When The Sky Rained Blood

“We’ve tried everything, we still don’t understand how to, how to….” Her voice was thick with tears. The man beside her laid a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her. “It will be okay. It has to be okay. Place your trust in the Seven Rhads. It will all be okay soon” he spoke in a low whisper to her. He spoke out loud, looking at each of the eight people who stood in front of them in a lose semicircle, “Please, I know I hold no power in such matters. But you do. I will do everything I can to see him alive and well.” “The Oculie accept this matter. Place your offering in the Temple of the Ocu and leave. The Oculie will send news.” A man, dressed like his companions in long robes, the cloth so dark red it could be mistaken for black, with a cowl covering most of his face, spoke in a voice that seemed to resonate in the natural cave they were standing in. Nodding, the couple walked towards the temple, their Royal escort following behind them. The offering they had brought contained a mix of edible items, exotic herbs and chemicals, precious stones, animal skins and other parts, and of course, several chests of pyr bars and coins. It would look like a treasure trove for any normal person in the Kingdom of Evreolon. But for the Royal family, it was but a trifle, especially considering the price they were paying was to heal their only son, and the future heir of the Kingdom. The limp body of the Prince was carried on a cloth sheet, the twilight lit up the soft features of his face, shoulder long dark brown hair and rich clothing. He was placed in a clearing in the middle of the dense woods some distance away from the Temple. Nobody outside the Circle knew about the existence of this clearing, a sacred ground to the Oculie. Outsiders were kept away from the woods using well spread out stories about long tailed monsters and floating dead bodies. Secrecy and privacy were the two most important aspects to keep the Circle and all other members safe and focused on their worship to the Ocu. Loghat, the Enlightener of the Oculie for the current period, stood watching as the other members formed a lose circle around the prince and the initiates covered the body in a blood red shroud, in preparation for death. Death would arrive, swift and sure. But after that, there would be life. A difficult journey, one that would scar the human mind. But memories can be manipulated; the weaker the mind, the easier the process. And this case would be no different. The Royals had never really mattered to the Oculie, as long as they didn’t interfere with each other. But Loghat knew that this case was different. The current Royal bloodline had to be continued. Quite contrary to the belief that the royals were commoners under all the pyr, jewelry and fancy clothes, the Royal blood contained certain material that could not be found in any other family line. It is what made them special, and it had always raised curiosity in Loghat. Usually, assassination attempts on the future heir were very common, and the Royals had other worthy children who could take over. But this time, the only way to continue the Royal bloodline was if the Prince would survive, especially considering that any and all children born to the royal family had died moments after birth, except this one. Taking in a deep breath, he cleared his mind and prepared for the ritual to come. The ritual began. The air was thrumming with energy, words chanted intermixed with the howling winds and trembling of the trees. Twilight seemed to give way to darkness much quicker than on any other night. At this moment, if anyone had looked close enough, they would have seen a shudder in the air. An unnatural vibration; a tear in the very fabric of reality.