Hello everyone! This is a sequel to my Elsword story series. The series is currently two full stories and a companion short story series.

The stories the series consists of are Relearning the Seraph, Finding the Blazing Heart, and Anecdotes of a Small Child.

Relearning the Seraph is story one of the series, mainly an ElsEve. It gives the main premise that the series is founded on, as well as why Seris is alive.

Yes, Seris is alive. Relearning the Seraph explains why, but this story gives an inklet of a hint too.

Finding the Blazing Heart is the second story in the series and is a relationship developments between Chung and Elesis. It also contains a Pichu.

I do not own Elsword or its characters. But I ship Elsword and Eve, Raven and Seris, and Chung with Elesis.

I own my conceptual format of Seris; including her class I made called Body of Light. My boyfriend and I share joint ownership of Cedric.

My boyfriend and I also own the "mystery child" that appeared last chapter, and is finally discussed in this chapter.

Speaking of my boyfriend, check out his stories! He is called The Lost Son of Gaia on here, and would definitely appreciate readers!

(His Elsword stories are a treat, please don't miss out.)

Please enjoy and review!

Classes:

Elsword: Rune Slayer

Eve: Code Nemesis

Rena: Wind Sneaker

Raven: Blade Master

Chung: Deadly Chaser

Aisha: Dimensional Witch

Ara: Sakra Devanam

Elesis: Blazing Heart


Embracing the Future

~/~

Chapter 3: Fatal Chime's Duality

'What, you thought that part of you would just go away? Of course not. Stop me. Torch me to oblivion.'

"End my foolish paralysis

Devour the wrongs of every sinner's heart

Blaze the ones who never cared

Stack the remains to the highest

And burn it all, burn it all...

Burn it all to the ground..."

It was as the song continued that it began to occur to Seris that something was terribly wrong. She didn't move though, she in fact held no fear for the entranced child that was singing. She sat where she had been this whole time, watching the child sing. Listening at the dual intonation of the girl's voice and the manlike one that sounded way too much like Raven. Why were there two voices? The blond had even looked around, but Raven had never came in. He wasn't even nearby the room. She didn't understand, and so as she sat to listen, she also tried to think of an explanation. All the woman wanted to do was hug the girl and give her the family she deserved...the family she needed. What could be causing this? Why were there two voices in one girl? She tried to think...of anything she knew...

"Hey, Seris?"

"Yeah Raven?"

"Thank you..."

"Huh? For what?"

"For being both the fire in my heart...and the one to tame it."

"You're welcome. Thank you for loving me."

"I'll never stop. Not even in the worst of fires..."

So long ago...but he had never stopped...

The rest of the group met Elsword, Eve, and Mira at Feita when the time to return to their home in the Ruben outskirts had come. Mira had made impressive progress during the remainder of the day, but was now exhausted and asleep in her father's arms. Eve smiled on at the sight, glowing with ultimate pride as she walked alongside him. Rena's brother was giggling along the way, delighted as he played with his sister's face with the cutest grin on his own. Aisha was sticking behind in Feita for a bit, as it was a date night for her and Allegro. That left Ara, Rena, Elsword, Eve, Elesis, and Chung all headed for home with the respective child additions. They had no idea that strange events were already brewing in their home for the evening. Sure, Raven was hard at work at dinner, but he would surely hear the events soon. Something was coming to surface, and while she wasn't sure what it was...Seris herself was sure it was not a good thing. She was sure that Raven's voice was not supposed to be faintly mixing in underneath the girl's voice as she sang this haunting, senseless tune under whatever entrancement she was under.

"What do you think Raven made for dinner?" asked Rena, "Do we have anything babies can eat?"

"Eh, who knows what he made? But seriously Rena, you're going to have to go get baby formula. Do any of us look like babies to you?" Elsword inquired.

"Baby elves are usually fed salad and figgy pudding..." the elf responded.

"What! You can't be serious!" Ara exclaimed.

"I always just fed Elsword my world famous stew," Elesis shrugged.

"World famous my foot. I thought my stomach fell out of my body..."

"That just means you had a filling meal!"

"No, it means you almost killed me!"

"Well, no one has to die anymore. Let's calm down," Eve stated softly.

"Speaking of calming down, does anyone think that girl is ever going to?" Chung wondered.

"Doubt it," Rena sighed.

"I think she might..." Ara murmured, "-especially with Seris working with Raven on her."

"Well, I guess if Seris can save Raven from himself, she might save that kid from herself," Elesis responded, "-I mean...even I was able to see a better sky, right?"

"And even I was able to shed a darker code," Eve added.

"Even you learned how to love," Elsword smiled.

She nodded, "Even I learned how to love."

"If Eve learned to love, everyone's battle to love may as well be over," Chung laughed softly.

"Alright, alright! I get it!" Eve chuckled with a false complaint.

Elsword smiled at her, still holding their precious daughter close to him as he walked with them to find a good place to use a Cobo Transport service to get home. It was always good to go home after a long day, and everyone had worked extremely hard. Even his daughter had done her very best to become better and stronger today. Rena had done some bonding, Aisha was having a date night, Ara was in good spirits, Chung and Elesis were doing alright, and they were doing well altogether. It was time to get back home, and have some dinner.

"To torment my existing lies

For the heart I've never had

Shred the wrongs of end

You cannot save me now

Set an inferno tonight

Torch me to oblivion

So that I may never induce

This harm on anyone else..."

"Raven..." Seris called to the child, her green eyes dimming, "Raven, is that you? I don't understand..."

"I'm right here, what's wrong?"

"Ah!"

Seris jumped slightly, turning to look at Raven as the man entered the room now. He raised a confused eyebrow now, wondering what was wrong with his wife, and why the child was in the corner staring blankly into thin space. Her green eyes were wide as she stared at him, while Alma's eyes were rust red as she turned to face the newly entered man. Her eyes were still blank and soulless, devoid of existing life or animation. It worsened when she smiled a crooked smirk...and when Seris sunk to her knees bursting into tears before her husband. Her hands held her head as she cried, except a scream escaped her too, and her howling wail left her without warning. She felt her heart racing, her head beginning to ache terribly as she tried to gasp for air she felt like she didn't have. It was a horrifying feeling, and it was here that she realized she was starting to panic. Gripping her dress in front of her chest, she struggled to calm down. Everything going on...she was so confused. She didn't know what to do about any of this.

"Raven...!"

"Seris, what's wrong? Seris!" he cried to her.

"Something...something isn't right..." his wife managed.

"Shred the wrongs of end

You cannot save me now

Set an inferno tonight

Torch me to oblivion

Set a blaze tonight

To burn away the bleeding memory

Let's light a fire in this darkness

Build the torched ash to the sky

Ablaze the wrongs done in the pitch black..."

It was an echo under her cruel voice...the second voice faint but existing. It was a frightful effect...especially to those that knew that secondary tone... Without warning, as her husband remained in shock, Seris could do nothing further but to fall fully unconscious. Her long locks fluttered out around her body, whisking around her like a blanket of protection.

"What..." Raven gasped, also hearing the second voice within the girl, "-why is my...?"

"Wow..." Alma's voice called, the second one still audible as she spoke, "...you thought that side just left without a trace? Of course not..."

"Alma! Alma, are you there? Where are you?" He yelled to her, abraded at the situation now.

"Forget me..."

The words left her, within only her voice, before her body dropped into her mind's state of unconsciousness. Raven's eyes remained wide, staring now at the two on the floor, and trying to figure out what had just happened. Slowly, he carefully walked to where they were, collecting both of them in his arms. Walking to the room he and Seris shared, he rested them onto the bed. Cedric was already asleep there, at which he whimpered and wriggled in his sleep, curling close to Alma and Seris. Softly, Raven put a blanket over all three and sighed slowly, his gold eyes worried.

"You cannot save me now...set an inferno tonight...torch me to oblivion..." Raven muttered the peculiar lyrics, then shook his head, "-never, that's not happening. There was a time where I believed that I could not be saved...I will not apply such a concept to life again."

He left the room carefully, going back to the kitchen to make sure all of the dinner was set out. He divided out four plates, softly taking each to his room, before leaving a note for the others. Getting back, he buckled down to watch the other three sleep, leaving their plates aside. Cedric was just napping, he knew that much, but the other two had fainted under mysterious conditions. All of this nonsense now had him fully concerned, and very much confused. What was this? Alma had her voice and his own mixed in her? Why...why would that happened? Why did she suddenly start singing such a song? What had triggered all of this...?

"Whatever is going on...I'll figure it out. I vow that..."