Chapter 37 – The Cursed Twins
Blood, dust, and smoke filled every inch of Britania. The ruins seemed to swallow the world, leaving Gosh alone, facing his impossibility. Glann had just fallen, his arms torn off, his diversion mission accomplished. Gosh felt the void engulf him. He had to survive, but every thought seemed to crash against a wall of helplessness.
He focused, closing his eyes, trying to locate a safe point to teleport. Atlantis… he had to think of Atlantis, the sanctuary, the point of light. But Atlantis had vanished from his consciousness, as if erased, as if the world itself refused to grant him this last chance.
"No… no… I can't fail…" he murmured, teeth clenched, blood dripping from his forehead. His hands trembled, his magic faltering, but he tried again. His palms glowed with a flickering light, his body lifted slightly as the teleportation began.
A scream of frustration escaped his lips. The ruins around him seemed to twist, debris swirling like ghosts. He focused on the only image he could visualize: the heart of Britania, the place he had to protect, the ultimate hope… but everything was blurry, lost.
Tears streamed down his face, a mixture of pain, fear, and rage. Every memory, every lost face, every scream he could not save came back in a torrent. He felt his magic betray him, his vision faltering. Teleportation… it was impossible. Despair crashed down on him like an avalanche.
And then, a rumble. A massive shadow fell from the sky. Before Gosh could react, a crushing force pinned him to the ground. The weight was unimaginable. Pain exploded in his back. He screamed, the earth trembling under the impact. Gosh's eyes widened as he realized the horror: Ezer… was on his back.
"Where is the heart of Britania?" Hit roared, his voice piercing and icy.
Gosh felt tears stream freely, his cheeks soaked, his breath short and ragged. "I… I… I…" he stammered, unable to form a sentence. Despair engulfed him, every fiber of his being crying out, yet his spirit refused to yield. Even under Ezer's crushing weight, even crushed by helplessness, Gosh wanted to resist.
He recalled Glann, his sacrifice, his determination, his last breath: "Protect… Britania…" The words echoed in his mind. And with a final effort, Gosh felt a surge of magic rise from within. He tried to lift himself, to teleport, to wrench free from the mortal grip of his enemy. But Ezer's overwhelming presence, combined with the mental and physical destruction around him, made every movement nearly impossible.
Tears continued to flow, burning, but Gosh gritted his teeth, eyes closed, trying to focus every ounce of magic into a final act of survival. His whole body trembled, his strength failing, but his spirit still cried out: I will not give in… not now… not after everything we've lost…
The silence that followed was suffocating. Even Ezer seemed motionless, his red eyes fixed on him, attentive, analyzing. And for a moment that seemed to last an eternity, the world held its breath: the destroyed city, the ruins, the ashes… everything seemed to pause before this final act of despair.
But Gosh knew reality was merciless. Atlantis no longer existed in his mind, and Ezer would leave no chance. Tears flowed, blending pain, fear, and an inextinguishable rage. He was crushed, trapped, but Gosh's spirit remained, fragile yet incandescent, a final thread of hope in a world of ruins.
Gosh's memory blurred as if time itself were cracking. The flames of Britania faded, replaced by a gray sky of another day.
A cry… then another. Two cries. Two babies, crying in a miserable room, lit by a flickering candle.
Gosh's world dissolved. Ezer's weight, the pain of his broken body, all faded into a dark haze. And in this haze, a flickering light appeared: a woman's face.
A tired smile. Tears of tenderness.
His mother.
Eight Years Earlier – Village of Gogoro, Britania
In a filthy room lit by a single candle, a woman gasped, holding two newborns against her frail chest. The sheets were stained with blood, the air thick with metallic and sweat odors. Her hair clung to her face with sweat, her features emaciated, marked by fatigue and suffering. Yet she smiled, eyes full of tears.
"My… my angels…" she murmured, lips trembling.
She gently stroked the cheek of the first, a boy with half-open eyes.
"You… you were born first… your name will be Gosh."
Then she looked down at the second, smaller, fragile, shivering despite the threadbare blankets.
"And you… my little one… you arrived just after your brother… you will be Glann."
A broken smile crossed her face. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Your father… didn't want you… but I will love you enough for two… even for a thousand…"
She kissed their foreheads one by one, sobbing softly.
The room was freezing, the broken window letting in winter wind. But she held them tighter, as if her body could shield them from the world.
---
The years passed. The twins grew up in the harshest poverty. Their mother, forced to sell her body, often disappeared at night and returned in the morning, exhausted, hands trembling. Yet every night, she sang to them, a soft, broken voice, full of love:
"Sleep, my little ones… tomorrow will be better… I promise you…"
But tomorrow was never better.
The children ran barefoot through the alleys. Their stomachs constantly growled. They fought dogs for a piece of moldy bread. People looked away, some even spat when they saw them pass.
The room they occupied was a damp corner, the cold seeping through every crack. Meals were rare, sometimes just a piece of moldy bread shared three ways.
"Eat, Glann…" Gosh often said, offering his portion to his younger brother.
"But you?" Glann replied, eyes shining with worry.
"I'm strong. You have to grow. You're my brother."
Even as a child, Gosh already protected his brother. And Glann, fragile, clinging, always held his hand as if that touch was enough to reassure him.
Their mother did her best, but her frail body and health doomed her. Each night, she would sit beside them, caressing their hair and whispering:
"Forgive me… I cannot give you more… but you, my sons… promise me you'll stay together. Always."
And two small voices responded in unison:
"Always!"
One evening, under the pouring rain, their mother had not returned. Glann shivered, pressing against his brother.
"Gosh… I'm cold…"
"Come here, little brother." Gosh held him close, covering his head with his thin arms.
"But you're shivering too…"
"It's okay. As long as you're with me, it's okay."
Glann lifted his tearful eyes.
"Why does everyone look at us like that? Like we're… like we're dirty?"
Gosh looked away, jaw clenched.
"Because they're idiots. We're not dirty. We are… we are us. And I will always protect you."
Glann nodded, burying his face against his brother.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
---
On their seventh birthday, the room was dark, the walls seeping moisture. A foul smell clung to the air: a mixture of sweat, blood, and fever. Their mother lay on an old, torn mattress, her breath shallow, hair stuck to her forehead with sweat.
Gosh and Glann were at her side, little hands clutching the sheets as if it could keep her alive.
"Mom… hold on…" Gosh pleaded, eyes red.
She lifted her gaze weakly toward him.
"My son… I am… so sorry…"
"Sorry? But… why?!" Gosh almost shouted, voice broken. "You did nothing!"
A sob shook her frail body.
"It's… it's me who condemned you… I took this job… so you could eat… so you could have a roof… but I caught this disease that devours me…"
Glann burst into tears.
"No! No, Mom! It's not your fault!"
She stroked his trembling cheek with her cold hand.
"My treasures… I never wanted… you to see this… I wished… I could be strong… be worthy… But I was… only a broken woman…"
"You lie!" Gosh replied, clenching his fist. "You are the best! You fought for us! You never abandoned us!"
She smiled faintly, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"If… I failed… more than once I thought of disappearing… but every time I saw your faces… I found a reason to keep going…"
Her breathing became wheezy. Her fingers still sought her sons' hands.
"Gosh… you were born one minute before Glann… so you must… watch over him… always…"
"I promise! But stay! Stay with us! I… I'll find a doctor, I'll steal money, I'll do whatever it takes!"
She shook her head, lips trembling.
"There is nothing left… I always knew…"
Glann, collapsed, buried his face in her.
"Mom, I don't want you to go! I don't want to!"
She kissed their hair, then whispered, almost inaudibly:
"So remember… even if I am no longer here… my love will follow you… in every breath… every step…"
Her gaze faded. Her breath stopped.
Silence fell.
"MOM!!!" Glann screamed, voice torn.
Gosh froze, eyes wide open, unable to breathe. Then slowly, he hugged his brother tight.
"She won't come back…" he murmured, voice trembling. "But I'm here. I will always be here."
Glann nodded weakly, unable to stop his sobs. And that night, the twins realized they were truly alone in the world.
À suivre.....