Thicker than Water

It was a rainy day at the funeral. Purviss the Pantherian looked at the reed cocoon encasing the lifeless body of his older brother Arvin's girlfriend, Elise. Elise had been murdered by Wolf people from the neighboring nation of Luperia. The nation of Luperia, home of the Wolf people and Panthera, the nation of Cat people had not always seen eye to eye, because their original kings, Leo I and Sirius I weren't exactly the best of friends, but a treaty signed by their heirs, King Leo II and King Sirius II had allowed for a truce between the two countries.

Purviss and Irvin's father Amuron was a Court Wizard.

Amuron touched his eldest son's shoulder.

"Son. I wish I knew what to say. I'm sorry."

"Thank you, father. It's okay." Irvin said.

A few days later, after a hard day of studying, Purviss bought a Raspberry cup cake with which to treat himself at the Bakery when he saw Arvin riding towards the city limits on the back of a horse. He thought that it was out of the ordinary for the evening, then he remembered that Arvin liked to travel, still he thought that he should let his father know of this, just in case.

Purviss had immediately returned to his cottage and told his father that he saw his brother leave the city on horseback. There was a pause from his father, followed by " Don't worry. I'll look into this!"

From his study, Amuron put his hands over his Crystal Ball. Purviss peeked in through the only just barely still open door. The Crystal Ball showed Arvin on horseback riding into Luperian territory. He stopped the horse at a field in front of a small Luperian village, his behind a tall, large rock, and then cast a spell to summon large fireballs to fall on top of the village before him, enveloping the entire place in all-consuming flames. No one could have survived such an onslaught of Destruction Magic. Arvin laughed maniacally on his horse. He then took off, still laughing and relishing in the death and destruction.

The imagery faded from the Crystal Ball.

Amuron closed his eyes. "I'm sorry you had to see that, son."

Purviss opened the door all the way and asked "You knew I was watching?"

Purviss's father nodded. "I must inform the king of this immediately."

Amuron told the current King, King Leo III, about the atrocity committed by his own son. King Leo III arranged a peace talk with King Sirius III of the Luperian kingdom. After days of discussion and debate, the two kingdoms reached an agreement to avoid warring with each other: Arvin would be executed. Amuron and Purviss tracked Arvin down in a village in a forest, when his father confronted him, Arvin rushed his father with his sword, and Amuron drew his. They struck and blocked each other's swords, until Amuron knocked his son off his feet. Arvin threw some poison ivy powder at his father's eyes, temporarily blinding him, then got up and thrust a hidden dagger into his father's chest. The fallen son ran away.

Purviss knelt down in front of his father.

"Father!? Will you be alright!?!?" He gasped.

Amuron had coughed up a puddle of blood.

"Purviss, I feel terrible to ask you to do this but...you must bring your brother to justice...otherwise there will be a war. Keep...the peace..."

Purviss closed his eyes, he was in a real dilemma now. Arvin was Purviss's big brother, his family, the only family that Purviss had left now. But, countless other families would be torn apart if war broke out...Arvin's life versus thousands of lives? Amuron's dying words replayed in Purviss's mind and Purviss then realized that he had to do this for his father, so he ran in the direction that Arvin ran in.

Arvin lead the younger wizard sibling on a chase up to the top of Spire Mountain, a tall, sharp, foreboding mountain. At the mountain's peak, Arvin and Purvis simultaneously cast lightning bolt spells at each other, the lightning bolts were equally powerful, so the bolts dissipated upon contact with one another. Purvis and Arvin then cast the spell to form spectral swords out of pure magical energy, and dueled with their magic swords.

"How could you wipe out an entire village? How could you kill all those innocent civilians!?!? How could you kill our father?!? I thought you were better than that! What were you thinking?!?" Purviss said, hot tears streaming down his face.

"They have to pay for what they did to Elise! They ALL have to PAY! Pay with their LIVES!!" Arvin growled.

"When I didn't understand a spell my father was trying to teach me, you helped to explain it in a way that I could understand. When father wanted us to clean the home, you would cover for me so I could play with my friends! You were my hero!!" Purviss yelled.

"That me is dead. Now there's only the Arvin who won't rest until he's killed every last Luperian filth, and if you refuse to see that, you must die!!!!" Arvin yelled.

"Is this what ELISE would want of you!?!?!?" Purviss yelled.

Arvin froze. Arvin pushed his younger brother down off his feet, Purviss covered his eyes, expecting to die, but instead, Arvin thrust his magic sword into his own chest.

"Purviss. Tell the King...that in the end...I was ashamed..." Arvin said.

His eyes glazed over and he went limp.

Purviss cut his dead brothers head off, then dropped to his knees and screamed toward the heavens. Purviss brought his elder brother's severed head to the royal committee established by King Leo III of Panthera and King Sirius III of Luperia and relayed his brother's dying message, war had been avoided, and peace had been re-established in the two countries.

Feeling contrition, Purviss decided to dedicate himself to healing magic, and wandered the kingdom of Panthera, curing the sick and fixing up the injured free of charge when his Magic was needed, making a personal vow never to use magic to kill.