This is some family reunion. I thought.

I gazed upon my brother in person for the first time in nine years. He hadn’t changed much. His jet-black hair cropped and pointed upward, a delicate work of art conducted by a master hairdresser, and his robes were crimson and trimmed, with delicate tailoring work done to make sure every one of his movements was emphasized.

The only thing different about him was his expression.

The last time I’d seen him, he had been disowning me in front of a crowd gathered near this very spot. His face had been filled with rage and shame, and he’d looked at me as though I was nothing.

Which was why I was surprised to see a smile on his face.

“You recognize me?” I asked, the surprise in my tone genuine.

"Even if you’ve aged, I’d identify you on the darkest of nights, Suna." Cuikhu beamed.

His words bounced off the platform and into the ears of the perplexed crowd.

Some of them nodded in understanding, their hopes dashed as the contract’s valoa found me instead of Forza. Others lingered on the torn paper, wondering if the chance to confirm the paragon’s death had been wasted.

Then, without warning, Cuikhu launched himself at me.

“What the paths?” I stepped back instinctively.

My brother’s first hug missed by an inch, almost comedic in its execution as Cuikhu grasped thin air. He glanced at the empty space curiously, and then reached out toward me again. Once again, I moved aside, letting his arm miss.

Swish.

I sidestepped to the left.

Swish.

A single footfall forward dropped me into my brother’s blind spot.

Swish.

With a tap of my foot I misled him into thinking I'd moved, when I'd stayed perfectly still. He lunged right past me.

A mischievous smile crossed my lips, instinctive and familiar. The moment it did, I heard a sharp intake of breath from the travelers behind Cuikhu, but I didn't have time to examine the source,

Because my brother was a fifth step traveler of the path of Violence, he was far stronger than I could ever be, but he wasn't any quicker than an ordinary person when it came to fine-tuned movements. Though his explosive speed would be a force to be reckoned with, he wasn't using it.

The crowd chuckled nervously at the display, unsure if we were a comedy act, but the travelers on the platform had grown quiet.

Each one followed my movements and my smile carefully, their eyes glimmering in recognition.

“Suna, could you stop moving so I can give you a hug already,” Cuikhu put his hands on his hips, a large grin spreading across his face.

Did somebody nice kill my brother and steal his form?i

“Excuse me?” I asked, not hiding my confusion and disbelief. “You’re acting awfully friendly for someone that just tried to kill me.”

Cuikhu’s smile slipped, just for a moment, and I spotted the familiar brother I knew. One that was annoyed by my existence and expected me to do as he said.

Then the mask returned, Cuikhu’s lips curling upward into a smile.

“I thought you were an imposter. But you're my brother, brought back to me as a ray of hope in these dark days,” emotions flickered through Cuikhu’s eyes, too quick to discern.

I stepped back out of his reach, anger coursing through me. I’d dreamt about how this meeting would go. Most of the scenarios I made up were violent and filled with anger as I tore my brother to pieces in my mind. Others were peaceful and tranquil, and I forgave him magnanimously. I had neither the power nor the years left to confront him, so, all of those scenarios had remained figments of my imagination.

For a moment I considered revealing everything. A tantalizing prospect. And one that was inevitable now that I was exposed.

Then I sighed.

Not today. Not here. I thought.

“It's Forza’s funeral, brother,” I said. “Go now and pay your respects. But leave me out of it. You've done enough today.”

There was no submission. Or obedience. My words came out a command, unimpeded by my brother’s whims. For a moment his eyes revealed a glimpse of shock, and I saw I'd struck him deeply, even if I hadn't intended to.

For once, he wouldn't get the groveling and awe he’d come to expect.

“Suna…” Cuikhu’s voice was softened by his confusion.

For a moment I thought it was over. My brother was perplexed to the point of leaving, and we were at a funeral. The only course of action he could take was to back away.

Then his eyes drifted, not toward me, but toward the crowd watching us.

He wouldn't. My eyes narrowed.

“Our reunion is all I ever wanted,” Cuikhu’s eyes fell back on me. “And what better time and place to show my love for family than at the feet of the man that saved our world. His referral shows that he considered us to be family and gave his life so that we could live, and now, at his funeral, he has given us one last gift. Our precious reunion.”

Silence spread out across the platform, not because the crowd had hushed, but because I couldn't hear them through the sound of blood rushing through my ears.

The eyes of the world are on us right now. I reminded myself. Think about it. What would Forza have wanted?

An image of the paragon smiling mischievously as he dodged my every attack by a hair’s breadth entered my mind.

Oh, right, he would have loved this.

Forza had always been wily, but at the same time, he wasn't the kind to run away from a fight. He would never have become a paragon if he was.

I chuckled, a low and mirthful sound, and I turned to face my brother, meeting his gaze without hesitation.

“Shut up, Cuikhu.”

My voice carried a primal, guttural, distaste as I allowed my anger to carry through it.

“Suna?” Cuikhu froze. Then his expression twisted. “Don’t you dare be so rude. Forza would be furious–”

“No, don’t you dare use his name against me,” I cut him off. “I gave you a chance. Even after you tried to cut me down in cold blood.”

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“No, I thought you were an imposter,” Cuikhu jolted, taking a step away from me.

Now, my lips curled into a smile. I might not have been able to fight Cuikhu directly, but I still knew him better than most people.

There was fear in his eyes. He was afraid of me and what I would say. His precious audience was of little use when I had the will to fight back against his lies.

"You tried to kill me. I know I was six years old the last time I saw you, but I didn't stay that dumb. If your slash had succeeded your lies might have worked, but I survived.”

“Lies,” Cuikhu replied immediately. “All lies. You're panicking. We shouldn't do this. Let's not let our squabbles get in the way of paying our respects.”

There was a rumble of agreement and I saw movement at the corners of my eye. Several people on the platform had started to move toward me to take me away. Strangely, only the lower step travelers moved forward.

Those on the fifth step and higher had their eyes on me, curiosity twinkling within. They'd been looking at me like that ever since I'd dodged my brother’s lunges.

I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, but then an auburn-haired figure stepped in front of me, causing the masses to pause.

“Suna's telling the true,” Kynari’s voice cascaded across my ears, amplified for all to hear. “Stop your lies. Cuikhu Teshima, the last thing my father would have wanted was for you to be at his funeral. He hated you.”

Kynari stepped beside me without pausing to see my brother’s reaction, the two halves of the broken referral in her hands.

“This belongs to you,” she handed the lifeless paper to me.

The gathered crowd was starting to murmur. They didn’t care about my existence, but the fact that I had been the other party to Forza’s contract grabbed their attention.

Those that were planning to drag me away had stopped, uncertainty freezing them in their tracks.

“Forza did not hate me,” Cuikhu stated.

I could see Cuikhu’s confusion being replaced by fury. The kind that led to mistakes being made.

All he needed was a little push.

“He did, you just never told anyone. But that’s no surprise. Lying seems to be your forte,” I replied, stepping ahead of Kynari. Now, nobody stopped me. “I saw your streams. You never told anyone the truth. You didn't tell them that you disowned me the moment I was declared pathless, or that you never hugged me. That you never loved me, and threw me onto the streets, abandoned without a second glance back.”

Cuikhu’s hand tightened, a slight shiver giving away the panic he felt, “Suna…”

“No, don’t interrupt me, not here, not now. After you tried to tear up the referral given to me by the man that raised me.”

“Raised you?” Cuikhu shook his head in disbelief. “Forza wouldn’t do that. Not for a worthless pathless like you.”

His words sparked a few gasps, and I saw my brother’s eyes flicker toward the crowd again.

“Ahem, I mean, he would have told me that you were alive. And although he gave you the referral, he surely intended it to be ceremonial.”

“A moment ago, you said it made us part of his family,” my response came out coy, as gentle and natural as a breeze. “But I assure you, I was his student.”

“Impossible,” Cuikhu’s denial was venomous.

His word was final, and his eyes sparkled with crimson light as his valoa rose to his call. It was a threat, and a promise.

If I spoke back, he would strike me down where I stood.

“It's true.”

A powerful voice rumbled out across the platform, drawing the gazes of all present. My brother trembled as he heard it, his head turning to face the person that had spoken. What he saw was a giant ax, and a wall of muscle.

Truin, future paragon of the path of Violence, stepped forward.

“Did you not see the boy's footwork?” Truin tilted his head, his eyes landing on me. “It was as though I was seeing Forza himself in front of me. That annoying jester’s smile constantly one step ahead of my ax. You may not have noticed, but we have. Any who spent time with Forza would.”

Was I smiling? I touched my lips. I must have picked up some of Forza’s bad habits.

“He never told me this,” Cuikhu stammered, clutching at the final straw he could find.

Exactly as I'd wanted him to.

“Maybe he would have, if you weren’t the one that had me killed,” I shot back.

Cuikhu stepped back as though struck, panic and horror filling his gaze, too strong and sudden to be hidden. The travelers around me momentarily lost their expressionless masks, each turning to gaze at Cuikhu.

Oh right, he didn’t know I knew that. I couldn’t resist the dry chuckle that escaped my throat.

“I forgot that you didn’t know I knew that. That’s right, I know that you tried to kill me when I was six years old,” I raked my fingers through my hair, my heart pounding against my chest. “If you’re wondering how I survived, Forza took me in. Raised me like his own. More importantly, he kept me away from you so that you couldn’t finish what you’d started.”

“YOU’RE LYING.”

My brother’s face twisted as his shout scoured the platform. With a gesture his valoa gathered in his fingers, rippling dangerously with power.

He was preparing another strike.

“Trying to kill me in cold blood?” I raised an eyebrow at him, “Do you think that if I’m dead the truth will suddenly disappear?”

Cuikhu ignored my words, valoa flashing through him as he struck. Another scythe tore through the air toward me, larger and stronger than the first.

This time, it would kill me.

“Where do you think you are?” A voice said.

A shadow enveloped me as Kynari stepped in front of me, her arms glowing with valoa as she prepared to take on the attack.

“What in the name of the paths are you doing?” I grabbed her, ready to throw her out of the way.

She refused to budge, her eyes resolute and her stance unwavering.

“You will not lay a hand on them.”

Before either of us could react, three flashes of light appeared, striking at the scythe in unison and overwhelming it in an instant. In its place were three people, each radiating power and majesty.

It was Forza’s warband.

“If you intend to slay Forza’s daughter and this boy, then there will be two funerals today,” their leader, Huia, said.

I’d seen her before, when Kynari had gone to greet them.

“You would save him? He is nothing.” Cuikhu roared.

“He is Forza’s disciple,” Huia replied. “You said so yourself, did you not?”

My brother hesitated as he realised that there were two others standing by her side. A muscular man with eyes that glowed red with valoa, and a woman draped in billowing green robe, her grey eyes calmly watching Cuikhu’s movements.

The mountain of muscle, Eric, looked down at us in amusement, “Kynari, that was dumb. I approve.”

Huia stepped back, sweeping me a hug. “It’s lovely to finally meet you, Suna. I’m sorry it couldn’t be under better circumstances. How about you, Kendra? Not going to greet the boy?”

Huia shot a sly glance to the woman by her side.

“I liked the mask,” Kendra said. “Sorry it broke.”

“Thank you,” I replied. “It’s lovely to meet you all after hearing so much about you. Forza often compared me to you while whacking my brains out in the fighting room. He says it reminds him of when he used to train you.”

Kendra and Huia choked at my words, and Eric’s laughter filled the air.

“Train us?” Huia shook her head. “Revisionist history. We gave him as good as we got.”

“I remember making him cry when I accidentally hit him too hard,” Eric said.

“That never happened,” Kendra rolled her eyes.

“It only happened once, but it definitely happened, you guys just weren’t there to see it,” Eric insisted.

Despite their jokes and benign banter, their eyes never left my brother.

Eric’s arms pulsed with power as valoa strengthened his body, and Huia’s eyes glowed brilliant blue. I couldn’t see what Kendra was doing, her robe obscuring it, but Cuikhu shifted his weight toward her, marking the biggest threat.

After a moment Huia sighed, then turned to face my brother.

“To think you would try and kill Forza’s daughter and disciple in the same day,” Huia’s mirth was gone, replaced by anger. “A bold choice, for someone trying to prove that they aren’t a murderer.”

“He’s lying,” Cuikhu said. “Those that worked against them already been brought to justice.”

I stepped past Huia and Kynari, “yes, I saw that you murdered them in cold blood. Funny how they disappeared for years until my anniversary. The perfect time for you to gain more viewers. Because that’s all you ever wanted, isn’t it? You crave the love of our enemy more than that of your family, And I’m sure my death gives you the perfect excuse to bathe in it.”

As I spoke, I saw a glimmer of light to my side, reflected into my eye by Forza’s statue. My eyes rested on the sculpture, and I felt my anger disappearing. Cuikhu meant nothing to me. He was just another stranger among a sea of them. Forza’s funeral meant more to me than he ever did.

But my brother wouldn't let that little fact get in the way.

“You have made a powerful enemy today,” Cuikhu snarled.

He stepped forward, but Truin’s hand stopped him.

“Enough,” Truin said.

“Wait,” I raised my hand and Truin glanced at me curiously. I shook my head at him.

Cuikhu’s words were directed at me. So, I would be the one to respond.

“So, I've made you my enemy, have I? Tell me, brother, do the viewers like it when you pretend that I have a choice, or is that for your own conscience? Maybe those tears you shed for me were real. Even for you, it can’t have been easy to have your six year old brother killed,” I replied. “No, I never had a choice. You declared yourself my enemy years ago. So go, spread your lies elsewhere, because I’m no longer the blind little boy who used to believe them.”

Cuikhu stepped back, and Truin lowered his arm.

“You are nothing but a talentless pathless,” Cuikhu shook his head.

“Maybe, but at least I didn’t murder a child.”

Cuikhu paused, his hand swaying against his tunic, but then he chuckled, turning and walking away.

“Let any who believe your words slay me where I stand.”

Cuikhu’s final words reverberated through the crowd and gathered travelers, mocking and confident.

None moved to stop him.

Not Truin. Nor the other five step travelers. Even Forza's war band stood still.

Step by step, Cuikhu’s laughter filled the air, “I thought so.”

I saw anger, and unease, but as much as they were disgusted by Cuikhu’s actions, nobody would kill him for them. Or hold him accountable. After all, he was a traveler on the fifth step of his path, an existence that outweighed ours entirely. I was the pathless. And Kynari was not her father. In the end, only the powerful could dictate which actions were punished.

As I watched him leave, a single thought cemented itself in my mind.

This wasn’t the last I’d seen of my brother.