Kain moved swiftly, his heart pounding. He turned away from the window and crouched beside the bed, placing a firm but gentle hand on Solene's shoulder.
"Solene," he whispered, shaking her slightly.
She stirred, groggy and confused, her eyes fluttering open.
"What…?" her voice was barely audible.
Kain placed a finger to his lips. "Be quiet," he whispered urgently.
She blinked at him, her mind still catching up. "Why?" she mouthed, her voice weak with sleep.
Kain leaned in closer, his voice barely above a breath. "Someone dangerous is coming for us."
Solene's entire body tensed, her eyes widening in terror. She immediately sat up, gripping the blanket as if it could shield her from whatever was outside.
Her heart pounded against her ribs. "What do we do?" she whispered, fear lacing her voice.
The night air was thick with tension as Kain leaned close to Solene's ear and whispered, his breath warm against her skin.
"What do we do?" she whispered back, barely moving her lips.
Kain's sharp gaze darted toward the back of the house. "We sneak out. Quietly. If we're fast, we'll be gone before he even steps inside."
Without another word, Kain took her wrist, leading her toward the small exit at the back of the shack. Solene moved carefully, stepping as lightly as possible, barely breathing as she followed.
Then, a loud bang echoed through the house. The front door was kicked open with terrifying force. The sound of heavy boots stomped against the wooden floor.
Kain cursed under his breath.
"Where is she?" a deep, menacing voice growled.
Solene's body tensed. The intruder. Whoever he was, he had come for her.
They hurried faster, but just as Kain reached for the door, another deafening crash erupted from inside the house.
The kitchen door was smashed open.
A man stood in the doorway, breathing hard, his face partially hidden under dirt and shadow. His wild, unkempt hair fell over his sharp features..
The moment Kain and the man locked eyes, a thick silence settled between them.
And then, Kain spoke, his voice tight with disbelief.
"Brother?"
The man's expression flickered, recognition, followed by something colder.
"Kain," he replied, his voice rough.
Solene's breath hitched as she darted her eyes between them.
"You're brothers?" Solene blurted, her shock evident in her voice.
Neither man acknowledged her.
Dain took a slow step forward, his gaze locked on Kain. "Move aside, Kain. I'm here for her."
Kain's stance shifted, subtly placing himself between Dain and Solene. His fingers flexed as if itching for a weapon.
"You think I'd let you take her?" Kain scoffed. "You're working for him, aren't you? Still his hound, still hunting for scraps?"
A flash of something flickered in Dain's eyes, perhaps a memory, perhaps regret, but it was gone as fast as it came...
.
.
A memory.
Years ago, in the pristine halls of the High Rings, where only the most gifted and powerful resided, a child was born to an influential family. No, two children.
Twin sons. Unidentical.
But from the moment they could walk, their fates had already been decided.
One of them, Kain, manifested power at an early age. He was strong, his abilities promising, his presence a mark of pride for their family.
But the other, Dain… never did.
A Hollow. A disgrace.
Their parents were cruel, their ambitions colder than love. They could not bear the shame of a powerless son in the High Rings. So, before Dain had even reached his fifth year, they discarded him, sending him away to the Commons, erasing his existence from their world.
A noble family could not afford such humiliation.
Dain grew up alone in the slums, abandoned, unwanted. He learned to fight, to survive in a place where weakness was death.
But fate was cruel, for years later, he found his way back.
By then, Kain had become a warrior in the High Rings, a proud and capable guard. And by some twisted turn, Dain had returned, not as a noble's son, but as a servant of the King. A Hollow who had found favor in the cruelest of ways.
When they met again, neither could deny their bond, though it had been broken beyond repair.
But even that fragile reunion had not lasted.
Because when Kain had defied the King, when he had lost everything, Dain had stayed.
"You're still working for him," Kain spat, dragging Dain from the trance of the past.
Dain's jaw tightened. "You don't know what I've done. What I've sacrificed."
Kain scoffed. "I know enough."
A storm of unspoken words churned between them, but there was no time to let them settle.
Dain reached for his blade.
Kain did the same, with his staff.
And in an instant, the battle began.
The tension in the small shack exploded the moment Dain lunged forward.
Kain barely had a second to react before the blade came swinging toward his throat. He ducked, the cold metal slicing a strand of his hair as he twisted his body, bringing up his own staff to deflect the next strike. The clash of steel against wood sent a shockwave through the room.
Solene gasped and stumbled back. Her heart pounded as she watched them move, two brothers locked in a deadly dance, neither willing to yield.
Dain was fast. Unrelenting. He fought like a man who had spent his entire life clawing his way out of the depths of hell. Every swing of his blade was calculated, every movement fluid. He didn't waste an inch of motion, his footwork precise as he pressed forward with brutal efficiency.
But Kain was no less skilled.
Unlike Dain's sharp, deadly strikes, Kain's movements were measured, controlled. He shifted seamlessly, with his staff, twisting his body at impossible angles to dodge. Where Dain was pure aggression, Kain was patience, waiting for an opening, baiting Dain into making a mistake.
Yet, for all of Kain's skill, Dain kept up.
Solene had never seen anything like it.
Her breath hitched as Kain leaped back, narrowly avoiding a downward slash. Before his feet even touched the ground, he retaliated, spinning his staff with a speed that blurred the weapon in his hands. It crashed into Dain's ribs with a sickening thud, forcing the hunter to stumble.
But Dain only grinned.
With a growl, he surged forward, ignoring the pain. He grabbed Kain's staff mid-swing and yanked hard, pulling Kain toward him. Before Kain could react, Dain drove his knee into his brother's stomach, making him gasp in pain.
Solene's body tensed.
Kain staggered, but he recovered fast.
With a swift roll, he freed himself from Dain's grip and spun his staff in a flawless arc, the tip striking the side of Dain's head. The hunter grunted, staggering back.
"Still as reckless as ever," Kain muttered, wiping the blood from his lip.
Dain smirked. "And you're still holding back."
Then he vanished.
Solene blinked, no, he didn't disappear. He moved so fast that for a moment, he was nothing but a blur.
Kain barely had time to raise his weapon before Dain was behind him.
A sharp kick sent Kain crashing into the wooden table, breaking it apart on impact.
Solene let out a small cry.
Dain turned to her then, his gaze locking onto hers. For the first time since the fight started, his expression shifted. There was something unreadable in his eyes, something that made her chest tighten.
But before he could take a step toward her, Kain was back on his feet.
And this time, he wasn't holding back.
Kain's stance changed his grip firmer, his body looser.
Kain attacked first, striking with his staff . The blows came from different angles, each faster than the last. Dain barely blocked in time, his blade flashing as he tried to block, but Kain wasn't giving him space.
The air cracked with each impact.
Dain gritted his teeth, his arms shaking slightly as he deflected the relentless assault.
For the first time in the fight, Solene saw something flash in Dain's eyes.
Strain.
Kain was forcing him to the edge.
Then, with one final strike, Kain twisted midmotion, changing the angle at the last second.
The staff slammed into Dain's wrist.
The blade clattered to the floor.
Solene barely had time to react before Kain moved again, sweeping Dain's legs from under him. The hunter crashed onto his back, breathless.
Kain stepped over him, the tip of his staff pressed against Dain's throat.
For a long, heavy moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Kain sighed. "You always were too impatient."
Dain coughed, his smirk never fading despite the loss. "And you always had to prove a point."
The silence stretched.
Solene swallowed. The fight was over.
Or so she thought.
Because in the next second, Dain did something unexpected.
With inhuman speed, he grabbed a dagger from his belt one Kain hadn't seen.
Before Kain could react, Dain flipped the blade, aiming for his brother's side.
And Solene screamed.