Chapter Text
The war was finally over, but rest was not possible yet. Elyos would still need to rebuild after the war that had torn the lands apart. It was not going to be an instant process for it would require a lot of work. Alear was proud when he heard that Alfred, Diamant, Ivy, and Timerra were working on peace negotiations for their nations. He knew that with them in charge, everything should turn out alright.
As the newly crowned Divine Dragon Monarch, Alear had gone to each nation to join the peace negotiations. Of course Firene led the negotiations, and Solm was quick to accept it. However, the problem lay with convincing Brodia's nobles.
With Brodia being the kingdom of might, many of the nobles had been against peace. They believed that they would be throwing away their ideals to pursue peace, and many of them were still against working with Elusia. After all Elusia had been a nation that Brodia had been at war with for a long period of time, so it was reasonable to say that peace with them would be hard to establish. Both sides had something against one another, so they would take some time to reach an understanding. Ivy and Diamant were not going to give up however. They would find a way to usher in peace. They would keep working even if it took years.
And that brought him to now, Alear had gone to Brodia when Diamant had asked for his help. Apparently, there were still some Brodian nobles that were still against the idea of peace and were rallying up some others to go against it. Alear had thought it would be something Diamant could easily handle. However, Diamant had said there was more than just that and that he believed it would be best if they discussed it in person.
"Divine One! You're here!" Diamant greets him as he arrives at the port.
"Hello Diamant. It has been awhile. Did you come out here to wait for me?" Alear asks.
"Of course! It would not look good if I left the Divine Dragon Monarch to walk to Brodia Castle on his own." Diamant says, leading Alear away.
"Is Alcryst here?" Alear asks. He had not seen his chosen one in years due to the negotiations. Alcryst had stayed in Brodia to assist Diamant with convincing people to agree to the peace. However, he still sent lets to Lythos every so often. They were always a treat to read, but Alear would prefer to be able to see Alcryst in person. "I was wondering if something happened. I haven't gotten any of his letters lately."
He did not miss it when Diamant tenses, and that does nothing but send a spike of anxiety shooting through body.
"Diamant?" Alear asks. "Is everything alright?"
Diamant motions for him to walk faster but does not speak. It only makes Alear worry more. Had something happened? No one says anything even after they arrive at the castle. Only after they are behind closed doors does Diamant speak.
"That is what I wanted to talk to you about, Divine One. It did not feel right to tell you this in a letter."
"Diamant. Tell me what's going on." Alear demands. "Where is Alcryst? Is he alright?"
Diamant meets his eyes, and Alear sees a range of emotions: grief, guilt, worry, and pity. "Alcryst is missing."
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It had been a lot for him to process, and Alear wanted it to be false. This was a reality that he refused to accept. He had been ready to storm out of the castle and demand answers from some nobles, but Diamant had pulled him back. It took him some time to calm down and gain his bearings long enough to listen as Diamant explained how they had discovered this.
The day before Alcryst had vanished, they had hosted a summit for peace negotiations within Brodia's castle. The royalty of Firene, Elusia, and Solm had also been present. There were some Brodian nobles who had argued vocally against the peace with Elusia, but Ivy had stayed calm throughout all of it and gave calculated responses to try and appease them. Alfred and Timerra had offered their support for Ivy and that had seemed to calm the Brodian nobles, but they were not accepting of it still.
After adjourning the meeting, they had all gone to rest for the night. Then the following day, they continued the summit. Prior to it, Diamant had asked Alcryst if he would be willing to speak during the summit, and the younger prince had agreed. But when it had become time for it, Alcryst had not shown up.
Céline, Fogado, and Hortensia had offered to go fetch him and promptly left the meeting room. It had not taken them long to return in a panic, exclaiming that they could not find Alcryst and that it looked like someone had torn the room apart. Diamant had ended the meeting right there and rushed to confirm what he had been told. Much to his dismay and horror, it had been true. He had chosen to end the summit on day and proclaimed that it would be postponed until his younger brother was found.
Firene, Elusia, and Solm have been offering aid to help with the search since that day.
Now, it had been nearly a week since Alcryst had vanished.
Alear had thanked Diamant for the information and went to see if he could find anything everyone could have missed. Diamant said they hadn't cleaned up yet, and that they would be doing so soon. However, Jade had said that cleaning could potentially clean up any leads they may have to find the one behind it. With her description, Alear was hesitant to enter the room. He was afraid of what he would end up seeing, but it was necessary if he wanted to find Alcryst.
Stepping in the room, Alear saw splinters of broken wood strewn about the room. Shards of glass lay on the ground where the mirror had once stood. The bed had been destroyed as if someone had tried to cleave it to pieces with an axe.
But none of that scared him.
What scared him the most was the stain of blood he saw on the floor. But that fear soon turned to anger as the idea that Alcryst had been injured during the struggle made his own blood boil.
His draconic instincts screamed for blood to be shed. It screamed for him tear apart all of Elyos until Alcryst was found. But most of all, a part of him wanted to make the one who did this hurt as much as possible.
Yet, the rational part of him told him to think about it calmly. Running all across Elyos was not going to help him, and Alear could not afford to waste time. Especially not when Alcryst could be somewhere being tortured. Or worse, dead.
'No. Don't think that way. He is alive.'
Alear takes a deep breath as he begins searching the ruins of the room for anything. He just wanted anything that would show him who could be behind this, but there was nothing. As he pushes some wood aside, he hears a small thud and turns to find a small black box. He remembers it as the one Alcryst kept the pact ring in to avoid losing it when they went out to fight the Corrupted. Picking it up, he turns it in his hands. It did not look like it was damaged in the slightest.
Taking a deep breath, Alear opens it. A wave of anxiety washes over him when he sees that it is empty. Was the ring stolen? He hoped that it wasn't. All he can do is pray that Alcryst had it with him. Shutting the box, Alear holds it close and remembers the day he had made his decision.
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He remembered the day clearly. After Alcryst had given him the rare Brodian stone, Alear had decided that Alcryst would be the one he have the pact ring to.
"Now it's my turn. I'd like to give you this ring." He had said, holding it out to the Brodian Prince.
It was not hard to see the surprise and disbelief that had crossed Alcryst's face as he saw the pact ring. "This is the Pact Ring..."
Alear found it to be endearing, and he wanted to treasure the moment forever. With a smile on his face, he continued. "It is. And now it's yours. Prince Alcryst... I, the Divine Dragon, grant you this, a symbol of our special bond. Let's share our lives as fellow soldiers...and partners in peace."
"C-coo..."
"I'm sorry, did you just...coo?" Of course, the response he got was one he would never forget. Leave it to Alcryst to surprise him as always. Alear had known that Alcryst may have just frozen up for a few moments. He swore he could see it as the Brodian prince's brain short circuited for just a few seconds.
But the moment that touched him the most? It was hearing Alcryst's promise.
It would be a promise he would never forget.
"I'll do my best to stand tall for you—and for myself. Or, uh...taller than before, at least. And I will get stronger! Despite how I seem, I am a prince of Brodia... As a son of the kingdom of warriors, I will become someone you can rely on... And I pledge to always protect you, Divine Dragon Alear. I can say all of this with the utmost confidence. In fact, I sweat it upon this ring. I will stand beside you proudly and be the best prince I can be, to the very end."
And it only made Alear more proud of Alcryst. These words had cemented that he had made the right choice.
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Thinking on it now, a new fear came to the front. That promise he heard? Those words? They could very well become nothing more than a distant dream now if he did not act now. It was a fear that Alear refused to allow to become true. He was going to do everything in his power to turn the tides and keep it from happening.
He holds the ring box close to his chest and closes his eyes.
'I'll find you, I promise. No matter what it takes, I will make sure you return home safely. And I promise to stay by your side.'
He tucks the ring box away in the folds of his clothes before standing up. As he moves to leave, he pauses in the door frame. While he wanted to clean everything up, he feared he would just waste time. Precious time he would need to make sure he found Alcryst alive. Taking one last look at the room and an unspoken promise on his mind, Alear leaves. His resolve grew stronger with each step he took.
No one was allowed to get away with taking something so important from him. He would make sure that the ones behind this paid. Once he found them, they would face the wrath of the Divine Dragon.