{{Eternal flames, a love that never ends}}

~ Chapter 1 ~

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Astrea Tsugikuni, born into this word with a twin brother named Apollyon. Quite young Astrea was watching his brother getting taught the way of the blade by their father's vassal. He sat quietly at the side, everyone thought he was deaf as he never spoke or smiled.

Astrea was close to his mother, his father on the other hand his father had planned to kill him, the reason for this was he had a quite disturbing birthmark. Since Apollyon was his twin he was chosen to be their fathers successor, if not for the birthmark it would have been a harder decision for their father. Astrea's mother had despised the thought of one of her children being killed so their father was going to send him to the temple when he was older.

To the present Astrea watched his brother as he was being taught, all swings of the sword had passion behind them, the vassal approached him.
"Astrea, young boy would you like to learn?" The vassal questioned, handing him a wooden sword. Astrea's goal after being taught the basics was to land a hit on the vassal. To everyone's surprise he did, four times he'd striked the vassal with blinding speed. It rendered his instructor unconscious, after all that had happened he walked away. The thought of hurting another person was too much for him.

Kuma on the other hand was a girl with a simple life, helping her mother and father with daily chores since she was young, going to town for her education. She was on her way back from the town one day, humming happily as she carried a book in her hands that stopped when they saw their house's front door open, they were confused but brushed it off until they walked in.

They dropped their book as their eyes filled with tears, they screamed loudly, there was blood all over the walls, ceiling and floor. They cried as they ran around, looking for their parents. That was until they saw the two, caked in blood and their bodies sprawled out across the floor. She fell to her knees next to her mother, her tears falling down onto her mother's face as she looked down at her.

"Mother..? Father..? Who did this to you..?" She was young, only seven and her parents were her only friends. She hugged her mother's limp body and she'd stay with them for the next seven days, that was until she heard someone's voice.

"Well, who must you be young girl?" The man asked, he was tall and had bright yellow hair with crimson tips.
"My name..is Kuma.." They hadn't slept for days, Rengoku, as she would learn his name was, picked her up.
"I'll take you somewhere safe, Kuma." He said, they couldn't remember anything else as they'd passed out in his arms.

Astrea's father got quick word of the young boy's skill with the blade, Astrea was made the new heir and his twin Apollyon? Well, he would be sent to the temple as Astrea was stupposed to.  The two were twins yes but they lived completely different lives, Apollyon always had many luxuries whilst Astrea was left with what his brother would give him. All this changed when Astrea became the heir, it's as if they'd swapped lives.

One, surprisingly warm morning Astrea opened the door to his brother's now small room.
"Mother is dead, apologies for her early I had to tell you. But I also wanted to say my goodbyes brother, I will be leaving for the temple." And that he did, leaving with nothing. When he got to the rice fields he felt like running. And that he did, running for a day his legs never stopping, his energy never running low.

While on the journey he came across a boy. His family lost to a plague,  Astrea found him catching tadpoles. When the sun began to set the boy, who'd stood motionless for hours let the tadpoles go, it seemed he felt bad for separating them from their families. Instead of continuing his journey Astrea decided to go home with the boy, they'd become friends and lived together, helping eachother out.

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