Chapter 2: Stop it!

Eyebrows scrunched, Gallah eventually reached the same conclusion. "Wow, haha I did not see that coming. From being prodigal heirs of both our clans to your everyday slaves, the heavens sure has a sense of humor."

"Not necessarily everyday slaves", Eon pondered while pacing. "Even though we are indeed slaves, we are still given the freedom to roam the outer perimeter of the castle without too many restrictions."

"You're right...", Gallah paused to examine their clothes and the weapons on the floor. "The forced laborers of our clans did not have such clean clothes or even practice weapons to train with. They must really trust us if they leave potentially dangerous weapons lying around"

"Or the rulers possess strength far superior than the average man. Whatever the case may be their benevolence surpasses ours", Eon shook his head. "I never did approve of my clan's methods with captives and minorities but my clan was too stubborn, too traditional, to change."

"It's not like your clan was the only one, my clan was pretty much the same. Luckily we're not like those kind of slaves. I wonder what our downside is though, we can't just do whatever we want right?"

Eon raised an eyebrow. "You ask as if you are no longer uncovering the rest of your memories."

"Haha… Too be honest I'm having a hard time recalling these memories and you seem much better at it than me."

Eon frowned. "The situation we are in is a complete and utter mystery with potentially dangerous repercussions if we do not compile the necessary information to act off of-"

"-which is why I believe you're the best person for this job", Gallah winked while sticking his thumb up. "Who better to absorb information and decide our next moves than the heaven-sent strategist of our generation."

Seeing the carefree smile Gallah had on, Eon palmed his face and shook his head. "Haaa", he exhaled, accepting his lack of assistance; he returned his hands behind him and paced once more.

"...it would appear that we are living in a matriarchal society in which males are the sole gender of slaves", Eon determined. "Although the odds are against us, our circumstances could have been much worse. In general, our tasks mainly consists of constant maintenance and cleansing of the training grounds along with the magical practice grounds-"

Eon widened his eyes as his pacing stopped.

Thinking he was done, Gallah replied, "A matriarch huh? Those weren't unheard of but they were definitely rare. But cleaning isn't too bad. Thank god it's only training grounds and magical practice grounds and not waste-gathering or the stables-"

Gallah's eyes bulged and his jaws dropped. Slowly but surely his eyes leveled with Eon's equally shocked eyes. "Wait a second, did you say magic? As in magic magic? Like magic from the stories, magic?

Eyebrows scrunched in concentration, Eon snapped out of his stupor and sifted through his new memories at a faster pace. After a brief silence he spoke with more certainty.

"It appears that magic truly is a common trait in this new life of ours. In fact, this may not only be a new life but an entirely different world."

"H-hold on a second, I'm still taking in the fact that magic exists. Now you're saying there is another world other than ours?"

"The theory was visited upon by many scholars in the past but none had definitive proof. How could they when one had to speak after dying to prove their theory? That fact aside, Vallara, Illenstein, Vernia, these locations and names differs greatly from the world we lived in."

"That can't be the only reason right? For all we know they could be faraway places we've never visited or heard of."

"Your words do hold some truth. I understand that both our clans were unable to map certain areas of the world despite our fervent attempts."

"See, I can be smart sometimes", Gallah nodded knowingly with a smile.

"However", Eon stopped pacing to look Gallah in the eye, "the locations I named are not mere tiny locations but enormous empires and landscapes that vastly cover the world."

"Hmm…", Gallah lowered his head in thought. "Nope I've got nothing. So a new world huh?"

"Not necessarily", Eon muttered as he resumed pacing. "The knowledge of these teenagers could very well be wrong as they did not venture past these walls themselves."

"Oh come on, give me a break. Can't we just decide on one thing?"

"That would be unwise. For now I believe a new world is the more probable answer but it is best to leave our minds open to the other possibility until we receive more concrete information."

Waving his hands in the air, Gallah grumbled, "Alright alright, you're thinking so much that MY brain hurts. Let's just go back to magic, we can be sure that's a thing right? Or do I have to second guess that too?"

"I can see why you left the decisions to me", Eon smirked.

"Ehh, are you making fun of me?"

"Not at all", Eon denied, his smirk ever present. "And yes, magic is very much real."

As he spoke, knowledge and displays of magic replayed in his mind. Familiar yet foriegn bright lights appeared around a person's body while they drew symbols in the air. Unlike the light Eon was used to, each light he saw had their own unique color.

"...Fascinating, I believe the idea and method are similar to our world's ki. Instead of ki, however, mana is their source of energy and with it one is able to strengthen their body just as we did. However, its application extends far beyond body strengthening because mana is also the catalyst to using magic.

Gallah furrowed his eyebrows. "So if I'm following what you said, mana is like ki if ki could be used for magic too?"

"In other words, yes."

"Haaa", Gallah fell back and sprawled on the floor. "You could've just said that."

Eon shrugged. "You understood me in the end."

"I'm getting a feeling that my brains going to hurt much more in the future", Gallah laughed. Jolting forward, he propped himself upright with his arms. "So does this mean we're able to use magic?"

"Not currently", Eon shook his head. "To my knowledge it appears that we were not given the right to attend classes for magic therefore we have no actual knowledge of the matter."

"Hmm, that sure is unfortunate", Gallah crossed his arms. "Got any ideas?"

"None at the moment but worry not", Eon grinned, his eyes burned with desire. "If an opportunity does not present itself then I will forge one myself."

"Woah that's the first time I've seen you smile like that."

Eon coughed. "Sorry, I become slightly enthusiastic when it comes to new knowledge and ways to increase my strength."

"Hey I'm not complaining, you look better when you're smiling anyways", Gallah laughed. "More friendly. Just don't forget to include me when you find that knowledge, okay?."

Eon smirked. Did he look better when smiling? Smiling was not an expression he had often displayed. Now that he thought about it, It had been years since he laughed or smiled but, strangely enough, being around Gallah caused him to do both in the brief time they spent together.

"How intriguing…"

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"Hm? It was nothing." Eon waved his hand. "And of course I would share any knowledge I obtain. What kind of brother would I if I willingly withheld inform from you?"

"Haha, that's right!" Gallah jumped to his feet and immediately wrapped his arm around Eon's neck. "As the best brothers in the world, there is nothing we can't accomplish if we put our heads together!"

"Does that imply that you will finally begin using your head?"

"Ouch", Gallah stepped back with a foolish frown. "Dear brother, we were having a beautiful moment. Why'd you have to ruin it?"

"Setting your jesting aside, you did bring up a valid topic."

"I did?"

"You mentioned our ability to accomplish but there will be no accomplishments if we continue to chat throughout the day."

"Alright alright, I'll stop joking", Gallah smiled as he raised his hands in defeat. "So what do you suggest?"

"First, we should assess our current level of strength-"

"-great idea! I have just the way", Gallah snapped his fingers, an intense glint flashed across his eyes. "This is something I'd do with my siblings all the time! First to one hundred push ups wins."

Not waiting for confirmation, he immediately dropped on all fours. Eon stared at his childish behavior for a moment, then shrugged. He steadily placed his hands on the platform and went at his own pace. A short while later Gallah abruptly collapsed.

"Ha.. ha… this kids… ha… is so weak…"

Eon shortly followed as he steadied his breathing and pushed himself into a crossed legged position. "This boy had poor constitution as well."

"Ha…", taking one last deep breath, Gallah forced himself up, "So how many did you do?"

"Twenty one, any more and I would most likely be sore the next day."

"Aha!", Gallah clenched his fist, "I did twenty seven."

"Wait until tomorrow then see if you can claim victory with a smile."

"You underestimate me dear brother", Gallah patted his chest, "Now that I'm here I'll pull through minor things like pain with my incredible willpower."

"If you say so. Next is our mastery over our respective weapons."

"You're right! To be honest I kind of feel like nothing has changed. Even though we're pretty weak the moment I think about holding swords… it just feels easy."

"I have a similar feeling but it is best to confirm to be certain."

Eon walked over to the weapon rack and looked for a pole with a suitable length. Gallah casually picked up the two swords on the ground and tested their weights.

"A little heavy right now and kind of short but it'll do."

Selecting a pole off the rack, Eon softly raised it up and down, then nodded. "I am ready as well."

He returned to the stone platform, faced Gallah, and pointed his pole offensively. Gallah twirled the swords in a skillful manner then dashed towards Eon. With the intention of ending the fight quickly he slashed down diagonally with all of his might. Eon brought the pole upwards, at an angle, and properly blocked the swords.

-Thok- -Thok-

"My response is delayed."

"Yeah, same here."

Eon knocked the sword off the pole and lunged forward. Gallah crossed his swords, interlocking the pole in the center and brought it downwards. His actions were slightly off and the tip of the pole grazed his shirt, creating a slight tear. Although he was the one who took damage, Eon winced and swiftly retracted the pole.

Gallah knowingly chuckled, "You're trying too hard, there's no way your vibration technique could be done with those scrawny arms."

"It was worth the attempt." Eon shook his arms to relieve the sharp numbing sensation. "The limits of this body will become clearer the more positions I attempt. Then I will be able to formulate the perfect regimen for myself. Worry not, my technique will return soon enough."

Cold sweat formed behind Gallah's neck at the thought. Then his eyes brightened, "Hey now that we're brothers maybe you should teach me that technique too."

Eon was stunned at the thought. The technique was something he had invented and arduously fleshed out throughout several years; just the thought of freely passing it on seemed ludicrous. Nevertheless, the idea of rejecting the suggestion brought a cold and despondent feeling in his chest. This was the caution of his past, someone he no longer wished to be.

"If that's what you desire then I am willing to teach you."

Gallah's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Gallah thought back to the selfish elders in his clan that held onto their secrets. When it came time to master the method behind wielding his swords he was sworn to secrecy; unable to teach anyone, even his relatives.

"Yes, I am entirely serious."

"I was only joking around you know. You don't have to teach me if you don't want to."

"In all honesty, I have only ever taught a select few and none of them were able to successfully perform it."

"Really? Is it that hard of a technique?"

"It's difficulty depends on the person. Not only would one have to shake their arms properly, one would also have to shake the rest of their body in unison to create a balanced and steady vibration. Along with the required training and patience the technique demands, one's bodily muscles must be trained in perfect equilibrium otherwise the use of the technique would only erode one's muscles until they become crippled."

Gallah's eyes seemingly glazed over. "... huh?"

Eon rolled his eyes. "In simpler terms, along with working hard you are not allowed to possess a stronger upper body than lower body and vice versa. All your muscles must have equal amounts of strength."

"Are you serious?"

"Deadly."

"..."

"Are you interested? If so I will begin to develop a regimen for your training."

"Thanks but I think it'll require too much focus for a guy like me. I like to train without holding back, so the thought of having everything I do limited and controlled is giving me anxiety already", Gallah laughed nervously. "On the other hand, our training isn't over yet. I'm still full of energy!"

Eon shrugged. "The choice is yours, I will be happy to guide you if you were to ever choose otherwise."

Ending the conversation at that, he lunged forward with his pole. Gallah grinned, his boiled with excitement as he returned blow for blow. The sky dimmed as time flew by but the brothers were immersed in the bliss of their improvement. Their distraction grew so deep that they missed an otherwise noticeable sound heading in their direction.

Light taps against pavement echoed louder. Gallah smoothly slashed an uppercut followed by a downwards slice but Eon defended perfectly; the light taps entered the courtyard at that moment.

"Stop it!"