Marcus/Rocco
Golden light continued to spill from my bracelet. It
flowed across the ancient seal beneath our feet before gathering in front of
me.
Slowly… a figure stepped forward. The light faded
until only a faint golden outline remained around him.
Finally, everyone could see him.
Valen stood with one hand tucked into his pocket,
glancing around the room as though being visible again to others after
centuries wasn't particularly remarkable.
Noah blinked twice. "…So" He pointed at Valen. "That's
Valen?"
"The one and only," Valen replied with a small nod.
Noah walked a slow circle around him.
"Huh." Valen raise an eyebrow.
"Huh?"
"I expected someone…" Noah scratched the back of his
head. "…older."
Valen looked down at himself. "I've ages wonderfully."
"You don't look like someone who's been alive for…
whatever ridiculous number of year mentioned."
"I credit eternal imprisonment." A reluctant chuckle
escaped Darren. Even Riley and Callie smiled. I buried my face in my hand.
"I am never living this down."
"No," Callie agreed. "Definitely not." Across the room, Seraphina hadn't moved. Her
expression remained unreadable.
One hand rested slightly on the hilt of her sword.
Valen met her gaze. "Still cautious?"
"I have every reason to be." He considered that for a
moment before nodding once.
"Fair." The answer seemed to catch her slightly off
guard. She had probably expected an argument or a fight. Instead, he simply
accepted it,
The silence stretched more. Finally, Valen looked
around the room. His usual smile had disappeared. "So"
His voice carried a weight I had never heard before.
"Like I'd told Rocky," Everyone chuckled at the nickname, while I glared at
him. "You've heard Alessandro's story."
His golden eyes lifted. "I suppose it's only fair that
you hear mine."
Thousands of years earlier…
Before keepers and hunters. Before demons crossed
between worlds. There existed only balance.
Two realms. Separate and peaceful.
And standing between them were two brothers. Piero
Caelum and his younger brother…
Valen.
Unlike humans, the brothers were born from the world's
creation itself, demigods whose existence was intertwined with the boundary
separating the mortal realm from the realms beyond.
Piero was the elder. Calm, patient, measured. He
considered every possibility before making a decision.
Valen, however… did not.
"You overthink everything, brother," Valen said,
tossing pebble into the endless lake before them.
"And you think far too little."
"I think exactly enough."
Piero smiled without looking up from the ancient
carvings spread before him. "So, you keep insisting."
The brothers had argued like this for years. About
everything.
Which mountain offered the best view. Whether humans
would ever amount to anything. Which stars had been there first.
It never lasted. The arguments ended with laughter.
Always.
They had each other. Life continued peacefully. Until
the first crack appeared.
It was no larger than a thread. Barely noticeable. Yet
through it leaked something neither brother had seen before.
Darkness. The first tear.
Valen sealed it almost effortlessly. But days later…
Another appeared and then another. Soon, the fractures
spread across the world.
Piero searched endlessly for an explanation. Valen
simply repaired then one after the other. Neither realized they were already
too late.
Human kingdoms began to notice strange creatures
attacking and killing them. Entire villages killed. Fear spread.
Eventually, representatives came seeking the brothers.
They begged for salvation. Piero welcomed them. Valen remained skeptical.
"I do not like this."
"You never do, brother."
"They are desperate," Valen responded.
"They are frightened."
"Then they are both." Piero sighed.
"And that is exactly why we should help."
For weeks, the elder brother searched for another
solution. His own abilities couldn't permanently stabilize the fractures. The
tears always returned.
Eventually, he approached Valen. "Brother, I have
found a way."
Valen looked up from where he sat beneath an enormous
silver tree. "You have solved it?"
"Temporarily."
Valen frowned. "I do not enjoy that word."
"If you lend a portion of your essence…" Piero looked
at him. "The tears will stabilize."
Valen stood. "Have you tested this?"
"As much as I can."
Silence.
The younger brother looked toward the horizon where
another tear shimmered in the distance.
He didn't particularly care but more people would die
if nothing changed. More kingdoms would fall.
He trusted Piero. Always had. "Very well."
The elder brother smiled. "Thank you."
The ritual was held beneath an ancient sky. Humans
gathered in a great circle. Ancient runes stretched across the ground.
Valen stepped into the centre without hesitation.
Piero began speaking words older than language itself.
Golden light erupted. Power surged. Valen closed his eyes.
At first, everything felt normal. Then, something
changed. The light became heavier. The runes beneath his feet shifted.
Black chains erupted from the ground. Valen's eyes
snapped open. "What…"
The chains wrapped around his wrist. His ankles. His
chest. He struggled once. The chains did not move.
His gaze found Piero. "Brother?"
Piero couldn't meet his eyes. Realization struck. Not
anger or hatred.
Understanding.
"You knew." Silence.
The humans watched with fearful anticipation. Piero
lowered his head. "I am sorry, Val."
Valen's voice was almost a whisper. "This was not to
strengthen the barrier."
"No."
"…It was to become it." Piero finally looked at him.
The chains tightened. The bracelet began to form around Valen's wrist. His
power poured into it.
The boundary strengthened. The tears began closing
across the world. Valen laughed one. A quiet, broken laugh.
"You could have asked, brother." Piero closed his
eyes.
"You would have said no." Valen thought about it.
"Probably…"
For the first time in their lives, the brothers had no
argument left.
The light consumed everything. When it faded…
Only a single bracelet remained. Piero picked it up
with trembling hands.
The younger brother was gone. The world had been
saved. At a price.
Marcus/Rocco POV
The light faded. The basement returned. Nobody spoke,
or even seemed to breathe.
Valen stood exactly where he had before. Hands in his
pockets. Looking almost embarrassed by the attention.
"That's it?" Noah asked quietly. Valen shrugged.
"That is the simplified version." I stared at him.
"You've been trapped…"
"For longer than I would recommend."
"And you still joke about it?"
"What else am I supposed to do?" I didn't answer.
Because there wasn't an answer.
I finally understood. His jokes. His sarcasm. His
constant teasing.
They had never been because he didn't care, they were
because if he stopped…
He'd have to remember.
BEEP!!
A shrill alarm suddenly echoed through the basement.
Darren was already pulling his tablet from his backpack. His fingers flew
across the screen.
"It's a tear," he said. Callie stepped beside him.
"Where?" he enlarged the map. A flashing red marker
pulsed near the city's downtown district.
"It's small," Darren said. "But it's close to the
outer perimeter."
Seraphina's expression hardened immediately.
"If it expands, civilians will be caught before
evacuation can begin."
Noah spun one of his tonfas into his hand. "Guess
story time's over."
Riley extended her metal batons with a metallic click.
"I was getting tired of standing around anyway."
I reached for my dual short swords. The familiar
weight settled into my hand.
Valen looked toward the basement stairs. His smile
disappeared completely. "No more stories, Rocky." I nodded.
"No more running." He glanced at me, golden eyes
steady.
He didn't just feel like the annoying voice in my head
anymore. And more like a brother marching beside me.
"No, Rocky." His gaze lifted toward the city waiting
above us. "Now, we finish this."
As one, we turned toward the stairs.
Toward the waiting battle.