In A cafe.
Aiden and Isabella were sitting at a table, both talking about something.
"ummm. . ."
Said Isabella, as she was too shy to ask.
"Mr Aiden, please. . . CAN YOU SAVE MY BROTHER?"
Said Isabella, finally mustering the courage to ask what had been on her mind.
She bowed slightly, her gesture conveying both respect and desperation.
.
.
.
"Ahhh?"
Said Aiden, raising an eyebrow in surprise, a momentary pause in his usual demeanour.
Aiden froze for a moment as he looked at the desperate girl in front of him.
"Listen it's not that I am scared or anything I just forgot my glasses at home and I cant see without them so. . ."
Said Aiden, shamelessly weaving a not so creative excuse.
"Please I know that my brother has done very bad things, but. . . I know that he is a good person inside."
Said the girl as she started crying.
"Please no more Flashbacks."
Said Aiden as the past started to unfold before him.
FLASHBACK
FROM ISABELLA'S POV:
We were always a happy and loving family; I had everything I could ask for. We weren't the richest people in the world, but I knew that my mother and father were working multiple jobs so that they could provide clean clothes and send us to a good school.
And then there was my older brother.
He was very handsome and tall for his age. His hair was black and his eyes brown, just like me.
He was four years older than me, a student council member with astronomical grades, and excelled in sports.
Everyone who knew him—my parents, his friends, and our neighbors—had nothing but respect for him. But one day, when I was still in elementary school, everything changed.
"Ouch,"
I said in pain.
"YOU STILL DIDN'T IMPROVE YOUR GRADES AT ALL. WHY DO YOU THINK ME AND YOUR MOTHER BEAT OUR ASSES OFF? FOR THIS DISRESPECT?"
Shouted my visibly drunk father. He had never beaten me before, but today he got drunk because he was fired by his boss.
Just then, my brother returned from his student council meeting.
I still wished that he had never come back from that meeting.
He crouched to see if I was hurt, and as he saw that I didn't suffer any damage, he turned towards my father.
With an extremely terrifying expression that put my father in genuine fear, he said.
"You old waste, next time I will kill you!"
My brother's words were accompanied by an ominous steam coming out of his body.
"What is..."
I said in fear. In a split second, I saw a horrifying monster behind my brother, as if it was controlling him.
Its grotesque features sent shivers down my spine, and I realized that something dark and unsettling had awakened within my once-respected brother.
But things didn't end like this.
On The Next Day
I was kneeling with empty eyes on the outside of our house, staring at the blazing inferno.
The house was engulfed in crimson flames, with my mother and father trapped inside.
On my right side stood my brother, unmoving and silent, gazing at the conflagration without uttering a single word.
The scene unfolded in a nightmarish tableau, leaving me in the haunting aftermath of a once-happy family now consumed by tragedy and the unexplainable darkness that had taken hold of my brother.
After that day, we were left to survive on our own. My brother managed to secure the remaining money from our parents and the insurance from the house.
With those funds, he bought a small apartment where we could live.
He even left school to dedicate more time to work, ensuring we had enough to get by.
Despite working a nine-to-five job, he found time to cook and help me study. All of this while he continued his own studies.
This seemed impossible for a normal person, but my brother... he hadn't slept even once for the past six years. His relentless dedication and sacrifice were the only things keeping our fragile life together.
At first, a subtle unease crept over me, though my brother's transformation after that day was undeniably remarkable.
He became a beacon of help to those around us.
He circled around the whole city, curing diseases and helping people with his strange magic.
He often brought his friends over—a lovely girl and a chatty guy.
We'd all sit down for dinner together, sharing laughs and stories.
His friends couldn't stop praising my brother, talking about how he helped people and made friends everywhere.
To them, he was like a hero.
It was heartwarming to hear, but deep down, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to my brother's story than the picture-perfect image they painted.
One day, when I had a cold, he showed me something magical.
My brother extended his hand towards me.
His palm started to shine with an otherworldly luminosity, bathing the surroundings in an unnatural glow. As the brilliance intensified, a vivid green moss began to sprout from his palm, each strand weaving itself into an intricate chain-like form.
"Isn't that amazing, Isabella?"
he inquired with an unsettlingly beautiful smile.
I nodded, captivated by the otherworldly spectacle.
"This is called magic, a unique gift only I possess ]Tranquil Vine Shackle[ a potent elixir capable of healing with a mere touch."
Just as he said, the chain moved as it covered my hand with its beautiful leaves.
As the chain gracefully encased my hand in its verdant embrace, the atmosphere seemed to shift.
But, in an instant, the vibrant plant twisted and withered, crumbling away.
"Isabella. . . Why did this happen?"
Said my brother. His expression was turning unsettlingly similar to the one he had when confronting my father, sending a chill down my spine.
From today onwards, he has stopped talking to me.
One day, he came to me and asked me a question.
"Isabella. . . do you want to start a business?"
Said my brother.
After this, everything only tumbled downhill.
END OF FLASHBACK
"I had so many opportunities to help my brother. But I didn't. Please Aiden can yo-"
Isabella's plea was abruptly interrupted by a deep, intimidating voice.
"Isabella. . . Why are you here?"
Intrigued by the sudden interruption, Aiden turned to face a striking man. His hair was white, his eyes a deep brown —a black T-shirt paired with white jeans accentuated by a silver chain around his neck.
]IMG[