Burning Rain

She looked up to the fort, trying in vain to ignore the racket of screams echoing through the night sky. Explosives erupted one after another as the stench of burning stone and bodies filled the air. She was eager to get home.

She stood still, unyielding as swarms of fancily-clad royals pushed past each other, ignoring her presence until she felt tugging on her clothing.

“Please...please help.”

She looked down an old woman on the ground, her neck adorned with extravagant jewelry, her previously fine robes robbed of their former beauty by the holes burnt into it, and her face covered in an unflattering layer of soot.

“Please, my lady,” The woman begged. “You stand there fearless, untouched by fire nor ash, and as I lay here with my life fading, I know who you must be. Surely we do not all deserve the death you bring?”

For a moment, she thought she felt a pang of sympathy, but then it was gone. She placed a hand on the woman’s head, closing her eyes and letting herself be drawn into her memories.

Her vision went black, and then her eyes opened and a man lay chained before her-, no, before the woman. His wrists were burned red and bloody from the clamps around them and she heard herself speak in the woman's voice.

“My, but you village folk really don’t follow orders very well do you? Surely you know that theft is a crime?”

The man spat at her. “You're the thieves! You take all our food. All our money. Hell, you even take our children as your slaves! We won't sit idle while all we care about is taken for your perverse games!”

She chuckled. “Oh, but your children are not slaves. They’re paid quite well and are able to eat and play as much as they desire...so long as they are loyal. Perhaps you’d like a demonstration?” She stepped out of the cell for a moment. “Deary, would you be so kind as to come in here? There’s a good girl.” As the child stepped in, the man's eyes went wide suddenly, the weight of all the lashings and chains seemed to catch up with him as he slumped and struggled to hold back tears. In front of him stood his own daughter, taken from him not a few months past.

“Elise…”

She looked at him, her eyes wide with recognition, yet she didn’t move from her spot.

“Elise, I’ve missed you so much. It’s so good to see you again, it’s...I’m...” He struggled to keep speaking, but his voice caught in his throat and he wept, both child and captor staring without speaking before she broke the silence.

“Elise, darling.” She said, turning her head to look down at her. “This man is a thief. Do you know what we do to thieves?”

His daughter spoke in a quiet yet confident tone. “We lash them Ms. Ellis.”

“Yes, child.” She replied. Grabbing a whip from a nearby guard, she reached out to hand it over to the man's daughter.

“My darling child, perhaps you would like to show me how well you’ve been practicing?”

The man looked on in horror as his daughter, with little hesitation, grabbed it from her hand and turned towards him.

“Elise...no...please, no…”

No matter how he seemed to beg, she stared at him with an apathetic, unfeeling gaze. Then she swung her arm up and back before bringing the barbed tip down upon her father's flesh.

With a flash, she was ripped from the memory, materializing in a darkened theatre, actors in shoddy masks prancing about on the torch lit stage below. The Mausoleum was the largest of its kind in the city, and countless shows had been played there since its creation. Of course, only the nobles and those rich enough were able to enter. It was unthinkable that they should be sharing seats with the peasants. The only place fitting for them was on the floor below, dancing for their entertainment. She chuckled and whispered to Baron Marbry who sat beside her.

“This place truly is a marvel, is it not, Baron?”

The Baron smiled and raised his glass to her. “That it is, my dear Helena. I dare say there is nowhere in the world that you could find its like. That said...” He looked over the balcony at the dancers. “It does get dreadfully dull when the same performs stand too long. Shall we make a small wager on who shall be first to fall?”

She let out a hearty laugh. “Oh Baron, you prey upon my weakness like a hawk! Surely you know I cannot refuse a gamble. I say...my money is on the red haired half blood. She looks ready to tumble should she so much as move her leg too quickly.”

And indeed, it appeared that the girl was about to collapse. Her limbs moved sluggishly, and she could hardly keep her eyes open.

“Personally,” The Baron spoke. “I would give the blue skin two minutes before that left leg gives out.”

“Now now Baron, you don't give the creature enough credit, I think it could last at least 3.” She chuckled. “But let use wait and see, shall we?”

The two of them, along with the other nobles watched eagerly, waiting with baited breath for the first person to fall and within moments, the red-haired girl tripped and fell.

A scream rang out as the girl's knee touched the metal floor. She tried to push off the ground with her hands to stand back up, but this only caused the skin to blacken and burn. Painfully pushing herself back, she overcompensated and toppled in the other direction. Suddenly, through the screams, the sound of flesh sizzling could be heard as the girl's back, head, and rear burned against the scalding metal floor, and within a few moments, she had passed out. The smell of melted human remains had now reached her nostrils and she let out a cough before covering her mouth with her handkerchief.

The Baron bowed to her. “Well my dear Helena, it would appear you have won our bet. What would you ask of me?”

“Oh, you know, I've had many a guest speak fondly of that little green doll with wings you keep in your kitchen. Some of my more deviant acquaintances have expressed interest in bringing it to their bedchambers. Can you imagine?” She scoffed. “But far be it for me to ignore the desires of my guests, so I believe I will request him as payment.”

“The freakish creature is yours. I was just growing weary of its presence anyways. Perhaps after this next bout we can-”

BOOM

A crash rocked the stadium as a pillar of flame rose from below the stage. The fire was enough to make her sweat, and she ducked as debris flew into the crowd towards her, a large piece of stone throwing the Baron against the wall, his face distorted from the impact. She crawled over to him and as she did so let out a scream, the sight of his partly exposed skull causing her to reel back. She carefully pulled herself up and peeked over the precipice, and the shock of what she saw paralyzed her.

A plethora of demonic creatures were tearing through the crowd. Some were ran on all fours, like wolves with burning skin and fanged teeth, while others with claws soared through the air with wings. But the worst of it was the hole that the pillar of flame had caused. Out of it came something that she would never have believed possible had she not been looking at it with her own eyes, but there it was. Enormous burning worm like protrusions long as a merchant ship and equally as wide slid through the opening. Four of them came out a once, but it was only when the fifth came out that she realized what she was looking at.

It was a hand.

Emerging fully, the hand slapped down onto the ground, the area blackening beneath it. The stage and stadium together began to fully give way as something began to raise from the ground.

Shed didn’t wait to see more. She ran.

Escaping the stadium, miraculously avoiding the debris and monsters raining from the sky, she ran as fast as her feet would take her, until she stumbled backwards and fell, terrified at the sight of a fanged beast moving in her direction. She covered her face, readying for the pain, but it never came. Looking up, she saw that the creature had ran right past her.

“But why?” She thought. “Why am I not-”

Her musings ended abruptly when she turned and noticed a tall woman standing not 10 feet from her, staring silently at the carnage. Her dark hair stood in stark contrast to the snow-white robes she wore. The woman reminded her of someone, but who?

She glanced back towards the stadium. In mere minutes, there had been so many deaths. So much destruction. It was like death itself had decided that day was theirs.

She paused a moment, a thought crossing her mind. It couldn’t be. Could it? She glanced over again at the woman. The flames lighting up her pale and unflinching visage. She had never been very religious, but in that moment, with screams abounding and the smell of burning corpses in the air, she knew who stood before her. Mustering the little strength she had left. She crawled over to the woman and pulled on her clothes. Struggling to speak through the smoke.

“Please...please help.”

She watched the woman’s eyes go white as she pulled what little energy the witch had left into her body.

“Maybe another will take pity on you, but you’ll find none from me.” She said, letting the lifeless body fall to the ground.

She glanced towards the stadium, the full might of the burning titan on display.

“Isn’t this overdoing it a little? What, couldn’t be bothered with a plague?”

She turned. The man donned a black beanie and had his hands in the pockets of his grey hoodie, smiling grimly at the scene before them.

“You created a race of beings just to settle a bet, and I’m the one overdoing it?”

He absentmindedly scratched his thinly shaven beard. “Hey, someone needed to stop humans from taking over the planet. Not that it worked.”

They both stood silently, watching the conflagration take place before them as the titan moved towards the city, leaving fire and corpses in its wake.

It’s easier this way, isn’t it?” He said to her.

She said nothing. Just nodded her head, focusing only on the energy shooting through her body, every shock an indication of a life snuffed out. Of a family broken.

“Come Nathar. Let’s go somewhere quiet. Whatever Alders titans don’t deal with, your beasts will handle while we’re gone.” He said to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t keep torturing yourself like this.”

She stared stone faced at the carnage, every scream ringing in her ears with every shock.

“No.” She said without looking away. “If it’s my responsibility to bring them death, then it is also my place to watch the pain I cause, I know that I am to blame.”

She closed her eyes. “I have to do this, Cleo.”

There was silence for a moment, and she felt his hand take hers.

“Then I’ll stay with you until it’s over.”

As a single tear began to fall down her face, she squeezed his hand appreciatively.

“Thank you.”