in a quiet corner with a book in one hand and someone's mind-their perception- in the other. That is why he traveled across the world to find someone equal. He wanted something real.
This girl had never left her village, but her name and goal attracted many curious souls. She did not fight anyone after nine hundred men, and they... They just-
They just didn't understand.
So when they both started their journey into each others territory, they clashed. Neither backed down, sending in a single ray of light lunging into the depths. Everything spun together. It was a dance. The spinning blades and twisted style of it all just felt right. He couldn't believe how much a single girl could crave. She wanted it all.
Death.
Destruction.
Gold.
Power.
But most of all, she wanted him dead. She was edged on by the thought of being a god. What if she defeated everyone? What if she was the strongest out of all?
He did not show emotion, yet he almost looked sorry for her. Sorry that she had to bear those deaths on her shoulders for the rest of her life, and yet....
It suited her. He was mesmerized, and the way he looked at her made her stomach flip and her stance fall. But they kept going. Wordless. A new language of swords and emotions stuck on the tips of their tongues continued until they were both tired, and rested. The god of the moon did send him. But, this was not the test.
She knew it.
She has felt this before. She got up, her red hair now a mess of diffrent lengths and out of her hair tie. Her lips press against each other.
"The test-" Her mouth felt dry.
"Is to see if you love me or if you will hate me."
"I don't understand."
"I know." He responded.
"Who are you?"
"Who are you?"
"Light."
"That doesn't suit you."
"I know. I'm too strong for such a fluffy name."
"Fire." He simply said.
"Yes, flame, fire, all the same."
She asked if he should be talking to someone who will kill him. For the first time, he laughed. They didn't understand each other, so they tried to know.
They talked for hours.... And then when the sun rose, they danced again.
And again.
And again.
Each word revealed more, and each strike bringing them closer.
They didn't understand.
After many days and nights, instead of slamming each other into the ground, they fell into each others arms in love. The shift in the world was exhilarating, and hostile. Mostly because darkness finally understood. But mostly because light was afraid. As darkness felt more, light faught more.
She was trying to kill him. But he would not yield, he had learned emotions and the way of life from her, and he knew he had to fight back. The earth began to shake, thunder struck, and rain began to fall. The rain was black and the thunder was deafening, almost to the point where if you closed your eyes, you'd see white. It felt like ink on their skin.
Beasts rose from the puddles of oblivion, with horns that scraped the sky and teeth that could rip through dimensions. They sounded deranged, and circled around the battle with great care. Almost like dry leaves to an open flame, they were lit. They squealed, feeling this unreal pressure of combat. Of want. Of the possiblity that they will no longer be gods.
"They have placed their bets." Light seethed, and darkness frowned, angry. She laughed, and lunged at him, asking a simple question. "Dear Comrad, would you rather be a cloud or begin to be the rain?"
He didn't understand what she meant.
In the end, light fell, and the sky cried along with darkness. The blindig lighting was never seen again, but once in a while, beasts rise from the rain once more. He did not get to be a god, instead they would grant him one wish.
Hr wished to take the place of the lighting and her soul be thunder. Lighting was angry, but granted his wish. Just tweaked. Lightning and thunder never happen at the same time, after all. Such trick caused his hatred for the other gods manifested back into black rain. Back into monstrous beings of death. Humanity began to rise, and once they realized they could not defeat these immortal beings, they kept them out with walls and domes.
But once in a while, a boy or a man would be infected, and if a girl or woman was as well, only the man would live. Women could not suppress this, infectious hunger and rage.
That's the famous folklore of what happened, anyway.
We are here in the 21st century, and the story is estimated to be nearly eight centuries old. Now, each state is called a sector, and each sector has its own walls around its land, leaving a few miles separate from each neighboring sector.
Every thirty five years, the black rain happens. The walls don't allow anyone in or out, and a special branch of the government (National Defense Against Gloom) parades around beginning the long process of turning the walls into temporary domes 'for the people, by the people'. Its a pretty interesting department, and the actual NDAG members who fight the monsters are....infected?... as well. I've never met them, but a lot of girls seem to fawn over the ones between thirteen to eighteen.
I kind of got into NDAG because I help clean the wall once the domes are down. Its a little -please don't mind the pun- dark, how I got here, but I don't regret any of it.
I'd do it all again.
From the top.
Every time.
YOU ARE READING
N u m i n o u s .
Adventure"I never knew... The light was so dim, That I was the one who chose to make it bright. It's a very sad fact. So I may be weak, I may even be evil. But maybe, just maybe, That means I will not be afraid. That I will stay strong. Since I'm already bro...
