Jakob toyed with the sword lodged in Kendrik's heart, twisting in with sadistic pleasure. "Does it hurt when I do this?"
Kendrik's vision blurred, his life force ebbing away. He struggled to form words, his voice barely audible. "Wh-why?"
Jakob's eyes sparked with amusement. "You want to know why? Huh, that might be hard to explain...I'm not sure where to begin."
As Jakob continued to taunt Kendrik, Mikeal and the individual finished off Tomaso and the recruits. The individual devoured their hearts, savoring each bite. Mikeal watched in disgust.
"Yuck, you're really going to eat all their hearts?" Mikeal asked, his face pale.
The individual offered Mikeal a heart, buy Mikeal recoiled. "No thanks, I had a big lunch."
Kendrik's gaze drifted toward the carnage, his eyes filled with desperation. He raised a trembling hand, his voice barely above a whisper. "S-stop!"
Jakob's expression transformed, a look of realisation crossing his face. "Ahh! It's all coming back to me now. I know why I'm doing this."
Jakob's voice dripped with malice. "Now I remember, it's all your fault, brother. You're the one to blame for all this."
Kendrik's vision began to fade, his life slipping away.
Jakob's slap echoed through the chamber, jolting Kendrik back to consciousness. "Hey! I'm about to tell you a story, and you're zoning out. How disrespectful of you!"
Mikeal and the individual paused, momentarily distracted by the slap. Mikeal touched his cheek, "Dang! I feel like that slap hit me too."
The individual, still savoring the hearts, turned to face Jakob and Kendrik. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he devoured another heart.
As he chewed, his gaze locked onto Kendrik, and a faint pounding heartbeat caught his attention. "Oh, nice, a beating heart. They're the best."
The individual's enthusiasm was unsettling, even to Jakob who was attempting to have a conversation with his dying brother.
Jakob's expression turned mock-concerned. "You look like you have zero life force. Are you really sure you want to know why I'm doing this? Because if you're, I'll put you out of your misery."
Kendrik strained to respond, but all that escaped his lips was a faint grunt. His breath was dwindling, and it seemed like Jakob had no intention of revealing his motives.
The individual's attention turned to Kendrik, his voice filled with anticipation. "Are you done with him? Because if you are, I'd like to eat his heart. I've never eaten a pure human's heart before. Who knows what it tastes like?"
Kendrik felt the individual's unsettling stare, his heart racing with fear.
Fear sparked a newfound vitality within Kendrik. He chuckled, defying his impending doom. "Are you really going to tell me why you're doing this, or maybe you're too stupid to even remember?"
Jakob's eyes flashed with anger, his face reddening. He pushed another sword deeper into Kendrik's heart, his actions fueled by rage
Kendrik's grin never wavered, despite the excruciating pain. He clenched his fists, suppressing his trembles. "Oh, so now that you've awoken from the dead, and now you think you found a new strength to keep you alive and fighting, huh? Now let's see how you handle this!"
Jakob's Hans closed around the back of Kendrik's neck, pulling him closer. His whisper sent dread coursing through Kendrik's veins.
Jakob's voice sent shivers down Kendrik's spine. "Let's see how brave you are."
As Jakob slowly pulled the sword back, Kendrik's screams echoed through the chamber. "Jakob!!! Please!!! Stop!!! Ahhhh!!!"
The individual and Mikeal watched with morbid fascination, their eyes fixed on the brothers' twisted struggle.
Jakob's words dripped with venom as he explained his motivations. "I'm tired of pretending everything is fine. I'm tired of watching our so-called 'father' and 'family legacy"' - he spat the words - "weigh us down. The Dynasty family is powerful enough to stand alone. We don't need the other kingdoms holding us back."
Kendrik's vision blurred, his breathing labored. He lay in a pool of his own blood, his sword - the one given to him by Leone - still lodged in his chest.
Jakob's laughter sent chills down Kendrik's spine. "Leone oh how naive she is. All she ever talks about is you, Kendrik. How kind and smart you are, how you help her with her little little charity projects... it's pathetic."
Jakob's words cut deep, but Kendrik's pain was nothing compared to the anguish of hearing his brother's twisted thoughts.
Jakob continued, his voice dripping with malice. "I don't hate you, Kendrik. I admire you, in a way. You're kind, loved by all... But that's exactly what wrong with you. Yours weak, and your weakness is contagious. Our father, the other kingdoms... They all think we need to be kind and compassionate. But I know the truth. The only way to truly rule is through power, not kindness."
Kendrik's vision began to fade, but he refused to give in. He had to know why Jakob had turned against him, against their family, and against everything they once stood for.
Kendrik summoned his last vestiges of strength, attempting to lift himself from the pool of blood. A strange, creeping sensation spread through his chest, as if his heart was being consumed by an unseen force.
Each word was a struggle for Kendrik, but he pressed on, determined to understand his brother's betrayal. "And what about your gift? What about your dream of getting rid of the Shallows? What about protecting all of the kingdoms?"
Jakob's laughter was cold, calculated. "What about them? I never wanted any of those things. They're for the weak. But I'm strong, so I only need my gift and the Mark of Cleanse. Our father, the former king, will pass it to me when he hears that his favorite son didn't survive his own wounds and the Shallows ate him, along with the recruits. Only I and Mikeal made it because we were too strong for the Shallows."
Kendrik's gaze locked on Jakob with disbelief, his voice barely above a whisper. "And what about your mother?"
Jakob's expression turned mock-somber, and he stretched his neck before responding. "Ah, my mother Asa... Unfortunately for her, I found her too late. The intelligent Shallow had eaten her heart and gave her to the lower Shallows."
The individual, still covered in blood, handed Jakob a red dress stained with Asa's blood. Jakob pretended to cry, clutching the dress to his chest.
As the individual reached for Kendrik's heart, the chamber began to crumble. Pillars shattered, the floor creaked, and the walls shook. Mikeal rushed to separate the individual from Kendrik, helping Jakob to his feet. "Forget about him! We have to go now!"
They fled, but the individual hesitated, torn between devouring Kendrik's heart and escaping. A boulder crashed down, pinning the individual to the ground, mere inches from Kendrik's lifeless body.
The individual assumed Kendrik was dead, but Kendrik had been cut in half. He crawled toward the cemented circle, desperate for escape. Only when he reached the circle did he realized his horrific injury.
As the ceiling caved in, Kendrik cried out in despair. He did something he had never done before - he prayed. "I don't know who's up there, buy if the rumors are true, please don't let me die. I know you hate me, and I know you'd rather see me dead than alive... Because I've tainted your world, but please don't let me die!!!"
The ceiling crushed down on Kendrik, but something miraculous happened. His blood overflowed the circle, and the lines connected to each angel statue began to glow. The statues stretched out their hands, and Kendrik's blood flowed onto their palms. As they drank, the symbols etched into the lines lit up, and the statues' eyes glowed white.
The chamber crumbled, and the statues stood, their faces serene.