1 A Bad Beginning

In a dark hall,

"You have to leave us, this is our only chance." A middle-aged man with black hair and golden eyes, wearing golden armour, spoke while pointing his finger towards a dimly lit portal.

His face was twisted in a lot of pain. He was heavily injured, bleeding profusely from all over his body, but still stood his ground proudly without fear, welcoming what was to come.

"I don't want to!! I want to fight alongside you brother!" Another young man replied to him.

He also had black hair and golden eyes, looking like his brother but a younger version.

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"B-But I-" But he was cut short by his elder brother.

"You can't fight, you are just looking for being slaughtered if you tried, you know that right?"

"..."

Those words hurt him, reminding him of everything he wanted to forget.

"Don't make it hard on me."

He put both his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Now go"

He materialized a crystal out of thin air and passed it to his brother.

"Crush it after you enter the portal. It will take somewhere far away, far enough for those hands to get to you."

"I will come back, brother!! I promise."

"We will wait for you."

Both nodded at each other.

There was a lot they wanted to talk about, but they knew time was the commodity they couldn't afford.

He wanted to speak, but his throat hurt. No words came out, came out were tears as sadness engulfed his whole body.

He wanted to stay here and fight with his brother, but he knew he was a dead weight, nothing more than a mere mortal. For the first time in his life, he wanted to cry his heart out; until everything returned to how it was.

He forced himself to turn around and take a step, but it took him all his courage and strength, the hardest step he had ever taken.

Followed by another, and soon he was running. There was no turning back at this point.

'I promise I will return every pain you ever gave me!!!'

The moment he entered the ring-shaped portal, darkness engulfed him.

He took out the crystal and crushed it.

Soon a faint blue light spread through the crystal, engulfing him and then he disappeared.

Seeing the warrior took a deep breath of relief and turned towards the hallway. Patiently waiting for certain someone, maybe his death. He could feel it as it closed onto him.

"Shit... it's getting fucking unbearable!!!!"

The image he was trying to keep from his brother was broken as he took a knee, clutching his stomach in pain.

He tried to heal it but to no avail.

"Fuck It's not even healing!!" He gritted his teeth as he bore through the unbearable pain. The wounds were eating through his body.

He was dying, dying a slow death.

That being chased them till the end.

"WHERE-IS-HE!??"

Not long after, then a loud voice reverberated throughout the hall, making it hard to pinpoint its origin.

"Somewhere you can't get him." He replied with an emotionless face, not that there was something to show except some regrets.

"You still think that? You can't get away from me no matter where you are."

Suddenly the whole hall was engulfed in strange viscous darkness.

"I will make it easy on you if you tell me where your brother has run."

He didn't reply to the entity.

For some time, there was silence,

"Just for a peaceful death,"

But soon it was broken,

"I will tell you where he is,"

with a sudden appearance of a blazing, giant, red sword.

"But only if you are willing to give your life!!!"

His appearance started to change from a human to a demi beast. His hairs were replaced by a golden lion's mane, red eyes with a vertical slit, and fingers replaced by claws.

His height kept increasing, stopping when he reached 20 feet.

"ROOOOOOAR"

"Haha, your family never disappoints me when it comes to battle. I hope you could bring a better challenge than your sister hahaha."

He gripped his giant sword and swung it through the darkness, cutting through it.

His Blade meets that of the entity, a viciously beautiful woman in red clothing.

The battle has started.

-Clang-

But it won't be the last.

-Cling- -Clank-

It will be just a new beginning, not to an era of peace but to a new war which will soon engulf the whole universe.

-Puchi-

-Thud-

Soon a head rolled down the floor.

...

Under the endless sky,

Laid the forest, tremendous, murky, and rich, covered in snow. Its canopy was dominated by pine.

Curving branches hung from many trees, and a mishmash of flowers, unique to this region, caught attention in the otherwise unchanging backdrop.

A variation of beastly sounds reverberated through the air, complemented by the roar of the raging river currents clashing against boulders.

Surrounded by mountains, laying like a slumbering snow dragon, quietly awaiting.

On the outskirts of the forest was a small village.

Today the sky was filled with dark, gloomy clouds, but not for the village leader's family.

Today his family will welcome a new member, and he will finally become a father. He was very elated but was still walking in hurried steps in a circular path keeping his gaze towards the door behind which his wife was giving birth.

As the clock ticked away, his worry kept on increasing.

But before the worry could kill him, happiness bought him to the ninth heaven, as the door opened and the cry of a child graced his ears.

An elderly midwife came out of the room and bowed before him.

But before she could say anything further, he hurriedly made his way towards the room, stopping before bed, where his wife was resting along with the child.

"Dear, its a boy!" she spoke with a tired face filled with happiness, a happiness of finally becoming a mother.

"Let me see." He picked up the child and took him into his embrace.

"He looks just like you, same eyes, nose and mouth!!"

"And maybe like you from his heart and mind dear."

"Hahaha, I hope too!!"

He placed his baby boy back on his mother's side and started making his way toward the exit.

"I will be going for now,"

But as if fate has something decided for them,

"I want to deliver this news by my own mouth and also have to prepare for the feast."

That their use has come to an end.

"Sure, dear."

-Grrrr-

-Rumble-

The mammoth lightning bolt hit the hut, destroying everything in its vicinity.

Soon there was an upheaval in the village, fear spread among the occupants, and everyone started running out.

In this disorder, no one noticed a middle-aged man walking toward the hut.

He entered the destroyed hut, which was still on fire, but it was as if the fire did not affect him.

The baby survived. He had a blue aura surrounding him, which ultimately protected him from the thunder. Laying beside the burnt body of his mother, he kept on crying.

"Uwaaahh Uwwaahh"

"There there my child, you are safe now."

The man put his palm on the baby's chest, and a golden flame spread, engulfing the baby and healing his eardrums which burst in the lighting.

The baby stopped crying and again started sleeping as if nothing had happened.

"This should be enough for now, I think. I'm really sorry for your loose child, if only I could..."

Not wasting any more time, he hugged the baby and started making his way toward the forest.

Till now, no villager noticed his presence, as if he never existed.

Today, fate decided that the child shall live on, or maybe it was fooled...?