The First Legendary Beast Healer

Elias slowed his scooter outside the house, his palms sweaty against the handlebars. He glanced at his watch before rushing inside with a shaky breath.

The instant he opened the door, he stopped. Daniel was leaning on a crutch, struggling to hang a decoration on the wall while dropping scraps of paper into the waste bin. He almost fell as he tried to balance on one foot.

His brother was supposed to be resting. The doctor had said he shouldn’t put even the slightest strain on himself.

Elias had left work early to prepare for Kenneth’s return, but it seemed Daniel had decided to start without him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Elias rushed towards him, snatching the decoration from his hand.

“Do you want to die on us on such an important day?” His frown deepened as he looked around at how much Daniel had done.

Daniel turned towards him with a smile. “I’m helping you.”

Elias moved the remaining decorations aside and settled him onto the sofa.

“You’re not well, Daniel. You’re supposed to be getting as much rest as you can. We can’t afford to have you…”

Daniel’s smile collapsed. “I’m only sick, not handicapped.”

Elias placed his hands on his brother’s shoulders, his expression softening.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean it to come off that way… It’s just… You were coughing when I left this morning. We can’t even afford your medical bills, and you’re making things worse for yourself. Please, Daniel.”

Daniel’s hand fell to his side. He stared at the decoration Elias had taken from him.

“It’s already bad enough that you have to worry about everything,” he replied. “I wanted to help with something.”

Elias opened his mouth, but Daniel continued before he could speak.

“And today is different. Kenneth is finally coming home. You don’t expect us to welcome him with the house looking the way it did this morning, do you? You couldn’t have finished all this between your shifts, and you know that, Elias.”

When Elias looked around, the clothes hanging over the sofa had been folded away, and the small table had been pulled closer to the window. The floor was clean, while strips of coloured paper ran across the wall above the chairs.

Daniel had even brought out the plates they kept for visitors.

A pinch of guilt rushed through Elias’s chest. “I’m sorry I took so long. You shouldn’t have had to do all this…”

Daniel lowered his head. “You still aren’t getting the point, Brother Elias.”

“Believe me, I do. I wish I could pay to get things done, but you know… If you really want to help, do as you’ve been told. Cleaning is easy for me, but it puts a lot of strain on you. So stay put.”

Daniel watched Elias move the decorations out of his reach. His elder brother had taken on the role of a father after their own father’s tragic death, and arguing with him was like arguing with a wall.

“Soon, we won’t have to worry about all this,” Daniel whispered, his eyes watery. “Kenneth will start taking hunts, and we’ll finally be able to afford proper treatment.”

Elias glanced at the medicine beside him. Kenneth had made the same promise before he left for training.

Their foster brother was the only one of them with beast affinity. While Elias could clean a beast’s wounds, calm it enough to take medicine, and nurse it back to health, he had never been able to form a bond with one.

Kenneth had that chance, and Elias had spent years making sure he could use it.

Most of his wages went towards the training. Whenever he thought there might finally be enough left for Daniel’s treatment, Kenneth called about another f*e or something his beast needed.

“You’re thinking about money again,” Daniel muttered, almost to himself.

Elias pulled his gaze away from the medicine.

“There are still things we need to…”

“And Kenneth will be here soon, so you should go and get them, Brother Elias.” Daniel tried to smile through the pain coursing through his body.

“Are you fine?” Elias surged forward.

“You’ve done what you could to get him through the training. Soon, we’ll be able to afford everything. You should be happy today, and yes, I’m very much fine.”

Elias searched his face before pulling away.

“I’m sorry I shouted at you.”

Daniel laughed. “It’s fine, Brother Elias.”

“Stop giving me reasons to worry.” Elias handed him the unfinished decoration. “You can work on that while you’re sitting down. Leave anything that needs hanging until I get back.”

Daniel’s smile widened as he took it.

“And don’t spend all the money buying the things you like. Kenneth said he misses the way you cook his meat. We all do, so maybe we can have a big meal together today.”

“And then worry about the bills tomorrow and regret spending so much on meat.”

Elias looked so serious that Daniel burst into laughter, knowing too well that his brother would never change.

Elias left the house without another word. He kept glancing at his watch, calculating how much time he had before Kenneth arrived, how long the cooking would take, and when he would need to leave for his next shift that night.

“I should be able to make it,” he muttered with a sigh that reached his stomach.

By the time he finished buying the rice, meat, and the few things they needed for the meal, there was hardly anything left in his pocket. He tucked the change away and secured the bags on his scooter.

Kenneth was coming home. They could speak about the hospital once he had settled in.

But the cars outside the house made Elias wonder whether he had taken too long.

Men crowded the small space in front of their home, and someone Elias couldn’t mistake stood at their centre. Kenneth wore dark shades and a dark blue tuxedo over his chiselled body, his face plumper than Elias remembered.

Elias looked over his clothes, estimating the cost in his head. The tuxedo was nothing like his own thrift clothes. It could even be designer.

He pushed the thought aside.

“In Daniel’s words, today is a special day. Elias, leave all your troubles aside. We can discuss that later. Maybe he hasn’t removed the tag.”

He was still getting off his scooter when one of the men noticed him.

“Don’t tell me this is the other brother.” A bald man in a black tuxedo turned towards Elias, his face twisting with contempt.

“Sadly, that’s the trash I’ve been tied to for most of my life. Now you can imagine just how difficult my life was.”

Elias could barely make out Kenneth’s words, but the man burst into laughter, drawing everyone’s attention towards him.

Their eyes moved from Elias’s work clothes to the bags hanging from his scooter, and the others joined in.

“One brother is useless, and the other is broke. Growing up here must have been a lot,” the bald man continued.

This time, the words reached Elias. He frowned, muttering under his breath, “They have everything and remain so mannerless, even in front of elders.”

His gaze went straight to Kenneth.

He expected him to say something, but Kenneth looked away almost too quickly, avoiding eye contact as though it would kill him to look at his brother.

“I hope poor people don’t carry diseases,” another man said, glancing towards the doorway with so much disdain. “Your brother doesn’t look too good.”

“Believe me, it was tough,” Kenneth replied, straightening his spine. This time, he stared at Elias with even more disdain than his friends.

There was so much hatred in his eyes that Elias found himself thinking, “This has to be a prank.”

But the Kenneth he knew was never one to joke, especially around his well-off friends.

Elias stood beside the scooter, his fingers tightening around the handles of the bags.

Perhaps he didn’t want to look weak in front of his friends. Elias would speak to him about it later.

Today was supposed to be a good day. Daniel had spent the morning preparing for it, and Elias wasn’t going to ruin their brother’s welcome by starting an argument.

He lifted the bags and walked towards Kenneth with a smile.

“Welcome home, brother. I see you brought your friends with their huge sense of humour along. Please come in. Our house doesn’t bite, and we do take care of it properly, just like our hair.”

Kenneth’s friends froze. The bald youth’s fists clenched so tightly that blood trickled between his fingers.

Elias slowed, looking between them, but Kenneth’s expression had changed. A broad frown settled on his face as he looked towards the open doorway.

“Come into that wretched place? Do you want me to catch your disease? Too bad for you, because I am here to end you.