The night air was cold, the stars hanging high above them like distant witnesses to the conversation unfolding. Kael and Raizen Kurai stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the vast expanse of land beneath them. The silence between them was heavy, the weight of years of distance and unspoken words filling the space.
Kael finally broke the silence, his voice steady but tinged with an edge of curiosity.
"Raizen... do you know what happened to my brother?"
Raizen's expression shifted, a flicker of hesitation crossing his eyes. For a moment, he didn't speak, his gaze drifting toward the horizon as if searching for answers that had long since disappeared.
"Kaito," Kael said again, his voice softer this time. "My older brother… What happened to him?"
Raizen's face hardened, his eyes clouded with regret. He stepped closer to Kael, his presence towering but gentle. "Kael… Even I don't know what happened to him."
The words hit Kael like a blow to the chest. His heart clenched in confusion and frustration.
"What do you mean, you don't know?" Kael asked, his voice cracking. "He was my brother. My flesh and blood. How could you not know what happened to him?"
Raizen's eyes softened, and he placed a hand on Kael's shoulder, his grip firm yet comforting.
"I know you've always been searching for answers, Kael," Raizen said quietly, "but sometimes... the past is a shadow we can't escape. Kaito disappeared during the early days of the Fracture, before you even awakened your Will. We all thought he was lost to the corruption. But... there was something different about him, something we couldn't understand."
Kael looked away, his eyes narrowing in thought. He could feel the weight of his brother's absence pressing down on him, the lingering question of what happened to Kaito always hanging just beyond his reach.
"Kaito... was different?" Kael asked, his voice barely a whisper. "What do you mean?"
Raizen sighed deeply, looking at the ground beneath them before continuing. "Kaito was always strong. But he had a darkness inside him. A power unlike any I've ever seen. I thought he might have been the one to bring balance, to end the Fracture. But something happened... something that pushed him over the edge. I don't know if he succumbed to the corruption, or if he chose to leave it all behind, but I lost track of him before I could find out. I have no answers, Kael. I wish I did."
Kael's fists clenched at his sides, his mind racing. Kaito's fate had been a mystery, one that had tormented him for years. Now, even his grandfather—Raizen, the legendary Wielder—couldn't provide the closure Kael so desperately needed.
"What if he's still out there?" Kael murmured, more to himself than to Raizen. "What if he's alive?"
Raizen's expression grew somber, his voice heavy with years of regret. "If he is… he's not the same Kaito you remember. Corruption doesn't leave without a trace."
Kael closed his eyes, the storm of emotions swirling inside him. A part of him wanted to believe that his brother was still out there, somewhere. But another part feared that Kaito might have been lost to something far darker.
Raizen placed a hand on Kael's shoulder once more, his touch a grounding force. "You will have to face that darkness, Kael. It's not just about finding answers—it's about knowing when to let go."
Kael's gaze hardened as he turned away, the wind ruffling his hair. His mind was made up. He would continue searching for his brother. No matter what it took.
"I won't give up on him," Kael said, his voice resolute.
Raizen nodded, understanding the weight of the decision Kael had made. "Then go, Kael. But remember, the path ahead will not be easy."
Kael glanced back at him, a flicker of gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you, Raizen... for everything."
With that, Kael turned and began walking toward the distant horizon, the weight of the world on his shoulders, but also a renewed sense of purpose. His journey was far from over.
And the answers he sought—about his brother, about his past—would come, in time.