Scars told stories, each one an indelible mark upon the far too fragile skin of humans. His body was marked with many of these, but the most noticeable one was on his face, a curved line over his left eye. It had come from his own knife, wielded by a brother gone mad with his obsession to create a Philosopher's Stone.
His parents had named him Alkaev because he was the much wished for second child. His father taught him swordsmanship and his mother taught him to be a gentleman, while his grandmother filled his head with stories of yesteryear and brave men who fought off terrible creatures. But the one he truly adored was his elder brother, Alexei. His brother was thirteen years older than him and much more worldly, an idol that Alkaev placed upon a pedestal. His brother could do no wrong in his eyes, a genius who had shown an aptitude for Alchemy and had chosen to learn the intricate Bio alchemy.
Many nights, he would steal over to Alexei's rooms and they would climb up to the roof and watch the stars, talking about everything and nothing. Alexei taught him to spot constellations, teaching their many names to him. Alexei also told him stories about the constellations, stories of love and tragedy, bravery and victory, joy and sorrow. They mingled with the many stories his grandmother wove about fighting off monsters and nightmares, saviours to a desperate people and heroes throughout the land.
These things prompted him to choose a different path from his brother's, even though he did learn the basics of alchemy from Alexei. Alkaev found that he favoured Forge alchemy over Bio alchemy, which helped him with his aspiration to become a Rune Knight. He learned hand-to-hand combat and mastered a few different weapons, trained himself to become worthy of being a Rune Knight.
Even though their lives began to differ vastly, Alkaev still sat on the roof with Alexei most nights, talking about things that happen or just sitting in silence. Alexei had indicated he had begun a new research, talking about the infinite possibilities and Alkaev listened, asking the occasional question. He didn't understand that Alexei was proposing the creation of a Philosopher's Stone, and he never comprehended what it would eventually mean.
A series of small, inconsequential things began to happen. One of the cats disappeared, as did a couple of the pet rabbits his mother kept. Alexei began to spend more time locked away in his laboratory, away from everyone else as his research consumed him. When their grandmother died, Alkaev noticed his brother was acting strangely but he brushed it off, attributing it to grief or shock.
When Alexei asked him to help with his research, Alkaev agreed, if only to spend a little time with his increasingly distant brother. What he hadn't counted on was being drugged and waking up to find Alexei hovering over him, muttering something about a greater sacrifice was required, how the last had not been enough.
A struggle ensued between the brothers when Alexei took a knife and made a move at Alkaev, who reacted on instinct and tried to disarm Alexei. Nonetheless, Alkaev was injured before he finally managed to knock his brother out. A long, bloody cut that made his left eye throb and several lacerations on his hands were the price he paid.
When his brother was taken away, Alkaev read all the research notes his brother had left behind. The contents left him with a sinking feeling of understanding and horror, knowing that his brother had been obssessed to the point of madness. It scared him to know that his brother held so many secrets from him, and that he never really knew what his brother was doing or going through even though they were as close as brothers could be.
The scar was a lesson, painfully learnt and burned into his mind. A constant reminder that he could never truly know what another thought and believed, however well he thought knew them.
