"Brother?"

Amber eyes snapped open. After blinking a few times to clear his vision, he turned towards the source of the voice and was immediately met with a pair of innocent blue eyes.

"Brother?" The owner of the blue eyes called out again, unsure. The elder boy groaned as his peaceful nap was disturbed but couldn't help softening his gaze upon the young child in front of him.

"Yes? What's it, Aladdin?" He tried to sound as impatient as he could. The younger boy whose name was Aladdin fidgeted nervously for a while, casting nervous glances at the elder. He couldn't help but raising an eyebrow, curious of what the young child wanted.

Finally, the young boy mustered up his courage and blurted out, "Can I play with the water by the pond, please?" He pleaded. The elder boy blinked and sighed before answering, "No, you can't."

"Ow, please, please, just for a little while," The four-years-old boy frowned and begged with his best puppy dog eyes.

"No," the elder boy stated. He ignored the younger's pleading and turned his head away from the adorable act his little brother was trying to pull.

"But-," Aladdin began but his protest was interrupted.

"No buts. You know mom and dad won't be happy if you return home wet," the elder boy folded his arms childishly despite being the elder.

"Don't worry! I'll make sure I don't get wet and if big brother Judal doesn't tell them, then they will never know!" the child exclaimed happily. A big grin settled on his face as if it was the best idea in the world. The other boy now known as Judal sighed again and poked Aladdin's forehead softly but hard enough to earn a yelp from the boy.

"Ouch, what's that for?" the boy held his sore forehead and nursed it.

"No means no, Aladdin and that's final," Judal concluded. Aladdin pouted and with a huff he turned his head away from Judal as he sat down beside him. Judal casted a lazy glance at the pouting child and sighed the umpteenth time that day.

"Aladdin," Judal called. A few seconds passed but neither response nor movement was received from the other. And that confirmed it. Aladdin was angry with him and Judal never liked it when Aladdin was angry with him. It would always end up with an unresponsive Aladdin and Judal hated to be ignored.

"Aladdin," he tried to get a response out of the silent boy which included poking, tickling and coaxing but still nothing, as expected anyway.

"Fine, I give in. You can play with the water," Judal declared, defeated by his younger brother. Almost instantly, Aladdin's ear perked up and the next moment, he was pulling his elder brother into a tight hug.

"I love you! Big brother Judal!" Aladdin's eyes beamed with ecstasy. Judal was a bit shocked at the sudden change but he could not fight off the soft smile spreading across his face as he ruffled Aladdin's blue hair affectionately. "Just make sure that you don't get too wet."

Nodding, Aladdin departed as fast as his small legs could take him to the pond and dipped his legs into the water. He giggled and sighed in content at the coldness of the liquid against his skin while his golden flute shone in brilliance under the sunlight.

Judal followed the zealous child, all the while thinking if he had spoilt his younger brother that much. He watched Aladdin's waist length braid danced with the wind and noticed the golden item.

"Aladdin, you should put away the flute first!" Judal advised as he shortened their distance.

"No, it's fine!" Aladdin answered, scooping up water with his small palms.

"Are you sure?" Judal asked. He sat down by the pond with his legs crossed.

"Yes, it's a gift from brother and I want it to be by my side forever! Besides, I've promised to take good care of it," Aladdin insisted, touching his flute tenderly.

Judal said nothing and shut his eyes to enjoy the warm breeze. It was useless to try and go back to sleep after all. Boring might be the right word to describe what he was feeling right now. Then all of the sudden, the light bulb flashed as he got the exact right idea on how to spend his time. He grinned mischievously. Keeping an eye on Aladdin, he slipped to Aladdin's side almost soundlessly.

"Aladdin," he purred at the younger's ear. Aladdin jumped, dropping the water he collected in his palms. Aladdin turned to protest but was met with splashes of water directly at his face. He coughed and wiped his face with his sleeves, mumbling incoherent protests and threats.

Judal laughed when Aladdin glared him with a gaze that said 'just you wait, I'll get my revenge.' He barely had time to dodge the water attack thrown at him and when he did manage to dodge it, he was forced to face a few more splashes of water which he dodged gracefully. Getting bored with dodging, Judal launched a few attacks on Aladdin as well and most of them hit their marks as his were faster.

After a while, Aladdin was fuming because he was as wet as a drown rat whereas Judal was still dry, sitting by the pond with a proud smirk on his face. None of his attack hit Judal even when it came really close, the elder teen always managed to twist his body and avoid getting damp. Aladdin soon gave up on getting his revenge.

Judal smiled and lied down, closing his eyes, relaxed at the sound of the rustling leaves. It was indeed a peaceful afternoon. Maybe not so peaceful…

The wind picked up its speed. The atmosphere grew tenser. The dark clouds gathered and most importantly, the Rukh was getting restless. Judal sat up immediately before dizziness flooded his mind. He ignored it and tried to stand.

"Aladdin!" He bellowed, hoping to hear a reply from the younger but when he received none, he panicked. He stumbled and leaned against a nearby tree as support, waiting for the dizziness to go away.

Feeling better, he hurried to scan the area. His heart was beating so fast that it felt as if it would soon jump out of his chest.

"Aladdin!" He called again, searching frantically for the familiar blue until he spotted it in the corner of his eyes.

Aladdin was there in the middle of the pond. His blue bang was covering his eyes. Judal ran to his side rather clumsily as the water was getting in his way.

"Aladdin!" He shouted. Aladdin stayed rooted in the pond. His eyes were wide and devoid of life as if in shock. By the time Judal reached Aladdin, he shook Aladdin's shoulders, hoping that he would snap out of whatever trance he was in.

Fortunately, after a few rounds of shaking, Aladdin jerked. He looked up to meet his brother's red eyes with his fearful eyes. His eyes slowly turned back to normal though he was obviously scared. Seeing that Aladdin was back to the world of living again, Judal let out a sigh of relief and kneeled down to gather Aladdin in an embrace, whispering soft, soothing words to the still boy. The boy's once tensed frame melted in the warm embrace.

"Brother, the white birds are panicking. Something bad had happened to the town. They tell me that the darkness is coming," Aladdin said. Trembling slightly and clutched his brother's clothes tightly with his tiny fingers. He was frightened when he saw it; the flock of dark Rukh that was crowding the town that they were residing.

Judal was appalled but did not cease his efforts of calming the quivering child in his arms. The Rukh was flying around and he could see the dark aura emitting from the town. He picked up Aladdin and rushed towards the town. Worries were streaming in his veins. Aladdin made no noise, burying his head into his brother's clothes.

"What?" Judal was at a loss of word when he saw the town. It was horrible. Hundreds of bodies were lying here and there as well as the stench of blood that was in the air. Fire was having a wild party, licking down the houses and buildings. Judal grimaced at the sight. When he felt the bundle in his arms shifted, he kept his hand on the younger's head to prevent him from taking in the sight before him.

'What's happening? Who? Why?' His thought was in a jumble. Thousands of questions came crashing down upon him and he could feel an oncoming headache. He was baffled. His mind failed to process anything useful under such circumstances.

"Brother! Look out!" He was pulled back to reality by a voice he knew too well and he turned quickly. His long, dark blue hair followed. His eyes widened at the figure towering him. A man, tall and strong-built with madness glittering in his eyes was holding a bloody sword. He edged closer and closer to the pair.

Judal held his brother in his arms protectively. The sword was held high and brought down swiftly. He shut his eyes and prepared for the pain. However, the pain never came. In its place, a 'thud' sound was heard after a grunt from the man.

Aladdin gasped and Judal's eyes flew open. The man who was standing tall a few seconds ago was now lying in the pool of his blood. The situation left Judal confused further more before he steadied himself with his guard up at whoever lurking in the darkness.

"Greeting, young ones loved by the Rukh." A deep voice sounded and a shadow appeared. The darkness subsided a bit to reveal a man with a cloth covering his head. He was surrounded by black Rukh.

"Who the hell are you?" Judal inquired rudely, eyeing the stranger with caution.

"Now, now that's not a polite way to talk to an elder, Judal. Besides-," with that, he disappeared from their sight before reappeared again right in front of Judal. "We don't want little Aladdin to pick up such vulgar language, do we?" he continued while patting Aladdin's head. The four-years-old flinched away from the touch and held onto Judal's clothes.

Judal backed away from the suspicious man, still holding Aladdin close. He gritted his teeth and glared at the figure. His amber eyes clearly showed defiance. The man was not affected by the hostile glare he received. Instead, he looked rather amused.

"Who're you and how do you know our names?" Judal demanded. His amber eyes flared dangerously while Aladdin's blue ones were filled with confusion and hesitation. The man chuckled and as if on cue, several more figures emerged from the darkness, all with their faces safely covered.

"We? We're Al Sarmen and we're here to assist you."