Alear feels like his world is falling apart.
He is not Queen Lumera's child. He is a child of the Fell Dragon Sombron, one of his several. When the Divine Dragons' forces arrived at Elusia Castle, they were expecting a battle for the last remaining Emblem Rings. What they didn't expect was Griss risking using the Ring of the Caring Princess to discover an unexpected truth - Alear's true parentage. What was his proof? Divine Dragons summon Emblems through prayer. Fell Dragons summon Emblems through invocations... exactly what Alear has been doing this whole time. Looking back at the mock battle at Lythos Castle Gardens, Lumera summoned Sigurd without speaking a single word.
Griss runs away while laughing at his success. Everyone (except for Alear, who can barely move due to the shock of the revelation) searches the entire castle for the Four Hounds, Veyle, and Sombron. Their search turned up empty. The castle is deserted. The only occupants are Alear, Raela, and their allies.
Alear feels that, apart from Lumera's death, he is emotionally at his lowest right now. When he woke up from his thousand-year slumber, he was told that he was a Divine Dragon - a deity known for kindness, nobility, and bravery. But as it turns out, he's a Fell Dragon. The more he thinks about this, the worse he feels. His heart feels like it's sinking. His mind is hurting. His legs feel weak.
"Everyone, if what Griss said is true, I should leave," Alear said, still shaken from the revelation.
"Leave? What are you saying, brother?" Raela questioned.
"On the night Queen Lumera died, I had a nightmare where I was surrounded by flames. My hair and eyes were red," Alear revealed. "Now I see, it wasn't a nightmare. It was a memory."
"It was just a bad dream. It doesn't prove anything," said Alfred.
"Maybe not, but this will..." Alear looks over at the Ring of the Holy Knight. "Emblem Sigurd, I seek your guidance."
Emblem Sigurd appears before everyone.
"You knew me a thousand years ago, didn't you? If so, can you please answer this question?" Alear pleaded. "Am I the Fell Dragon's child?"
Sigurd hesitates before saying, "You are."
Everyone in the room gasps, shocked by Sigurd's confirmation. They didn't want to believe that the kind and noble Divine Dragon Prince could be a fraud, but there was no denying the words of someone who was there in the war a thousand years ago.
"Raela," Alear called.
Raela grunted, knowing what he's gonna say to her.
"Mother only had one child, did she?" Alear asked.
Raela grunts again and says, "Yes, I am her only child."
Alear hangs his head in sorrow. The truth was undeniable now.
"I apologize. With your memories lost, we thought you could be happy living this way," said Sigurd. "Lumera, Raela, and I agreed to this on the day you awoke."
"But, wait, there's something about this I don't understand," said Diamant. He looks at the Divine Dragon Princess and says, "Your Divineness, you and your brother look so much alike. Are you certain only one of you is Queen Lumera's child?"
Raela raises her right hand and draws everyone's attention to something. It was a bracelet. Raela takes it off. Suddenly, Raela's hair and eyes start to glow. The color red on her was being replaced with another color... blue. Now, she definitely looks like Queen Lumera's child, with eyes and hair of a divine blue. She doesn't look like she could be a sister of Alear. This is yet another shocking revelation for her friends.
"An illusion spell," Raela explained. "I was afraid that the colors of Alear's hair and eyes would clue people in on his true origins. And so, I sought out a dark mage who specialized in deceptive magic. I asked them to enchant my bracelet to make the color of my own hair and eyes identical to Alear's. I thought, this way, people won't question our relation to Mother."
"So, Queen Lumera lied to us? She lied to all of us for a thousand years?" Framme asked, also shaken from the truth.
"It would appear so," Vander said sadly. "How could she deceive us like this?"
"Why did she call me her child?" Alear wondered, very confused.
"Sombron had turned his back on you. Your life was in danger. Both you and Lumera wished, above all else, to be a family," Sigurd answered. "That is the fullness of my knowledge."
"I'm sorry, everyone. I'm not a Divine Dragon. I never was," Alear said, dispirited.
"But should... should that even matter?" Yunaka asked.
"I... I can't say," Pandreo said, unsure of what to say.
"But that doesn't we have no hope of winning this war," said Alear. "You still have Raela... the Divine Dragon Princess, a true child of Queen Lumera. I cannot be there to guide you, much less fight you. I'm sorry, but I have to stay away."
"So, is that it? You're just going to leave us?" Raela questioned.
"What do you expect me to do? I am Sombron's child. I don't deserve to stand beside our friends in battle," Alear argued. "I don't deserve to stand beside you, Raela. I am not really your brother. You're not my sister. The responsibility of leading our friends to victory, it cannot fall to me. The power of a Divine Dragon is what we need to stop Sombron. I don't have such power."
"Why do you assume you lack the power of a Divine Dragon?" Sigurd questioned. "You have Fell Dragon blood, yes, but you forget your own abilities. Remember what happened at Florra Port, when you summoned me? Emblems summoned through a Fell Dragon's power cannot communicate. A Fell Dragon's invocation robs an Emblem of their free will. Their service is compulsory. With a prayer, the Emblem keeps their free will. A Divine Dragon would wish nothing less."
"When I summoned you back at Florra Port, you regained your free will," Alear remembered.
"You used both invocation and prayer," Sigurd continued. "You do, indeed, have the power of a Divine Dragon. Your hair and eyes prove the fact eloquently. At one time, both were red. The blue is proof that, through Lumera's love, you have inherited a Divine Dragon's power. Lumera shortened her life not only to ensure your recovery but also so you could succeed her. We Emblems fight alongside you of our own volition, because you indeed have the power of a Divine Dragon."
"Mother wanted us to carry on her legacy," Raela added. "So, what do you say... brother? Do you still wish to leave us?"
"I... I don't... I mean, I want..." Alear hesitated.
"Then hear this, brother," said Raela. "Yes, Mother and I lied to everyone. We created the legend of the Divine Dragon Prince so that you could wake up to a life befitting of a deity. It pained me to hide from everyone the truth about your lineage, but I did it for you and for her. In truth, the deception was my idea. Mother didn't want to lie, but I was the one who believed that the people's faith in the Divine Dragons would wane if they found out one of us adopted a Fell Dragon's child. It hurt Mother to have to perpetuate a lie that I started, but I wanted what I thought was best for everyone. I have now realized that I let fear and worry dictate my actions. I was afraid and worried of losing the faith of those who pray to me and to Mother."
"You just wanted everyone to be happy," Alear assumed.
Raela turns to her allies and says, "It is I who must apologize. I kept an important secret from all of you. I don't deserve your forgiveness. As a friend and as a deity, I have disappointed you. But believe me when I say that this changes nothing of what has to be done. Our mission is to stop Sombron once and for all. The question is..."
Raela looks at her brother again.
"Will you fight with me?" Raela asked.
"I... I will," Alear answered. "I want to stay. I still want to fight beside all of you."
"And what about the rest of you?" Raela asked her allies. "Will you stand by me in this fight? Will you stand with the one who I happily call my brother?"
"I know I cannot change the fact that I am the Fell Dragon's child," said Alear. "All this time, I've been trying to live up to a legend I thought no longer existed. But what mattered to me was keeping all of you safe. I would like to continue on as the Divine Dragon Prince, if you'll have me."
"There is no debate to be had here. I will follow you, now and always," said Alfred. "I care about you, both of you, too much to turn my back on you."
"Your guidance, your leadership, that's what has gotten us this far," said Diamant. "I have no reason to hesitate and second-guess myself. I will follow you."
"To me, it's not about how you were born. It's what you do," said Timerra. "And what you two have done is live up to the legend of the Divine Dragon."
"Conflicted as I may be, I am made resolute by the terror of losing you," said Ivy. "To me, you are the Divine Dragons. My faith in you remains strong."
"You gave me purpose when I thought no one would ever accept me," said Yunaka. "I will stay and follow your lead, no matter what."
"I know a thing or two about deception, so I know which ones I can forgive," said Fogado. "I'm not backing down or stepping away. I'll fight with you."
"As a Steward of the Dragon, I shall continue to fight under your command," said Vander. "To me, you both have more than proven yourselves as Divine Dragons."
"You are pure of heart, Divine One," said Citrinne. "Despite this cruel reality, you still have hope. I am more than motivated to keep fighting by your side."
Lapis steps closer towards Alear. There was a moment of silence between the two of them. Lapis looks like she was trying to either form words or struggling to put on a smile. That smile eventually showed up and it was as genuine as it can be. There was also this certain look in her eyes, a look that seems to go beyond admiration and devotion.
"This changes nothing, Divine One," Lapis smiled. "Since the start, all you've done is be kind, generous, and a source of inspiration for all of us. Fighting the good fight, leading us to victory, protecting us, all with a genuine smile on your face. You care about us. You care about everyone. The truth doesn't change what you really are. This doesn't change how we see you. You are and always will be a Divine Dragon in our eyes. Even if Fell Dragon blood is all the runs through your veins, that doesn't change all the good you have done up to this point. I am proud to stand by your side, to fight beside you, to care for you. I know what it's like to doubt yourself because of where you come from, but I never let that stop me. And it shouldn't stop you either."
"Thank you, Lapis," Alear said sincerely and with a smile.
"Well, they have spoken, brother," said Raela. "Shall we?"