Embers of the Holy War [BEING REVISED]

Stray Dragons

As it was just discovered that Guang was the new Hero, Guang agreed to help Valerie to retrieve the ruby. Consider it as the debut of Hero Guang, the new Hero of Alca. He'd been training for many years in hopes of serving the nation, so with a high important mission served on a silver platter for him, who was Guang to refuse? He'd been waiting for this moment his entire life!

Without further ado, he had travelled to Forsa. According to Valerie, the thieves should still be in town, so Guang didn't have to search far and wide for them. But what he didn't understand was-

"Why are you here?"

Jin's eyebrow twitched as he scowled. "To protect your idiotic ass, of course."

Side by side, the two of them roamed the streets of Forsa. They watched as the locals went about their day, while at the same time, keeping an eye out for anything or anyone suspicious. Guang had been extremely tense at first, but after seeing how carefree the locals were, he gradually began to wind down. Still, he tried to keep himself on his toes, to not let his guard down, especially since Jin, his younger brother, was with him.

Jin shouldn't be here. To retrieve the ruby was something Guang decided to do as the Hero. Jin would not benefit in any way by poking his nose in. Instead, he was unnecessarily exposing himself to danger. The thieves had managed to bypass Sol Invictus' tight security and steal a national treasure from right under their noses. They must be nothing short of ordinary, so Guang can't help but be wary of who these thieves are. If it comes down to it, he doesn't mind fighting them, but if Jin were to get hurt...

"Jin, I want you to back out of this."

The moment the words were out from his lips, Guang wished he hadn't spoken them. Never mind fighting the thieves, he might have to fight Jin himself at this rate. The look Jin was giving him was simply murderous.

"Huh?" Jin growled.

"It's dangerous, so it's better if you head back-"

"And what makes you think it's not dangerous for you?"

"T-that's not the point! The point is, this is something I must do as the Hero - it's my responsibility - so you should just back out of this-"

Jin scoffed. "Did all that Hero crap over inflate your ego or something? What makes you think you can find the thieves alone?"

"I can handle this myself!"

"You can't handle this yourself!"

Guang was stunned. His composed brother was raising his voice at him. And for once, his scowl wasn't just for show. With his nostrils flared and heaving heavily, he actually seemed enraged.

He yelled, "If I'm not there, who would be there to protect you?!"

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Guang was the older brother, he was supposed to be the one protecting Jin.

Guang implored, "I'm telling you to back out because you could get hurt."

Rolling his eyes and crossing his arms, Jin huffed, "Yeah? You think I came without knowing that?"

"So why won't you?" Guang demanded.

"Because we're what's left for each other!"

Jin's proclamation was akin to a punch to Guang's gut. Guang had nothing to rebuke, because Jin was right. It wasn't just Guang. Jin too had lost his parents and his home. The people and the place they had grown up with had all gone up in flames. The only legacy the House of Long had left were him and Jin.

Noticing that their argument had garnered some attention from others, Jin took in a deep breath and regained his composure. He turned his back against Guang. Guang had thought that Jin was still mad at him, but surprisingly, in a softer tone, Jin had mumbled, "Do I even have to spell that out for you?"

Oh. Jin had turned away not because he was mad, but because he was embarrassed. He's always been quite self-conscious about keeping up his public image - Guang couldn't imagine how Jin felt, screaming such cheesy yet heartfelt words in public.

Awkwardly, Guang rubbed his neck. "Sorry."

Jin sighed. He seemed tired of Guang's behaviour, but at the same time, accepted it. "It's fine. Instead of being worried about my safety, I'd say it's best you look out for your own back. As the reincarnation of Hero Rayler, you're more likely to be targeted than me."

"Hm? But it was only today that I found out I'm the Hero. Surely news can't spread that quick."

Jin's gaze was piercingly sharp as he glared at him. Guang felt like he had been narrowly grazed by a bullet as Jin said coldly, "Never underestimate how fast news can travel."

Guang doesn't believe that, but with how Jin just went off, he readily agreed with Jin. "Alright, alright. I'll keep that in mind."

Even though Guang doubted the Demon King, much less his minions, knew that Guang was the Hero, there was truth to Jin's words. The only person who could overpower the Demon King was the Hero, and with the recent discovery, Guang had been identified as the Hero. If the Demon King and his minions were to find out, they would surely want to nip Guang in the bud before he regained Hero Rayler's power and become an unstoppable force. While it may sound terrible, to Guang, it wasn't all that bad. His enemies would be coming for him, and since they were related to Sui, he could use them as a springboard of sorts to reach Sui easier. It'd be a total win!

"Hehe...heheheheh..."

Little did Guang know, Jin was giving him the look of utmost judgement from the side. "I've been meaning to ask something."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Guang hurriedly asked, "W-what is it?"

"Why do you call the Demon King 'Sui'?"

Ah. He may have forgotten to tell Jin about meeting Sui fifteen years old when he was just a kid. To be fair, the topic had never come up before, so he never had the opportunity to tell anyone. Besides, it was a precious time between him and Sui - something he wanted to cherish by himself for as long as he could. Considering the situation, though, it might be better if he told Jin about Sui. Jin was the smarter one between them; he may be able to find a clue in his story that may, somehow, be related to the Dragon Manor incident.

This, of course, he didn't say to Jin. He told the story as it is. How he met Sui in Varya Town, how Sui treated him nicely, how they separated - almost everything that he could recall till today.

After hearing Guang's story, Jin went silent. They were sitting under the shade of a tree to take a short break. When seconds passed and Guang thought he might have overwhelmed Jin, Jin took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright, I see the situation now. It explains how you've been acting recently whenever the Demon King was brought up."

Guang scratched his cheek. "It might sound insane or far-fetched, but that's why I don't think Sui's some merciless Demon King that wants to destroy the world."

"And if he is?"

Guang...doesn't want to think about that. He still wanted to believe, until he couldn't anymore.

Hopping onto his feet, Guang said loudly, "I'm starving, let's go get something to eat!"

Jin frowned. "But the search-"

Seeing the look on Guang's face, Jin instantly understood and sighed. He swears, this brother of his was such a handful sometimes.

"Alright, alright. We'll get something to eat, but after that, we're going right back to the search."

Guang beamed, hooking his arm over Jin's shoulder. "You're the best, Jin!"

For now, Guang will put that thought in the back of his head. He had a mission to accomplish right now, and that was to retrieve a ruby from a bunch of daring thieves.

After a nice, hearty meal, of course.