Narrator's POV
The return of their king holding a magnificent being left the Zephyrthorn kingdom abuzz, especially when the monarch revealed that this was his sibling—a revelation that stunned all, as the younger brother was thought to have perished in the tragedy wrought by the Rogue Vampires. The king, bloodied upon his return, expressed that he had fought to protect his brother, leaving the court in astonishment. He swiftly ordered for Kali's private chamber to be readied.
However, the true marvel that captivated and bewildered them all was the Air Gem hovering and following the unconscious Gifted with silver hair. Even as the figure was moved to the private quarters, the Air Gem remained, serenely emitting gentle breezes, safeguarding the silver-haired individual. As the hours slipped by and midnight descended, Kali's inert form stirred, his tranquil visage now etched with a furrowed brow, hinting at a dreamworld unfolding within him.
The air in the chamber hung heavy, thick with the scent of damp stone and forgotten memories. Moonlight, filtering through a single, high window, painted the room in shades of silver and grey, highlighting the dust motes dancing in its pale beams. Kali stood before the mirror, his reflection a stark contrast to the shadowy room.
He was a vision of youthful grace, his high cheekbones sculpted with an ethereal beauty that seemed to defy the very laws of nature. His lips, a delicate cupid's bow painted in the softest pink, were slightly parted, as if in silent prayer. His eyes, a startling silver, held a depth that seemed to pierce through the veil of reality, revealing something ancient and unknowable. Long, dark lashes framed those haunting eyes, adding to the sense of mystery that clung to him like a shroud. His lustrous, silver hair, cascading down his shoulders in a silken waterfall, seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, lending him an almost otherworldly aura.
But it was his other self, the one reflected in the mirror, that held Kali's attention. Dressed in a thin, white robe that seemed to cling to him like a second skin, he stood with his back to the mirror, his silver hair falling in a cascade down his back. A single tear, a shimmering pearl against his pale skin, traced a path down his cheek, leaving a glistening trail in its wake.
Kali watched, mesmerized, as his other self slowly began to fade. His form shimmered, like heat rising from a candle flame, and his features blurred, as if a painter had smudged the canvas with a careless hand. The silver in his eyes dimmed, replaced by a dull, grey, and his lips, once a delicate pink, lost their color, becoming pale and lifeless. The tear on his cheek seemed to grow larger, as if reflecting the growing despair in his fading reflection.
Kali reached out a hand, his fingers passing through the shimmering image, as if reaching for a dream that was slipping away. He felt a pang of sorrow, a deep, aching loneliness that spread through him like a cold wind. It was a feeling he couldn't quite place, a sense of loss for something he had never known, a longing for a connection that was already severed.
"Who are you?" he whispered, his voice echoing in the stillness of the room. "What is happening?"
But the only answer he received was the sound of his own voice, echoing back to him from the empty chamber. The reflection in the mirror continued to fade, becoming fainter and fainter, until it was nothing more than a wisp of smoke, a ghost of a memory, vanishing into the darkness.
Kali stood there, alone in the room, the silence pressing in on him like a physical weight. He felt a chill run down his spine, a sense of dread that was as tangible as the cold stone beneath his feet. He knew, with a certainty that chilled him to the bone, that this was not just a dream, but a glimpse into a future that was already unfolding.
And as the last vestiges of his reflection vanished into the night, Kali was left with a single, chilling thought: He was not alone in this world. There was another, a part of him that he had never known, and he was fading away, leaving him to face the darkness alone.
Kali! Kali! Wake up!" A deep voice resonated, accompanied by the forceful shaking of Kali's body.
Slowly, Kali's eyelids fluttered open, revealing his haunting pair of molten silver orbs. As his vision cleared, he turned to behold a striking figure with tranquil ocean eyes and cascading brown locks—an image of sophistication and charm.
"Older brother?" Kali weakly croaked, feeling King Michael offer him a glass of water and lend him support.
"What happened?" Kali inquired upon regaining his senses, every fiber of his being aflame with excruciating pain, as if crushed by an immense weight that shattered his very bones.
Memories flooded back, vivid and unrelenting, tormenting Kali with conflicting emotions. Wrestling with regret, rage, and self-justification, he grappled with the darkness he had succumbed to and the havoc he wreaked upon Skyhill. Yet a whisper of doubt lingered within him, questioning if he could have chosen a different path.
Closing his eyes, Kali remembered the brutality inflicted upon him, the violation that haunted his every breath. Suddenly, his body convulsed unnaturally. King Michael, alarmed and unsure, reached out to touch Kali's forehead, only to have his hand swatted away as Kali's silver eyes widened with dread. The Air Gem stirred, shrouding the room in an ominous chill, forcing King Michael to retreat.
"Kali! Wait for me, alright? I'll go fetch the healer," King Michael announced anxiously, though Kali seemed oblivious to his words. Hurriedly, King Michael exited the private chamber.
Kali clutched himself, frantically rubbing his skin as if cleansing an unseen stain, muttering disjointed phrases like a tormented soul.
"I'm not tainted, I'm not tainted, not tainted, not tainted," Kali began to murmur repeatedly, his words a haunting echo of inner turmoil.
His erratic breathing ceased, heralding an eerie calm before a storm of chaotic energy erupted from his open palms, obliterating everything in the chamber. The Knights on guard outside were thrown back by the blast, rendered unconscious. Outside, crimson smoke obscured all vision, while within, the chamber transformed into a chilling landscape of death.
Surrounded by fallen Zephernians and Rogue Vampires, memories unraveled before Kali's eyes, a cruel tapestry of betrayal and sorrow. Witnessing the tragic events play out, he saw himself, a figure of power and youth, engulfed in a tumultuous tempest. The scene unfolded with Michael's desperate attempt to thwart Kali's wrath, resulting in a heart-wrenching confrontation.
He saw Michael, his brother, charging forward, only to be thrown back by a gust of his raw energy.
Queen Cynthia, her face etched with fear, was lifted from the ground, trapped in his iron grip. She struggled, her gasps growing weaker. Michael, his eyes wild with desperation, spotted a gleaming sword. In a flash, he seized it and plunged it into Kali's heart.
The world seemed to tilt on its axis. Kali's eyes, once blazing blue, dimmed, revealing the molten silver orbs that held his soul. Blood erupted from the wound, staining Michael's face, and Kali's strength ebbed away. The reality of their bond shattered in a moment of irreversible tragedy.
"Kali, no, no, no!" Michael's cries of anguish echoed through the chamber as he cradled his fallen brother, consumed by guilt and sorrow. The air reverberated with Michael's lament, a symphony of grief and remorse for a bond irrevocably broken.
"Michael?" Kali's feeble voice pierced the silence, barely audible beneath the weight of their shared anguish, a mirror of the devastation inflicted upon their kinship.
"Please, someone, call for a healer! Anyone, please!" Michael's desperate plea echoed through the seemingly desolate hallway.
Left alone in the aftermath, Kali faced an unbearable truth—the agony of betrayal, the loss of innocence, and the crushing weight of his shattered dignity.
Resentment and fury gripped Kali's heart as the truth of his past unfolded. The dense crimson smoke dissipated, revealing the shattered remnants left by Kali's tumultuous energy release. Intruders entered the chamber, prompting Kali to harshly turn his head, his silver hair mirroring his swift movements.
King Michael stood frozen at the sight of Kali's eyes ablaze with resentment and fury.
"Everyone, leave at once and ensure this floor is cleared," King Michael commanded with unwavering authority.
"But, Your Majesty—" A knight attempted to interject, only to be swiftly silenced by King Michael's firm tone.
"Obey my command. LEAVE!" King Michael's directive brooked no dissent, compelling everyone to vacate the chamber and the entire floor.
"Kali, brother?" King Michael began softly, only to be met with a sharp glare from Kali's transformed silver eyes.
"Requip: Phoenix Feather Armor!" Kali declared, his form enveloped in a bright glow as his attire transformed into a dazzling set of armor. Before King Michael could react, he found himself firmly pushed against the wall, a gleaming blade poised at his throat.
Despite his astonishment at the sudden turn of events and the rapid requip by Kali, King Michael maintained his composure, studying the magnificent armor before him. The Phoenix Feather Armor, crafted from the iridescent feathers of a mythical phoenix, embraced Kali's form in a spectacle of beauty. The fiery hues of the feathers shimmered with a mesmerizing intensity, while the Fiery Blazing Wings exuded a majestic aura. King Michael was not only amazed but astounded by the power exuding from the armor—a force unlike any he had experienced from Kali before.
"Finished admiring?" Kali's voice dripped with sarcasm as he met King Michael's gaze filled with animosity.
"Kali, let me explain," King Michael maintained his calm demeanor, aware of Kali's probable knowledge of his own demise. Although questions swirled in his mind about Kali's awareness, he focused on the urgent need for understanding.
"Explain? I witnessed it firsthand!" Kali screamed, tears streaming from his piercing silver eyes, a mix of sorrow and rage evident in his voice.
"Kali, please," King Michael implored.
"You're all the same! What have I done to everyone and why does everyone treat me like this?!" Kali's voice resonated with anguish and fury.
"Phoenix Flame Burst!" Kali invoked, unleashing a torrent of fiery phoenix flames from the Phoenix Talon blade, creating a destructive wave of fire intended to incinerate his foes. The flames surged with ferocious intensity, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.
King Michael swiftly countered, invoking his defensive prowess,
"Ice Storm!" King Michael summoned a violent tempest of icy shards and freezing winds to combat the searing flames directed at him.
The clash of their spells ignited an explosion that rocked the chamber, shattering the surroundings and sending shockwaves throughout the entire floor. The conflicting elements of ice and fire, symbolizing protection and pent-up resentment, collided with destructive force, escalating the tension to a breaking point.
Neither backed down, each standing firm in their resolve, maintaining their active spells that shook the palace to its core—an intense battle of wills ensnared in a maelstrom of ice and flame, fueled by a collision of emotions and the burdens of their shared past.
"You Beast! You, Michael, how could you do this to me?! You're worse than a serpent, Much worser than the one who stripped my dignity away. You're my brother, meant to protect me, but what have you done?!" Kali cried out, intensifying his fiery spell with a ferocious blaze.
"Kali, please, let me explain!" King Michael's composed façade crumbled, his voice now laden with anguish.
"Explain? What else is there to explain?!" Kali's heated words masked his true desire to hear his brother's side.
Kali's crimson-silver eyes, brimming with tears, bore into King Michael as his fiery attack illuminated his face. "Michael," he croaked, barely audible, "Why?"
Michael's expression twisted in horror and sorrow. "I had no choice," he managed, his tone thick with grief. "She was at risk."
Gazing at his brother with profound sadness, Kali locked eyes with Michael. "You... you knew I would never harm her," he uttered, each syllable a struggle. "You knew I'd never do her harm."
"But you did, you saw it happen, Kali."
"And even so, I... I... I couldn't take the risk," Michael faltered, his voice trembling. "I had to protect her."
A wave of anguish overwhelmed Kali, a torrent of betrayal threatening to engulf him. He had always trusted Michael, his dearest confidant and kin, from the past until this moment of rebirth. Yet, the truth surfaced: his brother had prioritized the Queen's safety over his own, choosing to end his life to safeguard her.
"You... you chose her," Kali whispered, his voice barely audible. "You chose her over me."
"No, Kali, please," Michael implored, tears choking his voice. "I didn't mean to... I didn't know..."
But Kali's eyes, pools of sorrow, revealed no mercy. He confronted the painful reality of his demise, shattered by the ultimate betrayal from the one trusted most. The person he believed in above all others, his brother, had sealed his fate.
"You... you took my life," Kali's words wavered into a silent plea.
As his vision blurred, Kali summoned all his magic, releasing it with his potent spell, overwhelming King Michael's defenses. Wasting no time, he catapulted both of them to Frostpeak Mountain, swiftly hurling King Michael onto the snowy ground.
With a pained voice, Kali conveyed his resolve, "Now, face me, brother. I understand your restraint due to our kingdom and I also refuse to destroy the kingdom our Mother worked hard to establish." With a challenge echoing through the serene mountain, he proclaimed, "So, duel me here! I challenge you, King Michael Giacomazzi of Zephyrthorn kingdom!"
The tension in the crisp mountain air was palpable, heavy with emotions of betrayal, sorrow, and an impending clash between brothers battling with their past and present loyalties.