"Lias, please lower the sword."
It called me by that name. The name my family, my friends all used. It wore his face. It talked like him. It walked like him.
But it wasn't him.
Why was it so much like him?
Minute things I had never really paid attention to before were the same. The way he- no, it pronounced words. The weird alternatives he used for common words in place of the correct way.
It must be its influence.
It must have been what's been warping his mind.
Moulding him into its vessel. A manipulation so perfect that my brother was unaware of it even happening. That he was being taken over.
My forearm tensed as, with gritted teeth, I tightened my hold of the sword.
I will free you, Arthur, no matter how long it takes.
I raised it higher and pointed it towards the imposter's neck. The point of my weapon hung inches from its flesh as it stumbled back a pace.
"Lias, ple-"
"Shut up!" I barked. "Explain yourself in the next minute, or I swear to whatever Gods sent you to this world that I will fillet you and serve you back to them."
It took a moment to compose itself before looking away from me and the glinting of my weapon. "I've spent twelve years as Arthur, as your brother…" It doesn't meet my eyes. It can't. "I have tried so hard to act my age, even if it doesn't look like I have been trying to, but-"
It finally looked back up at me through his bangs, "I still have memories of the nearly forty years I had spent in my previous life. I have memories of children playing at the orphanage I had grown up at calling me 'Uncle' whenever I visited." It took another moment before it dragged in a ragged breath. "I can't help but picture Tess as one of those kids. That's why I can't be with her and why I feel like the monster I must look like to you."
My teeth gritted together in a high-pitched screech. "Tess this, Tess that…" I took a step towards it, my blade slicing a line of red across the side of my brother's neck. "This is bigger than her!"
"Y-you're right," it admitted shakily, Arthur's eyes never leaving the blood-stained silver at its head.
"I was transported, reborn... I'm not quite sure exactly what, but something happened, and I was taken from my world and brought into this one. I don't know the correct term for this 'phenomenon' either. I've thought about this for a while, but my best guess is that it's something akin to a reincarnation."
"Reincarnation? Have you hit your head?"
The weapon swayed with the shaking of my arm.
"Lias…" it exhaled again before looking back at me.
"I was originally born and lived on a planet called Earth."
'Earth?'
"I had no family, and very few friends. I grew up as an orphan in an institute, a facility, where I was moulded from childhood into a weapon, one who would fight so others didn't need to. I- I didn't want to at first; I wanted a simple life, but eventually I gave in and trained, and I did so relentlessly, pushing myself to my utmost limits in order to achieve a better life for myself," it admitted, staring me down.
Its fists tensed as both of its shoulders sagged. "My dedication brought me to the pinnacle of my world, with me being crowned King of my homeland."
"Homeland…" it snickered.
"That all meant nothing in the end though…" it added, smiling solemnly.
"My name was Grey, and I was a King," it said stoutly.
Silence washed over the room as even the faint dripping of water from our clothes seemed to dull.
"So everything about you is a lie… Is Arthur Leywin even a real person, or is he just a persona you've been putting on for the past decade?"
"Lias…"
"Your prowess with a sword, your talent with magic- it- it's all fake!" I spat.
"No, my power is not fake," he said sternly.
"I have trained for the best part of fifty years to get to this point. Yes, I may have had a head start in this life thanks to Mana and my old world's Ki system being similar. Yes, I have fought countless battles well beyond my years as Arthur Leywin, but that does not mean that all of my effort is fake."
"No, it doesn't; it was wrong of me to say as much…"
I stared it down, "How long have you been Arthur? How long have you been my brother?"
It smiled softly as though it was reminiscing.
"12 and 9 years respectively. I am the only Arthur Leywin that this world has ever known."
I dismissed my blade back into my dimension ring.
If he wanted me dead, he would've done so already; as little as I'd like to admit it, he is stronger than me and could've disarmed me any time with his beast will.
"Prove it then."
"Prove it?" it echoed.
"Tell me something only he would know, that only my brother would know."
It laughed out a heavy breath as it wiped away tears from its eyes.
"Very well then, if that's what it'll take," it smiled, "When I first taught you mana rotation before I left to become an adventurer, you peed yourself." He smirked
"You tried to hide it, and you believe that you did right?"
"Shut up…" I murmured.
"You could've just told me, and I would've gotten you another pair of pants..."
---
Cold water brushed against my legs. It moved in waves despite the lack of a moon to pull it.
Arthur, or rather Grey, sat to my side. Neither of us had spoken since his unnecessary retelling of events I'd rather have forgotten.
The silence wasn't bad, but it wasn't…
I let out a jagged exhale as I picked up a stone at my side.
It was roughly the size of my palm, remarkably smooth and quite flat for a rock its size. After testing its weight, I wound my arm back and slung it forwards. As it reached its apex, I flicked my wrist and let the stone loose.
It bounced twice, skimming against the soft tension of the water's surface before falling into the water with a defeated plonk.
Climbing to his feet, Arthur gathered Earth mana towards his palm. After a couple of seconds, a stone almost identical to the one I had just thrown appeared in his hand.
He took the stone in both hands as he raised a leg. After a moment, he whipped his arm around and flung his construct against the water's surface. It bounced thrice before falling into the water below.
"Show off," I murmured.
"It was only one skip further than you managed," He laughed as he smiled down at me.
He held his palm taught as a second stone formed in his hand. Art gently tossed it in the air as I caught it.
I tested its weight. It was remarkable that he was able to recreate something so accurate from a single glance.
A smile cracked my lips as I flung the stone across the blue. It bounced once, twice, thrice before gravity overcame its driving force.
"That's better." Art set his hands on his hips as he smiled a wide smile, looking at the expanse before us.
Not missing a beat, I looked up at him. "So King Grey… you're a paedophile, right?" I asked with a tilt of my head. "That's why you didn't want anyone to know your secret, right?"
"What?" Art snapped, looking towards me. Red crept up his neck as, with a panic, he waved his arms about. "I'm not a paedophile." He protested. "If I was, I would've stayed quiet and just agreed to marry Tess, but I'm quite the opposite, frankly; I've always liked older girls."
"Well, not to be technical, but Tess technically is."
"Lias…" he exhaled.
"I know, I know," I waved. "She's like 40 years younger than you if you use both lifetimes in your calculations, your highness."
"Excellency," he corrected.
"That makes the world of difference…" I exhaled with a shallow breath.
"If I was just Arthur Leywin, genius mage-"
"Settle down." I snickered, looking up at him.
He ignored me as he gathered another stone in his hand."-generational swordsman-"
"Pretty boy."
"And teenager," he added loudly, "I would do so, but I'm not." He smiled, looking to his reflection in the water. Blue eyes watched blue eyes, but he watched them as if they were foreign despite them being his own. "I am also King Grey-"
"An Old, balding man, who was killed in his sleep."
"I had plenty of hair when I died," he sighed, inadvertently rubbing the auburn that flowed freely from his scalp.
He wound his body back up as he readied himself. With a burst of power I had grown to expect of him, he flung the stone at speeds I struggled to follow. It bounced seven times before sinking into the water.
"Quit showing off."
He didn't look at me, but I could see how unbearably pleased with himself he was.
"Congratulations, old man; you're beating a 9-year-old in tossing stones."
"Why, thank you, Lias." he smiled smugly.
I snatched another stone at my side and launched it at his head.
He caught it without looking at me.
Water lapped gently against the shore. Somewhere behind us, the waterfall continued its endless descent. The noise filled the silence without demanding attention.
For a while neither of us spoke.
I wasn't entirely sure what to say.
Part of me still wanted to be angry.
Another part felt stupid for ever drawing my sword on him.
The rest of me was busy trying to process the fact that my brother had somehow managed to die, become a king, die again, and then get reborn into our family.
I looked over at him.
He sat with his elbows resting on his knees.
He looked at peace for the first time in a while. Almost as if a heavy burden had at least partially lifted from him, from his conscience.
Technically, it had with his confession, but I couldn't help but feel that I needed to repay the favour.
"You're weird, you know."
"Hm hm," he nodded, "Comes with the whole reincarnation thing," he smirked back at me.
"So that's what you've decided it is then?"
"It's the closest thing to what happened," he added with a shrug.
I looked back at the water before me as a white ball of fluff climbed onto my lap.
"Heya Silv, did you know about your papa being a paedophile?" I asked as I scratched behind her ear.
"He's never done anything inappropriate with Mama, though, so I don't think he is," she cooed, leaning into my touch.
My hand stopped as I pulled it back. Slowly, I turned my head towards my brother.
"Arthur?"
"Yes, Lias?"
"Did your bond just speak?"
He nodded once as he threw a stone into the lake.
I slowly turned my head back to the small white fox who watched me with her wide yellow eyes.
"Why did you stop, Lias?" She asked, "I always enjoy scratches from you and Mama."
"Y-you can talk?"
She nodded rapidly.
"You can talk?" I repeated. "Since when could you talk?"
"Hmm," she sounded, raising a paw to her chin in thought. "I don't really know…" she said with a tilt of her head.
"She's been talking to me through telepathy since she was a… Hatchling? Yeah, a hatchling." My brother said with a nod, answering for his bond.
"That's incredible!" I said, scratching behind her ear again with renewed vigour, "You're such a clever girl, aren't you, Sylvie?"
She drummed her back foot as she leaned into my touch.
A smile cracked my lips as I watched the faint ripples spread from the last stone my brother threw still reverberate across the blue.
These two willingly shared their secrets with me.
Not because they had to. Not because I had discovered them. But because they trusted me.
The thought sat strangely in my chest, causing my hand to slow from the distraction.
"Don't stop." Sylvie protested.
"Demanding little thing, aren't you?"
Sylvie nodded.
"I learned from Papa."
"I am right here," Arthur sighed.
I ignored him as, with a sharp exhale, I turned to face him.
"What?"
"Nothing… Nothing…"
"Lias."
"Hmmm…" I groaned, rocking back and forth slightly.
"I haven't been entirely honest with you…"
"Oh?" he sounded.
"Whilst not as big as you being a paedophile-"
"I'm not a paedophile."
"-I've also been keeping a secret," I said, looking away from him.
My heart thumped audibly behind my ribcage as I struggled to look at him.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Lias." he smiled.
Why are you so nice at times like this… Uhhh…
"No, I need to; it's only fair…" I sighed.
"Okay then."
"Since I first awoke my mana core, I… I've been travelling to this weird dimension where I've been talking with this even weirder girl…"
Art leaned towards me. "What?" he sounded "Could you elaborate further? How does this happen? What do you see?"
A tired groan escaped me as I rubbed the back of my head. "It's hard to explain…"
"Then do your best." He smiled as Sylve pawed at my forearm.
With a heavy exhale, I looked up at him.
"Every time I've visited Avalon- oh, that's what it's called; I forgot to say that- since awakening, I've been either unconscious or asleep, which kinda makes sense, I guess."
"Avalon…" my brother mouthed.
"Yes?" I nodded. "Have you heard of it?"
"I have," he smiled at me. "Like in this world, my old world also had many legends and stories. Avalon is said to be the final resting place of Artorius Pendragon, A Celtic King of the Britons who fought against the Germanic Anglo-Saxon invaders who pillaged his homeland."
"I have no idea what any of that meant…" I laughed as I rolled back and forth.
With an exhale, my brother continued his retelling. "Artorius was a legendary warrior thought of as the 'King of Knights' by scholars centuries after his death and was thought to be little more than a myth created by the Welsh and Cornish after their valiant efforts in fighting against the seven English Petty kingdoms."
"What-"
"Artorius' legend would later evolve into the story of Dragg Goch, the Red Dragon, the Celts, who fought against and beat his arch-enemy, Dragg Gwyn, the White Dragon, the Saxons. This legend is commemorated on the Welsh flag, with it having a giant Red-"
"Okay, I get it," I shook my brother's shoulders.
He smiled awkwardly at me as I released him.
After settling back in place, he looked back to me. "You mentioned seeing someone in this 'Avalon', right?"
"Yes," I nodded, "Nimue."
"And this Nimue doesn't happen to be a middle-aged man with dark hair and a beard?"
I shook my head. "No, she is not… She actually kinda looks like Tess, with her having pale hair and pointed ears. However, the strangest thing is that she almost seems to age with me."
"How is that strange? There shouldn't be any reason for her not to."
I let out a heavy breath as I rest my weight against my palms. "Normally it wouldn't be, but… I don't know; it just feels… weird."