Bandit's Revenge

by Max Jager

  "I can become…something more... That is why…despite everything that you have done…and despite all of the lives you have taken…I took the liberty of making sure the justice system of the Land of Power won't have you executed for what you've done...and placed you here, in this asylum… If you were locked up in the Ice Lands…the people of the land would most assuredly try to end your life…and we can't have that…can we?"

  Speechless and genuinely surprised by what his brother had just told him, Red looked down at the floor as he took a deep breath.

  "Why?" he asked, truly confused, "Even after everything I've done… Why…? Why would you go so far for me...?"

  Bandit walked up to the bars of his cell, and Red looked him right in his eyes as his brother gave his answer.

  "Because…even after everything you've done…you are still my brother…"

  Red scoffed, and looked at him skeptically as he spoke.

  "Scarlet already saidsomething like that," he said seriously, "but what…? What do you mean by that, Car? What is that supposed to mean to me? So we're brothers… It doesn't change anything that has happened between us… It doesn't change the fact that I killed Rachel's parents, Abe's family, Ruby, our father, and countless other people, so what? What is the fact that I'm your brother supposed to really mean to me?"

  Bandit crossed his arms and sighed before he responded.

  "Man, you just don't get it, do you?"

  "Just answer the damn question!" yelled Red angrily.

  Bandit shook his head for a moment, and Red watched as his little brother moved his face closer to his, so close that their faces would be touching had the bars of his cell not created a barrier between them.

  "It means that it doesn't matter if you never forgive me for what I've done," he responded, "Regardless of whatever you think of me…I will always love you… Always…"

  Slight tears filled Red's eyes as he looked at his younger brother with a look of pure shock and awe.

  Bandit walked away from the cell, and Scarlet followed him towards the door.

  Inwardly angry that his only remaining family was about to leave him in a cell for what he thought would be the rest of his life, Red banged on the bars of his cell furiously as he yelled at his brother.

  "Where do you think you're going?" he asked, "Don't think for a second I won't get out of here, you little bastard!"

  Bandit and Scarlet stopped right in front of the door, and turned to look at Red as he spoke to them one last time.

  "I'm going to come after your ass again," threatened Red, "Just you wait… I will crush you with everything I have!"

  "No," said Bandit, "You won't…because I love you…and deep down…you love me, too."

  With that, Bandit and Scarlet opened the door and left the room, while Red looked at them with more wrath than he had ever experienced in his entire life. Tears streamed down his face as he banged his fists on the bars of his cell.

  "You can't leave me here, Bandit!" he asserted madly as he banged on the bars of his cell again, "You can't leave me here!"

  He continued to bang on the bars of his cell, and as he did so, all of his past arguments with his brother suddenly flooded his mind.

  "I was hoping you had died in my initial attack on the city, but it seems…that was too much to hope for. It looks like the rumors are true. It's a shame, though. I was hoping I would not have to fight my own brother…but…if you intend to get in my way, then I suppose…it can't be helped..."

  "You know, I almost wish you had died that night…! If you had…everything would be different."

  "What…did you say? My actions would horrify her? My actions would horrify her? Don't start spouting nonsense, you little bastard! My actions are completely admirable! I'm going to make this land a better place to live, so that what happened that day will never happen again!"

  "You…little…shit… That…is going to be the last time you shake your head at me! I didn't want to have to fight you, Bandit, but you are practically begging me to hurt you with the way you're acting!"

  "Who you killed her for is the main reason the whole thing makes me so angry!"

  "You're so lucky you're my brother… Otherwise, I would kill you just like that."

  "If I kill you…it will be because you won't stop getting in my way!"

  "You little shit! I spared you when we fought at Lax! I could have killed you on the spot, and yet this is how you choose to repay me? I should've killed you sooner! Hell, I wish I had killed you instead of that woman!"

  "That red-haired woman… Judging by your reaction to her death…I bet she was a mother figure for you… She must have been the woman who took you in when I left with Scarlet… So me, your brother, killed a woman who was, in a way…your mother…just like what you did to me… Yet despite that irony…despite the fact that her body lied dead at your feet…and despite the fact that her blood collected in a pool before your very eyes…you still don't understand…how I feel!"

  "You may not believe this…but…I wish it didn't have to come to this, Car… I really do… You know, when I first came back here…I had no desire to kill you… I didn't even want to see you…let alone fight you… I wanted absolutely nothing to do with you…but as soon as you saw me, you punched me in the face and started antagonizing me… Now…here we are… You started this fight between us…and now…I am the victor…and you are the one…who is about to lose his life…"

  "First…I am going to kill you… Then…I am going to kill all of your allies… By the end of the day…I will rule the Ice Lands…and unlike before…I will have absolutely no opposition."

  "Do not worry… I have no intention of killing Scarlet… She is family, after all… But I suppose…you don't know what it means to be part of a family…do you? After all…if you did, our mother would still be alive!"

  "I am not killing you because I don't care about you; I'm killing you because I do. If I left you alive…you would continue to get in the way of my shaping the Ice Lands into a better place to live…and because you're my brother…I fear there is a…small chance…that I might actually…listen to you if I left you alive… But if I did that…if I let myself listen to you…and stopped trying to make the Ice Lands better…I'm sure only more pain, suffering, death and bloodshed would follow... In the end…you have no one to blame for this but yourself…for you have left me no…other…option... You turned your back on me all those years ago…and now…I must turn my back on you…"

  "I am so sorry…but you…must…die…"

  "Say hello to our mother for me…Car…"

  "I would be more careful if I were you. I am in control… It's about time we hashed things out once and for all… I have apprehended Rachel…and I am going to kill her."

  "I will kill Rachel in the most unimaginable way."

  "Be quick about coming here, Bandit…or Rachel will die without seeing your face one…last…time…"

  "I have spent…so…long…thinking about this day... Make haste, Bandit. The time for our final confrontation draws near, and after it is done, I can predict three things that will have happened…"

  "…Rachel Thomas's body will lie dead at your feet…"

  "…her blood will spill all over…"

  "…and you…will finally taste…all of the torment, all of the anguish and suffering I have felt for the past seven long years…"

  "On the contrary…I have only just begun. Tell me something, Bandit… Was it easy…? Was it easy for you to kill our mother? Was it easy for you to take me and Scarlet's mother away from us?"

  "And what son do you know who would kill his own mother…and for some girl who isn't even related to him?"

  "You did have a choice! You did! You chose to kill our mother!"

  "She has nothing to do with this? She has nothing to do with this? She has everything to do with this! She is the reason you killed our mother!"

  "Bandit…I understand why you killed our mother…but why? Why the hell…did you kill her for Rachel?"<
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  "I understand…that she wanted you to kill her, that she wanted you to save Rachel, but if it had been me, I would have done everything in my power to save our mother, regardless of whatever she intended to do! But you… You put her down, you took her out, you put Rachel's safety above our mother's well-being and murdered her! How do you live with yourself?"

  "What? What don't I understand? Tell me. You think you can justify our mother's murder? You think Rachel's life is more important than hers was?"

  "I would have killed our mother in a heartbeat if she had threatened to take you or Scarlet's life, make no mistake…but Rachel's… Rachel...is not one of us…and she never was…so I don't see how you can be okay with choosing her life over our mother's… Tell me something, Bandit…if you found yourself in that position all over again…if you found yourself in the position where you had to choose between your family and Rachel…who would you choose?"

  "This is how it all started… With Rachel, you, and your family…"

  "And this is how it's all going to end."

  "I already told you…that I cannot and will not allow Rachel to live. Her inner power presents too much of a threat to me. Here's the thing, Car… I'm going to kill her no matter what…but I want to see what you do."

  "You have three options. The first is that you can stand there and watch me kill her."

  "The second…is that you can kill her with your own hands. If you do, I will never fight with you again, and I will provide you with anything and everything you could possibly want in this world using my godly power."

  "Lastly…your third and final option…is that you can try to stop me from killing her, but I suggest you keep something in mind, Car… When you fail to save her, I will kill her…and when her body lies dead in your arms…and when her blood spills all over this floor…I will kill you, and then I will proceed to destroy every single person and thing in this world that you ever loved…including our little sister."

  "You…! You are not a hero...or a brother, or a son. You are nothing but a selfish little bastard who turned his back on his family!"

  "I'll admit it, Car… You've done great things for the people of this world… In some ways…I suppose you…really are a hero…but despite everything you've done for this world…despite all that you have accomplished…you don't deserve to live… You and I both know you've debated with yourself constantly whether or not you deserve to live…and the truth is…you don't…and you know you don't…not after everything you've done to the ones you love the most… So close your eyes, Car…and don't fight back… I will do this as quickly as I can…and then I will destroy everyone…and everything you have ever loved…"

  "What are you waiting for…? 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."

  "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."

  "I do not regret a single thing that I have done, Bandit."

  "I hate you."

  After reflecting on all of these arguments, all of the harsh words he had ever spoken to his little brother, Red's mind wandered, and he remembered some of the kindest words he had said to his little brother since their reunion.

  "But…I suppose…if nothing else…the only regret I do have…is killing that red-haired woman you…clearly cared for…"

  "…I still somewhat care for you…and you…were the best brother…I could have asked for…"

  More tears streamed down his face as he remembered the kindest words he had ever spoken to his little brother since his brother's birth.

  "I love you. I know it may not seem like it all the time, but…I do love you… I will always be there for you…and I will do anything…to protect you, Car."

  Truly hurt and upset by the entire situation and all of the events that had led up to this point, finally starting to regret everything he had both said and done in the past few months, and realizing that his brother's last words to him rang true, Red closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as his tears flowed down his face twice as heavily as before. He balled up his fists as he trembled, and with a broken voice, screamed at the top of his lungs the last words his siblings would hear him speak for the longest time.

  "Don't leave me here!"

  Completely unable to deal with the reality that he had pushed everyone he truly loved away, Red screamed in anger and outrage as he furiously and desperately shook the bars of his cell.

  After seven years of slowly descending into the depths of darkness, after seven years of dealing with extreme mental anguish, suffering, and torment, and after having been abandoned by every single person in the world, including his own family, who he claimed to value and care for the most, Red Blood finally lost all of his composure, and fell into complete and utter despair and insanity.

  One Door Closes

  Bandit Lane, Scarlet Blood, and Rachel Thomas spoke as they walked side by side down the streets of the Land of Power.

  "So what's going to…happen to him…?" asked Rachel, "Do you think he'll…come around and go back to the way he used to be?"

  Bandit took a deep breath, and furrowed his eyebrows as he spoke.

  "We can only hope…"

  "Nine years ago," began Scarlet, "when he first showed signs of his mental illness…no one had developed a cure or treatment for it yet in the Ice Lands… The only place in the world that had such a thing was the Land of Power…but…Dad didn't want to send him away because he knew Red wouldn't have been happy being away from his family… If only…"

  Scarlet took a deep breath, and sighed as she continued.

  "The best scientists in the Land of Power have recently developed an experimental treatment for his condition... Hopefully…it will have an effect on Red…and will make him go back to the way he was before."

  "I'm still not entirely convinced that his mental illness is the only reason for his behavior," began Bandit, "but considering the way he screamed for us to not leave him there…considering the pain…torment…and anguish in his voice…"

  Bandit took a deep breath and sighed before he continued.

  "I know he didn't turn out this way just because of his illness, but…it's possible that it impaired him far more than I thought… That said…the only thing we can do now is…"

  "…wait…" finished Rachel.

  Bandit placed his hand on his sister's shoulder and smiled as he looked at her from the corner of his eye.

  "…I'm just glad…that he's finally…getting the help he needs."

  Scarlet shook her head as she sighed.

  "You're not the only one," she admitted, "I suggested he put himself into a mental hospital several times when we were away, but…you both know how he is…"

  Indeed, Bandit and Rachel knew very much how Red was, and they remained silent as they nodded their heads.

  "He'll be fine," said Bandit as he shrugged, "He may be stubborn as hell, but-."

  "He's not the only one," interrupted Scarlet with a smirk.

  Realizing who she was talking about, Bandit smiled as he picked his sister up, and both Scarlet and Rachel laughed as he started carrying Scarlet over his shoulder.

  "Oh, you're funny," he said with a smile.

  "Hey!" exclaimed Scarlet as she struggled to free herself from her brother's grasp, "Put me down!"

  Amused by the siblings, Rachel could not help but laugh as she watched Bandit carry his sister down the street.

  It's just like old times…

/>   "A lot has happened in the past few months," she said, "but things have finally settled down… I guess now the question is…where do we go from here?"

  "I've actually given that some thought," said Bandit as he put Scarlet down, "As I told Abe months ago, I'll help out the mercenary guild whenever they need me, but…I was thinking of opening up a restaurant, kind of like what…"

  He took a deep breath and sighed before he continued.

  "…what Ruby and I had set up. I… She…willed me all of the money I had collected for her during our three year mission, you know… I… I couldn't believe it…"

  He shook his head and smiled as he thought about whether or not Ruby had always intended to do that for him, to give the money to him instead of using it for herself.