The storm was treacherous. The wind screamed in agony as it tore at the trees. Rain clouds covered the sky and swirled violently. Any trace of the sun was suffocated into oblivion, and the rain gushed on the ground like there was no tomorrow. Lightning crackled, and the rain poured down on a small den made of twigs and leaves, where a mother and her only kit were inside. The little kit raised her drenched, heavy head.
"Mother, can you tell me a story?" she mewed.
"Of course, dear." Mother gently licked the kit's ears. "Do you want to hear about the prophecy of the Dark Echo?"
"Yes, please!" The kit's little body trembled with excitement. She loved this story.
Mother cleared her throat. "A long time ago, before there was war in the world, there were two friends who brought peace and harmony throughout the world. These friends were known as the Peacemakers, and their names were Flame and Echo. Everyone thought that this peace would be absolute, until one day..."
The she-kit's eyes rounded with amazement. "What happened then, Mother?"
Mother meowed, "Well, one day, the two friends were walking together towards the Barren Lands, where a spirit made of pure evil, called Darkness, was forced to live. Flame and Echo's primary task was to spread their friendship and harmony towards the citizens of these lands. But Darkness devised a plan to begin chaos by possessing one of the two Peacemakers. While Flame and Echo were asleep, Darkness possessed Echo. Echo, now consumed by evil, started a battle against Flame."
The small kit yawned. Sleep began closing in on her as her eyelids began to grow heavy.
"A few years later, with Flame's forces nearly defeated," she continued, "he desperately went to the Spirits of Knowledge for help, located deep in the Cave of Shadows. They told him a way to exile Echo, but it would also end in treachery for his friend. Flame stayed overnight to decide on what he should do. The next day, he reluctantly agreed to the Spirits' plan. So, Flame confronted his best friend, and exiled her into the deepest part of the Cave of Shadows, where the spirits guarded and made sure that no one would find her. So peace remained in the world, but the small part of darkness still remained. That is why there is evil in the world."
"And," she added, waiting for the strike of lightning to pass, "the night before Echo was exiled, her normal spirit came in Flame's dream saying, 'To bring peace and harmony, find the breeze and the moon, but beware of the Dark Echo.' That is why I named you Echo, because I know one day you will be the one who finds the breeze and the wind. The one who will bring peace to our world..." Mother's voice trailed off, and a heartbeat later she disappeared.
"Mother, no!" Echo screamed. "Come back-I can't lose you now!" The vision started to dissolve into blackness. Everything was gone. Echo felt herself starting to be strangled by an invisible ghost.
"Let-let go of me," she rasped weakly. For some reason, the invisible something abided.
And with that, she was plunged into eternal darkness.