Lightning

The city was a blazing hellscape, its once-proud skyline engulfed in chaos. Buildings crumbled, collapsing under the force of relentless lightning bolts that tore through steel and concrete. Flames licked the edges of shattered windows, and smoke billowed into the darkened sky, shrouding the sun. The streets below were a frenzy of terror, citizens screaming and running for their lives. Cars collided, overturned, or exploded as bolts of energy—red and blue—rained down mercilessly.

Amid the pandemonium, a news crew huddled behind the shattered remains of a vehicle. The reporter, a young woman with trembling hands and sweat streaking her ash-covered face, spoke hurriedly into her microphone. The camera, wobbling in the unsteady grip of her equally terrified cameraman, caught fleeting glimpses of the destruction.

"This is Angela Wright reporting live from what can only be described as a nightmare," she said, her voice cracking under the strain. "The city is under attack by forces unlike anything we've ever seen! Bolts of lightning—red and blue—are raining from the sky, striking down buildings, cars, and even people! The death toll is... unimaginable!"

A deafening crack of thunder shook the ground, cutting her off momentarily. She winced and glanced upward before continuing, her words tumbling over each other.

"The military has deployed forces to try and contain this disaster, but they're... they're powerless against whatever is causing this! We've received confirmation that reinforcements are on the way, but—"

Her sentence was cut short as a brilliant flash of blue lightning struck mere feet away, the blast hurling debris in all directions. Angela screamed, clutching her microphone. The cameraman cursed "Shit" under his breath, the camera jerking wildly as he fought to keep filming.

Above the city, two figures hovered in the storm-laden sky. Twin brothers, their silhouettes outlined by the lightning flashing around them. One wore an expression of calm fury, his lips pressed into a grim line, his every movement controlled yet seething with anger. The other screamed into the tempest, his face twisted in unrestrained rage as he hurled red lightning bolts toward the earth with abandon.

The red lightning ripped through buildings, shattering them like brittle glass. The blue lightning followed, striking fleeing citizens, their bodies convulsing before falling lifeless to the ground.

Angela glanced toward her cameraman, her voice barely above a whisper. "We have to get out of here—"

Her words died in her throat as a blinding flash enveloped them both. A crackling bolt of blue lightning arced from above, silencing their cries and plunging the camera feed into static.

High above, the screaming twin turned his attention to a military helicopter that had arrived, its minigun opening fire in a desperate attempt to take him down. He roared in defiance, his eyes glowing with crimson fury. Stretching his palm forward, he unleashed a powerful red bolt of lightning that electrified the helicopter mid-air, its systems failing instantly. Before the crew could regain control, another bolt followed, this one more intense, detonating the craft in a fiery explosion.

The enraged brother hovered mid-air, his body surging with crimson energy, his face a mask of pure, unfiltered fury. He let out a guttural scream that reverberated across the city, shaking what little remained standing.

"You betrayed us!" he roared, his voice echoing like a thunderclap. "All of you! This world abandoned us, treated us like shit—You all treated us like we were nothing! You took everything from us! You will pay for all of this!"

He thrust his arms downward, red lightning bolts exploding from his hands in rapid succession. They rained down on the streets below, obliterating buildings, vehicles, and anything caught in their wake. Flames erupted anew, consuming what little hope the fleeing citizens had left.

The other brother, the one with a calm yet simmering anger, glanced over his shoulder. His eyes caught sight of a dozen military jets streaking through the smoke-filled sky, their engines screaming as they closed in on their position. His jaw tightened.

"Arthur," he muttered through gritted teeth, "behind us."

Arthur, the enraged twin, spun toward the incoming jets. His glowing red eyes narrowed, his fury intensifying. "They think they can stop us?!" he shouted, his voice cracking with venomous anger. "Let 'em try!"

The calmer brother, Carter, moved swiftly, putting his back against Carter's. His arms began to crackle with intense blue energy, the raw power building until the air around him shimmered with its force. He reeled his arm back, the energy coiling and surging like a living entity, before thrusting both arms forward.

A barrage of blue lightning bolts erupted from his hands, streaking through the air like a storm unleashed. The bolts tore through the formation of jets, one by one, the explosions lighting up the sky like fireworks. The pilots never stood a chance, their screams drowned out by the roar of the destruction.

As the final jet disintegrated in a ball of fire, Arthur let out another furious scream, his body pulsating with red lightning. Carter's breathing was heavy, his expression grim as his glowing blue eyes locked onto the chaos below.

Both brothers floated in the air, their energies crackling violently, illuminating the ruins of the city beneath them. Their eyes burned like beacons of rage—one glowing red, the other blue.

In unison, their voices thundered across the broken city, the names of the destroyers revealed:

"I am Carter!"

"I am Arthur!"