The Firstlings

His siblings moved forward in unison, working flawlessly as a team. Their spears pierced swiftly and with murderous intent, as they stalked Aaron like predators. It made his heart beat rapidly, and he couldn’t wipe the smile from his face.

They were good.

Aaron darted forward and fell low as a spear tore through the air above him. He kicked up, knocking the spear high as the other spear shot forward, aiming for his side.

But he was waiting.

He kicked the same leg down, sweeping the spear low, then twisted ever so slightly as the third spear shot by, barely missing his back. They were trained well and would cover each other's shortcomings. If one missed, the other was there to take his place.

Aaron punched out, catching the first spearmen on the temple and knocking him back with a groan. He fell back as the other two recovered quickly, falling into formation. They worked effortlessly as a team, spearheads stabbing forward in quick succession as he dodged and weaved, taking glancing blows with a growl.

They were practice weapons and dull, but they hurt like hell!

Aaron paced himself and began matching their cadence of blows with his own. He swung his practice blade, knocking spearheads back with ease as he fell into a rhythm. His quick strikes appeared like a whirlwind as he waited, knowing that one of them would eventually falter, so he had to play along.

He continued moving, deflecting each blow as the spears shot forward in perfect harmony. When one stab came, any opening would be closed by the other spear, managing to keep him at bay. He focused only on one spearman and began to see weariness in his stance, so he spun, facing the other.

They shifted stances quickly, falling into form as Aaron continued deflecting blows. He could see his brother beginning to tire and make mistakes. It was the placement of his hips, the twist of a leg, or the placement of the weapon.

It was ever so slightly off.

Aaron roared in triumph when his brother's swing went wide, and he moved in swiftly. They tried to shift to fill in the gap, but Aaron was on him before he could even blink. Lashing out, he struck him on the shoulder as his brother fell back, dropping his weapon.

Aaron dropped low, narrowly escaping the spear aimed at his head as he kicked out. His foot connected with the chest of his other sibling, knocking the wind out of her as she flew back. He rose slowly, breathing heavily, as they all fell back, recovering.

‘These bastards were good!’ Aaron chuckled, shaking the tension from his body. He had been sparring with various siblings over the past few days, marveling at their abilities. They had trained relentlessly, and their skills had improved tremendously.

Clapping rang through the clearing as Aaron turned.

Damien smiled wide as he walked over, still clapping. “Good fight, brother. I started to wonder for a moment.”

Aaron snorted, waving away his remark. “Please, I was only warming up!” He lied, not about to give him an edge.

Damian roared with laughter, then perked up with a hungry look in his eyes. “Care to have another spar?”

Aaron glared as Damien pulled two scimitars and started dancing on the balls of his feet. He usually ignored the battle-crazed nut, but there was almost a challenge in his words.

“Now that I'm warmed up, it’s a perfect time,” Aaron boasted, unwilling to back down. He tossed the training weapon and pulled his blade, wielding a dagger in his offhand as he took his stance.

“First blood?” Damien asked, going through practice swings with deadly grace.

“Sure,” Aaron replied, deadpan. On the inside, he was fuming, knowing his brother just wanted to see blood. ‘This guy is nuts’

They began stalking each other as Aaron noticed more of his siblings gathering around. It appeared no one wanted to miss the spectacle, and he knew that if he lost, he could never recover.

Damien swept forward, swinging in a mad frenzy, as Aaron backed up, using his dagger and sword to deflect. The clash of their weapons mixed with Damien's crazed laughter as their blades became a blur. Aaron cursed even more when he heard the sound of his siblings picking sides, clearly enjoying this way too much.

Aaron blocked and danced back as Damien continued the chase. His brother had a huge flaw but was extremely deadly in close combat, so he played it safe and tried to bait him. What better way to take on a berserker than to serve them dinner? Or at least make them believe you were.

Aaron lurched forward, sending his swing wide, smiling in satisfaction at the hungry gleam in his brother's green eyes. Damien dashed forward, swinging wildly, attempting to seal the win as Aaron burst into action.

Moving faster than his brother could manage, he spun, kicking out and knocking the scimitar high. Aaron deflected the other with his sword, making his arm rattle from the impact and almost buckling his hand.

'This guy's a monster!'

Aaron stabbed out with his dagger, aiming for his brother’s shoulder. Damien turned deftly, causing Aaron's stab to miss, but he couldn't stop the foot from striking him in the side, sending him flying back with a growl. Aaron watched as Damien moved back in with the same hungry look in his eyes. They paced one another yet again before stopping abruptly...

They both froze, their bodies tingling from fluctuations in the air.

Looking up at the Mother Tree, they gasped as the world went dark.

They watched in awe as small orbs of light appeared, floating and dancing around the great tree. They twinkled and flickered as if they were stars in the night sky, causing their hearts to beat wildly. It was eerily similar to the cosmos from the Mother Tree's vision.

‘Cornelius’

His brother was upgrading his core. Aaron could feel it rippling through the Bond and with his Sight, could see the raging storm of mana pouring toward the top of the great tree, feeding his brother’s core.

As they stood gaping at the twinkling lights in awe, Aaron felt another ripple as the sound of a bell rang through the clearing. A large symbol shimmered into existence, floating in the sky and dancing with the orbs of light. The sound of bells continued to chime as yet more symbols appeared, joining one another in a symphony. They almost appeared as Runes but were slightly different.

‘Ciel?’ Aaron mumbled, speechless, at what they were witnessing. The constellation of twinkling lights with the symbols singing their tune revolving around the Mother Tree took their breath away. Their upgrades were synchronizing, and he could feel it stirring them all to action.

The joyous sound from the symbols caused their souls to flutter, and Aaron saw his siblings raising their arms as if to embrace the moment. He could feel the Bond strengthening as if all their cores responded, wishing to join their siblings.

Aaron pushed to help strengthen the Bond, gasping as his sibling's cores flared. Peering around, he saw all his siblings, arms raised, their cores glowing brightly. There was a serene look on their faces as they joined in harmony with one another, sending ripples through the settlement.

Aaron raised his arms, joining his siblings as he looked inward. The Bond appeared as a glowing web connecting their cores, now shining fiercely with blinding radiance. He clenched his chest from the excitement and sheer joy of what was happening.

They had entered a state of oneness with each other, and he could feel their cores upgrading one after the other. ‘I should have waited!’ Aaron groaned, wishing he could be part of it. He pushed power into the Bond, hoping to contribute in some way, smiling as his heart pounded.

Aaron felt the world shimmer as the power hit a crescendo, and everything slowly began fading. He heard gasps and moans around him and felt the Bond returning to normal. Looking at the great tree trapped in his own thoughts, he suddenly felt a small prick on his hand.

He looked to the side to see his smiling brother...

“Never let your eyes off the enemy!” Damien scolded, smiling victoriously as he ran from the clearing, laughing crazily.

Aaron looked down wide-eyed at the small drop of blood from the cut on his hand.

‘That bastard!’