A/N: Hope you enjoy this chapter!
I don't own Elsword nor its characters.
The room was bathed in darkness; only the pale light of the moon drawing white lines over the chaos gave a sign of the world's existence outside of the lugubrious place. The sight of blood was hidden by the shadows, but the strong aroma of death flooding the room gave away the massacre nauseatingly. Everything was eerily quiet, only the cracking of the window's shutters could be heard through the empty mansion, softly agitated by the winter wind. The air inside of the lounge felt oppressing, dense, contaminated with pain and anguish. It was constricting Ara like a heavy weight, pushing her down. In the middle of the room she stood still, petrified, with only silent tears wetting her cheeks. Not a sound escaped from her.
Suddenly a noise. Ara lifted her head instinctively, looking for its source, but the darkness was too dense. A pained whimper, the sound of the woodened floor under a moving weight. She waited in alert until the silver light of the night illuminated a figure standing by the window, bending slightly over itself.
"Elesis…" she muttered out of breath, contemplating the girl's figure contoured by the dim light. None of them moved, staring at each other with expressions that revealed astonishment. The silence felt heavy, many questions started to harass her mind, but her mouth refused to make a sound. She walked slowly, reaching for the girl as if captivated by an oasis. Oppressing feelings pushed inside her chest, making her body feel filled with sand. They hugged each other silently, letting the shared grief weight over them.
"What happened here?" Ara asked to her now only comrade as they both sat on the sofa, their faces partially illuminated by a candle. Neither of them looked at the other, holding their heads down. There was no surprise in the long silence that followed to the question.
"Everyone…was killed. Not only them, but the servants as well. There's not a single person alive in this mansion anymore, aside from us both" the red haired girl answered finally.
"Who…?".
"Ran".
Ara fell silent, her mind was spinning. Her eyes lay upon the girl but her gaze was lost in a void, looking past her as the images of past days transported her to horrible memories. It was all the same again, she could almost see the faces of long lost beloved ones in the bodies of her friends like interlaced pictures. Something started to build up from the bottom of her chest, something that made her blood feel like boiling. "Not this again" was what she repeated herself, over and over again, unable to stop the voices stirring inside her head, contained emotions starting to unleash uncontrollably. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her skin.
"This…this needs to come to an end. We have to…" she paused, struggling to get the words to leave her throat. "…kill him". Her face was darkened by deep shadows, distorted by an enraged expression.
Elesis looked at her for a moment with just a second of surprise flashing on her face before turning blank again. She looked at Ara calculatingly.
"He's your brother, Ara, he…"
"No" she said with a deep voice that emerged from her stomach, a hateful growl. "My brother…he would not do something like this!" she exclaimed, her voice becoming progressively louder. "Elesis, where is he now?".
"There is no way I would know. I fell unconscious, that's the only reason of my survival. I ignore what happened after that" she replied.
"I see…" she grunted, a few wrinkles forming on her face as she frowned, the shadows deepening her enraged expression. "Elesis…in order to retrieve my brother and save his memory, I will destroy his body" she lowered her head until the light of the candles could no longer make it visible. "If killing that monster is the only way to free him, then I…am going to finish him with my own hands".
Elesis merely nodded in understanding. Both girls soon sank into a grim silence, the feeling of decay flooding the room like a sinister omen.
The corpses were placed over white blankets in the backyard, same color covers protecting them from the pitiful gazes of those sent to pick them up for the performance of a proper burial. Chung's father had taken charge of the situation after receiving a letter from the only members of the gang left. The future looked black for the girls, knowing they didn't have any reason or right to stay in the dignitary's mansion anymore. They had been asked to leave the residence by the end of the week; the remaining scent of blood invading the house made it hard for everyone to bear living there anyway, and they knew it was never going to completely disappear.
Ara let the cold breeze hit her as she sat down on the roof under her bedroom's window, contemplating the sight of the town. It was almost disgusting how everything seemed to be just the same, as if a cruel and vicious slaughter had never taken place behind the walls, as if people had never been violently murdered, as if no one feared the malicious threat that hid sheltered by the night. In that moment she hated those who carried carefree smiles and ordinary lives, ignorant of the blood baths occurring at all times. She had dark bags under her eyes; multiple images and sounds wouldn't let her sleep, and that terrible smell.
Elesis had already left. She said she couldn't stand living in the mansion a single day more, and Ara couldn't blame her. If only she had a place to go she would have left too, but anywhere she chose to go would require a payment, and money was something she didn't have. All those years they had lived only for their self-imposed duty under the care of the dignitary's generosity, for being the friends of his son. But any reasons he had to welcome them had now disappeared along with the boy and the rest of the group.
She climbed back up to her bedroom and looked around with a depressing feeling weighting on her heart. Everything was covered in white sheets, just like in the rest of the mansion; it wasn't a place where anyone could live anymore, and thus it was going to be completely abandoned once she left. It was saddening, walking through the many corridors, peeking inside the bedrooms, desolating. She could almost hear the laughter and lively voices of those who have accompanied her for so many years, see how the light used to make the residence be full of life. Aisha's books had been donated to the local library; it was now a grey room with its furniture completely covered, the days where she used to cry her heart out in the warm embrace of her friend slowly started to vanish. It felt like a dagger piercing her chest, those welcoming arms and tender faces had now become lifeless, cold bulges of decaying flesh with no identity, no more happy memories of camaraderie and friendship residing in their hearts. The people she had came to love and care for so much over the time were now gone forever, and would never come back as if their existence had been washed off the world. But that had to be the normal for her, hadn't it? Having important people around her violently ripped out of her life.
The emptiness of the mansion and its overwhelming memories were soon too much to bear and she decided it was probably time to pack up her clothes. It pained her to leave a big part of her past behind, but it was even more hurtful to stay and witness how everything started to crumble in front of her eyes, to see the absence and feel the death rotting inside the walls. She took her case and headed out, walking like a ghost, giving the last glance to the brilliant past before turning her back to the mansion forever.
The voices of the people walking past her seemed too loud and slightly mocking, everything was tainted with a shade of grey, the sun hiding behind the clouds. She walked aimlessly around the town, not knowing where to go, running her gaze through the many shop windows. Maybe, if she was lucky enough, there would be a shop requiring employees and she could ask for a job, maybe she could even find an inn that allowed her to start paying at the end of the month. Despite her hopes there was no eagerness in her search. After a long while wandering through the streets, probably hours, she spotted an old, deteriorated building of three floors with a sign outside that read "Inn". It looked dirty on the inside, the wooden tables of the floor slightly coming out, cracking loudly under her feet. The walls had a fairly old and opaque wallpaper, small flowers could be seen with a little effort, but it was clear it looked much more faded and brownish than it should have. The woman on the counter was an elder of big proportions, her arms and legs under a sloppy dress looked like they were going to rip the fabric at any sudden movement and her face wasn't one of a kind person, but it was all there was.
Ara got closer to speak to the woman. She asked for a room, explaining her situation, telling her that there was no way she could pay in advance because of not having a job yet, but promising she would start with the payment at the end of that month if she allowed her to. The elder looked unhappy with her request, snorting loudly and giving her a distrustful glare.
"No one will allow that, kid; we don't run this inn with pure generosity. If you have no money, there is no room, got it?" she looked down at her, examining her up and down as her mouth twisted in an ugly grimace. "But I pity you, kid, you look miserable. So I'm going to be a good person and let you stay here without paying. With money, that is. Right now it's just me and my husband running this inn and I've got a bad leg, can't work as I used to so we're lacking hands. You're young and have lots of energy; surely you can work here in exchange of a room and food on your stomach".
Ara looked back at her with a serious expression, pondering her possibilities. Right now it was the best deal she could get. Unemployed and homeless as she was there wasn't any other option for her.
"I'll do it" she said with determination and a deep voice, extending her hand to the woman to close their deal with that gesture. However, the elder didn't take it. Instead, she left her spot behind the counter and took one of the keys hanging on the wall behind it.
"Follow me, I'm gonna show you your room" she said as she started going up the stairs. Ara grabbed her suitcase and followed behind her, looking around her and examining the surroundings. It really was a dirty place, it was obvious they didn't have any employees to take care of it properly, but that made her wonder how they had been able to keep the business like that for a long time. They arrived to the third and last floor and walked through the short corridor. Three doors could be seen at each side, so she figured they were small rooms. The woman stopped at one of the last doors and unlocked it with her key before handing it to Ara.
"Start your work tomorrow morning, at 5am. You're gonna clean the common areas before the pensioners go downstairs to get breakfast, after that you clean the rooms. Then you just help the customers with anything they ask you and do whatever until lunch. You eat in the kitchen and clean it after everyone has eaten, then you can go. The kitchen and the bathroom are in the first floor, second and third are only rooms. Don't go inside the room 12, that's ours. I prepare the food so don't go around messing with that, you just help serving and eat. Do the laundry on Fridays. Make sure to be here before midnight when we lock the door, or you'll spend a night on the street. Are we clear?" the woman explained as Ara hung her clothes inside the old closet in front of the bed.
"Yes, ma'am" she replied curtly.
"Good. Then I'll leave you alone" she said and closed the door as she went out of the room.
Once she was done accommodating her belongings in the room she sat down on the bed to look around. The same dirty wallpaper of the first floor decorated the walls, every piece of furniture looked old and ramshackle, the bed was hard and rough. But all in all, it was better than nothing. She gave a deep sigh, laying her back on the bed as she stared at the ceiling. Her chest hurt with the thought of the last events and she swore to herself she was going to do whatever it was in her power to finally put an end to this misery. That's when she remembered.
She headed to the streets one more time, now with a clear destination in mind. It was even clearer now that deciphering that book was of utter importance, even if she had no idea of what it hid inside she was sure it was going to be a big piece of help. She just knew.
Ara rushed through the town without looking at anything or anyone around her, her sight was almost completely blinded by her new purpose and could only see the way ahead until she arrived to the castle. It was already past noon when she knocked on the door, the same ritual of always. This time, however, the maid that received her asked her to wait for a few minutes while Add finished attending a patient. He had told her before that he sometimes performed as a doctor for many important people of the town, but she had never seen him with one before. So she waited in the very same spot she did every day, letting her thoughts drive her away from the place she was in. She told to herself that there wasn't any time to waste in mourning, even if it was painful to lose those one loves, because now she owed them something even more important than that. Discovering the truth and killing away the pain and suffering that attacked the town from its source was the only way of avenging them and make them justice. Not only for her friends, for her family and her brother as well.
The sound of steps and chatter pulled her back to reality. She saw Add and another man heading for the door, and though she couldn't see the other male's face she noticed he was dressing elegantly. So what he told her was actually true, it made her wonder how it was that he had the trust of that kind of people. She heard the big door close and turned her head to see him approaching her and stood up. He took her hand delicately between his fingers, kissing it softly before looking up at her with a gentle smile. She could feel her heart skipping a beat.
"Good afternoon, Ara. Are you well?" he spoke up with a deep, husky voice.
"I do hope you are feeling better than me right now, Add" she said with a small, barely noticeable smile, taking her hand back to her chest.
"I did actually hear about what happened" he said with a soft voice, as if trying to be careful with his words. He sat down on the sofa, gesturing for her to imitate him. "We can make it quick this time, if you want to head back home" he added as he watched her sit down next to him. She shook her head slowly.
"There is no such place as home right now. But I do have reasons to be here, apart from lending you blood" she told him honestly, staring at her own hands. He arched his brows.
"Is that so? May I ask what those reasons are?" he questioned her, supporting his elbows on the knees and his chin over his hands, staring at her with interest.
"Somehow…I know the book is important to…this. I need to know what it says and if it is in any way connected to what has been happening" she explained, slowly and softly.
"It is, indeed, important. You are right about that. However, there is no use in me telling you what it is about. It is extremely important that you learn to read it out loud" he told her, the seriousness clearly noticeable in his tone. She turned to look at him with a small bit of surprise showing on her face.
"So it is important, I knew it. But why should I learn to read it out loud?" she asked, deeply interested in his answers.
"I assume you want to do things by yourself, isn't that correct?".
"It is" she paused. "Add, there is…something I haven't told you about" she declared, her voice almost impossible to hear.
"Is it important for me to know?" he asked.
"Probably not, but…will you hear me out?" she asked him more honestly than she had ever expected to do with him. She felt like talking to him about so many things, about all of the things that had happened until then, she felt the urge of making him understand why all of this was so important. Was Add the only one she had now?
"Alright. I'm listening" he said as he leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs and then his arms over his chest, still staring at her face.
"I don't know why or how it happened, but when I was little my…older brother turned into a demon. Somehow, he got to command a group of them, I ignore what amount or if it was all of them. But the thing is he had some sort of control. So one day the village I used to live in caught on fire while the demons invaded it, killing everyone. My friends, my family…everyone except me was dead. And my…that demon was the one who did all of that. It was the same now, everyone inside the mansion got killed by him and a group of demons. One of my friends was able to survive due to being unconscious and told me what happened. However, I do not know where he is now. What I do know, though, is that if that book is somehow relevant to all of this, I need to figure out what it says, and that I need to find a way to stop all of this" she explained, taking her time. Words struggled to come out sometimes, threatening to break her voice while a knot formed on her throat. "He is responsible for the death of my family, the death of my friends, the chaos in town and…for making my brother disappear. I have to stop him".
Images and sounds running through her mind. Somehow, pronouncing those words out loud felt even more difficult than letting them linger inside her head. It was becoming hard to contain the tears that had refused to come out for so long, even when her heart felt like it was going to stop moving at any moment. And now there she was, with a knot on her throat, choking on the sadness and pain that flooded inside of her, filling her completely. Her body started to tremble as small sobs escaped from her, her gaze now entirely clouded, a salty taste on her mouth.
When those arms surrounded her she didn't struggle. She let him take her in his arms and welcome her against his chest, so close and strongly that if he hadn't been what he was she would have been able to feel his heartbeats on her cheek. She leaned her body towards him, hugging his back, burying her face on him and huddling against him. Tears started to slide through her cheeks. She was crying, sobbing and whimpering, harder than ever, bottled up emotions finally coming out of her. Maybe because he felt like someone she could cry on, because he was the only one that existed inside of her world now or because if she had shared her blood with him she could do it with her tears too. He pressed her softly against him, pulling her closer as his hands caressed her back and her hair tenderly. She felt welcomed and safe and the feeling of loneliness was starting to fade between his arms, like he was allowing her to be completely honest, to pour her feelings on his chest. So she cried like a baby until having hiccup and her eyes dry.
He didn't say a word, even when there were no sounds and the only thing remaining was the tremble of her body against him. He remained quiet because the only thing that mattered was the warmth and the closeness and her shaking body. She appreciated that silence, wanting to drown on that scent and that gentleness that sheltered her. She nudged his chin with her head softly, drowning on his arms even more.
"I'm here" he said. And it was all that counted.
A/N: Whew.
Please review and let me know your thoughts and feelings on this chapter!
Hope you enjoyed!
Until next time.