wicked world ; ix

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"Where are they," Nilo demanded fiercely, eyes alight with determination as he felt his hands start to grow colder. Icicles grew from every inch of exposed skin which ironically felt like burns, hot and excruciatingly painful.

"I don't want to fight my brother."

Pollux chuckled, barely ing his 'younger brother' as a threat as he remained where he stood. He wouldn't budge for the other; why should he? So, standing his ground, he stared down at Nilo whose resolve remained unshaken.

"I'd suggest you leave them to rot here where they belong."

"Only you would ever wish that upon family!"

Pollux was taken aback, a small gasp escaping from his throat as he took a step back. He looked genuinely shocked as his bottom lip quivered a tad.

Soon, his surprise morphed into an ugly scowl as his horrifying bat wings took form. His voice almost sounds like a screech when he speaks, "you really think I wanted to be this way?"

"Look at what they've done to me!"

With a flap of his wings, Pollux blew out all the flames of the candles that dimly illuminated the room they stood in. Darkness embraced Nilo as he attempted to make out the moving shadows for his brother, to no avail.

Meanwhile, the older had no problem locating where Nilo stood in the darkness. Perhaps he could thank his father for the echolocation...

At his grave.

Fingers which had shifted into sharp claws wrapped tight around Nilo's neck and he dared not breathe. Pollux whispered into Nilo's ears, "he threw me away because he feared of what he created. Only tío Castilo never feared the monster that I am... Then, your father killed him!"

"Dad would never-!"

And Pollux laughed darkly.

Oh, how naive Nilo has been to be shrouded in the darkness by his own beloved parents. He was too blind to see exactly how evil the man they called their father was.

"Oh, but he did."

Nilo felt the claws digging deeper into his throat, perhaps even piercing and breaking skin.

"Your dearest father experimented on me without considering the effects. See all these scars? They're the aftermath of recklessly tearing out what he tried to make me become!"

Nilo gulped and closed his eyes, recalling a single time when his father pulled out one of the icicles that grew from his skin for experimentation purposes.

It made him scream bloody murder, like his heart had been pricked painfully, and he realised if that was the case he could never fathom the amount of pain Pollux has been through.

"That, however, matters less than what they did to the man who raised me," he growled and flung the younger to the ground roughly.

Stalking to the window with slow and calculated steps, Pollux stared out into the night as if in a trance.

"A person is resilient, did you know that? And tío Castilo was that, even to his very last breath."

Turning to look over at his weakened brother, he sneered.

"I hate the way we are similar; both loyal to a fault. But I'm still better than this naive fool they've carved you into."

Lighting a match, Pollux tosses it to the corner of the room as the house they stood in soon crackled into flames. He grinned wickedly, and prepared to make his escape through the windows.

"Oh, you know my number if you change your mind, right?"

Pollux flew away, disappearing into the night's sky as Nilo felt his skin start to burn; the flames melting his arms made of ice. Though, he continued searching the house set ablaze in search for his parents despite the excruciating pain he felt.

With a shuddering sigh, he weakly walked into the darkness.