"TOO SLOW!!" Mike got shot straight in the face with a water ball.
This man was no joke! When he said practice is over, Mike thought he'd just go a bit rougher, but these are outright attacks!
The moon was high in the sky and Mike was dodging attacks like crazy.
"YOU'RE NOT DEFENDING YOURSELF!" the guard roared while both fire and water attacks rained down on Mike.
Every third shot managed to hit him until his body finally gave in. Mike couldn't get up anymore, his breath heavy and the sky finally cleared up. Mike thought learning the basics of magic was enough to be taken seriously, but he stood no chance against someone with actual training and experience.
"Sir, was it too much?" The knight bowed down to prince Kioshi's level. He would prefer to be called Mike, but no matter how much he tried to say his real name, his throat would burn and yell the word Kioshi out… So he requested to be called Sir instead.
After some gesture to reassure the guard, the prince rolled on his back, his eyes drooping tired.
When he opened them back up he saw himself stare back at him.
Myself?
Mike quickly got up and the other man retreated.
Their surroundings were filled with blurs, the ground was a green hue while the sky was filled with oranges blue and golden sparkles. It was nothing like the garden he was previously training in… When did he get here?
"What are you doing here?" The clone asked while Mike shook his head. "Me!?"
"Did you pass out?" The man tilted his head in concern.
"Did I?" Mike asked in return, but when he looked around for the knight, he was nowhere to be seen. Nothing of his former surroundings could be seen.
"I did! I think." He sighed in disbelief before getting curious. "Who are you?"
"Prince Kioshi." The other responded matter of fact.
"You're the-"
"Original."
"Original!" Mike's voice rang with joy as he grabbed onto Kioshi's hands.
"Teach me!"
"Uh?"
Prince Kioshi was taken aback by the eagerness of his invader.
"Teach you? I have nothing to teach you." Prince Kioshi responded with confusion.
"Teach me your eldest brother's names!" Mike insisted.
"You mean Tair and Shine?"
"THANK YOU!" Mike released the man's hands and nodded to himself.
"But Horu and Soku already told you their names…" The prince's eyes narrowed while looking at the person who took over his body.
"Did they..? I must've forgotten…" Mike stupidly confessed.
"What do you want? I've seen the way you treated my parents." Kioshi asked curiously. He didn't seem mad, but intrigued.
"You did?" Mike stopped in his tracks.
"I was awake and aware all this time." His face flushed red as a fan appeared, spreading open to cover his face. "You saw my room... "
"It's okay! I won't judge! I love it! Plenty to explore!" Mike hurriedly said with a smile. But his smile froze immediately after blooming; they both witnessed what Shine and Tair did to the room…
"What do you think… Aren't you upset?" Kioshi was the first to talk again.
"Upset?" Mike tilted his head cluelessly.
"I witnessed your intimate moment with Prince Cassiel…" The royal turned away, his ears growing red.
"Intimate? I just wanted to know if I could bear a child… And it was your body to begin with… But wait, does this mean you want your body back?" He questioned while holding his hand over his stomach.
"I have no right." The Prince's grip tightened around his fan.
Despite the silent tension, Mike decided not to press further. "So can I have a child?"
"Possibly… If the poison didn't kill your womb…" At the revelation, Mike's eyes shot wide open and he found himself on his broken bed with two kids clinging onto his sides.
Horu and Soku were sound asleep, their little fist clenched around the fabric of their big brother night attire. The room was still a crashed mess.
Was I out for long?
"Yes." A voice came from the door. By the looks of it, since he used his large wings like a cloak, he definitely wouldn't be Shine!
"Tair?" Mike called out softly, startling the man before him.
Despite his eyes being covered, it was clear that they were struck with emotions, but his expression was kept nonchalant.
"So you remember me…" He begrudgingly responded.
"And Shine…" Mike spoke softly.
"He'd be happy… He's being punished by father." Tair revealed while turning his head away.
Horu and Soku were flung aside when Mike abruptly got up.
With his bare feet, he stepped on shards of broken vases but decided to ignore the pain while dashing past Tair, running into the corridor.
"FATHER!!!!!" Mike yelled as loudly as he could, announcing his search.
Bloody footprints were left behind him as he slammed open a door after so many, just to find Shine kneeling before his centaur father.
"GET UP!" Mike hurried to help up the unicorn who didn't dare to fight back.
He noticed his brother's bloody feet, his horn sparking in response.
"What are you doing?" His father's eyebrow twitched at the pathetic scene before him.
"I'm here to get my brother." Mike announced.
"I'm not done with him." His father protested but Mike already grabbed Shine's arm and began to walk off.
"I am done with you." Mike scoffed with arrogance while dragging his brother out of the room and down the hall.
"Kioshi…" "Don't." He interrupted.
Their way back was silent, when they finally arrived at Kioshi's room, there were now five people in his room.
"I miscalculated..." Mike mumbled to himself before he suddenly got lifted off of his feet.
"HUH!?" His body flew up until it was completely off of the ground, exposing the dripping blood on his soles.
"Brother… Are you looking for other men to heal your feet as well?" Shine growled.
His horn glowed beautifully gold, a ticklish feeling began making Mike giggle before his scars healed up.
"Thank you!" "No." "No?" Tair glared at Mike.
"Your room! IT'S UNLIVEABLE!" Shine added on.
"IT'S FINE!" Mike began to panic but everyone in this room was now against him, the dry blood only supporting their accusations.
"Brother, why won't you clean this room?" Soku asked with curious eyes.
The honest answer? There were secrets in that mess. Mike knew there was something hidden he had to find before anyone else could.
Mike never liked lying. Compared to how easy it was for his two friends, it was far more difficult for him. He kept silent, unwilling to lie nor tell the truth. The silence confirmed it for everyone.
As an answer to his silence, he was tied on the spot!
"Brother, let us clean it! If you don't want a servant in here, we can clean it ourselves for you!" Tair's offer was tempting, but Mike could still only shake his head.
All four of his brothers grew visibly irritated by the lack of spoken response.
"Listen, I just don't want anyone to go through my things before I do!" Mike confessed before a knock interrupted them all.
"What." Shine slammed open the door glaring at the new visitor.
"Oh..." A familiar elf stood at the door.
"The guard!" Mike cheered.
"My apologies, I saw a trail of blood and intended to investigate. However..." His voice trailed off as he looked at all the brothers united in this confined space and the eldest prince tied at the center.
"I believe I interrupted?"
"Yes."
"No!"
"Maybe."
Three different answers at once. Everyone looked at each other. No one even knew who said what and Mike finally got gently put down.
"Is there anything you need?" Mike approached the knight.
"No, I was just worried. I believe I went too rough on you last night. Is your body okay?" He was clearly concerned but the twin pair immediately felt their facial muscles twitch.
"Last night, brother?" Tair asked with an assuming tone.
"Oh yeah..! I was with him." Mike smiled awkwardly, not realising the misunderstanding arising from this sentence.
A blast of light shot at the knight who barely managed to dodge, a large hole now in the wall where he formally stood.
"My dear brother… I didn't know you were so… Eager." Shine shot a deathly glare to his brother.
"WHY!? WE WERE JUST TRAINING!" Mike confessed and the two eldest froze.
"T-Training?" Tair repeated to himself.
"My… Abilities…" Mike sighed softly.
"I have attempted to get stronger ever since I got cured. I wasn't sure how I did, however…" His voice faded while he used his hand to cover his mouth.
"Is it difficult?" Shine moved closer, his horn dimming.
"Was it not for you?" Mike tilted his head.
"No." Shine shook his head. "Compared to you, my magic grew with me. It was something I had to control, but yours is something you have to get to know."
"It makes sense that you struggle, as far as we know, the only way you could get your magic back is through the awakening." Tair hummed.
"But why? If I can't use it, how would the awakening help?" Mike glanced at both Tair and Shine, searching for an explanation.
"Your Magic is not gone, it's concealed." Tair used his right wing, its feathers sharpening to point at Mike's chest.
"All of it is locked away in here, your core." At the revelation, Mike raised his hand to grab onto his chest.
"My core?" His head tilted.
"It's something everyone has somewhere, your magic travels through one's body, whether it's for wings, horns, or shaping one's self. However if suppressed or sealed, it forms into a large core only accessible to the holder." Tair explained while Shine nodded.
The two kids scooted closer to Prince Kioshi in worry, touching his legs.
"So big brother's magic is locked away in his chest?" Suko asked.
"Not entirely." Shine objected.
"If big brother said he'd been practicing, it means it's been slowly leaking out in the rest of his body, but the core stays strong." Tair explained immediately after, while retracting his wing.
"Big brother! So you could be super strong!" Horu jumped up in joy, but Mike quickly pulled him closer so his hooves wouldn't stomp any broken shards.
Shine took note of that caution and shook his head. "But that means mother will force you to awaken."
"I want to." Mike interrupted, shocking everyone.
"But then, he's gonna have an easier time marrying you to a stranger and trapping you here forever!" Tair objected and Suko's eyes began tearing up.
Horu attempted to comfort his little brother, but Mike shook his head. "I beg you, help me out! None of us wanna be a pawn right? So why not fight mother and father?"
The twins lowered their heads while the kids tilted their heads at the suggestion.
"We… Tried…" Tair confessed with a quaking voice. "But.. Mother and father are no joke…" Shine barely followed up.
"Let me." Mike nodded just to be taken aback by a sudden shout. "How?" "Yeah, how?!" Tair's wings puffed and Shine's horn began glowing again. "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN HANDLE THEM BETTER THAN THE BOTH OF US!!"
"I CAN'T!!!" Mike blurts out. "But I know someone who does… All I need is a map!" Mike was neither lying nor being truthful.
Something in his heart told him to keep going. He's seen what he needed to see.
"Brother…" Horu tugged at his pants. "You promised you won't leave."
"I won't ever leave again." Mike reassured while placing his hands on his two little brothers' heads.
"Don't you trust me?" He smiled reassuringly, getting a mindless nod as response.
"What do you need a map for…?" Tair huffed.
"I wish to know my surroundings better." Mike explained and the twins shared a look before Shine decided to walk out.
He stopped when he found the knight still outside the door, listening quietly.
"It's okay," Mike reassured. "He's mine."
Shine bit his lower lip and stormed off.