Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; none
Rating: T
Word Count: 10,034
Summary: It was like looking into a mirror. What happens when one's reflection talks back and throws uncomfortable questions? El Search Party struggles to find entrance into the Demon Realm, but Dominator has a plan.
Alternative Title: Dominator fucked up and now everyone meets their alternative selves
Note: This story took place right before the team meets Rosso, so Laby will not bein this story. Rose will not be in this story due to not knowing her canon class at the time this fic was written.
Class Notes:
Canon Path: Knight Emperor, Aether Sage, Daybreaker, Rage Hearts, Code: Esencia, Comet Crusader, Apsara, Empire Sword, Doom Bringer, Ishtar and Chevalier (Innocent), Bluhen
Alternative Path: Rune Master, Oz Sorcerer, Anemos, Furious Blade, Code: Ultimate, Fatal Phantom, Devi, Flame Lord, Dominator, Timoria and Abysser (Catastrophe), Richter
Doppelgänger
Chapter 14: The Cataclysm
Code: Ultimate
Henir's Time and Space existed in a separate plane of its own, balanced between all dimensions and existed at a point where time did not exist. A portal cracked open from the side, forming an enclave big enough for their group to squeeze through.
Ultimate entered first. She forced her wings to fold back to avoid crushing the person behind her. It was the same as it was the last time she had visited. They all landed on the familiar blue platform shared by parts of Elrianode. Electric circuits glowed beneath their feet. Blue cubes hovered around their platform among the stars. A dark sun eclipsed by the moon floated above their heads.
Despite gaining access to knowledge from the libraries and databases from her journey, Ultimate had little understanding of Henir's Time and Space and its existence. Its architecture bore strong resemblance to that of the corrupted monsters and machines in Elrianode. The administrator of the facility was placed in what appeared to be a form of punishment. Ultimate felt her circuits hum into mild stress at the thought of being locked into one place.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE DIMENSION WILL COLLAPSE?"
Loud chatter disrupted Ultimate's train of thought. The queen of destruction closed her eyes and allowed her programs to run scans in the background. Glave was nowhere to be seen, but Ultimate needed to update her database on Henir's Time and Space.
"I'm sure she was joking." Knight laughed nervously. The red knight fought to restrain Aether by placing his hands over her shoulder and gently nudging her away from Metamorphy. The elementary mage did not back away and had her staff out with a dangerous look in her eyes.
Ultimate recognized that expression. It was the one humans had when frustrated and confused. Aether was both.
"I don't joke," Metamorphy said with a bright smile. She was unaffected by her counterpart's outburst and stepped out of the portal with her arms behind her back.
Her sensors notified Ultimate that other organic beings were present. Orange and red light filtered through her ocular lens to let her know there were a few dozen warm bodies. Metamorphy was correct in that they were the last group to have arrived. The platform they were on was one of many. Small stairs connected each platform and formed a chain of them to travel in between them.
Ultimate heard their names being shouted by the others that saw their arrival. It was too much for the Nasod in keeping track of them all. She allowed herself to ignore them and instead watched her friends interact with each other. Their reunion would be short before they learn about their fates.
A figure appeared from the mass of people. Ultimate's scans shot up in response to the high energy levels emitted from Paradox. The time traveler's energy level was unstable, making it difficult for Ultimate's systems to keep up with the changes. It was as if Paradox wasn't human.
"Of course it's you causing all the noise." Paradox was in his adult form and covered his mouth to hide a snide smile. He said to Metamorphy. "So you told them your intentions. Didn't think you would become the harbinger of bad news."
"I don't remember asking for your input," Metamorphy's expression soured. "I doubt your group took it any better than mine did."
"You took us here knowing we were going to react like this?" Knight protested, "You're okay with us watching the world be destroyed?"
"Reborn," Metamorphy corrected.
"Explain," Ultimate looked at Paradox and Metamorphy with cold eyes. She noticed more people crowding around them and listening in to Metamorphy's explanation. Did they know about this before they did? "I don't quite follow what you mean by rebirth."
Destruction and rebirth were two concepts humans liked to bring up through history. Their religion and cultures were built around both. When one group had fallen, another would rise, sometimes stronger than the last in ways Nasods wouldn't be able to.
Ultimate was placed into deep slumber because her creator feared that his race had once again fallen into the cycle of death. He was correct, but Adrian failed to recognize that humans were just as compatible with creation as they were in destruction. For she had seen her teammates come up with plans and concepts that helped others. However, Ultimate began to understand his sentiment when Metamorphy showed glee in explaining the death of a dimension the Nasod queen had only come to known for a few days.
"Rebirth makes it sound grander than it actually is," Metamorphy said. "It's more like a soft reboot. Having everyone into the same dimension is stressing the system and forcing it to shut down to reset itself."
"You're saying it's going to come back?" Phantom asked.
"Yes," Metamorphy hummed. "Maybe not one-hundred percent. It should be restored to the state before the dimension broke down."
"We're really doing this." Bangs covered Knight's eyes, "We're letting people suffer again."
There was tension in the red haired man's features. His shoulders rose and a hint of blue flickered over his glassy eyes. Ultimate frowned and questioned the El's influence over Knight. Did the El have a stronger presence with Knight than it did for Rune?
"I'm sorry we had to resort to this," Rage offered Knight an awkward pat on the back.
"So this is what happens when too many timelines intersect," Bringer mumbled to himself. "This is the end."
Being a few hundred years old, Ultimate wasn't one to be as sentimental as most were in occurrences such as the soft reset Metamorphy was suggesting. The end wasn't a foreign concept to her. According to numerous history books, many Elrian civilizations documented the Nasod war as the death of a prosperous era and the end to the benevolent relationship between Nasods and humans. Rune's sacrifice to the El was the end of their search for the El Lady and the El Masters. A soft reset would mark yet another ending of a story arc in human history.
Was there truly an end?
"Resetting will fix everything?" There was a bite to Flame words and sharpness in the look she exchanged to Metamorphy and over to Paradox. Biting the bottom of her lips, Ultimate could see the flame user trying not to get excited.
"I don't know about that," Paradox scoffed. "No one has done a reset before. I'm not sure if Glave can even do it."
"Is that why you brought us here?" Abysser asked. "I knew Glave deals with time and space, but do you really think he's going to agree to helping us?"
"Didn't he already help you in Elrianode?" Crusader had his arms crossed, "He gave us information about the corrupted Elrianode monsters and about the Dark El."
"I suppose it could be too soon to ask for help again." Empire said, "We're already here, so we should at least try."
Empire had what humans called "cautious optimism". When Ultimate expressed her confusion, Rune explained that people wanted to see the bright side of something, but remained careful out of the fear of being wrong. The knight captain remained so, putting on a composed mask but smiling as a way to reassure the others. Flame did the same, but her enthusiasm was more overt and offering loud cheers.
Crossing her legs, Ultimate examined a floating cube reflecting her face back. She hadn't noticed before, but some of them acted as monitors and showed the viewer different worlds. Each surface focused on a different part of Elrios, but one caught her attention. Ripples formed over its otherwise smooth surface and offered her a glimpse of a moving figure.
A woman sharing Devi's face darted across a muddy terrain with a toothy grin. She wore white outfit similar to that of the warriors from Fluone's Northern Empire, followed by a white fox with many tails. Behind her was a blonde man in a white suit covered by equally pristine armor and a destroyer. An elven woman was with them. Her hair was tied back into a long braid and hoisted a sword and a bow. The sky was red and they were fighting a monster several times their size, covered in spikes and baring sharp teeth.
An emotionless face reflected back at Ultimate from the screen. The Nasod queen froze, waiting for her circuits to process the face of her twin. Pale blue wings sprouted from the back of her counterpart from another world she didn't know of. Were these people her friends from another dimension?
"My, my. There are more of you than usual." A male voice mused, "Your group gets bigger each time we meet, but this is the biggest I've seen."
A single orange eye peered through the metal mask Glave wore. His voice made it impossible to tell his age, a quiet chuckle followed by a light toned statement that placed many people on edge. The locks placed around his collar were for a man who had committed unspoken crimes.
"You took your time," Paradox sneered. "Where have you been?"
"Hello, Add." Glave chuckled, "I see you have made use of the knowledge I have given you."
"Cut the crap and tell us what we need to do to undo this idiot's mistake!" Bringer growled.
"It looks like there's three of you now," Glave looked at Bringer, Dominator, and Paradox. "I suspected this day would come. How can I help you?"
Bringer fumed as Bluhen commented about the brawler being singled out with his other selves. Dominator was less pleased of being grouped with his alternatives, crossing his legs and sitting on Dynamo in a silent sulk. Paradox became a sitting duck as soon as Glave showed up, glaring at the administrator of Henir's Time and Space with distaste.
"We need your help," Crusader explained. "The Demon Realm where we came from is falling apart. If we don't do something, we won't be able to save Elrios."
"Is that so?" Glave looked at the mob, "Is that because all of you were involved?"
"Yes," Anemos said. "Add said there were too many of us and it's causing problems for everyone and the people living in Demon Realm."
"I expected this to happen for some time," Glave admitted.
"Because you taught someone how to time travel?" Nova raised a brow.
"Yes, but he isn't the only one learning to open portals." Glave said, "I'm sure you remember the demon invasion in Velder?"
"That's right, they were trying to open portals to invade Elrios!" Aether exclaimed, "But what are you trying to say? Metamorphy said you could reset the dimension and return us back to where we were supposed to be!"
"Did she now?" Glave said, "That is a heavy task you are asking of me."
"Please, Glave. You helped us before and you gave us all the information you knew about the Dark El." Knight lowered his head, "I don't know what we can offer this time, but you're the only person I know who can help us."
Ultimate looked back to Knight, trying to understand his intention. He led a massive group, yet maintained the humbleness Rune had. There was no humor in his intonation, coated by shame and guilt. She was confused about where the unnecessary emotion came from. He was no different than Rune.
"What can you offer this time?" Glave chuckled again, "Resetting a dimension so I can send all of you on your merry way? It will only take time before all of you find each other again."
"I know it's our fault this happened, but that's why I want to change that." Knight said, "I only want-"
An arm blocked Knight from getting closer to Glave. Immortal stepped up and shook his head to Knight, effectively silencing his counterpart with a tiny smile. The sword user beamed at Glave and offered the man a forced grin.
"Yo, Glave! I got a better deal than myself over there," Immortal nudged Knight to the side. "Why stop at resetting one dimension? You're right, we might try to see each other again and that means you'll have to fix our mess again. So why don't you sit down and listen to what I have to say?"
"Oh?" A smile could be heard in Glave's raised intonation, "What do you propose?"
"Why don't you make it so that dimension traveling is stable across our three dimensions?" Immortal nodded, "You won't regret this because you will never be bored!"
Anemos once proposed to Ultimate that Glave's strange requests were done out of boredom. She kept her voice low and hushed with a snide comment that was uncharacteristic of the elven woman. Ultimate couldn't relate to the emotion as Nasods did not get bored, but she knew that humans had a tendency of finding ways to entertain themselves when placed in isolation. She could see why Glave would go to such lengths to reach out to the El Search Party when his traveling was limited to a few spots.
"Never get bored, huh?" Nova laughed to himself, "That's so Elsword."
Chevalier
In contrast to the cold weather in Varnimyr, there was nothing in Henir's time and space. It was warm yet cold. Big, yet small. An infinite sea of platforms floated in space, small stairs suspended in midair and connected to one another. Just big enough to fit all twenty nine of them and its administrator.
The first time he had visited Henir's time and space was by Glave himself, who had a tendency of showing up at resting spots in Elrios. A strange light in his eyes gave away that the man had plans of his own. He wasn't one to share his intentions and Chevalier didn't want to do with any of it. Chevalier didn't lack strange people in his life after he formed a pact with Ishtar.
It has been weeks since Chevalier last saw the administrator of Henir's time and space. With a look of boredom and a shrug, Glave offered useful information on the Dark El and a quick history lesson of the Henir heretics involvement of it. Their dependence on Glave brought discomfort to the half-demon butler.
"Are we nothing more than entertainment for this man?" Ishtar scowled, "Fixing someone else's mistake in exchange for our livelihood. What kind of nonsense is this?"
Chevalier hushed the former demon ruler. He had seen the hasty plan wrapped together by the newcomers as if it was second nature for them to dimension jump at a last minute's notice. There was no reason to give Glave a moment of doubt in handing over a gift to their group.
"How would we travel to each other's worlds?" Apsara asked.
"I gave the coordinates to the nerd and the musclehead," Paradox snorted. "I think that's enough."
"This is a good idea?" Chevalier wondered aloud, "Demons have tried to cross into Elrios through portals in the past. What makes you think they won't find out about our new access to them?"
"It's only a problem if you blurt it out in the cold open like the amateurs you are," Paradox grinned. "With twelve of you, that surely won't be a problem, would it?"
Chevalier couldn't make head or tail(s) about the man who shared Doom Bringer's face. The time traveler had two forms he could use however he pleased. That was how he tricked Knight into believing he was harmless, yet they were expected to take Paradox's words as truth. The butler's gaze locked into Bringer, who nodded as a confirmation.
"That's right, he gave us the coordinates for each other's dimensions." Bringer said, "Is that all you want to say?"
"You're not the type to have idle conversations, are you?" Dreadlord chuckled, "I suppose it can't be helped with our situation."
Was the Demon Realm they came from beyond saving? It wasn't their world, but it was the one the El Search Party promised to protect. It was a relief to make amends with the dark elves and the other creatures living there. Despite the poor relation between demons and Elrios inhabitants, there were civilians living in both. Most importantly, it was Ishtar's home. Behind her sly smiles was sadness and nostalgia for a place that no longer accepted her.
Chevalier and Ishtar poured blood and sweat into fighting their way into Demon Realm to restore her reign as a ruler, only for all that effort to go to waste. He couldn't imagine the thoughts going through Ishtar's mind in watching her world be reduced to ashes.
"It's fine," Ishar placed a hand over Chevalier's left forearm. She said with a forced smile, "It doesn't bother me. Everything will be okay."
"Are you sure?" Chevalier disliked how childish he sounded when he asked a seemingly simple, yet personal question to the one he was supposed to protect.
"Metamorphy said it would be reset, so I'm sure of it." She closed her eyes, "My people are no strangers to rebuilding themselves. We should be thankful Grave is agreeing to help us again. This will be the second time we owe him."
"That's already several times less than some of us," Immortal gave a light chuckle. "Are you ready then?"
All this talk about portal and interdimensional travel was a familiar topic that gave Chevalier a migraine. He could understand why the ability to do so was so appealing to demons. With that sort of power, Chevalier would gain access to stronger allies, multiple versions of himself that would likely share the same objective as he did. It took the effort of many people to prevent such power from falling into their enemy's possession.
Meeting their alternates added an extra layer of complexity on top of the original intention to seek out the Dark El. The butler knew they wouldn't hear the last about portals after the first time they attempted to cross a dimension over from Lanox. Chevaliar had doubts that their group would return to Elrios any time soon.
"You all right, there?" Abysser's annoying voice popped into his vicinity. "What's going on in your mind?"
"Nothing," Chevalier said.
"No one thinks about nothing," Abysser snorted. "Hey Ish, what's he thinking?"
"Don't call her that!" Chevalier growled. Why was being around himself so grating? Ishtar gave Abysser a small smile, but the demon monarch mentally cackled at the exchange between the two butlers. Chevalier sent glares at the tiny demon, struggling not to fill his mind with profanities. That only made Ishtar laugh harder.
"Did I say something funny?" Abysser was concerned, "You look like you ate something bad and Ishtar is giving me a weird look."
Chevalier stared ahead, focusing his thoughts and eyes on Glave. The administrator's lips were moving, but he couldn't hear the words. For the first time, he wished Ishtar didn't have to share the same mental space as him. The demon monarch was usually good about backing off and giving him privacy, but Ishtar was taking delight in picking at his thoughts whenever Abysser was around. Her Cheshire grin was one that was usually reserved for teasing Bluhen.
"Ciel was telling me how much he likes you!" Ishtar dared to speak a complete lie. Her lips couldn't have spread out even further if she tried. The demon monarch bore a mischievous smirk that was more in line with her appearance age.
"Aw, I think you're cool too!" Abysser beamed.
Chevalier groaned.
He spied a camera shot of Varnimyr from one of the reflective cubes floating nearby. They functioned similar to the Nasod technology used in Elysion to monitor the city. Red clouds swirled in a dangerous haze, obscured by dark portals consuming the rest of the sky. Demons trekked across the fiery path, seeking for shelter in confusion to what was happening to their world. The demon realm was a mirror to what Lanox was weeks before the demon invasion. So this was how Glave always knew where to find them.
Past his former days as a hitman, Chevalier pondered on how he would use them. How easy would it be to find his target before they realized he existed and... Chevalier didn't allow himself to complete the thought. Those days were over. He would have easily picked to live in the present than in a bloodtorn past where he too often scraped the bottom of the barrel for less savory jobs.
"It's okay if you don't know what to think about any of this," Abysser read his silence as uncertainty. His eyes glazed over the cubes. Anger appeared in a short moment before he said, "I don't think anyone would know how to react."
"You think?" Chevalier gave a dark chuckle. At least Abysser's voice was good at distracting him from those troubling thoughts. "I was questioning my sanity when you introduced yourself."
"I can't be that bad," he feigned a hurt expression.
"It's like a dream," Chevalier said. "Everything gets resolved as quickly as the problem came."
"We must be blessed because we now have three Elswords," Abysser smirked. "Lady Luck seems to like them."
"I wouldn't call it luck if it means having to sit through the world crumbling before us," Chevalier said.
"You're welcome to join them," Abysser grinned.
"I'll pass," Chevalier scoffed.
"Don't you ever get bored of acting cool all the time?" Abysser asked.
Chevalier shrugged, wondering what the demon meant by that. While he was troubled by the idea of watching a dimension reset itself, Ishtar did not need to add his premature death to her list of growing worries. Having sympathy for demon realm civilians wasn't going to make him into a martyr. He was not Knight.
"What needs to be done to begin the reset?" Anemos asked.
"Your visit was unexpected, so I won't be able to start immediately to fix your… mishap." Glave said. "For saving the dimension, I expect a token of exchange shortly after. I'm sure it won't be difficult for one of you to acquire it."
Chevalier was sure the first part was a lie, but he didn't have the proof nor motivation to say otherwise. He took Glave's word for it and nodded in agreement. His mind glossed over the mention of payment, mildly interested in what the administrator of Henir could want. Glave had previously formed exchange services for them running errands. The requested items were often unique objects obtained from strange circumstances and battles.
"You can tell us about the price after you finish saving the world," Immortal said impatiently.
Similar to Knight, he carried weight in his steps and was terse in his words. He had a sharp look in his eyes, hazy from the effect the Dark El had. Chevalier could feel the Dark El radiating from the sword user, yet he retained his reason and intelligence.
"There will still be limitations on how many can visit different worlds," Glave added. "Your dimensions will no longer collapse under the new laws, but having large groups together will cause a delay in regular timeflow."
"As in…?" Flame squinted.
"Try not to visit in big groups," Phantom finished for her.
"Having big groups does make it harder to avoid detection from the enemies," Daybreaker remarked.
Being forced to arrive as small groups sounded cumbersome, but it was more than what he expected from Glave. Impressed by Immortal's ability to sway the administrator of Henir, Chevalier quietly thanked the redhead and offered a pat on the shoulder. Immortal backed away, as if the young man had seen a ghost. He kept looking at the butler's face with a careful expression before moving his eyes over to Ishtar. Fear struck across Immortal's gaze before he apologized to Chevalier for staring.
Confused by Immortal's reaction, Chevalier accepted the apology but frowned. Was it something he had said? Did Immortal have a bad relationship with the other Ciel from his world? It took a split second for Chevalier to force himself away from drawing out his gunblade because of the way Immortal looked at Ishtar, an expression he was quick to recognize. It was one of fear mixed with anger. What did the other Lu do to make Immortal respond like that?
"Forget it." Immortal rubbed the back of his head, a trait he shared with Rune and Knight when frustrated. "I need to let the others know what's happening."
"I know you have a lot on your plate, but Glave won't be ready any time soon." Chevalier said. He wished there was something he could do to help the young man. "You should take the time to rest."
"Lucky for us, time doesn't exist here." Immortal let out a dark chuckle.
"So after this, we'll return to where we were before like nothing happened?" Chevalier asked.
Immortal nodded.
Rune's group would go back to Elrianode before they entered Demon Realm. Would they once again attempt to enter their Demon Realm or would they change plans and remain in the ancient city? Chevalier and his friends would return to a restored Varnimyr with its inhabitants being none the wiser, still in danger because of a strong demonic presence they have yet to identify. Where would Immortal and the others go?
"Don't waste your time thinking about the things that don't exist in your world," Immortal said. He gave the butler a critical expression, "I'm sure you're curious about what my world is like, but that's our problem to figure out."
Problem? Chevalier realized he was judging a group of people he had only met a few hours ago and felt guilty. It wasn't his place to make opinions on something he didn't understand.
"Perhaps we'll meet again under better circumstances," Chevalier said.
"Maybe," Immortal's expression softened. Despite his young face, there was age in his eyes. Chevalier didn't understand why, but he sympathized with Immortal's struggle to hold the team together. That was something he could relate to. "Maybe not."
"Can you at least tell me if you found the Dark El?" Chevalier asked when Immortal excused himself.
The redhead broke into a burst of genuine laughter, "Would I be here if I knew the answer?"
Immortal
Resting his head back against the palm of his hands, Immortal took deep and controlled breaths as Shakti had taught him. He felt his chest hover before deflating, letting his mind wander off into the distance and blocking out the pointless chatter around him.
More waiting. Nothing he could do to speed it up. Time didn't exist in Henir's Time and Space, which was great because that meant the stakes were lower, but made the extraneous delay worse for the sword user. Immortal was itching to get up and find something to do.
Paradox didn't trust Glave, but it wasn't a question about trust. Glave was useful. He had access to knowledge and power that could easily switch their position in their current battle against the demons. Immortal wasn't going to ignore a viable resource, not when Glave was so eager to offer his services.
It was torturous sitting around and waiting for Glave to do his thing and send them back. To hell with Glave saying their visit was unexpected. He knew the guy was keeping a careful watch on his group. Something about them having "potential", whatever that meant. Glave was never confused when his team visited the administrator, often offering them valuable information they needed. There was no reason for Glave to begin being surprised by their appearances.
Immortal's concentration was broken by girlish giggling. Scowling at nothing in particular, he opened his eyes to see Metamorphy pointing at Paradox while talking to Devi. The magical girl motioned a pair of cat ears with the use of her index fingers. Devi had a similar expression as Immortal, confused by Metamorphy's chatter. Flame was amused and mouthed a few words Immortal couldn't hear over the rest of the mob.
"It's hard to hear your own thoughts," Nova commented. The older man settled down next to Immortal. "I'm surprised it took effort to find them."
"I'm surprised too," Immortal mumbled. "We should have let Aisha lead."
"She would be happy to hear that." He could hear the smile in Nova's tone without looking at the former mercenary. "Convincing Glave to let the paths crossover more than once was a bold move."
"So was letting the Dark El take over." Immortal balanced one of his blades to see his reflection shine over its glossy edge and smirked, "I'm a bold guy."
"If you say so," Nova chuckled. "I understand wanting to restore their dimensions, but why take the extra steps to let them transverse to our worlds?"
Portals weren't a novelty for Elrios. Humans and demons alike have spent centuries toying with the idea of interdimensional travel, fighting to ignore the barriers placed by the gods to prevent them from mingling. In many ways, demons held very human qualities in wanting what couldn't be obtained. If it wasn't Knight or Rune's teams attempting to use portals, Immortal was sure the demons would make additional attempts to break into another dimension.
"I like to call it a haunch," Immortal said. "Just in case something like this happens again. Besides, they could use the extra help."
"In fighting Rosso?" Nova raised a brow.
"Not so loud!" Immortal shushed him, "I don't think they know about him yet, at least that's what Paradox told me."
"Letting them know won't hurt them," Nova gently told him. "They already know they will make it because of us."
Immortal questioned if it was wiser to let the other El Search Parties know what they were getting themselves into. His team had barely scraped out of the battle with bloodied cuts and bruises that took days to heal. Unlike Knight's team, they had no healers and relied on potions crafted by their alchemists.
What would he tell Knight and Rune? That they were going to be ambushed by a burning midget with a giant blade? Immortal sighed, frustrated by the dilemma. Their timelines were already tangled up thanks to Paradox. There was no use in hiding knowledge from each other, yet he hesitated.
Their small team of eight grew at Rosso's awakening. Paradox showed up when the first blood was drawn. When asked why, the time traveler shrugged with a mischievous smile. Immortal could never understand what went through Paradox's mind and wasn't sure if he wanted to.
It was one of the rare fights that summoned Iblis and Anular from the depths of hell. Iblis's face was twisted with madness and delight in the pain she was able to inflict on their enemy, dragging Anular along on an invisible chain formed by their twisted bond. Their party was down to the last of its members able to fight when Immortal thought he saw red hair and a claymore before passing out. When he woke up, Bloody Queen was nowhere to be seen.
"You think our help will be enough?" Immortal pondered on the implications of being able to regularly interact with his alternates. They were just a walking distance from him, but he couldn't bring himself to face them.
Nova noticed his hesitance.
"You should check on them," Nova followed his gaze over to the two red haired men talking to each other. "I'll let you know when it's time for us to leave."
"What if they hate me?" Immortal was surprised by his own doubt, annoyed by how honest he sounded.
"Before you finish that thought, I think they're more concerned about their problems than about you." Nova said without heat in his words, "They followed you through this plan because they believed in you. I think your appearance might be a breath of fresh air for them."
"You sure put a lot of faith into this eighteen year old," Immortal laughed.
"If age was a concern, I wouldn't have followed you when we first met." Nova smiled. "If they give you trouble, I can talk to them too."
"I don't think that will happen," Immortal laughed again. Knight and Rune were foolish, but had good intentions. That made three of them. He gave a mock salute to Nova with a toothy grin, "I won't be gone for long."
It wasn't hard to find Knight and Rune. They sat huddled together like they have known each other for years, speaking hushed whispers that raised Immortal's radar. He forced those thoughts away, putting on a big smile as he was supposed to. Relaxed, waving at the two as if he wasn't bothered by the idea of being the bringer of bad news that they were going to have to deal with a half-demon brat in a matter of hours, two weeks in Rune's case.
"Yo!" Immortal heard himself speak. He waved to them, "Fancy seeing you two here!"
"You're the one who brought us here," Knight waved back with a sigh.
"I know," Immortal kept smiling. "I told you I would help you guys get home!"
"That felt a little too easy," Rune said. "Do things always go smoothly for you?"
"No," Immortal heard Knight's voice alongside his. He stopped to look at Knight, who wasn't as surprised. "Really?"
"Yes," Knight stressed. The look on his face was one of someone who was exhausted from all the interrogating from others. Impatient, he pressed his hand against his forehead when he saw doubt in his alternates. "Maybe the things I went through weren't as long and strenuous as it was for you, but I have struggles too!"
"Never said I didn't believe you," Rune patted Knight on the back. "Just surprised, that's all."
Even if Immortal had purposely avoided talking to Rune and Knight up to this point, he was envious of how easy it was for them to talk to each other. Knight and Rune lacked the tension in their shoulders, relaxed and eager to trust others. It wasn't that Immortal couldn't relax, but there was a constant nagging voice in the back of his mind. Conwell urged him to take the next step to avoid the uncertainty of death.
"Did you make Raven worried again?" Rune asked.
"Me? Worry him?" Immortal smirked at the idea,"When isn't he worried? He's going to get white hair if he keeps fussing like that."
"Ours already has white hair," Knight said without humor.
Having only caught a short glimpse of Rage from a distance, Immortal was only able to recognize the former mercenary by the monstrous arm. It was nothing like what Immortal was used to, a strange mesh of machinery and organic compounds.
Rune threw his head back and let his hair flop over his face in uncontrolled laughter. Covered in runes, his appearance was a sharp contrast to Knight's conservative armored look. It was amazing how consistent their looks were to their personalities. If not for their shared names, they could have been different people.
"Anyway, I think it's only fair I share some information about what's coming up for both of you." Immortal ran one hand through his hair.
"You mean what was causing the earthquakes in Varnimyr?" Knight asked, "Yeah, Paradox mentioned something about that. Rune and I were talking about that."
"Did Paradox mention how strong the next enemy was?" Immortal asked.
"We're going to have to fight something stronger?" Rune laughed, "When is that not the case?"
They were taking the news better than Immortal thought, maybe too calmly. He didn't like how quick Rune was to accept his word. No hesitance or questioning involved. Maybe Paradox was right about him needing more caffeine. Knight blinked, letting the new information process before nodding in agreement to Rune. He looked at Immortal with interest and ushered him to keep talking.
Well, that's why Immortal was here - letting them know what they were getting themselves into. It wasn't going to stop them from going after Rosso, because they were Elsword and none of them could ignore someone's cry for help. If no one was going to fight Rosso, who would? The ones who felt the most connection to the El. Good gods, why did all of them have to be big damn heroes?
"The enemy will be heavily protected from outside its tower," Immortal explained. "You need to take down the barriers quickly before they overwhelm you. Make use of everyone's abilities and distribute your strengths. If one person gets shot down, let someone else take over."
"People died?" Knight looked alarmed.
"No," Immortal realized his wording and stepped back. "But you're going to need all the help you can get."
"Is that why you asked Glave to let our dimensions overlap?" Rune asked.
Immortal cocked his head to the side, "Am I scaring you yet?"
"Not really." Knight's brave front was betrayed by his face losing color. Clearing his throat, he said, "Telling us what you know will make the fight easier."
"Will it be easier?" Immortal asked more for himself than to the others. "I doubt things will ever be easy for any of us, but you'll continue?"
"Of course!" Rune bumped his fist up, "Who the hell do you think we are?"
Knight nodded in agreement.
"Figures," Immortal smiled. "Then I see no point in stopping either of you from doing what you have to do."
He sat with his legs crossed with his body leaned back, looking up to the stars surrounding Henir's time and space. No wonder Glave kept finding excuses to leave this bubble and interfere with his group. There was nothing to see once the novelty in the monitor panels and space wore off.
"What's your team like?" Knight asked.
"You already saw half of them," Immortal said. "What do you think?"
"Blunt. They have a lot of energy," Knight after some thought, clearly putting careful consideration into his response. How cute.
"They have a lot of powers we haven't seen before," Rune commented. "Where did Paradox learn to use portals?"
"None of us know," Immortal shrugged. "Metamorphy thinks Glave is involved, but that's besides the point. Paradox does what he wants."
"You mean he isn't with you?" Knight asked.
"Yes and no," Immortal said. "Our team is a little smaller than yours because we don't travel together."
Immortal saw the wheels spinning in Knight's head, taking in the new information and forming new questions to throw at the sword wielder. He caught the red-haired knight tongue-tied on whether to probe further. It didn't matter to him. If Knight asked, he would let the other know that their team functioned differently. Having a smaller team didn't bother Immortal. It made traveling easier and drew in less attention.
"It must be hard fighting that enemy if you had a smaller group," Rune said.
"We've managed," Immortal replied.
Although Iblis, Anular, and Paradox had joined for the bigger fights, he wasn't sure if they counted as allies. Their loyalties laid elsewhere, not in him. Anular followed wherever the corrupted queen went and Paradox had a separate agenda unrelated to the El. It was better than no help at all. He wanted to offer the two El Search Parties more than that. No one deserved to barely scrape by with burns and blisters on their sides.
"I hope we get to see each other more after this," Knight spoke up. His voice was quiet, but firm. There was determination in his tone. "Not just to help each other, but to talk. It would be nice to stop thinking about saving the world for once."
"You need to come visit!" Rune exclaimed, "Not sure how similar our worlds are, but it would be nice to take a break once in a while."
"That sounds nice," Immortal closed his eyes.
Yeah… he liked the idea of that. When was the last time Immortal rested and didn't stop to think about the state of the world? Traveling with his friends for the last several years was fun, but it's been months since Immortal got to enjoy himself. Maybe he could ask COBO services for suggestions.
"Elsword!' Nova's voice forced him to blink and look up. "Glave said he's ready!"
"What do you know, it's already time." Immortal murmured to himself. "Guess it's time to watch the world end."
"It'll be okay." Even Knight sounded unsure. He turned to Immortal for help, "Right?"
"Guess we'll find out very soon," Rune had an uneasy smile. "We have the front row seats to watch it unfold."
Immortal wondered what went through Rune and Knight's minds as they passively sat there and witnessed a cruel image. Displayed on multiple screens was the same climatic scene of a redden world. Varnimyr was already red from the chaos caused by Rosso, but the portals have crushed the mountains and trees that made up the region. They dissipated into fine dust and sucked into the portals. The inhabitants' cries were silenced by the light.
A blinding light flared from where they stood, beaming downward into a distant galaxy containing the demon realm. Immortal watched the light consume what was left of the crumbling dimension with a promise of starting anew. His very being felt electrified in response to the Dark El in the demon realm inverting on itself.
Glave remained standing in silence. His fingers traced over a diagram of portals overlaying between different spheres of galaxies and interdimensional planes. The display of writing and symbols meant nothing to Immortal.
"I look forward to watching the three of you make use of the reset" He heard Glave chuckle, "Don't let it go to waste."
He watched as Glave manipulated something to make the lines intertwine before his body snapped into shock. Unable to hold his head up, Immortal lost his focus and closed his eyes. Glave's laughter echoed in his head.
