"And did you see how he moved in that fight?" the smaller boy exclaimed, his hands waving animatedly. "Like a ghost, I tell you! He had those guards so confused, they didn't know which way to swing their bolos."
The older of the two nodded, a grin spreading across his face.
"Indeed. I've never seen anyone fight like him — and he's doing it all without even being able to see!"
The younger boy's eyes widened in awe.
"I know! That's why he's way cooler than you." He paused, realizing what he'd just said. "I mean, you're both really cool — but big brother, he's just on another level, you know?"
The older brother chuckled and ruffled his hair.
"Alright, alright, I get it. He's the new favorite."
He added with a smile:
"You hear that, Abo? Sounds like you've got yourself a little brother."
Nearby, the person in question sat in silence, unseeing eyes fixed on some distant point. As the laughter faded, he seemed lost in his own world.
In his mind's eye, he saw her: a girl with a bright smile. Her voice echoed like a memory caught in sunlight.
"Big brother!"
[Years Earlier – The Swamp]
The dry earth crunched softly underfoot as two boys crept through the swamp, rustling leaves breaking the eerie silence. The younger darted ahead, a mud-crafted fish clutched tight in his hands. He held it up like a talisman, mimicking the swoop of a bird.
"Big brother! I think I heard something over here!" Init's excited whisper rang clearly in the quiet.
"Shh, Init," his older brother Kalayo hushed. "We need to be quiet if we're to find anything."
The boys tiptoed across the cracked, thirsty earth, bare feet pressing into soft dust. Insects buzzed, and a lone birdcall punctuated the stillness.
"Kalayo, look! There's... there's a boy in the mud!"
Kalayo waded over. Half-buried in the muck lay a figure, body covered in cracked clay, unmoving.
"Hey," Kalayo called out, cautious. "What are you doing?"
The boy's eyes snapped open.
"Leave me alone," he muttered, voice hoarse.
Kalayo looked to Init. Then back.
"If you're not going to do anything, maybe you could help us find food? My brother hasn't eaten in a while."
The boy in the mud gave a dry chuckle.
"You won't find food here. The swamp's been dry for days."
Kalayo's face changed.
"You've been lying here for days?"
He and Init reached down, trying to pull the boy free, but he resisted, limp and stubborn.
"How persistent you brats are," the boy muttered, barely older than Kalayo. "Mind your own business."
Their efforts failed.
"Come on, Init. Let's go," Kalayo said at last.
They left. The boy lay still, ears straining until even the sound of their footsteps vanished into the brush.
Sun climbed. Heat rose. The swamp shimmered.
Then—
"There he is!" Init's voice again.
The boy groaned.
"For the last time," he rasped, "there's no fish here. The swamp's been dry for days!"
Stupid kids, he thought. Fishing in dust. Might as well try to catch a fly with their bare hands.
Footsteps. A shadow.
"Here," Init said, gently.
A scent hit the boy — sweet and strange.
His stomach growled, loud and traitorous.
"It was Init's idea," Kalayo added. "We found food. Thought you might want the extra."
He didn't want kindness. He wanted silence. But hunger gnawed through pride.
Shivering, he sat up. Reached. Something soft met his fingers — fruit. He peeled it. Sticky. Rubbed. Sniffed. Blood.
They'd stolen this. Maybe fought for it.
He didn't ask. He ate.
Kalayo and Init stared, horror widening their eyes. He was barely a person — just ribs and shadow, a boy's ghost wrapped in skin.
Init whispered:
"What's your name?"
The boy paused. A name. He hadn't heard it in so long.
"Abo," he said at last. "My name is Abo."