ONE MONTH LATER
"You ready?" Aleximus asked.
Jacender fumbled around with his sneakers, struggling to squeeze one on. "Just... One… second..!" he grunted. Aleximus grumbled.
“I told you to get ready over an hour ago.”
Jace ignored him and stubbornly pushed his foot deeper into the shoe. “You should learn how to listen, idiot. Also, you’re almost twelve; You should know how to tie your shoes” he continued.
Jacender’s forehead twitched. "Can you just.. Shut.. UP?!”
He stamped down angrily, finally sliding into his shoes. Inadvertently, below his feet, the wooden floor collapsed, sending scattering splinters that cut his ankle.
“Ow!” he winced. His brother snickered. “Good for you. Stop messing up the shack.”
Since they had left the Axis, the boys had covered a great deal of distance. They focused on conserving their strength and securing food, but just a few days prior -- after hours of tracking a small family of deer -- Jacender had stumbled upon the outskirts of a nearby forest. There, to their surprise, they found a great assortment of animals and drinking water. So, they made it their temporary home and built a makeshift shack reminiscent of their treehouse home by hacking down the surrounding trees.
However, what kept them from entering the forest was a peculiar sight located a mile or so down away from the dark forest. It was a large wall engraved with foreign markings and characters. Every two days, a small group of two to three people with weapons would exit and routinely make rounds inside the dark forest. The boys, with no leads as to what or where Pendragon was, decided to gamble on staking out the wall and possibly getting information from its inhabitants.
"You’re wasting time, Jace. Those people will be out again today in a few minutes. The sun’s going down."
Aleximus walked out and slung his bag over his shoulder. The tip of his wooden sword stuck out slightly. That, and a small metal object.
THOOK!
"You’re not the boss of me,” Jace laughed, running past his brother and shoving him over. “And stop being edgy! It’s not cool!"
"What–” Aleximus yelped, turning pink. He scrambled to his feet and growled “I’LL KILL YOU!” before running after him.
In addition to smacking his backside tauntingly, Jace stuck his tongue out and grinned. "Catch me if you can. Nyah!"
Aleximus’s face contorted as he gave chase.
"JAAACE!"
-------🅰🆂🅷🅵🅸🅴🅻🅳-------
THE WALL
The wall was massive. Probably over four hundred feet tall and nearly five times as wide. There was no visible end in sight.
At the base of the wall was a broad dirt-filled road that only the dark forest in the distance. There wasn’t much else around it other than a few bushes -- as if the wall was meant to be standing alone.
Jacender and Aleximus had arrived. Aleximus eyed the wall and kept his hand at the ready in case they needed to fight. His brother on the other hand was suffering. Punch bumps, cranial eruptions, and other small injuries were littered across Jace’s face. He looked very embarrassed.
“Hey, idiot, pay attention.” Aleximus coughed, trying his hardest not to laugh. “P-P-Pay attention?!” Jace stammered. “LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO ME, DAMN IT!”
Aleximus looked away from him and covered his mouth. “It’s your own fault. Shouldn’t have pushed me.”
Before Jace could retort, a growling voice cut through the air. “BACK AWAY FROM THE GATE!”
Aleximus quickly sprang into action, pushing Jacender and himself into a nearby shrub. “What are you–” Jace began. Aleximus covered his mouth and motioned for him not to talk.
They watched silently as uniformed sentries appeared at the top of the wall.
They spread out and each one took up a post. On their backs was a foreign word similar to the carvings on the wall itself. No, Aleximus realized, ducking his head lower. It’s not just a wall. It’s a gate.
With that understanding, his eyes followed the wall closely, searching for an entrance. Within moments he found it. There were more guards located there than anywhere else across the gate’s width. But what surprised them the most was something standing at the base of the gate: A grimy, dirt-covered little boy who looked up at the guards with mellow eyes.
His attire was ragged and his hair unkempt. There were also some bruises around his exposed shoulder and reddened fingertips. Those were caked in blood.
The sentries at the top of the gate jeered as they looked at him. "Haven't you learned your lesson yet, defect? You’re not wanted here!" one yelled.
"Step away from the gate!" ordered another. Similar insults followed in quick succession, causing the boy's lips to quiver.
“Begone, menark!”
“False Dwarf!”
Undeterred, the boy continued his attempt to communicate with the men. He weaved several intricate hand symbols eagerly, trying to express something to them. "Ah… Mmff… A-pa!"
An image flashed across Aleximus’s mind. He remembered his uncle’s use of hand symbols in his battle against Hatagi; The Mudras. Could this boy also know them?
The guards fell silent for a moment as the young boy motioned desperately before erupting into roaring laughter. "PFFTT!!!"
"The hell, mutt? Speak English! Haha!" they chortled in harmony. The boy's face flushed with embarrassment as tears welled in his eyes. Jacender clenched his fist and tried to stand. Aleximus pulled him back down.
“Stop it! Whatever this is, we can’t afford to get angry and caught up in it. Let him deal with his own problem.” Jace sucked his teeth and sank deeper into the bush.
“I’m not angry. Not yet anyway,” he whispered.
At the wall, a guard stepped forward and leaned over the ledge. On his bulky frame, he wore an outfit similar to the other soldiers; a white and blue uniform with baggy sleeves and a thick metallic belt running across his waist. A golden-brown half-cape ran along his left shoulder down to his feet with the marking of a silver dragon and two hammers etched onto its fabric. His short light-ash colored hair ran along his nape and fell down his cheekbones. Hanging on his waist was a long sword-like object.
“Boy, if I have to tell you to move once again, you will sorely regret it.”
"Captain Upo" the sentries cheered. “Finally, you can get rid of this kid!”
At a loss, the boy’s shoulders heaved up and down before tears welled in his eyes.
"Tears won’t help you in any way." the captain smirked. "I don’t have sympathy for the impure." He thought for a moment before coming upon a realization. It seemed to be amusing because he chuckled before drawing his weapon. “Hey, menark!”
Upon closer inspection, the boys noticed that the blade had a sleek, steel barrel attached to it that ran halfway along its length. What's more, what was supposed to be the hilt of the blade had a curved edge with a small trigger at the bottom. Upo’s finger coiled around it carefully as he scratched his head.
He aimed the bladed barrel at the boy. "If you can dodge three shots from my gun, I might let you back into the city! The rules are simple: Whichever way I point, you can’t go. If you do, you’re out!!"
The guards started to murmur. “C-Captain, is that safe? The council–”
“Oh shut it!” Upo barked. “He’ll survive. Besides, it isn’t like he has the guts to–”
The boy stood. Though there were still tears in his eyes, his expression was one of resolve. “Ahwa!” He shouted confidently.
An irritation found its way onto Upo’s face. He wasn’t used to being stood up to. At all. “HA!” he shouted, pointing up. Without hesitation, he tightened his grip on the hammer of his gun and–
BANG!
The boy ducked, narrowly missing the beam, and crashed to the ground. When he rose, a thick, bleeding gash had appeared across his cheek; A product of the bullet.
“He’ll kill him!” Jace snarled. He tried to stand again, but his brother’s grip refused to budge. A quickened flurry of gasps flew through the sentries on the wall as well. “Captain, that’s enough…”
“If the council finds out about this…”
“SHUT IT! ALL OF YOU!” Upo cut in. “He can still take it -- can’t you, boy?”
The boy took a deep breath in. “Mm..” he noised shakily. “Goood~” Upo readied his Gunblade once more and aimed it at the boy. This time, pointing with his left, he extended his pinkie to the left, his pointer to the right, and his thumb toward the ground. The only options the boy would have to escape would be back or up. And the chances of him missing a shot like that were low.
BANG!
The boy, like Upo expected, retreated into the air. He would have remained unscathed had the captain’s energy bullet not curved in mid-air.
SHH~LLK!
The beam found its place in the child’s foot, blasting a small hole through it as he came back down. “Ngh!” the boy cried as he landed on the injury. A small puddle of blood slowly dripped out of the hole and soaked his boots.
Not good, Aleximus realized. With his foot like that, he won’t be able to dash or jump. That next shot will kill him. He’s being forced to give up.
Captain Upo laughed and sheathed his gun. “I believe that settles that game then, don’t you think?”
His men slowly began to grasp what their captain had done. Whatever that was beyond the gate that the boy wanted so badly -- he would either have to forfeit the game and give it up, or die foolishly.
“He’s out of options,” Jace whispered.
The boy seemed to have arrived at the same conclusion. As the men atop the wall cheered for his would-be loss, he collapsed to his knees. Unfortunately, that’s how it goes when you don’t have power. Aleximus thought to himself. Thoughts of Hatagi’s assault occupied his mind.
Atop the gate, the guards patted their captain on the back. “Clean that up, all of you, and return to your duties.”
He started to walk away before noticing his men had grown silent. “Huh? Are you guys listening? Hurry up and get moving–”
He turned back around and found them all frozen, staring down over the edge. “C-Captain…” someone faltered. “Look!”
Frustrated, Upo rolled his eyes and approached the edge again to see what was going on. “What now? Is the boy gone? This better be good!”
But the boy was not gone. In fact, he was still there, and what Upo saw sent a shiver through his, Aleximus, Jacender, and his men’s spines collectively. The boy, instead of giving into despair, ripped off a part of his fading shirt and wrapped his bleeding foot tightly. The hemorrhage was quelled slightly, so he stood, shifting his weight onto his better leg.
H-He’s still going for it?! Aleximus marveled. Everyone there watched as the young boy, against all odds, returned to face certain defeat with unquestionable hope in his eyes. Though he didn’t say it, his confidence relayed a strong message: “It’s not over yet!”
“Why you little–” Upo growled, unsheathing his gun again. “You’re weak! Do you really think you’ll survive this?! You can’t change your circumstances even if you somehow get in there!”
Energy started to condense at the barrel, charging up a golden blast. Despite the intimidation, the boy did not flinch. He simply readied himself for the attack. Upo sweated nervously. “Fine! I’ll give you what you want! Just know that this isn’t a fight, got it?! You asked for this!”
Upo used both his hands to point in all directions.
“Aleximus, we have to stop him!” Jace shouted. He was tired of being held back. His frustration was reaching its boiling point.
But when he turned to his side to brush Aleximus off of him, he noticed something. His brother’s grip was no longer on his shoulder. It hadn’t been for a few moments now. “N-No way..!” He blurted, seeing Aleximus’s back on the floor. The wooden blade and the metal object he had were gone. Jace spun back around towards the deadly game. “He wouldn’t!”
BLAAOW!!
The captain’s beam erupted dazzlingly from the barrel’s edge and locked onto the young boy below. The game was over and everyone knew it. There was no way he could have survived.
That was, until–
THUNNGKKKKK!
Anticipating the impact of the blast, the young boy had closed his eyes and braced himself for pain. But when he reopened his eyes, none came. Instead, in front of him, standingly guardedly, was someone else. Another young boy who was slightly taller than him with black hair and crimson red eyes. He was clad in a dark black sweater and gray cargo pants. In front of the boy was cracked earth. It had been split open by the force of the blast before. But how?
The answer came to everyone as their eyes fell upon the boy’s weapons. A broken in half wooden sword and a small oblong dagger.
“The game is over.” Aleximus said darkly. He slowly looked up at the men on the wall with a frustrated expression.
"W-What the hell?!” The guards clamored. “A human?!"
A human this close to Xastol? Impossible! Upo sweated. His thoughts were in disarray. Did they come from The Weeping Forest? If so, did he send them?
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Damn it,” Aleximus groaned, cutting through the commotion. “Damn it, look. My sword’s broken. Now I have to use that asshole’s dagger.”
He eyed the small blade in his hand and sneered. It was Hatagi’s dagger. His uncle had handed it to him before their escape from the Axis. When he lodged himself between the boy and the blast, he pressed the blades forward as a support to split it in two. He banked on the properties of Hatagi’s dagger working in his favor.
“Who are you?!” Upo demanded, picking his sword up again. “Who sent you and why are you here?!”
Aleximus turned to the young boy behind him and scoffed. “For the record, I wasn’t going to intervene. I couldn’t care less what you people have going on between you.”
“Then why did you?”
There was a slight pause. “You pissed me off with all that circumstance talk. Reminds me of some guy I didn’t like.”
The sentries and their captain had no idea what he meant, but the tone behind the boy’s words was serious.
“Jace, get out here” Aleximus called. Within seconds, his brother had come out with his bag and his own wooden sword. “We don’t want trouble, but you’re also not going to continue attacking the kid for no reason. Are we clear?”
Upo’s face became flushed with anger. “Who do you think you–”
“What is all the commotion about?” a voice interjected. It was light and smooth, yet authoritative.
In an instant, the rowdy guards had assumed their positions once more and fell into a lined formation. Silence blanketed the wall such that the only things that could be heard were the echoing footsteps of whoever had arrived.
"That Hanfu..!” Upo stammered. “Young Master Hisagi! To what do we owe the pleasure? We could have had someone escort you…" He bowed his head deferentially. A young, small boy emerged from behind the guards with a smile. His outfit seemed to be of a traditional kind: A silver and caramel brown Hanfu embroidered with branches that bore ripe plums at his collar and shoulders. He was about Aleximus’s height and had a light-brown short ponytail that fell just short of his neck. Around his arms were tightly fastened arm guards.
"No need for that, Captain." The boy smiled dismissively, waving him off. “I need the exercise.”
Upo raised his head with bated breaths. “So how can we–”
“I saw it all, Captain.” the boy interrupted. “At least enough to know that you were in the wrong here.”
Nervously, Captain Upo pocketed his weapon and averted his gaze.
The boy -- Hisagi -- had an aristocratic air to him. His actions were posh and calculated and his watchful eyes exuded a firm confidence one might have mistaken for arrogance.
No. Aleximus thought to himself, sizing the boy up. It's not arrogance. I know arrogance. Aleximus noticed that Hisagi was not looking at him even though his gaze was fixed in his direction. He was instead staring at the dirtied boy behind him.
He just doesn’t like him.
Though hidden slyly beneath his false presentation of calmness, Aleximus could tell with one look that Hisagi’s eyes emanated superiority. He knew because it was the look Hatagi had imprinted into his memory. What's more, it was the same look he had given Hatagi’s corpse after his head was crushed.
"Well, I was told that he had been making frequent appearances at the gate these days. I figured he would be here today. In fact, I happened to be visiting the prison when I was alerted by your ruckus." Hisagi continued. The boy on the floor flinched at the mention of prison. "I must say, Captain, I am disappointed in your self-control. We are not forceful people. Nor are we a violent one. Perhaps the power that your badge of yours offers has gone to your head?"
Upo gritted his teeth in embarrassment. "No, young master," he said. "I will strive to do better. Your cousin has been giving us a hard time since this morning, so it seems I had gotten a bit too cocky." he rambled, hoping to shift the attention from him to the forlorn boy below.
Cousin?! Jacender and Aleximus thought in unison. Their gazes narrowed as they made eye contact with each other.
"He’s no cousin of mine, Captain. Please refrain from referring to him as such." Hisagi scoffed, reluctantly turning to address the boy. "Hidemi, you know the consequences of showing up here. You were banished. Showing up here won’t free him."
"And as for you two!" Upo stepped forward, pointing accusingly at the brothers. "I will only ask once more! Who are you and what business do you have with the Dwarven city of Xastol?!"
"Dwarven?" Aleximus asked, confused. Unwittingly, without missing a beat, Jacender followed up with a question of his own: "You mean like short people?"
"THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY PUNK?!"
"I DARE YOU TO REPEAT THAT!"
"SHITTY BRAT!"
CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!
Each man on the wall immediately unholstered the same weapon Upo had brandished earlier and aimed it at the kids below. Aleximus stepped in front of the other two protectively with a cold look of seriousness. His pupils went slack and the dwarves immediately felt the change in demeanor. They hesitated about what to do. If they wanted to, blasting the boys would be a simple endeavor.
“Young Master, ordinarily we’d need permission from a CouncilPerson to act accordingly, but since you are part of the Murong clan, you can give the order yourself. Please advise.” Upo pleaded.
"I don't know who you people are, or what business you've got with this kid, or what weird idiotic customs you have going on here, but aiming at my family? My brother?" Aleximus asked them. His voice was low but they all heard it. A dark madness swirled around in his eyes. "The last person who did that didn’t turn out so well."
Jacender put his hand onto Aleximus's sword. "Hey -- Calm down!" he urged him, lowering it. “We don’t know how to use Sanctum Energy yet. We’re dead if they fire,” he whispered.
Aleximus exhaled slowly and snapped out of his funk. "Relax, idiot. I won't do anything if they don't."
Upo, recovering from his bewildered state, gritted his teeth angrily and wrapped his finger around his trigger. A quick charge of Sanctum energy amassed in the barrel, ready to fire at them both.
GRRRRR
"Didn't you just hear me?" Jacender spoke. His voice was commanding and almost monotone. "I said calm down. That goes for all of you."
The sentries were creeped out. The chilling sensation that came from Jace's words was much different than Aleximus's. Where his brother had issued a warning, cautioning them not to overstep, Jacender had given an order.
"Wait." Hisagi cut in, holding his hand up and stopping Upo from discharging his weapon. "Scary as your words seem to be, I can barely sense any Sanctum Energy within you two. If it crossed my mind, I could easily have you gunned down where you stand and let that be the end of it."
Aleximus raised his sword again, refusing to have his bluff called.
"So why don't you?"
"We dwarves are a race that strives for non-violence above all else. That has been our way for thousands of years. But a race always fighting with each other like humans couldn't understand that I suppose."
"What exactly is this place?" Jacender asked sternly. Hisagi chuckled. "You mean you don't know? This is Xastol City. Home of the Murong clan -- one of the six great clans and the Dwarven Clan."
"Hmph. Sorry, but not everyone knows who you are. And not all of us care.” Aleximus snorted. “We're just passing through the area. Whatever's going on between you and your cousin is none of our concern."
"You'd do well not to return here again then," Hisagi warned them. "You, and that filthy half-breed."
"And if I do?" Aleximus countered, edging him on.
DA~WOOM
A light brown aura of Sanctum energy began to emanate off of Hisagi's body, sending an imposing warning to the boys below. It shook the wall and everyone around it carefully. It was much different from the aura Hatagi had exuded. This one was calmer and more restrained. But its serenity seemed to make it just as dangerous.
Aleximus smirked. "What the matter? Don’t like what I said? What are you going to do? Fight me?!"
"What did you just say..?" Hisagi asked slowly. His expression slowly became disheveled and annoyed. Through gritted teeth, he responded. "You think I'd stoop to your level, punk?"
"Master Hisagi..." Upo mumbled, trying not to get caught in the crossfire.
Aleximus wouldn't back down. He was trying to prove a point, and if he could take the boy’s words at face value, he wouldn’t be killed. "You know the kind of people I hate the most, shortie?" he jibed.
Hisagi's sagacious demeanor spontaneously turned sour; His face reddening at the word shortie. "That's right: Liars. Especially hypocrites like you who think they're better than everyone else. You need a dose of reality."
Hisagi tightened his fist behind his back and exhaled slowly. Me? A hypocrite?
"So what'll it be, pretty boy?" Aleximus pressed forward, taking advantage of his silence. "You wanna fight? You look like something's eating away at you."
"Aleximus!" Jacender hissed. He knew Aleximus was planning something, but to threaten him to a fight without knowing what kind of power the young dwarf possessed was reckless.
Hisagi's aura retreated promptly and with a small exhale, he placed his hands behind his back and turned away from the boys. Me? Want to fight? Ridiculous.
"No worries," Hisagi smiled at the guards. "It was just a playful warning. I'm sure they understood the message." The lack of respect for their presence angered Jacender. He clenched his fist and stepped forward. "Hey, you coy bastard..."
"Turn back around and say that to my face!"
Hisagi turned his back to him, walking away. "I will not. Regardless of how much your brother tries to goad me into a fight. See yourselves out of my sight at once. You have been warned this once out of my curiosity for you, but that is a fleeting emotion at best."
"Oh, and take the trash out with you if you'd like," he said, referring to Hidemi.
Before Jacender could take action, Aleximus ran forward in a flash of light and, using his brother’s back as a springboard, projected himself towards the gate. Using his momentum, he jumped as high as he could and grabbed onto a slit in the wall, scaling it quickly. Before the guards could react, he had already landed at the top face-to-face with Hisagi.
"What the --?!" the guards yelled. "How'd he get up here?!"
Jace was shocked. “Aleximus!”
Hisagi's eyes widened slowly, realizing quickly what the boy was up to. "You're insane..!"
"So..." Aleximus raised his brow, slinging Hatagi’s dagger over his shoulder with a toothy grin. "I might be wrong since I was all the way down there a minute ago,"
The dark look in his eyes returned. "...But I don't think you'd threaten me to my face now, would you?!" He lunged forward, swinging the blade in a stabbing motion. "Young Master! Move out of the way!" the guards called out, hoping to get a shot off on Aleximus.
"Don't shoot him!" Hisagi responded, jumping back out of the reach of the steel. “It’s what he wants!”
Aleximus had nicked his robe, forcing him to maintain his distance. With a swift, fluid motion, Hisagi raised one finger to the sky and with his other hand's pointer finger -- diagonally downwards.
VOOM!
Instantaneously, a platform rose from underneath Aleximus’s feet and sent him crashing into the sky and off of the platform.
DHOOM!
"ALEXIMUS!" Jace screamed, desperately scanning for the best spot to catch his falling brother. Had it not been for the other boy -- Hidemi -- diving in at the right moment and catching him by absorbing the brunt of the fall, Aleximus would have undoubtedly broken his neck.
"Ngh!"
"T-Thanks," he said, wincing as he raised his head. "What the hell was that...?"
Hisagi looked down at him with a look of disdain, panting slowly and pointing at the walls. "The walls of Xastol are our greatest defense! Immeasurably strong and equally priceless. Any dwarven RuneMaster could easily propel you away by tapping into its strength."
"However, don't think for a moment that that was a fight!" Hisagi yelled, his hair and expression crumbling into complete disarray. Aleximus's surprise attack had made him angry. He'd been forced to defend himself and relied on external power to do it. Both twins drew sharp breaths, waiting for the next attack.
"GUARDS!"
All the guards, without hesitation, aimed their barrels at the three boys below them. This time, they wore grim faces: A sign that they were no longer in a hesitant headspace. A line of different colored beams charged up at the tip of each gun at the wall and Upo was ready for the order to shoot. "Sir?"
Hisagi's face writhed with irritation, but he pulled his messy hair back and shot one last look at Hidemi. "This will be your final warning. If you are to step foot near Xastol again, you will not be afforded mercy. Not even the Lord Of The Weeping Forest will be able to save you. Do you understand me, menark?!"
This time, Jacender was the one to step forward -- A lion-like gaze taking over him. "Why you...-"
"AH!" Hidemi cried. He grabbed onto his waist and pulled him back.
"What the?" Jace struggled, trying to pull him off. "What the heck's up with your grip? Get off of me!"
"Mm-mh!" Hidemi noised, unwilling to let go. His grip strength rivaled Jace’s. He kept shaking his head, urging his new protector not to do anything rash.
"Damn it, let me go!"
"JACE!"
Aleximus shakily stood up, dusting off his clothes and wiping away a small trail of blood from his forehead. "Let's leave it --" he coughed, staggering back as he made eye contact with Hisagi.
"Hisagi, right?" he asked carefully. "I'll remember this."
Aleximus put his back to the wall and the people standing on it, gripping his left arm tightly and hobbling toward Jace and Hidemi. “If you think you can keep lying to yourself and put the blame on others… I’ll knock some sense into you.”
"Aleximus, are you alright?!" Jacender asked, assisting his brother.
"Yeah. But now I’m pissed off."
Jace nodded in agreement. Hidemi, who'd been unsure of what to do thus far, timidly raised Aleximus's other arm and put it over his shoulder, helping Jace carry him away.
It wasn't something he felt they needed him to do. It was something he had to do. To repay the boys who, just until a few minutes earlier, he had never met before. Boys who had essentially saved his life and stuck up for him in ways that almost no one had.
"Hey you," Aleximus looked down to his right, nudging the boy with his chin. "Hidemi, right?"
Hidemi nodded.
THUK!
Aleximus swung his head to the side, headbutting Hidemi without a hint of emotion on his face. "Show a little backbone, punk! If people bully you, never sit there and take it! Once you let someone step on you... That's when things go bad!"
He thought back to Anna. Had he been quicker -- to not be affected by Hatagi's taunts -- he might have been able to save her. He was reminded of an old lesson they learned from their uncle as children; That Adults should always take care of kids. And any adult who didn’t was to be considered trash.
Jacender grinned. I know the real reason you stepped in, Aleximus. It's because you didn't want to let things repeat themselves, didn't you? Family fighting each other.
He thought back to Anna, understanding Aleximus's motivation to save Hidemi. He'd also noticed the contempt on Hisagi's face. There was much more to the story, and both brothers understood that.
Nevertheless, Hisagi had embarrassed them both and despite understanding that they needed to grow stronger to survive in the outside world -- they had been thoroughly beaten. Aleximus, more than all, wanted to show him what for.
Hisagi straightened his posture and watched the boys walk away. After sucking his teeth, he waved at the guards to be at ease and retreated from the edge.
"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Aleximus asked, slamming his head into Jace's. "Yeow! What was that for?!" Jace shouted. He fell to the floor and grabbed his head. "I know you're laughing at me! I can tell based on that beady look in your stupid eyes!" his brother spat.
"As for You!" he continued, grabbing Hidemi's collar. He gave him a hard shake. "You're coming with us."
Hidemi's eyes widened.
“Something tells me you can help us find what we’re looking for and get stronger.”
Aleximus put his arm over his shoulder again and allowed him to assist him. “Plus,” he added. Aleximus's lips curved into a smile.
"I’ll teach you how to kick your cousin’s ass."
[Xastol City]
Hidemi Murong official art! [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1122294150470058094/1206084449998209084/Hidemi.png?ex=6632646c&is=663112ec&hm=9c249d4b95ef24c6691969ff62b669af393cdc17386c0bf4f6784ee156525b6d&]
Hisagi Murong official art! [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1122294150470058094/1206084211665276938/Hisagi.png?ex=66326434&is=663112b4&hm=5570fcc24f287cd15608fb3e692546d6ad5247718b4cd8ddcdab3db68b69bb3a&]