“I do not take pleasure in this, Amaro.” His father assured him before delivering the second worst beating of his life. Second worst only because his father’s wrath was spread among his siblings.

“How is it that during a silly little war game, not only my eldest heir, but all of my children manage to embarrass me?” Kadmus said, kicking Anitus’s head like a ball, “Within the span of a single day you’ve all gotten your horns cut. It’s almost like you want the other noble houses to start a war with me?”

Kadmus sent a kick to Amaro’s head. He tried to raise his guard, only to feel his forearm break from the impact. A metal blade slung towards Kadmus. He flicked it aside with a single finger. His approach to Tulos was silent and unforgiving. Amaro’s brother dropped to the dirt. gasping for air that was stolen from his lungs by a brutal knee to the gut.

Amaro launched himself forward. He didn’t remember getting hit, he only remembered getting shocked back to consciousness.

“You’re not allowed to pass out, boy,” Kadmus said, pulling him up by his hair and sending more lightning through his body.

A wall of stone sprang from the ground and charged towards Kadmus, “Oh please, Raktus.” He flung Amaro through the stone wall and straight into Raktus. The brothers tumbled to the ground.

“Do any of you understand the positions you’re in? Do you understand the consequences of your actions? I will not always be around to protect you,” Kadmus spat, “Who would think that, despite being on opposing sides, all of my children would be missing their horns. They will be sending assassins, kidnappers, and criminals after you now.”

He raised his hand, not bothering to look as he sent a bolt of lightning through Anitus’s chest, “I would much rather kill you all myself. At least that way I would not have to see your heads presented to me on a silver platter.”

“Then why don’t you?” Amaro spat, staggering to his feet, “If we’re just worthless burdens to you!”

Amaro was crushed under an invisible force. Brought to his knees by the overwhelming presence of his father. His body tensed in utter agony. His muscles were cramping. Was this magic? He couldn’t feel electricity. Was it Ux? He felt like the world itself was crushing him.

“The only reason you still draw breath is by the generosity of your father, and nothing more. You each have shown growth, but it is simply not enough. This is your final warning before I can no longer defend you as your father: If the Malaki do not take your lives, the other nobility will. They will use you to get to me. They will find any weakness you have and exploit it. They will break you until you are a soulless husk. Then they will string you up and parade you around like some cheap decoration. They will proudly declare that now is the time to overthrow the Xirxus clan, and I will once again have to bathe my blade in more blood than it can drink. Remember this, all of you. Remember the true nature of nobility, because they will not be as merciful as I.”

Merciful. Generous. What a cruel joke.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“You all lost your horns because you thought yourselves to be invincible. You underestimated your opponents, and put too much stock in the power of the Xirxus family name. There is no room for leeches in the Xirxus clan, nor children with the same weak mentality as a god,” Kadmus turned to leave, “Remember how powerless and fragile you all are. Do not forget it. Use it and find true strength.”

Amaro punched the ground. He had humiliated himself in front of Kaara. He had allowed Anitus to hurt her friend. He had been blinded by his own thoughts. By his own ignorance.

And now, he was crumpled and broken alongside the siblings he had wanted to protect. His father had told the four of them to fight him. To show him what they had learned. It happened again. It did not matter how much he struggled, or how much he fought, he still lost.

“That sucked.” Tulos said.

“Understatement of the century, brother,” Anitus groaned, “Are you alive, Raktus?”

“I live!”

“And you Amaro?”

“Does dying on the inside count?”

“Not unless you’re bleeding internally I’m afraid.”

“Then I’m fine.”

“So what now?” Tulos said, “I say we celebrate.”

Anitus clicked his tongue, “Have you learned nothing from father? Or did he hit you in the head too hard?”

Tulos staggered to his feet, offering his hands to Raktus and pulling him up, “Well, we either die to Malaki in three days, or we have an indefinite time to absorb the lesson he decided to beat into us today. I say anything we do before that is reserved for enjoying the final days of our father’s ‘protection’.” He offered a hand to Amaro, “It will take more than three days to get stronger than we are right now.”

Amaro took his hand. The only one who had gotten stronger among them was Tulos, “So what now?”

“Why don’t we pay our Tibur friends a visit?” Tulos said.

Amaro looked away, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Tulos had a smug look on his face, “Oh? I would have thought that would perk you right up! Trouble in paradise?”

“More or less. I say we spend at least tonight together. As a family, I mean.” Amaro said.

Anitus raised a brow, “We spend every night eating together, what’s the difference?”

“The difference is that I’m tired.” Amaro said, “I’m tired of bickering and fighting. I’m tired of always being at war. The games are over, and we’ve got three days before we sally out to fight some monsters.”

“You’re acting as if we’re going to die,” Tulos laughed.

“Didn’t you listen to father?” Anitus said, “We are not invincible, none of us are.”

Amaro spat, “I still think there are better ways to tell us, but…” He clenched his fist, “For just these last three days, I want to feel like a family again. Can we do that?”

Raktus picked Amaro up over his shoulder, “Brother, where have you been for the past few years? We’ve never stopped being a family!” The large xio hobbled away, “Let us feast tonight! I hear that Sancta will be awakening from her slumber soon as well!”

Tulos and Anitus jogged to catch up.

“If you want to feel like a family again, brother,” Anitus said, “Then look past your own nose for once.”

“I say we play some board games in our tent. I’ve made a few sets that I was planning to gift in a couple days, but I think now’s a good time to break them out!” Tulos said.

Amaro was stunned. It had been so long since he enjoyed a board game with any of them. How long had he lived with his family without seeing them?