After that incident, things were never the same. Both Tier and Ikaros had been sent into temporary leave from the military. They had been informed that, thanks to their arduous work during such a sudden attack, they deserved it, but they knew better than this. They were sure something had happened to prompt their temporary leave. Something was wrong. That village, the very one that used to be so quiet had grown even more silent than before… And this silence was directed at them both.

Though showing a tranquil demeanor, Ikaros remained pensive over the actions taken by the villagers, the way they handled things… and the secret discussions the caretakers of the village had. Before, he thought they were merely complex negotiations that he couldn’t even try to understand, that he was misinterpreting al lot of the things he heard them speak about. Yet, the more he listened, the more he doubted. The sun had given him that ‘gift’… and it pushed him to listen to it every night, before sleeping and during the nights in which he could hear his brother sing and share stories among the campfires. This was something he did not share with his brother, deeming him unworthy of such a negative perspective from the people that protected them. Even he doubted such a perspective to this day.

However, Tier had bumped into something similar one night. While looking for a bit of wáter on the central well of the city, he noticed the dame of the village and her husband discussing with some of the representatives of the city. He thought of leaving, but something inside of him whispered to at least listen in to check if everything was in order. But, that line of conversation was not at all normal.

“That power is too dangerous… There’s no way to eliminate the Sun, not even with our powers combined. We must look for a way to tame it…” the keeper of the village said.

“There is no way to handle it. Our only option is to eliminate said power.” One of the representatives mentioned his opinion nervously.

“But we can’t do that either.” The dame answered, sounding alarmed.

“Of course we can.” One of the representatives said and another followed, sure of what the other wanted to say.

“We must eliminate the host.”

Tier panted, preoccupation presenting itself because of those very last words he heard. Eliminate the host... He knew full well what it meant. They wanted to eliminate Ikaros, the host of the Sun. He was the only one that possessed such power, of course. Aside from the fact that, after the incident, everyone seemed to be scared of him, so much so that they would not speak to him at all.  But… to go so far as to want to assassinate him… Tier could feel his heart constrict by the mere thought. His eyes watered for seconds, but son enough he found the strength to leave. He had to speak with Ikaros, he had to plan a solution with him.

Reaching the bedroom where Ikaros was, contemplating the outside of the village, Tier opened the door and quickly closed it behind him. He approached in silence towards where his brother was and this one quickly shifted his attention to him, his eyes glancing over with curiosity. It was unusual to see his brother act so actively, maybe even nervous. But he smiled and formulated words with his lights, just as Tier started speaking.

““I must speak to you about something dire.”” Both of them expressed in unison, one with lights, the other with his voice. The only audible laugh was Tier’s as he noticed what they had both done, Ikaros laughing as well albeit inaudibly. Yet, after spending those seconds of peace, they returned to the seriousness they had both mentioned and Tier allowed for Ikaros to start.

“I’ve been listening to strange stuff these days… The military is preparing for what seems to be a war that they themselves will start… with other being. The problem is that… they never mention any hopes of negotiation, they just want to eliminate them without any other options. The caretakers of the village have been discussing about this a lot… and the army is mobilizing already, training the troops for the war they wish to start. It doesn’t seem just to me… and I am sure it doesn’t seem just to you either. I was thinking that maybe we could find a way to solve it in peace.” And with that, Ikaros’ light waves stepped away and into his inside. He was allowing for the other to process the information he had handed him. He knew he didn’t have any proof but trusted that the other would understand the severity of the situation, it was too real to ignore.

Of course, this information had left Tier in shock, only making him feel worse about the things he had heard before. It made it seem much more real than he had thought it was. What could he say about this? Not even he could know… He only hoped to find a solution in the end of that tenebrous night where they found themselves. As he thought about his, Ikaros raised his hand a Little, gesturing to him to mention whatever it was he wanted to say.

Tier took a deep breath. The more he thought about it, the more he shook, the more it made him feel horrible. He even felt nauseous, closet o even fainting due to all of the pressure in his head, both situations taking a hold of his train of thoughts, but he managed to hold it all back. He walked closer to his brother, crouching to place a hand on the other’s legs situated on the edge of the bed.

“I heard something horrible just now. I… cannot believe it yet.” He raised his gaze, trying to establish visual contact, noticing how the other’s eyes seemed to shine with the light of the sun they contained. Was it worry or anticipation? Did he know what the other wanted to say? Eyes welling up, a bad feeling presents itself again, telling him that something way worse was about to present itself. His voice faltered as he continued. “The keepers of the village… they… want to kill you. Rather, they want to get rid of your power, but… But they can only do that by killing you. Or that’s what they said.”

Ikaros waited for the other to conclude his words to then show a smile, glancing to the side with a slightly saddened expression, but not at all impressed. He seemed to have scoffed, but he wasn’t happy with the conclusion of Tier’s words.

His lights started to wrap around Tier. Anyone else would’ve assumed he was about to attack his brother, but his intentions were clear, at least for his brother. He could feel great warmth surround him; the very same warmth that helped keep his tears at bay as he observed his brother’s smile. Tier’s heart was breaking apart and he shook his head violently.

“Tell me it’s not true. Tell me that you… That you never heard something like that. Tell me that they love you just as much as I do.” He begged to his brother, sadness overwhelming him at the revelation.

Ikaros wanted to listen, to do as he said… He wanted to tell him that nothing had happened, that such words didn’t exist, that he didn’t sleep with doubt and uncertainty every night. However, he could not keep it from him anymore. It was a reality that even Tier had been able to discover now. It didn’t make sense to keep it hidden for a little more. Much more with the attack that happened recently. His lights let go of his brother and instead started to formulate an answer.

“Yes… Forgive me. I did not want… you to discover something like this, never. The sun showed it to me, even if I did not wish to, I could hear all of its doubts on me. Though, I never heard their desire to assassinate me… More like they wanted to keep me under control, lock me up somewhere or search for a way to take me out of here. You are the only one that has kept me safe in this village… and the only one I trust.” The sun wielder confessed to his brother, who tried to deny what he heard. If his words were true, then Ikaros had known since the start, and he had never told him. Aside from anger, he felt deep sadness. How could he not notice such a situation? As serious as it was, to even reach such a point… Tier felt disappointed in himself, because in between those smiles he had been gifted with, he never noticed the fragility of the ones they gave to his brother.

“Something like this… I cannot let it come to pass. You’ve allowed for so many other injustices to happen to you… I will not allow for them to completely destroy you. They don’t understand it… They do not understand the power you possess, your vast strength and will. I will not allow it.”

“It is not their fault. After spending so many years studying it, … I think I know what is happening to them.”

Tier read the message and raised his teary gaze, seeming concerned with what the other was to say, his bad feeling beating intensely… What was to come was big, the biggest of things he could witness, he was sure. “Tell me, please.” He pleaded with a low, gentle voice.

“They are infected.”