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The day started with Alver waking up from his sleep. It was his day off that’s why the night before, he instructed the people to not wake him up and not bother him for the rest of the day. He takes his time to stand up and stretch and bask in the sunlight from his windows. He immediately went to his personal corner and made tea for himself and sat on his veranda.
Being the Emperor of the Roan Empire was tough enough to handle but with a dongsaeng of his that’s always bound into trouble; having a day off like right now is luxury. Having said that, he would spend the day lazing around like his little brother of his.
Time was moving slowly, much more slowly than the time whenever he’s doing paperworks. Alver was getting restless, he has too much time for himself that he gets agitated whenever he’s not doing anything or not holding something. Alver just decided to take a bubble bath in his bathroom.
Even after a long bath, he still feels that there’s something wrong. Alver then roamed his eyes in his chambers and saw his unused piano in the corner of the room. He immediately went to the piano and reminisced about the times when his mother would sing a song for him while playing the piano.
The young Alver always love whenever he heard his mother’s voice with the melodies of the piano accompanied by it. He remembers the way his mother smiles at him, the way she taught Alver to play the piano in their past time and the way both of them were happy singing songs and playing melodies together. However, it all ended when his Mother died.
Whenever he looks at the piano, the painful memories of him and his mother would always be present. The feelings of warmth that he should remember were replaced by pain and suffering. For a young child like Alver, losing his Mother was something that shook his core. The only person who showed what love is inside the cold palace was now gone. The father that he should lean on did not care about him and his well being and turned his favour to his third child.
The young Alver decided to cover the piano up and not to notice it ever again. As Alver grew, a mask grew up with him. The mask that hides his emotion and well being. The only one he could lean on this cold palace was his Aunt Tasha. His aunt was the one who taught him everything— regarding noble etiquette, history, politics, and many more. His aunt was the only one who supported him as he became the Crown Prince with no one backing up.
But everything changed when he met Cale Henituse.
Alver then took the cover off the piano, he also sat down in the stool and started making melodies in his piano.
As Alver was too focused on playing the piano, he did not realise that someone teleported in his chamber. A certain redhead with his baby dragon with him.
Cale Henituse arrived with Raon by his side. Raon was about to tap Alver’s back but Cale hugged and shushed him from doing it. He carefully let go of Raon and signalled him to be quiet. “Raon, record hyung-nim playing the piano,” Cale whispered with his devious smile. Raon nodded his head and took out two orbs, one for recording and one for calling other people. Raon started to record and call other people to let them see Alver playing the piano.
The first one to answer was Tasha, she was shocked to see his nephew playing the piano while looking melodramatic. She thought to herself that Alver might be thinking of his mother again. The last time she remembers Alver playing the piano is the day before her sister died. Alver never played the piano after it.
The second one was Rosalyn, being someone who is constantly by Cale’s side, she had a bright idea, she connected the call to an orb in the magic tower that connects to the Plaza of the Roan Empire. The people were shocked to see their Emperor playing a melodramatic tune with his eyes closed.
Then the rest of Cale’s group answered the call because they thought it was an emergency but what they saw was something unexpected as well.
Alver then started to sing…
You're broken down and tired
Of living life on a merry-go-round
And you can't find the fighter
But I see it in you so we gonna walk it out
Move mountains
We gonna walk it out
And move mountains
Tasha looked up to his nephew, remembering the times he endured everything to become the Emperor he is today. She remembers the young Alver, clinging to her as his last support in this cold palace. The young Alver she remembers is now gone and he grew up to be the sun of the Roan Empire.
Raon looked at the Emperor showing different types of emotions right now. The scammer smile is now gone and replaced by a sad smile while singing. Although Raon is still a child, he knows that Alver was someone who has a mask on; the way Alver’s eyes lit up whenever Cale gave the spotlight to the Dark Elves during the war making them roam freely out of the open— he remembers the sparkles in Alver’s eyes when he saw his Tasha’s people walking outside without people shaming them for being a Dark Elf. He knows that Alver was proud to see the impact on how his Human gave a different light for the Dark Elves.
And I'll rise up
I'll rise like the day
I'll rise up
I'll rise unafraid
I'll rise up
And I'll do it a thousand times again
And I'll rise up
High like the waves
I'll rise up
In spite of the ache
I'll rise up
And I'll do it a thousand times again
For you
For you
For you
For you
Tasha knows deep inside that this song was for her sister, Alver’s mother. She knows that if her sister saw Alver today, she would start bawling her eyes out looking at his only son rising up to the seat he deserves. Tasha was the one who knows what Alver went through to be where he is right now. Seeing how Alver grew up to be the person he is today, the Alver people admired and followed because of the love he showed for his people and the Alver that is ready to fight to show how he belongs to where he is right now, the seat of the Emperor.
Alver looks back to the times where he was clouded with self-doubts for being a quarter-half dark elf. Being the least favourite child of his Father but still being the Crown Prince because of him being the oldest. The things he went through to show the people who doubted him that they were wrong. He deserves to be here— this is a place where he truly belongs. Cale Henituse was the one who opened his eyes that he is a natural existence, that he should not doubt himself because of the Sun God’s prophecy.
When the silence isn't quiet
And it feels like it's getting hard to breathe
And I know you feel like dying
But I promise we'll take the world to its feet
Move mountains
Bring it to its feet
Move mountains
The people in the plaza who were watching started to tear up. They saw how their Emperor was showing a side of him that was hidden in his sun-like smile. They felt that the Emperor must have gone through a lot of hardships as his face shows pain on the screen. The people always admired the Emperor for being the one by their side during the Plaza Terror Attack and the war. He was the one that believed that the former Roan Kingdom was strong enough to stand alone. Along with former Commander Cale Henituse, he was in the frontline during the war, fighting off the enemies that wanted to take over the world. He was their beloved Emperor— the emperor who would do anything for his people.
And I'll rise up
I'll rise like the day
I'll rise up
I'll rise unafraid
I'll rise up
And I'll do it a thousand times again
For you
For you
For you
For you
Choi Han who was with Lark, stopped training after they answered Raon’s call. Choi Han stared at the screen that showed the overwhelming emotions that Alver was showing right now. He knows that both his liege, Cale and his student, Alver has the same facade. They act like they do not care for their people but is always the first one to jump whenever someone is in danger. He also knows that Alver was struggling before as a Crown Prince with no backing, but as Cale and Alver interacted with each other, Alver’s influence grew and at the same time the three of them became close enough to the point that sometimes they’re not speaking respectfully to each other. Alver knows both of his and Cale’s secret and vice versa, he respected their secrets and kept it to himself. That’s why Choi Han was aware that Alver being a quarter-half Dark Elf was something that always weighs his mind, he realised that the reason Cale made the Dark Elves fight in the war is to show the people that they are natural beings even if they were associated with death, which is a natural thing as well because it is the cycle of life. Choi Han knows deep inside how proud Alver was when people started accepting Dark Elves in the open and not being discriminated by the people. He also knows the sleepless nights and sacrifices Alver made for everything to be the way it is right now. Choi Han is proud to say that Emperor Alver is someone to be admired not hated.
All we need all we need is hope
And for that we have each other
And for that we have each other
And we will rise
We will rise
We'll rise
We'll rise
“He really did rise up,” Cale thought to himself looking at the disappearing facade his Hyung-nim made. Cale was thankful for everything Alver did to him. Alver was the one cleaning up his mess whenever he did something grand or unexpected and he always threw his responsibilities to Alver because he was the Crown Prince before. Cale did not regret supporting Alver in every way because the greed Alver has is a King— or Emperor rather, that serves justice to his people. Cale also treats Alver as a brother, that’s why he was happy to see that his Hyung-nim was showing various emotions right now than the fake ones he always shows to the people. Although for Cale, the fact that Alver was showing some blackmail material, he would never let this opportunity pass by.
I'll rise up
Rise like the day
I'll rise up
In spite of the ache
I will rise a thousand times again
And we'll rise up
High like the waves
We'll rise up
In spite of the ache
We'll rise up
And we'll do it a thousand times again
For you
For you
For you
For you
Cale whispered to Raon to stop his recording and Raon obliged to do it. Cale started to think that this is a great blackmail towards Alver to give him more golden plaques. He unconsciously smiled his signature scammer smile until he hears Raon’s voice inside his head.
“Human! You’re smiling like that again!” He ignored the young dragon and started to clap; Raon saw this and copied Cale clapping his paws with a big smile on his face.
Alver stopped playing the piano when he heard someone clapping in the back. As he look back, he saw Cale and Raon clapping happily at him; he also saw how Cale was smiling devious to him and it made him shiver.
“Glory to the Sun of the Roan Empire, I never knew how emotional you are, your Majesty. You had shown me how talented you are —“
“Stop it. How did you even get here without me noticing?” Alver said with a disgruntled look. Deep inside, Alver was embarrassed because Cale was the one who found out about him singing his heart out today.
“We arrived here before you started singing, Hyung-nim. You seemed to focus on playing the piano that you did not notice the light and noise when we arrived.” Cale explained “Oh the Sun of the Roan Empire is indeed the light that guides us with his phenomenal talent.” Cale continued.
Alver just stared at his dongsaeng Cale and feels that something bad will happen after this.
Later that day, Alver learned through his vassals that the song he sang today was shown to the plaza and now the people are gathered around the capital spreading the love they have for him. The people were making a festival dedicated to their beloved Emperor. Alver smiled as he realised that the people truly loved him for who he is— he might have the courage to tell the world that he is a quarter-half Dark Elf but not right now.
Alver just stared at his window, looking at how happy the people were dancing around the festival they made. He was beyond grateful for everything that happened. He might as well visit Cale later to annoy- rather, to see his now family and invite them to the festival in his true form.