The Might of a Brother

The dust-clouds parted.

I froze.

He stood there—no, it stood there, no longer just a beast-kin.

Basil's body had transformed fully.

The Beast Form.

It had matured far beyond the last time I saw it. And as always, it looked nothing like mine.

His mane had exploded into a silver storm, wild and unruly, cloaking his head and shoulders like the herald of a tempest.
Golden, burning eyes locked on me, unblinking, merciless.
His jaw split open into a roar, fangs glinting like daggers, steam curling from between his teeth.
His arms were massive, bristling with strength beyond comprehension.
Clawed paws, licked by flames, scorched the ground with every step. Sparks flared with every breath he took. The flame of Vulcan burned around him...

...but it was no longer beautiful.

The loss of control was expected. But, to be transformed...
It is unprecedented.

I looked at the Guardian, I saw a flicker of surprize in her eyes too.

It isn't like the last time. It is far more complicated than it looked before.

I followed the Guardian's plan till now. And as she said, Basalin did get a hold on his Fire spirit. But his losing control went too far than Guardian Temina told me.

I have to put an end to it.

"Let's see, Basil!" I shouted, letting a faint smirk play across my lips. "How far will you force me to go?!"

Basil’s claws slashed at the air, tearing chunks of stone and dirt with each swipe. Fire rippled from his limbs with every motion, igniting the air itself.

But he wasn’t thinking.

He lunged at me with a monstrous speed, more than one can anticipate for a huge body.

Maybe with his flame fueling his movements... like I was doing. He used that against me.
Wow! Basil.
I appreciate your adaptation.

Still, his movements were too loud. Too wild. Predictable.

I stepped to the side.

His claw missed by a breath, but the ground where I’d stood exploded into shards.

Another dash, I ducked.
A roundhouse kick, I slid under it.
A biting charge, foam and fury dripping from his jaws, I leaned back, his fangs slicing air an inch from my throat.

Even though his power was terrifying, it alone isn’t enough for victory.

That said, each strike is affecting me. His emitting heat is irresistible.

"Terris!"

The ground beneath me hummed.
Tawny sigils spun into place at my feet, like old, trusted gears coming alive.
The weight of the earth answered my call.

Basil charged again, roaring, a sound fierce enough to shake the walls.

I tapped the ground with my heel...
Let’s not ruin that adorable face, my little brother. Your back will do.
...and a pillar of stone erupted behind him.

It collided on his back, causing him to trip.

He stumbled back, dazed... but not down. Not yet.

He twisted mid-air, planted his feet, and pounced again with doubled rage. Claws gleaming. Mouth open. Flames more hotter.

His paw swiped straight for my head—a deathblow.

But the moment it neared, I pivoted my heel slightly, and his attack slid off my shoulder, grazing harmlessly past me.

Too close.

I brought my elbow down sharply and bam...
...onto his spine as he passed.

He hit the ground hard.

But he got up again.

Another charge.
Another storm of wild strikes.
But he couldn’t touch me.
Not with his mindless brawling.

I moved around him like he was motionless. Every swipe of his claws, every brutal paw-slam, every flaming roar, I read them like a familiar rhythm.

Terris conveyed the sense, weight, and motion of the earth, along with a grounded patience that made each breath in battle feel as if it lasted longer than necessary.

I could see it in Basalin’s eyes now: frustration.
No, not just that.
Despair... Despair of still losing even after all his hard-works.

He roared again, both paws slamming down. But I’d already sidestepped and raised my hand.

Stone burst from the earth, encasing his limbs before he could leap away.

He thrashed. Screamed.
Fire poured from his body, melting part of the stone, but I didn’t let him go.

Terris answered again.

I clenched my fist, and the ground tightened around his arms like shackles of earth and my will.

He roared louder, eyes wild. A wounded beast refusing to submit.

But even in this form, he couldn’t reach me.

Or maybe he could if he were in his conscious mind.

"I see it now..." I whispered under my breath. "All that strength, that fire, that fury. But still a child striving to prove himself."

I stood before him, the edge of my throat inches from his scorched claw.

His growl deepened. He tried to lift his paw.
He still hadn’t stopped.
Even restrained, even crushed under Terris’s hold, Basil kept thrashing.

The fire in his claws didn’t die. His muscles surged and strained, cracking the stone shackles inch by inch.

"Still struggling…" My voice was low. There was no pride in this.

Just the weight of responsibility pressing down like armor on my shoulders.

"You’ll die like this, Basil."
He didn’t hear me. Or didn’t care.
The beast inside had taken the reins.

His golden eyes were flickering violently.
His breathing was ragged, erratic.

He roared again, forcing his arms free with a thunderous crack.

The wave of heat slammed into me like a hammer.

No more.

"Terris."

The ground pulsed beneath my feet. Two pillars shot upward, coiling around my arms like sentient serpents.

Stone gauntlets, etched with glowing runes. Heavy, ancient, absolute.

I stepped forward.

He swung his fire embedded claw.
I blocked with my left—the gauntlet cracked, but rebuilt the next moment.

He lunged, jaws wide.

I weaved beneath his fangs, twisted, and slammed a right hook into his ribs.

BOOM.

His body reeled sideways, stumbling under the force.

He roared, and leapt again.

This time, I didn’t dodge.
I met him.

One gauntlet up, guard.
The other slammed into his gut.

The wind blasted out of him. His hind legs buckled.

He clawed again... weakly.

I caught both arms, locking them down with chains formed by Terris, again.

"You’ve lost control," I said softly.

I tightened my grip.
And with a clean uppercut, straight to the jaw...

The final blow landed.

His body froze. Eyes wide. The fire in his mane flickered. His claws twitched…
...then fell.

Basil’s Beast Form collapsed, crashing to the ground like a mountain breaking.
The stone beneath him cracked.
Flames hissed out in tired trails.

Slowly, his body began to shrink.
Fur receded. Muscle faded.
Clawed hands became fingers once more.

The fire was gone. His breathing… faint.

I knelt beside him.

His face was bruised. His arms trembled.

Yet...
He looked peaceful.

The storm had passed.

"…Dear Basil,"
I brushed dust from his hair.
"Next time… don’t make me use these fists again."

Guardian Temina stepped beside me. "Leave the healing to me. Now we know the current situation. It's a success from our end. All we need to see is how Basalin responds."

I didn’t look at her.
"I'm not going to be your pawn again. This was the first and last time."

I left Basil in her care and walked off to clean up. After a fight like that, I needed more than a bath. I needed space.

But still...
That was the most interesting fight I've had since the entrance exams.

A smile broke across my lips as I stepped away from the field.

***

I, as a guardian, knew from the start.

Vulcan is truly a coward. Granting control only in brief flashes, pulling back just before it matters. And fell for that little feint at the end? Amusing. Predictable.

But to see this boy's Beast Form is a gift itself. That's a mixed blood for you. Of course, his Beast Form is gonna be different than any other, except his father's.

Now that he accessed Vulcan, or I should say his subconscious, even for a temporary period, the Watcher must had caught something interesting.

Let’s see what you’re hiding, Basalin.

You won’t even know I looked. While he lay there unconscious, I reached in.

A flicker, a sliver of my core, my Watcher was still inside him.

I called it back.

As the fragment returned, I began the healing.

***

A black curtain was there before my eyes, blocking my vision. Or so I thought—

But then I remembered the fight... the fight between me and brother. I lost.
I couldn't keep up with him and Terris. And...
And even with Vulcan, I wasn't capable of being on the same ground as him.

Then I opened my eyes.

I was lying on the ground.

I saw healing magic, that is exclusive to Lady Temina. My wounds recovered a bit by bit. But the chilling pain remained.

My heart hammered.

The last thing I remembered—Brother's fists. The gauntlets. The impact.

And before that... the Beast Form.

I gritted my teeth. "Did I hurt him?"

"His level is beyond your reach. You couldn't hurt him." Healing flames started to fade from her palms.

"Your wounds are sealed, but not your fatigue and exhaustion. Stay still today. Tomorrow is your birthday, after all."

Then it struck me.

My Twelfth Birthday.

Yeah, Brother came back to the palace to take me with him after two days.
As I am now twelve, I am eligible for Mc.Lain Academy.

***

That night was sleepless.

Vulkan? He is in deep sleep now. Again.

I understood why Brother did that. It was to awaken Vulcan. And it did.
Even after all their effort—Lady Temina, Brother. I am still unable...

And worse, the promise...
My promise to mother, I broke that too...

My chest tightened.

The ache wasn’t just in my limbs anymore. It was deeper than that.

A knot behind my ribs.

Something raw. Something breaking.

But my eyes... stayed dry.

No tears.

Because it was my fault.

I couldn’t cry.
Not for this.

Not when it was me who failed.
Me who lost control.
Me who shattered every effort—
Theirs. Mine. Mother's...

What would crying fix?

Nothing.

It wouldn’t make me stronger.
Wouldn’t bring back the promise I broke.
Wouldn’t make Vulcan speak.
Wouldn’t let me stand beside Brother as an equal.

So I kept lying on my bed, silent.

The sheets beneath me felt cold.
The wind brushed past the open window like it didn’t care.

Even the ceiling above,
They looked down, distant and indifferent.

I closed my eyes again, just for a moment.
Not to sleep.

But because it hurts too much to keep them open.