WHEN NIGHTFALL COMES
Henry N. Silva
NOTE: The following story is technically a sequel to my book Sunrise Order. That said, I did my best to structure this story in a way where it can be read without needing to also read the book that precedes it.
Arra faces the blue sunset…
In times of stress, the sun of her home-world usually manages to put her at ease. She cherishes that blue sun, against the reddish-gray sky, the two colors meshing perfectly together, across the world of Deltax…
But everyone knows that Arra doesn’t just admire the sun for its beauty. She needs that sun, more than any ordinary human ever could…
She remembers hearing the bedtime stories from her parents, over and over, when she was just a little girl. Night after night, they told her of the time, centuries ago, when humanity first came to Deltax, and how some of those very first settlers became blessed by the blue sun. These chosen few soon found themselves with heightened strength and intelligence. They were humans no more…
They and their descendants became known as the Sunchildren, and together, they formed the everlasting Sunrise Order.
And you are a Sunchild too! Arra remembers her mother first saying to her, so long ago…
The young woman continues to gaze at the sunset, feeling her mind clearing with each passing second. Back when she was a child, hearing the stories about her ancestors for the first time, she dreamt endlessly of the many ways she would use her “gifts” to bring peace to the people of Deltax. But now, as a young adult, she questions everything…
She looks around at the humble, wood-and-stone village around her, surrounded by forestry, common for the eastern region of the planet. An intense soreness makes its way through her body. Just the night before, she stopped a powerful terrorist by the name of Fang from destroying the entire region. Over and over again, she relives the moment when she grabbed hold of him, just a few feet away from the region-wide bomb he had created, and threw him into a rapid river, his red-cloaked body vanishing into the waterfall nearby…
Suddenly, a servant steps out from a cottage, making his way to Arra, “Your parents will see you now.”
She makes her way into the house from which the servant came. On her way in, she sees a patch of red from the corner of her eye, coming from the forest nearby. She looks over, but finds nothing of red.
You’re seeing things, she tells herself, as she makes her way indoors…
Within the structure she once called home, Arra finds an elderly couple she knows all too well, sitting at a table, tea in each of their hands. Both of them bare the same black armor as her, accentuated with orange, the color of The East…
Arra lowers her head in shame, “Forgive me.”
Her mother raises an eyebrow, “How can we? You broke the one and only rule of our kind.”
“What choice did I have?,” Arra looks back up, “The one they call Fang was on the verge of destroying our entire region!”
“Our purpose is to only advise, not intervene.” Her father responds, “We cannot alter the fates of others, only guide them.”
Arra sighs, “I understand, but my human instinct for survival overtook me in the moment. Surely an exception can be made, no? I will do what I can to never make the same mistake again.”
“You are still our daughter, but rules are rules,” her father answers again, seeming regretful.
“You must leave,” her mother adds, a tinge of regret also lingering in her voice.
Arra manages to hold back the tears, “Very well. Hopefully this is only goodbye-for-now.”
With that, she walks out, only to find a familiar, gray-cloaked figure standing there before her; Ranu, leader of the Moonchildren. A sect of Sunchildren who choose to use their physical strength, but only at night, using the reflected light of the moon as their guide…
The middle-aged man smiles, “You look like someone in need of somewhere to go.” He walks up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, “Don’t worry. We are your family now.”
SEVERAL DAYS LATER
Arra sits atop a gargantuan tree, deep within the forest, in the dead of night. Ranu and the handful of other Moonchildren are there with her…
She now wears the same gray robes as the rest of them, fully accepted into their culture. Together, they all look for signs of danger…
“Look!” One of the other Moonchildren suddenly points to a distress flare, lighting up the air. He then turns towards Arra, “Isn’t that right around where your village is?”
***
Arra makes her way to the town she once called home, sprinting as fast as she can…
“Wait!” Ranu shouts to her, he and the other Moonchildren running just behind her.
Soon enough, she makes her way to the mouth of the village, stopping dead in her tracks as she sees her parents, lying dead on the ground…
Between them stands a man cloaked in red, a knife in his hand. He pulls back his hood, revealing an aging face that Arra had hoped she would never see again… The other locals all cower in fear, clearly understanding that Fang too possesses Sunchild blood, coursing through his veins…
Whaling in anger, Arra charges straight to him, instantly grabbing the knife from his hand. Without a moment’s hesitation, she pierces it, right into his center…
Collapsing to the ground, Fang’s face curls into a brief smile, “See? Now what makes you any different from me?”
Arra watches, as he takes his dying breath, his final words ringing in her mind…
THE NEXT MORNING
Arra stands in the center of the village alone, the three bodies now taken away…
Carefully, Ranu approaches her, “Don’t feel regret for what you’ve done. You’re a Moonchild now. When nightfall comes, you have the authority to kill.”
Arra says nothing.
Ranu sighs, “If you want to break away from us, I understand.”
After a few more seconds of silence, she finally speaks, “No more killing.”
“What now?”
“I will stay with you,” she clarifies. “I will continue to intervene physically… But I must draw a line at murder. I will leave that to you and the others, going forward.”
The elder Moonchild nods in agreement, “Fair enough… What made you decide to stay?”
She turns to face him, “You had said it yourself… You are my family now.”
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