That night, Levian was plagued by dreams.
Dreams of him meeting his end in many different ways.
By the hand of his brother, Malachi.
By the hand of his father, after discovering his son's plans.
By the hand of Lord Vesper, Diana's father, for daring to marry his daughter.
By the hand of his other brother, Adam, after the man discovered his younger brother's true identity.
By the hand of his mother, who had no idea why a child born from two humans could be an elf.
Levian dreamt of many ways that his life could end, and yet, he could only hope that none would become reality.
———
It was the following evening when Levian slowly began to make his way out of the estate and headed towards a small field nearby.
He wore all black, as he always did, but that was not why he was sweating.
His heart raced. His nerves refused to settle.
Above, the sun had begun to set, casting an orange glow upon the World of Malo. It made the field that now stretched out in front of him even more beautiful.
The field rose gradually, eventually becoming a hill mottled with red roses. It was located a five-minute walk away from the estate.
Sitting atop that hill was his older brother, Malachi.
The large blonde man gently picked at a flower and lifted it to his nose to smell. He was dressed in an all-red suit, and his blonde hair was styled back with oil.
As he spotted Levian making his way to the top of the hill, a proud smile spread across his face, and he gently pushed himself to his feet.
Levian reached the top of the hill and looked up at his brother. The sun continued to glare down on them, but with every passing second, it sank beneath the horizon.
"Brother," Levian said, nodding his head.
Malachi smiled down at Levian and responded. "Brother. I'm glad this negotiation has worked out. A day hasn't passed where I haven't dreamed about owning my mythical weapon."
Then, the man held out the rose for Levian to take.
"I even picked for you a flower to remember this moment by."
Levian stared down at the rose, quietly taking in deep breaths in an attempt to control himself.
He felt a drop of sweat beading down his head, and his hand reached out to take the rose.
Malachi's blue eyes darted downwards, his brows furrowed. "Your hand is shaking. Why are you so nervous?"
Levian cursed inside his head.
He realised that this was the first time that he had planned to kill another man, let alone his sibling.
Malachi was going to clock on if he wasted any more time.
I have to act now!
The sun continued to set, though its glow lingered upon the two brothers atop the hill.
Levian activated his first skill.
Sovereign Draw!
[Summon a weapon from your soulspace and attack instantly. This strike has 5x increased speed, and if it lands, it instantly brings the opponent down to 10% of their life force. If the original strike would reduce their life force below that threshold, the target is killed instead.]
In a mere instant, White Sun was summoned into Levian's two hands. He hefted its weight with skill, not wasting a second before drawing it back and aiming for a swing.
In that same instant, Malachi's eyes went wide.
But only slightly.
He had been expecting it.
The large man dropped the rose and summoned his weapon from his soul space.
But Levian's attacks blurred with speed, due to his skill's effect. He was sure that Malachi would not have enough time to defend.
A long red sword was summoned in Malachi's hand, which he raised into a guard.
Levian was too quick.
The White Sun crashed into his brother Malachi's face, sending the large man flying backwards and tumbling against the rose field.
Eventually, he came to a stop, lying face-first in the grass. Sovereign draw had activated, and so had The White Sun's talent, which doubled the weapon's elemental attack power when the sun shined on it.
However, it took only seconds for Levian to realise that something was wrong.
First of all, there was no blood spilling from his brother's mouth. Such a strike was sure to tear through his flesh and shatter his skull.
He also noticed that his brother's health had not flashed in his system, as would usually happen when engaging in combat.
Something is wrong... terribly wrong.
Levian gripped his weapon tightly and slowly began to make his way towards his brother's unmoving corpse.
He kept himself ready, in case the man rose and pounced.
Then, when he was only two metres away, he heard a sound coming from the body.
A faint sparking noise, akin to static.
The body sparked and cracked.
And then... It disappeared.
"Jheez... it sure does use a lot of mana to keep up a mirage."
At the sound of the familiar voice, Levian swiftly spun on his feet, turning towards it.
The sight in front of him made him freeze in fear.
[Malachi Bladeblessed]
[High-Gold]
[Life Force: 625/625]
[Adam Bladeblessed]
[Mid-Gold]
[Life Force: 475/475]
Levian's two brothers stood there, staring at their younger brother.
Malachi, the real Malachi, stood there as his mirage did, holding a giant red longsword in his hand and a smug smile on his face.
Adam stood there, sweat beading down his forehead as the spell he used to create a mirage for his brother had worn off.
Levian stood frozen in disbelief.
"A-adam..." he managed to stutter. "You..."
"Don't be a fool, Lee." Malachi interrupted. "Do you think I'm some sort of idiot, to come here by myself without making precautions? You think I don't know that you're a scheming little brat?"
Levian shared a glance with the middle sibling, Adam.
The small, feminine-looking man shrugged his shoulders, uncaringly. Then he spoke.
"I'm sorry Lee, but when I heard you were an elf... You know how we feel about the elves already, so I'm sure I don't need to explain. Then, when Malachi told me about your deal, I suggested that we come prepared in case you tried something sneaky. After all, it's in your blood to do so."
Levian listened to the words.
His phase of shock had now disappeared, and he switched to something else entirely.
Rage.
Pure rage, unlike any he had ever felt before.
His fists clenched tightly around his weapon, and he was no longer focusing on his brothers.
Instead, he looked out towards the sun.
It still shone bright enough.
"You trying to stargaze?" Malachi mocked with a laugh.
Adam shook his head, as though disappointed. He could sense the rage coming from his younger brother.
"Look, Lee, let's head back to the estate and have a talk with Father. We can tell him everything that's happened, and perhaps he can use you as some sort of spy, or maybe he will imprison you. Who knows?"
Adam flashed his younger brother a smile, trying to share compassion as he spoke the next words.
"The point is, you don't have to die here. Not today."
Silence hung in the air for a few moments.
Levian tossed the words over in his head.
Turn myself in to my father.
I don't have to die here.
...
Levian laughed.
Then, after a few seconds, he entered a combat stance.
As long as I still breathe, I will not surrender. Not until I find out the truth about myself.
Adam sighed, and Malachi raised his red blade with a smirk scraping across his face.
"You're right, I don't have to die here." Levian snarled. "I can't say the same for you."
---
[Levian Bladeblessed]
[Life Force: 210]
---