Kaiser

by MellowSoul

Steps of the Forsaken

Twilight followed her brother to their old room. Spike packed a duffel bag with spare clothes, hygiene supplies, and non-perishable food.

"What do you wanna do about the shelter situation?" he asked.

"I say we rough it and build 'em from scratch. Figured we could continue your training while we were on the road."

"Fine by me."

"Shining really toughened you up, didn't he?"

Twilight noticed the computer in the corner. It was the exact same system she'd built for him all those years ago. To her surprise, it had been well-maintained. There wasn't a single scratch or fingerprint to be found.

"I can't believe you still have that old thing."

Spike examined the direction his sister was staring in.

"It was a meaningful gift from a better time. I never upgraded past XP because of its significance to our history. I still have a lot of things from back then..."

The sentiment struck a deep chord with Twilight. It wasn't the objects he was emotionally attached to, but the people and places they came from.

"Did you find any new bands?" she questioned, attempting to avoid the depressive undertones of the atmosphere.

"Most metalcore lately really hasn't been so great. It sounds nothing like what we grew up with."

"You just haven't been looking in the right places. Why don't we boot this old dinosaur up and I'll show you what I've found?"

"Guess it couldn't hurt."

Twilight switched on the power. It booted up relatively quickly, though not quite as fast as its modern successors. Twilight typed in the name of a band Spike actually hadn't heard before. Renounced had made their extended play "Conditioned From Birth" publicly available not long after its release. Just as she said, it sounded exactly like what they grew up hearing. The only difference was the improved recording quality with modern tech.

"You're not the only one displeased with the state of metal these days. I've read a couple interviews where the vocalist said the same thing."

"Guess there's more to the world than I thought."

"Told you so."

"I still have those old CDs we made back in the day."

"Our goal back then was to spread a positive message through a typically dark and nihilistic art form."

"Ironic, isn't it?"

"I think some time away will help bring you back to that optimistic mindset we had back then. I know you're probably feeling doubtful right now, but I need you to trust me."

"You know I do."

"As long as that's the case, I'm confident you'll make a full recovery in no time."

"I promise I'll try."

The duo said one last goodbye to their parents, heading into the unknown with cautious resolve. Spike wondered if it would really be possible to change his outlook in such a short amount of time...

Author's Note: