The boy woke up to the sun as it rose from its slumber.

“*Yawn*. Wow, its morning already?” He started. The boy got out of bed running straight to his closet to change clothes. ‘DAMN IT IM LATE!’ He thought to himself as he dressed up.

Rai wore a white shirt with buttons, a yellow jacket on top of it, black trousers with a belt that holds everything together, and yellow casual shoes.

He opened the door to his room and rushed past the maids and butlers who were greeting him whilst greeting them back. He looked ahead to see the stairs, but continued to run at full speed jumping up and over them landing on the floor with grace and ease. He races to a door and opens it without hesitation.

“HEY GUYS!!!” He exclaims causing the few people in the room to shake up. “Umm… I hope I’m not late for practice…” The room was large packed with weapons of different kinds and a large mat where the fights had taken place.

“HAHAHAHAHA!!!” A hearty laugh came from the middle of the mat. “Let’s just say you weren’t fast enough.” A well-toned shirtless man stood present surrounded by 10 unconscious personell.

“Sorry, Dad.” Rai said with his head drooping disappointed he came late to witness the fight.

“You should be earlier if you wanna fight kiddo.” Rancour advised as he stretched his muscles.

Rai took a sit beside him and sat down on it still disappointed. “I know…”

Rancour looked at the boy with pitiful eyes to which he then pulled out a sword from a barrel. “I think I’ve still got some energy in the tank.” He supposed as he stretched his hand to give the boy the sword while smiling softly.

“R-Really?”

Rancour nodded “Just make sure to keep this between us, I don’t want your big bro giving me a headache for not following my own house rules.”

“You’re the best dad!!!” Rai exclaimed in joy as he and his father began to train.

….

‘Get ready Kai, I’m about to scare you senseless.’ Rai thought to himself as he sneakily climbed his way up the wall to where kai slept. It was a sort of tradition for him to surprise kai with something on the midnight of his birthday every year, and this year was no different.

Rai was planning to act as a sort of assassin that was to kill the young man, though this was just meant to be a joke. ‘Alright, I made it.’ Rai thought as he looked through the window. He could see the boy fast asleep on his bed.

‘Hehe boi’ Rai giggled. But just then, He could hear footsteps coming from the door. They were getting louder and louder as whatever was behind it got closer and closer.

‘What’s going on? Is it Phoenix Guardian Furoto?’ Rai thought to himself. ‘No no that’s not possible. He doesn’t come this late at night to check on Kai.’

Just then, the door opened revealing a tall man with huge bushy black hair wearing a demon dog mask and holding a sword round his belt. “What in th-” rai whispered in shock and immediately teleported away.

….

Rai pulled an unconscious Kai through the dark forest still processing everything that had happened. He had watched most of the encounter from a safe distance and knew Furoto was the masked man, though could not hear the discussion they had on the wall.

Minutes felt like hours as the dragging continued. “Why would Furoto try to kill you?” rai whispered to the still unconscious kai. “I thought he cared about you like you were his son?" he asked still baffled. "*Sigh*”

They soon reached an open clearing with what seemed to be a beautiful cottage surrounded by flowers. “Woah.” Rai exclaimed in awe of what he was seeing ‘it looks like the type of garden you only see in dreams.’

Rai soon heard noise coming from nearby. He instantly teleported himself and Kai near a rock that was surrounded by a bunch of bushes.

He couldn’t see them, but he could hear them. One sounded like a little girl, while the other sounded like a boy in his teens. They seemed to be discussing, but in a different language rai did not understand.

Rai could not maintain his composure as he tripped on Kai while trying to make sense of the conversation at hand. This alerts the two individuals which begin slowly moving towards both of them.

Rai now knew their cover was blown and couldn’t think of anything to do. He looks at kai knowing there was no way to help kai out of this situation.

“WAIT!” He exclaimed.

….

‘Dad…’ Rai’s voice was wobbly, tears running down his face as the casket of his now deceased father was in front of him. “Why?”

All-important men of power were present facing the casket with heads bowed to show respect and grief. A young man was giving a speech on the loss of his father and the sorrow he felt writing the letter. After his speech, the people clapped and immediately came to silence.

It was now time for Rai to give his speech. He went up on the wooden stage attempting to deliver it… but, he couldn’t. He looked at the casket trying not to believe what he was seeing. His eyes began tearing up again before running off the stage. He could hear voices from his brother, the butlers, the maids and Furoto but, to no avail.

He was in his room sobbing over the loss, hating every minute of being alive. He was thinking of killing himself and was about to if a knock on the door hadn’t stopped him.

‘just ignore it’ he thought as he tied some rope to the chandelier of his room.

The knock became louder with a man shouting “RAI OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!!!” the mans loud voice was familiar, It was his brother.

“…” Rai didn’t answer him.

The man tried to open the door forcefully, but it was locked and could not be moved even after numerous kicks. He teleported into the room and just in time, stopping the teenager from jumping off the chair he was on.

“LET ME GOOOOO!!!” Rai demanded “LET ME GOOO ARSINE!!!”

“Rai please don’t do this to yourself.” Arsine replied, his voice now modulated and calm

“He can’t be dead, he just can’t.”

“He is… I’m sorry.”

“nooooo….” Rai’s sobbing filled the air, but controlling it was not possible.