Once, there were two boys standing upon the ruins of the Eternal City. They are twins. Their face, body, and even voice are the same. They wore nothing but ragged clothes, dirt covered their whole body. Yet, their beauty would captivate anyone who would look upon them, men and women alike. Both had lustrous golden hairs like golden silks. Their body were like the most marvelous statues being made alive. Eyes like sparkling gems that beautifully reflect the lights. Truly worthy to be called demigods. The only characteristic that differentiate one from the other, was their eye colors. One had lushful green eyes like the colors of a flourished tree, while the other had the color of bright crimson red like fresh blood.

 At that time, they were still just a couple of young boys. They had no family, no friend, only living together in the jungles that were the pride of humanity called Rome. How they ended up living like this, was unknown. Some said that their own parents abandoned them once they saw their outstanding beauty. Thought that they gave birth to a pair of monsters, they threw them into the wild. Others said that instead, they were saved by their mother when their home was attacked by a violent beast. Some even said that their father was not a human, but a god. The truth remained unknown even for the twins, but what was certain, was that they were beings that trascended human qualities.

 The boy with the green eyes turned his face sideways to his red eyed twin brother. The boy was looking confused. His brother had said something that would change their future entirely, and then the entire world. Thought they had no parents, they were able to speak fluently, even as much as a skilled orator at that age. They were able to read when they reached adolescent age. They found abandoned books as they wandered through the city, which would be doomed to be turned to dust by the wheel of time, with no one reading them anymore, if not for the twins. At first the twins only thought of them not much different than stones or woods, using them like pillows or used to be their bed on the ground.

 But when they looked upon the content, their mind was filled with images drawn on the pages, thinking about the world described inside the books. Science, novels, and even children books. Not for long, they were able to decipher what the books told, then they began to understand how to read, and then, speech. They found the word that could only describe the two as ‘brothers’. They thought it was beautiful. It defined their existence, and strengthened their brotherly bond.

“We will leave this place, and soon return to make it as our home”

 Leaving the place? What was my brother talking about? The green eyed boy thought. The city, the abandoned city that had turned literal urban jungle since long ago, was their home, their entire world. True, the books said that back then, there were lots, lots of ‘humans’ living here. But they were all gone, only beasts that made it as their home.

 But, the twins’ bond was special, as it’s as if they could know what the other one was thinking instantly, as if they can share their thought with the other. Yet, misunderstanding and different opinions could still happen to them. Even when one can share the thought with the other, full understanding is impossible. Might be they are special twins, they are still not the same person. So, the boy struggled to comprehend what his brother was thinking.

“But why? Am i not enough for you, brother? Are the others not enough to keep you company brother?”

 So far, the only company they had was each other, and some Beasts they tamed as they struggled to survive here. But his brother said that---

“We will find the others just like us, and we will live with them”

Why the brother would think that? Probably, the red eyed boy thought what it would be like to live with other people, with friends, with a family. After reading those books, and maybe even saw pictures in the city that still remained after she was abandoned, the boy wanted to know how to live with other people than themselves. They all looked happy being with each other, smiling with bright smile as if having no worries.

“But brother, i’m scared”

What the green eyed boy meant, was that they were not always happy. The books also told them that there were fightings, arguments and even conflicts that made a lot of people died as if they were animals.. The green eyed boy feared that, what if his brother turned to fight against him instead? What if, somehow, they were to be split and then turned to fight with each other? No, the brother loved him too much as the red eyed brother loved him as much too. Since they could even just cry, a brother was the only thing they ever had.

“Don’t worry. We will not just live with them. We will make them to follow us here, and we will live here together. They will follow us, and we will make them happy”

“Brother, i believe you. You and i are of the same. While we may think differently, our thought is from the same. I will follow you wherever you go, as you will with me”

The brothers then left the abandoned city, searching for people out there. Years later, they would return to the city where they were raised. But not as young boys anymore, but as men followed by thousands. They and their followers then were quick to take over the city, which was the brother’s first home. When it’s finally safe to live in, they began to revive the city. The people that followed the brothers began to live in the huge city, just like their ancestors used to live.

“Brother.... I believe in you...”

 One day, on a dark day where it was very cloudy, a man was holding another man in his hands. The man was crying loudly, begging for his forgiveness. Despite he was such a fine man, he was crying like a little boy, desperately asking for his brother to not go. He felt like his own body was going to be missing for the rest of his life. It feels painful. The red eyed brother was holding his twin, green eyed brother, now soaked in blood and his once bright eyes like the finest gems were losing their light.

“Remus! Forgive me! Please, don’t go! Don’t leave me alone! It feels very painful!”

The twin faced god is losing one of his face. And just like losing a half of his body, it felt painful as if being torn apart in two.

“My twin brother, Romulus, live on and fulfill your promise, as you have promised me back then. We are of the same, our mind is of the same. I will still live along with you. Spread your seed, our into this world, grow it well and we will return together.”

The green eyed brother’s life then finally came into a closure, dying in the arms of his beloved brother. The red eyed brother felt so much pain, as if having lost half of his own body. He regretted that he had turned against his own brother, the one he promised to not ever let that happen. His sparkling tears wet the ground, and raindrops began to follow. He had saved many, and slain many, but what is this feeling? He never experienced regret ever before. It was something very heavy for Romulus, who could flip up a building with one hand. He could only clutch his heart, as he felt knee first to the ground helpless, for the first time in his life.

“This world is full of mistakes....”

The old man woke up from his brief nap, reminiscing the shiny days he had with his brother. He was sitting on his throne, doing his daily duty as a king. Attending to his people’s need, giving orders to his subordinates, and then waiting for their reports. The king had gotten old, a remnant of the almighty leader he was.

Even though his face was covered with thick, long grey beard, under the veil of his now long, greyed hair, losing its lustrous golden color over the years, the king hadn’t yet lost all of his brilliance. Men at his age would have turned scrawny, wrinkled senile already, while they maybe heroes in the past. Romulus still retained his demigod muscles, gripping tightly on his spear, a striking symbol to those who question his might. And his eyes hadn’t yet lost their brightness. No, he couldn’t give in yet. Giving into old age would only disgrace himself as the mighty king of Nova Roma, and for his late brother too. His gaze was still sharp, making anyone who stands in his presence to stand stiff. His moment will arrive soon, when he will be reunited with his twin brother. Until then, he will lead his people as always, as they are still like infants in his view.