An Underswap AU: A Tale of Seven Book 1

Entry # 47: Jaundice and Nescience

Warning: Mentions of blood and bleeding up ahead.

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To put it bluntly, talking didn't work. Henceforth, Justin was forced to resort to self defense when Gerard proceed to attack him, vehemently and erratically with every intention to kill.

Yes, his brother can be a brute sometimes, preferring the language of fists over a diplomatic discussion any day, but he was never this viciously belligerent. This uncharacteristic display of intense aggression chills Justin to the core.

This isn't like him at all. . .

The Soul of JUSTICE, his trait, leans heavily on offensive magic and long range combat, wielders vaunting an almost accurate aim. His opponent wields the Soul of BRAVERY, a trait that is not only suitable for close range combat; it's users also boast superhuman endurance, physical strength and stamina. Coupled with his hesitance to fight, this battle does not bode well for the brunette.

The only move available for him is to dodge and dodge and dodge again, for JUSTICE can't generate shields like KINDNESS or restrain opponents using gravity or time like INTEGRITY and PATIENCE. The odds aren't in his favor.

Once again, Gerard tried to impale Justin with his spear. And again, the latter sidestepped in the nick of time to avoid a lethal stab to the chest. He's lucky that he actually managed to evade most of his brother's attacks (his dodging skills are still very inferior compared to Chara). A few mishaps had only given him a number of shallow scars at worst and barely noticeable scratches at best.

They went back and forth like this, until the orange head got too close for the brunette's liking. The younger shot an energy beam at the elder, strong enough to push him back yet weak enough not to cause any severe damage.

Gerard did not take that well. Features contorting into a furious scowl, he raised his free hand overhead and conjured a huge fireball. He immediately fired it at Justin, who quickly loaded his revolver and countered with one of his golden bullets. Yellow and dark orange collided, resulting in a violent explosion followed by a storm of smoldering fragments that vaguely resemble haphazard fireworks.

Wasting no time to admire the scarily stunning display, Gerard launched himself through the cinders, poised to skewer Justin with one swift stab through the midsection. Survival instincts overcoming him for a second, the brunette blasted the orange head away with another energy beam. Only this time, it happened to be stronger than what he intended. The eldest fallen human was sent flying across the meadow, crashing on the moist ground with a sickening THUD.

"Oh shi-! Gerard!" Justin exclaimed, rushing to the direction where his sibling must've landed. And from that same direction, a fireball came hurtling towards him, singeing his clothes and propelling him against a cliff. Fortunately, the impact isn't strong enough to cause a landslide that can and will bury the brunette alive.

Seemingly disappointed by that fact, Gerard marched towards Justin, another newly formed spear in his grasp. The latter recovered from the previous attack and dove out of the way, causing the polearm weapon's knife-like edge to get buried on the cliffside instead of the brunette's neck.

Justin hopped on his feet and distanced himself, watching as the orange head pulled the weapon out of the rocks with significant ease. He may have only seen it in movies, but the JUSTICE boy is starting to suspect that Gerard some sort of PTSD. Is that what's hurting his brother?

His brilliant yellow irises narrowed. Was that one of the results of his "training" in the Sanctum? The mere thought of it made his blood run cold and boil in anger at the same time.