(Heh. I think I'm improving a little bit. Time for Day 3, though technically it did hit Day 3...ah, never mind. Onwards! I'm really sorry for the long update. Stress took over me and well, things have been tough, along with having to deal with 7 sisters are complete bro-cons -cough- anyways. I really do plan on doing some massive updates soon. And yes, hold it against me. PM me, nag me, etc. MAKE ME UPDATE. Let's get started, shall we?

Sura: Let's do this, guys!)

Cloaked in Black

Day 3: Journey and Improvements

The left hazel eye of the raven-haired man twitched as his new companion constantly brushed against his ear lobe. She had fallen asleep since the time was late. His watch ticked rather loudly as the time hit 5 AM.

Sunrise…

He thought. With the bag around his back, which was bare from the previous battle,he began to gaze at the pyramid. If his calculations served him correctly, the secret passage should take him up in only one day.

Heh...too easy…

"Strange for you, Blade Master. We've only just met, yet you seem to have already put faith into me."

"Trust. You want my trust? That will not happen until the right moment. I don't trust anyone or anything, and do not think that just because you are a demon who is helping me, that you get an exception, Ethernia."

"I'm insulted. Such a high ranked demon as I not being trusted by a human in his quest for power?"

"You will gain trust as we progress. I am not willing to give in that easy. Last time I did, it proved to be fatal mistake."

The demon sighed as the man continued his trek up the side of the pyramid where the door would lie. Gust storms flew into his eyes, making it hard for him to see. His companion covered his eyes in some sort of goop that formed into sunglasses.

"There's your first advantage of taking me with you. I can protect your vision."

"Thank you…"

Dust Devils sprouted from the ground as the rocky sand hit the man's chest. It hurt, but nothing too painful, such as betrayal by the ones he had put faith into from the beginning. The door was starting to come into view and he sighed.

Only a few jumps…

He realized that the jumps would be way too far for him to reach. Ethernia snickered as she glided across gracefully, further signalling for him to cross.

"How am I supposed to reach across? Jumping? Or perhaps you wish to see my downfall"

"Idiot! Use what the merchant gave you"

"How could I forget?"

"That's your first lesson. Analyze."

"Analyze…"

She was beautiful. Everything a man could ever ask for. Blonde hair. Strong mind. She had the elegance, the beauty, the intelligence, but she was lacking one thing. Strength. I would give that to her. Once we would have gotten married, our link would never be broken. But...why does Analyze remind me of her? Why is my past once again returning to me? I must find the answers…

"Yes. I've analyzed it."

He placed the bag down next to himself. The gap looked approximately 30 feet in distance. The drop...he could not see the bottom, so instant death was a good guess on it's depth. He pulled out some rope and attached it to his Nasod Arm.

"-sigh- WOLF FANG!"

He leaped around 15 feet and dropped below. Ethernia gasped as she saw the man drop.

"I'd have expected him to last longer…"

"What? Miss me already?"

She turned to see that Raven had latched onto the side of the cliff because of his forward velocity. He yanked the rope and the bag came flying across, smacking him across the face and knocking him over. Ethernia giggled and turned into her small form and sat on his face.

"Ugh...not such a bright idea"

"Get up before I defecate on your face. We are just about to reach the entrance…"

He grumbled and got up, putting on what remained of his cloak and began to walk through the winds at the door. The gust seemed to get stronger and stronger. He pushed through and reached the door.

"Allow me"

Ethernia channeled her energy and released, opening the door to the pyramid. Raven weakly smirked and walked inside, unsure of what would await him…

…

"Any sign of him yet? It's been 3 days. We're starting to push it…"

"Just 'cause we are pushing it doesn't mean he wins. C'mon, if we can't find him, let's match him!"

The two boys began to train as they furiously rushed through dungeon after dungeon. Boss after boss. Honing their skills was their only hope. Become X Rank Hunters.

"Those two will never quit, will they?"

"No, but then again, they are setting the right example for us. We should join them!"

…

"Ugh...why must this place be so moist? It's annoying me and making it feel less tense than it should."

"Open your eyes, Raven. We are in a cave of some sort."

She was right. It was damp, but something smelled of plague. He lit the lantern that was in the merchant's bag and held it up. They were surrounded by rocks. Nothing but cold, moist, rocks. He sighed as he continued to head through the cave.

Still, a cave inside of a pyramid? How strange is that…

"WATCH OUT!"

"Huh-"

SMACK! A rock nearly hit his head before he ducked. Any later would have resulted in near-instant death. He unsheathed his blade from his side and pulled it out in front of him, in a guarding stance of sorts. Ethernia perched on his shoulder as rumbling noises began to become louder and louder. At the edge of the cave, where a dim light showed the opening, stood Berthe and Durahan Knight. This time, however, they both seemed...enraged. The same type of rage as him, but...the presence was not as strong.

"Berthe! Durahan! Why are you here?!"

"It's simple. We want to kill you and take your little demon princess with us."

"Princess?"

"Oh, she didn't tell you? Shows how much she trusts you. Isn't that right Berthe?"

Berthe howled in what one could assume agreement. Raven lowered his guard and looked at the demon on his shoulder. She only slapped him to try and get him focused again. He wouldn't budge.

"Don't tell me. I fell for the same mistake twice, didn't I, Ethernia?"

"N-no! Of course not!"

"Then explain to me. I put my faith once again…"

"I-I can explain after! Please just kill these idiots and let them know their place!"

"Fine…"

"Idiots?! I guess we'll have to teach you a lesson!"

Durahan pulled out a second sword and his shield fused in with his exterior armor shell. Berthe also had one paw on fire, meaning he had become the Demon of Fire as well. Raven prepared his sword and pulled his cloak over his head, making it impossible for his eyes to be seen.

"Idiot! How are you going to see?!"

"Trust me"

The now-cloaked Blade Master steadied his blade, preparing for what was coming. He was able to manipulate his ability to Shadow Step and move backwards along with forward. Perhaps he could manipulate his sword strikes, mainly his most powerful magical attack, Shockwave. The demon was coming from the front, and the knight was charging from back, there was no way he could hit them both, but…

"Fools. Know where you're going!"

He jumped into the air and the two ran into each other, immediately falling over. He was already in the air, and already at the perfect 33 degree angle.

Here goes nothing…

"SHOCKWAVE!"

A burst of energy shot out from his blade, but it split in half and split the two beasts in half. Wait...Dual Shockwaves?! This was what he intended for, but that didn't mean he expected it to work. He pulled off his hood and looked at the two beings. A quick swipe decapitated Berthe and he took pieces of Durahan's armor, hopefully a form of currency for when he exited the cave and reached the top of the pyramid.

"Well, Ethernia, where's my explanation?"

"R-right. I'll start from the beginning"

It was during the Nasod War. I'm not going to go historical mode on you, but here's the summary. While the war was occurring, God and the Devil themselves wanted to end the war. They each formed a, what you would call, perfect being. Mythril, the absolute goddess of all that was destruction and death. And Fyreliana, the absolute goddess of preserving, nurturing, and all that was peace and light of the world. Of course, they were created as sisters: one to keep peace, and the other to start wars. Unfortunately, the life spans were greatly reduced during the war, and they had to create a child in order to keep the legacy going. I am her majesty's daughter, Ethernia. And my cousin, daughter of Fyreliana, who goes by the name Airelinna, belongs to none other than that elf girl, Rena was it? Yes, apparently she had been selected as the host, as how I have selected you. How she can heal allies and speed up their attack speed, I can cut HP from enemies and give it to you, along with other abilities that you will learn about throughout time. So yes, we are both princesses, and yes, demons are trying to kidnap us for our powers, so this is just the beginning. And for the final answer, yes, our mothers are dead, along with our creators.

"Creators...you mean God is…?"

"I believe it is time you repaired your gear and went to sleep. There is no time to waste in meeting Edan."

"...right."

He took off his coat and pulled out some cloth from the bag and wrapped his wounds. He soon fell asleep after his Sword and Armor were repaired, along with some slight modifications of his arm. Ethernia made herself comfortable under his jacket and fell asleep, eventually returning to her true body, and leaning against the black-haired man's chest. Tomorrow, they would find Edan, and tomorrow, he would become the most powerful swordsman on Elrios, or die trying.

Scene Shift

"Aisha...do you really think it's okay?"

"For what?"

A blonde-haired beauty looked with watery eyes at the mage. She had found out about how they had killed someone. The woman handed the bag to the girl and a tear fell onto her shirt.

"Listen, Rena. I know it's hard. But he tried to kill Elsword!"

"If he tried, Elsword would be dead!"

"Rena!"

The girl gasped and marched out of the room. The woman looked out the balcony into the moonlit Sander. Her eyes fell to a pyramid off in the distance. Another tear fell onto her front side.

"Raven...if only I had known that you would do such a thing. If only I had realized how much of a joke this wasn't. I didn't think you'd leave me...my only and true love…"

"I think I've got it. Aisha! Come check it out!"

"Elsword, remember I'm a Dimension Witch, not an Elemental Master…"

"Whatever. I think I've gotten the hang of it!"

The crimson-haired boy summoned 6 runes, each with a respective element on it: Petrify, Pierce, Freeze, Burn, Plague, and Poison. The runes were color-coded, and he seemed to have mastered summoning each Rune individually.

"I'm impressed. And slightly amused. You really think we can take him down after what he did to you?"

"Please. That wimp waited until I was asleep and off-guard. If I were awake I could've easily killed him."

"Well, that's the thing Elsword. He knows when you're off-guard, so when we meet him, don't EVER be off-guard."

"Well, I'll admit you have a point there. Oh well, is everyone ready?"

"Yeah. I think Chung finished his Iron Body training, so we can all take off now."

"Do you have the bag?"

"Yeah. Here."

She handed over a small brown bag made of cloth. He opened it and the item was still in there. The gang grouped up and left off for the pyramid, despite it being invisible at night. This time, the two parties would clash, and nothing would stop Elsword from getting his revenge from the night long before. The attack that had made him crave for the blood. The blood of a fallen hero.