Momo walked through the halls of the Royal Manor with Takahiro, the latter breaking the silence.

“I have done as you had asked and commissioned a training room within the Manor, but I would caution you, it won’t hold up.” Takahiro commented as they reached it, opening the door to a spacious, brick padded interior.

“This will do.” Momo replied, walking into the centre.

Clapping his hands, Momo began forming a white brick in his hands, duplicating it rapidly and placing them on the ground, expanding them and melding them together across the room, creating a beautiful white room, as he expanded a window and a wall of weapons into it.

“What is this?” Takahiro inquired.

“It is a room, reshaped with the power of matter, I simply used my existing powers to create a room that is entirely indestructible to anything any of us can output.” Momo replied.

“That is quite impressive. Why build the room then?” Takahiro asked.

“To have a layout, I’m not incredibly creative.” Momo responded.

“Now, gather my sister and Hjalmarr, if we are to beat someone as strong as Vallum, let alone Rancour, we must be well prepared.” Momo ordered.

“Of course.” Takahiro remarked, leaving to gather the others.

Momo walked to the window, peering out and into the vast expanses of England.

A landscape of art, or of chaos Raúl?

Takahiro returned to Momo, with Hjalmarr and Amirah in tow, he held two seemingly wooden sticks in his hands.

“Excellent, Amirah, come here.” Momo commanded, as Amirah stepped forward

“Are you ready to fight me?” Momo asked.

“Fight you?” Amirah asked in response.

“Yep, catch.” Momo said, throwing the stick at Amirah, who caught it.

“I’ll start slow, and get faster gradually.” Momo stated, walking toward Amirah as they began to circle one another.

Momo swung high, low and into the middle, Amirah blocking handily. He repeated the sequence to no change.

“Faster.” Momo commanded, lunging at Amirah, who blocked the next six attacks well. Momo repeated the attacks, Amirah blocking them once more.

“Faster.” Momo announced, repeating the attacks and staggering Amirah slightly. Momo lunged again, high, middle, left, low, right and hitting Amirah, pushing her to the ground.

“You’re not fighting me, you’re fighting yourself, and losing.” Momo conveyed.

“Shut up.” Amirah said, as she entered ready position once more.

“Faster.” Momo declared, striking high, low, middle, left and knocking the stick out of Amirah’s hands, tripping her over.

“Really? Is that all, I thought you were a warrior, that’s what you said, right now, you look like nothing.” Momo maintained.

Amirah grunted, kicking at Momo and knocking his fighting stick out of his hands. Momo raised his fists, guarding two punching and pushing Amirah back three times as she attempted to advance.

“You’re making it easy on me. Ready position.” Momo remarked, as Amirah gave up her advance, grabbing her blade, and returning to ready position.

Amirah attacked Momo, being easily blocked by Momo as he threw the blade out of her hands. She stood, angry, ready to give up, Momo read her thoughts, knowing of her ego and pretence.

“So you’re a coward? Going to up and leave?” Momo asked.

“I’m no coward!” Amirah yelled, pulling the blade toward her telepathically, to both Takahiro and Hjalmarr’s surprise.

She slashed at Momo, missing and trailing away.

“You’re not committed to becoming a warrior, you should give up.” Momo taunted.

“Never! I’ll never give up!” Amirah yelled, rearing the blade above herself. She charged at Momo slashing at him as he weaved the attacks.

“Really? That’s not what it looks like.” He observed, staggering Amirah with a push. “You are a coward, running from your responsibilities, your family!” Momo yelled.

“No!” Amirah retorted lunging at Momo, as he grabbed her.

“But that’s what the people believe, isn’t it?” Momo responded.

Amirah snarled, leaping backwards, aimlessly attacking Momo.

“You ran from your title, you ran from your family!” Momo pressed.

“Liar!” Amirah growled, lunging at Momo.

“Then what’s the truth?” Momo yelled as they locked blades.

“The truth… Is it...? I’m terrified! I hide to protect everyone, their memories! Our mother, our father, my brother, everything I do is for you, I’m terrified I’ll become the same monster I see in you, the fear, the anger, if I became a monster, i’d destroy everyone!” Amirah yelled lunging at Momo, slashing at him and sending him catapulting into the wall.

Amirah dropped her sword, attacking Momo, who blocked two punches, being punched in the ribs, as Amirah broke his right knee.

“If the real me came out… I’d never be the same.” Amirah said, collapsing next to Momo, who regenerated his wounds, holding her.

“I know.” Momo muttered. “I know.”

As the hours passed, Momo pondered his sister’s words. He knew she had the most potential to become a monster, and not a controlled monster like him, pure chaos. Would training Amirah mean dooming her to his path?

Takahiro entered Momo’s study, sitting with him.

“You are troubled of what your sister has revealed?” Takahiro inquired.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“I am. She is heading down a dangerous path, should I neglect to train her, hide her away, her soul will shatter. It seems it doesn’t matter which way I navigate her; she will always end up like me, but she has no control, she is far more vulnerable to herself then I am, the one good thing the wraith gave to me is my purpose, I know now that I am being numbed, so that my humanity doesn’t break me.” Momo responded.

“Is her humanity a weakness?” Takahiro asked.

“That… That isn’t what I meant, I mean she is me, without the supernatural element keeping her from being driven insane. Her humanity is the only thing I want her to keep.” Momo replied.

“Then it is best to train her, master her emotions, so that even with what is to come, she won’t be driven to become the monster you are.” Takahiro implored.

“You’re right. I need to think like a mentor, and less like a brother if I am to keep her safe.” Momo surmised.

Momo stared at the training room window once more, seeing his own reflection. A monster. The words rung in his brain, he knew they were true, but admitting them to himself was a monumental task.

Momo heard the footsteps of the giant Hjalmarr, followed by Takahiro’s and Amirah’s.

Momo turned to welcome the three as they entered.

“Momo… I-”

“Please save it Amirah, we’ll have time to discuss this later, but the day is drawing to a close and Rancour is tightening his grip upon our already strained rebellion within Scotland. I won’t treat you like a sister in these training sessions, but instead as an apprentice.”

“I understand.” Amirah remarked.

“Limiting you with a sharp stick clearly was the wrong choice, you must be trained like a warrior to be one.” Momo observed, throwing a sword at her from the wall.

“Take ready position.” Momo ordered, to which Amirah nodded.

“This time, I want you to attack me, we’ll need to work on your offensive form.” Momo commanded, to which Amirah took a more offensive position.

Amirah slashed at Momo, to which he blocked, instantly, Momo clashed with Amirah, throwing her sword away.

“You’ll have to do better.” Momo commented.

Amirah pulled the sword back, pressing the assault, replicating Momo’s combo as he span around, countering with a side swipe, to which Amirah blocked and lashed out, allowing Momo to trip her, pointing the tip of his scimitar to her chin.

“You cannot rely solely on the blade. It is a conduit of your skills, if you were to rely on it alone, one who uses the blade as a tool, rather than their only source of victory, you would die.” Momo pointed out, as Amirah entered ready position.

Amirah pushed Momo, lunging at him and knocking his blade out his hands as she pressed the assault, with Momo weaving and ducking under each slash, as he threw her away with a shockwave.

Amirah lunged at Momo as he recovered his scimitar, trading blows with him, as she tripped him with a push.

“Heh, and that’s your head brother.” Amirah laughed.

“Is this a game to you?” Momo asked angrily.

“It’s not a game, I just outsmarted you. Care to try again?” Amirah remarked, throwing Momo into the wall, to which Takahiro and Hjalmarr sat anxiously.

Momo broke the deadlock with a shockwave, shooting Amirah in the arm with an arrow and puling her by her shirt.

“History lesson, man won the war with the sorcerers millennia ago, these tricks, they’ll amount to something, save you from time to time, but the only way you’ll survive is by being the better warrior. Only training and discipline will do that!” Momo yelled, letting Amirah go, dropping her onto the ground.

“All I’ve learnt is Rancour must have been the worst teacher in history to create someone like you!” Amirah yelled back.

“You’re right.” Momo replied.

“Momo I’m sorry I-”

“No. You’re right. Rancour made me a monster, a conduit of power to serve in his war machine. I’ve died, Amirah, more than once, and each time I’ve felt the cold embrace of fate, death and causality grip on to me, only for me to refuse them, I don’t exist within their grasp anymore, I’ve escaped the natural order, I don’t even age properly. What I’m telling you Amirah, is that there is a real, very real chance that you could die, but unlike me, you’re not a cog in the machine, if you die, it’s over. All I want, is for you to live life on your own terms, I want that for all mankind, but if Rancour has his way, he will shape this world, perhaps even the universe to his will, and the freedom to live life how we please will die with me. I’m not training you out of spite, or hate, Amirah, I’m training you because I love you and I don’t want you to die.” Momo explained.

“Momo, why are you so certain I’ll die?” Amirah asked.

“Rancour will use you as a tool to break me. I am his true rival, as he explained to me. If his rival is broken, nothing can stop him.” Momo replied, exhaling sharply.

“If you don’t want to be trained, if you’d rather lock yourself away, I won’t stop you. But you must tell me now.” Momo implored.

“I’ll train. I understand why you want me to be able to fight now, it’s to protect me, isn’t it?” Amirah asked.

“I would do anything to protect you Amirah, you’re the only reminder of why I fight, the joy of life, of living, I see it in you every day my sister, I would be lost without that constant fire of hope.” Momo responded.

Amirah walked to Momo, embracing him in a hug that lifted the weight of the world off of his shoulders for but a second.

A landscape of art…