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Dressed in Black

Be Good to Me

Not a minute after his brother, Cooper was born the second child to a poor miner and his wife in Gale Valley. The parents were ecstatic, though worried. Having been concerned about being able to care for a single child, the task of handling two at the same time was daunting. They made do, however, and did the best they could to provide a happy home to their two darling boys: Macklin with his mother's golden locks and rosey cheeks and Cooper with his father's dark hair and stark features.[break]


[break]The differences between the two ran deep. Where Macklin was energetic and outgoing, eager to join their father in his fine work in the mine, Cooper was shy and withdrawn, preferring to lounge at home with whatever was the latest book he managed to procure. Magic also touched each child differently. While Macklin was donned in Light, Cooper's talents dressed him in Darkness. For familiars, the eldest son was charged with a cheetah and the little brother with a doberman pinscher of comparable size.[break]

[break]Though they differed greatly, the two were all but inseparable. Rare was it to find one without the other-- Macklin was very successful in convincing his brother to leave the comforts of home and join him in whatever adventure he could imagine. Be it sneaking into the mines at night to play hide and seek or traveling to the nearby woods to try to spot a monster. every event tested Cooper's resolve and pushed Macklin further. [break]

[break]Macklin, though seemingly happy to spend his future working in the mines, longed for more. The Helios Knights, the heroes of Sundial, called to him. He longed to be a part of the greatest Coven in Salem and to fight the dark monsters along side the bravest there were. When he turned 16, he informed his parents that he would be leaving Gale Valley for Sundial. Surprised, his parents were less than amicable in response. After exchange of harsh words and accusations of abandonment, Macklin left home. He begged Cooper to leave with him, but finally the twins found the adventure that would be just too much for Cooper.[break][break]

Elastic Heart

For the next three years, carrier pigeons flew back and forth between Gale Valley and Sundial between the brothers. Though Macklin wrote to his parents, never did they deign to read his notes let alone think about responding. Macklin would write to Cooper about his progression through the ranks, the crazy deeds he accomplished, and the wild monsters that he helped to subdue. All of it sounded more like one of Cooper's books than it did the life of his brother. Cooper was proud, very proud, that his brother was becoming so accomplished.[break]

[break]When it was rounding their birthday, Cooper wrapped a package of goods from home and paid a hefty fee to have the clothes, foods, and enchanted pendant sent to Macklin. After a month of no response from his brother, Cooper began to worry. After six months of no response, he too left home.[break][break]

No New Friends

Sundial was larger and more wild than Cooper ever could have imagined. The tallest building in Gale Valley paled in comparison to the grandeur of the towers that loomed over the western city. For days, Cooper marched through the city in awe and agitation. No Helios Knight he ran into could tell him anything of his brother. Every Knight he approached either told him they had never heard of such a Fledgling or directed him to someone else who was just as useless. [break]

[break]Increasingly desperate for information, Cooper approached the less desirable districts of the city. The taverns holed up in the wall, the exchanges at the dark turns of alleys, the pawn shops with questionable goods. Cooper went to each, coin in hand, with the willingness to pay for information. These too showed up dead ends. [break]

[break]The longer Cooper's search took, the more his disposition soured and his personality altered. The once reclusive young man was now quick to mince words with the grungiest the city had to offer. He stepped forward to confrontation, magic in hand, and ready to fight anyone who dared offend him. His temper became short and his words a knife.[break]

[break]Cooper began to pick up a reputation as someone to avoid. He didn't mind, because even though many dodged him, he was still able to find work and chase any leads regarding his brother. The leads were minimal though-- the best he was able to learn was that his brother had at one point stayed at a tattered tavern that Cooper now situated as his home.[break]

[break]Cooper thought about trying to join the Helios Knights for more information, but it had become apparent that his brother had likely lied about joining them in the first place. This revelation unsettled Cooper. He could not fathom what would drive his brother to lie to him for years. He combed over the letters every night and every night proved a fruitless effort. In one particular night of drunken agitation, Cooper cursed his brother and threw one of his earlier letters into his room's fireplace.[break]

[break]Regret sunk threw him as the parchment sailed across the room and into the fire. He lunged for the words scribble on the parchment and tried to recover them. The flames bit at his fingers as he retrieved the last remaining black and burnt scrap. He sighed and tossed the final, unreadable bit back into the flames. Once the fire claimed it, Cooper saw a small, bright light spawn from the paper and draw a unicursal hexagram in the flames. [break]