9 The Contradiction of Tradition

My brother draws a sword from the rubble, it is a silver and gold claymore studded in diamonds, although the tip of the blade is shattered, it seems to still be sharp and durable. My brother lifts the blade, which is lighter due to the shattered tip and twirls it around. Then he picks up a charred scabbard and straps it onto his back and puts the damaged claymore in it.

"Well since my home is destroyed we might as well find somewhere else to stay for now." He says as he turns to face me his face has an odd expression, it feels kinda malicious, but I disregard it. I mean like come on, he is my brother for god's sake. Then I hear a faint whisper inside my head, like a gentle breeze swirling inside my mind speaking in a nearly silent, ghostly voice.

"Darklings are the twins of the Twila, titled the 'Bane of the Twila', they have a natural hatred to anything that isn't themself, they are truly vile creatures." the ghostly voice whispers, the voice gives of an eerie and feminine tone, that chills me deep to the bones. When I blink I find myself in a featureless, white abyss that reeks of non-existence. The very lack of detail calms me, not in a peaceful way but an intrigued manner.

Suddenly I see a figure, a girl about the age of 10 with midnight black. Her eyes are an omniscient yet eerie gold that feels as if they reach deep into my soul.

"My name is Heiwa, and I am the seventh Twila, I am here to tell something not many of us Twilian Spirits know—" She is interrupted by a silent yet powerful explosion, the featureless terrain feels as if it is rippling and although I cannot see it, the ground splits and next thing I know the white void is stained with splatters of blood and I see that Heiwa has been killed. Her head caved in from a powerful yet unseen blow and her whole body is splintered and ruined. Her corpse, covered in rich, dark blood, horrifies me, positive I am next I start to run, but nothing changes, everything is the same featureless white abyss.

Suddenly the ground starts to shake again, this time, unlike before I hear a noise, a deep bone-shattering growl, like one of an untamed and blood-thirsty dragon. then I see the ground rip open, and a dark and anonymous shadow-enveloped talon emerges for the pale depths of the crevasse. Suddenly It swings at me, and by instinct, I dodge by throwing myself into the air and unfurling my wings.

The demonic creature drags itself out of the crevasse and launches itself into the air. Its body is obsidian black and has a strong dark aura flowing from its malevolent body. The scales remind me of dark ebony steel glowing under a faint ray of moonlight. Its claws appear to be sharper than razors and stretch out as long as the blade of a two-and-a-half-hand-span broadsword. Its jaw is filled with rows and rows of jagged teeth that just by looking at them lacerates my insides.

The black dragon twists through the air, flapping its massive wings, and dashes right at me, I quickly twist to the left almost losing my head. The dragon jerks its head and snaps its jaw at me with only seconds to spare I move backward and avoid death.

Suddenly I feel something smash into my back, seeming to break my left wing, and I go flying unable to control myself mid-air since my wing is broken. I hit the ground hard and I can feel the bone in my right arm give a loud cracking snap, and I scream. My arm is shattered I look at my arm and I can see the bone. Shit, it hurts so fucking much.

I get up using the black sword for support and I see the dragon flying directly toward me. Unable to wield the sword right-handed I fend the beast off using my non-dominant left hand. I narrowly dodge the claws and teeth, and I can't land a single hit, suddenly the dragon smacks me aside with its tail, and I fly through the air like a ragdoll.

Once again I lie on the ground, and the dragon lands next to me and stares at me intently with its right eye. The eye is gold and the once vile dragon appears to be one of sympathy and compassion. The dragon opens its mouth and suddenly breathes fire, and this time I am unable to dodge it. The flames engulf me, but oddly they don't hurt or burn. I can feel my left-wing mend, my right arm reconstruct, and the pain I once felt leaves me, but my consciousness doesn't fade, but grows even stronger.

The dragon slowly starts to change its form, and within moments there is a young girl about the age of 10 standing in front of me. She wears a black silk dress with hair the color of the midnight sky. Her eyes are a glorious shade of gold, that extinguishes all doubt in my mind. She smiles and I see her teeth, although a marvelous white, are all sharp as daggers.

"My name is Raiyesa Akumu, I am the seventh Darkling. I have been trying to kill the seventh Twila for a while now." She smiles at me warmly and I suddenly feel an unspoken bond weave its way between us. "Don't listen to everything she said, Darklings are no different from the Twila. Sometimes the Darklings are vile creatures, but sometimes the Twila are the evil ones. In this case, Heiwa was the malicious one, she wanted to get you to despise your brother. Just because you are a Twila, and your brother is a Darkling, you don't have to hate each other." She turns and looks off into the distance.

"When the Twila dies, their spirits live on in a reality that becomes their own, when a Darkling dies we enter the void, like any mortal being. We are immortal unlike the Twila, the Twila believe we only live for about a thousand years, but we live forever, after about a thousand years is when we usually end our lives, because life is too long. I am one of the twelve Darklings that remain, but you are the last of your kind." She says, and she looks at me.

"So what you are saying is that My brother is kind?" I ask genuinely curious for an answer. I look at her and I see a little doubt in her pretty gold eyes,

"I am afraid I cannot guarantee such a statement, it seems that your brother is not an evil person, but is a controlling leader." She says as she looks at me, "He does care about you, but he cares about you in a more controlling way, not in a loving way. I would still be cautious around him, but don't distrust him until you have reason to." Then she looks away and snaps her finger, "May we meet again in the future." With that I find myself standing in the presence of my brother again.