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rainsonata · 4 years

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Doppelgänger 14/15

Chapter 14: The Cataclysm

Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; none Rating: T Word Count: 6,968

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] —

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

Transformation Path: Immortal, Metamorphy, Twilight, Nova Imperator, Code: Sariel, Centurion, Shakti, Bloody Queen, Mad Paradox, Iblis and Anular (Diangelion), Herrscher

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Code: Ultimate

Henir’s Time and Space existed in a separate plane of its own, balanced between all dimensions and existed at a point where time did not exist. A portal cracked open from the side, forming an enclave big enough for their group to squeeze through.

Ultimate entered first. She forced her wings to fold back to avoid crushing the person behind her. It was the same as it was the last time she had visited. They all landed on the familiar blue platform shared by parts of Elrianode. Electric circuits glowed beneath their feet. Blue cubes hovered around their platform among the stars. A dark sun eclipsed by the moon floated above their heads.

Despite gaining access to knowledge from the libraries and databases from her journey, Ultimate had little understanding of Henir’s Time and Space and its existence. Its architecture bore strong resemblance to that of the corrupted monsters and machines in Elrianode. The administrator of the facility was placed in what appeared to be a form of punishment. Ultimate felt her circuits hum into mild stress at the thought of being locked into one place.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE DIMENSION WILL COLLAPSE?”

Loud chatter disrupted Ultimate’s train of thought. The queen of destruction closed her eyes and allowed her programs to run scans in the background. Glave was nowhere to be seen, but Ultimate needed to update her database on Henir’s Time and Space.

“I’m sure she was joking.” Knight laughed nervously. The red knight fought to restrain Aether by placing his hands over her shoulder and gently nudging her away from Metamorphy. The elementary mage did not back away and had her staff out with a dangerous look in her eyes.

Ultimate recognized that expression. It was the one humans had when frustrated and confused. Aether was both.

“I don’t joke,” Metamorphy said with a bright smile. She was unaffected by her counterpart’s outburst and stepped out of the portal with her arms behind her back.

Her sensors notified Ultimate that other organic beings were present. Orange and red light filtered through her ocular lens to let her know there were a few dozen warm bodies. Metamorphy was correct in that they were the last group to have arrived. The platform they were on was one of many. Small stairs connected each platform and formed a chain of them to travel in between them.

Ultimate heard their names being shouted by the others that saw their arrival. It was too much for the Nasod in keeping track of them all. She allowed herself to ignore them and instead watched her friends interact with each other. Their reunion would be short before they learn about their fates.

A figure appeared from the mass of people. Ultimate’s scans shot up in response to the high energy levels emitted from Paradox. The time traveler’s energy level was unstable, making it difficult for Ultimate’s systems to keep up with the changes. It was as if Paradox wasn’t human.

“Of course it’s you causing all the noise.” Paradox was in his adult form and covered his mouth to hide a snide smile. He said to Metamorphy. “So you told them your intentions. Didn’t think you would become the harbinger of bad news.”

“I don’t remember asking for your input,” Metamorphy’s expression soured. “I doubt your group took it any better than mine did.”

“You took us here knowing we were going to react like this?” Knight protested, “You’re okay with us watching the world be destroyed?”

“Reborn,” Metamorphy corrected.

“Explain,” Ultimate looked at Paradox and Metamorphy with cold eyes. She noticed more people crowding around them and listening in to Metamorphy’s explanation. Did they know about this before they did? “I don’t quite follow what you mean by rebirth.”

Destruction and rebirth were two concepts humans liked to bring up through history. Their religion and cultures were built around both. When one group had fallen, another would rise, sometimes stronger than the last in ways Nasods wouldn’t be able to.

Ultimate was placed into deep slumber because her creator feared that his race had once again fallen into the cycle of death. He was correct, but Adrian failed to recognize that humans were just as compatible with creation as they were in destruction. For she had seen her teammates come up with plans and concepts that helped others. However, Ultimate began to understand his sentiment when Metamorphy showed glee in explaining the death of a dimension the Nasod queen had only come to known for a few days.

“Rebirth makes it sound grander than it actually is,” Metamorphy said. “It’s more like a soft reboot. Having everyone into the same dimension is stressing the system and forcing it to shut down to reset itself.”

“You’re saying it’s going to come back?” Phantom asked.

“Yes,” Metamorphy hummed. “Maybe not one-hundred percent. It should be restored to the state before the dimension broke down.”

“We’re really doing this.” Bangs covered Knight’s eyes, “We’re letting people suffer again.”

There was tension in the red haired man’s features. His shoulders rose and a hint of blue flickered over his glassy eyes. Ultimate frowned and questioned the El’s influence over Knight. Did the El have a stronger presence with Knight than it did for Rune?

“I’m sorry we had to resort to this,” Rage offered Knight an awkward pat on the back.

“So this is what happens when too many timelines intersect,” Bringer mumbled to himself. “This is the end.”

Being a few hundred years old, Ultimate wasn’t one to be as sentimental as most were in occurrences such as the soft reset Metamorphy was suggesting. The end wasn’t a foreign concept to her. According to numerous history books, many Elrian civilizations documented the Nasod war as the death of a prosperous era and the end to the benevolent relationship between Nasods and humans. Rune’s sacrifice to the El was the end of their search for the El Lady and the El Masters. A soft reset would mark yet another ending of a story arc in human history.

Was there truly an end?

“Resetting will fix everything?” There was a bite to Flame words and sharpness in the look she exchanged to Metamorphy and over to Paradox. Biting the bottom of her lips, Ultimate could see the flame user trying not to get excited.

“I don’t know about that,” Paradox scoffed. “No one has done a reset before. I’m not sure if Glave can even do it.”

“Is that why you brought us here?” Abysser asked. “I knew Glave deals with time and space, but do you really think he’s going to agree to helping us?”

“Didn’t he already help you in Elrianode?” Crusader had his arms crossed, “He gave us information about the corrupted Elrianode monsters and about the Dark El.”

“I suppose it could be too soon to ask for help again.” Empire said, “We’re already here, so we should at least try.”

Empire had what humans called “cautious optimism”. When Ultimate expressed her confusion, Rune explained that people wanted to see the bright side of something, but remained careful out of the fear of being wrong. The knight captain remained so, putting on a composed mask but smiling as a way to reassure the others. Flame did the same, but her enthusiasm was more overt and offering loud cheers.

Crossing her legs, Ultimate examined a floating cube reflecting her face back. She hadn’t noticed before, but some of them acted as monitors and showed the viewer different worlds. Each surface focused on a different part of Elrios, but one caught her attention. Ripples formed over its otherwise smooth surface and offered her a glimpse of a moving figure.

A woman sharing Devi’s face darted across a muddy terrain with a toothy grin. She wore white outfit similar to that of the warriors from Fluone's Northern Empire, followed by a white fox with many tails. Behind her was a blonde man in a white suit covered by equally pristine armor and a destroyer. An elven woman was with them. Her hair was tied back into a long braid and hoisted a sword and a bow. The sky was red and they were fighting a monster several times their size, covered in spikes and baring sharp teeth.

An emotionless face reflected back at Ultimate from the screen. The Nasod queen froze, waiting for her circuits to process the face of her twin. Pale blue wings sprouted from the back of her counterpart from another world she didn’t know of. Were these people her friends from another dimension?

“My, my. There are more of you than usual.” A male voice mused, “Your group gets bigger each time we meet, but this is the biggest I’ve seen.”

A single orange eye peered through the metal mask Glave wore. His voice made it impossible to tell his age, a quiet chuckle followed by a light toned statement that placed many people on edge. The locks placed around his collar were for a man who had committed unspoken crimes.

“You took your time,” Paradox sneered. “Where have you been?”

“Hello, Add.” Glave chuckled, “I see you have made use of the knowledge I have given you.”

“Cut the crap and tell us what we need to do to undo this idiot’s mistake!” Bringer growled.

“It looks like there’s three of you now,” Glave looked at Bringer, Dominator, and Paradox. “I suspected this day would come. How can I help you?”

Bringer fumed as Bluhen commented about the brawler being singled out with his other selves. Dominator was less pleased of being grouped with his alternatives, crossing his legs and sitting on Dynamo in a silent sulk. Paradox became a sitting duck as soon as Glave showed up, glaring at the administrator of Henir’s Time and Space with distaste.

“We need your help,” Crusader explained. “The Demon Realm where we came from is falling apart. If we don’t do something, we won’t be able to save Elrios.”

“Is that so?” Glave looked at the mob, “Is that because all of you were involved?”

“Yes,” Anemos said. “Add said there were too many of us and it’s causing problems for everyone and the people living in Demon Realm.”

“I expected this to happen for some time,” Glave admitted.

“Because you taught someone how to time travel?” Nova raised a brow.

“Yes, but he isn’t the only one learning to open portals.” Glave said, “I’m sure you remember the demon invasion in Velder?”

“That’s right, they were trying to open portals to invade Elrios!” Aether exclaimed, “But what are you trying to say? Metamorphy said you could reset the dimension and return us back to where we were supposed to be!”

“Did she now?” Glave said, “That is a heavy task you are asking of me.”

“Please, Glave. You helped us before and you gave us all the information you knew about the Dark El.” Knight lowered his head, “I don’t know what we can offer this time, but you’re the only person I know who can help us.”

Ultimate looked back to Knight, trying to understand his intention. He led a massive group, yet maintained the humbleness Rune had. There was no humor in his intonation, coated by shame and guilt. She was confused about where the unnecessary emotion came from. He was no different than Rune.

“What can you offer this time?” Glave chuckled again, “Resetting a dimension so I can send all of you on your merry way? It will only take time before all of you find each other again.”

“I know it’s our fault this happened, but that’s why I want to change that.” Knight said, “I only want-”

An arm blocked Knight from getting closer to Glave. Immortal stepped up and shook his head to Knight, effectively silencing his counterpart with a tiny smile. The sword user beamed at Glave and offered the man a forced grin.

“Yo, Glave! I got a better deal than myself over there,” Immortal nudged Knight to the side. “Why stop at resetting one dimension? You’re right, we might try to see each other again and that means you’ll have to fix our mess again. So why don’t you sit down and listen to what I have to say?”

“Oh?” A smile could be heard in Glave’s raised intonation, “What do you propose?”

“Why don’t you make it so that dimension traveling is stable across our three dimensions?” Immortal nodded, “You won’t regret this because you will never be bored!”

Anemos once proposed to Ultimate that Glave’s strange requests were done out of boredom. She kept her voice low and hushed with a snide comment that was uncharacteristic of the elven woman. Ultimate couldn’t relate to the emotion as Nasods did not get bored, but she knew that humans had a tendency of finding ways to entertain themselves when placed in isolation. She could see why Glave would go to such lengths to reach out to the El Search Party when his traveling was limited to a few spots.

“Never get bored, huh?” Nova laughed to himself, “That’s so Elsword.”

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

Chevalier

In contrast to the cold weather in Varnimyr, there was nothing in Henir’s time and space. It was warm yet cold. Big, yet small. An infinite sea of platforms floated in space, small stairs suspended in midair and connected to one another. Just big enough to fit all twenty nine of them and its administrator.

The first time he had visited Henir’s time and space was by Glave himself, who had a tendency of showing up at resting spots in Elrios. A strange light in his eyes gave away that the man had plans of his own. He wasn’t one to share his intentions and Chevalier didn’t want to do with any of it. Chevalier didn’t lack strange people in his life after he formed a pact with Ishtar.

It has been weeks since Chevalier last saw the administrator of Henir’s time and space. With a look of boredom and a shrug, Glave offered useful information on the Dark El and a quick history lesson of the Henir heretics involvement of it. Their dependence on Glave brought discomfort to the half-demon butler.

“Are we nothing more than entertainment for this man?” Ishtar scowled, “Fixing someone else’s mistake in exchange for our livelihood. What kind of nonsense is this?”

Chevalier hushed the former demon ruler. He had seen the hasty plan wrapped together by the newcomers as if it was second nature for them to dimension jump at a last minute’s notice. There was no reason to give Glave a moment of doubt in handing over a gift to their group.

“How would we travel to each other’s worlds?” Apsara asked.

“I gave the coordinates to the nerd and the musclehead,” Paradox snorted. “I think that’s enough.”

“This is a good idea?” Chevalier wondered aloud, “Demons have tried to cross into Elrios through portals in the past. What makes you think they won’t find out about our new access to them?”

“It’s only a problem if you blurt it out in the cold open like the amateurs you are,” Paradox grinned. “With twelve of you, that surely won’t be a problem, would it?”

Chevalier couldn’t make head or tail(s) about the man who shared Doom Bringer’s face. The time traveler had two forms he could use however he pleased. That was how he tricked Knight into believing he was harmless, yet they were expected to take Paradox’s words as truth. The butler’s gaze locked into Bringer, who nodded as a confirmation.

“That’s right, he gave us the coordinates for each other’s dimensions.” Bringer said, “Is that all you want to say?”

“You’re not the type to have idle conversations, are you?” Dreadlord chuckled, “I suppose it can’t be helped with our situation.”

Was the Demon Realm they came from beyond saving? It wasn’t their world, but it was the one the El Search Party promised to protect. It was a relief to make amends with the dark elves and the other creatures living there. Despite the poor relation between demons and Elrios inhabitants, there were civilians living in both. Most importantly, it was Ishtar’s home. Behind her sly smiles was sadness and nostalgia for a place that no longer accepted her.

Chevalier and Ishtar poured blood and sweat into fighting their way into Demon Realm to restore her reign as a ruler, only for all that effort to go to waste. He couldn’t imagine the thoughts going through Ishtar’s mind in watching her world be reduced to ashes.

“It’s fine,” Ishar placed a hand over Chevalier’s left forearm. She said with a forced smile, “It doesn’t bother me. Everything will be okay.”

“Are you sure?” Chevalier disliked how childish he sounded when he asked a seemingly simple, yet personal question to the one he was supposed to protect.

“Metamorphy said it would be reset, so I’m sure of it.” She closed her eyes, “My people are no strangers to rebuilding themselves. We should be thankful Grave is agreeing to help us again. This will be the second time we owe him.”

“That’s already several times less than some of us,” Immortal gave a light chuckle. “Are you ready then?”

All this talk about portal and interdimensional travel was a familiar topic that gave Chevalier a migraine. He could understand why the ability to do so was so appealing to demons. With that sort of power, Chevalier would gain access to stronger allies, multiple versions of himself that would likely share the same objective as he did. It took the effort of many people to prevent such power from falling into their enemy’s possession.

Meeting their alternates added an extra layer of complexity on top of the original intention to seek out the Dark El. The butler knew they wouldn’t hear the last about portals after the first time they attempted to cross a dimension over from Lanox. Chevaliar had doubts that their group would return to Elrios any time soon.

“You all right, there?” Abysser’s annoying voice popped into his vicinity. “What’s going on in your mind?”

“Nothing,” Chevalier said.

“No one thinks about nothing,” Abysser snorted. “Hey Ish, what’s he thinking?”

“Don’t call her that!” Chevalier growled. Why was being around himself so grating? Ishtar gave Abysser a small smile, but the demon monarch mentally cackled at the exchange between the two butlers. Chevalier sent glares at the tiny demon, struggling not to fill his mind with profanities. That only made Ishtar laugh harder.

“Did I say something funny?” Abysser was concerned, “You look like you ate something bad and Ishtar is giving me a weird look.”

Chevalier stared ahead, focusing his thoughts and eyes on Glave. The administrator’s lips were moving, but he couldn’t hear the words. For the first time, he wished Ishtar didn’t have to share the same mental space as him. The demon monarch was usually good about backing off and giving him privacy, but Ishtar was taking delight in picking at his thoughts whenever Abysser was around. Her Cheshire grin was one that was usually reserved for teasing Bluhen.

“Ciel was telling me how much he likes you!” Ishtar dared to speak a complete lie. Her lips couldn’t have spread out even further if she tried. The demon monarch bore a mischievous smirk that was more in line with her appearance age.

“Aw, I think you’re cool too!” Abysser beamed.

Chevalier groaned.

He spied a camera shot of Varnimyr from one of the reflective cubes floating nearby. They functioned similar to the Nasod technology used in Elysion to monitor the city. Red clouds swirled in a dangerous haze, obscured by dark portals consuming the rest of the sky. Demons trekked across the fiery path, seeking for shelter in confusion to what was happening to their world. The demon realm was a mirror to what Lanox was weeks before the demon invasion. So this was how Glave always knew where to find them.

Past his former days as a hitman, Chevalier pondered on how he would use them. How easy would it be to find his target before they realized he existed and... Chevalier didn’t allow himself to complete the thought. Those days were over. He would have easily picked to live in the present than in a bloodtorn past where he too often scraped the bottom of the barrel for less savory jobs.

“It’s okay if you don’t know what to think about any of this,” Abysser read his silence as uncertainty. His eyes glazed over the cubes. Anger appeared in a short moment before he said, “I don’t think anyone would know how to react.”

“You think?” Chevalier gave a dark chuckle. At least Abysser’s voice was good at distracting him from those troubling thoughts. “I was questioning my sanity when you introduced yourself.”

“I can’t be that bad,” he feigned a hurt expression.

“It’s like a dream,” Chevalier said. “Everything gets resolved as quickly as the problem came.”

“We must be blessed because we now have three Elswords,” Abysser smirked. “Lady Luck seems to like them.”

“I wouldn’t call it luck if it means having to sit through the world crumbling before us,” Chevalier said.

“You’re welcome to join them,” Abysser grinned.

“I’ll pass,” Chevalier scoffed.

“Don’t you ever get bored of acting cool all the time?” Abysser asked.

Chevalier shrugged, wondering what the demon meant by that. While he was troubled by the idea of watching a dimension reset itself, Ishtar did not need to add his premature death to her list of growing worries. Having sympathy for demon realm civilians wasn’t going to make him into a martyr. He was not Knight.

“What needs to be done to begin the reset?” Anemos asked.

“Your visit was unexpected, so I won’t be able to start immediately to fix your… mishap.” Glave said. “For saving the dimension, I expect a token of exchange shortly after. I’m sure it won’t be difficult for one of you to acquire it.”

Chevalier was sure the first part was a lie, but he didn’t have the proof nor motivation to say otherwise. He took Glave’s word for it and nodded in agreement. His mind glossed over the mention of payment, mildly interested in what the administrator of Henir could want. Glave had previously formed exchange services for them running errands. The requested items were often unique objects obtained from strange circumstances and battles.

“You can tell us about the price after you finish saving the world,” Immortal said impatiently.

Similar to Knight, he carried weight in his steps and was terse in his words. He had a sharp look in his eyes, hazy from the effect the Dark El had. Chevalier could feel the Dark El radiating from the sword user, yet he retained his reason and intelligence.

“There will still be limitations on how many can visit different worlds,” Glave added. “Your dimensions will no longer collapse under the new laws, but having large groups together will cause a delay in regular timeflow.”

“As in…?” Flame squinted.

“Try not to visit in big groups,” Phantom finished for her.

“Having big groups does make it harder to avoid detection from the enemies,” Daybreaker remarked.

Being forced to arrive as small groups sounded cumbersome, but it was more than what he expected from Glave. Impressed by Immortal’s ability to sway the administrator of Henir, Chevalier quietly thanked the redhead and offered a pat on the shoulder. Immortal backed away, as if the young man had seen a ghost. He kept looking at the butler’s face with a careful expression before moving his eyes over to Ishtar. Fear struck across Immortal’s gaze before he apologized to Chevalier for staring.

Confused by Immortal’s reaction, Chevalier accepted the apology but frowned. Was it something he had said? Did Immortal have a bad relationship with the other Ciel from his world? It took a split second for Chevalier to force himself away from drawing out his gunblade because of the way Immortal looked at Ishtar, an expression he was quick to recognize. It was one of fear mixed with anger. What did the other Lu do to make Immortal respond like that?

“Forget it.” Immortal rubbed the back of his head, a trait he shared with Rune and Knight when frustrated. “I need to let the others know what’s happening.”

“I know you have a lot on your plate, but Glave won’t be ready any time soon.” Chevalier said. He wished there was something he could do to help the young man. “You should take the time to rest.”

“Lucky for us, time doesn’t exist here.” Immortal let out a dark chuckle.

“So after this, we’ll return to where we were before like nothing happened?” Chevalier asked.

Immortal nodded.

Rune’s group would go back to Elrianode before they entered Demon Realm. Would they once again attempt to enter their Demon Realm or would they change plans and remain in the ancient city? Chevalier and his friends would return to a restored Varnimyr with its inhabitants being none the wiser, still in danger because of a strong demonic presence they have yet to identify. Where would Immortal and the others go?

“Don’t waste your time thinking about the things that don’t exist in your world,” Immortal said. He gave the butler a critical expression, “I’m sure you’re curious about what my world is like, but that’s our problem to figure out.”

Problem? Chevalier realized he was judging a group of people he had only met a few hours ago and felt guilty. It wasn’t his place to make opinions on something he didn’t understand.

“Perhaps we’ll meet again under better circumstances,” Chevalier said.

“Maybe,” Immortal’s expression softened. Despite his young face, there was age in his eyes. Chevalier didn’t understand why, but he sympathized with Immortal’s struggle to hold the team together. That was something he could relate to. “Maybe not.”

“Can you at least tell me if you found the Dark El?” Chevalier asked when Immortal excused himself.

The redhead broke into a burst of genuine laughter, “Would I be here if I knew the answer?”

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Immortal

Resting his head back against the palm of his hands, Immortal took deep and controlled breaths as Shakti had taught him. He felt his chest hover before deflating, letting his mind wander off into the distance and blocking out the pointless chatter around him.

More waiting. Nothing he could do to speed it up. Time didn’t exist in Henir’s Time and Space, which was great because that meant the stakes were lower, but made the extraneous delay worse for the sword user. Immortal was itching to get up and find something to do.

Paradox didn’t trust Glave, but it wasn’t a question about trust. Glave was useful. He had access to knowledge and power that could easily switch their position in their current battle against the demons. Immortal wasn’t going to ignore a viable resource, not when Glave was so eager to offer his services.

It was torturous sitting around and waiting for Glave to do his thing and send them back. To hell with Glave saying their visit was unexpected. He knew the guy was keeping a careful watch on his group. Something about them having “potential”, whatever that meant. Glave was never confused when his team visited the administrator, often offering them valuable information they needed. There was no reason for Glave to begin being surprised by their appearances.

Immortal’s concentration was broken by girlish giggling. Scowling at nothing in particular, he opened his eyes to see Metamorphy pointing at Paradox while talking to Devi. The magical girl motioned a pair of cat ears with the use of her index fingers. Devi had a similar expression as Immortal, confused by Metamorphy’s chatter. Flame was amused and mouthed a few words Immortal couldn’t hear over the rest of the mob.

“It’s hard to hear your own thoughts,” Nova commented. The older man settled down next to Immortal. “I’m surprised it took effort to find them.”

“I’m surprised too,” Immortal mumbled. “We should have let Aisha lead.”

“She would be happy to hear that.” He could hear the smile in Nova’s tone without looking at the former mercenary. “Convincing Glave to let the paths crossover more than once was a bold move.”

“So was letting the Dark El take over.” Immortal balanced one of his blades to see his reflection shine over its glossy edge and smirked, “I’m a bold guy.”

“If you say so,” Nova chuckled. “I understand wanting to restore their dimensions, but why take the extra steps to let them transverse to our worlds?”

Portals weren’t a novelty for Elrios. Humans and demons alike have spent centuries toying with the idea of interdimensional travel, fighting to ignore the barriers placed by the gods to prevent them from mingling. In many ways, demons held very human qualities in wanting what couldn’t be obtained. If it wasn’t Knight or Rune’s teams attempting to use portals, Immortal was sure the demons would make additional attempts to break into another dimension.

“I like to call it a haunch,” Immortal said. “Just in case something like this happens again. Besides, they could use the extra help.”

“In fighting Rosso?” Nova raised a brow.

“Not so loud!” Immortal shushed him, “I don’t think they know about him yet, at least that’s what Paradox told me.”

“Letting them know won’t hurt them,” Nova gently told him. “They already know they will make it because of us.”

Immortal questioned if it was wiser to let the other El Search Parties know what they were getting themselves into. His team had barely scraped out of the battle with bloodied cuts and bruises that took days to heal. Unlike Knight’s team, they had no healers and relied on potions crafted by their alchemists.

What would he tell Knight and Rune? That they were going to be ambushed by a burning midget with a giant blade? Immortal sighed, frustrated by the dilemma. Their timelines were already tangled up thanks to Paradox. There was no use in hiding knowledge from each other, yet he hesitated.

Their small team of eight grew at Rosso’s awakening. Paradox showed up when the first blood was drawn. When asked why, the time traveler shrugged with a mischievous smile. Immortal could never understand what went through Paradox’s mind and wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

It was one of the rare fights that summoned Iblis and Anular from the depths of hell. Iblis’s face was twisted with madness and delight in the pain she was able to inflict on their enemy, dragging Anular along on an invisible chain formed by their twisted bond. Their party was down to the last of its members able to fight when Immortal thought he saw red hair and a claymore before passing out. When he woke up, Bloody Queen was nowhere to be seen.

“You think our help will be enough?” Immortal pondered on the implications of being able to regularly interact with his alternates. They were just a walking distance from him, but he couldn’t bring himself to face them.

Nova noticed his hesitance.

“You should check on them,” Nova followed his gaze over to the two red haired men talking to each other. “I’ll let you know when it’s time for us to leave.”

“What if they hate me?” Immortal was surprised by his own doubt, annoyed by how honest he sounded.

“Before you finish that thought, I think they’re more concerned about their problems than about you.” Nova said without heat in his words, “They followed you through this plan because they believed in you. I think your appearance might be a breath of fresh air for them.”

“You sure put a lot of faith into this eighteen year old,” Immortal laughed.

“If age was a concern, I wouldn’t have followed you when we first met.” Nova smiled. “If they give you trouble, I can talk to them too.”

“I don’t think that will happen,” Immortal laughed again. Knight and Rune were foolish, but had good intentions. That made three of them. He gave a mock salute to Nova with a toothy grin, “I won’t be gone for long.”

It wasn’t hard to find Knight and Rune. They sat huddled together like they have known each other for years, speaking hushed whispers that raised Immortal’s radar. He forced those thoughts away, putting on a big smile as he was supposed to. Relaxed, waving at the two as if he wasn’t bothered by the idea of being the bringer of bad news that they were going to have to deal with a half-demon brat in a matter of hours, two weeks in Rune’s case.

“Yo!” Immortal heard himself speak. He waved to them, “Fancy seeing you two here!”

“You’re the one who brought us here,” Knight waved back with a sigh.

“I know,” Immortal kept smiling. “I told you I would help you guys get home!”

“That felt a little too easy,” Rune said. “Do things always go smoothly for you?”

“No,” Immortal heard Knight’s voice alongside his. He stopped to look at Knight, who wasn’t as surprised. “Really?”

“Yes,” Knight stressed. The look on his face was one of someone who was exhausted from all the interrogating from others. Impatient, he pressed his hand against his forehead when he saw doubt in his alternates. “Maybe the things I went through weren't as long and strenuous as it was for you, but I have struggles too!”

“Never said I didn’t believe you,” Rune patted Knight on the back. “Just surprised, that’s all.”

Even if Immortal had purposely avoided talking to Rune and Knight up to this point, he was envious of how easy it was for them to talk to each other. Knight and Rune lacked the tension in their shoulders, relaxed and eager to trust others. It wasn’t that Immortal couldn’t relax, but there was a constant nagging voice in the back of his mind. Conwell urged him to take the next step to avoid the uncertainty of death.

“Did you make Raven worried again?” Rune asked.

“Me? Worry him?” Immortal smirked at the idea,“When isn’t he worried? He’s going to get white hair if he keeps fussing like that.”

“Ours already has white hair,” Knight said without humor.

Having only caught a short glimpse of Rage from a distance, Immortal was only able to recognize the former mercenary by the monstrous arm. It was nothing like what Immortal was used to, a strange mesh of machinery and organic compounds.

Rune threw his head back and let his hair flop over his face in uncontrolled laughter. Covered in runes, his appearance was a sharp contrast to Knight’s conservative armored look. It was amazing how consistent their looks were to their personalities. If not for their shared names, they could have been different people.

“Anyway, I think it’s only fair I share some information about what’s coming up for both of you.” Immortal ran one hand through his hair.

“You mean what was causing the earthquakes in Varnimyr?” Knight asked, “Yeah, Paradox mentioned something about that. Rune and I were talking about that.”

“Did Paradox mention how strong the next enemy was?” Immortal asked.

“We’re going to have to fight something stronger?” Rune laughed, “When is that not the case?”

They were taking the news better than Immortal thought, maybe too calmly. He didn’t like how quick Rune was to accept his word. No hesitance or questioning involved. Maybe Paradox was right about him needing more caffeine. Knight blinked, letting the new information process before nodding in agreement to Rune. He looked at Immortal with interest and ushered him to keep talking.

Well, that’s why Immortal was here - letting them know what they were getting themselves into. It wasn’t going to stop them from going after Rosso, because they were Elsword and none of them could ignore someone’s cry for help. If no one was going to fight Rosso, who would? The ones who felt the most connection to the El. Good gods, why did all of them have to be big damn heroes?

“The enemy will be heavily protected from outside its tower,” Immortal explained. “You need to take down the barriers quickly before they overwhelm you. Make use of everyone’s abilities and distribute your strengths. If one person gets shot down, let someone else take over.”

“People died?” Knight looked alarmed.

“No,” Immortal realized his wording and stepped back. “But you’re going to need all the help you can get.”

“Is that why you asked Glave to let our dimensions overlap?” Rune asked.

Immortal cocked his head to the side, “Am I scaring you yet?”

“Not really.” Knight’s brave front was betrayed by his face losing color. Clearing his throat, he said, “Telling us what you know will make the fight easier.”

“Will it be easier?” Immortal asked more for himself than to the others. “I doubt things will ever be easy for any of us, but you’ll continue?”

“Of course!” Rune bumped his fist up, “Who the hell do you think we are?”

Knight nodded in agreement.

“Figures,” Immortal smiled. “Then I see no point in stopping either of you from doing what you have to do.”

He sat with his legs crossed with his body leaned back, looking up to the stars surrounding Henir’s time and space. No wonder Glave kept finding excuses to leave this bubble and interfere with his group. There was nothing to see once the novelty in the monitor panels and space wore off.

“What’s your team like?” Knight asked.

“You already saw half of them,” Immortal said. “What do you think?”

“Blunt. They have a lot of energy,” Knight after some thought, clearly putting careful consideration into his response. How cute.

“They have a lot of powers we haven’t seen before,” Rune commented. “Where did Paradox learn to use portals?”

“None of us know,” Immortal shrugged. “Metamorphy thinks Glave is involved, but that’s besides the point. Paradox does what he wants.”

“You mean he isn’t with you?” Knight asked.

“Yes and no,” Immortal said. “Our team is a little smaller than yours because we don’t travel together.”

Immortal saw the wheels spinning in Knight’s head, taking in the new information and forming new questions to throw at the sword wielder. He caught the red-haired knight tongue-tied on whether to probe further. It didn’t matter to him. If Knight asked, he would let the other know that their team functioned differently. Having a smaller team didn’t bother Immortal. It made traveling easier and drew in less attention.

“It must be hard fighting that enemy if you had a smaller group,” Rune said.

“We’ve managed,” Immortal replied.

Although Iblis, Anular, and Paradox had joined for the bigger fights, he wasn’t sure if they counted as allies. Their loyalties laid elsewhere, not in him. Anular followed wherever the corrupted queen went and Paradox had a separate agenda unrelated to the El. It was better than no help at all. He wanted to offer the two El Search Parties more than that. No one deserved to barely scrape by with burns and blisters on their sides.

“I hope we get to see each other more after this,” Knight spoke up. His voice was quiet, but firm. There was determination in his tone. “Not just to help each other, but to talk. It would be nice to stop thinking about saving the world for once.”

“You need to come visit!” Rune exclaimed, “Not sure how similar our worlds are, but it would be nice to take a break once in a while.”

“That sounds nice,” Immortal closed his eyes.

Yeah… he liked the idea of that. When was the last time Immortal rested and didn’t stop to think about the state of the world? Traveling with his friends for the last several years was fun, but it’s been months since Immortal got to enjoy himself. Maybe he could ask COBO services for suggestions.

“Elsword!’ Nova’s voice forced him to blink and look up. “Glave said he’s ready!”

“What do you know, it’s already time.” Immortal murmured to himself. “Guess it’s time to watch the world end.”

“It’ll be okay.” Even Knight sounded unsure. He turned to Immortal for help, “Right?”

“Guess we’ll find out very soon,” Rune had an uneasy smile. “We have the front row seats to watch it unfold.”

Immortal wondered what went through Rune and Knight’s minds as they passively sat there and witnessed a cruel image. Displayed on multiple screens was the same climatic scene of a redden world. Varnimyr was already red from the chaos caused by Rosso, but the portals have crushed the mountains and trees that made up the region. They dissipated into fine dust and sucked into the portals. The inhabitants’ cries were silenced by the light.

A blinding light flared from where they stood, beaming downward into a distant galaxy containing the demon realm. Immortal watched the light consume what was left of the crumbling dimension with a promise of starting anew. His very being felt electrified in response to the Dark El in the demon realm inverting on itself.

Glave remained standing in silence. His fingers traced over a diagram of portals overlaying between different spheres of galaxies and interdimensional planes. The display of writing and symbols meant nothing to Immortal.

“I look forward to watching the three of you make use of the reset” He heard Glave chuckle, “Don’t let it go to waste.”

He watched as Glave manipulated something to make the lines intertwine before his body snapped into shock. Unable to hold his head up, Immortal lost his focus and closed his eyes. Glave’s laughter echoed in his head.

#elsword #eltag #elsword fanfiction #my writing #mywriting #doppelganger #Elboy (Elsword)#Rena (Elsword)#Aisha (Elsword)#Raven (Elsword)#Eve (Elsword)#Chung (Elword)#Ara (Elsword)#Elesis (Elsword)#Add (Elsword)#Lu (Elsword)#Ciel (Elsword)#Ain (Elsword)

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olesyaneve · 5 years

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Elsword – Eve: INTJ / About Add

Code: Empress.

Introverted Intuition (Ni): Eve’s entire focus is on creating her ideal kingdom, not being content to live with the flaws of the existing one. She knows exactly what she wants to accomplish, and takes actions specifically for this purpose.

Extroverted Thinking (Te): Eve views her ideal kingdom as an achievable goal, not a fanciful dream. She works hard in creating her kingdom, even to the point of building a new Nasod servant to assist her and Oberon in battle. Eve always speaks directly, even when she offends people (In the Time Trouble Vol. 7).

Introverted Feeling (Fi): Eve hides her feelings, tends to be rather reserved about most of her life. Eve doesn’t naturally understand other people’s feelings and can’t cope. At the same time, her principles and feelings are the primary motivations behind everything she does. She is opinionated and always does what she believes to be most authentically right and true to herself, no matter the immediate cost.

Extroverted Sensing (Se): Eve’s showcase her taste for aesthetics in many ways; Eve's fighting style is elegant. Her servants are named after characters from Shakespearean plays. Her Nasod servant tend to be beautiful in appearance. Eve also wants to look her best herself; her clothing is stylish, and her hair, particularly neat, has an elegance to it. Moreover, Eve’s good at handling technology, she takes photos too realistically (El★Star Profiles- Eve).

Eve notices details in her environment that need to be pointed out to other companions at El Search Party.

Beyond her exceptional focus, Eve takes the time to enjoy the beauty in her surroundings ("It is good to see diverse places and add various creatures to the database. …Though it is tiresome to fight anywhere I go… yeah…" and "A lake… it's been a long time that I am seeing a lake again. …I don't know anything about emotions but looking at a lake, I feel that my overheated circuits are being cooled."). She doesn’t dwell extensively on the past.

↓

Code: Nemesis.

Eve was a future, big-picture oriented person. Her focus was to revive the Nasod civilization, and did not allow anything to remove her from that path. (Ni)

Eve’s primary focus is on getting things done, and easily puts aside her emotions in order to make decisions. She doesn’t stop her plan to revive the Nasod civilization. (Te)

Eve’s internal principles are firmly laid out and she does not violate them to please others. She does what she feels is right, regardless of what Add tells her. She assumes an awkward poker face. She suppressed her emotion. At the same time, we can’t deny that she is extremely emotional. She has very few friends, but she would do anything for them, even sacrifice her life so that they could live. In the Time Trouble, the main way that Eve worried about Add is not through words, but by giving his a lemonade. (Fi)

[“I won’t go.” “You’ll only get attacked by demons if you remain in this time. Do you think I’m lying?” “Even if it’s true I won’t go.” Eve refused outright. She ignored the now stunned Add as she spoke coldly. “I have the mission to revive the Nasod civilization. I have no intention of stopping my search for El, or to travel to a different timeline.” “…..What about the demons that will attack you?” “Even if what you’re talking about is true. I don’t think it’s something that can be solved by running away. I must face them head on like Nasods should.” Add’s heart burned up because he knew all too well the result of what she just said. He just gave her all the information he had. He was even prepared to get treated like a crazy person. Despite all this effort Eve didn’t waver. Even if she believed Add’s words her decision wouldn’t change. Her course of action was firm. “…..Are you sure it’s not because you can’t leave Elsword?” “I don’t know why you’d bring up his name here.” ]

She understand her own emotions on a level that allows she to both put a name to them and to pin point exactly what she’s feeling, whereas an Fe user doesn’t always recognize immediately what they are feeling (or why they are feeling it). That’ s the difference between Eve (Fi user) and Add (Fe user). Check the Epic EP.41-42 Master Road Story Quest - Add & Eve (Bringer and Esencia)

Eve: Sigh... I already told Adrian I'm leaving. You don't have to overreact.

Add: O-over react? When did I?!

↓

I read the Time Trouble Vol. 6-7 Code: Empress's passage.

[Add changed the topic when the atmosphere inside the tent turned cold all of a sudden. “So why are you and Rena so wary of Lu? Although Lu is a demon she’s…..” “Isn’t it stranger to trust her?” Eve spoke sharply. “This case is different than Chung and Ara. Ara had her relative become a demon and Chung understood this. But Lu and Ciel are demon and her servant. Don’t you think it’s too much of an excessive request to ask someone who lost their own kind to demons to accept those two?” Add couldn’t answer because Eve’s response was very heated. “Demons destroyed the key to resurrecting the Nasod civilization. It was a really horrible event…. But I was alone in the first place anyways. But Rena is different.” “…….” “Demons brutally slaughtered Rena’s people. Asking her to trust and accept demons as comrades doesn’t make sense.” Eve continued speaking with an unusually passionate tone. She realized Add was only listening to her and lowered her voice a bit. “…..I don’t know much about people’s emotions and can’t understand them. But I think that Rena’s reaction is natural.”]

She's an INTJ with an extremely well developed Fi, and she doesn't feel their emotions the way an Fe user would. Her Ni lets she know intuitively what’s going on behind the lines and then she's able to logically put together what someone is feeling by using Te. She can understand, but she cannot empathize unless she has shared experience.

[“I won’t say that I know how you feel. I don’t know about emotions anyways. But what will you say to Elesis if you kill Lu like this?” / “Lu, what do you think you’re doing by provoking Rena? There shouldn’t be anything good for you even if you win or lose here.”] When it comes to arguments, the INTJ will more likely try to convince you using logical appeals, whereas the INFJ will use emotional appeals.

She’s also pretty cutting with her mode of speech, which isn’t necessary for Te, but it’s definitely more common in Te than Ti. Te prefers direct, blunt speech, while Ti is more concerned with exactness. The difference is subtle, but there.

Auxiliary Te: Eve was a planner. As soon as she knew what she wanted, there was a plan in place to fulfill that desire. Eve wasn’t particularly interested in kiss or anything even distantly hormonal. She was preferred to speak and type in logic, rather than feelings. Eve was consistent in her habits, blunt and honest in her speech.

Tertiary Fi: Despite the fact that Eve was extremely logical, she was deeply motivated by her feelings. She cares about Ara and Elsword. Eve will fully support Add in defeating D and returning to his universe. She had a strong sense of morality and didn’t trust Lu (a demon).

Elsword:El Lady

“Elsword. How can you trust those words without any proof?”

She thinks that Add needs to prove his words with actual evidence (Te).

To inexperienced typers who think Eve is an INFJ, please understanding sympathetic INTJs and stop stereotyping everyone. Thanks. An Fi is always less comfortable expressing his/her emotions than an Fe. Esencia is easier to mistake as INFJ because she was a warm and loving queen and she is the only Eve to be depicted expressing emotion in her artwork. (Mature INTJs do not hide from their feelings. They face them without allowing the feelings to control them.) Generally, you don’t see this in a stereotypical INTJ girl, but you do see it in INFJ girls. Eve trust in 'friendship' and 'belief' from her friends, she develops a need for companionship, a connect with people on an emotional level and a deep selflessness. Has Esencia become an INFJ? Absolutely not. She may contemplate the same things an INFJ would, but she processes the information using NiTe logic, not NiTi logic. She may reach the same conclusions an INFJ would, but reaches conclusions the way an INTJ would. Esencia is an INTJ with the perspective of an INFJ. She still processes INTJ style. An INTJ with a well developed Fi will care deeply about how his/her actions and words affect other people.

“...I want... as many of my people to wake up... and live freely without being used by anyone.”

At length.

Personality can change drastically as a result of trauma. It happens subconsciously, in a part of our minds that we have little control over. However, I don’t believe it’s possible to consciously change your personality.

Ultimate-Esencia-Sariel They haven’t changed personalities.

To be honest, Esencia strikes me as an extremely mature INTJ who has learned how to be emotional.

Add:

An ENTP who is depressed will very much likely either appear as though absolutely nothing is wrong, or will retreat into either an Ti/Si loop, or their shadow functions (INTJ).

Life experience often changes perspective without altering cognitive function.

He hasn't changed personality at all. By the end Dominator (initially ENTP) behaves more like an INTJ –he thinks about things that are more natural to INTJs, but his mode of thought still functions like an ENTP.

He hasn't changed thought processing style (personality type); he's changed perspective.

#elsword eve #elsword add #mbti

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sugarnspiceselfshipisnice · 5 years

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What's your insert's main abilities (or power). What's their development in the three routes and what is their relationship with the other characters (besides Add)?

Oh! This might be a long post lol, so im gonna put it under the cut

So my SI’s powers stem from her necklace, which is a shard of Light El and Dark El. She can channel Light El into projections of objects (like Green Lantern) as long as she has their inner workings and dimensions memorized! As for the Dark El it typically reacts when she’s angry or terrified. She becomes very pysically strong and also blasts of Demon Fire, but she absolutely loses all control and can potentially hurt others unintentionally. She uses it rarely.

Her base is a girl from Ruben Village who inherited her necklace from her mom! She got it for her 15th birthday and had no idea it had had powers. She found out she had powers when she conjured up a shield to project her from a bully, and insisted on going on an adventure. Way down the line during the Elysion quests, she finds out from Adrian she has Elrian ancestors, resulting in her powers!

Her three routes are heavily influenced by the Adds!

Her canon route focuses on her finding balance between the Light and Dark El. She learns that the Light El is based on her understanding and positive feelings! She develops the ability to create simple objects and barriers, becoming Weapon Caster. She then learns how to create more complex weapons like fire arms and even recreating Nasod technology as Assassin Hero. Her transcendence she develops some control of the Dark El, and in her 3rd job, Rogue Saviour, she strikes perfect balance.

Her Rebellion path implements the El with technology. She has an experience with the Dark El much earlier on then the Imperial path, and she gets afraid of how dangerous the El really is. Following Arc Tracer’s lead, she develops sort of an Iron Man Esqe blaster she calls the El Gauntlet and becomes Engineer Caster. She improves upon it in her second job, and becomes very prim and proper and crazy smart, priding herself on integrating “magic with science” as Scientific Exception. The gauntlet becomes very sleek and glove like. Unfortunately, in her third job, she loses her arm, and replaces it with a mechanical prosthesis as Mechatronics Genius. In the last job she actually embeds the El into the arm instead of containing it, overcoming her fear as well

Her Transform Path is.... edgy to say the least! I use her more as a vent character. In her first job her Light El gets cracked in a fight, setting off the balance between the two. Her Light El powers are weakend, so she has to depend on her Dark El abilities despite the detrimental effects. She tries to resist the urges to be utterly destructive, so she’s known as Resistance Caster. In her second job she unfortunately gives in and becomes like NUTS with power, becoming completely consumed by the Dark El’s influence and calling herself “Chaos Revolutionary”. Her third job, when she enters the Giant El, she actually takes some of it’s power with her, and her el starts to physically manifest around her, resulting in crystal claws. She inherits powers of all types of El, but she essentially loses herself in the El’s will to be whole. When she emerges, she calls herself “Crystal Harbinger” and declares herself the harbinger of the El’s will.

Other characters? Well I’ll speak generally. She’s sort of indifferent to Elsword, hoping that he’ll mature a bit more, but she admires how he’s growing. They’re also both from Ruben, so they’re like “oh yeah home rep!!!”

She loves to study magic with Aisha!!! They become magic buddies, though Aisha sometimes will wanna try something experimental with the El and Arcane will be like “uh.... no thanks”

Rena is Big Mom. Arcane gets home sick a lot and sometimes has to go to Rena for advice. She also helps in guiding her feelings for add, which seem unrequited for awhile (but actually arent heheh)

Raven and Arcane are better friends. They bond through combat training. He admires her resourcefulness in using multiple weapons and she admires his honor and strength.

Arcane actually gets pretty attached to Eve. I mean, after following Add around who stalked her for a bit (for science), she kinda learned everything to know about her from him. However, when she finally joined the party, Arcane became friends with her the quickest because of that familiarity. Arcane is actually super interested in her capabilities too, and fends Add off from taking her core.

Chung and Arcane are partial to each other.

Arcane and Ara are also kinda partial to each other. They often talk about Eun and the Dark El, but that’s about it.

Elesis and Arcane are friends in the sense her and Raven are, but moreso because they come from the same home town!

I Love Add.

Ciel and Arcane often talk about music and food together, but Lu distrusts Arcane a bit since she possesses the Dark El. Eventually this tension dissipates.

Arcane and Rose often discuss guns... Arcane also finds the idea of another dimension very interesting, so sometimes she’ll ask questions. Rose is less than eager to answer them.

Arcane Does Not Like Ain. She notices how he fades in and out, like Add does, and they’re both super suspicious of them. Ain does NOT like Arcane because he feels that she shouldn’t use the Dark El at All and that she might corrupt the Light El.

Laby is a sweet baby child and her and Add have practically adopted her.

Hoo wee this was a LONG post. hope you enjoy all this!!!

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els-imagines · 7 years

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Questions for the mods! What's your favorite headcanon/ideas/theories about the characters? I'm not specifically asking for one HC for each character though. Just the hc that you REALLY like~

DW being able to control time and space to her whims. I’m not talking about how her skills work. I’m talking about the extent of her powers. If DE had problems going back to the past, DW would be able to solve those problems. She just opens a portal to visit her counterparts or could destroy the world if she wishes. Overpowered! DW in short.

-Mod Well

Ara’s relationship with Eun! It’s obvious that Eun lends Ara her power as she fights, but the two of them share a stronger bond than just that. Eun and Ara care about each other’s health and well-being. Though Eun can be seen as fierce and controlling, most seen with Ara’s Asura path, Eun agreed to stand by Ara, just as Ara promised to help Eun. The two are symbiotic.

-Mod Katy

I guess I like how Code: Empress adores Moby and Remy. I love how she tells them not to compare themselves to Adrian’s Nasods, and that they are perfect the way they are. My heart still melts from it. No matter which path she takes, whether as the Destruction Queen or as Seraph, Moby and Remy are always constant. I find myself loving the relationship between Eve and her two loyal cuties.

-Mod Niki

#mod well #mod katy #mod niki #aisha #ara #eve #headcannons

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ainchase · 8 years

Text

Perihart Solace, Master of the Sun and the Dark Helios

Contents

Early life

Life before the exploson

Arrival at Elysion

Solace’s Fortress

Notable achievements

Notes

I thought it’d be a good idea to recap every single thing Solace has done in the story so far, to remind ourselves of the great deeds that he has accomplished.

1. Early life

Perihart was born in a small Rubenian village around 21 years before the Explosion. His father, head of the prestigious Solace family, had a romantic affair with a Rubenian woman, and Perihart was born as an illegitimate son, a son he won’t admit into his family’s house until after he was orphaned in a war that destroyed his village and killed every villagers — including his mother. With only the Rubenian stone necklace his mother gave him, he joins the Solace House and comes to live among his power-hungry brothers who are threatened by Perihart’s strong innate El power in their struggle to become the successor to the title of Master of the Sun. Perihart’s strong power is probably due to the fact that he is a Rubenian. More on Rubenians can be found in this post (link).

2. Life before the explosion

I’ve written long posts about everything that happened in Solace’s past as a summary of both the Epic Quest Ep. 26 + and the Halted Sun’s Memory dungeon which can be found here: (tumblr)

Short version: Perihart tried to save Harnier from the blood thirsty brothers by running away from the family together, but Harnier ended up being chosen as the next Lady of El. Perihart becomes the Master of the Sun to save her somehow, questions if he should respect her decision to stay responsible or break her out of her duty regardless. Just when he decided to give up on the Great Escape plan, it got set into motion anyway, which lead to El’s explosion.

3. Arrival at Elysion

His exact arrival time at Elysion is not clear, but it probably wasn’t that long after the explosion. Solace desperately needed a way to keep Harnier’s body alive and from the looks of it, he was able to find Elysion and their preservation technology before she showed any sign of aging, but judging from how it looks like Solace hasn’t aged a day since the explosion, that could be disputed. Upon arriving at Elysion, somehow crossing into another dimension, he met Adrian, father of Nasods, and sought refuge. He singlehandedly stopped a meteor that was about to destroy the floating city. Impressed, Adrian agreed to lend him technology to preserve Harnier’s body. This was when Herjuno was protesting against Adrian’s decision. However, Adrian was interested in the Lady of El as well. Most of his life was spent on trying to prove that technology can surpass the power of El, and to meet someone who uses that power directly was intriguing for him. Herjuno tried to warn Adrian that Solace is a dangerous man, but Adrian thought he was malfunctioning and tried to discard him. Herjuno ran away, planting his core into a worker-type Nasod.

4. Solace’s Fortress

Adrian programmed the preservation capsule so that over time, he will gain control over the Lady of El. When Solace found out what was going on, he was furious, and took over the heart of Elysion underneath Adrian’s own palace and its central core, blocking all communications coming in and out of the palace. With Dekal at his disposal, he was able to collect massive amount of Diceon ores and Hernasid soldiers to build his fortress under the shining palace. Of course, as we all know, he wasn’t just building a fortress to protect Harnier. He was hatching a plan to change the world. A world where no one has to sacrifice anyone. The wonders of Diceon ores have been briefly described here (tumblr). With these fascinating ores, Solace was able to re-create a “fabricated El” that had the same energy as the original Giant El before its destruction. There, within his fortress, he waited for Elsword with the replacement El and Harnier at his side.

5. Notable Achievements

Defeats Eldest Brother Sigmund at age 14

Kills him at age 19

Becomes Master of the Sun at age 20+

Finds a solution to separate the Lady of El from the Giant El she is connected to in less than 3 years

Said solution was used against his will to successfully blow up the Giant El

Defeats fellow Masters and priests to save Harnier in the Tower of El all by himself

Narrowly escapes death by the El Explosion that wiped out Elianode

Stops a meteor meteors

Recruits Dekal

Constructs a fortress below Adrian’s palace

Takes control of the Central Core of Elysion

Seals Adrian’s palace so that no one can enter

Fabricates the original Giant El with Diceon ores

Finds a solution to create a world without the El

Realizes who Elsword actually is and what he is capable of

Fights against thirteen members of the El Search Party and lives

6. Notes

Solace is an interesting character. Despite having an entire Episode of Epic Quest and not one but two dungeons dedicated to him and his past, there still isn’t enough information about him.

Perihart Solace... That man never once did something for himself. He dreamed of grand things but it was never for himself; it was always for someone else. He vowed to protect Harnier when he realized that she’s a Rubenian like him, even killing his brother and abandoning his family for her. He became Master of the Sun, a position he didn’t care about, all because he wanted to save Harnier from her cruel fate. He succeeded in finding a way to separate the Lady of El from the Giant El, which she is connected to both mentally and spritually, a feat no one, possibly for thousands of years, ever even dared to dream of. He fought against other Masters and priests singlehandedly to save Harnier, found her consciousness lost in the El, and brought her to safety in another dimension called Elysion.

A man who was always full of suffering...

His mother was killed, his hometown destroyed... Half brothers not hesitating to kill for more power... A girl he vowed to protect but always harassed by family soldiers and his brothers and even gets her life threatened by them... Just when he thought he could finally protect her from harm, she was stolen away from him. Right when he found a way to save her from her fate, she declines... and learns that she is slowly losing herself. When he decides to give her up for the world she wants to protect and at least stay by her side... the El explodes, and she loses her consciousness for more than five hundred years, forgotten by people, forgotten by the world, forgotten by time itself.

From the moment he realizes what Harnier wanted from him was not a fairytale ending but for him to just stay by her side, he regrets and agonizes over the destruction his plan — whether or not it was set into motion by him — has wrought. Right when he thought he saved her from the explosion, she is in deep coma, refusing to wake up.

We don’t know much of what went through Solace’s mind, his emotional reaction to the aftermath of the explosion. We do learn that he’s been diligently working underneath Adrian’s palace to find a way to change the world and destroy the flawed system of the El that Elrios currently relies on, but nothing concrete about what he felt...

Except for this:

Solace's Dark Red Mask Emitting a dark red light, this mask makes the wearer feel a sense of falling into a deep abyss of despair.

So all throughout his life, he’s felt nothing but despair and pain.

KoG Why are you doing this

#solace #perihart solace #master solace #solace wiki #lol

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archekoeln · 8 years

Text

disclaimer: eve-centric drabble i posted on my ( now dead ) rp blog

― there’s a note of sadness in herbaon’s voice ( anger at the forefront, she’s shouting ) because seraph doesn’t remember anything ( i promise to bring you back ) ―

it’s around this time that she remembers her creator. adrian nasod’s face forms symbols in her eyes, yellow and dull and full of a longing that once escaped her scrutiny. now it’s simply another one of those things she knows he embedded into her core, her circuitry, that even adam didn’t possess then. she remembers his hand on her head, a softness that she’d not feel in the onslaught of years to come her way, until such time when she wakes and sees the new world.

she remembers his face.

old and deathly and pale, and yet alive in ways she’d never be. her circuits whiz and twirl and spark into their lives, motions repeating with distaste at this opportunity missed by the nasod queen. for giving into power ( with a flick, she sends her enemies to their death, a glorious reign ), she surrenders her own emotions, adrian nasod’s own gift to her.

and when she sees him again, it fills her with an intensity.

because elysion is like painting, and the el search party burn through the canvas looking for answers. the image is nothing but stars pulled stark across their faces, clouds and feeling light after the demon’s siege. eve doesn’t understand anything; only takes in the awe and splendor ―

― there’s a note of sadness in herbaon’s voice ( anger at the forefront, she’s shouting ) because eve doesn’t remember anything ( i promise to bring you back ) ―

― they’re at adrian’s abode, watching as the man rises from his slumber ( her eyes widen, and she realizes that she’s staring as he wonders aloud at her reappearance ) ―

― it really doesn’t matter though. it doesn’t really matter. it doesn’t matter when she can feel an almost throbbing of her wires, an almost hurting of her chest, an almost at everything when she shouldn’t even feel anything. but it’s there, a splinter in her defenses; everything she’d forgotten, tried to forget, pretended didn’t exist for the sake of forgetting.

( her feelings, hope )

and it’s all because she saw adrian nasod again.

#elsword #**fic

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elsword-character-references · 8 years

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Luciel: Adrian’s Palace clear

Lu: “What a huge palace. It’s not as big as my palace in the demon world, though. Ciel! We’ll get lost if you keep getting distracted!”

Lu: “Hooh, such cute Nasods! Hehe. Come, come! I’ll personally... Ciel...? Stop looking at me with those love-struck eyes.”

Ciel: “Ahhh, I can’t. I can’t fight here anymore. Lu... sorry, but I’ll... I’ll be watching you from afar.”

#Luciel #Adrian's Palace #Elysion #incomplete #Something wrong Ciel?

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elsjobproject · 2 years

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Code: Exotic

1/4 - Enter ‘Bethma Village’

Even as she continued towards her goal of rebuilding the Nasod race, Eve thought about King Nasod's words. The decision made to protect their brethren from new enemies. It was a matter of survival before the matter of prosperity.

What is needed to protect her brethren so that she will no longer be left alone before she can lead them to prosperity... A need for a simple straightforward... power.

2/4 - Bethma - Clear 'Bethma Lake' [0/1]

Eve wasn't built for battle in the first place, so there was a clear limit even if she increased the output.

'Then I must change myself first.'

Eve found the battle code, Exotic within her. Though it's unfinished, she should be able to complete it.

Let's collect battle data needed to complete Code: Exotic.

3/4 - Enter 'Bethma Village'

After completing Code: Exotic, Even hesitated before releasing the code.

Once she releases this code, she will not be able to go back to how she once was. There must be a reason why Adrian didn't make her a battle Nasod. Though this was an emergency, would it be alright for her to forgo his decision on her own.

4/4 - Bethma - Clear 'Dragon Nest' [0/1]

Many things changed from the past, and she decided to change with the present than to deny it.

She is the last surviving Nasod, and the Queen of the Nasods. This decision is made with dignity and responsibility.

Let's release the code of destruction with the final battle and gain new power.

(recorded; 10/30/2022)

#eve jobs #elsword #elsword job project #code: ultimate pathline #1st job #1st path #don't worry about the implications of this being posted right now.#Eve it is always acceptable to say 'fuck adrian' and do whatever you want forever

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overanalyzingelswordiswhatido · 5 years

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Master Road story was a fuckin trip

I'm on mobile so I cant do a read more but there are spoilers in this so... Read at your own risk I guess???

Gaia is pure and such a GOOD DAD. Laby is too pure for this world and always will be. I will personally physically fight anyone who is mean to me daughter. I'm glad that she got to learn that it's better to talk about her feelings than to not do so just to avoid a fight tbh cuz otherwise that would've been really sad. Also, I really do love Ara and Eun's relationship. Just the way Eun calls Ara an "overly righteous child" even while sounding soft and appreciative??? I love it.

Rosso is an angry boy. He has every right to be though after everything he's been through good lord. Also, I really liked Elesis's reasoning for not wanting him to go into the Demon Realm. I also did kind of like the fact that he and Lu didn't get along??? Like, she was really rude to him and he was rude back and then she tried to push all the blame onto him and thats fucked up but I feel like it would've really jarring for them to get along. Idk it just seemed natural for them to "get along" the way that they did. Also Ciel being "lightly" sassy is everything I needed in life.

I'm very curious about the elf Lincy says she saw. My first thought was Lua but I'm not 100% on that. It's quite nice to finally get an explanation for what happened to Rena back in Feita too because that was fuckin weird. If I remember correctly she mentioned someone having beautiful eyes or something..?? Idk but it was weird. Ventus walking back in the front door because he forgot he snuck Rena out was honestly so damn funny. Rose's part was also very nice. It was nice to see her get some spotlight tbh. I have a soft spot for her not gonna lie (it started since shes my younger sibling's main but I did come to really like her). I noticed in the comments of Rose's videos that people were confused as to why she was so calm, but I wasnt really. She did mention to Zero that she's known for a while. And considering how much time she's likely had to think about, she's likely accepted that there's very little she can do about it in her current situation. So she focuses on what's in front of her right now. She's a soldier. She has to focus on the things in front of her before she can worry about the things that aren't and she's trained to do exactly that. So I didn't find it particularly weird for her to be calm in that situation.

CHUNG HURT ME. I was honestly just shot in the heart when Chung said looking for his father was him being greedy. That whole thing sucked. Aisha was super sweet to him though and that was amazing to see. Aisha was so confident too. That was really nice to see. I'm curious about the Landar family secrets now. Also the Denif in the seal didn't have to get that fuckin deep. Like holy shit. Also, Ciel comparing Chung to a sad puppy in the rain was so cute. Ciel wasn't wrong but at least Chung has cheered up some now.

I didn't think I could hate Adrian more than I already do but mY GOD. He makes me want to throw up. I hate him so much. I'm super pissed. The stories he told Add and Eve were WAY too different too. Ngl I apologized to Eve out loud because her "father" is a disappointment. I am honestly worried about what Adrian's going to do with the data he collected on Add... I just. That whole part made my skin crawl. I hated it. It was super nice to see Add drag him through the dust and for Eve to tell him off though. Also, I have never been more proud of either of them in my entire life. They've both grown so much. Hearing Add talk to his mom was so sad and yet so nice at the same time. And when Eve talked about Elsword, Aisha, Rena, and Raven, it was honestly amazing. AND HERBAON IS FRIENDS WITH NONO I'm so glad. Nono isn't alone anymore and Herbaon has A FRIEND. Also, Eve is such a good big sister to Herbaon and you cannot change my mind. Tbh I feel like if Raven hadn't said "see you soon" Add could very well have made a very different choice. Raven is so good.

Speaking of Raven... RAVEN IS DYING???????????????????? I AM NOT OKAY??? I mean I cant say I'm surprised tbh but OUCH. And he knew this whole time too. Like damn. I highly doubt they'll actually kill off a playable character so I'm honestly hoping it'll result in some Raven and Eve bonding since she's realistically the only one that could help him with the situation he's in. I'm really hoping we get updates on Owen too since Elesis mentioned Velder nobles and then Raven started to ask. And typically something like that is used as foreshadowing and I would love some sweet Raven angst. It'll hurt but it'll be great. Also, Elsword not realizing his friends are his power was very fitting and honestly funny to me. I officially have a LOT of questions about Elsword. Though it's nice to know that he is in fact Rubenian. I haven't had enough time to mull everything over so rn I have a lot of questions and no answers. Also AIN HAS ANXIETY MY SON. Honestly, anxiety like that isn't anything I'd wish on most people but it makes a lot of sense for Ain to have it and I'm glad he got to know that nothing was wrong with him and that fearing change was completely normal. Hernia was so sweet and good in Ain's story. I especially liked when she mentioned that she wasn't a picky eater. Like it seems like such a small insignificant thing, but it pulled Ain out of his thoughts and his own head, which really did keep him from spiralling further. And I loved it.

All in all, the amount of character development and new information we got was good. Raven and Gaia both get dad of the year rewards because they're just such good dads (you WILL have to pry Eldad Raven from my cold dead hands). I kinda hope Adrian dies at some point because he's literally so awful but at the same time I don't want my Nasod children to be sad and unfortunately Adrian dying would make them sad. Anyway I'm proud of all of the El Search Party and the growing they've done. Still worried about some of them (*cough* Raven *cough*) but I was glad to see all of their individual stories touched on. I'll go more in depth on my thoughts of certain parts in other posts soon. This was mostly just a collection of my overall thoughts and like... initial impressions.

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imagineelrios · 7 years

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angsty bad ending where the Elgang all follow the voices in the Hall of El and it consumes all of them including Elsword

“You’re right,” murmurs Aisha. “I can’t save Elsword. I have to get my powers back. I’ve come this far, I can’t abandon my goal!”

“Good,” her grandfather purrs. “Come. Follow my voice, and I will lead you out.”

Blindly, trustingly, Aisha follows. She doesn’t realize she has forgotten everything, even her name, until it is too late and nothing but cold light surrounds her.

“I have to go back!” Rena realizes. “My village needs me!” She feels like she’s been blind all these years, and only now has she seen the truth. Turning around, she begins to run back on the path she came from.

She never reaches the exit. She was never headed towards the exit. She sprints deeper and deeper into the fissure, until the El is powerful enough to absorb her body and mind without a trace.

“Seris… You’re right.” Raven falls to his knees. His blade clatters on the floor. “I’m sorry… Elsword wished for a world with no sacrifices, and you wanted me to wield my blade for justice. If I let Elsword’s choice stand, I can follow both your wishes.”

As he cries, he doesn’t notice the El creeping in around him, sapping his energy and memories. Soon, all that’s left of Raven are his Nasod bits, which are unabsorbable and contemptuously spit out.

“The Nasod Kingdom,” Eve says quietly. “With a balanced El, humans and Nasods won’t have to fight over energy consumption. We may live in peace.”

In a trance, she follows Adrian’s voice until she can no longer do so. The energy leaves her metal limbs, El flowing from her circuits back to its rightful place in the rock. Eve’s empty husk is spit out, and her energy joins the currents it was drawn from originally.

“Father…” Chung whispers. “I’m sorry I can’t guard you, Elsword. I must save Hamel. I must weigh the lives of many against yours.”

He turns to leave, but then cries out as his armor seizes up. The El greedily feasts upon Chung’s memories, on the energy of his Guardian Stone and Freiturner. Chung’s absorption is the most painful of them all.

Ara listens, guilty and entranced, to Eun’s words. The true Eun screams at her. “It’s fake! Don’t listen! You have to save Elsword! The El is cruel, Ara, don’t-”

She is powerless to stop it as Ara turns to leave, and walks straight into the El. Eun braces herself. With the seal, she will float in the currents of the El for eternity, feeling her existence be eaten away at slowly until she barely remembers her body.

“I can protect everyone,” Elesis says. “I’ve been treating Elsword like a child for far too long. It’s time to trust him, isn’t it, Father?”

She receives an answer only in her own mind as she turns to leave, determined as only the Red Knight can be. The El appreciates her energy as she is swallowed. She makes a nice snack.

“Like hell this was my mission!” His mother’s words are too sweet for Add to think twice. “Hang on, Mother. I’m coming back to you,” he promises, and begins to run to his mother’s voice.

You know how this goes by now, don’t you? He never gets there. He never gets anywhere. Add, as he once existed, disappears into the El.

“Ow!” Ciel cries out when Lu hits him. She frowns up at her servant.

“Snap out of it!”

“But Terre… Verni…”

“They’re dead,” she reminds him. “You can introduce me later, but-”

“I can introduce you now!” Ciel goes stiff, looking to the side. There is nothing there. “Lu, come on! I want you to meet my sister and my father!”

“Ciel!” she snaps, but he scoops her up and runs. She knows he’s making a mistake. She knows there’s nothing there but doom.

She is helpless to resist as Ciel carries her, the girl he swore to protect, into destruction.

There is nobody there for Elsword. As he disappears, there is no guiding shout to bring him back.

He takes a final breath before he surrenders himself completely. The El mends with an ear-shattering crack. Ain and Denif look on, from their separate perches, with bittersweet emotions.

The El is whole once more. The El Search Party is gone forever. Elrios is changed… hopefully, for the better.

#elboy #aisha #rena #raven #eve #chung #ara #elesis #add #lu #ciel #angst #mod ash #anon #ask #elsword #elsword imagines

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rainsonata · 4 years

Text

Doppelgänger 10/15

Chapter 10: Reflection

Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; none Rating: T Word Count: 7,347

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

AO3 Link / FF.NET Link

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

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

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

Code: Esencia

Lines of commands flooded back into her vision, her sensors returning in response to her circuits activating. Protocols lined up, waiting to be accepted by Esencia as she ran through the mandatory scans. She let them run in the background as she prioritized assessing her environment.

In front of her was a campfire emitting its heat, its flames being fed by Rage Hearts tossing in dried leaves and tree branches to soothe its hunger. Data flashed through Esencia’s optic lens as she filtered through the information she already knew about her teammate. Did Rage carry her back to camp? Her navigator protocol announced they were close to the entrance of a cavern called Shadow Vein. She checked her memory bank for more information but was met with distorted data. It wasn’t often that she experienced a forced shutdown. Her memory backup should be finished updating in a few minutes.

“Eve!” Rage breathed a sigh of relief, “We were beginning to worry you wouldn’t wake up. Are you okay?”

We? There was another person, her sensors alerted her.

“Code: Esencia. That is the name of your program, is it not?”

Esencia turned to the sound of her program’s name, a thin airy feminine voice that called for her attention. Covered in black armor, the new Nasod presented herself with the appearance of a young woman. Resting one leg over the other, she sat beside Rage as if in the middle of a conversation before Esencia was acknowledged. A pale face marked by blue lines across the cheeks and orange eyes identical to Esencia’s. The resemblance was unmistakable.

“You’re Eve,” Esencia stated.

“Yes, I am.” Her alternate offered a tiny smile, “I did not expect to meet someone else that shares the same core as us.”

Esencia stared at her own face, unwavered by the existence of the other Nasod queen. At last, they have met, no longer separated by circumstances that would have forced them to fight. Anemos had mentioned the other Eve, comparing them because humans were comfortable looking at something they were familiar with. There were similarities, but the mechanical wings extending out from her alternate’s back suggested that at some point, their paths had begun to branch out.

“What program have you undergone?” Esencia was curious.

“Code: Ultimate, a hidden code meant to override the limit most Nasods have.” She was just as interested in Esencia. “I see you have chosen to rely on your servants for strength. They are being repaired right now.”

“How severe is the damage?” Esencia asked with concern.

Not as sturdy as their queen, she was aware of the time it would take to restore her servants to fighting form. Ferdinand would take the longest because he was not meant to fight past a certain time limit and his parts were harder to find.

“They won’t be able to move properly until Moby and Remy find the spare parts needed.” Ultimate said, “It is estimated that it will take four hours and three minutes for them to be functional again. I recommend you don’t fight until then.”

“That is to be expected,” Esencia agreed. Her eyes flickered over to Rage, who patiently sat through their technical conversation with his human arm over his lap. “What happened after I was deactivated?”

Her datalog’s last record was the battle they had against the opposite El Search Party. Ultimate’s assistance gave little information on the outcome of that battle on whether or not the two parties had arrived at a compromise.

“I’m not sure,” Rage shrugged. “With the party split up, there were many things going on that even I don’t understand. By the time I arrived here, both Elswords had returned and I was told that we were no longer fighting.”

“I arrived at the same time as Rage. The information I can provide will be similar.” Ultimate said, “You arrived to camp in a battle-worn state, but most of the damage has been repaired. You are lucky your opponent is keen on minimizing the damage on you.”

Esencia didn’t think Ultimate would be one to use words like “lucky”. The irrational emotion of irritation rose again at the mention of Dominator. Bringer was not subtle in his interest in her codes, so Dominator approaching her was just as likely, but did not make it any less inconvenient in having to fight the scientist.

“Add is not present,” Ultimate said. “You do not have to worry about talking to him. I made sure of that.”

“How did you get to the Demon Realm?” Rage asked Ultimate.

“Add,” a look of disdain was visible on her face. It was the most human expression Esencia had seen from the Black Queen of Destruction. “He said he knew a way to enter into the Demon Realm from Elrianode. Our Elsword encouraged him.”

“Did he use a device that opened portals for travel?” Esencia asked.

“Yes,” Ultimate sighed.

Esencia nodded, “The Add from our party suggested the same thing, but he did not have the coordinates. We opted for a different method of travel.”

So Dominator and Bringer arrived at the same conclusion, except Bringer had Esencia to troubleshoot his plan. The portal device must have brought the entire El Search Party into the same dimension as them. Although Dominator had hit the wrong mark, Esencia reluctantly gave the scientist credit for arriving in a Demon Realm. Luck seemed to travel with Rune’s friends as well.

“How did you arrive to the Demon Realm?” Ultimate wanted to know.

“It was an accident by one of our friends,” Esencia explained. “We would have to find a new way to get back to Elrianode.”

“We've been lucky,” Rage admitted. “I’m not sure if that will be the case next time.”

“Was it you who brought me back to be repaired?” Esencia asked Rage, frowning when she discovered that her backup memory stopped saving up to the point where she lost her battle.

“No.” Rage said in a quiet voice, “That was Blade, my other self. He’s nearby if you want to talk to him.”

Carved by scars running down his face, Blade was taller than average for a human male. Dressed in white, what made the swordsman stand out was not the prominent stern expression he held but the Nasod arm. Made of the same material used for Dominator’s drones, the Nasod arm was lightweight for battles but sturdy to maintain its structure and integrity to carry a blade.

Blade sat at the edge of the cliff, observing the miles of canyons and dense forests from below, a bright palette of vibrant colors that did not exist in Elrios. The sound of gravel grated against his feet as the swordsman stood up to face Esencia and Rage. Although he was mostly human, his senses were as acute as Rage’s in ways that surprised the Nasod queen. Humans had the ability to train and condition themselves to sharpen their senses to compensate for their weaknesses.

“Ah, you’re awake.” Blade lowered his head with an awkward smile, something humans did when they sensed discomfort from others. “I’m glad to see Eve was able to repair most of the damage.”

“That’s to be expected,” Rage rubbed his face. “Demons will hit harder than that if we’re not careful.”

“Is that what you’ve been doing?” Blade asked, “I can’t imagine coming here was easy.”

They were fortunate that Apsara found the passage that led them to what the Dark Elves referred to their home as Varnimyr. It was uncertain what would be done if they have failed to enter Demon Realm based on their new objective to find the Dark El. They might have had to resort to the portal device as the other El Search Party did.

“There were many barriers to overcome before we found an entrance into Demon Realm.” Esencia said. “Why did you spare me?”

“It doesn’t feel right not to,” Blade said. “We did what we thought would get us closer to Elsword. We wanted to slow down your progress so we could catch up, not kill you.”

“I suppose that’s kinda my fault,” Rage grinned. “Running off with Rune makes us look like the bad guys.”

“Rune agreed to join the party,” Esencia corrected him. “He was willing to cooperate.”

“He must trust you if that’s the case.” Blade asked, “Did he say why?”

“No,” Esencia said.

It did not matter to her as much as it did for others. She did not know Rune and he was not going to open to people he was not familiar with. However, Esencia understood that Blade’s question was not asked out of the need for information, but for reassurance.

“Only Rune can answer those questions,” Esencia said. “Why don’t you talk to him?”

“I went into this mission with the assumption of having to fight myself,” Blade pressed his forehead against his Nasod arm. Unlike Rage’s, it had a high resemblance to a human hand if not for the artificial covering over it. “I thought that fighting was the only option. What a fool I was. I didn’t learn from my failure in Altera.”

“All of this unnecessary fighting over a misunderstanding because we mixed up two Elswords.” Rage wore a similar expression to Blade, a prominent scowl that left a dent on his features.

Regret was apparent from Rage’s tone, a familiar emotion Esencia sensed in many of the humans she encountered during her journey. Even Adrian, the father of Nasods, was not spared from that common emotion. Esencia did what humans did when they saw another distressed and placed her hand over his human arm.

“Elsword would not be here if we did not encounter the other party,” Esencia said in a gentle voice. “We are no longer fighting and will find a way to help them in return.”

“We came here to retrieve the Dark El,” Blade shook his head. “We’re not leaving until we find clues on how to stabilize the El.”

“You too?” Rage looked at Blade in wonder, “and here I was thinking we were the only ones crazy enough to try it.”

“Explain,” Esencia looked to Blade for further explanation. “What happened to the El in your Elrios?”

“Our Elsword used himself as an energy source to stabilize it until we pulled him out of it,” Blade said. “We discovered that the Dark El is the El’s counterpart and may help stabilize it, which is in the Demon Realm.”

A sad smile graced upon Esencia’s lips. Her presumption was correct. It was almost identical to the dilemma the original El Search Party found themselves in, an attempt to restore the El that led them to the Demon Realm. An act of desperation that led to the opposite party overlooking a human error in search of the Dark El.

“You’re here because of the other Add, right?” Rage asked.

“That’s right.” Blade mumbled something about time machines and mosquitoes. He coughed when he turned to Esencia, “Thank you for taking care of Elsword. I hope he did not trouble you with his antics.”

“Rune had many interesting stories to tell us,” Esencia said. Some she had difficulty in believing because Rune claimed he and his sister were forced to dance alongside a zombie king with a pink afro.

“He asked why I didn’t have a shirt on,” Rage deadpanned.

Esencia did not understand why the comment bothered Rage when he did in fact lack a shirt to cover his upper body. Much of his body heat was regulated by the Nasod arm. Wearing additional clothing was more of a preference than a need for the former mercenary. Was his embarrassment because Rune was a person he was not well-acquainted with?

“Well, I suppose we should welcome you to the team.” Rage tilted his head back against his hands. “Our party is already as big as it is. What’s another dozen to us?”

“Collaborating may be beneficial,” Esencia agreed. “Working together may make it easier to find a way to restore the El for both parties.”

“Unless Paradox comes back,” Rage added. “Do you know who he is?”

“Of course, not.” Blade crossed his arms, “I wasn’t even aware of his existence until someone from your team described him to me.”

Rage had provided Esencia with a summary of what had happened while she was deactivated and Ultimate had offered her data to store in her memory. Identified as a temporal enigma with a connection to time and space, Paradox had an inconsistent pattern in movement and fighting. It could be challenging to predict what his next move would be.

“He’s Add,” Esencia stated. The description of Knight’s kidnapper brought her attention when she scanned the datalog Ultimate provided to her during the repairs. The six pieces floating around Paradox were magic-based and resembled the weapons Bringer used for battle.

“There’s three of them,” Blade closed his eyes. Esencia saw bags forming under his eyes. She noticed a strand of white hair poking from the side of his bangs.

“At least there’s more of us now, so it’ll be harder for Paradox to take us down.” Rage frowned, “You alright? You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

“It’s hard to sleep when there’s much to do,” Blade said. “We just found Elsword and need a plan.”

“I get that, but no point in losing sleep over it.” Rage softened his expression, “You’re not the only one worried about Rune. You don’t have to carry everyone’s burden.”

“It’s strange getting advice from myself.” Blade laughed.

“It’s strange talking to myself,” Rage mirrored and joined in.

“We should prioritize regrouping with our friends to discuss our next decision,” Esencia said.

Both Ravens looked at each other before turning to the Nasod queen.

“I would like that,” Blade smiled.

“Sounds good to me,” Rage nodded.

Esencia looked at the two smiling men and questioned the practicality of housing twenty-four people in shared space. While it would drive away people like Paradox, the sheer size of their team would act as a beacon for demons to see them as a threat when most of them weren’t native to the Demon Realm. Having a bigger group was going to be a change she would have to get used to. Until they find a way for Rune’s friends to get home, the extra twelve people will be their new teammates.

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

Rune Master

“Come back!” Empire cried. “Elsword! No, Rune! Wait!”

Rune went into a mad dash and sprinted ahead, refusing to look back to see if she was following him.

After hours of waiting and doing what he could to help around the campsite, Rune volunteered to search for the missing party members trapped inside the Shadow Vein. He didn’t think they would find the exit so quickly, nor did he expect Empire to be the first to emerge from the cavern. Her knee-jerk reaction made Rune regret coming into contact with the red knight. People have compared Rune to his counterpart and have mistaken him as Knight, but she didn’t need to rub it in. He didn’t need reminders that they were supposed to be the same.

“Are you okay?” Flame looked up from the cutting board. Abysser must have put her on lunch duty. Setting her knife down, she looked at him with alarm and placed her hand over his forehead, “You don’t look so good.”

“I know this is going to sound weird, but I’m hiding from the other you.” Rune caught his breath. How could he keep up with monsters in the battlefield, but have his heart pounding against this ribcage like he was asked to fight Solace again because of someone who looked like his sister?

“The other me, what are you, oooooh.” Her lips rounded into a perfect circle and nodded in understanding. Rune was grateful for Flame not questioning the strangeness of talking about herself from another lifetime. “Gotcha. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Talk to me,” Rune said. He needed to talk to someone he knew to stay sane. If he saw one more person who looked like someone from his team, he was going to burst into flames. “Pretend we’re not in the wrong dimension because there are twelve people that look like us and I messed up big time.”

“Hey, don’t call it a mess up.” Flame waved her hand in disagreement, “We’re in Demon Realm! Maybe not the one we were supposed to be in, but it’s still Demon Realm. How is that a problem?”

“The other El Search Party is trying to look for the Dark El for similar reasons as we are,” Rune explained. “We can’t just take it from them. They need it too!”

At first, Rune thought it was cool to meet people like him. It was amazing that they all shared the same passion and dreams as their counterparts, but then the sky started turning into different colors. Portals forming cracks in the sky, webbing over one another and causing headache for the rune user. El resonance levels elevated inconsistently whenever a bigger portal was formed. Was this all because of him?

What would happen if they retrieved the Dark El instead of Knight’s friends? What would happen to Knight’s Elrios? Would their El continue to be unstable and corrupted because of their selfish actions? Rune wasn’t sure if he could live with the guilt of taking something from someone else. It was why they were forced to travel into the Demon Realm, because Rune couldn’t bear the grief of throwing others off a bridge, even if it was for the sake of the world.

“Wow, that’s a lot to think about.” Flame whistled. “Why are you running away from her? Was she cruel?”

“No,” Rune joined his sister and pulled out a cutting board to begin skinning and peeling vegetables. He could argue that Empire was the complete opposite for taking the initiative and leading a team when its leader went missing.

“Did she make you do something you didn’t want to do?” Flame asked.

“No!”

“Then what?”

“She thought I was her brother,” Rune said.

It was uncomfortable watching the pain twist in her features at the realization that she had the wrong person. Even though he and Knight were technically the same person, he didn’t grow up with Empire the same way he did with Flame. He didn’t want to stop to listen to Emipre’s pleads or apologies. Empire kept an amicable front, but kept her distance from others and was intimidating to approach. Rune wasn’t sure if he could look at her in the eye after the outburst she had outside of the Shadow Vein.

“Aren’t you?” Flame asked.

“Well, yes.” Rune said, “but I’m not specifically him.”

“Els… talking about yourself is going to drive you crazy.” Flame shook her head, “I never met her, but this is probably hurting her as much as it is for you. Besides, if she’s me, she’s probably worried about you.”

“How would you know?”

“Because that’s what sisters do,” she laughed. “Now unless you plan to help me with lunch, you should get going. You’re making her wait.”

Metal boots clanged against the gravel at their feet, a pair of identical eyes met with Rune’s, somber and apologetic. Crouching behind one of the boulders occupying their campsite, Empire Sword had her head leaning forward, completely still and wide-eyed on being called out. Her face glowed from the campfire, devoid of its warmth.

“Hope my brother didn’t cause you and your friends too much trouble,” Flame teased as if she didn’t just catch her counterpart eavesdropping into their conversation. “You look like you had something to say.”

“Not at all,” Empire gave an embarrassed smile. “He was cooperative and did more than enough to help us. I apologize for intruding.”

“It’s all good!” Flame beamed and grabbed Rune by the arm, “Don’t be afraid to talk to him. He’s a good kid and means well.”

“I know,” Empire lowered her head. “I won’t take up too much of your time.”

“Huh?” Rune stuttered, “Wait-”

Flame cheerfully threw Rune into Empire’s direction, waving at them with a knife in her hand. Stumbling back by a few steps, Rune lifted his head up to see Empire pulling her arm back, suddenly uncertain on what to do with the rune user. All signs of formality from before had dissipated and was replaced by awkwardness that reminded Rune of her age. She was barely half the age of her superiors in Velder.

Rune saw the discomfort in Empire and let out a dark laugh. Silence rippled through the air, only interrupted by the sound of Flame chopping vegetables and from the campfire crackling. How much did Empire hear from his conversation with Flame?

“I’m sorry,” Empire started. “I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Rune raised his hand. “You don’t have to talk about it.”

“What if I want to talk about it?” Empire asked. “I don’t have the right to be asking for forgiveness after everything you went through, but I still want to talk.”

Her voice remained steady, but her hands were visibly shaking, clenched into tight fists. Bangs fell over, hiding her face from view. Covered in grime and dust, Empire was short of looking like Rune when he was first discovered by the El Search Party. Her ponytail became undone and slid down past her forearm.

“Like being kidnapped and carried off like a princess?”

Empire raised her head with confusion on her features, “a princess?”

“That’s what Paradox called Knight,” Rune shrugged. He softened his hardened expression, “You don’t need to worry about me. You should worry about your brother.”

“You are my brother.” She said, “you’re still Elsword.”

“Maybe,” he hesitated. “Or are you saying that we look the same? I’m not sure if I can be compared to him.”

Knight was the leader the El Search Party deserved. Hardworking and placed others before himself. He even checked on Rune despite the crude thoughts the rune user kept to himself, afraid to admit the unpleasant thoughts that plagued him. Empire recognized that and widened her eyes.

“You’re jealous of Elsword?” Empire was shocked.

“Does that make me a bad person?” Rune threw his head back and chuckled darkly, “Both of us failed to restore the El, yet I’m the one who threw my team into the wrong Demon Realm. We caused this mess because we weren’t supposed to be here. The sky is falling apart. Is that what a leader does?”

Yes, Rune was bitter. Five years of traveling outside his hometown with the intent of finding his sister, only to be told that he was special. Somehow, a link between him and the El was apparent and it was up to him, a seventeen-year-old, to decide on the fate of Elrios and its inhabitants. Solace saw that. His friends trusted him. He was told by numerous enemies that he had the power, yet he was still powerless from stopping the El from collapsing on itself.

He gave himself to the El with the intent of restoring it, offering what was left of himself because he was a mere village boy. Some other adventurers could pick up from where he left. Rune wasn’t the only swordsman from Ruben. If not, Flame or Blade could become the new leader of their not-so-little gang. They easily had more experience than him and his older sister had a connection to the El if something was to happen to it. He gasped when his state of mind rose from the subconscious to take his first breath and realized he was alive, the El unstable once more.

“Stop it,” Empire snapped.

“Or what?” Rune jeered, “Surely you realized that with two teams, both of us can’t take the Dark El back to fix what was broken. One of us has to leave.”

“There has to be another way,” she said. “We’re not letting you go back without finding a way to stabilize the El.”

Empire was so determined that he almost believed it whole-heartedly without question. He tried to dislike her, but her reassurance was all it took for him to reassess himself. Would it be possible to find another way to restore the El? Rune didn’t understand the link between himself and the El, but there was always the drive to keep it safe, even if it cost his life. He wondered if that was why Empire and Flame never blamed him for making his decision in Elrianode, rarely showing anger when he was blinded by his emotions.

“How can you be so sure?” Rune asked.

“I’m not,” Empire placed her hands over her lap. “But if there’s one thing I learned from you and your friends, there is more than one path to doing things. I never thought of meeting someone who understands Elsword as much as you do.”

“What does that mean?”

“My brother hides things from me too,” she gave Rune a sad smile. “I know Elsword has been struggling. He’s always lost in thought, but very little of those thoughts reach me. I don’t think even Ain truly knows what’s on his mind. Talking to you made me realize how little I understand him. It makes me wonder if it was something I did wrong...”

“It’s not you,” Rune disagreed. So even Knight had trouble sharing his thoughts. They really were the same side of the coin. “He’s doing it because he’s scared of worrying you. He doesn’t want to see you get hurt and burden you with his troubles.”

“That sounds like him,” she sighed. “He grew up to be so responsible. I feel like I wasn’t there enough for him.”

“Let him know that,” Rune said. What was he doing giving advice to his sister’s lookalike? None of this felt real. “I think he’ll be happy to know how much you care about him. I know I would.”

Rune wasn’t about to spout to Empire about his sister being gone for most of his life up until he was sixteen, but he sympathized with her. Sure, he was envious of Flame for always traveling and fighting bad guys as a child, but he understood her better once he started his journey and learned how time-consuming and draining it was to maintain peace. The last few years he spent with Flame and his friends were easily the best years of his life. Rune doubted Knight would have bore a grudge against Empire’s absence.

“I think you’re right,” Empire said. “Thank you. You’re kinder than you make yourself seem.”

Rune blinked. Okay, maybe he was rough around the edges, but was he that bad? Some of Dominator must be rubbing off on him, Rune rubbed his eyes. His body ached in protest in having to move, but there was so much to do. They still didn’t know where Mad Paradox went or what their next move was in finding a way back to their dimension, if that was possible.

“This is a lot to take in,” Rune remarked. “I’m starting to think we’ve been hanging out with Glave too much.”

“This does sound like something he would do,” Empire agreed. “But I’m glad it’s with you and your friends instead of the usual monsters and demons.”

“Heh, sounds like fun, actually.” Rune snickered, “you think there’s a dimension where I’m a little taller and have two swords?”

“You’ll have to be more creative than that,” Empire chided with a bemusement. “We should head back. I’m sure they could use more help in moving things along.”

“Right,” Rune closed his eyes. “We wouldn’t want to think our pretty faces were eaten by demons.”

Empire elbowed him with a gleam in her eyes, snorting when he choked on his saliva and joined in. Alternate dimension or not, Empire was pretty cool. After all, she was still his sister and was good at cheering him up.

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

Bluhen

It was daybreak when Bluhen was summoned to the front of the cavern’s entrance, well, what was left of it anyway. The cavern’s entrance had collapsed from the brief, but deadly battle between the two El Search Parties. Its purple peak reached beyond the horizon and was the first landmark Bluhen noticed when they arrived into Demon Realm. He heard its name being dropped into conversation by the dark elves when he asked about it. Shadow Vein, an intimidating but suiting name in how much trouble it had caused for them all.

Green light glowed as he mended a cut gashed into Knight’s lower thigh. He would have lost more blood if the cut had been any deeper, a thought Bluhen fought to ignore and focused on applying ointment to the area. People relied on him too much and forgot that there were limits to being a healer. Magic didn’t fix injuries, but encouraged the body to repair itself. He wished Knight knew that and stopped seeing him as an answer to everything relating to injuries. It was exhausting agreeing to heal every time someone failed to dodge an attack. It’s like no one knew how valuable their life was.

“Thank you,” Knight lifted his head to give Bluhen a sheepish smile.

“It’s to be expected,” Bluhen said with exhaustion in his voice.

Bluhen wiped his forehead out of habit, but that was all for show. If he had been more human, he would have sweated and let out a sigh. Being an unworldly being, all of that was unnecessary and excessive for being the Goddess’s agent with a human husk.

“What is?” Knight asked.

“Keeping you safe,” Bluhen looked at his friend in surprise for asking something so obvious. He couldn’t understand how Knight could be oblivious to how important he was to others. “Now that you’re here, we can get back to finding the Dark El.”

“We still need to wait for everyone,” Knight said. “Lu said she was bringing back the others.”

“Who are the others?”

“Uhh… Ara, Eve, Ciel, and Lu.” Knight counted with his fingers. “She’s also bringing people from the other party. I think she mentioned Raven, there might be more.”

Bluhen was careful not to apply too much pressure when he placed a bandage over Knight’s left shoulder. None of his vital organs were impacted, but Knight had sustained many injuries. Every battle resulted in cuts and bruises, but it was Bluhen’s job to minimize them. This could have been prevented if Knight wasn’t abducted by the strange man who called himself Paradox. Bluhen had never heard of that name, yet there was something familiar about the kidnapper. Red flashed in his vision as Bluhen swallowed his anger, unwilling to let it bubble up from the pit of his stomach that threatened to erupt and overflow. All of this was caused by Paradox…

“Does it hurt?” Bluhen asked.

“Not a bit!” Knight beamed, “Feels like it never happened!”

Bluhen ducked his head low and hid his face behind his bangs. He thought he knew and understood Knight, but he still struggled in reading the emotions of others. Knight smiled, but it felt plastic and artificial as the Nasods Bringer was so fascinated about. Didn’t it hurt pretending to be happy all the time? Or was it a force of habit? He was perplexed and concerned. Knight was hiding something again. The young man had been acting strange ever since they arrived to the Demon Realm. What was Knight hiding?

“Are you sure?” Bluhen asked, “How much did Paradox hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” Knight insisted. “Are Add and Ciel okay?”

“They’ll recover,” Bluhen said. “There’s nothing concerning.”

Bluhen had checked on Abysser and Bringer out of Knight’s insistence, nevermind that one of them wasn’t part of the original El Search Party. Both were unconscious and stirred slightly when Bluhen had Rage move them into sitting upright. Their wounds have already healed from his magic and they just needed rest.

“When I was with Paradox… he made me watch you guys fight.” Knight was hesitant, eyes averting and looking down at his hands. “I saw your other self fighting Lu and Ciel. This wouldn’t have happened if I was there to stop it-”

“None of this is your fault,” Bluhen didn’t let him finish. He looked up from his healing station and placed his hands over his lap. “It was our decision to resolve this by fighting.”

“I suppose so... ,” Knight mumbled. “He said strange things when we fought, like how different I was from the other Elsword. Do you think there are others like us?”

“What do you mean?” Bluhen asked, “Haven’t we already met them?”

And fought them, Bluhen added. It was odd to help the very same people they have fought just hours ago.

“Paradox seems to know a lot about us, even though we have never met,” Knight said. “I mean… Paradox is Add. Do you think his friends are different versions of us and might be here?”

“It’s possible, but I have yet to hear reports of them being sighted.” Bluhen shook his head in wonder. Alternates of themselves? He wasn’t sure if he was ready to meet himself from another life. What would they even talk about?

Bluhen didn’t hate Bringer, but it was difficult to cooperate with someone who was so stubborn. To learn that Bringer’s alternate was the cause of their troubles opened a door to a million possibilities and few answers to the situation. This was the type of topic Bringer would voice his opinions on, but alas, the brawler was unconscious.

At a nearby stream, Bluhen emptied and rinsed the potion bottles with a cleaning solution, smelling its light citrus scent as he wiped it dry with a washcloth. Ice cold water froze his hands when he swooped down to wash his face. Extra bandages and remedies were tossed into the bag for later use.

An eerie silence settled over the edge of the horizon, absent of the chatter and clash of blades that once took place over the two El Search Parties. Sharp edges cut into the pale rose sky, outlined by the crystalline material composing Paradox’s portals. Dozens of portals were erratically growing and shrinking, cackling and imposing themselves over one another. Most of them were too small for a human to fit through, but it was a matter of time before that was to change.

“You see them too?” Knight looked up.

“How long were they here?” Bluhen asked.

“I don’t know,” Knight shrugged. “Maybe after Paradox left?”

The portals were echoes of the ones formed by Paradox in the battle against the Dark Agate, smaller and temporary. Trailing through the skies, they disappeared before reforming minutes later. Bluhen didn’t remember seeing them when they initially entered the Demon Realm. What could the portals mean and what kind of impact would they have on their journey? Looking at them made him feel sick.

Knight looked at Bluhen with worried eyes, “You should rest, you look horrible. I’ll be around camp when you wake up.”

Shouldn’t Bluhen be the one reassuring his friend? He looked at Knight in disbelief, driven to madness by the apologetic look he was receiving. Covered in thin-lined scars and bruises still healing, Knight had an unfocused gaze and bags under his eyes. Bluhen laughed at the irony, unable to contain himself and sighed. What kind of friend was he to find relief in being comforted when he should be the one helping Knight? He wanted to tell Knight everything would be all right and that things would sort themselves out, but he didn’t want to feed his friend empty promises.

It was childish to fear that Knight would disappear in his sleep. Was this how Knight felt when he disappeared for periods of time? Bluhen’s body protested, aching muscles urging him to cave him and succumb to Knight’s wish. He stumbled over on his fours and felt his body surrender, resting his head on the grass in a bliss comparable to sleeping at one of the grandest hotels in Hamel.

Cool air caressed Bluhen when he woke up to a velvet blue sky. White clouds huddled overhead with faded outlines of the portals from before. The portals opened to dark interiors obscured by the cloud. So it wasn’t a dream…

Where was Knight? Uncertainty clouded Bluhen’s judgment, standing up without his mind ordering his body to do so in the search of his friend. His belongings sat in the grassy patch beside him, undisturbed and waiting for its owner to return. In dim lighting, Bluhen was able to make out new silhouettes approaching.

“You can’t be serious!” A short figure threw their head down in defeat. Aether raised her staff in exasperation. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“I don’t heal.” It was a man’s voice, quiet and melodic yet it was clear that he was irritated by the way he shielded his face from view. Wait, was that his voice? Bluhen leaned forward to listen in to the man that shared his voice.

“What do you mean you don’t heal?” Aether threw her hands down.

“It means I don’t heal,” he replied. “I am incapable of using magic to repair wounds.”

In the darkness, Bluhen stared, unable to take his eyes away from the man with cyan-colored hair. Adorned in white robes billowing in the wind, Richter resembled the celestials depicted in murals and stained glass art in churches. His features were void of strong emotions, numbed from being placed on the spot by an impatient mage who barely reached up to his chin in height.

“Then what do you do?” Aether scowled.

“Bring divine judgment and serve as the voice of the Goddess,” Richter said.

“...you’re somehow weirder than Ain.”

Confusion formed in Aether’s brows, creasing into a deep indentation with the mage sighing and rubbing her forehead. A clean cloth wrapped over her right elbow and over the opposite of her shoulder into a make-shift arm sling. Bluhen recognized it to be the work of Mr. Half-Demon and shifted his eyes in search of the butler. Had Chevalier and Ishtar returned with the rest of the group?

Richter looked straight into where Bluhen stood. Their faces were the same, but everything was different in pigment. Cyan eyes locked into Bluhen’s with recognition. Aether noticed and followed his gaze.

“Hello, Ms. Mage.” Bluhen waved at his teammate and added. “And me… I heard my name in passing. Is there something you want from me?”

“Call me Richter,” he insisted. “I see you are awake.”

“Yes I am,” Bluhen replied.

“I was hoping you could help me with this,” Aether turned to show her arm. At closer glance, her arm was wrapped in an old shirt washed out by the sun. Humans were so creative when they wanted to stay alive.

“Pray tell how you broke that arm,” Bluhen gently placed his hand over the broken arm to examine, feeling for broken bones or joints.

“Elsword crushed my arm.” She glared, “Don’t give me that look!”

“I’m not allowed to say it’s funny?” Bluhen smiled.

“Absolutely not!”

“I’ll take a look at it in a bit,” Bluhen chuckled and turned to look at Richter. “I want to talk to him first.”

“Huh? Oh!” Aether looked between the two men and nodded, “Sure! You don’t have to rush! I’ll be checking on the supplies and helping Ciel. He looked busy.”

Aether ran over to Bluhen with her uninjured arm lifted over her head to lean forward to scan the area. A trail of tents lined up and formed a path lit up by campfires that smelled of smoked meats and herbs. She looked at Bluhen with sympathy.

“You’re okay talking to him by yourself?” She asked.

“It’s fine,” Bluhen waved his hand. “I’ll find you when I’m done.”

He watched Aether running through the grass with her staff tucked behind her back. The mage saw another teammate walk by and waved to get their attention. She’s going to be okay, Bluhen thought. There were more than enough people to make sure of that.

“You wish to speak to me?” Richter asked.

Millions of questions flooded into Bluhen’s mind about Richter’s existence, flabbergasted at the implications of it all. What did it mean for both of them to cohabit in the same plane of existence? Did Richter understand the cause of the portals rippling through the skies? What was his relation to Paradox if he had one?

Richter reminded him of a fish. Empty eyes gazing back, the blue-haired priest betrayed little emotion, yet reminiscence of regret lingered in his presence. It was strange to meet another being like himself when his existence was meant to be an exception by the Goddess. Bluhen pressed his fingers over to Richter’s.

“How are you me?” Bluhen asked aloud.

“I would like to ask the same,” Richter mirrored his question back.

“I was created by the Goddess to restore the El,” Bluhen said. “but I made the decision to form a new purpose for myself and protect my friends to indirectly help the El.” He gestured to his counterpart, “your turn.

“I also serve the Goddess and act as her catalyst by striking down those that choose to defy her judgment.” Richter said.

By Goddess, was he really come off as pretentious to other people? What was this prickly feeling he was experiencing? Bluhen stared at Richter with a mixture of bewilderment and exasperation, unsure what to make of his alternate. He silently counted his blessing that Knight and his friends were ever so patient with his ignorance.

“You can be rest assured that your Elsword is safe,” Bluhen tried to change the subject.

“I know,” Richter said. “I saw him being pursued by Empire. She did not look happy.”

“Aren’t you worried?” Bluhen tried to understand his counterpart’s reaction, puzzled by how calm Richter was about Rune being chased by his sister’s alternate.

“How I feel does not concern Elsword,” Richter said. “He is capable of making his own decisions.”

Like sacrificing himself to the El? Bluhen thought warily. His memories were blurred about the specific event, during a time when his physical form was barely maintained by his purpose to serve the Goddess Ishmael. With the El temporarily restored, Bluhen lost his physical form and everything that came with living, no longer a person but barely a memory.

“I assume yours merged with the El as well?”

Bluhen nodded. His body went cold. Again?

“This won’t get easier,” Richter’s lips formed into a straight line. “Elsword will continue to make difficult decisions you may not agree with and you cannot stop him.”

“How would you know?” Bluhen asked weakly. “You haven’t talked to him.”

“No, but I have talked to Ishtar and Chevalier.” Richter said, “I know he is a selfless person and would feel guilty for making you react like this.”

“He was my first friend,” Bluhen choked. “I followed him and still lost him.”

“You cannot protect him from everything,” Richter said. “He will be upset if you do.”

“I know. That’s why he’s in this mess.” Bluhen laughed dryly. “Thank you… It was interesting talking to you. I was not expecting to meet you like this.”

“You should help Aether,” Richter said. “She was not happy when I told her I could not heal.”

“So I gathered,” Bluhen snickered. “Where will you go?”

“Back to Elsword,” he said. “I said I would wait for him.”

Of course, Bluhen thought. Despite the cold front and being straight-faced, in the end, Richter had a soft spot for Rune. It must have been painful for Richter to see Rune siding with their El Search Party, which led to a misunderstanding and a chaotic fight that fractured their forces on both sides. Before Bluhen left to search for Aether, he was stopped by his counterpart.

“What should I call you?’ Richter asked.

“Me?” The priest placed a finger over his lips, “call me Bluhen.”

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

Author Notes: Now that the fighting is over, it’s time for obligatory everyone’s gotta talk to themselves (because this fic is 100% self-indulgent and I enjoy writing the two paths talking). Will third paths show up or will Paradox remain a sad cat? Yes.

#elsword #eltag #elsword fanfiction #my writing #mywriting #doppelganger #Elboy (Elsword)#Aisha (Elsword)#Rena (Elsword)#Raven (Elsword)#Eve (Elsword)#Chung (Elsword)#Ara (Elsword)#Elesis (Elsword)#Add (Elsword)#Lu (Elsword)#Ciel (Elsword)#Ain (Elsword)

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