“ You Are Not A Monster Like Your Brother !”

The ceremony, as any other traditional ceremony of the Carnelia, was grandiose. But it was exclusively only to those of the closest family of the Alkyone.

At the front were King Igneous's wives in their crimson blood gowns, each made to match the silver and gold that adorned the figure of their young beauty. The wives were aligned in his favor, from his first to his tenth. Then at the side, aligned in the same way, were the children. No younger than five and no older than ten, each of them had already celebrated their previous ceremony.

The scarlet-orange stone hung before them all, it snored in its deep slumber, and with the sound of the drums, a hundred-year traditional music to thank the blessings, it awakened.

Then, like it always did, the door of the grand hall opened, and young children at the age of three and four marched inside. They were told to raise their heads high as the sons and daughters of the Great Alkyone, who sat on a large throne, in the middle of the room, under the Carnelian Stone itself.

The first one in line was a child with red hair and sharp garnet eyes, he glared hatefully at the King before stepping forward. The Carnelian Stone glowed brighter as he stepped within the light of the stone. The boy glared at it yet knelt on his knees, just as they were told. It was a sign of respect and submission. Then the Stone spoke to him in his head.

With death, you shall have your dance.

With blood, you shall have your chance.

The eyes of the broken will leave you in a trance,

You'll serve the king without a second glance

Godstone's greatness shall prevail.

Spread your wings and end the winter tale.

The boy bowed his head before feeling the burn on his back, he winced but didn't dare scream. The stinging sensation immediately faded, and everyone gasped and stepped back at the protruding flaming wings.

The King stood. "Magnificent," he muttered under his breath. Then there was applause and everyone followed suit, King Igneous stepped forward and placed his hands on his shoulders. "I expect great things from you. What is your birth name?"

"Avis Alkyone, son of the tenth wife, Volares Alkyone," said the boy, scrutinizing his touch.

"The tenth? My least favorite. But promising."

And promising he was. In the years to come, he would be the best among all his other siblings. He was the finest fighter of his age, beating the oldest children in training. It wasn't until he turned ten that he was sent to a private school where he was quick to discipline the instructors and slay the sorcerers in combat. Even though there were many children before him, Avis was labeled as the eldest.

Volares Alkyone, his mother, would accompany him to his school and insisted that a mother should be there for his son. Avis knew exactly why she preferred to be there, she didn't want him to turn out like his father, she'd always told him to stay vigilant and always mind what he was doing. He'd always listen to her by heart, feeling the guilt rise up in him as more of the training made by his father continued.

But one day his mother wasn't there when he came back to their house, there was only his father waiting for him.

"Where is she?"

Ignoring his question, he approached him and put his hand on his shoulders. For the King of Fire, his hands had always felt cold, as though it was a corpse, and though his tone was stoic and rough, his eyes weren't devoid of warmth. His eyes swelled with pride, and this made Avis bite the inside of his cheeks,

'Proud that I'm a monster.' "Where's my mother?" he asked again.

"She is in the palace, arranging the ceremony," he said, before ordering one of his guards to pack his things to be sent back to the palace. Avis thought about his mother, thinking that there was something wrong with her, she would've said something if she was going to leave. But she did seem well before he left for training that morning, if there was something wrong then she'd tell him.

Seeing the King in their living room wasn't reassuring in the least, he hadn't seen him since years ago after the Stone Ceremony. They weren't invited to the ceremonies after that, not that he'd liked to, but a break from training would make his day.

"Ceremony for what?"

But Igneous didn't answer and only gestured for him to follow him in their carriage, Avis hesitated but entered nonetheless. He heard the crack of the whip before the sound of a bull roar, the whole carriage moved with speed and he tried to keep on his seat. He looked out the window, seeing the house recede in the distance.

"How was the training, son?" he asked.

Avis looked down at the scars on his hands, "It was fine."

"Good. I heard you were holding up with the training quite well. Better than I had anticipated. So I got something for you." he said, "A little gift.

Then he took something out of his robes and handed it over to him. It was a red wrapping and as he tapped on it, he felt a wooden box tied with a big metal clip. He returned his gaze to the King, attempting to fully understand what this was, but all he got was a smile, something he wasn't used to. So Avis returned his gaze to the box; it was robust and heavy, but he doubted it would be a toy like the others received at his school.

"Open it."

And Avis did as he was told. He eventually noticed the dark wooden box as he burnt the wrapper steadily. The clip had an engraving of phoenixes on each side. He knew that the dark silver came into light and the Carnelian gems were anchored on each of the silver horns. It was a crown. A pretentious one, at that. He was perplexed and unimpressed by it.

"If you conduct well, you will succeed as the future King," he said. "You will live in the palace with me and acquire suitable leadership skills. You will observe how we operate by attending meetings with the other commanders."

Avis didn't say a thing and just looked at his reflection in the dark silver.

"This crown is too big."

-

He rushed into the arms of his mother as soon as he saw her through the open door, hugging her tightly, she pulled away and kissed him on the head before whispering into his ear, "I was worried. What did he tell you?"

"That I was to be King someday," he whispered, burying his face against the cloth of her stomach, not letting go.

"That's a great privilege, Avis," she said but there was a clear sadness in her voice. She hugged him tightly once more before, kneeling to meet him in the eyes. "Be good, son. That's all I ask of you."

Avis gave a nod. It was something she would constantly remind him of. Be considerate. Be kind to yourself. Be mindful. If only she knew what they taught him at school, but he assumed she does. That was something he despised in her; she was a coward and would not stand up for him. Perhaps that was why she kept reminding him. Still, he gave her a hug once again.

"We should get you a bath. I bought you many presents, alright? You can open it right after the celebration."

Avis smiled. "Yes, mother."

He resisted the impulse to roll his eyes as people knelt to him, instead only glaring at them as they presented their gifts, he preferred to celebrate his birthday at home and alone with his mother, like they always did. The servants were whispering amongst themselves, something they always enjoyed.

He heard them through the door when he was putting on his clothes. Another child is on the way. However, he didn't care enough, he knew he had a lot of siblings (and he doesn't even know any of them.) Why would this one be any special?

He was in the middle of the long table, between his mother and father, there were hundreds of food in front of him and he ate quite a lot, his metabolism not failing him. Every time he'd try to bend down to feed himself, the crown on his head would slide down, annoying him. But he wasn't allowed to take it off.

"Slow down, Avis, you might upset your stomach." his mother said, caressing his back.

As he was about to take another bite, slowly. A servant tripped on his foot and splattered the drink all over the table. Everyone stood up, not wanting to ruin their garments, the music stopped and all eyes were on the table now, he apologized profusely, on his knees, crying.

"It's okay," said Avis but his father stood, knife in hand. Volares immediately went to Avis to cover him from the sight,

"Let him watch, he should know how failures should be treated," his father spat.

The knife pierced through the servant's head and the blade melted into his skull. There was no blood, and Avis watched as his body was carried away by the other servants. The music came back and the celebration continued as if nothing just happened.

Avis watched the limp body as it finally went out of sight.

"Are you alright, love?" she asked when they both got to his room. It's not like he didn't see death at school, except he was the one killing them, not his father. So he just nodded.

He sat at the edge of his bed. "I don't want to see him."

"I know, sweetheart. Me too." she wrapped her arms around his small frame, letting his head rest on her stomach. He closed his eyes, trying to listen in her stomach. "How do you feel about having a sibling?"

"I have so many, already. I don't think I need one anymore." he glared at the floor and Volares laughed.

"Well, you're going to be a big brother, and promise me you'll be kind."

-

A year and a half had gone by and Avis hadn't seen his mother properly, he either saw her once a week or once a month. She'd send letters to him when she couldn't. She lived on the other side of the castle but needed permission to be granted access to where he was, a permission she couldn't get. Each time they saw each other, she seemed to have eaten a lot, and she walked slower with the help of the maids. When she didn't send a letter for a month, he asked around but no one answered him, telling him they had no idea.

So he lied to his instructors that his father had told him that he was needed in a meeting. While then lied to his father that he'd be out in the field training after this meeting.

The commanders were dull and crude, and they all regarded him as if he were some sort of terrible plague. When they thought the King went out of earshot, they grumbled amongst themselves, "A usurper."

Avis, on the other hand, did not dare to engage. Be considerate, he told himself, for they were filthy lowlives and he was a thousand times better than them. It was something his father had told him as well, despite loathing him, he couldn't help but agree.

He listened to their tactics, silently taking mental notes. He was forced to read books about war—wars they tend to lose to the Uvites. Why are my ancestors so keen on conquering the other Stones? He kept listening from behind, watching the commanders around a table with a map sprawled out for everyone to see.

"The expedition returned empty-handed. The waters around there are extremely dangerous. There appears to be no contact between them and other nations. It's like they don't exist." one of the commanders explained.

Avis listened intently. Uvite had their mountains, and Azurite had their floating islands, but the Tanzanite, which was the target of the day, was nowhere to be seen. It was interesting. They've been sending fleets around the charters but end up empty-handed. Or dead.

There was a rumor that the coward Tanzanite king would rather drown his country than submit to the Carnelian King back in the ages, and because of that, they all died. To this day, there hasn't been a word from any Tanzanite.

He'd like to visit one day.

The meeting ended and he gave Igneous a quick briefing of what he had learned.

"Very good. Now go, you still need to see your instructor."

Avis nodded before running off, trying not to look so giddy to finally leave. He ran down the stairs without the intention of ever going to see the instructor, he had plans after all. Instead, he'd go and find his mother, who was on the other side of the castle.

-

When he was finally able to see his mother, she seemed out of it, whispering on the bundle of cloth in her arms. Avis raised a brow, confused as to what she was doing. She had dark circles under her eyes and she looked pale, more so, she continued to cradle the cloth in her arms. Avis waited for the maids and servants to leave the room before he flew through the open window.

"Avis," she whispered. "You're not supposed to be here."

He ran to her arms but she held her fingers against her lip, shushing him. She hesitated before gesturing for him to come forward slowly, cradling the bundle of cloth in front of him.

"Isn't he beautiful, love?" she said in her light voice.

Avis moved the cloth to reveal one fat face that was cooing. "What is that?"

"This is your baby brother, Zemus," she said, trailing her fingers at his cheeks. "He couldn't stop weeping all night, but I eventually got him to sleep. Have a look at his innocent face."

"Looks funny," he noted as he rested his head on her shoulders, secretly blaming the baby for his mother's busyness, but this impression didn't stay long as Zemus stirred awake, giggling. Avis reached his fingers out, and Zemus' delicate little fingers sought to cling onto his own, so he let him draw his finger into his mouth, "He's trying to eat me!"

Volares laughed and hugged them both close.

"Aren't you supposed to be in training?"

They turned to look at the door, where King Igneous stood with his guards. Volares felt the need to hide, unable to look him in the face, "I asked for him, your highness, I never meant—" she croaked out.

"I didn't ask you,"

"It was my fault," spoke Avis. "I lied because I hadn't seen her for a while. Don't hurt her," he demanded as he glared at the tall figure, upset that he ruined such a nice atmosphere. He felt his flames wanting to explode but his mother gave him a pleading glance. He tried to calm down.

Igneous glanced at the baby, who was on the verge of crying. "I guess it's only fair for you to see your brother, you are the eldest. I shall forgive this lie. But do not do it again. Go back to your training."

"No," he said, defiant. But his mother gave him another pleading look and he felt guilty, she usually gets in trouble because of him. They blamed her for his stubbornness.

"Now, or you'll be thrown into the chasm," he said, leaving no word to be said.

Eventually, Avis left, blowing fire from his mouth at the guards as they glanced at him with smug looks.

"Insolent child," Igneous said, sighing. "But just what I need for a King. That baby, I've been told he's been crying all night long."

"Yes, your highness, he had trouble sleeping. But I was able to manage him well."

"Was Avis the same as a newborn?"

She calmed the baby down. Practically begging him to as she was on the verge of tears herself, she quivered under his presence. "N-No, your highness. He threw more tantrums than he shed more tears," she said, trying to humor herself.

Igneous hummed, taking a slight glance at the baby before turning and leaving the room. Volares felt like herself again, she clutched the baby in her arms.

"I let them take Avis, I won't make the same mistake. I'd die to protect you this time, my darling."

-

Avis watched beside his father at the ceremony. Much to his delight, he was now ten years old and his brother had just turned four, he scared the instructors to tell his father that it was alright for him to attend and have the whole week to himself, they'd been more afraid of him ever since he got bigger.

His mother was aligned along with the other wives, she sat on the opposite side of where was when he had his own ceremony. He waved at her but ended up ignored, maybe she didn't notice?

Finally, the doors opened, but his brother was nowhere to be seen, he tried to crane his neck to see where he was but there were so many children. One by one, they all knelt before them, asking for the blessings of the Carnelian Stone. As they received theirs, the King didn't seem to be impressed and they all went to the line with the other blessed children, disappointed with themselves.

But Avis didn't care much about his other siblings, he was here for his real brother. More and more children were blessed until finally there were only a few left and he could finally see him, Zemus was at the back twiddling his hands under his shirt. The other children held their heads up high, in turn, he looked small and scared. Avis thought it was funny how he looked so out of place.

Zemus stepped into the Carnelian's stone light, looking down at his feet, he shakily bent down knees, almost losing his balance. He finally raised his head and Avis gave him an assuring smile. He smiled and tried to smile back but the King was looking impatient. So he looked at the large stone on top of him and let it speak.

-

"You will be sent to the army under the care of the first commander until I see you fit to come back, you will not send letters or contact my tenth wife and her disappointing son," he said.

Avis spread his wings, gritting his teeth. "You can't do that to me or my mother or my brother!"

Igneous raised his hand to slap him, he glared down at Avis, who was fuming with anger, "Yes, I can, and you will obey."

"I'll kill you!" he pounced at the King, who didn't move from his spot.

Magma dripped out of Igneous's hands, gabbing onto Avis, who screeched angrily, not caring about the burning of the skin by the hands of the King, who then grabbed his neck and slammed him through the window, the chasm looming below his feet. Avis continued to blow out the fire but none seemed to affect Igneous, this angered him more and his wings were out of control.

"You can come back in the castle once you've gotten over your tantrum," Igneous let his grip loose, watching Avis' small figure fall into the dark abyss of the chasm.

Avis held his neck, crying at the pain. He sobbed and wiped his tears before taking a shaky deep breath. If his skin had been any like any other, the magma would have melted through his neck and killed him. But it just burnt; the fires that might genuinely harm him were the King's blessings. He could still feel the rough fingers around his neck and arms, he gulped, feeling as though there was something stuck in his throat. But the pain remained.

The chasm was dark, he looked up and the stars were out but they didn't shine bright enough, so he had his hands glowed as he tried to look for something on the ground, and finally, he saw a stick, thank goodness it was dry. He lit the end with his fire, and let his blessings rest as his torch paved his way. He had wasted so much energy from his tantrum earlier, all he wanted to do was to sleep but he knew the chasms weren't safe, it's where their most dangerous prisoners were thrown into. It's where giant reptilian beasts rested and waited for their unknowing prey in the dark.

"I'll kill him, I swear, I'm going to kill him," he said, aggressively wiping the tears that threatened to drop. "He can't just take me away from mother and Zemus when they need me."

Poor Zemus didn't receive a blessing, shocking everyone momentarily. Then there were rounds of laughter from the King's other children who had their own blessings, and only a disappointing hum from the King himself. Volares didn't share the look of pity or mockery of the other wives, instead, she had a pleased look on her face.

As they continued to laugh at his brother. Avis felt something explode inside him, he stood from his chair and attempted to burn everybody who dared to laugh one more time. But in the end, he had only scared Zemus, who fled into their mother's arms; she clutched Zemus protectively, with a horrified look on her face as she stared at Avis.

Be considerate. Be kind to yourself. Be mindful. "That stupid tyrant did nothing. At least, I did," he kicked a rock on the wall, landing hard against the floor. This seemed to have awakened something as he picked up movement in his ears.

There was scuttling from all around him, he let his guard up but didn't use his blessing immediately. Then there was a single quiet chuckle in the dark, moving everywhere. The chuckling turned into harsh laughter, thousands of them everywhere. He glared at the dark and waved his torch around, searching for the voices but there were none. There were simply only the cold walls on each side.

The poor child is lost. The poor child is crying. Come here, with us. Let us play.

Avis frantically looked everywhere now, the voices echoing in the chasm. "I don't even know any games!" he responded.

We'll show you. Kill the lights. Kill the lights and come with us in the dark!

"Where are you?"

Everywhere.

Then there was more laughter, he looked around, but there was nothing. "Shut up!", he yelled out. It was like it was in his head, getting louder and louder. He didn't notice the large shadow looming over him, closer and closer as the laughter in his head got louder.

He turned to see a giant centipede and blasted most of its feet off. It screeched loudly, showing the millions of teeth from within its mouth, and scuttled away. Avis watched it hide in a hole at a ledge from afar, and felt a bile rise in his throat.

"THAT WAS GROSS!"

-

Avis entered the castle doors, exhausted, bruised, and dirty. The maids all rushed to help him clean up, treading lightly to not get burned. But he was too exhausted to even try to. He'd rather not go back to the chasms, after that centipede, there were other beasts that he had run from when his fire wouldn't work. For the first time ever, he was glad to be back in his room. At this late at night, the King would've been in his chamber sleeping soundly, so he had nothing to worry about.

After the bath, he got dressed before going to see his mother on the other side of the castle, using his wings to get to her window with ease. But it was locked. He frowned, his mother never locked her window before, that's how he'd always get in. She must've forgotten.

As he was about to knock, she saw her figure coming in through the door, and behind her was her brother. He smiled but then gasped when he saw him get slapped by her. Zemus looked down, lips quivering and his eyes wet.

"How many times do I have to tell you?! There would be no blessings or curses in your life," she screamed in his ear, and crouched down before him, gripping his arms tightly.

"T-that's…w-w-what they're teaching us..."

"I don't care!" she gripped his arms even tighter. Even Avis felt afraid, he hadn't seen her this angry before, let alone speak above a shout, "Fail those classes if you must! You are not a monster like your brother! Do you hear me?!"

"Y-y… y-yes," Zemus started to wail now, and like she just wasn't screaming her lungs out, she switched back to what she was, sweet and caring. She hugged Zemus tightly.

"Mother is sorry, but you should know I'm doing this for you," she whispered. "I won't let your father take my son away from me. You're not your father and you're not your brother, alright? You've seen what he did at the ceremony, remember that fear, Zemus."

Zemus couldn't bring himself to talk and continued to sob, his face was wet with snot and tears. Volares apologized and wiped the tears on his face with the hem of the dress, caressing his back. She hugged him tightly, as she did with Avis when he was that small.

There was the sound of flaps outside the window and she came and checked, but there was nothing.