Brothers

 

Once upon a time, there were two brothers.

 

They were fortunate.

 

When they were born, the moment they came into this world, they received the most sincere wishes and the most heartfelt joy from the entire country's millions of citizens.

 

“The old King now has sons. The new heirs to the Mist Country were born.”

 

Within that plain of ice and snow, even though the days were filled with danger, everybody believed that the future would improve under the leadership of the wise old emperor.

 

The old emperor was passed middle-age. Due to injuries sustained in his youth, his body was in rapid decline. As such, the matter of succession plagued the entire country. Now suddenly, with two princes, perhaps, this northern paradise would stabilize.

 

From that day on, the birth date of the twin princes became the Twin Festival celebrated by the entire country.

 

“May the Gods protect them. May they grow up quickly and sustain this country. May the Mist royal family give birth to generations of kings...”

 

Perhaps, those prayers without a sender address were effective, or perhaps a pair of eyes from the heavens were really watching them. The twins who had received the expectations of the country grew up quickly, and revealed their extraordinary nature.

 

“The heavens blessed the Mist family. Our princes are not merely talented. They are geniuses!”

 

From a young age, the older prince displayed his strangely mature mindset. Those strange 'inventions' brought much amusement to Diffindor, this land of ice and snow. His attainments in the fields of governance and literature studies further spread his reputation of precociousness across the country.

 

Each time he was heard reading official announcements towards the crowd with that childish voice of his, some would say:

 

“The Elder Prince, he will become a wise king.”

 

As for the younger prince, he was a true genius in swords and magic. He could use new sword techniques right after learning them once, and understood magic at a single glance. His speed of advancement was extraordinary.

 

Every time he was seen easily leaving his peers in the dust, then easily achieving victory over his mentors, some would say:

 

“The Younger Prince, he will become a valiant general.”

 

As the reputation of the two princes spread, the people would look forward to the future.

 

Yet, the elder prince alone knew that they were not the same.

 

“It is Karwenz who is a genius. I am merely a reincarnator with knowledge at birth. The so-called precociousness is just accumulated knowledge. If I don't do my best, I will be left behind.”

 

Roland knew better than anyone that he was just an ordinary mortal.

 

Especially, when he was constantly compared to this real genius right before his eyes.

 

“The so-called genius is just someone with a higher starting point, combined with slightly better studying methods, slightly higher efficiency and enough interest. With high-efficiency studying techniques and sufficient time, leaving one's peers behind is a natural outcome. Yet to the eyes of ordinary people, that perhaps is a genius.”

 

And yet, this brother who was younger than him by mere minutes easily shattered his preconceived notion of genius.

 

It wasn't some high-efficiency understanding or learning method, but an instinct that allowed him to learn with his body with just a glance.

 

It wasn't the accumulation of time and sweat. He could throw out sword aura with just a few casual swings, that sort of half-hearted training. In less than three days he had become a Sword Saint. In war games, his naturally sharp battle instincts would allow him to achieve victory over veterans that had experienced a hundred battles.

 

Martial arts, military matters, magic. He could understand it all at a glance. He could learn musical composition by hearing someone humming. He could deduce a language's vocabulary from looking at pictographs. Even at politics, which he was supposedly not good at, he would achieve excellent results through his beastly instinct and popularity.

 

“That's so simple. Why are you taking it so seriously? You're so stupid, bro. You can't even get this. Hurry up and finish your homework so we can go out to play.”

 

However, those innocent and childish words would reveal the true and brutal gap…

 

Perhaps, some people were really meant to stand on top of the world at birth.

 

Perhaps, to such people, the decades of efforts spend by others, were merely results that they could achieve by playing around.

 

Perhaps, in the presence of true genius, ordinary mortals should know their place and obediently give up…

 

“Pooh, this elder is your older brother. How can I not be as good as you?”

 

However, Roland, this person, never knew the definition of giving up.

 

Yes, I couldn't become a Sword Saint in three days. But I could after three years. It's still scary enough.

 

Yes, I couldn't learn everything in one go. However, I had the accumulated knowledge from two worlds, and the mindset of an adult. As long as I was willing to work hard, what would I be unable to learn?

 

The precocious older brother did not give up. On the contrary, faced with constant setbacks, he became stronger and… more shameless.

 

Alright, I couldn't display a sunny and naive smile like yours, but I could at least imitate a similar smile to express my goodwill.

 

Alright, I couldn't learn everything in one go like you and be good at everything, but I could at least invest my limited energy into the few aspects that I was best at and that were the most important, and use the most efficient way to enhance myself. Looking at the result, it wasn't bad either.

 

I failed? One more time.

 

I lost? One more time.

 

I'm tired? Sleep… then one more time.

 

The older brother who was an ordinary mortal, faced with his genius younger brother, refused to admit defeat and tried to maintain the dignity of an older brother. While his soul was covered in scars, imperceptibly, he had reached the pinnacle of ordinary mortals, becoming the so-called man-made genius.

 

“Tch, it's fine as long as the results are the same. Is there any real difference between attaining the goal easily and after experiencing hardship?”

 

The Roland back then didn't know. There was a difference. A very, very large difference…

 

The two brothers were fortunate. They were loved by too many people.

 

The two brothers were unfortunate. Too many shadows were observing them from behind.

 

In the end, the two brothers lost everything.

 

But at this moment, for the first time, their different personalities and life led to divergence. Faced with their own misfortune, they had fundamentally different understandings, and these differences directly led to their later divergence in life.

 

“This all happened because I wasn't strong enough. If I had started working harder sooner, no, if I were ten times stronger than now, those bastards wouldn't be able to hurt us.”

 

The genius younger brother was submerged in guilt. He bitterly regretted how he wasted his talent and time, and regretted his insufficient strength.

 

After achieving revenge by borrowing the power of the Abyss, he entered the Abyss, because only the Abyss that represented evolution and chaos could satisfy his longing for power.

 

“Weakness… is a sin.”

 

Such were the last words he spoke before stepping into the Abyss, abandoning his past in his pursuit of power. His last obsession.

 

Yet the older brother who was an ordinary mortal had also been submerged by guilt. However, his guilt manifested somewhat differently.

 

“… I shouldn't have trusted the Church. Even though I knew the true nature of the God of Light, I still believed in those bishops. I was a fool.”

 

“… I should have seen though the dark ambitions of the surrounding countries sooner. No, I should have formed iron-clad alliances no matter what the cost, then played at balance politics.”

 

“… back then, the food supply was also a problem. The food shortage in the north was too severe. I should have found a few more stable food merchants...”

 

“… the new gunpowder wasn't equipped, weapon and equipment advancement should have occurred earlier...”

 

Faced with the same misfortune, the genius younger brother could only think of one reason, yet the older brother who was an ordinary mortal came up with hundreds of shortcomings. Then, just as before, he noted each mistake and unease into his diary, to remind himself to be wary of repeating the same mistakes. Then, he would make up for his defects, bit by bit.

 

After that, the two would only obtain vague news of one another, yet they would no longer meet.

 

From rumors alone, they understood, that the two brothers no longer walked the same path.

 

To meet again would only bring sorrow. As such, it was better not to meet. This was the vague consensus both had reached.

 

In the Abyss, the younger brother would exterminate all those he'd meet. By combining his amazing talent and his cheat-level luck, he embarked on a road of growth, breaking countless historical records. Within three hundred years, he reached the pinnacle, easily qualifying as the golden child of the plane, and the king among the powerful.

 

He obtained the power he longed for. He obtained everything he wanted.

 

As for the older brother…

 

He failed once. One more time.

 

He failed twice. One more time.

 

He failed three times, paused to lick his wounds, then... one more time.

 

Once the diary books that recorded experience and shortcomings reached hundreds, thousands, until they filled a whole library…

 

The older brother, who was previously an ordinary mortal, had already become a real monster.

 

It was a monster who would make the whole world tremble in fear from the name alone.

 

He wasn't a single person. He was a team. A whole team under a single banner.

 

He wasn't a simple slogan. He had his own concepts and methods. He was using law and contracts to reshape the entire world, and using the new Holy Light to purify this world.

 

Power was merely the part of him that was least worthy of being feared. His wisdom and cunning were regarded as the most terrifying evil.

 

He no longer blindly worked alone. He sought to understand and to be understood. Finally, he and his companions stood together.

 

And his younger brother would stand alone at the pinnacle of the world, watching him.

 

“Oh, we meet again.”

 

Yes, they met again. Unknowingly, the two brothers stood once again on the same horizon, and this time, it seemed they could no longer bypass one another.

 

Once both brothers had reached the pinnacle of the world, looking back, they realized that from their world view to their past trajectory, they were both somewhat different, even, completely opposite…

 

“A single person's power is limited. This world deserves to be saved, but I shouldn't have to save it alone. I want the world to become a better place, and for that, I only need to plant seeds and to find companions...”

 

The older brother had learned to understand others, had learned to borrow their power, had learned to use concepts and rules to change the world.

 

“Lack of strength is the source of misfortune. Weakness is a sin. This weak world is so boring, so boring. This is why misfortune exists...”

 

The younger brother had the same way of thinking as back then. However, this strongest power in the world is also sufficient to loom over the entire world.

 

What was unfortunate was… no, it should be “inevitable.” Their personalities and past had determined that they would have divergent understandings.

 

“Roland, don't you think this world is too boring?”

 

“This entire closed off world is a boring battlefield. You kill me today, I kill you tomorrow, but there isn't a fundamental change. It's like two insects fighting, unaware of the adults laughing at them as they watch from the side.”

 

“I just want to open this barrier, I want to leap out of this boring box. To let this stagnated world start evolving again. I am resolving these boring Sacred Wars from the root.”

 

“To close the door out of fear of challenge? To fear real evolution, and yet to pursue power to fight these so-called Sacred Wars? Don't you find this quite stupid?”

 

Roland smiled, yet the smile was rather forced and tragic.

 

He could already tell what would happen next, but some things could not be allowed.

 

“Kid, what you're saying is quite reasonable, I admit that the two Creation Goddesses were quite stupid to have done such a stupid thing. However, this older brother… can't allow it!”

 

“Evolution? Yes, I admit, no matter how bad the environment outside is, some existences and races will survive and complete their evolution. Perhaps in the end, Eich will become stronger than today. Let us see how those ordinary mortals would fare? I'm afraid that since they can barely survive the Sacred Wars, they'll simply be unable to evolve, and become the first wave to be eliminated.”

 

“Ordinary mortals deserve to be eliminated? The weak deserve to become the prey of the strong? Sorry, I refuse.”

 

“Your older brother is an ordinary mortal. Your father is an ordinary mortal. Your mother is an ordinary mortal. Your whole family consists of ordinary mortals. Karwenz, you bastard who doesn't know your limits… Today, your older brother will teach you one last lesson: don't look down on the ordinary mortals.”