Beyond the Darkness (Book #1)

Chapter 27- False Confidences

Makuri woke up to a chaotic pounding of rain hitting the windows. Light struggled to break through the ominous clouds. Over all, it was a wet and dreary morning. Lightening flashed, causing the room to illuminate. Then, in a blink of an eye, everything was encased in shadows. She waited and seconds later a deep rumble rippled across the sky.

She turned her head to get her first glimpse of morning. Makuri felt absolutely nothing when she saw the rain hitting the windows. It was just how her luck usually went. Badly. When ever she was prepared to do the right thing, something would always get in her way. Just like the prince. That naive child was never told about the treaty Julius made for her to sign. Or perhaps, he never wanted to believe it.

Her mind wandered to a bloody scene after a battle between beasts. They'd held nothing back. She quickly squeezed her eyes shut and forced her mind to only see black. Complete nothingness.

Makuri recalled this memory often as a powerless Spirit. A comfortable escape along with the desperate cries of her mother. She had never heard her sound so... Broken. Her breaking voice appeared more often, after she heard Makuri's voice. Her voice was a balance of uncertainty and desperation. How long had she been looking? How did she find her?

Then, in a gut wrenching blow made reality hit. Blood of the demons! Why isn't she trying to reach out for her now? She'd have to be entirely broken not to feel Makuri's pent up energy released. What was standing in her way? It was was more like a dream than a memory. Rukus snarling and snapping his jaws together. Before he began hollering at her, he claimed her mother was capable on her own. Was she playing it safe?

That night, there was another message of her whereabouts. The castle no longer held it's fiery glow. It pulsed an eerie blue. Luckily, the forever burning stones prevailed and melted the icy coating. Yet, there's also a price to every small victory she made. The word of her awakening was spreading faster than the speed of light. She came to the conclusion that she was cursed with bad luck.

Today marked a week, the day of her departure. She slipped from her bed while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Her footsteps no longer made a sound as she glided to the window. The only things she saw were her reflection and the murky gray that cover everything. The behemoth size field outside her east window was gone. Smothered by the relentless rain.

Makuri couldn't help but feel the omen falling from the sky. It hardly rained in the Fire Kingdom. Especially during the summer months. Water had a hard time surviving in this part of the kingdom. This was hardly a natural amount of water. Never had she seen this much water during her cleverly disguised 'mortal' life. Just like her terrible disguise, this rain also reeked of the Divine with three tails.

The Divine's never had anything in common. Their beliefs, powers, and knowledge are all different. A small list of things keep the ancient beings from complete isolation. This rule never applied to Rukus. Such as the connection of blood. Rukus' brother Araxie has complete control over water. He also fought under his older brother's command during the darkest days of Koletan's history. Their brotherly bond has disappeared due to Rukus' pride.

However, that doesn't change that fact that the downpour was caused by one of two things. Araxie, or a freak storm that blew in from the Glisic Sea just to the east. Makuri couldn't be sure. It was never easy to tell the difference. It was unlikely that Rukus asked his brother for rain. It's such a silly and childish conclusion. The ice's Divine liked to keep to himself. It coursed through his blood.

After a long battle, Rukus escaped into isolation. He ended all contact to the outside world for millenniums. He only returned when he met the first Ice Queen. Even to this day, he hasn't spoken to any of the ethereal beings. He'd rather deal with the his own problems head on. Did she mention he's the most annoyingly stubborn being she'd ever met?