A brother's love. Into the dark

Rat

As Max approached his mother's room, he couldn't help but tremble. His mother was the person he feared the most, the one who gave birth to him. When he stepped inside he was hit with a glass of wine. Max was not drenched in wine...and In blood that started flowing from his forehead. Yet he didn't say anything he sat down and waited for his mother to speak. He was too scared to do anything.

'Finally, you came. You know it's not good to keep your mother waiting next time be her ten minutes before me you Rat.'

''yes Mother''

Max was always energetic, but even the shine in his eyes disappeared around his mother.

'I called you here to let you know you will start school tomorrow.'

Max most definitely did not expect that. He was going to school. But why what could he learn, he didn't have a drive so what use was school? But still, he was excited he always wanted to experience school. He read about it from books he would steal from his older sister's room.

'You are lucky. Your father knows how to convince a person if it was up to me you would have gotten thrown out on the streets a while ago. now leave'

Max shook his head and then left.

Outside he wiped his head with a handkerchief then a person approached him. It was his twin sister Isabelle.

'Hey Max you think we could hang around I'm so bored'

Even though they were twins, the only thing they had in common was their hair and eye color. Isabelle was considered the hope of this family. She was born with a fire drive and had a connection to other drives too, and soon she would be able to use them. Their mother gave her the nickname "Hope," while she gave Max the nickname "Rat." She thought it matched him.

''yeah sure why not"

Even with their differences, Max and Isabelle were really close. They couldn't spend time with their other siblings, which is probably why they grew so close. Without Isabelle, Max had three other sisters: one older sister who was 18 and didn't live with them anymore, one who was 5, and another who was 3. Max and Isabelle were the middle children of the family, both 9 years old.

As Max and Isabelle hung out in the Rose family's garden, they heard a familiar voice - their grandma's.

Max adored his grandma; she was one of the few who treated him kindly. And the only person who still believed that Max would get a drive.

'How are my grandchildren doing?'

''Grandma!''

the children said in unison. Then rushed to hug her

''What are you doing here grandma''

Max said with a curious expression on his face.

'I am here to check your soul progress'

When a person becomes stronger, the key features of their drive inside their soul also become stronger. For instance, when a person with a flame drive becomes stronger, the fire inside their soul intensifies and burns hotter.

Isabelle was thrilled to hear that she hadn't checked her soul in a long time. For children, it's not easy to check their souls alone, so they need adult help.

Meanwhile, Max was disappointed. What was there to check? He didn't have a reason to check as he didn't have a drive. He would just end up disappointed.

Isabelle assumed a meditation position, and her grandma placed her hand on her back. When she woke up, she found herself surrounded by flames that had grown so large she couldn't see beyond them. However, this wasn't much of a feat, as she was quite short.

But there was something else, she saw a small stone. After she came back into the real world she told her grandma about it.

Her grandma was caught off guard she didn't think Isabelle was going to develop a second drive so soon. She praised Isabelle and then turned to Max who was sitting there bored watching some ants carry a small piece of food.

'It's your turn, Max'

Max was surprised by that. Why would she want him to check his soul?

''huh? Why we both know there's nothing there

'who knows Max maybe your drive finally appeared your maid told me you fought a slime'

After hearing that maybe his drive had finally appeared, his eyes were filled with hope as he got into a meditation position. He felt a bit excited when he sensed his grandma's touch. What if he did get a drive?

Sadly, all his excitement faded as he found himself in a completely dark and empty void. Max never liked this place, not only did it bring him disappointment, but he also felt like he was being watched.

When he woke up in the real world, the hope in his eyes vanished, replaced by disappointment. Seeing this, his grandma tried to comfort him, but nothing.

Max held onto this disappointment for the rest of the day. Only at night when he was walking to his room did it disappear. The reason was his excitement about his first day at school.

'hey did you see the Rat looking into his soul'

''yeah it was so funny seeing all his hope get crushed''

Max stooped for a second but then continued he didn't have to care about what some maids said. Tomorrow was a new beginning.