Hand of Creation, Hand of Destruction

You….Go

Words uttered quietly, faintly, as if spoken from a great distance.

“I don’t understand…what are you…saying..”

….Have to Go….

Words beginning to take shape, the volume rising nearly to a level of understanding, yet still escaping full comprehension. Perhaps a memory? Perhaps an illusion?

“Who..are you? What are you trying to tell me?”

YOU HAVE TO GO!!!

A thunderous voice rang out in the darkness, a familiar voice belonging to a source that could not be placed. He could not place it. He tried to place it.

Kallin…

A different voice, a voice he knew the source of.

“Reese, what are you talking about. It’s me, Caleb”

Kallin, it’s me, Reign…

Who is Kallin? Who is Reign? Is it really Reese speaking?

“I don’t understand.”

YOU HAVE TO GO

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Caleb jolted awake, startling the two figures leaning over his body. He winced and held his hand to his side, feeling a material akin to gauze wrapped tightly around the skin of his left shoulder. A small red stain marked the nasty wound the bandage encompassed.

“I did the best I could to dress the wound, but the potion I had on hand won’t be enough to fully heal a cut of that magnitude,” an unfamiliar voice spoke as Caleb began to register his surroundings.

“Thank God you’re alright, bro!”

Reese put a sympathetic hand on Caleb’s good shoulder, beaming from ear to ear. Caleb could feel the ground beneath him moving and saw trees whirring by through the windows on either of the wooden structure surrounding him. Red and gold cushions adorned the seat that he was lounging on, as well as the one holding his brother and the strange man beside him. Trimmings of silver and gold ran across the ceiling in fancy patterns. It became clear to him that he was inside some sort of vehicle.

Becoming alert upon regaining full consciousness, Caleb shot upright in his seat, an action deemed most disagreeable to his injured body. The fiery pain that ensued caused him to slump back in his seat as he glared at the mystery man seated before him.

“Who the hell are you,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

“Caleb, relax! This man is responsible for saving your life. I know we just went through a lot but try to show some respect!”

Turning away from scolding his brother, Reese bowed his head and apologized to the man, who shook his hands and smiled at the display.

“Oh, please, don’t be sorry! I understand this must all be very strange for you both, but I can assure you, I mean you no harm.”

The man then turned his body to face both brothers at the same time.

“My name is Maven Margold, chief advisor to the crown in the Margold Kingdom. This carriage is property of the royal family, and we are on our way to see his Majesty right now.”

Maven’s introduction gave Caleb the opportunity to take his appearance in for the first time. His long silver hair and pale complexion starkly contrasted the vibrancy of his garb – a sophisticated robe bearing the same colors adorned about the carriage. He wore snow-white gloves with gold trimming and what must be the Margold Kingdom’s crest fastened to the middle.

“This prophecy you spoke of, Maven - what does it have to do with us? We don’t even know where we are.”

Maven waved off Reese’s attempt to protest his brother’s rudeness and proceeded with answering in his cheery tone.

“Ah yes, I did mention it, didn’t I? You see, your summoning here was no accident. In fact, I was one of the participants in the ceremony which brought you here!”

Out of his seat and across the aisle in a second, Caleb pinned Maven to his chair with his strange right arm. The air of hostility surrounding him was palpable.

“Is this some kind of sick joke? What do you mean brought us here? We were just about to celebrate our birthday with our friends!”

Reese forcefully pushed his brother’s arm away, causing him to fall back into his seat.

“Cal, that’s enough! Let’s at least hear what he has to say. Don’t you want to know about the strange thing happening to our arms? The strange power you have? Besides, I didn’t really like those guys anyway, I was just going for the vibes!”

Taken aback, Caleb lowered his weapon of an arm and took a deep breath. Reese could be so naïve sometimes, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to learn more too. When watching isekai anime, most MCs typically accept their fate without a second thought. At least he could be a bit more cautious about it, all while learning more about their situation.

“Tell us more, Maven. What are these powers? And why have you summoned us here?”

Maven beamed at Caleb’s resignation to peace, gesturing with his hands as he spoke.

“Certainly! While it was never our intention to unfairly rip you away from your lives in your own world, we were simply taking part in a yearly ritual of summoning to look for the prophesized heroes. Years and years have passed without any success…until today, that is.”

Looking puzzlingly at each other, the brothers each looked at their frightening arms as Maven continued.

“You see, the prophecy foretold the coming of two heroes from another world, both of the same blood and appearance, who wielded the hand of creation and the hand of destruction – rather, The Genesis Hand and The Abyss Hand. They were said to be the final weapons needed to draw out the Demon Monarch, who wields hands with the powers of life and death.”

Maven gestured toward Reese’s white-and-gold hand and Caleb’s black and silver hand respectively.

“Heroes? Our very own Demon Lord to defeat? This is SICK!”

Reese chimed in enthusiastically, while Caleb let out an exasperated sigh. Apparently, his brother was no different than the protagonists he had previously thought of.

“We’ve fist fought before, but only a handful of times. Human beings. At parties and stuff. And for the record, Reese got his ass kicked. This “Abyss Hand” as you called it – what makes you think it will make that much of a difference?”

Receiving a punch from his brother for the subtle dig, Caleb spoke with pointed doubt as he looked down at his Abyss Hand.

“I understand it’s a lot to take in. Frankly, I don’t blame you for being hesitant” Maven said, bowing his head and putting a hand on his chest, “but we’ve been searching for years for the two of you. This world needs you – you are our prophesized heroes after all!”

Maven was becoming emotional, almost desperate as he spoke. Caleb began to become visibly agitated.

“Yeah, you mentioned that already. I’m all for helping people out from time to time. But this is way too much to expect. What use could we even be against someone who wields life and death as abilities?”

Caleb clenched his fist, as Reese looked on tepidly. The exchange was getting rather tense, something Maven seemed intent on resolving.

“I believe your hesitation regarding your abilities will subside once you begin to learn just how powerful your abilities really are – how powerful they can become.”

The carriage came to a stop outside a small cavern, and an armed soldier with gold armor and a longsword opened the door, beckoning the three outside. Maven led the way out, with Reese and eventually Caleb following, as they hastily approached the ominous hole in the side of a small mountainside. Maybe it was the newfound power coursing through his veins, but Caleb could sense something dangerous lurking inside.

“What is this place, Maven? Why have you brought us here?”

Caleb turned to face the noble, who had already backed away a good twenty feet. His smile turned devilish as he pointed a gloved finger toward the cavern entrance.

“To see what you can do!”

As he spoke, two beats emerged from the cavern – the same leopard-like creature that they fought on the plains before.

“Two more of them?!”

The brother’s exclaimed simultaneously as they stood in anticipation, their weapons readied as the monsters crawled maliciously toward them.

Reese flashed a smile, the look in his eyes somewhere between excitement and fear.

“Let’s get them Cal, just like last time!”

Caleb turned to face the enemy, anxious for the battle ahead given the injuries he had already sustained fighting one of these creatures.

“Those beasts are called Jacklehorns. They use extremely powerful lightning magic, with their twisted horns serving as their “essence” receptacle.

Maven was describing their opponent from behind them, using various terms the brothers were unfamiliar with. Caleb’s confusion distracted him for a brief moment, as he turned his head around.

“Would have been a nice explanation to get before we got here. How are we supposed to – “

His question interrupted by a panicked shout,

“CAL, PAY ATTENTION!”

Whipping his head around, Caleb’s eyes darted to the cavern entrance as a fearsome bolt of blue electricity crackled through the air toward him.