Hello everyone! Hope you all had a nice Christmas! Just gonna leave this here chapter, by the request of a special Esper. (You know who I'm talking about, Noah.) This chapter has been revised and beta read by a dear friend of mine called Assuberries. Enjoy.
Two weeks transpired of what happened with Add. He had no recollection on what happened or how he ended up in Chung's bed.
When he confronted him, Chung only said that he saw him passed out in the hallway after he rampaged in his room. He purposely didn't told him Lu was involved as he didn't want the Esper to do something crazy to them.
After months of fighting beside the capital of Velder, the demons were finally repelled and the time of healing to begin, to this shambled city.
"Thank you all for what you've done to Velder. Without your aid, we would definitely have fallen to the demons." Said Vanessa with a gentle smile to the gang.
"We did what any other person would of done." Responded Elsword to her with his chin raised.
"..." Add didn't spoke a word as he walked away from the group.
"Hold it right there, Add." She said as two guards crossed their halberds on his throat.
"What the fuck are you doing?" He said as his irides glowed menacingly.
"Although we're grateful with your help, your past actions and motives are still a threat to us." She said sternly to him.
He turned around locking eyes with her, his killer intent could be felt throughout the area.
"So what? You're going to put me on trial for a killing a few people that were on my way? They were scum to begin with, I did you a favor." He replied coldly to her.
"That doesn't justify your actions. Until we can put a proper trial on you, you'll be behind bars." She declared as two other guards grabbed his hands.
"Hold it!" Ordered Elesis to the guards as she looked at her. "Vanessa, as the commander of the red knights I'll ask a favor on my behalf."
"...Normally, I would look the other way to such favors, but seeing as you're a Velder knight and saved our kingdom. I'll listen." She said while looking sharply at her.
"I would like to have jurisdiction over Add. He became a member of our team and he has saved me and the others lives a few times.." She explained to her with her claymore to the side.
Vanessa was listening carefully to each words. She was beginning to see her reason.
"If it wasn't for him, the liberation of the demons would of taken longer and more casualties than now. I ask, as a fellow knight and a friend, to let me have the task to watch over hi-"
"Don't put pity on me." He said out of nowhere.
"Add! Shut up! Or you'll seriously go to jail!" Said Chung as he didn't know what he was doing.
"You think I feel sorry for the people I killed?" He asked them, a chill ran down their spine. "Not a bit. I had my reasons to kill them, as I have my reasons to help this shitty kingdom."
"Speak of these reasons you claim to have." Spoke Vanessa with a stern tone.
"I agreed to help if I had a place to stay, to have my lab. If something were to happen to it while I was away, all of my experiments and work would be destroyed and I would have to work from scratch again."
"How can you be so self centered!? You beast!" One of the guards yelled at him.
"I'm the beast? Look who's talking. You think I didn't see what you soldiers were doing while I was working?" Their faces grew terrified.
"All of you are cowards. 253 People could've been saved if all of you didn't ran away like frightened animals."
"Add, give them a break. They were afraid, you can't blame them for th-"
"Afraid!?" He yelled at Rena. "What would be better? To die and know you saved someone or to live and regret it later on knowing you could've of saved them in the long run!?"
His words cut deep in every soldier in the area. A sorrowful look took their faces as arms were limp.
Elesis walked at him and slapped him hard.
"What is wrong with you!? They gave it their all!"
"Their all!? Don't make me laugh! If they actually gave it their all, they could've saved them!"
"We're only human! We sometimes can't save everything we can hold dear, but we can always try!"
"How about you try harder then! Or do you know that in the end it's all worthless!?"
"Nothing is worthless if you put your will into it!"
"That is bullshit! Because in the end, no matter what you do nothing can change!"
"Of course it can change!"
"No, It can't!"
"You speak of something with experience." Eun possessed Ara out of nowhere and entered their argument.
"What do you know?" He said towards the fox demon with malice.
"More than you do." She spoke as she drew closer to them. "I know what your thinking. How awful it must of been."
"What's she talking about?" Elesis asked Add with a serious look.
"Don't you dare tell them, or I'll permanently make sure you won't." He threatened her, everyone was surprised how aggressive he was becoming to her.
"I won't tell them, I assure you. But how long will you keep it in?" She asked him with a hint of sorrow.
"..." He didn't respond. He turned around and walked away with his bangs covering his eyes.
"I see. It'll cause you more harm than you think." She said before her silky white hair turned ebony releasing Ara.
"Ara, what did Add went through?" Asked Elesis to her apprehensive.
"I-I don't know! When Eun possesses me I black out!" She defended herself while stuttering.
"I'll go talk with him." Said Chung following him.
"I still don't know why those two care about that lunatic." Said Elsword with a sweat drop rolling down his cheek.
Lu overheard that and pummeled him down in the ground with one claw.
"Hey what was that for!?" He yelled at her.
"Kids like you shouldn't trash talk others!" She pouted at him enraged.
"I would like to speak to you two, Raven." Vanessa said while looking at him.
"Is it time?" He asked with his serious look.
"What's she talking about?" Asked Rena concerned.
"Raven, former captain of the Crow Mercenary Knights and escapee. You have the capitals pardon, from the false accusations of the noble Alex and the conspiracy of others of the same or higher rank." She informed as she touched his shoulders with her halberd.
"Raven, that's wonderful!"
"What about Alex, where is he?" He asked with a spark of rage on his eyes. His sword slightly unsheathed.
"He's... not in Velder anymore. He moved away a year ago."
"Smart as ever I see." He said, sheathing his sword. "He didn't say where he was going, I assume."
She nodded to him, before he joined in conversation with Ciel and Elsword to what they should do next.
"Excuse me, Vanessa. Who is Alex?"
"He never told any of you?" She asked surprised.
"His past is a little sensitive..." She said to her a little uncomfortable.
"I see. There isn't much that I know between those two, but there were a few rumors that Alex had frequent conversations with him." She said to her vaguely.
"So you don't know much as well..." She said releasing a small sigh. "Well every bit counts, he'll tell us when he's okay with it." She said before bowing to her and returning to the gang.
"So you guys okay with it?" Asked Elsword to the others.
"I don't know... We need some time to think about it." Responded Raven to him.
"How long? The demons aren't waiting around for us."
"Two days, that should be enough for us to rest and ready to fight again."
Elsword looked at the others, they nodded to each other departing back to the Inn.
Velder Streets - Clockwork Tower Square
"Add wait up!" He called desperately as his armor and cannon were consuming his stamina.
"Not in the mood, Chung!" He yelled at him a few feet away from him as he kept walking.
"J-Just wait a moment!" He grabbed his shoulder after he gave one last rush to get to him.
"Let go, you little trap." He warned him coldly.
"W-What you said... Was it true? You didn't felt anything?" He asked him, while sweat dripped from his face.
"Scum should die as scum and nothing more. Now let go." He warned a second time, his dynamos glowed ominously.
"What about you then?" He retorted back. "What are you?"
"You already know the answer to that."
"No, I don't!" He yelled at him. "You aren't scum and you sure as hell aren't evil, so what are you?"
"Not evil? Kekeke..."He chuckle uncontrollably. "You don't know anything about me and you still think that?"
"You never hurt us and you even saved those two, you can't be evil."
"...I'm nothing but an insane bastard that wants Eve's codes. Nothing more."
"Is that what you really think you are?" He asked him looking down at the road. "What happens when you have her codes then?"
"Isn't it obvious?" He asked him, his face not showing any emotion. "I'll be gone for good."
"W-What?"
"Once I have her codes, there won't be any reason for me to stay with this charade of a gang."
"B-But that can't be true! That's not what you truly mean!"
"Then what do I mean then! Tell me what I'm trying to say to you!"
"You're saying 'Help me'!"
The answer surprised Add.
"W-What did you just say?"
"Every time you say those two words, I noticed it Add. You're masking the pain, the heartburn, the sadness."
"You saying shit again, Chung. I can't feel a thing, because nothing around us is worth it."
"Then why did you save Lu and Elesis?"
"... I don't know." His answer was paused for a second.
"You do know. They are some of the few that haven't given up on you."
"Again with the bullshit."
"If that's bullshit, then why do you let Lu come with you when you go out?"
"Because she would just follow me and annoy me on the trip."
"You know that isn't true, you like her company don't you?"
"She's just a brat that I have to put up with, like you."
"You're wrong. Deep down, you're grateful that she's with you. You're happy that Elesis and I are trying so hard to make you open, you're -"
"Pissed off that I can't have peace and quiet!" He yelled as he grabbed him by his collar. "You think I feel anything of that? You're ghastly wrong, I want to kill and destroy everything that's in my way! I want to be left alone! I want closure!"
"Y-You're lying!"
"I'm not called the 'Diabolic Esper' for nothing..." He said with his chelsea grin finally catching up, his dark eyes ominously locking at the Iron Paladin. "You wanna know what I want to do right now? Kekeke..."
He was too scared to say anything.
"Let me tell you..." He said as he drew closer to his ear.
"I want to murder someone, right now." His dynamos moving erratically around Chung. They were releasing an unusually high electricity output, all of them pointing at the boy.
"Add, please... Don't do it..." He begged, the last thing he wanted was to die to the person he tried so hard to help.
The sound of broken glass echoed, but nothing happened to him.
Slowly he opened his eyes to see bits of purple glass slowly floating before dispersing to nothingness.
"Stop running Add, you're just hurting yourself more than before..." He said with a tint of sadness on his tone.
And that's a wrap! Hope you guys have enjoyed the chapter and thank you once more Assuberries, you handsome devil! I will be on standby until the new year passes, so until the Happy near year!