this is probably going to be updated quickly...i mean, i'm spending time on it, but THIS IS FUN~

anyway

it'll start out as only elsword, aisha, rena, and one of the new characters. the other members of the party will reunite with each other soon enough.

LET US BEGIN~

(PS: i am very tempted to make an rp blog for my OCs in this...maybe i will someday. maybe when the first volume is over...)

Chapter 1: Chasm of Spikes

"...ord...swo...elswo...Elsword! Wake up!"

"...geh...?"

Elsword lightly opened his eyes to see Aisha and Rena looking over him. Both girls gently smiled when they saw he was awake. "Thank goodness. You're alright."

Elsword shakily got up. "What..." Then he remembered. The earthquake. The meteor...

"Finally awake, are you?"

The three looked over to see a woman who resembled a farmer or something like that. "We found you three passed out in the fields near Unmei Village...did you live there?" Aisha shook her head. "No, we were only visiting. What happened there?"

The woman frowned. "The village is gone...it's been swallowed into the ground, and there's not much left...but some of the guards did say that they saw some sort of spike formation where the earth opened."

Elsword, already feeling better, got up and looked to Aisha and Rena. The two girls nodded, and the woman gasped. "You three...are you three going to the village's site?" Elsword nodded. "We could find answers as to what's going on." Seeing that they wouldn't give up, the woman sighed. "Alright...but be careful."

It was a long trek through the canyon that has formed because of the quake, but they made it through. What awaited them was both amazing and concerning at the same time.

Where the village once was, there was now a chasm filled with rock spikes that seemed to be trying to rip the sky apart.

Rena's eyes widened. "No...this is horrible..." While they looked around, Elsword noticed something...rather, someone.

A girl was on her knees at a small cliff that looked out over the chasm. She had long blue hair in a ponytail, fair skin, and white eyes. She wore a white cloak with a light pink dress underneath, white tights, and gold-colored boots. At her side was a rapier with a silver blade and a pink handle.

The girl stared at the spikes. So many lives were lost...has the crystal lost its glow?

"Hey."

She looked over to see the three looking at her. The girl shied away as Rena approached. The elf gently smiled. "Don't worry. We aren't here to harm you." The girl looked up. "You are..."

Before she could continue, the sound of whirling blades could be heard above them. When they looked up, the group saw a large ship above them.

The strange girl gasped. "The demons...I thought I had covered my trail...excuse me!" She pushed past the three...

*BANG BANG*

"Gah!"

The girl fell as two bullets barely missed her. Aisha gasped. "What are they doing?!" The group nodded to each other and ran, grabbing the girl's hand and helping her up. "This way!" "Huh?!"

The four ran through the canyon, defeating demons that tried to grab the girl. Eventually, the ship retreated.

The group stopped to catch their breath, all four breathing heavily. Elsword looked at the strange girl. "A-Are you...alright?" The girl silently nodded.

Once they all had rested, the girl stood. "I apologize for that...I was certain that they would not find me here..." Rena frowned. "Why are they after you? Who are you?"

The girl bowed. "Anima Optivus, priestess of Sanctus, the Country of Faith." Aisha blinked. "Sanctus? You mean that country with the really big piece of El?" Anima nodded. "The very same. I tend to the Crystal of Heavenly El, and its power keeps our land alive."

Elsword frowned. "So, why are you here?" Anima's face now looked worried. "I was sent by Lord Regalis to assist the El Search Party in their work...I have heard of your plights." Aisha's eyes widened. "You know about us?" The priestess nodded. "Elsword, Aisha, and Rena, the first three members of the party. Tales of your quests have been reported to us by the capital city's army, who have traveled around to make sure the rest of the El is safe."

The girl then looked around. "However...I was made aware that the party was much larger now. Am I wrong?" Rena frowned. "No, we were a large group...but we were caught up in that incident that happened in the village up there, and now we have no idea where the others are." Anima sighed. "I see..."

She then looked at the group. "Elsword? Aisha? Rena? Please, may I travel alongside you? This is not just for the kingdom, but for all of Elrios. So please..." Elsword grinned. "Of course! We always welcome new friends!" Anima smiled alongside the rest of the group. "Thank you."

"I see...the situation is more dire that I had assumed."

The group was back at the town, at the inn. Anima had been informed of the group's adventures. The girl frowned. "So the other crystals..." Rena blinked. "There are more?"

Anima nodded. "All the elements have a special crystal that powers the rest of that type of El. Sanctus's crystal is special-it is powered by the strength of both the Sun and Moon. The rest of the elements have their own, smaller crystals as a power source." Aisha gaped at the girl. "Wow...that's amazing!"

Anima gently smiled. "Each crystal is watched over by a priest or priestess, like myself. And each crystal is set in a certain country."

"I hate to interrupt..."

The group looked up to see a man in a suit of armor. He looked to Anima. "Lady Anima, it is a pleasure to see you have arrived safely. And I assume that these people are...?" Anima nodded, then turned to the others. "This is Saltus, guard to the Priest of the Earth Crystal." Saltus smiled at the group. "It is a pleasure to meet you all." Then, his face turned serious. "Lady Anima, I need to speak to you in private...it deals with the crystals." Anima nodded and got up. "This will only be a moment."

As the group waited for the two, they overheard people talking.

'The seas are growing dark and murky.'

'The plants are wilting sooner than normal.'

'Fires are running wild and out of control.'

'So is the wind...what is happening to this land?'

Rena frowned. "Could this be related to the El or the demons...?" Just then, Anima and Saltus returned, and both wore faces of concern.

Anima frowned. "The other priests...they have vanished." Aisha's eyes widened. "They're gone? Why?" Saltus frowned. "I don't know...but one day, they all just vanished...they might have been taken by the demons."

So that's why they were after Anima...

Elsword looked at Anima. "We heard the townspeople talking about stuff going wrong with the elements. Think that might be related to that?" The priestess nodded. "It is not a coincidence. I can tell."

Saltus nodded. "Then we should hurry to check on the Crystal of Earth El. It's the closest one. We'll head to the shrine in the morning." The group nodded in agreement.

Later that night...

Anima was standing on a small 'tower' that looked over the town. The priestess frowned. So much has happened...if this is not fixed soon, then...

The girl put her hands together and silently prayed.

Please...let the pillars that support this world no longer break.

(End of Chapter)

i'm going to have so much fine writing with anima...you'll see why later.

a bit of this has inspiration from Bravely Default, so hawk-eyed readers might catch that right away~

next time, the group will set off to the first shrine!

and maybe we'll take a look somewhere else, and see where the others ended up...

later, guys 'n gals!