August gasped in shock when he saw who the Water Mage really was.

He.. He didn't want to believe it.

When his older brother went missing, he thought maybe he had been kidnapped by someone, or just run away because of how he was ignored by everyone except August.

August had never thought that the Water Mage, the threat to all of Crystaltopia and the lands beyond, the one who wanted to destroy all magic forever, could be his own brother.

And August couldn't fight him.

"Why!?" August cried out, his voice rising over the stormy waves. "Why would you want to destroy the world!? I thought you wanted to be a hero! To be remembered!"

Noah grinned. To anyone who didn't know him, it would look terrifying, a manic grin.

August knew it was how Noah smiled when he was hiding pain.

"Brother, don't you see? You're the hero. You're the one who gets remembered for good deeds. You save the world, the people, you're the chosen one. I have no place to take a title like yours." The storm raged around them. Waves crashed into the shore. "I won't be remembered if I try to be a hero. Nobody's ever cared when I was good. So I'll be a villain. They're remembered too, right?"

"Please! Let's talk this out! You can help us, team up with us! You can be a hero! I know you can!"

Noah smiled bitterly. "You're wrong. It's too late. The spirits are angry. Chosen One, I am your villain. A threat to the world. If you won't fight me, I'll take your artifact, destroy it, and this world will be without magic. Without the thing that caused me pain."

August wanted to scream. He couldn't give up.

He hadn't even saved anyone yet!

But..

He couldn't fight his own brother.

August dropped his sword. Fluff howled, trying to grab it and run back, but both the dog and the sword were swept away by a wave.

"Very well." Noah turned his back. "So long.. Brother."

He disappeared into the storm.