Ira Emerson Elysian

A chaos broke out at the Elisora Palace.

It didn't take me much time to decipher the fact that my halfwit brother went missing as the crescendos shrieks of the maids and workers reached my chamber without them intending to do so.

"The second prince has been missing!" I heard one of the maid say with her high pitched voice as I heard heavy footsteps running through the hallway—everyone busy with finding Elliot.

"Did he elope?"

"With that maid of his?" Someone whispered but I wouldn't considered it as a whisper as their voice was anything but a mere whisper.

"I think so. I mean, have you seen his face after the announcement of his amalgamation? He looked anything but happy!" another one shrieked.

Someone needs to tell them the definition of whisper.

"I agree. And the maid just appeared out of nowhere! It only makes sense that they eloped. She even looked so incredulous!"

"Indeed. His Highness didn't choose the right path by eloping with that home wrecker."

Not trying to hear any of the nonsense that these people were spewing, I returned my attention to my wound and decided to leave it like the way it was— untreated.

I stared at the scattered smeared-with-blood feathers of my wings before picking them up one by one and dumping them in a trash can. If this keeps happening, I'll lose my wings and will end up as a Naught.

Shaking my head vigorously, I tried to terminate my renèi, only to fail as I kept feeling severe pain in my back due to the feathers being attached to my back forcefully. I pressed my palm against my mouth, gripped it tightly, shut my eyelids while trying again and again to terminate it until I no longer felt my back anymore and finally terminated my renèi. I did it.

I heaved a sigh of relief as I turned around and saw more feathers on the ground that had fallen due to my forceful termination. They don't want to stay attached any longer. They want to fall off.

I tried to crouch down, only to be greeted by another severe pain in my back but somehow, making sure I didn't move my back too much, I picked the feathers that were once crystal white and dumped them in the trash can—which was mostly filled with my rotten feathers that I'd been pouring down since the last few months. I've to burn these.

Making a mental note to burn these feather later at night, I snatched the white musketeer shirt that had ruffled laced details in the collar and the sleeves, I put it on hurriedly and made my way out of my room, being revealed to the maids who were oblivious of my presence behind their back.

They must have thought I was with father, as always.

"Y-your Highness," there were two, one was so shocked that she forgot to curtsy. The other one shakily bowed, gesturing the other one to do the same. It took a while for her to process everything.

"I heard everything," I told them as I eyed them. Both of them gulped and instantly, they were on their knees, clasping their hands and pleading me.

"You've not only badmouthed about a maid who's in a higher rank than you, but have also critisized a Prince behind his back," I reminded them of their stunts as one of them already started weeping.

"You know that's a treason, right? something that my father absolutely despises? and you know what my father has stored for you as your punishment, right?" I stared at them nonchalantly as they begged me for forgiveness.

"Do you remember what happened to the last person who committed treachery like this?" I cocked my head as my hair fell to the side as well.

Their weeping only grew more louder. "So you do remember," I sighed, bobbing my head, pressing my lips into a thin line.

"P-please, forgive us, Your Highness. Please, let us live," one of them begged, tears rolling down her face.

"You want to live? You don't want your tongue to be sliced into two for what you just spewed?" I pouted, looking at them with wide eyes as they winced just by their mere imagination.

"Yes, Your Highness, please," they cried more.

"Fine, then," I suddenly declared. They looked up, their eyes wide with surprise. "But under one condition."

They rose from their sitting position and stood, breathed heavily as they both said together, "Thank you so much, Your Highness. This kindness—"

"Tsk, just cut it out already," I waved my hand, cringing. "Will you do it or not?"

"Of course, Your Highness. We will do anything for our Prince," they both said solemnly as I cringed more.

I took a deep breath and finally said it. "Bring me a Gifted Ezèrian. An Ezèrian who's a Healer. An Ezèrian whose healing power can heal wounds, cuts and aches," I said, looking at them as their eyes grew more wide.

The surprise that displayed in their faces was much more bigger than when they saw me coming out of my chamber. "P-pardon, Your Highness?"

"I said," I inhaled and exhaled. "Bring me a Gifted Ezèrian. An Ezèrian who can heal severe wounds, cuts and aches. Do I look like I'm speaking another language?" I raised an eyebrow, looking at them sternly as they swallowed.

"Forgive me for disagreeing with you, Your Highness, but isn't bringing an Ezèrian here a treason itself? A treason bigger than what we committed?" one of them pointed out.

"Will you do it or not?" I asked again.

They hesitated for a while but answered. "Yes, Your Highness,"

"Very well," I clasped my hands together. "Make sure to bring them to me in two days,"

They looked at me again, then at each other, before returning their attention to me. "There are barely any Ezèrian seen in Elysia — they are very scarce and most of them are hiding — afraid of being hunted by His Majesty's men. How can we possibly bring His Highness an Ezèrian in two days?"

"Do you want that tounge of yours to stay in your mouth or not?"

Instantly, they shuddered and straightened their position. "Yes, Your Highness!"

"Now," I said. "Tell me about the current situation," I ordered.

"The second Prince is missing and—"

"I know that, thanks to you guys," I rolled my eyes. "Who was the first one to find him missing?" I asked as I strode towards my father's chamber.

"Her Majesty,"

She is the last person who should find about that.

My eyes went wide as I stopped walking, changing my direction and stared at both of the confused looking maids. "Where's she now?" I asked as I imagined my step-mother's condition right now.

"In her chamber. And her condition—"

I cut them off by rushing to my step-mother's chamber. She's fine. Let her be fine.

At that time, as I rushed to my mother, the severe ache in my back didn't matter and I ran until I finally reached her chamber which was in the second floor. Forgetting to knock, I burst opened the door, only to be greeted by the cries of a mother.

There she was, the woman who may not be my biological mother, but still treated me as her own blood crying like a child and yelling out my brother's name, telling him to come back.

Her renèi Possession, which was a pair of dark red wings, were flapping against the walls, indicating she had tried to find his step-son by herself but couldn't as she was stopped forcefully and now she wasn't even in her right state of mind to terminate her renèi Possession.

"Bring him back! I've already lost two of my children, I can't lose anymore!" she yelled as my older brother, Ace tried to comfort her.

"Let me see my son, please. Let me bring him back," she pleaded by joining her palms as tears rolled down from her cheeks. My heart ached by seeing her like this. "I can't lose my child, please." she looked down as I clenched my fist. She was in this state because of him.

Just when Ace was about to say something, he noticed me and stood from his sitting position on the bed. Mother still hadn't noticed me and was mumbling some old prayers in Elysian language that I had lost faith in many years ago.

"She's losing her mind—had two anxiety attacks after realizing Ember's missing. It's worse than before," Ace told me, looking at mother as she gnawed in her lips.

"She keeps saying Ember's going to die and she'll lose another child of her," he explained. I didn't want to hear any of it so I walked passed him and crouched down beside the bed my mother was sitting on and was hugging her knees.

"Ma," I said, taking her shaky hands in mine as she looked up. Her black hair was in a mess, her cheeks and nose was flushed red from all the cryings and her bright eyes were puffy. It hurt seeing her like this.

"Ira, your brother—Ember. . . . I can't find him anywhere. I looked for him everywhere. In every corners of the Palace. I didn't find him," she ranted, holding my hands firmly, still trembling. "He's missing. My son's missing," she chanted again and again.

"What if he's in danger? What if he's held captive by the Ezèrian? What if they're torturing him? What if—"

"Ma, look, look at me," I said as she did what I said. "Don't worry about him, I'll bring him back. I'll find him. Just. . . . stop being like this, please. I can't see you like this," I mumbled the last part, hoping she wouldn't hear it.

"How can you bring him back? You don't even know where he is. What if by the time you find he's already—"

"I told you I'll find him!" I nearly yelled at her for the first time in my life and instantly regretted it. She wasn't bothered—she was still saying things that made no sense. "Ma, please," I begged, holding her hands firmly.

"Stop it, you're scaring me." I finally said the truth.

When I realized she wasn't in the right state of her mind to comprehend what I was saying, I let go of her hands and stood up. "Go to sleep. When you wake up, you'll find him by your side," I said as Ace sat beside her and tied her hair gently.

"Look after her," I looked away as he nodded. "I'll bring that scumbag back."

The words of the second prince missing seven days prior to his amalgamation spread faster than anyone could imagine and soon, the words reached my father, King of Elysia, Edric Elvin Elysian.

The man I owed my life.

I rushed to my father, looking anxious and breathing heavily. Despite my severe cuts and pain caused by my renèi Possession in my back— which made me want to walk slowly, I didn't hesitate to march to my father when I saw my mother's condition.

"Have you forgotten how to knock?" father asked, raising his thick eyebrows once I burst opened his door.

"Father," I began, ignoring his question. "Ember—Elliot's missing,"

There was a glint of surprise in his chiseled face, but it only lasted for a few seconds. That little bit of surprise wouldn't have even made its way to his face if it wasn't for Ember missing six days before his amalgamation, for he wanted to get rid of his Ezèrian son as soon as possible and if he escapes and leaves him by his own choice, what could be more better for him?

"Why do you look so concerned?" he asked, his voice deep as always.

I knew if I delayed to answer him, something unpleasant would wait for me—so without wasting any second, I lied confidently.

"I'm not concerned about him, father. I'm concerned about you, for you want his curse to be broken and that can be done only by the amalgamation,"

"Right. This should be the reason of your concern," he nodded to himself as he walked toward me and studied me.

He knows something is wrong with me.

"How's your renèi Possession?"

I looked upto him and noticed the look of concern in his eyes. Looking down again, I said, "My wings are fine,"

He didn't buy it. I can see it in his face.

Despite not believing me, he acted like he did and asked, "What do you think happened?"

"I'm certain he didn't escape by himself. Someone must've helped him," I began to think about everything that happened an hour ago, began to connect the dots.

"Is it that maid who's always tailing him?" he made a guess.

"At first, I thought so, too," I said, lifting his eyebrows. "But look at this situation, father," I began as he took a sit, folded his hands across his chest, ready to hear me.

"It's confirmed that Ember used his window to escape. But he can't do that unless he'd an Ezèrian with him who is an Air Mage. They must've used the Ezèrian's power to get down," I explained, still thinking.

"Are you saying that Elliot's maid is an Ezèrian? An Ezèrian has been living inside my palace and I know nothing about it?" he fumed in anger, clenching his jaw.

Just the thought of an Ezèrian breathing the same air as him agitated him more than anything.

"No, no," I said immediately. "The maid is harmless. She isn't an Ezèrian, she's a Naught,"

"And how are you so sure of that? For all we know, she could be hiding her white hair behind a wig and her eyes behind lenses—like Elliot," he pointed out, his anger still remaining.

"I know the difference between fake hair and eye, father. I can assure the maid is innocuous," he had a hard time believing me.

father nodded and said, "If the maid didn't help him, the who is it?"

"I'm not so sure about this, but I think there was an Ezèrian in the Palace and we weren't aware of it,"

He scoffed in disbelief. "You're telling me someone, an Ezèrian infiltrated my palace and didn't get caught by the guards?"

My answer was fast and it had veracity. "The Ezèrian are capable of anything, father."

It took a few moments for him to agree with me and after cursing the Ezèrian under his breath, he said, "Now that we've figured out how he escaped, shall we discuss where he's headed?" he raised an eyebrow as I nodded.

"Do you think 'escape' is the right word to describe what he did?"

He thought for a while and realized his second son wasn't the type to escape. He was the type to fight back.

"Now that I think about it, I don't think he's trying to escape. He knows if he escapes, that will only make things better for me. Besides, If he wanted to escape, he could've done that years ago, why now? He could escape the day his alliance was formed, why now? Why with so much difficulties?"

"Indeed," I agreed. "If he's not trying to escape then he must be trying—"

"to break the alliance," father finished the sentence with a sly smile.

"He knows talking about his amalgamation with you will be futile. He also knows, the empress is superior and she might negotiate with him. But, what he doesn't know is the contract between you and the empress," I pointed out as he bobbed his head.

"Therefore, negotiating with the empress will be futile as well because the empress wants this amalgamation more than me," he smiled slyly as he crossed his legs.

"So, if he wants to negotiate with the empress, he's heading for—"

"The Eirlys empire." We both said simultaneously.

***

Half an hour later, after discussing with my father and telling him I'd be the one to bring him back here, I was ready to bring that good-for-nothing brother of mine. I put on my white hooded cape on top of my musketeer shirt and buttoned it.

Facing the worker in front of whom I'd called, I said, "Tell the ostler to prepare my horse,"

I took a breath, watching the moon as I already felt it guiding me. "I'm leaving for north."

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And this, ladies and gentlemen was Ira's first POV! what do you think of it?

This was such a long chapter to write but i hope it all was worth it and you liked it? And now you know how Ira is actually UwU

Thank you so much reading!
ε===(っ≧ω≦)っ

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