Arthur couldn't fathom what he was witnessing. One moment, he had been bonding with his brother, sharing stories under a celebratory sky. The next, he was watching a nine-foot creature devour him.
The monster was crouched, one arm locked around Trysten's neck, but its focus was on Matthew. It watched his reaction as it ripped Trysten's arm from its socket with its teeth. It enjoyed seeing him so helpless. It was toying with him. Arthur's stomach churned, but he couldn't look away. He saw the sunken despair in his brother's eyes. The feeble grip still trying to hold onto his dagger. It was futile.
He couldn't blame Matthew for being frozen. Maybe, In that moment, he had simply given up.
When Arthur turned his gaze back, his breath caught. Trysten had spotted him. His brother stared straight at him, wide-eyed, bloody lips mouthing a single, silent word. Run
Arthur stumbled back behind the wall. The movement was quiet, but it was enough. The air shifted.
The creature paused its feast. It stood, throwing Trysten's body aside like rubbish, his body crumbled against the wall. It was naked, a pale, skeletal mockery of a man, impossibly tall and thin. Only then did Arthur see the massive sword gripped in its hand.
It sniffed the air, then slowly turned its head in his direction.
"H-Hungry..."it growled, its voice an irregular glitch. "Meat…? MEAT!"
It was at that moment Matthew made his move. As the creature focused on Arthur, he scrambled to his feet and ran. The thing reacted instantly, a blur of motion cutting off his escape. It was a predator playing with its food.
Arthur could have fled. The path behind him was clear. But something in his spirit rebelled. Was he really okay with living while his brothers died like a coward? He had already seen someone he loved die and he wasn't able to do anything. This time it would be different. Ignoring Trysten's final command, he stepped fully out of the shadows.
His bravery...or foolishness didn't end there.
"H-hey!" His voice faltered, but it worked.
The creature stopped. It whipped its head around, and its face twisted into a menacing grin that stretched its features unnaturally, exposing rows of sharp teeth. It wasn't a Flo beast. Everything about it was wrong.
Arthur saw Matthew stare at him with wide, disbelieving eyes for a single second before he turned and fled down the opposite alley. A shaky exhale of relief escaped Arthur's lips.
It didn't last. The creature's grin vanished, replaced by a freakish frown, its eyes burning with fury. Its growls deepened, becoming more animalistic. Patches of grey fur sprouted on its skin, and a part of its face began to stretch and elongate.
Chills coursed through Arthur. He had to manually will his legs to move. He turned to run, and fell onto ground. He tried to get up, but fell again. Looking down, he saw why. His right leg was gone, severed cleanly, lying in a bloody trail a few feet away. The monster hadn't even moved, its head merely cocked, its sword glistening.
Adrenaline numbed the pain, but not the terror. He turned, dragging himself back toward the alley entrance, the creature's slow, deliberate footsteps echoing behind him. His brother was dead. He was crippled. And his other brother had deserted him. As the rain fell harder, his movements slowed, his breath growing shallow. He was losing too much blood.
The creature seemed to enjoy his struggle. As Arthur stretched out a hand, there was a flash of steel. His right arm was severed from his body.
This time, he screamed. The pain was overwhelming. He rolled onto his back, tears mixing with the rain, staring up at the monster looming over him almost cackling. His vision blurred. With his last shred of strength, he whispered a final prayer.
"Gods...blind Freya from this horror."
His world faded to black.
Arthur…
A muffled voice called his name in the darkness. He was dead, wasn't he?
ARTHUR.
His eyes snapped open in a panic. Instead of being greeted by the sight of the creature looking down on him, he was instead floating in a sky of endless golden clouds. It was beautiful. Was this the afterlife? He looked down, his arms and leg were restored however his body exuded a glowing, ghostly translucence.
The realisation hit him again. "Ah," he whispered. "I'm dead."
In the void, he couldn't help but throw a tantrum. What was he supposed to do now? As the rage built up, another form shimmered into existence besides him.
Trysten.
His brother looked at his own hands, at the impossible surroundings, and finally at Arthur, his face a mask of confusion and awe. "Arthur? Where...what is this?"
Before Arthur could answer, a voice boomed behind them, powerful and feminine.
"Arthur and Trysten Ren of Leria."
They turned. There, manifested in the golden void, was a massive bird engulfed in brilliant flames. The Phoenix of Legend.
Awe rendered Arthur speechless.
"I have chosen you both as candidates to wield my power," she said, her voice resonating through the cosmos of this place. "The knight who fought with valour, sacrificing himself for kin. And the brother whose courage and love are unparalleled. Both of you are worthy to be my vessel.
Arthur's heart leaped. "Does this mean...we can both go back?" He croaked.
The Phoenix let out a deep, sorrowful sigh. "Alas, the mantle can be borne by only one. A choice must be made."
The hope that had flared in Arthur's chest shattered. He looked at Trysten. His brother's expression had hardened into grim resolve. However, Arthur had already made his own resolve.
"Give it to Trys-" he began.
"No!" Trysten's voice cut through the void, loud and clear. "You always do this. You have always put others before yourself, never caring what happens to you." He looked down, a memory surfacing. "I remember you taking the blame for me when we were boys. You let Mother believe you broke those vases."
Arthur recalled the beating, the way a maid had to interfere, the harsh words. Worthless
Trysten tried to smile. "What kind of example would I be setting if I took this from its rightful heir?" A knot tightened in Arthur's chest as Trysten turned back to the Phoenix with a knight's finality. "There is no choice."
"Brother-" Arthur pleaded.
"It was always you, Arthur," Trysten interrupted, his voice thick with emotion. "You were always the better of us. You never lost your pure heart. I only found mine at the end.." He looked Arthur straight in the eye, his gaze filled with immense pride. "This power...it needs you, little brother."
"But i-" Arthur started, but the Phoenix interrupted.
"I am sorry, but you must decide quickly."
The clouds beneath them parted, revealing a birds-eye view of the alleyway, frozen in a grey-scale image. Arthur saw Trysten's broken body causing Trysten to wince at the angle he was thrown in. He saw the monster poised over his own mutilated form. But then, his ghostly heart clenched. A little girl stood in the narrow passageway he had come from, terrifie but resolute.
"Is that…"
"Yes," the Phoenix confirmed. "Your sister never left. When she saw your brother run out from a different entrance she chose to look for you. I fear that at this rate, that thing will turn to her once it is finished with you. This space cannot hold you for long. So...what will you decide?"
Trysten turned to him. "You hear that? Your sister needs a hero." A heavy, final sadness settled over Arthur. "That means...you will die."
Trysten didn't Argue. Instead, he faced the Phoenix. "My decision is made! My brother will do great things as your vessel!"
It hurt. Trysten was the knight, the obvious choice. Arthur was the nobody.
"Go," Trysten said, his voice shaking with the effort to stay strong. "Show that bastard of a creature who you are." He stood straight as he could trying his best to put a ghostly hand on Arthur.
"I bestow upon you a title. You will become a beacon for the people. Your name will be known and recognised far and wide. For your bravery, your kindness and your goodness. People will tremble at the name of the Rising sun of Leria. Arthur Ren."
The title landed on Arthur's soul, a weight and an honour he had never imagined.
"And tell her...that I'm sorry." Trysten's voice trailed off. "Now go, before I steal all this power for myself."
Arthur wrestled down the urge to bawl, uttering a single, steadfast promise. "I will do my best, sir."
He turned back to the Phoenix, his face set with steely determination, his voice clear and strong.
"Do you have a name?"