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It was probably for the best that Alear hadn’t told Alcryst about the time travel until the last minute.
This meant that, when greeted with the sight of another Alear – identical but for his hair like a river of blood – and informed that Zephia’s magic had flung them one thousand years into the past, Alcryst had only a few seconds to process this news before the battle started. Now, with the Corrupted forces surging down the snowy mountain, the part of his brain that yearned to panic was occupied with nocking his arrows and lining up his shots.
Unfortunately, while Alcryst was irredeemably awful at most things, he was great at multitasking.
The howling winds ripped through his armor, and his fingers felt like icicles in his gloves. The pillowy snow was almost up to his knees, and the ache of his muscles bordered on burning. But nothing chilled him to the bone more than the figure at the summit of the slope, wreathed in black and crimson.
So his beloved friend truly had been a servant of the Fell Dragon once. To know it in the abstract was one thing. To witness it with his own eyes was another.
Shivering, Alcryst gripped his bowstring with numb hands. The battlefield was no place for the mind to wander, as Diamant always said. Taking cover behind a boulder, he tracked the movements of the next Corrupted. As it approached, he raised his bow, willing his frozen limbs to follow his commands.
He fired.
The shot flew too wide. The arrow whistled past the Corrupted’s neck. It whipped around, snarling, and charged towards him with its axe raised.
Curse his incompetent body! With a spike of panic, Alcryst fumbled for the Emblem Ring upon his finger, preparing to Engage, when-
“Alcryst!”
There was a streak of red and blue, a clash of steel – and with a howl, the Corrupted disintegrated in a cloud of purple dust.
From the nefarious fog emerged the valiant figure of Alear, sword drawn as he jogged towards Alcryst.
“Divine One…” Alcryst’s heart thumped faster, and not just because of his recent brush with death. “I’m sorry. I – I can’t possibly thank you enough-”
“No need for thanks, Alcryst. Or apologies.” Alear looked as exhausted as Alcryst felt, but his smile was no less radiant. “Save Emblem Lyn for now. We’ll need her power if we’re to rout the enemy.”
Peering around the boulder, Alcryst glanced at the now-clear path towards the summit. His stomach did a flip.
“What’s the matter? Are more Corrupted coming?”
“No, the way is clear, but…” Alcryst swallowed, feeling more pathetic than ever. “I don’t want to fight you.”
He could see Alear’s breath in the frigid air. “Neither do I. But we can’t falter now. The people of Elyos are counting on us.”
Alcryst steeled himself. “Shall we wait for the others?”
Alear shook his head. “We only have a few minutes before the next avalanche comes. Right now, our allies are occupying the Corrupted reinforcements, and the other me is alone.” He gripped his sword tight. “This is our best opportunity to end this. With your covering fire, I can slip past and destroy Sombron’s crystal. Will you protect me?”
Alcryst’s heart fluttered. He felt like he was going to throw up, but in a happy way. “Always.” Then he thought of a better answer. “We’ll protect each other.”
Alear gave him one more smile over his shoulder, and for a moment, the chill in Alcryst’s bones completely vanished. “Thank you, Alcryst. On my signal.”
“I’m ready.”
“Now!”
Vaulting around the boulder, the two of them charged up the snowy slope. Alcryst’s feet felt as heavy as blocks of stone, but he didn’t slow down. He trained his eyes on the familiar silhouette a handful of meters away, gathered every last drop of his resolve, and raised his bow.
A non-lethal shot. Something that would incapacitate, but not permanently wound. Something that wouldn’t hurt too much.
He fired.
There was a shower of powdery snow as the other Alear leapt out of the arrow’s path. His movements were impossibly fast, and a heartbeat later, Alcryst realized why. It wasn’t just his face that was framed in red, his expression shadowed beneath his hair – his body glowed with otherworldly power, bathing the snow in ghoulish carmine light. He was Engaged with his own Emblem Marth.
Under different circumstances, a great wave of emotion would have crashed over Alcryst as he looked upon his beloved friend, one thousand years before they were supposed to meet. Grief, first and foremost, at seeing someone so special to him with such empty, hollow eyes. Beneath that, regret, at not being there to protect this Alear of the past, no matter how impossible such a wish was. And beneath that, awe – utter awe at how far the Alear he knew had come. How brightly his smile shone despite all the pain he bore upon his shoulders.
But at the moment, there was no time for any of that, because the other Alear rushed towards him and swung his sword at Alcryst’s head.
Alcryst ducked and rolled, somersaulting across the snowbank. No sooner had he scrambled to his feet than did the next blow come, bouncing off his chestplate with a clang. Alcryst’s ears rang, and his vision swam. He dodged the next blow by blind luck, stumbling backwards as the other Alear swung low.
“Stop moving.”
There was something horribly uncanny about hearing a recognizable voice speak in such an unrecognizable growl. Nausea pulsed in Alcryst’s stomach. He banked to the left as the sword whistled past his hair. He didn’t relish the idea of having to resort to Brodian martial arts – how would he ever begin to atone for punching the Divine Dragon in the face? – but if that was what it took…
Before he could find an opening, though, Alear beat him to the punch. Figuratively and literally.
“HYAAAH!”
He plowed into his doppelganger’s side, tackling him to the ground. The other Alear’s sword went flying, almost impaling Alcryst through the neck. The two grappled in the snow in a tangle of arms and legs. Alcryst took the opportunity to dive for his bow.
He had his next arrow nocked and drawn in a flash, but he stopped short. At this short a distance, it was likely he would skewer the wrong Alear. And even if he hit his target… What would the consequences be of accidentally killing the Divine One before they could ever become the Divine One? What horrible time paradox would he create? What would become of Elyos?
Panic flooded his veins. His hands shook. The other Alear had his hands wrapped around his Alear’s throat, and he could do nothing. He was useless. He was worthless. He was-
“NO!”
There was a guttural scream. But it didn’t come from his Alear.
Something small and glittering caught Alcryst’s eye as it flew into the snow. There was a burst of red sparks, and the other Alear’s body ceased glowing. He launched himself across the snow, frantically throwing aside handfuls of powder.
Alear had ripped the Emblem Ring off his finger, Alcryst realized with dawning relief. He quickly ran to his Alear’s side, pulling him to his feet. “Are you hurt?”
Coughing, Alear waved him off. “The crystal- Sombron’s crystal- Go! We need to-”
There was a rumble like thunder.
All three of them – deity, prince, and Fell Dragon alike – lifted their heads skyward. The beacon of the Fell Crystal blazed bright purple, spitting foul magic into the clouds. They watched in a stupor as its glow was engulfed in a churning river of white.
Alear was the first to react. “Emblem Marth!”
In a torrent of blue sparks, he Engaged, his feet leaving the ground as Emblem Marth’s power lifted him. He took off down the mountain, no longer encumbered by the thick snowdrifts.
“Hurry, Alcryst!” he shouted. “Engage, now! Take cover!”
Alcryst didn’t need to be told twice. He cradled Emblem Lyn’s ring to his chest, opening his mouth to call on her. But his eyes landed on the other Alear, still on his hands and knees in the snow, and the breath was stolen from his lungs.
“ALCRYST!” his Alear yelled. His voice was almost inaudible beneath the encroaching avalanche.
It wasn’t Alcryst’s brain that made the decision, or even his heart. It was his soul that moved on its own.
He surged forward and grabbed the other Alear’s hand. “Come on! Run!”
Even as he started to sprint down the slope, he knew they weren’t going to make it. The shelter of the boulder was too far away, and the oceans of snow cascading down the mountain were too fast. But Alcryst ran, dragging the other Alear behind him, pushing his lungs and limbs to their absolute limits.
And when he could run no more, he wrapped his arms around the other Alear and dove to the ground. He cradled his friend’s head to his chest. The other Alear writhed beneath him, but he held him fast.
And as ten winters’ worth of snow engulfed the sun above him, Alcryst felt shockingly calm.
I hope this is enough.
The world went white, then black.
***
The first color Alcryst saw was red.
He assumed it was blood at first. His own blood? Was he dying? But when he twitched his fingers, he felt something soft as silk. It took him a long time to gather that it was the other Alear’s hair he was touching. His unconscious body was still lying in Alcryst’s arms.
It was dark, and it was frigid, and something heavy and thick was pressing in on him from all sides. The inside of Alcryst’s head was full of water. It sloshed around whenever he tried to think.
He attempted to wiggle his fingers and toes. They were frozen solid, dangerously close to frostbitten, but they weren’t broken. Neither were any of his bones, as far as he could tell, and he sent up a silent prayer of thanks to Diamant for talking him into accepting the reinforced armor of a Tieur d’Elite.
But he couldn’t move. The snow had buried him and the other Alear, crushing them together into a shallow grave.
Is what Alcryst might have thought, were it not for the glint of green that caught his eye as he twitched his fingers again.
“Emblem, engage,” he pushed out through cracked, bleeding lips.
He couldn’t summon more than a whisper, but it was enough. Warm, emerald light flooded his vision, and a second later, he was being pulled up and out of the darkness.
In a fountain of snow, he erupted into the air, gasping and coughing. His lungs burned, and his limbs ached, and the suddenness with which the world turned white again blinded him. He clutched the other Alear to his chest as he struggled to focus on the words that now filled his ears.
“Prince Alcryst! Thank Father Sky! Are you hurt?”
The sound of Emblem Lyn’s voice filled Alcryst with overwhelming relief. He had to bite his lip to keep from bursting into tears. “I’m… I’m okay. I promise. Are you all right?”
“All right? Of course I’m not all right! Do you have any idea how worried I was?”
Alcryst flinched. “I’m sorry-”
“If you’re truly sorry, then you’ll refrain from pulling such reckless stunts in the future. Are we clear?”
“Yes, Lady Lyn. I’m sorry, really. I never meant to frighten you.”
Inside his head, Emblem Lyn heaved a sigh. “Honestly. You’ve been spending far too much time around Emblem Hector, that’s what I think…”
Despite her scolding, Alcryst could feel her infusing his body with energy, washing away his fatigue and dizziness like a warm bath. He shut his eyes, concentrating on the feeling of floating above the earth, and his pounding heart started to calm.
“Lady Lyn,” he said, adjusting his grip on the other Alear, “do you sense the other Emblems nearby?”
“I do, but faintly. They’re in the area, but they’re far away.”
So his allies were still on the mountain. They hadn’t returned to the present and left him trapped one thousand years in the past. Well, that was one crisis averted.
He cast his eyes around the area. The peaks that surrounded them seemed to loom larger than before. “Did the avalanche push us all the way down the mountain?”
“It appears so. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Yes. At least, I think I’m thinking what you’re thinking…” Alcryst set down the other Alear upon the snow, as gently as he could. “May I borrow your power?”
“Always.”
He opened his palms, and Mulagir materialized in his grasp, shimmering.
Looking to the sky, Alcryst lifted the legendary bow and fired straight up. A glittering green arrow shot into the air, streaking across the white clouds like a firework. At the apex of his arc, it burst in a loud shower of sparks.
“Well done,” said Lyn. “If that doesn’t get their attention, nothing will.”
“What if it draws the attention of the Corrupted, too?”
“Then you won’t have to fight them off alone.”
Alcryst smiled a tiny bit. “That’s true-”
Out the corner of his eye, he spotted movement. The other Alear was stirring upon the ground.
Alcryst released Mulagir, letting it dissipate, and he grabbed hold of the Emblem Ring upon his finger. “Lady Lyn. We need to disengage.”
“Are you certain? Prince Alcryst, the enemy is-”
“He’s not the enemy,” Alcryst interrupted. “He’s the Divine One. He’s… precious to me.”
“Prince Alcryst-”
Swallowing his guilt, Alcryst yanked the ring off his finger, and Emblem Lyn’s voice disappeared.
He dropped to the ground hard, no longer floating. The fatigue slammed back into him like a hammer. He sucked in a sharp breath, blinking the spots from his vision. Willing his shaking legs to hold, he stood up as straight and tall as he could.
The Alear from the past grunted. He shook the snow from his hair. Alcryst watched him struggle to stand. He made it to his feet for a fraction of a second, before toppling onto his knees again.
Alcryst stepped forward. “Are you all right? Please, don’t push yourself-”
The other Alear slapped his hand away. Malice burned in his crimson eyes. He lunged forward.
Alcryst jumped back. “I-I’m sorry!”
“Give it to me.” The other Alear pushed himself upright. Alcryst noticed his left knee buckling. He was clearly wounded.
“Please, be careful, you’re hurt-”
“Give it to me. Now.”
“Give… what?”
“The ring. You have an Emblem Ring. I can sense it.”
Alcryst closed his fist around Emblem Lyn’s ring. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”
“Father requires the rings.”
“So does someone dear to me.”
“I don’t care. I am not here to negotiate.”
“Neither am I.”
The other Alear’s jaw tightened. “Then die.”
Alcryst’s pulse spiked. “Wait!”
The other Alear advanced, dragging his injured leg behind him.
Alcryst’s hand flew to his quiver. One arrow left. That was all he needed. He grabbed it.
“I said, wait!” he shouted – and he drove the arrowhead into his palm.
He didn’t flinch at the burst of pain, nor at the sensation of hot, sticky blood trickling down his wrist. If anything, the warmth was welcome. He squeezed the sides of the shallow wound, coaxing forth a steady trickle of crimson.
The other Alear stopped dead in his tracks, blinking in confusion.
“What are you doing?” His brow furrowed. “I don’t understand. Why are you-”
Alcryst thrust his hand towards him, palm up. “Fell Dragons become stronger when they drink sovereign blood.”
The other Alear stared at him in stunned silence.
“And I’m not a very good prince – you’d be hard-pressed to find a more pathetic example, in fact – but I am a prince. So my blood should do the trick.”
“You…” The other Alear narrowed his eyes. “Are you saying…”
“You’re wounded. If you drink my blood, it should heal you. At the very least, it should stave off the pain until you can treat your leg properly.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m telling the truth.”
“This is a trap.”
“No lies. No traps.” Alcryst reached closer, fingers splayed as wide as they could go. “Please. I know it’s hard to trust me, but… I don’t want to hurt you. And I know you don’t really want to hurt me, either.”
The other Alear glared at him. “Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re a good dragon.”
For a long time, the other Alear’s wide, hollow eyes filled Alcryst’s whole world. He wondered if he’d made a mistake. But he held his breath, and held the other Alear’s gaze, and waited. If his friend was to trust him, he needed to trust his friend in turn.
His patience was rewarded when, slowly, the other Alear stepped towards him. He winced each time the weight shifted onto his injured leg, and Alcryst’s heart squeezed. It squeezed again, even harder, when the other Alear reached out and gingerly touched his hand.
The brush of his fingers was as gentle a thousand years ago as it was in the present.
The other Alear’s eyes bore into Alcryst’s palm, and the ruby-red blood oozing from it. Like a cautious mouse inspecting a slice of cheese, he drew Alcryst’s hand towards his mouth and sniffed. Then, warily, he licked.
Then, hungrily, he drank.
The sensation was indescribable, but altogether less unpleasant than Alcryst thought it might be. It wasn’t painless, certainly. But Alcryst closed his eyes and bit back any sounds that rose into his throat. He remained quiet and still, as if he were feeding one of his wolf friends up in the mountains. No sudden noises, no sudden movements. Just a calm, steady presence.
He tried to be like Diamant.
He tried to be like the Divine One.
He tried to be like himself.
When black spots began to encroach upon the corners of his vision, he started to wonder if the other Alear was going to drain him dry. But at that same moment, the other Alear released him. He stumbled back, panting slightly, the lower half of his face caked in dark crimson. It was a disquieting sight, but Alcryst tried not to focus on it. He instead took in how the other Alear was standing straighter, no longer favoring his right side.
The other Alear wiped his mouth on his sleeve, the red soaking invisibly into the dark fabric. His eyes drifted to the ground, tracing the drops of Alcryst’s blood that patterned the snow.
“I’m not a good dragon,” he finally said. His voice was much quieter than before.
“Is that what you believe?”
“I’m a defect.” The other Alear swallowed. “I always have thoughts that don’t belong.”
“Like what?”
“Thoughts like… Thoughts about the people I’ve killed. Some of them were kind people. Like you.”
Alcryst stayed silent. That was what Diamant often did, when Alcryst was in the throes of misery. He would give Alcryst space to sort through his feelings, in his own words, on his own terms.
“I didn’t want to kill them. But I had to. Because otherwise, Father would kill me, just like he killed my siblings.” The other Alear sat down heavily on the snow. “I don’t want to die. I’m not supposed to be afraid of dying. But I am.”
Alcryst sat down beside him. He clutched his bloody hand to his chest, hiding the pain. That wasn’t important right now.
“And I’m not supposed to be telling you any of this, but – but I am. I don’t understand. Why am I telling you this?”
“Because…” Alcryst wondered how best to answer. He decided to simply be honest. “Because we’re friends.”
“You’re the enemy.”
“Would an enemy willingly offer their blood to you? Would they protect you from an avalanche?”
The other Alear pondered this. “No.”
“Then of course we’re friends.” Alcryst smiled gently. “We’re not supposed to become friends for a very long time, but… in the future, we’re as close as can be.”
“In the future?”
The way he spoke the word as if it was a foreign concept broke Alcryst’s heart. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why would someone like you… want to be friends with a bad dragon?”
Alcryst drew in a long breath. He looked down at his hand, closed into a fist to keep the blood at bay.
“I suppose…” he began slowly. “I suppose it’s because I admire you.”
He felt the other Alear’s eyes on him, wide and disbelieving.
“I want you to know that what you’re doing right now is something terribly brave. Realizing that you want to change… it’s not easy. And realizing that you can change is even harder.” Alcryst swallowed down the tears that threatened to choke his voice. “I value your courage. And so will many other people in the future. I promise you.”
He heard the sound of shifting snow. The other Alear had fully turned to face him.
“But you should remember… there are also people who love you the way you are right now. Whether you’re a good dragon, a bad dragon, or somewhere in between.” Alcryst put on his strongest, kindest smile. “You don’t have to be perfect to deserve the love of others. That’s why love is so special in the first place.”
For the first time, he saw true emotion upon the other Alear’s face. And in a painful way, it was beautiful. His beloved friend – so different from the version Alcryst knew, and yet exactly the same – trembled. A tear escaped his right eye, carving a thin trail down his cheek, mingling with the blood that coated his chin.
“How could anyone love a defect like me?” he whispered.
Before Alcryst could answer – before he could tell him that loving him was the easiest thing in the world – he heard a new sound drifting over the mountains.
“Alcryst?”
“Prince Alcryst!”
Voices. Familiar ones. Calling his name.
He staggered to his feet, pulling his friend up after him. “You have to go.”
The other Alear clung to his hand, blinking rapidly. “I… But-”
“I’m sorry, but there’s no more time.”
“Why? Where are you going?”
“To the future. I have to go back.”
“Take me with you.”
Alcryst’s heart ached. “I wish I could. I truly do. But you can’t come with me.”
“Why?” The other Alear’s voice cracked. “You can’t leave. You just got here.”
“I know, but-”
“You’re my friend. I’ve never had a friend before.”
Alcryst felt his soul shattering into pieces with every word. It took every drop of resolve he possessed to keep his voice steady.
“Don’t be scared,” he said, looking into his beloved friend’s eyes. “This isn’t farewell. Because I’ll find you in the future.”
The other Alear gripped his fingers tight. “You will?”
“I will. I promise.”
“How will I know it’s you?”
That was a good question. “Well…” Like a divine miracle, an idea struck him. “What was the first thing I did when we saw each other? Back on the mountaintop?”
The other Alear frowned. “You… fired an arrow at me.”
“That’s right. So that’s what I’ll do in the future.” Alcryst squeezed his friend’s hand, almost laughing at the absurdity of it all. “The next time we meet, I’ll fire an arrow at your head. And then you’ll know it’s me.”
Slowly, the other Alear nodded. “What if you hit me?”
“I won’t.” Alcryst gave his shoulder one final pat. “Now you have to go. If my friends see you, they might try to hurt you.”
“I… I understand.” The other Alear stepped back, but their hand lingered, clasped around Alcryst’s. “Do you promise?”
Alcryst glanced over his shoulder. He could see figures emerging over the slope. “Promise what?”
“Do you promise we’ll find each other again?”
“With all my heart.” Gathering all of his strength, Alcryst released the other Alear’s hand. “Now go. Run.”
The other Alear stumbled backwards. He hesitated for a long, lingering moment – then he turned around. Alcryst watched him go, his steps halting at first, then picking up speed. He watched and watched, until his beloved friend was only a dark speck among the distant snowy trees.
The voices of his allies rang out behind him.
“Alcryst!”
He turned away from his friend of the past just in time to witness his friends from the present, sprinting down the slope.
Everyone was safe. Alcryst thought he might collapse on the spot from relief. He wanted to sprint up the slope as well, but the most he could manage was swaying in place. He raised an arm in some kind of gesture. Some of his friends slowed down, but the ones in front – Diamant, Citrinne, and Lapis – only sped up.
Funnily, it was not Citrinne or Lapis, but Diamant who was the first to grab him and pull him into a tight, tight hug.
“Brother-” Alcryst struggled for breath. “You’re crushing me-”
“Are you hurt?” Diamant didn’t wait for Alcryst to answer. “By the Emblems, Alcryst, what in the twelve rings were you thinking? I thought my heart was going to stop.”
“I’m…” Alcryst swallowed his apology, knowing it wouldn’t help. “Are you mad at me?”
“Oh, yes,” said Diamant, gently brushing Alcryst’s bangs out of his eyes. “Absolutely furious.”
Alcryst smiled back.
“You IDIOT!” Citrinne was the next to throw her arms around him. “What part of “we’re your retainers, it’s our job to protect you” do you not understand?!”
“Hello, Citrinne,” said Alcryst, voice wavering with happiness. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“You're unbelievable!” Lapis squeezed him hard enough to crack a rib, her voice shaking. “Don't you ever do something so stupid again!”
“Lapis, please, don’t cry. I promise I’m not hurt.”
“You’re literally bleeding all over Citrinne!”
“What?” Citrinne shoved him back. “For pity’s sake, Alcryst, I JUST bought this dress!”
“I’m sorry-”
“You shut your mouth! We need a healer right this instant! And after THAT, Your Highness, you and I are going to have a nice, long talk about-!”
And his retainers continued to reprimand him, and Diamant had taken off his cape and was trying to wrap it around Alcryst’s shoulders, but at that moment, all of Alcryst’s attention fell upon one figure in particular. An ally standing apart from the group, staring up at the sky.
“Excuse me,” he said, and ignoring the protests of his brother and retainers, he stumbled away. On shaky, halting legs, he approached the familiar silhouette.
He cleared his throat, heart quivering. “Divine One?”
Alear – his Alear – turned around, and Alcryst was shocked by the red that rimmed his eyes.
“Are you all right?” he asked in alarm.
“I’m fine.” Alear smiled, banishing the watery shimmer in his eyes with a swipe of his hand. “I just… needed a moment to myself.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry for interrupting-”
“Don’t be.” Alear clasped his shoulder. “Now, more importantly, are you all right?”
Alcryst blushed at the affectionate touch. He shuffled his boots timidly. “I… I’m okay. Just exhausted, mostly.”
“I think we all are. This was a difficult fight, but we prevailed. We destroyed Sombron’s crystal.”
“Thank goodness… I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”
“The part where you got swept away in an avalanche was not ideal, yes.” Alear cracked a smile. “But I see your brother and retainers are already lecturing you about that, so I won’t join in.”
Alcryst let out a soft chuckle. “Thank you.”
Alear’s grin faded. “But I do wonder what happened to my other self.”
“Oh?”
“Do you know what happened to him after the avalanche?”
“Well…” Alcryst’s stomach twisted at the thought of lying to the Divine One, but he forced himself to speak. “He was already gone when I awoke. I saw his footsteps heading down the mountain.”
“I see. I would have liked to talk to him, but I suppose it wasn’t meant to be.” Alear sighed. “I’m not sure what I would have said, anyway. What could I say to someone in… such an awful situation?”
Alcryst’s heart panged. Whether it was the Divine One of the past or the Divine One of the present, seeing his friend look so melancholy had the same effect on him. Grief pooled in his stomach – but mixed in with the heavy sadness was something warm, too. Courage.
“I don’t think you have to worry, Divine One.” He lifted his chin. “You’re a lot stronger than you think.”
Surprise flickered across Alear’s face – and then, the smile Alcryst cherished so much returned, in all its radiant glory.
“Oh, Alcryst.” His beloved friend chuckled. “You have a beautiful heart, you know that?”
Alcryst felt like fainting, but in a thoroughly happy way. “I, um… Ah…” he stammered. Why did love always make him want to throw up or faint? It was a difficult feeling to get used to. But every time Alear looked at him, Alcryst got used to it a little bit more.
“Let’s go.” Alear held out his hand invitingly. “Citrinne and Lapis are right. You really do need a healer.”
Alcryst grasped his hand. “Okay…”
“And then, let’s go back to the future, shall we?”
Alcryst’s pulse raced at those breathtaking words. The future… What a wonderful, happy thing the future was.
“Yeah,” he said, and even though he wasn’t Engaged, he felt like he was floating. “Let’s go back.”
Forward he marched with his beloved friend, holding onto his promise.