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D’vid bowled Claudias over and carried him into a thick bush.

Luce stood rooted to the spot in terror. There was a yell as Claudias flung D’vid and shoved him.

Claudias threw D’vid on the ground and grabbed a branch from the floor of the forest. Luce swung into action as D’vid lay sprawled on the ground.

Luce snatched another branch and flung it in Claudias’s direction. Claudias growled as it broke over his back, but he remained standing. He swung an outstretched arm and sent Luce flying into a bush.

“Luce!” D’vid cried from his position.

As Claudias approached, D’vid took his legs out and clipped Claudias, tumbling him onto the ground. Like lightning, D’vid targeted his brother’s throat.

Claudias laughed and merely brushed him away.

D’vid flew for a second time.

“How the fuck did you grow so strong?” D’vid demanded, circling his sibling and looking for an opening.

“Yours wasn’t the only experiment I was meddling in. There was also one for great strength. It builds and hardens your muscles, so eventually, I could be as strong as you. Naturally, I injected myself just before Kaltos sank. I guessed I would need it to kill you, baby brother.”

“Why, Claudias? Why? What harm did I ever do you?”

D’vid threw a punch that glanced off his brother’s chin. In return, Claudias swung back, breaking D’vid’s nose.

“Why? Because you weren’t their child. I was. You were adopted, and they doted on you. Mother couldn’t have any more children after me, but Mother wanted another son, and so they adopted you. D’vid, you were their angel, and I was pushed to the side.

“But only until you showed your true tendencies, and I was back in their good books. You were a complete waste of space, and I hated you. Now, my goal is to kill you. For years I searched for you,” Claudias spat.

D’vid dropped his arms, stunned, as Claudias drew a knife and targeted D’vid’s chest. Blood gushed everywhere as Claudias hit the heart-dead centre.

Claudias let go of the knife as D’vid collapsed to his knees.

“Not their son?” D’vid asked his brother.

Claudias knelt and put his face in front of D’vid’s.

“No, you never were. Your adoption was due to your birth family’s inability to manage their large number of children. You weren’t even wanted by your real parents,” Claudias screamed the words at D’vid.

In a split second, a knife was plunged into Claudias’s back by Luce, who had crept up on him. Claudias collapsed on top of D’vid, who was murmuring, “my heart doesn’t beat any more, brother; this is not a fatal wound. I’ll live.”

Claudias shrieked his rage to the stars and pulled the knife from his back, and stabbed it into D’vid again and again. He laughed like a mad man as Luce fled into the forest in search of help.

???

Here is where I resume control of the story.

We were all in the Community Hall when Luce flew in, covered in blood.

“D’vid! His brother!” Luce panted, trying to get some sense out.

“What is it?” Ricardus demanded.

“D’vid’s brother attacked and tried to kill him. Hurry and bring blood. D’vid said he couldn’t be killed.”

Marel rushed forward, holding several bags of blood as we raced into the night to try and find D’vid. Luce led the way as he panted out the story of what had happened. When we reached the spot, D’vid was gone.

Claudias lay on his back staring sightlessly up at the stars, and there was great pool of blood where D’vid had laid.

“Maybe D’vid’s tried to get help. Spread out!” I ordered desperately.