Amari and Daniel woke up early, stretching the sleep from their bodies. After eating a quick breakfast, they hurried outside and placed their hands on the tree. The bark split open with a click, revealing the hidden elevator.
"Wassup, Sam," they both said in unison as they stepped inside.
"Good morning, Amari. Good morning, Daniel," Sam's voice echoed calmly.
Daniel yawned. "We're about to get dressed and hit training."
"Understood," Sam replied. "But may I suggest something first?"
Amari tilted his head. "Yeah? What's up?"
"You should spar while wearing your weighted gear," Sam advised.
Amari smirked. "Good thinking."
They went to the weighted wardrobe and slipped on the fifty-pound clothes. Their bodies instantly felt heavy, every movement dragging.
Daniel grunted. "This… feels rough already."
"That's the point," Amari said with a grin.
⸻
In the training room, the brothers began their workout.
"One hundred pushups," Amari ordered.
They hit the ground, arms shaking under the added weight. Sweat poured after the first fifty, but they pushed through until their muscles screamed.
"Now sit-ups."
Their cores burned as they forced themselves to reach one hundred.
"Jumping jacks. One hundred."
The sound of their weighted bodies slamming into the ground echoed across the chamber.
"Squats. One hundred."
By the end, both brothers were gasping for air, shirts drenched.
Daniel wiped his forehead. "That's… insane. I can barely move."
Amari smirked. "Good. Now we spar."
⸻
Amari's hands glowed green. He fired a blast, but Daniel darted aside, speed carrying him even through the weight. He reappeared behind Amari, fist cocked.
But Amari was ready. He swept Daniel's leg—
Daniel caught himself mid-fall, springing forward and landing a punch.
Amari blocked, countering with a strike to Daniel's stomach.
"Not bad," Daniel growled, lunging again. His speed carried him around Amari, striking his shoulder.
Amari blasted back with his other hand, but Daniel dodged, twisting into a kick—only for Amari to roll under and grab his leg.
BOOM! A blast erupted from Amari's palm, slamming into Daniel's stomach and sending him flying back.
Daniel groaned but forced himself up. "Not done yet."
The two clashed again, fists and kicks flying in a storm of hand-to-hand combat. Dodges, strikes, counters—the room shook with their speed.
Finally—CRACK! Their fists collided, slamming into each other's faces at the same time. Both were launched back, collapsing to the floor, gasping for air.
Amari lay there, chest heaving. "We… really went all out."
Daniel coughed a laugh. "Yeah. That… was crazy."
⸻
Elsewhere…
In the dark prison cell, their father's voice was low and urgent. "We need to get out of here."
Their mother's eyes flared faintly as she tried to reduce the cuffs to dust. But nothing happened.
"They… they forged them from something I can't break," she whispered.
Grandpa lifted his hand, focusing on the guard's belt. The keys rattled faintly—just an inch off the hook—
"What do you think you're doing?" the guard snarled. He slammed his fist into Grandpa's face, again and again, until the old man hung limp and barely conscious.
The guard spat on the floor. "When I find that boy, I'll kill him myself."
Mother's eyes burned. "Don't you dare… lay a finger on my son."
"Shut up," the guard barked, striking her down with a savage blow that knocked her out cold.
Their father roared. "You're not leaving this place alive."
"Is that a threat?" the guard sneered.
"Yes."
The guard's fist cracked across his jaw, knocking him unconscious. The cell fell silent, heavy with blood and despair.
⸻
Back with Amari and Daniel…
The brothers dragged themselves out of the training room, stripping off their gear. They swapped into pajamas, bodies aching everywhere.
"Too tired to cook," Amari muttered.
Daniel nodded, collapsing into his bed.
The lights dimmed, and silence filled the underground base.
Both brothers drifted to sleep, unaware of the suffering their family endured that very same night.