Draeyer Academy (Rewrite)

Chapter 11-Leaving

With a sigh, Alec tucked the last of his clothes into his small bag. He opened his drawer and rummaged through it until he found what he was looking for. Grabbing hold of a metal chain, he pulled out a circular object. His thumb ran over the gold and silver intricate swirls that formed around a ten-pointed star, before pausing on the button on the side. He pressed it. With a click, the locket flew open to reveal a picture that never failed to make him smile.

Inside the locket, he saw an image of his two-year-old self, sitting on his brother's lap as they laughed and faced the cam-crima. He had no memories of this happening, but Alen had talked about it often. It made him feel like he did remember their image getting taken together. He said that he had thrown anything he could grab at the cam-crima because he was scared of the flash that came when it took an image. He only calmed down when Alen sat him on his lap and started tickling his sides.

Alec pressed the button again and found a dried piece of flower petal hidden behind the picture. With a bittersweet smile, he turned to his bedside table and picked up a small crimson scale. It was a scale from the time Crimson had shed. He found it inside one of the pockets of his coat. Alec chuckled a bit when he remembered how he panicked and thought he had hurt the drae, only to be laughed at by Crimson and realize the creature was only shedding. Smiling, Alec placed the scale on top of the flower petal. With a click, the locket was closed once more, holding precious reminders of those he held dear.

A knock on his door caused him to snap out of his musings. He placed the locket inside his bag and tied his pack closed. After shutting his window, he made his way to the door. He paused to take in the sight of his small home. His eyes landed on the picture of Alen hanging on the wall, before running a hand over the image of a young man that he resembled so much. "I'll be back."

He took a deep breath, schooling his face into a neutral expression. He turned and opened the door. Gael's smiling face greeted his blank one.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. Alec wanted to roll his eyes at his attempt to make light conversation but held himself back.

"I'm fine," he said. He took out his key and locked his door. He faced Gael, who rubbed the back of his neck with a weak smile on his face.

"I see."

Alec watched as he turned away, catching a glimpse of Gael's awkward expression. He shook his head and followed after the man. He stopped for a moment on the porch, looking at an image of him and Crimson looking up at the sky overlapped with reality.

"We got long days of flying ahead of us, Alec," his head snapped to Gael. He had stopped at a nearby tree, waiting for him to catch up. "Let's go."

Alec nodded.

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Alec stood by the docks, watching as groups of people moved about, carrying cargo in and out of the Floats hovering over the Edge of the skyland. The sails billowed as the wind blew, and Alec heard the faint vibrations the crystal wind-crima made as it did its purpose to keep the transports afloat. He turned his attention to the Float they were going to ride on, thankful that the crew was not made up of people from Gelun. If anyone from the town came to provoke him, he might not be able to hold himself back and stab someone this time.

If there was one good thing about leaving, it was that he could finally get away from Gelun. The only reason he stayed was because he had nowhere to go, and he did not want to leave behind his brother's final resting place. This time, he followed his brother's last wish for him to leave Gelun if an opportunity presented itself. Alen would probably not like that the reason he left was to pursue revenge. But he would understand. His brother had taught him not to take shit from anyone. Ever. To pay back what he received tenfold, whether it was something good or bad. He wouldn't begrudge Alec for following what he was taught.