Hear the voices of Samuel/HTVO: Arc 1: Samuel

Chapter 54: The Blade Of God

'When the blade is adjusted into a sideways stance and the wielder is clutching the handle tightly. An invisble force of energy surrounds the holder and blade, shrouding them in a shell. But the shell can explode, but only once the blade is swung. When it's swung, a crescent beam will be released and head straight towards the target, without harming anything the wielder didn't want to. This technique is called Shitsunen. There are five versions to this technique and only a few master them.

It is said, "That once the bladesman has mastered the Shitsunen technique...

They've become the wielder of God.'

In the darkness, only the sound of swords clashing against each other was heard. Soon, the sound of skin being slashed open was heard along with the sound of grunts. Sparks in the background flared around like fireflies. They were getting closer as the sounds of hooves clopping the floor were heard. Soon when the sparks stopped, the steps ceased.

'Brother...can you wield such power?' Grief asked.

"Ahh!" Dream yelled as he flew through five walls before crashing into a bookshelf inside of a study room. The books fell on his body as he struggled to get up from the ground. Looking up through the holes, he spotted his brother walking towards him with his blade holstered. Grief had a calm expression on his face as his body was covered in cuts and bruises.

"Look at you, already about to die. I thought you were strong enough to defeat me." He said, shaking his head disappointingly.

Dream grits his teeth before pushing himself off the ground. "Shut up." He said stanidng on his legswhile pointing his blade straight at Grief while holding the handle. "Just shut up!" He yelled launching straight towards him. Grief stopped and narrowed his eyes at his incoming brother. He moved to the right blocking the strike with the base of his of his scabbard.

"Why?" He asked before repelling him back into the wall. Dream coughed out blood as his body got stuck in the newly formed hole. "Aren't you the one who needs to be silenced?" He asked thrusting his blade into his brother's right shoulder. Dream yells painfully before grabbing the scabbard attempting to pull it out but failing in the process. Grief threw his brother into the wooden table, splitting it to pieces before appearing by his side, smacking him hard in the stomach with the scabbard. Dream flew straight through the door and back into another dark hallway.

He struggled to get up before looking at Grief who was approaching him. Grief didn't waste a single second before unsheathing his blade from the scabbard and swinging it. Dream had no time to react and was slashed upward at his right eye. Dream fell back clutching his bleeding wound, rolling on the ground, crying painfully. "Now you're blind in one eye and forced to see the truth in the other."

Dream yells, grabbing the handle of his blade with his right hoof and swinging it in a 180 degree angle. But Grief only ducked the swing and knocked his brother back by the hilt of his blade. Dream spat out blood, looking at the ceiling with widened eyes as he flew backwards and down to the ground. Grief sighed, getting back up and walking towards his down brother calmly. "Dream...remember the time when you watched me slaughter our own family?" He asked watching his brother crawl towards his blade while blood continued to pour out his right eye. "Your face was priceless." He muttered grinning. "It'll be something I'll never forget." He said.

Dream grabbed the handle of his blade but soon let go, yelling in pain from Grief's blade that pinned him from the back to the ground. Dream cried out in agony as Grief twisted the handle. Leaning down to his brother's ear, his brother chuckled lightly before pressing the right hoof of his down his back. "I'm going to see that painful expression you had so many years ago...come back." He pulled out his blade and smashed his hoof on his wound causing him to yell out again. Dream pressed his head against the wood trying to reach out to his blade's handle, but no matter how far the blade was, he was still unable to grab it. "Let's take this..." Grief stabbed his shoulder and lifted him high up in the air while standing on his legs. "To the sky."

Dream gasps looking at Grief who slings through the ceilings. He gritted his teeth as wood smashed against his back repeatedly. Soon he was out of the building they were on and saw the rooftop of the skyscraper. He looked left and right, shocked that they were still in the city. His eyes narrowed as tears swelled up. "W-we're still here." He muttered. But he was soon cut off when the wind that was blowing around him shifted oddly left. He turned around and gasped seeing his brother coming straight down towards him with his blade pointing down. The blade struck his chest as blood splattered his and Grief's face as they both remained silent in the air.

grief slowly closes his eyes and says, "Shame." He reopened them staring at Dream's right hoof jabbed through his stomach with blood pouring out from the sides. His sword was stabbed just inches from his chest due to him pushing it to the side with his bleeding left hoof. "You used the spear strike technique. Father taught you that...didn't he?"He asked.

"Yes." he said narrowing his eyes before pulling back his goof and thrusting it forward towards his right eye. The hoof pierced through the socket causing blood to gush out and the swordspony to let go of the handle of his blade. He dropped back falling off of Dream as they plummeted to the ground.

"Fool." Grief muttered before looking at Dream. He flips back and dashes forward grabbing the handle of his blade and slings Dream into another building. Dream coughed out blood when his back came in contact with a wall. He fell to the ground, lying on the debris. Grief floated on the floor as his eye began regenerating on its own. "I can't die again." He said calmly. Dream looked up at him, gritting his teeth and struggling to get up but he cried out in pain once his brother appeared in front of him and thrust he blade into his left shoulder pinning him to the wall. "But you can."

Dream cried put once again when his brother twisted the handle. "I will not die." He said through his agonizing screams. "I will die until you're dead!" He grabbed the handle causing Grief's eyes to widen when his blade was pushed deeper into Dream's shoulder before getting head-butted hard. His shoulder was grabbed and held tightly by his brother's free hoof. He reared his back and began bashing his skull against his repeatedly. Grief stood there as his eyes trembled. Blood began seeping down his forehead as Dream yelled angrily from his skull bashing.

"B-brother." Grief coughed out his name in shocked tone. With a few more head-butts, the final blow caused both of the brother's skulls to crack. Grief fell back, still on the ground while Dream pulled out his sword and fell to the ground. He held his forehead feeling the blood coming down slowly.

"I will not die." He muttered looking up at Grief who started to regenerate as he gotten up. "I will live." He said getting into an offensive stance.

Grief was finally up from the ground, picking up his blade before glaring at his brother with a menacing grin. They both prepared themselves to attack and once they were ready, the two dashed forward. Dream ducked a swing and thrusted his right hoof again. His hoof pierced his brother's throat causing him to choke on his blood while his eyes widen. Grief stepped back and flipped his blade forward before catching the handle, pointing the blade back. He thrust it and pierced Dream's back. Dream's eyes widen from the pain as the two pressed up against each other. Dream yelled, grabbing his brother's back and jumping with him, out of the window and towards the street.

"GRIEF!" He yelled until they both crashed hard into the cement. The impact was so strong, they went through the street and into the sewers. Dream and Grief lay still next to each other. The sword had pierced them both, stuck to the ground. Both of their manes lied everywhere as their eyes were closed. Grief's throat didn't regenerate when Dream's hoof was off of it and on his stomach. The buildings in the sky started to dematerialize into ashes, snowing down on the streets, buildings, as well as them. Everything was quiet.

Dream's blade had been cracked and by its side was the Cello in pieces. The building above them began trembling before its ceilings caved in. The building they used to be on collapsed, causing a cloud of dust and smoke to flow across the street. But even through it had just been destroyed, no sound was heard. Everything remained quiet.

'The Spear attack and the Kami Puncture attack are two of the powerful techniques our family are capable of mastering, with or without a weapon. We are trained as swordsponies, but without our blades, we are trained as hoof to hoof combat warriors. We will get bloody; there are no exceptions to that. But these attacks are less likely to have your hooves get dirty. A master of these moves will come out clean. But...

We are no masters...we're demons who abuse these moves.'

'You're wrong.' Dream's eyes slowly opened as he found himself a colt again in a green field. Looking up at a hill, Grief was sitting down, staring at him calmly with an apple tree behind him, a snake was dangling from the branches. It was next to his ear flicking its tongue, whispering something he could not hear.

'How am I wrong?' Grief closed his eyes and gets up, adjusting blade on his back.

'We're not demons who abuse what father taught us.' Dream smiled softly before walking up the hill towards his brother.

'Then what are we?' The snake moved up the branch grinning through its scaled mouth. Grief took off his scabbard and grabbed the handle of his blade.

'We are...' Dream made it up to him and reached out to him.

'Brothers.'

*SLICE*

Grief sliced the snake in half, along with the tree. The tree fell back as the pieces of the snake fell around the grass. He looked back at Dream and smiled softly.

'Why aren't you angry?' Grief held out his hoof to his little brother. Dream took it and smiled brightly.

'Because I now understand you. I now see why you did it. I forgive you.' He was lifted up to his brother's back and smiled happily.

'Dream...' Grief smiled back at him and started walking down the hill.

'Thank you.'

Their eyes opened as they found themselves back at their original ages, wielding their blades. Each stood on opposite sides facing each other on the field. The sky was brightly blue and the grass was green. This time, the sun didn't shine as brightly. They stood silent, healed, and ready to charge for the final round. Both in unison, they both yelled, "Shitsunen!" They both dashed forward and swung. The grass beneath their hooves was cut apart and blown away to the sky. Dream smiled softly as Grief did to.

"We're brothers." Dream said as a red line formed on his good eye. Blood squirted out as Dream fell to the ground stiff. Grief closed his eyes and looked up as blood slowly seeped out his neck. He too, fell to the ground, and once they were down, the ends of their blades dripped one drop of blood. Everything became quiet, that was until the sound of the Cello being played was heard.

Dream as a colt and Grief who was alive and young continued walking down the hill. The two brothers smiled and laughed. They were at peace. Soon, they walked by a broken cello and a broken sword. They were finally able to be one. As they always were, brothers.

'We are no demons, we are no warriors, we are no animals, or servants to a god of atrocities, or any god at all. we are...brothers.' Soon, they faded away from a shining bright flashing light.

Dream woke up from the hospital bed, panting heavily before he looked around and panicked until a soft touched lay on his forehead.

"Calm down, you're in the hospital." Skoll said.

"Hospital? Where are you and why is it dark?" Dream asked looking around. Skoll stopped him and held his chin up looking into his eyes before gasping. What Skoll saw was the faded color of Dream's eyes. They were dull. He was blind.

-To Be Continue-