So, what do you say?" Tae asked, his golden eyes scanning his brothers. "We've got new powers. Let's see how they stack up against each other."
Kd's red eyes crackled, and a faint scent of ozone was noticeable. "Finally! I'm ready to test this new lightning."
Joseph nodded calmly, his blue eyes shimmering. "Let's keep it controlled. We don't want to level the orphanage. And no combined attacks."
The brothers stood in a triangle, a familiar ritual. The silence grew, filled with unspoken challenges. Tae moved first, and his golden eyes flared as he created several shimmering orbs of pure light. They were meant to be a distraction, moving around Kd and Joseph.
Kd immediately went on the offensive, his red eyes narrowing. He unleashed a barrage of black lightning. The bolts arced towards Tae, who focused his golden eyes. Tae's new control over light allowed him to shape it. He solidified the light into a hexagonal shield that intercepted Kd's lightning.
Meanwhile, Joseph activated his blue eyes, perceiving the energetic flows. He saw the weak points in Tae's light constructs and Kd's lightning. As Tae focused on his shield, Joseph unleashed an "Energy Slash" at Tae's feet. The earth turned grey, and the decay spread outwards.
Tae felt the ground weakening and launched himself into the air, dispelling the shield. He used the momentum to create a solid blade of light.
Kd, seeing an opening, superheated the air, a storm of black lightning forming. With a grin, he unleashed a concentrated blast at Tae, who was still airborne.
Tae intercepted the blast with his light blade, but the electrical attack was too powerful. He channeled the incoming lightning, redirecting the flow of energy. A massive black lightning bolt was shot back towards Joseph.
Joseph, having anticipated Tae's move, focused his blue eyes, perceiving the attack. He erected a defensive field, using his "Decay" to unravel the electrical charge. The bolt slammed into his field and unraveled into fading energy.
"Interesting," Joseph said, smiling.
Kd, having just landed, wasted no time. His red eyes glowed brighter as he generated a vortex of black lightning and fire, threatening to consume the clearing.
Joseph, seeing the power of Kd's attack, knew he had to act fast. His blue eyes burned as he targeted the core of the vortex. He unleashed a focused "Decay Nova," which unraveled the storm. Kd felt the power drain and dropped to one knee.
Tae, witnessing Joseph's Decay, knew he had to finish quickly. He focused his golden eyes, creating a single orb of concentrated light. He hurled it between his two friends, creating a blinding flash. Both Kd and Joseph were disoriented, their eyes shut.
At that moment, Tae moved. With a solid blade of light in each hand, he tapped both Kd and Joseph on the shoulder, signaling his victory.
As the light faded, Kd and Joseph opened their eyes, seeing Tae standing between them, his blades dissipating.
Joseph smiled, shaking his head. "Smart. I forgot you could just, you know, blind us."
Kd grumbled, rubbing his shoulder. "Cheap shot, Tae."
Tae smirked, his golden eyes gleaming. "It's strategy. I had to use my wits as well as my power."
The brothers stood together, exhausted but satisfied. They had pushed their new abilities. They understood each other's strengths and weaknesses. The battle was about growth. Their bond was forged in shared power and respect. They were a team, ready for whatever dangers lay ahead.
The air in the clearing, still and vibrant from their morning spar, suddenly grew heavy and cold. The brothers, now more attuned than ever to supernatural disturbances, felt the shift instantly. A low, guttural growl, echoing from the woods, sent a shiver down their spines. This was no ordinary creature; it was different from the Shadow Harbinger, a malevolent presence that radiated ancient fear. It was the dreaded Wendigo.
Tae's golden eyes snapped towards the woods. "Something's wrong," he whispered, a hint of unease in his voice. Kd's red eyes crackled with defensive electricity, and Joseph's blue aura flared as he scanned the treeline. The trees themselves seemed to twist and writhe, their branches contorting into skeletal claws. From the depths of the forest, a gaunt, shadowy figure emerged. The Wendigo, its form a terrifying blend of shadow and malice, towered over them, its long, clawed limbs shimmering with dark energy.
"It feeds on fear and despair," Joseph warned, his voice tight. "Direct attacks might not work." The Wendigo's roar, a chilling cacophony of anguish and hunger, echoed through the clearing. Its presence was a physical weight, draining the energy from the air and sending a wave of primal dread washing over them.
The Wendigo's First Assault
Tae, fighting off the creeping dread, took the initiative. His golden eyes blazed, and he unleashed a blinding burst of pure light. The Wendigo recoiled, its shadowy form flickering and hissing in protest, but the light only seemed to agitate it, not harm it. The creature quickly regained its composure and lunged at Kd with surprising speed.
Kd, his fighting instincts honed from years of brawling and training, met the charge with a series of lightning-fast strikes. He weaved and dodged, his body a blur of motion, a mix of martial arts and electrical power. Each of his lightning-infused punches and kicks sent crackling energy rippling across the Wendigo's form, momentarily disrupting its cohesion.
Joseph, his focus unwavering, activated his blue eyes. His perception, now hyper-attuned to energetic flaws, revealed the Wendigo's true nature: a constantly shifting mass of malevolent energy. Instead of a single core, he saw a network of energetic nodes, each a potential weakness. Targeting these nodes, he unleashed a barrage of precise "Energy Slashes" imbued with his Decay ability. The strikes, though not causing immediate damage, started to unravel the Wendigo's form at a more fundamental level, causing it to shriek in frustration as parts of its body dissolved and reformed .
The Wendigo, enraged by their coordinated assault, launched a wide, sweeping attack, its shadowy claws raking the ground with immense power. The brothers, anticipating the move, leaped away. Tae created a temporary platform of light, propelling himself to a higher vantage point. Joseph, his new eye power revealing the attack's path, effortlessly sidestepped it.
From his aerial perch, Tae launched a barrage of shimmering light blades, slicing through the unstable energy nodes Joseph had revealed. The Wendigo howled in pain as the blades struck true, causing its form to flicker more violently.
The Brothers' Awakened Abilities
Realizing that their current power wasn't enough, the brothers synchronized their attacks, activating their next level of eye powers. Tae's golden eyes flared with a new, intense radiance, allowing him to perceive the emotional and energetic state of living things. This new power, which he internally dubbed "The Golden Gaze," revealed the fear and despair fueling the Wendigo, making its energy nodes glow like malevolent stars.
Kd's red eyes burned with a fierce, crimson glow. His new ability, "The Crimson Conductor," allowed him to not only generate and control electricity but to manipulate and siphon energy from the ambient environment, converting it into raw power. The air around him crackled with amplified electrical energy, the scent of ozone growing stronger ].
Joseph's blue eyes shimmered with a profound, unsettling depth. He had unlocked "The Azure Aegis," a defensive aspect of his Decay ability. He could now perceive incoming attacks in slow motion, giving him precious seconds to react, and could unravel not just physical objects, but the very energy of an attack itself.
The Climactic Battle
With their new powers, the tide of the battle turned. Tae, using his Golden Gaze, pinpointed the Wendigo's fear-filled nodes. "Kd, hit the chest! Joseph, focus on the arms!" he commanded, his voice ringing with authority.
Kd, his Crimson Conductor active, absorbed the ambient energy from the clearing, supercharging his lightning. He launched a concentrated black lightning bolt, more potent than any he had ever unleashed, directly at the Wendigo's chest. The Wendigo screamed in agony as the electrical energy tore through its core, its shadowy form convulsing violently.
At the same time, Joseph, his Azure Aegis active, watched the Wendigo's counterattack unfold in slow motion. As the creature launched a barrage of energy-draining tendrils, Joseph unleashed a targeted "Decay Nova," unraveling the tendrils' energy before they could reach them. He followed this up with a focused "Decay" attack on the Wendigo's arms, causing them to dissolve into dust.
The Wendigo, weakened and enraged, launched a final, desperate burst of energy, a concentrated vortex of despair that threatened to consume them all.
Tae, now a beacon of pure light, extended his hands. "Universal Oblivion Nova!" he roared. Kd and Joseph, knowing the drill, channeled their powers into Tae. The vortex of golden light, black lightning, and shimmering blue decay ripped through the Wendigo, annihilating it utterly. The ominous chill vanished, and the moonlight broke through the clouds once more
A Cruel Twist
Exhausted but exhilarated, the brothers collapsed, their new powers pushing them to their limits. The forest, once again peaceful, basked in the moonlight. "We did it," Tae panted, a weary smile on his face.
"That was too easy," Joseph muttered, his eyes still shimmering with residual power. "It felt like it held back."
Before they could fully recover, a chilling, familiar voice echoed from the woods, a voice that was both ancient and full of malevolence. "You are more powerful than I expected, little brothers. But you forgot one thing..."
A ghostly, shadowy form materialized, not the Wendigo itself, but a spectral, more powerful entity that looked like the Wendigo's spirit. It moved with blinding speed, a silent blur of darkness. Before the brothers could even react, it swept past them and towards the orphanage.
A horrified cry split the air. "Sister Patricia, the children!"
They saw the shadowy specter carrying a struggling Sister Patricia, who appeared to be unconscious, into the depths of the forest. The brothers, their energy depleted, could only watch in horror as the Wendigo's spirit disappeared into the darkness, leaving them with a chilling message.
"I'll be waiting for you. Come to the heart of the woods, where true power was born."
The realization dawned on them with a sickening finality. This wasn't just a monster. It was a test, a prelude to a greater evil. The victory they had just celebrated was nothing more than a diversion. The game was far from over.