The swirling colors blurred to dark as Juke's world was jolted into chaos. Hands clawed at his body, yanking him from his slumber. His mind was still groggy from sleep but the frantic swaying and foggy cries, the impending sounds of footfalls and the heavy smell of smoke had Juke's eyes shooting open with alarm.

  Through his blurry haze, the first thing he saw was his sister Amani's panic-stricken visage. Her wide eyes glistened from unshed tears. Her breath was ragged as she dug her fingers deep into his arms.

  "Juke, get up!" she screamed, panic welded in her raw voice. "We have to go. NOW!"

  His mind was sluggish as she yanked him from the comforts of his bed and to the hard floor. Amani pulled him towards the door, pulling his arm so hard he thought it'd pop out of place. Once they burst outside, the cold night air bit into his skin like jagged glass. A chill went up his spine as the icy-stone ground prickled at the soles of his feet. He only wore his nightwear with the ninja characters blaring his innocence. Yet, his innocence stopped along with his feet as his eyes widened at the carnage playing in the night.

  The mighty cries of his clan fighting desperately filled the air. Metal rang, clashing like thunders. The ground was slick with blood as bodies, -his family, his clan-, were torn apart, scattered in lifeless heaps. A warrior fell before his eyes, a cry barely passing his lips as a sharp blade cut through his throat. The clan's flag flapped violently with the wind howling wind. The screams drowned it out. Juke was sinking within the chaos as his heart pounded loudly in his ears, and wavering irises took it all in, -until. His breath hitched, locking up making it impossible to breath. A wave of panic shook his body as he caught sight of his father and mother fighting on the battlefield.

  "Father!" Juke cried loudly, his small hands hopelessly reaching out for them. Snatch. It was cut short as Amani yanked his arm, quite harshly, pulling him along with her sprint.

  "We have no time, Juke," she stated, her voice leaded with desperation, yet a face hard as steel. "I have to get you out of here,"

  Juke's face frowned, his muscles tensing as he dragged his feet against the ground. The stone bit into his skin as he pulled his arm against Amani's stronghold. "What are you saying? We have to go back and help them." He growled out, frustrated tears brimming his eyes as the weight of the event was finally dawning on him. They were being attacked.

  "We don't have time." Her voice was hard, and her grip was vice as she pulled him back. Her strength was tight, yet his sister was much stronger than she was letting on now.

  Juke's feet stumbled as his small legs tried to keep up with his older sister's stride. The slapping of his bare feet echoed with his thumping heart. "What's going on, Amani? Who attacking us?" he asked, terror reflecting from his eyes, yet she remained silent.

  The breezeways blended in a blur as they cut a corner, then another, before Amani skidded to a stop. Juke bumped into her strong back and let out a groan as pain spike along his face. He rubbed his nose as he righted himself, looking around to see what had stilled her.

  Six men. Standing so tall, -so menacingly. Clad in black, full bodysuits, their black eyes were the only revealing thing through the fabric.

  Amani widened her stance, standing tall over Juke to shield him. "Stay behind me," she told the boy.

  Making gestures with her hands, she placed her thumb and forefinger onto her forehead, then hummed. The air around her began to shimmer as she focused on gathering her kana. A warmth mingled from her grace, tingling at Juke's close frame. It brought comfort, yet danger. Lifting one foot like a flamingo, she channeled her energy with a calm face. Once masked men lunged for her, her eyes shot opened, pulsating as a wave of light flew from her body. The intense stream of bright light shot out and knocked the men away.

  His big sister was truly amazing. Juke's eyes marveled for a second before he was once again pulled into a sprint. What was really going on? Why wouldn't big sister tell him? Where were the others and who were these people? Why were they being attacked? Thoughts raced through his brain at rapid speed. A few more men shot out, and this time Juke and Amani took them on together. Throwing their hands in intricate signs, with their limbs dancing in fluid motion, they sent out fire and light combinations to knock away the men. The array of energy sent a chill burning out.

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  Amani glared down at one of the men she'd knocked down. Lifting her foot to stomp on his head, where she expected a crunch of bones turned into a squelch. The head gushed out, leaving the man dissolving into an oily texture, spreading along the ground. Her brows knitted together as she looked around at the other bodies doing the same.

  "They're all clones," she told Juke with a confused expression.

  A searing pain spread along Juke's chest as he grabbed his head. Too much was happening. Too much. " We have to get to father! We have to help them, Amani!" the boy gasped out as tears poured down his cheeks. His nails left craters through his scalp as he thrashed. "We can't keep running."

  He jerked a little as Amani suddenly knelt before him, gripping his shoulders so tight it hurt. Her stern palms, warm from perspiration, weighed heavy on his shoulders. But there was something else- they were trembling. His big, unshakable sister was shaking. Her eyes quivered. Tears left streaks along the ashes smudged against her hollowed cheeks.

  She choked out a sob, the crack in her facade crumbling giving Juke a glimpse to what was underneath. "You have to only worry about yourself from now on, Juke. You can't worry about nobody but yourself, you hear me." Her voice cracked as she tried to keep it together. The screams and warfare were devastatingly drowning, making her words impossible to comprehend.

  Juke's eyes grew in disbelief. The thrashing of his head rattled his brain. "What are you talking about? What does this mean, s-sis? I can't... I have to save them. I can help them." He pleaded as he stared conflicted at his big sister.

  "No," Amani jerked his arms hard as she made him focus completely on her. "No, baby, we have to get you out of here. You have to go."

  Juke cried as he squeezed his eyes shut. It was up to him to protect his family, written in his destiny, so he couldn't just leave. Not like this. His body sparked as his kana boiled from behind his skin, threating to unleash. "I'm not a baby. I can't just run. I have to fight."

  Amani's arms wrapped around him as she pulled him into a tight hug. Her heartbeat hummed against his ear like music. "No matter what, baby brother, you have to survive. We'll always be with you, my little Boony." Her tone sounded like a goodbye. Her grip was firm around his shoulders, refusing to loosen.

  With a shaky breath, she drew their foreheads together, bringing him in for an embrace. "You have to survive and live." Her breath hitched. "Just keep living, Boony."

  For a second, the surrounding war fading out, leaving the two bashing in the warmth of love and unity. That feeling pulled tight at Juke's chest, as he longed to remained just like this for a moment longer. Their nerves spiked as a sudden presence had them looking behind Amani. At the end of the corridor, a lone man stood, menacingly looking at them with his bodysuit blocking his face from view. The moonlight glint reflected from the blades of the swords in his clutch.

  "Stand back, Juke. When I engage, you run and don't stop running." Amani stood tall, radiating such strong energy. She reached for her sword as she tried to shield Juke, the quick slicing of metal swoosh with the air. The boy had different plans when he ran around the girl, instead.

  His big sis was so strong. He wanted to be strong too. He had to. "I got this, sis. I can save the family." Juke's voice was proud, tears pouring down his cheeks. His hands were moving before he could think, dancing in a blurred motion. His body burned, swelling up from the inside.

  "Phoenix Arts Unlock-" His voice trembled as the air buzzed around him, but his movement didn't stop.

  "NO! Juke, wait—" His sister's screams faded on deaf ears, yet he kept going.

  "Eclipse!"

  Ba-boom

  Intense heat burned hot from his core. A shockwave of ring blinding white flames exploded out from his small frame. Screams ripped through the air as the flames devoured the buildings, the sky, the bodies- Her.

  BOOM

  The force sent Juke flying back. The world spun around him. Flames became sky, sky became fire, mingling between red and blue until...

  Splash!

  Juke's body slammed through the icy waters, swallowing and consuming him under. The water cold sent sharp pains pricking at his skin. He couldn't move a muscle as he sunk lower, watching as the buildings of his home were engulfed in red, fiery flames. The water pulling him deeper made the screams and explosions seem far in a distance, as the weight of the water seemed to crush around him. Did he do this? Was he the cause for all of this? It wasn't his fault... he didn't mean to.

  Despair clouded his vision, darkening his sight as his heavy body sunk deeper. His tears blended in with the water as he choked, bubbles forming from his struggling gasps and then everything went black.