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“Kai! Kai come back” faintly in the distance Nya was trying to get his attention, but it didn’t matter. He knew what had to be done and he wouldn’t stand for anything less.
Nothing could calm the fire that was boiling inside him at this very moment. Not his sister’s pleas and yells from behind him, no. Nothing was going to stop what had to be done.
His body slammed into the door with as much force as he could muster, the anger flowing through his veins. There he was. The man he had once called father, standing right there, like the traitorous snake he was.
Kai had hardly known his parents, but he knew their neglect and abandonment had caused him to lose his childhood. They had left him and Nya at such a young age he didn’t even got the chance to know them. Starring at his face now, He looked just like Kai had remembered him.
Time was clear on his face through his well worn look, but he did not look unwell. His eyes still bore into kai’s soul the same way his own do everytime he looks in the mirror.
Anger bubbled in his gut, worse than before. This man was going to pay.
“Who are you? What do you want?” His father’s voice carried through the room, booming loudly, now that stung. It sounded like a faint memory of his past he could never fully bury.
With that same roughness he remembered, the same gentle undertone that he hadn’t lost, even after the man he had become.
“I want justice!” Kai roared as he lunged forward at the man. Leaping up with his sword as he swung it straight for his chest. His father was clearly still as skilled a fighter as ever, with him jumping back and dodging the attack.
That wouldn’t stop Kai, he had never felt a rage this deep before, he could feel it fester and grow. This traitor needed to pay.
He swung the sword again, irrationally, but he didn’t care. His father had managed to grab a measly hammer from the forage, using it efficiently to hold off his blade.
They were in a stalemate, his father was a built man, and despite Kai being a ninja he couldn’t seem to move his weapon any closer to the man’s neck.
“You’re red like a vermilion warrior, but you’re no snake.” His voice strained as he held off Kai’s advances.
He sounded confused, like he was an innocent man in the wrong place at the wrong time. As if he didn’t betray his allies and abandon his children.
Kai was furious, growling as he pulled back harshly, catching his father off guard. “No, but you are!” He slammed his foot into the man and strikes his sword once more.
Relentless, hit after hit that was repeatedly blocked by the man. “Traitor!” He grew rash, moving quickly around the room, not bothering for strategy, just wanting to make the man hurt.
Kai was knocked across the room, grounded for only a moment. “You’ve messed with the wrong black smith my friend” he spun the mallet around in his hold, pointing it towards Kai who was across the room.
Rising from the ground, the words felt muffled to his ears. “I’m not your friend!” A ball of fire formed in his fist as he raised his arm. “Fire power..?” The hesitation was all Kai needed. Hurling the deadly balls of fire at him apparently didn’t stop his ability to dodge.
“No. You’re certainly not a guard” he was staring at Kai with a look of recognition, now he was finally putting together who Kai was, but he didn’t care, nothing would take this away from him. “Your … my son. Kai you’ve inherited my elemental power” he rammed into his father, holding the front of his shirt in a tight grasp as he charged up another fire ball.
“That’s the only thing I’ll ever inherit from you!” The last thing his father will ever see is the hatred burning deep in his son’s eyes.
This man thinks just because they’re related by blood he gets a pass for all of the horrible things he’s done. Kai and Nya grew up orphans in a world too cruel to stay innocent. Kai had to sacrifice his entire childhood to care for Nya, to keep them both alive.
His father is a traitor and a cheat and what burns Kai the most is the look of fear he holds upon his face. Not because he’s ashamed to deal the final blow or that he feels an ounce of remorse, but because when he looks into the eyes of this treacherous snake of a man, all he can see is himself staring back.
Just then Nya rushes through the door. “Kai don’t!” She’s holding her hands in front of her with such fear in her eyes. As if her hands could stop the fire before Kai could complete his mission.
He lowered his hand a little, his other fist still tight as ever gripping the front of the man’s shirt. He had heated his fist so it slowly singed the front of the man’s collar, his fist clenched harder.
“He’s a traitor!” Thea anger was evident in his voice, and he was certain his sister was terrified. If it weren’t for her presence he would’ve scorched the man by now.
“Traitor..?” The man’s breath was ragged and uneven as he spoke, clearly sounding confused, but Kai didn’t care.
“He’s still our father!” She’s pleading with him now, begging for this snake of a man’s life. A man she could hardly remember, who abandoned her, and she was still begging Kai not to do it. That’s what always made them different. Kai wouldn’t stand did what he did to him, to them both.
“Son” he sounded desperate “whatever it is you think, I promise I can explain” he’s now holding Kay’s fist that’s embedded in his shirt. His father stoped fighting against him, now just standing limply in Kay’s hold. Perfect.
“Yeah… I bet you can!” No hesitation he whipped his fire straight forward. Instead of screams of pain he felt cold to the bone water wash over him. He couldn’t understand.
He didn’t even look away from the man as he all but screamed. “Nya enough! Let me do this for us!” But before he could conger up another line hug of fire, a bone chilling voice washed over him.
Dread settled in his stomach as he heard it. “I’m not your sister Kai.” No… it’s impossible.
His grub loosened and his enemy hit the floor with a kind this and a grown.
“… mom..?” He had now fulling turned around, guard completely gone, and just pure fear crashed over him.
For some reason, it hadn’t happened once occurred to him that his mom could still be alive. That she was involved at all with the treacherous snake. But here she was, looking just like Nya, standing in the den of snakes as the realization slowly dawned on him. “You… “ his chest felt heavy, heart beating so rapidly he could hear it in his ears.
nya walked up behind him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You’re just as guilty as he is.” He spat.
Not yelling this time, his voice sounded hollow, dead inside and out. Since he wasn’t attacking anyone at the moment, his mom took quick action in telling the story of their disappearance.
“We never wanted to leave you two” she said it earnestly, like it changed anything. Waking up to them, she placed a hand on each of her children’s shoulders.
Sure, his parents weren’t traitors, that much was clear. Although some reason, Kai couldn’t shake the anger and sorrow that filled his heart.
Nya’s looked hesitant, but Kai could tell she was beyond happy to see their parents again. His father long since risen from the floor, stood tall next to his mother, in front of him and Nya.
He didn’t know what to feel, the love for his parents he had in his youth seemed to have dissolved into hatred, and although they had reasonable excuses, he just can’t help but hate them.
Hate them for how they just disappeared, no mater their choice, their kids had to grow up alone. With no one but eachother.
They didn’t have time to dwell on emotions, so he set them aside, he had real snakes to fight.