I never would have thought that right after I had published my first story, I would immediately hit a writer's block.
Well… I won't lie; it was partially my own fault. Chance would have it that I was browsing through my laptop out of boredom and stumbled upon the Yggdra Union zip file that I have had for the longest time now. Even though I should have been working on my next story, I spent the majority of the time no life-ing the entire game and finally completed it two days ago. Stupid distractions. Well, at least this makes two games that I've completed from the Dept. Heaven series. Woot.
Anyways, before the story starts, I want to extend an apology to author Desuchi if he/she is reading this. I had written in a review in your work I Love You, I Hate You talking about the usage of past and present tense and described how some of the sentences should have been in present tense. However, when I was working on this story, I came to realize something: Professional writing makes no sense in fictional literature like Fanfiction. When I was working on this chapter, I tried to incorporate the present tense and found myself with a shard of a story that made zero sense. It was only after I re-edited everything into the past tense that the chapter actually sounded decent and not awkward as f*ck. I had initially thought otherwise due to my familiarity with professional writing and lack of experience in creative writing (I blame the essays). So, yeah, sorry about that…
This AU is getting somewhat long, so I'm just going to shut up now.
Chung: Shooting Guardian (Age 15)
Disclaimer: Elsword and its respective franchise belong to KOG and Kill3r Combo.
The morning sun greeted the land with rays of sunshine that spread across the smooth white surface of an extravagant palace. One particular bedroom was nested on top of the palace, with an external balcony that overlooked the well-cared gardens below. Beyond the balcony sat double glass doors that led into the bedroom, through which showed a room well furnished with beautiful craftsmanship and accompanied by elegant furniture. A queen-sized bed rested against the wall to the right of the balcony entrance, with sapphire blue bed sheets that laid on top of a pearly white mattress. Light spilled through the windows and reflected off the bedroom's smooth oak flooring, illuminating two tall bookshelves and a mahogany couch that sat across from the large bed.
A rustling sound came from the large bed before the bed sheets were pushed forward and revealed a drowsy-eyed young male. Messy blonde hair spiked up in a wild manner from the male's head from a severe case of bed-head as his night shirt was fairly wrinkled from the previous night's young male sat up and yawned widely before stretching his limbs to clear off any soreness from the lack of use. His blue eyes suddenly glanced towards the bedroom door as it opened with a creak and a tall man adorning a butler suit entered the room.
"Ah… good morning to you, Master Chung. I see that you have awakened already." With a bow, the man walked towards a table by the couch before setting down a tray that contained a white teapot and a floral decorated teacup.
The young blonde heaved a sigh before he narrowed his eyes toward the man in front of him. "For the love of El, Sebastian, stop addressing me as 'Master Chung'. I have told you many times that there is nothing else in the world that I hate more than unnecessary formality." The young male lifted the bed sheets from his legs before he got off from the bed and walked over to the table.
Sebastian gave a soft chuckle before he took the teapot and began to pour its contents into one of the cups. "I offer my apologies, Chung. You and I are both aware that it is very difficult to break a habit, especially one that has stayed for several years. Besides…" The older male set the teapot down before he placed the cup on a smaller dish and handed it to Chung. "… You should know that respect and formality is mandatory amidst the future successor to the Seiker throne."
Taking the cup of Earl Grey, Chung took a sip before he set the cup down with eyes downcast. "… I know, as do everyone else here. But, still, it doesn't mean I want everyone treating me so highly. I'd rather be friends with everyone than be their… ruler."
"Well, it is something that cannot be helped. Now cheer up, I distinctively remember that you have plans with someone today. It would not be proper to greet a lady with such a poor expression, now would it?" Sebastian gave Chung a gentle pat on the shoulder before he walked over to a wardrobe closet.
"I… I guess not," replied Chung, before a brighter expression graced his face. Chung then walked towards the closet before he tugged on Sebastian's sleeve, which caused the older male to shoot a curious glance. "Go attend to something else, Sebastian. I'll choose my attire for today, since it's my own meeting after all." Sebastian nodded in understanding before he placed the teapot and the unfinished cup of tea on the tray and headed towards the bedroom door. Sebastian opened the door and was about to leave before he turned his head in Chung's direction.
"I forgot to mention, Master Chung, please do try to be subtle today; you are still the prince after all and it is quite early for you to have an heir."
Chung blushed madly andsharply turned his headtowards the doorway… only to be greeted with a closed door and the sound of distant footsteps. Face still red, Chung turned towards his wardrobe and began to rummage through it to find something satisfying enough to wear for the day. After he pulled out a white dress shirt and a pair of grey pants, the young prince turned to lock the door and began to mutter while he undressed.
"Stupid… Sebastian… talking all proper… and chastising me about formality… and then saying something like that… freaking…"
After he putted on a pair of shoes, Chung unlocked his bedroom door and stepped out onto the tiled hallway. Chung turned to greet a couple of maids that he happened to have passed by and continued to walk a relatively easy pace. After he arrived at the staircase that led to the first floor, Chung began to descend it before he raised his right hand to check the time.
'Hmm… there's still a good twenty minutes before noon. I should probably get something to eat before stepping out'
The staircase led down to a flat flooringthat connected to a shorter set of stairs which then connected to the ground floor. Chung descended until he arrived on the flat flooring and turned to view the sight in front of him. The entire floor was covered with white marble tiles, with a long red carpet that extended into the other chambers on the ground floor and up the very stairs that Chung stood on. The hallways that were connected to the staircase encircled the main entrance, with one side being the wall to a respective bedroom and one side with stone railings that enabled the palace inhabitants to view the ground below them from said hallways. Large chandeliers hung from the ceiling that, had it been night time, would have had enough light to fully illuminated every corner of the lower floor. Golden molding decorated the flooring as elegant paintings hung from the walls above. Chung, despite having seen the sight multiple times throughout his life, could not help but frown.
'I never stop wondering… if all of this is really necessary. All the efforts that went to the palace… should've been dedicated to the people instead. We already live a life of luxury, we don't need anymore,' thought Chung, before the blonde shook his head. 'No, worry about it some other time Chung. Today's not the day to be depressed like this.'
Chung stepped off the stairway and opened a door to the left that led into the palace's kitchen. The blonde looked around the tables and found a plate of bread nearby before he grabbed two loafs and exited the room. With the doors closed, Chung headed back near the stairs and then headed in the direction of the palace's entrance. As he approached the large gateway, Chung noticed two watchmen stationed near there and smiled before he raised his hand to wave towards them.
"Richard! Alex!"
Said watchmen perked up upon hearing their names called before they turned towards the source of the voice. With a smile, the man named Richard returned the greeting with the same gesture. "Good morning to ya, Prince Chung! What can I do for ya today?"
Chung released a puff of breath as he jogged to quickly reach the two men. "I'm going to head out right now to attend something. If you see father, please let him know that I'm leaving."
"We'll be sure to let him know if we see him" Richard replied with a nod.
Chung gave a short "thanks!" to the two guards before he continued forward. As he ripped off a small piece of bread and nibbled on it, Chung walked for a couple of minutes before he saw the small outline of a district in the distance. The young male hastened his pace as he allowed a small smile to appear on his face.
'For the love of all that is holy, where on Elrios is she?'
Chung let out an exasperated sigh as he continued to watch the large mass of individuals move to and forth in the district, going about with their own agendas. The young male shifted his position on the district's central fountain before he bent forward to rest his chin on his palm and delved back into his thoughts.
'Seriously, this is becoming ridiculous. It's been ten minutes already and there's still no sign of her. What's even more ridiculous is the irony where usually it's the male that's late instead of the female, and here I am sitting like a dope in front of everyone. I'm going to wait five more minutes befor-'
"Chung~!"
The male in question barely had a moment to react and turn toward the source of the voice before something –or rather, someone– tackled into him and sent the blonde a couple of feet away from the fountain. Chung let out a groan and prepared to get up before he becameaware of a large weight on top of him. He opened his eyes and saw a pair of turquoise eyes stare right back at him, which caused the young male to gasp in surprise.
"Heya Chung~!"
"L-Lucy!"
The shocked expression on Chung's face immediately turned into an embarrassed, and very red, one after he realized the position they were in. He could tell that every individual who witnessed the tackle-hug currently watched with amusement at his predicament of being on the ground with a girl around his neck. Panicking, Chung hastily slipped out of the girl's embrace and scrambled to his feet. Chung hesitantly stole quick glances at his surrounding area as he extended his hand towards the girl on the ground and was relieved to see everyone return to their own affairs. When he felt a smaller hand grasp his, Chung helped the girl to her feet before he sent a glare in her direction.
In front of the blonde stood a girl that looked of the same age as he was, with a smile that graced her features instead of a glare. A turquoise bonnet rested on her head that trailed down to cover both of her shoulders and was held together with a white ribbon as her brown hair flowed behind her into curled ends. A long turquoise dress adorned the young girl's body with edges that held a few specks of dust from her little stunt a few second ago along with leather boots that covered up to her knees. The young girl dusted herself with her hands before looking back at the ill-expressioned blonde in front of her.
"L-Lucy! W-What was that all about! You show up late and then you t-tackled me when everyone was watching! Do you know how embarassi-" A pair of laughter ranged from behind Chung and interrupted his rant
"You're still the same old kiddy king, aren't ya?"
"That's not really a good composure there, Chung"
'Those… those voices… it can't be'.
With widened eyes, Chung turned his gaze away from Lucy to the two figures that stood behind him. Contrary to the female behind him, the two individuals in front of Chung were males of age sixteen and eighteen. The younger of the two stood with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face. Golden hair flowed down his head with wavy stranges that formed two bangs in front of his face as his blue eyes twinkled in mischeif. A dress shirt adorned his body with a cotton vest on the outside and long black pants reached down to a pair of black shoes on his feet. The elder of the two stood next to the golden-haired man and held a warm smile as opposed to his companion's smirk. Burnette hair spiked up near the top of his head before flowing down into two side strands near his neck. A white shirt adorned his chest with two armor plates that covered both of his shoulders. Two leather belts were wrapped around his waist as one held up a pair of white pants while the other held up a sheathed longsword.
"No way… Penensio? And Ross as well!"
Chung stared at the two individuals in shock for a second or two before he fully registered their existence. Chung jogged towards the two individuals as the shocked expression disappeared into a bright smile and he regained control of his body. When he reached Penension and Ross, Chung extended his hands out and gave both males a brief hug before he stepped back. "I… I can't believe you guys are here. Didn't you tell me in that letter a while ago that you were in Resiam?"
"You have me to thank for that, you know!" Chung turned around to look at Lucy and raised his eyebrow in confusion. Lucy walked up to the three males and grinned widely before she gave Chung a poke on his cheek. "It's the reason why I was late, you know. I had to go and pick up these two knuckle-heads from the market since they didn't know where we were planning on meeting up. We all haven't seen you in such a long time that I thought about how great it would've been if we could all meet up again!" Lucy then peered over Chung's shoulder and winked at the two males behind him. "Plus, I know a certain someone was getting pretty lonely~."
Chung looked behind him to see Ross with an embarrassed expression before his eyes narrowed and he sent a glare towards Lucy. "H-Hey! You were the one who originally planned to meet up with Chung over there! And besides, you're acting as if Penensio isn't the same as well."
"Oi, oi, this is between you and Lucy. Don't drag me into this."
"Like hell I won't! She never says anything about you!"
"That's because you make it too easy for her to mess with you"
"Why you…!"
Chung watched Ross bicker with Penensio for several seconds, before Lucy eventually decided to join in with her own remarks. A smile crept up on Chung, which turned into a grin right afterwards before Chung erupted in laughter. He heard the commotion stop as the three individuals turned their gaze towards him. Chung lifted his head to look at his friends as he wiped a tear away with his finger. "Ha… I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I just haven't seen you guys in so long and… I almost forgot how fun it was to be around you guys."
Lucy walked up to Chung and embraced him in a hug. "Exactly~, Chung. That's why I had Penensio and Ross come here today. We've all missed you after you became a prince and it would've been more fun if we all were here instead of just me and you," Stepping out of the embrace, Lucy grabbed Chung's arm before she walked past and dragged Chung along. "Now, let's go already! We've already wasted so much time by just standing here, you know!"
Chung smiled and sped up to match Lucy's pace before he gestured Penensio and Ross to follow along with a wave of his hand.
"Wow… it's so pretty~!"
Eyes widened with hands clenched near her chest, Lucy was filled with awe as she gazed at the sight in front of her with amazement. Courtesy of Chung, the group of youths found out about the existence of a very large meadow on the outskirts of the district that stretched for a good two miles. With Chung in the lead, the small group had traveled through a forest before they arrived at a hilltop several minutes later. Impatient since she found out about the place, Lucy instantly rushed toward the edge of the hilltop for a good view of the area. Much to Lucy's joy, Chung was accurate in how far the fields stretched. The meadow appeared as a green sea, with millions of grass that covered the entire land. Various species of flowers littered multiple areas of the land in shades of white and purple while butterflies floated by in a lazy manner. A small shallow stream stretched through the meadows that shimmered with small specks of light, courtesy of the morning sun that was still in the sky. Several animals could be seen by the streamside while others roamed the large field. Lucy stood awestruck for a couple of seconds before turning back toward her friends.
"This place is so beautiful! Chung, why didn't you ever show me this place before?" Lucy asked with a pout.
"Don't look at me like that, now. I discovered of this place by accident and it was only recently that I did. Besides, I showed it to you now didn't I?" Chung walked down the hill scanned the ground for a clean patch of grass before he found one a moment later and sat down on it. For a few seconds, Chung gazed at the open field while lost in thought. He could briefly make out a commotion from behind him, as Lucy gave a shout before Ross ran past Chung with Lucy in hot pursuit. Chung heard a chuckle before he turned his head and saw Penensio next to him. "It's been years and those two still haven't changed. I still remember that day four years ago when Ross commented on Lucy's dress. She scared him so badly that he wouldn't go anywhere near her for a week straight."
Chung gave a laugh before he turned back to watch his two friends continue their antics, where Lucy somehow had acquired a giant branch and chased after Ross with it. "How could I forget, Penensio? I was the only reason why Ross returned to his regular old self," Chung then lowered his gaze. "Four years, huh…"
The change in Chung's tone didn't go unnoticed as Penensio briefly turned to glance at the blonde. After a brief seconds, Penension redirected his sights back on the meadow before continuing to speak. "You have something on your mind, don't you? If anything, it's something that's been bothering you for quite some time now," Chung didn't respond, but merely lowered his head even more until his bangs covered his eyes. "You don't have to keep everything to yourself, Chung. I don't know about Ross, but you know we're always open to hear what you want to say." When he did not receive a response from his friend, Penensio returned his sights back on Lucy and Penensio. After several moments, Penensio heard a small murmur from his friend.
"Why do all good things come to an end…?"
Chung finally lifted his head up and a troubled expression graced his face. "I didn't want to think about it nor bring it up because I was mainly happy to see you all. But, I keep on being reminded of the fact that we'll most likely not see each other as often nor have fun in the future." Chung then turned towards Penensio. "Penensio… I don't think I can inherit the throne. Just this morning, I already told Sebastian off for addressing me as a Master and I always dislike the idea of everyone regarding me so highly."
Penensio absorbed what Chung had said before he closed his eyes for a brief moment. The older male had held a suspicion that something was had troubled the prince, but he did not know it was something of this magnitude. Penensio pondered for a few more seconds before reopening his eyes to respond to Chung.
"That's because you have a kind heart, Chung, and nobody is more rightful to the Seiker throne than you are. We will separate and move on with our own lives in the future, yes, but do not forget that us four will always be friends," Penensio lifted his hand before he set it on Chung's hair and ruffed it. "If you're worried about your future position, then don't think of it as a role where everyone's serving you. Rather, remind yourself that you're leading everyone in the right path and ensuring that the people of Hamel will have happier lives."
"… Thanks, Penensio. You always know what to say to make people feel better."
Penensio smiled before he stood up and patted his behind to clear any grass stuck on there. "It's not a problem, just think of it as a gift from me. Besides, it wouldn't be proper for the future prince of Hamel to have so much doubt, now would it"
Chung stared blankly at Penensio before he gave a laugh. "You know, Sebastian said something along those lines to me this morning. Déjà vu must be quite popular with me." Penensio and returned the laugh before he extended his hand to pull Chung up. The two men then descended the hill and began to walk towards Lucy and Ross.
"Chung, it's past noon already. I think we should let those two know and then head back to town to pick up something to eat."
Chung subconsciously moved his hand towards his stomach and looked up at the sky before he confirmed that it was indeed late into the afternoon. "I think so too, I'm starting to become a little hungry," the blond replied sheepishly. "There's this pretty good shop near the fountain where we met up that is famous for the grilled meat and prune-drink that they serve. I'm pretty sure Ross and Lucy will lov-"
Chung was interrupted as a tremor shook through the earth that caused both him and Penensio to kneel for balance, and subsequently caused Ross to fall out of a nearby tree and Lucy to fall on her behind. The tremor continued to leave the four individuals disoriented before they all heard an explosion occur from the direction of the district. Regaining control of his senses once the tremor subsided, Chung stood up and was relieved to find all three of his friends uninjured –save for Ross– as he looked in their direction. Before Chung could do anything else, a deafening roar echoed through the atmosphere as a purple beam shot through the air and high into the sky.
"Chung!"
The male in question turned around as Lucy ran up to him with a worried expression. "Chung, are you alright? What was that just now?"
"I… I don't know. All I heard was a large explosion and then-" Chung replied before he lifted his hand to point towards the beam of light. "-that light appeared in the air."
Ross turned towards the direction of Chung's finger and widened his eyes when he saw the beam of light. Unease filled Ross' expression before it turned into shock. "C-Chung… isn't that beam in the direction of the palace?!"
The young prince widened his eyes before he snappend his head towards the light's direction and then towards the direction of the entrance through the forest. Much to Chung's horror, the light shone to the west of the forest and indeed was in the direction of the Seiker palace. Without a second though, Chung broke into a sprint and dashed towards the direction of the district with only a single though in his mind.
'Mother… Father… please be safe…!'
Yeah… unfortunately for me, absolutely no effort went into this first chapter. Considering the fact that this chapter only serves as a prologue of some sorts to give readers a "calm before the storm" sort of feeling, the lack of relevance to the main plot left me very uninterested in writing any more than I already did. Expect the initial chapters to be mostly filled with introduction-centric stuff before this multi-fic picks up its pace with the main plot.
I'm not sure if I should be saying this, but what I had originally wanted to happen was to have either Els or Aisha be the protagonist. This is mainly because I'm very familiar with Els and I always encourage the existence of more female protagonists. However, multiple aspects of the plot in the future made Chung more fitting to be the main character. What completely sucks about this is the fact that he's my least favorite character as a result of his play style in-game and the lack of interest I have towards him. Writing is going to be so much more difficult in the future… *sigh*
Reviews are appreciated if people are willing to give them, although what I'm mainly looking for right now is good and constructive criticism. With that, I'm going to go back to sulking over not being able to play Elsword for another two weeks.
Lunar signing off~