The sun was beating down hard, despite it being just after 5 in the afternoon.The intense humidity wasn't helping matters as sweat drenched the two boys' bodies. They've been training for a good two hours, yet they weren't able to wiggle in a break. All you could hear was the constant clanging of swords.
One boy paused, sheathing his sword and bending over with his hands on his knees. He tried to grasp for breath, his head spinning. He's had the world's biggest migraine all day, and the intense training wasn't helping matters. After a couple minutes, he reached up to tie back his long hair.
"Ge, are you okay?" the other boy asked, sheathing his own sword and looking at him with worry. He was about 2 years younger than the other.
The older boy shook his head, sitting down and placing his head in his hands. "I feel like I'm gonna puke," the boy muttered. "Sora, I need to lay down."
Both boys knew that wasn't an option. They weren't allowed a break until half past six in the evening. Their mother would never accept any signs of weakness. They have been trained to last hours without breaks. If they failed to show their best efforts, they would be punished severely. Both boys feared their mother's wrath. They did everything to please her.
"Seiji," Sora said, glancing around as if looking for someone. "Mom-"
"I know," Seiji said, clenching his teeth. "She'll murder me if I even think about napping."
Seiji sighed, uncomfortably rubbing his stomach. He hated feeling weak. Seiji was by far the best of the two brothers. He always kept on a brave face and fought every battle thrown his way without complaint. For Seiji to say he needed to lay down meant that there was truly something wrong with him. His pale complexion catered to how bad he felt.
"Did I say it was break time?" a piercing voice called over to them. Seiji looked up quickly, standing up. Sora grabbed onto him as Seiji felt himself stagger. "Do you think you'd be able to lounge about during a battle? What are you doing?"
"Mother, Gege is really ill," Sora said, keeping a tight hold on Seiji.
"Do you think your enemy would stop just because you felt sick?" the woman asked, causing both brothers to shake their heads. "If you gotta puke, puke on the field and keep going. Now Seiji, pull yourself together and get back to training."
"Yes ma'am," Seiji said weakly, pulling away from his brother. "Sora, head back to left field. I'm going to practice the Cheetah Fleight."
Sora nodded his head and moved to the far side of the training field. Seiji turned to make his way to the assigned position when he suddenly felt a stinging sensation in his back. He dropped to the ground with a shout of pain. Before he could say or do anything, his mother jumped in front of him, a deep glare on her face as she faced whoever struck her son. Sora let out a shout, moving to make his way back over. Their mother, however, put her hand up to stop him from moving.
"What do you want?" she asked the stranger with an icy glare only to be met with an ear splitting cackle. The hairs on Seiji's neck stood up at the sound. He slowly turned his head to get a peek at who was there.
A man with piercing eyes, almost identical to Seiji's actually, and an evil grin on his face stood before them. Dark energy emitted from his body. He was wearing a bright red cloak with a hood covering his head. He held a silver sword with rubies all down the hilt. Seiji's blood was dripping from the tip of the blade, forming a puddle on the ground.
Seiji could feel his heart beating heavily in his chest. He's faced many ghosts. But never a high level demon who could take on the form of a human. From the energy radiating off the man, the only thing he could be was a demon.
"Leave the boys be," their mother continued. "I'm the one you desire. Not them."
"Very well," the 'demon' said, stepping closer to her.
"Sora, help your brother up and get out of here," she ordered, not taking her eyes off the man. Sora stared at her for a few moments before rushing over and helping Seiji up. Seiji shakily stood up, leaning all his weight on the younger boy and letting him lead him away.
The two didn't go far. Instead, they took shelter where they couldn't be seen behind a cluster of trees. The two brothers peeked out at the scene on the field. They wanted to make sure things were okay. Seiji was shaking uncontrollably as he held onto the tree in front of him for support. His brother mirrored him, staring at their mother with worry.
"Go help her," Seiji said softly, looking at his brother. Sora shook his head and took his attention away from the scene.
"I have to help you first," he said, moving to look at Seiji's wound.
"I'm okay," Seiji tried to assure him, despite the pain rushing through his body.
Sora shook his head and started examining while Seiji just sighed and turned his attention back to their mother. He couldn't make out what they were saying. The man's fist tightened around his sword, letting out a cold laugh. He let go of his sword, holding out his hand where a black funnel of energy shot out. It enveloped his mother, causing Seiji to jump up and unsheathe his sword, despite his body's protests.
His mother closed her eyes, allowing herself to be taken. Seiji's eyes widened in realization, almost forgetting to breathe. Before he could do anything, Sora charged at the man with anger radiating off him. The man, however, vanished into thin air, leaving behind his sword. Sora, not having expected the sudden disappearance, tripped over his own feet and toppled over. Seiji would have laughed in any other situation, but his eyes were glued to his mother, who fell to the ground, lifeless.
"Mom!"