At night, the preparations for the departure had already been made. The friends bade Garberbax, Jobakh, and the other Bakhals goodbye. Garberbax tightly embraced the Hawthorne family and said they were always welcome on Planet Bewbew whenever they wished to pay a visit. He then gave Arubah the Bew-Bombs (explosive stones from Planet Bewbew that could very well serve as bombs) he often supplied him with for the Golden Dragon cannons of his Shark Tooth ship, and the pirates departed. To help them make it as fast as possible to the Raden Universe, Garberbax contacted his friend Bookhes – the oldest planetary elephant alive – and this latter shot the ship through his trunk right into the portal of the Central Universal Intersection.

Once more the Shark Tooth underwent a heavy ride, now to penetrate back in Raden. The Bakhassa Form was turned off and the ship regained its initial blue-sailed shape. The Cyber Sammy flags were hoisted again – the Crimson Diamond Shark Tooth was back in the game. Arubah stood on the prow of the vessel and gazed at the infinite horizons from under his slouch hat, his eyes glittering like two ardent embers:

"Now, let's settle the Herminese royal matters once and for all!"

***

Captain Sinbad was headed to Planet Retti to put an end to his brother's tyranny. After Captain Lady Uzma Zuzzas' lamentations, he understood he could delay it no longer. He never wanted to bother Maluma over these affairs, though. He believed it was his twin brother hence his responsibility. He knew that Maluma, even though not effortlessly, but would still manage to kill Koriel if given a chance, while he would remain alive. He didn't want it to happen. After losing Maluma – his only true love – for eternity, he knew there was nothing more for him to live for, other than supporting her and her new family. What would be a better help than disposing of all the obstacles that could possibly stand in her only son's way? So far, Arubah was the strongest being in all the Seven Universes, possessing the royal blood of the Herminoids, the Crimson Ardour of the Daluma, and not so long ago even having learned to manipulate the Black Matter. When he mastered the Yamidahlia technique in later years, even Maluma would no longer stand a chance against him... but she would never oppose her only son, to begin with. She was determined to support him in every endeavour of his. Hence, the only possible obstacles that remained on Arubah's path were his brother Koriel and he – the Herminoid princes of pure blood. Yes, he too, because he was a dark Herminoid just like Koriel, so he never knew when he might turn against his loved ones as Koriel did. The best way to rid Arubah of these two obstacles was their deathly showdown. If he did not bother Arubah and Maluma and sorted it out on his own, he'd help the child a great deal.

Thus decided, he moved forward without a second thought. Even though his crewmates counted his idea crazy, they dared not disobey – they knew the captain was a godly being and, furthermore, his first-mate too supported him:

"Captain's orders cannot be denied. You know the laws of our fleet".

The ship moved steadily towards Retti, probably already detected on the Reptiloids' radars. Lady Diyuma acted cold when around the crew, but once she finished giving orders and put Jasheen in charge, she neighed once with a sunken heart and accessed the captain's cabin, to find Captain Sinbad on a sofa smoking the divine elmor dust as usual. Realising he wished to end his days on his own at such a young age (30 000 Earthly years was indeed young for the 100 000-year lifespan of the Herminoids), the first meeting of theirs came into her mind as a distant yet nostalgic flashback:

Planet Hermin, back then still blazing in all its magnificence, with luminescent forests and blooming fields... She was on a visit with her family, still a young foal with no wings grown and her horn too tiny. The pegacorns – her race – were much respected in the society of the Herminoids since all of their creations were gentle races, while the Herminoids' creations – mainly the Radenoids – had long begun to devastate the Raden Universe and had even ventured far into the other universes. Hence, her family were welcome guests as the ancient royal clan of Planet Nhuhm – the base planet of the pegacorns in the Uma Universe.

There, in the royal palace of Planet Hermin, she met him for the first time – a young boy with deep purple hair like her own, and those expressive golden eyes full of wisdom and hidden sadness, caused by life-long scornful gazes from the part of his kind since he was considered a dark child and a great danger to the society. His brother Koriel was respected and loved, even though she could well see his aura was far more tainted than Hinael's... Yes, she knew his true name, yet she had never called him thus since their deep childhood – that very day when they first got to know each other and played together in the vast fields of Hermin:

"It is a pleasure for me to welcome you here, Princess Diyuma. I am Hinael man Herminn. They told me it was your first visit, so I was asked to show you around. It does sound fun – I enjoy travelling around Planet Hermin whenever I get a chance. Escorting a beautiful young lady such as you, is indeed a great chance".

"Thank you! Please just refer to me as Diyuma, Your Highness Prince Hinael. You, as a Herminoid, are far more divine than I".

"You're still a princess though, aren't you? Well, follow me!"

He indeed showed her many wonderful places of his planet – glowing forests, windy fields where she galloped freely while he ran beside her, steep cliffs above which dragons soared, ocean waves hitting upon the golden shores... He retold her various tales, laughed, and played games with her. Before she knew it, she was already infatuated by this charming young prince. Even when she returned to her homeland, she could never forget those days on Planet Hermin she had spent with him.

After that day, they never saw each other again until Planet Hermin exploded. Soon, the Uma Universe was invaded by the Reptiloids under Divine Emperor Koriel's leadership. She had to engage in battles while her younger brother was crowned a pegacorn king. While defending him against Koriel, she lost her blazing purple horn that was the longest of all the pegacorns' ones. Her brother, ashamed of her disgusting appearance (since losing one's horn meant losing their honour and pride), banished her forever from the kingdom, giving her to the Shark Tooth Pirates as if a proof of the newly-established alliance, but in fact just to get rid of her.

The young princess, who believed to have lost everything, was stunned to see her old friend as a captain of the ship she was cast on, but further broken-hearted once learned that he loved another. He had changed a lot – he had forsaken his name as well as his hearty attitude, turned into a forever-gloomy and quite a severe pirate captain. Maybe because the woman he loved had chosen another man over him; or because he had lost his home and everything he cherished in a single day, destroyed by the hands of his very own twin brother? In any case, he was no more the kind child she remembered him as.

Yet, her love never faded – she began to serve under his command and support him in his endeavours. Her heart would often sink when she saw him in such a pitiful state, but she could do nothing – she did not hold enough power to help him find happiness, and she did not have enough courage to disclose her feelings to him. He as a mind-reader could freely read them out whenever he wanted, but it seemed that he had grown cold to all of his surroundings, never penetrating anyone's hearts and minds because he simply didn't care. Now he had decided to end his life and, seemingly, also his pain. She did not need to be a mind-reader to feel his sorrow – she was already a reader of emotions and aura, so she could well sense it. He failed to realise he was not alone in this vast world – he still had a friend, in the form of her.

"Captain..."

"Oh, it's you, Diyuma," he exhaled the blue smoke rather coldly. "I remember I told you to only alert me when we were confronted by Koriel's forces?"

"I know, but... is it really necessary for you to face him alone, Captain?"

"It is my duty to right our wrongs".

"But you have done nothing wrong, Hinael!"

She could no longer resist – her emotions prevailed, giving into the anguish she had been harbouring in her sensitive equine heart for years. The answer she received was quite severe and wrathful, though, disregarding all of her kind intentions:

"Never dare to call me that name again! Do not meddle in my affairs. Resume your post, and alert me only when we are opposed by Koriel himself, understood?"

"Y... Yes, Captain. I... I'm sorry".

She silently quitted the chamber. Hot tears cascaded down her cheeks – his determination could not be shaken. She was right beside him, yet she could do nothing – he was slowly slipping away from her, towards the death he had chosen for himself as a penalty for the wrongs he had never committed. She was to lose him for eternity, yet she was powerless to save him – his heart was deaf to her sentiments.

After the Shark Tooth successfully parried various attacks of the Reptiloids, these latter ones hastily informed the Divine Emperor, who had by now gone on recovery from the earlier blackened injuries. Learning that Sinbad was alone, Koriel understood he was calling him in a duel. He accepted the challenge, ordering his Green Snake ship to be launched.

"Warn King Sanek to solidify his defences on Planet Earth," he added, for he well knew that sparring against his brother might cost him a lot. If the worst came to be, the Galaxy Pirate Emperor would definitely attack Earth – the homeland of his lowly father.

"Why are you so concerned about that planet, Your Majesty?"

"First of all, it rightfully belongs to you – the Reptiloids. Furthermore, it is now populated by the Gaian Worms – the lowest Hermin creatures – hence my property. Last but not least, I wouldn't want to allow that pirate brat to get away with any of his whims. I have initially destroyed my planet because my people refused to accept me as their true king – the only bright Herminoid prince. Instead, they wished to give some lowly Daluman hybrid the ultimate power, just because she was born under a lucky star to have been Queen Jallanne's child thus an heiress to the Yamidahlia technique! I've decided to destroy the planet and the Yamidahlia technique with it, but due to your Reptilish clumsiness, Princess Maluma and my brother managed to escape alive. Queen Jallanne made a big mistake – give the sacred power of Yamidahlia to some lowly Daluma? Ridiculous! Now this very Daluma-Herminoid's Gaian Worm son, who has also inherited our pure technique, wishes to ruin my plans as if he is a rightful heir to our divinity! This was what they sowed – let some lowly pests inherit the divine Herminese powers to, later on, devastate the universes! Yet my brother, a pure Herminoid like me, aids Maluma Arruroe in her and her son's disgusting endeavours! It pains me to confess, but I guess my brother's darkness has blinded his judgment a lot – that pitiful infatuation he feels towards that lowly princess has completely gotten hold of him. If he wishes to give in to his cruel fate, then so be it. I shall kill him myself. At least he'll die an honourable death by a pure Herminoid's hands. Unlike him, I shall not bend to my luckless fate. If it has not given me chances, I shall rise and take those chances myself".

Thus giving in to his bitter rage which the lowly-minded Reptiloids could hardly understand, he stood on the prow of his ship, to behold the Shark Tooth advancing towards them. His brother likewise stood at the head of the vessel, his hair untied to apparently go all out on him. The blue shark tooth necklace their father Erniel had gifted him in his final days still blazed on his chest.

Koriel could read out the whole pain and sorrow that burned within his brother's heart: shunned and cast away for his entire life by his fellow kinsmen due to being a dark child; rejected by his only love (who, by the way, had no right to reject such a noble Herminoid due to her being some lowly Daluman slut); belittled by his beloved woman's only son (who also had no right to ever look down on Hinael since he was even lowlier than his mother – a Gaian Worm pest); and brought to death's door by his own desperate choice. Koriel's own dark heart ached with rage and wrath towards all of his kinsmen he had killed, punishing them for thus casting away his beloved twin brother; towards that miserly hybrid princess to have inherited the Yamidahlia technique and the right to the throne; towards that devilish kid to be justified by the whole world and accepted as a king even though he was far worse of a tyrant than he – the Divine Emperor; and towards the unfair life itself. He stroked his cheek, to feel bright tears stream from his eyes.

"Hinael!" he yelled, for he did not wish to give in to the cruel fate that had brought them to fight, "My brother, it is not late to choose the right side! Join me, and let us rule together as we deserve to! We, two pure Herminoids, are the only true kings these universes can possibly have!"

"Shut your mouth, Koriel! Because of you and your egoistic ambitions, we are indeed the only pure Herminoids left in this world. You've destroyed all the others! Who do you expect to be king after we two die? Our lives are not eternal. Sooner or later, we shall perish, and all is your fault!"

"There are Reptilish techniques to create pure-blooded heirs without following nature's laws! Nature and fate are not to rule over us! We, divine Herminoids, are to rule over nature ourselves and forge our own fate. We do not need the Yamidahlia technique, this atrocious power that has brought inequality to our race. We shall recreate the Herminese society, where everybody shall be equal, and the worthiest will be the ruler!"

"The worthiest is exactly the one who possesses the Yamidahlia, even if they are not pure Herminoids!"

Koriel's heart sank with heaviness – his dearest brother, the only person whom he had truly loved and cherished, was already beyond reasoning. He was too blinded by the Crimson Ardour of those disgustful Daluma... The duel was indeed the only way left.

He untied his golden hair, jumped off the prow, and clashed against his brother who had done the same. They shone with their light and dark powers which both of them possessed equally. They went all out on each other, giving vent to the rage and sorrow they had harboured in their poor hearts for all those thirty Herminese years. Their ships – the Green Snake and the Shark Tooth – began bombing each other, as if sharing the feelings of their leaders.

Diyuma, while fighting against the Reptiloids together with her crewmates, could well behold the blasting fight between the two gods of equal caliber. She knew exactly what this equality would eventually bring, and her heart had already long sunk, tears gushing down her cheeks.

"I've always loved you!" Koriel yelled, his watery eyes full of rage and bitterness, "You deserve so much more than what you've accepted!"

"You've no right to talk about my worth!" Sinbad shouted back, his eyes flaring with shame and disappointment, "You've tainted our blood-line with your atrocious actions!"

"Fumidahlia!"

They both directed the ultimate rays of bright-and-dark energy towards each other. Of course, as the two Herminoids blinded by their share of darkness, both of their rays were incomplete due to their failed judgments, so the collision of the equal-powered Fumidahlia shots dealt equal injuries to both of them.

It was indeed a sorrowful tale of two brothers, attached to each other by the sacred bond of twinhood, yet destined to be torn apart. The love they shared was not enough to overpower the darkness their hearts harboured. In the end, this vile darkness drove them towards each other's destruction, while both of them naively carried the faith that one was sacrificing his own life for the salvation of the other...