Infinity Guardian System

Chapter 3: A Flicker In Darkness...

The Winterfall dynasty was no different from the other dynasties when it comes to kingship and the way the throne is inherited. It is only the one fittest for the kingship, and most beloved by the people, that would be given the position.

To prevent conflict from arising, the king tries his best to raise his first son and teach him to be more exceptional with age and experience.

Most likely, the first son will be the one to inherit the throne, and the most beloved to the people, having fought battles with his father and raised since birth to serve a single purpose.

According to rights, Vather, being the firstborn of King Veurnch, was the rightful heir to the throne.

He had been trained in leadership and war tactics, while his younger brother, Hadeon, had been trained by their father to become a true soldier and the next god of war.

But then Hael came into the picture. Not much was expected from him, and Vather would be happy simply keeping the third born of the house to himself.

But when the news of Hael awakening the mystical nine petals was known by the whole world, his entire life plan came shattering down.

It had been written down in the very annals of the history of the Winterlock family.

Their full potential, which none of them had ever reached, was the nine petals, and it has been passed down that whoever possessed the nine petals must inherit the throne.

Their ancestors and the people believed that one who possesses the nine petals would possess a power never before heard and would be the one to lead them right into prosperity.

Hael might be young, but he had already garnered the good eyes of the people and also of his father, and in all of their minds, they had choosen the young man to be their king.

There was nothing wrong with that, except for the fact that it went against both brothers' plans. And so, they both had come to a conclusion. Hael must be out of the picture!

To Hael, the man before him was akin to a mountain that couldn't be penetrated. He knew well how strong his brothers were, and even though Vather was weaker, he was a force that couldn't be trifled with.

His legs couldn't pursue the enemy, and turning his back on him might lead to instant death!

But Hael had decided. He wouldn't die from a sword slash to his back. Nor would he kill himself.

No! He would fight desperately for this single life that he had, and would make sure he at least dealt the devil before him a damage that he would never forget.

The sound of the sword being pulled out rang throughout the place, as the wind gently ruffled their clothes and hair.

"I can make it quick and easy for you, brother..." Vather said, emotions fading away from his eyes. Yet, he watched as Hael shifted into a combat stance.

"I refuse to die a coward's death..." Hael replied as he bent his legs, one of his hands on his waist and one clenched into a fist and pointing to Vather.

"Then so be it, brother..."

The ground beneath Vather's feet gave away, leaving nothing but a gigantic pothole where he formerly stood, and immediately he faded completely away from Hael's vision, almost like he had become one with the wind.

Yet, the sound of the air getting blown past rang out as Hael looked up at the sky, and saw Vather right above him.

His sword was raised above his head, and immediately a pillar of flames soared into the very heavens themselves, its source from Vather's hand which had turned into a blazing inferno.

And like the wrath of a god, the flaming world cleaved down with a power wanting nothing more than to completely erase him from existence...

The ground beneath his feet gave way from the horrific pressure, as Hael felt his skin furiously burn, the pain assaulting him repeatedly.

Yet he jerked both hands backwards, veins appeared all over his arms and threw out both punches towards the ginormous river of flames that drowned him completely in its cataclysmic power.

The fire furiously burned for a while as Vather landed onto the ground...

SHRIIIIIIIIIING

CLIIINK

The sound of the sword getting sheathed rang out once more, as it made a satisfying clink, and slowly, Vather opened his cold blue eyes as he stared at the scene of destruction.

The battle had been over in a single move! Laid in the gigantic pit, was a completely burnt figure, who was currently on both knees, motionless on the ground.

The sound of footsteps rang out as Hael struggled to raise his head up, his remaining right eye the only object relatively undamaged flashing with a piercing blue light tainted with red veins.

"It is not your fault, Hael. That I can at least tell you. You were just given the wrong thing at the right time..." Vather whispered to him as he picked him up by his neck and walked towards the cold blue sea.

"Draw out... your sword... and finish it..." Hael forced out between his burnt throat as Vather ignored him and looked at the cold blue sea.

"I have decided to do what is necessary for my goals. But still, I cannot put a blade through the neck of my own brother."

"Bastard..." Hael forced between the gaps of his teeth as silence enveloped the area.

"Tell me, Vather. Father didn't die in the war did he, he was victorious wasn't he?" Hael suddenly asked with a smile as Vather's eyes looked at him in shock and Hael's smile widened even more...

"Yes. Father, till the end, never lost a war. Unfortunately, he was too trusting. Just like you..." Vather said and immediately, Hael was flung into the far distance, his back smashing against the surface of the water.

Wiping the single tear off his face, he opened his eyes, which flashed with determination.

"May your soul rest in peace, Hael Winterlock!" He prayed and then he turned back, disappearing into the forest...

Drowning in the river, a singular drop floated out of Hael's eyes as he looked into the distance light with his blue eyes, a sad expression on his face.

"Forgive me, father, for not being like you who have never lost a war. I had lost my first one..." Hael said, but as he stopped resisting that feeling and wanted to sink into that embrace, he felt a bright light behind him, its heat giving him comfort, and forcefully he turned his eyes only to be faced with something unbelievable.

A gigantic portal right at the depth of the sea, and just a few centimeters from his eyes, a fragment of a star in the shape of a half moon!