The storm raged, but all sound seemed to fall away as Magnus and Darius stared at each other across the splintered deck.
The younger brother stood tall at the prow of his black-flagged ship, lightning dancing across Shusui on his back, his crew at his side like wolves on a hunt.
The elder clung to his spear, chest heaving, Marine cloak scorched and bloodstained, his ship burning beneath his feet.
The world had tried to make them enemies.
But blood would not lie.
Magnus leapt first.
His figure blurred through the rain, black lightning trailing him like the shadow of a dragon.
He landed on the cracked deck before Darius, the wood groaning under his weight.
Up close, the years seemed to vanish. He saw the same sharp eyes, the same square jaw but carved now by sleepless nights and silent rage.
"…Why are you here?" Magnus's voice was low, dangerous, though the storm carried it clear. "Why would my brother, a son of Marines, be sailing alone under stolen colors?"
Darius swallowed hard, his spear still steady in his grip. "Because the world isn't what we were taught it was. I've seen enough to know that now."
Magnus's eyes narrowed. "That uniform on your back… That oath you swore… you would throw it all away? For what?"
Darius's voice cracked like thunder. "For family."
For a moment, the storm swallowed them both.
Rain streaked their faces, smoke curled from the burning mast, and all Magnus could see was the desperation blazing in his brother's eyes.
Behind him, Bullet's voice bellowed with impatience.
"Oi, Magnus! He's still a Marine. Want me to smash him before he stabs you in the back?"
Kael, however, stepped forward, spear glinting. His eyes lingered on Darius, sharp and calculating. "Wait. His stance isn't that of an enemy."
Even Gryphon, towering above, rumbled in agreement. "He fought with fury. That is no coward's fire."
Magnus ignored them all.
His gaze remained locked on Darius.
"…If you stand here, with me, then you stand against the entire world," Magnus said, his tone harsh but his eyes unflinching. "The Marines. The Admirals. The Celestial Dragons themselves. There is no turning back from that path."
Darius stepped forward until they stood nearly chest to chest, the storm raging around them.
His voice dropped to a whisper, but it carried more weight than any roar.
"Then I'll walk it with you."
Magnus's jaw tightened. He searched his brother's face for weakness, for hesitation, for a single crack.
But there was none. Only fire.
And in that moment, Magnus saw not the soldier shaped by Marine doctrine, but the brother who had once stood shield in hand, defending him.
The same brother who had never let go of his hand when the world turned cruel.
Magnus exhaled slowly, and for the first time in years, his expression softened.
"Then so be it," he said. He lifted his hand, extending it between them.
The elder brother's lips curled into a faint, grim smile.
He clasped Magnus's hand without hesitation, the grip iron-strong despite his wounds.
The deck erupted in cheers and laughter.
Bullet's booming guffaws shook the air, Gryphon roared approval, and Kael gave a curt nod, eyes gleaming with respect.
But Magnus's voice cut through them all, sharp as a blade.
"Get him aboard. He's one of us now."
As ropes were thrown and the burning Marine ship sank into the sea, the Delmar brothers stood side by side once more their reunion sealed not by peace, but by fire and storm.
And though Magnus could not yet see it, fate had already set their family on a course toward war with the heavens themselves.