Chapter 3: Memories of Fire and Ash

The Nightshades happily lived their lives under the protection of the Ravaging Demon, and under the leadership of his son, The Harbinger of Death. Peace and prosperity were intertwined within the land of the Nightshades. But this peace had come at a price. The land in which they inhabited once belonged to an ancient being, The Nightstalker. The Nightstalker was a long scaly beast whose black scales made the darkest of nights look bright. He possessed long sharp fangs of steel, and spat a venomous poison that eroded anything it touched. It's body stretched and twirled almost endlessly, it's gigantic torso extended across the entirety of the Crimson Valley.

The Ravaging Demon and the Nightstalker fought a fierce battle that lasted for four days straight. At the end of the battle though, the Ravaging Demon came out victorious, but at the cost of half of his power he once held. At the peak of the tallest mountain in the crimson valley, the Nightstalker was buried, and from its decaying corpse flowed a shining blue essence. This flowing essence carved a path through the Crimson Valley, and forged a river through the arid terrain, giving life to the decayed ground. This river was called the mystic rhine. Along the banks of the river of the Mystic Rhine the Ravaging Demon founded his colony. And along these banks, destiny was about to unfold.

"Oh Natarra, I heard your boy got into another scuffle? Did he win this time?" The woman said with a sneer.

Natarra scrunched up her face and sneered back at the woman. "He doesn't have to win to be victorious."

"Oh whatever" The woman said, beginning to scrub the clothes in her hands a little harder.

"How is your daughter?" Natarra asked, dipping a shirt from her basket into the river.

"She's fine. I suppose. She refuses to do anything other than read or eat. It worries me to death."

"Must take after her mother" Natarra mumbled.

"What was that Natarra!" The woman shouted, throwing her wash bin into the river. "How about you say that a little louder?" The woman stood.

Natarra smiled cheekily. "My apologies! Truly! I must have been thinking out loud."

"Hmph!" The woman breathed out. "You can wash clothes by yourself!" She said as she grabbed her wash bin and stormed off.

"Ohh no!" Natarra said, waving her hands sarcastically. "Good riddance." She said while rolling her eyes. Natarra smiled to herself as she scrubbed the little pieces of fabric in her hands. Each piece of clothing reminded her of her little angel, Grey. 'Oh no!' Natarra thought. "Waters boiling in the house!".

Natara quickly rushed into the kitchen, her boiling pot of water overflowing with water. "Son of a gun." She said, hanging her head. "Maybe they won't taste a difference." She scooped a bit of chicken out of the pot and tasted it. "Oh lord." She said while making a sour face. "They are gonna taste this."

"Hey mommy!" Grey's squeaky voice resounded from the doorway. Natarra turned towards the front door and saw her son and the Ravaging Demon standing in the doorway, both smiling. Nataraa began to smile back, but saw the blood ripping from Grey's face and saw his mangled hand, and she grew very angry. She rushed over and grabbed her son's arm. Grey winced.

"What happened?" She shouted looking back between Grey and the Ravaging Demon.

The Ravaging Demon sighed, and walked into the house. "The usual Natarra." Her eyes were piercing into his soul. "Look!" He threw up his hands, "There were alot of them. It was an official bout. I couldn't stop it."

"Mom!" Grey said, grabbing his mother's shirt, "I'm fine! Really. See!" Grey said, smiling. Natarra started to cry. She couldn't handle the mangled sight of her sweet baby's face all beaten and bleeding. "Monsters. They are monsters!" She mumbled.

"I'm well aware of that Natarra."

Natarra whipped her head around towards the Demon, "Then why don't you do something? You founded this place right? You gave them power! Why don't you change their violent tendencies and nature!"

The Ravaging Demon's eyes grew cold, and his voice was sharp, "Because they are a necessary evil." His voice came out stern and commanding, cold and ruthless. Every facet of his kind heartedness had disappeared. Natarra looked down at the ground, then back to Grey. She smiled. "Well as long as you say your ok Grey, I guess it's fine." She turned around and walked back over to her pot of food, "I made stir fry!" She said looking at the Ravaging Demon.

"Ohh yes!" The Demon shouted.

"Mooooooooom. Again? Ugh." Grey groaned. The Ravaging Demon flicked Grey on the nose and gave him a stern look. Grey coughed, "uhh I mean, yay! I love stir fry!"

After dinner that night, Grey sat in the living room swaying his head back and forth humming a song, but Natarra and the Ravaging Demon sat in the kitchen talking.

Natarra held her head in her hands, "Is that our only option?" Her voice was strained, sounding like she was on the verge of tears.

"Unfortunately, yes. I can't see any other way." The Ravaging Demon sat with his hands in his lap, his eyes glossed over looking towards the floor.

"What about my- my husband and the other men of the tribe?" Natarra asked.

The Ravaging Demon closed his eyes and rolled his head back sighing heavily. "Natarra. I've already told you that it will be fine. Just take care of my grandson and it will all workout. The Demon leaned forward, perching his elbows on his knees. Do you understand what I'm telling you?" Natarra shook her head in understanding. "Good." The Demon said nodding his head. "Well then, I'll be off." Natarra grabbed the cuff of his shirt and looked into his eyes. The Ravaging Demon just smiled back at her, then looked at Grey who was now asleep on the living room floor. "It's all for him Natarra. Remember that." As he walked away Natarra's hand just fell by her side, tears slowly falling beside them.

Grey awoke to the sound of screams and the smell of blood. As his eyes flitted open from his sweet slumber, he saw fumes of smoke rising in big columns all around him. He instantly sat up, his exhaustion disappearing from his system. At first he thought he was dreaming, but then he felt the warm sensation of blood flowing across his hands, and he knew that this was reality. He immediately took a deep breath. He knew the first step to getting through anything was not panicking. He then started to look around, and grew terrified. Bodies were strewn across the streets in front of him. The mystic rhine's shimmering blue hue had been replaced by a dark crimson red. Grey slowly stood up and took a deep breath, but he immediately coughed out the air he inhaled. In that breath he tasted it. Death. Burned flesh. Fire. Blood. Ash.

Grey started to stumble through the streets of his village. He saw the ruined buildings caught ablaze, and fellow citizens bodies lying in the street. He saw the other children's heads lopped off lying on the ground, their eyes gouged out. Grey barfed. As he continued to stumble through his ruined village, he came across a group of people who were still alive, but all were incredibly injured.

"Grey."

Grey Began to look around recognizing the voice. "Dad! Dad!" He shouted.

"Grey."

Grey fumbled through the group of people looking for his father, and when he found him, his heart broke. His father lay upon the dirt floor bleeding to death. He was missing an eye, and both of his arms. His face was ripped to shreds, and his torso looked like it had been stabbed by 1000 spears. "Grey." The Harbinger of Death said, raising a hand to his son's cheek.

Grey was suddenly grabbed from behind, and brought into a deep embrace. "Thank God you are ok Grey." Natarra said, crying.

"Mom. What's going on?" Grey said, his voice cracking. Natarra just looked at Grey and smiled.

"Come with me Grey." She said standing up taking her son's hand.

"Mom. What about dad? He is hurt!" Grey shouted as his mother dragged him along and away from his father. Natarra just sobbed as she ran away from her dying husband, her child's wrist clasped tightly in her hand. "Mom!" Grey began to shout. All of a sudden a dark shadowy figure fell from the sky in front of them shaking the ground. Natarra turned toward her son and clasped his cheeks in her hands.

"I love you Grey. I love you deeply. Remember your humanity my son. Remember your humanity." Grey's eyes opened in terror as he saw a moonlight silver blade protrude through his mother's chest. "Mom-" Grey's whole body was justled away by an unknown figure. When Grey's body was finally settled he realized he was suddenly on the outskirts of the village, and in front of him was his Grandfather, The Ravaging Demon.

"Grandpa!" Grey said, reaching to hug his neck. The Ravaging Demon grabbed Grey's hand and clasped it firmly.

Looking Grey right into his eyes he said, "One day you'll understand boy. One day you will. You will be known as the one who arose from these ashes and brought salvation. You are my legacy. My hope." The Ravaging Demon placed both his thumbs upon Grey's forehead and began to chant a spell in an ancient language.

"Grandpa! What- What's going on?" Grey tried to smack his grandfather's hand off of his forehead, but the hands wouldn't budge. "Grandpa?"

"Grey. I'm about to give you a new name ok? Remember it. Remembering this name will help you. Do not reject the Nightshades, for they are your blood."

"Grandpa!" Grey shouted, grabbing his grandfather's hand with both hands trying to yank it off.

"Today, you will be known as the Remnant of the Ashes. The last of the Nightshades." His grandfather said, with tears falling from his cheeks.

Grey's head began to violently pulsate, and his vision began to grow blurry. "Gran- pa." Grey said as he fell backwards falling into unconsciousness.