13/5/1234
The yellow sooty flames of the candles flickered ever so slightly as the winds of the cold night made their way inside through the window of the dark room. Looking at the moon hanging in the starless sky, a young man let out the smoke that was desperately begging to be released from his mouth. He had deep blue eyes and black circles under them- a clear testimony of all his sleepless nights. In his dark leather trousers and silk white shirt, coupled by his dark robes, he looked especially depressed. He slowly let out a sigh and took another puff of his cigar. Then, he walked towards the opened window exposing his somber expression in the moonlight. His unkept short black hair fluttered in the wind, and with a deep voice, he spoke.
" You know, you could always just send a letter in advance Lukas, sneaking into a man's apartment like that could get you killed one day. Plus it isn't much of a cool entrance right ? wouldn't you agree... traitor"
Then, with flicker of his wrist, the candle flames became brighter enveloping the room with yellow light. With practiced ease, the young man took another puff of his cigar then turned to look at Lukas, the man sitting cross-legged in a chair not far from him.
" Nice to see you too, David, it's nice to see that you're still alive after all these years. I was expecting you to die from lung faliure , but I'm happy you're still alive despite your addictions."
Looking at the man talking to him, David even more confidently took another puff of the cigar and let the smoke linger for a moment before letting it go. Then, with a faint smile, he asked with an even deeper voice.
" Ha ha ha, that's funny Lukas, you almost made me believe that you gave a f**ck..."
" I do David, you're my twin brother after all..."
Suddenly, David's face twisted forming wrinkles that were unfit for his young handsome face. He removed the cigar from his mouth and walked closer to Lukas, cutting him off before he finished speaking.
" I don't have a brother Lukas, I lost mine six years ago."
" I'm still you're brother David you can never change that fact."
" F**ck no Lukas !...You're not my brother, we might be related by blood but you lost the right to call me that after what you did to me six years ago! And even after what happened, you have the audacity to come into my apartment without even informing me!"
Looking at David's bitter expression, Lukas remained stoic. He had deep blue eyes, and he looked like a less depressed David that combed his hair and maintained his best features.
" Look David, I'm sorry for what happened with Emilia, it was a mistake... a one time thing and..."
" A mistake Lukas! that's all it was to you ? You slept with my wife man... I trusted you and you broke that trust."
David let out a sigh and took a puff from his cigar. He turned back to the opened window , his face stoic as it always was. Then in a deep voice he continued speaking.
" It's been six years Lukas, what could you possibly want from the faliure of the family. If you needed a pro for your shady work, you could have turned to father. What could you possibly need from me... I walked away from that life ten years ago after you all treated me like a faliure, and when I got a normal life, you came and ruined that too. What do you want Lukas ? Haven't you grown tired of making me miserable ? It's been six years, and you still came back for more ?"
Lukas took a deep breath and fixed his gaze onto David's back. He rubbed his forehead seeming to be in deep thought. In his mind, he was thinking of how to break the news to his younger twin. Then upon deciding, he stood up and let out a deep sigh.
" I'm sorry David... I know that you're angry with me now, I know that hate me for what I did to you, I'm sorry... but there's a problem that I really need you're help with..."
" What could I even help you with..."
"I'm sorry David but... Mom's dead"
" What !"
The cold wind breezed inside the window putting off the fire from the cigar. The world seemed to get colder and the cigar from David's mouth fell through the window. David's cold expression turned colder as he turned to look at Lukas.
" She's what ! That's not true right... It can never be true... no no no no no no no no. Impossible, that's impossible."
Then with a single step, he appeared before Lukas pushing him to the wall with so much force cracks formed on them. David's eyes seemed lost in their blue glow, his face was stoic but his voice shaky almost a whisper.
"That's impossible Lukas , you're lying to me aren't you ?"
" No David... it's true... she was murdered?"
" Shut your F**cking mouth Lukas ! You were there! Father was there! You were all there and you let it f**cking happen ! "
Then with unnatural strength, Lukas was thrown on the floor, as punches followed forming crevices on the floor.
" You're supposed to be the prodigy Lukas how could you let that happen, why did you let mom die! Why are you always making my life miserable! Why do always take away the people I love ! F**ck you Lukas! She was a mundane human being, and you and father knew that. She's not a Mage like us, she doesn't have magic to protect herself like we do! And you still didn't protect her ? Why man? Why? You know how dangerous this line of work is ? Why did you let her die. She... was the only one who didn't treat me like a faliure... she was the only one who really cared for us man.... why ? Why"
Punching Lukas for one last time, David stood up, his hand and clothes drenched in blood. His glowing blue eyes slowly went back to their original deep blue. His face was pale as tears fell from his eyes, he was finally letting all the bottled up emotions he had hidden for six years show. He cried, and cried for a long time. Then, he wiped away his tears and walked towards a drawer, taking out a cigar. He snapped his fingers, forming a yellow flame that lit the cigar. He took a deep puff and let it all out. As he stared out to the starless dark sky of the night, he wasn't the same as he was before.
Lukas-now standing despite the beating he had received, watched his brother with a troubled expression. He snapped his fingers and his bloody wounds started healing. He wanted to get closer to his brother, to close the distance that had formed between them for so long but, he didn't know how.
" David... I'm sorry, I'm just as angry and sad as you are, but you've got to listen to me. The purple king is back, and the seven calamities are bound to follow, it's more dangerous now than it has ever been for the last millennium. It's not safe for rouge mages like us anymore, that's why we need to join the Mage association...It's where we'll be safer. It's also where mom's murderer is. "
Slowly, David took another puff from his cigar and turned to Lukas. He wasn't an idiot and he knew Lukas wasn't one either, he knew that his mom was dead, he knew that she was murdered but he wasn't sure who did it. What if it was all a scheme to pin him against the mage association ? What if it was all just a lie to get him killed ? David knew that his brother didn't care for him, he knew that his family didn't love him. That was why he refused.
" I'm sorry too Lukas, but I won't join you on your quest for revenge. That's not what mother would have wanted , you could always ask dad for help, isn't he supposed to be a legendary mage or something, leave Lukas. This is the last time we will meet as brothers, go I don't want to see your face ever again."
As he looked at David, Lukas felt a lump form on his throat. David's words hurt him, and even though he was the most beloved of their father, David was the most beloved of their mother. He also felt sad, he was also aching in his heart, but he knew things between him and his brother would never change. Therefore, he walked towards the drawer that David kept his cigars and left a note on top of it.
" This was from mother, she wanted you to have it before she died."
Then Lukas vanished into thin air, leaving just as he came. David continued to gaze at the moon before walking up to the letter. He took up another puff before reading the letter.
*****
On top of a roof top, Lukas appeared in a constitution of dark mist before completely forming. He slowly walked to an old man in a double-breasted suit and cane in hand. The old man had black hair and grey side burns, he had a well trimmed beard and seemed quite fit despite his age. Slowly, the old man turned to look at Lukas with a grim expression.
" What did he say Lukas?"
Looking at the man before him, Lukas let out a heavy sigh.
" Don't you think that you're doing too much father ? You've been keeping a clone to protect him ever since he left, you're being chased by the mage association and now, the purple king. You need all the strength you can master, yet you still choose to protect him ? He hates you, he hates us both, he thinks we could have saved mom but we couldn't... I watched mom die father. I tried saving her...but I couldn't...I couldn't save her. Why are you doing this dad ? It's too much."
Without even realizing it, a tear started falling from Lukas's eyes, his clothes were dyed red with his blood. Then, he felt the soft cloths of his fathers suit.
" It's because you're my sons, and it's my duty to protect you...I know this is hard for both of you. But you've got to man up Lukas, your in your twenties your too old to be crying don't you think ? This is no time to show our enemies weakness. You know what you've got to do right ?"
Wiping his tears away, Lukas's expression turned serious.
" I do"
With a smile, the old man vanished leaving faint words hanging in the air.
" Good"