Hey, people, this Yami with her first ever Elsword fanfic, What Doesn't Kill You, Makes You Stronger. This is the REVAMP, so if you want to read the first one, go to my profile, I guess.

This story has a theme song and chapter picture & songs. I cannot put the links on here however because FFN has too many rules. You can look at them on Wattpad until I find a solution; sorry for the inconvenience. I have the same name, YamiMeiden; search without space in between the words.

Let's get this show in the road, and SEE YOU IN THE OUTRO XD!


(Fahrmann Village_ Ara POV)

"Mother, father, where are you, 'I cried as I ran through our burning village

The demons from a close town invaded our home and raided everything. My family was being taken away from me one by one. I'd already fought off many, but there was just too many for me to handle alone.

"Gaaah, "I stared in horror as I watched one of my cousins be devoured by a demon

"No, "I cried out

The demon looked at me next; I was the next portion of its meal. It licked its blood stained lips and stood up with its tall muscular body towering over me. I was nothing but an insect compared to this thing.

"Waah, no, stay away, "I screamed as it pounced towards me

Taking my spear, I stabbed the monster through its head, its black blood splattered on my face. I shivered in disgust as the thing lay bleeding on the ground. It was like a crocodile mixed with a dog; what a horrific creature.

"Where is everyone, "I asked myself, "Why is this….happening"

"모든 인간을 찾아, "I heard demons coming my way, "그들을 죽 일"

"N-no, "I cried and started running towards my house

As I ran through alleys, I saw many of my family littering the streets. Their bodies had been tore apart by the demons, such an unworthy fate for such wonderful people.

"Mother, father, "I shouted running through the burning door of my house

"Mother, father, "I ran to their bedroom, "Mo…ther…"

My mother and father lay in a pool of blood in their bed, faces adorned with silent screams of terror. There weapons lay perfectly still in the corner of the room. They had been killed while sleeping.

"No, not this, not this, "I covered my mouth to prevent bile from coming out, "Please…no"

My legs were shaking; I felt helpless. I couldn't lose them, not them.

"Big brother, "I cried out, "Big brother come home, big brother"

I could feel the smoke flowing into my lung from wailing. I could hear footsteps coming in my direction.

"Ara, "I flinched as I heard the voice

"Big brother, "I swung around to see my relative

"A-a-Aren, "I whispered, "What happened to you"

My brother's skin was dark grey, eyes blood red. His normal armor was replaced with black and red scale like material.

"Aren…that's a name I haven't heard in a while, 'he smiled at me, "Little Ara, are you scared"

I nodded slowly, "Y-yes, yes I am, brother"

"Little Ara, "he stepped towards me, "Don't be afraid"

"Stay away, "I screamed, "Brother….did you…kill…mother and father"

"Yes, "he frowned at me

"Brother, why are you doing this, "I could feel tears welling up, "What happened to you…brother"

"You shouldn't cry little Ara, "brother was getting closer, "I won't hurt you, but I need you to take this for me"

Brother held out a shard to me; it glowed black and purple. It radiated evil energy so foul it was suffocating me.

I felt compelled to take it; it was evil, but I could tell it was strong. Would this turn me into a demon just like brother?

"Ara, come with me, "Aren took a step closer, "Come here"

"No, stay away from me, "I ran from the house

"Ara, "I heard big brother scream after me

I ran through our village, a hoard of savage demons trailing behind me. My brother followed behind at a slow pace, teasing me like a lion does with its prey.

"Oh no, "I gasped as I turned a corner into a dead end alley

"Ara, "I gulped and turned to face my sibling

"Brother, stop this, please, "I gritted my teeth, "Aren!"

"우리가 지금, 일반 그녀 있다, "A demon gurgled to my changed brother

Brother glared at the demon, his red eyes seemed to flare with anger. The demon squeaked before backing away into the growing crowd. Brother growled something in a foreign language making all the demons bow down.

"Ara, "brother held out the dark shard to me again, "I will force you to come with me"

"No, "I stood my ground, "I won't go anywhere"

"You are the only one left, Little Ara, "Aren grinned, "I don't want to lose you too"

"Stay away from me, "I shouted, "I won't go anywhere with you"

"Very well, "brother snarled, "You leave me no choice; I will force you to become my Dark Countess"

"No, "I shrilled, "Tempest Dance"

Brother jumped and dodged my attack, but at least I tore a pathway through the herd of demon thralls. I ran in fear, pushing the demons aside I ran as far as I could until I was blocked into another corner.

"Little Ara, "I could him sing, "Where are you"

Whimpering in fear, I tried to make myself as small as I could against the wall.

"There you are, "he found me

"B-brother, "I whispered, "Aren"

"Aren, call me Ran now, little Ara, "he smirked, "I'm not going to hurt you…..much"

As he closed in on me, I could feel the wall behind me crumbling. I pressed my back into it more, dust flying into my face.

"Little Ara, "he caressed my cheek, "Don't be scared"

"Big brother-Wah, "the wall broke apart and I fell

I hit the hard marbled floor of the basement and grunted in pain.

"Where is this, "I asked myself

Crates were shadowed by the darkness; however, in the center of the room, encased in a glass box lay a fox hairpin.

"What is this, "I lifted the box, "Why is a hairpin here?"

"Child, "a voice said

"Who's there, "I screamed and picked up my spear

"Don't be afraid; I will not harm you, "it said again

"Where….where are you, "I asked slowly

"In the hairpin, "was its blunt reply

"What are you, "I asked

"No need to know that now; the demons are coming; pick up the hairpin, "they said quickly

"Why should I trust you, "I didn't trust her

"I know you don't trust me, but please-"

*BOOM*

The door the basement exploded in a flurry of fire and debris. I was thrown against the back wall, the hairpin falling in front of me.

"Pick me up, now; we'll both be destroyed if you don't"

"Little Ara, that's enough of our game of tag, "I saw Aren walk in, "It's time to come home with me"

"Brother, "I whimpered

"Little Ara, "he walked to me, "Come here"

"N-no, "I screamed, "Don't kill me, brother"

"I'm not going to kill you, little Ara, "he smiled and reached his hand out, "Come here"

"Don't listen to him, "the voice said again, "He'll corrupt you"

Aren didn't seem to hear the woman; I was the only one who could.

"Please, believe me, pick up the hairpin; now's your only chance"

"I….."

"Please, believe me"

"I…..I"

"Please"

"I tr-…tru…"

"Please, believe me"

I…..I BELIEVE YOU"

I grabbed the pin, and was enveloped in white light.

"Ara!"

"Where….where…am I, "opened my eyes to the grey sky

"Brother, "I felt something in my hand and looked down

The shard brother tried to make me take glowed ominously in my hand. Why did I have it?

"It's a Dark El shard, "the voice from before startled me

"Who are you, "I said aloud

"I'm Eun, "they said

"Eun, 'I raised an eyebrow

"I'm a celestial fox that your family kept imprisoned for centuries, "Eun said distastefully

"Celestial fox, "I whimpered, "a demon"

"Yes, but I'm not bad, 'Eun tried to convince me, "I won't hurt you'

"Why should I believe you, "I demanded

"I saved your life didn't I, 'I could feel Eun smirking, "You are actually in debt to me'

I growled at the demon. How dare she say something like that to me?

"That demon leader guy shoved that Dark El Shard in your chest after I nearly burned you to death, "Eun told me dryly

"What, "I screamed

"I'm a celestial being; humans aren't supposed to come into contact with something like me, "Eun muttered, "I'd been imprisoned for so long, my powers erupted like a volcano and nearly charred you" now, without that Dark El Shard, you'll probably crumble into dust"

"What did this shard do to me, "I asked her

"I don't know; I felt you changing, so I sealed it off with most of my remaining power, "Eun replied, "Couldn't have you turning into a demon on me"

"I guess…thank you, "I stood, 'Now I have find brother and turn him back'

"Find you brother, 'she seemed intrigued, "could he have been that demon general; he was pretty adamant about taking you with him"

"Yes, "I smiled, "I have to find brother and turn him back to normal"

"If he even can be saved; I guess I'll help you out, "Eun laughed

"Huh, "my eyes widened

"He took the Moon El Stone; that stone can help me get all my powers back; if we find your brother on the way, I'll help you in any way I can, "Eun explained, "So, do we have a deal"

I frowned as so many thing started swirling around in my head. What happened to my brother? Why did he save me with this Dark El shard? What will happen to me if I don't have the shard? Can I trust Eun? Can I trust anyone?

"We have a deal, but I have something important to do first, "I said

"And what would that be, "the mystical fox asked

"I at least have to give what's left of my family a proper burial, "I felt ready to cry

"Very well, let's get to it"


(Ruben)

She had no money, so she had to stow away on a ship heading east. Eun told her that she sensed many demons in that direction, so that was her best bet at finding her brother.

"This place seems…nice, "Ara said getting off the ship

'Yes, nice and dangerous, "Eun mused

Ara ignored the fox's ominous statement and continued on her way. She soon found herself in a small rural village.

"These people look so happy, "Ara stated, "I see wanted posters though"

'Banthus, "she said out loud, "I wonder who that is"

"*Cough* umm, "Ara heard a fake cough come from behind her

The Haan teenager turned around to see a white haired, slightly muscular male staring at her up and down. He gave off a lazy personality, but she could tell that wasn't the case.

"Who're you, "Lowe eyed Ara with calculating eyes

"I'm Ara Haan, "the young girl mumbled, "I'm from the Northern Fluone continent"

"And why are you here, "Lowe eyed the spear the girl was holding, "Hopefully not a declaration of war"

"Oh, no, no, no, "Ara shook her head to and fro, "I'm…looking for someone"

"Uh huh, "Lowe placed a hand on his sword, "What does this someone look like"

"I doubt you'd believe me, "Ara smiled fakely, "Can I leave now"

Lowe narrowed his eyes at the girl once before nodding his head and going off to yell at some rookies of his.

'What that, 'Ara's eyes widened at wonder as she spotted a large sparkling tree in the distance

'That would be the El Tree, the source of all life here in Elrios, 'Eun said, 'That tree contains El stones and shards'

'El shards, 'Ara placed a hand over the pocket of her bag that contained her Dark El shard, 'Is there a difference'

'As the name implies, your shard is evil and corrupted, yet the El shard brings life and joy, 'Eun explained

'Am I….evil, 'Ara asked the celestial demon

'No, my child, your heart is pure; your life is sustained by the shard; I doubt it will take over you, 'Eun smiled

'How can you be so sure, 'Ara exclaimed, 'My brother was changed and he's much stronger than me'

"You are weak mentally, 'Eun chastised, 'physically, slightly, but both can be trained'

'I will corrupted by this stone, 'Ara said to her companion

'Only if you give up; never…give up"

"Don't worry, I won't, "Ara promised

"So what should we do now, "the Little Xia asked the demon

"Train, train, and train some more; we need to get you ready to save your brother, "Eun told her

"Where to start, 'Ara pondered

"Ask that pink haired woman over there, "Eun made Ara turn her head

Ara strutted up to the innkeeper and tapped her on the shoulder, "Excuse me Miss"

"Hmm, "the pinkette smiled brightly, "how can I help you"

"Uhhh, well, you see, I'm a traveling fighter looking for a good place to train…., "Ara twidled her fingers

"Say no more; you should head to Elder, it's just east of here, "the woman laughed, "I'm sure they can help you"

"Thank you, "Ara bowed to her

"No problem, 'the woman shook her off, "I'm Ann; hope to see you again"

Saying "thank you" to Ann one last time, Ara started to sprint to her next destination.

"Don't get lost in the woods, "Ann called after her, "I hope she heard me"


(Elder)

"Ahh…Ahhhhhhh…..Ohhhhhhh…..Uhhh…..*pant* *pant*"

"This is extraordinary; a body and soul being kept whole by a shard of darkness, and the dark energy of the shard being contained by a second persona; this must truly be painful, "Echo gasped in scientific glee as she wrote down notes about the spear-woman lying in front of her

"I can hear his voice, "Ara whimpered in pain, 'Brother, please…save me….brother….help me"

After she'd arrived in Elder, a nerve wracking voice started pounding in her head. It kept saying things like: "Closer, you're getting closer", "Give into the shard", "You're worthless, nothing, nothing". A few civilians guided her to the little alchemist to see if she could help with the pain. However, as soon as she got there, she'd collapsed onto the tween and had no choice but to be dragged into the girl's house.

"No one is talking here but you; this brother of yours must be talking about you or is worried for you, "Echo continued to take notes, "Let me see if I have something to ease your pain"

Going into her shop, Echo grabbed medicinal herbs from one of the shelves and brought them back to the Little Xia.

"Take this, "Echo made the teen take the medicine basically shoving it down her throat

"*cough* *cough* what *cough* is that, "Ara's face curled up in disgust

"Ground Toxic Herbs imported from Feita mixed with Magic Ice Powder and water, "Echo replied, "How are you"

"I'm….fine, "the Haan's eyes widened, "The voices are gone"

"Good, now-Guh, "Echo found herself smashed in the girl's bosom

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, "Ara screamed, "Thank you so much"

"Don't mention it, "Echo grumbled, "I can't breathe"

"Oh, sorry, "Ara blushed and let go of the girl, "Say, can I have more of that concoction"

"Sure, they're 15 ED a piece, "Echo smiled

"Ahhh, uhhh, well, you see, I don't have any money, "Ara squeaked, "is there any other way I could get them"

Echo had a hand on her chin, "Well, I know one thing"

"What, "Ara's eyes sparkled, "Anything"

"Let me do tests on you, "the girl smirked

"Wwwhhhhhhaaaaatttttttt!"

(3 Hours Later)

"You're evil, "Ara cringed as Echo looked over her collection of blood filled needles

"Please, even a baby doesn't cry over this stuff like you do, "Echo said making sure her materials were safely put away

"Oh, 'Ara went quiet, "Is that so"

Echo looked up and stared at the teen sitting on her floor. Her eyes had clouded over, and she seemed to be miles from where she was now.

"Uhhh, hey, are you alright, "Echo kneeled down to her face, "I didn't mean it like that; I'm sure you're super strong"

"Do you really mean that, "Ara said robotically, "I need to find a way to get stronger"

Echo puffed out her checks, realizing her mistake. She stood and put her hands on her hips, getting the Little Xia's attention.

"Stronger aye, "the alchemist smiled, "I know just the place"

"You….do, "Ara raised an eyebrow

"Bethma has started having lizard problems again, but the El Gang needed to continue on their journey, "Echo explained

"The….El Gang, "Ara pondered, "Who're they"

"They're lead by Elsword Seighart, a boy who's only a few years older than me, "Echo smiled fondly, "He saved Elder from tyrant King Wally"

"Uh huh, "Ara said, "Sounds nice, Bethma you say"

"Yeah, just east of here, "Echo said, "I'll get you some more herbs, on the house"

"Not really on the house when I was just your guinea pig for a few hours, "Ara pouted, "But, thank you anyway"

"No problem, if you ever need any help, just come back to me, "Echo said with a wide grin handing the herbs to the spear woman

"Don't worry, I will!

'Echo was nice, 'Ara said to Eun as she left Elder Village

'Yes, such wonderful youth, 'Eun said, 'but with a name like Echo, you think that she'd be a dashing young man'

'Eun, 'Ara chastised, 'Seriously'

'Yes, if she was a boy then I could have persuaded them to give us the herbs no strings attached, 'Eun pouted

Ara groaned, out of all the demons to be stuck with, it have to be a pervy fox spirit.

'I hope I can get stronger in this Bethma place, "Ara groaned, "Echo said I'd be fighting….lizards"

'Lizard people, 'Eun narrated, 'They live in the dusty mountain region of Bethma; they love hot areas, and some are even nocturnal"

"Can they speak, "Ara asked

"Yes, they can understand our language perfectly, 'Eun replied, 'However, many of them want nothing to do with humans what so ever, which is probably why Bethma is having trouble now'

"Hmmm, okay then, "Ara grinned, "This is going to be exciting, I just know it"

"I sense many powerful being far away; defeat them and you will surely gain the power to save your brother, 'Eun cheered

"You really think so, 'Ara exclaimed, 'I want so dearly to be reunited with brother, my real brother'

"Yes; we'll conquer the powers of the Dark El and save him'

'Thank you, Eun!"


(2yrs Later_ Dream_ Fahrmann Village)

"Big brother, "A 17yr old Ara screamed as she pushed past relatives to embrace her sibling

"Little Ara, "Aren smiled as he took the teen in his arms

The Haan children held on to one another for a while before setting each other free.

"Brother, where are you going, "Ara asked curiously, "Father wouldn't tell me"

"Hehe, well, Daegu Village has sent us distress letters about many strange demons in the area, so I'm going to check it out, "Aren told her

"Hmmm, alright, be safe, "Ara smiled before pecking her brother on the cheek, "You promised to teach me your Falling Dragon [Head Slam] technique"

"Ah, I did promise that, didn't I, "he laughed, "I'll be back soon"

Turning to leave the village, something dropped off of Aren's person.

"Huh, what's this, "Ara asked picking the item up, "Brother dropped his family pendant"

"Brother, "Ara shouted after him, "You dropped this"

Running to catch up to her brother, Ara panted as the young man seemed to get farther and farther away from her no matter how much she ran.

"Brother, brother, "she cried after him, "Brother, stop"

The male continued to go faster down the dirt path, seemingly not hearing his sister's words.

"Brother-Waaaah, "Ara tripped and tumbled to the ground

"Ow, my ankle, "Ara winced and touched the already swelling flesh

"Gaaah, brother, "Ara reached out to her brother diminishing figure, "Don't leave me"

"Grrrr, "Ara flinched as she heard a loud non-human growl

"Who's there, "the Little Xia propped herself up on her elbows

Looking at her surrounding, Ara noticed many disfigured shadows all around her.

"W-what, "she whispered, "Demons"

They started to surround her one by one, all ready to strike her down with their weapons and teeth.

"N-no, st-stay away, "Ara whimpered, "Someone help"

"Brother, "Ara screamed as the demons got closer and closer, "Brother, help me"

"Brother!"

"Brother!"

"Bro-Ahhhhhhhhhh"

Ara screamed bloody murder as she awoke from her nightmare.

"*Pant* *Pant* *Pant*, "Ara stared at her dying fire

"Is…is anyone there, "the Little Devil whispered

Standing up, Ara stretched her sore muscles and decided to go for a walk to shake off the chills from her dream. She soon found herself at a hill-side looking at the glistening stars.

"Brother never came back from the recon mission, "Ara grunted, "He was missing for weeks before the raid"

"Brother, "Ara said staring up at the glowing moon, "I miss you"

"You will find him someday, "Eun said to her

"You think, "Ara replied, "Brother, my brother"

"Don't fret, child, your brother loves you; even as a demon, he saved your life, didn't he, "Eun questioned the girl

"Yes, he did, "Ara pouted

"Then it should be easy to get him back to normal, "Eun exclaimed, "He can't be far gone if he cares enough to save a human!"

"Thank you, "Ara touched the fox hair-pin in her pony-tail, "I really appreciate it"

"No problem, child, no go to bed; we're heading to Velder tomorrow, "Eun ordered her

"Aww, but I wanted to see the sun rise, "Ara whined

"Bed, now, "Eun said with a mother-like tone

"Fine, "Ara crossed her arms

Leaving to go back to camp, Ara didn't notice a pair of red eyes watching her in the distance.

'Sister'

Along the path back to her shelter, Ara started picking up as many sticks and logs she could find, knowing her fire was going to go out soon. She took her time though, quietly admiring Elrios' beautiful scenery.

'Fahrmann never had starry nights like this, 'Ara said

'Because your brother always took you star gazing, 'Eun said

'Yeah, big brother was the nicest, strongest brother a person could ask for, "Ara replied

Eun snickered in the depths of the girl's mind, 'You'd think he was your lover instead of your brother'

Ara blushed at her, 'Brother….would never think about me like that'

'Okay, whatever, 'Eun bellowed

Soon enough, Ara made it back to her camp and stoked her fire.

'Eun, what do you think Velder is like, 'Ara asked the celestial fox

'As far as I can tell, it's filled with demons; they have the same amount of strength as the glitters in Feita, 'Eun answered

'Neh, but the glitters in Feita didn't put up much of a fight, 'Ara pouted, 'They let me beat them'

'Yeah, that's a question that should be answered, shouldn't it, 'Eun smiled, 'However, you were able to grow stronger from that, and your shard is melding with you"

Ara frowned at that statement. Her shard was an obstacle that was she couldn't destroy. To her, it felt alive, self-aware even. It felt that she was doing exactly what it wanted, growing stronger, "growing closer".

'I don't miss Feita, "Eun interrupted her thoughts, 'So much racism"

The Little Devil huffed. She wasn't welcome in Feita; from the minute she got there, the people eyed her with prejudice. El Lady forbid they find out she had a Dark El shard, they probably would've tried to burn her alive!

'You've come far these past two years, 'Eun praised the young woman

'You think, 'Ara grinned, 'I've been training really hard"

'Yes, but I think you need to work on your mental strength more, 'Eun replied, 'Physical strength won't get you through everything'

'I know, 'Ara said, 'But,…brother needs me"

'You need to help yourself first, 'Eun sighed

Ara pouted, "Night, Eun"

'Good night"

"…"

"…"

"…Good night"


(Velder_ Unknown POV)

"Oh man, Vanessa is a slave driver, "Elsword groaned as he crashed on the couch

"You're just lazy, "Aisha put her hands on her hips, 'Besides, we haven't done anything serious yet"

"We can do that next week, "Elsword shook his head at her

I was sitting at the counter messing around with my dynamo schematics. I was looking for a way to make my dynamos do the simple things, so I didn't have to.

"I am now lazy, "I sighed as Elsword and Aisha got into a fight

'Why am I here again, 'I asked myself, '…..Right….fucking Nasod codes'

I looked out of the corner of my eyes and spotted my test subject, Eve. She was watching the fight, memorizing the altercation. Eve didn't understand humanity, typical.

"You know, you'll go cross-eyed if you stare for too long, 'I jumped and hissed at the silent new-comer

"Shut up, "I glared at him

The bastard waved his Nasod arm at me and went to talk to the green- haired elf. Her name was Rena, and the guy was Raven. Everyone thought Raven had a crush on Rena because he said she reminded him of his dead fiancée, Seris, but that wasn't the case. He liked Eve. Just to add gasoline to the fire, it doesn't help that Rena likes Raven. Love triangles are annoying.

Raven didn't usually speak to me. He acknowledged me as his teammate and nothing else. He didn't like the fact that the only reason I joined the El Gang was to get closer to Eve.

The fucker was threatening me.

'Will you two stop it already, "I grit my teeth as the elf wailed at the two fighting idiots

'I'm not going to get any work done around them, 'I sighed, "Should've stuck to stalking'

"That's enough, "Rena grabbed Elsword and Aisha by the ears

"Ow, oww, owwwwwwwwwwww, "they cried simultaneously

"Be quiet, "A tick mark appeared on Rena's forehead, 'Elsword, you're the leader, you have to decide when it's time for us to help Velder get rid of the demons; Aisha, fighting with Elsword won't make him act faster"

"Not sit down and hold hands, "she ordered the two

"What, 'they both blushed

'Is there a problem, "Rena's eyes flashed

They shook their heads quickly, 'No, no, no, no, no"

"Good, "Rena made the two hold hands and them tied them by the wrists

"Have a nice punishment, "she giggled and went back to talk to Raven

I watched the two struggled to get a loose from their binds, blaming one another for the whole thing happening. Rena let out a not needed laugh/ screech making my ears hurt, and Raven laughed along with her. Chung, kind of forgot about him, was trying to hide in the corner. Last, but not least, Eve was still staring.

I really should have stuck to stalking.


Hey people, how was that? Hope you enjoyed the first chapter to the re-vamp!

I hate FFN rules sometimes, especially when you edit, publish, or do anything with your stories. On my desktop, it looks nice and neat; on here, it looks like I just took the words and chucked them on the screen.

I hope that you guys will enjoy this story a whole lot more than the first. Also, please, drown me with constructive criticism. It helps not only me, but the progression of this fanfic. As I say, you guys make these stories happen.

Welcome all who are reading this story for the first time; I hope you will enjoy this adventure.

Ja'ne all my dark maidens and warriors

See you in the next update!