Multiverse Switch

Chapter 52 - One-Sided

Fresh was already catching their gaze.

He casually walked inside and the doors closed, "Reaper, Haven't I told ya' to keep him in his room?"

Reaper remained silent, simply staring. Geno walked forward, meeting Fresh halfway to the near center, "Fresh."

"Ya' can't be out of bed. Your strength is important."

"Listen, listen to me for now. You have to understand something..." Geno said and reached out to touch his brother.

He landed a hand, firmly grasping the other's shoulder blades as he spoke in the calmest voice he could muster, "Fresh, you have been a very good leader these past years."

"Th-thank you..." Fresh uttered but remained looking at the hand on his shoulder, not meeting the older's gaze.

"You've been doing things to improve this country. The most important is not the structures you have built for them but you listening to them-"

"Mother said to always include our people first in our priorities." Fresh simply answered.

Geno blinked for a second before tightening his grip again, "Right... but you have to understand that there are things you are able to do without it being priority."

"What are you saying? You want me to follow my personal desires?" Fresh asked as he noticed the praise slowly turning to another motive and making him more confused.

"I'm sure you want to do something other than following a path laid out for you-"

"Are you asking me to step down the throne?" Fresh asked.

"I'm not. Fresh what I'm trying to say is that there are people who would come to us for help. Not ours but just men travelling with need of assistance and we can help." Geno looked back to the two still standing behind him then to Fresh who was looking at the Guardians now, "They need us. Out of all the Kingdoms that could have been more open they chose us as capable."

"Are ya'... saying that they're not who we're looking for?" Fresh's words felt heavy and his eye sockets started oozing pink mist.

Geno immediately noticed this and shifted to the left to block them from view, "Yes but that's not the point. They could bring you to sure victory in- in the war you are anticipating-"

"Are ya' saying I'm incompetent now?" Fresh turned his head to him but Geno knew he wasn't looking straight at him.

"How could you even be incompetent?!" Geno said with irritation.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you're flat-out stating I could not win the war with only my intelligence and army?" Fresh's tone remained relaxed through the whole sentence but Geno knew the other was hurt.

"I'm not saying you are. You are better tactician than me and I admit that but that's not what I wanted to tell you." Geno said and looked at where his brother's eye sockets are behind the glass and spoke, "He'll never choose to imitate our brother if they have the chance. The thing is; they don't because this was an accident but they can also bring him back. We just have to help them get the other half of the Stone that Nightmare has."