The mysterious man's voice echoed through the dark chamber.
"The Vice General has been beaten…" he said slowly, his tone filled with disappointment. "I thought he could handle them. Too weak."
Another voice, rough and cautious, spoke from the shadows.
"What do you want us to do now, sir?"
The first man smirked, eyes glinting in the dim light.
"Do nothing," he said coldly. "I've got them right where I want them."
⸻
The next morning, far from any city, Amari and Daniel woke up to the soft sound of wind and rustling trees. The fight from yesterday had pushed them to their limits, but their spirits were higher than ever.
After a quick workout and sparring match, they decided to catch some fish for breakfast. The quiet stream shimmered under the morning sun as Daniel pulled in a fish with a grin.
"Breakfast of champions," he joked.
Amari smiled faintly. "Let's eat quick. We've got a long road ahead."
After packing up, they started walking again, heading straight toward the Dark Family's territory.
As they moved, Amari's expression grew serious. "Now that I'm thinking about it… we don't even know how many people are in their base—or where they all live."
Daniel nodded, hands behind his head. "Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing. When we get there, we're gonna have to play our cards right."
Amari's eyes narrowed. "Exactly. We've got to think strategically this time. No rushing in." He paused for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "You know what? I've got a plan. When we arrive, we'll scout the place first—count their members, study how they move. Then we'll decide what to do next."
Daniel grinned. "That's a solid plan. Charging in headfirst always gets us in trouble anyway."
Amari nodded. "When we get there, we'll need to be at maximum strength. Remember the scroll we read before leaving Mom and Dad?"
Daniel's expression turned thoughtful. "Yeah, why?"
"We need to try unlocking the Mirror Stage for our eyes," Amari said, determination burning in his voice.
Daniel's eyes widened slightly. "That's a good idea. We do need to reach that level… I just hope we can in time."
Amari smirked. "We don't need hope—we've got skill. I know we can do it."
The brothers continued down the long dirt road, their conversation fading into the night breeze. The moon rose high above them, casting silver light across the landscape.
They didn't know what awaited them at the Dark Family's home… but one thing was certain—
the real war was just beginning.
Chapter 9 – The Calm Before the Storm
The mysterious man's voice echoed through the dark chamber.
"The Vice General has been beaten…" he said slowly, his tone filled with disappointment. "I thought he could handle them. Too weak."
Another voice, rough and cautious, spoke from the shadows.
"What do you want us to do now, sir?"
The first man smirked, eyes glinting in the dim light.
"Do nothing," he said coldly. "I've got them right where I want them."
⸻
The next morning, far from any city, Amari and Daniel woke up to the soft sound of wind and rustling trees. The fight from yesterday had pushed them to their limits, but their spirits were higher than ever.
After a quick workout and sparring match, they decided to catch some fish for breakfast. The quiet stream shimmered under the morning sun as Daniel pulled in a fish with a grin.
"Breakfast of champions," he joked.
Amari smiled faintly. "Let's eat quick. We've got a long road ahead."
After packing up, they started walking again, heading straight toward the Dark Family's territory.
As they moved, Amari's expression grew serious. "Now that I'm thinking about it… we don't even know how many people are in their base—or where they all live."
Daniel nodded, hands behind his head. "Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing. When we get there, we're gonna have to play our cards right."
Amari's eyes narrowed. "Exactly. We've got to think strategically this time. No rushing in." He paused for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "You know what? I've got a plan. When we arrive, we'll scout the place first—count their members, study how they move. Then we'll decide what to do next."
Daniel grinned. "That's a solid plan. Charging in headfirst always gets us in trouble anyway."
Amari nodded. "When we get there, we'll need to be at maximum strength. Remember the scroll we read before leaving Mom and Dad?"
Daniel's expression turned thoughtful. "Yeah, why?"
"We need to try unlocking the Mirror Stage for our eyes," Amari said, determination burning in his voice.
Daniel's eyes widened slightly. "That's a good idea. We do need to reach that level… I just hope we can in time."
Amari smirked. "We don't need hope—we've got skill. I know we can do it."
The brothers continued down the long dirt road, their conversation fading into the night breeze. The moon rose high above them, casting silver light across the landscape.
They didn't know what awaited them at the Dark Family's home… but one thing was certain—
the real war was just beginning.