Maximus was the only living family member Icarus had left. His mother had passed away just two years after his birth, and his father considered him the reason for it. He'd been born with zero magical energy, and was labeled as the black sheep of the family. A curse and disgrace to the great Adamine family.
Icarus grew without the love of his father and siblings, but Maximus was the only exception. He didn't exactly show love to Icarus, but unlike the rest of his family, Maximus didn't consider him as a disgrace. He didn't look at Icarus with eyes full of disgust like the rest of their family.
Maximus was the only person who even glanced towards Icarus's direction twice in a day. He offered the little help he could to his younger brother, but that act of kindness would do nothing but earn him hate from his elder brothers and father. At one point, it got so bad that Maximus was forced to keep away from his little brother so he wouldn't be killed by his elder ones.
At the age of fifteen, Icarus had been sent out by his father to apprehend a demon that had been disturbing the local market. It was one of the few times that Sebastian Adamine had actually given him an important task, so the little boy ran out with vigor with the intention to impress his father.
However, upon encountering his opponent, Icarus had been easily defeated. Without magic, he was powerless against the might of Marbas's commander. But instead of accepting death, Icarus struck a deal with the demon. In exchange for his life and demon magic, he traded the life of the king's first son.
As a child who always looked up to his father and brothers, Icarus has overestimated his brother's strength. When he struck the deal, he had expected the demon to be slain the moment it confronted Adamine Gerald, but the result was the exact opposite. His brother had been killed, and when his father found out that he was the reason behind everything, Sebastian Adamine, and Adamine Wilford took on the task to end Icarus's life. However, the two had met their end at the boy's hands.
After he'd been killed by his own father, Icarus had confronted his mother in the afterlife. And there he learnt that he was also the reason for her death. Apparently, he'd been born with immense power that rivaled that of the king, and his mother knew this would get his elder brothers jealous.
In the dark realm, age meant nothing. Everything was decided by power, and since Icarus had strength that triumphed that of his elder brothers, his mother had sealed that power away in order to keep him from dying. Had she not done that, his jealous brothers might have ended him a lot sooner.
His mother had sealed all his magical energy into her own body, but that act had come with its consequences. She wasn't strong enough to handle such power, and it had killed her.
His father knew of this, and that was why he blamed Icarus for his wife's death. However, now that he was dead, the seal had been broken. His mother had imbued a spell on him, one that would only activate after his death. She understood that her son might also be killed for not having magical energy, and if that was to ever happen, the seal placed on him would break, and he would regain all the strength she had stolen from him. A magic powerful enough to even defy death.
With his initial strength restored, alongside the powers he had acquired from his deal with the demon, killing his father and brother had not been an arduous task for Icarus upon awakening. Half of the royal family was wiped out in one day because of Adamine Icarus.
Only few knew of this story, and Maximus was one of the few. Maximus wasn't interested in the throne, and he showed no interest in fighting his younger brother for power. Instead of sitting around and doing nothing but eat and dine at the royal mansion, Maximus had taken it upon himself to become the gatekeeper of the dark realm.
Not only did he limit demon infiltration into the kingdom, he also made sure that humans didn't make deals with humans. He was a man who detested bloodshed, and didn't want anyone to repeat the mistakes of his younger brother.
The first thing Isabelle noticed the moment her eyes caught the next figure that approached them was the striking resemblance between him and Icarus. It didn't take her more than a second to put together the fact that they might be siblings, and her theory was confirmed in the next second.
"Brother, it's nice to see you after all these years." Icarus said as he walked forward to give Maximus a hug.
"I heard you found yourself a bride, it's only right that I come to offer my congratulations." Maximus replied.
Neither of them smiled for once, and Isabelle found it incredibly odd. If they were brothers, shouldn't they be happy to see each other? She questioned herself. They weren't exactly frowning, nor were there any emotions that signified that they hated each other. But at the same time, there was no emotion to show they cared for one another. The both of them were equally cold, and Isabelle found it rather sad.
After he had finished greeting his brother, Maximus walked up to the lady beside Icarus, took her hand and kissed it just like Christopher.
"I'm Adamine Maximus, it's nice to meet you."
"Isabelle, it's nice to meet you too." Isabelle replied with a warm smile, one that Maximus returned.
After the introduction, Maximus turned towards Icarus, his expression blank once again. "It was nice seeing you again after all this while, but I'll be taking my leave now. I wish you two the best married life."
Icarus nodded in appreciation, and after that, Maximus disappeared into the crowd, and soon into the darkness of the night.
"He's gone? Just like that? Aren't you brothers?" Isabelle threw questions after questions at Icarus after Maximus's departure. She knew it was none of her business, but tonight was the only night she actually had the opportunity to ask questions and receive some answers from Icarus. She had a little bit of control over him tonight, and she planned on abusing it in every way possible.
"Is there an issue? Did you enjoy the softness of his lips on her hand so much that you suddenly care about him?" Icarus returned with a cold gaze, one that had Isabelle shaken a little.
Isabelle rolled her eyes, suddenly regretting why she bothered asking. If anything she should be happy that his family is a mess. He had stolen hers away from her, he definitely deserved the cold treatment he got from his brother.
"We're heading back, I'm done for the night." Icarus announced all of a sudden.
"Why? We just got here."
"I said we're leaving." Icarus maintained, his red eyes suddenly glowing with murderous intensity.
"Calm yourself down, Icarus. Here's not the place." Julian intervened. He knew exactly what was going on, but Isabelle would never understand, not when she didn't know Icarus.
Despite being an adult, Julian knew that his friend still wanted the love of his family. He might not show it, but people who knew his story understood that perfectly well. Icarus still believed that Maximus hadn't forgiven him for what he did in the past, and Maximus was the only brother he loved and cared for.
Maximus on the other hand had no idea Icarus was still suffering from the guilt of that day. Icarus was good at everything except expressing deep emotions, He wouldn't blame Maximus for not realizing that his baby brother needed some comforting.
"You can't stay here any longer princess. These people don't like you, Icarus's absence would give them the opportunity to harm you." Julian said to the fear stricken girl by his side. Icarus had already stormed off seconds ago, leaving Julian and the confused Isabelle behind.
Isabelle followed without complaints. Enough eyes were already on her, and she just wanted to get out of the room. She was going to return to sharing a room with that unstable maniac, but she planned on going to sleep the moment she entered the room.
She had no idea what might have provoked him, but it seemed tied to his brother's appearance. Although stricken with fear, Isabelle reveled in her heart. She wanted to see him suffer as much as possible, and hopefully, this was only the beginning.