Alcaeus Indrath

Argument

Once we were a sufficient distance from the reunion, Sylvia enclosed us in a sound barrier.

"So, Father told you what happened."

"Yeah, I persuaded him to. Although, your disappearance was a huge part of it." I frowned, wanting to ask why did she leave without telling me anything. Enough time had passed for us to have that conversation.

"I didn't have a choice, Al. Once I found out that Agrona had been banished, I was distraught for a long time. I used to spend my nights at your bedside, wishing for someone to talk to. One day, when finally cleaning my room, I found a letter from my...former beloved."

"A letter?" 

"It was through that letter that I finally found the truth. Agrona, my beloved was a victim. He had discovered the truth behind the Djinn massacre during his research. Enraged, he invaded our Father's chambers and began asking the reasons behind it. The only crime he was guilty of was knowing the truth."

I sighed, "To protect Indrath Clan's image and authority, Father banished Agrona to a different continent." I completed her story, or so I thought.

"I ran to the Great hall to protest, but there was already a meeting in progress. A squad was built to assassinate Agrona. There were several mentions of what his crimes were, but at the time I was too emotional to pay attention. My mind was occupied with the term 'kill' being resounded over and over again." She took a seat on a rock, and rested her throat for a few seconds before continuing. "Then, I sneaked away, preparing to intercept the kill squad and intermingle with them so I could make my way to Alacrya. In my mind, I was going to save Agrona and bring him back home. But what I found was revolting. My Agrona, the man I had fallen in love with, was dead. He was replaced by a sadistic maniac whose life's goal was to take revenge on Epheotus, on Kezess, and above all, on me. He had committed a disgusting act with the people of Alacrya. We were unprepared. He kept me occupied while my fellow Dragons were killed and butchered. He then used my emotions to imprison me. He told me stories of the numerous experiments he had done to get where he currently was. And then, proceeded to inact the same experiments on me. Unfiltered access to a Dragon's body was his birthday gift."

I was listening carefully, engraving each detail in my brain.

"You saw what had become of that continent. Those people have become slaves to a tyrant and are worshipping him as a God. They are stuck in a hypnosis that's impossible to break out from. And, Agrona is planning to do the same to Dicathen. But that's not all."

"There's more?"

"After he was banished, he began looking further into the Djinn and Aether. I am not sure of what he found besides the Relictombs, but whatever it was, it gave him power over a hidden edict of Aether. He got power over Fate."

Fate...an unknown shiver ran down my spine.

"Alcaeus...your reincarnation from Grey wasn't a coincidence."

"Wha-What!?! What do you mean!?!" 

"It was a scheme. Agrona had purposefully chosen you to reincarnate."

My mind was a mess, "That's impossible! I was born long before Agrona discovered this hidden power of Aether."

"We already know that Aether can exert control over time. I can only assume that something went wrong during his experiment and your soul was sent back in time, to a random body."

"I...I am..." I took a deep breath and clenched my fist in frustration. "I am an experiment."

We sat in silence for a while before I decided to break it.

"Sylvia, we need to go home and tell everyone about Agrona."

"What!?! Are you stupid? Didn't you hear, or rather see through the visions, the crimes that Kezess committed!?!?!?! He killed millions of people because they were better at controlling Aether! Their only crime was existing, and they were killed! Even the children weren't spared!" She screamed at me.

"So what!? They are in the past, and we don't have time to worry about them! Mother and Father are desperate to meet you." I shouted back.

"What we don't have time for, is going home and arguing with him! We need to establish a force here in Dicathen to protect them from Agrona."

"Are you out of your mind!?! You would choose protecting a bunch of Lessers over-"

I was slapped across my face, hard, by my sister.

As I stumbled back, an additional slap threw me to the ground.

"Lesser! Lesser! Lesser! I am tired of that word. What even is that!?! What gives us the right to call them that!?! And, even if we have that right, you definitely don't, Alcaeus!"

"I definitely don't? Why!?! Because I'm not your real brother?" I spit those words out in anger.

From there on started a brawl.

The sound barrier was broken, and I was thrown at the wall by a transformed Sylvia. 

She charged up a ball of mana and fired it at my face. I was able to defend myself with Aether, but it still left a burn on my arms. 

Forging a blunt Aether sword, I slashed at her neck. But my core was still far from even half full.

She used burst step and Mirage Walk to dodge my attacks and grabbed me with her claws.

I managed to God step away, but she stopped time to slam me into the ground and grind her claws into my back.

"Arughfhfhh!!!" I coughed up blood as my mobility was taken from me. 

Sylvia realized what she had done and transformed back into human form. "Alcaeus!"

Without mana, I wasn't sure how to heal myself. But then, I felt the remaining Aether in my core take charge and make its way to the wounds. They healed in a matter of seconds, even faster than Mother's Aether arts would've healed me.

My fit of rage not yet suppressed, I strengthened my limbs and delivered a high punch at my sister.

She side stepped me and grabbed my arm. I used a thick coating of Aether to glue her hands to me, and dragged her through the mud. 

Bracing her legs, she went into Realmheart and disrupted my control over Aether. 

I still had an advantage due to my core, but she was able to escape and deliver a strong kick to my head, making me stumble.

"Did that finally knock some sense into you?" She asked with a serious face.

"What sense for fuck's sake!?!" I screamed as my last reserve of Aether was used to heal my dizziness.

Sighing, she dropped Realmheart and etched a disappointed look on her face. "Did you forget your life as Grey so soon?"

Ignoring that 'soon' technically meant centuries, my eyes were filled with realization.

"You are my real brother, Alcaeus, you always will be. But, you used to be worse off than these people you are calling Lessers. And yet, you did your best, worked yourself till you bled to reach the top. Did that struggle not teach you a damn thing?" Her expression was jumping between anger and disappointment. "When you first greeted the Royal Family, I struggled to find a difference between you, Kezess and Agrona."

She turned away from me and began walking back to her room. 

I frantically grabbed her shoulder, "Sis, I'm sor-" but my apology was flicked away.

She didn't utter another word of reprimand and just left.

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