CHAPTER 2: You are strong that's why you are weak

It has been a week since the fall of All Against One. Not that it matters to me. I've spent most of my days drinking and my nights tangled in the arms of strangers. Unlike my noble brother, I am nothing more than a stain on this kingdom. But who cares? I'm better than the rest. Yes, I am chosen, Allen. I am special. I am Allen.

"Allen."

I don't hear her at first. Her voice is distant, like an echo on the edge of a dream. I'm lost in the rhythm of my own thoughts, intoxicated not by the wine, but by the idea of my own twisted importance.

"Allen," she calls again, firmer now, closer.

I blink and glance over my shoulder. Mira stands behind me, arms crossed, expression unreadable. "Didn't you hear me?" she asks. "How long do you plan to sit here drowning in delusions?"

I exhale slowly. She's right, of course, but I don't let her see that.

"Whatever," I mutter, brushing her off like dust.

"You need to go to the palace. Everyone's waiting. Today is your promised day."

Ah, right. My twenty-first birthday. The so-called "promised day." Time really does slip by unnoticed. I still remember being six, the day Ikki saved me. That memory feels like someone else's story now.

It's been a long time since Mira and I truly spoke.

I wonder what she feels toward me, if anything. She treats me differently from the rest, yes, but never as a man. Never as a lover. Perhaps she still holds on to the ghost of my brother.

Who knows?

Who cares?

Let's get this stupid ceremony over with.

Everyone parades around with painted-on smiles, pretending to love, to care, as if they haven't spent years whispering behind my back, praying I'd disappear.

Who actually cares about me? No one. Not really. I'll play along with this ridiculous performance, smile when I must, and wait for it to end.

I hate this day.

All these people, dressed in silk and gold, laughing like this kingdom ever gave a damn about me. This is supposed to be my twenty-first birthday, but it feels more like a funeral, except I'm still alive to hear them laugh.

"Line up! His Majesty, King Ikki, will enter!" announces the Grand Servant.

The hall explodes with applause. Not for me. Never for me.

Just look at them. These pathetic, fawning liars. This was supposed to be my celebration, but once again, they turn their eyes to him, the golden king, the shining hero.

If I had the Iron Chain... Damn it. Damn them all. They drag me out just to remind me I'm nothing but an ornament in their perfect little story.

The grand doors open, and Ikki enters, radiant, smiling, arms wide like a loving father returning home.

"Allen!" he beams, his voice echoing with joy. "My brother, twenty-one years old today! You've grown into a man right before my eyes!"

Laughter spills from him, genuine, light-hearted. He walks directly to me, pushing past nobles and lords.

"Look at you!" he says, placing both hands on my shoulders. "I still remember carrying you on my back when you were a boy. Now here you are, taller than I am, stronger, handsomer... though I'd never admit that in public!"

The crowd chuckles. He grins.

"I've prepared something special. This entire night is yours, Allen. You deserve it. You've survived more than most ever will, and I," he falters just a moment, voice softening, "I'm proud of you."

I stare at him.

And the words rot in my chest.

"Cut the nonsense," I say coldly.

The joy drains from his face, slowly, like warmth leaving a dying fire.

"Is this really a birthday celebration for me, or are you all just here to celebrate the day you took everything from me?"

The hall goes still. Applause fades into awkward, choking silence.

"Allen..." Ikki says, lifting a hand, "Don't do this. Not tonight."

"No." I step forward, fury building. "Let's not pretend. You took the Iron Chain from me. You named me your heir, then locked away my power the moment I began to use it. You stripped me of my right, of my name. And now you smile like none of it ever happened?"

"That's not true," Ikki says, gently. He lowers his voice, trying to keep the moment intact. "I didn't take it from you out of spite. I did it because I was afraid for you. You were... breaking, Allen. I saw it in your eyes. You needed time. I was trying to protect you."

"Protect me?" I laugh, bitter and broken. "No. You wanted to protect your reputation. Your throne. You saw me as a threat, your unstable brother who couldn't be trusted."

He moves toward me, voice low, almost pleading now. "Allen, please. Just come with me. We'll talk. You're not alone in this."

"You think I want to talk to you?" I spit. "I'm the kingdom's scapegoat. Your clown. Tell me, does everyone laugh when I leave the room, or just you?"

Ikki's jaw tightens. "Allen..."

"Do I look like a joke to you?"

And that's when he slaps me.

A sharp crack. Not hard, not violent, just stunned silence.

Gasps rise from the crowd like smoke. My head turns slightly with the blow, but my eyes never leave his.

"Allen..." he says, voice suddenly heavy. "You're not well. Please. Let's not do this here."

Mira pushes through the onlookers, face pale, eyes full of fear.

"Allen, enough," she pleads. "Please. This isn't you."

"Stay out of this," I growl. "You don't get to care. You look at me like I'm broken. You pity me."

"That's not true," she says softly.

But I see it.

The hesitation in her eyes.

The weight of words unspoken.

"You never loved me," I whisper. "Only him."

She doesn't deny it.

That silence is enough.

I turn and storm out of the hall through the grand doors, past the nobles, past the stares.

Stop looking at me. Stop pretending. I don't want your pity.

And in the cold wind of the night, I run.

The wind bites at my face, cold and sharp, but it's nothing compared to the fire burning in my chest. I don't know where I'm going, just away. Away from the lies, the stares, the applause meant for someone else. Away from Mira's eyes and Ikki's voice, soft with sympathy I never asked for.

I run until the sounds of the palace fade, until the gold and velvet of the royal halls are nothing more than ghosts behind me.

And then I see it.

Through the trees, hidden beneath overgrown branches and vines left untouched for years, it's still here.

The hollowed out ruin near the edge of the woods. The old training arena where Ikki used to bring me as a child. Before he was king. Before I was broken. Just the two of us, sword stumps in hand, pretending we were knights fighting monsters for glory.

I stop at the edge and stare.

The wind rustles the leaves, the night air still and heavy. No guards. No nobles. No servants whispering my name.

Just silence.

I step inside.

The moss-covered stones are cracked now. The wooden bench Ikki used to sit on while I practiced is half collapsed. I walk over and sit on what's left of it, breathing heavily. My chest aches.

For a moment, I say nothing. Then I whisper aloud, to no one: "I didn't always hate you." My voice is thin. Honest. "I wanted to be you."

I lean forward, elbows on my knees, staring at the dirt.

"I used to watch the way people looked at you. Like you mattered. Like you were born to be something. And I told myself... if I just worked harder, if I just stood next to you long enough... maybe they'd look at me that way too."

I swallow hard.

"But they never did. No matter what I did, they only saw your shadow. And then, when I finally thought I was strong enough... when I earned the Iron Chain..." My fists clench. "You took it away. You said it was to protect me, but what it felt like, what it feels like, is that you didn't believe in me."

The wind picks up again, swirling dust through the ruined walls.

"I wasn't angry because you were king," I mutter. "I was angry because you never once said you trusted me."

I stare up at the sky, clouds rolling past the moon.

"And Mira... she used to look at me like I was something more. Like I had a spark. But then she started looking at me like I was fragile. Like I'd shatter if she got too close."

I laugh bitterly. "Maybe she's right."

Silence again. Heavy. Still.

I close my eyes.

"I just wanted to be someone," I say quietly. "Not your shadow. Not your mistake. Just someone you could stand beside and say, 'That's my brother. I'm proud of him.' And mean it."

A twig snaps behind me.

I turn sharply, but no one's there.

Just the night, and the memory of a boy who once laughed in this broken place, swinging wooden swords at the wind.

I bury my face in my hands.

And for the first time in years, I let the tears come.

I jolt awake.

My chest rises and falls in quick, shallow gasps. The dream still clings to me like smoke thick, choking, unreal yet too vivid to ignore.

The old man's red eyes. The child's desperate screams.. That blinding white energy unstoppable, divine, monstrous.

I sit up, disoriented, soaked in cold sweat. My throat is dry, my limbs feel like stone. I try to breathe, but something catches in my chest tight and sharp.

And then I feel it.

A presence.

I turn my head and there he is lying beside the bench, one arm tucked behind his head, watching me with that ever-youthful, ever infuriating, gentle smile.

"Bad dream?" he says softly, his voice calm like the night breeze.

Ikki.

Ageless. Playful. Patient. With the face of a young man and the soul of an ancient one

Itry to speak but the words twist up, tangled with the rawness in my throat. My vision blurs.

I blink, once, twice then the tears slip out, uninvited. Hot, silent, shameful.

"Don't don't look at me,' I mumble.

But Ikki doesn't mock me. He doesn't tease. He doesn't even shift.

He just stays where he is, watching, eyes soft with something old and unspoken.

I turn away, biting the inside of my cheek. My body is beyond tired. My mind, frayed. My heart feels like it's cracking under the weight of everything l've tried to bury.

The dream, the people, the party, the truth. I draw a shaky breath but my knees give out. The world tilts-

And I collapse to the ground, landing on my side in the grass, too exhausted to fight anymore.

Tears spill freely now. I don't even try to stop them.

"I'm tired.." I whisper, barely audible. "So damn tired. of pretending."

Silence.

And then A hand. Warm. Familiar.

It brushes the hair gently from my forehead.

When I open my eyes again, blurry and heavy, Ikki is kneeling beside me, st ill smiling not with amusement, but with a quiet kind of sadness.

"You don't have to pretend with me,' he says softly.

His hand lingers for a moment longer.

"I've seen empires fall, Allen. I've seen stars fade. But the way you carry pain.." he shakes his head, still smiling faintly, "..it's heavier than anything I've ever witnessed."

I blink slowly, tears still slipping down.

"Rest," he says. "I'II be right here."

And as the darkness pulls me under again this time without resistance I feel it:

Not loneliness. Not shame. Just warmth.

For once.

Beneath the trees, Allen's body trembled with exhaustion... but his mind drifted back, pulled unwillingly into the memory that had never stopped aching.

The palace was glowing that night. Lanterns hung from the marble arches, musicians played for the noble guests, and the feast was overflowing.

It was Allen's 16th birthday the day he'd waited for his whole life.

But lkki wasn't there.

Not at the head table. Not offering a toast. Not even watching from afar

Allen had scanned the room, heart sinking with even watching from afar.

Allen had scanned the room, heart sinking with each moment. And when he finally found him down the corridor, speaking with generals, scrolls in hand Allen's frustration boiled over.

He stormed into the war chamber, fists clenched.

"You didn't even look at me tonight," Allen snapped.

Ikki turned, startled, then smiled. That usual bright, boyish joy in his eyes. "Allen, happy birthday! |'ve been buried in reports, but-"

"Always with reports, Allen interrupted, voice sharp. "You say you care, but you never show it."

Ikki's face softened. "You think I don't want to be there for you? He took a step forward. "If could leave the crown behind for one day,I'd give it all up just to sit with you"

"Don't say things you don't mean, Allen hissed, stepping back.

There was a pause. Then Allen growled:

"You keep treating me like I'm fragile. Like I can't handle power. But I'm not like those weak nobles. I have the Iron Chain! That's al I need."

Ikki's smile faded.

"You don't understand, Allen," he said gently. "The Iron Chain controls the laws of reality yes but even it can be resisted. It can be broken. There are rules greater than it. Forces beyond your reach."

Allen's pride flared.

"You're afraid. Afraid ' become stronger than you."

"That's not true, Ikki said, voice low. "I'm afraid you"ll destroy yourself chasing something you don't understand."

"Then fight me."

Silence fell between them.

"I'm serious," Allen said. "If you think I can't handle the Iron Chain, prove it. Right now. Fight me." "

lkki looked away for a moment, as if the weight of the world pressed on his back.

"..Fine," he said quietly. "But only if you agree to one condition."

With a flick of his hand, the Iron Chain formed in midair, silver-blue threads glowing with divine weight.

"Iron Chain,"" lkki spoke. "If I win this duel, Allen shall be forbidden from using the lron Chain unless Igive him permission."

Allen scoffed, confident. "Accepted."

The rule etched itself in fire between them.

From the shadows, Baron stepped forward the 7'7 wall of a man with skin like obsidian and a gaze like judgment.

"My King," Baron rumbled, "if that power comes out again...you may not recover."

Ikki glanced at him with tired eyes, then smiled.

"Trust me." "

They entered the sacred dueling ring.

Allen's voice rang out like thunder:

"Iron Chain, I order you to make a rule: Whatever Ikki does.. he will end up losing."

Reality shuddered.

But Ikki didn't hesitate.

His body lowered into a stance, and suddenly a strange dark red aura began to bleed from him. It twisted around his limbs like smoke, unnatural and ancient. Allen had never seen it before.

The air around them bent. Even the Iron Chain seemed. hesitant.

And then Ikki moved.Fast. Untraceable. Like time cracked for a moment.

Allen's vision went black.

When he opened his eyes again, he was on the ground, groaning, Mira kneeling beside him.

"Allen!'" she called softly. "It's over-don't move-"

He blinked, dazed, and then heard it:

Laughter.

Nobles. Servants. Even a few guests from foreign lands.

"Thought he could win." "Pathetic."

"Another spoiled brat."

Allen tried to summon the Iron Chain nothing. It was sealed.

And standing across the ring, lIkki, shirt torn, blood running from his forehead, leaning on Baron's shoulder

He looked...tired. Older than usual. That youthful glimmer was dull now.

But what cut deepest was the look in his eyes when he saw Allen.

Not pride.

Not joy.

Just regret.

And worst of all pity.

That moment carved itself into Allen's heart.

And from that day forward, something inside him died.

Admiration turned to envy. Love turned to bitterness.

And his brother the one he once wanted to be like became the symbol of everything he could never touch.

The moonlight streamed gently through the trees, faling in silver streaks across Allen's pale face. His chest rose and fell slowly his body still recovering from exhaustion, but the pain in his heart was far deeper.

He stirred, a faint shiver in his limbs as he opened his eyes.

"Still dreaming?" came a soft voice beside him.

Allen blinked.

lkki was lying next to him in the grass, arms folded behind his head, his long blue hair catching the starlight, his smile glowing warm and boyish just like it always did whenever they crossed paths.

Allen didn't answer right away. He wiped the dried tears from his face and turned away, embarrassed.

I saw something strange, Allen muttered."A nightmar..I think."

Ikki tited his head, still smiling. "Was handsome in it?"

Allen scoffed, but lkki laughed with a rich, affectionate sound warm, deep, and completely unbothered.

"I'm serious, Allen said, frustrated. "There was this.old man. With blue hair, blue beard. Red eyes. Fighting something a being covered in white aura. He was protecting a kid..he looked like me."

Ikki's smile faded just a little. His gaze softened, but he didn't speak right away.

Then, out of nowhere, Allen asked, "Ikki...who was All Against One?"

The king blinked slowly.

A quiet wind rustled the trees.

"..One day, Ikki finally said, eyes turned to the stars, "you'll know. But not today."

Allen frowned. He hated when lIkki got cryptic like that.

"Ikki," he asked after a moment, his voice more cautious, "do I reall... need your permission to use the Iron Chain?"

Ikki turned to look at him fully now. His expression was still gentle, but there was a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"No," he said.

Alen sat up quickly. "What?"

"You never needed it," Ikki repeated with a soft chuckle. "That restriction? That was you. Your own Iron Chain bound you. Not mine."

"But-" Allen's voice cracked. "The rule we made.."

"I did use the Iron Chain, Ikki admitted. "But only to make sure you wouldn't get hurt back then. The rest.. you chose to believe it. Somewhere inside, you didn't want to risk it either."

Allen stared at him, stunned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Ikki reached out and gently flicked his forehead. "Because I wanted you to grow. To see that your power doesn't define you. You're strong, Allen... so strong, that you're weak for now. But in the future, you'll be unstoppable."

Allen's throat tightened. "Then... what about you? How are you so strong, Ikki?"

Ikki blinked, then let out a loud, hearty laugh. ""Me? Strong? Hahahaha!"

Allen looked at him, confused.

"I'm the weakest, Ikki said with a grin.

"What?" Allen asked, bewildered.

"I'm Weak. That's why 'm strong."

Allen just stared.

Ikki rolled onto his side and grinned at him. "You see, being weak makes you cautious. Makes you learn. Makes you care. When you know you' re not invincible, you start thinking about everyone else.

And that...makes you stronger than anyone."

Allen raised an eyebrow. "That's the dumbest thing l"'ve ever heard."

They both burst into laughter.

"You're weird,"" Allen muttered.

"You're weird," Ikki fired back.

"You*re the weirdest."

"I'm your king, that makes me majestically weird."

Allen finally smiled really smiled.

For the first time in years, the pain between them felt...lighter.

Maybe not gone. But maybe that was okay.

They lay back side by side in silence, two brothers not bound by blood, but by something far deeper and far stronger.