Vile Brother

The voice behind him made Aman'Thul whirl around, stirring up a gale through the cosmos. At last, he saw the source of the voice: a being whose physical form was extraordinarily similar to his own. His hair was the deep darkness itself, while his skin radiated an aura of light. His features were resolute, and he wore silver-white robe armor of some unknown material, inlaid and patterned with black designs. What astonished Aman'Thul most was his eyes. Unlike Aman'Thul's own, which glittered with endless starlight, these eyes gathered ever-shifting silver-white radiance, as though countless worlds flickered past within them. Those eyes, which made Aman'Thul feel they could see through everything, were now staring at him in confusion. Yet what surprised Aman'Thul was that beneath that puzzled gaze seemed to lurk a trace of... mischief?

The figure before him seemed somewhat displeased by Aman'Thul's scrutiny. He called out to him again, "So you were the one who disturbed my slumber, were you, rude brother?"

Aman'Thul hurriedly explained, "No, no, no, my brother. I only wanted to awaken you. I thought..."

"You thought I still hadn't awakened?" The mysterious, Titan-like being pursed his lips and scratched his head, as if recalling something. Then he suddenly smiled at Aman'Thul. "Actually, I woke up long ago. Back... never mind, I don't even know how many ages ago." He spread his hands. "But after awakening, I didn't know what I was supposed to do, so I chose to go back to sleep until today." As he spoke, he paced over to the celestial body and gazed at it, its surface emanating a dark aura. "So first, who are you? Why did you disturb me? And..." He paused, seemingly considering his words, before continuing, "Why do I have this instinctive feeling, when I see you, that you are my... brother?"

Aman'Thul had been carefully observing this unfamiliar yet strangely intimate kinsman. Hearing his question, he quickly answered, "Yes, that's right, my brother. I apologize for my excessive actions disturbing your slumber, but I have waited far too long for this moment." Aman'Thul clenched his fists and continued, "Ever since I awakened, I have traveled through this universe and witnessed countless races and civilizations. Yet that only made my loneliness grow by the day, so I embarked upon a journey to find my kin."

"So you found me?" The mysterious Titan seemed to understand something. He said to Aman'Thul, "Actually, while I slept, I often had this feeling too. It was as if a voice was calling to me, urging me to seek something." He immediately frowned. "To be honest, that voice was annoying. It always disturbed my sleep."

Hearing this remark from his mysterious kinsman, Aman'Thul could not help baring his teeth. He hurriedly explained, "That is not something to be annoyed by, my brother." He gathered his thoughts before continuing, "It is the call of our very souls. Our souls yearn to gather together, and that is precisely why I began my search."

The mysterious Titan pondered for a while after hearing that. Aman'Thul noticed that the phantom worlds in his eyes seemed to flicker faster. Just as Aman'Thul thought his kinsman still had doubts and was about to explain further, the other raised his head and said, "All right, I have... um... understood the reasons behind everything. So, my brother, won't you introduce yourself?"

Seeing the kinsman across from him tilt his head and smile, Aman'Thul was overjoyed. He quickly said, "My name is Aman'Thul, wielder of the Power of Time. And you, my brother?" The Titan opposite him seemed to think for a moment before replying, "I don't know what I ought to be called either, but there seems to be a title that feels right." He extended his right hand and continued, "Vanidak. It seems that I can... command space?"

Aman'Thul looked at Vanidak's outstretched right hand, seemingly unsure what he was meant to do. Vanidak saw his confusion and explained, "Shouldn't we shake hands as a gesture of goodwill? My kin, my brother?"

Though he did not understand the meaning of this gesture, Aman'Thul decisively extended his own right hand. Their two enormous hands clasped tightly together. At that moment, the starlight around them began to pulse violently, as if rejoicing and celebrating this reunion of kin.

After the handshake, Aman'Thul looked at his new kinsman and said, "Vanidak, my brother, I have searched for our kin for far too long. And you are the first family member I have found throughout these endless ages. This... this truly fills me with excitement and joy!"

Seeing the Titan kinsman before him so excited, Vanidak seemed to be infected by his enthusiasm. Smiling, he said to Aman'Thul, "Yes, my brother. I can feel your joy, and I am just as excited. After all, there are times when I too feel loneliness shrouding my soul. That feeling truly makes me uncomfortable." Looking at Aman'Thul, whose energy was spilling wildly from his body in excitement, Vanidak asked, "So, my brother, what do we do next? You must understand that compared to you, I am still, um, a newborn? Could you give me some advice?"

Aman'Thul answered his brother's question, "Oh, certainly, my brother. Finding you has greatly strengthened my confidence. It proves that we are not alone in this universe. I believe there are more of our kin waiting for us to awaken them." At this point, Aman'Thul seemed to think of something. He asked Vanidak with slight nervousness, "So, my brother, are you willing to join me and undertake this long journey together?"

Upon hearing Aman'Thul's words, Vanidak fell silent for a moment. His expression suddenly darkened, and he spoke to Aman'Thul in an obscure voice. "So after disturbing my long and wonderful slumber, you want to drag me along on a journey with no idea where its destination lies? Oh, my brother, you really do know how to make trouble for me. So my answer is..."

Seeing Vanidak's grim expression, Aman'Thul's heart tightened. As one who wielded the Power of Time, he seemed to glimpse an ill future. Just as he was about to offer further explanations to persuade him to stay, Vanidak spoke the rest of his sentence:

"Of course, my dear elder brother. I have slept long enough. It is time for a wonderful and grand... journey to find our family."

Seeing that his kinsman before him was suddenly smiling again, Aman'Thul felt a strange impulse surge within him. Although the result was good, his Titan heart, which had not stirred in so long, suddenly wanted to strike the kinsman in front of him. After hastily dismissing that thought, Aman'Thul quickly said to Vanidak, "Then, my brother, you are most welcome. Your presence will at least make my journey to find our other kin less lonely." He paused before adding, "So, shall we set out now?"

Hearing Aman'Thul's words, Vanidak gently stroked the dark celestial body beside him and replied, "Of course, my brother. But before leaving, I still have a little work to do. Please... wait a moment." As he spoke, a black vortex gradually formed around the celestial body Vanidak had touched. The vortex steadily grew larger. Aman'Thul sensed that the black energy around this starfield was gradually converging here, and at the center of that convergence, a massive rift seemed to appear. As the rift emerged, whispers seemed to enter Aman'Thul's soul. They appeared to be filled with hunger and chaos, but before he could react, they vanished.

In the brief moment Aman'Thul was stunned by the whispers in his soul, all the black energy in this starfield had vanished completely. The celestial body Vanidak had touched shed its black exterior and returned to the color of an ordinary celestial body, though faint spatial cracks occasionally appeared around it. The dark rift that concerned Aman'Thul most also slowly healed, eventually disappearing as if it had never existed.

Aman'Thul looked at his mysterious and powerful brother. Somehow, strange vambraces had appeared on Vanidak's arms. They glimmered with silver light, yet within them seemed to be concealed a dark, profound blade. Even through the outer armor, Aman'Thul could faintly sense the sharpness and lethality contained within.

Seeing the question in Aman'Thul's expression, Vanidak chuckled and explained, "I merely gathered the power from the starfield that gave birth to me." He raised his arms to look at the vambraces on his hands, then continued, "As for this, I suppose it is my weapon?"

"This weapon seems rather unusual. I have traveled the universe for so many ages, yet I do not think I have ever seen anything like it," Aman'Thul replied.

"Oh, of course. That is because I dreamed of it while I slept. As for why it looks like this..." Vanidak blinked at Aman'Thul. "Because it looks rather... um... good?"

That answer made Aman'Thul, who had lived through endless ages, feel that same frustration from before. Just as he was about to respond to this seemingly unreliable brother, Vanidak continued, "Hahaha, don't mind it, my brother. I forged it with the power of my own worlds and stars. Naturally, it was not made merely to look good." He gently caressed the vambrace and said slowly, "It is something both beautiful and... deadly."

Hearing this much more serious reply, Aman'Thul seemed to gain some understanding of his Titan brother's personality. Sweeping away the frustration in his chest, he said to Vanidak, "So, my brother, can we begin our journey now?"

"Oh, certainly, my brother," Vanidak replied. "But before we begin our journey, I have one small question. Could you answer it for me?"

"With the greatest pleasure, my brother. I will do everything I can to answer your question."

"So why do you have such a long beard? And why has it already turned white? Is it because of your age? But I feel time does not affect our race. So are you mature beyond your years, or do you think this makes you look more... um... dignified?" Vanidak looked at Aman'Thul with a gaze full of wicked amusement.

"..."

"Vanidak."

"Yes? Are you going to answer me, my brother?"

"Your personality truly is vile."

"Oh, thank you for the compliment, my brother."

"..."