Riblayn
Legacy Name: Riblayn

Once upon a time, there was no strife in the world. People went about their daily lives and didn't worry about anything. When you passed someone walking down the busy sidewalk, they would give you a smile with a nod and a hello. Back then, no one had to question life or worry about what was fair and just. People trusted one another and never thought twice about the impending doom.

I feel they're getting closer
Their howls are sending chills down my spine
And time is running out now.

I could feel a certain foreboding in the air; I could even smell and taste it. What had me on edge mostly was why I had a sense of impending doom and did not know what was causing it. My closest friends and my brother Dalgrym could sense it too. When we passed people by on the sidewalk, we could almost see the fear in their eyes. What was alarming was that far more people were oblivious to the ominous doom that haunted our steps. Dalgrym believed that crystals would keep out the negative energy that was looming over us. He had crystals all over his apartment and even wore a crystal around his neck. He truly believed that they worked. I, however, was not convinced.

The sky is falling
Voices crying out in desperation
Here them calling "Everybody, save yourself".

I had never seen chaos and panic as much as I did that day. People ran every which way; voices of the young and old screaming in the song of panic. It seemed as if our assailants were everywhere at once and no one knew where to run. Smoke so thick that it was impossible to see or breathe enveloped us. Police officers tried to their best to control the situation,but it was a lost cause. I had no choice but to follow the crowd, wherever they thought they were going. Sometime in the chaos, I lost grip on my brother. I tried to turn around to look for him, but it would have been easier to tell the world to stop spinning for I could not stop or turn around. The din was so loud that I couldn't hear myself shout, which looking back now, I don't think I shouted. I hoped we just lost grip on each other and he was still right behind me.

So I'm gonna buy a gun and start a war
If you can tell me something worth fighting for.

Nothing was left when the attack ended. Some of the once magnificent buildings were reduced to ashes. Most of the houses were unharmed, but some buildings had minor damage. It seemed our attackers had something else in mind other than destroying everything. Many dead bodies littered the streets with pained and shocked looks on their faces. My brother was among the dead. His body was pinned under a heap of brick and steel. My dear brother, Dalgrym, was dead. I took his crystal necklace and put it on. Perhaps he believed in crystals so much that he left some of his spirit in the necklace. Much later I found out that our attackers had established an empire for themselves and enslaved the people who remained alive. How could there be so much hate for someone to do this? Why? There was no sense to any of this. Everything inside me screamed out for justice. I would repay those heartless men who killed my brother and who now controlled everything.

We have the force to fight
We have the blinding light
We have the will to win
Forever we'll defend.

We had to stand up to this foe, no matter the cost. The enemy now controlled everyone who didn't perish in the initial attack and it seemed most of those innocent people didn't care. The tyrants controlled the people so well that they actually made money off the hard labor of their victims. It seemed as if those innocents shut down and lived numbly from day to day. We had to rescue them and tear down the mighty foe. We would win because we had justice on our side. The just always triumphed over evil in stories, why would this situation be different?

What if I'm far from home?
Oh, brother I will hear you call.
What if I lose it all?
Oh, sister I will help you out!
Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you,
There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do.

We discovered a safe place to hide away from the prying eyes and controlling hand of the conquerors. Hiding underground, in the deep recesses of the city, we cared for the wounded and began tunneling to create a home for ourselves. Later, we found previously dug tunnels that led to other refugee camps who reported the same thing that happened to us. We became firmly established and grew in strength and number as we combined our forces with the forces of other refugees. Two years later, I became their leader. We never saw fit to name our enemy. Those who did such heinous crimes against humanity deserve no names. Our enemy thought they had enslaved everyone and thought they had no one to oppose them, but they were dead wrong. Soon, we would turn our eyes on them and they would know terror.

As I look upon you through
The warrior's eyes now
I can see the fear that will
Ensure my victory this time.

Four years after we were attacked, we grew strong enough to finally fight back. We began to slowly trickle out of our safe havens and surprised our foe. They must have perceived us as a threat because they started to search for us. They looked in abandoned buildings and sewers, but we cunningly hid the entrance to our tunnels that they never found us. I led a small band of fighters to scout and see what the enemy was up to and we met our enemy face to face at last. Towards the end of the skirmish, the leader of the enemy group must have sensed our power and when I looked him in the eye, I saw fear before he was killed. If the tyrants were smart, they should fear us. We were growing stronger and were getting closer to the day when we would defeat them.

It's all over and I'm standin' pretty
In this dust that was a city
If I could find a souvenir
Just to prove the world was here
And here is a red balloon
I think of you and let it go.

After what seemed like two decades, we completely beat back the enemy from our lands. By then, nothing was left. Many of the small towns and cities were demolished. Most of the bigger cities were destroyed too. But we were now free and that was all that mattered; we could rebuild and plant more trees and flowers. One thing that would never be mended would be our hearts. So many loved ones lost in this struggle, my brother included. I clutched the crystal that hung about my neck, closed my eyes, and, as a tear rolled down my cheek, thought of Dalgrym.