As the morning sun rose, Allen was the first to wake up. He wiped his eyes, yawned, and stretched before finally getting up. He shook James gently.
"Five more minutes," James mumbled, pulling the blanket over his head.
Allen sighed and thought to himself, "This lazy child." He then leaned in and whispered into James' ear, "Alice is coming to the room."
James instantly bolted upright, quickly pushing his hair back. "How far is she?" he asked, wide-eyed.
Allen looked at his brother in disgust. "At least you've got heart, but she isn't coming. I just said that to wake you up. Let's go, we need to brush our teeth and look for Jake—he might be at the guild."
James sighed in disappointment but nodded. "Alright, let's go."
As the brothers walked around the church, they found the bathroom, brushed their teeth, and then set off to find Jake. They wandered through the capital, searching for the guild.
"Hey James, how are you feeling? This will be our first time having someone train us," Allen asked.
James grinned excitedly. "I'm excited! I wonder what kind of training we'll do and how strong we'll get."
As they continued walking and talking, they finally spotted the guild. However, to reach it, they had to cross through an alleyway. As they made their way through, an old man suddenly appeared before them.
"Hey, kids, I wouldn't recommend walking into an alley alone—it's dangerous. Here, take these," the old man said, handing Allen and James each a mask. "If you put these on, you will transform into powerful adults. No one will mess with you, and if they do, they'll regret it. But promise me one thing—don't use these masks for the wrong reasons."
The brothers exchanged glances and then nodded. "We promise," they said in unison.
As they turned to speak to each other, they suddenly realized the old man had vanished. Confused but intrigued, they continued on their way and entered the guild.
The usual lively atmosphere was absent—it was eerily quiet. That was never a good sign.
They approached the front desk, and Allen spoke up. "Hello again, miss. Do you know where Jake is today?"
The receptionist glanced up at him with a slightly concerned expression. "Right now, all the adventurers are fighting outside the capital against a horde of monsters. It's strange because monsters normally wouldn't even approach the capital, but the adventurers should be fine. They'll be back soon, so don't worry, alright?"
Allen nodded. "Alright, thanks."
As the brothers left the guild, Allen clenched his fists. "James, it's them. We have to do something. We can't let them get wiped out."
James looked at his brother, hesitating. "I agree, but what can we do? We're not as strong as them. We almost died fighting a single wolf."
Allen pulled out the mask. "We have power now. Remember? Let's test it and see if the old man was lying."
The boys put on the masks, and their bodies underwent an immediate transformation.
Allen's height shot up from 4'2 to 6'0. His normal clothes were replaced by a black trench coat and black pants adorned with silver chains. His mask was completely white with eerie, swirling white vortexes for eyes, a wide, sinister smile, and two black horns protruding from the top. His voice deepened, and his entire demeanor changed.
James, on the other hand, grew from 4'0 to 5'11. A red trench coat wrapped around his body, paired with a black vest and red pants. His mask was entirely red, with black, empty eyes and no mouth. His personality also shifted, taking on a colder, more ruthless edge.
Allen turned to his brother and smirked. "Looking good, brother. Let's change the past—we won't repeat the mistakes we made."
James nodded. "I agree."
Allen suddenly burst into laughter. "This monster wave is about to taste defeat. This will be easy. What do you say—a little friendly competition? Whoever gets the most kills wins."
James smirked. "I'm fine with that. Just don't complain when I win."
With that, the two teleported above the battlefield, floating in the air as they scanned the chaos below.
"Let's begin," Allen declared, before shooting down at insane speed.
As he landed, a deafening BOOM echoed across the battlefield, leaving a massive crater in the ground. He looked up at the approaching monsters, his masked face twisting into a menacing grin.
"Who's first?" he taunted, his laughter echoing like a madman's.
In the blink of an eye, he was beside an orc, his movements so fast they seemed inhuman. With a single slash, he beheaded it, watching its body collapse.
"Alright, brother, let's begin!"
With that, the pair tore through the horde, eliminating every monster in a matter of seconds.
The adventurers stood frozen in shock. The battlefield, which had been overrun by nearly 5,000 monsters moments ago, was now eerily silent. The monstrous bodies lay scattered, and the masked figures stood unharmed.
"Who… who are they?" one adventurer whispered in awe.
Before anyone could approach, Allen and James teleported away. they teleported to their rooms then, they removed their masks, their bodies instantly reverting to their small, seven-year-old selves.
Allen blinked, confused. "James… what just happened?"
James rubbed his head. "I… I don't remember."
Their memories of the battle and the morning had been erased.
Shrugging off the strange feeling, Allen stretched. "Come on, let's go find Jake so he can train us."
James nodded, and the brothers set off. When they arrived at the guild, the adventurers were still buzzing about the battle, recounting the mysterious figures who had appeared out of nowhere.
Spotting Jake, Allen grinned and ran over. "Jake! You remember what you promised?"
Jake turned to face them, amused by their enthusiasm. "Of course. You boys ready to start training now?"
The brothers beamed. "Yes!"