Raila

༻ R A I L A ༺ Powerful | Spoiled | Vengeful O C C U P A T I O N - Harbinger of Death and Destruction M A T E - n/a E N E M Y - Chronciler, The Dieties F A M I L I A R - Painted Marionette T H E M E - Almost Easy x

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Won't you play with me? Pretty please? If you don't, I might just have to kill you! Please say yes!" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The book titled "Railia" has burnt pages and seems scrawled in children's handwriting. It's hard to make out what it says, but there is neater handwriting in the back of the book, despite being crossed out in red ink with large 'xs', is easier to read. You decide to read the child's handwriting... The world was chaos. Then again, there wasn't much of a world. The planet was hot, just beginning to cool, the air was unbreathable and the sun could kill. The only life on the planet were its creators; the gods, the deities or the four as they would come to be called. The eldest, he was strong, huge, a powerful entity, had built the land and mountains that he and his kin now stood upon. His sister, a dangerous, hot-headed machine created for destruction, filled the inside of his land with pure flame; the solid mountains now home to dancing fires spilling out of the top. The next brother, kind yet with a bite that could kill, tried to cool the planet, but flooded it instead. Then, the youngest of the four, carefree with a deadly bipolar attitude, blew gusts and clouds to clear the air and hide the sun. Yet, in his wake he left windstorms and flattened the land. Each sibling yelled at the other for ruining their creation. The water extinguished the magma, the wind demolished mountains, the heat made the cool stones melt and the oceans weakened powerful twisters. The siblings warred for years and years and from that warring magic, more of their kin were born. Yet excess magic floated around, separated and unused. It was unable to take on a physical form, until the day shade and darkness covered the world. The brothers and sisters battled the darkness back and fought it for years to protect the world, finally having a cause to work together. Together, they drove it back and trapped it under a pillar of stone, deep under the ground. With its last, defeated breath the darkness called out to the magic and brought it together. Now full, the magic was able to take form. The magic formed a creature unlike any other that would or currently existed. The amount of magic was small and minimal and was incapable of becoming as large as one of the gods. The creature only had two front limbs, but those arms were decorated with sharp, piercing claws. It’s body was long and colubrine with three pairs of wings attached.

Most amazingly were the golden runes of power that decorated the magical beast. Born from the purest elemental magic, these runes would empower the magical beast with the same magical powers of the first four.

I opened my blood-red eyes and extending all of my wings and took a grinning look at my claws. The darkness had told me what my mission was. It would be fun, it would be enjoyable, it would be killer. I let out a gorgeous, maniacal giggle and took to the skies, trying my first physical form for the first time.

It was exhilarating and much, much fun to finally be free. Although, what was I free from? As the thought invaded my mind my speed slowed and I became unhappy. No time to think about such things, not when there is so much to see and so fast I can go. I could hear yelling no matter where I went and it attacked me, ruining my fun. I snarled out towards the direction of the yelling, but my cries went unanswered and the yelling continued. Why can’t I just enjoy my fun?

Little one…

Another interrupted, but I’m intrigued. The voice is kind and pleasant against the loud, angry yelling attacking my ears. Anger blossoms deep in my heart, yet another distraction to pull me away from my enjoyment.

All that will come in time my dear, but you cannot truly enjoy yourself until you learn how to use the power in your veins.

Power. A strong word. A strong me. I look at my deadly sharp claw tips and grin, more power is a good thing. Images flash through my mind resonating power. Showing grand armies falling because they had too much, large explosions engulfing a small mass because they believed they could rule the world with their power, beasts all cowering in fear from those who ruled over them and finally snapping back destroying their oppressors. I let out a giggling laugh.

“I am not so foolish,” I speak aloud for the first time. My voice takes me aback for a short moment, it's light and easy and not at all like a voice to be reckoned with. No matter, the more likely for my combatants to underestimate me. I speak again, “those fools were blinded by their power and let it use them. I don’t think it will be such a problem for me. I am powerful, I am strong and I am dangerous, not my abilities. No, no, I am the great evil that will plunge this world into darkness, under your instruction master, Shade was it?” I smirk. The voice in my head laughs.

Clever, clever, little one. But are you clever enough?

I flare up and shout, “of course I am clever enough!” The Shade laughs again. “What?” I shriek, “what is so funny to you?”

You, of course. You are so small, but so full of anger and spite. So young. I like you.

“Oh, well thank you!” I grin, toothy smile and all. Eyes hopefully and big. Such a nice compliment, it makes me feel happy inside. I feel like I’m flying again, is that happiness? Is happiness fun?

Little one, you will learn quickly. You have impressed me thus far.

“Well,” I say sweetly, truly flattered, “I wouldn’t want to disappoint you.” The voice of the Shade laughs and I laugh with it, just a little confused. “I’m glad you find me funny!”

Oh you can’t disappoint me. I made you. You are perfect. You are powerful. You are Raila.

Raila. Raila. Rail-a. I try the word out in my head a few times. Is this my name? Is this what I am? It's so small and powerless, the name means nothing. Not yet. “Raila,” I say it aloud. “Raila. Raila. Raila!” I say it louder and louder each time, flying around and making loops in the air out of joy. Each time I say it I feel a shock through my body and fire in my veins. It surprises me that saying such a small, meaningless thing can fill me with so much power, so much wanting. “Raila, Raila, Raila, Raila!” I finish in a bout of giggles, collapsing onto the ground below me. “Teach me how to use my powers! Teach me to burn the world, drown my enemies, crumble mountains and uproot trees! Teach me! Teach me!” I chant aloud to the voice. I can see the power in my bones and I can see what I can cause and it is something I need, need, need, need.

Ah, but you already know how. Just look at you, burning up with the purest flame. Destruction courses through your veins little one, energy that is the same but magic that is different from mine. You will learn by killing and by death. You are born from the same energy as the gods, no mortal dragon can kill you. You are a goddess. The only way to learn how to use your powers, little one, is to do it. But I can task you with adventures for our… mutual benefit. I am too weak to pursue my goals on my own, but with you… We could free me and restore my power and plunge the world into beautiful chaos.

His long speech bores me and I only perk up at a few keywords like death and chaos. I let out a small, little squeaky yawn. Exhaustion. Sleepiness. These are new. “So you mean, if I help you we get to destroy the world? Will it be fun?”

It will be spectacular fun.

“Will I get to have fun beforehand too? By myself?”

Well, yes. It will be sometime before you can free me. More gods are on the way. All must perish for enough energy to free me.

“Great! I will per-ish-a-fy these new gods when they show up. I’ll go per-ish-ed the four already and make the job easy!” Honestly, I have no clue what the word means. Probably kill. Any word I don’t know I just default to kill anyways.

No! You must wait until all 11 arrive, otherwise there will be not enough power for me. If you kill the 4 too early, the other 7 won’t be born.

“How long will that take?” I yawn again. This is boring me. I want to fly and burn and use my powers.

Years… maybe hundreds of years.

Hundreds of years? Boring! What am I to do in the meantime? I am a goddess of destruction, at least that’s what I think the Shade called me, I want to burn and kill and destroy. “What am I supposed to do in the meantime, huh?”

Learn how to use your powers. Burn the world.

“While that does sound fun… what’s stopping me from just killing them now? Where’s the fun in waiting? Explain again why I have to wait so long and I might think about it.”

Foolish child! You will do as I command. The only way to be free is if the 11 break me out themselves, if we use their own power in death to free me. You will do as I say and wait! Now is the time to learn of your abilities, not test them in the ultimate trial!

I flinched, I had already learned that I did not liked being yelled at. It was not a fun feeling. Fun was fire and flying and pure freedom. Yelling was anger and disappointment and fear. I did not like to feel fear. “I’m sorry,” I squeaked, “I will wait. But I’ll get bored all by myself. When the new enemies are created I will do just what you did, I will use their left over magic and make a friend just like me! And without their Shade power that you gave me they’ll always be a little weaker than me, so I’ll always be the best! The best! But I’ll have a friend! A nice friend to cause havoc with!” I was flying around and creating circles in the air now. Soon I’ll have a friend. A friend who can never surpass me in ability so there is no fear. No fear.

If that is what you wish, it will be a great use of your power. Now, my child, you have a long wait ahead of you. Go and do as I told you, wait. Wait and use your powers to burn the world.

“Yessir!” I chirped, now that everything was clear it was time to have fun! Burn, destroy, wait, make a friend, wait more, wait, wait, wait..then kill the deities and free the Shade and the world will be mine!

---