Vision was the firstborn in a wealthy family; they named him Giovanni. The father was not only a world-class, gold medalist fencer, but he was also the CEO of a long, thriving construction company.
The mother was a famous pianist who caught the father's eye while he was travelling abroad.
She was lovestruck the moment that he spoke to her. He had a magnetic air around him and spoke as if he knew the exact words she wished to hear, striking her heart with each syllable. Victor was also tall, strong, handsome, and rich. When he proposed within months of dating, she had no reason or desire to refuse.
His name was Victor, and hers was Alexandria.
Vision was conceived on their honeymoon, and after he was born, the problems began.
Alexandria was tired for many weeks after giving birth, even with a nanny helping her most of the day. The other issue was that she and Victor had nothing to talk about outside of physical passion; they could barely stand being in the same room.
In only three weeks, Victor began cheating on her.
She didn't find out at first, but she was naturally suspicious, so after he came home late a few times, she checked his phone and was devastated by what she found. The affair had only been going on for a month at this time, and after Alexandria confronted him, he broke it off... but that didn't heal the scars of betrayal.
Looking at Giovanni only reminded her of Victor, and in her grief, she found herself unable to give her son the affection he deserved. So, the nanny began watching him for longer hours.
Despite how badly their relationship had deteriorated, Veil was conceived during that turbulent period.
They named him Angelo.
Giovanni was 11 months older, but Angelo grew so quickly that people often thought they were twins.
The Nanny Maria became a more constant parental figure for them because Alexandria remained withdrawn, and Victor was often away for work. Whenever Victor returned home, his attention belonged entirely to Alexandria. The boys would watch their mother's face light up on those days—and only those days. He'd shower her with affection and leave her hanging on his every word.
Though he'd never stay more than two days in a row, Alexandria was often seen begging him to stay or come home more often, but to no avail.
But after he left, another side of her emerged. A cruel one.
She would scream at the children for the smallest things or blame them for their father not coming home. One of her favorite phrases was,
"He loved me before you were born."
She never apologized for saying it... but after a while, she'd return to her withdrawn state. Not speaking or interacting with anyone more than necessary.
Once they started school, things changed. The two were enrolled in the same year, but Angelo shone both academically and caused chaos. He pulled pranks on the teachers, skipped classes, and had the other students follow his lead whenever he acted out.
Even though she tried to stay out of her children's lives, she was constantly called into school to reprimand him or accept rewards on his behalf. At first, she found it exhausting, but eventually she began looking forward to seeing what he'd do next.
Giovanni's grades were only slightly above average, and he kept to himself and never caused any trouble. So all of Alexandria's focus was on Angelo alone.
In the evenings, she started giving Angelo piano lessons. He absorbed every lesson like a sponge, and when he smiled at her, it reminded her of happier times and warmed her heart. Giovanni was content just seeing them both happy and reading a book in the same room. Within months, Angelo had mastered the basics and could play several classical sonatas. He would even play improvised compositions during his free time.
The house was full of music, and Angelo stopped causing as much chaos in class, but he was entered in multiple math and musical competitions.
Giovanni was invited to attend as a guest, but even just attending was overwhelming, so he opted to stay home half of the time. Alexandria had Angelo's schedule so packed that he barely had time to sleep.
Somehow, he pushed through it and even got recognized in a few news articles as a prodigy.
When Giovanni turned 9, their father came home to attend the party.
He had become especially interested in getting to know Angelo because of all the things he read about his son and because many of his business partners would ask questions about him. Victor had taken Angelo out on a yacht to introduce him to his friends the month prior for Angelo's 8th birthday, and even though it was Giovanni's birthday, he spent the whole day talking to Angelo.
The gift he left for Giovanni was a fencing foil. Victor left without speaking to him or asking if he liked the gift, but once they were alone, Angelo showed his matching sword to Giovanni. Then he said, with a big smile,
"Dad agreed to teach us swordplay together. Isn't that awesome?"
In that moment, Giovanni realized two things. One was that Angelo was trying to find ways to get their father to spend more time with both of them, even though his schedule was already packed. The second was that he mattered to Angelo. Until that moment, he hadn't realized how deeply he'd convinced himself that he didn't need anyone to love him back or include him. Yet, as soon as he realized his brother did care about him, he started crying, for the first time since being a baby.
Angelo responded by bringing him a box of tissues and stroking Giovanni's back until he settled down.
That night, Angelo tiptoed into his brother's room and whispered,
"Hey, Gio, are you asleep?"
"Not anymore," Giovanni replied, with a yawn.
Angelo beamed and rushed inside.
"Oh, good! I can't sleep, and I really wanted to play this game with you!" he said, while turning on the Television, then putting a game into the console. Gio groaned, dragging himself out of bed to sit down on the floor next to his younger brother.
"You have to get up early tomorrow... are you sure this is a good idea?" he remarked as he picked up a controller. Angelo nodded and replied,
"That's why... I won't have much time to hang out after this. Besides... I don't get sleepy, I can go days without it, and I feel fine."
After this revelation, Giovanni stared at him in shock, so Angelo hung his head and added, "I know it's weird... I've noticed everyone else needs to sleep every day... but I have so much energy all the time, and so many things I want to learn, so I'm glad I don't need to sleep a lot."
Gio took in Angelo's words as Angelo started the game up and explained it to him.
"To win, we have to work together. You're small enough to climb into tight spaces, while I'm tall enough to lift you, or grab things up high."
Giovanni nodded slightly. After a few minutes of gameplay, his grogginess faded completely, and he became immersed. Both of their roles in the game were equally important, and having Angelo rely on him felt wonderful.
They played until three A.M., and Angelo had to leave at five A.M.
It was several days before he was able to come back home.
The first thing he did after returning home was run to Giovanni's room.
"Hey! Dad is taking us out to practice fencing at his club tomorrow!"
The announcement stunned the older brother so much that he didn't respond quickly.
"Aren't you excited?!" Angelo asked with a wide grin.
The question was perplexing... Gio had given up on even thinking about spending time with his dad... so he didn't know how to answer.
Angelo plopped down next to him on the bed and said,
"Are you scared of getting your hopes up?"
Gio looked down, still too overwhelmed to process what was being asked. This time Angelo waited patiently.
Several minutes passed before Gio answered,
"Yes... it's scary."
Angelo patted his shoulder and grinned brightly,
"I'm a little scared too... but don't worry, after we prove ourselves, he won't be able to ignore us anymore... and if you don't like fencing... I'll find out other ways to make sure you're included..." Angelo's smile faltered slightly as he continued, "he'll want to brag about us, and show us off to all his work friends and ... if I do really well... maybe he'll stay home more. That'll make mom really happy!"
This moved Gio to the core, and became a memory he'd reflect on for years to come.
Angelo seemed to have boundless energy in the morning on the way to the club, while Giovanni barely managed to get out of bed.
Victor introduced them to all the members of the club,
"These are my sons, Angelo and Giovanni," he said repeatedly. Most people reacted excitedly or cooed over how cute the kids were.
While some said things like,
"Are you going to become a champion like your father?"
Giovanni bashfully hid his face and didn't reply to any questions, while Angelo smirked proudly and said,
"I'm going to be better than him!"
All the adults found his confidence amusing.
"My son is about the same age as yours, maybe they could have a friendly match," one of the male club members offered.
"... Sure, but he should watch a match first. Sadly, I've been too busy with work to train him, but he's been practicing the basics in our home studio. He should see how an official spar is done before jumping into one himself," Victor replied calmly.
The man agreed.
A sparring match between two junior members was initiated. Angelo's eyes lit up while watching; he barely blinked. His eyes shifted slightly, analyzing every movement of the pair in front of him.
"What do you think, son? Want to give it a try?" Victor whispered after the match had concluded. There was a brief pause.
"Yes," Angelo replied with an ecstatic expression.
He geared up for the first time, barely able to contain his excitement, and once his mask was on, he waved towards the audience. Giovanni smiled and waved back, while Victor folded his arms and watched with a blank expression.
Angelo's opponent got into position and said,
"Don't think I'll hold back just because this is your first time,"
The kid was a few inches taller and older than Angelo.
"Great," Angelo replied. This threw his opponent off for only a brief moment, but what surprised everyone was how quickly the bout ended.
That was the beginning... Angelo won with a score of 15 to 0. Each thrust was calculated, no attempt missed, and even when the other boy tried to dodge, Angelo somehow predicted just where he'd move. He also knew just when to side-step and counterattack.
The person he had faced had four years of experience, and his father could be heard berating him in the locker room for failing to earn a single point.
Victor, on the other hand, praised Angelo and began bringing him to the club more often. Angelo always insisted on bringing Giovanni too, as well as getting a meal together afterward. This became a routine three to four times a week, and Gio was thrilled to be included. He wasn't as adept at fencing as Angelo, but he was still impressive.
After the first two weeks, Alexandria began coming along to watch. She reduced the number of piano lessons and competitions Angelo was attending in favor of spending time with Victor at the club. Though Angelo was just as busy every day practicing in the studio, sometimes switching from his foil to a epee or sabre, and watching videos from previous fencing tournaments. At most, he slept 2 hours a day.
It wasn't until almost two years later that he collapsed during a bout. There was a crowd of witnesses, and the room fell silent as he was rushed away in an ambulance. Giovanni held his younger brother's hand the whole time, with fear tightly gripping at his heart.
The parents rode along too, but sat to the side, while the EMTs treated Angelo.
No one muttered a word as he lay in the hospital room, and Giovanni struggled to hold back his tears, hugging his knees in a corner. He woke hours later, and the first thing Victor did was walk over and slap Angelo hard across the face.
The sound alerted Giovanni, and Angelo held his cheek in shock.
"I gave so many people my word that you'd do well. I had even invited renowned coaches... AND YOU DIDN'T! DO YOU REALIZE HOW EMBARRASSING THIS IS FOR ME? YOU MADE ME LOOK SO STUPID!" Victor screamed.
Giovanni leapt from where he was sitting and stood in front of his father with his arms stretched out. Victor was still seething. He looked like he was about to hit Gio too, when Alexandria grabbed his arm and said,
"Your father is just mad... if you were sick, you should have said so; he wouldn't have gotten everyone all excited over nothing."
Angelo hung his head, sitting silently and still holding his cheek.
"I wasn't sick," he whimpered quietly, "but... I'm sorry."
"It's not his fault!" Giovanni shouted. His younger brother pressed his lips together and stared at his back as he continued, "It's your fault! You don't let him sleep! That's why-!"
Before he could continue, Victor cut him off,
"It's his fault. If he couldn't handle the schedule, he should have said something... I'm not at fault for expecting more out of my son."
He stared down coldly at Gio, who shot a glare back at him, refusing to move an inch. Victor then rolled his eyes and said,
"Since I'm not wanted here, I'll go."
Panic tore across Alexandria's face and as he walked out, she chased after him.
Gio sighed and turned back to his brother, lightly stroking his forehead and saying,
"It's not your fault... you've been working so hard for everyone. You can rest now,"
Angelo sniffled, and a few seconds later, tears escaped as he ducked under the covers to hide his face.
That night marked the beginning of something neither brother understood.
Angelo's black hair slowly began turning bright red. His green eyes shifted into a vivid pink. Giovanni's hair changed as well, becoming bright silver.
Maria was the first to notice... and knowing what it signified, dyed their hair and had Angelo wear colored contacts, so their parents wouldn't find out. Despite these efforts, other changes were evident. People began doing whatever Angelo told them to, even to their own detriment. Both boys became much more physically capable than any other child their age.
Though it only became an issue when Victor had pulled Angelo into the locker room to say,
"Your form has been off lately. You are a representation of me, so what you showed me today is unacceptable-"
"Shut up," Angelo snapped. Instantly, Victor lost his voice, and fear overtook him. He stared down at his son, and Angelo stood up and glared directly into his father's eyes.
"I made no mistakes. The only reason you're criticizing me is that I'm better than you were at my age. I'm quickly catching up to how you were at your prime... and it scares you, so you're looking for problems that don't exist." A wicked smile crossed Angelo's face, and he added, "Now tell me, am I right? Be honest."
Victor gasped, and his eyes widened in shock as he blurted,
"You're right."
Victor's face turned crimson, and he took a few steps away from Angelo before rushing out of the room. The next day, the authorities were alerted that Angelo was a Maledictus, and they arrived immediately. As soon as they were in the mansion, they grabbed Angelo by the arm and forced a suppression collar around his neck.
Maria ran over and hugged him, crying and screaming,
"Don't take the young master away! He hasn't done anything wrong!"
The officers first tried to yank Angelo from her, but when that failed, they kicked her aside, and Gio rushed in to take her place.
"Why are you trying to take my brother?!"
"D-don't worry about me! Check on Auntie Mary..." Angelo muttered, but Gio refused to move.
"No! They're trying to take you somewhere far away, and I won't let them!" he shouted, squeezing his younger brother tighter.
Alexandria stood in the corner, watching everything unfold with a blank face.
The officers paused at this point, staring at the young boy in front of them, and one said,
"I'm picking up energy signals from this child, too," she stated while lifting a strange device toward Gio, then she put it into her pocket, and grabbed Gio by the hair to tear him away from his brother.
Angelo looked on in horror, his face distorted into one of pure rage.
"Let him go!" Angelo screamed repeatedly, now more aggressively resisting, and the officer holding his arm struggled to keep him restrained. Because the officer had been gripping Angelo so tightly, he stumbled forward when Angelo yanked him, and Angelo reacted on instinct, landing a kick to his face. The man fell backwards, and the younger brother mounted him and unleashed a series of punches, demanding to be freed at the top of his lungs, until the officer's grip on his wrist went slack.
While this was going on, the woman officer put a collar on Gio and pulled out her stun gun.
Before Angelo could make his way over to her, she shot him. For several seconds, Angelo pushed through the pain, still moving toward her with gritted teeth.
"Stop, you're hurting him!" Gio yelled while trying to wiggle out of her grasp.
He froze in place when Angelo collapsed, then let out an ear-piercing scream.
She sighed with relief that one of her targets was down, then she turned her gun to the boy in her arms and shot him as well.
By the time they understood what was happening, the brothers were already sitting side by side on a bus bound for Maledictus Academy.