Fire Rages and brimstone falls,

With darkened days, chaos rules all.

The dark king rises, painting the heavens red,

Men and women bow, loyalty will be pledged.

-Elder Aurj

Fire, that was the only thing the little girl was comprehending as she looked straight ahead. Flames were flickering all around the house in which she had lived. Smoke plumed into the air, the flames reflecting on them giving the scene a hellish glow.

It didn’t make sense to the little girl, the house shouldn’t be on fire, it should only be lit by lamp glow, the same lamps that her mother reads underneath and her father sharpened his blades in.

Around the little girl people screamed for help, telling someone or another to call the fire department.

They’re too late, the little girl thought numbly.

Nothing would be left of the house by the time they arrived, nothing except ash and smoldering piles of her life gone forever.

Snapping out of her daze, the little girl screamed, launching herself towards the house.

Hands grabbed her from behind pulling her away. She kicked and screamed demanding to be let go of, but the hands didn’t loosen their grip. The hands were dark, the color of caramel, the little girl noted only looking away from the scene in front of her for a moment. The voice that came with them was soft and comforting. Vaguely she began to realize that the hands belonged to Samantha Morgan, her best friend Charise’s mother. Of course she would be here, she had just dropped her off.

“We need to go,.” Samantha murmured, continuing to pull the little girl along.

“NO!” The little girl wailed. “My parents are still in there!”

“It’s too late,.” Samantha insisted on continuing to pull.

In the distance the little girl could hear the sound of sirens making their way to the scene. They still sounded far away, too far away.

When they were not far from the burning house a A shriek sound could be heard ed from the burning house as glass and debris flew towards them. The moment held like a complete vacuum covered the area.

Samantha launched them backwards tumbling through the frostbitten frost bitten grass.

They stopped tumbling inches away from the street.

People all around were screaming in horror. Before them a creature emerged from the burning building, black as night. It stretched out its scaly scaley wings and released a piercing cry. Its eyes blazed just like the fire.

The little girl was mesmerized mesmorized by the thing in front of her. Samantha tensed and pushed the little girl aside, jumping up and pulling something from her boot.

The little girl recognized the dagger before Samantha flourished it and stepped into a fighting stance. It was all too much, the little girl felt dizzy and passed out.

Elaina woke with a start, her heart pounding in her chest. The sheet she had covered up with earlier in the night was wrapped tightly around her body.

Squirming, she managed to free one hand, which she used to push her thick dark hair away from her damp forehead.

It was still dark all around her, nowhere near time to be waking up just yet.

A giggle sounded from the room beside her, obviously Charise had just arrived home after a night of partying and was most likely entertaining a guest, or two. You never really knew her knew with her.

A sigh escaped Elaina’s lips as she freed her body the rest of the way.

The nightmare she had just woken from was still from still clear as day in her sleep fogged brain. They always haunted her this time of year, it was when it happened after all. The beast had attacked her parents and then lit her home on fire, leaving her an orphan.

After it happened the monks had taken her in, giving her shelter and food. In return she trained vigorously with them and promised to uphold her duties as a warrior, the same duties her parents had promised to uphold as well.

A loud thump and laughter drifted through the wall, it looked like they were going to be up for a while.

Not wanting to play the audience play audience to Charise’s games, Elaina got out of bed and got dressed quickly, then headed out of her room and out of the house.

The air outside was crisp, not yet cold enough to wear a coat but chilly enough to send goosebumps up Elaina’s arms as she walked. She didn’t really know where she was going, or what she planned on doing, but the night air helped clear her mind, chasing away the demons in her head.

All around her house houses were dark. Everyone was fast asleep and comfortable, with not a care in the world.

The streetlights above lit her way as she moved faster.

Elaina envied those people sleeping happily in their beds. They knew nothing of the creatures that existed, the same ones that haunted Elaina’s waking and sleeping mind.

The children that lived around her had their parents still; they didn’t know what it was like to have them ripped away in a single moment. They didn’t know what it was like to have to train day in and day out, using that training as an escape from the memories. Sometimes it just wasn’t fair, but then again, Elaina thought bitterly, life wasn’t fair.

Shaking her head once Elaina began to jog watching as everything around her blurred together. Her adrenaline pumping always helped calm her. She wished that there was a monster or something to fight in order to completely block out everything, but lately things had been strangely calm.

The monks thought it weird, because there was always something around, even if it was a little burlack beast. But even now they were nowhere to be found.

Elaina continued running not sure of her destination, but knowing that she had to get somewhere. It was almost like a magnetic pull, something was urging her forward, telling her where to go.

Elaina was running at full speed now, her breath coming out in puffs.

Finally, she began to slow down and then stopped altogether.

Standing in front of her underneath a street light was one of the monks. He wore the ceremonial yellow and burgundy of peace.

He studied Elaina curiously as she made her way towards him.

Most of the monks Elaina knew had shaved heads and no facial hair whatsoever, but this monk was different.

His dark hair fell messily around his face and he looked like he hadn’t had the opportunity to shave in days.

“Are you new?” Elaina asked, now stepping before him.

The monk continued to study her thoughtfully, a little smile playing on his lips.

“Do I look like just a little babe?” The monk’s eyes flashed in amusement.

Elaina bristled, “I didn’t mean it like that.” She crossed her arms indignantly and continued to watch the monk.

“I am brother Joseph, of Northern Brethren,.” He said finally. “I was sent here to warn the brethren of the East.”

“Warn them of what?” Elaina asked curiously, eyeing Brother Joseph.

Too bad he was a monk, he wasn’t half bad looking, you could even say he was cute.

Brother Joseph continued studying Elaina as if considering what all he could tell her.

“The impending doom that is coming this way,.” Brother Joseph said finally. “It has already attacked my Brethren, most did not survive.”

Explains the unshaven face and hair, but that would mean that brother Joseph had been on the run for a while, Elaina mused. It did not however explain why he brought the warning.

Elaina knew that the brethren had some circuit that spread news all throughout the brotherhood, usually they never left their shelters in order to see one another.

“Why are you here instead of there warning the brethren then Brother Joseph?” Elaina asked quietly.

“Shouldn’t you be warning Brother Isaac instead of talking to me?”

Brother Joseph didn’t seem the slightest bit offended by Elaina’s words, which in all honesty was typical of the brethren.

“You found me, I didn’t come find you!.” Brother Joseph pointed out solemnly. “But it is a good thing I found you first.”

“Why’s that?” Elaina snapped.

“Because...”