Disclaimer: I don't own Elsword

Terrible things

I sat in front of the memorial, with my son next to me. He looked exactly like me when I was younger, except for his eyes, which belonged to Aisha. Life truly did terrible things. It takes things without remorse and never gives back the happiness which was stolen.

It was a cold winter day, during the demon war. I was about fourteen at the time, and my parents had died during the first onslaught. I had a job as a snow shoveler. That was when I met Aisha.

Outside the church, I shovelled the snow but then the church door opened and a group of children my age streamed out from the doors. A certain purple haired girl caught my attention, was it her innocent smile. The kind that people wore when they nothing of the world? How could she smile during this time of war?

Growling, I went back to shovelling the snow.

Hanging from my neck, my medallion which was the only thing I have left from my parents shone. I didn't see it fall and hit the snow.

I continued to shovel the snow, still unaware that I had dropped one of my most important memories. That was until I heard that voice.

"Um excuse me. You dropped this."

I turned, and didn't expect to see that purple haired girl. She stood in front of me, holding out my medallion.

Embarrassed, I snatched it from her hand.

"Oh sorry," I muttered, realising what I did. "Uh, I didn't mean to do that…it's just uh…it's very important to me."

"Is that so?" Aisha answered.

She sat down on the snow, and indicated for me to sit next to her.

"Tell me about it," she said. "I don't need to be home for another two hours."

So I did.

Ever since that day we talked more and more. Every day after church, Aisha would talk to me, about what she had learnt. In return I would tell her stories. I even learn the sadness of her past, her parents too were killed. In fact she had never known them. As far as she could remember, she had been adopted by the church.

Ten years had passed and both of us had begun to see each other more regularly. Under the Eltree one night, I confessed to her, and surprisingly she returned my confession. That was the happiest night of my life.

A couple of months later, under the Eltree I was staring at the starry night sky, with Aisha next to me.

"Aisha?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"I got you a present," I said. "Now open it with care."

Slowly she opened the small red box which I gave her, and inside a small gold ring shone.

"Will you marry me?" I asked.

Smiling, Aisha threw her hands at me, wrapping me in her embrace.

"Of course I will…Of course!"

Four months later we were newlyweds. Nothing could be happier. During our honeymoon, I made love to the woman I had loved since I was a child. A soon, she gave birth to our only child, Elscud, who I named after my father.

Everything was as it should be, till that one night.

"Elsword?" Aisha asked, when she had come home that evening. "I have to tell you something."

"Yes?" I answered, taking a sip of my afternoon cup of tea, waiting for her to continue. What she said next, was like a knife through my heart.

"I don't have much longer to live…"

I dropped the cup in my hand and it crashed into the floor, the tea spilling everywhere.

"No…" I muttered.

"Please El, understand."

She gently caressed my cheek, and embraced me.

"You were the greatest thing that could ever happen to me," she said, before giving me a peck on the cheek.

As the doctor had said, she died one week later. It was raining at a funeral, and I didn't know if the water in my eyes were tears, or the rain. I watched as the woman I loved since I was a boy, was buried 6 feet below the surface of dirt.

I finally understood why she could smile through the sadness. Why she could smile when she lived through the demon war. Why she could smile just before she died.

Because in all sadness there is always the happiness that she looked forward to.

That is why…Life can do terrible things…