'Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad? Why can't I feel sad?'
***
History was a fickle thing. It was often decided by the winners, and then, when the winners were no longer part of this world, it would be decided by those who came from the winners. This sometimes made it difficult to tell precisely what the truth was.
Stories would be passed down and slowly, over time, altered. Rumors or false details would be sprinkled in. Hundreds of years would pass, and a tale that once was would become something else.
People were often split on details. Was Haru truly a divine being, and did she ascend out of this world, or did she die like any other human? Was the Ebony Knight once a man born from an angel, or was he always a twisted monster that despised everything? Most importantly, did all the elves deserve to die?
Even to this day, it is truly unknown why each race made their offspring. No one knows why the Angels created the Dragons or why the Dragons created the Giants or why the Giants created the Elves. Many different explanations have been developed, and they usually all lead back to each race making their own slaves.
This is because it was, without a doubt, a fact that the human race was created to be slaves of the elves. Mad King Sylas. Tyrant King Sylas. False God King Sylas. Doomed King Sylas.
After King Sylas used his mighty power to bring an end to the dragons, it is said he and the elves created new life. Thus was born the human race. The slave race. Created from the first two humans.
Humans were created to suffer. They existed to obey the elves and served no other purpose. A lot of these thoughts went through Sieg's mind as he quietly stared at his fourteen-year-old brother.
If humans were made to suffer, then truly, both he and Davi were as human as anyone else. This world just liked to kick them when they were down. Then again, he couldn't complain. After all, he was the one currently kicking his brother.
"Do it again." Sieg slapped Davi across the face with his wooden sword.
Davi collapsed to the forest floor, breathing heavily. His flesh was covered in bruises, and blisters popped across his hand. Blood dripped down his body, and his purple eyes were dulled.
"I can't—"
Sieg slammed his sword down into the top of Davi's head, shoving him to the ground once more. "You can. You will." Sieg growled.
Davi's body shook, and he tried to pick himself up, but he collapsed. They had been at it for hours—day in and day out. After the loss of the village, Sieg had found himself waking up in a new and twisted world. He wasn't in Mordheim anymore. Instead, he was in the land of Haru, but something was wrong.
The times he had come to know had long passed. To him, Mordheim had just become a hellish wasteland. To the rest of the world, it has been like that for a very, very long time, and time had passed in the dungeon. How much, he was honestly unsure. This wasn't the world he had been born into, though. It was wrong. Twisted.
He had also changed.
He still wasn't sure how he was still alive. He remembered dying. He remembered his body crumbling and breaking. Perhaps he had been remade. He was no longer human. A Mutant. That's what the people of today called him: jagged scales that grew across his flesh and twisting horns that jutted out of the top of his skull. The people in the city would stare at him in disgust, and some even tried to attack him.
Because of this, he and Davi now lived out in the woods, alone and lost. He hunted for food during the crack of dawn, and he would then spend the rest of that day teaching Davi the lessons their father left behind.
Despite everything that happened, Davi hadn't changed. And that pissed Sieg off more than the loss of the world he had come to know.
Davi was still a kid. He was still naive. Scared. Innocent. He still hated holding a sword; he didn't want to hurt anyone, he tried to help everyone, and he hated the idea of fighting or learning how to kill. He just wanted to fish and be left alone. The only thing that had changed about him was that ugly scar, which only made those ridiculous purple eyes stand out more.
Those eyes now looked at him.
Sieg felt his anger spike, and his foot kicked out, ramming into the chest of Davi and sending him rolling back. He rammed into a tree, his back splitting open and his blood dripping down.
Sieg breathed heavily, and his scowl grew darker. Every time he saw those eyes, he couldn't help but remember her face. Noble had begged. She had sobbed. She had pleaded. She had loved Davi.
And Davi ignored her. He had left her behind and left everyone behind—all but him. Sieg didn't get to die with his village. He didn't get to go out in battle. He didn't get to have this nightmare end. He had to keep living in this hell and this world that had changed so much.
He didn't get a happy ending.
So neither would Davi.
"You want to take a break?" Sieg stabbed his sword into the ground and turned his back on his brother. "Fine. Take a break, you fucking lazy prick. That's all you're good for, isn't it? Wasting my time."
"W-Why do you care…"
Sieg stopped, and he felt his heart beat faster, and that wrath began to fill his veins again. Even after a full year of spending time with his brother, it only caused him to grow more bitter and resentful.
"Why do I care? Why do I care!" Sieg turned around and glared as hard as he could at Davi. "I care because it's all we have left. Dad never taught me anything. He spent all his time with you because you had a purpose. You had a reason for being born. They're gone, and you're all that's left, so you're going to stop crying and pick yourself up. You still have a mission. I should have died in that village, but "you" clearly didn't want me to. So I'm going to do something about it so I can at least do something!"
He yelled a lot.
Anytime he'd see those purple eyes, part of him just got mad. His father had done so much to get Davi to where he was. Orion had given up on so much, and even Sieg was forced to suffer, as he was taken from his mother and forced to live with that mad witch Titania. Growing up, he always thought that it was unfair. It didn't seem right.
Davi had been created to be a weapon. He was nothing more than a tool, one Titania and Orion would use to get their revenge on the one who hurt them both. Sieg always thought his brother deserved better. Davi had a right to live an everyday life. And so, his plan had been simple. He wanted to escape and take Noble and Davi with him, using Noble's power to go across the cursed blood sea.
Noble was dead. Orion was dead. Titania was dead. And in a new world like this, he imagined his mother was dead. Who knew how much time had truly passed…
Now, he thought it was unfair that Davi wasn't enough. His view had changed. Maybe if Davi had tried a little harder, perhaps if he had put more effort in, or if Titania had more time, maybe then Davi would have been enough to save the day. The weapon forged in hate could have stopped anything—even that great monster.
That wasn't the story he was in, however. His story was one of failure. Davi was someone who had failed in every way, and the rest of the village paid the price.
Of course, this was just the anger talking. Thoughts like that were foolish. Deep down, Sieg knew there was nothing that could have been done. Still, he couldn't help but hope for a sight of the blue. As if Davi's eyes being blue would put everything back onto the path it should have been.
"W-Where are you going?" Sieg had turned to walk away, but he stopped when he heard the broken mutters of his brother. The blonde teen lazily looked back at Davi.
"I'm going hunting. I can't stand to look at you any longer. Stay here and be pathetic. We'll train more tomorrow."
"More…" Davi remained flat on his back and silently stared up at the trees that hung above him. He felt as if he might die. Surely his brother wouldn't kill him, right? And yet, as days went by, this training became harsher.
So many thoughts came to his mind. Davi had saved Sieg because he didn't want to lose his brother. He thought they were fated to die and that they'd freeze to death, but some twisted god decided their story needed to keep going. Sieg wasn't grateful to him. Sieg hated him. That much had become clear.
He didn't blame Sieg. He hated himself as well.
'Useless. Worthless. Pathetic. Lazy. Stupid. Dumb. Idiotic. Robotic. Slow. Dim-witted. Unprofessional.'
Davi wondered why he still put up with it all. He never wanted to hold a sword. He never wanted to be a weapon or a soldier or a warrior or a knight or a swordsman. That was never a life he wanted. Becoming stronger wasn't something he was interested in. He just wanted to live a simple life. So why did everyone decide for him?
Why did everyone want him to hold a sword and to kill something?
Now, even Sieg wanted that for him. The brother he knew had changed. He was ready for it to end. He would never hold a sword again. Never be a weapon that anyone could use.
He wanted to be free.
And so, Davi Hawker made a choice. One that changed the story forever.
Sieg had left to go out hunting. Since the many cities and villages didn't want him because of the freak he had become, he had taken to getting food for himself and Davi. This served as his own form of training. He never liked the sword; it was always a barbaric weapon that his father loved using. He took to the spear, just as his mother had been said to do. Lately, he had even taken to the bow, a weapon particularly good for taking out wild deer or birds.
He was happy to be alone during moments like these. Without Davi around, that rage and anger would slowly fade. Why did he hate his brother so much? There were moments where he truly despised Davi for what happened, but he was also sane enough to know that it wasn't all his fault. And yet the anger would not go.
He was doing so much, and Davi wasn't grateful for any of it. It was he who built the shelter they live in, it was he who hunted and cooked for all the food, and it was he who trained Davi to make sure that if that damned beast of fire ever returned, Davi would be ready for it.
These thoughts all went through Sieg's mind as he finished his hunt. He had found and slain a large elk, shooting it with a single arrow right to the throat. Its corpse was now on his back as he dragged it through the woods back to where Davi was.
"Alright," Sieg called out. "I got food. Go ahead and—" He stopped when he found the clearing was empty.
The section they stayed at was in the center of the forest. It was near a flowing river and had enough trees blocking all directions that it made it easy to hide or find shelter. Their "home" was a sloped cave going into the side of a large hill, which he had dug out with his hands. It wasn't much. In fact, it was almost nothing. Now, it was even less, because Davi was gone.
Sieg was used to returning, and he'd always find Davi ankle-deep in the river, fishing, yet this time his brother wasn't there.
Sieg scoffed and began to create a fire just outside of the cave. Davi likely ran off again. His brother did that a lot but would always return before the end of the day, too useless to fend for himself.
Sieg finished making his fire and started to carve into the deer. Any moment now, Davi would return, starving and cold, and begging for food. He'd refuse his brother, stating it was his punishment, and would then force him to train twice as hard if he wanted to eat. That was how it always was.
And yet, something seemed wrong.
Minutes passed. Davi did not return. Hours passed. Davi did not return. The deer was cut up and cooked, and sections of it were devoured. Davi did not return. The moon lifted into the sky, and night fell upon the world. Davi did not return. By the time the sun was at its peak and a new dawn was here, Sieg ran through the woods, darting in between trees and even cutting his way through the forest, but Davi did not return, and he couldn't find his brother.
Davi was gone.
For the first time ever, Sieg began to feel waves of panic and fear. He ran, and he ran, and he ran, and he looked. He searched every cave; he searched every tree. He screamed until his throat went raw, and he even checked in the nearby towns or cities, and yet he couldn't find Davi.
After months of abuse, his brother had finally left. Davi ran away.
For three nights, Sieg searched, and yet it was clear Davi had truly escaped the forest and had no plans of returning. Davi did not come back.
When it finally dawned on Sieg, when he realized what he had done, it wasn't rage that he felt. In fact, every bit of rage seemed to fade away. All the emotions he had bottled up came pouring out.
Unknown to Sieg, later that night, his eyes changed.
Ever since the death of Orion and Titania, after the events of the Dragon, that rage had bubbled up inside of him, and his iris had become a harsh yet vibrant blue. A color Davi hated. Now that Davi was gone, that blue trickled away and faded along with that rage. His eyes returned to their usual golden color, and Sieg wept and broke down.
Why had he done all that he did? Why was he so mean and cruel, and why did that hatred fill him? It was simple. A puppet master needed him to fulfill his role. Now that Davi had left on his own, finally wanting to escape the last family he had left, the puppet master no longer needed the puppet, and so, Sieg's strings were cut, and he became free, and that hatred he felt faded, the thread going into the master's next puppet. Its perfect puppet.
With those thoughts gone, Sieg was finally able to feel the sorrow that had been slowly shoved down into the hidden parts of his heart.
He was all alone. Everyone he had cared for was no longer part of this world, and now the last family he had, his brother, had left him behind, all because he felt utter hatred toward him.
He finally felt sad.
Years would pass on.
Yes. Years.
Sieg did the only thing he could. He looked for Davi—village after village, town after town, city after city. Sieg walked. He ignored the stares he got. He ignored the looks of disgust, rage, or fear. He hid himself away behind layers of clothes and a mask that he recognized as one from his homeland. He grew, and he mutated, and he changed, and he thought. He thought so many bad things. Felt so many destructive emotions. What was wrong with him? Why had he said the things he did? Why was he so mean?
Time passed.
Sieg simply wandered. He helped those in need when he could and asked for rumors about Davi's whereabouts. By some miracle, Sieg heard about a black-haired knight who had a familiar burn mark on his face.
And so, that was how Sieg found Davi Hawker and realized his brother was gone.
Davi had changed.
Literally.
Sieg felt shocked when he saw his brother. Davi stood, draped in ebony armor, clutching a jagged claymore. The boy who didn't want to hold a sword had become a warrior?
That wasn't all. Davi was traveling with a new person. A beautiful woman with eyes that looked like the moon and silver hair. Her arms were around him, and Sieg stared in horror as his eyes met Davi's blue ones.
Why were Davi's eyes blue?
Wasn't Titania dead?
This moment was made all the more shocking by the fact that Davi stood atop the corpse of a dead monster, which he had thrust his blade into.
"D-Davi?" Sieg felt his voice crack as he spoke. He nearly shivered when those eyes turned to look at him. Davi's gaze was so... cold. The same was true for his mana. "Davi, that's you, right?"
"You must be Sieg!" Standing on the corpse with Davi was the prettiest woman Sieg had ever seen. He wondered for a moment if this woman had been cursed just as he had. Surely she also possessed the curse of beauty, for only that could explain why his eyes were glued to her and his heart began to beat. He actually felt a bit of jealousy when he saw how her arms were wrapped around Davi's neck in such a loving way. "Davi has told me so much about you." The girl giggled.
Davi remained silent. His expression was blank, and he almost looked like a doll or even a robot. In some ways he didn't even seem to be alive.
"Davi, what's going on?" Sieg took a step forward, and the smile on the girl's face faded slightly.
"I'll tell you what's going on." Her gaze seemed to shift into a critical one. "Davi here has been helping me. He and I are going to do what you and he couldn't. My name is Evelyn, by the way. It's lovely to meet you!"
"And what is that?" Sieg demanded, ignoring her pleasantries. "What are you doing with Davi?"
Evelyn's smile returned, and her eyes seemed to light up. "We're going to kill the dragon!"
"The dragon?" Sieg felt a cold lump form in his throat. "D-Davi, no. I know I said some things I shouldn't have, but don't do that. It's a horrible idea. The dragon can't be killed. Humans aren't meant to fight something like that-"
"Yes, they are." Evelyn almost sneered. "Humans are meant to. We killed them all, or at least most of them anyway. All dragons will die. They are disgusting filth, just like the elves and giants. Humans rule this planet. Freaks like them must be wiped out."
"Evelyn is right." Davi's voice finally spoke up. It was hollow. Blank. Devoid of emotions. Like a robot speaking. "I must avenge Mother. I must kill the dragon. Only then will I be happy."
Sieg gritted his teeth. "That's enough, Titania! I don't know how you're controlling my brother, but knock it off! You're dead!"
Evelyn let out a laugh. "Wait? You think his mom is the one in control?" She laughed harder and shook her head. "Wow. The people of the past sure were dumb."
"Fuck you!"
Evelyn stared at Sieg, and her smirk grew larger. "Still, as dumb as you are, you'd be useful." Suddenly Sieg felt something. It was like arms, all squirming around and wrapping around him. His skin felt icy cold, and he gasped as unseen hands gripped his neck and even seemed to pierce into his heart. The world almost seemed to fade away, and all that was left was him and Evelyn. Just her and her words... "I inherited his voice." Her words seemed to manifest and pour from her mouth. True mana began to manifest, looking like a swirl of black and white. "Why don't you follow me? Follow my voice. Listen to me. Wouldn't that be nice? You'd get to be with your brother again."
Sieg felt something. A dull throb in his head. Unknown to him, his eyes began to shift. The gold was replaced with blue.
"Follow you?" His head ached. What was he doing again? Who was this woman? He didn't know, but part of him wanted to obey. To follow after her. To submit. "Yes... That... That sounds nice-"
"Sieg!" Suddenly, Sieg felt an intense pain, and he snapped back to himself. He stared down with wide eyes at the sword that was in his stomach. A claymore. He glanced back up, and his eyes met Davi, who threw the blade. Davi's purple eyes stared back at him, wide and pleading. "Run."
"Damn it." Evelyn cursed, and she suddenly leaned into Davi's ear and whispered. Just like that, the purple was gone. It was replaced with the familiar blue. Evelyn let out a sigh. "Well, I guess I'm still young. Controlling a vessel is possible, but controlling two at once... Perhaps another time."
"What did you do!" Sieg roared. He gripped the sword and ripped it out of him. "What did you do to my brother?"
He ran forward, but he was too late. Evelyn raised her hand, and a silver light spilled out. She muttered a spell, and then...
And that was also the last time Sieg saw his brother. That woman, Evelyn, had used some spell to teleport and escape. And so, his journey to find his brother started again. This time, he had a new mission, though. He would free his brother…
***
Back in the present, Sieg let out a sigh. He stood in the large stone room of the dungeon where Goat had been.
Black lightning zapped off of Sieg, his armor gleaming with a powerful golden light. The red oni mask had shifted into a dark color, and a new aura formed around Sieg.
"Was that seriously all you could do?" He asked, folding his arms.
Goat's corpse was nowhere to be found. Ash filled the air, the burning remains of the body rapidly vanishing as the black lightning reduced the swordsman to nothing.
Sieg bowed his head, and he watched as the ash was swept away by the crackling force of his aura, which disrupted the air. Still in his golden armor, he turned away from the ash that was now Goat.
"Humans were made to suffer." Sieg picked up the black oni mask and began to place it atop his face. "Since the first human, Adam, was created by the elves, humanity has faced setback after setback. Now, today, we live in a world that has changed so much. Humans believe they stand at the top, but they don't. I've seen true power. That's why I believe more than anything else it's important that I save him while I still can."
The image of Davi returned to his mind, and the arms of Evelyn, which were wrapped around him. Sieg's teeth clenched.
"I will free him. So he can live a good life before his end. And so I can make amends for what I did. I'm not a puppet. And neither is he. We are humans. We're meant to suffer. And so, we'll suffer under our own choices. Not anyone else's."
The image of Evelyn grew in his mind.
"And when I get the chance, I'll make that bitch pay."