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“I have been driven out, and betrayed by many people.
If the Gods above are watching, then why did they not arrive to the many prayers that echoed in this world?
That’s why, demons, contracts… It doesn't matter to me anymore. If they cannot hear a cry, a scream, a shout, then it is by my hand that I will make something enough that will catch their eyes.
Then with my own hand, I shall…”
Warm rays of afternoon light filled through to the regal bedroom, striking every spot with the sun’s brilliance. With the brightening bedchambers a dark silhouette contrasted it further, as if not allowing the light to reach his figure.
He put down the cup where he was drinking his tea, and gazed at the large window on his side. The forests were still, its water stagnant, the sun falling down, as nature appeared to begin their sleep for the day. Beyond it is the man made constructs, making a small city where his subjects lay.
Indeed, this young figure controlled the lives of the people far beyond his physical hands, a domain he earned as its previous owner died.
He looked away from the sight, and returned his attention to the letter in his hands. Writing made by black ink speaking about the report of his land, the worries and the blessings that have been earned from his rule.
His eyes narrowed at a specific section. A curious news that could blow up if not attended to further.
Placing the paper on the side, he knew what to put his attention to. Failing to secure his people’s trust will earn him less merit from the queen — his mother.
Without his mother, he cannot go with his plans, for his plans to go through, he has to be accepted as a legitimate heir.
Knock knock.
“Enter.” He spoke, and the door slightly opened, and a humble maid entere. “What is your purpose?”
“Lady Kuni…”
“Hm?” He cut off the young maid immediately, a sharp questioning that made the maid tense up.
He never liked that name.
The maid must be new then. Everyone knows of his new name, after all. He would have let this go easily, yet the sight of the maid’s pathetic attempt of hiding her fear was entertaining. Entertaining… but it needs more.
He then stood up, and walked near to the maid, his heels clanking against the tiled floor. Every clank sent shivers on the poor maid, her hands reflexively grasping the clothing, eyes shaking as her Lord came near.
“You dare…” He growled, hand raising as he prepared to scare the young servant…
“I’m sorry!” She cried, pleading for her Lord to calm down.
“I did not tell you to spea — “
“Calm down.” A pale hand immediately sprung out from the gap in the slightly ajar door, poked to his hand, and out came a figure whose eyes twinkled in the light. “It’s not nice to scare a servant like that, Master.” He spoke with mirth.
“…Albedo.” The black clad individual spoke. “Oh well. You may go, servant.” He said, putting down his hand.
“T — thank you!” The maid spoke, bowing immediately, “Forgive me, Lord…”
“…Scaramouche. Remember it well.”
“Yes, Lord Scaramouche!” She replied, and promptly ran away afterwards leaving the two alone by the door.
“Ah, I forgot to ask her why she came here.” Scaramouche suddenly spoke, and quickly he looked at the towering Alchemist in front of him, “By your presence, I guess I can have an inkling of why… Why did you have her send you here, anyway? You already know this room already.”
“Don’t you like it, master?” The alchemist replied smiling, “That way, she gets to learn the first rule of being in your employ, yes?” Stepping inside, Scaramouche watched the boy go to and sit on his bed, picking up a book on the way.
“What a way.” Scaramouche drolled. He’s sure that his reason is a lie, but deciphering his actions often leads Scaramouche to having headaches, so he left the subject alone, “Why are you here?”
“Hungry.” He smiled, gleefully looking at Scaramouche.
“Oh, I forgot it was that time.” Scaramouche said and sat on the chair near the bed, and the Alchemist excitedly straightened up. “Wait a minute, will you?”
“You do enjoy keeping me waiting, Master.” He replied, “With all of my requests did you never give it to me in time. Ah, sometimes I think if you despise me for this to happen.”
“Arrangements to fulfill your requests have been harder and harder to do, you know?” Scaramouche tsked as he pulled a vial from the bed table cabinet, “As you know, more eyes have been on me more than ever.”
“This is what you wanted, Master.” His eyes looked at the red vial Scaramouche pulled, “What is that?”
“My blood.” He replied with a smile, and threw it to the confused Alchemist, “In this way, you don’t have to find me when you’re hungry.”
“You hate me.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then why did you give me… give me this ?” Albedo cried, opening the cork and giving it a smell, he scrunched his face, “And with such a smell, too… Do you want me to drink this? Do you really despise me that much?”
“What’s wrong with that!?” Scaramouche yelled, “That’s still my blood!”
“It doesn’t taste good!”
“You haven’t even tasted it!”
“I know because it’s not fresh anymore!” Albedo protested, and his hands immediately latched to Scaramouche’s hand, “I want it directly from here.” He spoke, pressing against the latter’s hand, who felt the sharp nails of the dragon poke him.
“Ugh. You’re so picky.”
Albedo laughed and picked up Scaramouche’s hand, lifting it to their mouth, “You hate sweets, Master, you are quite the last person I expect you to say that to me.”
“Eating sweet doesn’t hurt me, you dumb dragon.” Scaramouche retorted, “While this — do you know how sharp your fangs are!?”
Albedo didn’t reply, and only rubbed Scaramouche’s hand to his cheeks, feeling its warmth and its texture from the very tip. At first, Scaramouche found this ritual weird (and suspicious), but now he doesn’t mind it either, since Albedo’s skin is smooth and pleasant to the touch. Whether it is the dragon’s way to accustom Scaramouche before the inevitable feeding, or whether it’s for his own purpose, he doesn’t know.
“Do you enjoy drinking my blood?” He suddenly asked.
“Very much so.” Albedo replied, licking Scaramouche’s palm all over, “Fresh human blood is always tasty to me, but yours exceed all.”
“Do you do this because you want to indulge or…”
“Human blood allows me to assume their form.” Albedo explained, “And your blood allows the contract to stay strong within me.”
“Oh? What happens if I don’t feed you?”
“The contract dies.”
“If that happens, why don’t I have to feed myself?”
Albedo hummed, “Your part of the contract has been branded to your life, you die, it disappears. It is different to me. To stop people from evoking eons long contracts to me, I don’t tether it to my life. I connect it to the amount of your essence inside me. When your essence runs out, the contract between you and I disappears.”
“Oh.” Scaramouche answered.
“But master, if you desire my blood, I’ll happily give it to you.”
“I don’t need it.”
“Okay.” Albedo sadly replied, and Scaramouche felt the sharp sensation of Albedo’s fangs touch his skin.
Scaramouche took a deep breath.
“May I unfurl some of myself?” Albedo asked for permission.
“For what…?”
“It is tiring to assume a complete human form for so long, it’ll… ease the strain.”
“…not the full dragon form, right?”
Albedo nodded, and Scaramouche gave him an approval. By that did Scaramouche felt the sharp pain as Albedo’s fangs pierced his palm, blood immediately springing where Albedo lapped it as quickly as possible. As Scaramouche endured the pain, his eyes quickly closed into the slowly transforming figure of Albedo, horns growing from his head, disturbing his hair, below his back did a long black tail grow, light showing a myriad of hues in its blackened scales.
Black wings tore up the back of Albedo’s clothes, and black feathers began to coat his neck. With his eyes open did his blue eyes become more vibrant, pupils now silted like a reptile.
Scaramouche remembered the times he first saw Albedo, first as a white dragon, who was causing a mass disappearance in the town Scaramouche used to be in, and then in current form in front of him right now, when Albedo could hide from prying eyes to reveal himself.
Ever since they… he returned back to the kingdom he was driven away now, Albedo is practically forced to disguise himself as a full human.
No wonder he’s tired.
Scaramouche can see Albedo’s shoulder relax as he drank his master’s blood and let himself go of his shapeshifting abilities.
He slumped down on the chair, as Albedo continued to lick and suck on his blood, cleaning down the blood that flows down on his skin. “Aren’t you supposed to be done?” Scaramouche asked him, feeling that the time Albedo takes drinking him was longer than usual.
“2 months… 2 months.” Albedo huffed, getting sloppier with his feeding, “It’s been 2 months since I got your blood.”
“Sorry.” Scaramouche sighed, “Is this why you were hunting humans in the forest?”
“Ah.”
“I knew it.” Scaramouche gritted, “You’re the one causing the mass kidnappings! It’s causing anxiety to the villagers, and at this rate, they’ll lose trust in me.” He continued.
That is the special thing that he saw in the letter from his subjects far away, a mysterious mass kidnappings with no culprit to be found yet, even after 2 months whereas it has started, but citizens continue to disappear in a manner consistent in a rhythm. As Scaramouche already encountered this specific situation in the past in the hunt leading to his meeting of the dragon Alchemist, he had an inkling of the culprit.
And he was right! Once again, it was Albedo behind the scenes, but this time, without any intervention, it will sow discord amongst the villagers that will inevitably lead to him.
“Master, please understand.” Albedo immediately jumped to his defense. “It’s been a while since I was fed. You told me not to feast on humans, and yet…” Albedo explained.
“I do feed you food, don't I?” Scaramouche bit. Annoyed that Albedo didn’t see the importance of what he has done.
“I need human blood to assume a human form, my master.” Albedo replied, “I couldn’t get any blood from your servants for I can’t cast suspicion on me, and I have no choice but to prey for the humans below.”
“Can’t cast suspicion on me, Albedo, this is worse than whatever you could’ve done! Why would you end their lives!?” Scaramouche rapidly replied.
“I — I haven’t end…”
“This is much worse! They might have witnessed you. Then what? They tell you about your appearance! You, remember, dragon, are very striking in every appearance!” Scaramouche sighed. It is for this reason that he scrambled to find a cloak to shade Albedo’s appearance back then, he was too striking, too memorable.
“They haven’t seen me.” Albedo replied, “I made sure they did not. I can… I can still return them, my master, be not afraid, we can easily resolve this.”
Scaramouche didn’t relent. He can see it in Albedo's eyes, he did not take this matter seriously, even to now.
“No. This is a major mistake, Albedo, how could you not see that? Why do you have to feast on the humans when you can ask me for food?”
“I asked you, master.”
“You did not!” Scaramouche gritted.
“I did ask you, master!” Albedo spoke, now leaning closer to Scaramouche, “I asked you for food too many times and yet you waved me off, telling me I’ll get it later, yet that later never came, my master, and I have to feast on others if I want to keep a human disguise!”
Scaramouche then finally remembered the times where Albedo came to ask for food. But how can heattend to it in time? Albedo always came when he was dead tired, nearly passing out or taking care of paperworks to work on to the kingdomarea. It was one of his busier months as the previous owner didn’t leave the domain all clean and ready for Scaramouche to inherit.
But Albedo must have known his predicament, didn't he? Then why didn’t he come and barge and demand that he give him food? Why didn’t he do that while he was resting?
Is it for his sake, or for Albedo’s sake?
“Do you understand, Master?” Albedo asked, “You are not faultless in this sad mistake today, so please…”
Scaramouche bit his lips. He cannot accept this verdict. Him? In fault?
“Back in the streets, we often have to scramble to get enough blood for you. I remember a time where a small drop of blood was enough to keep your visage. Where is that? Have you gone weaker!? A bucket of blood for 2 months? Aren’t you a dragon? Aren’t you supposed to be stronger!?” Scaramouche strikes back, “Not Faultless? What is my fault, dragon? Being busy taking care of a land from a dead man’s hands!?”
“Please stop shouting, Master…” Albedo sighed, “Remember, my master, about the contract. This mistake is made by the both of us, so instead of — ”
“Two of us?” Scaramouche repeated, grabbing Albedo’s shoulders, “Albedo, it is not my fault that you immediately went to kidnapping when I cannot quench your thirst! You chose to jeopardize our plan out of mere hunger!”
He doesn’t understand, how could Albedo not get this!? How could he be in fault? He didn’t starve Albedo, he knows that! This is their plan, the contract etched to his soul! Then why, why would he choose to put it in danger?
“Please, master, rethink your words, it’s not…” Albedo said in a worried tone.
“What happens if the people lose trust in me? How can I even resolve this!? It is in your hands if I fail, Albedo…”
“Master, please understand…”
“I thought you can be docile and calm about this, isn’t this what you promised to do? Are you breaking it? You told me you can keep your promises, yet you’re doing the opposite, for what, for — “
Albedo’s eyes widened on Scaramouche accusations.
“ Scaramouche… You are misunderstanding thi — “
“Enough! This is why I have made the blood vials, it’s for this event to not happen again.” Scaramouche spoke, and let go of Albedo’s shoulder, sighing, “You’re done feeding me, aren’t you? You may go — ah!”
In an instant, Albedo dragged Scaramouche to the bed, pinning him down by putting his hands to the latter’s shoulders, making Scaramouche gasp in the intensity of the grip.
“What are you…!?”
“ Scaramouche.” Albedo spoke, voice dropping, “I want to be clear about this.”
“…”
“I am not here just to do whatever you want. What do we have again, Scaramouche?”
“Wh — what the, Albedo, let g — “
“Answer me.” Albedo pressed his hands further.
“Khk — a contract. We have… a contract.”
“Correct. A contract between two parties. I agree to help you, and what did I ask for in return?”
“…for me… for me to provide you with three things. Knowledge, Security, and… nourishment.” Scaramouche recounted, all confused.
“Indeed.” Albedo went closer to Scara, strands of white hair grazing against his master. “2 months. For 2 months have you withheld part of your contract. Therefore, am I wrong in giving the same amount of neglecting on my part?”
“That’s ridiculous. How can me not feeding you amount to… to this!?!?”
“Know that my actions that jeopardize your contract is tantamount to the actions you chose that jeopardize my contract.” Albedo explained. “My actions are of the same value as your actions, humanity’s morality be damned.”
“You…!” Scaramouche called out, “You can sustain yourself by a drop of blood. This is an unreasonable equivalence, Albedo.”
“I only did that because I knew you cannot reasonably acquire human blood.” Albedo replied, “Now though, you can .”
“Albedo, being part of the authority does not mean I can just go up and get — ackh…! It hurts!” Scaramouche yelped as Albedo deepened the pressure.
“Scaramouche. Understand.” Albedo spoke, snarling. “I do not care about the details of you procuring food for me. It is written in our soul what we need to sustain this contract. No exceptions. ”
“…”
“Imagine it this way, will you? It is the equivalent of me leaving you halfway due to the difficulty of catching up with humanity’s customs.”
“…” Scaramouche finally loosened the tension in his body, slightly getting it.
“I only want you to understand that upholding your part of the contract is as important as upholding my part of the contract.” Albedo added, “I do not want my Master to forget about me as your future gets complex.”
“…I get it.” Scaramouche sighed, “I get what you mean.”
Dragons don't concern themselves with humanity's social customs. For Albedo, it doesn’t matter that with enough power comes a myriad of responsibility, all he sees is that Scaramouche has now the power to procure him more food.
Could this belong to the same value Dragons hold in their lives? Did Albedo merely think that this is a good way to get Scaramouche’s attention without any lick of malice?
He thought that he knew the dragon from his times of hardship, but it seems the new change in environment brought new sides to the dragon.
“Scaramouche.” Albedo called out, getting closer, the tip of his nose touching Scaramouche’s. “This is a common mistake among those who do contracts. I give you a simple order in our contract, and it’s understandable that you would make a mistake. So I’m willing to let this go.”
“…”
“Are you going to say anything?” Albedo whispered.
“…” Scaramouche looked away. “…I apologize.”
“Look at me.” He ordered.
Scaramouche sighed, and looked directly at Albedo’s vibrant sharp eyes, “I apologize.”
“…good.” Albedo rolled to the side of the bed, and raised Scaramouche’s hand that still flowed with blood, licking it, “Be not afraid, Master, if you really have difficulty acquiring me food then we can use a scheduled system for me to get your blood.”
“…Perhaps we can arrange that.” Scaramouche replied, “But how can we resolve the mass kidnapping, Albedo? We need to fix this as soon as possible.”
“Can’t we just… mhm… can’t we just release the people?”
“Indeed, but we also need to ease people’s worries with a culprit in hand.” Scaramouche replied, “Without it, people will be all anxious and their trust in me will die. Remember, Albedo, we need to show my mother we are capable, to be crowned as a legitimate heir.”
“Mhm… mm…” Albedo hummed as he sucked Scaramouche’s blood, “Perhaps pinning the crime to someone will work…”
“Everyone knows everyone.”
“Ah, then perhaps we can make a new person… hmm…” Albedo trailed off before indulging himself further with Scara’s blood.
“…” Scaramouche slapped his face, “What a mess you made, Albedo.”
“It is our bad, Master…”
“Next time, stop kidnapping people and just bother me enough when I forget about feeding you.” Scaramouche spoke, and Albedo hummed in response. He closed his eyes and rethought everything, from where he found Albedo… no, from the past, where his life changed for the worse.
It was far in the past, where he was an innocent child wanting to make the future better for everyone. It was by his mother’s hand that he was banished to the lands far beyond, forcing him to take jobs just to keep him fed and with a bed to sleep… yet sometimes he would fail to acquire this, either by not working enough or by unsavory people eager to take what he has.
Betrayals laid atop of betrayals made him cold and jaded to the world, with no future to look forward to and no past to be happy about. He never thought about being old and experiencing the happiness of his life, he merely thought of escaping this earthly domain.
Ah, then suddenly, the Queen immediately hunted for her children, illegitimate or not, to fight for the place besides the Queen as a legitimate heir. At first Scaramouche never had any intentions of being a legitimate heir. He has no power to speak of, no power to take over.
His heart feverishly flamed with passion, to show his mother the depths of his revenge, or to show her that he is a better fit for her, a discarded child to be crowned queen.
But he is not with power. It is inevitable he will die in the power struggle that will occur.
Until one day, he took it upon himself to find the culprit of the mysterious disappearances on the town he was in, first for the bounty and second, due to the danger he was in for living in the forest where the crime always happens.
Then, after ardent searching, he found the culprit, a white dragon feasting on a human, white scales covered in blood.
“Hey.” Scaramouche called out back then, bringing the attention to the dragon. “Are you the culprit for the disappearances?”
That was the first of their interactions. Albedo attacked him and he managed to diffuse the situation by finding the purpose of Albedo’s actions: a need for sustenance. With enough conversational skills Scaramouche also managed to secure a contract with Albedo.
With that, he acquired power that is equal or more to the siblings he will be fighting for in the future. In the space between their meeting and Scaramouche’s arrival to the throne, he taught the Dragon the needed skills to weave through humanity’s tangled social systems, and they got to know each other, being close to one another…
It is then that Scaramouche succeeded in proving himself to his mother and placed a domain for him to rule over. It was a challenge, to see if he’s up to handling a country.
But it seems that he needs to improve… especially right now.
He looked back to the dragon beside him, sucking his blood vigorously, never putting up a sign of finishing at all.
“Hey, won’t I run out of blood at this rate?” Scaramouche asked.
“I’m sorry, master… I just… ah…” Albedo trailed off, “Your blood is addicting, my master, I cannot stop.” He spoke, “Forgive me, it’s been, been a while since I’m able to…”
“But you feasted on people’s blood…”
“I wanted your blood, a sweetened honey amongst those who have dulled and watered down.”
Scaramouche sighed. “Just this once. Oh, I feel like getting sick when I wake up.”
“Then I shall take care of you, my master.”
“As you should.” Scaramouche said with a tight smirk, then he looked at Albedo’s face, all focused on drinking his blood, yet he was able to gaze at Scara and flash him a reassuring expression. Albedo’s hair is messy, nary without the graceful hairstyle he always has everyday, his horns standing proud amidst the platinum sea of locks.
…
Albedo whined as Scaramouche put his hand to his horn, rubbing it up and down. It gave him a pleasant feeling that rivaled the feeling of tasting his master’s blood.
It’s been a while, too, since they have done this. Sometimes Scaramouche would rub his horns in curiosity and he would love it, and even ask him to do it again (he refused).
“You’re actually prettier with all of this on.” Scaramouche mused.
“Thank you.” Albedo whispered, dragging his face to Scaramouche’s to slowly rub his cheeks against him. He always does this too. Always when he’s pleased with something.
Then, he returned to eating Scara out.
Silence reigned amongst them once more.
Ah, this is so peaceful, so serene. Earlier there might be chaos and worries, but now they are just in their own personal world, as if they are in the past, where Scaramouche’s needs would be fulfilled with Albedo’s help, and Albedo’s needs would be fulfilled with Scaramouche’s help.
Then everyday they would lay down together with Scaramouche playing with Albedo’s locks of hair and Albedo snuggling against his master, only planning for the future in their simple presence.
Scaramouche has been working very hard, after all, for 2 months… no, even closing to a year. His life has been a whirlwind of work, none reserved for taking care of his contracted dragon.
It was a nice change of pace.
He looked back to Albedo who is now licking the last drops of his blood spilling out, all pleased and calm. Did he missed this? Are his attention grabbing (and frankly troublesome) actions merely for him to get his sustenance, or is it also because… he missed this?
He’ll ask this tomorrow. For now he should ask Albedo to take care of his bedchamber, as fatigue is starting to cloud his brain, thanks to the immense blood that has been lost to him.
…
What a tiring day, and a tiring future it will be for the tomorrows to come.
All of this.
To become a God.
“So please. Demon, grant my wish. I offer you anything, everything.”
“I am a dragon, human.”
“Nevertheless, you ilk hold a grudge against Gods, don’t you all? We are the same. I want to make them crank their pretty little divine necks below and I shall push them to the earth, and all they will fall, and I shall ascend.”
“Do you even know what you’re doing? The magnitude of your plan? An ascension as a God takes an iron will unbended by anything, your little idea for revenge is nothing but a small drop amidst the assassination attempts the divine has stomped out.”
“Gaze upon my eyes, Demon, and know if I shall be of the same mind as those who have felled.”
“…”
“…”
“…It needs tempering, it needs control. Yours is a wildfire without end, only to grow and grow until it consumes you inevitably.”
“But it is enough, right?”
“It is enough… for now. I do not want to rage against the Gods. However, I see potential in you, potential that cannot be denied to bloom in the dry soils of the slums.”
“…then, will you?”
“Indeed. A contract between you and me. I accept it. Give me your hand.”
“Okay…. Khk…! It hurts!”
“Still yourself. Let me have enough of your blood.”
“…”
“…”
“…then let us begin. Close your eyes, and speak your desires, once you have opened it, the contract will be done.”
“…I see.”
“…”
“…”
“…it is done. Isn’t it easy? Now, Scaramouche… my master… feast on me. Take my flesh and my blood unto your body, carve myself on your soul forevermore.”
“Do I really have to eat you?”
“It is an effective way to solidify a contract, my master, this will not deter you, will it?”
“…no. I’ll do what it takes. You better not disappoint me, Albedo.”