-Chapter 2-
-Calling-

Rating: M

Genre: Romance, Angst

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Star Ocean: TtEoT. They all belong to Tri-Ace... come on can't I at least lay claims to Albel...? TT I'll share...

Summary: Fayt finally tells Albel that he has had feelings for him after spending some time with the Wicked One. Albel reacts to this causing a lifetime change for the both of them, Fayt was killed, but years later when Fayt comes back he returns to an Albel who appears to be no more than a mere vegetable.

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Claws ripped through human flesh, flames seered it away cleanly, and razor sharp teeth chewed away the ashes. Albel watched in horror as his father was killed before his eyes. He clenched his own left arm feeling the pain of his burned arm. It was a memory, a distant memory... Years before but here it was back in his dreams. Plagued with the fact that he had to witness his failure over and over before his eyes. His failure...

Albel could remember that day vividly. He had to. If he ever tried to forget the events of that day, of that ceremony, his dreams would become plagued with that dream every, single night.

The Accension of Flames ceremony. The sacred bond between a dragon and its master.

"Dragon... allow me to claim your power and use it to help protect Airyglyph from harm..." Albel's eyes were fiercely blazing with his confidence, and his cocky attitude had also shown through brightly. He felt ready for this ceremony... He could feel the power bursting through his veins.

The dragon stared at him with his eyes glinting "You've made a mistake human...I will never allow you to claim my power and you use it. You must claim my power, and I must claim yours and together we will use one another to protect Airyglyph..."

Albel blinked a moment and he rose to his feet forgetting his place in the dragon's presence "I don't take orders from a dragon..." His father was behind Albel at the entrance of the cave watching. Suddenly the dragons eyes changed when Albel spoke up to him "You dare speak to a dragon in such a disrespectful way! I will not allow you to use any dragon in my cave nor any dragon in any other cave!"

Albel's gaze turned to a shattering glare "You lizard will not tell me what I can and cannot have! I am doing this to prove to everyone that I am a worthy heir to leader of the Dragon Brigade! And you of all things will not stop me from reaching my goal!"

The smoke billowed from the dragon's nostrils, while Albel spoke, and as its mouth opened, Glou made a run for it. Albel's eyes widened and he got down onto his knees placing his arms in front of himself. His left arm placed firmly over his right in a defensive matter. But as the dragon poured the flames out of his mouth, his father came in front of him. Albel's eyes widened in shock and he cried out "Stop it! FATHER!"

Glou smiled and told his only son of his love for him. And thats when his armor melted from his body while his skin and bones turned into ashes. The liquid metal dripped down and it fell onto Albel's left arm. He cried out from the horrible pain of the liquid. Albel tried getting it off but instead he had to hold out through all of the pain and wait for all of it to fall to the ground.

"His life for yours. That seems fair... and your left arm will be your scar to remember the day that you were too conceited to tame a dragon and your father had to take your punishment."

Albel gripped his arm as the others rushed over to him to help him treat the limb.

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He made it back to the castle but, unfortunately, they had to amputate his arm. The skin was badly damaged beyond repair and if he didn't get rid of the dead limb then infection could follow soon. And with the medicine they had it would be hard to treat.

Quickly, they worked. Albel had to be awake throughout the entire ordeal of the surgery. They had to use a saw to cut off the dead limb. Then the doctors had a few runologists who casted a healing spell to close up the gaping hole left in his arm. He refused to make any form of noise to show his weakness. It was because of this weakness that his father died. Once faced with the fact that he would now become a handicap if he didn't get an arm, he ordered the people to go to Greeton.

Greeton had the highest technological advances of the three countries. They could make him an arm! They could give him back the thing that he lost to the dragons. Then... once the day came. He would slaughter them all for humiliating him like that and forcing him to lose his father.

Albel's lids spread apart and his pupils shot to the size of a pencil eraser. A shuddering breath left him as he slowly rose himself up off of the bed. The swordsman gaze went around the room for a moment and he gritted his teeth. But then, his eyes went to his shoulder and followed it down to his arm. He had removed the gauntlet because it was very uncomfortable to sleep with, but without it he was left vulnerable. Instead of a limb... there was nothing. His arm only went to his breast, it was horridly short and, that fact, made it useless.

Why do the dreams come? These dreams... so vivid, so real, so... troublesome. They always awoke him from a sound sleep which the Wicked One did not tolerate. Unfortunately, for him dreams could not be prevented, overpowered, or supressed. Every man, no matter how strong, needed to sleep at some point. It had been five days and Albel still hadn't gotten any decent sleep.

"The ceremony... if only it could be gone from my memory..."

But little to his knowledge, he might just get what he desired.

---------------FAYT-----------------

A couple of weeks after Fayt and Sophia decided that they would visit everyone, they were making their way to Elicoor II to visit Nel. Their time with her was very brief though considering she was about to go on another mission. Sophia frowned when Nel was throwing her scarf on around her neck "Nel... why do you have to go on this mission to Airyglyph? I mean Albel is one of our old comrades you shouldn't have to resort to spying."

Nel simply waved her hand dismissing the subject all together. Fayt let out a deep sigh "Let's go visit Adray then we can go to Airyglyph to see Albel. I even bet that on the way there we'll run into Nel!" Fayt gave Sophia a reassuring smile. She lowered her head giving Fayt a slight nod to the suggestion of their travels.

Nel put her daggers into their sheathes when Fayt and Sophia had finished talking. Nel was done with her preperations for the mission as well. She turned to the both of them and smiled "I'll be going now. Tak--"

The doors slammed open, each of the inner sides smashing against the wall "Where the hell are they?" He came walking in through the door in an almost rage. Although he still managed to keep his usual aloof expression. But soon that changed when he sneered "I thought as much!" Fayt was shocked at the moment from seeing the two hair tails which immeadiently gave away who it was "A-Albel! How did you know we were h--"

"Shut up, fool! One of the Dragon Brigade soldiers was on a spying mission and they saw blue hair and immeadiently reported it back to me! How else would you think I knew!"

"All right... but how did you get here so f--"

"Didn't I say be quiet? I rode a Lum here if you must know maggot..."

"Okay, so why did you c--"

"Shut it and fight me."

"W-what!"

"You can't expect Fayt to fight you after all this time!" Sophia interrupted.

Albel brought his hand up, running his fingers through his dark hair. A sadistic grin replaced his sneer "Of course I do! So what if we worked together? I want to crush the maggot for humiliating me in the Bequreal Mine Path."

The blue haired boy stared at Albel for a long while before nodding to the challenge "All right... but not here..."

"Then where at, fool?"

"...Spiral Tower..."

"My, my, that's such a long journey for just a spar..."

"It isn't just for sparring, during the time we travel I'm going to become more than just a comrade with you..."

---------To be continued...--------

Its... so SHORT! Xx; I'm already working on chapter 3 and I must say... the opening to it is a chuckle moment... -sigh- There might be a little loving in the next chapter xP