Embers of the Holy War

The Long Family and I

With the manor being so large, there was bound to be a place where Guang could hide where no one could find him. That place was the old, dingy attic of the manor. Guang had stumbled upon his haven as a kid when he was trying to get away from the servants. Back then, he often came to this room to cry and bawl - to tame that unsettling feeling of frustration within him. However, those were bygone days. Nowadays, he holed up here doing whatever he wanted until his lecturers left. As long as he was within the attic, he was untouchable.

After changing into a shirt and shorts, he looked out the circular window that overlooked the front garden. From here, he could see just slightly beyond the manor gates. The scenery was inherently tempting, like it was showing him a little of the world outside to lure him out of the manor. He swore, if it weren't for so many things like Bo constantly breathing down his neck and the many servants that stopped him at every twist and turn, he would have been out right now. His parents seriously meant it when they didn't want him out of the manor. The most infuriating thing was that they never explained why.

A black, sleek car turning into the manor caught Guang's attention. Wait, was that-? With bated breath, he watched as a servant opened the door of the vehicle and someone stepped out. Black bob hair, glasses, a white collared shirt with strapped harness and grey trousers - that's his brother, Jin!

In the speed of light, Guang sprinted down the manor. Once out of the manor, he screamed at the top of his lungs, "JIN!"

Startled, Jin looked around. However, not a moment later, he was run over by a chugging train of muscles. With an 'oomph', he was harshly tackled onto the ground and trapped in a bone-crushing hug.

Through ugly sobs, Guang wailed, "I've missed you so much, Jin! It's been so long! Why didn't you tell your bro you were coming back today?"

Of course it was his brother. No one else can throw him off balance so easily except for his muscle hunk of a brother. Actually, it's getting a little tight now. How much does his brother plan to torture him? The human body can only withstand so much! At this rate, he was going to become human mush! Also, why was Guang so sticky? 

Feebly, he tapped on Guang's shoulder. Thankfully, Guang seemed to have understood and released Jin from his suffering.

"I'm just- here to run an errand," Jin wheezed, still trying to get his breathing under control. Guang had actually squeezed out every last breath from his lungs - hero, how does he do that?

Guang gave a long 'ohhh'. Then, regaining his energy just as quickly, he eagerly asked, "Hey, do you have some time?"

"Uh, no-"

"Great!"

Without warning, Guang had grabbed Jin's wrist and was pulling him away from the car much to Jin's yelping. Jin flailed around, trying to escape from Guang grip, but Guang might as well have put iron shackles on him.

"Guang, let go of me! I have things to do!"

When his plea fell upon deaf ears, he turned towards the servants who were still around the car.

"Maria, Joseph! Help me!"

However, the servants only bowed, wishing him luck. These people! Therefore, Jin could do nothing but resign himself to his fate.

When Jin was still being helplessly pulled along, he grumbled, "Where are we going, Guang?"

"The courtyard at the back," Guang chirped. "Bo has tried to search for me there, so I think he won't be back for a while."

Sourly, Jin asked, "Skipping classes again?"

Guang visibly shivered. Instantaneously, he let go of Jin's wrist and looked away. "Y-yeah..."