“What's got you all giggly this morning?” Yang asked his beloved daughter, Dawn, while taking a bite of cheese covered scrambled eggs.

“Just happy I got to see my friend last night again.”

“Your dreamwalking skills are improving at a rapid pace,” her mother, Helena said as she took a bite of an apple. “I'm quite impressed!”

“Thanks mom!”

The family is recovering from the loss of Dusk, the heir to hope and light. Yin, the god of darkness and their greatest enemy, used Dawn as ransom in order to force Dusk to join him. Dawn still has a light scar where the dagger was used to cut her neck.

Yang sees the scar and sighs, thinking about his son. Helena holds his hand and smiles.

“We’ll bring him home.”

Yang smiles.

The family continued their breakfast.

“Howwww’s myyyy sister from another misterrrr?” Rio came up and ruffled Dawn’s hair

“Hey Rio! I'm okay.”

“That's good. That's good. The gang and I were planning on going out-”

Rio could feel Yang’s protective glare.

“Chillax uncle Yang, she’ll be fine. She's with us!”

“Still...”

“Dad, I never go out and do anything.” She gave Yang the puppy dog eyes, knowing full well that it's his weakness.

Yang gave a huge sigh.

“You can go.”

“Yes!”

“After you finish your lessons and training for the day.”

“But dad! Rio, try to convince him pleeeeeease.”

“Uncle, come on. She hasn't had fun with us for ages. She only ever spends time with her dream boyfriend.”

“He's not my boyfriend!” Dawn protested, face flushing red.

“I sure hope not.” Yang said defensively.

“Yang, honey, just let her go. She could use the day off,” Helena intervened.

Yang thought about and conceded.

“Fine. Be back before dark.”

☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯☯

Yin spent the last five years conditioning and training Dusk to be his loyal tool of war. Dusk was forbidden to use his power over light and is forced to rely on darkness, which hurts him.

Dusk regularly gets beaten and tortured by Yin. Nisshoku plays mind games with him while the others just boss him around and mock him.

“Look, it's the fallen king. Hey, Dusky!” Phoenix called, while sitting on a couch, taking a swig of his vodka flask. “Refill this.”

“Do it yourself, and stop calling me that.”

Phoenix slammed him against the wall with blinding speed, face red from anger.

“I will call you whatever the fuck I want to call you. Now be a good little boy and do what I ordered! Got it?!”

Dusk, in an act of defiance, kicked him hard in the gut, sending Phoenix flying backwards into another wall. Phoenix landed on his feet.

“So, you want to fight huh?” The air in the room became very hot, indicating Phoenix’s growing rage. Flames engulfed Phoenix as he charged up some blisteringly hot fire in his hands. “I'll give you a fight!!”

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A large ball of fire was hurled towards Dusk at rapid speed. Dusk sliced through it with his hand, dissipating it.

The fight between the two quickly became vicious.

Yin heard all of the commotion and rushed to the common area, where he witnessed his nephew fighting his general.

“Enough!!!”

The two stopped their battle, both bruised and bloodied. Phoenix’s face went white with mild fear while Dusk’s flooded with absolute terror.

“Phoenix, take care of your wounds and do something else to release your rage.”

“Yes sir.” Phoenix muttered he left the area to the castle infirmary.

Yin looked at Dusk with furious eyes. Dusk immediately went to his hands and knees.

“Please! I beg you! It was self defense! He attacked me first!”

“I know. And you should've kept your head down like a good servant.”

“I'm your nephew! We’re family! You shouldn't be treating me this way!”

Yin used darkness to coil around and constrict Dusk. Dusk struggled to free himself.

“You insolent brat. I don't care if we share the same blood. You're nothing but a slave in my eyes.” His darkness coiled around Dusk tighter. “Looks like I gave you too much free will. That must be remedied immediately.”

Yin forced the dark coils to bring Dusk over to him. He placed his thumb on his forehead. “Any final words before you become my mindless puppet?”

Dusk looked at him, eyes full of disgust and hatred, and managed to successfully break free from the coils, stunning Yin. Dusk used the opportunity to try and escape, sprinting through multiple corridors of the castle, pushing past servants and slaves in his desperate attempt to flee.

Once Yin got over his initial shock, rage replaced it. Darkness swirled around him as his rage grew, causing the ground to shake and a furious wind to blow. His anger reached a critical point where his body turned pitch black and darkness cloaked his very being. His other servants and slaves felt his rage and were utterly terrified. Yin saw his nephew’s every movement and teleported outside his castle grounds to stop him.

Dusk felt his uncle’s rage and ran even faster towards the castle doors. He felt hope that he would finally escape the hell he’s been put through. He could finally go home, to his friends, to his people, to his parents and little sister. He burst through the door to the front garden and ran for the gate knowing that if he could escape castle grounds, he could finally be free from the torture and abuse Yin put him through.

What he wasn't anticipating was his uncle waiting for him just a few hundred yards away, cloaked in his divine darkness, radiating a hideously furious aura.

“You thought you could escape me?” Yin started, raising his hand up. “Think again.”

Yin blasted Dusk with a powerful beam of black energy. Dusk was barely able to avoid it.

“I'm going home, whether you let me or not!!”

“Hmph. Foolish.”

Utilizing every skill his father taught him, and knowing full well that he will almost definitely lose, he fought his uncle. He fought with all his strength, even using his light powers, that he was forbidden to use. Yin barely had to move as he ordered his darkness to counter his nephew without even moving or speaking.

Flashes of light and darkness filled the area as the uncle and nephew fought. Dusk was fighting a losing battle and was running out of energy.

“Is this the best you can do?” Yin mocked. “If so, then Yang raised a weakling.”

Dusk gathered his remaining energy and blasted a ray of brilliant light. Yin countered with an equally powerful ray of darkness. Both energy's clashed against each other, neither overpowering the other. Dusk strained to keep the beam strong while Yin didn't have to struggle at all. Eventually Yin grew bored of playing fair and allowed his power to overwhelm Dusk, knocking him unconscious.Yin used his time powers to fix the makeshift battlefield then he grabbed Dusk, teleported to his dungeons, and threw him in his cell, chaining him with his powers in the process. He closed and locked the cell doors, and ordered more guards to be placed.

“Alert me when he's awake.”

“Yes your majesty,” a guard said with a bow.

A few hours later, while doing some maintenance of hell from his throne, a guard came up to him and kneeled. Yin looked at him.

“Speak,” he commanded.

“The prisoner is awake, your majesty.”

Yin stood up from his throne and went to the dungeon where his imprisoned nephew sat, struggling to get out of his chains.

“I was far too lenient on you, slave.”

Dusk looked at Yin with eyes full of pity.

“Quit acting tough you coward.”

Yin was taken aback by his response.

“Mind your tongue boy. Don't you dare forget who you’re talking to!”

“Yeah, a damn coward. Hiding his emotions and hurting others to feel better about himself.”

A nerve was struck within him.

“I pity you uncle.”

“I don't want or need your pity.”

“Do you really want all power for yourself, or do you just want to spread your own pain onto others under the ruse of wanting to be the ultimate ruler of the multiverse?”

“BE QUIET!!!” Yin lashed him with a whip of dark energy. “As I've stated before, I've been far too lenient with you.”

“I'm not scared of you.”

“Then I'll make you fear me.”

Before Dusk could react, Yin put his hand over his face, and began blasting him with dark energy, forcing Dusk to see horrific visions of his family and friends being slaughtered, through the eyes of people who were witnessing the end of their planet, and horrible nightmares of being devoured alive by demons.

Dusk grabbed Yin’s wrist, struggling to get Yin’s hand off his face while begging him to stop. It was only a few minutes, but those minutes felt like hours for Dusk. When it was over, all that was left was a traumatized Dusk.

“Now then, will you obey my every command?”

Dusk nodded frantically.

“Glad we’re on the same page, but to be doubly sure,” Yin touched his forehead and an insignia formed on him. “Now I can force you to do what you're told if you even get a little bit rebellious. And it will only hurt a lot.”

Dusk was freed from his chains and collapes onthe floor, trembling. Yin kicked his face and left the cell, making sure to lock it as he left with a slight laugh.

Dusk was left on the floor of his cell, trembling and weeping, desperately wanting to go home.