Another battle was won and the troops were on their way back from the frontlines of the battlefield. A man with black hair and clothed in a white coat with a black, furry-trimmed hood stood in front of a tent while watching the surviving soldiers slowly make their way back to the campsite. There was a blade in his right hand and what appeared to be a metallic claw in substitute for his left hand. Numerous medics went to meet with the soldiers and bring them back to the medic tents that were up and ready to take in the injured. One specific soldier, more specifically a knight, ran to the man with a proud look on his face while his arm was wildly swinging a sword in the air. This knight had messy red hair and yet he was clothed in his knightly attire so cleanly.
"We did it, Raven! That's another piece of land we can claim under the king!" The over excited knight proclaimed.
Raven gave a weak sigh of relief and he stared at the knight.
"You seem very excited about the victory, Captain Elsword."
Elsword gave a wide smile and then a hearty laugh while sheathing his blade. "Aw… Don't go all formal on me, Raven! You know as well as I do that there's no need to go and throw out titles at each other. After all, we're friends!"
"I'm fully aware of that, Elsword." Raven mentioned, looking a bit annoyed. "It's just that I have been used to being called 'General' so much…"
"Hey, it's cool. I understand, General."
A pat on Raven's back and then Elsword gave a small salute. "I'll catch up with you later! I need to go check on the rest of my men and see what's the damage."
Raven watched as Elsword went on his way to one of the medical tents and once he saw Elsword finally go into the tent, he went back into his own tent and stared at a table in front of him. It was the whole map of Elrios along with what appeared to be small little flags placed on different spots of the continents. Reaching for a small box next to the map, Raven pulled out another flag and placed it on top on the northern tip of the Rurensia continent. He took a few steps back to examine the map to see the status of their work. The whole Rurensia continent was under their king's control, thanks to Raven and his ingenious battlefield strategies. Conquering the whole Rurensia continent was beyond their wildest dreams and here they finally fulfilled it. Raven gave a deep relieved sigh and a weak smile appeared on his face. He was satisfied with their result.
Time passed by and night time has greeted the camp. Raven walked out of his tent to see the soldiers happily rejoicing together with their success. Some had cups full of whiskey raised in the air while others were full of laugher and stories. Elsword found Raven and ran up to him. "There you are, Raven! How about a speech to the soldiers?"
Some of the soldiers heard Elsword speaking to Raven regarding a "speech" and they howled in the air. "Speech! Speech! Speech!"
Their reckless behavior spread throughout the camp like wildfire and every soldier was crying out to hear Raven talk to them all. Taking his time, Raven got on top of a rock and overlooked the soldiers that sat and stood in their places in eagerness to hear his words. He took a deep breath in and let the words come out of his mind.
"My fellow warriors in arms! Tonight… we have claimed victory over the Rurensia continent!"
Roars from the soldiers filled the air after hearing Raven's announcement to them all. Raven understood that conquering Rurensia, and the other small forms of land surrounding it, was difficult work, especially since they had to fight out numerous monsters from different tribes. He knew that his soldiers deserved some rest after numerous months of fighting.
"Tomorrow, we shall head back to Velder… as heroes!"
Even more roars of excitement rose into the skies of the area. All of the soldiers were joyful and continued celebrating the night away. Raven actually yawned and started heading to his tent. Elsword once again found him and stopped him. "You're already hitting the hay? Come on, let's go and party until we can't party no more!"
Raven weakly chuckled while withdrawing into his tent. "Thanks, but no thanks, Elsword. We'll be leaving tomorrow and I want to be wide awake once we get back home."
Elsword followed Raven in. "Why? It's not as if we'll be expecting anything, right?"
"You won't… I will." Raven answered. "…after numerous months of fighting, I'll be able to see Rena again."
A cross of his arms and a pondering look on his face, Elsword tries to recall who Raven was talking about. It then became clear to him who Raven was referring to. "Oh yeah… THAT Rena. She's that one elf woman with long yellow hair, right? That one woman who's apparently the best archer in Velder?"
Raven looked to Elsword and a smile appeared on his face. "Yes… her."
Elsword frowned and sulked a bit. "Raven… I believe we went over this numerous times. Rena is nowhere near as close as Seris. You need to forget about her."
"I CAN'T!" Raven immediately snapped at Elsword. Amazingly, Elsword didn't show any signs of shock and surprise. His face expressed the feelings of disappointment and anger. This wasn't the first time Raven has seen Elsword appear this way, but this was definitely the first time he has seen Elsword look at him with that look.
"Raven, weren't you the one that taught me that in order to become stronger, you need to forget about the past and move on?"
Thinking about what Elsword said, Raven opened his mouth to speak, only to be stopped by Elsword raising his hand in front of his face. "Never mind. This is your life and you shouldn't be tied down to what others say and think. If you still want to remember your past, feel free. I don't approve of it, but I'll respect your decision no matter what happens."
After speaking those words, Elsword walked out of the tent and left Raven in there. Seconds passed by and Raven didn't move an inch from his spot. Being given the time to think, Raven started questioning why he still was thinking about Seris. Of course, Rena looked just like Seris and he should be aware that they're two different people. Yet, no matter how many times he looks at Rena, all he could think of is Seris. Was it because he was searching for some kind of closure between them? Raven honestly couldn't understand why he was thinking this way, but one thing was clear- Elsword was right. He did teach him to forget about the past and move on.
It was because of those same words Raven told Elsword that helped Elsword get stronger and concentrate on his training, but Elsword was able to find a way back to his original task of finding his sister and the EI to help the kingdom. If Elsword was able to do this, why couldn't he? Eventually, his eyes started feeling heavy and it was starting to become difficult for Raven to concentrate on finding an answer to his question. Giving up, he went to his bed and shut his eyes, falling asleep.
The next day rolled by and Raven, along with Elsword and the rest of the army, reached the kingdom of Velder after hours of traveling. It was starting to become evening, but it didn't stop everyone from being merry and honoring the soldiers for their hard work. Raven noticed Elsword hanging out with the other soldiers, which gave him enough time to slip out of the crowd and head off into another direction. As Raven went further and further away from the center of the kingdom, he found himself in a peaceful suburban area where not all the families went to celebrate the return of the soldiers. Some of their reasons included the fact that these families didn't have any family member fighting or they just didn't care.
Raven still respected them for their decisions, regardless of whatever reason it may be. After what felt like an hour walk, he reached a peaceful home at the end of the suburbs. He walked up to the door and knocked on it. Silence answered him for quite some time, but eventually the door opened, revealing a beautiful elven woman with long yellow hair. A look of shock came on her face while tears streamed down her eyes.
"You… you're back…" the woman cried.
Raven smiled, his arms wide open. "Of course I'm back, Rena."
Rena jumped into Raven's arms and he sank to the ground until he was practically kneeling and holding Rena close to him. She cried aloud, clinging onto Raven as if she was going to lose her grip on him easily. "I'm so glad you're safe! I can't believe it…"
All he could do at that moment was comfort her and help her dry off those tears she cried. Rena finally calmed down a bit and dragged Raven into her home, letting him relax and rest. "I'm so glad you're back from all that fighting. You must be exhausted, dear!"
Raven jumped in his seat, even after he sat himself down in a chair. "…D-Dear?"
"Oh… sorry! Ever since you left, I've been thinking about you and how our lives would be like after all this crazy fighting is finished… both of us getting married… having our own children…" Rena seemed pretty calm, yet excited just thinking about what she said. Raven couldn't help but laugh.
"Rena, you make it sound as if I already proposed to you." He openly admitted.
She turned and walked towards him, sitting next to him and cuddling. "Is it wrong for me to think that way?"
Raven shook his head. "No, but it would've been nice if you gave me the heads up in advance."
Rena chuckled. "Oh you…"
The night went on as Raven told Rena of his travels along with the other soldiers until night time eventually fell upon the kingdom. As soon as he finished, he noticed Rena leaning onto his shoulder and sleeping silently. He couldn't help but smile and pick her up in his arms. Carefully, he brought her to her room and set her down in bed. A kiss on her forehead and Raven headed out of Rena's house.
"I'll have to see her again, tomorrow." Raven mentioned as he walked through the streets. He was on his way back to his own home to rest until his eyes caught something flying in the sky. It appeared to a young lady with pig tails, but it was difficult to see, considering that the figure was flying around the moon.
"…what an odd figure." He said aloud.
"Who are you calling odd?" A mysterious voice said from behind Raven's back.
A swift turn forced Raven to look behind him to find the same figure that was flying in the sky appearing right behind him. She appeared to be around the age of 17, 18, or even older, but he wasn't familiar with her face. He was acquainted with most, if not everyone, in Velder. This young lady was a new face to him. Did she move into Velder while he was away? The young lady started giggling and in each giggle hinted a sinister sound.
"Good evening, General Raven! Aren't you a handsome stud?" The young lady giggled.
Raven backed up a bit, disturbed by this girl and her words. She laughed, watching Raven moving away. "Aw…! Looks like someone's still mentally disturbed after the war!"
Now he was annoyed by this girl. He didn't want her to bother him any longer, so he pulled out his blade and readied himself in a fighting stance. "I'm giving you three chances to leave me alone before I'm forced to attack you. Now go."
"Don't I have a say in any of this? How thoughtful of you…" The young lady said sarcastically. "And here I thought you were wise in your battle plans!"
"One…" Raven finally said in anger.
She smirked, leaning into him and wagging her finger in front of his face. "How impatient you must be to not let a woman even have at least a few words to speak!"
"Two…!"
The fact that Raven wasn't listening to her only made her angry and cross her arms. "You're no fun. Fine! Don't let me tell you that you should stop conquering lands already!"
Hearing that, Raven's guard was let down. What he heard was surprising, but unexpected at the same time. "…What are you talking about?"
The girl smiled and laughed. "…. "Stop conquering lands!" is what I have been talking about! And don't bother trying to conquer the continent, Fluone! Besides… someone already owns it!"
"…If my king wants that continent, then I will get that continent for him. I will follow his orders." Raven immediately said. The girl stared at Raven with a frown on her face as she heard his words. After that, she just smiled. "Very determined. I like that!"
She kicked off the ground and started floating around Raven. "I'm just warning you right now that the Fluone continent is pretty difficult to conquer. If you REALLY want to take it over, then be my guest! I'm just saying that because I know for sure you won't be able to succeed. Anyways…"
The young lady started floating backwards and started waving to Raven. "Your king will definitely want you to try and take over the continent…"
As soon as she mentions this, a soldier found Raven and bowed to him. "General, sir! The king wishes to see you!"
Raven noticed the soldier and gave him a nod. But when he looked back to see the young lady, she already vanished into thin air. He couldn't tell if he was hallucinating or if the girl was real. Either way, he was going to brush it off and speak to the king. Once he was in the war room with the king, they started discussing the battle plans Raven executed while conquering Rurensia. The king seemed pretty pleased with Raven's work.
"If you don't mind, General. I have a command I wish for you and your soldiers to carry out." The king mentioned.
Raven straightened himself out and responded, "Of course, your highness."
"I want you to take your men and go to the continent of Fluone. Conquer it and report back to me."
Hearing these words made Raven tense up. The fact that the young lady spoke true made him a bit concerned. As much as he wanted to question the king, he held his tongue and just nodded. "So be it."
The meeting was finally over and Raven was finally on his way home. Immediately as soon as he got in his house, he went straight to bed and fell asleep. As the night hours passed, 2 figures watched over Velder from the skies. One figure was the same young lady that appeared before Raven while the other figure was that of a young woman with long, wavy silver hair. She was dressed in black and was sitting upon what appeared to be a black drone and in her arms was a white drone.
"…It appears as though he ignored your words, Aisha." The silver haired woman said.
Aisha just chuckled. "That was to be expected, Eve. Humans are stubborn and will continue being as such."
Eve blinked, her eyes still examining Velder. "…are you not a human yourself?"
"You've got me there." Aisha laughed.
Hours continued to pass by until daybreak started appearing over the horizon. Eve started floating away from Velder. "Come, Aisha. We have a lot of work to do."
Aisha turned to Eve. "Oh? Are we helping the inhabitants of Fluone before this 'Raven' fellow decides to go and kill them off?"
"In order for the army to cross over from Rurensia to Fluone, they must first stop at Altera… my homeland. We must make sure they don't take it over… Let's go, Aisha!"
Aisha watched Eve fly away and a smile appeared on Aisha's face. "Yes… your highness…"
Finally, the eighth hour dawned in Velder and Raven was already drafting people to go along with him to the continent of Fluone. Elsword caught wind of this and immediately went around the city to find Raven. Once he did find Raven, Elsword ran to him.
"Raven! What's the meaning of this?" Elsword angrily asked.
Raven turned to Elsword, looking a bit concerned. "King Wally wanted us to go to the continent of Fluone and conquer it."
Hearing those words, Elsword's expression changed from a fiery rage to an even more fiery excitement. "Alright! We can totally sweet that place! All we need are some of our best soldiers and-"
Before Elsword finished, he recalled Raven looking concerned for some odd reason. His smile faded away. "…But… why do you look so worried? It's not as if it'll be THAT difficult!"
"In order for us to reach Fluone more quickly, we need to take a few airships and get to Altera Island. After doing a bit of calculations, if we were to go there by ship, we'd be caught in a lot of strong sea winds and it could very well direct us even further away from Fluone." Raven mentioned.
"…Then why so worried?"
Raven shook his head and looked to Elsword. "You… shouldn't worry about it."
A look of confusion was slapped onto Elsword's face as he questioned why Raven expressed his concern physically and yet see no desire to speak it. In the end, Elsword let it go and just saluted. "I'll go rally up some troops that are ready for combat, General."
"Please do." Raven said.
Elsword nodded and ran off to the castle. On his way, he slowed down a bit and then started pondering about Raven's words. "…Wait a second… 'please do'? Raven, what is going on?" After his little questioning moment, Elsword continued on towards the castle to get some troops.
Once Raven finished drafting a few people, he immediately headed to Rena's home to tell her of the news he was given. When she heard the information, she felt very concerned. "…and you guys just got back home… what is the king thinking?"
"You know as well as I do that I would obey orders no matter what." Raven mentioned. "And with that, I request help from you. You used to know a few people who worked with air crafts. We'll need them."
Rena nodded. "Of course! But if you'll be using them, I'll have to come along. Ponggos are pretty peaceful, but they don't trust people very easily…"
"…If you'll be coming along, you'll need to stay in the aircraft for safety." Raven proposed.
"As long as I'm with you, I don't mind." Rena smiled.
After numerous days have passed for the city of Velder, what appears to be a medium sized army stood in front of the city gates with both Raven and Elsword standing in front of them. Raven turned to the army. "I'm sorry for bringing up such news to you all in such short notice. If we sent a messenger ahead of us within time, we could've gotten word from King Wally regarding this mission and we wouldn't have to leave our homes so soon. Today, we shall be heading off towards Altera Island and securing the island so that we can make it a base for us to go back and forth when necessary."
After Raven spoke, Elsword took a few steps forward. "I will be choosing a few of you to come along with me to scout on Altera Island to check for any means of resistance!"
As the briefing continued, a large aircraft flew down in front of the army. Once the bay doors opened, Rena appeared with her hands on her hips and a smile on her face. "Ready when you are, guys!"
Raven turned to Rena and gave off a nod, letting the army get into the aircraft. Then, when everyone finally boarded, the aircraft became airborne and they were well on their way to Altera Island.