Chapter One
Life is a gift in which we all take for granted. We all live so carelessly, and without thought. We all miss the tiny little details that can mean so much, and make such a difference, but the living would never be able to experience these differences, because we never take the time to just sit down, and breathe life in. However, when you're dead, like I am, you're so bored to tears that all you cando is look at the details that humanity always misses. Everyone thought I was always so happy, but what they don't know is that all my smiles were just plastered on. I was always the one putting everyone before myself, and getting absolutely nothing in return for my efforts to try and make everyone but myself happy. There was so many things I was thinking, I knew I would never be able to let out. My life was pretty good, I must admit. Great friends, I'd achieved my goals, fought for what I believed in, and I even had a person who loved me. So, that's why everyone was so surprised when they'd found my blood soaked body, lying next to a bloody dagger. Even I was surprised when I had finally decided I was going to kill myself, and I was especially surprised it took them so long to figure out it was a suicide and not a murder. All my friends, especially the Grand Chase, took a lot of their time to try and figure things out, which I really appreciated, by the way. But I don't see why everyone was so grief-stricken. I got over it really quickly, and then I realized something. When you die, it not only affects you, but the people around you, no matter how much you think otherwise.
Maybe one of the biggest reasons I killed myself was because of all the threats, misunderstandings, and deep secrets that I couldn't contain any longer. But I guess being dead isn't the worst thing I've been through. I get to tell you about all the dirt I have on the Grand Chase. But before I begin telling you about all the untold stories of the Grand Chase, I must tell you something. When you die, you leave everything behind except one thing. Everyone gets to choose what they get to keep when they die, and I chose something very important to me. My memory. Though I am dead, I can still remember those who loved me. I remember the sound of my friends calling my name, Ophelia. And lastly, I remember that I was once loved, and that if I had the option to go back down to Earth, I wouldn't, because I know that no one would ever be able to forgive me for the selfish act I had executed.
Telling people how you feel is not a skill that many people possess, and a lot of people are willing to admit that they aren't very good at it. But if there's one person I know who isn't good at it, but won't admit it, it's Elesis Seighart. I remember that Elesis was a brave and young swordsman. When I was alive, and I saw Elesis, I saw a girl with fiery red hair, who was dedicated to finding her father, and avenging him, and making sure that she always looked brave and fearless while doing it. But now that I am dead, when I look at Elesis, I see someone who never shows people how she feels, because she's afraid. I'm not exactly sure why, but as soon as I caught a glimpse of Elesis after dying, I knew that she was afraid. But there was one person who brought the best out of Elesis. That person is Ronan, a spell knight and Elesis' lover. Ronan had always taken a beating from Elesis, because she was always calling him names like Ronoob, and Wimp. But Elesis had finally pushed Ronan to his limit, because Ronan was on the edge of leaving Elesis, and I was the only person who knew it.
"So, he said he's going to leave you?" I asked Elesis, as she calmly buried her head into her arms, and leaned onto the granite counters.
"Well, he said that we have been drifting apart, and that if we don't do something quick, he was going to leave. He's considering counselling." She replied with a muffled voice. For some reason, I pitied her, even though I saw it coming, and inside I knew it was her fault.
"Have you tried telling him how you feel about the whole situation? I've been through this before, and that always works." I recommended, giving her a reassuring pat on the back.
"I can't."
"Why not? It's simple."
"I just can't." She tried, but I knew that she didn't want me to see her during a weak time. Like I said before, she would never admit that she couldn't say how she felt.
"Ophelia, please don't tell anyone about this. I don't want anyone to see us crumble under pressure, they'll think I can't stand on my own feet." She explained, with a hopeful look in her red eyes.
"I promise." I replied. Of course I agreed, she was my friend. But, I'm not that innocent.
Elesis and Ronan ended up going to counselling, but to get through counselling, you need to be able to do only one thing, and that thing is tell people how you really feel.
Of course, Elesis and Ronan aren't the only Grand Chase couple going through a rough patch. In fact, all of the Grand Chase couples are going through something. For example, Mari suspected that Seighart was being unfaithful to her. She had confined in me that I tell no one that she had suspected this, and that she was going to investigate the matter. To be honest, I think I had caught Seighart in the act one time, but we were all to drunk to even care. He was with two girls, one blonde and one brunette, and it was at the New Year's Eve party. Mari was upstairs mixing potions, and Seighart was downstairs getting piss drunk like all the rest of us. Zeke Seighart had always been a player, I always knew it was too good to be true, and although he had cheated on her, I thought for just a split second that he really did love her.
"Thanks for preparing breakfast for us, Ophelia." Arme began. "I'm grateful to get a break from cooking duty."
"Don't mention it! I'm happy to help." I replied, as I finished two of the double egg omelettes I had made for my fellow teammates. Just as I had put more eggs on the frying pan, Seighart stumbled down the stairs. I assumed he was hungover, so I placed a large glass of club soda in front of him as he sat down at the table. It was silent at the table for a long time, until Seighart finally broke the ice.
"Last night was crazy, huh?" He hiccuped, taking a sip of the club soda, and letting out a loud belch.
"Probably crazier for you when you cheated on Mari." Lire murmured under her breath. Silence again.
"Look, please don't tell Mari. I will tell her when the time is right, but for now, please, just keep quiet." He continued.
"You know Seighart, I would've taken you up on that offer. I would've if I thought that you actually did love her. But, you're just using her as some outlet, and when you're done with her, you're just going to dump her and leave her there like some big pile of dirt, like you do to all the other girls you clam to 'love'." Arme sighed, standing up, and cleaning her plate.
"Arme, it's not like tha-" He began, but he was interrupted by Amy.
"I hope you know that she's not just a piece of meat you can beat on temporarily, Seig. I hope you know that she actually means something, she has morals, goals and more. And I also hope you know that she was actually looking for love. Obviously she has to keep on searching." She finished, as we all got up to go and tell Mari about Seighart. We'd seen him do this to her too much, we couldn't stand by any longer. Mari then proceeded to attacked Seighart, and never wanted to see him again. Eventually, though, they decided to try and date again, and that's why she suspected him to be cheating, but this time, she wanted to find out herself.
Amy and Jin both have big dreams, but just to clear things up, the Grand Chase wasn't in that dream. Amy had been dreaming about becoming an idol since about as long as she could possibly remember. Jin's dream involved going on his own search party and seeing if there were any Silver Knights other than himself who survived, and possibly starting his own Guild. Now, you'd think this would be fine, but none of these stories are fine, and that's what makes it interesting. We first find out that things are absolutely not going to be rainbows and unicorns when Amy gets a call from her agent and fellow Starlet, Sister Maggie.
"Hello?"
"Amy! I'm so happy to speak with you, and in no time, you're going to be even happier!"
"Maggie, don't tell me what I think you're going to tell me…"
"I got you a world tour around all the continents for three months, and you even get two opening acts, and a band to accompany your performances!"
"Maggie!~ I can't believe you did this! You're making my dreams come true!"
"You got that right, you start next Thursday!"
Amy's smile quickly turned neutral. Usually, everything has two sides to it. This situation was bitter-sweet, because her dreams were coming true, but next Thursday was the Grand Chase's third anniversary, and soon thereafter, she would have to endure on a mission with her team.
"N-Next Thursday…?" She asks, hoping the schedule would change.
"Yeah, is that something to worry about?" Maggie asks.
"Well, that's the GC's third anniversary, and I'm going on a very important mission with them after that…"
"Sorry, but that's all we got. Take it or leave it, Amy..I will give you until next Thursday, because that's when the tour bus leaves. Think about it."
And with that, Sister Maggie hung up the phone. Amy knew that she wanted to go, but she didn't want to leave her friends, or Jin, whom she loved with all her heart. Just as she turned to go tell Jin, there he was, holding a scroll.
"What was that about Amy?" He asked, innocently.
"I-I-I…Sister Maggie just called. I got a gig."
"That's great Amy! When is it?" He replied, his hand that clutches the scroll retreating further and further behind his back.
"Next Thursday…"
Silence.
"I got a reply from the Guild Association. They're allowing me to create my own search party, and I think I'm going to do it."
Jin went on to tell Amy that the selection began on Wednesday morning, and that he was seriously considering taking up the offer. After hearing this, Amy also began considering her offer, knowing that if Jin's gone, the Grand Chase wouldn't be as great. Everyone knows that when life gives you a choice, you take it into serious gratitude, and you don't let people influence your decision, but like I said before, we live life so carelessly that we miss these things.
If anyone, Ley von Crimson River and Dio Burning Canyon are two people who laughed into the face of love. But then they began to realize that they both found love funny for some reason I will never know, and began to fall for each other. But they weren't prepared for the day in which their clans needed a new ruler, even though they knew that day was coming. In case some of you don't know, two demons cannot marry if they are from different clans. If you are the male, you get married, have children, and die soon thereafter. So you can imagine the despair in their cold, demonic hearts when they got a visit from Dio's father, Bertram.
"Father? What brings you here?"
"I've come to tell you that your time to become the clan ruler is approaching at a rapidly dangerous speed. So prepare yourself, we already have a wife prepared for you."
Dio quickly remembered that he had promised his father that he would rule his clan with pride, and he would take the position without hesitation. But now that he was in love with Ley, he changed his mind. But he couldn't disgrace his father like that. He decided to take matter's into his own hands and end the conversation as soon as he could.
"I understand father. See you soon." Dio replied, coldly shutting the door. Dio didn't want to betray Ley, but he knew he had no choice.
"Dio?" A soft, and choked up voice emerged from the top of the stairs. Dio looked up to see Ley staring at Dio with tears in her eyes.
"Ley…I'm sorry."
Ley knew what this meant, of course, because she herself is the princess of a clan.
"You're not really going to do it, are you?" Ley asked in an unsure tone, slowly walking down the stairs with caution, as if she would run if he said yes.
"You know I have to. I don't want to, but I have no choice. My father will kill me if I don't. Literally."
"Then, we'll run away! Please Dio, I want to be with you!"
"I do too, Ley," Dio finished, unsure of their future. All he could do for the moment was kiss her on the lips softly. As he leaned in, she turned away.
"If you really love me, you wouldn't do this to me." Ley argued, walking back upstairs. In Dio's mind, he knew he was going to do it. But in his heart, he knew he was going to be with Ley.
If you know Lass Isolet very well, you know that his past is probably worse than anyone's, and that he was treated like an animal by his father figure, and his Nightmare Circus. The only person who understood him during this time was Oretina, the lion tamer at the Nightmare Circus. If you know Lass well enough, you'd know that the only person who can help him uncover more of his past is his step-brother, Rufus, with whom he has a rivalry. Unfortunately, only one person knows Lass well enough to know all this stuff, and that person is Arme Glenstid, Lass' much loved girlfriend. Arme is probably the sweetest, most beautiful person in the world through Lass' eyes. She is always there for Lass through his hard times, and yet, he has always been afraid that he isn't there for her often enough. And lately, Lass has been needing Arme more than ever, because he has been thinking more and more about his past, which is still shrouded with mystery. And the more he thought about his past, the more he convinced himself to go and confront Rufus.
"Lass, we need to talk." Arme finally speaks to Lass, who has been silently staring out of the window all day.
"What is there to speak about?" He replies softly, without emotion.
"You have been so distant lately. What's going through your mind?" She continues, sitting beside him on the window ledge.
"Nothing really. Well, that's all I know about my past, so that's what has been going through my head lately." Lass explains, avoiding eye contact.
"Lass, please try and forget about our trip to the Nightmare Circus."
"How could I? How could I forget when I was so close to figuring myself out? I don't even know who I am anymore, Arme!" He lashed. Arme quickly turns away.
"Arme…I'm sor-"
"No. I'm sorry I asked."
"Arme, wait."
Of course, she was already gone. The more time spent alone after that, the more Lass realized that he needed Arme by his side. And more importantly, the more time he thought about it alone, the more he finally agreed that he would leave in two days to go and find Rufus, before he went on another bounty hunt.
Lire Eruyell is a skilled Archer, as well as a faithful, young and beautiful elf, and Lire is in a committed relationship with Ryan, a Druid. However, Lire has been convinced for some time now that Ryan loves trees more than he loves her. So, Lire has been trying to gain his attention for at least three months now. I'd remember, because I was still alive when she first made a pact to get Ryan's attention, no matter how far she would have to take it.
"I just wish Ryan would spend some quality time with me…I just feel like the spark in our relationship has flared out and there's just nothing left…" Lire complained, as all the girls sat around the table while the guys were in the basement playing video games.
"Well, you could start fake dating some really cute guy, and make him jealous. It brings out the fire in all guys, because they realize that they are not making you happy and try harder!" Ley recommended, stirring her tea.
"I don't want to push it."
"You can try going to dangerous measures to get his attention!" Elesis tries. "If he sees you doing that stuff he will become some macho guy who will try to protect you and you'll feel happy again."
"Ellie, that's a great idea!"
I don't really know why she picked that, because it seemed like a terrible idea, but we were just so stupid. But since then, she has jumped through a ring of fire on a horse, fought a dangerous man-eating troll, and even gave little, tiny hints that she was loosing interest, but so far, nothing. You'd think by now that she'd give up and try the other method, but I guess not.
Lire and Arme were in the GC Library. Arme was looking for black magic spell books, and Lire was looking at Ancient Elven prophecies and Spirits. And then she came across the Ancient Elven War, a war that went on between the Fox Clan, and the Wolf Clan. Later that evening, she decided to share with us what she had discovered.
"Guys, I have an idea that might just work on Ryan."
"Well, let's hear it?" I asked. I was curious about the newest dumb thing that would go on between us.
"If I enter the Ancient Elven War, he'll be bound to try and stop me!" Lire insisted.
"That's excellent!" I lied.
"I can't wait for this," Ley laughed.
The war was only a few weeks away, an Lire was preparing to enter. Of course, I killed myself before she entered, so now I get front row seats. Now, the war is only a few days away and I cannot wait to see how much her plan fails.
When you're up here, looking down on the streets you once roamed on, you can see all the horrible things coming down the path, preparing to engulf your loved ones in a series of pitiful events. You might be wondering: If I could go down and warn all my friends about the things to come., would I? Well, the answer would be: probably not, because if you knew you were going to die tomorrow, you would spend all day waiting for the fateful moment rather then living up the last hours you have, and I wouldn't want to put them through that misery. Sometimes when I get bored, I look back to the day my lifeless body was discovered. I like to see how my teammates reacted when they realized they would never see me walking down the halls of the giant mansion I once lived in again. But whenever I look back on that day, something always catches my eye. Everyone was mourning and crying over my dead body, except for Lass, who just stood in the shady corner of the room I'd stabbed myself in, with a depressing look in his eyes, right before he walks out of the room with his head hung low. I still haven't figured out why he barely showed emotion, but something tells me I'll have a fun time finding out.