Father woke me before dawn, his voice low.
"Get dressed. You and your brother are going to the city."
The air outside was still cool, the dew clinging to the grass like silver threads. Father stood at the doorway, arms crossed, brow furrowed. He wasn't coming — he was staying behind to guard the house. I caught the way he nodded at Helios. No words were needed.
The road stretched ahead, dry and dusty, the sun beating down like a judge passing sentence. Helios walked beside me, his heavy steps steady, but there was something in his posture — a weight he carried silently.
I broke the silence, voice low. "Do you ever think about what happens if we fail?"
He didn't answer right away. Then, without looking at me, he said, "Failing isn't falling down. It's staying down."
I looked over. "That sounds like something Father would say."
Helios let out a small, humorless chuckle. "Yeah, well… Father's seen more battles than I can count. It's hard not to pick up his way of thinking."
The words settled between us, heavy as the heat. "Sometimes I wonder if the things he taught us were to prepare us — or to break us."
Helios stopped, kicked a stone into the dust. "Maybe both. But maybe it's because he knows how fragile we really are. And how hard it is to stay strong."
I nodded, feeling a tightness in my chest. "Do you ever get scared? Like… scared that we're not enough?"
His eyes finally met mine, dark and steady. "Every day. But I also think fear's the one thing that keeps us alive. Without it, we'd be reckless. We'd forget what we're fighting for."
A wind picked up, stirring the leaves in the trees above. Helios glanced at the treeline, as if expecting something to lunge out of it, then sighed.
I swallowed. "I want to be strong like you. Like Father. But sometimes, it feels like strength is just pain with a better story."
Helios gave me a long look, his expression tightening. "That's the thing, Aaron. Strength isn't just about fighting or winning. Sometimes it's about holding back."
I blinked. "Holding back?"
He nodded slowly. "I've been thinking… I don't want to hurt anyone. Not really. I don't want to be the reason someone breaks. I only want to protect what matters — to me, to us."
I watched him carefully. "But doesn't that mean sometimes you're at a disadvantage? Like, holding back can get you hurt."
"Maybe," he said. "But I'd rather take a hit than cause one I regret. I'm not the kind of person who wants to kill. I want to stand between danger and the people I care about — not be the danger."
The words surprised me. Helios, the strongest shield, worried about hurting others.
I laid a hand on his shoulder. "That's not weakness. That's real strength."
He gave a faint smile. "Maybe. But sometimes, I wonder if I'm strong enough to protect without breaking."
I smiled back. "We'll figure it out. Together."
He crouched and picked up a stick, drawing a jagged line in the dirt. "Cycles can be broken. We just have to find the right place."
We started walking again, the road rough beneath our feet but somehow lighter now. Whatever lay ahead, I knew one thing for sure: we were in this together. No matter how dark the path, no matter how many battles waited.
Because strength wasn't just power. It was trust.
A breeze passed behind us, and then a voice — calm, amused, and unmistakably feminine — broke the moment.
"That was… beautiful. A real glimpse of what brothers can be."
We both turned around, surprised.
Helios relaxed slightly, lowering his shield.
The woman stood a few paces behind, arms loosely crossed, dark hair, a gentle smile lighting up her face. Her eyes shone with genuine warmth and a hint of admiration.