Note: Those who found Chapter 5 and 6 to be the same, please go read chapter 5 now! Apologies for the mishap!
Freedom
After the meeting, Aisha returned to her bedroom. It was tough trying to ignore her past, but it's even worse trying to hide it from others.
I hope they didn't notice anything. She flung herself on her bed, laughing at herself. She lied to everyone. A lie about how she truly felt. But even she doesn't know what she's feeling right now. Sorrow? Pity for herself?
She rolled over and clutched her pillow, curling up into a ball. Tears began to prick at her eyes, and she fought to hold them back, but failed miserably. Warm tears soaked the pillow and Aisha slapped herself gently, attempting to stop crying. The amount of people she killed at the orphanage brought despair to her. She was a cruel murderer, and what made it worse was their deaths were for her sake, for her to save herself.
She could atone for her sins by killing herself, but the mission was more important. Plus, she has her own studies to think about. She can't let everyone down for her personal reasons.
As her tears and sobs subsided, Aisha sat up, and ran a hand over the pillow where it was damp. Its shade of white was identical to the tank top she wore four years, when she was a twelve-year-old orphan. She shuddered as she thought of a certain man, with his sadistic smirk, lustful eyes and disgusting hands touching her.
Wiping him out of her mind, Aisha stood and walked towards the mirror. Her eyes were red, but she always covered one side of her eye with her purple hair, so it should be fine. Or she could just stay in her room for a while before dinner came.
Staring at her reflection, she reached a hand up to her chest, then sighed at her size. Rena popped up in her head, and her abundant size. A hint of jealousy crept up her mind, but she shook her head. She should focus on the mission at hand, not what her own appearance is like. Turning her head, she saw the moonstone she has had since a long time ago. Probably since her orphanage days.
Then, she eyed a small knife she used to cut tape on a small box when she couldn't tear off the stubborn tape. Narrowing her eyes, she pushed it away.
Brushing her hair with her fingers, Rena secured her ponytail. Then, turning towards the wooden dummy before her, she readied her stance, and struck it with a few basic kicks, before swiftly swinging her leg above her head and struck the dummy with a roundhouse kick. The object shook violently the moment the attack connected.
Rena took a deep breath, as if speaking with Nature, and her legs became illuminated in a bright light as she gathered mana into her body. Again, she lifted her leg high above her head, but as she brought her leg down in incredible speed, a crescent light escaped her legs, striking the dummy, then she jumped in the air, unleashing a second kick that cut its midriff and then the final strike, a downward kick.
She spun and danced, her ponytail swinging round in mighty arcs. The crescents cut the wood cleanly, and fell with a loud thud. Rena moved out of her stance and stretched her arms and legs. Wiping the sheen of sweat away from her forehead with her lawn green sleeves, she turned and walked away from the training field.
Stepping into the shower, Rena thoroughly washed the sweat away and tapped on the shower head boredly. Training was exhausting, but that was a part of it.
Ever since she found out Chung was safe and actually landed at their final destination, her mind had become a lot clearer and she could concentrate better.
Wrapped in a fluffy towel and her hair - a mix between blonde and green - dripped with water, she looked for the green, black white dress she usually wore while tossing her dirty training suit in a small basket next to her bed.
Unwrapping herself, she felt kind of self-conscious despite being in the safety of her room. Her chest was noticeable, and it sometimes got in the way during training and battles, so she wraps them to keep them in place.
Dressing herself and tying her hair back, she placed a lily hair clip next to the ponytail, with black ribbons flowing from it and enveloping her thick trail of hair. She added two lilies to the left side of her head, and smiled to herself as she opened the door and skipped down the hallway.
She stopped in front of Aisha's bedroom door. She heard quiet murmurs behind the door, and decided to knock.
"Aisha? Are you alright in there?" Rena said worriedly, and when no answer came and the murmuring had stopped, she turned the knob and what she saw almost made her choke.
Aisha had a small knife held in hand, hovering dangerously above her wrist. But something seemed to be stopping the purple head. Rena immediately rushed to Aisha's side and grabbed the knife by the hilt.
"Aisha... what do you think you're doing?!" She whispered, looking into the girl's face. It was completely void of any expression.
"I don't deserve to live... I don't deserve to live... I don't deserve to live..." Aisha murmured repetitively as she stared down at her hands, unaware of Rena's presence.
"Don't lead yourself to believe!" Rena almost shouted, and shook Aisha by shoulders. The light in her lavender eyes returned, and she looked up in surprise, lavender meeting lawn green eyes. "Your life is precious, and not something to be thrown away so easily!"
"W-what's wrong Rena?" Aisha said confusingly, and looked down to see the knife. "H-huh? What am I doing... holding this knife?"
"Aisha..." The elf stared suspiciously at her and let out a deep breath. "As long as you are alright... But don't you remember what you were about to do?"
"No. All I can remember is me...becoming lost in thought."
"..." Rena blinked twice as she looked down at the floor. She grabbed the knife and dropped it near the mirror. "You were about to cut yourself... for a second I thought you were really going to do it." She said finally, her voice shaking.
"I-I don't know what got over me. I'm sorry." Aisha said, and Rena pulled her into a hug as her memories felt slightly fogged. "If I truly was about to cut myself, then I'm truly grateful that you stopped me."
"Please, don't scare me like that again..." Rena said calmly, and Aisha nuzzled herself against the unusual gesture.
Rena left Aisha in her room while pocketing the knife. What had gone over the girl? What would have made her consider cutting herself like that? But what confused her the most was how she didn't have any recollection of wanting to cut herself.
"Odd..." Rena murmured to herself, and Raven caught her standing outside Aisha's room.
"Rena. What are you doing?" He asked quietly.
"..." The elf looked up at Raven, and wondered if she could trust him. Well, he's probably the most trustworthy person at the moment. "It's about Aisha. We'll talk in my room."
"So what's this about Aisha?" Raven shut the door behind him as he settled on a wooden chair next to the window. Rena settled down on her bed.
"There's something odd going on about her. Just now, I checked up on her since she seemed to be talking to herself, and you do know how she doesn't usually do that right? She's a quiet girl who doesn't talk to herself like that." Raven nodded at her. "When I entered her room, she held a knife." His eyebrows raised slightly before dropping down again. "She was pointing it to her wrist and... muttering 'I don't deserve to live'. I feared the worst, but I was able to stop her."
"What would drive her to cut herself like that?" He asked, more to himself than Rena.
"I'm not sure. She didn't seem to have any recollection of having intentions to cut herself, and that's what worries me the most. What if I wasn't around and she died of blood loss?" Rena leaned her elbows on her thighs and rested her cheeks in her palm. "And even if we ask her directly, she definitely won't tell us why she would even consider self-harm."
"You're right about that. For now, we'll wait until she is ready to tell us everything. We don't really know much about her after all." Rena nodded at Raven.
"In that case, let's put that matter to the side. We have five days to prepare for the incoming invasion, surely we'll be needing some formation plans?"
"Hmph, I've already thought of them. We'll go over them together shall we?"
Elsword yawned as he finished an essay concerning the Master of Fire, 'Rosso'. Folding it and placing it in a drawer, he stood up and stretched, arms and legs stiff from sitting in the same position for over two hours. Peering at the empty glass cup on his desk, he picked it up and went to get a refill of water.
As he walked past a series of doors, he came across Chung, who wore the same blank expression. Whenever the Prince is around Elsword, however, his expression softens slightly.
"Yo Chung!"
"Hey Elsword. What are you doing?" Elsword held up his empty glass. "I see, well don't drink too much, otherwise you will be going to the bathroom quite a few times." Elsword grinned lightly, and Chung walked past the redhead.
Elsword stared after the blonde, before sighing and continued making his way to the kitchen.
It was 5:32pm.
As he entered the kitchen, he found Aisha sitting at the table, cupping a mug of hot chocolate between her hands. As he stared at her profile, the sun that had hidden behind the clouds revealed its prideful glow and Aisha's face lit up in response. Her violet eyes that had been foggy with darkness brightened as she stared into the swirling, steaming drink.
Her dark purple pigtails was now a lighter shade of violet, flowing down her shoulders in wispy tresses, pale skin reflecting the light. Her feet rested again the chair leg underneath her, back straight and deep in thought.
Elsword placed the cup down on the table and pulled out a chair opposite of Aisha. She looked up, surprised, and a small smile flashed across her face before vanishing.
"Hey Aisha. How long are you going to keep staring into your hot chocolate? Are you sure you're not trying to shoot a hole through the mug?" He joked, but Aisha didn't appear fazed, unlike usual.
"Ah... Sorry, I was just thinking." She said, looking away from Elsword's crimson gaze.
"You've done a lot of thinking lately. Are you alright?" He leaned forward slightly, waiting for an answer.
"...I'm fine." She said finally, continuing to avoid eye contact with his fiery eyes.
"I'm sure you're anything but fine." He reached out a hand and poked her forehead, and Aisha reacted by slapping his hand lightly.
"What was that for?"
"To wake you up. You were falling into a trance." He grinned happily in front of her for the first time, and she immediately blushed a light pink. She feigned covering her forehead where had just poked to hide her blushing cheeks.
"Hmph. You're just finding an excuse to poke me." She pouted. Removing her sleeved arms, she looked up to find Elsword with a teasing grin, which caused her to maintain her pout.
Rena, hiding behind the door, smirked happily at Aisha and Elsword's little 'conversation'. Raven came up behind her and leaned over, blowing into her neck. Holding back a yelp, Rena turned around sharply and held a finger to her lip, gesturing him to be quiet.
Aisha noticed their presence, but ignored them.
"So, what brings you here at this time? I suppose you weren't planning to cook, since you would probably cook the kitchen as well as your food."
"Hey, I'm actually quite a good cook you know! I only came to get a refill of water, but I saw you just sitting there so I thought I might as well strike up a conversation."
"I see." Taking a sip of the hot chocolate, she smiled softly as it warmed her. Elsword, catching her rare smile, couldn't help but feel a warming sensation in his chest.
She... actually looks kind of cute, smiling like that... Wait, what am I thinking? I barely even know this girl! Elsword mentally slapped himself as he looked outside the window rather than Aisha's smile, his chin rested against his palm. The girl looked up at him, her gaze causing him to feel nervous.
"Can I ask what you're looking at?" Elsword's eye twitched nervously at the unexpected question.
"N-n-nothing." He stuttered, and he buried his face into his upturned hand, attempting to hide the redness creeping up his face.
What's wrong with me?! Standing up abruptly, he picked up his cup and filled it with cold water and gulped it down harshly. Setting it down, he muttered, "I-I'm going back... to my room." Aisha stared after him in confusion, before continuing to sip her hot chocolate, again in thought.
Rena, seeing that Elsword was walking towards them, pushed Raven by the back and crept out of sight, while Elsword made his way to his room, leaving his cup of water in the kitchen.
"There you are Adel." Chung called as he entered Adel's office after knocking. "I have something to attend to in the village, so please excuse my absence during that time."
"I understand pong." Adel replied quickly as he skimmed through sheets of paper and setting them down after stamping them.
Turning around, Chung left the busy pongo and shut the door to his office.
8:54pm. He had checked outside for any people who could be roaming on the dark streets, and once he had confirmed that nobody would be leaving their homes, he went to the back door and, shtutting the door as quietly as he could, he adjusted the cannon on his back and the orichalcum placed upon it. He placed one slow step on the sandy ground, and began running soundlessly, despite the Destroyer on his back and the Freiturnier he wore, in the case that something were to happen to him.
As he approached the castle walls, he immediately jumped, placing the cannon underneath himself with no effort and blasted himself up just as he had done before.
Landed gently on the other side, the grass underneath him bowed as he stepped on them, creating fzt sounds. Looking around the familiar garden and smelling the air, it reminded him of the girl. The sweet scent of sweet pea allowed the graceful silver-haired girl to come to mind.
A voice floated through his ears, an angelic, melodious sound that calmed him.
Long ago, inside a distant memory...
Chung turned his head, trying to locate the sweet voice.
There is a voice that says...
For a second, he looked up to the moon, as though he was asking it to give him the voice's owner.
Do you believe a world of happy endings?
Turning the corner, he caught sight of glossy silver hair among flowers of violet, blue and pink. He had her back to him, wearing the same mullet dress as before, but her hair was braided on both sides of her head this time.
Her arms curled up and her hands clenched together on her chest, the singing voice drifted from her, soft but powerful with emotion. She stopped when she heard steps coming closer towards her.
She turned around, loose strands of silver locks fluttering across her face. It shone a brighter colour of silver in the bright glow of the moon, and he admired her hair for a second, before nodding towards her.
Just then, he noticed her take off a small tiara from her head, and set it down on the concrete of the fountain she had just sang a song to.
"This place where I have known for sixteen years, I bid it farewell..." She murmured, and Chung stared at her. This girl truly is a mysterious princess.
"Shall we go, princess?" He held out a strong arm towards her, and Eve looked down, before placing her delicate hand atop his, nodding.
"This decision I make... should be correct, right?" She said and looked up at him, her golden orbs doubtful.
"I assure you it is correct. You deserve to leave this prison." He said, as he lead her to the very back of the castle. "That reminds me, I haven't heard your name yet. May I know what name you go by?"
Eve looked up from the hand she was staring at. It felt warm, and she had never held a hand in hers before. His hand gripped her delicate ones gently.
"My name is... Eve." She said slowly.
Eve... Chung repeated in his head.
"We'll be leaving by climbing up here. I believe you have the ability to glide over this wall?" Eve nodded, snapping her fingers. Remy and Moby immediately appeared at her side, looking up at their master, then at the blonde. He nodded. "Shall we?"
Eve jumped high in the air, before nimbly performing a few dashes in the air. Chung accompanied her with his cannon sending him high in the air.
Eve had already landed on the other side, and he took care not to land on her.
"I have never thought of leaving by gliding over the way before..." She muttered, and Chung looked at the top of her head. She was small in height and body shape, standing about a head shorter than him, her dress leaving her slim shoulders bare but enough to cover everything.
Eve looked just like a doll, with her porcelain skin, petite structure and piercing, golden eyes.
"Well, you've just done it." He reminded her. She chuckled under her breath, and walked ahead, beckoning him gently.
"Aren't you going to show me the way?" She said with slight humour in her voice.
"Hmph, of course, princess."
Author's Note
I'm kind of proud of myself, being able to write within the course of... two days? I'm usually busy procrastinating, but I actually feel pretty excited doing this! Sorry for not putting much romance in this chapter... I mean, it's still early in the story! The good stuff should come later!
I've decided to answer to my reviewers (Elsword: Yes, finally! It's a miracle!).
And finally, answers to my reviewers:
Awakened Hades: Eve is just too awesome to NOT join the brawl! Speaking of Eve and brawling, it hurts how she can run and beat people up in PvP at the same time... Anyways, enough with depressing PvP, we're talking about an actual, proper fight here!
Orithia WindBell: Wow, thank you so much for sticking to this story since the beginning! Don't worry, there's still a lot more for you to look forward to. By the way, thank you for welcoming me, hehe. And I'm glad I managed to make your day, you made my day by me making your day... I'm not even sure if that makes sense.
Melodoki: What'll happen next you ask? Well, my dear, more awesomeness!
TimeSplice: Thank you for the welcome!I know this is late, but welcome to FF too!
Cloudy Rabbit: I tried my best, but I became lazy to describe everyone so that you could know which class is which... but at least the mystery has been solved if you read every chapter!
Tsurara-Oikawa Chan: Thank you for the congratulations! TT, huh... I can't wait for him to beat people up, as if CBS' homing lasers weren't enough! The thought of ShG becoming TT makes me think of Pikachu evolving into Raichu... Anyways, thank you for the welcome!
Syup: I'm sorry, I accidentally changed the fifth chapter while I was half-asleep in the middle of night! I wanted to make Eve less reliant on weapons. Her slap of doom really made me want to give her hand to hand combat experience.