Yami No Tsurugi
Storm Alert
Outside it was absolute pandemonium as the group of eight shoved their way through the converging crowd of students in order to get a good view. A hammering thwoom! resounded in the air as the pillar throbbed like a beating heart. "What kind of magic is this?!" Ara yelped as someone jostled her, ramming their elbow into her stomach. "I cannot say, but it is exceedingly powerful." Eve responded as she scrutinized the pillar through narrowed eyes, feverishly wracking her data storage for some information.
DATA UNFOUNDED
MAGIC TYPE: UNKNOWN
"Ngh…" Raven moaned as he massaged his forehead. The pounding roar, the flashing lights…
I'm not going to go to pieces… not now…
In the back of his head, unwonted memories stirred, glistening with garish red and demonic orange hues. Faraway, someone screamed for help. "R-Raven?!" Rena exclaimed anxiously as he stiffened up, his eyes glazing over. "What?" Chloe shot as she flung a look in their direction. "I-I'm… I'm coming… Se-Seris…" Raven murmured softly before collapsing to the ground. "Oh no! No! NO!" Rena screeched and bent down next to Raven. "Wh-what's happening?!" Chung queried in an alarmed manner as Rena screwed her eyes shut, frantically muttering under her breath. The limp form of Raven tensed before starting to twitch in convoluted movements. Several shocked cries rang through the crowd and the people surrounding Rena and Raven stepped away, forming a circle around the two. "He's having a seizure! Get the nurse!" Rena cried and held her hand over Raven as he shook wildly, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. A soft prismatic green light radiated from Rena's hand.
Gradually, Raven's violent jerking movements subsided into mild twitching, and Rena allowed herself to heave a relieved sigh. "Thank the El Lady… I was so worried… it's been forever…" She murmured and looked around her at the gaping crowd. "What?! There's nothing to see here! Stop staring! Don't you people have any shame?!" Rena snapped acrimoniously and pursed her lips into an infuriated line.
"What in all El is happening out here? Why are you students running amok out here?!"
The whispering crowd parted as Glaive stormed through them, his sulfuric eye narrowed and his posture taut and laden with exasperation. "Can't you see?!" Proto snapped brazenly and swung her finger out towards the pillar. Hidden behind his mask, Glaive's mouth was twisted downwards in an apprehensive frown, but from outside his mask, he appeared unperturbed.
"Yes? Your point is?" He drawled indolently, his tone seamlessly masking his alarm. Everyone gaped incredulously at him. "The sky is falling!" Ara cried. As she said it, another jagged piece of the navy blue sky peeled away from the heavens and crashed into the ground. The neon canvas of fuchsia hovered above them as an ominous maelstrom of evil. Glaive snorted and waved his hand at it.
"It's just a light show I had ordered to be put on to celebrate the announcement of the teams for the Imperial Tournament." He assured in a bored monotone. Eve glowered darkly at him. "That's quite the show there…" She trailed dubiously and crossed her arms. Glaive returned Eve's withering stare with an appropriately mordant look of his own. "I know right? It's quite amazing… though if I had known it would've made you all behave like a bunch of hooligans I wouldn't of arranged it." He snarled and surveyed the now-abashed crowd. "All of you! Go to your rooms!" He barked and pointed at the doors to the building.
There was a wave of malcontented and sullen murmurs, but all the students save for Rena and Raven obliged and shuffled back into the building. "Hmm? What's holding you up Ms. Avaron?" He inquired crisply. Rena grimaced and looked up at Glaive, staring him straight into his eye. "Raven… He's had another bout from his PTSD." She explained and bit her bottom lip. Glaive hummed thoughtfully and nodded. "Take him up to the hospital wing. I'll phone the nurse so she'll be ready." He stated simply and craned his neck around so he was gazing straight into the heart of the incandescent pillar. Rena's eyes widened but she obliged and slung Raven's human arm around his shoulder. Mercifully, he had stopped his twitching. "Oof!" Rena grunted as the dead weight of Raven slammed against her side. "Heavy…" She muttered and tottered precariously to the side. Casting one last apprehensive look at the headmaster, Rena hobbled towards the building.
"This is not good at all…" Glaive hissed in an undertone as he held his hand out.
"Summoning Reality Marble: Dimensional Controller." Glaive stated in an authoritative tone. A cobalt blaze erupted from the palm of his hand, crackling and writhing with streaks of electric blue energy. When it faded, a glowing cube floated above his palm. "Activating Dimensional Reparation functions." He raised his outstretched hand up. Threads of inky blue weaved their way through the slate of vivid fuchsia, crisscrossing and intertwining with each other. "Nullify all other reality magic of a lower level." He demanded. The pillar of light flared brightly before sputtering vehemently, desperately clinging onto its temporal existence. Glaive clenched his hand into a tight fist and grudgingly, the pillar rescinded into a thin strand on light before winking out of existence completely. With a grim countenance, Glaive looked up at the sky which was slowly starting to repair itself as the blue threads gathered together before snaking out and interlocking with the edges of the gap.
Holding his hand out, Glaive summoned a silvery sphere. "Allegro!" He barked. "Y-yes Glaive?" A young man with short sable hair and wide grey eyes came stumbling into the orb. "Get Echo and Wally- the other two wardens and meet me in my office, we have urgent matters to discuss." Glaive ordered and looked up towards the direction the pillar of light had erupted from. "Yes sir!" Allegro responded and placed his hand to his forehead in a salute. "Oh, Allegro?" Glaive inquired. Allegro nodded and pushed his tortoise-shell glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Send two members of the medical team to retrieve Aisha Baskerville and Elsword Sieghart from the Northern Sewers. Swear them to secrecy about their job and make sure they don't blab about where they picked those two up from, ok?" Allegro nodded and hastily looked down. "I'll contact them right now!" He replied zealously and rushed out of the orb's vision. With a snap of his fingers, Glaive de-summoned the orb.
"Could it be that…No… That's impossible."
"NOOOO! MY BEAUTIFUL DEATH MACHINE!" Wally- an elderly man well into his fifties with a bushy white mustache wailed histrionically. Glaive scowled and slammed his fist against the desk. "Will you shut up!? We got bigger things to worry about than the fact your crummy machine got blown up!" He snarled viciously and rammed his fist against the desk again for good measure. Sniffling, Wally ceased his crying and wiped a tear away from the wrinkled corner of his right eye.
"So you're saying that a rift was created?!" Echo- the alchemy teacher and a petite woman with olive eyes, tanned skin, and a tousled mane of silver hair exclaimed uneasily. Glaive nodded deliberately and leaned back in his chair. "Unfortunately, yes. I managed to repair all the main warp points but I am concerned about the fact it had already consumed the Northern Ward and I am nervous about its influence spreading to the other three wards." Echo grimaced and looked at Wally. "Normally… the Warden that was in place would've taken the hit for the ward except…"
"It was -sniffle- destroyed –sniffle-. After all that work I spent into creating it too!" Wally wept and blew his nose on the linen handkerchief he was carrying. Allegro frowned and opened the thick leather tome he was carrying. Hastily, he scanned his scrawled loopy writing before closing it. "It will be an extremely grave predicament if that is the case. In such a scenario, we need to contact a prominent Magus and have him or her repair the Northern Ward and while they're at it… reinforce the other three." Glaive nodded approvingly at Allegro's words. "Exactly." He turned to Echo. "How's that abomination you created faring?" He inquired and rested his elbow on the desk.
The silverette nodded and pushed her drooping oversized goggles back up. "Type-H is still carrying on and stinking up the place. He's rather bitter that he's confined within the barriers of the abandoned underground tunnel."
"In other words, he's fine." Glaive inferred. Echo nodded and stole a glance at Allegro. "Allegro, how's the enchanted suit of armor Helputt lent us holding up?" He asked. Allegro hastily flipped through his notes again before settling on a certain page, scanning it, he looked up and gave the headmaster a "thumbs-up" sign. "The enchantment has held and it has shown no signs of weakening." He informed. Glaive sighed and his eyelids fluttered shut before snapping open again. "And Eltrion is still asleep inside his cocoon." He stated in a weary expression and surveyed the room.
"What about the rift's influence?" Echo queried restlessly and fidgeted around, the tips of her toes barely brushing the carpet. Glaive groaned and shook his head. "Let's hope it isn't too much and that the reinforcements for the Wards will be enough to halt any further distortions. If not, it will attract the Reality Protection Bureau's attention and that would be hell." Glaive let out a disgusted little snort as he drummed the desk's surface, radiating a chafed aura. "All the damned paperwork that would be involved." He snarled to himself.
"Who should I contact for reparations?" Allegro asked after a taut moment of silence. Glaive sighed and looked around the room listlessly. "Contact Noah Rime, she should be adequate enough for the task." Allegro nodded and stood up. "Can we leave now?" He requested and clutched his book close to his chest. Glaive nodded despondently and dismissed them with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "Please do… Recent events are starting to give me a headache."
The Next Day
Consciousness was slow to return to Aisha. Often it came in abrupt spurts of crystal clarity or muffled throbs of muted fuzziness. Her dreams were wild and distorted. She remembered flashes of vivid light and hellish cracks of thunder. Mocking laughs tormented her and wild cries pleaded with her, ghosting around her ears.
"-Sha… Aisha…" Angkor's voice called out to her from faraway. Aisha stirred feebly in response, feeling the crisp sensation of clean linen underneath her. "Aisha…" Angkor's voice seemed closer now. Aisha cracked open her eyes and was instantly forced to close them as harsh sunlight came streaming in, stinging her sensitive violet orbs. "Ah!" She gasped and lifted her left arm, feeling detached from her body. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and attempted to open them again. Hovering right next to her, looking alarmed was Angkor. "Uwaah…" She moaned weakly and collapsed backwards into the pillows piled up behind her.
"Finally! I can't believe you! You-"
"Shut up…" Aisha inserted wearily and turned over onto her side. The demonic bat huffed indignantly and fluttered over to the foot of the bed. "Why you!" He snipped and perched himself on the sheets with an air of affronted dignity. "Where am I?" Aisha mumbled weakly and lolled her head around, trying to get a bearing of her surroundings. "You're in the infirmary. You were brought here last night by a team of hospital workers. They wouldn't tell me anything though!" Angkor sounded so chaffed that Aisha couldn't help the thin smile that crept on her lips. "I was cleaning out the sewers with Elsword and then we were attacked by some machine that was hell bent on killing us." She replied and massaged her temples. A sharp intake of breath was heard from Angkor and his eyes grew wide. "So you're responsible for the pillar of light that caused the sky to fall! I knew it was no laser light show put on by Glaive to celebrate the Imperial Tournament!"
Aisha craned her neck so she was looking at Angkor and she cocked a bemused eyebrow at him. "Eh?" She replied, not quite understanding. Angkor released his breath in a slow whistle and bared his fangs into an ugly scowl. "Last night, I could feel an anomaly that had not existed prior to that time. That pillar must have been the cause of it… Somehow you must have conjured it in a moment of frustration and fear." Angkor explained and frantically flapped his wings around. "I don't… understand…" Aisha trailed and pulled herself up further in the bed. Angkor grimaced and casted a black look outside the window. It was a fair late fall day and a crisp breeze carried a few dry leaves along with it before depositing them on the ground. To the naked eye and the untrained, there was absolutely no indication of what had occurred last night; however to Angkor, looking outside gave him a nasty gut feeling. Not unlike the first time he had looked at that ebon-haired male- what was his name? Aren…
"I don't understand either… but in all the seven hundred years I have lived… all the knowledge I have cumulated tells me this… Nothing good is about to happen." Aisha sighed and rolled herself out of bed. Looking down, she saw she was donning an austere white hospital gown and a sudden question jarred her brain. "What happened to Elsword?" She enquired as she bent down on the floor and slipped the slippers the hospital had provided her on her feet.
"He was admitted to the ICU… he's in stable condition last time I heard. Severe blunt-force trauma to the head and a couple of broken bones… He's on the mend and showing signs of alertness… Actually… They're planning to move him to the regular unit today around three o'clock. Why are you so interested?" Angkor replied and smirked at the purplenette causing her to roll her eyes. "I just wanted to thank him for what he did back then was all…" She muttered petulantly and crossed her arms. Angkor nodded with a supercilious expression on his face and started to float around Aisha. "What time is it?" Aisha snapped churlishly, vexed by the patronizing expression on Angkor's face.
"Two thirty." Angkor responded instantly. Aisha nodded and stretched her arms, yawning loudly as she did so. "Ok… I might as well walk around a little bit since I doubt I'll be able to return to school today."
"I can't believe it… It's been such a long time." Raven sighed as he leaned back against the pillows of the hospital bed. Perched next to him on the bed was Rena, who smiled sadly and brushed his hair away from his eyes. "No one blames you…" She soothed and leaned back from Raven. "Eh?!" A familiar voice enquired from a little way's away. Perking her ears up, Rena turned in the direction of the voice to find Aisha staring at them with a bemused expression on her face. "Aisha! It's a relief to see you up and around!" Rena called out warmly and held her arms out. "Come and give me a hug!" She added with an airy laugh. Aisha blushed but she trudged over to where Rena was sitting and embraced her.
"I was worried when I heard you and Elsword were admitted to the hospital!" The elf gushed and pulled away from the purplenette. "Did you hear about the strangeness of last night?" Rena inquired and motioned for Aisha to sit down next to her. "Yeah," Aisha replied as she took a seat. Rena grimaced and shot a look at Raven. "Glaive said it was a light show to celebrate the Imperial Tournament-"
"That's a load of bullshit." Raven interjected vehemently and narrowed his eyes. "How dumb does he think we are?" He snapped dourly and rubbed his Nasod arm. Rena hummed a palliative melody and flexed her shoulders. "Whatever it was, we should not stress ourselves over it." She mused philosophically. Raven gave Rena a dark stare. "Oh really?" He muttered under his breath. Rena's eyebrows came crashing down above her verdant orbs.
"Why are you in the hospital?" Aisha intervened, feeling disconcerted by the tense atmosphere. Rena's eyes widened at the purplenette's query. "I had a relapse in my Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." Raven answered impassively and let out a sleepy yawn. It was Aisha's turn for her eyes to widen. "What?! What happened?! Why do you have PTSD?"
"Aisha…" Rena warned her tone darker than usual. Raven gently squeezed her hand. Surprised, she turned to look at him with one eyebrow raised. "It's ok Rena." The elf let out a wispy sigh and shook her head. Raven drew his lips into a thin line of amusement at Rena's reaction before averting his gaze to Aisha.
"It's a long story really… but I had actually dropped out of school at age eighteen to join a mercenary group. I won't go into details but the events that had transpired left me scarred and it took me quite some time to recover. I probably would still be an emotional wreck if it wasn't for Rena's obstinate insistence on making friends with me." Raven explained, beaming radiantly at Rena who blushed. "I-it… It was nothing!" She squeaked. "I was happy to help!" Aisha scratched the back of her neck. "Why'd you drop out of school? Were you not doing well or something?"
Catching Aisha's not-so-subtle implication, Rena scowled vehemently at the purplenette, her mood taking a violent downturn. "How rude!" Raven heaved a deep breath and rolled his eyes, squeezing Rena's hand as he did so. "It's ok Rena… She didn't mean to offend me… At least I think so." He soothed. Rena dropped the scowl but her eyes still had a piercing frostiness to them. Aisha balked, not cognizing what she did wrong.
"I didn't choose to drop school, but things at home were going horribly. My father died of cholera and my mother has muscular sclerosis. Someone had to step up and be the supporter of the family." Raven exclaimed with equanimity and let go of Rena's hand. Aisha blazed, finally realizing her gaffe. "Oh… I'm sorry…" She murmured mortifyingly. Raven drew his mouth into a thin line and shook his head. "Don't worry. It's an easy mistake to make." He reassured with a slight laugh. Rena rolled her eyes looking mildly put out. Aisha hunger her head down, feeling both humiliated and ashamed.
"Ah… I'll be leaving now… Thanks for having me."
Great job Aisha…
Shut yer' hole Angkor!
"You are an idiot Rune. You must be chastised for such heedless conduct lest you will repeat it." A cool female voice rang out followed by a resounding slap! Curious, Aisha peeked her head around the corner. A young man with mismatched eyes of red and gold with a mop of spiky black hair was lying on a bed, his arm bound in a sling. Standing by his bedside were three figures- two females and one male. The male was a young man with wide copper green eyes with a fuzzy paw print pattern visible in them and his chocolate brown hair was nattily spiked with two tufts sticking up like cat ears. The first woman was a sylphlike figure with frigid neon blue eyes and silver hair that cascaded down her back, splitting into two tails at her shoulder blades, and she was donning a hovering crown of cobalt energy. The second female was a pretty young blonde clad in white armor with wide sea-blue eyes; her blonde hair was cut short into a bob with a lick of hair sticking straight up and two brunet-tipped shocks peeked out from the side.
"Sera… Calm down… It's nothing." The male- apparently called Rune whined and turned the corners of his mouth down into a slight frown. Sera deadpanned and brought her hand back before letting it fly forward, smiting Rune on his cheek and provoking a startled yelp from the male. "Do not controvert my words. They are the truth. Equiti and Pallus here will agree with me." She droned in an insipid monotone. The other two nodded in consonance, much to Rune's chagrin. "Really guys? I thought you were my friends…" He muttered drily and diverted his gaze away from his three companions.
"Seraphim is right though, you were very foolish." The brunette stated sagely and shrugged his shoulders. Rune snorted and looked in the opposite direction, catching sight of Aisha who hastily ducked behind the wall. "Hey! I see you!" He called out cheerily and held his unbound hand up in greeting. Aisha froze, remaining deathly still. "I don't bite!" Rune added with a soft chuckle. "Come out and say 'hi'!"
Reluctantly, Aisha inched away from the wall and into the view of the quartet. "H-hi…" She mumbled under her breath and stared to her left. The brunette male sighed, the blonde shook his head, Seraphim remained as stoic as ever, and Rune looked inquisitively at her. "I haven't seen you around." He stated the curiosity in his voice obvious. Aisha crinkled her brow and indolently shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not surprised. I'm new here, only been here a day." She muttered and shifted her weight between her two feet. Rune chuckled, "You're already in the ward? You must be some trouble magnet or something." He jibed. Aisha smirked and tugged on her right pigtail.
"Who's that?" Seraphim queried abruptly and pointed at Angkor. Aisha's eyes widened and she flung a look at Angkor before snorting and waving her hand dismissively. "Oh him? He's just my demonic familiar." She drawled and narrowed her eyes lazily at him.
Oh? I'm "just your demonic familiar?" I'm touched that you think so highly of me… considering your contract with me enables you to use your magic.
Just shut the damn pie hole already!
"So you practice dark magic?" The blonde inquired charily with tapered eyes. "Pallus…" The brunette- Equiti hissed in an almost pleading tone. "Yes I do. Have a problem with that?" Aisha snipped, sticking her nose up in the air. "Dark magicians are dangerous and unstable… I'm surprised they allowed you in here." Pallus spat pugnaciously, casting a black look at the purplenette. "Please… Pally… not now…" Rune griped and tugged at a sable lock that had drifted into his golden eye. Aisha huffed petulantly and clenched her teeth together. "Listen Missy! You have some-"
"I'm a man!" Pallus hollered and slammed his foot against the tile. Aisha's jaw dropped. "Say what?!" She gaped disbelievingly at him.
Well… I'm actually shocked, Angkor mused wryly.
Seeing Aisha's flabbergasted expression, Rune nodded fervidly. "It's true."
Wide-eyed, Aisha stared at all four of them, suspecting some kind of joke. There was no hint of guile in their eyes, they were dead serious. "I guess that haircut didn't help you any, eh Pally?" Rune joked. The blonde glowered malevolently at him. "You really don't know when to shut up do you?"
"Mhm…" Elsword mumbled an incomprehensible phrase as he woke up, his eyes opening just a crack. A lemon-gold orb stared down at him from a peephole in a monochromatic wall of storm-grey. "Good afternoon sleeping beauty." Glaive drawled.
"HUUUAH!" Elsword shrieked and shot up in his bed, throwing his fist out at Glaive's face. "You're obviously not an afternoon person." The headmaster mused as he dodged the blow. "W-what are you doing here you creep?! What happened?!" Elsword demanded, looking livid. Glaive chortled lowly and waved his hand in a dispassionate gesture. "One question at a time, got it? This old man can only handle that much from you young ones." The headmaster simpered.
Elsword let out a bitter hiss and leaned back in his bed, resting his head against the pillows. "You're obviously senile…" He snarled and crossed his arms. Glaive rolled his eyes, deciding not to react to Elsword's scathing remark. "I have something I want to discuss with you." The headmaster stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Elsword feigned surprise, gesticulating melodramatically. "How could I not know?!" He instantly dropped it in favor of his signature scowl. "Ok fine… spit it out gramps… But first… What in all seven circles of hell happened?" The headmaster snorted and stood up from where he had been sitting next to Elsword's hospital bed.
"Gramps indeed…" He muttered irritably. "That is actually what I wanted to talk to you about… I want to make a request so I can reassure a certain someone that her 'darling little angel' is not totally neglected." Elsword furrowed his brow, now on alert. "Where is this heading?" He enquired cagily. Glaive heaved a deep breath before sitting down next to Elsword once more.
"Aisha had let out a concentrated burst of mana released in the form of a pillar of light when she was attacked by the machine in the sewers; thereby creating a rift." His tone was somber, letting Elsword know whatever he was blathering about was stolid; however that did not stop the blank look from appearing on his face. "What's a rift?" He blurted before he could stop himself. Glaive snorted and rolled his eyes.
"I forgot you're stupid."
"Shut up! I just wanted to know what a rift was!" Elsword snapped crossly. Glaive smirked and shook his head deliberately. "A rift is a distortion in space-time. Essentially, it is a chaotic irregularity that warps all planes of existence in its proximity and consumes it, feeding itself and allowing its foul existence to spread even further." A startled gasp escaped from Elsword. "Holy shit! So like… the world's going to get sucked into a black hole?! Does anyone else know?!" Glaive held his hand up, silencing Elsword.
"No one else knows." He affirmed coolly.
"But-" Elsword interjected hotly yet he was cut off by a steely look from the headmaster. "I have repaired the rift so there was no permanent damage done." Glaive stated. "So everything is hanky-dory?" Elsword probed distrustfully, his eyes cold and sharp. The headmaster shifted around disconcertedly in his chair. "The Northern Ward protecting this school has been destroyed and though all major distortion points in the rift have been sealed; however there is the issue of the arcane energy the rift has emitted, which is a cause for concern for if the remnants of the rift consume any of the wards… the magic put into those wards would be sufficient enough to fodder a new rift." He confessed, sounding agitated.
Elsword bared his teeth together, "You haven't told anyone this because…?" He trailed. Glaive heaved a peeved sigh. "If it was known to the students, it would have a way of slipping out in the open… it would reach the ears of the Reality Protection Bureau and bring them here like vultures to a carcass." He explained the distaste all too evident in his voice. Elsword frowned thoughtfully. "What is the Reality Protection Bureau?" He enquired.
"A bunch of bureaucratic sharks with an extensive knowledge of the various planes of existence, rifts, and etcetera. They could completely eliminate the rift but I'd rather not deal with the paperwork or their BS." Glaive mumbled acridly and cupped his chin in the palm of his left hand.
"I think you're being a selfish asshole like always," Elsword growled scathingly. "If they could completely fix the rift-"
"You don't know them like I do… Trust me… you don't want to."
Elsword cocked a dubious eyebrow at the headmaster. "What do you mean?" He enquired intently. Behind his mask, Glaive grimaced and stared out the window. "They are a small group of self-absorbed politicians who were given a little power and they went haywire with it, creating a branch of government with way more power than necessary. Think of them as a sort of borderline-fascist police group of sorts. If they got involved at this school, they would sink their slimy little claws into the system and integrate themselves into it, effectively turning the school into an outpost."
Elsword creased his brow as he pondered the information Glaive gave him. "Ok… I think I'm seeing your point." He admitted reluctantly. A smug smirk crossed Glaive's lips, hidden from sight. "Have I answered your question?" The redhead nodded "yes".
"Very well then… I am going to ask a favor of you now."
A humorless snort escaped from Elsword. "Of course…" He grumbled rancorously, "Spit it out." Glaive chuckled lowly and craned his neck upwards.
"I want you to keep an eye on Aisha Baskerville." Glaive stated and stared Elsword straight into his eyes. That sentence nearly caused Elsword to choke on his spit. "SAY WHAT?!" He screamed and jerked his head backwards, slamming into the pillows. "Why would I do that?!" Glaive waved his hand insouciantly and rolled his eyes. "Out of the goodness of your heart."
"Die." Elsword spat caustically.
"Very funny." Glaive huffed, feigning indignation. "Draw a circle and stick your middle finger through it." Elsword scoffed and crossed his arms.
"Don't you want revenge?" Glaive queried astutely. Elsword froze his posture stiffening. Curling his hands into tight fists, he bared his teeth and glowered belligerently at the headmaster. "What are you saying?" He hissed. Glaive allowed a dark smile to cross his face and a faint chill disturbed the air, tendrils of mist coated the corners of the window in a foggy web.
"I have suspicions that Aisha might be the target of Scar of Destruction. If all that gobbledygook the RPB and the Sages of Fahrmann have spewed is true, and if the pillar is an indication of anything… It is not unreasonable to believe that Scar will attempt something with her. Who knows… if you stick by her and don't scare her off, you might get a shot at Scar."
At the mention of Scar's name, Elsword's expression became even more virulent and dark than it was before. "That son of a bitch who-"
"Who murdered your mother…" Glaive interrupted. Elsword bit his bottom lip, the corners of his lips turned up in an ugly smile.
"…And you…"
"Hue…" Elsword let out a harsh bark of laughter, his expression jaded and embittered.
"How did you do it?" Elsword asked in the tense silence that had befallen the two. Glaive straightened his atrocious posture by an infinitesimal margin. "What do you mean?" Elsword let out an irascible sigh and scratched the back of his neck. "How did you manage to hide the pillar of light Aisha created? Did not anyone notice?" He clarified.
Glaive let out an amused snort and shook his head. "Oh the whole school did!" He cackled manically and slapped his forehead. Elsword gaped at him, his bitter expression replaced with a confounded visage. "…And?" He pressed. "I told them it was a laser light show created to celebrate the announcing of the Imperial Tournament teams which is going to happen. Ah, I love all it when there's an easy cover-up… It would've taken a hell of a lot more explaining to do." He snickered. Elsword slowly shook his head in disbelief. "You are a horrible person."
"Tell me something I don't know."
With a roll of his eyes, Elsword sank lower in his bed and drew the covers over him. "Ah! Would you look at the time!" Glaive exclaimed and stood up. "Hey! I have some more questions that I want answered!" Elsword protested and shot straight up in his bed looking riled. Glaive shook his head and straightened the collar of his steely robe. "Visit me in my office at a later date when you get out of the hospital. Right now I have a lovely Pina Colada calling my name." He sang and left the room. Feeling more clueless than ever, Elsword watched him go with a helpless expression wondering as to what half the things Glaive mentioned were. With a displeased snort, he checked the austere black-rimmed clock that hung on the wall. Two twenty… only ten more minutes until he was released back into the "normal" part of the hospital wing.
"Here you go sir." A cherubic nurse dressed in the crisp white nurse's uniform chirruped and wheeled Elsword to the bed he was assigned to for the remainder of the day. It was a "precautionary measure" to make sure he had made an adequate enough recovery to be released back into the rough- and- tumble environment of the school. In Elsword's mind, it was a bullshit procedure designed to make people who disliked hospitals go insane while trapped in a bleached box with large windows that mocked the patients with teasing glimpses of the outside world. He hated hospitals with a bloody passion. He had way too much experience with them.
Feeling piqued, Elsword allowed the nurse to heft him onto the bed. "You do know I could've got on myself…" He grumbled acridly and blew his bangs out of his eyes. The nurse gives him a simpering smile and she lets out a tinkling laugh that fans the flames of Elsword's ire even further. "It's standard procedure. I know it must be hard for a feisty and independent young man like yourself, but I have to do it or the board will have my head for letting harm come to you." She explains needlessly and fiddles with the bone-white shades on the windows, closing them a little and narrowing the aureate sunlight into dusky beams of lemon-gold. "Do you need anything?"
Elsword shook his head. "No. I'm good." He replied tersely and slumped downwards. The nurse nodded approvingly and left. With a deep sigh, Elsword flopped over onto his side feeling restless and bored.
"Hey… I finally found you." A girlish voice breathed. Elsword cringed, immediately recognizing the voice. "Why are you here?" He snapped and turned to the side to fling Aisha a scornful glare. "Good to see you're still the same." Aisha huffed indignantly and crossed her arms. Elsword allowed a small smirk and he gave the purplenette a roguish expression. "No… I'm still a little dazed… I would've probably summoned Cornwell if I was in my right mind." He jibed mordantly and pushed himself up. "So what are you doing here?"
Aisha's eyebrows perked up, "Hmm? What do you mean?" She enquired quizzically. The redhead snorted and rolled his eyes. "Still as stupid as ever…" He muttered under his breath. Aisha stiffened but she did not react to Elsword's cutting remark. "I just wanted to see if you we're alright and give you my thanks." She replied ingenuously and sat down on the empty bed across from Elsword. Elsword's eyes widened, startled by her words. "For what?" He retorted, unable to keep the note of surprise out of his voice.
"For not leaving me back there." Angkor, who was fluttering around Aisha's head perched himself on her lap and let out a loud yawn. Elsword blew the bangs away from his eyes and shrugged. "I might not like you, but that doesn't mean I'm so horrible as to let a girl die… I will admit, I was tempted." He added the last sentence with a soft chuckle. Aisha had to suck in her cheeks and bite them to keep the grin that was threatening to contravene upon her features, off her face.
"You!" She exclaimed and threw Angkor at him, pretending to be exasperated. "Heh…" Elsword smiled and scratched the back of his ear. "Did you hear about the weirdness last night?" The purplenette queried and leaned backwards.
"Yes." Elsword avowed without thinking. Aisha flashed a puzzled frown at him. "How? I thought you were in ICU up until ten minutes ago." A sharp intake of breath was heard from Elsword as he mentally cursed himself for letting something like that slip. "Ah…" He trailed and rubbed the back of his neck, looking disconcerted. "What?" Aisha demanded and patted Angkor who had fluttered back onto her lap, soothing his ruffled feelings somewhat.
"Glaive came by to visit me." He replied honestly. Aisha gaped incredulously at him. Glaive didn't seem like the type of man who would check up on students just to make sure they were alright. "Why?"
Biting back the words that hovered on the tip of his tongue, Elsword ruffled his hair mussing it up even further. "He just wanted to give me a condescending lecture about how my stupidity got me in the ICU." He lied, struggling to keep the impassive look on his face. Aisha puckered her lips together, feeling as if Elsword wasn't telling her something vital. "Why'd he waste his time doing that?"
Sensing the note of suspicion in her voice, Elsword masks the truth with a truth. "I'm one of his most problem students. He only puts up with me because of my condition. Glaive is an arrogant asshole who wouldn't miss out on the chance to mock me." Aisha tilted her head to the left. "What condition?" Her inquiry was met with a black look from Elsword. "It's none of your business or any of your concern." He replies in an apoplectic tenor. Aisha scowled vehemently at the acidity of Elsword's retort. "Fine! I'm leaving!" She snaps acridly and storms away from Elsword.
The redhead watches her depart with a great deal of trepidation. Glaive's words had forced him to swallow an indigestible ball of black metal and it was making him sick to his very core. Personal gain, emotions, or morals… What was he to choose?
The air was rank with the pernicious fetor of brimstone and decaying flesh. In the air, the moribund cries of the wretched and dismal rang out, screaming for a release to their interminable torture. The land was a vast stygian field, blistering with angry red sores that oozed molten rock and spurted evilly incandescent pillars of red-orange malice. Circling around in the sky like vultures were three harpies, their hair tangled and greasy, their skin an ashy grey, and their eye sockets abyssal and teeming with maggots.
Rising up from the misery was an ebon palace with scenes of inhumane torture engraved into the walls with such delicacy that only the devil himself could do such a thing. Inside the palace a blue-skinned demon clad in heavy plate armor lounged on a throne made from bones, all fused together. The death-white almost blinding against the night colors that were the predominant tone in the room. The demon was a muscly man with white sideburns and ridged spiraling horns and slashed across his face was a bone white scar.
Perched on one arm of the throne was a busty maroon-haired woman with blood-red eyes and midnight black wings sprouting from her back. She was clad in a scant outfit that left very little to the imagination and from her head protruded two demonic horns. She was scratching something out on a lavender-colored notepad with a saccharine picture of a bunny on the bottom left corner, a cruel irony among the hellish torture and pain of the purgatory. "Are you done Karis?" The blue-skinned demon drawled his voice deep and his tone lazy but flecked with a hint of agitation.
Karis clucked her tongue and shook her head, her lips pursed into a thin line. "This must be perfect. I don't want you screaming at me because I messed something up with the handwriting and Aisha gets all suspicious and contacts Speka, thereby blowing up our entire plan Scar. We only have a small window of time before the wretched meddlers- Glaive for example, patch up the gap in the barriers." She retorts, allowing a note of vexation to creep into her own voice. An elderly man with grey skin and shaggy white hair looks up from the book he was reading and stares at the two, his ice-blue irises glinting malignantly against the blood-red of his pupils.
"My, my… Young people these days are always arguing with each other about something." He sneers and diverts his attention back to his book, studying the archaic runes which had been inscribed into the pages with a pigment eerily similar to blood. "Shut up Luto." Scar snaps angrily to the elderly man who smirked in response. "Are you sure you have everything right?" He queried cryptically to Karis who was now stuffing the note she had written into a black envelope.
"Of course I do. I know my sister's handwriting very well and the kind of sugary wording she would use in a letter to Aisha." The succubus scoffed and averted her attention to the elderly Luto. "Do you have the food ready?" Luto nodded and with a nod of his hand, he summoned a couple of fruit jellies neatly wrapped up in a mauve napkin. "Are you sure this will work?" Scar enquired dubiously as Karis snapped and the pastries re-appeared on her lap. A wicked grin forms on Karis's mouth and she nods her head. "Of course I am. Strawberry jelly… she won't be able to resist eating it." Scar let out a soft tch! but he didn't protest anymore. He was just as stuck on how to deliver the curse to the young woman.
"Do you have the curse?" Karis inquired in a smug manner. Scar hissed softly at the impudent tone the succubus was using but he nodded his head and summoned a small box, a demonic visage emblazoned onto the lid. "Right here." He replied and flicked the lid off. It clattered to the floor, deafeningly loud in the silence that followed as Scar withdrew a black grub with beady eyes that alternated between vivid orange, demonic red, and sulfuric yellow. With a sinister expression on his face, he takes one of the sweets and sticks the grub in there. A harsh skree! of protest was heard from the grub, but a guttural command uttered from Scar silenced it. Karis nodded and re-wrapped the pastries, taping the envelope with the note onto it. With a snap of her fingers, it disappears.
"Good… that's one part of our plan… now to make it so the other pieces fall into place."
And that concludes the longest chapter I have ever written! I hope the length makes up for the wait! XDD Ah… the teams for the soon to be coming Imperial Tournament will be announced next chapter and all hell will break loose! XD I tried to tie everything up in this chapter so it was all in place for the next arc of this story… I threw in a little Reven, some intrigue, and a couple of new characters :3 Just to clarify some things up about Pallus, Rune, Seraphim, and Equiti… I do have some differences in their appearance so they don't resemble the main characters too much.
Rune- Has arch devil hair (Dark version) and he has one gold eye
Seraphim- Has blue eyes instead of gold
Equiti- Looks like a TT save for the fact he has brown hair and his color is deep green as opposed to Chung's blue.
Pallus- Still as girly as IP, but his hair is cut short and he has an ahoge (Stupid hair)
I think I'm insane for making this story as complex…But I am glad for all the support I've been receiving! 11 reviews for last chapter?! Thanks for the motivation guys! :D I'll hope you stick with me to the very end of this insane rollercoaster! OAO Ara's, Raven's, and Eve's backstories are so complex they could be separate stories by themselves… I haven't touched on what Ara's issue is but I will and trust me… you won't see it coming… As for Eve's problems with Chung and as to why they're even doing it… It's a lot deeper than you think. Ah… but I shall stop my rambling and not give you too many answers X3 On to reviewer replies! :D
Spirify- Waah? Say what? OAO I think I overdo it XDDD IS x VP love forever! :D Swag is funny the first time... but then it gets old... Swag to me usually means baggy pants and smoking weed XD
Konjiki No Yami- Me? Perfect?! Stahp! X/X I'm far from it! But I'm glad you like my writing :3 Edan is not a douche... at least not compared to his soon-to-be-introduced buddy Valak who takes douche up to the next level O3O Tsundere Elesis all the way XD Speka owns Glaive XDDDD
PikaChibi- And this is what happens next X)
AkitaEls- They're starting to make it... eventually they'll get together... one of these days... I will do notices if the time is changing drastically such as a day but I feel it's kind of pointless to do it for every scene change... but I see where you're coming from... at times all the pandemonium can be disorienting. Ara is a little perverted but Chloe brought them up... still... you can see why Eve preferably would not have Ara within ten miles of Chung XDD Our lovely Nasod Queen is just very composed about the issue though X3 Raven... he is the man that will call out all the shenanigans with a straight face... He is a reality check XD Yeah... there is some sexual and crude humor in this story... more as a courtesy of my dirty mind and the fact that it's taking place in school more than anything else... I do agree that RS would be IS in childishness, but I think that IS is ver close because I picture him as somewhat reckless and argumentative... Things are getting interesting! :D
The-Great-me-sama- Almost an ElsAi moment... sometime in the future we'll finally get the taste of diabetes XD
MiyuMelody- It's Nasod Inspector... Can't say how Aisha's mom joined the dark side quite yet though... cause it would spoil a big revelation in the story and a large piece of this story's backstory. But I will indulge you in the fact the little girl was a BtM :3
Rosamanelle- Dat review... my sides... Congrazzles Rosa... I officially had another noodle go up my nose from how awesome and hilarious your review was... :D Ja... I heard of Code: Geass... I love it! :D It's soo awesome! :DDD I checked out that FF... yes... it's AWESOME! :DDD *Runs around the room* Your speculations... so close but so far X3
thefrozencherryblossom- Glad to hear you loved it! Take another Reven moment home with you! :D
Elsword457- Thank you so much! :DD How is it going for you? :3
Yozora Night- Aren is the perfect example of a doormat in this story... XD But He will react one of these days :3