CHAPTER ONE
Deodor City...
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"Hey, Gazel, slow down."
The voice was sharp. Annoyed. Already tired.
The one being yelled at did not slow down. Not even a bit.
"Hey, Gazel. Don't you hear me?" the voice barked again. "You are cheating!"
Heavy laughter rang through the trees, loud and carefree. Then a teasing voice answered.
"How am I cheating? Just admit it. You are too slow." A pause, filled with mock pity.
"And now I am supposed to be blamed for your slowness?"
The veil of the forest finally parted.
Two figures burst into view.
The first was a boy around ten or twelve.
Long white hair flowed down his back, gleaming even in the fading light. His eyes were a pale blue, glowing faintly as evening dew clung to his skin.
He had a cool, calm, almost handsome face. Right now, that face was twisted in discomfort and anger, drenched in sweat.
"Hey, Gazel," he shouted, breath ragged, "I am telling you. If you don't stop right now, I am thrashing you like hell when we get home."
The one he was yelling at leapt up and landed lightly on a tree branch.
He was younger, maybe eight. Smaller. Faster. An irritating grin stretched wide across his face as he looked down at his brother, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"You have to catch me first," Gazel said cheerfully. "And with the way you are running, you can't even manage that."
Then he was gone.
He sprang off the branch, using the trees like stepping stones, vanishing deeper into the forest.
The older boy chased after him, teeth clenched, pushing his legs harder.
Neither of them knew it, but their speed was already far beyond what any normal human could achieve.
They would not know that for a long time.
Their parents had strictly forbidden them from interacting with other humans. They had never explained why. The boys obeyed. Everyone did.
Everyone except Jarren.
The last time Jarren was caught sneaking out, Gazel had made him a deal. He would keep the secret as long as Jemial could catch him in a race.
Jarren had agreed without thinking.
After all, by logic, the older brother was supposed to be the faster one.
What Jarren did not know was that accepting that deal would turn his day into hell.
They had been running for hours.
Hours.
The forest stretched endlessly around them, and Gazel, or rather the little devil, never slowed down. Always ahead. Always laughing.
By the time the manor came into view at the edge of the forest, Jarren's lungs felt like they were on fire.
They stumbled inside, past the tall gates and into the courtyard.
Both brothers collapsed onto the ground, chests heaving, breath coming in sharp gasps. Jarren's heart pounded violently against his ribs.
Running for hours was no small feat.
Gazel turned his head and looked at his older brother, a cheeky smile creeping onto his face.
"Hey, bro," he said innocently. "Don't you think we should do this every evening after training?"
What he received in response was a glare so cold it sent a chill down his spine.
"You say…" Jarren asked softly.
His voice was ice.
Gazel smiled, the smile of a kid who knew he should shut up.
Then he spoke anyway.
"I mean, are you ready to get your ass beaten again in a race by me?"
The line had been crossed.
Gazel realized it instantly and prepared to somersault away.
He never got the chance.
A hand snapped around his ankle.
Gazel's face fell.
Jarren looked up at him and grinned. Wicked. Satisfied.
Moments later, the courtyard echoed with the sounds of thrashing
.
When the boys finally emerged again, Gazel was no longer smiling. His cute little face was swollen beyond belief.
Jarren, on the other hand, was smiling brightly.
Revenge felt good.
They walked across the vast courtyard together, one brother solemn and silent, the other proud and pleased.
"Hey. Where have you two been."
The voice came from behind them. Loud. Angry. Yet somehow still cute.
The two boys froze at the same time and slowly turned around.
Standing atop the wooden platform of the grand manor was a young lady.
She was older than both of them, close to seventeen.
Black hair fell down her back, streaked with thin accents of white woven through it like silver threads.
Her blue-black eyes were sharp, vivid, and terrifyingly alive. Her face was beautiful, the kind that made people think of goddesses carved in stone.
But the moment the boys saw her, their smiles froze.
They smiled anyway.
The smiles did not reach their faces.
"Big sister," they said together.
She did not acknowledge the greeting.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she repeated the question, her tone unchanged.
"Where have you two been."
Gazel slowly turned his head to look at Jarren.
His swollen face twisted into a cheeky smile.
Jarren's blood ran cold.
He is not going to talk. Right?
"Really, sis," Gazel began brightly. "You won't believe what Jarren did."
Jarren's heart thumped violently in his chest.
The older girl leaned forward a little, curiosity quietly blooming in her gaze.
Gazel's smile widened.
"You really won't believe where I found him," he continued, his voice dropping into something oddly serious. "And what I found him doing."
"What is it?" she asked.
Jarren grabbed the sleeve of Gazel's robe in panic.
Gazel brushed his hand away without even looking at him.
His tone turned somber.
"Sis," he said, "I believe you have been looking for your golden hairpin. The one with the worm-like sigil."
She nodded, leaning in slightly.
Gazel sighed and shook his head, looking disappointed.
Then he pointed straight at Jarren.
"You can't imagine this," Gazel said. "It was with Jarren all along."
Jarren's eyes widened.
"And the worst part," Gazel continued calmly, "is that he used the golden hairpin for fishing."
Silence.
"And you know what happened next," Gazel added. "The fish swallowed it. And escaped."
That was enough.
Her blue-black eyes practically turned red.
She turned slowly toward Jarren.
He looked back at Gazel in disbelief, betrayal written all over his face.
"Is what he said true?" she asked.
Jarren opened his mouth to deny it.
Gazel raised an eyebrow.
The message was clear.
If you deny it, I expose you.
Jarren gulped.
If he stayed silent, she would take it as a yes, and what followed would be brutal.
If he denied it, Gazel would tell her everything. About him breaking the rules. About sneaking out.
He did not even want to imagine what would follow that.
His heart pounded wildly.
The small joy he had felt from thrashing Gazel earlier was completely gone.
I will get you back for this, Gazel. I swear it.
Slowly, helplessly, Jarren nodded.
"Sis, I can—"
He never finished.
Her fist slammed into his face.
Jarren hit the ground like a marionette with its strings cut.
Gazel watched the whole thing and gulped internally.
His sister might be pretty.
But she was terrifying.
To hell with those who said speaking the truth was the greatest virtue.
If he had told the truth, that the one who used her golden hairpin with the worm sigil for fishing was actually him, then the one knocked out cold right now would not be Jarren.
It would be him.
Never speak a harmful truth.
Gazel burned that lesson into his soul.
To be continued.