The Draak: Part 3

Music theme for part 2: Star Ocean Till the End of Time OST – Reflected Moon (before you say anything, YES, I KNOW it's the theme for Aquaria Castle, but it fits damnit!)

V

V

"Albel! Wonderful to see you… again…"

"…"

"…You changed your clothes."

"…"

"…Certainly a different look than your usual skirt and half-shirt."

Albel growled a 'shut up' and took the seat to the right of King Airyglyph. Fayt stood awkwardly, not quite sure where he should sit. There were council members seated around the majority of the table, most of them irritated they had to wait so long for the captain of the brigades to finally appear. He was used to the small meeting room in Arias; he had never sat through a meeting in Airyglyph Castle. He was still a bit uneasy of the atmosphere in the castle, and he refused to go near the dungeons. Images of the first time he was held captive in those dark damp cells flashed across his mind. And he then remembered that Albel spent some time down there as well, chained to the wall and awaiting his fate at Vox's hands.

Albel had finally noticed Fayt was standing near the door still, and barked at him to take the seat next to his. The blue-haired boy jolted and walked quickly to slide into the chair, putting his gloved hands on the table.

King Airyglyph nodded in their direction, and faced the others. "Now, this meeting has officially started. Woltar, would you please explain the events that occurred on the previous night?"

Woltar, sitting on the king's left side, stood up slowly, giving a shaky cough. He was growing older, and his skin looked sallow and wrinkled more than usual. After Albel had been appointed the captain of the Dragon and Black Brigade, he had organized his own brigade to be the castle guard; Albel's brigade had become the foot troops, so to speak. That gave Woltar access to becoming the king's advisor, which suited him perfectly.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Late last night, a few villagers heard a large monster attacking someone right outside the tavern. Upon inspecting the area, there were signs of a struggle, but no such clues as to where the victim had gone."

During this, Albel had clenched his hand over his damaged arm underneath his cloak. Fayt noted this out of the corner of his eye, but didn't say anything.

"And, as to the whereabouts of the monster, Master Fayt unfortunately found the bridge guards killed just after the incident occurred."

Fayt felt everyone's eyes on him, and his cheeks burned slightly. He felt the red gaze of the man next to him, and gave him a small glance. Albel looked almost… fearful? What was he afraid of? As soon as the swordsman realized Fayt was looking, he immediately put his head down, his hair covering his eyes.

"Thank you, Woltar. Now, we must bring into question as to how the creature overpowered our guards so easily and gained entrance to the city. The monster population in our region would not invoke such a powerful beast. What say you?" The king glanced around.

"Hmph. Doesn't matter where it's from, it just needs to be killed." Albel muttered. Fayt stared at his profile; Albel was refusing to look up at him for some reason. Fayt turned his eyes to the king, who had been looking at Albel with slight concern.

"It would be wise to first ascertain where it hails from, Albel, before we rush into something that could cost lives," the king silently scolded. Albel simply grunted, turning his head away slightly. Fayt noticed his hand was gripping his bandaged arm rather tightly, and his brows furrowed together in greater concern. As the men continued to council around them, he silently wished Albel would look at him. How was he to help the swordsman if Albel locked himself away? Was he forgetting that Fayt offered to be near him, to make sure he wasn't alone? Albel didn't have any friends on Elicoor II; Nel was always busy in her own country, training her subordinates and continuing her missions for the queen. Wait, that's it!

Fayt slid his chair out, standing up. That caused everyone to pause. "I move that we ask for Aquaria's assistance in this as well. With our combined knowledge and cooperation, we may be able to protect more people than if we tried to handle this ourselves."

Everyone in the council was murmuring, giving him incredulous looks. Ask for help from Aquaria? They already had to once, during the war when it seemed impossible to defeat the celestial ships. Many of the men still held grudges, Fayt noted. He glanced at the king. At least, it seemed King Airyglyph was giving it some thought.

"I second that."

Fayt swiveled his head in shock at Albel, who had remained quiet through all the chatting. He was agreeing with Fayt?

Albel raised his head finally, locking eyes with the king. "We need the strongest fighters we can get, and I believe Aquaria has several of them." He didn't turn his gaze to Fayt, who had finally sat back down, shock still written on his face. Albel was actually agreeing with his proposal… to ask for help…?

The king nodded. "Yes, it would be wise to have their warriors here as well. They may know something we don't about this creature, and the sooner we pool our resources, the sooner we can erect a battle plan against it."

The men at the table nodded their agreement, and King Airyglyph turned his gaze to Albel once again. "I will then ask that you head to the capital of Aquaria and see the queen. Please ask her to join us in a council. We shall hold it as soon as you return with news."

Albel simply nodded once, and stood up. He stepped around his chair, and began to walk out, Fayt beginning to follow.

"Oh, Master Fayt, one thing before you leave." Both men had paused, Albel near the doors to the chamber. Woltar motioned for the blue-haired youth to come near. "Albel, you may wait outside. This will take but a moment." Albel frowned, but did as told and stalked out.

Fayt came around the table, standing between King Airyglyph's chair and Woltar's. Woltar placed his hand on the young man's arm. "Both the king and I are concerned for Albel's well-being. We know it was him attacked outside the tavern. Our recon soldiers brought back a piece of his gauntlet from the snow. Now, I'm not sure what has happened, but I ask that you please keep a close eye on him. He never has been one to ask for help, and I'm doubly sure he needs it now."

Fayt nodded, glancing towards the king. Both these men cared for Albel; almost like an uncle and a brother. He understood why they would ask him of this, and he agreed wholeheartedly. The king had been writing on a piece of parchment, and had finished rolling it tightly, placing his seal on it. He handed it to Fayt, who took it and stowed it in the pack underneath his sword sheath. "Please give that to Queen Aquaria. It gives all the information on the creature we have so far."

Fayt bowed to the king, and walked around Woltar's chair to proceed out the door. Before he left the chamber, he heard King Airyglyph utter a small "Keep him safe" in his direction.

V

V

Albel shifted, his back against the castle gates. What was taking them so long? He needed to leave now; his clothes weren't getting repaired just sitting in his pack. And his arm refused to stop aching. That damn bite wound was pulsing in tune with his heartbeat, and every pump of his blood sent more pain to his nerves. He couldn't even make a fist, let alone hold something. He hadn't held something with that hand for a long time though, so he wasn't that uncomfortable. What made him more uncomfortable was the look that Fayt kept giving him. Like he should be pitied. If there was one thing Albel Nox hated most, it was being pitied. It only proved that he had shown weakness, and should therefore be cared for like some stupid child.

Thinking of being a child sent him hurtling back to the days he trained with his father. His father was everything he couldn't be: strong, smart, and brave. He had plenty of men who would gladly give their lives to his cause, and plenty of women who wanted to be his wife. Not that his father had ever remarried or had other children. Albel could still remember the quiet nights he spent in his room, just laying there listening to his father weep for his beloved wife. Albel couldn't remember his mother. He hadn't even seen her face; she had died giving birth to him. His father always told him that she was watching over him, and that he should behave, otherwise his mother would be sad. Albel could only feel that her death was his fault. If he hadn't been born, she would still be there, smiling and laughing along with his father. His father wouldn't be so sad and lonely if his mother was still around.

The ceremony was the cause for his hatred. He could feel the disappointment, the shame, the absolute pity that rolled off peoples' tongues when they spoke to him. It wasn't his fault. He shouldn't blame himself. He should be thankful he was alive. Deep in his core, there started a darkness, a hatred for everything. Including himself. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself the most.

He heard Fayt's voice from behind the gates, and shoved himself forward to start walking. "Let's get moving!" he yelled over his shoulder.

Hurried steps rushed behind him, and the blue-haired youth caught up to walk by his side. "We should really stock up on supplies first, Albel."

The swordsman scoffed. "Fine, then I'm getting myself a drink before we leave. I can't stand being sober and listening to you prattle on all day."

Fayt pouted angrily, and simply walked ahead of Albel, his steps angry and quick. Albel slowed, watching him. He hadn't meant to let that sentence escape his mouth. He put his hand on his face, feeling the heat from his forehead seep into his glove. He just wasn't feeling too well. If at all possible, his bad moods seem to have gotten worse. Somewhere in his dark heart, he felt guilty for snapping at Fayt. He had a fleeting thought of apologizing, but that was quickly squashed under his bloated ego. Albel Nox, apologize? The end of the world before that, surely. Well, the end of the world had nearly come; the end of their whole universe, actually. He shivered at the thought of the 4-D world. They controlled this universe for so long, with no one knowing. Only Fayt and his companions knew the truth. Albel wished he hadn't even left the planet. If that's what was out there beyond the sky, then Albel wished he had never accompanied them. His simplistic view of the world, 'kill or be killed', was distorted into 'save everyone or save yourself'. Fayt selflessly gave himself to save everyone, but what if Albel had to make that choice?

He gave a soft sigh, watching his breath leave him in a wispy exhale, and turned to enter the shop Fayt had entered.

V

V

Fayt put his hand to his chin, frowning. The selection was few, and his pack could barely hold any more items. He wished Albel would allow use of his pack for healing and restorative items, but he insisted on carrying his own stuff, leaving Fayt to carry the necessities. His mood darkened at the thought of the brigade captain. That comment he made was just plain rude. Fayt knew that Albel was moody as of late, and had been attacked, but that did not give him the right to put his comrade down. Fayt was sticking by him, so why did Albel still treat him like dirt?

He sighed, and straightened, pointing out the berries. His coin purse wouldn't be dented; in case a new weapon came out on the guild network, he kept a large sum with him. The inventors sought to raise such ludicrous prices for their masterpieces. Not that Fayt hadn't done the same when he had invented a few things, namely the armor he was using at the moment, filled with defensive boosts and the like. He sorely wished for the technology of Earth, at times; it would make things a bit easier. Oh, to have a vehicle…

A nudge at his side jolted him, and he nearly gasped as Albel's face appeared next to his, looking down at his purchases. "Got everything?"

It was good that Albel wasn't peering closely at him, or he would have seen the blush Fayt was sporting. "U-Uh, yeah…"

"Good." Swiping up the bag of berries, Albel tucked it away in his pack and shuffled out the door. "You coming or what, fool?"

Fayt stared after him, in slight shock. Why had Albel gotten that close to him? And why did he blush at the heat radiating off the warrior? He shook his head to clear it, and paid the amount due to the cashier. And then he realized that Albel had taken the bag. Was he offering his use of his pack; was this his way of apology?

Fayt smiled in understanding. Albel had his ways; it just took some time to translate them. He pushed the door open, noting that Albel had waited for him just outside. "You ready, fool?"

Fayt nodded, sliding his sword a bit higher on his hips. "Let's go." He could forgive Albel. It wasn't his fault; Fayt had the sneaking suspicion that he had been wounded by the creature. That would explain his foul mood, and the need to go out and murder it for even looking at him. But thinking back to the council, Fayt idly wondered why Albel had agreed to go to Aquaria to request assistance. Maybe he was keen on having Nel or Adray a part of this…?

Whatever the reason, Fayt would follow Albel. He had yet to find out what the substance he had found in front of the tavern was made of. And why it so closely resembled the drops of blood Albel had dripped on the floor of the inn that day.

V

V

End part 3

Bahhhh, this seems like it'll never get anywhere. It's not quite ready to begin yet, but the good parts have yet to come. I should really work on my other story, but this one has caught my interest… (rubs back of head while nervously smiling) Ah well, I'm quite ready to write something more. Check back soon, Albel's new threat is next chapter!