TWINCEST CULTIVATION: a Tale of Vengeance

Ayin's voice trembled in the heavy silence. Her blackened fur was caked with soot and her face streaked with tears.

The glade, once a place of vibrant life and warmth, was now a graveyard of ash and sorrow. The towering living giant rain tree, its now blackened by fire, stood as the only witness to the massacre. Beneath its scorched roots, Ayin and Zesh stood silently, their paws dirty after clawing at the soft earth.

Their father' mangled bodies, reduced to charred remnants, the sight of their once-majestic forms, now unrecognizable, was almost too much to bear. But now he was almost six feet under.

Zesh didn't look at her, his scarlet eyes hollow.

His head bowed low.

The weight of their loss pressed down on them, suffocating and unrelenting.

he whispered, his voice laced with determination, then, a quiet fury.

Ayin leaned on him, her small frame shaking.

Zesh couldn't answer.

He didn't know.

All he knew was that they couldn't stay here.

The twins left the glade under the cover of night. Zesh now darkened fur blending into the shadows, but not with his sister, so he always alert. The Pixie Forest, once their neighborhood, now felt hostile and cold. The trees seemed to close in around them, the familiar paths twisting into an endless maze.

Just what did those humans done?

How come what once so familiar become so alien?

Zesh didn't know, not to mention his sister.

But if someone had to be blamed, it was their parents. After all, they four was the last of Elden beasts. Not even mentioning that, they're still their children, so it's normal for Kaska and Gatts to be super protective over them. And pixie forest was anything but safe.

Yes, they had a sanctuary, the glade, which is safe and all, but it was obtained through strength.

This Forest had it's name for a reason.

Days turned into a blur of struggle and exhaustion.

Zesh and Ayin stumbled through the undergrowth, their paws raw and bleeding from the relentless terrain. Thorny brambles clawed at their fur, and their weakened bodies trembled with hunger.

Ayin murmured, her voice thin and fragile.

Zesh's stomach churned with not only hunger but also guilt as he searched for something—anything—to feed her. This forest, once a bounty of fruits and prey, seemed barren now. It was as if they had been cursed so that everything must and should avoiding them. Every rustle of leaves made them tensed up, fearing predators or worse, humans.

They found a small stream the next day, its water murky but at least still drinkable.

Tasting the dirt filled water, they sobbed silently.

Across the stream, a massive boar emerged from the bushes. Its tusks gleamed like daggers, and its red eyes locked onto them.

Their eyes lit up at the same time.

Food.

At last, finally, food.

But then they realized the problem: the boar was too big for them. If Zesh was his father, even animal thrice his size wouldn't pose much threat. But Zesh is just Zesh. He could barely hunt herbivore as his size, how should be handle this old boar twice his size?

Zesh stepped in front of his sister instinctively.

He couldn't help but feel strange tho.

Elden beast were naturally a predator, even youngling like him hunts in daily basis. So most animal would run and avoided them. But this boar didn't seem like it had meet it's usual predator. Instead it even looked like it was the one who'll prey upon them.

As if crazy, the boar charged with a furious squeal, and Zesh barely had time to dodge. Its tusks grazed his side, leaving a deep, bleeding gash.

he shouted inside and growled outside.

But Ayin didn't move as he wanted.

Instead, she lunged at the boar, her claws raking its side. It turned on her with a savage grunt, knocking her to the ground.

Zesh's vision instantly blurred with panic.

With a desperate roar, he threw himself onto the boar, biting down on its thick neck. The beast thrashed, its tusks carving into his shoulder, but he held on until it collapsed in a final, choking breath.

The twins lay panting beside the dead boar, their bodies trembling with pain and adrenaline.

Zesh asked, his voice ragged.

Ayin nodded weakly, though her side was bruised and bleeding.

Zesh managed a grim smile.

Ayin licked her lips,

without another word, Zesh tore the bear open with his sharp claws.

Such bloody sight usually made Ayin shrink, another reason why she never hunted herself. But at this moment, she couldn't care less.

They ate the boar that night, their first real meal in almost a week. But even as the meat filled their stomachs, they couldn't savor the feelings as their bodies ached from the wounds.

Their hearts felt heavier than ever.

Three days later, they found themselves deep in the heart of the forest out of misfortune.

After all, they're just nine years old kid. If they're pure beast, maybe their instinct will be superior. But with sentience, their logic and feelings are superior, and things like fear ended up clouding their choices. So it's only natural that they'll be lost in the place where everything are basically alive.

You heard that right, everything in that forest is alive.

At least, almost all of it.

Ayin whispered, her nose already wrinkled.

It was subtle at first, but as they walked deeper into the forest, she notice the air grew thick with sticky-sweet scent of flowers.

Zesh also frowned, his ears twitching.

They didn't see the danger until it was too late.

Without warning, a vine shot out from the undergrowth like a snake, wrapping around Zesh's leg and yanking him off his feet.

Ayin screamed, trying to pull him free.

More vines slithered out, their tips dripping with a viscous, greenish purple liquid. One wrapped around Ayin's neck, squeezing tightly. The twins struggled, but the vines only tightened, their poison seeping into their wounds.

Zesh's vision swam as his strength faded.

He could feel Ayin's fear through their twins bond, a sharp and desperate cry for help.

he thought, forcing his body to move.

With a final, desperate effort, he bit through the vine around his leg, the bitter taste of poison burning his tongue. He tore at the other vines, freeing Ayin before collapsing beside her.

They crawled away from the clearing, their bodies wracked with pain. The poison left them weak, and every step felt like a battle.

Days passed in a haze of suffering.

Zesh and Ayin were constantly on the brink of starvation, their wounds festering despite their best attempts to clean them. The once-vibrant and crowded forest are now but silent dark woods that seemed intent on torturing them.

One night, as they huddled beneath the roots of a fallen tree, a pack of beast found them.

Tailless, build like bear and horned like goat. Zesh obviously didn't know what kind of creature was this, but he smart enough that they're not weak. The pack's leader, a massive white beast with snarling fangs, circled them, it's eyes gleaming with malice.

Zesh growled, his body trembling as he stood between his sister and the wolves.

The ten or so beasts didn't listen.

The leader lunged, and Zesh met him head-on, his claws scraping against the beast's flank. But he was no match for the larger beast. The leader pinned him down, his teeth inches from Zesh's throat.

Before the killing blow could land, Ayin let out a feral scream, throwing herself at the wolf's side. The distraction gave Zesh enough time to claw at the leader's face, driving him back. Trembling, the twins fought with everything they had, their love for each other fueling their desperate struggle.

After almost an hour of bloody battle, the pack finally retreated, leaving the siblings in a mess.

Ayin collapsed beside her brother, her breaths shallow.

Zesh nuzzled her weakly, his voice a faint whisper. He then licked her wounds caringly.

But even he said so, he couldn't sake this weird feeling.

Not only different in strength but also outnumbered. Their situation just now was obviously fatal. But how could they survive? And their fight. It was more like a training, yes it was brutal but, did they died? Or left with mortal wound? No. They could still walk, completely conscious, and 50% well.

<…maybe I'm just thinking too much..> Zesh dismissed the thoughts as they cuddled.

Another day passed.

They really thankful for their night vision or it'll be more arduous journey to navigate in this mist filled woods. As a predatory beast, they obviously had proper ear and nose as well. But learning from the previous experience, they decided that their nose couldn't be fully trusted. As for their ears, it never stop working in total alert.

Two days later, their aimless step brought them to a cave hidden deep within the mountains range. The entrance was narrow, barely wide enough for them to squeeze in, but it opened into a sheltered cavern inside.

Zesh said, voice heavy with exhaustion.

Ayin looked around, her eyes dull.

Zesh replied.

They collapsed onto the cold stone floor, their bodies too weary to move. The cave was dark and damp, but it was the first place they had found that felt secure.

Zesh comforted.

Tears rolling down Ayin's face,

<…>

Zesh didn't respond, his expression complicated but he had made his resolve.

They cuddled, licking each other's wound or dirty fur, trying to comfort one another. As they drifted into a restless sleep, their bond strengthened even further. They had lost everything, but they still had each other.

For now, that was enough.

Days passed in an unbroken cycle of hunger and pain.

The cave offered the twins shelter, but it was no sanctuary. The boar from before only filled their stomach for couple of hours, and the hunger come again. But they couldn't get out. It as if the world itself had playing jokes on them, because the next day they woke up, they found gigantic snake sleeping just next to their cave.

If they go out, it's the same as offering the snake a meal.

So they could only wait.

Their wounds healed slowly, but the scars ran deeper than flesh. Each night, in the dark silence, memories pressed against them, and the sight of their father' mutilated bodies haunted their dreams.

Zesh woke one morning to find Ayin curled up against him, shivering. Her breaths came in shallow gasps, and her fur was damp with fevered sweat.

he murmured, nudging her gently.

As he licked her affectionately, she opened her eyes, dull and glassy, and tried to speak, but her voice didn't reach his mind. Instead, a faint beastly whimper escaped her lips.

Zesh's heart sank instantly.

He pressed his head against hers, his voice trembling.

But he knew her condition was worsening.

The wounds she had suffered were minor compared to the poison that had crept through her veins. Despite their best efforts to hold on, it was too much.

he said aloud, more to himself than to her.

But obviously he's lying.

Zesh ventured out in two days, his steps heavy with desperation. But thankfully, the still sleeping snake didn't notice him and he could walk further.

The forest stretched endlessly, its towering trees casting long shadows as the day waned. Every sound made him flinch, his body tense from days of constant danger. He found scraps of berries, a stagnant puddle of water—hardly enough to sustain them.

When he returned to the cave, the snake was gone.

In that very instant, he got goosebumps all over.

Zesh frantically going back to their cave and thank God, his sister still there, albeit barely conscious.

Another day passed.

Zesh knew that this couldn't go on. Thus he carried Ayin on his back with much effort, her limp body weighing on him more than it ever had before. His legs trembled, but he refused to stop, his only thought to get her sister somewhere safe, somewhere where she could recover. The forest blurred around him as exhaustion pulled at his senses.

As he walked and walked, he didn't notice that many prying eyes were lit like firefly around him.

He also fail to notice that the road he walked on while feeling as walking aimlessly, was in fact, a path opened by the trees all around him.

The trees, wolves with dried wound, some boar with cubs, even small mice and giant snakes—It had to be said that right now, every and all of the Pixie forest' residents watched the twin struggle in silence. And among them, there was a butterfly.

No, it was accurately something with butterfly wings.

Small frame, five centimeter in height only, and is a very beautiful androgynous being.

"The last Elden beasts…"

The being spoke in melancholy, "I'm sorry friends, but they are the real reason why I granted your wish."

Glancing toward the center of the forest, it was as if the mini creature could saw the happy family living there as it murmured, "The twin Father and Mother of Chaos… you must survive and fullfil your role."

'They' gazed far, far away to the 'eternal fogs'.