SEVEN YEARS EARLIER
The Axis. A beautiful realm of lush red forest stretching as far as the eye could see. It boasted the Ash Trees: dark red perennial plants impervious to flames that grew only in its magically enhanced environment. Within it, a small family -- no bigger than four -- inhabited the space and lived peacefully alongside the forest-critters.
However, what made the Axis so unique wasn’t its strange ecosystem, gorgeous woodlands, or even the family that lived there. No, the Axis, was a separate dimension altogether. It existed on the cusp of the fourth dimension, both intangible and untraceable to those outside it as long as Sanctum Energy wasn’t used.
The children there were warned on multiple occasions regarding the dangers of leaving and what awaited them outside. So, in addition to locking away resources that could trigger Sanctum Energy exposure, the children’s uncle, Matsuda, sealed away an ancient landmark deep within the Axis through a veil of darkness, ensuring their security.
With no knowledge of what it was or how to enter it, the kids were forced to steer clear and keep to themselves. But they were kids, and kids don’t listen.
CLANGK!!! CLANGK!!!
Within the Axis, Jacender and Aleximus, twin brothers nearing their twelfth birthday, sparred in a sun-kissed meadow. Their wooden swords flew through the air, humming with sounds of fierce battle.
CLANGK!!! CLANGK!!!
Sweat rolled down Jace’s face. He inched forward every so slowly, attempting to gain the advantage by encircling his brother. He was confident; A bright glow of determination emanating from his eyes as he edged closer. Opposite him, Aleximus mirrored his every move, matching his focus and intensity.
"HA!" Jace lunged, bringing his blade down.
Aleximus side-stepped briskly, darting side to side as he slipped through Jace’s swings. Suddenly, with an air of calmness, he feinted, making like he’d throw his sword, only to deliver an incredibly fast kick to Jacender’s stomach. With the speed and power put behind it, Jace flying back was a given. "Agh!"
But Aleximus didn't stop there. Pressing his advantage, he charged forward, aiming at his brother’s head with a curved downswing.
Jace ducked, rolling onto his side, and -- using his bodyweight -- sprung upwards into a crouching position. He smirked, understanding that the swing had given him just enough time to counter with a physical blow. And he would not pass up the opportunity.
Triumphantly, Jacender brought up his arm, clenched fist in tow, and aimed to lift his brother off of his feet with an uppercut. Aleximus, catching the action last second, straightened his toes and rose with the punch, mitigating the blow’s effects.
“What the–” Jace began. Regrettably, it was much too late to be shocked. Aleximus forcefully twisted his own body in midair, bringing down his right leg and crashing atop Jace’s face.
Jace raised his arms, bracing himself with a block, but the kick threw open his arms, knocking them to the side as his brother landed, smirking cockily as his left leg cut through the air. “Bad move.” Aleximus laughed, cementing the blow onto Jacender’s lower mouth.
It was over.
THUD!!
Jace nursed his reddened, stinging face. He was on the verge of tears. "…Did you have to hit me that hard..?" he moaned, cradling his nose.
"Packed a punch, didn't it?" Aleximus snorted. His lip pursed up, and instantly, his cheeks inflated, filling with air. “Or in this case,” he snickered, holding back a laugh. “A kick!” He cackled, holding his belly. Overcome with laughter, he pointed at the print he had lodged on Jace’s face. A black footprint. And by the look of the blood exiting Jace’s bent nose, it was a painful injury indeed.
"That wasn't funny!" Jace snapped back. "Howd'ya like it if I went for your face?!"
Aleximus smirked, extending his hand. "Aw, come off it. It's not my fault you don't know how to dodge." He teased. "And before you say it," he added, noticing Jace's mouth open, "Your endurance problem isn’t my fault, idiot. You have too much wasted movement."
Jace stared daggers at him, but then after a moment, he smiled and took hold of Aleximus's hand. Their relationship, though frustrating at times, was for better or worse, built based on their inherent friendship and rivalry. Carrying a desire to help one another was what made them inseparable. It’s what made them brothers.
"But seriously, we do need to do something about this!" Jace groaned, pinching at his broken nose. His voice had changed slightly due to the swollen nostrils. "Uncle Matsuda's gonna go crazy if he sees this!"
To that, an image of a screaming maniac surrounded by lightning bolts filled both their minds. They shivered immediately, realizing the severity of their actions. How could they come home with injuries inflicted on them by the other? "R-Right." Aleximus gulped, nodding furiously in agreement.
Behind them, he heard a shuffling in the forest and turned towards it. His eyes narrowed, trying to pinpoint what it was. "Oh," He sighed, fixing his posture. “Looks like you’re in luck.” Curious, Jace faced the forest, watching carefully as a small figure emerged from the trees.
"Anna!"
A girl slightly younger than them, clutched a small basket filled with an assortment of fruits. She had violet-colored hair, and resting clumsily near her right ear was a small, white, swallowtail headpiece. She looked out of breath.
Jace's worried face shifted from delightful surprise to worry. “...Did you run all the way out here?"
"I-- huff,” she wheezed, trying to collect herself. “...I knew you were here!" Despite her heavy breathing, she managed to raise her hands, positioning them near her brothers’ heads. "Jeez!” She groaned scoldingly. “How many times do I have to say it?!”
Her hands flashed across both their faces, striking them fast with every word she let out. “Stop! Being! Dummies!"
Jace yelped, his nose burning more now than before. "Wha–?! We--"
"Shut up! You two came out here to train again, didn’t you?!” Anna scoffed. She had sass not found in young ladies her age. And she continued, putting her brothers in check with her stern words. “Even though Uncle Matsuda doesn't want you fighting, you’re still being knuckleheads! I’m tired of having to heal you guys every day!"
Aleximus crossed his arms, sneering. "You shut up! What would you know? You're just a girl, thbpt!!" He shouted back, blowing her a raspberry.
Speedily, without a moment for thought, Anna grabbed his collar, pulling him down to her level, and rained upon him a flurry of slaps. "Excuse me?!"
Aleximus’s face became littered with swollen bumps. “S-Stop hitting us— AHK!” Jace cried, trying to escape her. She quickly grabbed him by the ear and backhanded him. She was not messing around.
"Okay, okay!” Aleximus relented. Even he had his limits. “I’m sorry! Look, just... Do the thing. Please?"
An annoyed twitch flickered in Anna’s eyebrow before he decided to turn back to Jace. He was sprawled out on the floor after the beating she gave him, but the moment he heard Aleximus’s words -- “Do the thing.” --he jumped up and took several steps back. "W-Wait, I don't think that's really--" he pleaded, seeing her raise her arm to his face.
Amazingly, a purple glow exuded from her palm and pressed onto Jace’s face.
"Shaddup."
The gleam traveled down to the base of his nose. “Anna really, it doesn’t even hur–” Jace stammered. POP. His fractured bone made a cracking sound and realigned itself. “Ooh, that’s gotta hurt.” Aleximus winced.
Jace bawled, falling to the ground and clasping his nose to limit further energy exposure. Ironic as it was, the pain of healing was exponentially worse than the pain of a broken nose.
Once the redness started to fade and the swelling subsided, Jace thanked her, pouting angrily to himself in a corner. "No problem," she responded bitterly. She took a seat on the ground and began to rub her temples. Perhaps it was due to exhaustion, or maybe even irritation, but every time she would use her abilities, Anna was greeted with frequent headaches. She quickly rubbed her temple again and picked at the blades of grass below her.
Jacender locked eyes with Aleximus, communicating non-verbally. You do it.
No, Aleximus’s eyes narrowed. You do it, idiot.
Jace stuck out his tongue and shook his head. Nuh-uh!
Uh-huh!
Nuh-Uh!
Uh-huh!
Nuh-Uh!
Uh-Hu– Hey!! Aleximus's eyes widened. Jacender, unwilling to do it, went to the length of bolting away and hiding behind the trees in the forest.
"That little..." Aleximus grumbled.
But it couldn't be helped. He took a seat near Anna and released a lengthy groan. Anna side-eyed him, ready for another argument.
Jeez. So rude, this one.
"Listen, Anna," Aleximus cleared his throat. "I don’t understand why you’re so angry about our training. You don’t have to worry about us." Anna ripped out a handful of grass blades, slowly letting them fall, and sized him up. A veiled threat.
"Ah, who am I kidding?" A scowl found its way onto Aleximus’s face. “Listen, you don’t get a say in what we do, okay? You’re not even supposed to be here!”
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
To that, Anna’s lip began to waver. “Why?! ‘Cause I’m a girl?” She asked, hoping he would say no. She watched him hesitate, already aware of his answer before he even nodded. Hurt, she burst into tears and rose to her feet.
“I–I…” Aleximus stammered, trying to console her. Anna turned away from him, covering her booger-filled nose. “Where are you going? Anna, stop!” he called, watching her break into a sprint, putting distance between them both. Sheepishly emerging from behind the trees, Jacender watched Aleximus stop himself from following her.
“Well, that went well,” Jace said, trying to alleviate tension. Aleximus clenched his fist. “It’s for her own good. Let her go play with her imaginary friends or something in the forest.”
“Hey! That was a bit too far.” Jace warned. “I think you should tell her the real reason we’re doing this. It makes it easier for everyone and doesn’t make her hate you. I just don’t understand why–”
“--Shut up!”
Aleximus averted his gaze and stared at the ground. “You know why. You do. And she’s better off not knowing anyway, got it? It’s better than way.”
Jacender rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Now come on,” his brother commanded, picking up his fallen sword. “Let’s finish up.”
-------🅰🆂🅷🅵🅸🅴🅻🅳-------
A FEW DAYS LATER
The twins were back to it; This time without their swords. Fighting in a tight perimeter, the boys were forcing each other into close-range combat. “Try harder, idiot!” Aleximus barked, aiming for a low kick. Jace jumped, bringing his lower leg down as he descended and knocked his brother’s foot away, sending him off balance.
“How's that?!” He grinned, charging up a wide swing. Aleximus, without looking, ducked cleanly and evaded it while stepping back hard to elbow Jace in his chest. Jace gasped for air and started to back off; That’s when a fluid combo of attacks began to overwhelm him. Stunned and tired, it’s all he could do to knock away the oncoming attacks.
Aleximus noticed the drop in consistency and -- delivering three consecutive low kicks to break Jace’s footwork -- simply pushed his disoriented brother to the floor as he stumbled. With haste, Aleximus mounted him, positioning himself above Jace with a rigid grip. With both his fist and eyebrow raised, Aleximus cockily asked: “You give up?”
Jace scoffed in irritation but established his surrender with a nod.
“Yeah.”
-------🅰🆂🅷🅵🅸🅴🅻🅳-------
The boys both sat a few spaces away from each other on the hill. They looked off into the distance as they downed their water bottles, basking in the fruits of their labor.
“You’re getting better,” Aleximus remarked. He said it reluctantly and didn’t look Jace in the eyes, but his brother could tell he meant it. “Yeah, but you keep beating me. Guess I just suck.” Jacender responded.
Aleximus shrugged, smilingly, and shook his head. “Nah. You’re more resilient than me for sure. Plus your physical strength is way above mine. If you landed a good hit -- one that you meant -- I probably wouldn’t have won.” Jace fiddled with his hair and blushed. “Then why am I losing?”
“Like I said before: Too much wasted energy. Not to mention you telegraph a whole lot of your punches. Throw some variety in there. That kick earlier caught me off guard because it wasn’t something you normally do. You adapted. Do that more.”
“Easier said than done,” Jace fussed, pulling at Aleximus’s face. “Adapting takes time. I’d have to understand you completely! I don’t have that kind of time to think in a real fight.
In a flash, Aleximus knocked his brother’s hand away, grabbing hold of it and locking it in an arm bar. “Then don’t think!” he urged. “Feel. You don’t have to change who you are or what you do for it to work. Just the application of your talents, dummy. Now think about it; What’s something you and only you could do to get out of this?”
Jace thought for a moment and then flexed his arm, hardening his muscles. “Well… If we’re talking about the first thing that comes to mind…”
Slowly, he began to lift his Aleximus’s body with his entire arm. “I’d break it!”
Aleximus smirked, releasing his hold on him and landing on his feet. “See? That’s all you have to do. Be yourself.” Jace snickered, resting his arm on his side and beaming from ear to ear. “Right.”
“Don’t get excited though.” Aleximus flicked his forehead. “The reason I beat you is because I’m smarter. And faster. That won’t be changing anytime soon.”
“Why you…” Jace grumbled, his neck riddling with cross-popping veins. Aleximus laughed, holding his belly like he did a few days prior. “Seriously, I’m getting sick of you,” Jace whispered under his breath.
Something behind them in the forest made a sound. Was that..? Jace thought, squinting so he could see what hid behind the trees. But before he could, Aleximus distracted him. “Doesn’t that make you excited, Jace?”
“Huh? Whaddya mean?”
“Out there.” he pointed, looking into the distance. “Beyond the barrier. Aren’t you curious? The type of people pass there; How strong they are, what they look like, where they live -- It’s all so damn exciting! Knowing nothing about it makes me want to go even more. To know all the things I don’t know! Don’t you agree?!”
Jacender’s eyes were filled with amazement. He had this talk with Aleximus numerous times before, but whenever it was brought up, his brother had the same expression of wonder glued on his face. “I don’t know. Really.” he ultimately said.
“As long as we’re all together… That’s what matters to me. I’ll support whatever you wanna do. We’re brothers after all.”
The words, though childish, came from a place of sincerity and love. Aleximus knew it, and his face silently turned pink. That’s the kind of person his twin brother was. “Shut up. I know what you meant with that ‘all’ comment, idiot. I’m still not telling Anna.”
Suddenly, an epiphany struck Jace. A cat-like smile formed on his lips, but he quickly covered it. “Huh? I have no idea what you’re talking about. Tell Anna what?”
“Stop being stupid.” Aleximus began, falling for Jace’s trap. “You know I won’t tell Anna that we want to leave the Axis.”
RSSSTLEEE
Aleximus’s eyes went wide. Having been alerted to the sound in the shadows, he was shocked to see who had appeared. Someone who was hiding in the shadows. “...Anna…”
Sure enough, standing in front of them both, Anna watched her brothers with a bewildered look. “What… Did you just say?”
“D-Damn it, Jace!” Aleximus realized, ready to lay into his brother for deceiving him. But Jace was gone. He had noticed Anna during Aleximus’s laughter earlier and chose to vanish when she appeared. You traitor! Aleximus yelled inwardly.
“Is,” Anna voiced, continuing. “Is this why you guys kept pushing me away? Why you never let me know where you’re going?” She murmured. “Anna, listen,” Aleximus tried interjecting. “No!” she snapped, shutting him up. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes as she spoke. “Aren’t we safe here? I don’t get why you need to fight! And… And, you want to leave me behind?”
A pang of guilt struck Aleximus’s chest. “It-It’s not like that. I prom–”
“--Why… Don’t you trust me?”
The words hurt Anna to say but destroyed Aleximus to hear. He didn’t want her to feel she wasn’t wanted, or trusted. He loved her. But that was why he didn’t want to tell her. Though, now, he had to.
“I know you like following us -- A-And watching us fight. But I don't want you accidentally getting hurt. The reason I always shoo you away and, you know, call you a girl… Is ‘cause it’s my job to take care of you. And sometimes that means making you hate me. I didn’t… Want you to…”
Anna’s lip trembled; Absorbing his words. "I tried to distance you from us because Uncle Matsuda doesn't want us fighting. That much is true. But it’s also because we get hurt. You already hate it enough having to fix us after, that I couldn’t imagine what it’d do to you to see us hurt one another. It’s why I never tell you where we’re at, and it's why we spend all day out here to do it.”
This was it: He was leveling with her. Everything he wanted to get off his chest for the past few weeks was being laid bare, thanks to Jace. He was embarrassed, but somewhere deep inside, Aleximus was relieved. Relieved that he didn’t have to wear a mask anymore. He could just… Be himself.
"Of course we’re safe here. But what me and Jace are doing is preparing for a time when we might not be. And we have to be strong for you!”
Puzzled, Anna shook her head and wiped away her tears. “I don’t get it. I really don’t.” She lamented. “You’re saying you’re doing it for me, but you don’t wanna involve me. You’re… So confusing.”
Aleximus chuckled dryly. Carefully, making sure she was okay with it, he raised his arm, placing his hand on her head. “Dummy. That's because we’re going to bring you with us!”
Anna was astounded. Her quivering lip slowed in pace, but tears flowed from her eyes yet again. “I-I don’t know why I’m crying.” she sniffled, desperately trying to dry them. “You two are the ones being dumb. You don’t even have a reason to go! Why would I–”
“--Who do you think I trust to heal us every time we come out here? Who lets us know if Uncle Matsuda is looking for us? Who always checks to make sure we’re alright even though her brothers are ‘being dumb’?”
Anna buried her face into her elbow, avoiding his eye.
"That’s not a reason… I’m just useful."
Becoming dead serious, Aleximus grabbed her head, pulling her into his chest and embracing her softly. "We wouldn’t be risking our necks for a tool, idiot! Never say something like that again, got it? You’re more than that."
Her eyes widened slightly, understanding his genuineness. He smiled, continuing. "Whenever we fight, you’re the one I care most about. Because even though we get hit, you’re the one getting hurt.
And suddenly, it clicked for her. Overcome with shame and sorrow, Anna wailed into her brother’s chest. He did care, though he didn’t show it. That’s the kind of person her brother was.
"Also, if you’re looking for the reason we wanna go,” Jace’s voice chimed in. “--W-What the?!--” Aleximus gasped. “--It’s because ‘Lex here wants to find his purpose and explore the outside.” Jacender had re-appeared next to them, having snuck around their peripherals during their talk. Perfect timing, he thought to himself, smiling slyly. He had gotten what he wanted; The misunderstandings were rectified. “I agreed because I think it’d be interesting. You do too, don’t you Anna?”
“Huh?” She stuttered. “I-I never said that!”
“But you also didn’t say you wouldn’t do it when Aleximus brought it up, right? You even asked for reasons.” Deep down, Anna knew he was right, so she didn’t try denying it.
"Guess that settles that!" Jace grinned. He wrapped his arms around his siblings and pulled them close. The evening sun dimmed, making their shadows stretch over the horizon. “We’re going to leave the Axis!”
[The Axis]
Young Jacender [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1122294150470058094/1127305855012970637/Jacender_Reference_Kid-1.png?ex=65da35e4&is=65c7c0e4&hm=ddf81b4b1a2a56ab1a1bf8f897db81314404f49d8ab646276d2585200f6bc0bf&]Aleximus [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1122294150470058094/1206084571427512410/Aleximus_Reference_Kid.png?ex=65dab8c9&is=65c843c9&hm=fc1102ab70d212ac81ff5bdd3c5effdeecf399538efed3f15d9fedc381559e41&]Anna [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1122294150470058094/1206085179609845800/Anna_reference_sheet_1.png?ex=65dab95a&is=65c8445a&hm=a567496e281954934caef5feeb937ad5a37596505bf15e84e2e81b99e9a18988&]