The party continued late into the night. Melissa's grandfather left shortly after Kadir arrived, and the twins fell asleep exhausted a little later after playing, dancing, and singing like crazy. They had had a lot of fun.
In fact, there was no shortage of music. Melissa and Ayman, with the help of Kadir's friends, managed to find drums and flutes. None of them were great musicians, but they still managed to find the rhythm.
The party flew by in total joy, with laughter, music, dancing, and storytelling. Everything went smoothly and Kadir was really happy about the surprise; Ayman and Melissa couldn't have asked for anything better. The dessert Melissa had prepared for the occasion was also very much appreciated, which was fortunate as it hadn't been easy to find all the ingredients: in Mericivis, sugar was worth its weight in gold...
Finally, it was time to give the gift. Melissa and Ayman had thought of something very special from an emotional point of view. Kadir was laughing happily with his friends when Melissa approached him with a small box tied with a ribbon. He took it in his hands and opened it delicately. When he saw its contents, a strange expression appeared on his face: happiness, but with a slight hint of melancholy.
He took the gift in his hands. It was a pendant with two rings joined together: the two wedding rings of his deceased parents. They were probably the two most precious objects they had. The idea of joining them together to make a pendant was Ayman's, and with the help of Master Robert, they managed to make it without Kadir finding out.
"Meli, Ayman, thank you so much for all this! You have made me the happiest and luckiest man in Mericivis!" said Kadir, clearly moved.
The surprise was clearly a success and Kadir experienced one of the best days of his life. Meli, Ayman, and his friends were very happy and satisfied that everything had gone well.
When the party ended, Kadir and Melissa decided to accompany his friends home, as it was late at night and, although they didn't live far away, it wasn't safe to let them go home alone. Kadir, having reached Worthy Rank, had little to fear from the city's delinquents. The Chosen are people who have been given incredible powers, and no ordinary human could compete with them in strength, speed, endurance, and reflexes, and the higher the rank, the greater the gap. There were eight ranks: Chosen, Worthy, Superior, Elite, Champion, Legendary, and finally Mythical. Only a third of the Chosen reached Worthy Rank, and even fewer achieved it at such a young age as Kadir. Anyone who tried to bother them on their way home would have been in for a rough time.
Ayman, who wasn't really the party type, had a lot of fun anyway, but after he was left alone at home in the silence, with the twins already asleep, he became gloomy and sad thoughts began to creep into his mind. He decided to go out and get some fresh air in front of the house. The night was cool, and the sound of men was replaced by the wind and crickets. He looked up at the sky: watching the stars, noticing their movements, and recognizing the constellations distracted him from his thoughts and comforted him. The vastness and harmony of the universe made his problems seem tiny and insignificant.
However, his moment of contemplation was soon interrupted by the return of Kadir and Melissa.
"Hey man, lost in the stars again?" Kadir said cheerfully.
Ayman looked at him with a sad expression at first, but quickly tried to mask it with a forced smile.
"Yeah, the sky is beautiful tonight. There's not a cloud in sight." Even his voice betrayed a note of sadness.
Kadir immediately noticed that something was wrong; he knew his brother too well. He turned to Melissa.
"Honey, go on ahead, I'll stay here and talk to Ayman for a moment. I'll join you in a minute."
"Okay. But come back soon, it's already very late."
"Yes, don't worry."
Melissa went inside, leaving the two brothers alone. They remained silent, surrounded by the sounds of the night. Kadir, despite Melissa's recommendation, was in no hurry; he needed to be patient with his brother.
In the end, Ayman was the first to speak.
"They would have been very proud of you."
Kadir immediately understood who his brother was referring to. He had suspected it all along; after all, he felt the same way.
"Of you too, little brother. When you're chosen, you'll soon surpass me."
"They would have been happy at the party..." Ayman's gaze and voice grew even darker.
"Yes, it's true, I believe that too. But I don't think they would want to see us so sad in remembering them. For them, life was always to be lived with joy, regardless of the situation."
"Yes, I know, I remember. But... damn it!" A new emotion took hold of him. Ayman had felt it simmering since the end of the party, probably even before that. But at that moment, he could no longer control it, it was too strong: he felt himself boiling with rage.
"It's not fair that they died so young, it's not fair how they died, and it's not fair that those responsible are still unpunished!" The words were coming out on their own, Ayman seemed to have no control over what he was saying, but he knew they were the right words.
"Of course it's not fair, Ayman, but what's done is done! I understand your anger more than anyone else. This world of ours is very cruel, our parents didn't deserve to die, but we can't let pain and anger deprive us of the beauty that life still offers us!"
Kadir also suffered from the death of their parents five years ago following an attack by the continent against Mericivis. It was one of the most devastating attacks ever to hit the city, and unfortunately not the only one. The city was periodically attacked by the kingdoms of the continent; death and destruction were a constant for the Lifedians...
The death of their parents was a great trauma for them. Kadir and Ayman were only fifteen and eight years old, while Sophie and Rayan were only one year old. Kadir found the strength to move forward by taking care of his siblings and loving Melissa. Ayman, on the other hand, decided to focus completely on cultivating his talents thanks to the academy and the guidance of Master Robert, who had helped them a lot after that tragedy.
However, Ayman's choice was simply aimed at one big goal: to become strong enough never to lose anyone else.
"But we're forced to live like caged animals because of them!"
Ayman was completely overcome with rage. Kadir took him and held him in a tight embrace.
"Brother! What really matters is that we are alive and still able to love our loved ones. It doesn't matter where, but how! You are not alone, Ayman, there is me, Sophie, Rayan, and Melissa. So forget the hatred you feel for them and let go of the past, do it for yourself and for us."
Hearing those words, wrapped in that strong and warm brotherly embrace, Ayman calmed down. Kadir was right, he had to try to forget the hatred he felt inside. He didn't know how he would do it, but he had to try, for himself, but above all for his family.
"How do you always find the right words to calm me down?"
"What kind of question is that? I'm your big brother, remember? I know you like the back of my hand. It's my job to educate you, kid." Kadir replied with a laugh.
"Yeah, right, and I thought it was Melissa who educated us all."
"Her too! Let's go inside before she comes out and gives us a lecture for being late."
They both laughed, but before going back inside, Ayman stopped and looked at his brother.
"Thanks for being there, Kad."
"You too, little brother. Remember, I'll always be there for you."
The two brothers went to bed that night feeling more at peace after their conversation, but they didn't know that life would soon test them again...