Gentle eyes opened, the brown irises dotted with a small pupil that slowly began to focus and adjust to the morning. Soft brown hair, with the tips slowly dissolving to a blonde color, laid upon the boy's face. He was only just thirteen, having turned over a new year last week. The morning was silent, a soft drizzling rainfall outside of the tiny stone and mortar home. A soft rustle was off to the side, a few feet over being the father's bed as the occupant began to stir. Sighing, the boy rolled over as he remembered what was to happen today. A ceremony, called Ascension of the Flame, was held for boys that had great potential, enough to join those of the elite Dragon Brigade. The Dragon Brigade was one of three military branches for the Airyglyphian Kingdom, all feared and respected to great lengths.
Slowly sitting up, young Albel Nox rubbed his face before he got out of bed and dressed himself in a simple white tunic and a pair of slacks. He didn't need to wear anything fancier than that, especially when there was a chance that he could die. Yes... that was the problem of this renowned ceremony. Many people have died attempting this, because they could not succeed. Albel's father Glou, was the current captain of the Dragon Brigade, another military branch, so it was only expected that the offspring of Glou was bound for great things and immense power. As such, he had been chosen to strive for the Dragon Brigade. After washing his face, Albel was sitting at the table, eating some salted pork with his father. The man had dark brown eyes and short brown hair, with a little bit in the front longer than the rest. He was lean and muscular, silent in his own ways. Today was not a day for speaking. Even now at breakfast, a single utterance of a word may break the focus on the situation. Glou was not pleased about this, as Albel was all he had left. The mother had died shortly after childbirth, and Glou's position as captain made him feared above all. So he was simply alone, living with his son who might not have a future after today.
Albel and Glou were soon standing at the front doors of the castle, Glou's large hand resting gently upon his son's shoulder in a reassuring manner. His son knew very well the dangers, and they had trained for so long to prepare him for this. Now all it was down to, was to have Albel commune with the dragons. There was no way to train for that, because it was a gift only a select few people had.
Being brought into the Dragon's Chamber, where the military dragons resided, the officials such as the king, Vox as the commander of the Dragon Brigade, and several other men were watching. No one else but the highest of officials were allowed. Albel was only glad that his father was standing off to the side with his arms crossed. Hope was in his eyes, but his expression was just as grim as everyone else's. The Airyglyphian castle had been built right into the side of the mountain, where the entire Airyglyph city resided. It was almost constantly snowing, but it did rain during the warmer seasons to help the scarce farming boom. With the castle into the mountain, men had simply dug an enormous cave into the rock and the dragons were quite content with that. There were only a few torches in the walls, but the entire cave still seemed rather dark and eerie, a dampness all around accompanied by a rank and musty smell from the mildew. But that was aside from the rank stench of the creatures that resided here, from the droppings and the overall hygiene of the creatures themselves. Sure, the cave was constantly cleaned, but the smell would never go away. The cave shook gently as a large dragon was brought forth. This one was different than most dragons, as it didn't appear to have scales, but it had skin like a shark. It was smooth and a dull green color, the amber eyes immediately locking upon the boy. As this dragon was the easiest-going of all of the dragons, this one was well-versed in the procedures of the ceremony. The room was dead silent except the gentle crackle of the flames from the torches, boy and dragon staring each other down. Albel's brown eyes remained innocent, trying to reach his mind out for the creature, attempting to feel anything, anything at all. He could tell the dragon was trying the same, eyes locked without even a single blink. Several minutes passed by until a sudden throbbing pain hit Albel in his head. He could tell this wasn't working, the instant he felt the headache. But as the dragon continued pushing, Albel felt like his mind and skull were going to shatter. The pain being so intense, he finally let out a yelp and staggered back, holding his head. At the instant he backed down, the dragon threw back its head, the throat enlarging to the size as if the beast had just swallowed a whole pig.
Albel gasped at this, seeing a heavy plume of smoke being emitted from the dragon's mouth, and he could do nothing but stand perfectly still, trembling in fear as the dragon's head lowered. But all was a blur as Glou charged forward and he grabbed Albel, shielding the boy with his back. He couldn't lose Albel… not the only thing left in Glou's life since the passing of his wife to their only son. The boy gasped as he stared up at his father for the briefest moment, horror etching itself onto his features. The dragon then roared, fire passing over them the instant Glou's arms were around Albel.
To the bystanders who were horrified at the sudden turn of events, they listened to both screams, a horrible sound of both terror and agony. The room felt like an oven with the large plume of fire that only lasted for a few seconds, and once it died away, the dragon merely trudged on back to the rest of the lizards. Glou fell to his knees, his eyes still open wide in pain. He hadn't been scared, though. Not when he knew that this was the right thing to do. Albel stood there, his left arm severely burned since he too had returned the hug, his right hand clutching at Glou's tunic for safety. And as such, only the right arm was severely damaged, while his left leg was burnt as well. The arm hung limply to his side as he stared at his father, who then simply collapsed to the floor, his whole back burned beyond anything imaginable, almost like parchment thrown into a fire. Glou's eyes turned to Albel then, watching as the boy fell to his knees beside his father, eyes wide and filled with tears. His right hand lifted, shaking tremendously as he touched his father's face. The action only caused the man to give a weak and happy chuckle, all too happy to see his son had survived. Then, his eyes closed and a soft and gentle sigh of death comforting him left Glou. Albel gently spoke out 'father', questioning him as his hand moved to the man's shoulder, giving him a gentle shake. His teeth gritted in an effort to keep himself from crying, but large tears soon began to run down his face. Woltar, an advisor to the king and in charge of the final military branch, rushed forward and grabbed the boy, trying to pull him away. In the military, it was alright to see the death of another man, but seeing less of a passed loved one meant less mourning, in their opinion. Albel let out a shriek of both terror and agony, struggling violently to try and get away from the man, but it was to no avail as Woltar was too strong and Albel was pulled away from the body. Albel continued sobbing and shrieking, yelling out words that didn't even fit into any language. He even called out for his father, clawing at Woltar with his good hand to try and escape, but nothing happened. Woltar soon threw Albel into a guest bedroom, and the door slammed before the infamous 'click' signaled that the man had locked him inside. As Woltar walked away, he could hear the horrible sobbing from the other side of the door, the helpless pounding of a weakened fist on the heavy door. The pounding soon stopped, but all that was left was still more crying. Albel was a failure.