by Max Jager
Bandit hissed in pain as his older brother tightened his grip on his neck.
Bandit was truly exhausted from the battle wounds he had already received, but as Red's grip on his throat became stronger and stronger, he knew if he wanted to survive and protect the people he loved the most, he would have to engage the enemy one last time.
He gritted his teeth as he let go of the hand he had placed on Red's own hand to keep Red from choking him, and yelled in excruciating pain as he quickly poked Red in the eye.
Red screamed in anguish as he let go of Bandit's neck and arm, and placed his hand over his eye as he stood up and stumbled back. He did not have the strength or focus to balance on the one foot he had left, however, so he immediately fell on his bottom, which caused him to groan in pain.
Exhausted and in terrible pain, he panted heavily as he looked down at the ground for several seconds. While he did so, he heard Bandit grunt, and slowly looked up to see Bandit standing before him, albeit in a slouched position.
Bandit panted heavily as he clutched his chest, and Red looked at him silently as Bandit pushed him onto his back, causing him to grunt in pain. Bandit slowly got on top of him, and gritted his teeth as he looked his brother right in his eyes.
Red closed his eyes as he took a deep breath and sighed.
Despite all of his bragging, despite all of his boasting, their positions were the exact reverse of what they had been twenty seconds earlier. Now, he was the one underneath Bandit, and in that moment, he understood that their battle had officially come to an end.
Bandit groaned as he looked at the blood that was splattered all over his clothing, and grunted as he looked at Red.
Knowing that there was nothing else he could do, no way for him to fight back any longer, Red shrugged his shoulders tiredly as he looked at his brother with slight sadness.
"What are you gonna do, Car…?" he asked as he furrowed his eyebrows, "…Kill me…?
Bandit clenched his right fist, and grabbed Red's neck with his left one.
Red groaned in pain as his brother tightened his grip on his neck. Weak and tired, he simply grunted as he averted his eyes from his brother's, and waited for his inevitable end.
"Go ahead," he taunted, "You deserve it."
Bandit closed his eyes as his fist trembled.
He and Red had both done truly awful things to each other. They had hurt each other, and they had made each other know true torment, suffering and despair…but despite all of that…despite everything that had happened between them…he deeply and truly did not want to kill his own flesh and blood…not again…
But he knew that if he didn't, there was a small chance that his very capable older brother might one day make good on his promise.
"What are you waiting for…?" asked Red bitterly, "Things won't change if you let me live. I have no intention of admitting I was wrong in what I did to the Ice Lands…or to you…and I intend to follow through with my promise if you let me live. But…you already know that…don't you?"
He coughed before he continued.
"I do not regret a single thing that I have done, Bandit. But…I suppose…if nothing else…the only regret I do have…is killing that red-haired woman you…clearly cared for…"
Upon hearing that, a deeply conflicted Bandit gritted his teeth as slight tears filled his eyes.
He had never even imagined that his brother would apologize for his accidental murder of Ruby, and now that he had, he had no idea how to feel.
Until he remembered that Red's promise still hung over his head.
He shook his head as he looked at his older brother in the eyes one last time.
"I loved you, Red…" he whispered bitterly, "…I… Seven years ago…I never would have imagined that…that...day…would lead to…all of this… I never considered that…"
Bandit swallowed before he continued.
"…that day…would bring such pain…suffering…misery… and torment…not just to you…but to everyone… Ruby…Rachel's parents…the War family…and our mother… Everything I did…e-everything I have done…was supposed to benefit people…not hurt them…or kill them… But things didn't work out that way… So many people in this world have suffered because of me…so it looks like you were right the first time, Red… I'm not a hero…or a son…or a brother… I am nothing…and I turned my back on you…but…that doesn't mean I won't do what I need to do now…to protect the people I love… I wish things could have been different…but…you have left me no choice… I'm sorry…but…I cannot allow you to live."
Emotionally impacted by his brother's words, Red turned his head away from Bandit as his eyes filled with slight tears.
Bandit moved his hand, and placed it on his brother's throat as he took one last good look at him.
Goodbye, Red… I'm sorry for everything I put you through…
…and I hope you get to see our Mom once again…
He was about to choke the life out of Red when suddenly, two hands appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his arm.
Bandit quickly turned his head, and both he and Red looked at the possessors of the hands, Rachel and Scarlet. Bandit gasped in shock, while Red looked up at them in surprise, for he could not believe they, these two women he had tremendously broken the hearts of, were actually try to save him.
"Wha…?" began Bandit, "What are you…doing?"
Neither of the girls responded to his question. The only response they gave him was a stern look and raised eyebrows.
It was a simple look, but it was one he knew all too well.
It was a look that told him he had the choice to do things differently.
"You don't need to kill him," asserted Scarlet.
"Yes, I do," asserted Bandit, "He told me he would kill everyone I love if I let him live…and you and I both know…he intends to uphold that promise. He even said as much… Ruby, Rachel's parents, Abe's family, and the people of the Ice Lands… Too many people have died because of him… I won't let anyone else die because of him. I need to kill him...and I need to kill him right now…"
"Bandit," began Rachel, "don't do this. This whole thing started because you killed a member of your family-."
"And…unfortunately…that's how this whole thing is going to end," he asserted seriously, "Now please…both of you…let go of my arm."
Scarlet shook her head as she put her hand on his shoulder and looked at her brother compassionately.
"Think about Mom," she said.
Bandit's eyes widened in surprise, and he turned to look at his sister, his mouth agape.
"She loved you, Bandit… She loved both of you… She wouldn't want to see you two like this… She wouldn't want to see one of her sons kill the other… She would want you two to make up… She would want you two to stop all of this once and for all."
Bandit looked at his sister with hurt in his eyes, and his grip on Red's neck loosened as he listened to his sister's words about the mother he had lost so very long ago.
When this happened, Red looked at his sister with the same emotional expression as his little brother.
After all of this time, he had never really considered how his mother would feel about his fighting with Bandit.
Tears welled up in Scarlet's eyes as she continued.
"I know you two are furious with each other…and I know you want to hurt each other…but if one of you kills the other…our mother would be horrified and ashamed of both of you... Her death…should have brought you two…closer together… How do you think she'd feel…if she was alive to see you two as…enemies?"
Bandit's eyes widened, and he began to tremble as his little sister's words sunk into his mind. After a few moments of silence, he slowly took his hand off his brother's throat.
Tormented by his conflicted emotions, he took a deep breath as he buried his face in his hands, and Red looked at him in inconceivable surprise when he slowly got off his body.
Stressed by the entire situation, by everything that had ha
ppened between him and his brother, Bandit gritted his teeth in anguish as he pulled his hands away from his face, and the others watched as he trembled furiously.
"Wha… What was…? W-W-What was I about to…do?" he asked tearfully, "W-What was I…?"
Rachel placed her hand on his shoulder, and he looked at her hand as she spoke.
"It's okay..." she said sympathetically, "…The important thing...is that you…didn't do it…"
He took another deep breath as he looked into Red's sad eyes, and gasped slightly when he saw tears stream down his older brother's face.
Red looked at him out of the corner of his eye as he spoke.
"So…Car…"
"…where do we go from here…?"
The Fallen
November 26, 1854
Near the edge of the Ice Lands floated a single caravel, waiting to be boarded by its sole sailor.
Mary smiled as her father wrapped her in his warm and loving embrace.
"I love you, Dad," she said as she closed her eyes.
"I love you, too," said Wake as he ran his fingers through his daughter's hair.
After hugging each other for a good minute, the two sighed as they released each other, and Wake looked at Brayne, who stood a few yards away, with a small smile.
"Brayne," he began, "Make sure you take good care of my daughter. Protect her with your life."
Brayne raised his eyebrows in surprise, for he had not expected Wake to say such a thing. Despite his being caught off guard, however, he gave Wake a small smile as he nodded.
"I will," he said, "I promise."
Mary sighed as she crossed her arms.
"Where will you go?" she asked her father.
"I'll be going back to the Desert Sands," he responded, "My reputation there is not much better than the one I have here, but…there, my chances of improving my reputation are greater..."
Mary looked down at her feet in slight sadness, but Wake placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
"Make no mistake, princess. If you need me, I'll come as quickly as possible. Regardless of whatever happens back in the Desert Sands…I will always be there for you. Always."
Touched and reassured by his words, Mary quickly hugged her father once more, and kissed his cheek.
"Have a safe trip, Dad," she said.
Wake smiled as he nodded his head, and Mary watched as he walked got onto the caravel. As she looked at him, she felt Brayne's arm position itself around her neck, and she closed her eyes as she leaned on him.
Wake could not help but smile as he looked at his daughter. As she leaned against Brayne, she looked happier than he had ever remembered her being when she was a child.
He had come to the Ice Lands for a few different reasons, such as to atone for his preoccupation with his work and descent into darkness, and to be there for his daughter. But right now, he was looking at perhaps the biggest reason he had come to the Ice Lands, a reason that had never occurred to him until this very moment, and gave him more comfort and joy than he had felt in the longest time, ever since the death of his wife…
…his daughter's smile.
At the same time, Brayne's mother looked down at her son from Heaven and smiled, happy that her son's love for her had been reborn into new love.
December 7, 1854
The Land of Power was a hustling and bustling metropolis unlike any other land in the entire world.
The Ice Lands was the second most developed land in the world, and yet even they did not have the modernization that the Land of Power did.
Paved roads in the land constantly endured a device that no other land in the entire land even remotely knew of: cars.
Skyscrapers were positioned all over the city housing large corporations that sold things people did not really need, but wanted for their own personal enjoyment.
Luscious plants and flowers grew in the most developed gardens the world had ever known, and were watered by constantly flowing fountains of lively water.
Statues of the land's most famous people, such as the Founding Fathers of the Land of Power, stood erect at almost every corner.
On top of all that, each city in the land was protected by humongous silver gates, gates that shone almost as bright as the city of lights they were meant to protect.
This land was truly the most modern land in existence, and luckily, such modernization meant that the land had the most functioning health care system in the entire world.
In the Land of Power's capital city of Edal, Red Blood sat handcuffed in Edal Asylum, in a special prison cell separated from all the other cells. He was indifferently looking down at the floor, when the door to his cell opened. He looked up to see who his visitors were, and shifted around in his seat as he spoke.
"Well…look who we have here," he said as he watched his siblings walk into his cell.
Bandit shook his head as he closed the cell door, while Scarlet walked over to Red until she stood only a few feet away from the bars of his cell.
Red gritted his teeth irritably, and looked at his siblings bitterly.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, "Thanks to you, I'm already stuck in this prison... What do you want?"
Scarlet gulped nervously before she spoke.
"…W-We wanted to see how you were doing," said Scarlet, "Even after everything you've done…you're still our brother, Crim…"
Red scoffed as he slowly shook his head.
"Really?" he asked irritably, "That's why you're here?"
He looked up at his brother as Bandit walked towards his cell.
"I just might believe that that's the reason you're here, Scarlet…" began Red as he stared at his little brother, "but you… Why are you here, Car…? What are you gonna do? Kill me?"
"Shut up," demanded Bandit irritably, "I'm not going to kill you… I don't need to. As long as you're in here…you'll never get another chance to hurt anyone else ever again."
Red scoffed before he spoke.
"You don't need to kill me?" he asked, amused, "Well, that's funny. Last time I checked, you didn't need to kill our mother…but you did anyway."
Bandit shook his head as he took a deep breath and sighed, while Red stood up on his one leg and hopped towards the bars of his cell.
"I don't know why you're acting like you have any sort of morality about you," said Red, "You know you're a killer. You have killed countless people throughout the entire world. Zor…Victor…the Infernal army…the Landians invaders…and our mother… Killing your brother shouldn't be that difficult for you."
Shocked and hurt by his brother's words, Bandit looked at him with his mouth agape, but gradually looked at him with sadness as slight tears filled his eyes.
"I didn't want to be a killer…" he said, "I didn't want to kill any of those people."
"But you did," said Red irritably, "You have taken more lives than you can even count. You took the life of the woman who raised you. Do you have any idea what you really are, who you really are to the people of this world? Because I can tell you one thing, Car… You're no hero…messiah…or whatever else they've probably been calling you throughout the entire world… You are a threat to society, a menace, and a mass murderer. You, Bandit, are just as big a villain as me…and you realize this, I'm sure. Stop trying to act like you're better than me. You're not…and you never were."
Bandit remained silent, and Red watched as he lowered his head and looked at the floor.
"You're right…." admitted Bandit, "I have killed more people than I can count… I have gotten so much blood on my hands over the years…but I only killed all of those people for the sake of other innocent people… I may not be able to completely justify my actions…but...because I killed all of those people…the world is much better off than it would be if I hadn't… By killing all of those people…I have saved the lives of many more…including the people I love and care for the most… Don't waste your time worrying about me, Red… You don't have to worry…because I've reali
zed something… If I could defeat you without killing you…then I can spare the lives of anyone else I ever have to face in the future. Thanks to you…I can…become something greater than a mass murderer, a threat to society, or a menace…"
He paused for a moment, and took a deep breath before he continued.