"I won't let that happen," Chung declared proudly.

"Let what happen?" the captain of the Royal Guard turned to him, a look of confusion across her face, "Getting too close to others?"

The prince shook his head, "No. I mean I won't let harm come to my friends."

Noah gave a single, loud laugh, though the pain in her eyes never seemed to leave. The cocky grin faded as she sadly shook her head.

"It's impossible, Seiker. You can do the best you can for others. But in the end, sacrifices are going to be made. That's what everyone on this island has come to terms with. I just hope it's something you come to terms with, too."


The last few drops of rain from the passing storm were carefully wiped away from Aisha's face as Chung held her in his arms. She looked as if she were sleeping; as if, at any moment she would be stirred awake by the caress of his hand. He wished it were so. He wished that this was all some horrible dream; that he'd wake up and find himself once more in Ruben forest, still owing the mage an apology for the night before.

He wished he would wake from his coma at the medical bay bed where his friends were there to meet him. Or perhaps he actually found rest after the long hours of patrolling the waterway walls.

Anything would have been better than this.

Chung looked past his fallen friend's head towards the destroyed castle far below. Thousands of demons still occupied the ravaged lands. Like a sea of oil, the black mass looked as if it was trickling downstream towards the Halls of Water. How surprised they would be, Chung thought, to find that their general had left them.

Irim roared, alerting the prince, as well as the second Hameling that carried Useli and Sasha, that they were almost at the waterway.

Light was breaking through the horizon as the morning slowly ushered away the evening storm. Far below, many of the braziers were still lit from the nightwatch and he could already see the red uniforms assembling for their arrival.

The two hamelings landed within the safety of the thick walls as a circle slowly formed around the two large beasts.

"Chung!" Rena called, pushing her way through the crowd with Raven in tow, "Where have you… oh gods…" The elf stopped in her tracks, hand over her mouth, as Chung dismounted with Aisha's lifeless body cradled in his arms.

Rena hurried to them but the slow shake of his head was enough to confirm her fears. The prince slowly lowered the body to the ground. The wound on her abdomen had covered the lower half of his white armor in blood. Chung was shaking. A torrent of emotion wracked his body as it took everything in his being to keep himself from breaking down in front of everyone. Rena carefully approached Aisha's body and tentatively brushed a lock of hair away from her face.

The elf drew in a sharp gasp as she quickly withdrew her hand. Again she covered her mouth as she fought back the tears.

"H… how? How did this happen?" Rena began.

He had been wondering the same thing ever since Sasha and Useli both said that there was nothing they could do. He was sure no one had seen him leave the waterway. He was sure Irim remained out of sight until they were safe within the cover of the giant storm. Yet despite all this… Aisha managed to follow him.

"How...?" Chung whispered, looking at the others for answers but he was only met with confusion.

No answer came and he rose to his feet. His body shook from the storm of anger and sorrow that boiled within him.

"I left without informing anyone... yet she found me... and she-" he flinched away when his eyes fell toward her body.

He scanned the crowd again, "How!?" he demanded. Only his racing heart could be heard over the uncertain silence. Suddenly, a weak, familiar voice cut through the silenced from behind the circle of soldiers.

"I told her."

Chung focused his attention towards the speaker.

An old friend hobbled his way through the crowd, assisted by crutches.

"Elsword…" Chung gasped as the Lord Knight's eyes fell on the mage's lifeless body.

The knight shut his eyes tightly, the grim reality of the moment hitting him as he tried to find the words to explain himself.

"I… heard you," Elsword said, keeping his eyes averted from Aisha, "I may have been unconscious, but… I heard you. I wanted to tell you to stop; that I didn't want you to leave us. But… No matter how hard I tried I couldn't wake up in time. The next thing I knew I was staring at Aisha's face… And… I told her."

Elsword looked up to the sound of heavy footsteps, just in time to see the prince land a right hook hard enough to knock the young man off his crutches and onto the cold stone floor.

Chung pinned him on the ground, landing a heavy fist across his face. And another. And another with enough force to draw blood. It was after the third blow that Raven caught the prince by the arm and wrestled him off Elsword.

"How could you?!" Chung screamed as he struggled to free himself. Elsword's head rolled weakly on the floor as he coughed up red from his bloodied mouth.

"You sent her to her death!" Chung wrenched himself free and threw himself on the knight once more, hitting him again and again. Each blow struck caused the young man to gurgle in pain accompanied by the sickening thud of bone against rock.

"Aisha…" Elsword muttered amidst the merciless onslaught.

With this single utterance, the prince faltered. How dare he say her name after sending her to die!

"Rena!" Raven called as the two grabbed the prince by each arm, pulling him off the knight once more.

"Why did you tell her? Why didn't you just leave me be?!" Again he struggled, his strength eventually leaving him as he finally broke down within Raven and Rena's grasp. His legs weakened and he fell to his knees with his arms still restrained by the other two. All the while he wondered why Elsword did what he did.

"Why…? You told me you cared for her. Why, then? Why did you send her to help me?"

He waited for an answer. With each heaving breath Elsword took, Chung saw the young man struggle to find the words.

"I did it…" Elsword coughed after a long moment, he turned his head towards Aisha's body as the tears began to flow freely from the knight, "Because I had to do something… to save you."

To save him. Chung's head fell forward in defeat. Elsword did it, again. He saved him. No matter how much the prince had tried to prove himself worthy as a guardian… Elsword always bailed him out of trouble in the end. But this time… it came with a cost.

He raised his head once more. Anger filled him yet again as he tried to muster the strength to beat the disabled Lord Knight. Useli was already at the knight's side, inspecting the man's head injuries. As his head was raised, Chung saw how Elsword's eyes never left Aisha's lifeless body. A look of deep-seated grief and regret covered his face.

In that moment all of Chung's anger, all of his fury, dissipated. Throughout the years of fighting alongside his best friend-throughout the borderline stupidity that accompanied the young man's courageous and stalwart disposition-he had never seen Elsword more broken in his life.

"While you were unconscious… Aisha told me that she had finally worked up the courage to tell you how she really felt about you. Did she at least have a chance to tell you that…?"

Only then did Elsword shut his eyes. He slowly shook his head.

"What the hell is going on here?" The crowd stepped aside as the High Commander pushed his way through. His eyes scanned over the Hamelings, the priestess, a mage's dead body, a bloodied Lord Knight, and a prince being restrained by two mercenaries.

Unable to comprehend the situation at first glance he immediately moved to Elsword's side, taking him from Useli's lap. "Check on the mage."

"She's dead, sir," Useli, muttered.

"What? How?"

"Stabbed, sir."

"And…? Don't keep the details from me. Out with it!"

"Ara stabbed her," Chung said, barely managing to utter the name. Penensio slowly turned his head towards the prince. Chung already knew where this was going.

"Who…?" the High Commander rose to his feet and Chung lowered his head in guilt. Chung could feel the grip Raven and Rena had on his arms loosen as Penensio drew close.

"A… Ara."

"Who is this Ara you speak of, again?" the sound of heavy footsteps closed in and prince could see the worn, mud-caked greaves of the High Commander standing before him, "Remind me."

He knew. The High Commander knew damn well who Ara was. He just wanted to get his single message through to the young man.

"The… one I set free," Chung whispered.

There was a long pause. Chung couldn't see it but he could feel the commanding officer nodding at him. He didn't have to spell it out for him. Chung already understood the mistake he made. As much as it killed him to admit it, the only reason Aisha died was because Ara was there to kill her. The only reason Ara was there was because Chung set her free. Despite Noah warning him not to do it, despite endangering the lives of thousands of troops, he still chose to free her. He believed it was for some greater good; that it was his duty to see to a close friend's safety despite the threat it brought. And now, Aisha was gone because of it.

Chung thought back on the events that occurred after that fateful night: the attack on the Temple of Frozen Water, the loss of thousands of reinforcements, the siege of Hamel Castle… It was as if the demon's knew exactly where to hit them and how.

It was then that Chung remembered the encounter with the demon lieutenant at the temple, how unsettling it felt when he and Elesis thought they foiled the demon's plans. Avalanche's words echoed in the prince's head:

"Stopped…? I'm afraid you're too late… You. Stopped. Nothing."

They knew. They knew everything up until the attack on the temple. They wouldn't have known about that… because Ara hadn't been there to inform Ran and his army.

He lowered his head as the weight of his guilt came crashing down on him.

"Chung…?" Sasha called, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'm… sorry," Chung said, voice trembling as he spoke.

"Sorry's not going to bring back the dead, Seiker," Penensio sighed as he scratched his head, "Alright, everyone, show's over. Back to your posts."

With that the group began to disperse. Rena and Raven finally let Chung go, letting him rest on his knees as they quietly moved to see to Aisha. Useli and a handful of medics moved to carry Elsword's body while Elesis appeared with a stretcher to carefully handle Aisha. Sasha stayed, fearing the young prince would do something reckless towards the Velder officer.

"Oh, goodness," Denka's distinct voice exclaimed over the dispersing crowd as he was finally able to make his way to the scene. With a paw over his mouth, he looked over the situation before approaching the High Commander.

Penensio remained before the young prince, disapproval written all over his face "You're going to have to forgive me for not understanding the context… You said she was killed by that foreigner… so where the hell is Ara?"

"Gone…" Chung muttered, his voice barely a whisper as the reality of his past decisions came crashing down on him.

"Gone…? So you killed her?"

"No… she and Ran left."

There was a brief pause as Penensio couldn't quite register what Chung had just said.

"Left…? What do you mean they left?"

"I took the Hameling to fight Ran myself… Aisha came and saved me. We were moments away from finishing him before Ara suddenly appeared and-"

"You faced Ran alone?" Penensio said, disbelief heavy in his voice.

The prince nodded slowly. "I wouldn't have survived… had it not been for the Aisha or the others."

"Others?"

"Add and Eve..."

"The Nasod and her servant…? Didn't they fall when the Black Crow was shot down?"

Chung simply shook his head, shrugging his shoulders and letting them slump forward as he remembered they were still somewhere within the temple. His initial instincts were to immediately go after them, but...

"And you said Ran left? Where'd he go?"

Chung shrugged. "Away. He used the last of his El to open portal to some desert. Most likely the Sander Desert."

"That's far to the northwest," Penensio muttered, scratching his chin once more, "Way past the thick mountain range…"

Denka stepped forward, clearing his throat loudly to garner the High Commander's attention.

"High Commander… if I may…" the otter-man leaned in and whispered into Penensio's ear. As Denka began his lengthy dialogue, Penensio's expression slowly changed from disbelief, to confusion, to a sharp realization. Penensio straightened, cutting Denka off mid-sentence as he turned his attention back to the prince.

"The demons," he asked rather hastily, "Did they leave with him?"

Chung shook his head, again with a disheartened sigh. "On my flight back I saw the situation in the castle was unchanged," the prince said with another shrug, "If anything the demons there looked as if they were beginning to migrate back towards the Halls of Water."

The High Commander grumbled as Denka resumed whispering in his ear. Chung could barely hear what he was saying but, to him, nothing mattered anymore. After all that had happened, all that he had been through, he had had enough.

"It's a risky move," Penensio said finally, "But it's a lot better than giving Ran time to return… this might be our only chance."

"Your majesty!" Denka turned to his prince, "...surely you'll help, won't you?"

"What's going on…?" The prince tilted his head in confusion.

"Fill him in on the details, Denka," Penensio said, turning to leave, "I'll brief the troops on the plan."

"Without a Demon General or Lieutenant present, the strength of that particular brood begins to dissipate," Denka explained, "Decades of battle reports from all over Elrios confirms this to be true. You should be aware of it, too, aren't you, your majesty? If I'm correct you fought at the invasion of Velder, did you not? After you defeated the Glitter army lieutenants, would you say your fight from then on was easier?"

"I wouldn't say it was easier," Chung recalled. He rose to his feet, instinctively dusting his greaves and accidentally scraping off the dried blood that had caked there. He looked up and saw Raven and Elesis as they carried the stretcher of Aisha's body towards the triage tents. As she disappeared from view Chung found himself drawn towards the tents, stopping only when Denka stepped into his path, preventing him from leaving them mid conversation.

"Prince Seiker! Surely you can attest," the half-otter insisted, forcing Chung to let out a dispirited sigh.

All he could remember was having to fight tooth and nail for every inch of burned cobblestone during that campaign. "If anything, the demons were less organized without a leader."

"Regardless!" Denka interrupted before remembering his place, "Erm, my apologies your majesty, but regardless, the enemy lacks a leader. And this is a demon army we're talking about! They do not belong in this realm and require a huge source of energy to remain here."

"I'm… not following you," Chung replied, he tried to make his way to the tent once more, "What does this have to do with anything?"

Again Denka jumped in his path, "Their leaders are the source of energy that keeps them rooted to this realm. Their weak points that you've been targeting is a shard of El from their realm and it functions like a battery, if there is nothing to power it, they simply weaken and eventually die. Why else do you think the demons are so hard pressed on securing the El Stones in our world? With just one, they would have enough energy to power an unlimited army, which I'm sure you've already had a taste of from Ran."

Chung thought back on what he saw during the flight over; the rivers of black that sped towards the Halls of Water.

"That could explain why the demons have begun migrating towards the El Stone…"

"Precisely the reason, your majesty!" Denka exclaimed while the prince tried to step around the advisor, "They have sensed the disappearance of their leader and have begun swarming their only other source of energy: our Water El Stone."

"And… what is it exactly that you're proposing?" Chung asked, more to humor the advisor than out of genuine curiosity.

"I propose that we beat them to it! In the narrow corridors of the sanctum their numbers should count for nothing. With you and the rest of the El Search Party we should be able to stave off the tide without a problem, I'm sure of it."

"And the High Commander agreed to this? With fifty men? I thought he was trying to reduce the number of losses, not instigate them."

"He understands the risk, my prince. But he sees the logic in my reasoning. Your help in this matter would be paramount."

"I appreciate how highly you think of my fighting ability," Chung replied, having heard enough, "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to pass." It was then that he was able to force his way around Denka.

"Your majesty," Denka grumbled in frustration as he ran after him, "I implore you, please help us. You and I know full well that the destroyer can make quick work of anything in an enclosed space."

"And what of the ones we're trying to protect within the sanctum?" the prince asked, "What of the ones fighting for our cause? What if the walls collapse on them? I've had an entire level collapse under my feet when a single support column was destroyed. You're asking me to liberally use a weapon capable of leveling a mountain in an enclosed space. No. I won't do it."

"But… Prince Seiker, you have to understand. If the demons swarm the halls, it would make reclaiming the stone near impossible. You have to do something… you have to save your kingdom!"

"Save…?" Chung stopped in his tracks and slowly turned to the otter, "Save?"

The young prince stomped over to the advisor, hands balled into a fist. "I will do no. Such. Thing."

"B-but, my prince, I… our home... I just-"

"Silence!" he roared, causing Denka to stagger back from the sheer volume of his voice. Even Sasha, who stood directly behind the prince, jumped from the sudden ferocity.

So loud was his cry that everyone within the walls paused. Elesis, stuck her head out from the triage tent and saw a prince quite literally on the brink of beating another man down to the ground.

Chung extended his hand, gripping the shaking otterman by the collar and pulling him close. He spoke in a whisper seething with rage.

"I… have tried… so desperately… to save others. But everything I do turns to shit. No matter how hard I try to redeem myself, someone else dies in my place. Every. Time. And now you're asking me to do this?"

His mind turned to Eve. She was still in danger but what could he do? Based on his history, he'd probably mess it up somehow at the cost of her life or someone else's. He couldn't bear such a horrifying thought. Not when there were capable fighters to take up such a burden. The prince slowly shook his head, letting the advisor go with a light shove.

"I've had enough of trying to save others," he said, turning his back to the others, "You'll find no help from me."

Sasha extended a hand towards Chung but pulled it away tentatively when he began to make his way towards the triage tent. Glancing from the prince to the advisor, the water priestess gave a brief bow of her head before chasing after him.

"Chung!" she called, catching up to the young man. He didn't respond and simply continued on his way.

"Chung, wait," She put herself in front of him but he quickly stepped around her. Elesis stood at the entrance. The Blazing Heart clicked her tongue at him before silently stepping aside and motioning towards where they had moved Aisha's body. As soon as he passed, Elesis resumed her guard, denying the water priestess passage.

"Let me through," Sasha demanded.

"Nuh uh," Elesis said softly, "The kid needs a moment to breathe."

"But… he's refusing to help us reclaim his kingdom-our kingdom. I need to reason with him."

"You'll get that chance soon," Elesis reassured her. She looked over her shoulder and watched as the prince knelt over Aisha's lifeless form. Raven, who had been at the mage's side the entire time, glanced up at Elesis, giving her a knowing nod. Chung took Aisha by the hand and gripped it, quietly raising it to his forehead.

"He just needs a moment," Elesis continued, turning back to Sasha, "As for actually convincing him to change his mind, well, that's on you."

Cold. Her hands had grown so cold. The prince prayed once more for this to be some sick dream.

"They said they're going to burn her body," Raven muttered solemnly, "I asked if I could bring the body back to Ruben and have her buried there… but, the medics advised against it. Said the body would be too decomposed to safely bring all the way to the little hamlet."

"She would have liked it, huh?" Chung replied, not raising his head from his deep prayer.

"Yeah. I was thinking of burying her at the overlook. You know? At our favorite camping ground with the view of Ruben?"

Chung didn't say anything after that. It was too hard to think about.

"You're my little brother… I only wanted the best for-"

"You are not my big sister. You are not my family and you are not my friend anymore. I don't want anything to do with you!"

He gripped her hand tightly, body trembling as the last memories he had of her rushed to the forefront of his mind.

"Chung?" The mage gritted her teeth and chased after him, grabbing him by his forearm and stopping him in his tracks. "Chung! Stop this… please. What do you want me to say? What do you want me to do? I don't want this… we're friends… aren't we? What can I do to make it up to you?"

"Stop trying to help me and leave me alone."

He took in a sharp breath as nausea filled him. How cruel. How cruel he had been to her in the last few days of her life. This was all because of his decision to save Ara. If he hadn't done that, she'd be alive… and Ara would be-

Chung shut his eyes. What could he have done? What would anyone have done, in that situation? If he knew setting her free would have led to this would he have even tried to save Ara? Would everything turn out differently if Ara wasn't able to feed information to Ran? He felt disgusted at the thought of letting another friend die of torture.

It just wasn't in his character to let others suffer if he could prevent it. It was natural that he'd want to save everyone… But if his decisions meant an outcome like this…

"I quit," he said out loud, raising his head to stare at the open wound on Aisha's stomach.

"What are you on about?" Raven asked.

The prince turned towards the mercenary, eyes welling with tears. "I quit… I'm done… I don't want any part of this life of fighting, anymore."

"What are you saying?"

"Raven…" Chung sighed, "I don't want… to be a part of the El Search Party anymore… I joined under the impression that I'd be able to grow strong enough to one day take back my home… But I don't think I can do it. With one decision I've single-handedly killed over five thousand well-meaning men and women as well as lost my closest friends. Despite all of that there are some out there that still look up to me as their guardian… as their prince… I don't deserve that title. I don't deserve this kingdom… and I definitely don't deserve to be a part of an organization of war heroes such as yourself."

He carefully placed the mage's cold hands back over her chest as he rose to his feet. "I'll be here for the funeral service… but after… I'm just going to disappear… have the Hamelings take me somewhere far far away. Consider this my formal resignation."

"Kid… You can't just leave us. Not when there's still work to be done."

"I've made up my mind, Raven. I'm just not cut out for this," Chung sighed, backing away from him before turning to leave.

"Chung-" the mercenary lunged for his arm but the young man slipped out of his grasp and made his way for the exit.

Elesis was there, however, and she clearly didn't intend for him to pass.

"So that's it, then? You're just going to leave us?"

"Move, Elesis," the prince commanded. The woman refused to budge. When he tried to push past her she shoved him back.

"You're just going to run away when things don't go your way? Tell me, what good has any of that ever done for you? The first time you ran you made all of us have to travel to the other side of the world just to find you!"

"I'm not here for your lecture, Elesis!" Chung yelled. Hearing this the Blazing heart responded with the only language that he understood: by slogging him so hard on the head and causing him to fall backwards off his feet.

"The second time you turned tail you had my brother's girlfriend here chase after you, and now look what happened to her! Do you think running away a third time will solve anything? I heard what you said to the High Commander… Eve is still out there. And you're just going to run from all of this?"

"You're all capable of saving her without me!" Chung reasoned, "If I go then I'd only fuck things up like I always have!"

"Is that so? Is that why we've made it this far in the campaign? Was it your mistakes that made it possible for us to even push past Resiam? Let me remind you that you're the one who drove Ran out of this kingdom. The cost was heavy… but admittedly, we couldn't have made it this far without you. And you know it."

"I've set the stage," Chung muttered, "But I will not see it to the end. You are all strong fighters. You don't need me anymore."

"We're stronger with you. Look at us… It's only me, you, Rena, and Raven. We need you for this."

Footsteps could be heard behind Chung and he raised his head towards the Blade Master who stood over him. "Rena explained the situation to me regarding Eve. I'm not sure what it all means but since you're the closest to her, you should be the one to try and snap her out of whatever trance she's in. We need you for that, as well."

"I… I can't," Chung whispered, garnering a frustrated grunt from the Blazing Heart.

Elesis then turned to Sasha who was still standing behind her. "Anything you wanna add, water priestess?"

Sasha hesitated before stepping into the tent, clasping something in her hand. She knelt down to the prince's level and gently reached out to brush a lock of his hair away from his face. He winced in pain as her hand brushed a broken cheekbone from Elesis's punch from earlier, and he was filled with a sudden rush of energy as blue light shined in Sasha's fingertips. The pain numbed and quickly vanished. This was different from Useli's form of healing.

"I… don't have much else to add to what has already been said, but… here," Sasha whispered, revealing what she held in her other hand: a white ribbon decorated in the likeness of a Hamelian Blossom.

"You dropped this while you were in a rush to bring your friend back here… This was your mother's wasn't it? I remember seeing this pinned to her whenever she was well enough to attend our ceremonies."

Chung took the ribbon, staring at the polished golden button at its center.

Golden… like her eyes.

He had given this along with his heart to Eve… and she reciprocated it. She said she'd repay him someday… but the truth was he owed her for her affection… She deserved so much more than how he had treated her in the past… and here he was trying to run from all of it.

Chung stood, tucking the ribbon safely in his plate of armor. After taking a moment to gather himself, he let out a sigh.

"Alright," he said, turning to the others, "I'll do it. For Eve's sake."

After a brief look of bewilderment Elesis and Raven turned to each other, relief washing over each of their faces.

"But that's it. Consider this my final mission as part of the El Search Party."


Darkness surrounded Chung. Only the faint glow of El braziers lit their path. It was much harder to see the subtle trail of dark blotches of blood. But it was the only thing the prince had to go on. During his entire tour of the Temple of Trials, he could feel Sasha's grip on his arm tighten. She was on high alert. She sensed demons all around them but they had yet to encounter a single enemy during their eerily silent walk through the maze of halls.

He didn't want to bring her. He knew that it was unwise to put the priestess in danger once more, but she knew these halls better than anyone else. The others had stayed behind. The Hamelings were stubborn about having even one person from Velder ride them… it was something else entirely to ask the Hamelings to bring an entire platoon on their back.

"It's fine," Raven had said as the operation was set into motion, "In all honesty, I think it's better this way. The troops are going to need our help spearheading our way into a defensible position within this sanctum. We'll hang back with them and ride the boats to this hole you said was on the side of the cliff face."

Truth be told, Chung had to agree with Raven. If he brought an entire army with him to face Eve, there's no telling what kind of destruction she would reap if she were still under Add's control. This was a matter best handled by him and Sasha. And, admittedly, Sasha's presence has become a godsend as they traversed deeper into the Temple of Trials. Through the complicated twists and turns and crossroads that looked just like all the previous ones along the way, she directed him with enough confidence that it wasn't long until Chung was completely relying on her knowledge to navigate through the corridors.

"Your friends have wandered around for quite some time, it seems," she said, noting the multiple occasions where the trail of blood clearly indicated that Add and Eve had backtracked several times.

"They must've gotten lost after trying to evade Ara's detection… But this is a lot of blood. I'm surprised they even made it this far running from someone," Chung commented.

"By the way, Chung… now that we have a moment alone," Sasha began.

"What is it?"

"I heard what you said, about leaving this group called the El Search Party."

"Mhm. They're a group of mercenaries often recruited for-"

"I know who they are. I've read books immortalizing the original El Search Party… The one led by Lowe. Surely it's not the same one, is it?"

"It… sorta is. Lowe passed the torch to Elsword not too long ago."

"The friend of yours who you nearly beat the life out of?"

"Yeah… I… he's my best friend. I shouldn't have done that… I just lost myself, there."

"Yes, you shouldn't have done that. It is unbecoming of royalty such as yourself… but I want you to know I am proud of you being able to join such an esteemed group of heroes."

"Y-yeah… thanks…"

"Are you really leaving this group?"

Chung was silent for a long moment as they continued wandering through the dark halls. Finally, long after Sasha assumed he wasn't going to answer, he spoke.

"I think it's for the best."

"Because you're afraid of hurting others?"

"That… and because I've had enough of this kind of life. Not too long ago, Elsword and I had a heart to heart talk about all of this."

"What did he say?"

"He wanted to know how long we could keep this going. He stated his fear of one day losing one of us and that because of it, he's too afraid to get too close to anyone… Aisha in particular."

"The girl that died…"

Chung nodded. "I loved her, too."

"I'm so sorry, Chung."

"Don't worry about it… there's nothing you could have done. Nothing any of us could have done. It's part of the job… and that's why I intend on leaving the group. I can't bear that kind of pressure."

"I understand. So what are you hoping to do after all of this?"

"Well," Chung sighed, "Assuming everything goes well, I hope to straighten this kingdom out. Re-establish order and help with the rebuilding of our nation. With my father back to lead us, we should be able to recover, I think."

"He is a kind king. Though what if it doesn't go as planned?"

"Then I guess the demons take over and we all die a horrible death," Chung laughed at his own dark humor. Sasha, however, did not.

"That's not what I meant."

"I know… I know. But I haven't thought all of that out. I've just been focusing on the here and now, you know?"

"Planning is an indispensible trait for a future king, Chung."

The prince said nothing after that and merely continued onward through the dark hall. Neither spoke a word for the rest of the walk and, after what seemed like an eternity of navigating through the maze, Sasha spoke.

"It shouldn't be far, now, though. Once we reach the Hall of Trials, there'd be nowhere else for them to hide. It would be a straight path to the end where the others should have been hiding."

"Others…? You mean…"

Sasha nodded, "Yes. Where your father and the other Hamelians are held in cryostasis. Though since I am no longer channeling the spell, they might be thawing as we speak."

The news brought a surge of long forgotten excitement in his heart. Ran had said his father was still alive, before and Sasha indirectly confirmed it. His father was alive! But this was no time to celebrate. If what she said were true then Add and Eve would have reached this last chamber by now.

"We should hurry, then," Chung said, quickening his pace, "There's no telling what would happen if my father were to see those two."

The corridor widened into a grand hallway with a large marble path leading to what looked like three distant gateways. Flanking the path were pools of pure water, the smell of salt completely absent as the walls poured a seemingly endless supply of crisp clean water.

Before they stepped in the room, however, Sasha suddenly pulled him back, stopping him in his tracks.

"This is strange… the trials seem to be active," the water priestess whispered.

"What do you mean?"

She motioned at the widening point of the hall. A ring-like structure had been built over the marble path like some form of gateway. The prince noticed a strange distortion within this ring.

"This is a magical gateway used only by those going through the trials that allow you to wield the power of the El Stone. I had to go through them when I was appointed as the water priestess."

"Is there anyway around it?"

Sasha shook her head, "If this is active, the only way to deactivate it is to go through the trials and deactivate the source powering it on the other side. Usually it's another priest or priestess channeling the energy but… what's powering it now, I'm not so sure."

"Are the trials difficult?"

"They're not difficult in the physical sense… but they're tedious and require discipline."

"Will they take long…?"

"When I was appointed as the water priestess it took me several days to complete each trial."

"Several days? What exactly do you have to do?"

"Tasks fit for a religious figure, really. Some required me to sit alone in silence for what seemed like an eternity."

Chung let out an exasperated sigh, "And how many trials are there, exactly?"

"Three," Sasha pointed in the distance past the magical gateway to three similar gateways at the far end of the grand hall, "If memory serves me, from left to right, each gate leads to the Trial of Strength, the Trial of Will, and the Trial of Self Reflection. Judging from the trail of blood I can guess that the ones you seek have already surpassed the trial of Will and have moved on to the Trial of Strength… though…"

Sasha trailed off as she seemed a bit hesitant about all of this.

"What's wrong?"

"Something's not quite right… the flow of El ebbing through here feels… different…"

"Different how?"

"Corrupted."

"Is… that something I should be concerned about?"

"I'm not sure. It might be. The trials created are made based on whoever is powering these gateways. My journey through here may have been uneventful in your eyes but the obstacles laid out for you may be a different story. Possibly even dangerous. I'll help in anyway I can."

"Alright… I think I got it: finish the three trials, shut down whatever's powering said trials, save Eve if and whenever possible."

Sasha nodded, "By shutting down whoever's powering the trials, it would make passage much easier."

"Understood," Chung said before stepping through the gateway. His body tingled as the El passed through him and he turned around to see nothing but a brick wall through the gate behind him.

"Sasha?"

"Here," a voice called suddenly as Sasha suddenly appeared, stepping through the gateway. She turned, as well, noting the wall that stood behind them.

"We're trapped within these halls," she said, reaching through the El and touching the cold surface of the wall beyond it. "You must pass the trials now if you are to escape from here."

"Right… should be easy enough," Chung laughed nervously, "Trial of Strength, right? What's that about?"

Sasha groaned as she recalled her own experiences, "For me it was hours upon hours of sermons. It was the discipline to stay within the guidelines of the laws of our worship. I stood in front of a cathedral filled with shadows preaching until my throat was dry and until my legs were too weak to stand."

"Sounds wonderful," the prince commented sarcastically.

"Hopefully yours won't be so monotonous," the priestess said with a shake of her head.

"Hopefully…"

Suddenly, the floor under them rumbled. The gateway leading to the Trial of Strength rippled. Through the calm flow of water, the two of them could hear the faintest echo of what sounded like gunfire.

They both looked at each other before Chung hurried for the gateway. Sasha followed but before Chung stepped through, he turned, stopping the priestess in her path.

"Stay out here. Whatever's going on, it doesn't sound like a place for a priestess to be."

"But what if you're hurt-"

"I'll be fine," Chung reassured her, "Just stay here… stay out of sight. Please. I'll be back. I promise."

Sasha hesitated before giving him an uncertain nod.

Without a moment to lose, Chung stepped through the gate and immediately found himself overcome by the loud crack of constant gunfire that threatened to destroy his eardrums. He covered his ears as bright flashes of light lit the dark room. Before him were two familiar figures who had yet to notice his sudden appearance. It was Add and Eve.

The Technophile was on the ground, hiding behind the cover of a downed marble column. His clothes were in tatters. The long white cloak he wore had its sleeve torn off and was being used as a poorly wrapped bandage around a bloody wound on his leg. He was weak. The amount of blood he had lost getting here was beginning to take its toll and he looked as if he were on the verge of passing out. Despite this he shouted orders over the roar of gunfire and explosions.

Standing at his side, flanked by her trusty drones, Moby and Remy, as well as Add's dynamos, was Eve. Unlike the man who was barely hanging on to life next to her, the Nasod looked largely unscathed. The same spines from before protruded out of her back like black wings. At her side was her trusty atomic blaster, firing ropes of heated plasma rounds at their target. Every now and then the spines on her back would crackle with energy as numerous pocket dimensions around her would form. Hundreds of razor sharp shards of Nasod steel materialized, flying in hundreds of different directions as they cut their foe into ribbons. Various projected windows lit up in front of her as data flowed through them at a blinding rate but a single red display stood out the most:

"Exotic code corruption: 28%."

With all the deafening sounds and flashing lights, Chung almost didn't notice the collosal shadow that fell to its knees before the sheer firepower. It was a silhouette of a Hamel Paladin five times his size. Garbed in thick Hamelian Armor, the most defining feature of the titanic demon was the even larger cannon at its side. But even its size and its strength could not withstand the relentless onslaught of the little Nasod standing before it. Its armor cracked. Its joints were severed. Eventually the being fell forward in a crumpled heap, its form dissipating in a plume of thick black clouds.

The blue light of El returned in the large chamber and only then did the deafening cry of the atomic blaster fall silent.

"E… excellent work… Eve," Add said in labored breaths, "Th… these damned illusions… They're sure to be the end of me."

He motioned for her to move closer and she did so, extending a hand to help him up.

"Are you well, my king?"

"Better, now that whatever that was is out of the way," he struggled to rise to his feet and the Nasod leaned over, throwing his arm over her shoulder as she helped him up.

It was then that they both noticed that they weren't the only ones in the chamber.

"You…" Add growled, "Is this another illusion? You're supposed to be dead."

Chung quickly glanced at Eve. She still bore the same, dull amber eyes from before. The red window flashed as the number rose to 29%.

"I'm very much real," Chung sneered back, his hand slowly reached for his revolvers, "And I'm far from dead. I'm here to take Eve back."

"Back? To where?" Add laughed weakly, "She's where she belongs: under my control. And she likes it when I control her, don't you, my queen?"

Her eyes were fixated on the new threat. Like a wolf ready to pounce its prey at its master's command, she simply nodded.

"You were foolish to come after me alone, Chung. If that Ara woman was with you then you'd have a better chance… though that's not saying much considering that you're dealing with my Eve at her full potential."

"What do you mean full potential?"

"Queen's throne, you simpleton. With her exotic code fully unlocked, she has near limitless power. The restrictions of El is non-existent. She is at the highest form of efficiency and beyond. And all of that power is mine to study and control."

Chung quickly drew his revolvers, "Not if I have a say in it!"

He unleashed a hail of rounds, confident that each shot fired would hit its mark. Yet as he did so numerous portals opened between him and the other two as hundreds of spears flew past, catching and deflecting each round with unbelievable timing and accuracy.

"Chung," Add laughed, louder this time, "You stupid neanderthal. Hit things until it breaks… that's your solution to fixing things? Code is something that can't be corrected by violence-not that you'd have any knowledge at all about it. She's mine. And there's no way you can change that."

"I'll find a way… You just watch."

"Oh, I will. And I'll enjoy every second of it-until the last bit of life bleeds out of you," Add turned to his manipulated puppet as he slid off her shoulder and took a seated position on the marble column, "Eve?"

"Yes, my king?" the Queen of Nasods responded.

"Kill him."


A/N: Thank you Aevari, Kiyoshiin, Zacaro, and icis for editing this chapter! It'd be a mess without your help!

Yes, I'm still writing this. It took me forever because this was one of the more climactic chapters at least on a dramatic scale for me to write. Everything I came up with just didn't work and I had to write and rewrite dialogues so much that I often had to scrap whole scenes before I was satisfied with the chapter you see now. Tell me what you think and hopefully I'll have the next chapter out a lot sooner! The next set of chapters are gonna be awesome btw!