II. Brother's Blood

"We have a problem." a soldier said.

"Whose gonna lead us?" he added.

After the attack of the Trausians many lives of the Phillian people were lost. Livestocks were killed shortening their food supplies, houses were burned to the ground leaving only ashes in the earth and ending the lives of inoscent children and elderly who doesn't have the chance to fight.

"The absence of a leader doesn't mean we are weak. We are the one who wields our victories against the Traus and we will fight with it to see our fallen brothers blood repaid by their own." Sean said.

He got their attentions and they listened to him as he lifted up the lost spirit of the people of Phillean. The sun comes nearly in absence as the darkness covered the hall where they are gathering. Yet the eyes of the men is burning brighter than the sun, chewing the darkness into hopes and determination to live and continue fighting. Many of their brave soldiers and superiors died in the stand off.

"Our superiors had been slain and we should retreat or else we'll be dead if they come again." the soldier said.

"Why now?" Sean questioned the soldier.

"After our brothers give their lives for our land, our territories? Why would we surrender to those murderer? This is our land and we will die here." He added.

The attentions of all the survivors was focused on him as he continue on speaking.

"Seek the strength inside you! Don't falter against your fears. Fight it! Never be defeated by it. Remember the war is not only won by force but also by will." Sean said, inspired.

"Who's gonna lead then? You?" Gholt asked.

Gholt was recently wounded after the attack. He slowly came in front of him, Sean, and murmured in all of the people of his disagreement on the matter.

"Is this the man who you want to lead us? What about me? It is a shame in my family's generations who served this nation as a leaders in the past that their position was passed to this man, and by the right of my family's name it is rightful that also I can lead this nation." He murmured.

"This people doesn't need your damn legacy! They don't need and I don't need your rotten schemes for your selfish greed." Sean said. And all the people agreed and the hall was overwhelmed by the shouting of the crowds. Gholt left the place with a businesses unfinished in unweighted scale.

The night deepened the heart of a mourning man of the passing of his beloved brother. His eyes is dried of tears but the wound still stings on his heart. He promised that he would end the insults made by the Trausians and to avenged him of his death. And by his bare hands he would make the traus cry with their head leaving their body and their blood flows like river so that they will bath in it, bath in their own blood with their a*s looking at their face.

"A heartfelt condolences for the passing of your brother." A man named Veros came to him that night while he was looking at the dark sky, observing the stars of how they shine upon the heavens.

"Condolences well received." He answered.

"I realized, why can't we be like the stars? Shining for eternity allowing us to see what's hidden in this dark world." He added.

"I don't have ideas about the stars or the power it has, only the Gods will help us victorious." Veros said, laughing.

"So then? What's on your thoughts now?" He questioned.

"For accepting the responsibility? I still don't have my answers yet." Sean answered.

"Is Gholt still troubles you? Forget about him, that man earns his worth." Veros said.

"It is not about him, something is lacking with me, I can't tell what is it, its such that I am not ready for this." He answers.

"I hope you'll get your answer soon." said Veros.

The sun sets its place and a new day is coming, a new beginning, a new decision to make for a better days coming. The day that Sean will respond to the peoples request for him to lead them against the city of trauso.

The hall is ready and the people are on its way on its door when a thundering noise of a coming noise of the people sided with Gholt's claims of the position is approaching like a wild horse. They want to distract the day and delay the proclamation of Sean of his decision on that matter. They came to end pass the life of Sean to stop his  unacceptable faith, in Gholt's point of view.

"I am the true heir of the position!" he shouted.

And the people murmurs of the claims that Gholt had said. In their mind they totally disagree with him so they disregard him and forget the fact that he is the son of the former Datu of the land of Phillean, Datu Sarosa. Datu Sarosa is well known of his hunger of power and regarded as a selfish ruler of the land. During the time of peace, before the crises began, the farmers at those times was totally abused by the fact that any harvest in the land where they were plowed, he will have a share greater than that of the farmers who pour sweat in the plowing and harvesting of that crops. Now the time comes that his actions is well receive by his son and was judge in his image. Their generation as a Datu starts to crumble as a new breed of talents and belief are now on its way on the top of the rank.

"Your father." Sean said.

"He didn't lead at all! see what's happening now. So much blood spilled from our own brother in our own land. Your father? He only enjoys and use all of us." he added. The people agreed with Sean.

Gholt and his men find themselves in the middle of unsuitability that surrounds them with their eyes looking, glare at his insolent minds. He has no other choice but to leave the hall, gaining no other than shame.

"Were not finished!" He utter in the face of Sean, as he is about to leave.

"Someday you will surrender in my name." He added, leaving peacefully.

The crowd roars like thunder in the stormy sky and an applause as Sean enter the door is similar to a symphonious music of the Gods.

"Let me tell you one thing before I vow for the responsibility." Sean said.

As the first word travels from the mouth of the appointed Datu, Sean, to the very ears of the people, the place suddenly became quiet.

"As your Datu, I am responsible for your lives and the prosperity of our land. This title is beyond my expectations, and I humbly stand in the front not as Datu but as a person like you." He humbly said.

"I want you to know that as a Datu it is not only my intent to defend you and this land against the Traus. I intend to fight them and conquer their land and that no more phillean live be lost. We should bring back the fight they started in that way we have a better chance of winning." He added.

He ended his speech, accepting his fate and his responsibility to the people. Sean is about to leave the place when the crowd shouts his name, hailing him, and Sean gladly leave the hall with a smile in his face.

Sean came at his house and see a man inside. That man looks so familiar to him that his heart beats faster as he gets nearer. The man looked letting him see clearly the face of the man and to his surprise the man is in the image of his brother. He run towards the door but he noticed the face of his brother looks like it try to warned him of what might happen. As he set foot on the door, a man from behind attacked him and he fell hardly in the floor. He raise his head to see his brother but his brother is nowhere to be found. He then realized that his brother tried to warn him that a man is about to kill him in his own house. He heard a sword unsheathed from it scrape and the man shouted, attacking Sean. Sean barely dodged the attack and he hold the hand of the man not letting him to strike again. He then hit the feet of the man and it fell in the dust outside his house. Sean quickly rises to get his knife that's on the table as the man is trying to stand in his two feet. The moment he have the knife, he run outside and attacked the man and the man luckily avoided the attacks. The man pointed the sword to Sean and he attacks but again Sean avoided death by dodging the attacks and as the man misses from a wide swing which makes him open for assault, Sean quickly push forward and sliced the chest of the man, blood then follows. Sean followed the assault by hitting the face of the man three times and a hard kick at his wounds which makes the man fell to the ground once again. Sean then get the sword that the man dropped and pointed in the man's face.

"Who planned this?!" He said.

The man looked at him only to beg not to kill him . Sean again asked the man but the man prefer silence than revelation so Sean ended his suffering by beheading him and dies quietly.

Sean again see the image of his brother sitting above the grave. He gladly see his brother's face once again wearing with a smiles looking at him. His eyes slowly teared as he saw his brother's image disappeared which lightened up a heart of a passing brother.

After the incident, Sean ordered for the capture of the master mind of the attack. Although he had a specific person in his mind, he just let the authorities to investigate first. Meanwhile, as the land of Phillean is so busy reforming its community from the current crisis. A group of men came to their land without permission, they were refugees of other land that was recently attacked by the Trausian soldiers. Sean came to them, helped them, feed them and give a portion of the land as their temporary shelter and for them to grow crops.

"Is it right to help them?" Veros asked Sean.

Veros, a man in charge of the interest of the community was a trusted man of the Datu. Sean rely his lack of governing into this man, a honorable man.

"Our enemy is their enemy." He replied.

"Alright then." Veros said.

Veros and Sean came to the refugees to have a momentary conversation, trying to discover their race and know their real situation.

"I'm sorry for the trouble we brought here in your land." A man named Sichuan approached them and he show an act of gratitude towards the two.

"Who are you? Where you came from?" Sean questioned the man.

"We are the people of Haussey, our land was recently conquered by the Trausian warriors." He replied.

As their conversation progressed, they learn that the land of Haussey is under control by the Traus, the fate of that town is similar on what had happened to theirs but the only difference is they successfully resist the invasion of the Traus. Haussian people are people who are mostly artisans which means, military is not their priority not until they were attack that they realized that military is important in every nations survival. In the wake of the invasion, many Haussian people became slaves of the Traus while those who resist is killed and burn their bodies into the fiery flames. Some who escaped is either killed during the trip or die of hunger in the forest. Those who lived is now in the land of Phillean with a hope of new beginning under their new friend.