Hi I just wanted to say you are fine just the way you are. Try not to change, don't try to change yourself to fit in because all those imperfections is what made you, you. It's better to stand unique, than in a crowd full of the same routines.

This is just like wanting to wear civilian clothes than uniforms... because it's better to be different.

Disclaimer: I don't own Grand Chase.

Chronicles of the Black Blood

x

When we reached the area, Lire had just finished inflicting a skill… but it never hit.

I quickly got into stance and scanned the area…

Where's the damn enemy?

"Lassy watch out!"

Ryan pushed me and we both crashed to the side. We quickly got up and I asked, "What the hell was that?!"

"Well-! Well-! You see, this morning, as we were scouting we saw this crow and then a cow and then a wolf and then it chased us again like it did yesterday and then we ended up here-" I noticed the huge block of Lacrima in front of me, "-then the wolf turned to a woman and then it turned to smoke and faded… Then it began attacking us and we couldn't see where it is and Ronan and Elesis aren't here… I hope nothing bad happened to them…" Amy wailed.

"Calm down Amy…" Jin told her.

I gritted my teeth how the heck are we supposed to defeat something such as a smoke…

If I thought things aren't gonna get any weirder, it did.

"We meet again… AP18…" to this, the smoke materialized into an indeed woman with black hair and onyx colored eyes…

Her brows quickly curved, her eyes explicating confusion. "M…Moriggan?"

"You know that woman?!" they cried in disbelief.

She stared at the floor… "I've seen… her somewhere." She hit her head and added, "But I can't tell where…!"

The Moriggan woman began to cackle, and then she extended her hand, "I am very confident you took the book… It was really meant for you anyway, your damn mother doesn't know what she's gonna miss if she doesn't let you take part."

"Take a part in what?" I asked out loudly. Then I paused, "T-that book?" I turned questioningly to Arme whose gaze is still pasted on the damp floor.

"Oh my! Is he the reason? Is he the reason?"

Uneasiness consumed the area.

"Of course! He's always the reason!" the woman gave yet another devilish laugh, comparable to Kaze'Aaze herself. "He's always been the reason. That's why he was killed right? Tell me because I know I'm right!"

I shrugged and sighed exasperatedly. I continued to stare at her… Truth to be told, everyone's staring at her.

I don't remember anything. Not at all…

"Anad killed him in order that her own power would not weaken! I know everything because I'm the number one!" The woman continued twaddling. "That mudbloods are used to summon and the only use to imbeciles are as mere ingredient to make a potion!"

"Stop it…" she covered her right face.

And before she could utter another nonsense, I beat the hag to it.

"Oi Shorty!" I exclaimed, successfully catching her attention. She flinched but didn't look at my way. "You idiot. You're listening to that woman. Can't you see me? I'm still alive right? I'm speaking and I'll continue speaking until the last word that I could say is Goodbye. You hear me?" she didn't responded. "You hear me!?" I asked louder.

"Yes."

She… chuckled. So did everyone else.

"How sweeeeeet!" cried Amy and Lire.

DAMN I MADE SUCH A FOOL OF MYSELF ONCE MORE!

I face palmed.

"Sonic Blade!", "Kanavan Strike!"

Two more figures landed in the front line.

"Tsk, this is why either the two sides get a chance to attack! So much blabbering!" Elesis cursed, waving her sword way up in the air. Then she turned to the purple haired girl, "I'm disappointed. Thought you could take care of random witches on your own. Sigh – About what happened and what everyone else heard earlier, let's talk later. Calmly."

Shorty somehow lit up and nodded quickly. She drew her staff and positioned it, "I won't fail your expectation, Redhead."

"Show me what you got, shortcake!" they both attacked at the same time – the opponent turned to smoke once more and laughed. I ran as fast as I could behind the smoke.

To my surprise, a crystal materialized the area surrounding her; I barely dodged it; only to be grazed at my left leg.

I gritted my teeth. Blood oozed to the newly opened wound, trickling my legs.

"Daaaarn you, take this!" Ryan charged, avoiding Amy's range attack and to the dark smoke.

As expected, he didn't hit. But unexpectedly, he didn't fall back down. He remained seemingly floating in the air for several moments before landing safely on the floor.

We all stopped –

"Ryan?" Lire mumbled upon her tired composure.

"What did you do to Ryan you freaaaaaagin-" Apparently, Jin also charged in attempt to save his best buddy.

"Ack!" Lire cried as she fell down, Ryan raising his axe at her. I quickly dashed to get her to safety.

"You okay?" I asked and let her go. But she sat in grief, I turned and saw Ryan's darkened gaze, a light pink tattoo painted over his eyes.

He smiled a murderous smile.

"Destroyer of Heaven!" This alerted us more –

"Jin, wake up!" Ronan muttered, Amy stood unmoving as her eyes quickly water.

"Jinny!" she cried in a semi angry tone.

"Neither of you can seize the spell I bestowed upon them. Only we, mudbloods know how to free them. Am I right, AP18?"

She froze once more upon the woman uttering the first name she had. She froze but she closed her eyes and nodded.

xx

Arme's POV

I shortly reminisced of what happened this morning.

Indeed, I attempted to escape just to go to the place. I remembered what they used to call it – the place in which had Lacrimas, I could recall it from the memory. Some woman calling it the, 'The Dark Institute Laboratory'.

The moment I was to follow the river – during sunrise, I was amazed to see Elesis calling my attention while rubbing her right eye.

I stopped and looked back, only to coax her to go back to bed.

"But why do you have to leave?" was those simple words that escaped her mouth.

I stood weaving for moments but I regained composure. I smiled at her and told her,

"I'll be back soon, and then everything will be alright again."

Upon reaching the area, I brought a satchel; there I hid the Mudblood book. I tapped it once before exploring the room again. I saw the same build of memories… Distant and distant until I heard the voice that was calling me again.

But it was Moriggan.

She ran her fingers through my right cheek.

"Hello." I told her.

"Nice to meet you again. But I didn't expect you to be here at the Dark Magic Institute."

"I want to know what happened before I woke up at that bloody room."

"Straight to the point… hm. Well then, what if I do not want to?"

"Then you just don't want to. I'll find other ways. Scratch that, do you even know a single thing of what happened?"

"Of course I do…" then her hands slipped off my face. "But it will be unfair if I don't get anything in return."

"What do you wish to have in return?" I asked quite annoyed.

"You see… I'm getting weaker and weaker… My blood's rusting…"

"Get to the damn point."

A grin, "Your blood."

I agreed to it anyway. But cliché as ever she didn't gave what I wanted. So I was planning to force her to spit out what she knew.

Then I opened my eyes, tilting my staffs, I casted the most recent spell I learned by school book research.

"Fear." I uttered and let go of three orbs the two spilling to opposite directions. Ryan and Jin who were under the spell took a leap backward but it wasn't enough, they were hit and they began to moan in pain.

The middle one gently faded.

If I am not mistaking… "Amy! Use your buffs!"

She stood stunned for moments, but she nodded determined and casted a dance spell called, 'Blessings'.

In no time,

"Huh…? What are we all doing?" Ryan blinked, "Oh heck no! My babies!" he panicked.

"Ryaaaan…" Wailed Lire.

"Damn… That hurts." Jin grumbled. Both looked up to an about-to-cry Amy.

"I tooold you not to do random things in the battle field!" My eyes narrowed the same way Elesis did. And I knew the others caught it too.

Perhaps it was too slow.

"Now!" Ronan shouted.

Moriggan was groaning. Was it because she was inflicted by the 'fear'. No… It was just a level one skill… Impossible…

"-BLOOD! YOUR BLOOD… WHAT IS IT DOING TO ME?"

I took a step backward, "What…"

I just stood there helplessly as they attacked the woman, quickly giving chain combos making me realize why they stood out best in the school.

"The girl's blood… it's… it's wrenching my body! You deceiving witch!"

But before the woman has been taken down, the same black cloaked figure somehow whispered an incantation to Moriggan's body, making her bleed and bleed to death. I didn't want to see how she lost the last breath. I took some more steps backward as I bump my back against an old hut's wall. Never diverting my gaze, her body rot before us, fading into a black material…

I looked up and found the woman few steps before me and was staring at me…

She smiled a warm smile and wrapped her arms around me, "Your mom is missing you so much." She whispered. "I also miss you."

I clenched my fist. "I don't get it…"

"I'll meet you again soon." were the last words she told me before she faded away.

Nyaha! About the A/N at the beginning of the Chapter... Hey sometimes if you leave people note... Sometimes you accidentally cheer someone up right?

And I like that. Making people smile. c:

NOW ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!