Alayah the Prophet

I spent most of my youth deep in the Frotian County. Deep rolling hills, a rich land lay fertile at my feet. Illuran took us to her orchard it was a small abode behind where endless rows of Utiula fruit trees. In the warmer months its flowers turn beautiful crimson red, and will turns burnt orange in seasons the second sol sets low. The wind would catch the pedals mesmerizing shapes and colors would emerge through the diffused white light of the setting sol. Alayah would tell me she could see them inside of the peddles, her ancestors, my ancestors really all high elves. This made her more than a prophet and if she’d been male he would be a God Emperor. My sister grew fast and so did her powers. Iluran had suspected that the poison given to my mother had changed Alayah but she could not begin to know how. Alayah at the age of five showed signs of powerful mage talents and would display them, often in public. Iluran told me that without help Alayah’s powers would consume her and put her and all around her in grave danger. This led to her isolation with Iluran deep into the Talhan Forest leaving me alone to practice my new Bardic powers and to tend to the orchard. One has not known work until having harvested Utiula fruit.

Although my sister and I were separated we always seemed to communicate though our dreams. Alayah told me the true nature of her mind; she had told me that her every cell was imprinted with the conciseness’ of every ancestor, even the ancient ones. She struggled daily to separate herself from the many that lived inside her head and at times her immense powers drove her to madness. She was just a child but she was ageless inside having lived thousands of lives lost in memory. Iluran would soon call her Alayah the Prophet due to her immense knowledge of the past and the powerful predictions of the future. In time many would come to know her name.


I left Frontia and my sister when she was of the age of eleven by then her powers of prophecy was known across the land leaving her plagued by those who wished to know their future and past. I told Iluran that I had planned to return to Heva to kill the Arraken family and I would return to look after Alayah once my task was complete. Both my sister and Iluran understood my desire for revenge and we parted ways.

The Arraken family lost their son and his only heir and with them most of their royal power. When I returned home to the family castle I found it in nearly in ruins. As I approached the entrance wind blew the doors wide open and dust and webbing came spiraling out towards me. I covered my face and entered with my short sword drawn. Black soot covered the floor and most the interior was charred and broken I made my way up the main staircase leaving my footprints in the black layer that covered my path. Once at the top of the stairs I could hear a faint mumbling coming from the master’s chambers. As I walked closer to the door the incoherent mumbling grew louder, I pushed the door open and it broke free from its latches and fell to the floor with a loud thundering crash.

As the dust cleared I could see a withered old man sitting in a withered red chair in the middle of the room. He was rambling and didn’t seem to notice my presence. I stood right in front of him with my sword drawn inches from his face.
“Old king I am your grandson and I have returned to set you free from your earthly bonds.”
The withered old man sat quietly for a moment and stared through me with white eyes.
“The girl, she haunts me. She haunts us all. She made my sweet queen take her life. And finally has possessed me to do the same.”
I pushed the blunt of my blade into the old mans chest drawing blood.
“What girl do you speak? Where are the others?”
The old king began to laugh. “The others, they are all dead. That child has taken them all from me. She will take you too. She has already taken that which Birth Maiden.”
He began to laugh louder as blood dripped from his mouth and I removed the tip of my blade in shock.
“Your too late Palo, much too late, she has killed us all and she will kill you too.”
Soon blood began to gush from the mans mouth and eyes and he soon fell dead on the floor. I knew he spoke the truth only a powerful being could kill a man yet alone a whole family hundreds of miles away. It was Alayah and I knew now I had made my mistake by leaving her side.
As I ran from the castle my only thought was if Iluran would lie dead when I returned to her. It took nearly a week to make it back to Frontia, and every night my dreams were invaded by Alayah but they did not seems to be her thoughts. I knew she was loosing the battle for her mind and if I found her lost to madness I would have to kill my own sister. This was she said to me on the last night of my journey was just another chapter of the prophecy that would be fulfilled. I wanted everything for this to be a lie, for it all to be just a dream but she consumed me so I could not escape its truths.
It was night when I returned to Iluran’s home. The moon was full and cast a silver glow on the long grass I walked through. I stood in the open doorway in font of me lay Iluran’s body drenched in blood with Alayah standing behind her smiling.
“Bother, you came home. It’s a shame Iluran couldn’t be here to see you.”
“Who are you Alayah?”
A sinister smile grew on her childlike face.
“THE PROPHECY MUST BE FULFILLED!” she screamed as flame erupted from her feet consuming the house. I was pushed back by an invisible force and fell back into the long grass. As I looked up Alayah emerged from the flaming house unscaved walking slowly towards me. I drew my crossbow and loaded the bolts.
“Please Alayah fight this demon. Hurry I don’t wish to kill you!”
Laughter erupted from the child but with the sound of a man voice. Pieces of Ilurans flaming house began to break apart and circle her as she approached. I fired many bolts at her as I stood but the flaming wood knocked them away. I knew this was not Alayah anymore and that I would die unless she was defeated. I circled away from her hiding in the tall grass. A mans voice called out to me.
“Come out Palo! It must be done!”
I knew the voice it was like my own it was my grandfather. I took out my violin I knew there was only one thing I could do. I began to play a screeching sonnet Alayah screamed and covered her ears, the flaming wreckage fell to the ground and so did she. I approached slowly and speed up the song to a dizzying speed. I stood before Alayah and stopped playing she knelt before me weeping.
“Please Palo don’t. Please brother help me.”
She looked up to me with the same sinister smile upon her face. I took the bow from my violin and slashed her neck open; a gasp was met with gurgling blood as I began to play unknowingly trapping my grandfather’s soul inside my instrument and freeing my sister from possession. I fell to my knees with the violin still in my hands; tears fell from my eyes onto the violin washing blood from its white finish. The Prophecy has been fulfilled; I knew then my true purpose. Knelt in a burning field under the full moon I was the only one left.

I stayed in Frontia just long enough to mark the two graves. One for my savior and teacher Iluran and a grave for my sister, many would come to pay their respects to Alayah the Prophet. I decided to travel to Vilnis to make a new life for myself with the Arraken family dead and me as the only remaining descendent no one would know my past allowing me to become anything I wished to be, and now only one thing consumed my mind. The Empire must be built, and I must rule.