The Man Who Came to Town.

I was just a child then. living in a small town that's not even on maps anymore. We all knew the stories..... Venarian acolytes were monsters who bled black ink from their eyes and stole people away in the night with their unholy powers. The town guard said wed be safe that they would keep watch and protect us every time Nightfall. And for years they did time after time scaring off whatever few acolytes would wander too close to town at night.
But one day, one of the towns miners came back with a thing that he had unearthed and when the town scholar ran some tests on it it nearly killed him. It was a vestige the shards of Amans that Venari herself seeks every night I heard the elders of the village arguing over what they should do with it. "DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND SEERIAN? THIS VESTIGE COULD END EVERY PROBLEM OUR VILLAGE HAS EVER HAD! imagine! the power of Amans's body ours to control!" "no Gretan no amount of power is worth whatever Venari would do to us if she found out we had it, and it wouldn't give you Amans's power only an....admittedly sizable portion....to us anyway..." They continued fighting for hours and even days. The town guard started to get nervous for if word ever found its way to an acolyte Venari would stop at nothing to corrupt us all and take the vestige for herself. weeks went by like this the whole town on edge and the elders fighting until one day Our elder named Gretan used the vestige the ground shook as a portion of Amans's great and unknowable body rose from the town well and performed a Cognomancy that gathered stone and mortar from the surrounding region and built a guard wall around the entire town in a matter of minutes. then came the guard towers the bastions our town became a mighty fortress that could never be harrased again. While initially the town was outraged no one complained when bandit raids and beast attacks stopped for a few months we finally felt safe. But one day a man dressed like nothing I've ever seen before or since walked into town from what books I've read on clothing I think it was called a "suit" and I must admit he looked rather dapper far from the ragged clothes we had put together for ourselves. he had brown hair and an angular face with brilliant green eyes. He spoke so confidently and surely his voice carried well across the town square which had at this point began filling with people who wanted a glimpse of this new stranger. he spoke "Good evening folks." Evening was a term Id only ever read in books to signify that the sun would set soon but Sol is ever present and always shining. unless a nightfall happened when Sol leaves the world and Venari rises over the horizon sending her unholy acolytes across the world to search for Vestiges. he spoke again his voice like honey. "Oh yes you heard me right nightfall is coming it always does but I have to say your Walls look so strong I have to wonder how did you BUILD such a thing?" The whole town held their breath. could he know about the vestige? and if he did why would a lone man want something so dangerous? the elders began discussing with him how the wall was built of course leaving out the use of the vestige and coming up with a lie. "interesting this little old town was able to make a wall so high and strong yet, these stones" he walked up and ran his hand over them "they don't come from this area the stone under and around your town is quite frail correct?" The elders were stunned that he could know that "clearly I'm not getting through to you maybe your people?" he pushed past the elders to be met by the town guards making a spear wall to keep him from us. "fine ill go no closer" he raised his hands in a surrendering pose sarcastically and addressed the crowd directly. "You see folks I know you have a vestige here. and if you give it to me now I'll be on my way and no one has to get hurt, In fact Mother has given me a special offer to make to you fine folks." Did he say mother? he couldn't mean?! " oh yes Mother Venari is not without mercy I offer to any one of you who brings me the artifact Amnesty and Immunity from nightfalls for the rest of your days. Imagine never needing to fear the darkness again and having my brothers and sisters ignoring you. I implore you....think it over." he turned on his heels and began waltzing back to the town gate to leave the guards wanting to attack him but knowing that bringing the wrath of Venari upon us would be unwise the man spoke one last time on his way out "Nightfall is coming my friends i suggest you make up your minds very soon" he let out a chuckle and whistled as he left.
The moment the gates closed behind him the town erupted into riot many charging the elders hall where the vestige was kept hoping to save themselves Others tried to keep the vestige safe saying they could use it against Venari's acolytes in the end the town guard subdued the riots and we all began preparing defenses. I was still shocked how could that handsome man be an acolyte of Venari? we all knew the stories! their monsters! with long dripping tendrils that sprout from their backs and the ability to shift into shadows with the strength to tear trough man and beast alike! I was too young to help defend the town and so I thought and thought but eventually nightfall did come Sol above us began to dim and dim the town cried out in panic and the gaurds rushed to their stations to the chaotic clanging of the alarm bells going off. I was brought to the elders hall along with the rest of the children the last thing I could see was The moon rising over the horizon and splitting apart as Venari herself rose from its shattered remains but I looked a second too long and it was as if her single massive eye was staring directly into my soul, luckily one of my school friends pulled me away from the window. we waited.... and waited.... and then there was half a shout and then silence. I peered out again and saw a battle the town guard were being slaughtered by the monsters that were Venari's acolytes bleeding ink from their eyes and ripping men to shreds with their dark tendrils among them I saw an acolyte walking through the middle of it toward the hall the battle was silent as the acolytes naturally muffle any sound around them. I'm still thankful i couldn't hear their screams I lept back and went deeper into the hall as the doors were broken down and acolytes poured in dragging children and women into the night to be corrupted into more acolytes. I ran and ran and eventually tripped slipping into a bookcase and from its top shelf fell the vestige! I sat there crying over the situation when an acolyte approached and as it did its tendrils receded back into its body and the bleeding of ink stopped.....it was the suited man from earlier. he slowly walked over to me and squatted down so that we were at eye level with each other "come child were not monsters, not completely" he offered his had out to me and spoke again "my offer of amnesty is still on the table of course, just give me the vestige." what was I to do? fight them all myself with it? run? where? there was nothing I could do and so I handed it to him, the Vestige practically jumped into his hand seemingly happy to know its back in the hands of its own kind. The man spoke again "now that's a good girl! as Venari as my witness i grant you amnesty from mothers crusade no need to wear a badge we all already know" with a wink he stood up and walked away leaving me sitting there stunned but true to his word as I could hear the muffled screams of villagers being torn from their homes and forced to gaze upon Venari corrupting them her acolytes would see me and pass me by. after a few hours I stood and walked out of the hall my town now completely empty without so much as a sign of struggle no blood stains, nor corpses
Just Silence.