Disclaimer: Do not own Star Ocean 3 characters or anything from it, so there.

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Albel trudged along the path silently, scowling darkly up at the falling snow. The mountain path to Airyglyph was too quiet for his liking, with no monsters to break the mounting tension. It had been like this ever since Luther had been defeated. Albel frowned, casting occasional glances to and fro. He suddenly halted, annoyed. Why was he being so cautious?

'You think that Fayt and the others are up to something…' A small voice inside his head told him.

"Hmpf. Stupid maggots. They wouldn't dare try to do anything to me…" Albel grumbled aloud. His ruby colored eyes darted around again, and Albel jumped when the communicator he had with him rang.

'You're paranoid…' The voice told him, sounding amused.

"Bah! Shut up!" Albel growled, as he resumed walking, choosing not to answer the communicator. Albel hated to admit it, but the voice was right. He had become more and more suspicious of his so called 'friends'. When Albel had seen them last, that maggot(Cliff) had been grinning to much for his own good, while also managing to be more irritating than usual. Then there was that fool(Fayt) who had been avoiding him upon any question asked(Fayt was also acting too happy, which annoyed Albel greatly). The other worms(Maria, Sophia and Mirage) had been giggling at any whispered comment amongst themselves, especially if he had been passing by.

This and more had caused Albel to mostly avoid them, including the other fools(Roger, Peppita, and Adray). The only person Albel had seen in the past couple of months was Nel. He enjoyed insulting her just to see her reaction. If Albel felt like he needed a fight, he'd insult her first, then initiate the battle. This seemed to be the only form of fighting he could get, with the exception of the new recruits in the Black Brigade(They were always fun to intimidate).

While he walked, the communicator kept going off continuously. Albel stubbornly ignored it, as he saw Airyglyph in the distance. He could relax somewhat once he was safely inside the city gate. A deafening roar sounded,however, and Albel glanced up at the source of the noise. It was an enormous wingless dragon, and it was furious. A satisfied smirk came to Albel's face as he dodged the dragon's tail swipe and drew his katana. Things were much more interesting now.

The dragon continued to swing its tail, while occasionally spewing fire or lashing out with its talons.

Albel dodged everything, while scoring hits with his katana and gauntlet alternately. Ten minutes into the fight, the dragon was too tired to do anything but lash out occasionally at the fast moving swordsman. By now though, Albel had grown weary of the fight, and dispatched the dragon with a few final slashes and an aura from his gauntleted palm.

The dragon toppled to the ground, dead, as Albel sheathed his katana and continued on to the gate as if nothing had happened.

The two soldiers came to rigid attention as Albel passed by them.

He noted with some amusement that one of the soldiers gave him and his gauntlet a nervous glance. Not that Albel blamed them, after seeing the battle. They probably wouldn't be able to get a good night's rest for some time.

Inside city walls, Albel shivered slightly in the cool night air, wondering why the hell he had even decided to show up. He cursed the weather profoundly, causing a mother to lead her children away, while also throwing Albel an offended look. Albel ignored her completely as he headed for the castle.

The king, Airyglyph XIII, had sent a Dragon Brigade soldier with a message for Albel. He was to come as soon as he could to Airyglyph upon receiving the message. Albel had scoffed, and decided to take his time, having some suspicion at the sudden summon. As Albel had traveled, he became more and more aware of someone or something following him. This had resulted in him being more cautious and alert.

The two soldiers at the castle gate saw Albel approaching. The younger soldier, a new recruit, spoke in a low voice to the other. "Albel sure is late. Is he always like that?"

The older soldier shrugged. "He comes and goes as he pleases."

"What…is he wearing…?" The younger soldier asked skeptically, eyeing Albel's purple sarong with faint amusement.

"I wouldn't comment on his clothing anywhere near him, unless, of course, you have a death wish." The older soldier replied quickly as Albel came to stand in front of them, a bored expression on his face.

"Open the gates." Albel commanded shortly, eyeing the young soldier silently.

The young soldier busied himself by opening the gate, to avoid the Black Brigade Captain's stare.

Albel strode by casually. "Watch what you say fool. You never know if someone's…listening." Albel said calmly as he entered the castle. The young soldier suppressed a shudder, wondering if he had just shortened his life by a few years.

Inside the castle, Albel slowly headed for the stairs which would take him up to the throne. Albel stopped in his tracks though, when a cat decided to halt in front of him and start grooming itself.

Scowling, Albel swiftly drew his katana and lashed out at the cat, chopping some of the feline's hair off.

The cat hissed angrily, and shot off, sporting a bald spot, its tail high up in the air.

Albel gave a short laugh as he sheathed his katana. "Worm," Albel muttered. Satisfied, he walked on to the stairs, which would lead him to speak to the king and find out why he was there. As Albel walked, he thought he heard a gasp and a faint scream.

Deciding that he must have heard things, Albel reached the top of the stairs and immediately frowned. The old man, Woltar, was standing next to the king, and they were conversing in quiet tones. There weren't any soldiers in the area, which made Albel slightly suspicious. 'What are they talking about?' Albel thought as he shrugged and stepped forward, halting several steps away from the king. He settled into a relaxed pose, clawed gauntlet resting on his katanas' hilt. "What is it that you wanted to see me for?" He asked, disregarding the fact that the king and Woltar were still talking.

"Ah, Albel, how nice of you to decide to show up." Woltar said with a smile.

Albel scowled at him, before turning to the king.

"This isn't an emergency or anything. It seems that Fayt and some of his friends are looking for you. They're here in the guest rooms. They wanted me to summon you, as it seems they've had some difficulties reaching you." King Airyglyph XIII told Albel.

Albel frowned with obvious displeasure. It seemed that he would have to talk with the fool(Fayt) and his friends after all.

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Please Review, this is my first Star Ocean 3 fanfiction. I'd like to know what you think of it so far.