#Elsword Code: Unknown

[lilith-devi-nyx-elsword-theorist]

the rest, sorry. they're interesting.

[danneko]

A drawing that I forgot to post here

I absolutely love Eve's 4th job. The design is so sooooo beautiful.

[elsgraphics]

✦ EVE ICONS ( CODE: UNKNOWN )

350 x 350.

likes / reblogs appreciated!

request here.

[rainsonata]

Doppelgänger 9/15

Chapter 09: Consolidation  

Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; none Rating: T Word Count: 7,821

Summary: It was like looking into a mirror. What happens when one’s reflection talks back and throws uncomfortable questions? El Search Party struggles to find entrance into the Demon Realm, but Dominator has a plan.   

Alternative Title: Dominator fucked up and now everyone meets their alternative selves  

AO3 Link / FF.NET Link

— [Chapter 01] [Chapter 02] [Chapter 03] [Chapter 04] [Chapter 05] [Chapter 06] [Chapter 07] [Chapter 08] [Chapter 09] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15] —  

----------------------------

Class Notes: 

Canon Path: Knight Emperor, Aether Sage, Daybreaker, Rage Hearts, Code: Esencia, Comet Crusader, Apsara, Empire Sword, Doom Bringer, Ishtar and Chevalier (Innocent), Bluhen   

Alternative Path: Rune Slayer, Oz Sorcerer, Anemos, Furious Blade, Code: Ultimate, Fatal Phantom, Devi, Flame Lord, Dominator, Timoria and Abysser (Catastrophe), Richter

-----------------------------

Daybreaker 

A pair of eyes followed her, carefully making notes of her movements with an analytical intent not unlike that of a soldier. Daybreaker saw him do the same with her companions. Rune Master scratched the back of his neck and laughed when caught, but his smile failed to reach his eyes. He was doing what humans did when anxious or uncertain about their future. It was the kind of behavior Daybreaker saw when humans realized that they had no control over their current situation. Rune was trying to understand who they were, these strangers that shared his friends’ faces, yet didn’t know him. 

Empire left with the others with the premise of approaching a cavern after Bluhen and Bringer detected Knight’s El resonance. It made sense to send one of their stronger team members in case they had to fight off demons or powerful enemies that were after the Dark El. There was a possibility demons like Ran were out to get their revenge on the team. 

“They haven’t returned,” Rune said. “I don’t sense them.” 

The rune user sat at the base of one of the many mountains decorating the terrain. Rune sat with his legs crossed and traced his finger over the sand. It was hard to believe he was Knight from his demeanor. He could be pouncing on Rage with trivial questions for one moment, but then lose all emotion and ask if they knew where the Dark El was.   

Daybreaker wanted to believe his interest in the Dark El was for the same reason as Knight’s. 

“What’s your plan?” Rune said, “You promised to help if they didn’t come back.” 

“Only if they’re in trouble,” Rage replied. 

“Are they?” Rune tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. 

He sat up and stretched his arms, cracking his knuckles. Weaponless, Rune had nowhere to go except where his kidnappers were willing to trek. His mannerisms reminded Daybreaker of the boy she first met near Ruben Village. Rune was brash and said what was on his mind with no plan in mind, although the latter was questionable. There was a familiar hint of mischievousness in Rune, sometimes snorting to a joke no one knew about except for himself. 

Rage tapped his finger over his communicator, his lips forming into a tight line when there was no response. He breathed in unison with the Nasod arm, alive and independent from its owners’ thoughts.    

“What’s wrong, Raven?” Daybreaker saw the man frown. 

“Elesis isn’t answering.” 

“What does that mean?” Aether asked. “Did something happen to them?”

“I’m trying to call them,” Daybreaker tapped on her device and waited for the familiar voices of her friends. “Where are you going?”

Rune sat up. 

“How can you sit here and act like nothing’s wrong?” Rune glared.     

“You don’t know what they’re going up against,” Rage went after him. 

“Which is exactly why you should go save them!” He pulled his arm away from the older man, “Doesn’t it bother you that they asked you to sit and wait?”

Daybreaker had her gloved hand out, mere inches away from Rune’s face. She grabbed hold of the collar of his jacket and pulled on it, forcing Rune to lower his head so they were at the same level. He was just a child yet he was so eager to throw his life away for strangers he hardly knew. There was fear in Rune’s features. 

“So you’re going to throw a tantrum like a child?” Daybreaker asked.  

“Rena?” Aether gasped. “What are you doing to him?”  

“I don’t think I’m asking much when I tell you to remain here.” Daybreaker kept her voice even, “I understand why you’re upset and that you are here against your will. I know that makes us look bad, but I think it’s going to be worse if something was to happen to you because of us. We promised Elesis we would keep you safe.” 

Daybreaker couldn’t allow it in her subconscious to allow him to walk off like that. They have already lost Knight. If the other El Search Party learned that Rune had gone missing over another heroic act, she wasn’t sure if it was something she could ever forgive herself for. She didn’t know Rune well, but she couldn’t stand the idea of seeing a young human getting hurt. Not after losing Knight.    

Rune cracked a smile, tears streaming down his cheeks. She loosened her grip when his eyes flickered cyan for a brief moment. Daybreaker bit her lips. The other Elsword was influenced by the El too. That’s why he was receptive to other people’s El resonance. It must be painful for Rune to be aware of people’s state of mind or power, a blessing and a curse. Rune could have sensed something most of them couldn’t. No wonder he was eager to charge into another battle. He was Elsword, after all.  

“Heh, you really are Rena.” Rune laughed without humor, “She would have said something like that.” 

Knight’s doppelgänger rolled his shoulders and pulled his jacket back to show off his bare stomach. His attire was more reminiscent of civilians from Bethma than from his hometown. Rune had his hand behind his back, twitching in need of having a weapon by his side at all times. It was strange how similar he was to Knight without realizing it. 

Aether flicked the rune user by forehead with her fingers before crossing her arms, “Where were you planning to go anyway? We don’t even know where they are!” 

“That hurts!” Rune whined.  

“Rena, are you there?” Crusader’s voice broke out in static, “This is Chung. The cavern is collapsing. I’m with another person. We can breathe, but there’s a monster outside. Be careful, it’s dangerous! It can-” 

His voice was cut off before his message could pass through. Daybreaker’s throat went dry and searched to see if any coordinations have been sent to her. Without them, they would have to find their teammates by relying on their senses. 

“I heard Chung’s voice,” Rage remained composed. He sensed her anxiety and was already coming up with a plan for their next mission. “I’m guessing this is the signal?”

“I think that warrants more than that,” Aether said dryly.    

The sky bloomed into deep violet. Lines cracked against the vibrant heavens, outer shells of crystals framed and hollowed out from the insides to form an assortment of portals. Black spheres tore the surrounding space apart. A deafening sound crashed in Daybreaker’s eardrums when they exploded in the sky. 

The cacophony produced by the powerful force strengthened as Daybreaker led them closer to the source, at the entrance of Shadow Vein, a cavern filled with giant crystals. Towering mountains came into view when they arrived at the base of where the cavern opening was supposed to be. Slabs of rocks and boulders blocked the entrance, leaving little room for even the smallest child to fit through one of the bigger holes. Rune slammed his bare hands against the boulders. 

“Are you in there?” Rune pulled his arm out in search of his sister, “Elesis!” 

“Elsword!” Empire cried and reached for him with an arm smeared in blood. “Is that you? We’re inside Shadow Vein!”

“We’ll find a way to get you out, I promise!” He choked into a quiet sob.   

Green light shone as Daybreaker strung her bow and focused her energy on the pointed end of her arrows. She shot two arrows to a shadowed figure that appeared from her peripheral vision, followed by a backflip and fired several more towards the sky. Daybreaker gasped when the sky disrupted and the very fabric of time and dimension was torn apart. Her arrows disappeared into the small holes created by the tears and flew back towards her. Daybreaker launched herself into a backflip and cartwheeled away with her bow tucked behind her back. 

Fire, ice, and electricity were dispersed by Aether, followed by explosions from impact as she fired a circle of elements to the enemy. Smoke filled the air and the elemental mage’s voice was heard amongst the chaos.       

The shadowed figure dissolved into space, taking the shape of a tall figure with white hair reaching down its back. A magenta-colored crystal latched onto their chest and glowed a sickly coloration to their skin, a shade lighter than her’s. Their jawline was met by a slender neck covered in black material unknown to Elrians. Drones levitated around the stranger with a mind of their own, acting as a shield and deflecting dark energy from the monster they were fighting. 

“That monster has Elsword!” Aether pointed to the shapeless crystal monster. The Dark Agate pinched Knight between its fingers, lifting him and screaming when Aether summoned icicles to pierce through its hardened skin. The icicles broke off and shattered into dust.            

Rage leveraged his blade between his Nasod arm and pressed his weight against the monster’s legs. Sharp lines cracked into its exterior and dark liquid leaked out, emitting a foul smell that reeked of rotting flesh and metal. The end of Rage’s Nasod arm drilled further into the monster’s skin, twisting and forming dents into it. The Dark Agate groaned and charged against the base of the mountain. Stone walls rumbled and cascaded over the land, sending pebbles raining down over Rage and Knight. 

“It seems like your friends came for you,” the stranger chuckled overhead. They maintained distance as they lowered themself to reveal the face of a man. Scars stretched over the lower half of his face and grinned. “I’ll be nice and deliver their princess~”

“I’m not a princess-”  

Knight stopped fighting from the monster’s hold and froze. His body outlined in blue and faded. His cries echoed the valley and shook the mountains’ foundations surrounding them. Knight reappeared next to the stranger. Nowhere to stand, Knight panicked and waved his limbs in panic. He was hundreds of feet above the ground and had nowhere to break his fall. 

Daybreaker leaped into the air and strung several arrows between her fingers with dexterity. Her arrows fought against gravity and flew across. Three arrows ran through the seams of the back of Knight’s collar, pinning him and sending his body slammed against the walls of a cliff. She ran over to check his status, but a purple blur beat her to it. 

“Elsword!” 

Aether waved her staff and teleported in succession to the base of the cliff. Her arms were stretched out and stood on her tiptoes in reach for Knight. It would have been touching to see Aether finally be honest about her feelings for the younger boy, but the stranger’s appearance led to more questions for Daybreaker. What did he do to escape from the hold of a powerful demon?  

“Aisha, help me!” Knight clung to the wall, pushing his legs up in search for something to stand on with no avail. 

“I’m trying!” Aether growled, “You’re lucky Rena is here to stop you from breaking your neck!” 

Daybreaker rubbed her forehead with a sigh. She couldn’t believe her arrows were strong enough to stick to the walls. Being in Demon Realm must have done something to strengthen her tolerance against the demonic energy and help her rebuild her strength as she would have in Elrios.  

“So cute,” the enigmatic man giggled. He rested his elbow against one of his drones and lifted one leg up. 

“Where are you going?” Knight looked at the man. 

“I already saved you twice,” he yawned. “I think you can handle this one by yourself.”

The man opened a portal and exited from the scene with a Cheshire grin being the last thing they saw. The portal was sealed shut from behind and the sky went back to being a melancholy blue dipped in tones of red and orange. Who was he?  

“If you keep moving, you’re going to fall!” Aether chastised. 

“How am I supposed to get down?” Knight asked. “There is nothing to-, ah!” 

The arrows holding Knight snapped and the boy slid down. Daybreaker winced as he dropped from several meters high. They scrambled to run to where Knight fell with their arms out. Rage slowed down his run into a fast walk and had his arms ready to catch the younger member of the El Search Party. Daybreaker readied herself by placing her weight into the back of her legs, but her train of thought interrupted by the sound of Knight shouting and Aether screaming. Knight had crash-landed his body onto Aether by full force. 

“Elsword, you’re too heavy!” Aether complained. “Get off, you’re crushing me!”  

“My back hurts!” Knight whined. “Where did Paradox go? We need to go after him!” 

“Not in your condition,” Rage said. He brought Knight’s arm around his shoulder to help him stand up. “You can tell us more about that man when we bring you back to safety.” 

“What about Rune?” Knight asked. “What happened to him?” 

Red flames shot into the air and brought Daybreaker’s attention back to the cavern’s entrance. Empire and Rune were still there. Horror rose from the back of her throat and she went back to find them.   

     Magic ran through Rune’s veins. Flames flew between his fingers as the rune user idly juggled fireballs between his palms and fired them like bullets. He was adept in fire magic that could have challenged Aether’s abilities. Most mages needed a physical object to channel their magic into, yet Rune was able to summon fire without burning himself.

Sparks flared inside Rune’s hands, emitting heat and uncontrolled flames to match the anger playing across his features. Hand over his hip, Rune ignored their calls. Rune’s hands formed into fight fists and gritted his teeth. He snapped when the Dark Agate expelled crystal shards from its body. Rune incinerated them with his flames, moving his limbs with fluidity and dodging its attacks before firing back. He landed his attack directly into the monster’s chest and watched it tumble over with a low groan. 

“Heh, is that all?” Rune grinned. “That was nothing!” 

Their footsteps alerted him of their presence.  

“I solved one of your problems!” Rune saw Knight being helped by Rage and his smile faltered, “and you found your guy... ” 

“You’re okay!” Knight lit up. 

“Heh, you too?” Rune scratched the back of his neck. “Looks like it’s hard to kill you too.” 

“I’m glad you’re safe,” Knight was relieved. “I was worried about you.” 

Rune hid his face from view, “You’re just like what they told me. You’re making me look bad.” 

“Huh?” Knight was confused. 

“Forget it,” Rune shook his head. “I’m just rambling.” 

The sound of rocks and stones rumbling made Rune look up to see the Dark Agate bringing its body back up. Horror came into realization as he searched for the last bit of mana to summon his flames. Rune didn’t hear them shouting his name and didn’t move. 

Its clawed arm overhauled to reach for Rune when the sound of gunshots pierced through the thick air. A rain of bullets broke through the monster’s skin and left holes inside its body before it could move. The last bullet hit the Dark Agate between the opening of its “mouth” and the monster collapsed on its own weight. 

Daybreaker searched for the source of the bullets and stopped to see a pair of ice-blue eyes peering from behind a boulder. Their white armor shared the same sheen as the shells found off the coast of Hamel. A young man stepped out from the shadows when Rune waved and beamed to the newcomer. 

“Chung?” Rune choked when he was pulled into a tight embrace by Crusader’s counterpart. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner,” he whispered.     

----------------------------

Fatal Phantom

Phantom didn’t let go, feeling his shoulders shake when he hugged around the rune user’s smaller figure. Several day cycles had passed since he had last seen Rune, but his body was struggling to adjust to the new sleep cycle in Demon Realm. His muscles continued to tense and idly played with the trigger with his thumb even as Rune gently rubbed his knuckles over the marksman’s back. 

He noticed their audience and obscured his lower face with his scarf. Phantom counted three heads and frowned. There were supposed to be more of them. What happened to the people Oz reported over his last contact with the dark mage? She said they were fighting against Add, Ain, and Chung. He searched for a face identical to his when he felt a warm pair of hands run up his body.     

“It’s okay, I’m here.” He felt Rune’s lips lift from the corner of his mouth, pressing them at the nape of his neck. 

“What are you doing trying to fight by yourself?” Phantom hissed and pushed himself away, ignoring Rune’s hurt expression.  

“I had it under control.” Rune wasn’t as concerned and stretched his arms out. In a quieter voice, the redhead tilted his head back and chuckled. “And I wasn’t alone, I had you.” 

Phantom enjoyed being around Rune (he could hear Anemos giggling if he ever admitted that), but he could never wrap his mind around how the late Sieghart could say embarrassing things without getting flustered. It was like standing next to a sun, if said sun was a blinding red and set itself on fire intermittently. He huffed and feigned a cough to hide his embarrassment. 

“Rune?” 

He turned to see a face identical to Rune’s peer from the side. How similar they were, yet there was a distinct contrast in how Knight presented himself. Hair brushed to the side in a neat short cut, Knight was covered in blood and sweat. Dried blood covered his sides and cracked when he moved. He leaned against Rage’s shoulder before pushing himself and stumbling over to Rune and Phantom with a pained expression. Knight straightened his back and pulled out a sword covered in red runes to offer it to his counterpart with an awkward smile. 

Good grief, did all Elswords smile through their pain? 

“I wanted to return this to its owner,” Knight brought his hands into his pockets. “I think you’ll make better use of it than I did.” 

Aether looked at Knight with an alarmed expression. “What were you doing with Rune’s sword?” 

“One of your friends has Elsword’s weapon,” Rage explained when Phantom gave him a look of confusion. “He had blue hair and didn't talk much.” 

“Ain?” Rune ran his hand through his hairline, “You saw him?” 

“I think Paradox is involved in this,” Knight said. “He uses portals to toy with people. That’s why he has your sword. He must have done the same with mine.” 

Who was Paradox? Phantom was already lost in the conversation in who was being referred to when everyone had a counterpart. He wasn’t even going to try and guess which one of his teammates went by the name of Paradox in another dimension. 

It was clear that Paradox had left Knight shaken. His skin was paler than Rune’s and sadness reflected in his expression when he addressed them with unnecessary formality. Knight had a stockier build than Rune, but without his sword, he was defenseless and had nothing to occupy his hands with. He kept his hands in his pockets or folded them over his thighs, tinkering with his fingers when he spoke. 

“What did Paradox want?” Daybreaker asked. Motherly concern took over and the elf woman rested her palm against Knight’s forehead. “Did he hurt you?”

“I’m not sure,” Knight admitted and shook his head. “He kept me close and made me watch you guys fight each other. I think he’s lonely.” 

“What kind of person does that?” Aether puffed her cheeks, “he brought that monster and left us to clean up his mess!” 

“We should at least find him and learn what his intentions are,” Rage said. “Elsword said he could control portals. If we can get him to talk, maybe we can help them return home?”   

Phantom felt their eyes fall on him and Rune as if they had just been noticed. It was an uncomfortable feeling being scrutinized by the people they were supposed to be fighting hours ago. Rune probably wouldn’t appreciate it either if they were to break out into another fight. He squeezed Rune’s hand when he saw the latter breath out a heavy sigh. 

He saw it in his partner’s eyes. Rune was blaming himself again, playing the martyr and carrying the burden with miserable pride. It was pitiful at first sight, but it was getting on his nerves and Phantom has had enough of it. Rune shouldn’t be the first to jump ship and take the blame for things that were out of his control. The rune user wasn’t the only one from a different dimension. 

“We’re not leaving until we find the others,” Phantom said. “One of our friends said they were stuck inside Shadow Vein with one of yours.” 

“You mean Chung?” Daybreaker asked, “He said he was with your Aisha.” 

“Who probably isn’t as skilled as me,” Aether smirked. 

“You haven’t even met her yet,” Knight deadpanned. 

“What? Have you?” Aether scoffed. “Because last time I checked, you were kept hostage by a man wearing a trash bag!” 

What a strange group, Phantom thought. They were lively and bickered among themselves, not unlike his teammates when they weren’t busy chasing after demons because of strange circumstances that liked to fall on them. When was the last time their party had the chance to sit down and chatter without being rushed to their next destination? 

“I’m sorry for causing you trouble,” Rune blurted out. He looked at Knight with guilt. “Your sister is trapped inside the cave because of us, I’m sorry. I-”  

“What are you apologizing for?” Aether stared at Rune. “Don’t blame yourself for something you have no control over.”  

“No one is angry at you,” Daybreaker agreed “What matters is that you and Elsword are safe. There’s no reason to fight anymore.” 

Phantom was apprehensive in meeting the people that took away his friend, yet they were treating Rune as one of their own, comforting and reassuring him, easing the pain away with kind words of encouragement. No matter how different they were from his friends, their actions were genuine and held no grudge against them. After months of traveling in Elysion, it was strange to meet people again. The other El Search Party didn’t hold the mysticism the El Masters and priestesses had. They were adventurers like them that knew how to hold their ground against powerful enemies. 

Was Phantom blind in worrying about Rune when the fire user was in good company with capable adventurers? He wasn’t ready to fully trust them, but Phantom saw that they wouldn’t harm Rune. He gathered that the opposing party, at least in regards to Aether and Daybreaker, were the more honest adventurers from how open and relaxed they were in discussing plans in their presence. Phantom had enough encounters with deceitful clients to recognize the signs of ones he could not trust.     

“Did you come here alone?” Rune asked Phantom with worried concern. He gripped his hand around Phantom’s; they were warm and sweaty.    

“No,” Phantom said. “Aisha contacted us and Eve detected you.” 

Rune lit up at the mention of their team members. 

Ultimate gave him affirmation about Rune’s location in the logical optimism she often had (“Based on reading analysis, there is an 80.88% chance he is in this region.”). Phantom didn’t ask where the numbers were from. It was rare for her to make mistakes, even rarer for Ultimate if it involved their friend. Rune wasn’t hard to find, anyway because he liked to make his presence known. His flames flared like a beacon for Phantom to find the rune user.    

“Where are they?” Aether asked. 

“Yo!”  

Five figures came into view past the blocks of shattered boulders crumbled over the closed cavern. Ultimate’s winged form was visible, shaped by the dark curves thrown by the smaller sun casting over the Nasod Queen. Draped over her shoulder was Abysser drooling with his eyes shut and wrapping his arms around Ultimate’s mechanical wings. Timoria exchanged a look of defeat to Phantom and shrugged in exasperation. A spark of annoyance was apparent in the brisk walk Ultimate took; Moby and Remy followed their owner and hovered to prevent Abysser’s head from bumping into things.   

Walking behind Ultimate was a gray-haired man in a sleeveless top covered by a heavy furred coat. Phantom recognized him as the opposing El Search Party’s Ain. Featureless and free of the El’s influence, Bluhen kept his head low, deprived of emotions. The cowlick forming from his hairline dropped and his eyes wandered from the present. 

Leading the strange assortment of misfits was a woman in black leather that covered most of her body. Everything about her reminded Phantom of the flames she and Rune manipulated - her eyes, hair, and the tattoos engraved into her skin. The tattered jacket over Flame’s shoulders crackled in unison to the footsteps made by her heeled boots. The body dragged over her shoulders was a man in black and purple. His face was hidden, but there was little guess to who that was supposed to be. 

“Is that Add?” Rage gawked at the display of an unconscious teammate. 

“I said yo!” Flame waved her arm. As she neared, she lowered her shoulders and unloaded the heavyweight with a toothy grin. “When a person says hi, you’re supposed to say hi back!”

“You’re not sis,” Knight looked away with disappointment. 

“Ouch,” Flame winced and rubbed her back. “Sorry~” 

“Don’t be rude!” Aether hissed but gave the older woman an apologetic look. “Don’t be mad, he’s injured and went through a lot.” 

“Nah, it’s just a little strange to know I have two brothers.” Her eyes moved over to Rune with a wide grin, “but this one is still my favorite!” 

“Elesis?” Rune’s eyes widened, “Ow, that’s my rib. Your hugs are too much.” 

Rune cried in receiving a bear hug from the sister he looked up to, rubbing the tears streaming down his face in laughter. Flame let go after getting playfully punched by her brother. His joy sparked a bright light and for a moment, Phantom forgot they were stuck in the middle of a place where they shouldn’t exist. Seeing him smile made the search for the idiotic redhead damn worth it, although that thought was soon cut short. 

“Ain? Are you okay?” Daybreaker rushed to Bluhen to check on the priest and placed a gloved hand over his shoulder. “Did you go into a full fight?” 

“I’m just tired,” Bluhen gave a weak smile. “Good thing Mr. Guardian stopped the fight. I would have lost in a fight against two.”  

“Is that what happened?” Knight asked. “What about Add?”

“This guy wasted all his energy healing himself,” Timoria pointed to Bluhen. She pulled her cap down to hide her eyes, “Ciel is down because he got too close.” 

Ultimate placed Abysser on the ground and had his head resting against a makeshift pillow. Bringer was arranged in a similar manner as they set up a temporary healing station to heal wounds after the disastrous fights. Both had white hair and didn’t stir when moved by the people carrying them, snoring softly next to one another.    

“What’s wrong?” Phantom asked. He saw Rune placing his hands over the blocked cavern, his tattoos glowing in anticipation with desperation in his expression. Arms reached out for the other side with guilt, Rune leaned his body forward with a bitter smile.  

“His sister is trapped inside,” Rune nodded towards Knight talking to one of his teammates with a saddened expression and shaking his head. “So are a few others, including our friends.”

“Let me talk to her. Go help the others.” He heard Rune sigh but left to talk to their conscious teammates. Phantom placed his hand over the slab of stone, searching for an opening where he could get his voice across. “Elesis, are you there?”

Weak laughter came from the other side, a young woman’s voice was heard. 

“Are you Chung?”

“I’m the other one. Call me Phantom.” Phantom said, “Who’s with you?”

“Devi,” she answered. “There are two more inside. This entrance is blocked, but Chu-, a friend of ours said he felt a breeze coming from somewhere else.”

Empire was talking about his counterpart, Phantom heard her hesitance in referring to the other one. The sheer size of the cavern covered more ground than some of the mountains surrounding Hamel. It was not uncommon for caves of that size to have multiple entrances and exits. His alternative could be using that information to look for a new exit.  

“Locate them and search for another way out,” Phantom said. “We will be looking for them too.”

“Thank you,” Empire breathed. “I’m sorry about the trouble we have caused.”

“You did it because he’s important to you,” Phantom closed his eyes. “I will talk to both of our teams and let you know if we find something.”  

Phantom turned to meet with a pair of red eyes looking at him with curiosity. It was like looking into a cracked mirror. The shape of his eyes and face were Rune’s but his posture had more in common with Hamel soldiers than that of a village boy. Knight was well endowed in plated armor designed for offense, chained and overlapping with one another to strengthen his defense for front row battles. He gave Phantom an impressed smile and approached the assassin with no fear. 

“Thank you for doing the right thing,” Knight was grateful. 

“I only did it because someone asked me to,” Phantom said. He moved away and kept his distance, but Knight came in closer. 

“You care about Rune a lot,” Knight leaned in to inspect Phantom with interest. “Is that why?”

He would be damned if he was expecting Knight to be any less perceptive than Rune. How much of the conversation between him and Rune did Knight overhear? Phantom wasn’t going to open about his life story to someone he had just met, even if that person looked like someone he knew!  

“You should stay back and heal,” Phantom turned his head away to hide the pink in his cheeks. Did none of the Elswords know personal space? And in public! “There’s medicine if you need some.” 

Please read the room, he silently begged Knight to leave. They have already found Rune. Now they needed to regroup and find a way to leave this dimension so they could do their tasks properly. There were things they needed to do if they wanted to make progress without any further delay than the inconveniences caused by every other person they have met. 

Knight didn’t leave. 

“That’s okay, Ain can heal us!” 

Fucking hell.  

----------------------------

Empire Sword 

Underneath the dull lighting of the illuminating crystals, Empire could make out Devi’s small figure. Limbs tangled and sprawled out, her eyes were closed shut. Her face was pale and had a sickly hue. She had scars formed over one another in layers, some of them blossoming into patterns nearly identical to the ones Empire had before she met Bluhen. 

Empire dragged Devi over to the flat surface, further into the cave and away from the dangerous rocks and boulders that nearly crushed them. They would be dead if it wasn’t for Devi’s quick thinking, Empire thought with a bitter smile. The red knight had technically won the fight against the late Haan, but it was a bittersweet victory for her. Once again, she was separated from Elsword because of the strange circumstances around them. 

She produced a bandage roll from her bag and threw the rest of the contents back in. Empire held up a flashlight over to Devi to inspect the woman for injuries. She unrolled the bandage and wrapped it around Devi’s exposed ankle, tightening and rolling it into a knot and tucking it in.    

They needed to find an exit out of this place. Crusader was somewhere inside Shadow Vein with the opposite team’s Aisha. Phantom said he and the others would search for an exit too, but she was uncertain how much she could trust him. He sounded stern when he made his promise, keeping his voice low as if afraid of being heard. There was no timidness in his tone, but a harsh one that spoke of urgency. 

The red knight couldn’t understand why there was another El Search Party. What did they want from them and how did they cross paths with them? Could this be another result of Knight’s brief connection with the El in Elrianode? Her lips quivered at the thought of her brother’s action bringing about their current situation. Tempering with the El was risky and made them easy targets.   

Empire tucked a strand of hair behind Devi’s ear but paused to the serene smile that graced upon the woman’s face. Legs crossed and arms hugging her spear, she was defenseless in sleep, free of pain and ambitions. She laid in silence as Empire lifted her head to stare into the depths of the cavern. Her eyes strained to look into the dark abyss and landed over to Devi’s face again, unable to look away.     

Why did Devi save her? 

She had foolishly fallen into Paradox’s provocation that would have cost her life if Devi wasn’t there to break her fall. The demon they fought was still out there and they were trapped inside because of her impulsive decision. What kind of leader was she? Empire gripped her claymore and hissed from the pain digging into her shoulder blades. 

They were alive, but the air here tasted like dirt and copper, a combination she was unfortunately familiar with. The interior entrance of the cavern had a low ceiling that forced Empire to crouch her body and look down.    

The red knight had Devi’s legs bent and lowered her body. Empire pulled Devi by the wrists until she was standing, bringing Devi’s arms over her shoulders and lifted herself up to carry the unconscious woman. The additional weight had Empire steady herself in a slow march into the darkness. 

The crystals enclaved a narrow pathway for Empire to follow, careful to walk around the tight twists and turns leading downward. Light cracked between Empire’s fingers and the jagged lines etched into the boulders that were effectively blocking the way they came in. Water drops pelted her face as she looked up to find crystals forming from the ceiling, their radiance growing and fading in strength. There was an earthy damp smell as Empire strained her muscles to shove the rocks and pebbles out of the way. She rubbed her head with the back of her palm and hissed in pain. Blood trickled down from her bottom lip as the red-haired woman gasped for air.  

Her body and mind had adjusted to the heavy demonic pressure that was the hallmark of Demon Realm, a red haze of aura that no longer clouded her mind. Demonic energy maintained the realm’s stability, but something changed when Paradox appeared. Portals were not foreign concepts to her, but she never saw so many open until she saw Paradox fight Knight. The number of portals that began opening in various spots made her uneasy. They reminded her too much of Glave taunting the El Search Party into visiting various dimensions for his own amusement. 

A shadow swooped down and spread its wings. Empire screamed when it let out high pitched squeaks and turned around, only to bump into her again. She almost dropped Devi. Her back was turned when she saw a human-shaped figure lurking from the darkness. Empire darted past the shadow to see the cavern tunnels widening again.

A pointed hat covered in zippers came into view, followed by a young woman appearing under the lighting and dressed in an outfit that was just as eccentric. Oz Sorcerer caught Empire by the arm and reeled her in with her staff, stopping her from running headfirst into the wall. She flashed a smile to Empire and tipped her hat off with serene eyes. 

“Sorry about that,” Oz apologized. “Angkor thought you were a demon.” 

“Angkor?” Empire gawked at the ball flapping its wings beside the dark mage. That thing was the demon Rune mentioned earlier? But it was so round and fat. “It’s real?”

“As real as I am.” Oz looked at Devi sleeping over Empire’s shoulder. Her eyes narrowed, “what happened to her?”

“She passed out because of the earthquake,” Empire explained. “We’re trapped inside and need to find a different exit.” 

“Of course we do,” the woman sighed. “There’s no easy way out because that would be too simple.” 

Empire burst out in laughter, tilting her head back and catching her breath in short gasps before settling with a lopsided smile. At least Empire could be assured that Oz was going to be as sarcastic as her counterpart. She chuckled when Oz looked at her in confusion, if not weary by the red knight’s presence. Empire realized the source of Oz’s nervousness when the heavy hitter of the other team was found unconscious by her hands.   

“Ugh, you’re so loud.” 

Devi lifted her head. Arms wrapped around Empire’s neck, she fluttered her eyes open and hung her head over the red head’s shoulder. She pressed her weight down and twisted her body to find her head reaching the cavern ceiling. Her muscles twitched as Devi wiggled her limbs, discomfort in being held down by the enemy and unable to move. Tufts of hair stuck up in different directions in a messy array. Sharp fingernails clawed into Empire’s shoulders.   

“I’m having a conversation with your teammate,” Empire said without feeling sorry. She wasn’t going to let Devi’s words bother her. There were bigger things to worry about.  

“Good to see you didn’t lose your head,” Devi caught Empire’s gaze with pursed lips. 

“We’re done fighting,” was all Empire could muster to say without making herself into a fool. 

“I know that,” Devi said with boredom and yawned.  

Once again, Empire found herself at a loss for words. Her head was spinning when she was met by Devi’s tactless comments. Blunt words jabbing from the sides without the refined restraints Apsara had in more fragile conversations. 

“Is Chung with you?” Empire turned to ask Oz. She searched for white armor in the midst of the dim cavern. 

“Here I am,” a blonde head poked into the hallway. Crusader dragged his destroyer over in a conspicuous manner that was almost comical if not for the serious expression on his face. He looked at her and Devi with a puzzled expression, “You’re here too?”

“Unfortunately,” Empire rubbed the back of her head. “We’re looking for another exit to meet up with the other team. Did you find anything?” 

“No,” Crusader shook his head. 

Dry blood plastered over his armor, red paint streaming over seashell white armor. A closer inspection, Empire saw the cracks indented into his armor, blooming into miniature craters and embedded with dirt and grime. Sweat glimmered over his face and left the impression of a man who had found his calling in war. Crusader held his head high as a trained soldier should have. He would have been the ideal soldier for the Velder Army. Out of breath, but fearless and eager to partake in the next challenge that awaited him.  

“I didn’t think the leader would get herself trapped down here,” Oz rested her elbow on Angkor. The giant bat squeaked and struggled to stay afloat with weight pressing down on its head.  

“I’m not the leader,” Empire protested. 

“You’re the one who ordered your team to fight,” Oz drawled. “I think that’s enough to earn the leader title.” 

“You’re the one who forced us to fight!” Empire turned her head to glare at Devi, who covered her mouth and giggled. “Don’t you have any shame? How is this justice?”

“Justice?” Devi stopped laughing to narrow her eyes, “‘Justice’ is only in those who are the strongest. You can’t defend your beliefs if you can’t even defend yourself.”  

“What happened to you?” Empire blinked in bewilderment, gaping at the woman who shared Aspara’s face. Cold and distant, unfaltering and unapologetic about the impact her words had on others. How could she be Ara?   

“You don’t have to continue holding me like a maiden,” Devi said. “That won’t be necessary.” 

Devi leaned her body inward, lifting her legs up and removing them from Empire’s hold. One hand over Empire’s shoulders, she pulled one of her legs out in an attempt to find footing over the cave’s sides. Her foot slipped over the rough surface and she lost her slipper. Devi fumbled over and her body swayed, falling back and losing her grip on her rescuer. Empire gasped for air and paused. A loud crash cracked the ground followed by Devi’s shrieks. 

Empire stared dumbfounded at the sight of Devi on the floor. Face planted into the floor, Devi had her limbs sprawled out and struggled to lift herself. The dark-haired woman held up her head, strands of hair fell over her face as she stumbled and fell down again. Orange pupils glowered in anger.   

She’s definitely Ara, Empire offered a hand to pull her onto her feet.  

“Who else would I be?” Devi placed one hand over her hip.             

Did I say that out loud? Empired tucked her head in to hide the blush creeping up her face. “Sorry...” 

“Why are you apologizing?” Devi put on her slipper, “you should be saying that to your team.” 

“That can be done when we find an exit,” Oz tapped her foot impatiently. “Angkor found an exit closest to us.” 

“Which I said that might be worth looking into,” Crusader said. “These caves are similar to the ones near Hamel and must have several exits and entrances for there to be a constant draft in the tunnels.”  

Devi looked at the blond with new interest, “I suppose that makes you useful for something.” 

“Some of these tunnels were dug by demons, so it won’t be an easy walk,” Oz warned her. 

“They would be fools to get in the way,” Devi grinned.

“How could I forget?” Oz rolled her eyes. 

“Why are you encouraging her?” Empire asked. 

Oz shrugged, “Is that a problem if it helps us escape?” 

“No,” Empire sighed. 

Deeper into the tunnels they went, lit up by the crystals grounded at their feet and above their heads. An uneventful trek into the darkness, a rare silence in an alien land uninterrupted by their heavy solemn footsteps. Demons dotted the so-called abandoned path. Beady eyes lurked from the shadows before disappearing from sight and reappearing again behind a crystal. 

“They’re not attacking,” Crusader saw a small group of demons disperse away from their path. 

“With an earthquake that size, they must have lost many of their members today. Fighting us would be a bad idea.” Oz added, “Of course, my guess is as good as yours.” 

“You made a contract with a demon,” Crusader said. 

“Doesn’t mean I speak demon,” the dark mage scoffed. “That’s Angkor’s job.” 

“Why would you do that?” Crusader asked. 

“Why would it matter?” Oz said, “I chose a path I thought was the best option.” 

Her words struck a memory inside Empire. Knight said something similar after waking up to being rescued by his friends… from the El. The red knight understood his reasoning, but she couldn’t let go of the unnerving feelings igniting from her core. It wasn’t right for a brother to sacrifice himself in the place of an older sibling, but Knight argued that it was the best option. For all of them. 

Empire unsuccessfully searched for lament in the purple-haired woman’s features. Demon or not, those were eyes of a person set in their decision with no regrets. Was Empire wrong to believe that their alternative selves were prisons of their decisions as much as she was to hers? She was proud to be the captain of the red knights, but her duty as an older sister led her to leave her soldiers. Was it the right decision to believe in her men and place her presence elsewhere?  

“Miss Elesis?” Crusader’s voice emerged from the silence, “You’ve been quiet.” 

“It’s nothing,” Empire shook her head. “I’m just thinking.” 

“It must be something important,” Crusader said. “You look tired.” 

If it wasn’t for their situation, she would have bumped her knuckles on his shoulder plate and teased him about his serious expression. 

“We finally have Elsword back and now we’re lost,” Empire let out a soft laugh. 

“I don’t think that’s very funny,” Crusader frowned. 

“It turns out he didn’t need help to save himself,” Empire sighed. “He can fight his own battles, yet I can’t stop worrying about him.”  

“It hurts because he will always put others first,” Devi said with sadness. “Even if you tell him not to.”

Empire nodded. She didn’t know Knight was having an internal battle with himself until it was too late. He wouldn’t let her know because he knew she would try to stop him. If it wasn’t for the rest of the team, Knight would still be… 

“United by the same idiot,” Oz sighed. “I think all of you have spent enough time giving him grief over that. I think it’s stopping all of you from moving on.” 

Crusader looked at Oz with wonder and smiled. 

“You’re right,” Crusader said softly. “He needs us as much as we need him. We need to move quickly so he won’t worry about us.” 

“To think a kid has this kind of power over people,” Devi mused. 

“People trust him,” Empire said. 

She trusted Knight because he was her brother, but he proved that he was more than that. Knight was a capable adventurer and a reliable friend, always ready to lend a hand even to strangers he had just met. Some called him naive, but maybe that was what made him disciplined. He lived by a code to always give people his trust, which has earned him friends and sometimes enemies. It was a type of mentality that was unworldly inside the battlefield. 

Sunlight shone at the end of the tunnel. The smell of fresh pine woke up Empire’s senses and lifted the heavyweight off her shoulders. Standing at the exit of the caverns was a familiar face with red-hair and matching eyes.  

“Hey, sis!” 

Elsword?  

Empire rushed over to the voice but stopped when she saw the long bangs framing his face.     

“Elesis?” Rune repeated her name. 

“You’re not Elsword,” Empire heard herself say. 

Her head spun as she realized what she said. Empire extended her hand to apologize, but Rune had disappeared. The others’ voices flooded around her. 

----------------------------

Author Notes: It’s been 80 years. I am writing this as many parts of the country are going into self-quarantine for COVID-19. I will continue to slowly upload new chapters as I am still required to attend to work and classes online. Thank you for everyone’s patience and wonderful comments.  

[elsword-imagines]

The Elgang as Hogwarts Houses

Elsword: Gryffindor - brave, reckless, leader 

Aisha: Ravenclaw - studious, smart, constantly trying to prove herself 

Rena: Hufflepuff - motherly, protective, helpful 

Raven: Slytherin - cunning, ambitious, reliable 

Eve: Slytherin - smart, ambitious (constantly upgrading her codes), cunning 

Chung: Gryffindor - fights for what he believes in, strong morals, sometimes reckless 

Ara: Gryffindor - brave at heart, believes in fighting for the "right reasons", a strong sense of morals 

Elesis: Hufflepuff - wants to help others, puns, protective 

Add: Slytherin - ambitious, cunning, deceptive (holding back information; secretive) 

Lu: Slytherin - ambitious, cunning, knows what she wants and how to get it 

Ciel: Ravenclaw - cautious, intelligent, protector 

Rose: Ravenclaw - intelligent, fights if necessary, can always be found making upgrades to her equipment 

Ain: Slytherin - knows what he wants and how to get it, intelligent, curious about the unknown 

Laby: Hufflepuff - kind, happy-go-lucky, doesn't want to see a cruel world

[my-canon-now]

Self Insert list time

ok, i’m kinda shy about posting this but here we go

Fairy tail S/I, Karfel Pietru

(no image available)

3rd gen Lacrima dragon slayer, Fairy Tail member and former member of Death’s Head Caucus

Karfel is a short lad being only 4″5′ and hasn’t provided any measure of weight. His hair is primarily blonde and curly save for two straight locks in front of his ears that hang straight and are a sky blue in colour, and reach to his jawline. His face is fairly rounded and his jawline isn’t sharp either, though chubby cheeks probably don’t help that. His build is the average for a fairy tail male member being lean yet muscular, and his guild mark has the gap surrounding his navel.

He doesn’t really have a sense of style, given that he wears a fur long coat, sweatpants, and heavy-duty boots. much like everyone else’s clothes these are subject to change save for the fur coat as it was a gift from his dragon-mum. The fur coat is enchanted to get dirty to one material (karfel’s blood), enable Karfel to fly, and take no damage (anything that would damage it just passes through it like it’s air).

His Magic has a few gimmicks that set it apart from even other dragon slayer magic: His body can’t be harmed like other people’s, instead just breaking into lacrima or scraping away skin to reveal lacrima and so on. He can Eat and Expel just about any magic (in the case of God Slayer magic it causes a transformation of his body and reduces him to primal instinct) but storing any more than 5 different Magic types causes a dramatic drop in durability.

Warframe S/I, Motorized Kaiju/MK (real name unknown)

A tenno mostly like any other, he is in the Unariu school.

He is sided with Cephalon Suda’s syndicate (rank: Genius) and does not think much about the fact he’s in a clan at all. He hatched a helminth cyst and loves the Charger named Tracey, especially after she saved his life. He has a large degree of empathy but pities animals much more than humans but still wants to target Nef Anyo for the sake of Fortuna (rank: Old Mate) which is where and how he became quick friends with The Business. It wasn’t until his reawakening that he found out why he understood Rell so much: a diagnosis from a Fortuna denizen told him he has autism

Elsword Self Insert, Cebb {Destroyer} [A guardian that believes himself a failure]

An internal turmoil and a force to be reckoned with.

Early in his life, the orphaned Caleb was much more suited to running away then he is now to head-on combat. He decived, stole, and crossed to get what he wanted which quite frequently was never more than a meal. One night however he decided to try out for a Guardian training course with stolen gear. Thegear was stock like most other trainee’s and he hid it away when not in lesson.

One night however, Prince Seiker followed him only to discover his povertous lifestyle and take him back to his father, Helputt who happily welcomed him into the family. Being outside blood he never received a guardian stone but was still able to keep toe-to-toe with his new brother despite this.

He eventually made his own armour and used a pure white material in an attempt to mirror his brother’s look, but still made it distinct so that they’d always be distinguishable. He also named his own cannon “Guardian” as that was his original goal.

Fist Class advancements are: Unrelenting Destroyer, Reaching Destroyer, Bawling Destroyer. (he is 1 year older than Chung)

Code Vein Self-Instert, Caleb/Freebird

Just like all other revenants he doesn’t remember just about anything about himself. He fights with a greatsword and alternates between blood veils, mostly using a custom red version of the winter mantle. He collects all sorts of trinkets but favors snap-fit model kits as he gets a great sense of satisfaction putting them together. He frequently chews on small sections of rebar as that helps him focus his mind. That little kiss mark has always been there.

Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans Self-Instert, Tanuki (real name unknown)

(no image avaliable) Tanuki has brown hair with a pattern of locks that are lighter than the rest. Despite being quite puffy and curly on it’s own two small and slightly triangular limps always manage to form above his ears. He has fair skin for the most part but his left eye has a massive black patch which is a chemical scar, he uses makeup to make it slightly symmetrical. His clothing is mostly the stuff you’d expect of a street biker (in terms of what the articles are) with natural colours ranging from sandy brows to leafy greens, likely to maintain a thematic palette to the idea of the wilds.

He’s a child born in space to parents who were also born in space. When young he staged a successful mutiny and re-established his space gang as a band of pirates called “The Wild Things.” while they’re not warmongers they do attack shipments of protein-ritch food (meats and such) as that’s the only thing they don’t grow on the ship/colony that has been dubbed “Territory” and it’s basically a multitude of ships combined together which is why they’re able to grow plants [that and because they also stole sufficient soil and water to establish a farm]. Speaking of territory basically everyone who’s a pirate knows to steer clear of theirs because despite merciful combat methods and humane treatment of human debris they do not have a gram of mercy for the people who utilize them.

[imagineelrios]

Elsword x Eve (RS x CN) HC: Eve is in danger and was kidnapped by a strong unknown enemy and Elsword want to rescure her.

“How many minions are you going to hide behind?” Elsword shouted in rage, slicing up the last of this wave of minions.  The metal walls were, of course, silent.  The entire facility was silent but for the sounds of marching metal minions when another wave came to attack Elsword.

They didn’t know who’d kidnapped Eve, only that she was gone when everyone woke up, and Add had tracked her to this place deep in Altera Core.  Elsword had rushed in alone.  He knew it was probably better to wait for others and strategize, but he couldn’t help himself - he needed to rescue Eve.  It felt like his fault that she was held captive.  What would her kidnapper be doing to her?  Dismantling her, using her, torturing her?  As he ran further in to the facility, Elsword’s mind conjured up nightmare images of Eve broken on the floor, of Eve’s coding being tampered with, of Eve being reprogrammed to fight them-

The hallway narrowed sharply.  Another wave of minions came at him, blank-faced Nasods with sharp grabby hands.  Elsword readied his blade.

They weren’t hard to defeat at all, but there were a lot of them, and they just kept coming.  By the time Elsword had killed all of them, he had to climb over a mountain of metal bodies, grimacing as his belts got caught.  Damn it, he didn’t have time for this!  He had to make sure Eve was okay!

The hallway abruptly opened into a large room.  Eve sat on her drones in the middle of it, a cage door swinging open behind her, the very human guts and blood of the man who would have been her captor splattered all over the walls and floor.

“You’re late,” she said sharply to Elsword, then stood up.  Moby and Remy shrank down and hovered at her shoulders.  “I expected you to come earlier.”

“You’re okay,” Elsword breathed, and sheathed his sword, striding across the room and stepping over a few unmentionables on the way.  “Eve, I was so worried-”

“Els.”  Eve cut him off and smiled, touching his cheek with a cold hand.  “Have I ever not been able to defend myself?”

Elsword decided to just smile and stay silent.  Apparently, it was the right choice.  Eve leaned close and gave him a quick kiss.

“Now,” she said, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together, “let’s get out of here.”

[spirify]

Stargate― CH. 2

Stargate; the path leading to another you

bgm in summer night - yang su hyeok / flaming heart

“Hmm…,”

Couple days have passed since Elsword woke up from an unusual nightmare followed up with learning about unfamiliar aura appearing from Aisha. Since then, he have slowly adapted into his new changes and even learned about Aisha’s characteristics.

First of all, she is somewhat weak to affectionate touches. He realized from the day when the two were walking side by side, their arms slightly brushing one another, Aisha’s face was actually flushing hint of red. After that event, whenever he unintentionally touched her shoulder, thinking it was someone else, he realized she was actually shy about their physical communication judging from her embarrassed reactions. Elsword felt a hint of disappointment and guilt that he forgot about some of her characteristics, yet he was relieved to see that nothing was actually unusual about Aisha; he just could not recall some parts of her attributes.

Elsword rested his head on top of a desk, supported by his arms. His gaze was fixed on the magician who was sitting right next to him. All of her concentration was focused on creating an effective elixir that increases the power of her dark magic. She was fusing one chemical with another, stirring it with a tiny rod, placing it in different altitudes; she was performing all kinds of actions which Elsword did not understand, but he decided to remain silent in order to not give her any disturbance.

The rest of the El Search Party members left their residence to complete the little amount of quests they received for today. Aisha was too busy on creating the elixir and Elsword woke up late once again, and unintentionally missed the chance of joining one of the groups to finish their missions.

Elsword thought for a second as a playful smirk was painted across his lips. Slowly, he raised his hands toward Aisha’s face, yet it seemed like she didn’t notice his movement at all. With gentle motion, the knight brushed a strand of her silky, violet hair and tucked it behind her ear, removing the tickling sensation away from her cheeks.

“Wh― what are you doing?”

The startled mage was taken back by his sudden actions and quickly jerked away; her eyes widened and her cheeks were flushing once again. Elsword playfully smiled like a little child, amused by her reaction. Aisha rolled her eyes sarcastically as she let out an unexpected, warm smile. Elsword buried his face in between his arms that were resting on top of the table as he started to feel the sensation of heat rising up to his ears.

What was that?

He thought to himself as the image of Aisha’s smile that radiated new sensation filled with warmth.

She never smiled like that before.

He firmly closed his eyes, yet the picture of Aisha smiling constantly replayed within his mind.

What the hell…

The knight could not uncover up the reason why he was feeling this way. What was this feeling anyway? He have never felt such sensation within himself, and that this sensation was directed toward Aisha even made it worse.

“Elsword,”

Her gentle voice sparingly spoke, further making Elsword even more nervous.

The male lifted his head up to face her, his ears still remaining somewhat red but his eyes was stoic as if he relaxed down a bit.

“I have to mix these two chemicals in,”

She said as she lifted up two beakers, each filled with different color of unknown liquids― one illuminating purple and the other black. Whatever it was, Elsword automatically assumed it was dangerous.

“It might be hazardous for those who doesn’t know how to control dark power,”

With those words, Elsword glanced up from the beaker and matched his eyes into hers. Her amethyst eyes were slightly shaking as if she was somewhat nervous about her experiment as well yet her voice was stern, displaying hints of courage.

“Be careful,”

Elsword automatically knew, that she wanted him to leave the room due to danger that might affect him, who has no knowledge about dark magic.

“Thanks,”

She whispered under her breath yet the knight caught her words clearly as he closed the door behind him. Nothing but worry clouded his mind, but he believed in her power and resistance to dark magic, since she is― Void Princess, or whatever it’s called.

As soon as Elsword closed the door that leads to Aisha’s laboratory, the front door creaked open, revealing Chung and Eve who returned from their tiny adventure of finishing quests.

“Oh Elsword, good afternoon,”

Chung said as he placed his cannon down gently, behind him was the Nasod Queen followed up with her nasod servants: Oberon and Ophelia.

“Hey,”

Elsword greeted the two members in as he walked closer to the Chaser. Eve on the other hand, was mechanically fixing Oberon as she sat down behind him, maneuvering through the gears within his body as she corrected their position. Elsword assumed it was somewhat of a difficult task due to damage done on Oberon’s inner armor, thus he felt slightly guilty for not joining the two members. However, he realized that they returned safely back to their base as he sighed with relief.

“Something wrong?”

Chung asked as he detected Elsword’s rather long sigh. The Chaser took the knight’s action in the opposite way. As soon as Elsword was about to say no, the thought of Aisha handling toxic chemicals came into his mind.

“Actually, yeah,”

Elsword replied back sternly, his gaze remaining still, displaying the concern the knight had for the magician. Chung glanced back toward the Code Empress, who was too disturbed by her nasod servants that she did not give a single care toward the two males. The Chaser leaned forward and lowered his voice, growing Elsword’s concern to other members of the party will cause only more ruckus.

“If you would like to, I can listen to your problems, Elsword,”

Chung said cautiously as he glanced down at the wooden floor before his eyes. The only physical feature he could see within his vision was Elsword’s feet. Then he glanced up to meet the knight’s crimson eyes, and surprisingly, it was reflecting somewhat of a clouded look.

“You― you don’t have to if you don’t want to. If you just need a listening partner… I can help that way…,”

Chung’s words drifted off slowly as he regained his calmness. Elsword let out a silent sigh and continued,

“Do you know anything about Aisha’s dark magic?”

The knight was extremely curious about Aisha’s dark magic. It was obvious to him that it was indeed, dangerous, including Aisha herself. She exceeded the average magician’s level of power and was way beyond that, yet Elsword felt like the magician traded an important part of her life, maybe even her life just to obtain such power. Asking the magician would be the best way to obtain the answer of his curiosity, yet since she constantly kept her powers hidden from rest of the members, Elsword naturally assumed that she will not answer him at all.

“Uh…I…,”

Chung stuttered as Elsword gazed at him confused look.

Does he know something that he can’t tell me?

Elsword wondered to himself as Chung continued to avoid the knight’s gaze. Cautiously, the Chaser slowly opened his mouth and spoke,

“We have asked her numerous times… but she always keeps it as a secret,”

He paused for a moment as he collected his thoughts before speaking.

“She says it’s fine, but I see that some of her powers are… declining her health slowly,”

“What? What do you mean by declining her health?”

Elsword asked as he repeated Chung’s words, further displaying his concern for the magician. He expected the dark powers to somewhat impact her health negatively, but he simply thought of it as decrease in her energy and constantly making her tired, he didn’t expect it to affect her health even more than that.

“I don’t know how severe the powers affect her. I’ve seen her cough up blood sometimes, she has headaches most of the days… she have fainted couple times as well,”

Chung glanced up after finishing his sentence, only to find the knight staring off into the distance as if he was lost in thoughts. The Chaser honestly spoke everything he knew about Aisha’s dark power and how it relates to her health. Although Chung didn’t want to grow concern regarding Aisha to other teammates, he felt the need to answer Elsword’s question.

“Thanks, Chung,”

Surprisingly, the knight quickly regained his mind and thanked his teammate for speaking his knowledge.

“No― no problem,”

Shocked at Elsword’s reaction, Chung’s word came out stuttered. The knight gently patted Chung’s back in sign of appreciation. The chaser nodded cautiously as acknowledgement and moved on and walked inside his room. Elsword glanced back and watched his teammate enter his room and as soon as he glimpsed the door being closed, he quickly sprinted over to Aisha’s laboratory once again. He silently breathed out, somewhat afraid of entering the room he was in just mere minutes ago. He swallowed, and  as he was about to turn the knob and walk in, Aisha’s words echoed into his mind

‘It might be hazardous for those who doesn’t know how to control dark power,’

She wanted him to leave the room, so he shouldn’t be entering the room, like her words, she was worried about giving harm to other members. He realized that he should listen to her instead of acting on his own. He couldn’t help but being concerned for her, yet he also knew that she was concerned for him as well. He believed in her power and resistance and decided to just walk away from the door with clouded minds.

“Ha…,”

The female tilted her head down, her hand barely grabbing onto the table next to her as it gave her a bit of support to balance her body up. There was tiny pool of blood stained on the marble floor in front of her, and small drops of blood was also oozing out from her mouth. She gasped for air with struggle; each breath she took in within her lungs, she scrunched her face due to aching pain.

“Not again,”

Somewhat of a  high―pitched voice spoke behind the magician. It was a rather strange looking animal that seemed to resemble a bat. It was no other than the Angkor, the demon that Aisha signed a contract upon agreement of becoming a Void Princess. In trade, Aisha gained her destructive magic, however it seemed like the powers were too overwhelming even for the intelligent magician herself.

“Aisha, I’m telling you. You need to leave them,”

The demon bat coldly said under his breath as he heartlessly glanced down at the struggling mage. Aisha breathed out and replied,

“I know… Just, just couple more days,”

Each words pricked deeply into her heart, yet she continued,

“Let me… just hold onto these memories for a bit longer... I don’t want to forget him…,”

Her voice was shaky, but Angkor could not tell if it was due to her heartache or if she was tearing up. The bat sighed out stressfully,

“What’s so good about that puny little kid,”

He complained under his breath as he glanced over the window toward the sun that radiated off luminosity that contrasted their situation.

note:

after almost a month, stargate is finally updated! i apologize for late updates but school have started a week ago and i'm slowly getting occupied by schoolworks! i am working on stargate and artificial flower, but i have couple chapters ready for uploads for artificial flower. therefore, stargate won't be updated in an interval, probably be updated whenever i finish writing new chapters.

i'm also trying to write more action since i'm always writing more about romance. although this chapter doesn't include any actions, i will try to write more since it creates more suspense! /i also need to work on it since i'm terrible at writing action lmao

honestly, Elsword acting all shy about Aisha smiling at him makes me feel so fluffy inside xD /although i'm the one who wrote him like that lol i hope you guys feel the same way when reading haha

thank you for reading!

rielin’s fanfiction

[utopia-game]

INTERVIEW: Sadira sits down with FFW

Hello Utopians, I am sitting on my stoop watching the rain outside when FFW, leader of Merciless, came to sit beside me and have a talk. (S) Morning, FFW. Been keeping busy during this Covid19 crap? (F) Been a little slow to be honest. Some of us being front liners mean we have less time dedicated to the game. (S) I personally thank all of you essential workers for putting up with us slackers. Let’s start with some basic stuff. How long have you been playing Utopia? (F) I’ve played on and off from age 7. So many many years I guess. This is probably the longest I’ve played utopia consecutively since age 72. It’s great to see how the game changed over the years and how much simpler the mechanics are today (S) Do you feel it is too simple? (F) Personally, I don’t feel it’s too simple. Some mechanic changes actually force the strategies which were once stale to evolve again so there is still complication in today’s simplicity. (S) How did you get into Utopia? (F) From a neopets ad. I was a kid back then and I saw ok maybe I press this and see where it goes. (S) Are you serious?? (F) Absolutely (S) That is too precious. Do you play other games? What games? (F) I play DotA2, elsword, maplestory from time to time, Warcraft 3, Starcraft 2 and Hearthstone (S) Does your significant other hate that you play utopia? Have you tried to get them into playing? (F) Well at the moment I’m a proud bachelor so I can’t answer that question (S) Can always find love thru Utopia. Would you like to give a shout out to any past kds you have played for? (F) Probably Bodega of Lotus since it was the only kd that I would remember for life (S) I remember that kd. Who do you feel you learned the most about this game from? (F) It’s probably the fact that there’s no eternal friends or enemies only mutual benefits (S) That is an interesting statement, would you like to elaborate? (F) There are players I’ve sworn never to trust in my life but definitely some have come to my aid when interests are aligned. Can’t really go into too much details or I’d be openly flaming them haha (S) Would you say you play this game strictly for the competition and challenges? (F) I wouldn’t. I just play it with people I get along with since it’s something I do with my spare time (S) How long have you played in Merciless? (F) I was part of the founding crew in age 75 which didn’t go too well so we reformed in 79. I guess all the ages we’re around for. (S) Has the kd always been called Merciless? (F) Yes absolutely (S) Any back story to how it got its name? (F) In age 75 we didn’t know what to call ourselves since we never decided on it. So we put it to a kd vote at the time. I decided we should be no mercy based on the song from the living tombstone. Zhogun another part of founding council said why not merciless. So we put it to a kd vote and merciless won. The name was really liked by the crew at the time since everyone just wanted to fsu (S) It is a catchy name. How would you describe your kd and your kdmates? (F) Well if you watch DC’s legends of tomorrow, I think that’s an apt description. A band of misfits that did really well. (S) Your kd is pretty successful age to age, to what do you attribute its success to? (F) Mainly everyone’s commitment to continue trying new things and find ways to improve. I mean we played human warrior when everyone was hyping dwarf tact. That took a lot of faith and belief to try. (S) Do you like to test combo's that the majority of kds don't try? (F) Absolutely I think there’s really no bad combinations. Just how you execute your strengths is what differentiates a winner from a loser (S) Does your kd have a particular goal in mind each age? (F) Yes we do. We normally set it from the start of the age and keep to it. We don’t always achieve it but it helps post age reflection (S) Do you have any suggestions to potentially new players or existing players that might find themselves lost? (F) If you find yourselves lost. Ask yourself what do you want to do in this game. I know it’s hard to part with kdmates that have been with you for ages but if your goals are not aligned it’s time for some changes. Don’t fear the unknown, try it and embrace it. If you’re a new player don’t be afraid to ask stupid questions. That’s the only way you can grow. For veterans don’t downplay stupid questions either maybe it’s something you never thought of otherwise and keep an open mind (S) If you could go back in time and give the "newb" you one piece of advice, what would it be? (F) Stop wasting time trying to convince people who never will listen. Making your own kd is far easier (S) Describe any funny or peculiar incidents that made you either laugh until your sides hurt or had you wanting to throw your computer/phone out the window. (F) We have a nasty habit of people being quick shot with dragons. Many will accidentally send dragon for various reasons and it drives me insane. We also had a dragon situation once with Void where we were bored so we robbed Tetre of a full dragon gc and sent it to Void for kicks and laughs. Unfortunately, our stew at the time Taco was on a side chat to negotiate war with Void so he flipped out and rage quit haha (S) If you could sit down and have a drink with DavidC, what would you be drinking and what suggestions would you like to mention? (F) Pepsi since that's the only **** I drink at a bar. I would encourage him to look at bottom feeding protection a bit more since it's currently the most broken thing in Utopia. People are abusing bottom feeding protections to annoy people at the top with robs and trads on smaller provs in larger kds. For instance, SWEA robbed us all age last age and we couldn't do anything to them because of bottom feeding mechanics until they came into range and we sent a full wave of learns to spite them which we all agreed alright CF we're even (S) Didn't a long time ago, kd size didn’t matter, only province. (F) that was equally broken since it was disproportionate and encouraged bullying too much (S) So what do you think is the solution? (F) mmm i have my ideas but might be a little challenging to code. Perhaps introduce a zero protection when meter points are higher for aggressors so a smaller kd cannot intentionally annoy a bigger kd without consequences, else it kind of defeats the accomplishments of kds who strive to be the strongest since strength comes from size due to war win mechanics (S) Hmm..maybe its also a bit of ethics and respect. Only a handful of kds tend to use that to their advantage. (F) for ages if you land top5, its a massive target on your back saying please hit my lower rung provs for free or rob me to your content (S) I could argue that kds that land in the top 5 got there pushing their way thru smaller kds. (F) absolutely true as well since war wins are built on beating a weaker opponent for every top 5 kd there's 20 kds buried to build it (S) So you don't feel like a kd that 'taxes' smaller kds should be touched for their resources? (F) I have no sympathy for kingdoms who chose of their own volition to stay tiny to beat on other less skilled kingdoms.I am not talking about tiny kds. Im talking maybe T15. (S) T1 goes down the line, taking acres one kd at a time to get that crown. You don't think a kd that has had its land taken by that kd should not be allowed to rob resources off them? (F) Those kingdoms aren't entirely helpless either. They could fight back with ops or hit back (S) I am just playing the Devil's Advocate here for the moment, you say smaller kds annoy bigger kds. I say bigger kds annoy smaller kds with waves that they know the other kd isnt going to retaliate. But we digress, let’s get back to these all important questions. Maybe you can get this bonus question right: What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? (F) Honestly, i have no idea? 300 miles an hour? (S) -=tosses him off the bridge=- Wrong! (F) eh worth a shot (S) Anything you would like to add or any shout outs to any players? (F) Shout-outs for sure. Topsy, Dowla, ahtoad, Mansoor, Evil Queen, MasterOfOrion, you guys make utopia fun and interesting, since some of you are on break hope to see you soon! (S) Thanks for sitting with me and chatting. Let’s go get some Pepsi and watch some submarine races now. (F) Thank you and drink time! since its morning I shall drink green tea

[lilith-devi-nyx-elsword-theorist]

I know someones and many have done it but I also want to point out, that of ALL the Eve's, Code Esencia does not have a text relating to any of her classes compared to her sisters.

[elsgraphics]

✦ EVE ICONS ( CODE: UNKNOWN, CODE: FAILESS, CODE: ANTITHESE )

150 x 150.

likes / reblogs appreciated!

request here.

[rainsonata]

Doppelgänger 5/15

Chapter 05: Smokes and Mirrors

Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; none Rating: M Word Count: 7,006

Summary: It was like looking into a mirror. What happens when one’s reflection talks back and throws uncomfortable questions? El Search Party struggles to find entrance into the Demon Realm, but Dominator has a plan.     

Alternative Title: Dominator fucked up and now everyone meets their alternative selves 

AO3 Link / FF.NET Link

— [Chapter 01] [Chapter 02] [Chapter 03] [Chapter 04] [Chapter 05] [Chapter 06] [Chapter 07] [Chapter 08] [Chapter 09] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15] —  

----------------------------

Class Notes: 

Canon Path: Knight Emperor, Aether Sage, Daybreaker, Rage Hearts, Code: Esencia, Comet Crusader, Apsara, Empire Sword, Doom Bringer, Ishtar and Chevalier (Innocent), Bluhen   

Alternative Path: Rune Slayer, Oz Sorcerer, Anemos, Furious Blade, Code: Ultimate, Fatal Phantom, Devi, Flame Lord, Dominator, Timoria and Abysser (Catastrophe), Richter

-----------------------------

Knight Emperor

He was floating, fading in and out of consciousness in the depths of the mind. When Knight’s mind surfaced, the pain returned to his sense, tiny needles streaming pass his pores. Red flashed past his vision and his eyes snapped open. His hands reached for his chest, feeling for a heart pulsing through. Heavy audible breaths and the smell of moss greeted the knight.  

Cave, Knight grasped to make form a cohesive thought. He was trapped in a demon-infested cavern. Demons stronger than the ones he and his friends have fought in the past. The biggest one had geodes growing from is back and its insides - no, the demon was a crystal monster. It could have broken his spine into two if not for… 

The red-haired knight held his gaze at the man in front of him. A scar in the form of a pink jagged line slashing downward, lanky limbs dangling to the sides, and translucent skin thin as parchment paper. Who was he? Why did he share the same face as Bringer, who was nowhere as thin or gangly as this stranger?

“Add?” He backed into a wall.

“Elsword!” Mad Paradox exclaimed.  

“What are you doing here?”

“Elsword!”

“Why do you keep saying my name?” Knight was frustrated.

“Elsword!” He feigned disapproval. “Is that how you greet an old friend? This is the part where you thank me.”

“I don’t know you.”

“Or do you~?” Paradox sang.

Knight kept his lips sealed into a straight line. He knew Bringer, but he never met this man. This could be a trap. It was an attempt to get him to talk, that had to be the case. There was no hiding it that he was on his own and was vulnerable once cornered by multiple enemies. As the leader of the El Search Party, Knight was the perfect target because he had access to information about the El that any of their enemies would use to their advantage. If outsiders knew why they were in Demon Realm, that would put his friends in danger, a risk Knight wasn’t willing to test. Not after the effort they poured into rescuing him. He wasn’t going to put their efforts in vain without repaying them.  

What was Paradox? He didn’t look like a Henir cultist with the purple and magenta color scheme in contrast to the black and electric blue monsters in Elrianode. Unlike Henir cultists, the time traveler acted by himself when the cultists always appeared in bigger groups with monsters in their wake. The black sclera reminded him of the demons in Lanox, but that couldn’t be it. His movements were too fluid to belong to those of a demon.

Ishtar was never going to let him off the hook if he was to ever suggest that demons lacked grace.  

“Why the bleak face?” Paradox chuckled, “You can talk to me. I don’t bite.”

“Tell me what happened,” Knight wasn’t as convinced.  

“Someone got lost and the cute monster said goodnight.”  

“I fought demons and a bigger one,” Knight said with curtness.

“Avoidable battles if you weren’t running and screaming so much,” Paradox rolled his eyes, iridescence and mechanical in eerie uncanniness. “Why are Elbrats so loud?”

Jagged ridges graveled to the ceiling and the walls enclosing the cavern, paving uneven paths the Dark Agate left behind. Limestone lined the walls and peeled away. Crystals from the ground up and black ink blots painted the ground until coming to an abrupt halt midway to where Knight sat. His forearm was cracked with dry blood and scar tissue forming where it hurt the most, wincing when he stretched and pulled a tendon.

Crushed boulders trampled over, stalagmites and stalactites shattered into pieces and the ground weakened from the fight Knight had with the crystal monster. Pebbles crumbled under his boots into fine dust. The cave echoed with the sound of water dripping from the ceiling, sharp hisses from an unknown source unseen by the knight. He squinted for lines of purple amethysts, his gaze wandering to the ledge leading to the abyss below.    

“Where’s the monster?” 

“Gone.” Paradox teased, “Do you miss it already?” 

Again with the all-knowing tone and shit-eating grin like they knew each other. This man was crazy acting like they were somehow connected. Calling himself an old friend and now commenting on his fighting style. How would Paradox know about why he preferred taking on his opponents first on first over sneaking around and avoiding fights? He was a knight, not an assassin.

Although… Paradox wasn’t wrong on pointing out the obvious. Hours of getting ambushed by demons placed a toll on Knight’s energy and resources. By the time he faced the Dark Agate, he was low on stamina and lacked the initial vitality he had at the beginning of his trek through the cave. Knight came in blind with the belief that it would fight like the smaller monsters, a beginner’s mistake that deserved much chastise. Perhaps he let his arrogance get into his head because a child was with him and Knight wanted to prove that everything would be okay.

Anger flickered in his core. How stupid could he be? It was no better than cutting corners in training for the sake of flashiness. There was a flash of pain replaced by numbness and a period of timeless nothingness, but he was…          

“Alive,” Knight held up his hands. Fingerless gloves steeped in iron red, a reeking metallic smell mixed with his sweat. Whispering to himself, “I’m alive. How?”

“Can’t let the main character die in a side story, now, can I?” Paradox cackled.

Knight realized. He was rescued by Paradox, not unlike the many times Bringer watched his back in Elrianode. An explanation he pieced together with the minimal informal he had, but it failed to answer more persisting questions. The time traveler spoke in rhetoric suggesting the impossible, an observer from another realm. 

Perplexed, Knight naturally wanted to ask more but stopped himself in realizing that would only result in more cryptic answers from the noodle spaceman. His answers were as vague as to how or why the El Search Party kept fighting brainwashed enemies for the past few years. One would think half of Elrios was brainwashed from the number of unavoidable fights they had.     

“And the child?” Knight asked. Surely there was something of them left if he was alive. When Paradox didn’t answer, he yanked on the time traveler’s collar, forcing the other to lean down at his eye level. “What happened to them?” 

Still smiling, Paradox laughed. “What child?”

“There was a child,” Knight explained. “They were with me, they-”

“Were they, now?” Paradox snickered. “A dangerous place for children to wander into such as yourself.”

“I’m eighteen years old,” he growled.

“Hardly a difference.”

“They were defenseless and I was the only one who could fight.”

He told them to stay close to him, hang on and let him take care of the Dark Agate. Leaving a child alone would have made them into an easy target for the crystal monster to pray upon. What option did Knight have without risking another life? In the end, he wasn’t strong and he had no one else to rely on. Not even someone who was as elusive as the child could avoid those shards when the monster let the lights out. 

The child pulled no strains with their weight when Knight lifted them up, less than what one would expect for a child of their height and age. Up close, a deep scar marked against one side of their cheek, a zigzag and a pair of asymmetrical eyes. Black sclera identical to ones looking into Knight’s field of vision with a devious expression.

Horror breached Knight’s thoughts. No. No, no, no, no, no, please no. He knew fate had a crude sense of humor and loved irony, but he didn’t want to deal with this again. Dread prickled his tanned skin when a pair of black gloves held his chin up. The undersides were hot pink, almost red.   

“You’re the child?” Knight choked.  

Paradox clapped his hands and beamed, “Congratulations! You’re faster than the last Elsword.”

“I’ve been protecting an old man?”

“Twenty-one, brat.” Paradox laughed, “Did you enjoy my gift?”

The greatsword in Knight’s hand suddenly felt heavier in his hands, the redhead aware that its original owner was not present. This belonged to Rune, his counterpart. They were the same, yet there were distinctive differences that made them separate people. If Rune was here, the rest of the El Search Party couldn’t be far behind.  

The blade held a shine and a thicker build than what Knight was used to, a type of metal favored by battle mages to amplify their magic. Sparks flew from the blade when struck against boulders. His counterpart chose to compensate for their shared weakness of magic, why didn’t Knight think of that?

“This isn’t mine,” Knight said.

“A little mix-up,” Paradox was less concerned about the details. “That fight you had with the demon took longer than I anticipated. You’re not ready for Rosso.”

“Ready for who?” Knight demanded to know.

Sharp pain seized his chest, his insides twisted. Knight hugged his stomach, reminding himself to keep his breaths even, fanning himself with his hand and leaning forward with his sword for support. He wiped his forehead and hugged his sides. Colors blurred in a mess of tears as Knight applied pressure to his forehead. He may be alive, but experience told him that he wasn’t out of the woods yet. The pain dulled into discomfort, persisting in his abdomens and chest. Knight lowered his head and wanted to throw up whatever Rage put into the dried meat. 

Knight cursed.

“Oops, looks like the Time Sickness finally kicked in.” Paradox said with an unapologetic giggle.  

Time what? Knight didn’t like the sound of that and turned pale, “What are you doing playing around with me? What did you do to me?”

“You still don’t get it?” Paradox feigned annoyance, lips curled up and showing his teeth. “Ah, right. It’s your first time. I’ll have to fix that.”

Lights went out.

Crystals glistened in the blackened space, magenta flashed in the form of Paradox’s suit and artificial eye. The sound of gravel and something cracking under pressure snapped Knight’s attention to the source, waving his sword in the uncomfortable darkness. 

When the lights returned, the older man was no longer where he once was. Dark laughter flooded his eardrums in unison with unnerving cackling. Paradox emerged from the ceiling, head sticking out from a ripple in the dimension, torn into pieces for the time traveler to tinker with as he pleased. Below him was the Dark Agate holding the ominous lantern in its hand.

Paradox had a fluid gait, crossing his legs one over the other with the skill of an acrobat walking over a wire with fear absent in his stance. He lacked the guarded tension hallmark of most adventurers in a cave home to demons and monsters. Hands over the wall, manipulating Dynamo with the same familiarity Knight had with his sword.

Crystal shards rained down on Paradox, thin needles penetrating him with the older male barking an ugly sob and guffawing in pain. His body shuddered and his limbs went limp without struggling as the Dark Agate scooped him up, claws curled at Paradox’s chest. A loud crunch broke from the darkness.

Knight looked away. He wanted to hurl. It crushed Paradox like grains of sand, no time for the older man to even cry or choke before his life was stolen. The redhead drew his sword with unsteady hands, dread and tranquil anger sending sparks at his fingertips. Knight’s eyes fluttered to discover that the traveler’s body missing.  

A dimension ripped open from above, sliding to where the monster was for gravitational spheres to downpour with intensity shaking the ground from the bottom up. Rough crystal formed at the edges of the portal and a figure dressed in black appeared, phase shifting next to Knight.    

His left shoulder blade shattered into diamond shards; Paradox’s body lost visibility in shape and electricity emitted from his core. There were no holes in his clothes or blood to suggest he had been injured in the fight. It was as if Paradox was never wounded. 

Paradox ripped open a portal with his hands, clawing at the edges with his hands. Pulling his foot into the entrance, he stretched and widened the portal with his arms and legs until it was the size of the Dark Agate. He reappeared from behind, generating energy and shoving the monster into the abyss. The older male moved the portal to the ground level as the opening shrunk in size. An arm was torn off from sharp edges applying pressure to the Dark Agate’s arm reaching out for them. Paradox kicked the still twitching arm and stomped until it ceased its movements and fell silent. 

Knight gawked at the other man dusting blood off his sleeves, “Your spine. It snapped. The monster, you-”

“Awww, look at you.” Paradox cooed, “Seal of Time reduced you to an infant.”

“What was that?”

He grinned, "can’t die if you undo time on yourself."

That’s why they were alive after fighting that monster. Paradox unwinded their injuries and restored their lives. With powers like that, Paradox had time and luxury to learn the enemies’ tactics and won otherwise impossible battles. But why would he have an interest in keeping Knight alive? The time traveler cheated death more than once, but how much would that unhinge a person?

“What do you want from me?” Knight asked weakly.

“What kind of popcorn do you like?” Paradox didn’t answer, as usual.

Knight blinked, “I’m sorry, what?” 

Apsara

Sky blue eyes glaring with intensity directed only to her. Azure locks flowed over their flawless features, too clear and smooth to belong to a person whose posture was accustomed to the battlefield. Light flashed under the melancholic moon. Her opponent summoned a wide array of spears, clashing against hers and sending white sparks flying like the fireworks she lit up at the summer festivals as a child.

The man standing before the spear user held a stand hand over his weapons, pointed spears emerging from his palms with ease. White gloves gripped over the pair of weapons, the color of glass reminiscent to the stairs and platforms in the Hall of El. Iridescent and emitting a blinding light, forcing Apsara to shield her eyes.  

Was this man really Ain? He wielded a white gold pendulum with gold trims at the edges. His white attire and demeanor reminded her more of a mercenary than the priest Bluhen was, charging towards Apsara with no mercy at his disposal. There was no hesitance, going for her blind spots if she failed to cover her bases and stand guard. Projecting one spear after another, it was a macabre dance of blades, furrowed brows deepening in time to his precise footwork. Right foot up, left foot back, holding his stance and unflinching when Apsara pulled back and forced her weight against his.

“Don’t let him heal!” Chevalier shouted.

A lotus flower formed as Apsara spun her spear in a figure eight, launching the ball of energy and shoving her opponent back. Knocking Richter off his feet, Apsara smacked the priest with the end of her spear. She leaped into the air, performing a somersault midair and diving in to slam her weight against the man. Air escaped from Richter, choking on his saliva and struggled to break free. Apsara missed him by a mere hair and charged with her spear in hand, audible gasps rippled through the cold air as she attacked.   

Richter gritted his teeth, anger flickered in his features. A forced serene facade masked over a fury reaching through his attacks. He fought a losing battle against four, but he persisted. Static surged from his palms and wind picked surrounded the man, drawing more blades and launching himself several meters into the air, turning his head to face his other opponents.

A tall Nasod dressed in white with a black helmet swung a chained sword, Oberon phase shifting and crossing blade with a heavy clang. Two drones floated midair, engaged in a transversal angle. Lasers blasted from the drones, spinning and converging energy aiming for their target.  

“Tell us what happened to Elsword,” Esencia talked over the clashing blades.

Richter breathed heavy breathes, shoving Oberson’s head down and using his knee to hit the lower jaw, pushing the Nasod servant away. He fired deliberate projectiles to Esencia’s drones, hitting and shifting them at the base.

Apsara squeaked and ducked from a laser pointing to where her head once was. That was a close call! The spear user hung her head and sweated bullets. She was glad Esencia was on their side, but having the Nasod Queen’s attacks directed back was a terrifying thought for the young woman. Her hair remained frizzled from proximity to the energy beam, sinking her body and crawling over to Esencia to avoid another laser.  

“Then you understand that he isn’t yours,” Richter spoke. A deep harsh echo carried in his voice, “Are you aware of the consequences for your actions?” 

“He’s not with us,” Chevalier said. He and Ishtar circled the priest, keeping distance in a guarded stance, gun blades and soul spears ready for sudden movement.   

“I wasn’t addressing you, Blue Demon.” Richter glared at the butler.

“How dare you talk to Ciel like that!” Ishtar pointed her soul spear at the priest, “What are you doing with a weapon you have no right to claim?”

Her wings wavered, a cyan blue membrane stretched over thin bone structures and beating the air with anger in the tiny demon’s features. Ishtar whined when her butler blocked her from lunging at Richter, fuming and crossing her arms.

“I apologize for that,” Chevalier said with equal iciness as the priest. “You must understand how important Elsword is to us. We just want to know how you came into possession of his sword.”  

“Is that what this is about?” Richter pulled out the greatsword from his belt and sighed, “Humans and demons alike show unnecessary concern over materialistic things that hold no value. This weapon will not bring him back.”

Apsara protested, “Please, it’s important to him! If you’re Ain, why are you fighting us? Aren’t you friends with Elsword? I’m sure he wouldn’t want this!”

Recognition sparked from Richter’s expression, anger? Fear? Emotions alternating with one another before he settled for indifference and narrowed his eyes, “Ms. Fox in White. No, Devi. ”

Bluhen had abilities that garnered wariness from Eun’s end, but he was a patient man and did not judge when she asked him to explain something in simpler terms. He had a child-like wonder in everything that made him gained stares when they visited towns. After Bluhen nearly ran the team bank dry because he discovered cinnamon rolls, Apsara decided he was harmless. Anyone who had a sweet tooth couldn’t be all that bad, could they?

This stranger who responded to the name Ain… He stole Knight’s sword, gave them crude nicknames, and treated them like they were the enemy. Why did Richter call her by that name? Apsara wanted to believe there was a reason behind Richter’s behavior, but little emotions were revealed when Esencia asked what happened to Knight.     

Be careful, Ara. A feminine voice whispered in the back of Apsara’s mind, I sense something about him. 

What is it, Eun? Apsara asked, The Dark El?

No. The fox spirit paused, High levels of energy resonates from him, more than Ain. Let me take over.

Apsara shook her head, He must know something about Elsword if he has his greatsword. 

Knight had to be nearby if his sword was found by someone else. There were others with Richter, their shapes unrecognizable in the shadows and concealed by the night. How many, she could not tell, but it was an impressive size, at least a dozen of them. Could they be humans the dark elves mentioned this morning?

Apsara quivered her lips, hard pressed in finding the positives in their situation. It felt like they were interrogating Richter instead of talking to an ally. Not unlike the shadows they have fought in Hamel and the Hall of El, Richter was averse to answering their questions, disdain was apparent in his brief and curt answers. But Richter was different. He held a will of his own and reason. Despite not drawing his weapons back, the priest had them lowered and was listening, even if reluctantly.     

“If you know anything about what happened to Elsword, tell us!” Apsara pleaded, “We haven’t seen him in two days and we don’t know where he went!”

“I don’t know any of you.” Richter said with an even tone, “And I’ve never met this Elsword of yours. Elsword is with you-”

“Which one?” Esencia asked.

Ishtar mused. “Having more than one Elsword makes this conversation confusing.”

“Where did you find the sword?” Chevalier asked, “If I may ask.”

“In the forest,” Richter replied. “You have my duplicate with you, but he failed to find it before me? Are you done interrogating?”

No use, Apsara lowered her head in defeat. If only Knight was here…maybe Richter would have listened. The redhead was good with words and preventing situations from escalating like Empire, but neither of the Sieghart siblings was present. What would Empire do if she was here? Would she smile and reassure Richter or put her foot down and lay down what needed to be accomplished to make the discussion work? Empire made talking to people look easier than it actually was!

“Ain had a lot on his mind,” Apsara clutched her hands around her spear. “I’m sure you do too!”    

“Your Elsword is not with me,” Richter tensed. “Where is Mr. Half-Nasod with no shirt?”

Rage Hearts? The mercenary escaped with the rest of the El Search Party because of the sudden appearance of their opposites. Were they really mirrors of themselves? From the few members Apsara had met, they were strong-willed, unwavering on their opinions and determined to retrieve Rune. It was true that Rune wasn’t their leader, but he was still Elsword, so maybe he could be helpful in helping them find Knight. 

If Knight wasn’t with Richter, where could he be? Was he lost in the forest somewhere surrounded by demons, waiting for them to find him? Empire tried contacting him through their communicators for hours, but no one picked up. Were they too late that something happened to him? Or was he taken somewhere far and away from where the connection between them has weakened?  

Knight had to be alive, she mumbled a prayer and pursed her lips. If something happened to him, Empire would be left with no family, just like her. Apsara couldn’t bare to see the knight captain suffer, not after everything they have gone together.  

Apsara breathed, “You’ll have to catch up with our friends if you want to see Raven.”

“Noted.” Richter vanished from the crowd encircling him, appearing behind Apsara, “Then I understand that I must take on those that defy the goddess.”

With projectile weapons materializing in his palms, energy surged as Richter leaped. Six spears encircled the priest, casting them to where her spine was. Apsara turned and raised her spear, but Chevalier beat her to it, shielding the attack with a cross-shaped gunblade larger than the butler. Ishtar launched herself into the air, soul spears forming at her fingertips to counteract Richter’s. The priest backed away to the sight of Esencia and Oberson joining the demon sovereign in the fight, back to back with the Nasod Queen giving orders to her servants.

“What is he doing?” Ishtar growled.

“I think we angered him,” Chevalier ushered her to stand behind his gunblade. “Get ready for cover!”   

Blue lines shone from above, a paradigm grid forming and crossing over in loops and lines into an array of magic circles. Raised in the air was Richter looking down and weapons materializing for the priest to grasp in his hands, more floating beside him. Spears and projective weapons showered down as the magic circles glowed.

Apsara twirled in a half-step, using her spear to leap away from the countless weapons crashing down her path, using her weight to pull herself from harm’s way. She nearly tripped over falling debris, scrambling to pull herself up and dodge a spear aiming for her foot. The earth shook in vibration to the intensity of their battle. Tucking her spear under her arms, Apsara curled her body into a tight ball and rolls away. She overheard Esencia throwing commands to Oberon and Ophelia to help Ishtar and Chevalier.        

Her feet barely touching the ground, Esencia hovered with a raised arm. “Heaven’s Fist!”

The Nasod queen grabbed her roughly by the shirt, lifting and pushing Apsara away. She landed behind Ishtar and Chevalier. Clothes torn from the fight and suffered a few cuts, but the demon and butler were otherwise unharmed. 

A Nasod arm raised in unison with Esencia, descending as she gave the command. The giant mechanical arm sent shockwaves as it crushed its sole target. Dust and debris clouded her vision and made Apsara gag, waving her hand and covering her mouth. Once things began to clear, she could make out the outline of a tall figure. 

A swordsman in a white hooded jacket trimmed with black fur and a tan complexion emerged from the settled dust. His blade was of a blue metallic, its handle grip wrapped in black ribbons held by his left arm. Gold eyes hardened when they formed eye contact.       

“Raven,” Esencia identified the man.

“Eve,” Blade lowered his blade. “I see you have found one of our comrades.”

Apsara gasped in seeing the older male. That look again; she was worried. It held the same disdain Richter gave her. Apsara wasn’t used to being at the receiving end of scorn and indifference. It took her a moment to recognize that Blade’s left jacket sleeve cut around the shoulder area to make room for a mechanical but sleeker Nasod arm. She had almost mistaken the arm for a human one with how smooth and fluid its movements were. Blade used his Nasod arm to wield his sword, a contrast to Rage.

Arm pulled over Blade’s shoulder, Richter limped in his walk. His hair lost its shine and returned to a darker shade of the sky. Cuts and bruises decorated his skin exposed to the elements.

“You took too long,” Richter said.

“We’re limited on members,” Blade replied. “Can you still walk?”

Richter nodded.

“Let’s go,” Blade pulled out a sphere from his jacket pocket and tossed it at their feet.

Mist evaporated, dense fog obscuring their vision. Apsara reached for where the two men once were, only to run her hands through nothing. Gone. Where have they disappeared? The young woman turned to see her friends following her. 

“They’ll be back,” Esencia said. “Raven is not one to run away.”

“Diplomacy seems to be out of the question,” Chevalier rubbed his head. “Not ones to talk, are they?”

“Did you see the way Ain talked to us?” Ishtar fumed. “He looked down at us like we were inferiors!”

We need to be cautious, Eun warned her. They could be planning something.

I know, Apsara thought with sadness. Would things have worked differently if she was more cautious in her words? 

Sensing her distress, Eun reassured the young woman. You did what you could. No time to regret what has been done. 

Apsara looked into the mist with sadness.   

Furious Blade

Blade rested his head against the base of a tree not too far to where they have encountered their friends’ counterparts. There were at least four of them when Blade found Richter cornered by them, weapons raised. Sweat patched over his forehead, the older male looked up to one of the Demon Realm’s numerous moons, clenching his Nasod arm into a tight fist and releasing. Wiggling his left digits left a tinge of an emotion Blade hasn’t felt since he last saw his father.  Wonder and amazement to how human-like the motions were, no longer claws gripping over his palm.

Calibrated to be sensitive to the slightest touch, it processed information from its owner as quickly as a natural one would, maybe faster. It was one of Dominator’s better inventions that didn’t involve lasers, although the scientist proclaimed he was more than happy to change that. Mentions of an auto-tracking rocket arm were the last straw where Blade had to put his foot down. Ultimate’s suggestions for spears wasn’t helping things either. The swordsman let out an audible sigh on his teammates’ lack of tact. Let him use his arm for its intended purpose!

“What were you doing fighting four people at once?” Anemos applied pressured over Richter’s open wounds with a cotton ball.

“They had Elsword,” Richter replied.

“You should have ran away or called for backup!” She snapped, “One of us could have come and helped!”

The priest did not protest but kept his head lowered. Lips visibly quivering, his shoulders shook as Richter let out shallow gasps from the short sprint they endured. It was a rare event for the celestial to use his feet to run rather than using external forces to propel himself off the ground. There were limited magical sources for Richter to rely on, forcing him into making pragmatic decisions in saving his energy for more immediate matters.

Blue hair drenched in sweat and red dirt, he reminded Blade of a demon plant minus the deadly neurotoxins. His skin flushed pink and had glassy eyes, blinking rapidly and mumbling prayers to an unseen being Blade had lost faith to years ago. Richter was strong, but his unbreaking loyalty reminded him of the comrades he once worked with, before Owen…

“And they didn’t let you see the brat?” Dominator looked up from his screens. “Who did you see?”

“Elsword wasn’t with them,” Blade frowned. 

Anemos and Dominator caught him up with the details of what happened when they came into contact with their counterparts. They caught Richter in possession of something that belonged to one of their friends. Pleads and excuses were lost amid the fighting and confusion. The swordsman rubbed his forehead in frustration when he caught sight of his alternate throwing Rune over their shoulder. Of course it had to be his counterpart, Blade looked up to see a dark sky. The universe seemed to enjoy pitting him against himself on more than one occasion. Hopefully, this Raven will be more open to reason than the previous ones.   

“Both of the Demons were there.” Richter pressed his hand over another cotton ball over his opened wound as Anemos wrapped a bandage over. His lips tightened into a straight line, “and Ms. Fox.”

Lights flickered out from Dynamo, holographic screens dissipated into thin lines and Dominator stopped typing. The scientist turned to Richter, mumbling to himself and biting his lower lip in anger. Dynamo twitched in unison with their master, blinking purple light that made it distracting for Blade to watch without closing his eyes.

“She’s with them?” Dominator cursed, “Of all luck to deal with her.”  

“Do we really have to fight her?” Anemos rested her hand over her brow. 

“What else will it be?” Dominator growled, “That’s what she does. Have you seen what they’ve done to this guy?”

Richter leveraged his arm to test for pain, pressing his finger over the bandage with a light tap and twisting his wrists for movement. Potions and elixirs sped up the healing process, but it didn’t ease the tension between them in seeing the injuries on their teammate. If Blade hasn’t found Richter earlier, how long would the priest last in a fight? Richter was easily outnumbered by well-coordinated fighters with years of experience. Blade didn’t expect anything less from their alternates. Their numbers and adaptability were what made them strong. Close bonds only made that more so.

“Elsword isn’t with them, so shouldn’t we reprioritize whether to fight them?” Richter asked. “It’s clear that their motive is to separate us from the others to reduce our number.”        

“We can’t ignore the possibility of her going after our friends,” Blade said. “Our fight at the very least will slow her down.”

“That’s a bleak outlook,” Anemos commented. “Have more faith in us.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust our efforts,” Blade rubbed his neck. “It’s our luck.”

It couldn’t be helped that they would have to confront their counterparts, but that didn’t make it any easier for Blade to accept without thinking of the possibilities. Another unavoidable fight, he thought with bitterness. It was going to be troublesome sorting things out, especially with himself. The last time Blade tried to reason with himself ended with ruffled tail feathers and a one sided fight. 

“Then what is our objective?” Richter asked.

“Slow down their progress,” Blade said. “Don’t let them catch up with the rest of their group. If you can take them down, do it. We don’t want to prolong a fight and waste our resources if it’s something that can be helped.”

Brutal words, but pragmatic in a situation such as theirs. They hardly had the luxury to adjust to their new environment before they encountered the other El Search Party. It was uncertain how long their alternates have stayed in the Demon Realm, but it was evident that they were more familiar with their environment from their strategic placement and movement. They were at a disadvantage going against a group that was more familiar with their surroundings than they were. 

“Why are you looking at me for answers?” Blade gripped his blade, his fingers trembling over the handle. 

Dominator scoffed, “you’re always bossing us around like we’re children.”

“So we leave as quickly as we come.” Anemos mused, “and what about Ara?”

Blade turned pale. Right… a strategy to combat the woman who shared Devi’s face. Luckily, the alternates wore different clothes, so they couldn’t mistake them as their own teammates, but it didn’t make fighting them any easier. Apsara was still a skilled fighter and would likely be as brutal as her counterpart if given a reason to be.   

“Ms. Fox-in-White is the most dangerous in close combat,” Richter said. “The Demons are more synchronized.”  

If Ultimate was here, Blade would have sent her to fight Apsara, but she was with Flame and Phantom. Splitting their party into smaller groups had the advantage of covering more ground, but it was important that there was at least one person with the ability or technology to detect Elsword. Dominator would be just as sufficient in keeping distance between himself and the martial artist. His drones could be meddlesome for close-range fighters.    

“That sounds like our friends all right.” Anemos adjusted her gloves. “Is there anything else we should know about who we’re fighting?” Anemos asked.

The priest glanced at Dominator to the side, hesitant in his answer. “Ms. Empress is with them.”

“The Queen?” Dominator drawled, hands clasped and fingers crossed. “Tell me more.”

Confused by the scientist’s sudden eagerness, Richter threw a quizzical look to Dominator.

“Three more Nasods were with her,” he reported. “One is tall and carries a sword, another uses projectiles, and there was a little one with her.”

The Nasod Scout? The appearance of the smaller Nasod flashed in Blade’s mind. Hoisted by claw-like appendages, it crawled on its fours like a crab and used its size to attack unexpected enemies. Esencia having control over multiple Nasods was new, but the return of the Nasod Scout was relieving news. At least not everything about their alternates was completely different.  

“They move on their own accord and wait for orders. They won’t fight unless she’s nearby,” the priest continued, “Ms. Empress has the most drastic change in how she fights.”

The description eerily resembled the Nasods under Adam’s command. They were weak, but their creator mass-produced them at an alarming rate. Ultimate didn’t have that ability, so Blade prayed that the same applied to this Eve. The swordsman was not as enthusiastic as Dominator about the possibility of fighting Nasods again.   

“Lu, Ciel, Ara, and Eve.” Anemos murmured, “And they work well together from what Ain told us. Who will go after Elsword in the meantime?”

“Eve said she’ll run scans for him and Elsword.” Blade said, “Lu and Ciel might be further from them, but they’ll be on the lookout as well.” 

“If this fight is too much for you, then allow me to take on the Queen.” Dominator grinned, “You can deal with the fox.”

Blade twitched at the transparent excuse. Using Esencia as an excuse to avoid fighting Apsara… No tact whatsoever, the older man covered his eyes with his Nasod hand. Although with the scientist’s extensive knowledge of Nasods, a fight against Esencia would reel positive results. They would be evenly matched because of Dominator’s drones and Nasods.   

“I oppose,” Richter raised his hand.

“You haven’t even listened to my perfect plan yet!” Dominator jabbed a finger at the blue-haired man, “Is it your life objective to disagree with every statement I make?”

A faint line curled at the corner of Richter’s lips, subtle but distinctive for the otherwise stoic priest.

Dominator groaned, “Can’t even complete a sentence without Mr. Holy-Art-Thou over here to rain on my parade!”

“Have you finally caught up on modern language, Mr. Ancient?” Richter taunted the man in white.

“Do I need to separate you two?” Anemos walked between the two men and turned to Dominator. “You can fight Eve, but don’t forget why we’re here.”

Whether it was the strange gleam in Anemos eyes - usually reserved when the El Search Party trailed off-track, or because of the unsettling aura the elf gave off when her patience was wearing thin, she was effective in maintaining peace in their group. She didn’t have the charisma Rune had or the sternness Blade established from years of being in the army, but she always seemed to know the right words. A simple nudge or phrase from her was all it took to get them back on track and focus on their goal.   

The scientist froze, blinking upon realization to who he was talking to. Dominator smiled and nodded, but a rare sign of timidness was there, not unlike one of a child caught red-handed with arms deep in the cookie jar. Blade snorted at the mental image and comparison.

Richter’s reaction was more subtle. There was less vanity in his expression, but it was hard to tell with the man who kept his emotions close to his chest.    

“If Mr. Ancient fights Ms. Empress, then I’ll take the Demons.” Richter said.

“Are we fighting them individually?” Anemos asked, “We’ll be spreading ourselves too thinly.”

“It will weaken them as well,” Richter disagreed. “They’re strong because they’re together.”  

“Wasn’t it the other you who ran off with the brat?” Dominator looked at the swordsman, chuckling to himself. “Almost didn't recognize the other you with all the white hair. It’s a shame we missed an opportunity to analyze a fascinating tool. The power readings Dynamo gave me are nothing like what I’ve seen.”

“We’re not fighting myself,” Blade said with curtness in his tone.

It wasn’t that he feared himself - Blade was past the point of being fearful after the mess they left behind in Elrianode, but it was irking to see a reflection of himself staring back at him. The same angular face painted with a tired expression, aged with years of fighting and traveling.  

It was a brief moment, no less than maybe five or six seconds, but Blade’s eyes fell over to the arm. Black as a crow, crimson streaks bled over his alternate’s arm. Gold tips painted over Rage’s claws; spikes ripped out from the shoulder and forearm. The arm looked more demonic than Nasod, pulsating and contrasting rhythmically to its host’s breathes. It was alive .

“I gave our friends information about what to do if they have to face me.” Blade said, “Our goal is to save Elsword, not fight our counterparts to the bone.”  

“Then I guess we have no choice but to follow your lead, huh, gramps?” Dominator cocked his head to the side with a sly grin.

Why was everyone insistent on giving him unnecessary nicknames? Each one was as ridiculous as the last, sometimes making no sense at all. Twenty-nine years was hardly old if he was comparing himself to Ultimate and Anemos, although one would think Richter was a century years old from how he talked.

“Do you really think this is our only option?” Anemos asked.

“I don’t know,” Blade admitted. “One of us just attacked them and are making demands they can’t give into. In their eyes, we’re the enemy and I might have to agree with them.”

The elf woman looked at him with sadness.

Blade knew he wasn’t wrong. Like many regretful decisions, there was no pulling back on what already happened. The swordsman wasn’t going to waste his time getting angry over Richter for initiating a fight with themselves. If Seris was still alive and was kidnapped instead of Rune, Blade would have done the same with worse repercussions. Unlike Richter, he wasn’t surrounded by good company when he was at his worse.   

“I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I think this fight will end differently than you anticipated.” Anemos giggled, “I’m sure Elsword will let the other Raven know what he thinks about our situation.”

He snorted. Rune was going to talk his kidnappers’ heads off until dawn broke if given the chance, but the imagery was enough to garner a faint smile from Blade.  

“Are we leaving?” Richter asked.

“Yes,” he pulled his blade out. “Let’s go.” 

-----------------------------------------------

Author Notes: As you may have noticed, it has been a while since I uploaded a new chapter.  Without going too much into detail about my life, my schedule has changed and I won't have a lot of time to work on fanfics.  In addition, I no longer play Elsword as much because of new interests and due to CP restrictions in the newer dungeons.  I will see what I can do to finish this fanfic, but future updates will come slower.  Thank you for your patience and for all of your support!

[lilith-devi-nyx-elsword-theorist]

Some interesting shots i got.

[lilith-devi-nyx-elsword-theorist]

I adore this Eve already, although poor Remy all beaten up as she is Code: Antithesis all it is now is a puppet. Love the look of skills and changes and Moby.

The morality type of shift.

Base teases both Moby Remy

Ulti. Somewhat favors Moby but uses both and Nasod weapons.

Esencia treasts both fair.

Sariel, uhm... did she have any intereactions with the two? Forgot.

[lilith-devi-nyx-elsword-theorist]

Omg T...this is Eve?! I had to use a translator so sorryyy.

Eve also somewhat is in the same position she was in when Elboi and them found Eve.

Once upon a time, in a very distant, distant past, there lived a race called Nasods in a beautiful kingdom far away.

Once upon a time, in a great war, the kingdom was destroyed, and the queen fell into a deep sleep.

After a long time, the Queen awakens from a deep sleep and finds that she has been left alone.

The Queen was very sad, but the sadness was short-lived, and the strong Queen was determined.

I will never give up and resurrect the kingdom of Nasod.

First of all, the Queen needed a very strong power.

While searching for power, the Queen discovered the ████ unknown power deep inside the palace.

I thought that this unknown power could change the current situation.

Queen ████ has really gained tremendous power.

However, I realized that ████, who had such a huge power, was gone.

It disappeared without a trace like a mirage, as if it had never existed in the first place.

But, because I've already put too much time and effort into it, ██████.

The Queen, who gained great power, embarked on a journey to revive the Nasod race.

From that day on, the Queen's plans went one after the other.

But deep inside the Queen's heart, Queen ████ didn't know what to do.

At that time, the queen received a request for salvation from the neighboring kingdom of Feita.

When the queen heard that the new enemy, the demon that Adam had warned of, was attacking Feita, she hurried her steps.

The eerie power emanating from the demons further disturbed the Queen's heart.

██████.

So the Queen did ████.

The Queen has awakened Code ████, a new force that will awaken positive thoughts so that she will no longer be distracted.

The Queen, who was able to completely shake off her anxiety and only think positively, became a perfect queen without a single mistake.

One day, the Queen was worried.

There is no anxiety anymore, and I should be happy, filled with only positive thoughts, but ████ felt ominous.

The Queen thought it shouldn't be like this. Only when she becomes the perfect queen without any failure or insecurity can the Nasod race be rebuilt.

The Queen headed to Elian's Sanctuary to calm her anxiety. The Queen was full of positive thoughts. So it was only natural that the Queen herself was right and perfect as well.

Queen ████ was convinced that she was the only one who was right.

Finally, the Queen revived the Nasod Kingdom so perfectly without a single mistake with perfect power without a single particle, and under the will of the Queen, all Nasods lived happily ever after.

end.

[lilith-devi-nyx-elsword-theorist]

I see this Eve a little more on point and dead serious on her goals, compared to how Esencia is who seems to gladly see things go through between human and Nasod.

I hear a more Copy X from Megaman Zero (Despite with no voices in the games ofc) like attitude from her, as if she really does not care for those who rebel and deny her, she'd most likely beat them down or command Moby to beat them, as Remy seems like he's not changed a whole lot, my assumption is Moby takes more threatening forms for Eve than Remy who seems to just hold info.

I see more Copy X to her because of how translation seems to offer, as look at Copy he was forced to take a role of someone he never met, and he literally will kill any Reploid that tried to rebel him and lost to well Zero.

" THIS IS EVE THOUGH YOU CAN'T COMPARE---" why yes, I did make a comparison of two completely different characters. But I see a more close to reference kind of character like Copy X, this is still Eve, but more threatening and cocky than her Esencia counterpart.

EVERYONE SHE IS CALLED CODE: FAIRLESS, IT TOOK MANY RETRANSLATIONS TO COMPARE, IT INDEED IS FAIRLESS