Two mysterious figures, hooded in thick, dark cloaks, sprinted through the thicket.
The first, standing just over 172 centimeters, concealed their visage behind a white plastic mask. Meanwhile, the second, a fourteen-year-old dark-skinned boy, trailed behind the one wearing a mask.
Their footsteps crunched rapidly on the snow as they advanced further towards the battle.
Suddenly, the masked figure halted, lifting one hand to signal the boy to stop.
Soft pants filled the air as the boy took a moment to collect his breathing.
"Haaa… Haaa…. What's the matter, Mi... Haaaa… White Mask?" He asked, his labored breaths disrupting his inquiry.
"Stay back. I'm going there alone." A muffled voice resonated from behind the mysterious mask.
"No way, I need to come too—"
"And do what exactly?" White Mask sharply interjected.
"Your greatest strength lies in supporting from the shadows, and I'm not about to ruin a year's worth of planning by tossing the fishing reel into the river." The voice persisted, its mechanical nature causing the boy to wince in annoyance.
Frowning, he presented his argument.
"But even if the cloak's effect only lasts for a bit, I could use my technique to—"
"Rolan, you're staying behind, and that's final!" The masked figure declared in a tone that brooked no possibility of objection. A short silence settled and the boy conceded.
"Tsk, got it" He said.
"Keep yourself hidden and set up a teleportation arrow. If things go south, I'll snap my finger as a signal. Hit Lord Keres with it, and get him out of here as fast as you can. Can I trust you to do that for me, Rolan?" White Mask asked.
"Fuck sake, I said I got it, you don't have to keep treating me like your underling for crying out loud!" Rolan protested and White Mask placed one hand on the boy's shoulder with a smothered sigh.
"Rolan, I know how you feel, but you've got to understand. If we don't play our cards right, all three of us could end up dead. So please, I beg you, stick to the plan."
"And no matter what happens, leave Lord Invel to me!" The masked figure declared, taking off into the distance.
"Tch, this is so unlike you." Rolan muttered, disappointment written into his gaze.
He placed his left hand on a tree and jade colored scoring rings instantly appeared on its surface.
Then, he vaulted to a lower branch, hopping from one branch to another. One tree to another until he reached the top of the tallest tree around.
Jade shone in his eyes as he closely followed the battle from nearly a kilometer away.
Invel appeared to hold the advantage, but what impact would a few non-chakra enhanced hits have on a Deathbringer in his unsheathed state?
As Rolan pondered, a sudden realization jolted his spine.
White Mask didn't know that Keres had unsheathed his glyph. And this minor deviation meant that the plan was likely to fail.
"Fuck!" He spat, his quivering lower lip caught between his teeth.
Invel wasn't a threat. Not under chakra restriction. If anything, Keres in his unsheathed state was the one they ought to be worried about.
Rolan had heard ominous rumors about Deathbringers in this state, but Keres being the Deathbringer in question only meant unprecedented danger.
'Am I... trembling?' His eyes widened at the mere thought.
But no... that shouldn't be possible. A Gurkha shouldn't know fear.
If he hadn't outgrown his weaknesses after a year's worth of self-loathing and reflection, then it simply meant he was defective.
He removed the hood of his cloak, his cornrows smooth and stylish.
His body arched backward, hands pulling air like a harpist plucking invisible strings.
"My apologies, Ina."
"Out of all three of us, you're the only one who hasn't done anything wrong. You don't deserve any of this..." He shut his eyes briefly.
"Loathe me, resent me, despise me. You have every right in the world to do so..." He paused.
And a soft whisper of breeze settled in.
"In a few years, once it's all over, I'll surrender my neck to you if that's your wish." He declared.
"But as for you, Invel..." A glimmering jade bow, appeared in his grasp.
Then, a supernatural arrow of the same hue followed suit, snugly set at the nocking point.
"Be a kind soul and wait quietly for me in hell." His eyes shot wide open as he proclaimed in a grave voice.
*
Invel was born under a unique celestial favor, earning him the moniker 'The Son of the Silver Light.'
His distinction stemmed not only from being one of two diamond Gavel users but also from an extraordinary affinity with chakra.
But even so, the true nature of his abilities remained a closely guarded secret to this day.
His opponents often found defeat before getting an opportunity to unravel the mystery. And even the fortunate souls who glimpsed the truth never lived to recount the tale, so they couldn't really be regarded as fortunate, could they?
Blessed by the heavens, Invel possessed two hidden cards even under the shackles of chakra restriction.
The first was his Gavel, the divine sigil responsible for maintaining all order and balance in the world. Activating it required specific conditions, none of which had been fulfilled yet.
And the second involved the mysterious 'particles' dancing at his every command.
These unseen particles granted him protection, healing and power. They were responsible for hurling Keres away, back when the prince first arrived.
They also propelled Invel through space on the different occasions where he teleported by no reasonable explanation.
However, to prevent any other incidents, Invel secretly guarded Inara with his protective particles.
This meant one thing.
He was vulnerable.
And so, Invel found himself in a dilemma.
How should I deal with this. He pondered.
While he could end it all quickly if he wanted, there was an undeniable urge to test the limits of this young Deathbringer in his unsheathed state.
Lost in contemplation, Invel's thoughts were abruptly shattered by a powerful punch hurtling towards him. But he reacted with reflexive speed, dodging. The shockwave sent tremors through the air and eventually splintered the trunk of the tree behind him.
Undeterred, the frenzied teenager attempted another punch, but the prince intercepted, catching his arm and twisting it with a snap that echoed through the forest.
Invel, kneed Keres in the chin, scattering the teenage boy's face with a trifecta of punches.
But the Keres didn't flinch. The fractures to his skull meant nothing.
He suddenly countered. His foot blitzed through the air, an explosive kick imminent. Invel crossed his arms to block and was pushed back by the force.
Having created distance, cracking noises echoed, and Keres' shattered bones inexplicably mended.
Tilted head, tightly shut eyes, and soft breaths escaping his mouth, he closed the distance in a blink.
And—
BOOM!
A thunderous noise rang out as he thwacked Invel skywards with a punch.
Red streaks flashed. Another bang echoed. And Invel found himself high into the sky, swimming among clouds.
Keres bolted into the sky, tearing the air open like a rocket. Invel dodged, his slithering movement almost anticipatory.
Then, the prince retaliated with a series of rapid kicks, aiming for the dream-wandering boy's crown and midsection. But Keres twisted and contorted his body in unpredictable arcs, avoiding the onslaught.
The battle raged on as they descended.
Invel crushed multiple bones with his fiery onslaught. But it was futile. Keres instantly recovered from every hit, countering with precision that shouldn't have been possible.
Beads of sweat soon began forming on the prince's forehead.
'It's strange,' he thought.
Something was completely off. But before he could lay his finger on it, Keres burst at him with a thunderous kick.
He attempted a block but was unable to react in time. The kick sent an impact through his ribs, making him lift his brows in surprise.
"Ahh!" A twisted grin played on his lips. He relished the pulsating thrill, a sensation he had longed for.
By the time his heart began racing with excitement, another strike was imminent. In a flash, a destructive punch arrived and clobbered his face like baseball.
The grin tugged his lips even harder as he tumbled backward through the air in a reverse descent.
"Yes! This is it!" The prince yelled.
He straightened his legs as if pointing them towards the clouds and extended his arms wide, mirroring an inverted Celtic cross against the moonlit backdrop.
This was the feeling he had been anticipating since the very moment he discovered the possibility of his own demise. A situation critical enough to tip his stagnated scale of balance.
"Tell me, vermin! Are you having fun as well?" His shout rang out, but the force of their descent made his voice inaudible. Not like Keres would've heard him even if that weren't the case.
Unfortunately, this sensation wasn't set to last forever.
All the conditions were finally fulfilled, but more than anything, he was grateful to Keres for allowing him a glimpse at his much-desired feeling of exhilaration.
"You made things fun for me. So I'll show you something interesting as well!"
He hung suspended in the moonlit air. The trees below bowed in hushed reverence to the spectacle about to unfold. Descending snowflakes halted, refusing to complete their journey to the ground.
Invel's outstretched arms carved through the air, tracing ghostly arcs like a celestial dance. And with every passing second, the soaring birds, startled by the disturbance, retreated to safety away from the scene.
A profound silence enveloped the forest, and in a sudden burst, the moonlight caught the gleaming diamonds in the prince's eyes.
In that moment, the air shuddered, cracking open with divine energy.
[Gavel of Balance: Nemesis Reversal]
The scene flickered, and the very universe had warped beyond the boundaries of logic.
Or at least it was supposed to.
But nothing had changed.
Invel's face contorted.
What just happened? Why did the Gavel of Balance fail?
His mind raced with thoughts.
He turned his gaze and spotted Keres descending lifelessly like a fallen comet. The glyph previously on his forehead was nowhere to be seen.
The teenage boy crashed into the snow.
Meanwhile, Invel maneuvered into an acrobatic landing, gaining balance on both feet.
He promptly turned and spotted Inara, who had finally arrived at the relocated battleground.
"Ina?" Panic was laced into his voice as he spotted the anguished look she had in her eyes.
Breathing heavily, she took an unsteady step forward. But suddenly froze.
Her left hand rested against a tree, her right one still extended forward. And the mark of her Gavel glowing with a divine golden energy.
Unpacked strands of hair drifted in front of her face, and sweat blurred her vision. It was then Invel completely understood why his Gavel failed to activate.
"Ina?" He called again, taking a careful step forward.
She didn't respond. Her eyes were fixed on something behind him, something far beyond him.
"You okay?" The prince asked, taking another steady step. But his words didn't reach her.
They couldn't reach her.
Even though she didn't fully activate it, this was the first time she ever wielded even a fraction of her Gavel's power. Her Gavel of Regulation's indisputable authority to seal any sigil be it a Hexed Glyph or another Gavel.
Her feet trembled, ears devoid of sensation. Yet, her mind relaxed after bringing the unnecessarily drawn-out battle to a close.
Invel had always nagged about her being too young to use such power, but he must be proud of her now.
She couldn't wait to see the look on his face once her vision regained clarity... once her vision regained—
No! This can't be—her pupils shrunk.
And tears began gushing down, staining her cheeks with a rush of panic and disbelief.
Blood? That couldn't be possible; it shouldn't be possible. Her legs quivered, giving in.
She sank to her knees as a thick red liquid dyed the snow, tracing a crimson path to her front.
She couldn't feel any pain, she didn't have any wounds. So it wasn't her blood.
But as she slowly lifted her gaze, her whole being recoiled in horror, wishing it was.
It's not real. Catching sight of the jade chakra arrow impaling her brother's chest, her pupils quivered but she tried to force the corners of her lips into a smile.
It can't be real… Right? She was definitely hallucinating.
The test center had a proactive chakra restriction system, so it most definitely wasn't possible for this to happen.
It's surely not real, so you can stop crying now.
"Stop crying now, you idiot!" She shouted.
But the tears wouldn't stop no matter how much she tried.
Invel stretched his hand forward, covering her eyes.
He seemed to say something, but she was unable to hear him as her hearing hadn't fully returned yet.
And by the time it did, the unmistakable sound of countless arrows raining down on her brother filled her ears.
Then, Inara screamed, her voice shaking the foundations of heaven.