Ancient Empire Calendar Year 1819
Ricardo opened his eyes with pain, sorrow, and fatigue.
"Where am I this time?"
Ricardo found himself in the Colosseum of the Blood Academy.
"If I'm here, then this is probably the day Seth committed suicide."
Ricardo stood frozen in place for a while.
"What should I do? Should I stop Seth? Even if I stop him, what will change? That white light will take him from my arms before it can ease my heart and take me somewhere else."
The Grandmaster of the Blood Academy, Kisrael Kislavein, raised his sword.
"Leader of the Upper Classes, Young Lord Seth, and Leader of the Lower Classes, Young Lord Ricardo, come to me."
Ricardo and Seth approached Kisrael.
"Seth, how many years has it been since I last saw you? After my son's suicide, you forced me to watch your suicide. Why do people commit suicide? Does everything end when they die? Do they not care at all about what will happen to them in the other world? Even if they don't care, do they not think about the broken hearts they leave behind? As long as life continues, there will always be pain and difficulties. Even if everyone thinks about dying at least once, this will end many stories before they even begin, in the near or distant future. They are abandoning not only the pain they will experience but also the happiness, joy, love, delight, pride, and the most enjoyable moments of life they could have had. Even if many people have books full of reasons to commit suicide, in the near or distant future, many happy moments that would outweigh that book dozens of times over are also being burned. Why would a person want to commit suicide? In this transient world, we won't even live a hundred years. So, isn't it worth fighting until the end, enduring the pain, and chasing after that happiness, that innocent and sweet love we will eventually attain? Isn't it worth fighting and struggling for?"
Ricardo reached out his hand to Seth, and everything repeated in the same way.
Seth drew his sword and was about to plunge it into himself when Ricardo stopped him.
"Why are you stopping me? Isn't this the best for you too, brother?"
Ricardo hugged his brother Seth tightly.
"Stop, Seth. We've suffered a lot, but that's not a good enough reason to kill yourself. You have to see it through to the end."
"I have to die. I can't watch another loved one die, Ricardo."
"Brother, we still have many reasons to live. There are still hundreds of people who love us. Drop your sword and live."
"I can't live. For this war to end, I must die."
"You don't need to die for the absurd traditions of the past, brother. We can rule together. We have a long life ahead of us. Let's fight together."
Seth dropped his sword and hugged Ricardo.
The people in the Colosseum were so astonished they were at a loss for words.
The Colosseum, which had witnessed fratricide for centuries, was now watching two brothers break this cycle.
One person stood up and started applauding, others followed, and a storm of applause erupted.
Although the people outside the Colosseum didn't understand the applause, they realized that history was being rewritten there.
As the white light appeared, Ricardo wanted to plead again, but he knew it wouldn't change anything. So, he held onto his brother Seth until the very last second.
When the white light swallowed everything, Ricardo prepared to face his next regret.