“… Ok, I’ll go.” The older brother complied, he needed to go see her anyways. From what he saw Amari should have somewhat recovered from her injuries. At least enough to breath, as his heart began to sink.

How could he have let this happen?

Slowly opening the door, he found the demihuman lying on the table. Still breathing heavily, Neil watched as his brother rushed to the little girls' side. "He's really bummed out about her, isn't he?"

The younger brother brought his hand behind his neck, uncomfortable just thinking about it. It would take awhile for her to recover, but those wounds were fatal. Not even Florence was sure if the girl would make a full recovery.

"I've seen it in his eyes, he's almost like a father to her." Florence said, bringing her hand to Neil's shoulder. He shrugged it off, walking to the wolf in the middle of town. He frowned, this thing was the creature that would hurt a little girl.

Their child.

The townspeople in hiding slowly started to exit their homes, seeing the scene before them. Terrified, some couldn't bare to see the bodies, scattered throughout the town, whilst others attention was solely on the demonic wolf.

Also taking notice of the young man standing amidst the bodies, black ink surrounding him.

"MONSTER!"

Huh? Neil's eyes sharpened, looking to one of the houses destroyed in the scuffle. Taking notice of one old man holding his daughter, he felt his heart sinking by the second. Others began to approach him, crowding around both the wolf and himself. "IT WAS YOU WASN'T IT, WE NEVER SHOULD'VE TRUSTED YOU OUTSIDERS!"

One of the villagers tried to grab Neil, only to grab air as he wasn't there anymore. Looking to beside him, they found Neil looking at him in confusion. "I-It wasn't me, I swear it!"

"How did he-!?" Many were awestruck at the scene, now confused as to why this man had such skills for an outsider. Some people had known about them, glancing their way as the drama between the brothers and others unfolded before them.

"THEY'RE THE REASON THAT MONSTER SHOWED UP,"

"WHAT IF HE GOES CRAZY AND KILLS US?!"

"I don't want him here..!!"

"W-What? No-!" He couldn't believe what he was hearing, why were they thinking this way? Neil was almost certain that he never attacked anyone. That's when it hit him, the sole factor that would stop him from defending himself.

Still remembering that he couldn't control his power initially, Neil began to slowly step back with his hands raised.

"WE NEVER SHOULD HAVE LET YOU INTO OUR TOWN!" Neil felt his back being shoved, falling onto the puddle of ink. His face, now drenched in the black ooze that drove him mad, he tried to get back up only to feel a sharp pain hit his stomach.

Florence's pleas went on deaf ears, as other townspeople went to her for an explanation. She tried to get closer but more people begun to surround her, trying to convince her otherwise. "N-Neil..!"

"FUUA..GH...!... I just saved your...Hhha..! Lives.." Neil had no choice, curling up into a ball as the townspeople went to carry him. Where to? Not even Neil was sure, but he knew it wouldn't be good.

"That's enough!" An arrow of light flew into the crowd, stopping right in front of the man carrying him. The townspeople turned around in shock, watching as the royal alchemist tried to approach the youngest son of Towha. Some of the townspeople rushed in front of Neil, standing in her way.

"We know what you're planning, and we're not going to let them go."

"Look at him, he's a demon!"

"We must contact the church, Miss Florence, they'd know what to do..."

"About that Miss Toni, we need him because..." His brused head tilting back, Neil could see the alchemist yelling at those surrounding them. Though he couldn't hear because of the ringing in his head, Neil had a feeling something important was happening.

It was then that he spotted a ball wrapped in paper drop in front of them, with the townspeople looking at it in confusion. After a few seconds, it blew up, smoke covering everything in the vicinity as screams were heard.

Wh... Who...? From one side of the smoke, he saw a figure rush towards him with a weapon. Neil closed his eyes as he felt the grip on his limp body loosen, before another set of arms grabbed him. Opening his eyes, he found a young man wearing a white mask grab him.

Running out of the smoke, Neil felt his eyes begin to shut as he struggled to keep awake. Sadly, the younger brother soon found himself blacking out before he could talk.

"Oh fuck this!" Klein hastily grabbed his brother's body, struggling to lift the latter as he rushed into a nearby alleyway. When the smoke cleared, the crowd was in shock as the two brothers had disappeared.

"Where did they go?!" One of the men shouted, the crowd immediately looking around. Behind one of the nearby buildings, Klein and Neil had alreayd rushed into the back door of the apothecary. Locking the entrances, Klein put his younger brother on a chair as he went to grab more medical supplies.

"These guys are nuts..." Neil mumbled out, his eyes still closed as he could hear the scurrying of footsteps.

"Yeah they are, that's why we're leaving." Klein said, opening his satchel as he stuffed it with flasks and other items before lifting it across his shoulder. Looking around, the older brother felt his heart strain as he went to Amari, still on the table unconscious.

What was he supposed to do?

A sudden knock on the front door, as the door handle was frantically being twisted. Klein quickly grabbed his brother, having them both duck down as people started running past the apothecary. Peeking his head, Klein managed to spot who was trying to open the door.

It was Florence.

"Florence!" The alchemist heard the brother's voice from inside, looking through the window to find Klein hiding behind one of the drawers with Neil. Crawling to the door, he opened it as Florence walked in and closed the doors and windows.

"They're after you, I tried to talk them down but mobs aren't so easily reasoned with." She said, walking over to Amari as she gently shook her. "Amari.. Amari..."

But she didn't move, her eyes still shut as the injuries she sustained hadn't fully healed yet. She was still unconscious, she was still injured, she was still a liability.

Klein shut those thoughts out of his head as Florence turned back to the brothers, giving them a solemn look.

"They're only after you two, Klein." Those words rang through the mind of Klein, staring at Amari's unconscious body. He knew where this was going and he didn't like it one bit, like hell that was going to happen.

"This is bullshit-!"

"You don't have a choice, Klein. You and your brother must leave!" Florence quietly shouted, pointing to one of the nearby drawers next to Neil's body. "Your equipment is there, go through the backdoor and make a run towards the waterfall up north..."

The two stared at each other, his fists clenching as he couldn't believe what was happening. In one night, one night, everything they had worked for was about to come crashing down. Klein lifted his brother onto his back, still staring at the alchemist.

"...Thank you Florence... For everything."

"Spending time with you two was enough... And there's one more thing I have to give, guinea pig..." Florence said, grabbing one of the needles from her hip before walking to Klein. The brother watched as she approached him, his expression turning to a frown.

He knew what was about to happen, closing his eyes as he braced for the final shot.

Tumbling and turning, Neil couldn't help but feel at ease as he moved around. It was almost like he was a child again, snuggled in his blanket and waiting to rest after an annoying day at school. His eyes opened, only finding himself in a blackened room.

With no lights to guide him, Neil felt so blind in a room that he couldn't clearly recognise.

His mind was a blur, as he aimlessly took one step forward. Reaching his arms out, he managed to make contact with something as Neli grabbed onto it. Cold is what Neil could describe what he was holding onto, moving down before he soon felt it to be some sort of head.

"What..." Sweat began to drop from Neil's cheek, his hand trailing down to now be touching a flat chest. It was all too familiar, especially when he felt a scar going along this persons' right shoulder. His heart stopped, taking a step back as the realisation dawned on him.

"...Klein?"

"You've put us through too much shit..." The dark room suddenly lit up, as two small lights shun in front of him terrifying the brother. The eyes almost caused Neil to flee, but his legs refused to move as it began to move closer. He was frozen in-place, his arms immobile as more parts of the mans body began to reveal himself.

First, his head had appeared with a blue glow unlike anything he had ever seen.

Second, Neil witnessed his brother's naked body light up as he tried to look away.

Finally, his older brother's hand reached out grabbing him by the throat. Lifting him up, Neil struggled to speak, trying to talk his brother out of what he was doing but to no avail. "Brother... Please...No..."

"No more, Neil."

Reeling his hand back, Klein's eyes blackened as a dagger suddenly appeared out of thin air. Neil shut his eyes, screaming his brother's name as Klein stabbed the dagger into the side of his stomach. Breaking out in a cold sweat, he felt the force holding himself in place finally let go. Dropping to the ground, Neil's eyes shot open as he tried to look around.

No longer was he in the dark room with what looked to be his brother, this time, it was somewhere completely different.

"About time you've waken up."