The Sky Is Falling On Me
Chapter 1; Where The Veil Came Crumbling Down

He didn’t particularly get along with many of the townsfolk, they found how quiet and awkward he was off-putting, apparently. He preferred to stay on the farm, tending to the animals and staying far away from other humans. Usually he let Bi-Han deal with people, the only ones Kuai had regular interactions with outside of his brother were Tomas, Cyrax and Sektor. Even they didn’t know the truth about him, believing Kuai was just extremely anxious as the result of his sheltered upbringing.

It’d been drilled into him at a young age that no one could ever know about his magic.

Kuai had trouble regulating himself, it was part of why he was still so isolated as an adult. One wrong move and it was all over for him. So when Bi-Han requested Kuai take some apples to Cyrax, he had immediately declined. But Bi-Han had been insistent, and now Kuai was walking into the centre of town with a backpack full of ripe apples.

He kept his head low, trying to avoid people as much as possible. Although thankfully, everyone seemed to be distracted by something other than the rare appearance of the towns recluse. He was curious, gaze following where others landed.

Sektor was walking down the street with a man Kuai didn’t recognise. Whoever he was, he was wearing a very fancy looking robe, so it was likely he was one of Sektor’s high class contacts. That didn’t explain why people were stopping to crowd around them. It wasn’t uncommon to have a visiting Lord or Lady, however it never usually caused a commotion, especially not one like this.

Still, whatever the reason, Kuai wanted to keep out of Sektor’s way. He unfortunately had no choice in most of his interactions with him, given Sektor’s family did technically own the land the town was on. Still there was something about the way Sektor looked at Kuai that made his skin crawl, like a wolf staring down a rabbit.

He turned away to make his way over to Cyrax’s little store, hoping to drop the apples off and get out of town as quickly as possible. When Cyrax spotted him, he immediately broke into a large grin, and Kuai couldn’t help but return it.

“Well, well, well, it’s rare to see you out and about,” Cyrax teased, only laughing when Kuai groaned. “I take it Bi-Han didn’t wish to grace me with his presence hm?”

“No, he was weirdly insistent on me giving you the apples,” Kuai replied, slipping the backpack off his shoulders and handing it to Cyrax.

“Probably because he owes me money.” Cyrax took the backpack off Kuai and placed it on his table, opening it up and taking a look at the goods.

“Again?” It wasn’t unusual for Bi-Han to owe various people money, but it seemed to be happening more often as of late. “Are we having money troubles? He doesn’t tell me anything about these sorts of things.”

Cyrax smiled at him, but it had such an air of sadness to it. He didn’t say anything, or explain his expression. He didn’t even answer Kuai’s question.

No one ever seemed to answer Kuai’s questions.

“Anyway, what’s going on today? Why is everyone so enchanted by that man with Sektor?” Maybe his queries on his brother’s finances wouldn’t be answered, but he might get one regarding the mysterious stranger visiting the town.

“From what I hear he’s an Archmage,” Cyrax explained and Kuai felt his heart stop at that. An Archmage? Here? What could an Archmage possibly want from this town? “Apparently Sektor’s family is trying to do a deal with him.”

Kuai felt himself relax a little at that. If he was here for a deal with Sektor it was unlikely he was here because of Kuai’s secret. His cover hadn’t been blown, and he was safe. Presumably. Kuai couldn’t let his guard down, he had to make sure to keep everything contained, now it was more important than ever.

“Speaking of,” Cyrax quietly muttered and Kuai looked over his shoulder just in time to see Sektor and the Archmage. Kuai felt himself shrink slightly. He’d wanted to avoid Sektor in the first place, but he would definitely preferred to to avoid the Archmage too.

“Cyrax, Kuai Liang,” Sektor greeted to each of them. Kuai instinctively put his hands behind his back, he often did that to hide when he lost control. “This is Archmage Hasashi, he will be in town for a couple of weeks, and I expect everyone to show him the heights of our hospitality.”

“Of course,” Cyrax replied cooly, before bowing to Archmage Hasashi. “It is a honour.”

Kuai kept his hands behind his back as he also bowed, quietly adding “welcome, Archmage Hasashi.”

When he straightened out, he realised Hasashi was staring at him. He had a single eyebrow raised, but the look in his eye was scarily intense. It felt like he was trying to look straight into Kuai’s soul. Kuai could feel his hands grow colder and he swallowed thickly. Need to keep control. Need to keep control.

“I-Is there something wrong, Archmage Hasashi?” Kuai asked, clenching his fists and trying to stop anything from accidentally erupting from them.

“Kuai Liang, was it?” Hasashi asked, his eyes sweeping Kuai up and down. Kuai swallowed, completely unable to decipher what Hasashi was thinking while looking at him. It was really putting him on edge.

“Yes, Sir,” Kuai replied, resisting the urge to look away from Hasashi’s gaze. Kuai bit his lip, it was like Hasashi was searching for an answer to a question that hadn’t been asked. Does he know? Kuai had never met an Archmage before, or even just another Mage, he wasn’t sure if they had ways of knowing those with magic in their veins.

“And you live in the town?” Hasashi’s brow knitted together as his eyes narrowed and his head tilted. Kuai could feel his hands growing colder. Need to keep control. Need to keep control.

“Yes. Uh, well the outskirts,” Kuai explained, flexing his fingers, desperate to warm his hands up. “My brother and I run the farm.”

“I see.” Hasashi seemed to stand a little straighter, and Kuai hadn’t realised he was leaning forward. “Interesting,” he muttered, so quiet Kuai was sure he hadn’t intended anyone to hear it. What does that mean? Interesting? Why does he think our farm is interesting?

“I- uh-“ One of his fingers began to ice over and he began flexing his fingers again to break it. No. No. I need to keep control. No one can know. That’s what Father always said. No one. “I’m- You-“

“Archmage Hasashi, Kuai Liang is an anxious person,” Cyrax suddenly cut in, walking around the table to where Kuai was. As he got close, he placed a hand on Kuai’s shoulder. Kuai kept moving his fingers, desperate to keep anymore ice from forming. “Your line of questioning is causing him distress.”

That comment seemed to take Hasashi aback, as his eyes widened and his mouth dropped. Beside him, Sektor looked like he was barely holding back his anger at Cyrax stepping in like that. Kuai actually could understand why. It was a statement, not an accusation, and one towards someone Sektor was hoping to do business with.

“My apologies.” Hasashi bowed to Kuai, an action that actually made Kuai pause a little. “It was not my intention to make you uncomfortable.”

No one had ever really apologised for making him uncomfortable before. Smoke and Cyrax both had an unspoken understanding for when Kuai was overwhelmed, resulting in them leaving him to his own devices until he’d calmed down. They never needed to apologise, because Kuai knew already they didn’t mean it. Hasashi however? Who hadn’t known and who Kuai didn’t know if that was his intention? That was new.

“I-I- Well- Um.” Kuai didn’t know what to say, glancing at Cyrax and hoping maybe he’d be able to translate his desperate stuttering.

“It’s okay, you weren’t to know,” Cyrax filled in, patting Kuai on the back a couple of times. Kuai felt the tension in his shoulders begin to relax. “Just, try to be a bit more gentle with him.”

“Right,” Hasashi agreed, slowly nodding his head, though still looking a little shocked. “Of course, again, my apologies.” He quickly turned to Sektor and added, “maybe it would be best we move on.”

“Maybe,” Sektor replied, as he gave both Kuai and Cyrax a scathing look. Kuai flinched despite himself. “Let us go to the next stall.”

Hasashi turned to follow Sektor, though not before giving Kuai one last lingering look. When his eyes were finally torn away, Kuai felt a shudder down his spine. There was something about him that had caught Hasashi’s attention, and Kuai really didn’t want to know what it was.

“That was weird,” Cyrax said under his breath and Kuai chuckled, relieved that the odd behaviour was apparent to someone else as well.

“It was weird, wasn’t it?” Kuai finally moved his hands from behind his back. Without Hasashi in his vicinity he felt a lot more at ease, and less likely to loose control of himself. “What do you think it was about?”

“No idea.” Cyrax shook his head, finally moving from Kuai to go back around to his stall. “Maybe it’s best you stay on the farm for a few days regardless. His behaviour was… Concerning.”

“Wish I could.” Kuai gave a half hearted smile. “If Bi-Han owes you money, it’s likely he owes others too. Meaning he’s going to send me as the buffer for the next few days.”

Cyrax grimaced and added, “good point.” His gaze went over to one of the other stalls, and when Kuai followed it he saw it was where Hasashi and Sektor now were. “Still, I’d try and stay away from him if I were you.” Kuai turned back to Cyrax, his face was tight as he continued to look on. “If I’m reading the way he was looking at you right, I think him and Sektor are going to find making a deal extremely hard.”

Kuai paused at that. He understood the implication, just wasn’t sure he agreed with it. Hasashi was definitely looking at him strangely, but it was nowhere near the same way Sektor looked at him. Sektor looked at him with hunger in his eyes, a possessive wanting, knowing that as long as Bi-Han lived, he’d never get to get what he longed for. Hasashi was looking at him more with curiosity and knowing, like he’d looked straight through Kuai and saw all his deepest and darkest secret’s he’d tried so hard to hide.

By the God’s, Kuai hoped he hadn’t.

“Anyway,” Cyrax continued, reaching to grab a small bag, “here’s the coin for the apples, tell Bi-Han he can deduct it from his debt.”

“Thank you.” Kuai smiled and accepted the bag, although internally he was struggling. This many apples would be about 200 coins, how much does Bi-Han owe if this is just a deduction? “I’ll make sure Bi-Han repays what he owes you.”

“You have my thanks for even trying.” Cyrax bowed to him. “Have a good day, Kuai Liang.”

“You too.”

And with that Kuai turned to leave, money in hand. He didn’t care to stick around longer, lest he run into Hasashi again. He weaved through the whispering crowds, although for once those hushed tones were not about him. As he approached the street he would need to go down to get back to the farm, he looked over his shoulder and surveyed the town square.

From the opposite end, he could see Hasashi staring straight at him.

He almost choked as he began to sprint away, feeling his fingertips begin to ice over. Whatever Hasashi thought he saw, there was no way in hell Kuai could let him get to the truth.

I need to keep control, no one can know, that’s what Father said.

That’s what Father said.

No one can ever know.

Sektor had been extremely adamant that this town had no Mages.

Hanzo was always interested in meeting with fellow Mages when he visited neighbouring towns. His status as an Archmage meant that many Lesser Mages saw him as guide, someone who’s wisdom would be of uttermost importance, and although it felt egotistical, Hanzo enjoyed being viewed that way. He liked the questions, the need for advice, being seen as a figure to be revered.

Thus he had been extremely disappointed when he had been informed that the small town of Lin Kuei had none.

Not as disappointed as he was when he realised he’d been lied to.

Lesser Mages were generally not as at one with the magic inside themselves and others. Two Mages could walk down the street without knowing the other was one of them. Archmages however, were specifically taught to be able to sense magic. It helped to identify Mages, and if the magic was particularly strong, find candidates to join the Archmages.

So the second he sensed magic, he knew that Sektor had lied to him.

It had been faint at first, making him believe it was a child. But as the feeling got stronger, he realised how wrong he was. The magic was fully formed, and not just that, it was strong. As it grew, he knew he had to find the source.

He did not realise just how strong the magic was until he was face to face with Kuai Liang.

The magic within Kuai Liang was easily equal to the majority of Archmages that Hanzo had spent his life around. In fact, if he were to be honest and not care for a bruised ego, he’d say Kuai was stronger than even him. But it was also wild, and completely untrained. That made Kuai extremely dangerous. Hanzo had barely even confronted Kuai, and he could feel that magic loosing control. It was ready to seep through the seams, and if Kuai didn’t have enough control, people could be hurt.

Which brought him to his most pressing question; why had he been lied to?

Given the deal the Zhou family was trying to strike with the Archmage of the Shirai Ryu, it would make sense to be completely truthful about any Mages living within the town. Unless, of course, they were not aware themselves. How Kuai would have been able to keep this secret for so long, Hanzo didn’t know. The mention of living on the outskirts might explain it if he didn’t come into the centre that often. And him having a brother? Was the brother also a Mage in hiding or was he just trying to hide Kuai?

He needed to do more investigation.

The day after their fateful meeting, Hanzo found the chance to start doing just that. The Zhou family had other things to attend to, so Hanzo could roam the town as he pleased. He tried to not ask anyone directly about Kuai, he knew that would seem suspect. Instead he asked about the town, and rumours or outliers that might potentially effect his deal with the Zhou’s.

It took some time, and a lot of listening to gossip he didn’t really care for, that someone finally gave him info he wanted.

“Well, there is Bi-Han and Kuai Liang,” a woman said, her brow furrowing as she looked around like she didn’t wish for anyone to overhear her.

“I believe I met Kuai Liang yesterday,” Hanzo replied, trying to not sound as eager for information on him as he was. “I do not know who Bi-Han is.”

“He’s Kuai Liang’s elder brother.” Ah, so Bi-Han was the brother’s name. Interesting. “They live on and run the farm on the outskirts of town and they’re…” The woman paused, mouth open as she took a deep breath. “They’re very strange.”

“I noticed Kuai Liang seemed extremely anxious.” And that was an understatement. He had looked terrified of Hanzo.

“To be honest, most of us didn’t even know Kuai Liang existed until he was an adult.” What? “It was only after the brother’s father died that we became aware of him. For some reason, his father almost completely isolated him. Bi-Han is a lot less strict, but he is still um… I guess controlling is the best way to put it. He rarely let’s Kuai leave the farm, and even when he does, it’s like there is some sort of invisible leash meaning he can’t stray for too long.”

That all seemed incredibly concerning. The only thing that sprung to Hanzo’s mind was that Kuai’s father did not know how to handle a Mage, so kept Kuai isolated to hide him away. His brother was just following suite. That felt off though, usually Mages with magic as strong as Kuai’s were born of Mage parents. If that were the case, his father would know to teach Kuai at least the basics of control. He couldn’t imagine any Mage to be so careless as to not do that, but he couldn’t rule it out just yet.

“Then there is Sektor’s, uh, affections for Kuai Liang,” the lady continued, her voice dropping like she was scared the man in question would come up behind her. “He thinks he has hidden his desires, but it’s clear to everyone that he… Well… Wants Kuai Liang.”

“As a spouse?” Hanzo wanted to make sure he was getting the information right, and the woman nodded. “If his family are so powerful, what is stopping him from taking what he desires?”

“Bi-Han.” This was stated with such certainty that it almost took Hanzo off guard. “That man would never allow anyone to take his brother like that, even if they technically own this town.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “To be honest, I think Sektor is just biding his time, hoping and waiting for Bi-Han to die so there’s no one left between Kuai and him.”

“And what exactly does Kuai Liang want in all this?” Most people wouldn’t say no to marrying someone of such money and standing, but most people didn’t make all. And in all this conversation, it seemed to focus on Sektor and Bi-Han’s wants, and nothing on what Kuai would like.

“I don’t know to be honest, his skittish nature makes him very hard to read.” Well, that was definitely true. “I think he just goes along with what Bi-Han wants. If Bi-Han died, I could see him latching onto Sektor just so he has someone to tell him how to think and feel.”

“Could you give me directions to the farm? I think I’d like to visit, if I can.” His initial confusion at Kuai hiding his powers was now replaced with concern. With someone so isolated, nothing good could be happening on that farm.

“If you follow that street, you’ll find a path through the woods.” The woman pointed towards the street in question. “Just keep going down that path and you will eventually come to the farm.” She snorted and paused, “although good luck, Bi-Han is not exactly fond of visitors.”

“That is fine, I’m sure I can find some common ground.” The woman did not look convinced, but bowed respectfully and turned to be on her way.

Hanzo, on the other hand, had a farm to find.

Kuai hummed as he picked a mushroom and put it in the basket. Mushroom picking was about the closest he got to leaving the farm as a child. The people of the town rarely came into the woods, so he wasn’t at risk of awkwardly running into people.

So when he heard a twig snap, he figured it was probably just an animal. He ignored it, deciding he’d throughly gathered all the mushrooms he could find. As he stood up to return back to the path, he jumped when he realised he saw a humanoid figure in his way.

He felt panic well in his throat when he realised it was Archmage Hasashi.

“Hello again,” Hasashi greeted, a strange lopsided smile on his face. “Sorry, I did not mean to scare you, I appear to be making a habit of that.”

“I- It’s okay?” Kuai didn’t mean that to sound like a question. His hands gripped the basket tightly. What is he doing here? Why is he so far out of the town?

“I’m glad I ran into you actually,” Hasashi continued, either oblivious to Kuai’s discomfort or disregarding it entirely. “I’ve had a day to myself, so I thought I’d familiarise myself with the surrounding area, including your family’s farm.”

Why? This was suspicious, no one except Sektor, Tomas and Cyrax ever came out to the farm. Bi-Han chased most people off. Kuai had no doubt there would be no exception for Hasashi, regardless of who he was. Still Kuai couldn’t find it in him to argue, that got stuck in his throat unable to escape.

“Oh,” was all he managed to get out. He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to guide Hasashi to the farm. Then once they got their Bi-Han would chase him off. “Um. I was just heading back.”

“May I accompany you?” The question was strange to Kuai, because it was clear Hasashi was going to do that regardless of his answer.

“Of course, Archmage Hasashi,” Kuai replied. Gingerly he approached the other man, feeling strange when he realised Hasashi’s gaze never left him. As he headed back towards the path, Hasashi turned to follow beside him. Kuai felt awkward, not sure what exactly he should do or say. Small talk was not something he did a lot, but he supposed he could try. “So… How are you finding the town?”

“Delightful,” Hasashi answered brightly, almost like he was glad that Kuai would ask such a question. “The locals have been so helpful.”

The emphasis on helpful was strange, but again, Kuai found he couldn’t call Hasashi out on it.

“Kuai Liang, how much do you know about the Archmages?” Was this small talk still? This felt very specific.

“I… Do not know much I’m afraid, Archmage Hasashi,” Kuai admitted. He really didn’t know a lot about them, except that if they knew about him, they would take him away. His Father had made sure that Kuai would never have any involvement with them. It was unfortunate he was no longer here to keep Hasashi away.

“I see,” Hasashi muttered, taking a deep breath, like what he was going to say next was the hardest thing he was ever going to say. “Then you are not aware that we are trained to be able to sense the magic of others?”

Kuai stopped walking. He stopped breathing. Everything just stopped. All he could do was stare at Hasashi. The other man was extremely calm, just looking at Kuai expectantly. But Kuai could do nothing. He almost thought he’d lost control and frozen himself, but a glance down told him he was ice free.

No one can know, that’s what Father said.

“With that in mind,” Hasashi continued, tilting his head as he folded his arms in front of his chest, “is there anything you wish to tell me?”

No, no, no, no, this can’t be happening.

“No one can know, that’s what Father said,” Kuai automatically blurted out, watching how Hasashi blinked and did a double take at that.

“Kuai Liang.” Hasashi took a step forward, reaching his hand out.

“No one can know, that’s what Father said,” Kuai repeated, beginning to back away, hiccuping as he felt his face growing hot. “No one can know.”

“Please, calm down, I don’t-“

“No one can know!” Kuai screeched, stomping his foot down and watching as several shards of ice erupted out of the ground below it. The loud gasp from Hasashi was drowned out by the blood pulsing in Kuai’s ears. “No, no, no.” He tried to take another step back, but stumbled down onto the floor. “No one can know.”

“Ice,” Hasashi whispered, staring at the shard pointed towards his face. He reached to touch it, looking at it in both wonder and shock. “Cryomancy.” He shook his head like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “You’re a Cryomancer.”

“P-Please,” Kuai sobbed. He’d messed up badly. Not only had he revealed himself, he’d revealed himself to an Archmage. Hasashi was going to whisk him away and he’d never see Bi-Han, Tomas or Cyrax again. “Please, n-no one can know…”

That’s what Father said.

“Kuai Liang, it’s okay, calm down.” Hasashi crouched down in front of Kuai, placing a hand on Kuai’s shoulder while the other cupped Kuai’s chin. Kuai resisted the urge to tear his head away. “I’m not going to tell anyone about this.” Kuai wasn’t sure he believed that, but Hasashi said it with such conviction it was hard to not just trust his word. “But I do need to talk to you about this.”

“I- I- No one…” Kuai trailed off, because no one was supposed to know, but now someone did.

“I know. No one was supposed to know.” The hand that hand been on Kuai’s shoulder was next on Kuai’s head, fingers carding through his hair as Hasashi stroked him. “But I do know now, and that’s not your fault. You tried, your family can not be angry at you for this.” Hasashi didn’t know Bi-Han. Big Brother was going to be fuming over this. “We need to talk. Let’s get back to your farm, okay?”

Kuai blinked, tears rolling down his cheeks. He had no choice now did he? At least if Hasashi did take him, it seemed he might let Kuai have the chance to say goodbye to Bi-Han. Hasashi reached for Kuai’s hands, and Kuai realised his fingers were icing over. Fire came from Hasashi’s hands and Kuai flinched. The flames did not hurt him however, just melted the ice forming on his hands.

“Come, please.” Hasashi pulled Kuai up to his feet. He reached down to pick up Kuai’s basket, before gently leading Kuai down the path.

All Kuai could do was let himself be pulled over to the farm, while internally he agonised on how the hell he was going to explain himself.

It seemed Kuai’s brother was off tending to something when they got to the farm.

In a way, Hanzo was glad about that. It meant he had a bit of time to talk to Kuai alone. He realised how he’d brought things up was not the best way. He hadn’t anticipated Kuai’s reaction to be so strong, or for him to be quite that afraid of someone finding out. What the hell has his family told him to make him so terrified like that?

Despite this not being his house, Hanzo found himself in the kitchen, fixing up a cup of tea for himself and Kuai. His host was still shaken however, occasionally muttering about how no one could know and about his father. With the tea in his hand, Hanzo placed one cup in front of Kuai, while he took a seat opposite. Kuai stared down at the cup, rather than making eye contact with Hanzo.

“I need to ask you some questions now. Please answer them truthfully,” Hanzo began, watching Kuai clench his fist. The magic inside him was raging, and Hanzo could see flakes begin to form around Kuai’s knuckles. How little control he had was growing more concerning, but that could wait. “You are a Mage, are you not?”

Kuai was silent, looking like he was debating how to actually reply, before he miserably just said “yes.”

“Were either your mother or father Mages?” He asked. Magic generally was passed down through families, although it was entirely possible for non-Mages to give birth to mage’s and vice visa. Generally Mages who were born of two Mage parents were the ones powerful enough to be Archmages. Hence he needed to know if that was the case with Kuai Liang.

“No,” Kuai replied, finally moving his hand to grip the cup. Not to drink, Hanzo had a feeling he was trying to use it to heat up his hands and deal with the ice.

“I asked you to be honest with me,” Hanzo warned lowly, watching the way Kuai flinched at the tone being used with him.

“I am,” he croaked. “Neither of my parents had magic.”

Then, maybe Hanzo’s initial suspicion of Kuai’s Father not knowing how to handle him was right. It would have been even worse with a mage of Kuai’s magnitude.

“What about your brother? Is he a Mage?” This situation was unusual already, Hanzo figured he might as well cover all his bases.

“No. It’s just me.” Kuai sounded so dejected, and Hanzo’s heart broke for him. He should have been amongst other Mages, learning to harness his powers for the good of everyone. He shouldn’t have been alone and left to deal with this thing he didn’t understand.

“Why did your Father tell you no one could ever know about your magic?” He needed to know what excuse the man gave.

“He said the Archmages would take me away.” Kuai’s eyes lifted slightly, looking at Hanzo with very thinly veiled contempt. He was clearly still expecting this to happen. “He said they’d take me, and I’d never see my family again.”

Hanzo wanted to refute that point. The Archmages hadn’t forcefully taken children in a long time. Granted, it was something that used to happen, back in the days of old, but they had stopped many years ago.

But… Kuai Liang is a Cryomancer.

That single fact gave Hanzo a sinking feeling that the Archmages would indeed have taken Kuai away from his family.

“Cryomancy has long believed to be extinct,” Hanzo began to explain. He wasn’t sure if confirming Kuai’s fears was the best idea, but he couldn’t lie to the poor man either. “While the Archmages have long since stopped the abduction of Mage children, in your case, I will concede your Father’s fears were valid.” Kuai’s head snapped up, his teeth bared and eyes wide. “No new Cryomancer has been born in several generations. You are the first in a long long time. The Archmages would have wanted to ensure your survival and skill.”

And, most likely, would have hoped Kuai would eventually reintroduce Cryomancy into Mage bloodlines. That concept made Hanzo’s skin crawl. The Archmages had come a long way since the old days, but there were still ways they needed to improve.

“I- I don’t understand,” Kuai whispered, ice now snaking from his hands and onto the cup he was holding. The heat seemed to be doing nothing for it. “Are you saying I’m…”

Kuai stopped talking as his face screwed up.

“I’m saying you are the only one of your kind, yes,” Hanzo finished for him. He watched Kuai’s reaction closely. His breathing was growing heavier, and his lip was quivering slightly. “On top of that, the strength of your magic. It is enough that you could be an Archmage yourself.”

“No.” Kuai shook his head firmly, his mouth tight. “No, that’s not possible. I don’t have any control, I’m not that powerful.”

“Having control and how powerful your magic is are not the same thing,” Hanzo explained. Kuai shook his head again. “Kuai Liang, the reason you always feel so overwhelmed by your powers is because they are so immense.” It had taken Hanzo years of intense training to get his powers under control. The fact Kuai had any control at all was nothing short of a miracle. “If you had been raised amongst other Mages rather than being kept in isolation, you would not have as much trouble as you do.”

“So you think they should have taken me?” Kuai spat, and the amount of vitriol made Hanzo do a double take. “My Father was right. The Archmages are just pompous know-it-all’s who think they know what’s best when they know nothing at all.”

Hanzo watched as the ice spread across the table, and he quickly realised if he did not want this to escalate into a physical fight he was going to have to try and calm him down.

“That isn’t what I meant,” Hanzo tried to say as softly as he could. He could feel Kuai’s magic threatening to break through, engulfing everything unfortunate to be too close. “I just meant if you had been allowed to be more open about your powers, you would have had access to help and companionship.” The ice slowly cracked as it spread further. “You wouldn’t have had to be alone.”

“I wasn’t alone,” Kuai hissed, a loud snap as he clenched his fist and broke the ice surrounding it. “I had my father and brother. I had Tomas and Cyrax. I was not on my own.”

“But none of them are Mages.” He wasn’t sure how to explain that the companionship between Mages would always be different than between a Mage and Non-Mage. “None of them understand what you are going through.” He attempted to reach a hand over to place one on Kuai’s, but the other man yanked his arm back so hard Hanzo actually flinched back in his seat. “I do though, Kuai Liang. And I want to help you.”

“You don’t understand anything!” Kuai slammed his fist down on the table, and as he did a large burst of energy emerged from him.

Hanzo engulfed himself in flame, hoping maybe it would prevent him getting encased in ice. He stilled for a moment, other than the rush of the fire surrounding him, all he could hear where the ragged sobs of Kuai. He extinguished the fire, looking around, the entire room was encased in a thick layer of ice. Disturbingly, the ice facing Hanzo was jagged, and while the ones closest to him had the tips melted off, it was clear they had been sharp and would have easily pierced through his flesh. His fire shield had been his saviour from having an icicle through his skull.

Hanzo needed to get Kuai to trust him, because like this?

Kuai was a risk to both himself and everyone around him.

“Kuai Liang, I-“

He was cut off when he heard a door slam open and a pair of footsteps rush towards the room.

“What the fuck just hap-“ a man stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, his face dropping as he surveyed the room before him. It was obvious this was Bi-Han, given how eerily similar to Kuai Liang he looked. At least he now had no doubt Kuai wasn’t lying about his brother not having magic, he could feel absolutely nothing from the other man.

Bi-Han’s eyes landed on Kuai Liang, who was still crying into his hands.

And like that he snapped into action.

He was across the room and pulling Kuai close to him within the time it took Hanzo to blink. Kuai was still too upset to coherently explain what was going on. His buried his head into Bi-Han’s side, as if to hide his face. Then Bi-Han’s attention was on Hanzo.

By the Gods, Hanzo had never seen someone look at him with such pure hatred before.

“Who the fuck are you and what did you do to him?” Bi-Han demanded, his grip on Kuai tightening.

“My name is Archmage Hanzo Hasashi and-“

He had no way to finish that sentence before Bi-Han was pulling out a knife strapped to his thigh and pointing it in Hanzo’s direction.

“You will not take him,” Bi-Han snarled, clutching the knife so hard his knuckles were going white. “I will not let you.”

“I do not wish to take him,” Hanzo tried, pushing himself to stand up. Bi-Han kept the knife trained on him the entire time.

“Like hell you don’t.” It was no wonder Kuai had so much fear of being taken away, if this was how his family had always reacted.

“I only wish to help him.”

The reply he received was Bi-Han spitting in his general direction. He wasn’t going to get anywhere like this. Maybe if he called it a day, allowed the brothers to calm down, he’d have a better chance at getting through to them how much Kuai needed help.

“I can see that this has caused a great deal of distress to you both,” Hanzo claimed, holding his hands up in front of him. He had hoped it would show he was surrendering, but given that Bi-Han manoeuvred so he was now shielding Kuai with his entire body, it clearly hadn’t come across that way. “While I do still need to talk more, I can see that for now, conversation is not an option.”

“What is there to talk about?” Bi-Han growled. “You are not taking him from me, end of discussion. There is nothing more to be said.” He slashed the knife at the air, before pointing it back at Hanzo. “And know, Archmage, if you dare try, I will fight until my last breath, and slit the throats of every one of your infernal order whose foolish enough to attempt it.”

The reality was, Bi-Han would be long dead before he could get close to any Archmage to slit their throat. Somehow, pointing this fact out seemed counterproductive.

“I will allow you both to calm down, and then maybe we can have a more civil discussion.” He moved around the table to head towards the doorway. He glanced back at the brothers. Kuai was peering around his elder brother, eyes full of a hazy mix of emotions, between contempt, terror and relief. Hanzo sighed and added, “I am sorry, Kuai Liang, I know this is upsetting for you, but this is not something I can just walk away from.”

Kuai did not reply, just bowed his head and pushed into Bi-Han’s side again. Speaking of, the look in the elder’s eyes, told Hanzo if he didn’t get out now, he was going to end up with that knife in his head.

He turned, walking away and letting himself out of the farmhouse’s front door. He didn’t stop to contemplate anything, just continued to walk down to path and back to the town.

This was going to be far harder than he could of ever anticipated, and he needed to consider his next actions carefully if he hoped to get any positive results. Most importantly, he could not alert the other Archmages to the situation just yet. Knowing them, they’d go in with little thought and make Kuai leave by force. Given how intermeshed the two brother’s appeared, suddenly separating Kuai from Bi-Han would cause him to shut down completely. At the same time, Bi-Han’s possessive attitude was going to be a major obstacle in all of this. “You are not taking him from me”, that’s what Bi-Han said, wasn’t it? Like a child being threatened with having his favourite toy confiscated from him. He was sure if it were not for Bi-Han’s influence over his brother, gentle persuasion would eventually work on Kuai, but it was getting him away long enough to cut the threads that kept them tied together.

And if he cut the wrong thread, he ran the risk of completely destroying any chance Kuai Liang had at living a more normal life.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

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