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Crystal of Tames

Chapter 2 :

The Red Night Part 1,

11 years ago.

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A large white and black eagle creature carrying two women on its back descended upon a small peaceful village that was surrounded by a thick vast forest.

A woman with short blonde hair got off the eagle creature, and in her arms, a baby slept peacefully.

She walked toward one of the wooden houses in the village and knocked on its wooded door.

A woman with grey hair and a youthful appearance despite her age greeted her.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise, Anita. ”

“Hi, mom.”

“Can I come in?”

“Of course,” Anita’s mother said, curious as to why her daughter had visited her so early in the morning.

Anita walked inside the house that had been her home until she was twelve when she decided to leave for Stonetopolis City and join the Rock Shield guild. One of the three main taming guilds in all of Monsterra. Though she did visit her mother and sister from time to time, she knew that those visits had become sparse in recent times. She blamed herself for being too busy with her taming duties, as well as being too preoccupied with the Guild Tournaments. Tournaments that guild tamers from all corners of Monsterra competed in; testing their skills as tamers, but she felt that that was no excuse not to visit her mother and little sister more often.

She promised herself that when she got back from her duty as a tamer she was going to change that, especially now that her son had been born.

“Is that a....” Anita looked at her old room and noticed a wooden crib that was by the corner of the room.

“ I figure he should have a comfy place to sleep when you come visit us, Anita,” her mother said, there was a hint of sadness in her voice that Anita noticed, feeling even more guilty of being too preoccupied, but she was going to remedy that. She promised herself.

Anita walked toward the crib and looked down at it. It looked quite comfortable and spacious with enough room for a young baby boy to sleep in.

“Sleep tight, Lex,” she said, placing her son gently inside the wooden crib to not wake him up from his peaceful slumber.

“Is everything alright, Anita? “ her mother asked, feeling a knot in her throat. Something was wrong, she was sure of it. Anita was not one to come unannounced like this.

Anita looked at her son as he peacefully slept, and smiled. He was safe here from whatever was happening in the kingdom of Traineria, and the reason she had visited her mother on such short notice.

" Tamers from the Rock Shield Guild are being called upon to the kingdom of Traineria on Guild leader Roth’s orders,” she said,

“We are to aid Traineria in the subjugation of a monster that’s running rampant in the kingdom. “

“Oh no! That's awful,” her mother said, wondering just what kind of monster would make Roth, the guild leader of the Rock Shield guild send tamers to the kingdom to help, considering the history between the south and the kingdom of Traineria.

“This sounds like it could be dangerous,” her mother said.

This was unheard of, making her worry. Whatever this wild monster was, it was serious enough for Trainerians and the southern people to put aside their differences.

“I don’t know how dangerous it is, but just in case, I want Lex to be safe here in the village instead of in Stonetopolis city just in case something happens…..”

“In case of what?”

Her mother asked, fearing the worst.

Anita nodded, not wanting to answer such a question, for she feared if she did it, her nightmare would become real.

“Of course, dear,” her mother said, putting her hand on Anita’s shoulder. She could see that whatever it was, was heavy on her mind.

Yet, she couldn’t shake off the bad feeling that was growing deep inside of her, she wanted to tell Anita not to go, but she knew she couldn’t. Anita was not one to sit and wait if people were in danger.

A silence fell on the room as both of them looked at the peaceful child sleeping comfortably in his crib.

“Do you think a tamer is involved?” her mother asked, cutting the silence that had fallen in the room.

She knew how some tamers were, only seeking power and the title of tamer king. A title that made them seek power at all costs, pushing their monster partners to their limit, which had caused problems before.

All for a title that didn’t carry any weight to anyone except Tamers. It was only a silly title given to a single tamer in all of Monsterra by other tamers, yet that didn’t stop some tamers from pushing their monster partners to the limit, was this perhaps an attack by a monster partner gone rogue?

“Has a tamer's greed for power caused some monster partner to go berserk?”

“I don’t know,” Anita said, brushing Lex’s blonde hair to the side. The thought had crossed her mind, but she brushed it aside, right now the most important thing was to stop this unknown monster’s rampage from causing any more damage. They would have time after the danger passed to find the culprit of this event if there was one to begin with.

“Anita, are you ready?”

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Anita’s longtime friend and a fellow guild member, Emily, came into the room.

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She had long black hair with bangs covering her forehead and was wearing a white and green guild jacket and black pants with brown leather boots.

Outside the small wooden house, clouds were beginning to gather covering the sunlight.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can, Mom,” Anita said, looking at her mother. She knew that Lex would be safe here. After all, her mother had been a strong guild tamer in her youth as well.

“Be careful,” her mother said, she didn’t know what kind of monster was requiring tamers from both the south and Traineria to join forces, but she did not like it one bit.

“Promise me you’ll come back no matter what.“

She held Anita's hand not wanting to let go of her.

“I will Mom, I promise,” Anita said, trying to give her a reassuring smile.

“I’ll be back soon, son,” she said, kissing her son’s forehead, and feeling his warmth on her lips.

“Everything is going to be alright. I promise“

“Let’s go, Emily."

Emily nodded at Anita’s mother, Nana, and followed Anita out of the room.

There was a certain aura that felt on the house as if it would crush the small wooden house at any minute. Nana couldn’t explain it, but she knew that whatever was happening in Traineria, was going to change Monsterra forever.

She prayed to the ancient one to keep Anita safe.

But despite the aura suffocating the house, a young boy held tight to the teddy bear that lay next to him and dreamed of a peaceful dream, unaware of what was happening miles away from the peaceful village he found himself comfortably in, unaware of the danger that was unfolding miles away from him.

Anita exited her mother's house, she looked back at it and promised herself she was going to do everything in her power to keep them safe.

“The only guild tamers still in the south are the ones staying behind to protect it just in case a monster stampede occurs, most have left for Traineria. We are to go to the Taming Stone on Guild leader Roth's order, “Emily said, as they both walked toward Windgle, Anita’s monster partner who had brought them to this small village out here deep in the south of Monsterra, Anita's home.

"The Taming Stone?" Anita asked, the Taming Stone was a large rectangular-shaped giant stone with a single crystal in the middle of it and ancient markings around it. That crystal was what gave the seeds of tame, with which crystals of tames were made, and it was because of those crystals of tames that allowed the inhabitants of Monsterra to tame the many monster partners that inhabited its lands.

"Also, it appears that guild leader Roth isn't the only one worried about the stone, the Blazing Wing and Torrent Scale guild are on their way to help as well. Though I’m sure they’re more worried for the Taming Stone than for the kingdom of Traineria," Emily said.

Anita felt stumped upon hearing Emily's words, whatever was happening in Traineria was nothing Monsterra had ever seen before, making Anita worry for the people she cared for.

She looked at Emily, she had been her friend since she was thirteen when they met in the Rock Shield guild. They had been friends for ten years, so Anita knew she could take care of herself, but this felt different

“You don’t have to do this, ” Anita said, she trusted Emily to take care of herself, yet still, Anita couldn’t help but worry for her. They were flying straight into a battle where the outcome was uncertain. A feeling of dread washed over her.

“We’re best friends,” Emily said,

“And I’ll be dammed if I let you go alone.”

She smiled at Anita, yet underneath it, Anita could see fear, which she also had for the first time since she had become a guild tamer.

“Thank you,” Anita said, smiling at her.

She looked up at the dark clouds that had formed in the sky whose shade of blue had now turned to a crimson red.

“All three major guilds together, ” she thought, whatever monster was running loose in the kingdom of Traineria, with the power of the three guilds, they would be enough to subjugate it. There was no monster they couldn’t stop, she hoped. Putting her trust in all of the guilds' great tamers, as well as her skills as a tamer. Yet, Anita couldn’t help but feel an ominous feeling taking over her as if a beast was making its way toward Woodfield Village, where her son, mother, and sister lived. A beast ready to devour the small little village and along with it, everyone she cared for.

“We also have the Tamer king,” Emily said, noticing Anita's worried expression, despite her trying to hide it, she was still Anita's best friend, and there were things she couldn't hide from her.

“He’s the strongest tamer in all of Monsterra if we can’t stop this monster, then he will, right?” Anita looked at her and saw a frightened girl underneath the strong facade Emily was trying to put on.

To think about failure would mean….

“He will,“ Anita said, reassuring not only her best friend but herself as well. He gave her hope. He was the strongest tamer in all of Monsterra. A title he had earned from the other tamers. His mastery over monster partners was something no other tamer could rival, and it was that mastery that had allowed him to have the only emperor-tier monster partner in all of Monsterra.

All the guilds wanted him in their ranks, but despite their best efforts, they were never successful. He was different. She had known that since the first time she had met him all those years ago when they engaged in their first tournaments of Guilds in the south.

“Of course,” Emily said, having met him on a few occasions, she knew that he was strong. He was a tamer of a few words with a bored expression on his face, yet she couldn’t deny his strength. He was the strongest tamer in all of Monsterra, stronger than the guild leaders themselves. She felt hopeful that he would stop whatever monster was going berserk as well as the Tamer responsible for this, which she was sure there was. She had met tamers that only wanted power and with it the title of king, causing their monster partners to go berserk at times. All for a title that was meaningless since it did not bring any royalties or anything the title of a king would bring. It was a meaningless title given to tamers by other tamers, yet that didn’t stop many tamers from trying to earn it themselves.

“Do you think a tamer is responsible?” Emily asked,

“I do not know?” Anita said, “But if a tamer is involved in this, they are going to pay dearly for the destruction their hunger for power has brought.”

Emily looked at the cloudy sky, its bloody red color engulfing the sky of Monsterra, and wondered what kind of vicious monster was causing the tamers of Traineria to call for help to the three taming guilds of Monsterra.

“Ready, Windgle?” Anita said as she patted the black and white feathers of her eagle monster.

The large eagle creature let out a fearsome cry, extending its wings, ready to take flight toward the red cloudy sky.

“We have to stop this monster in Traineria,” Anita thought, taking one last look at the wooden houses that made up Woodfield Village, her childhood. Getting a good look at the village she once had to depart from, first when she was a child of twelve when she left for her Monster taming journey, and now at twenty-three, where she found herself leaving it again, but this time on her way to help stop a certain calamity from descending upon the towns, villages, and cities of the south, leaving behind her mother and little sister once more, and now her son. She wondered if she would see them again, but brushed those thoughts aside, they were going to be successful. She promised herself.

“Fly at full speed, Windgle!” Anita commanded, making one of her five monster partners fly toward the path of destruction in Traineria, ready to lay her life on the line if she had to. If it meant stopping whatever had descended upon Traineria from unleashing its wrath toward the south, where her people lay peacefully, she would do anything for them.

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Nana watched as the eagle monster partner took flight and grasped her hands together, praying to the ancient one, the southern people’s watchful deity, that Anita would return and watch her son grow up, just as she had watched both Anita and now Lily.

“She is a strong tamer, stronger than any tamer I have ever known,” Nana said, praying that all of this was nothing serious, yet she couldn’t get rid of that feeling that had taken over her.

"Is big sis Anita here?" a young girl asked, as she noticed her mother by the door. “No, sweetheart. She’s on a mission,“ Nana said, walking back inside the house. ‘Come, let’s go see the sleeping prince.”

The rain began to fall on the small houses of Woodfield village along with the other villages and towns of the south. As the rain kept falling on the continent of Monsterra, increasing in strength with every second that passed, the sky was now washed with a crimson-red tint. A large red moon stood in the sky and watched over the lands of Monsterra, and watching a certain kingdom that lay in the center of the continent of Monsterra with great intensity.

The Kingdom of Traineria sat engulfed in a sea of red as the citizens ran trying to hide from the beast with red eyes a crimson body and red flames as it unleashed a torrent of destruction on them and their monster partners. The citizens of Traineria tried to find haven in any place they could but it was useless, for the beast unleashed wave after wave of flames of destruction on their kingdom. Tamer knights from Traineria and Rock Shield guild tamers met the crimson beast head on, fighting it with their monster partners, and just when all hope seemed lost. A tamer with green hair and two different color eyes, one blue and the other green, descended upon the kingdom of Traineria and both he and all the tamers that had arrived in Traineria unleashed an avalanche of attacks toward the crimson beast.