Chapter 17: Siblings

Alex and Victor bent over the book, its pages rustling under their hands like distant whispers from another time. The texts, written in ancient script, glittered in the faint light, as if their very existence was an anomaly in space. The drawings on the yellowed pages seemed to come alive in the twilight, and their details, pulsing like a beating heart, revealed more than any words could. Alex felt as if he was touching the very structure of the world, as if his fingers were moving through the threads of the fabric of all things.

Each page told a story that was brutal and merciless, yet filled with transcendent beauty. There were descriptions of battles whose echoes still sounded somewhere in the recesses of the universe - battles between beings born of pure light and those that were pure negation, an almost abstract entity that existed only in relation to destruction. Guardians of light, wielding swords radiating like stars, faced shadows that took the shapes of the deepest human fears. These were no ordinary battles - these were duels for souls, for the very existence of light in a world where darkness lurked in every crevice.

Victor, running his finger over the illustrations, stopped at one of them. It depicted a figure in a halo of light, whose outlines almost evaporated from the parchment. Her sword, decorated with runes, seemed to hold the very essence of creation. There was something disturbingly familiar about this figure. Alex froze, staring at the drawing.

- It looks like... - began Alex, but his voice trailed off, as if he didn't want to say it out loud.

- You? - finished Victor for him, with his lips twisted in a grimace of a skeptical smile.

Opposite the light was a being whose shapes seemed fluid, blurred like smoke, but at the same time sharp as a knife plunged into the very heart of reality. There was something about it that resembled the most terrifying parts of nightmares - it was impossible to define, to understand, to grasp. Every detail existed only to disintegrate in the next split second.

- It's not just an image - it's a vision. - Alex moved his hand over the card, feeling a warmth that shouldn't be here. - And it seems to be affecting us.

Victor remained silent. His gaze slid over the ancient runes, which Alex read as if with innate ease.

- "Light will meet darkness at the end of time" - it is in these words. It's a prophecy, Victor. A struggle we cannot avoid.

- What if it's not a fight, but a warning? - Victor replied calmly, his voice carrying a note of something Alex recognized as fear.

The next pages of the book described the "Crack" - the moment when the harmony of the universe was disrupted, opening the gates to the shadows. There was talk of a fratricidal war that would destroy the balance. The guards, though immortal, fell one by one, and their light went out, turning into flickering sparks. The forces of darkness were not only destroying - they were devouring, assimilating, transforming the light into their degenerate, twisted version.

- It's not just their fight - it's ours. - Alex closed the book with a heavy sigh. - We are part of the story, want it or not.

Victor looked at him with an expression on his face that was hard to read. Somewhere in his eyes shone understanding, though a note of skepticism played on his lips.

- So what do we do? Do we follow the story like fairy tale characters, or do we try to end it before it draws us in deeper?

Alex answered after a moment's thought, his voice quiet but firm:

- We have no choice. Light must always meet darkness. And I have to understand who I am in this story before I can figure out how to end it.

There was something new in his eyes - a mixture of fear, determination and something like awe at forces beyond his comprehension. Deep inside, he felt that here was the beginning of something that would change not only him, but also the world he knew.

As he turned page after page of the book, his gaze stopped on the details of the drawings - chaotic compositions of lights and shadows that seemed to move whenever he looked away. Each word on the parchment was like a scrap of a key to a lock that no one had ever opened before. Under his fingers, the paper seemed to almost pulsate, as if the ancient symbols reacted to his touch. His heart was beating so hard that he could have sworn he could hear it in the silence between sentences.

- I'm ready, Victor," he said, without lifting his gaze from above the last, particularly ominous illustration depicting a volcanic landscape illuminated by the heat of flowing magma and the pulsating wings of a dark entity. Alex's voice was deep, sure, as if imbued with an unconscious determination. - I will accept my destiny and face whatever fate brings.

Victor, standing behind his back, was silent for a moment. Then he spoke up in a voice reminiscent of the rough murmur of a storm coming from somewhere over the horizon.

- It's that time already. Therefore, I am moving with you.

Before Alex had time to respond, the forest made a sound. It wasn't the usual rustling of the wind or the crackle of branches. It was a sound that vibrated in the air, as if an invisible hand had moved across the strings of the world. Alex looked up, and Victor raised his head, as if he had picked up something that escaped the human sense of hearing.

- What was it? - Alex asked, though his heart already knew the answer.

From the abyss of the forest emerged a figure whose silhouette was more shadow than body. Moonlight reflected in her eyes, sparkling like polished diamonds, and her movements were fluid, almost hypnotic. Every step she took seemed to simultaneously lift her above the ground and drive the weight of some ancient, invisible law into her. Her hands were clenched into fists, and around her the air seemed to pulsate like hot vapors rising from within the earth.

Victor straightened up, his body taut as a bowstring.

- She. - His voice sounded low, almost growling, and something like anger or fear ignited in his eyes that could not be fully defined.

Alex took a step forward, although he felt his body seem to protest. Each step was like a battle against gravity, as if the figure in front of them emanated a force capable of absorbing anything that came near it.

- What do you want again? - he asked, trying to give his voice a tone that sounded like authority rather than desperation.

The figure raised its head and its lips twitched in what could be considered a smile, if it weren't so disturbing.

- Not what. Who. - Her voice was deep, like an echo rolling down an empty canyon. - You.

The silence that fell was as heavy as lead. The air became thicker, and every sound in the forest suddenly quieted, as if the world held its breath. Alex felt adrenaline begin to pulse through his veins.

- Why. Who are you?

The figure took another step forward. Its eyes seemed to glow more and more intensely until they resembled two burning coals in the middle of the night.

- I am the shadow of your decisions, your reflection in the dark, the truth you were afraid to understand.

Victor moved toward her, but Alex stopped him with a hand gesture.

- No. This is my business.

The figure raised one of its hands, opening it slowly, as if inviting Alex to come closer.

- Approach. See who you really are. Brother.

At her words, he felt a cool shiver run through his body.

- Brother?

Questions began to swirl in his mind, but no answer came. He held his breath and took a step forward.

A stirring among the trees interrupted his steps. He stopped. The air seemed to thicken with invisible energy, and the smell of moisture mingled with something sharper, almost metallic. The forest around them was alive - branches crackled, leaves rustled, as if something invisible was running between the trees, watching their every step. Alex felt his heart pounding in his chest like a bell, and questions were boiling in his head, the answers to which were as vague as the phantoms suddenly appearing before them.

Alex and Victor stared at the approaching figures, their silhouettes moving like shadows emerging from the abyss.

- A family, you say? - chuckled Victor, his voice carrying through the space like quiet thunder. - You seem to have quite a family reunion here. And I thought my family troubles were complicated.

Alex raised the flashlight, its cold glare falling on the first of the figures that emerged from the darkness. She was tall, with unnaturally long limbs, as if someone had forcibly stretched her body, leaving it in grotesque proportion. Her eyes - two pulsating circles of light - looked like whirlpools that engulfed everything they looked at. In her hand she held something that resembled a blade, but instead of metal it seemed to be made of shadow itself, twitching and changing shape with every movement.

- You always have something to say, don't you brother? - replied the figure, his voice sounding as if it came from many places at once. It was both cold and mesmerizing, like a siren's song drawing you into the depths. - I am here because this is the time for answers. Our fates have never been separate. We are the same. We are all one circle.

Victor took a step closer, not taking his eyes off her.

- I don't know who you are, but if this is some kind of family dance, be warned - I only dance to my beat.

The figure tilted its head, as if ignoring him, and its eyes turned to Alex.

- Your father never told you, did he? He never explained what you really are? Why did we all end up here?

- If you know something I don't, speak up. - Alex raised his voice, trying to mask his trembling. - I don't have time for riddles or family grudges. What is all this? Why are we here?

The figure laughed, and its voice resounded like breaking glass.

- You are the key, brother. You have always been it. Not the guardian, not the hero, not the one who saves. You are the beginning. And the end. We were just waiting for you to come back to us, to your place in the circle.

- Circle? - repeated Alex, his mind pierced by a wave of anxiety, as if the words were part of a distant memory he could not grasp.

Victor pulled out a gun that seemed to glow in a strange, eerie light.

- Listen, whatever your philosophy is, there is no room for such games here. Either you say what the fuck is going on here, or we end this game now.

The shadows around began to move, as if stirred by an invisible wind. More figures emerged from the forest, each equally undefined, each equally menacing. One was shaped like a woman with impossibly long hair that rippled like water. Another seemed to be nothing more than a lump of darkness, pulsing like a beating heart.

- You can't fight something that is already you. - The voice of another figure, soft as silk, pierced the space. - You can only understand. And then choose.

Alex felt a strange sensation of unity come over him - as if all these people, these shadows, these entities, were part of him, as if they spoke for him, but at the same time were his opponents.

- I do not choose you. I will never choose you," he said. - Alex growled, raising his voice, though he could feel his knees trembling.

The figures stood motionless, but their presence filled the space with weight, as if the world around them held its breath. Then one of them, the one at the head, raised her head, and a giggle came from her mouth - penetrating, sharp as shattered glass.

- So the time has come for your deepest fears to come true. - she said, and her voice resembled the whisper of a distant gale, carrying with it an icy chill.

Alex felt a shiver run down his spine, and a chill enveloped him like a damp fog. The creature's gaze seemed to penetrate deep into his soul, exposing hidden fears that even he was unaware of. But something was smoldering brightly in Alex's heart - a spark of unyielding determination that grew with each passing moment.

- I will not be intimidated! - he said with a force that surprised even himself.

Victor, standing right next to him, clenched his hands into fists. His gaze was as sharp as a sword's blade.

- We are ready for anything you have to offer us," he chuckled coolly, and his voice carried the promise of a ruthless fight.

The shadows answered them with laughter - a cacophony of voices that seemed to come from all directions at once. The sound echoed through the forest, as if the trees themselves had become the instruments of this sinister orchestra. Then, just as suddenly as they came, they disappeared just as suddenly, dissolving into the thick darkness. All that remained was the whisper of the leaves and the distant sounds of nighttime nature.

Alex and Victor looked at each other, their eyes full of understanding. They knew that this was just the beginning.

And then they saw her again.

Against the backdrop of the silvery moon, in the twilight of the forest, appeared a figure whose every detail seemed to be a measured blow to their confidence. She was tall, slender, moving with the grace of a predator. Her black hair shone like the wings of a raven, and her emerald eyes shone with a cold, inhuman radiance. Her body was wrapped in a cloak that seemed to absorb the light, shimmering like a shadow battered by the movements of the wind.

- Are you proud of us, brother? - she asked, her voice melodious and icy at the same time, as if there was a threat hidden under every note.

Alex felt the blood pulsing in his temples. It was beautiful and frightening, as if a creature so perfect could only exist to destroy.

- What do you want? - He asked, trying to make his voice sound confident.

The sister tilted her head, and a smile appeared on her lips that spoke more than any words.

- You have no idea what you are capable of, or what forces lurk inside you. But it's time to change that. To remind you of who you are. And who you have always been.

- Darkness is not my heritage," Alex replied, his voice trembling but not faltering.

- Father has shaped you well, brother. You are his creation. But the work always remains a part of its creator. You will not escape who you are. Will it finally reach your foolish, stubborn head!

Victor interjected, his voice like steel.

- Fuck you.

The sister laughed. Her laughter resembled the sound of breaking glass - beautiful, but painful.

- You two... You are so pathetically confident. But this fight, little brother.... is not your fight. She will consume you before you can even lift your sword.

Suddenly the darkness hit like a wave, viscous and overpowering, spilling over every nook and cranny of the space. The air around him thickened, filling Alex's nostrils with the smell of damp earth and iron. He had the impression that the world around him ceased to exist - the trees, the earth, the sky disappeared - only the abyss remained, in which he felt like dust in a boundless vacuum.

The sister stood motionless, her figure almost melting into the darkness, which now seemed like a living organism, pulsing and breathing. Her smile was unchanging, though in his eyes it seemed increasingly grotesque, like a mask conglomerated from lies and illusions.

- We'll see, little brother," she said, her voice like an echo breaking the silence in the tomb. - We'll see what your confidence is worth when you look into the face of what you carry inside you.

The darkness began to move. Alex felt the tension explode in his body, as if every nerve was pierced by an icy current. The darkness took on forms - billowing, irregular silhouettes that changed with each passing second, once resembling human figures, other times grotesque caricatures of creatures that should not be in any known world.

- Fuck, what is it? - slipped out as a squawking sound began to come from everywhere. The sound drilled into his skull, causing shivers to run through his body like lightning bolts.

- What is it? This is our house," replied her sister, her tone full of sardonic certainty. She raised her hand, pointing to the blackness surrounding them. - Welcome to the place where true power is born. Where light dies and its ashes feed our power.

Alex looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and anger. His thoughts pulsed in a chaotic rhythm, trying to understand where he was and how it was possible that all this was happening. But the darkness gave him no time for reflection.

The first shapes emerged from the darkness. They moved slowly, as if testing their limits, and then faster and faster until they resembled predatory shadows that constantly changed direction. Each squawking sounded now like a cry, like an accusation, like an ominous prophecy.

- This place... is not just your place. It's more than that," Alex said, trying to control the chaos in his head.

- This is our heritage," her sister interrupted, her voice vibrating in space. - You are a part of it too, though you try so desperately to deny it. But don't worry. We will teach you how to accept your destiny.

Her words were as cold as steel that barely pierces the skin, but leaves a trail of unforgettable pain.

The shadow began to engulf them. Alex had the feeling that the ground beneath his feet was collapsing. His hands clenched into fists, as if trying to keep in touch with reality that way.

- I will not be a pawn in your game," he hissed, looking straight into his sister's eyes, which shone like emeralds in the darkness. - I won't get dragged into this shit. It's not me.

-Everyone says that at first,‖ chuckled her sister, her smile widening to the limit. - But the truth? The truth will find you. It will draw you in. It will absorb you.

The shadows surrounded them completely, their movement resembled a dance - chaotic, but hypnotic. Alex felt his heart speed up and his breathing become shallower. But somewhere deep inside him, like a pulsating core, he felt that this battle was not just about fear and darkness. He felt that, despite everything, he had a light inside him that was able to dispel even the deepest darkness.

- You are not my destiny," he said quietly but firmly, looking straight into his sister's eyes. - And you are not my home. My home is where I decide who I am.

Her smile froze, and something new appeared in her eyes - anger, a shadow of doubt.

- We'll see," she whispered, and the shadows began swirling around her, blurring her silhouette until she finally disappeared, leaving Alex and Victor alone in the middle of the darkness.

Alex took a deep breath, feeling the tension begin to ease, though his heart was still beating like a hammer.

- What now? - He asked, looking at Victor.

Victor looked at him, and determination flashed in his eyes.

- Now we will dance.