Bastin's heart pounded as he shook Yusuf desperately.
"Yusuf, Yusuf, Yusuf!"
But Yusuf remained asleep, completely unaware of the nightmare unfolding around him.
Bastin's mind raced. He needed to wake him up—fast.
And then, an idea struck him.
"Ani!" he called out.
Yusuf's eyes fluttered open.
He blinked, groggy and confused. "Huh?"
And then—his gaze landed on the devastation around him.
"HHHAAA??!!!"
His scream tore through the air as he shot up, panic setting in.
"What—what happened here?!"
Bastin wasted no time. He rushed through the entire story, speaking so fast he could barely breathe.
But before Yusuf could process anything, his gaze fell on the figure emerging from the dust.
Saliz.
Walking toward them.
"Uncle…?" Yusuf whispered.
Bastin turned. His stomach dropped.
Saliz's glowing red eyes burned through the haze. He was coming for them.
"RUN, ANI!" Bastin shouted, grabbing Yusuf's arm and bolting.
But Yusuf just stood there. Frozen.
Bastin's heart clenched. He ran back, grabbed Yusuf, and dragged him forward.
"UAAH!" Yusuf yelped as he stumbled forward.
They ran—as far as their legs could take them.
The dust and debris swallowed them, their breaths ragged and desperate.
Bastin finally stopped, panting.
"He's not your uncle," he said, his voice shaking.
Yusuf, still catching his breath, looked at him with wide, terrified eyes.
"Then—where is he?"
Bastin opened his mouth.
But nothing came out.
Because he didn't know.
Silence.
"What do you mean you don't know?!" Yusuf exploded. "You've been—engaged with him in all this, and now you say you don't know?!"
Bastin didn't answer. He couldn't.
And then—
SHHHHKK!
A sharp noise cut through the dust.
Bastin's breath hitched.
A vine.
It shot from the haze behind him—
And wrapped tightly around his body.
"ANI, HELP!" Bastin screamed as he was yanked backward.
Yusuf lunged forward, grabbing Bastin's arm, trying to pull him back—but the force was too strong.
"NO—Bastin!!" Yusuf yelled, his fingers slipping.
The vine ripped Bastin away.
He was pulled through the air—
And in an instant—he was in the clutches of Saliz.
Or rather—
The thing that looked like Saliz.
Bastin struggled against his grip, but it was useless. The strength holding him wasn't human.
Saliz's glowing red eyes stared directly into his soul.
And then—
He laughed.
A slow, deep, horrifying laugh that made Bastin's blood run cold.
"Aah ha ha ha ha ha ha… Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha…!"
Bastin shook with fear.
Yusuf stood frozen, shivering, too horrified to move.
Saliz tilted his head, his expression twisted with amusement.
"You wanted to know who I am, right?" he sneered, his voice dripping with darkness.
Bastin's stomach twisted into knots.
The air around them grew heavy.
The world felt colder.
Saliz's lips curled into a wicked smile.
"I'm the Lord of Demons… Ifrit."
And then—
Another dark, chilling laugh.
"Aha ha ha ha ha! It's over now… it's over for you lil b*tch."
Saliz's fingers crept towards Bastin's Syroche. The eerie glow in his eyes sharpened, his grin widening as he loomed closer.
Bastin thrashed against the vines constricting him, his arms trembling as he tried to pry himself free. "Damn it! Let me go!" he shouted, his voice strained.
Meanwhile, Yusuf clutched his head, his breath quick and shallow. His hands gripped his hair, tugging in desperation.
His thoughts were spiraling.
"What do I do?"
"Think, think, think—!"
"ANI! HELP ME!!" Bastin's cry shattered the noise in Yusuf's head.
Saliz's hand moved closer.
Yusuf dropped to his knees, his chest tightening. His body refused to move.
"Dad… help me! Please, protect me!" Bastin choked out.
For the briefest second, Saliz paused.
And then—
He laughed.
"AHAHAHAHA! Your dad?" His grin twisted cruelly. "He's not coming, kid. He's up with the stars."
His hand lunged for the brooch—
But stopped.
A force held him back.
A grip—unwavering and firm.
Yusuf's hand had caught his wrist.
"ANI!" Bastin gasped, eyes wide with hope.
Yusuf's face was partially hidden under the messy strands of his hair. His posture was stiff, his breathing shallow.
His eyes—hidden in shadow.
His voice—cold and flat.
"Let him go."
Saliz frowned, his expression darkening.
"Oh? You've got some nerve. But don't be stupid, kid—this brooch isn't a toy."
Yusuf's grip tightened.
"I said… let him go."
Bastin's heart pounded. Something about Yusuf felt different.
For the first time—Saliz hesitated.
Then his annoyance flared.
"Tch. Fine. Have it your way!"
He jerked his arm violently—
And Yusuf was flung into the air.
But he didn't let go.
He clung to Saliz's arm with an iron grip, refusing to release him.
Saliz growled. "Alright, brat. You asked for it."
With a swift motion, he raised Yusuf high—then yanked him down.
Hard.
CRACK!
Yusuf's body slammed against the ground.
Pain exploded through him. His vision blurred. Blood dripped from his nose.
His fingers twitched. His body screamed at him to stop.
But he didn't stop.
With whatever strength he had left—he grabbed Saliz's foot.
Saliz's expression darkened. "You little—"
With a sharp kick, Yusuf was sent flying.
His back crashed against a fallen tree in the earthquake's debris. His lungs emptied in a painful gasp.
"ANI!!" Bastin cried, his voice cracking.
Saliz—**no, Ifrit—**smirked.
"Aww, how sweet. The unbreakable bond of brotherhood." He chuckled mockingly. "Too bad you two met only a few days earlier."
But before he could finish—
"SO WHAT?!"
Bastin's voice shook the air.
Saliz blinked.
Tears streamed down Bastin's face. His body trembled, his fists clenched.
"SO WHAT IF WE ONLY MET A FEW DAYS EARLIER?!
SO WHAT IF WE'RE NOT BROTHERS BY BLOOD?!"
His voice cracked—raw, desperate, furious.
Saliz's smirk faltered.
Bastin's voice rang through the air.
"We had enough affection for each other!"
"And that's enough to be called brothers!"
His words pierced through the storm like an arrow.
Saliz's jaw clenched, his teeth grinding together. His nails dug into his palms as he glared at Bastin.
"Shut up!" he snapped, his voice sharp—almost desperate.
But Bastin's words had already dug deep. Too deep.
Memories came flooding back—
The air smelled of damp earth and fresh herbs. Saliz, his twin brother Urui, and their sister Xayne knelt beside their parents, fingers buried in the soil as they carefully tended to the Salivia herbs. Their family—the Arifits—had spent generations mastering the secrets of nature, healing the sick, and passing down the sacred Phyta Syroche to the next worthy heir.
That afternoon, their father arrived home, his boots caked in mud, but his face lit with excitement.
"They said yes!" he announced, breathless.
Their mother, who had been plowing the field, froze for a second before spinning around. "Really?" she gasped.
He nodded. "Xayne is to be married into the Athelif family."
Xayne's eyes widened. "To Azuya?" she whispered, barely believing it.
Their mother laughed, hugging her tightly. "Yes! You'll live in Constantinople, my dear!"
Saliz and Urui exchanged glances. They had always known this day would come, but now that it was here… it felt strange.
That night, the three of them lay awake in their shared room.
"You'll write to us, won't you?" Urui asked softly.
Xayne smiled. "Of course, idiot. It's not like I'll forget you two exist."
Saliz stared at the ceiling. "Still... it won't be the same without you."
Xayne turned to look at him, her voice gentle. "You'll have Urui. You'll have each other."
That year, Xayne was married to Azuya Athelif, at the very young age of 9 and had been living in Constantinople by then.
7 years passed by, Their father had passed away two years ago. And now, at sixteen, only Saliz and Urui remained—the last heirs of the Arifit family.
Urui had grown into a hardworking young man, always helping others. Meanwhile, Saliz... had not.
Rain pounded against the roof one evening as Urui tied on his old straw hat, shoving medicine into a satchel.
"I'm heading out," he said. "There are people hurt from the flood. They need help." and disappeared in the rain.
Saliz barely lifted his head from the wooden cot. "In this weather?" he muttered.
Their mother stepped in, frowning at Saliz. "You should go with him."
Saliz groaned. "It's boring."
His eyes got the brooch sticking against his mother's chest. That got his attention. He remembered all the training he and Urui were given by their father in past years.
"Anne! You'll yield the Syroche to me na?" he said pointing his finger directly to the Brooch.
She looked at his finger's direction. "Nah!" She said.
"Why?"
"There's no why for a lazy child like you!"
"I'm lazy!? Nah!"
Her gaze hardened. "And that's why you'll never inherit the Syroche."
He sat up. "Then You're giving it to Urui?"
"Of course. He actually does something."
Saliz stared at her. Then slept again.
[Hours passed]
Urui was back, water dropping off his body. Saliz woke up to his sound. "Ah! Here, Get in my hardworking child" Said his mother handing him a towel. "Anne! They were so happy when I helped them!" Urui said smiling. His mother took him to a room to dry off the wet. "Really?" She said closing the door. The voices became almost inaudible to Saliz.
"Maybe Urui really did deserve the brooch. Maybe he was better suited for it.
Maybe this was how it was meant to be."
With a sigh, Saliz lay back down. Getting into a deep sleep.
[Time passed— Same day's midnight]
Saliz was fast asleep when a whisper pulled him from his dreams.
"Saliz."
He cracked one eye open. Urui stood beside his bed, his face unreadable in the dim candlelight.
"What?" Saliz groaned, rubbing his eyes.
"Come outside."
Saliz frowned but followed. The rain had stopped, and the garden was eerily quiet under the moonlight.
Urui turned to face him. "Be honest," he said. "You want the Syroche, don't you?"
Saliz blinked. "Huh?"
"Don't lie," Urui snapped. "I know you've had your eyes on it."
Saliz's expression fell. "I mean… maybe before. But not anymore."
Urui's voice dropped, dangerously quiet. "You're lying."
Something about the way he said it sent a shiver down Saliz's spine.
Then, before he could react—
Urui pulled a knife from his pocket.