Two Brothers.

Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan.

5 miles north of Furuno city, Zhao Lei was making his way towards a shrine. For the first time after becoming the head, he didn't have a dragon emblem on his Black Changshan. Today, he was not the head of the Zhao family. This mission was for his greed.

As he walked on the path covered in silver, he began to prepare himself mentally. The Black and white aesthetic of the mountainous path was reminiscent of the mythological heaven the Western world often described.

Soon enough, A red Torii came into sight. A red gate to his destination.

He paused. A shadow of doubt started to form inside his mind.

'Turn Back.'

His mind was screaming.

'Leave him alone.'

Fear continued to make its way towards his spine.

'After all, even if you are better than him, what makes him a traitor, and what makes you a leader?'

He closed his eyes, grabbed the hilt of his Dao, and said,

"He made his decision. Now I shall make mine."

He walked past the Torii without giving it a second thought. It was time for him to keep his part of the deal.

"Brother."

At the entrance of the Shrine. Long hair, A tattered Kimono. Head facing towards the ground, and a wineskin in his hand.

"Zhao Lei, is that you?"

The drunk man slowly raised his head. The cold terrain had affected his movement, and many parts of his body were frostbitten. Through the tatters, Lei could see the scars on his body.

He didn't even try to stand up. His skin was as fragile as a thin sheet of glass.

Zhao Lei took out his sword and said,

"You have to keep your word."

His face was in sight. Even Lei couldn't bear to look at him. He averted his eyes and said,

"Do you wish to come with me or go back on your word?"

The man struggled, but he eventually flashed out a smile.

"Why won't you just end my life?"

Lei didn't respond. He continued.

"I have inflicted a lot of sorrow and pain on you, Zhao Lei. I don't deserve the respect that you continue to give me."

A single tear rolled down Lei's cheek. He took a deep breath in and asked,

"I kept my end of the promise. Now you have to keep yours."

He placed his wineskin down. His hands were trembling non-stop.

"Irony. Even a person like me has to pay his dues."

His hand reached towards a small bag that was beside him.

"I will come with you. Before that, give me your hand."

He extended his hand. His brother placed A xiao(Flute) on it and said,

"Xiao Lei, won't you play me that song?"

Lei froze. For a whole minute, he felt like time had stopped. They both had returned to their childhood, and all the pain slowly started to wash away. Lei used to play his flute to calm his elder brother down while he was having nightmares. They were not related by blood. Both of them had been brought in from different provinces as orphans.

But no one could separate them then. They both had each other's back.

He placed the tip of the flute beneath his lower lip and took a deep breath in.

As he closed his eyes, the vision of his now broken brother disappeared. All that was left was a small child lying on the ground, distressed by his mind.

Everything else did not matter. He exhaled gently, while his fingers guided the air to form a melody.

With every note, his mind became clearer. Lei was not playing this only for his brother anymore. This was for his soul as well.

Two brothers,

One Mind.

Two Souls,

One life.

As he was about to end the song, he felt an arm on his shoulder.

He opened his eyes, and the image of his childhood disappeared.

"I am sorry."

The man said that and collapsed onto the ground. He was barely able to stand up for a few seconds. But he had to apologize.

Lei was frozen by his words once again. He couldn't react in time to prevent his brother from falling. Snow broke his fall, But he passed out due to the impact.

He gently picked his brother up after confirming that he was stable and said,

"You should have been a coward, brother."

He placed his brother on his back and left the shrine.