Rafal

Nineteen years ago…

The brilliant colors of the sunset painted the skies as the evening drew nearer and nearer, setting a beautiful glow to Vanardon.

Delicious aromas wafted out of many windows, as Vanreis went about preparing supper.

"You really cannot stay for dinner, my love?" Khione covered herself with the soft blanket, threading her fingers through Rafal's long hair.

"I'm really sorry." His deep voice rang as he sat up, smiling longingly at her.

Khione pulled him back, attaching herself to him once more, the bed frame creaking. "Can you not postpone?"

Rafal let out a long sigh. "I've waited so long for this, Khi…"

"Alright then." She sunk into the mattress resignedly, her disheveled hair falling to her face.

He stood, shimmying into his scattered pieces of clothing, his shoulder-length hair swaying as he moved up and down. "I'll bring souvenirs…what would you like?" He gave her a brief look, putting the study table back in order.

"Surprise me." She said, a sly smile dancing along her lips.

Rafal chuckled, opening her window all the way as he looked back at her. "I'll be back before you know it."

"I know." She smiled bashfully, as she propped her head on her palm. "I love you."

"And I love you, khi." With that, he leaped out the window and into the almost-empty streets of Vanardon.

Rafal walked purposefully along the borders of his home realm, his booted feet kicking up dust, his hands folded with one resting on his chin in thought. "This will be my fifty-seventh time visiting earth and I still haven't made a break in my research. I have to come closer this time…I need to." He said while scribbling incoherent sentences onto a collection of aged papers.

He looked upon the sky-high veil which stood before him, as it cast a rippling reflection on his strong visage, a sense of trepidation creeping up on him like a thief in the night.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed through the veil, as the world around him began to shift and change. The once familiar landscape now seemed to blur and distort, as if viewed through a thick, rippling curtain of water. He could feel the weight of the veil pressing against him, tugging at his skin and clothes with a fierce, unrelenting force. But still, he pushed on, driven by a fierce determination to complete his self-given mission.

~~~

The streets of Surrey, England were bustling with activity, as cars honked their horns and people chatted loudly. The air was thick with the scent of freshly baked bread and the sound of church bells ringing in the distance.

The buildings lining the street were a mix of modern and traditional architecture, with colorful storefronts and intricate stonework. The sun was still shining brightly, casting a warm glow over the busy scene and making the colors of the buildings and trees pop.

Rafal blinked rapidly, holding a hand to his head as a smile spread itself along his beautiful lips. Despite not yet being used to the sudden difference this realm brought in contrast to his, this Vanrei seemed to love it no less.

"Good evening sir!" An elderly lady called out to the Vanrei, his ears dancing with delight to her accent.

"Ah…" Rafal smiled even wider as he crossed the bustling streets, rubbing shoulders with more than one stranger to meet the woman.

The woman's brown eyes shone with pure joy, her mostly grey hair wrestling against its knot as the evening breeze swept in, rattling the bells hung atop the front of her tent.

"Mrs. Darwin!" Rafal slightly adjusted his coat as he bent, going around the poles holding up the establishment, carefully avoiding the threshold of the store's tent to hug the woman.

"My child." Mrs. Darwin patted Rafal's muscular back with a single hand, whilst waving a worn-out fan across the fruits and vegetables affront her store with the other.

"How have you been, ma'am?" Rafal playfully plucked the fan from her hand. "Is it not windy enough?"

"I think not." She reclaimed the fan, smiling up at him. "You grow at heart every time you come visiting. I'm indeed a proud mother, am I not?"

"Yes, yes you are ma'am. How is Mr. Darwin?" Rafal asked, his eyes scanning the bustling multitude.

"My husband is quite fine, Raf." Her smile weakened as she averted her gaze, attending more to her fruits.

"Are you sure, ma'am? It doesn't seem so. If you need me to find him again-"

"No child." She placed a frail hand on his arm, eyes sad. "When he's done drinking his life away, he'll know where to find me…hopefully."

"Ma-"

"Let's talk about you shall we?" She cut him off, returning to her products. "You know how funny I find it sometimes when I still call you child when you're much older than I am."

"Ah," he smiled, tilting his head down, a light red painting his cheeks. "You make me sound so old, ma'am. I'm just ninety-seven."

Mrs. Darwin let out a dramatic gasp, drawing out a hearty chuckle from Rafal's lips. "Goodness, gracious! You know, no matter how many times you say it, it's never not a shock."

"I suppose aging does work differently here. We Vanreis are still considering children at age 40, in fact."

"And you," she took his chin, turning his head from side to side. "Don't so much as look a day over 20. Marvelous indeed." She shook her head lightly in amazement.

"To you, maybe. To me, it is your race that intrigues me so." He inhaled the air, closing his eyes for a brief moment. "You are so…populated. And you do not have a care in the world. Did you know that I've read all books in your libraries and mine and I am yet to find a Tride."

Mrs. Darwin laughed. "Trust me, Raf humans have problems…a lot. Maybe not just as world binding as yours, but we indeed have problems. And yes, we do not have a Tride, we have a God."

"That is quite strange to me till now." He looked down at his hands, flexing them in wonder. "There is power flowing through me, ma'am…but humans…none. So ordinary, yet there has to be a reason why it is forbidden for Vanreis to come here."

"Have you gotten any closer in your research about that?" She inquired.

"No," Rafal let out a tired sigh. "My mother…she was drained of all her life and power birthing me." He turned to the woman who he now saw as his mother figure. "I need to carry on her research, it is all I can do."

"I'm quite envious of her though." Mrs. Darwin said, smiling wistfully.

A look of confusion spread itself on Rafal's face. "Whatever for?"

"In your realm, you need only offer a request or prayer in your head and it comes to pass swiftly. Your mother did not need a man to birth you. All she needed to do was pray. Yes, she died in the process, but she knew of it before she offered that prayer. She wanted to birth you, Rafal." She sighed. "And she did."

"Is that really something to be envious of? It is often said that our Tride is not as he should be. He answers every and all prayers, not bearing in mind the consequences. His actions were said to anger the other Trides years ago, resulting in a chaotic war that could have been very much avoided." He shook his head in thought.

"Well no matter, we cannot change the past anyway. We can only change how we react to the present. Will you be over for dinner?" Mrs. Darwin shifted the conversation as she sold a passerby her goods.

"Yes, I will. I need to find something for Khione, I'll make my way to your home later." Rafal waved heartily as he disappeared into the streets of Surrey.

~~~

The necklace dangled in Rafal's hands as he smiled at its beauty. "Khi will love this." He said to himself, as he rounded the corner to an empty street.

With a powerful leap, he soared through the air, his silhouette stark against the full moon. His veins pulsed with energy as he landed effortlessly atop a nearby building, his eyes gleaming like silver in the darkness.

Perched on the edge of the rooftop, Rafal gazed out over the deserted streets below, his breath steady and calm. He sat there, basking in the moonlight, admiring all of the earth he could see.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the night, and Rafal's heart raced as he peered into the darkness, searching for the source of the disturbance. His hair whipped around his face as he strained his eyes, trying to make out any movement in the shadows.

And then he saw them - the masked hoodlums, dragging against the door of Mrs. Darwin's home. Rafal's breath caught in his throat as he watched, his heart pounding with fear and anger.

With a fierce determination, he sprang into action, leaping from building to building with the grace and agility of a cat. The night air rushed past him as he closed in on her home.

Rafal's boots pounded against the pavement, leaving deep, lasting impressions on the earth as he raced towards Mrs. Darwin's dimly lit home. His heart pounding in his chest as he ran, mind racing with a thousand different thoughts.

And then he was there, standing in front of her door, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. "Ma'am!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the empty streets.

"No, no, no!" Rafal fell to his knees, scraping against the shattered glass as he took the bleeding woman into his arms. "W…what happened?" His hands shook in fear, looking up at the speechless man whom she called her husband. "Sir!" Mr. Darwin remained unmoving, a safe distance from his nearly dead wife, his liquor-filled breath filling the air. "Argh curse you!"

Rafal looked back at his mother figure, as he recoiled slightly at the large pieces of glass sticking out of her body.

"A…" Mrs. Darwin tried to speak, her hand slowly rising, pointing weakly to what he know to be a cell phone.

His gaze darted from Mr. Darwin's frozen form to the device he knew not how to operate. A tremor of uncertainty rippled through him as his attention shifted back to Mrs. Darwin. A feeble attempt at reassurance quivered in his voice as he spoke, "Uh…I can do this." A sniffle escaped him, as he raised an unsure palm, his eyes gaining a flickering silver.

Rafal convulsed with a potent cocktail of fear and desperation, tears streaming down his face, his entire being oozing with trepidation. His quivering hand cautiously made contact with Mrs. Darwin's chest, and in that instant, an ethereal cascade of silver energy surged forth from his touch. It coursed through her very being, an otherworldly current intertwining with her essence.

"Yes…please-" Before he could even hope, in a devastating eruption, Mrs. Darwin's body shattered, her blood and flesh transforming the once serene house into a grotesque canvas of crimson, painting a horrifying tableau that extended far beyond the boundaries of its walls.

"Aahhhhh!" Mr. Darwin erupted in distorted screams, as he stumbled back like he'd seen a ghost.

Rafal looked down at the space where Mrs. Darwin had once lain, his face blank, showing no particular emotion, unlike his hands and body which trembled uncontrollably.