Prologue: A Different Side of the Same World
"Every coin has two sides. Every mountain has a valley. For every strength there is a weakness. For every up there is a down." -L.R. Knost
Magina had been looking into the source of the Shadow Realm Duelists for quite some time now, but for a few months, there was a great moment of respite still to be shared, as the group decided to remain in Lythos for the time being to continue enjoying the lull period of things, when suddenly, Kezaniah approached Siege and Alear, who were enjoying tea together, as she had the Four Hounds with her.
"Radiant Savior. My sister, the Divine Dragon. May I have your audience for a moment?" Kezaniah asked.
"What's up, Kezeniah?" Alear asked.
"Come, there is something you need to see, both of you. The well in the Somniel. Richard and Veyle are already there." Kezeniah explained.
"The well in the Somniel…?" Siege asked.
"What do you mean?" Alear also asked, her interest piqued by what Kezeniah was suggesting.
"Come. You will see." Kezeniah explained as she and the Four Hounds guided Alear and Siege to the well… as they soon felt an interesting aura coming from it, as Richard and Veyle were also there.
"This aura… has it always been here and we never noticed it?" Siege asked.
"It's something that I noticed recently as well." Richard remarked, before he brushed his finger along the foundation. "...How odd, I can sense that there is spatial magic within the well… as if it's linked to another place entirely… like the Otherworld itself. But the connection on the other side… it seems familiar…"
"Like… a different side of a coin?" Veyle suggested.
"An odd suggestion but… not entirely off base. After all, a coin is of the same material, yet one side and the other side are different…" Siege remarked.
"I can tell you that it is somehow luring us here, the presence wants us to be here." Zephia remarked. "Well, out of all of us, only I, Lady Veyle and Richard could tell. And Kezeniah also felt the same."
"But now that you mention it…" Alear remarked, as she raised a hand over the well, as she felt a slight tingling sensation across her arm. "...It feels like that this presence wants me more than anything or anyone else, with how much of a sensation I'm getting, so near to the well."
"How much of a sensation?" Veyle remarked, before she crossed eyes with Richard and Zephia. "We only felt a gentle suggestion. What did you feel, sister?"
"I felt like my entire arm was shaking, when it was hovering over that well." Alear answered back. "I could refuse, but the presence… it's as if it's begging for me to come over."
"It's begging us all… well… why keep it waiting? We might find clues to help Magina track down the sudden insurgence of Shadow Realm Duelists." Siege remarked.
"Alright." Richard remarked, before he then pressed his hands together. "I'll attempt to create a channel between this well and where the destination lies. Hopefully, it comes across well."
Richard then pulled his hands apart, as purple energy sparked from it, before he then snapped them open with a roar, as a large purple portal was manifested right before them, as Griss whistled lightly.
"Wow. Now that's some real magic there." Griss remarked.
"After you, Divine Dragon." Richard curtly remarked, gesturing for Alear to go first.
Alear nodded, before the group entered the portal, with Alear first, as they felt themselves being transported between dimensions.
As they walked through the spatial realm that Richard's channel created, they noticed that there was footsteps that were coming towards them, as the group looked around for the source… only to come face to face with another Alear, identical in all but gender.
"That's…!? Alear!?" Marni exclaimed with shock. "Hold on, hold on, why are there two Alears here?"
"Calm down, there must be a reason for this." Zephia told Marni, before turning to the other Alear. "Who are you? Are you Alear of another world?"
"Alear… so that is your name here." The male Alear remarked. "My name… No, it is no matter. My name lost its meaning long ago."
"You feel so familiar, as if you could have been my own twin brother." Alear remarked. "I want to say that I have met you before, past or present, but I doubt that something like that could be forgotten… which means…"
"Indeed, we have never met before, and I am well aware of that." The male Alear remarked, before he then looked at the group before you. "How odd… it seems that you come with a few familiar faces. Those of your world traversing to ours… what will those in my realm will think of their counterparts?"
"Counterparts?" Mauvier remarked, curious. "So we exist over there, do we?"
"You four do, and so does my sister." The male Alear remarked, gesturing towards the hounds. "But the other three… I do not know of them. Perhaps that is another difference that exists in my world. And yet… you, the one who bears the presence of a Fell Dragon… you must be kin of Sombron of your world… who are you?"
"My name is Kezaniah… the eldest of Sombron's children." Kezaniah remarked.
"Wait… so there was no Radiant Savior in your world?" Siege asked.
"No." The male Alear answered back. "There was only the Divine Dragon Empress, Lumera. And her mortal Fell Dragon foe, Sombron."
"Well, guess that stays the same." Griss remarked with a deadpan tone.
"Indeed. I wonder… I can only wonder how much change there is in the world we're heading to." Kezaniah remarked.
"Returning to the matter at hand… As you are my reflection, Alear… You are my land's last hope." The male Alear remarked. "I can tell that you have come here on your own will. So will you save those who are important to me?"
"Of course, I'll help however I can." Alear nodded back.
"Really? You accept my plea without hearing what it entails?" The male Alear asked back.
"I know what it feels like to lose a loved one." Alear remarked, before eyeing the entire group one by one. "We all do, in one form or another. If your world cries to be saved from whatever diseases it with malice, then I will do my duty as Divine Dragon and save it. With the Radiant Saviour, the four Hounds, my two sisters, and the magician who fought the impossible… we'll be more than enough to face even Sombron once again."
"Heh. Such confidence and devotion." The male Alear cracked a smile. "You truly remind me of my own mother, which I believe we share… but the relation is of different kinds, I presume."
"You are a direct son of Queen Lumera, while Alear would be the foster daughter of Queen Lumera. Am I correct?" Richard asked.
"Correct. Now, suffice to say, the land I speak of is threatened by a foe with a wicked heart, and there have been other disturbances, beings that I have never heard before rampaging across the lands." The male Alear remarked, as Richard and Siege traded looks, affirming their suspicions. "The only hope for my people is for you to collect the seven Bracelets."
"Bracelets…?" Alear asked, before she then looked at her Emblem Ring. "Ah, so they must be a substitute for Emblem Rings from our world. Do they bear the same power of granting immense power when all are gathered?"
"That is correct. And there are also a trio of Bracelets that hail from other worlds foreign to even Elyos of my world." The male Alear stated. "Now, I shall leave you to continue, for your quest will begin through the end of the channel. Those you encounter after arriving will guide you."
"Will… Will you and I ever meet again?" Alear asked her counterpart."
"We will not." The male Alear shook his head. "Nor have we ever met. Not even in this very moment."
"Hm, that's a peculiar statement." Marni hummed. "But don't worry, we'll help Lady Alear handle whatever comes next!"
"You remind me much of your other self indeed." The male Alear remarked, before walking past the group, phasing past them, revealing his status as a phantom. "Be off now. I thank you all, and wish you good fortune in the battles ahead. Farewell, my fellow Divine Dragon. My twin from another world. On your journey, I hope you feel joy, suffering, sorrow… and love. Because I will feel nothing anymore. I will never awaken again."
The male Alear then continued walking, before dissipating in a spray of red and blue particles, as Alear looked at her counterpart's departure with a solemn look in her eyes, before she then closed her eyes, and pressed on.
"Rest easy, your world will find peace." Richard stated quietly, before he continued on. "We shall make it so."
The group soon finished their trek across the spacial plain, before their eyes were laid on Lythos Castle… in much worse shape than the one they knew.
"Lythos Castle…" Siege remarked, looking about with a displeased look on his face. "...It's in shambles…"
"So the war didn't end as well as it did before…" Alear remarked, looking around.
"Huh, it's almost as if time wound back to that time we were in Lythos after Sombron wrecked it." Griss remarked. "But we did hear what that other Alear said: This is how his world ended up."
"What could have caused such damage, I wonder…" Veyle remarked.
"Sister, it worked! Our prayers are answered!" A young male voice remarked. "And they come with allies!"
"After all these long years… At last, our savior comes." A young female voice stated.
"Show yourselves, please." Veyle remarked. "It's rude to speak of others while they cannot see you."
"O-Ooh, right away. Come on, Nel, let's greet our heroes." The male voice remarked, before he then came out, revealing that he was a Fell Dragon, dressed in white regal robes, with a red tabard, black winged blades along his own lower half, and a spiked crowned collar no different to Sombron's, and having white hair and red eyes.
As soon as he laid eyes on the group, his expression turned from welcoming into absolute shock, as if he had seen something unbelievable.
"You… No, you all…" The male Fell Dragon remarked, before his partner rushed in, as she was dressed in tattered white robes with an equally tattered blue dress over it, as she had silver gauntlets, black hair, a white crowned collar, and red eyes like her partner.
"Nil, why do you speak-" The female Fell Dragon, assumed to be Nel, remarked, before she took a look at the group, before her eyes became shocked upon seeing the Hounds, and then to Alear, before her expression turned into sheer disbelief for a moment upon seeing Veyle. "No, it cannot be… you-"
"What's the matter?" Veyle asked, noticing Nel's distraught look. "Did… Did something happen to the me in this world that isn't something pleasant?"
Nel looked at Veyle for a moment, before she then took a deep breath, and calmed herself down, as her expression turned normal.
"That is not something I wish to discuss for now." Nel remarked.
"Then can you tell us where we are?" Alear asked, knowing that she didn't want to make her knowledge apparent from the get-go.
"You are in Lythos Castle. We have long awaited your arrival." Nel remarked. "Thank you for answering our prayers. I am Nel, one of the dragons who reside here."
"And I am Nil, her twin brother." Nil introduced himself formally with a short bow.
"It's nice to meet you, Nel. And you, Nil." Alear returned the gesture that Nil gave her. "I'm the Divine Dragon Alear, and these are-"
"Alear…" Nel remarked, digesting the name with creased expression.
"So you are the Divine Dragon!" Nil exclaimed with anticipation.
"Fate has made a cruel and mysterious choice." Nel remarked, as there was some bitterness in her voice, something that Alear and Zephia picked up in particular.
"It is such a joy to see you reborn." Nil declared.
"About that…" Alear admitted. "I'm not exactly the Alear that you knew. I'm an Alear from another world entirely, brought here by your own wishes. I'm… I'm sorry if I cannot be the Alear that you yearn to see again."
"Truly unfortunate." Nel scoffed. "I would have preferred never to see you again."
"Nel!" Nil remarked with a appalled expression on her face.
"What do you mean-" Alear asked.
"But we are in desperate need of aid. And we do not have the luxury of choice." Nel remarked. "I will speak no more of it. As I shall with this… kindred you have with you. Please follow me."
Nel then turned on the heel, leaving the group behind, as Veyle looked at Nel with pity in her eyes.
"Wow, that's one way for things to start…" Richard winced.
"I'm so sorry, Divine One. She is rather more upset by this than I would have expected." Nil apologized to Alear. "She and the Divine Dragon have a somewhat complicated history."
"There is no need to apologize, Nil." Alear stated. "To her, I must be a mockery of your Alear. The fact that she isn't outright hostile hints me that they are at least rivals in a sense, if not distant friends, or even… sisters."
"Well, I cannot say myself. That is for Nel to tell you…you all." Nel stated, before turning to the rest of the group. "I also apologize to you all for choking on my own tongue. It's just that… it's surprising to see that you've brought the counterparts of certain people in our world here."
Kezaniah, during the entire time, had been silent and trying to avert her gaze from Nel and Nil both, which Siege finally caught on to.
"Kezaniah? Is… something wrong?" Siege asked.
"...Sorry, I…" Kezaniah was trying to get out, but she couldn't form a sentence properly. "...Maybe it's best I go back to our world, I'll merely be a burden if I'm not on my A-Game." Kezaniah would say, turning around in preparation to head back.
"Wait, why the sudden change in mind?" Richard asked, before he then noticed that her mood changed upon seeing Nil and Nel. "...They're the reason why, aren't they?"
"Huh?" Nil asked, before taking a closer look at Kezaniah. "...Come to think of it, you seem more of a Fell Dragon that took after Sombron… No offense, when I say that. I mean, you're among company, considering that you have another Fell Dragon amongst your ranks as well. May I…?"
"No matter what version they are… it still hurts…" Kezaniah said, a tear slowly rolling down her cheek.
"Kezaniah…?" Siege asked.
"They wouldn't know…. After all… they don't know that I buried them back in my own world." Kezaniah said with a pained tone.
"...We are dead in your world…?" Nil asked. "Just like that…"
"Your names were not Nel and Nil… but you both bear the exact visage of the twins I knew… Nel… hard, stout, warrior on the exterior, with a kind and vulnerable inside… Nil, with your cheery and exuberant tone… cursed by the dragon stone you carry for your sister…" Kezaniah turns with a hardened gaze. "I don't quite think either of you understand how hard it is to look at the both of you. Cruel fate indeed, just as you said, Nel. As a matter of fact, if it is so cruel then we should all leave and make sure you bear no pain. Not when enough has been caused in this world already." Kezaniah growled.
Nil was left speechless, before he then looked at the dragonstone embedded onto his own robe, before looking at Kezaniah, as there was an expression of disbelief, before he then turned away.
"I… I have to excuse myself." Nil remarked, as his cheery voice suddenly turned shaky, as if something in Kezaniah's words triggered some sort of terrible memory in him. "I'm sorry… I didn't know that the feeling of loss… would have flown both ways. And to think that… you could…"
Nil then immediately walked away in a hurry, as Alear was about to walk over, before Richard stopped her.
"Let him be." Richard remarked. "...I don't know why… but I think that something in Kezaniah's words triggered something in him. Not in a bad way, I mean. I think that your words are causing him to… come to terms with something. Don't know what, but he felt more… genuine when he said those words, more than those greetings he gave us."
"So you mean to say that he's…" Alear remarked, letting her words trail off.
"He must have felt unloved and pressured in the past, much like me." Veyle stated. "But I can sense that there is something in him that he would refuse to admit. Like he's trying to be someone that he's not."
"...Let's get this underway and finish this as quickly as possible." Kezaniah soon said roughly as she moved ahead to meet with Nel in the Bracelet Vault, while Nil went to take time to consider Kezaniah's words. "The sooner. The better." She added.
As Kezaniah left, the group looked amongst each other.
"Well, this is a cluster-fuck. On one end, we have Nel who feels distant to Alear, and then on the other end, we have Kezaniah who feels like we're treading on thin ice with Nel and Nil before her. Oh boy, we better get the whole story, or things will go wrong fast." Richard cursed.
"At least Lady Kezaniah is willing to work things through, much like Nel would." Zephia noted. "But I agree with your sentiments, Richard. We need to understand the past of those two Fell Dragons, and how they came to be what they are now."
"Let's… Let's just go." Alear remarked, although her mind was plagued with the concerns of not one, but three of her siblings, one directly related, and two that could have been her own siblings.
Kezaniah awaited them in the Bracelet Vault, already having a bracelet in hand even before Nel spoke. "So this is the Bracelet Vault. 7 pedestals, and 3 on the outskirts… this one must be an Otherworld Emblem then, and there is also one positioned here from your world. I assume the others are missing." Kezaniah spoke indirectly to Nel, her gaze not meeting her alternate sister's.
"Yes, two of the original Emblem Bracelets are missing, and I do not recall where the other two Otherworld Emblem Bracelets have gone." Nel remarked. "The other four Emblem Bracelets lie in the hand of the four nations of Elyos. If you are truly kindred of the Divine Dragon that we brought here, you already know who they are. And what's more… I notice that you share the same sentiment that I share with your Alear… you are in turmoil, are you not?"
"Why wouldn't I be? You're dead in my world. Buried you and your twin brother both… both of whom were my most cherished siblings. I won't be reminded of pain. Not while I'm here. And I certainly won't have the dagger driven deeper by your discontent for my sister, and what I know is coming thanks to your brother." Kezaniah remarked. "I assume we are off to Firene first then. To reclaim the bracelet there. Then so be it. I bet they'll want war. War we'll give them. I'll raze them all to the ground myself if I have to." Kezaniah growled.
"My brother…?" Nel remarked, before turning towards Kezaniah. "What do you mean by that-"
Before the conversation could continue further, Nil arrived, as he looked like he had recovered from his own miniature panic attack, and then the rest of the group arrived.
"Tch. I have no time for this." Kezaniah growled. "Bear true strength, Emblem of Lion's Heart!"
The bracelet suddenly glowed, as the Fell Dragon variant of a proper blonde headed king with red eyes was summoned, his blade and his banner showing the mark of a far off land with a lion proudly displayed.
"Ah. A fitting emblem for this Bracelet of Strength. Mont Leonis, King of his far away nation, as Siege has shown me of." Kezaniah remarked.
"I take it we march to war?" Mont asked Kezaniah. "I, Emblem Mont, shall serve you in protecting your friends. By slaying our enemies."
"The Emblem talks…!? Emblems in this form are-!" Nel remarked.
"Not supposed to talk? I get that. But Alear has rubbed off on me some with kindness and compassion. Perhaps you two should do the same sometime." Kezaniah growled, before she turned into her Fell Dragon state. "I'm heading for Firene. The bracelet shall be recovered the moment you arrive." Kezaniah promised as she took flight out of Lythos Castle.
"Kezaniah, wait-" Alear stated, before Kezaniah moved out of earshot, while Nil looked up at the Fell Dragon disappearing into the distance. "...This… This is the second time that she truly acted this impulsively, the first being with Sombron… Could it… No, I must be overthinking it."
"Before we try and catch up to our rogue Fell Dragon…" Richard remarked, with a drained expression on our face. "Run me the simple details of what these Bracelets can do. The simple points, preferably."
"Upon the pedestal lies the Bracelet of the Shepherd Exalt." Nel remarked, gesturing to a golden bracelet with a familiar symbol on it. "It is the sole bracelet in our possession. The Emblems within it are safely in slumber."
"Why is it in slumber…?" Alear asked. "Even one Emblem could help with the trouble that brews across this land."
"That is not a risk I will allow." Nel denied firmly.
"We lost the other six bracelets in the war with Sombron." Nil declared. "As for why… I suppose that I can summarize, since you said that you're in a hurry to get… Kezaniah, you called her?"
Richard nodded.
"Well, since you know of both Fell and Divine Dragons, I won't tell you how they came to be." Nil stated. "The Fell Dragons turned to conquest and destruction. With the world under threat, the Divine Dragons and the people prayed for salvation. And that salvation came in the form of beings called Emblems."
"And you made the same prayer rite to summon Alear here…" Veyle remarked. "Wait, that explains why Alear felt the strongest near that well…! She's an Emblem herself, and so your rite calls her strongly!"
"She's an Emblem!?" Nil exclaimed with shock.
"Yeah, long story short, Siege, who is the one I am betrothed to, managed to cheat death using his own power to mark me an Emblem. I even have the Emblem Ring to prove it." Alear stated, raising Siege's hand, revealing the Ring of the Connector. "I would say that perhaps the same could happen with your analogue of Bracelets here, but considering all of the pain and suffering this place went through, I recommend against it."
"Well… that was a shock to hear about." Nil stated, before clearing his throat. "Now, back to where we were… the Emblems stopped the fighting, only temporarily, because a thousand years ago, Sombron exploited the power of the Emblems for his own ambitions. We experienced that war firsthand. It was awful… The entire-"
"-continent was dragged into this war, and many lives were lost." Griss remarked. "Everyone fought until Sombron got put under. Am I correct?"
"Wait, how do you know this? Did… Did Sombron exist in your world too?" Nil asked with curiosity.
"Yep. And he went for the same idea. In fact, we were-" Griss was about to say, before Zephia covered his mouth.
"Apologies, but what we were in the equivalent war is not something that we prefer to divulge." Zephia remarked. "But considering the state of Lythos Castle… this damage has been here for quite a long time. Did the previous war end with Sombron's defeat?"
"Upon the brink of annihilation." Nel declared, as all attention was directed to her. "The Divine Dragons won a key victory, by imprisoning the Fell Dragon Sombron… with the price being Lumera, the Divine Dragon Monarch's life as the catalyst."
"Lumera… is long dead in this world…?" Veyle asked, as Alear fell silent as well.
"Her sacrifice bestowed peace upon the people even as they mourned her passing." Nel explained. "But it was her successor who healed the wounded and returned it to prosperity."
"And that would be the other me." Alear stated. "He couldn't happen to be the direct son of Lumera himself? He took the title of Monarch after Lumera gave her life to the cause?"
"Under his reign, it seemed like the world would be at peace for the rest of time." Nil stated. "But it was not to be. Sombron eventually returned, and another war began."
"And he went for the Bracelets once more, for the powers that they would bestow if they were all collected." Siege remarked. "...The same happened with the Emblem Rings in our world. He managed to succeed briefly, before we managed to turn the odds against him. But that's not the case here, is it?"
"Alear and Sombron fell to each other. Blade through the Fell Dragon's chest, and breath through Divine Dragon's heart." Nel declared.
"...Then it must be some fanatic devotee of the Fell Dragon who troubles your world still…" Alear remarked.
"I believe so. They come and go without a trace. We know nothing of their whereabouts or appearance." Nil stated. "All we know that as you said, this individual wants to collect the seven bracelets. In fact, we believe they already have two."
"And Kezaniah is flying right into the battle as we speak…" Siege spoke in concern.
"Well, that's an improvement to our situation back in our world…" Mauvier remarked. "And I assume that the other four are in the hands of the four nations, yes?"
"That is correct." Nel stated. "They once fought under a single banner, but that changed drastically after your death. Now, with nothing to unite them, the little ones, the humans, bicker amongst themselves. Thus far, they have kept one another in check. But war could break out at any moment."
"Huh?" Marni remarked. "Are you saying that-"
"I don't know if the Divine Dragon's army was ever truly united." Nil stated. "I saw them argue in this very castle about which nation was to blame for your death. Which is absurd, of course. It was no one's fault."
"I… That's harshly sobering to hear…" Alear remarked. "...I thought that Elyos would be united under such a threat as Sombron, but I suppose that after what I have seen, after what I have learned… this is a far more… I regret to say, a far more realistic and harsh take to what humans could become."
"Aye, it is truly disheartening to hear." Mauvier remarked, shaking his head.
"Now that our saviour has arrived, it is imperative we reclaim the bracelets. The conflict we have avoided will soon be inevitable." Nel stated.
"Which means that we're going to have to fight some old faces." Richard remarked. "...And Kezaniah looks like she's not going to give a single moment's hesitation. I saw that look in her eyes as she left. She's got no compassion to give. The quest is likely the only thing on her mind right now."
"I suppose that this is a better time than any to say that we know already what you are?" Veyle asked. "After all, Nil already discussed it with us. You know I and Kezaniah are Fell Dragons, me because you knew me personally from how you reacted, and I think Kezaniah flying out in dragon form is proof enough for her. And I can tell that you're the same as us."
"...I suppose so." Nel admitted.
"And I assume that Fell Dragons in this world are born as twins?" Alear asked. "After all, you two seem closer than anything else I have seen."
"As much as I enjoy us learning about this world, can we expedite this any faster? Kezeniah is challenging Firene as we speak, and if we don't hurry it up, I fear her recklessness will not end well for her." Siege stated firmly.
"As you wish. Let us go." Nel remarked.