The battlefield was a chaotic whirl of energy, the sound of clashing forces filling the air. But amid the chaos, there was a moment of stillness—a pause before the storm.
Raizen and Kael stood side by side, their eyes locked onto Kurojin Tsukiro, who stood at the center of the conflict, his dark power crackling in the air. Just as they were about to launch their attack, Kurojin raised a hand, stopping them.
"Wait," he called out, his voice cold and mocking. "Where is that little traitor?"
Kael frowned, his eyes narrowing. "What do you mean, traitor?"
Kurojin's gaze flicked toward the horizon, his lips curling into a twisted smile. "Kaito. Your brother."
Kael froze. "Kaito? What do you mean by traitor?"
Raizen stepped forward, his tone serious. "Explain yourself, Kurojin."
Kurojin laughed darkly. "Kaito, the boy who couldn't even stay loyal to his family. He decided to leave, to abandon his own bloodline. I always knew he had a weakness. But what you don't know is that I had my eyes on him for a long time. He was too strong to be left alone, so I brought him into my fold."
There was a long silence before Kael spoke again, his voice sharp with confusion. "Why did he leave? Why did he join you?"
Raizen's eyes narrowed. "Tell us, Kurojin. What exactly happened?"
Before Kurojin could answer, a figure appeared in the distance, stepping from the shadows. It was Kaito—or rather, Azrael, his identity long hidden.
Kael's heart skipped a beat as his eyes locked onto the familiar face. Azrael… his brother. The one he had thought lost, the one who had been consumed by the corrupted Will. The one he had fought against so many times.
"Azrael…" Kael whispered, a tinge of disbelief in his voice. "Why are you here?"
Kaito—Azrael—smiled, though it was a bitter expression. "I'm not a traitor, Kael. I'm just staying loyal to my little brother."
Raizen's eyes widened. "What are you saying?"
Azrael stepped forward, the weight of his words heavy in the air. "The truth is, Kurojin found out about us. He discovered we were Raizen's grandchildren. And he threatened to kill the whole family."
Kael clenched his fists. "So that's why you—"
Azrael nodded. "I didn't want to see everyone destroyed. So I made a choice. I told Kurojin, 'Why kill the whole family when you can have one of them join your forces?'"
Kael's heart sank as the pieces began to fall into place. "You betrayed us…"
Azrael's gaze darkened, his expression shifting as he continued. "At first, Kurojin wasn't sure about it. But then he took me in. Gave me strength. Made me something I wasn't. And I became loyal to him. At first, I thought it was the only way to protect you and our family."
Kael's voice was low, a mixture of pain and disbelief. "So you joined Kurojin… to protect us?"
Kurojin's dark laugh echoed through the air. "Yes, Kael. I was planning to kill your entire family. But your brother… he saved you. He protected you by joining my forces, by becoming one of my strongest. A traitor, yes—but a traitor with power."
Kael's jaw clenched. "And you think I should thank him for that?"
Azrael's eyes softened. "I don't expect you to understand. But I couldn't sit back and watch Kurojin destroy everything. I thought… if I joined him, maybe I could control his power. Keep him in check."
Kael turned his gaze to Raizen, who was silent for a moment. "Raizen," Kael said, his voice shaking with anger, "is this true? Did you know?"
Raizen nodded slowly. "I suspected something, but I didn't have the full truth. What Kaito did was out of loyalty to his family. He made a decision that he thought would keep you all safe."
Kael looked back at Azrael, his face hardening. "And now you want to join us? After everything you've done?"
Azrael's face twisted into something far colder than it had ever been before. "I realized something, Kael. You and I… we can beat Kurojin together. With the help of our grandfather Raizen. We can bring an end to his madness, to his reign of terror."
Kael's heart pounded in his chest. "And you expect me to believe that? After everything you've done?"
Kurojin's voice boomed as he stepped forward. "You should thank him, Kael. He's the reason you still have a family. He saved your life, just as he protected you from your fate. He's the reason you're standing here."
Kael's mind was a whirlwind. He had fought against Azrael, thought him lost forever, only to now learn the twisted truth of his past. Betrayal. Power. Protection.
But could he trust Azrael now? Could he really believe that his brother, the one he had fought with and against, was on their side?
Raizen's voice cut through the tension. "Kael, the choice is yours. Kaito made a choice long ago. He chose his family. Now you must decide."
Kael stood silently for a moment, the weight of everything pressing down on him. Azrael was no longer the villain he had once believed him to be. But trust… trust was something that would take time.
"I'll deal with this later," Kael said finally, his voice firm. "For now, Kurojin dies. You can decide after that."
Azrael didn't respond immediately, but Kael could see the flicker of regret in his eyes. It wasn't enough to change the decision. Kurojin had to fall, and that's all that mattered right now.
The battlefield stood still for a moment before the chaos resumed.