In some dark place similar to a dungeon, a few people wearing cloaks were having a conversation quietly. "What now? We didn't get the foreign kid. She ran off with her mother."
"Ah, we don't need to report that. We replaced her with that boy."
"Oh, the pretty boy?"
"Yeah. He looks more like a foreigner than the girl did."
"Aren't we supposed to get a specific blood type though?"
"No, we just need one that has Mana, and if he doesn't qualify, we can always sell him to get money for the higher-ups." They leaned out of the room and looked at one of the many cages lined up along the wall. "He should be worth quite a bit. Did you get the sealers placed on him?"
"I forgot."
"Idiot, if that kid has magic he'll get out!" The two rushed, grabbing the metal cuffs and racing over to the cage, unlocking the door and hurriedly placing a cuff on both legs and arms. Leaving the enclosed space, they relocked it and went back to the break room, sitting down around a table in relief. "You should know better than that."
"I've only been here for a little over a month, I can't remember all of that." They got a punch on their shoulder in response.
"Try to get it all before next week then."
"Yes sir…" Resuming their small meal, they chatted over their next moves and how they planned to complete it. Back in the cage, the young boy was waking up, blinking slowly.
His vision blurred and mind fuzzy, he thought, 'Where am I?' Trying to move, Zyrtec found his wrists and ankles heavier than normal. Looking at them, he frowned when he saw the metal around his skin. There weren't any chains connecting them, they were just there. Sitting up, he glanced around in confusion. It was clearly a dark space, but he was able to see just fine. Capable of seeing in the dark, he just sighed and used the bars to stand up slowly. He tried to use magic but halted when he realized he couldn't even feel his Mana. 'What happened to me?' Listening closely, he could hear two people chatting in another room and glared their direction. 'I remember now. Someone caught me from behind.' Taking a look at where he was, he still had no clue. Tapping the bars calmly, he glanced at the people again before grabbing the metal bars and forcing them apart, bending a space just barely big enough for him to wiggle through. Even if he was in a human body and his magic was blocked, he was still a dragon. The creaking sound of the metal being stressed alerted the men in the other room and he had to rush, slipping through with effort as they were exiting to inspect.
"Catch him!" Stumbling when he was free, he didn't hesitate to bolt away, trying to get away from them. A wall of wind erupted in front of him, blocking his path. He rammed into it, unable to stop in time and winced as his face and body were scratched by the many small blades of wind it was made of. Before he could stand back up, the two were upon him instantly. "What kind of monstrous strength is this?!" The one used a hand to reach into their bag and pulled out a black cuff, this time clamping a band around his neck as well while he tried to fight back. His eyes widened and he screamed in pain, the new shackle forcefully draining his strength and energy, his body locking up as his mobility was stolen. Gasping for air on his side, he blinked and looked at the place from the inside of a cage. It took him a minute to realize he blacked out. Trying to stand up, his whole body was shaking horribly and he could hardly move.
His stomach churned as he inhaled, everything hurting. 'I'm so weak…' Curling into himself slowly, he put a hand on the black cuff, breathing raggedly as his hand shook. 'What is this…? It's horrible…' He coughed wildly, sparking agony in his chest and throat. It hurt to breathe and his sight wasn't clearing, it was almost worse. Shivering in pain, he gripped the edge of the cuff around the time something smacked the bars loudly. Turning his head with narrow eyes slowly, he looked up at the two who had caught him earlier.
They were smirking. "You won't be bending the damned bars again now." Opening the door, they entered, the one placing his foot on Zyrtec's head. Arrogance dripped off his words as he said, "A pretty boy that gets this sick from a sealing brace? Even if you get the cuffs off, you'll still be sick. The ones on your limbs both seal and absorb your mana while the black one seals and absorbs your strength. That includes how susceptible you are to sicknesses." Bragging over their unique shackles, he didn't even bother to hide much. Even so, he knew better than to explain how it worked.
Zyrtec wheezed out, "You're...an...idi...idiot…"
Rage flashed across his face and he pressed down on his head. "You brat! You're just a pretty boy that's too weak to escape from us! I was going to leave you alone, so take this as a warning!" He grinded his foot into his cheek, then stepped away and crossed his arms. It hurt, but his willpower was stronger than that. Scowling at the man, Zyrtec locked eyes with him without a hint of fear. In the next instant, a boot connected with his stomach and he was thrown against the back wall after spinning through the air violently. The surface was cold, hard, and rough, tearing as his weakened skin like paper. He hurled when he hit the ground, a mixture of blood and random food spilling out as he writhed in agony. The door slammed shut and clicked when they locked it. By instinct, he was outraged by being treated as he was, the prideful behavior of the dragons consuming his mind.
Snarling, his eyes turning solid red, he shoved himself to his knees, then surged to his feet and lunged at the bars, screaming, "I'm not scared of you!" A blast of wind shaped into a bolt stabbed his side and he fell to his knees, staring blankly at the ground in front of him. The men had left now and he started to actually think about his situation. He rested his head against the bars as his eyes watered, the red fading to reveal his icy blue eyes. His grip loosened and he despaired, still a child. So desperately, he wished his mother was there and would save him. 'Momma...please...help me…' Falling back, he held his side and shut his eyes, choosing silence for now rather than provocation.
With both her children and the people at the inn surrounding her, Aztoria sat up abruptly, panicked over the message in her head. 'Zyrtec!' Hopping to her feet and ignoring the spinning of her head, she spun in circles searching for him. It was hard to see past the ring of people questioning her, and in frustration she shouted, "Where is Zyrtec?! He would've been back by now, he wouldn't stay out so late without saying something!"
One of the people reached towards her calmly, trying to make her slow down. "It's alright. You fainted and have only just woken up. We should worry about you first…"
She slapped their hands away in anger. "Shut it! I fainted because he told me he needed help! That he was in danger!" Storming out without hesitation, she added, "Nylotte, Qlome, Jarkko, stay here!" On the street, she followed his scent in a rush, tracking it to the fountain quickly. 'Where? He stayed here for a while, but then where did he go from there!?' Chasing after his scent, she slammed into a woman on accident, both of them falling down. "Ah…" She wanted to ignore this to find Zyrtec but that could cause another problem if they turned out to be important. "I'm sorry." Getting to her feet, she prepared to run off, then froze when she realized the woman smelled like her son. Whirling on the startled person, she grabbed the collar of her dress and hissed, "Where is my son?"
"W-who? I don't know who your son is!"
Irritated, she said, "A little boy with white hair and blue eyes!"
"Him?!" The woman was astounded, thinking, 'A boy that gentle was raised by someone like this?'
"You do know him! Where is he?! What happened to him?!"
Waving her hands in a panic, she cried, "I don't know! I thought he went back home! He just brought my little girl back to me, that's how I know him!"
Aztoria narrowed her eyes at the lady. 'It's him for sure, he can't resist helping someone no matter how much it annoys him.' That only meant he was more likely to get in danger. "Which way did he go!?"
"To the fountain! In the direction of the shopping center belonging to the blacksmiths!" Releasing her, Aztoria spun on her heel and sprinted there, halting when she caught the scent and it stopped almost immediately after she did. Followed the small pieces of it, she was led to a dark alley and frowned, the trail ending altogether. Falling to her knees in the dark space, she hit her fisted hands against the cobbled ground and screamed, pouring all her desperation and loss into her voice, tears falling down her cheeks.
Despairing, she whispered, "I'm sorry...I couldn't save you…" A crowd gathered to see what was wrong but she ignored them, lost in her failure to save her child as it consumed all her thoughts. 'I'm so sorry Zyrtec…'