Footsteps echoed through a grand hallway, each step precise, firm, and controlled, like those of a soldier trained for years in battle. The corridor itself was adorned with massive portraits of a royal family: a father, a mother, and two sons. One son was depicted as handsome, his eyes brimming with kindness, while the other had a twisted, sinister grin, his gaze unsettling and dark.
At the end of the corridor stood a set of towering doors, leading to the Throne Room. The new general approached the entrance, his polished boots halting just before the threshold. With a fluid motion, he dropped to one knee and bowed deeply.
"You summoned me, Father," the hare prince said, his voice taut with sorrow.
"You may rise, my son," the hare king responded from his majestic seat upon the royal dais, a faint but heavy sadness in his voice.
"Yes, Father." The hare prince stood, his eyes cast downward, voice trembling with restrained emotion.
"I know the burden you carry," the king began, his tone softening. "The loss of your mother and the sudden weight of leadership thrust upon you, it is a cruel twist of fate. Your mother—a general of unmatched prowess—found half-devoured, and your brother… missing. A dark stain upon our family." He paused. "But the tracker chip I implanted in you both when you were young still signals his life. He's in the Evil Forest. You must find him. Bring him back. He may hold the key to uncovering who did this."
The hare prince clenched his fists, determination burning in his eyes. "I will find him, Father. I swear it. And whoever is responsible for this will not die easily. I'll see to it myself."
With a final, respectful bow, the prince turned and left the throne room, heading toward the elevator hidden within the walls. As the doors slid shut and he descended into the lower city, his thoughts darkened. *I always knew you were deranged, brother, but this… this is beyond reason.*
The elevator's soft hum filled the silence as it carried him to the Lower Sky City. Unlike the grand halls above, this city faced the ground below. The people here were nobility, their mastery over gravity evident as they walked in defiance of the laws of nature, their feet never quite touching the ground. The prince moved swiftly to the Vanguard Headquarters, where ten elite soldiers awaited him.
"General," they saluted in perfect unison, their faces steely with readiness.
"Prepare the hoverboards. We're descending to the ground."
"Yes, sir!" The vanguard swiftly readied their equipment, the hum of engines filling the air as they mounted their hoverboards.
As they soared toward the Evil Forest, the prince's thoughts grew darker. *You will pay for this, brother. There is no redemption for you now.*
Suddenly, without warning, an immense force pulled them down, as if the very air above the forest rejected their flight.
Meanwhile, deeper inside the forest...
"Jaaajwoook," a strained voice whispered.
"I said keep it down, you idiot! You'll attract monsters. I swear, if you make another noise, I'll bash your head in with this stone," Kit Mi Kai hissed, gripping a rock in his hand.
But before he could finish his threat, the ground beneath them trembled. A shadow loomed behind them—a giant crow, its eyes gleaming with malice, its wings spreading wide in preparation to strike.
Kit Mi Kai's instincts flared, a searing rage locked deep within him stirred. The stone box inside his mind, where he had imprisoned his anger, cracked just slightly, letting a thin wisp of fury seep into his veins. His body reacted on its own, narrowly dodging the crow's deadly talons. The sharp claws slammed into the ground with earth-shattering force, sending chunks of rubble flying into the air, the impact mingling with the dark aura flowing from Kit Mi Kai's left eye, creating a scene both menacing and surreal.
The giant crow, frustrated by its miss, turned its sights on Jajwok, who stood frozen in terror.
With a powerful flap of its wings, the crow lunged toward him, beak poised to strike.
"Move!" Kit Mi Kai shouted, his voice barely audible over the rush of wind.
But Jajwok was already scrambling away, dodging just as the crow's beak stabbed into the ground where he had stood moments before. Kit Mi Kai's rage bubbled up further, and with a surge of strength, he hurled the stone in his hand with all the fury he could muster. The small rock, imbued with his seeping anger, struck the crow's right leg with a resounding crack, shattering the bone. The massive bird screeched, tumbling to the ground, trees snapping like twigs in its path.
"Is it dead?" Jajwok panted, his chest heaving.
They crept closer, tiptoeing toward the fallen beast, trying not to make a sound. Just as they believed they were safe, Kit Mi Kai felt a chilling gaze on his back. He turned slowly, his heart sinking as he locked eyes with the crow, its unblinking stare filled with rage.
"Run!" Kit Mi Kai shouted, spinning toward Jajwok—only to find that his companion had already taken off in a sprint.
Cursing under his breath, Kit Mi Kai followed, the crow's wrathful screeches echoing behind them. As they dashed through the forest, Jajwok suddenly skidded to a stop, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
"Watch this," he muttered, sliding his foot through the air, leaving behind a trail of crackling electricity. With a swift motion, he grasped the lightning rod he had conjured, then hurled it toward the crow.
The bolt struck the crow's eye, but the massive bird barely flinched, the rod like a mere thorn in its flesh.
"What the hell was that?" Kit Mi Kai shouted in disbelief. "You made it sound like that was gonna finish it off!"
Jajwok, grinning mischievously, pointed upward. "Look up."
Both Kit Mi Kai and the crow lifted their gazes to the sky. Above them, dark nimbus clouds swirled, blue lightning crackling through the heavens. In an instant, a massive bolt of lightning—guided by the rod Jajwok had thrown—struck the crow with deafening force, frying the creature in an explosive surge of electricity.
The air was thick with the smell of charred feathers.
"Mmm, smells nice," Jajwok said, licking his lips.
"Like roasted chicken," Kit Mi Kai muttered, his stomach growling as he realized how long it had been since he last ate.