Elsword 1. Introduction

**Skyress8619 has logged in. **

**Skyress8619: Greetings, readers. **

**ViperCrow: Seriously, you should stop starting new things, especially something like an 100 themes challenge. It takes too much time, you're going to run out of inspiration, and it's going to die. You also have to take in the fact that you're going to be abandoning readers who think your work is actually good. **

**Skyress8619: I'm sorry I didn't take your advice before, and I'll acknowledge it once that happens. Anyway, the Soundtrack Collaboration needs me to continuously run older dungeons and fields, taking screenshots along the way just in case I need to do some visual analysis. So far, I haven't had the time to do any of that, well, I've only done Ruben. **

**Elsword: Then why don't you get a move on and start doing Elder? **

**Skyress8619: As I said, not enough time. Also, I need a better weapon, so I can do the usual screenshot thing in Secret Dungeons while I'm soloing and don't need to worry too much about dying. **

**ViperCrow: At least you're getting more skilful at dodging those shadow archers in Wally's Underground Laboratory. **

**Skyress8619: Alright, then. We should stop wasting too much time. As you all know, this is a 100 themes challenge, based on the shipping of Raven and Rena. Each prompt will be in a different chapter, which will vary greatly in length. I will list classes in each chapter, and will put author's notes if necessary, but usually at the end. The update speed should be fast at first before slowing down, and hopefully not stopping until I've finished. **

**Skyress8619: And before we begin, I need to put in a disclaimer. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword. Elsword is owned by KOG Studios and the publishers such as Nexon. **

**Skyress8619: For the sake of upload speed, all of these chapters will not be beta read, so I apologise in advance for any spelling or grammar mistakes in the chapters. And… enjoy. **

* * *

**Introduction**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Sword Knight  
Aisha: High Magician  
Rena: Combat Ranger  
Raven: Base **

The Elgang were all exhausted after a long day of fighting, and the Ponggo's Hideout was the safest place to stay; it was now too dark to go back to Altera Village.

Elsword and Aisha were already asleep, curled up under the warm blankets that they had carried with them. They could really only carry two along; otherwise they wouldn't be able to fight properly, so Rena decided that the two younger ones have the blankets. Neither the elf nor the half-Nasod minded since it wasn't that cold as they had expected.

"Raven? You awake?" Rena whispered. Raven was lying on his back a short distance away, who appeared to be gazing upwards at nothing in particular.  
"I am. What is it?" He also spoke back in a whisper. Apparently he had cared about the children, too, and had not spoken in that louder, enraged voice that he had during the battle on the Black Crow.

There was a silence as the elf forgot what to say.

"Since we have to go straight into fighting those Nasods, we haven't given each other a proper introduction. And once it's morning, we have to go fighting again."  
"Wouldn't it better to do that later after we're all done?" He responded coldly, but Rena wasn't giving up yet.  
"Please, Raven. I also have no idea why you were glaring at me like that during the fight."

That obviously struck something, because the half-Nasod froze.  
"Okay then, never mind that. I think I should start then." She cleared her throat as quietly as she could. "My name is Rena, I'm an elf from an elven village south of Ruben Village, and because I'm an elf, I'm hundreds of years old. I've stayed in there for all my life until the disappearance of the El. I then found that Elsword and Aisha needed the El too, so we travelled together."

Another silence.

"… My name is Raven, I am a human from the capital city of Velder, twenty four years old. How I got here… that's a story for another day." He had responded in exactly the same format, but that was at least a start.  
"Can you tell me?"

"Like I said, that is a story for another day." He was obviously irritated. _Alright then, better not pester him about that until he decides to open up; it's better to let him ready himself for it rather than forcing it out of him.  
_"… Alright, then." The conversation was awkwardly short, but at least she got him to talk.

"I think we should stop talking, otherwise we'll be too tired for tomorrow. Goodnight." He turned away from the elf. _Still as cold as he was. Maybe he'll slowly open up to us, because that's a really important thing. We also have no idea how he ended up here… it has to have something to do with that arm.  
_"Goodnight, Raven. Sleep well." She too began to drift off to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be another long day.

* * *

**Skyres8619: Please tell me how I write. It at least encourages me to write more, if you all want me to. **

**ViperCrow: Despite what she thinks, moral support is important. **

**Skyres8619:… Fine. I think that's all I have to say then. **

**Skyress8619 has logged out. **


	2. Complicated

**Complicated**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Lord Knight  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

Elsword and Aisha had been fighting for a long time, and none of them showed any signs of exhaustion.  
"Hey, Raven, shouldn't you be telling them to stop? What if they tired themselves out and get injured?"  
"Elsword can handle a lot more than training, and so can Aisha, so there's no need to get worried."

Luckily there were vacant fields around the Suburbs of Velder, possibly to allow the Velder Garrison to train. Vanessa had told everyone that it was a free day, and obviously, Raven wasn't going to let Elsword get away.  
"You know, you're getting meaner and meaner. Why's that?"  
"It's important that they keep their training up, otherwise they can't fight well."

"… Fine, then." Rena pouted; there obviously was no point arguing with Raven once his mind was set.

The sound of metal clashing as well as fire, ice and lightning filled the air.

"Hey, Raven."  
"Yes?"  
"How was life as a Crow Mercenary Captain? It sounds like a pretty high rank, with a lot of salary. Wouldn't you have lived a complicated life?"

"Not really, and the salary isn't as high as you think. It allows for a little luxury, but I never really lived a complicated life. It was pretty simple, actually."  
"So I can't expect anything much interesting if we went over to your place?"  
"I'm not even sure if that exists anymore."

"Why not?"  
"Because the demons have probably destroyed it."  
"… Damn it."  
"Did you really want to see my place that badly? I don't think it's as neat and tidy as it's meant to be the last time I've seen it."

"Of course! We elves live simple lives, and there was always the stereotype that humans lived overly complicated lives, especially those in the capital cities. And since you were a citizen of one, why not disprove it? And it disproves even better since you're a captain."

"…" Raven decided not to answer to that, and Rena huffed.  
"Fine. I'll have to see for myself~" The Blade Master put his face into his hands.  
"Please, don't waste your time." The Wind Sneaker laughed.  
"You can't stop me anyway~"

She had stopped talking at that point, but he already knew what was going on inside her head. _Please, stop making complicated thoughts, I'm not a complicated person…_ But he knew that she would make a rebuttal to that.


	3. Making History

**Making History**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

"Rena, stop dragging me!" The elf was running along while holding the sleeve of an irritated Raven. Branches were reaching out towards them, occasionally scratching and clawing, but otherwise mostly out of the way.  
"Slow down, I'm going to trip-" As if on cue, a root stuck out, catching the Blade Master by the foot and almost causing him to fall forwards.

"You just have to keep up with me. We're almost there~"  
"You've been saying that for-" Finally, they had made it to a small clearing in the forest.

A wonderful view of the cloudless night was above them, and the grass was almost perfect. The forest that surrounded the clearing also provided them privacy, and there was also enough light from the full moon overhead.  
"Wow… how did you find such a place?"  
"Exploring, of course."

"…" Raven thought for a second. "When was this? How far did you go? Did you get hurt? Did you encounter any demons?" The questions came out of his mouth almost too fast for Rena to comprehend.  
"This was yesterday, I went until here, no, and no." The Blade Master sighed in relief.  
"Good. Now, why did you drag me here?"

"I… kind of want a bit of a private conversation. Don't want those kids pestering us." Raven didn't know how to react.

"And what did you want to talk about?"

"Since we're part of the Elgang and all that, and we're pretty much internationally famous, we're going to make history, right? That while we're alive, we're going to be watched by everyone who wants to make a record of us, and while we're dead, historians will still be busy trying to write reports of what we've done. Isn't that kind of creepy?"

"I've never thought of that, actually. I would be the first Crow Mercenary captain to commit treason, and I was informally executed-"  
"But you weren't! You're still alive, right here."  
"I did die, then the Nasods brought me back."  
"… Good point."

A silence.

"Well, I've been living for ages, and I was the strongest warrior in the village, so historians have a lot to write about me."  
"Especially because you're going to be living for the next few hundred years while I only have…"  
"Don't be so pessimistic! Why are you looking at when you would die?"

"…"  
"Anyway, back on topic. Don't you find it kind of exciting in a way that we're making history?"  
"I thought you didn't like the idea of being scrutinized by the general public as well as investigators of all sorts."

"But it's got its got good points and bad points."  
"Of course. I was probably being examined a few years before, also being the first commoner to rise to such a position. I did feel guilty for letting that down."  
"That's not your fault. It was that bastard of a friend."

"…"

"Maybe we should go back now, before they start writing that we went missing for a period of time before coming back."  
"Rena, they're not going to-"

It was of no use. She continued to drag him back through the forest. Of course, when they arrived back at the camp, the rest of the Elgang questioned them. Luckily the Wind Sneaker was a lot more wise with her words than the Blade Master had initially thought.


	4. Rivalry

**Rivalry**

**Classes  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander **

Vanessa knew that there was some kind of air between Rena and Raven. She couldn't exactly tell whether it was meant to be romantic or hate.

She guessed that it was the latter. Both of them were commanders (well, Raven used to be a captain, and Rena was the highest rank of the Night Savers), both of them utilised a blade, both used some kind of method to limit their opponents movement, both had the similar minds of a tactician, both could use explosive projectiles, both had similar hair lengths, and both had that same fire in their eyes.

The Velder Garrison captain could tell that the coldness was coming from Rena, not Raven. Maybe he was trying to get her to open up to him, and so far he seemed to be failing, and the elf push herself further and further away. That was only a theory, though. It also could have been some kind of rivalry that happened when they gained their respective titles.

Vanessa could never be sure, and she also had no idea whether they actually got along or not. Well, they haven't fought each other in public…

She silently wished that whatever flames were in between them would die down, or the Elgang was going to slowly fall apart.


	5. Unbreakable

**Unbreakable**

**Classes:  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Reckless Fist**

Rena had protested, but Raven insisted that he be the one to keep the Demon Lord distracted while the rest of the Elgang went to destroy the core that powered the base that they had set up in the middle of the sea.

"Hmph. Looks like you were better than I expected." His opponent was slightly impressed, and both sides were exhausted. The Reckless Fist could collapse at any moment; he knew that the chances of beating the Demon Lord was not high at all. "Now that I've weakened you, all I need to do is to get to your pesky friends…"

"Over my dead body." Raven growled, readying his blade and his arm.  
"Oh, really? Have you ever noticed anything on your head?"

The realisation came too late. An intense pain that coursed through the Reckless Fist's mind caused him to scream, holding his head and collapsing to his knees. The darkness fought to take over his mind, and he barely noticed the Demon Lord walking over to him, laughing in a manner that made Raven want to beat him to absolute bloody pulp.

_Damn it, now I have to fight both my arm and this darkness… _He wasn't going to hold. Unless…

The Reckless Fist could feel himself getting angrier, and angrier. How dare this bastard try to control him. He felt himself slowly rise, the rage almost becoming unbearable, but it seemed to be helping him at the same time. _Is my arm… actually assisting me? _Now, he would be very happy to let his arm take over to finish the rest; he didn't have much physical strength left, and the rage that he now held would feed it an immense amount of power.

But what if his friends got hurt too? _Sorry, I'm staying on the controls. _

"You… can't… break me… that easily!" The seal of darkness on his head shattered, and Raven let out a roar. "There is no way you're getting away with that!"

The rage was giving him strength as he charged. He wasn't going to be satisfied until he beat this demon beyond recognition.


	6. Obsession

**Obsession **

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

"Raven, can I feel your hair again?"  
"You did it yesterday. Why do you want to feel my hair over and over again? Is this some kind of obsession?"  
"But you need to take care of it!"  
"My hair doesn't matter anyway; it's only there because I don't have the time to cut it."

"No! Don't cut your hair! It's beautiful!"

The Wind Sneaker covered her mouth before turning pink.

"What did you just say?"  
"I mean, um… It looks nice on you!"  
"Really? It's not for looks, you know." Raven sighed. "I should go cut it…" He flipped his hair (it had become a habit) before turning to walk away.

Rena turned even redder, and without thinking, she reached out towards him. The elf only managed to grab some of the black hair, causing him to turn around.

"That hurts, can you please stop pestering me about my hair?"He was clearly annoyed.  
"Then let me wash it!"  
"Huh?"  
"Feel it! All of the ends are dry, it's pretty dirty, and I bet the top of the hair is oily, too."

"Seriously, Rena, it doesn't matter. It's not there to look good." The Veteran Commander's patience was wearing thin, but for some reason, the idea of the Wind Sneaker washing his hair didn't sound too bad. As long as no one else was watching.  
"But you should at least take care of it. Please?"

Rena put on her puppy dog eyes. Raven's mind was immediately taken all the way back in time to the moment Seris wanted to buy a book that she wanted, and they were running short of time. He realised that when the elf and his deceased fiancée did it, all of his willpower would simply wash away. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't resist it.

"… Fine."  
"Thanks so much!" The elf pulled the half-Nasod into a quick, but tight hug, and he felt his facial heat rise.  
"This way…" Rena began to run back to their accommodation at an amazingly fast speed, with Raven almost unable to keep up.

He sighed. _Is she really this excited?_

* * *

**Most of these chapters are prewritten, so I will probably upload three at a time whenever I get a chance. I am also following the advice of the first reviewer (who happens to be a very close friend in real life) and not writing conversations with the Elgang in the author notes. **


	7. Eternity

**Eternity**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master  
Eve: Code Empress  
Chung: Iron Paladin  
Ara: Sakra Devanam**

It was yet another free day in the Suburbs of Velder. The atmosphere was surprisingly calm, the Elgang had decided to spend the day relaxing.

The afternoon sun was luckily not harsh, or it would have reminded them too much of the fire that Velder burned in. There was the odd white cloud here and there in the blue sky. Well, the sky was blue here, but they didn't have to move very much to see it go red as it neared the heart of the storm of red, lightning and darkness.

"It's… kinda sad that we could just all die at any given time, since we're fighters. Like, we could all die tomorrow." Elsword finally spoke after a long silence. He lay on the grass, watching the cloud drift by. It was almost hypnotising.  
"Elsword, don't get so pessimistic." Aisha was too far away to hit him with the staff, and she wasn't bothered to get up, either, considering how comfortable her current position was.

"Even so, we'll all die eventually, because we're living things. Except for Eve; she's a Nasod." Chung joined in the conversation. Eve didn't say anything. Instead of lying on the grass, she sat on one of her drones. The gentle breeze quietened the sips of her tea and the occasional clinking of china. Ophelia stood at her side, ready at her command. Oberon, on the other hand, was permitted to rest, and lay on the grass in a less graceful way.

"But… if we don't die in combat, you're all going to die before me." Rena came in, and Raven turned his head to look at her. The sunlight made her face more radiant than he had observed before. Her voice held a sad tone, and there was no cracking in it. Still, he spotted a single tear roll down her cheek.

The Blade Master couldn't think of anything to say. She was right, after all. There was nothing he or any member of the Elgang could do to extend their lives. The Wind Sneaker would live another few centuries, and Eve couldn't really die. The rest of the Elgang… now that Raven thought of it, he was already twenty seven. He suddenly felt a lot older than before.

_And then again, they're still kids._ They had much longer to live. Elsword was already a skilful fighter with both his sword as well as his runes. Aisha used to be one of the most powerful magicians in Elrios, losing her powers before gaining them back again. Chung was a descendent of a family of Guardians, and also the son of the White Colossus.

Ara was younger than Raven, but already into the adult stage of life. The Sakra Devanam was a descendent of a family of martial artists, being the only one left, since her brother became a demon.

Soon enough, another generation of fighters would come and replace them, making even more achievements than ever before.

"Don't be so pessimistic too, Rena." Aisha said after a silence. "You can always make new friends, you know. Like Raven."  
"Hmm?" The mention of his name snapped him out of his thoughts.  
"Remember, he had comrades. He even had a fiancée, and now he's lost them all, then he made friends with us. We're not replacements or anything, but…"

The Elemental Master was right.  
"And heck, he even found another person who was right for him, right?" She couldn't hold the smirk as she faced the Blade Master, who sat up suddenly.  
"What was that? I haven't found anyone yet."  
"But you do have one consideration…"

_Is it me?_ Rena couldn't stop herself from thinking that. _No, it can't be. Even if he really does, he'll die eventually…_ She also couldn't stop the tears anymore. Imagining him as an old man was no longer hilarious, but sad. He wouldn't be able to see properly, move properly, or do anything much of the things that he could do today. And Rena would still be in the same condition that she was now, watching death slowly creep up to him.

"Rena? What's wrong?" The Blade Master had noticed, and the Wind Sneaker really wished that he hadn't. She also didn't dare to talk; her voice was crack if she did, and she would just end up crying more. That would be embarrassing. Raven walked over to her, before sitting down beside the elf, using a hand to wipe the tears.

"Even if you do lose friends, you can always find new ones. You'll end up being unhappy if you stick to the past." He smiled a genuine smile, and Rena could feel her face heat up. She wanted to tear her gaze away to prevent herself from getting any redder, but she couldn't move. "I did it. I think you can, too. Even if someone you love dies, you can always move on. Besides, that person would want you to move on and be happy that you're living, right? No one can live for eternity, you know."

The Wind Sneaker couldn't stop herself from hugging the Blade Master tightly, nor could she stop herself from crying into his shoulder.

**Skyress8619: Veteran Commander completely conflicts this. He sticks to his past and gets his strength from that. I guess that could be something Blade Master doesn't see. And… I think that's all I have to say. **


	8. Gateway

**Gateway**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Sheathe Knight  
Aisha: Dark Magician  
Rena: Combat Ranger  
Raven: Sword Taker**

"Isn't this meant to be the shrine where people go to worship the El Lady?"  
"What do you mean, of course it is!" Aisha restrained the urge to hit Elsword on the head with her staff.

"But, it's kinda creepy." Rena couldn't help but agree. This place used to be filled with light. Not only was it night time, but not many of the torches were on, there was evidence of a battle and destruction, and there were noises coming from inside the gateway.  
"The shrine is a very big place, so it is important not to get lost." Raven spoke.

The Wind Sneaker also couldn't help imagining what would happen if they really did get lost. Not only did they not have many supplies to survive on, but they would be trapped with demons, too.  
"Stop making me scared, Raven." She lightly punched him on his Nasod arm.

"That's your fault for being paranoid." He replied with a smirk.  
"But I can't help it!"  
"Anyway, we have to go inside now, we have no time to waste." Elsword marched inside with Conwell drawn, with Aisha following.

The elf didn't move, forcing the half-Nasod to drag her inside.  
"Wait, Raven, don't… please…" She couldn't help but hug his arm.  
"We'll get out just fine. Besides, the soldiers have explored this area; they just can't get past it. We're cleaning up the demons here so we can get deeper. Then we'll start to worry if necessary."

"O-okay…"  
"You should get off my arm before something attacks us."  
"Oh, okay." At least she was a bit more confident now, but she couldn't get the thought out of her head.

_Rena, calm down, don't be such a chicken. Raven's here, and so is Elsword and Aisha. We'll be fine…_


	9. Death

**Death**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Infinity Sword  
Aisha: Void Princess  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

Again, the Elgang were unstoppable. The demons had unsuccessfully tried to eliminate them.  
"They should just hurry up and run, you know." Angkor exclaimed.  
"Well… Wait, where's Rena and Raven?" Instead of thinking about the more humiliating possibilities, Elsword and Aisha began to worry.

"Rena! Raven!" No reply. There was so much rubble and fire around the battlefield. _How the heck are we going to find them?!_

Elsword began to think of the dreaded possibility of what could have happened. _Grr, no, Rena and Raven are a lot tougher than that, they don't die that easily. _  
"Angkor! Fly up ahead and tell us if you see anything moving!" Aisha commanded. Not wanting to object in such a situation, the bat gained altitude before flying forward.

After a few moments of desperate searching, Angkor came back.  
"Guys! Something was moving around there, follow me!" He flew back up, with Elsword and Aisha running after it, jumping over rubble and dodging the flames that threatened to swallow them.

They eventually arrived at a collapsed building, made of wood and burning intensely with fire. Indeed, something was moving from the inside.  
"Rena! Raven!" They seemed to be trapped underneath it all. To Elsword and Aisha's relief, a claw stuck out of the burning wood, pushing it aside.

The Blade Master finally emerged. He looked horrible; he was almost covered in soot, his fur coat singed, his hair messy and partially burnt, and parts of his clothes were torn, revealing most of the wounds that he had accumulated during the battle. There was blood, but something else caught their attention more than the injured half-Nasod.

It was the elf that he held in his arms.

The Infinity Sword and the Void Princess immediately ran over to help out, but Raven collapsed to the side before they could arrive, dropping Rena in the process. Elsword knelt by the Blade Master, shaking him to make sure he was alright.  
"Raven, Raven… you okay? What happened?"

There was no response.

He guessed that his friend was unconscious, and turned him over to check his breathing to make sure he was at least alive.

The Blade Master wasn't breathing, either.

_No… no…_ The Infinity Sword attempted to check for a pulse on his neck. To his despair, there was nothing.  
"Aisha… is Rena alright?" _Please… at least she be alive…  
_"She's… gone…" Tears were already forming around the Void Princess' eyes. "What about Raven?"

"… He's dead, too." Elsword himself was beginning to cry. Angkor could only perch on Aisha's shoulder, having nothing to say to comfort her.

Death had just seized two of their dearest friends.

**Skyress8619: That… turned out a lot cheesier than I had initially thought. And that's all I have to say for this chapter. **


	10. Opportunities

**Opportunities**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master **

It was already late in the night, but Rena wasn't tired at all. In fact, she was restless if she was anything.

The buildings in Hamel all looked squeaky clean on both the inside and out, and the accommodation that the Elgang were staying in was no different. It was clearly expensive, but the Red Knights had offered to pay for it. Elsword said that he honestly didn't mind; there were already so many donations made to them because of their fighting against the demons. The media also had done their job.

The Wind Sneaker found herself standing in front of the Blade Master's bedroom. She didn't really remember walking down the corridor from her room, but now she couldn't really bring herself to walk away. _What if he got an early night? What if I interrupt something important?_

Thoughts swarmed her head, but that didn't make her walk away. Without thinking, she placed a hand on the doorknob and turned it, pushing the door open.

To Rena's relief, he wasn't changing; otherwise her face would have gone extremely red, even if he was only shirtless. The Blade Master sat on the edge of his bed, still in the usual attire that he wore around town and during battle. His blade was propped up against the wall in a corner of the room, otherwise the room looked very similar to the Wind Sneaker's own.

He looked as though he was deep in thought, with his eyes cast downwards, not noticing the presence of Rena. Again, she couldn't bring herself to move; she could only watch. Raven then looked at both of his hands; one gloved, and one mechanical. He shut his eyes, tears dripping downwards onto his now clenched fists.

The Wind Sneaker had to fight the temptation to rush over and pull him into a hug. At first, she tried to talk, but no sound came out. Yet again, she couldn't bring herself to leave the room.  
"… Raven?" It was almost a whisper, but she didn't know whether she should have regretted it or not.

The Blade Master suddenly turned up to face her, and the sight pained Rena's heart. Tears were still streaming down his cheeks, his eyes were beginning to turn red, and suddenly visualisations of everything he experienced in the past went into her head. She could almost hear the screams of his comrades. And Seris.

He quickly wiped his eyes and his face on a sleeve before facing her again.  
"How… long have you been here?"  
"Oh, um… only a few moments. I'm… really sorry if I disturbed anything."  
"But why are you here? You must have had some purpose to come to my room. Did you want to talk to me?"

"Can I?"  
"Sure, that's fine." He patted a spot next to him on the bed, which Rena took after a hesitation.

_Why am I suddenly so nervous? And his mood changed so suddenly…  
_"Are you sure it's okay?"  
"…" Now it was his turn to hesitate. "I'm fine now. I was just… trying to remember something." The Wind Sneaker strongly suspected that it was related to his deceased fiancée, but she knew not to press further.

"Okay, then. Can I ask you a question?"  
"What is it?"  
"How did you approach Seris?"

The Blade Master thought for a bit.  
"What do you mean?"  
"When you realised that… you liked her. How did you approach her?"

"Hmm… I guess I just started conversing, and we got to know a little more about each other. Then we started visiting each other for dates or just to talk. Then… I just had the opportunity to confess. And luckily, she was about to do the same thing, too."

… _Is it just me, or are we in the exactly the same situation? _Rena realised that she actually did have an opportunity right in front of her. _I just have to hope that he accepts me…_  
"Umm…" _Damn it, Rena, pull yourself together! It's do or die. _"I…"

The atmosphere grew even more awkward as the elf struggled to say what was in her mind.

"… Screw it."

She made a move towards Raven and kissed him on the mouth.


	11. 33 Percent

**33%**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Void Princess  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master  
Eve: Code Empress**

Even though Raven was the person he was, they knew that he would never suspect them spying on him and Rena.

Maybe they initially thought that they were in a completely private place in the woods; luckily they weren't doing anything inappropriate. To them, they were just simply conversing. Sometimes, Rena would break out into laughter. Sometimes, Raven would smile or chuckle. And even from this distance, they could tell how nervous she was, and how she tried to hide her blush.

Elsword, Aisha and Eve watched the scene from a cliff high above. Angkor was sent down below to eavesdrop, having a microphone and a camera attached to him. Oberon and Ophelia were ready at their queen's command, waiting somewhere down in the woods. Only Eve knew where they were.

A small screen was set up so Elsword and Aisha could see what was going on. The Code Empress was wirelessly connected, so she didn't need to see. She was more focussed on the forest below and the movements of Raven and Rena to ensure that they never realised that they were being spied on.

"Hey, Raven?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Did you ever flirt with anyone other than Seris? And have you even flirted with Seris?" At those words, the Blade Master almost lost his composure.

"I haven't before. Why?"  
"Because… I don't know. I think girls would really like you if you flirted a lot more."  
"But that would make me a player! I'm not like that."  
"If I asked you to try and flirt with me, do you think you would be able to do it?"

"…" Rena laughed.  
"Just kidding. I don't even think you have any flirting skills anyway. That's usually something that makes girls go mad for you, you know."  
"But… I don't want any." Raven retorted.

Elsword chuckled. "I knew Raven had no flirting skills. Not like mine."  
"Flirting? You call that flirting? I bet I could do an even better job than you." Aisha shot back.  
"Please do not get too loud. I am trying to make calculations, and you have to make sure Raven and Rena do not know we are here." Eve hushed the two children before focusing back on the scene.

There was a silence except for the Blade Master and the Wind Sneaker talking on the screen.

"Synchronisation rate… 33%." Eve thought aloud in her usual monotone voice.  
"Hey, Eve. What's that meant to mean?"  
"Elsword, you idiot." Aisha punched him lightly on the arm. "It means how close they are together. As it goes higher, they'll start falling in love, then they confess, then they kiss, then they get married, then they have se-"

The Rune Slayer was so glad he interrupted the Void Princess before she finished her sentence.  
"Aisha, stop."  
"But the chances are really high, you know."

"That's true. Maybe…" Elsword smirked. "We could come up with a plan to get them together." Aisha returned the expression.  
"Oh yes, that would be wonderful."  
"Then let's get started."

The small screen was no longer the centre of attention as the Rune Slayer and the Void Princess began to plot.


	12. Dead Wrong

**Dead Wrong**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Infinity Sword  
Aisha: Dimension Witch  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

"This strategy had better work. If it backfires, all the blame is on you." Rena glared at Raven as they ran across the battlefield, facing a few divisions of demons as well as a powerful commander, who lay in wait on the other side of a small wall of wood as well as a few demonic cannons.

The plan was to have Elsword and Aisha distract the divisions while Rena and Raven ran around them, taking down the wall of wood to annihilate the camp on the other side. That would mean taking back valuable land that they needed to win the war. However, they couldn't see beyond the wall, meaning that if it was a trap, the demons had the element of surprise.

That was what the Night Watcher had argued, but the Veteran Commander pointed out that it would have been impossible; otherwise, scouts that have gone to survey the area would have told them of massive amounts of number coming this way. They had also come back alive, and said with confidence that it was so.

Rena was sceptical, and knew that the choice was something that not of Raven's personality; he made sure to take extra precautions. The backup plan was to call reinforcements, just in case they were surrounded. The Veteran Commander could shoot up a flare to call them, since they were all waiting in the surrounding area.

The Infinity Sword and the Dimension Witch were managing the forces well; Conwells and streams of light shot everywhere; sometimes the Night Watcher and the Veteran Commander had to dodge them as they ran around and ahead. They got to the wall very quickly, and Raven didn't hesitate as he sent an Ignition Crow forward, easily knocking down and burning the wall.

About the numbers on the other side of the wall, he was dead wrong.

A massive army charged at them, and Rena and Raven struggled to hold them back, even though explosions of fire and wind now surrounded them. Elsword and Aisha also weren't expecting it, the sudden increase in numbers forced them to rain down attacks much faster than before.

The Veteran Commander aimed his arm into the sky and shot up a flare, and expected soldiers to come and help them. But they never arrived.  
"Where the heck are they?!" Raven yelled over the chaos.  
"The demons probably thought about this, and now they're most likely either busy or dead." At Rena's words, several demon assassins joined the battle, blades already covered in blood.

_Damn it, they've taken out the reinforcements, too!_

Now the Elgang's chances of getting out of this alive was barely anything.

* * *

**Skyress8619: So, I decided to put in an extra three chapters, making it six chapters per update because I've been forgetting to update. Anyway, that's all I have to say.**


	13. Running Away

**Running Away**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander  
Eve: Code Nemesis**

The gas hadn't lingered for a long time, but it felt like eternity. The younger ones had already perished. Ara and Elesis had stopped moving, but death was about to claim them. Rena and Eve, who were exhausted and unable to battle for much longer, were completely unaffected, and so were the demons they were facing.

Raven was close to unconsciousness, and even though it hurt the elf to watch, she couldn't tear her eyes off him.

"Rena… there are still many of them left…" He coughed up more blood. "Run, please… We can't win…" Breathing was getting harder and harder, but the Veteran Commander wanted to make sure that at least the elf and the Nasod came out alive; that way, they would have still have at least a chance against the demons.

"No way, there is no way I'm leaving any of you behind." The Wind Sneaker refused to move, looking up and shooting a few arrows. "Eve and I can handle it. We came here to get rid of the main reinforcements so our army can take them on, and there is no way we are leaving until we kill every single last one of them." There was anger and sadness mixed in her voice.

"Rena is correct. This gas is most likely a counter-measure just in case we would get rid of this many, though they forgot the fact that not all of us are humans." Eve spoke. "We need to complete the objective, and that is to get rid of them."

"None of you are… going to make it." Raven answered weakly.  
"Like I said, I'm not leaving any of you behind! Not after what they did!" Rena yelled back, losing her temper and stomping. The Veteran Commander could feel the force of it. "If we ran, we would be running away from all of our friends, as well as our objective, and maybe even victory."

"Let us eliminate them. We promise that we will not fail to give them the most painful deaths possible." The Code Nemesis added, straightening up, and so did the Wind Sneaker. Rena summoned the Flaring Fairy, who released a healing aura. Although it was far too late to save Ara, Elesis or Raven, it was giving the Nasod queen and the elf the strength they badly needed.

"Then… promise not to die." The half-Nasod eyes had already lost their usual fire.  
"Of course." Rena and Eve both replied at the same time. Both were confident that they would win. Raven then gave the elf one final smile before his breathing ceased completely.

… _I'll mourn later. _The Wind Sneaker could feel her fury rising. She remembered how scared Elsword and Aisha would get whenever she was angry, and she promised herself that the demons were going to feel the same way.

"You demons are going to pay! Feel my rage!" Rena yelled, charging forward, feeling much stronger than before.

_Maybe I should feel fortunate that you love that man. If you hadn't, you wouldn't have the energy you have now. _The Code Nemesis smiled to herself before charging forward with her weapons ready. _Still, I am glad I have company causing the destruction of these murderers._


	14. Judgement

**Judgement**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

The demons had sent a massive army, and in response, the combined forces of Velder and Hamel have sent not a huge army of their own. In fact, they only sent two people, the ones they thought that were the most capable of wiping out huge numbers off the face of Elrios.

Rena and Raven had insisted they take care of it, and only use Aisha as backup if they failed, but they didn't plan to. The demons were stupid to try and attack in the first place, not knowing that there was a certain group of people who could face all of the creatures by themselves.

The Night Watcher and the Veteran Commander stood atop a cliff that gave a clear view of the battlefield. As the army approached, they were obviously confused; there was no opponent insight. Not yet.

The battlefield was already covered with unassuming twigs as well as mines. Both packed the explosive power that could get rid of a considerable amount of their enemies. The battlefield was also open on both sides; one side lead further into demon land, the other lead to the capital city of Velder.

Rena and Raven couldn't resist smirking as the demon army charged. _Time to rain judgement._

Cries and screams filled the air as the twigs and mines detonated one by one, killing several with each explosion. The demons that didn't perish were knocked down, only to be trampled by their comrades. The Night Watcher began to fire more twigs into the air, and the Veteran Commander made a call, summoning his Ignition Crows and sending them at the army as well.

Within minutes, half of the numbers were already gone. The two still stood on their post, continuing to rain down attacks that proved too hard to dodge. Whatever twigs missed demons landed on the ground, preventing the demons from moving that way. Raven had long since begun to send his own napalm bombs and explosives as well as his crows, covering the battlefield with fire and branches.

Eventually, the surviving demons were too hard to hit, and the Night Watcher and the Veteran Commander leapt down. Rena used wind magic to soften her fall, while Raven summoned an Ignition Crow, riding on it temporarily before letting it fly towards the demons.

The remaining numbers were quickly diminished with the blades, and finally, only a single commander stood, clearly shocked at the work of only two.  
"You can have the kill." Raven said without facing the elf.  
"With pleasure." Rena readied Erendil, now almost covered in black blood, and dashed forward with a powerful horizontal slice.

The commander fell, and the Night Watcher lowered her blade. Both were clearly unexhausted.  
"I think we should be doing this more often." She failed to contain her smirk.  
"Unfortunately, we're not the only ones to have a say." The Veteran Commander replied, returning the same expression.

A short silence passed as both regained their composure.

"We should report the situation." Raven said finally.  
"Of course." And both returned to Velder, unconsciously hoping for some surprise from their other friends.

**(insert line break here)**

**The first thing that came in mind for me was the Pokemon move called Judgement. I got a bit of inspiration from watching the X and Y depiction of it.  
**


	15. Seeking Solace

**Seeking Solace**

**Classes  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Reckless Fist**

"Raven? What are you doing here?"

For the umpteenth time this week, Rena found the half-Nasod sitting alone. This time, the place he had chosen was not very far from his usual training spot; it was a lone boulder a little way into the forest. If the Reckless Fist was doing anything other than sleeping at this time of the night, he would be training. But he wasn't. He appeared to be staring off into space.

Raven didn't answer as the Grand Archer approached him. Eventually, he turned his head towards her.  
"Go away. Leave me alone. Shouldn't you be sleeping? You need your rest."

Rena had to hold down her anger.  
"That shouldn't be coming out of you, hypocrite. You're the one who needs rest. Training all the time isn't going to help if you're all tired out." The Reckless Fist seemed not to note her cold tone.  
"Just go away. What purpose do you have to be out here at this time?"

"Looking for you."  
"And why would you be doing precisely that when you know that I need my space?"  
"… Because we've all given you too much. Now you think you can just be alone and we wouldn't care, right? We do care. Especially me."

"…"  
"Tell me. There's something wrong, and you can't sleep because of it, which is why you're out here instead of trying to rest." The Grand Archer had hit the nail on that.  
"That's none of your business." He was obviously starting to get annoyed, but she wasn't going to stop there.

"Yes it is. We need to help each other out."  
"…" Again, Raven couldn't think of what to say. Rena used this chance and walked closer. The Reckless Fist wasn't willing to move over and give her a place to sit on the boulder.  
"Go away."  
"I won't until you tell me what's wrong."

"Wouldn't you rather not know than for me to tell you and you realise that you can't do anything about it?"  
"…" The Grand Archer realised the problem.  
"You've been having nightmares, aren't you?"

"… And what gives you that idea?"  
"I just know."  
"Hmph." Raven turned away.  
"Raven, look at me." The elf was close enough to grab his head and turn it her way.

The usual fire in his orange orbs were now only flickering. There were shadows under his eyes that weren't there before. And he didn't look like himself; like he seemed to be inwardly terrified and angry at the same time.  
"This isn't you. And I can tell just by looking at you."

"Let go of me."  
"Stop being so stubborn and tell me exactly what is going on, because I want to help."  
"You won't be able to help." His voice was rising, and Rena matched her voice as well.  
"Tell me."

"Stop making me repeat myself."  
"Likewise here. Stop making _me_ repeat myself."  
"I said _go away_!"

Raven was already on his feet, and jumped off the boulder towards Rena. A powerful punch aimed at her missed by centimetres as she threw herself to the ground. The Reckless Fist froze where his landed, realising what he had just done.

The Grand Archer had expected him to break down, but he instead turned back towards her.  
"Are… are you okay?" He walked over towards her and turned her over. The elf could feel his hands trembling as he did so.

"I'm fine, Raven. I dodged it just in time." She sat up, and looked into his eyes once more. He was a lot more scared than before.  
"I'm… I'm sorry." He got up and tried to run, but the Grand Archer grabbed his hand, preventing him from moving anywhere.  
"No, stop running away from all of it. You need to tell me."

Finally defeated, the Reckless Fist slumped to the ground beside Rena.  
"The nightmares…" Raven began. "It's all just what happened that night… Sometimes, when I would die, I was still conscious, and those Nasods would drag me away while I still felt all of my wounds…"

"And then they got rid of my arm and replaced it all before putting me into a tank with liquid… then after all that, they began to control me, then I killed and destroyed..." At this point, he sounded like he was crying, and the elf couldn't stop herself from pulling him into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Rena, I could have hurt you…"

"Well you didn't. I'm perfectly fine." Raven was now hugging her so tightly that it was almost impossible to breathe. But the elf wasn't going to tell him to let go.

They stayed in the same position until the Reckless Fist eventually fell asleep in her arms.


	16. Excuses

**Excuses**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Lord Knight  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander  
Eve: Code Nemesis**

After that briefing meeting that Vanessa had called, Rena strolled down the hallway of the building towards her own room. It was already late at night; all the fighting had kept the Elgang up from very early in the morning, and they were all tired and eager to sleep.

Raven had been severely injured a few days before and was obviously in no shape to fight. His room had been vacant for quite a while, and sometimes the elf would walk in and expect the Veteran Commander inside, only to find the bed neatly made and the small bedside table collecting dust.

The Wind Sneaker felt anger and surprise as soon as she spotted long, black hair disappear around the corner.

_Rena, stop thinking about him. It could be a woman, with long black hair. Raven's obviously not the only one with that. _But she couldn't help her curiosity, and sped up her walking pace, following the black hair, which eventually led her around another corner.

Soon, she was almost jogging, chasing the hair down the same path that she had used to get to the meeting. _I remember I got lost in this place before someone showed me the way…_ The Wind Sneaker eventually found herself in front of the room she had walked out of only a few minutes before. She opened the door and her mouth went wide.

It really was the Veteran Commander.  
"… The meeting's already over. I was too late, then." She heard him sigh. His right arm was still covered in bandages from his wounds, meaning that he had not completely healed yet. And that was what set the elf off.

"Raven? What are you doing here? Why are you not in hospital?"

Her sudden words made him almost jump as he turned around, meeting a glare from the Wind Sneaker. Just as she expected, he didn't have anything immediate to say.  
"Answer my question, please."  
"I had heard about the meeting, which was discussing some other plans and upcoming battles. Since I will recover soon, I think it is helpful for me to know."

"I could have told you tomorrow. I do my best to visit you every day. When I went to visit you today, you weren't there. I asked around, and they said that you had left earlier this morning."

The Veteran Commander was caught off-guard. _But… they were going to be occupied in battle for the vast majority of the day-  
_"You thought that we were going to be fighting for the whole day, didn't you? I managed to get a chance to go back and visit you. I was going to inform you of the situation at hand."

"…" Again, he didn't have anything comebacks.  
"Tell me. What were you doing today?"  
"… I needed to get some fresh air. Fortunately, I was strong enough to stand and walk."  
"That's not it, because you need to explain why you have your blade with you."

The weapon was strapped to his back, and Raven mentally cursed.  
"I always take my blade with me."  
"You would have also known that we do not let any demon past us. It was impossible for them to launch a surprise attack on Velder, so there was no need for the blade."

A silence.

"… You've been training, haven't you?"  
"Prove it."  
"You have your blade, you look tired, and you're slouching. You don't slouch unless you've been tiring yourself physically to the point where you're about to collapse."

There was another silence as the Veteran Commander desperately thought to counter the Wind Sneaker's words. Nothing suitable came to his mind.

"You've just given me a bunch of excuses and lies. That's not you at all." The icy tone now hit him a lot harder than before.  
"I…"  
"Are you going to explain yourself?"

"... If I started training earlier, or getting up and moving earlier, it means I can return fighting. I don't want any of you getting hurt knowing that I could have protected-"  
"We can all protect ourselves!" Rena suddenly yelled. "That's not a valid excuse at all! We don't kill ourselves if you're not around."

"…" Raven didn't want to make the same mistakes again. There was no way he was going to stand by while he could do something. If he had taken action at that time, he could have stopped the event altogether. His comrades would have been alive, he would have had a wife, and he could have possibly had children.

The possibility of him dying to save his comrades and that woman never came to his mind.

"Plus, you're the one who needs protecting! Every single battle, you always get progressively weaker and weaker because you keep overheating. Alright, it does give you extra power, but eventually you get too weak to dodge or even move. That's happened before, and I had to carry your unconscious body back to camp because of that."

The Veteran Commander didn't have the heart to argue back. He just couldn't. The Wind Sneaker reminded him too much of that woman he used to love.

"I always thought you knew that you were wise enough to move on, but clearly, you're still stuck in the past. You protect us just like we were your own comrades, but that's clearly not necessary! Like I said, we can protect ourselves. We're not completely powerless, and we're skilled in combat. I've been fighting for many decades; I have much more combat experience than you. So stop using your past as an excuse to get unnecessarily hurt!"

Raven visibly drew back, and Rena wasn't going to stop there.

"You didn't have to get hurt the way you are now. If you had let me move in at that time, you would be still in near perfect condition, and you would have been fighting alongside us today. Sure, you worry about all of us, but because of what you do, you have no idea how much worry you cause us, especially me." She almost spat the last word out.

"And then when we worry about you, you don't let any of us do anything about it. Eventually, we're going to fall apart, and that would be your own fault that there would be no team that Elrios can send against the demons. So, unless you're going to stop being so stubborn and start listening, you can consider yourself to be a dead weight."

She paused for a bit.

"Eve isn't called the Queen of Destruction for nothing; she can create an almost infinite amount of advanced Nasod weaponry, if we give her the materials. We could even use those to replicate your own firepower. As for your blade skills, she could build other Nasods as well to do your job. It doesn't take her that long, either. Not long at all."

Rena felt happy on the inside to be able to vent out her rage, but she had no idea how much damage she was causing.

"So, until you listen to us and take care of yourself, you're useless to us. Please, leave us and never come back before the problem gets worse."

That was all the Wind Sneaker had to say. For a few moments, the Veteran Commander didn't move. His bangs were now covering his eyes; she didn't care whether he was breaking down on the inside. He got the tongue lashing he deserved, after all.

"I'm sorry." That was all he said before he walked out of the room without looking back. Rena stood in silence before sighing.

"Finally, felt good to get all that off my chest." Before long, she began to think about what she had said. A dreaded feeling slowly replaced the weight, and she realised.

Elsword and Aisha suddenly burst into the room, with Eve calmly following.  
"Rena! What have you done?!" The Lord Knight yelled.  
"Why are you guys here and how did you know?" Rena replied hurriedly.  
"Eve sent a sentry over, and she has a recording of the entire thing. Of course, we were listening as well." Aisha spoke, obviously angry at the elf.

The red-head grabbed the Wind Sneaker by the shoulders and shook her in an almost violent fashion. "What have you done?! Tell me! Where did he go?" The desperate expression on his face was something extremely uncharacteristic for the Lord Knight; she swore that he was almost in tears. And he knew the answer. He just wanted the elf to say something.

"I… I don't know, but he went somewhere out there…"  
"Rena, just hurry up and look for him. You're the only one he's going to listen to, if he ever does…" Aisha muttered the last part under her breath. Knowing that Raven could have actually left them was almost unbearable.

Elsword finally stopped shaking Rena.  
"Yeah, what Aisha said. Hurry up and get out there. If you find him dead, then that's all your fault, and it's also your fault if we fall apart."

_Dead? Wait, he had his blade with him… No… no, please, no…_ Without thinking, the Wind Sneaker ran out.

She didn't remember how many people she had run into on her way outside, and it worried her even more when there was no one in sight once she was in the open air.  
"Raven! Raven!" Rena called as loudly as she could, but there was no reply. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I wasn't thinking…" She could feel herself losing her composure already, but that didn't matter.

And she could already hear the Veteran Commander's voice in her head:

_Sorry isn't going to fix anything. I know that, and I know that you do, too. _


	17. Vengeance

**Vengeance**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Lord Knight  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Reckless Fist**

"DIE! DIE! DIE!" The shouts of the Reckless Fist and the screams of the demons filled the air. _Those demons will pay for all that they've done!_ The moon, now with an ominous red hue, stood still in the sky, partially hidden in misty clouds. Another demon flew off the edge of the Southern Gate, body already half-crushed.

Raven's fury was especially strong this night, Rena thought. As soon as he had sighted the demons he immediately charged, fist already glowing and cackling with electricity and proceeded to destroy and kill everything in his path. Even the rest of the Elgang found it hard to keep up with him; he was killing fast.

Demons and black blood was flying everywhere, and the Reckless Fist was already dirty from all of it, but he didn't seem to care. He was occasionally grazed by an arrow or a blade, but he always shrugged it off and continued to fight. _Eventually all of those injuries are going to accumulate…_

Of course, everyone knew that Velder was Raven's hometown, and even though all of those events happened there, it was still the place where he was born, and it was still the place where he was a captain of the Crow Mercenaries. He had accepted using his Nasod arm for more power. He wanted to protect those that he loved, but Rena knew that there was another reason.

He wanted vengeance.

Losing control had almost become constant during their journey through Altera, but now that the demons were causing even more destruction to Velder, Raven even seemed to be itching to fight. The Grand Archer was afraid that the Reckless Fist could eventually become stuck in an enraged state and not be able to return.

A cry snapped her out of her thoughts. A chain ball smashed into the half-Nasod's abdomen, and he hit a wall hard. At first, he seemed weakened, but the Nasod arm quickly took control. Raven only growled and stood up as if nothing happened, charging at the Glitter Vanguard that had just thrown him. He landed a punch to its face, and the armour was shattered completely by the sheer force.

_Raven… please, stop it. I don't want to lose you. So please, don't stand by yourself. All of us want vengeance, too, and we can carry it out together. _


	18. Love

**Love**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander  
Eve: Code Nemesis**

"I'm fine, Rena, stop worrying about me."  
"Then stop getting hurt!"  
"Then I should ask you: why do you care so much? You seem to be the most concerned about me out of everyone else."

"Because I love you!"

The Wind Sneaker immediately covered her mouth at her words as she mentally cursed for blurting that out. The atmosphere in the room had completely changed; Elsword wondered how the conversation had led to this. Rena at this stage had gone completely red, and Raven's eyes had widened. His mouth was also hanging open, and it was clear that he had lost his composure.

The Veteran Commander didn't know how to react to the elf's confession.  
"… Rena?"  
"I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Rena immediately fled the scene.  
"Rena, wait!"

He couldn't move. He needed to collect his thoughts, but at the same time, he needed to chase after her to tell her that everything was alright. Or was it?  
"Raven, you should go after her." The Veteran Commander was glad that the Rune Slayer was supportive. "She just said something really big, you know." Elsword was cheering on the inside, but at the same time, he was feeling dread.

"Elsword's right. Go after her." Aisha added.  
"I fail to understand, but you do have a majority vote anyway." Eve flatly pointed out.  
"..." _Is she thinking she hurt me? Wait, is she thinking about Seris?_ Realisation hit him. _I'm… not hurt at all. I don't know how to describe it, but… _

"… Raven? Did she really hurt you?" The Rune Slayer spoke.  
"… Oh, right. No, she didn't. I'm not even sure how I'm meant to feel in this situation." The Veteran Commander snapped out of his thoughts. "I'll go and find her." He walked out of the room, and Elsword silently wished him good luck.

Luckily, Rena was in her room, sitting on the edge of her bed. The sight almost pained Raven's heart; her head was hung low with her hands covering her face. He swore he could hear her sobbing. The half-Nasod sat down beside her.  
"Rena? Are you okay?"

She lifted her head up to meet his eyes, and the Veteran Commander was right. She really was crying.  
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry I said that… It's alright, you can continue to leave me alone, I'll be okay…"

Raven couldn't stop himself as he pulled the Wind Sneaker into a hug.  
"It's fine." He said in a soothing voice. "I'm not hurt. I'm honestly not sure what to feel at this stage, but I'm not hurt. Maybe I'm just not admitting that I've fallen in love with you, too." He felt her surprise.

"… Really?" The Veteran Commander pulled away and wiped the tears from her cheeks with his human hand.  
"Yes. I've… made up my mind."  
"But what about Seris? I'm just… replacing her."

"You're not Seris, and you aren't replacing her. Even though you're similar, you aren't the same. And she's gone; there is no way I can get her back. There was always this hole that she and my comrades left behind, but they've filled back up. I'm feeling a lot more happier being with all of you, and especially you. I… I love you."

Their lips met for the first time. _When was the last time I've kissed someone…?_ Rena's lips were soft and Raven already wanted more of her, but he didn't want to push her too far. Finally, they broke for air.  
"Was that your first kiss?"

"Yes, and it feels nice…" She went bright red at those words. "Do it again."

The Veteran Commander kissed her again, this time playing with her bottom lip with his tongue. The Wind Sneaker slowly opened up, and soon, the feeling that he was giving her was almost intoxicating. She couldn't exactly describe the sensation of his tongue exploring her mouth.

She decided to try and do the same thing. Rena wasn't feeling disgusted at all, but it was wonderful nonetheless. Again, they broke for air.  
"I think we should stop. Elsword and the others are probably waiting." Raven spoke, still looking into her eyes. "We can do that again later."

The elf admitted to herself that she was looking forward to it very much.  
"Okay, then let's go back."

They walked down the hallway with their fingers entwined. Elsword and Aisha had smiled upon their return.


	19. Tears

**Tears**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

They hated seeing each other's tears. Tears meant pain and sadness, and it hurt them. Even though tears could also mean happiness, they hated seeing tears anyway. It had never meant happiness to them. Not once.

Raven finally found Rena sitting at her favourite spot. It was a small hill overlooking the capital of Velder, which had finally regained all of its former glory after being destroyed by the demons. The Velder Garrison and the Red Knights had done such a good job, and with the assistance of the Guardians from Hamel, the Lurensian capital had finally been rebuilt after a lot of work.

The majority of the Elgang had decided to settle down in Velder. Elsword was a Lord Knight, and was in charge of training as well as a division of his own. His sister, the Grand Master Elesis, had a much higher position; she had used her power to get rid of Alex, who had become a corrupt captain in the army. Raven remembered the smirk on her face very well as he was dragged into prison.

Eventually, the Elemental Master Aisha had confessed and together, she and the Lord Knight married. Now that she had gained back her title as one of the most powerful magicians in the world, she was in charge of training the magicians of Velder, and was also occasionally invited to other places for her teachings.

The Code Battle Seraph Eve had moved back to Altera, intending to rebuild her race with the help of the Ponggos; they were very happy to oblige. Chung Seiker had returned to Hamel; now that the people knew his real last name, he had quickly grown famous, and was now training the other Guardians alongside his father, the White Colossus.

The Sakra Devanam Ara had returned to Fahrmann; they didn't hear much from her otherwise, but they knew that she had finally accomplished her goal of getting rid of evil. About the Lunatic Psyker Add… they never saw him again. They had silently prayed for Eve's wellbeing.

But the Wind Sneaker still had tears streaming down her face; if she thought that the Blade Master couldn't see from this distance, she was horribly wrong. The light of the full moon was more than enough to reveal those tears. And he was confused. Had he done something wrong? Did she have anything to hide from him?

He couldn't stand it anymore and walked over, embracing her with one arm.  
"Rena, what's wrong? You know how much I hate to see you cry, and I want to help." When she turned to look at him, the sight surprised him.

She was smiling.

"Nothing's wrong, Raven." She sniffed. "Just that… I'm so happy. Sometimes, I would think that we would all eventually die in a battle against those demons, but we made it out, all alive. And now we're just living happy lives. Elsword and Aisha are together, Eve is going to fulfil her duty as a Nasod queen, Ara's gone back, Elesis is still in charge, and…"

"And what?"  
"Well, we're happy too. I never thought I'd fall in love in my years, and I never thought that you would come to accept me, even after what happened. And now, we're sitting here. Velder isn't destroyed anymore, we've married, and we even have children. Sometimes I think that this is too happy to be reality, but it is."

Rena returned the embrace, and it wasn't long before they kissed.

"When I first came out from the Nasods, I never thought that I would eventually come to this. We have each other to thank for that, and not just you, but everyone else."  
"You're crying now, aren't you?"  
"What, no, I'm not."

"See? You are. Your eyes are getting all glossy." The Wind Sneaker looked into the Blade Master's eyes. "I bet you cried when you saw our first daughter."  
"… Yes, I did." Raven looked away in embarrassment. Rena laughed.  
"Don't feel sorry; everyone has to cry, even men. I bet Elsword has, too, even though he seems to be such a tough person."

They talked for what seemed like forever. The tears continued to flow.

* * *

**I honestly had no idea what to call their children if they had any, so I didn't put in names. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think of this so far. That would be greatly appreciated. **


	20. My Inspiration

**My Inspiration**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

Raven was busy training as usual, and Rena had nothing to do.  
"Maybe I should just help him out and train a bit-" A sudden thought popped into her mind, and she couldn't stop herself from smiling. _Let's see if there's anything interesting in his room… _

_But, what if I find something sensitive? _Soon, the doubt was cleared from her mind, and she headed into his room.

The Elgang had settled together in a temporary mansion in Ruben while Velder was rebuilding. Everyone's rooms were upstairs, with the Blade Master's room next to the Wind Sneakers. She opened the door and saw what she would expect; the bed was neatly made, the curtains drawn, the window slightly open for ventilation, and the room clean overall.

But what she didn't expect was a book and a pen on his desk.

Curiosity overtook her and she opened the book. The title page was a beautiful artwork of a sunset and a little girl resting on a grassy hill. Her hair was black, her eyes green, and her pointed ears told Rena that she was an elf. Judging by the texture of the page, someone had painted on it; it was not printed.

Rena turned the page. The next two lines of text, written in neat cursive writing, surprised her.

_To my very dear friend, Rena. Thank you for giving me my inspiration to write this story._

The Wind Sneaker turned the page again. The words "Chapter One" marked the beginning of the story, and she couldn't help but read.

_Whenever she looked at the pictures in the books about humans, she was the only one to doubt that they were nothing but greedy, stupid and unkind beings. The elven village was still a safe haven to her, but she always felt more at ease outside of it. Her favourite place to be was called "sunset hill". She named it, of course. It was always empty. She could enjoy the quiet breeze and the beautiful shades of Solace._

_She did not have any friends, but she didn't mind at all. Her mind and wild imagination was enough to keep her company; no other living person she knew could match up to that. The elders did not pay any attention to the younger ones, and that was only to her benefit. But she really had only tasted freedom a short while ago. _

_The other younger ones never understood how evil her parents were, but the Night Savers did. They accepted no rewards from her, but congratulated her at how stoic she was when her parents' bodies lay in front of her, with pools of blood already forming. At least they worked at a farm; she could help to get by. She did not mind the small amount of food that she got; everyone in her village was generous enough to keep that supply going. _

_It was another sunset, and she had never grown tired of them. She was glad to be able to come out today; it was heavily raining yesterday. Pink and orange blended with the darkening blues of the sky, and the clouds drifted by, looking almost like paintbrush strokes. Now that she thought of it, her paints were not with her. She always wanted to transfer this magnificent view onto a canvas, but time always passed too quickly. _

_And she also wanted to enjoy the moment. It was finally time to go back. She stood up, smiling back at Solace, before walking. She liked the way the wind played around her rather plain dress as well as her long, black hair. _

At this point, Rena was itching to know the girl's name.

_Everyone was already inside their homes, and she never understood that, either. Humans did not come to this area, and what was wrong with the night? The cool night air was something she cherished as well; the light of the moon was much softer than the harsh rays of Solace._

_There was another place that she visited often, and that was a small field that lay not far from the village. Here, she was rarely disturbed (some people wondered why she always loved to be alone), and she could connect with her magic properly. Materialising two orbs, one pale blue and the other dark purple, she began to levitate, closing her eyes and letting the power flow. _

_The ones who could detect magic were fearful of her, always wanting to suppress her; she wondered whether they wanted to kill her. She was not a magician of nature, but of wind and darkness. She could hide in the shadows and strike swiftly, using blades made of wind. She could also use this power destructively. _

_But obviously, she did not want to, for she had no reason. For now, she wanted to use her power to protect the village in case of attack. Her power would have to stay in hiding until then. After she grew strong enough, she wanted to journey outside of her village and into the outer world. She wanted to meet a human, because she knew that the books were wrong. _

_Sometimes, she decided to sleep instead of meditate, but there was no difference in effect. _

_Tomorrow came a lot faster than she had wanted. Solace's rays pierced through the darkness, immediately snapping her out of her thoughts. She ran towards the fields, afraid that she was already late to her daily work. _

"Rena, what are you doing?" The Wind Sneaker's head immediately snapped up at the voice and attempted to separate herself as much as she could from the open book.  
"Uh, I…" The Blade Master walked over, closing the book. Luckily, he did not seemed to be enraged at all.

"How much of it have you read?"  
"I was in the middle of the first chapter." He sighed in relief, and so did Rena.  
"Good. Now, please don't read any more of it… I wanted it to be a surprise to you. I was going to give it to you as a present if I ever do finish it."

"You… write very well. And what about the artwork on the front?"  
"What about it?"  
"Did you paint that?"  
"… Yes, I did."

"Wow, I never knew you had such artistic skill. And the story… I had no idea you could write." Raven chuckled.  
"Of course I can write. Anyone can. You can, as well."  
"Huh, me?"

"Of course, once you have inspiration and a few ideas, you can always begin."  
"But…"  
"I can buy you some paper and a pen if you want."  
"Oh, no, it's fine. I'll get it myself if I want."

"Alright then. Then do you have anything better to do other than to read my book?"  
"Um… no…"  
"… Do you want to train with me?"  
"Sure, why not."

"Good, then let's get started."

That night, the Wind Sneaker couldn't stop thinking about the elven girl in the book that the Blade Master had written. She never knew her name.

* * *

**I just wrote that from whatever was currently in my mind, so it wasn't that good. I also have no idea how Raven would write, since we have insufficient information on his personality and, most importantly, his education. **


	21. Never Again

**Never Again**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

Raven was gone. He had been for a few days already. He was part of a small raid party that was sent to infiltrate the lair of the demons. Little did they know a very powerful commander lay in wait at the heart of the underground system.

Everyone presumed that he, along with the rest of the party, was dead; they had never returned. They job was to get as much data as possible, and to destroy whatever seemed to be an immediate threat. The Veteran Commander led the party, and the rest of the Elgang thought that at least he would return alive.

But he never did. Rena didn't know why, but it ate at her heart.

She shouldn't even be caring about him; she should have been almost glad that he was gone. His constant pestering irritated her, and the fact that he kept on getting hurt was troublesome as well. To her, he failed to understand that the Elgang could protect themselves, and they weren't going to all die without him.

She knew that something was wrong in her. The loss of a comrade should not be troubling at all; it simply meant that they either did not do a good enough job, or they sacrificed themselves, whether it be in vain or not. They were nothing but people that helped each other achieve the common goal; to get rid of the demons.

She should not be feeling any emotions or starting any sort of relationships other than that. Even though she distanced herself as far as she possibly could from that man, she still felt like she had lost something when he left. Rena could blame him as much as she wanted for not returning, but she blamed herself for allowing his departure to leave a gap in her.

The Night Watcher felt so horribly embarrassed when she received the news that they were most likely dead, because she had to evacuate to her own room to regain her composure. She hadn't felt such sadness ever since she joined the Night Savers, and she cursed the tears that flowed down her cheeks.

As much as she tried, she couldn't help it. She told herself to never lose herself like that again, otherwise she was going to be punished severely.

Despite her own words, she did. That day was when he came back.

The Night Watcher found the Veteran Commander limping back towards Velder, barely conscious and holding a bleeding wound with his claw. Rena hated herself for not being able to resist the urge to run over and hug him with all of her strength.

"Don't you dare do that again." Her voice didn't have the usual ice to it. "Never again, Raven. Promise me that." With what he had left, he returned the embrace; it was already hard to breathe.  
"I… can't guarantee that…"

"Promise, or I'll suffocate you." She was crying again. A part of her was cursing and promising to kill, but her emotions had completely overtaken her usual, composed self. The Veteran Commander knew that she really wasn't going to suffocate him, but he weakly nodded before passing out.

She rushed him back to the medical bay. She never again wanted to lose herself, but for some reason, she had felt better after letting it out.


	22. Online

**Online**

**Classes:  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Reckless Fist  
Eve: Code Empress**

"We also use the term 'online' to say that he is controlled by a computer." Eve explained to the elf. "I am going to attempt to control him to test the strength of his arm."  
"What?! No, Eve, please don't." Rena immediately protested, but Raven looked at her.  
"It's fine. It's just a test, and if Eve is controlling me, everything is going to be okay."

"…" They finally reached a large open field.  
"Since the bond between you and Raven appear to be strong, you are going to be the one fighting him, instead of my servants." Oberon, standing beside his queen, sighed in relief. Ophelia did not react.  
"But-"

"It will be best if you only try to hurt him via kicks, but this is so to prevent any major injuries." The Grand Archer only nodded. Being commanded like this was unusual for her, but she wanted the best for the Reckless Fist.  
"Alright, I have already connected with the Nasod arm. Begin testing."

Raven immediately contorted in pain, gripping his mechanical limb and almost screaming before slowly straightening up.  
"It appears controlling the arm itself is difficult. It is alright fighting against me. Begin the battle immediately, please."

The elf could not do anything but listen, and immediately charged, readying her bow. Raven charged at her, and Rena noticed that his eyes lacked the fire that was usually burning.  
"Sidestep." Eve's monotone voice spoke. The Grand Archer aimed a kick at his chest, but at first, the Reckless Fist prepared a punch before deciding just in time to dodge the attack instead.

He then moved to trip the elf over, but she used the wind to boost her upwards before raining down arrows. Raven hesitated slightly before obeying the Code Empress' commands, dashing to the side and moving out of range. _His arm wishes to go completely aggressive, but I cannot let it take control. _

Raven's mind was no longer fighting for control; he knew that Eve was meant to be controlling him.  
"Attack." The Nasod arm was very happy to oblige to this command, and the Reckless Fist charged at a terrifying speed towards the Grand Archer.

The sharp edge at the elbow of the arm grazed Rena as she dodged a powerful punch, and the elf shot a blast of wind at him.  
"Sidestep." But Raven didn't. Instead, he swung his mechanical limb upwards, summoning a wall of spikes that blocked the attack. He then jumped upwards, preparing to punch towards the ground.

Another blast of wind came at him, but because the arm and Eve were fighting for different decisions, he was sent to the other side of the field. Luckily, he managed to land on his feet.  
"Wait for her to charge." The Reckless Fist almost boosted forward, but managed to stay his ground. Hearing the Code Empress, the Grand Archer charged at him.

"To the side." But instead, he punched forward, connecting with the elf's foot and sending her flying to the other side of the field. Raven then sent a wave of spikes towards her, but she used the air to boost herself to the side, dodging the attack. She was now in a slightly vulnerable state.

"Stop attacking." The Reckless Fist twitched before roaring and dashing with his fist ready, completely ignoring Eve's commands. Rena dodged his attacks repeatedly, and every time she tried to dish out an attack, he would always counter or dodge. She also swore that he was getting faster and his attacks becoming more powerful.

"Stop immediately." The Code Empress' words were not working. She knew that soon, the Grand Archer will tire out. The Nasod queen closed her eyes and began to concentrate much harder than before, and Raven began to grip his head in pain. He finally collapsed on his side.

"Raven, are you okay?" Rena rushed over to check his condition.  
"Yes, I'm fine… what happened?"  
"Your arm managed to overpower me for a bit. I subdued it." Even explained, and the Reckless Fist attempted to get up, before realising that he was too dizzy to stand properly.

The Grand Archer caught him before he fell.  
"Here, I'll help you back. Eve, will he be alright?"  
"He will. The toll on his mind should be minimal, but I recommend that he avoids training for the rest of today. For now, he should sleep for a few hours."

"Alright. Thanks for keeping him safe."  
"I now have a sufficient amount of data, so we can calculate as to what action we should take next to keep the Nasod arm in check. I owe you my thanks for helping me to test." The Code Empress walked away, most likely back to her laboratory of Nasod technology.

Rena suddenly felt a lot of weight on her, and realised that Raven had fallen asleep already. She sighed and carried him back.

The Grand Archer also wondered how far he was to losing his mind.

* * *

**That honestly was something I thought off the top of my head, and it most likely was not that good. **


	23. Failure

**Failure**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Lord Knight  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander  
Eve: Code Battle Seraph  
Chung: Tactical Trooper  
Ara: Sakra Devanam  
Elesis: Grand Master**

_Alex and the other soldiers had left some time ago. Despite the agonizing pain that Raven was in, he could still think. He knew he was going to pass out any second from the multiple stab wounds that he had received, but he wasn't focused on the physical pain at all. Only on the bodies that lay around him. _

_The bodies of his comrades and Seris. _

_He had failed to protect them, and he could have. When they broke him out of prison, of course they had weapons, and they had given him his own as well. Raven's skills with the blade were above most of the military of Velder, and he could have used this skill to protect the comrades that were always with him. _

_They had fought alongside each other, laughed, and even had a party. It was obvious that their captain had kept and trained them well, and they had never failed a mission before. But this was no mission; this was a fight for their lives. And they lost. Raven blamed himself the most; he could have been actively fighting instead of just trying to protect himself. _

_And Seris. Her body was perhaps the bloodiest of them all. Alex tortured her with a blade in front of her own fiancée, and the Crow Mercenary captain could do nothing but watch her scream and writhe in pain. She was now free from all of it, having left the world not too long ago. _

_It was extremely hard to keep his eyes open. He had not only failed to protect the ones that he held close, but also failed to protect himself. _You bloody coward…_ he cursed, not only to himself, but also Alex. That betrayal was what had changed his life. Had Raven been more wary of his growing greed, none of this would have happened. _

In the end, I'm just a failure. Just like commoners who ever tried to rise in power…_ That was what the nobles thought of them. Pathetic. Weak. Nothing more than lowly people who were only smart enough to do manual labour. Raven had tried to prove them wrong, and he had at first, being the first commoner to rise to the position of captain in the Crow Mercenaries. _

_But he had failed. The words of the gallery in the courthouse continued to echo in his mind:  
"Commoners, idiots, they're nothing but weaklings."  
"He even tried to overthrow the king! He obviously doesn't know his place."  
"This is why we don't let people like him up into power."_

I'm sorry, everyone…_ His vision begin to blur and spin, and finally, he allowed his eyes to close and his mind to rest. He was too tired to be aware of the Nasods that were already closing in. _

* * *

And now the Veteran Commander stood, too wounded to stand without his blade. The body of the Demon King lay in front of him with a massive burnt mark on his chest. Raven thought that it would have been satisfying to land that flaming punch, but his emotions, especially rage, seemed to have almost blinded him as he attacked.

He understood why. After straightening up with much difficulty, he turned around, only to see the bloody battlefield that was clean at the beginning. He felt his eyes widen at the scene. It looked almost exactly like that scene that he had seen years ago.

Elsword lay face-down; all of his life energy had been sucked out of him. Aisha had been torn apart by the shadows, and lay in a pool of her own blood (Raven recalled the screams of both the red-head and the purple-head). Eve had used up all the energy her core could take, and had shut down before she was gracelessly flung across the room.

Chung's Freiturnier had also been torn apart by the shadows, and he lay in a pile of his own armour. Ara was slumped against the wall; she had allowed Eun to control her, even permitting it to drive her body to the death if it was necessary. Elesis only had a single stab wound on her chest, and she had fallen protecting her younger brother.

Rena lay the closest to Raven, and was barely conscious. Her accumulated wounds were causing her to bleed to death, and Veteran Commander knew she would not last long. In other words, he would be the only one who had a chance of coming out of this place alive. And that pained him terribly.

"Rena…" He collapsed onto his knees beside her. "I'm sorry, I couldn't-" He paused to cough, ignoring the fact that there was now blood on his hand. "I couldn't protect any of you… and now I'm the only one alive. It's just like that event…" And all those years ago, Raven had been the sole survivor.

"No, Raven. You didn't fail." The Wind Sneaker smiled weakly, using whatever energy she had left to lift her hand and stroke the Veteran Commander's cheek. "You succeeded. We killed that Demon King, and now Elrios is in debt forever for you."

"Me? No, not me… It can't be me… I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without you, and now I've just killed all of you…" He couldn't stop the tears anymore.  
"Please, Raven, don't cry-"  
"I just failed to protect all of you-"

He had yelled at the elf, who only interrupted him by bringing his lips towards hers. The half-Nasod kissed back, cherishing the feeling of her soft lips that he knew he would never be able to touch again.

"No, Raven, don't think that. We have just saved Elrios, and you are the only person who lived to tell the tale. And there always had to be a cost…"  
"But why all of you? Why not me?!" He was openly crying now, and he couldn't help it.  
"Raven, calm down… You're alive…"

"But, Rena…"  
"Don't… cry…" The Wind Sneaker's eyes finally closed, and her hand went limp. The Veteran Commander caught it with his own, entwining their fingers.  
"I'm sorry… I… love you…" He hung his head over her dead body, willing to cry until he passed out.

Raven didn't know whether he had the will to live anymore.


	24. Rebirth

**Rebirth**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

She took her literally hours to locate him. At first, the Wind Sneaker thought that spotting a man with long, black hair as well as dressed in black uniform with a Nasod arm was easy. It even had a shoulder spike. But she was proven wrong.

Good thing she didn't accidently mistake some woman as him. That would have been extremely humiliating, yet make her laugh at the same time. _If he doesn't want to be mistaken as the opposite gender from behind, he should at least cut that long hair of his. _

The hall's grand doors were open only very slightly, but the gap was enough for the elf to peak through. She could make out a medium-sized group of people, as well as a single person standing on a stage, talking loudly in that commanding voice she knew so well.

"And today, we stand here, to officially announce the rebirth of the Crow Mercenaries!" Raven almost shouted triumphantly with a smile on his face. The group of people cheered, and fists pumped into the air, and the Veteran Commander's own Nasod fist went into the air. He allowed the vents to open and for the flames to dance.

_He went and recreated the Crow Mercenaries? How did I not know any of this?!_

"All of you are dismissed, and remember that our operations will resume tomorrow. Rest well, my friends." The elf quickly ran to the side to avoid being hit by the opening of the doors. Raven did not exit with the others; instead, he seemed to be staying by himself, perhaps wanting to just be with his thoughts.

She didn't think about it and barged into the now empty hall.  
"Raven, what is going on? Why did you hide this from me? I would have helped!" The Wind Sneaker ran up to the Veteran Commander.  
"I needed to do this on my own, Rena."

"… Oh." How could she be so inconsiderate?  
"It's fine. Everything's going alright, and we are starting the work tomorrow. I am the head of the Crow Mercenaries now, since I brought it back. It had apparently disbanded in my absence."

Raven knew that it must have disbanded because of his charges for treason. All of his comrades and Seris knew that he had been framed, but they could do nothing about it.

"Do you want me to help?"  
"How? Become a Crow Mercenary yourself?"

The Wind Sneaker actually considered it. So far, she had almost no form of steady income, and the bank account that the Elgang shared would only last for so long.

"I want to help you, if that's okay."  
"Why? And what would you want to do?"  
"Maybe… be an assistant of some kind. Besides, I have nothing better to do, and I need some money."

The Veteran Commander laughed.  
"I thought that account was able to last for several years, since we were all earning more than we could spend."  
"You also had to revive the Crow Mercenaries because you needed cash too, right?"

It was the Wind Sneaker's turn to laugh, and she poked him in the cheek when he did not answer.  
"So, are you going to answer my question?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Can I work with you?"

"… It all honestly depends on whether I need you or not. I managed as a captain by myself, and someone else was the head at the time, but now that I'm at the top…" Raven paused for a bit. "Maybe, then. I'll tell you if I do need you."

"Thank you so much!" Rena hugged him so tightly she ended up almost crushing his chest against hers.  
"Can't… breathe…" The Veteran Commander's physical struggle was futile, but the Wind Sneaker was nice enough to let him go (she could have let him pass out if she felt like it).

"See you sometime later!" She ran away happily.

In a way, it was also the rebirth of Raven's love life.


	25. Breaking Away

**Breaking Away**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Lord Knight  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Reckless Fist  
Eve: Code Nemesis  
Chung: Tactical Trooper  
Ara: Asura  
Elesis: Crimson Avenger**

The forest was hazy as well as dark, but he knew it all too well. The prison, which stood at the top of a hill, loomed behind him. And ahead of him…

Even though it was only the moon that provided him light, he could already see the dreaded clearing. The mist did no good in covering the scene that made him wish that this was all a dream.

The bodies of his comrades… as Raven stepped closer, he realised in horror that it was not the comrades that he had while he was the captain of the Crow Mercenaries. It was the blood and flesh of his friends. The Elgang.

Elsword had been stabbed multiple times and lay in a pool of his own blood. Aisha… she was nowhere to be seen; the Reckless Fist hoped that she had at least escaped alive, only for his hopes to crash when he spotted a trail of red liquid leading outside the clearing. If she managed to escape while she was wounded, she would have died before she made it to get any sort of help.

Eve had been roughly taken apart, and pieces of black and white metal and wires were scattered in a small area. Her blue core was completely intact, but it was completely dull. Raven felt relieved that he didn't have to see her face; it had already been destroyed. Chung's Freiturnier had been torn apart, and his bloody body lay among the pieces of his own armour as well as the Destroyer and several Disfrozen capsules.

It was obvious that Eun had already left Ara, considering that she no longer had those white nine tails, and the colouring of her hair was also no longer white. Her body was almost unrecognisable. Elesis… her powerful desire for bloody revenge had backfired on her; she lay face down and in a pool of blood like her brother. Raven felt lucky that he didn't see her stomach; she could have been gutted, for all he knew.

… Rena. _Rena. _  
"Where are you?" His voice was only a whisper to himself as he scanned the scene, trying desperately to find the beloved elf. The green and white uniform, the light green hair, the pointed ears, the elegant bow… anything that held any clue that she was here.

"Rena!" Finally, he found her, and couldn't stop himself from running as fast as he could towards her. After a quick scan with his eyes, she had accumulated many wounds and had bled to death.  
"Rena…" He held her hand, and his eyes widened.

She was still warm.

"Rena, are you alive? Can you hear me?" Raven checked for a pulse, checked for her breathing. They were all still there, but they were slowing down. The Grand Archer was not going to last any longer, and the Reckless Fist could do nothing to save her.

"Rena, no, don't leave me yet…" Of course, the words were not going to do anything. _No… no… please, let this all be a dream…_ His heart ached. He had not a single scratch on himself, and yet the elf that he loved was dying right in front of him…

"I'm… sorry, Raven. Goodbye…" She spoke in his head, but he was only concentrating on her slowing heartbeat. He did not question even for a second why she spoke to him in his mind.  
"Rena, no… NOOO!" He yelled, his efforts futile. Time seemed to play in slow motion. Tears streamed down from his eyes onto her, her heart rate slowing to a stop, her body also ceasing to move…

His scream almost seemed to echo as he suddenly bolted upright, panting and drenched in sweat. _It really was just a dream…_ He thought when he finally got a hold of himself. The Grand Archer burst into the room, a worried expression on her face.  
"Raven? Are you alright?"

"… Everything's fine. Sorry about that."  
"Was it a nightmare?"  
"… Yes, it was."  
"Is there any way I can help?"

He didn't want to ask for her comfort. That was embarrassing. He was a grown man now, capable of dealing with things on his own, especially his emotional matters.  
"You can't just take all of this on your own, you know." Rena told him, as if reading his mind.

"…" Raven didn't want to reply. It was only now that he realised it was the middle of the night. "Sorry for disturbing you, then. You can go back to bed."

The Grand Archer did not reply, instead walking over to him and sitting on the edge of the bed. "You need help, I can tell. You've got tears in your eyes." She had noticed that before the Reckless Fist did. "Here." Rena began to slip under the blanket with him.

"Hey, Rena, I-"  
"It's fine, honestly. Just as long as you promise not to touch me inappropriately, then it's all going to be okay." Now close enough, the elf pulled the half-Nasod into a hug. He didn't want her to break away. Not again.

The warmth was almost hypnotising, and his eyelids were already heavy.  
"It's alright, Raven." She had already guessed that he had feelings towards her, and she was right. Rena returned them, too, but she was not sure whether the Reckless Fist knew it.

He eventually fell asleep into her arms, and she could not stop the smile that appeared on her face.


	26. Forever and a Day

**Forever and a Day**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master **

"How old do you know you're going to live?"  
"Hmm…" Rena attempted to do the maths in her head, but quickly gave up. "Not going to bother to figure that out. But I look similar to those younger adults when I've lived for centuries, so…"

"Isn't there some kind of units for it? Like elf years?"  
"Huh? Oh… Don't really remember."  
"Were you always this absent-minded?"  
"I'm not so sure. Maybe I just got a little too carefree."

"Anyway, how long do you think it'll take for you to die from age?"  
"Well, probably a few more centuries."  
"How does it feel to live that long?"  
"Uh, everything seems to go past really quickly you know. Until now."

"What do you mean?"  
"Ever since the El got stolen, everything has been going a lot slower than usual, you know. And I do wish I could cherish my time with the rest of you."  
"So, you think it'll take forever and a day for you to die?"

"Of course! Well, unless I get killed."  
"If you got killed, that would be my fault."  
"Huh? Why?"  
"Because I'm meant to be protecting all of you, and especially you because I-"

He had completely forgotten that Rena was not aware of his feelings yet, but the elf's heart also skipped a beat.  
"… That's for another time."  
"Can you please finish that sentence? Please?"

"No, now is not the time, like I said, Rena. Come on, we should be checking on the others." Raven left, and the Wind Sneaker could only follow.

So far, it seemed like it would take him forever and a day to muster the courage to confess.


	27. Lost and Found

**Lost and Found**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

Raven had mysteriously disappeared one day, and the Elgang had no idea where he went. As they were strolling down the streets of Velder, a very peculiar notice caught Rena's eye.

_A black kitten with bits of orange fur and orange eyes has been found. If the owner please claim the animal immediately. _An address was also written.  
"Wait, those eyes…" Elsword rubbed his chin while looking at the picture. It reminded him very much of their missing friend.

"What are you talking about?" The elf playfully slapped in on the back. "You're saying it's Raven? That's impossible! Nothing in Elrios can turn people into animals."  
"But no one has those eyes-"  
"Cats can be magical too, you know. Come on, that thing looks lonely, and we could have a cute little kitten with us!"

"What if it actually does belong to someone?"  
"But if it did, then it would have a collar. The kitten in the picture does not have one." Aisha noted, pointing her staff on the cat's neck.  
"Alright then, let's go!" The Wind Sneaker seemed very excited and rushed off.

It happened to pour heavily on their way, and the Elgang had no choice but to try and find cover.  
"The address should be to the left from here…" Aisha observed, before noticing something through the rain, which had become so heavy it was almost impossible to see through it.

"Is that a cardboard box?"  
"Yeah, it is."  
"What if the cat is in there? What if it's getting frozen to death?" Rena ran out into the rain.  
"Wait, stop!" Aisha chased after her, using her magic to create a shield of wind that acted like an umbrella.

The elf was running too fast, and luckily she did not slip. The cardboard box had been labelled "Lost and Found", and inside, there really was a little black and orange kitten. It was curled up trying to keep its warmth. It was the first time that the Wind Sneaker noticed a strange red streak on the side of its head.

"Aww, you poor little thing…" The elf picked it up gently.  
"Hey! Did you guys find the kitten?" They could barely hear the Rune Slayer over the sound of the rain.  
"Yeah, we found it." Aisha yelled back. The two females began to make their way back to where Elsword stood.

"Woah, he's soaked." The kitten was shivering and was trying to seek warmth in Rena's hands. It was no use.  
"Let's hurry up and get back to that cottage and dry it up before it gets sick."

* * *

The heavy rain continued when they arrived. Rena had gently dried the animal with a towel, and now its black and orange fur puffed out. The kitten now lay asleep on the Wind Sneaker's lap as she began to pet it gently.  
"Can I try?" Aisha approached.

"Sure. Just be gentle." The Elemental Master ran a hand through its fur.  
"Wow, it's so silky… Whoever owned it must be taking care of it properly, though I can't help but think that it's Raven."  
"You tell me. Is it possible to turn humans into animals yet?"

"I'm honestly not sure. If something otherworldly came, then that could be it. We'll see when it wakes up." At this, Elsword entered the room as well.  
"Rena, you've been petting that thing for at least an hour now. Aren't you going to get bored?"

"I enjoy petting it; it's got nice silky fur. Here, do you want to try?"  
"Um, okay." The Rune Slayer stroked the kitten. "Wow, it does have silky fur."

It was then that those golden orange eyes opened slowly, as if weak. It reminded Rena very much of the time when she kneeled beside the Veteran Commander while he was injured.

The kitten tried slowly to get up, but it immediately collapsed back onto the Wind Sneaker's lap, mewing weakly.  
"Hey, you okay there?" Elsword spoke.  
"Elsword, it's not going to-" The Elemental Master began.

Its eyes turned to the red-head, before going to Aisha, before struggling to look up at Rena. The elf carefully wrapped her hands on its waist and lifted the animal up to her face.  
"Are you alright?" The Wind Sneaker asked.

There was an awkward silence before the kitten's eyes widened. It then attempted to struggle out of the grip, only for it to realise that its efforts were futile. Rena set it back down on her lap, when it attempted to get up for a second time before collapsing again.  
"It's okay, you're safe. You hungry?"

The kitten nodded. Aisha gasped.

"What is it?"  
"Animals aren't this intelligent to understand human speech, unless they have been trained, but still…"  
"Hey, let me try something. Here, roll over if you're Raven."

The kitten struggled at first, but rolled over onto its back. The Elgang gasped simultaneously.  
"You've been turned into an animal?! How?" Aisha asked immediately. It only mewed in response; Raven was now incapable of proper speech.  
"Is there at least any way you could try and talk to us?"

"Rena, he can barely stand, and he can't write, either. And I can't read his mind." The Elemental Master faced the Wind Sneaker. "We'll just have to take care of him for now while I try and find a way to turn him back. I'll be off." She immediately went back into her room, probably to her books.

"I'll go help." The Rune Slayer followed her, leaving Rena and Raven alone. They let a silence pass before the elf decided to talk.  
"Really, are you alright? You seem pretty weak, and if you're sick, we can always take you to the vet." This time, she held a hand on his body.

The Veteran Commander mewed, shaking his head. He seemed to be sleepy.  
"Alright then, I'll make a bed for you in my room." Gently, the Wind Sneaker picked up the little kitten. Once they had reached the elf's room, she pulled out a spare pillow from the wardrobe and setting it beside her own pillow on the bed. Raven tried to make his way from the side of the bed to the pillow, but Rena quickly picked him up.

She placed him on the pillow, and the kitten sunk slightly into it.  
"Sleep well, okay? I'll try and get something for you to eat from the shops after the rain has died down." The noise was much more bearable inside, but the elf immediately considered it. "Do you want me to help?" Raven could barely shake his head now, and Rena saw his eyes slowly close.

_Well, communicating with him is going to be a lot more difficult now. Let's hope that he gets stronger at least._

* * *

**The first thing that came into my mind was a comic where BM finds RF (as a cat) in a cardboard box, and he decides to bring him home. I've had another tour, and since the school year is drawing to a close, writing will most likely slow down, since I'll be occupied with my Blade Master and Reckless Fist. Anyway, that's all I have to say. **


	28. Light

**Light**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

The elf slowly opened her eyes, groaning in pain from her accumulated injuries. _What… happened?_ She attempted to think, to remember recent events that got her wherever she was right now. But her mind was completely blank. It was only when she had completely woken up that she began to feel scared.

All she could see was black.

_Did I go blind?_ She desperately tried to recall. It was there for just a second before disappearing again. Rena attempted to move, but her body immediately protested, gasping in pain before forcing herself to relax again. Everything was still completely black. There could be something out there crawling towards her, waiting to eat her alive.

Finally, a massive demonic cannon came into her mind. Then the explosion when it fired. Then something, or someone, with long black hair jumped at her. Then darkness. Then waking up. _Who was that person? Why does she seem… so familiar?_ Her mind was only slowly waking up, but Rena wasn't patient. She tried to pick up any sounds. There were none that she could hear.

… _Why do I remember that the person was a man? Why did he have long hair? Why did he jump at me? Was he trying to protect me?_ Thoughts swarmed in; it was too much. It was already starting to hurt. But the Wind Sneaker didn't want to pass out. _Please, just hurry up and save me, someone… _

Then the animated image showed. The massive cannon loomed over her; there was no way for her to dodge. Then as it fired a powerful blast, a man with long black hair, also in some kind of uniform, jumped in the way… _Wait, I have his name… It's in my head somewhere…_ Thinking more only hurt her head more, so all she could do was shut her eyes and let the memories come to her instead.

She realised that closing her eyes was a bad idea, because she already could not resist the urge to fall asleep. _Damn it… Raven… where are you…_

"Rena? Are you alright? Rena!" The Wind Sneaker's eyes snapped open at the familiar voice. It was no longer dark. They appeared to be in some kind of forest, but the moon was there. It was not very bright, but it was there. Unfortunately, it turned everything else into shadows, including a figure that was lying not far from her, slowly getting up.

It looked grotesque. The elf had not been so scared in her entire life. Not only was it covered in the blood of its victims, but the blade and the arm. Especially that mechanical arm that seemed to have a glare of its own. Long, wild hair, fearsome eyes, and battle scars were visible.

The other person seemed to detect her emotions.  
"Rena? What's wrong?" _Why does he know my name? Is he out to kill me? _The figure, now standing, staggered towards her, almost like a zombie. _Oh no…_  
"Ugh…" The man had to lean on his blade to continue standing, before he began to cough violently.

_Wait… why does that voice seem familiar? Do I know him? _The Wind Sneaker could do nothing but lie there.  
"Rena… it's me…" He sounded a lot weaker than before. The vents on his arm opened and flames spewed out, and it was this new light that helped the elf see him a lot more differently.

The blood wasn't those of his victims. It was all his own blood, slowly leaking out of his wound-covered body. His eyes were weary, his hair messy, and the blade covered with black blood. _Why does he look… familiar? Wait…_ She remembered. It was that man that had jumped out at her. The man that had shielded her from most of the damage from that demonic cannon.

"… Raven?" Rena's eyes widened in surprise, and just as it all clicked in her mind, he collapsed, the flames going out, the light going away.

"Raven!" She yelled, attempting to get up. She wanted to see whether he was alright. She wanted to run over to him and treat his wounds; she knew that he always carried bandages with him. Not only did she lack the strength to even move, but…

She didn't have enough light.


	29. Dark

**Dark**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

The darkness was her only safe haven. Rena had grown accustomed to the night; the light of the moon was already enough for her. The sun was too bright, too hot, too unforgiving. Though she already had to accept the fact that almost everything was going to be unforgiving. Such as failing a simple mission.

The darkness almost meant being alone. She did not enjoy the company of others like she did before, especially that man. Said person would always invoke unnecessary emotions that were always meant to be suppressed and forgotten. Sometimes, she mocked him inwardly for not enjoying the night; a crow was black, after all.

Before the Veteran Commander could even utter a word, she rapidly turned around, with Erendil pointing directly at his neck. If she had reacted any later than she did, he would have been bleeding out very, very fast.  
"What are you doing here? You are meant to be in bed." Her icy tone was like the razor-sharp edge of the blade she wielded in battle.

"I think I should be asking you those questions. What brings you here?"  
"If you have come here to make sure I was alright, I am extremely capable of taking care of myself, especially in the night."  
"You know very well that sleep is essential for survival, and I have noted that you have been here for the past few nights. Soon, your mind will fail you in battle."

"Why do you watch me?"  
"Because I am concerned about you."  
"Why?"  
"…" Raven had to consciously stop himself from answering that question. It was almost too much.

"You can't even justify your own words."  
"I…"  
"You humans should sleep when it's dark." Now the Veteran Commander could feel his anger rising.  
"You have no right to decide that. I believe you slept just like we did at first, just like the rest of your kind."

A powerful blast of wind knocked him off his feet and onto his back.  
"The darkness is something to be cherished, Veteran Commander."  
"And what of it?"

"The sun is too hot, too bright, too unforgiving, even though many things in this world are unforgiving. You should be adapting to it, too. We are at a war with demons, and they grow stronger at night. You should be training at this time, if anything. What happened to your dedication to your comrades and Seris?"

That was about to set him off, but he had to hold it down. Exploding now wasn't going to help anything.  
"… Then you'd better thank me if I have to save you on the battlefield. I would have a good reason to defend you." Raven walked away.

At least knowing that Rena was alright gave him relief.


	30. Faith

**Faith**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

"No, please, don't go… You're not going to ever come back…" The Wind Sneaker begged. Her hand was only gripping his wrist, but it was enough to stop him from moving any more forward.  
"Why do you say that? I haven't sustained any major injuries ever since we came to Velder."

"Just… please don't…" She turned him around and hugged him tightly, and there was only just enough space for Raven to breathe. Rena didn't want to tell him that she had a horribly nightmare the previous night. She didn't want to tell him that she had sprinted across the battlefield full of the corpses of both demons and soldiers. She didn't want to tell him that she had found his body, covered in blood, with his warmth fading away…

Because the Blade Master wouldn't believe it.

He would have just told her to relax, and that it was just a dream. They weren't necessarily real, and Rena knew that. But what if it was real?  
"Rena, calm down, and look at me." The Wind Sneaker released her hold, obeying and looking into Raven's golden orange orbs. "Please, have faith in me. I don't die that easily."

"…" She couldn't help the tears that were building in her eyes, and she just hugged him again, crying into his shoulder.  
"Rena, what's wrong?"  
"Please, don't go…"

They held that position before Raven spoke.  
"Sorry, it's time. If I don't leave now, I'll be late."  
"No, don't go, Raven… I'll never see you again…"  
"I have to go. I can't just drop out of this."

"Wait, don't go!" She gripped onto his wrist again, but with a forceful pull, he tore his arm away, their fingertips lightly brushing.  
"I'm sorry, Rena. I promise, I'll come back."

_Rena, stop, this isn't the end of the world. Come on, just have faith that he's going to come back alive…_

"… Okay." She wiped her tears. "Goodbye."

And then he was gone, disappeared into the distance.

* * *

**Apologies for not having written anything for Christmas, or for New Years. Since it's the holidays, I've been spending much less time writing and, instead, playing Elsword. Though I may decide to write something to make up for the lack of Christmas or New Years stories on my part... **

**And again, my apologies for not updating for a while. I've been away at New Zealand for a week, then coming back and my Reckless Fist begging me to cap him. That's... all I have to say.**


	31. Colours

**Colours**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

"Couldn't you at least be a little bit more colourful?" Rena whined.  
"Why do you say that?"  
"Your main clothes don't have colour on them at all!"  
"Black, white and grey are still colours. And you have to count my eyes, too."

"Your eyes don't count. I was talking about your clothes. Black, white and grey are not colours."  
"Did you ever notice the gold?"  
"Huh? What gold?"  
"These." Raven pointed at the edges of his coat as well as on his sleeves.

"But that's only a little bit of colour!" The Blade Master sighed at the Wind Sneaker's reply.  
"Do I really have to be colourful?"  
"But why are you not colourful?"  
"Because… nothing else suits me, I guess."

Rena huffed. "So boring…"  
"Well, I can't help it, can I?"  
"Of course you can! Just start wearing more colours!"  
"… No." She pouted.  
"Why not?"

"I answered that question earlier."  
"… Fine." She crossed her arms and turned away. Rena suddenly lit up.  
"Oh wait, there's a dinner coming up!"  
"Huh? What dinner?"

"Remember? The king has invited us to dinner to thank us for saving Velder!"  
"So?"  
"You can wear more colours then."  
"Rena, that's a formal occasion! I should only come in my best clothes."

"But you can always wear a bit of colour with your tuxedo."  
"No." The Blade Master decided to be blunt about it. The Wind Sneaker pouted again.  
"You could at least-"  
"No."

That was her umpteenth time she tried to get him to wear something colourful. No matter how much she tried, he would always reply with that answer.


	32. Exploration

**Exploration**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

"So, Rena."  
"What is it?"  
"You spent your first few hundred years in the elven village, right?"  
"Yes, of course."

"Did you ever wonder what was outside?"  
"Huh? Oh, there were books, of course. Some of them were pretty mean to you humans."  
"Enlighten me."  
"Humans are evil creatures, filled with greed, pride and lust. They would never falter to destroy all in their path to get whatever they wanted. I quote that."

"… That's pretty harsh."  
"And so I thought, not everyone is like that. I mean, some elves are like that, too."  
"Wow. Never thought that way. All the picture books in my childhood said that elves were pure creatures who were one with nature."

"That's technically true, but then you have the Night Savers. They're technically one with the night."  
"You mean that guild of elven assassins?"  
"Of course."

"Where were we…?" A brief silence as Raven thought. "Oh, right. Did you ever want to go outside the elven village?"  
"I didn't have much curiosity, since there were quite a lot of those books about the outside world, actually."

"So, you never wanted to explore the world for yourself?"  
"Well, when I first thought that, I was in the middle of training, so of course I didn't want to leave just yet."  
"Ah."  
"But now, I'm with you guys, and I don't regret it one bit."

_I'm glad to hear you say that._ Raven smiled. It took a few moments to realise that he was actually the one making Rena blush.  
"Oh, sorry." He said awkwardly.  
"H-huh? Sorry for what?"

"Uh, never mind." He turned away. The Wind Sneaker immediately turned his head back around, held his face and kissed him on the mouth.


	33. Seeing Red

**Seeing Red**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Void Princess  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

When Rena came back from grocery shopping, the huge mess that she saw made her see red. There were smashed plates littered on the floor, pillows ripped apart and thrown across the room (the living room and the kitchen were joined)… there was even a hole in the window. And all the noise was coming from behind the house.

"ELSWORD! AISHA!" She screamed at them when she arrived, charging at them and attempting to kick the living daylights out of them. The two realised that their fun was gone. Angkor flew around in the air wildly, Elsword ran for his life, and Aisha did her best to teleport away. Shockwaves and kicks flew through the air as the angry elf attempted to hunt them down.

Raven, who was just returning from training, arrived at the scene, and began to watch. Elsword was already begging for mercy as he ran in circles, and usually, it would eventually calm the elf down. This time, it didn't. _Holy El… Rena's going to kill him if she gets to him._ By the time the Blade Master began to run, the Rune Slayer screamed in pain as a kick went right at his balls.

Elsword rolled across the field, unable to get up. The elf quickly caught up, repeatedly assaulting the poor red-head as he continued to cry out. Luckily, Raven was already close enough and tackled Rena to the ground, using his entire body to hold her down. Fortunately, he was also taller than her.

And lastly, she didn't kick him in the groin, either. The Blade Master decided to start talking after the Wind Sneaker had appeared to have calmed down.  
"Rena? What's wrong?" She blushed immediately and averted his gaze.  
"… Sorry. Just got really angry. They made a massive mess."

"You could always tell Aisha to clean up. I don't think Elsword can move for a while." Raven got off Rena, finding that the Rune Slayer had already accumulated a few bruises and was close to unconsciousness.  
"Your kicks really are ferocious. I'll take care of him." The Blade Master walked over to the red-head.

Rena turned to Angkor and Aisha.  
"Clean up the mess immediately." Her tone bore anger.  
"But-"  
"Or do you want me to do that to you?" The elf pointed at Elsword. Raven had rolled him onto his back and the wounds that the Rune Slayer received were clearly seen.

The Void Princess and the bat gulped before they headed back inside. The Blade Master hoped that the Wind Sneaker didn't have such an outburst again.

* * *

**Happy New Years, everyone. Thank you for all taking the time to read all of this, and please, leave a review. I enjoy having comments on this. **

**Luckily, writing for this has not stopped, so I haven't given up yet. One of my new year's resolutions would be to finish this all the way to the 100th theme. **

**That's... all I have to say for now. **


	34. Shades of Grey

**Shades of Grey**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

"Hey, Raven, you could try giving me some work for once."  
"I do."  
"I mean, you should do less yourself and give more to me. Are you trying to tell me that I'm useless as an assistant?"

"… No, of course not. I already have you running around Velder almost constantly making sure that all of my orders are being carried out and also to help do a bit of the patrolling. You are also delivering letters for me since it is faster than the postage system. I don't wish to exhaust you."

"But I'm perfectly fine, Raven. I have mana-powered legs for a reason, and that's not only for kicking, you know. You don't give me enough work at all." At this, the Veteran Commander looked up from his desk, raising an eyebrow.  
"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure, what do you think?"  
"Then…" The half-Nasod looked at the clock. "It's about lunch. The Crow Mercenaries should be scattered across Velder eating either at cafes, restaurants or their own boxed lunches. I want you tell them all to meet at the base so I can brief them on what they will do next. Also tell them to meet at two o'clock sharp, or I will give punishments. Make sure to count every single one you meet, because this is important. Come back here after you are finished."

"How many of them are there again?"  
"Do you need me to remind you again, even though I told you the exact numbers an hour earlier?"  
"Um… yes."

"There are fifty of them. Now go. Make sure you travel as fast as you possibly can."  
"Okay, I'm on it." On the word, Rena rushed out the door.

The Veteran Commander would have usually released his crows that carried the message, but Rena had been so eager to run. _I'm almost using her. It was what she asked for, after all._ He told himself that with a smirk before rising from his desk, walking towards the small refrigerator in his office. _Time to have my own lunch. _

* * *

Rena had stood attentively at the side of the meeting room, listening to Raven give instructions. The Crow Mercenaries had received their first job ever since their rebirth; get rid of a gang that walked around the streets attacking citizens for their money. No one had the strength to take them on, especially because of their large numbers.

"I want you all to patrol the streets for this gang, and your top priority is not to get rid of the gang, but to make sure that no citizens are harmed. Only fight them if you have to, and if one fight breaks out, usually the rest of the members of the gang come over to help. If they are grouped together in such a way, then you are allowed to take them out. Do not use any weapons."

The rest of the Crow Mercenaries nodded.  
"I trust you are capable of taking them on with your fists. At first, there will be only a small amount of gang members roaming the streets that will gradually increase overtime. Any questions?"

One person raised a hand.  
"Who sent this job?"  
"The local government, actually. They have been receiving complaints from the citizens for some time, and have decided to use us instead of the army for this problem. Any other questions?"

Silence.  
"Your dinner break will be pushed back, because the gang is also the most active during that hour, taking out people on their way to dinner. Start the job now, and make sure you don't slack off or do anything inappropriate. I will know if you do." Raven gave no hint that Rena was going to be watching over them. "Now go."

At his word, the Crow Mercenaries rushed out the door. The half-Nasod and the elf began to make their way back to his office.  
"And, what do you do? Fight alongside them?"  
"I have some paperwork still to finish."  
"You've been working since the morning. How much do you have?"

As they arrived, Raven pointed to two stacks of papers on his desk. One was significantly taller than the other.  
"And the smaller pile is what you need to get done?"  
"Yes. Now you need to go and make sure that the Crow Mercenaries are doing what they're supposed to be doing."

"Before I go, can I ask a question?"  
"Yes?"  
"How do you lead? I mean, you're good at taking command and handling the responsibilities, but how do you do it?"

"… That's actually a very difficult question to answer." Raven replied at first before thinking. "Everyone commands in a unique way. If I passed the title of Commander onto you, your different leading style would change the Crow Mercenaries. Some people like certain leading styles as well, and that is one way you earn the respect and support of those you lead."

"Can I try?" The Veteran Commander chuckled.  
"I wouldn't know what you would do to them. Firstly, there is a considerable amount of paperwork to do that will increase as we receive more jobs and get busier. Secondly, as the Crow Mercenaries expand, I will have to promote some members to help me. You will have to assess every single one of them in that case. And you also need to manage the time for that assessment, too."

"There's more, right?"  
"Of course."  
"… Damn. It sounds fun, though. And you get more money… wait, why did you send all of the Crow Mercenaries to handle this job? Shouldn't a small amount be sufficient?"

"… Good spotting there. The local government has also informed us of their approximate numbers, which are quite large. It would be better if we outnumbered them in case of a fight."  
"I see. Then… you also say that different people have different ways of handling their responsibilities?"

"Yes."  
"Alright, thanks for answering. I thought you were going to get annoyed and just send me off." Just for the fun of it, Rena pecked Raven on the cheek, causing him to turn red.  
"I'll be monitoring them now, see you later." She ran out, leaving the Veteran Commander slightly dazed.

Really, he was worried about her getting involved in this job. Not only could she get hurt today, but if this expanded into a whole territorial war, she could play a major role in that. And that wouldn't be good.


	35. Forgotten

**Forgotten**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

It had been a century ago, but Rena had no intention of forgetting him. Ever.

And neither did the Crow Mercenaries, who were flourishing after their rebirth. The Wind Sneaker realised that it was his framing and "death" that gradually diminished them, before he rebuilt them again, all by himself. Well, the elf had tried to help, but he was the one who did most the work.

She was now a faithful member of the Crow Mercenaries herself, but she still didn't really want to don the uniform, and the Veteran Commander had allowed that. And when he retired, he passed the position of Commander onto her. It was a good choice, everyone thought, because she had such a long life to go.

And now, the Wind Sneaker understood exactly what Raven was going through in his early days with the Elgang. But this time, there was no one to comfort her. There wasn't someone who played the role as herself in Raven's perspective.

After her usual duties were done, Rena usually found herself at his gravestone, black in colour with black feathers laid along with several flowers. His blade was forever plunged into the ground beside it, and his Nasod arm was buried with him. Several flowers were also lain down; they were most likely from the Crow Mercenaries to pay their respects.

"Raven, I miss you." She had said the same thing every time she visited, but it really was all there was in her mind. "I honestly wish you would smile more, but whenever you did, you looked beautiful." Now her mind had gone back. She was by his side when he died. And he didn't die peacefully, nor painlessly. It was rather the opposite.

It was during the crucial part of a mission when his body suddenly buckled under the Overheating of his arm, and even though the Wind Sneaker had strongly suggested that he take a rest and let her take over, he pushed on. Now, she really wish that she had forced him back.

But even if she did, there was no guarantee that he would be able to Overheat like he did before.  
"I should have told you when you were alive, that I loved you. I'm sorry. And it's all my fault that you died. I should have stopped you."

Of course, there was no reply. He was somewhere up there. Deciding that she was going to break down if she stayed any longer, she simply left. She didn't want to look back at the graves of her other friends.

* * *

**Perhaps it was not the best idea to write that during class. Anyway, that's all I have to say. **


	36. Dreamer

**Dreamer**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

"So, why are you here?" Raven approached Rena.  
"Huh? It's comfortable, of course. Just lying on the grass and letting the sun warm you up…"  
"Aren't you too warm? Or worried about going blind?"  
"Does it look like I'm looking at the sun, Raven?"

"Uh… I guess you're not."  
"Then lie down next to me."  
"Well, uh…"  
"Come on." Rena sat up, pulling at Raven's sleeve and forcing him next to her.

… _Rena's right._ It really was comfortable. The breeze was keeping them cool, and the sun was just over their heads.  
"Are you really only here because it's comfortable?"  
"Uh, not really…"

"Then what are you doing?"  
"Thinking. Dreaming."  
"What of?" The Wind Sneaker took a breath. The Blade Master was already anticipating a long sort of speech.

"Well, if we were all immortal, to begin with. And if those demons would stop being so persistent. It's not like we can rid of their existence, because they live in a separate realm, but then we'd have to stomp out whatever numbers came into ours."  
"Ah."

"And also, if we were all immortal, we would be able to just have each other's company. It's not so painful for me anymore if we were all immortal, because while you would die in a few decades, I would have centuries left to live. And I would be pretty lonely."  
"Alright. Say if you could choose one of us to be immortal, or have an elven lifespan of yours. Who would you choose and why?"

Rena knew that this was her chance. It was either do it now, or never again.  
"You, because…" At this, Raven felt his facial heat rise. He could probably already guess the reason. The Wind Sneaker couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, but at least the Blade Master got the message.

"Uh, alright then… Sorry, that was rather sudden. I just needed a bit of time to recover. I'll just say that I return those feelings too." He looked at her straight in the eyes, and she couldn't tear away from his gaze.

It really was like a dream come true.


	37. Mist

**Mist**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

That morning was especially frosty; enough for mist to form. After breakfast, before either of them could talk, Rena and Raven could already tell what was going to be happening over the next training session.  
"You think what I'm thinking?" The Veteran Commander asked.  
"Of course. To the forest we go."

This time, they didn't go to the usual clearing. They decided that their battlefield was going to be amongst the trees. Raven began to spin slowly, his blade and arm ready, not wanting to overheat yet. Otherwise, he would give away his position. He realised just in time that Rena was waiting in a tree behind him, and dodged backwards. Twigs exploded right in front of him, and the Night Watcher landed gracefully before boosting towards the Veteran Commander.

Blades clashed. Both of them were equally dexterous in close combat and in ranged combat. Rena immediately switched to the offensive, landing blow after blow with Erendil, cutting through the mist. Raven could only block, using an unexpected block to grab his opponent's blade and moving forward to strike with the hilt of his own.

The Night Watcher retreated into the mist, easily prying Erendil free and leaving twigs in her path. The Veteran Commander immediately began to scan the landscape. The trees were preventing him from using the firepower that he was known for in the battlefield. As he stepped backwards, he was suddenly wary of the traps that were set behind him. And now more and more traps had mysteriously appeared.

_Damn it, I shouldn't be letting her set up on me. _Using bullets, Raven began to detonate the traps one by one. By that time, it was already too late to dodge the wind sphere travelling slowly towards him. It exploded, sending the Veteran Commander flying, and he crashed into a tree, knocking the air out of his lungs. As he regained his breath as fast as he could, the Night Watcher was suddenly in front of him, Erendil raised to perform the killing blow.

He pushed off the tree, punching into her exposed stomach with his Nasod arm. After both of them landed, Rena knew that she had already lost. One hit in training would mean death on a real battlefield.  
"Alright, I will take that as a lesson."  
"But you did utilise the environment very well."

"I should have won. Your abilities were already very limited."  
"No, no. I should have played different tactics. Should we go again?"  
"Why not? We have a lot of time." Again, the Night Watcher disappeared into the trees and the mist.

_Hmm… looks like we're going to be spending a lot of time here. Rena must like fighting in such an environment._


	38. Burning

**Burning**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

The Palace Entrance was completely ablaze, and the Kenaz there were only adding to the already almost unbearable heat.

Even though he was a user of fire, the Veteran Commander was no more immune to it than the rest of the Elgang. They all had to be careful not to step on any flames to avoid being burnt. Now that he thought of it, burning someone alive was one of the most painful deaths he could give, and he was very capable of doing it.

Not only that, but fire was also a very destructive element, seeing as what happened to the Palace Entrance. It was almost ironic; he was redeeming himself for all the destruction he had caused by causing more destruction. This time, it was to the demons instead of the Ponggos.

And yet, he was doing all of this for the honour of the Crow Mercenaries, and he was potentially torturing thousands and thousands of demons. Sometimes, he pondered whether his own flame would burn too brightly and devour everything else of him until he was nothing but an empty shell, going around and destroying whatever he could.

_There's no time for thinking about that, you have a mission at hand. _Beside him, Rena had noticed him hesitate.  
"Are you thinking again?"  
"Yes. My apologies." An explosive shell blew apart a small division of demons in front of him, before the Wind Sneaker immediately rushed up and finished them all.

Raven realised that Rena had her own fire as well, almost like his. Raised in an elven village, she deviated from her original path and set her own, deciding to master her kicks instead. That gave an otherwise painful death if she did not kill in the first blow. While he didn't have much of an opinion on his own methods of killing, she seemed to enjoy a bit of it.

He wondered why.

* * *

**That was a relatively difficult one, though I'm not too sure why. Maybe the lack of inspiration. That's all I have to say.**


	39. Out of Time

**Out of Time**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

There was only a matter of a few minutes before Raven would run out of time.

He searched desperately through the labs of the demons for an antidote. An antidote that would save Rena's life. Those damned Glitter Assassin's had tipped their blades in poison, and even with a graze, the Wind Sneaker weakened quickly and significantly. The Blade Master had already been here for what seemed like a long time, but he knew the elf would not hold on for much longer.

He had been informed that the poison was a type of venom; he had to hope that the demons had some kind of anti-venom as well. Raven burst into another room, and the scientists immediately began to through whatever they could at him. Luckily, he hadn't been hit by a vial. Yet.

He felt something prick his neck, and realised that he had been hit by a blow dart. The Blade Master could already feel himself feeling weaker and sleepier. A few blade slashes finished off all of his opponents. Time was running out.

A label that identified a syringe as a type of anti-venom to the poison made his hopes jump. Luckily the needle had not been attached. Hastily, he grabbed it, shoved it into his pocket, and began to make his way out as fast as he could. _Don't you dare fall over. That was the only vial, and if you break it, Rena will die. And so will you. _

By the time he could see the entrance, his vision was blurry and he had to tell himself constantly to stay awake. His body was also almost refusing to move. Still, Raven had to force himself to run, otherwise Rena was going to die.

"Guys, Raven's alive!" He heard a voice in the distance, but his mind was too tired to try and distinguish it. Maybe it was familiar, maybe it wasn't. "Hey, Raven! Can you hear me? Raven!"

_Please, let Rena be alive. Please don't tell me I've run out of time._ The voices were getting closer, and the Blade Master finally collapsed.  
"Hey, you okay?" He felt the arms of someone catch him.  
"Give… to Rena…" Raven felt around his pocket, taking out the syringe. Then the darkness in his mind overtook him.

* * *

**It honestly felt like forever since I've uploaded. I'll get to the 100th theme someday... Anyway, that's all I have to say. **


	40. Knowing How

**Knowing How**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

"I've always wondered how you kick. Doesn't it get exhausting?"  
"Of course it does, but I have mana-powered legs. You don't even use any mana, and how do you even use your blade, especially with only one arm?"  
"… It just happens, I guess."  
"Oh, do you want me to teach you how to kick?"

"Hmm… why not?"  
"Alright! Now, stand up."

Both of them stood up from the tree stump they were sitting on.  
"First, get into stance. Like this. Step forward as if you're going somewhere." Rena explained. Raven obeyed.  
"Now, let's do a front kick. Lift your knee up and snap." The Wind Sneaker demonstrated slowly.

He was able to execute it.  
"Correct."  
"Is it really that simple?"  
"Yep."

"…"  
"Okay, now let me teach you a turning kick. Same concept, except you twist yourself around to hit your target on the side, like this." Rena demonstrated. Raven imitated almost perfectly; he just didn't have the speed that the elf had.  
"Alright. Now…"

_A few hours later…_

"You exhausted yet?" The Wind Sneaker asked him.  
"Yes… very… I'm not sure if I can stand properly now." The Blade Master hobbled over to the tree stump, but collapsed on his way to it.  
"Here, let me help you walk." She put a Nasod arm around her shoulders, lifting up Raven.

"And you're not exhausted?"  
"Not one bit. Could go on for a bit more. That was nothing intense, anyway."  
"… Wow."  
"So, how are you going to pay me back? Are you going to teach me how to use a blade?"

The half-Nasod decided that doing that was going to be his revenge.  
"I'll teach you tomorrow. Luckily we have a spare… somewhere."  
"When we get back, do you want me to prepare a bath for you? Or massage-"  
"Wait, what? Why?" Raven felt his face heat up.

"Because you need to take care of your legs. It'll help relax your muscles."  
"I-I can manage myself. I think I'll just need to rest for a bit."  
"I'll bring you dinner tonight, then."  
"… Why are you deciding to be so nice now?"

"Because I've always wanted to teach you how to kick. You always looked like a very good candidate for it."  
"Alright, well… I'll learn how to fight with kicks eventually."  
"I would really like to see you combine kicks and the blade. It sounds cool."

"I don't think I should be attaching blades to my shoes just yet, Rena." The Wind Sneaker laughed.  
"That day might come~" The Blade Master sighed.  
"And then you can do it too, once you're proficient enough with a blade."

Knowing how to fight like each other was definitely a treat.


	41. Fork in the Road

**Fork in the Road**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

There hadn't been time for a funeral. She knelt at his grave for the umpteenth time. This time, she didn't come back with flowers. She had come back with a knife.

Rena was very aware of the fact that the war with the demons was still raging on. _Rena, I think it's best for you to just leave it behind. Raven could do it, why not you? _The Lord Knight's words echoed in her head. What would the Elgang do without her help in combat? What if they lost because she took that path? What if Elrios was destroyed because of the choice that she took now?

But she was very much in love with the Blade Master. She didn't even have a chance to muster up the courage to confess. The Wind Sneaker was the closest one there when a blade went through his heart. She had gotten urges to pin him down and kiss him, but she never acted on them. She knew what kind of pain would surface in him if she did something unexpected without asking for permission first.

The first time Rena went back to the battlefield after his death, the memories played over and over, the emotional pain weighing her down significantly. Significantly enough that Vanessa had to run over, take down the demons surrounding her, and drag her off. The Elgang decided that the elf should stay off the battlefield until she had sufficiently recovered.

It had been a week, and she had only improved enough that she could get out of her room more easily. But the main reason she did so was to visit his grave. The Wind Sneaker didn't dare touch the Blade Master's blade that accompanied the stone.

She raised the knife. She decided to stab herself in heart, just like he died. She wanted it to be fast. But a picture of the Elgang flashed in her mind. They had decided to take it at Hamel, with all nine of them smiling. Even Raven. Was she going to follow the Blade Master, or was she going to stay and help to fight the demons?

Rena couldn't decide.


	42. Start

**Start**

**Classes:  
Raven: Blade Master  
Rena: Wind Sneaker**

Rena lifted her head up from the book that she was reading, finding that the only person left in the living room with her was Raven. _Looks like all the other kids have gone to bed. Eve probably decided to turn in for today. _When the Wind Sneaker looked at the clock, it really was getting late, but she still found herself to be quite energetic.

She wasn't sure she could say the same thing for Raven. He seemed to be staring into space, most likely in his thoughts. The Blade Master wasn't as interested in books as she was, and she had no idea how just thinking would occupy him for long amounts of time. Seeing this as an opportunity to talk about something she wouldn't with the others around, Rena broke the silence.

"Raven?" The elf had to admit that she was nervous. He snapped out of his thoughts and turned to face her. His orange orbs looked tired.  
"Yes?"  
"How did you meet Seris and, um, start talking to her?"

Silence.  
"Sorry, was I a bit insensitive?"  
"No, no, it's fine. I was thinking. I met her in a coffee store. I usually don't drink coffee, but today I decided to get one. Anyway, it was quite late in the afternoon, I was already tired, but I had a lot of work to do."

"That explains why."  
"It turned out her shift was about to end, and she decided to serve me before she left. After handing me the coffee, she ended up sitting beside me on the table and we talked about a few things. I rarely met her in the coffee shop after that, but usually we would just wave to each other when we passed by. Sometimes, she'd ask me to do an errand, and I'd do it. Then we visited each other more often… You can probably guess how it escalated from there."

"… Oh, right." _But I guess it would be a lot easier since we're almost stuck together-_ Rena blushed at the thought, and turned away to hide it.  
"Is there anything wrong?"  
"N-no, I'm fine." She forced herself to look back at Raven, who didn't seem to notice. "Um… could you go in a little more detail?"

"… Sure." He didn't even ask why. "We usually visited in the park, and just sit next to each other on the bench and talked. That phase of just conversing took a while before… That was when she suggested that we would meet at my place. Everything was all comfortable before Seris suddenly confessed and kissed me. I returned it, of course."

The Wind Sneaker didn't know why, but she was imagining herself in Seris' position. Her blush deepened, but the Blade Master continued to talk, to her relief.  
"We then started dating, and a few months after that, we decided that we were going to get married… It never happened."

"I'm sorry."  
"No, it's fine. That all seems like a while ago, and you couldn't do anything about it, anyway."  
"Uh… what would you say if I told you…" _This is it. Do it, or die. _"That I wanted to make a start, and that I loved you?"

Rena couldn't help the intense heat of her face, but Raven's eyes widened, and she could see that he, too, was turning pink.  
"… Then I would say that I loved you back." The Blade Master smiled, standing up and walking closer to the elf.

When his face went closer, she couldn't help but close her eyes, thinking that he was going to kiss her. When it never came, the elf opened her eyes to see the half-Nasod smirking at her.  
"Uh, what was that for?" He laughed. It was music to her ears.  
"I was just teasing you."

Their lips met for the first time.


	43. Nature's Fury

**Nature's Fury**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

Rena wished that her own windstorms could be as powerful as this one.

Ventus seemed to have decided that he needed to take a step into the war in Velder, and was blowing away not only demon camps and more debris, but also the soldiers of the Velder Garrison, the Night Watcher and the Veteran Commander. Glitter Vanguards and assassins alike spun through the air, either being shredded by the gusts or crashing into one another.

The only thing that was preventing the elf from being tossed up and cut into pieces was Erendil stabbed into the ground. Her hair whipping everywhere was making it hard to see, but she could easily tell by the screams above her that there was blood and chaos ensuing.

And her hand was slipping off the hilt. There wasn't going to be much longer before she would join all of that. Her wind wasn't powerful enough to counter nature's fury. Rena didn't even notice Raven approaching her until she felt his gloved hand on her wrist.  
"Let go of me. I'm fine." The Night Watcher hissed. She had to speak louder over the wind.

"You would have been dead if I hadn't gotten to you in time." And she had to admit it, he was right.  
"… You're eventually going to slip yourself, anyway." The Veteran Commander knew that. Of course he knew that.

Walking was now too risky; Raven had used the time get to Rena instead of getting to a safe position where the wind was weak enough to allow him to walk out. The windstorm was expanding, and both of them could feel the increasing power.

"Alright then. Looks like we have to die together." Neither of them wanted this fate, but there didn't seem to be any way out of it. "I didn't expect this." The elf turned to the half-Nasod.  
"I didn't either."

"Three… two… one."

And then they let go.

* * *

Rena had no idea when she lost consciousness. Maybe it was when she collided with something hard. But when she opened her eyes, not only did she feel relatively fine, but she was also lying in that field where the windstorm had taken place.

… _This had better be a dream. _It was impossible for her to be alive. There were blades and bodies flying everywhere, and also there was that cutting wind that could easily take her apart. As she sat up, she realised that she really was alive.

There were bodies and weapons littered around her, but she was most interested in finding out why she was alive. She growled at a certain thought. _That idiot had better not have-_

And there he was. Lying too closely to her, covered in cuts and bruises, with a pool of blood that was creeping slowly towards her.

The Night Watcher rolled away, stood up, and quickly examined him. A large gash had torn open his back (despite the metal on the back of his shirt), almost cutting him in half completely. It was impossible for him to be alive.

The Veteran Commander had protected her.

She should have felt nothing. She was a Night Watcher, after all. But Rena felt something tear in her heart. That shouldn't have existed, either. _Why… _She cursed. She should have been happy that the windstorm had laid waste to the demons, and did a far better job of it than she would ever do.

But her chest was twisting in pain instead. Raven was dead, and died protecting her from nature's fury.


	44. At Peace

**At Peace**

**Classes:  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Reckless Fist**

He was finally at peace.

Even though she could no longer see him again, she was happy for that.

She refused to let herself cry as she knelt by his grave. She was the one who ended his life before he could kill more people on his rampage when he lost control. She was the one who held him as he took his last breaths. And she was the one who heard him utter his final words.

"_I love you, Rena."_

The others had been concerned about him too. It wasn't only the Grand Archer who heard his screams from his nightmares, or seen the times when he struggled with the Nasod arm for control. Now, they no longer had to see their friend suffer.

"I love you too, Raven." She had never gotten the chance to tell him that when he was alive, but now she had gotten a weight off her chest. "I'm sorry. I had to do it before you killed more people and soldiers, and before you killed one of us."

Rena was half expecting a reply. It never came, of course. He was dead, after all.

"… Alright then, I guess I should go off and train." The Reckless Fist would have told her to stop wasting her time here and train, so they could get rid of those damn demons that he couldn't get rid of. "I'll make sure I punch one of them in the face. Just for you."

Maybe she would have made him smile. But then again, he was dead.

_I'll leave you in peace, then. _The Grand Archer stood up and walked away. She wondered when she would finally be able to see him again.


	45. Heart Song

**Heart Song**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

She didn't even know why she was practicing. She wasn't even going to be singing as any sort of profession. But Rena couldn't resist coming to the forests and enjoying the cool air, and found herself still remembering every single word and melody to the song that had been her favourite for centuries.

The Wind Sneaker hadn't thought anything about it ever since she joined the Elgang, plus a few more years, so she found herself surprised when she managed to sing through the whole thing almost perfectly. It was only one time when she missed a high note, but that didn't matter to her.

Only the soft breeze accompanied the calm, soothing melody as Rena sang. The song was about a poor, orphaned, but gifted elven girl who could play lovely music on the flute. Eventually, two kind older elves adopted her, and their wealth gave her the happiest life she could ever dream of.

The elf was so absorbed into the melody and the song that she didn't notice a certain half-Nasod approach her. He had grown curious as to what Rena was singing, and had come closer to listen properly. Raven made sure that he approached quietly enough so that she didn't hear him.

"Wow, I can't believe I still remember-" The Wind Sneaker was suddenly aware of the Blade Master's presence, and turned around so fast that she almost tripped over her feet. "Were… you listening?" _This is embarrassing. I made enough mistakes in that._

"I was listening…" He paused for a moment. "Your voice is beautiful, Rena. I think you should sing more often."  
"H-huh?" She felt her face heating up at the compliment.  
"The song is beautiful, too. I can see why you like it so much."

"Uh… thanks." She laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head. Raven smiled, and Rena had to turn away to hide her blush.

An awkward silence passed in between them.

"Hmm… Raven?"  
"Yes?"  
"How well can you sing?"  
"Not very well."

"Can you sing?"  
"I haven't sung in a while, you know."  
"I haven't sung in years, so that's not a valid excuse."  
"I don't sing very well, either."

"Well, we never know until you actually sing. Just… choose your favourite song. Please, Raven?"

The Wind Sneaker looked at him with those puppy dog eyes that the Blade Master found very hard resisting.

"… Fine, then." Raven took a deep breath, and a different melody began.

* * *

**There is an Elsword cover of Children Record on YouTube, which features all ten playable characters as well as Glave singing. Raven gets a decent amount of solos in that, so you can hear his voice there. **


	46. Reflection

**Reflection**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

Raven didn't know why, but he found himself reflecting extensively on the events following that energy cannon blast.

It was an attack that rendered him unconscious and hanging near death for several days, and now that he had finally woken up, he couldn't bring himself to go back to sleep. Not because he wasn't tired; he was very tired, and it was hard work keeping his eyes open. The words that he heard before he blacked out kept echoing in his head.

_Now you've gotten yourself unnecessarily hurt. I could have dodged it. You didn't need to protect me, we can all protect ourselves. _

It was Rena. He had tackled her down and shielded her from the blast. According to his mind and calculations, it was impossible for her to avoid the hit. She would have not been able to travel fast enough to get out of its range. The Night Watcher was completely unharmed, and was able to continue fighting without much difficulty, which was good.

Or was she?

_How much damage did she take?_ Raven was now inwardly panicking, and he was trying desperately to stop his heart from pounding so loudly and painfully in his chest. _Damn it, Raven, she's alright. You've been sleeping for days, remember? She would have easily recovered in that time, if she got hit._

But it wouldn't stop. Eventually, the Veteran Commander realised that he wasn't going to be able to rest properly without seeing her. Even if it was just once. Even if she launched into a lecture about how Raven didn't need to protect everyone. He didn't think she understood why he was so bent on making sure his friends were alright, but he just wanted to see her, and make sure she was alright.

_Raven, just think about something else. Now, how did I even allow the energy cannon to-_ That didn't work, either. His breathing had sped up, and that was causing him pain, too. _Calm down, calm down…Take deep breaths…_ But he couldn't stop.

After what seemed like forever, Raven finally passed out.

* * *

Rena had also decided to spend the night reflecting on what happened a few days ago. That _idiot who never learns_ had tackled her over and shielded her from the cannon, when she could have so easily leapt to the side. The worst she would get would be a graze. Clearly, that man didn't understand and just took the hit for her.

_At least he's good at shielding people._ The Night Watcher had not taken any damage, which allowed her to continue fighting after she almost threw the Veteran Commander off her in rage. Well, of course she summoned the healers to carry him off to make sure he didn't die. Although he was annoying, he was a useful ally to have.

That day, since Elsword had insisted, they visited him. The healers at the hospital said that Raven would have been lucky if he survived, considering that he took a full blow, and if he did survive, he would be lucky if he woke up within weeks. But the words were a little hazy to Rena. She wasn't focussing on them. The elf was focussed on the half-Nasod lying in bed.

Because he looked dead.

She should have been feeling nothing from the sight. But instead, something was wrenching painfully at her heart at the sight of him. _Grr… that's passed. He's completely fine now._ Rena didn't visit him. Of course, that was just a waste of time. And if he did actually die, she would have gotten the news very, very quickly.

But she wanted to at least see him awake. That'll immediately tell her that he was alive. _Wait… I shouldn't be worried about him at all. He's nothing but an obstacle and an ally at the same time, nothing more. Friends? Barely. _

The Night Watcher didn't know why, but she was yearning for his eyes and his voice. And even more ridiculous to her, she yearned for his smile.


	47. Perfection

**Perfection**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

"Rena, what are you doing here?" Raven entered the kitchen.  
"I'm cleaning up, of course."  
"Then let me help you."  
"No, no, it's your birthday, Raven. You're not meant to be doing any work."

The Blade Master sighed and sat down on the couch (the kitchen was connected to the living room). It was afternoon, and the Wind Sneaker had offered to make dinner for the Elgang by herself. The half-Nasod had immediately protested, but the elf told him that the food was meant to be a surprise.

As if the cake after lunch was already not a surprise. He hadn't stuffed his face like like he did in a long, long time.

"Oh, I saved you a slice. It's in the fridge." He told her.  
"What? You didn't eat it yourself?"  
"I think you're the one who hasn't eaten any of it. I've had more than enough."  
"… What did you think of it?"

Even though Raven could only see Rena's back, he could tell she was tensing up. Was she really this nervous?

"It was perfect. I loved it."  
"Huh?"  
"Didn't you see? Everyone was fighting for the last slice. Including me."  
"U-uh…"

"Rena, don't be so hard on yourself. If you really did plan everything from the minute you got up this morning, then I'd say that it was all perfect."  
"… Really?"  
"I mean it."

Thinking about birthdays, it brought him to a time years ago…

_The Crow Mercenaries had received a new job. They were to eliminate a gang that would terrorise citizens in broad daylight. Their sheer numbers were one thing; their fighting skills and weaponry were another. It was going to be a long day. _

"_I trust that your fighting skills are sufficient to handle smaller numbers. Your top priority is to keep the citizens safe. After that, then you can take them out. You are all dismissed." _

_Just as the men were walking…  
"Raven!" A very familiar voice rang through the hall, and he spotted a woman pushing her way past his comrades towards him. She held a box in her hands. _

"_Happy birthday, and you forgot your lunch again." Her smile instantly melted his heart, and he couldn't help but accept her embrace. She then handed him the lunchbox, swiftly kissed him on the lips, and ran back out, waving as she did. _

_Not only did his comrades see all of that, but Raven's face was flushed pink.  
"It's your birthday, Captain? You should've told us!" One of his comrades yelled. And then they all began to sing.  
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Raven, happy birthday to you!" _

_Then the three cheers and the applause followed. After everything had quietened down, they all had one question to ask.  
"Who was that woman?"_

"_Uh, she's my girlfriend."  
"She is? When did you two get together?"  
"A few months ago." _

_And then Raven was flooded with questions. He had to tell them to all get to work. Then there was lunch (it was delicious), more work, and when he finally returned home, Seris had prepared a huge present for him, as well as cake. _

"… Raven?" The Blade Master snapped out of his thoughts.  
"Huh? Sorry, did you say something?"  
"Uh, no, I didn't."

_That's a lie._ But he decided to drop it.

"Rena?"  
"Yes?"  
"Could you stop cleaning and talk to me, just for a bit?"  
"Sure." The Wind Sneaker put her away her apron and sat beside him on the couch.

"How long have you been planning this?"  
"Uh, it took days. I guess I overthought a lot of things. I also had to secretly buy lots of ingredients for the meals. You're really hard to get around, you know."  
"Sorry about that."

"No, no, that's your nature, and I can understand that."  
"Uh…" Now Raven was at a loss for words, and he had an urge to hug Rena.

So he satisfied it and hugged her. Tightly.

The Wind Sneaker could feel her facial heat rise, but she returned the hug, breathing in the Blade Master's scent and enjoying his warmth.  
"… Rena?"  
"Yes?"

"Do you… have feelings for me?" She blushed harder.  
"Um…"  
"Please tell me the truth."  
"… I do." And he smiled. She didn't know whether she could blush more, but if she could, then she did.

And then he cupped her face and kissed her passionately. At first, Rena was taken by surprise, before she returned it the best she could. He played with her lower lip, and she moaned softly when his tongue began to explore her mouth. Her cake really was delicious, because she could taste it in his mouth as her tongue began to play with his.

Finally, they parted for air.  
"… You're a really good kisser, you know."  
"What can I say? I've had experience, you haven't."  
"Well, do it again."

And Raven did, adding in a little more hunger. Rena moaned again, one hand feeling his hair, the other feeling his back. He was stroking her own hair, and his touch was sending chills down her spine. To her disappointment, he stopped kissing her, only to plant more down her cheek, her jaw, and her neck.

He found her sweet spot and began to use his tongue to caress it, occasionally softly nibbling at it. This time, she fought back a moan and lifted her head. Her skin tasted… it was indescribable. He moved back up to kiss her on the mouth, tongues entwining and tasting each other.

Raven continued to kiss her until she thought she would pass out, before breaking away.  
"I haven't done this in a while, so I couldn't do as well as I could have…"  
"Shut up, that was amazing. And the cake really tasted nice."

The Blade Master couldn't stop a smirk, and he tackled her down onto the couch and kissed her so suddenly and fiercely that she almost shrieked in surprise.


	48. Everyday Magic

**Everyday Magic**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

"You like it out here, don't you?" Rena almost caught Raven by surprise. He whipped around with his blade raised, only to realise that it was the elf.  
"… You're called a Wind Sneaker for a reason."  
"I think it's because you were really submerged in your mind. I'm walking normally."

"Oh."

The Wind Sneaker walked towards the Blade Master until they were next to each other.  
"Does the forest put you at ease?" She asked.  
"I guess so. It's quiet, it's peaceful, and it sets a good atmosphere for me to think." Of course, inner peace was important to Raven. It was how he suppressed and controlled his rage.

"Magical?"  
"Almost. Except I don't use magic."  
"Let me show you something." A green, glowing orb formed in between Rena's hands. She released it, and it began to orbit her.

"You know magic?"  
"Nature's force is everywhere, Raven. I can manipulate it to help me in battle. Think of it like magic that doesn't need to be in the user."  
"Would I be able to do this?"

"You'd have a lot more difficulty if it was possible to do this without magic. I'm an elf. That automatically makes things easier."  
"Oh."

For a moment, they watched the green orb dance in the air. Rena made several more before releasing them too. And then they performed some kind of waltz that seemed to be known only by those orbs.

"Can I touch one?" The Blade Master reached out with his human hand. The Wind Sneaker held it back.  
"I created them, so they'll explode if they touch anything else unless I tell them not to."  
"You tell them to do things?"

"I can." The orbs started towards Raven, orbiting around him, before returning to Rena's side.  
"So, you can tell them to attack me?"  
"Of course." They travelled at lightning speed, and he managed to dash to the side just in time to dodge the bombardment of green coming at him.

Each projectile exploded with a brilliant show of nature energy.  
"I don't think I want to be on the receiving end of that." The half-Nasod commented.

Another silence. This time, they both allowed it to echo, allowing the silent, calm, serene atmosphere to take over again. Raven wished he could stay in such a place forever.

It was almost magical that just a forest could have this sort of effect. And he could come here whenever he wished.


	49. Umbrella

**Umbrella**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

"Rena, you're soaked." He found her under a small shelter.  
"But I have to go running from shelter to shelter in order to get back to our house. I can't avoid it."  
"If you had an umbrella, you could."

"Raven, can't you see that my arms are full of shopping bags? I thought you were taking a nap or something, so I didn't want to disturb you."  
"You would have brought me along just to help you hold things?"  
"Well, why not? I need help. You would have come along if I asked you, right?"

"I may have been grumpy, but I guess so."  
"Well, now whose fault is it that I'm soaking wet?"  
"Yours still, because you couldn't bring an umbrella. And you should have asked me."  
"But-"

"You thought I was napping. I happened to be outside training while the clouds were thick."  
"But your door was closed."  
"The wind most likely blew it closed."  
"…" Raven had won yet again.

"Well, now that you and I are here…" The Blade Master placed his coat on her shoulders before opening up the umbrella he had brought. "Let's go home now."  
"You're going to freeze."  
"It's not that cold. You're the one that's cold because you're wet."

The Wind Sneaker couldn't argue with that, either.

"How did you find me? I could have been anywhere in Velder."  
"I was tailing you. With an umbrella with me."  
"Aww. That's so butler-like of you." She teased.  
"I'm not a butler."

"Come on, let's go. And help me carry some of this stuff." Rena handed some of the bags to Raven, who accepted it.  
"Let's go home before the rain gets too heavy."

* * *

**Putting an almost fluffy scene here is too cliché. And I like this approach of Raven x Rena. **


	50. Party

**Party**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

He never liked parties, and always found himself more wary if he was forced into one. He didn't like the possibility of getting drunk, then performing stupid actions. Even the possibility of getting laid was there.

But that was the day when his comrades were there, strongly urging him to drink.

Now, he and the rest of the Elgang were invited to a party by the White Colossus himself. Chung had been tired, and wanted to have an early night. Eve didn't find any reason to attend the party, so she was away as well. Elsword and Aisha really wanted to go, and Helputt had allowed that. However, they weren't allowed to drink.

On the other hand, Rena and Raven obviously were. Just to be respectful, the Blade Master allowed himself some servings of white wine that was offered, but he promised himself that he was going to restrict himself. The Wind Sneaker, who had never had alcohol before, clearly enjoyed it and was drinking plenty more than him. And it looked like she was very capable of holding her liquor.

"Come on, Raven, why don't you want to go and dance?" She was about to drag him onto the floor that had been cleared where other guests were dancing.  
"I don't prefer to. You can if you want."  
"I don't think I want to go with another man."

"…" He didn't know how to reply to that. He already wasn't enjoying this, and regretted not stopping the elf from drinking.  
"Do you really hate parties this much?"  
"I just don't like the idea of getting drunk. Not only am I going to be doing ridiculously embarrassing things, but there's danger to it, too. I could beat up someone, and I'm not going to remember it at all."

Rena sighed. "You think too much."  
"Don't blame me if you accidently hurt someone, or yourself."  
"… Really?"  
" A fight is quite likely to break out when drunken people are involved, you know. I had to drag one of my comrades out of one before he got injured."

"… "  
"I'd strongly advise to stop drinking. I think you've had enough."  
"It's not your job to babysit me, you know. I'm hundreds of years older than you."  
"But you've never had alcohol before. I wouldn't want you getting drunk."

A sudden thought came into his mind. _… Damn. Why did you have to think about Rena taking you to bed?_

"… Fine." She paused. "Hey, have you ever gotten drunk before?"  
"No. I've seen my comrades get drunk, though. I learn about the experience all from them."  
"What's it like?"  
"They don't really remember. It's all a blur to them."

"Oh. Then why did you come to the party when you're not really going to enjoy yourself?"  
"It's respectful to accept the invitation. That's also why I accepted the drinks that they offered."  
"You don't usually drink?"

"No."  
"Do you get drunk easily?"  
"I have no idea. I've never tested myself, and I don't want to."  
"What do you think of me?"

"Most of my comrades would have already been drunk if they drank as much as you did. You seem to be relatively in control of yourself."  
"Wow."  
"I'm not sure if it's because you're an elf, but I really don't think so. I think you can just naturally hold your liquor well."

Rena didn't know what that meant, but she let it pass.

"So, you're still not going to dance with me?"  
"No."  
"Come on."  
"No."

"Ugh, fine." The Wind Sneaker gave up and pouted. "Look, Elsword and Aisha are having a good time." The two were talking and laughing with Helputt and some other guests.  
"They're much younger. That's a different story."  
"What if you were their age?"

"At that age I was working as hard as I could to earn my position as captain of the Crow Mercenaries. So no parties for me."  
"Would you have enjoyed them?"  
"Still, probably not. I didn't have that many friends until I met my comrades, anyway."

"Oh, right."  
"Anyway, you can go and enjoy yourself, Rena. It is a party after all."  
"But I don't think I can until you do."

_And that is almost impossible._ Raven couldn't even force himself to enjoy parties.

"Well, I can't help it. You can." He replied.  
"Then dance with me." As if on cue, a waltz began to play in the background.  
"But I don't know how to dance."  
"That's a lie."

"… Fine." The Blade Master had remembered the time when Seris taught him how to properly dance before he was humiliated. He snapped out of his thoughts when the Wind Sneaker took his hand.  
"Shall we?"

_She's trying to toy with me. _"Of course." He decided to play along, smiling back at her. Rena's heart immediately raced, and continued to race as they started to move along to the music.

* * *

**The rating for this story would have been pushed up if I decided to make Rena drunk. Really. **


	51. Troubling Thoughts

**Troubling Thoughts**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

The thought of having any feelings towards that man was troubling. Very, very troubling.

… _Why? Why would I even feel anything at all?_ He was a nuisance if anything. Always telling her that being emotionless wasn't helpful. _But that was what it meant to don the black cape of the Night Watcher_. Always telling her that he would take whatever means necessary to get her previous, lovable and motherly self back. _But that was the past. _

Always telling her that friendship was important. _I get along adequately with everyone except you. And you didn't learn anything from that incident which ended the lives of your comrades and fiancée? _

Actually, Raven was an _idiot._ He still placed his trust in his friends, even though he had been betrayed by a person who was like a brother to him. The Elgang was like family to him, yet he thought nothing about the possibility of getting backstabbed. _Why?!_ Rena felt the need to drill it into his thick skull. _You shouldn't be forming strong relationships at all! _She knew that she especially shouldn't be forming a relationship with him.

Yet, there was a nagging urge to be intimate with him.

Even on the battlefield. She just wanted to be nearer, just to make sure that no demon would touch him with their weapons. At dinner parties, she felt her rage rise drastically whenever some other woman gave Raven _that_ look. Sometimes, she even just wanted to touch his hair, just to feel the raven-coloured threads through her fingers…

And now, she had a nagging urge to hug him and not let go.

_But that's because Aisha managed to miss that ice attack and hit me instead. Of course, I couldn't dodge it because I couldn't even see it. _The snowfall was so thick that vision was near useless. Rena wanted to feel the warmth of another person, even though the blanket covering her was enough. Now that she thought of it, Raven actually was pretty attractive-

_Shut up! What in El are you thinking?!_

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." To the Night Watcher's despair, it was the Veteran Commander.  
"The healers brewed some tea for you. I'm sure they must have used something different to the usual tea that we drink." He walked closer to the bed where Rena lay. "Do you want it now?"

_Anything to get rid of that urge for the warmth of another being. _

"Yes please." She sat up, and he handed the china cup to her. Their fingers brushed slightly, and her heart sped up just a little bit.  
"It may be a bit hot." Raven said.  
"I already have a habit of taking caution when drinking hot beverages." Rena quickly regained her composure and took a sip, enjoying the warm feeling of the liquid travelling down her throat. It gave her the effect that she wanted.

There didn't seem to be enough. And it left an empty feeling afterwards, too. _Damn it. _

"Do you want some more?"

The urge quickly came back. Even though it was easy to resist, it was annoying. _I need him to get away._

"No, it's fine. You can leave." The Veteran Commander took the cup, but stayed in his position beside the bed.  
"There's something troubling you."  
"It's nothing."

"Rena, you should at least say something about it. I think it's the same thing that has been bothering you for a while."

… _El damn it. _

"Like I said, it's fine."  
"… Alright then. Get well soon." Raven left. He had decided not to push this one. And Rena had felt relieved.

She hoped that she really wasn't falling for him.


	52. Stirring of the Wind

**Stirring of the Wind**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

"… You seem to be uneasy." He found her atop a hill, looking at the sunset. Raven didn't think that she was marvelling the natural beauty at all.  
"Why are you here?"  
"I was looking for you. We have a formal dinner tonight, and you're not even getting ready."

"We have another hour and a half, Raven."  
"It's still better to be early than late."  
"I know. It will take no longer than half an hour for the sun to set."  
"What's bothering you?"

"There was a stirring in the wind." Only now did the Veteran Commander realise that there was a gentle breeze that was hardly noticeable. The words seemed to echo as the wind picked up speed.  
"Do you notice it now?" The Night Watcher asked.  
"I don't. I lack elven senses and affinity with nature."

"… You usually sense a lot of things."  
"I was only following what I felt."  
"Do you feel anything?"  
"Only because you mentioned that there was a stirring in the wind."

Another silence. Solace disappeared over the horizon. The darkness began to creep across the sky.

"Are you going to stay here for a bit longer?" The Veteran Commander began to turn back.  
"Yes."  
"Alright. I'll tell the others and the guards to stay wary, and to have our weapons nearby as well."

"Are you going to give them any reason?"  
"You sensed something in the wind. I felt something. That should be enough. We are their superiors, so they cannot disobey."  
"… What do you think is coming?"

"I have a feeling that the demons are going to raid us during the dinner. Remember to stay alert."

Raven left Rena alone.

… _I'm always on alert._


	53. Future

**Future**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

"… You daydream often." Raven commented as he approached her. Rena was sitting under the shade of a tree, looking forward into space until he talked.  
"Really?"  
"Almost every day."  
"Oh."

"So tell me. What are you daydreaming about this time?"  
"Uh, the future."  
"What about the future?"  
"Well, we may have no future, since we could get killed tomorrow…"  
"That's pessimistic of you."

"Anyway," The Wind Sneaker picked up quickly. "Well, I wonder what we'll do after the demons are finally gone."  
"Maybe we can go back to living our normal lives."  
"Yeah, but that means I have to go back to the elven village. Outside it is so much better!"  
"Really?"

"Because it's really boring in there. And I don't think the elders will like me anymore…"  
"Why not?"  
"Because, as you can see, I'm not much of an archer anymore."  
"Your accuracy has never failed you, though. You're better than me, at least."  
"But I could be better than what I am now."

Raven sighed. "You're still a warrior, at least."  
"I know. Still, I don't really want to go back. I'm going to be lonely again."  
"Don't you have a lot of friends there?"  
"Not a lot of friends, but you guys are so much better as friends."  
"Really?"

"Of course! Especially-" _You._ But Rena clamped her mouth shut before the word could escape.  
"Especially who?"  
"Uh, never mind." She was flustered, and began to drift back into her thoughts.

Honestly, she really wanted to spend the future with Raven. She had already admitted to herself that she had feelings for the man, and thinking of the things they could do to each other in private made her face heat up even more. But the thought of having children and settling down somewhere made her heart feel warm. And this wasn't the first time she had considered this, either.

Rena didn't want to think about Raven dying. Both on the battlefield and of natural causes. Even if they survived through this demon invasion, the Blade Master would die before her, thanks to his human mortality. And what about their children? How old would they grow to?

"Rena? Are you there?" The Wind Sneaker didn't know how long he had been trying to get her attention, but he had succeeded now.  
"Sorry, I was… thinking."  
"I know you're thinking about someone."  
"…"

"Can I take a guess at who it is?"  
"Uh, sure."

"It's me. Am I right?"

The elf almost gasped, but kept her mouth shut. She didn't want him to know that she had been thinking about him for quite a while.  
"How long have you been thinking about me?" _Did he have to ask that question?_  
"Um…"  
"A long time, then." Raven suppressed a smirk as he walked towards her.

"H-hey! You can't just come up with that on the spot!"  
"But I'm correct, am I?"  
"… Yes."  
"Well then." The Blade Master knelt, using a gloved hand to raise her face to force her to look into his eyes. Then he tilted his head and gave the best smile he could.

And he had the reaction he wanted. The Wind Sneaker was so red he would have thought she was sick. Her mouth was slightly open, as if she wanted to say something, but not sound came out. Her eyes were wide open, those green orbs frozen into place, and the warmth of her skin almost made Raven drop the act.

"W-w-what are you doing?" She managed to stammer.  
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." He stroked her cheek with the gloved hand. Rena only felt lucky that it wasn't bare skin touching her face. She could have fainted if Raven wasn't wearing the glove.

Just as an extra, he pecked her on the cheek before standing back up. Even though it was only for a split second, the elf could still feel his lips on her skin. And that increased the growing desire to pin him down.

The Blade Master held out a hand. His smile had changed into a smirk.  
"I think you've rested enough from our sparring session. Are you going to get up now?"

The Wind Sneaker just stared at his hand, still red. Raven sighed.

"Rena, I was just teasing you, and now I'm offering a hand for you to get up."  
"… Oh. Okay." She took his hand and stood up.  
"So, you've always been joking at how I wasn't the person to flirt. How did I do?"  
"I guess it could have been better, but the fact that you have a lot of intuition already…"  
"It could have been better?"

"Uh…" She thought that her face had time to cool down. Now he caused it to flare up again.  
"… I wouldn't want to tease you again. Because then I'm teasing myself, too."  
"Huh-"

He cupped her face and kissed her passionately before she could respond properly.


	54. Health and Healing

**Health and Healing**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

"Raven, you should eat more, you know. Or stop jogging for so long every day." Rena had caught him before he went for his usual morning run.  
"Why?"  
"You're a grown man, and Elsword is eating as much as you, if not more. You could be wearing yourself out for all I know."

"Well, Elsword is a _growing_ man. He needs food to support that. I don't like to eat too much."  
"But you're not eating too much."  
"As soon as I do, I put on weight."  
"How do you know that?"

"I learned that the hard way when I was younger."  
"But Elsword doesn't look that stocky or fat at all. So it should be alright for you."  
"Again, as soon as I eat too much, I put on weight." Raven didn't want to use the word "fat".  
"Don't you just burn it all off?"  
"Eating too much isn't good either."

"Again, Elsword eats a lot."  
"That's because he can actually handle that amount of food. I would get sick. Besides, being lighter is better, so it's easier to move around."  
"Raven, if you're thinking you're overweight, that's because of that Nasod arm and because…" Rena's eyes studied his form. "You're muscular from all that training. Muscle weighs quite a bit."

"…"  
"So, can you please either eat more or jog less?"  
"No."  
"You're so stubborn."  
"Rena, if I eat any more than I usually do, that doesn't automatically make me healthier."

"It could."  
"I've been doing this for years. I think I'm healthy."  
"… Oh." _I've just been getting worked up over nothing._  
"Anyway, I'm going on a jog. Do you want to come with me?"  
"Sure. Let's see if you can outlast me."

_That would be good training._  
"Let's go." And the two of them took off into the sunrise.

**Just in case you didn't know, Raven is 184cm and 106kg as Veteran Commander. Rena's weight is not stated ("light as the wind"), but… I've forgotten her height.**

* * *

**Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

"Raven, you're slouching." He and a celebrating Elsword entered the living room of their mansion. The Veteran Commander immediately straightened up at the Wind Sneaker's words.  
"I was just tired from sparring Elsword. That's all." Aisha entered the room, hit the red-head with her staff and told him to stop acting like an idiot.  
"I think it's much more than that." Rena stood up from her sitting position on the couch.

"No, it's fine." She didn't seem to listen as she walked up to him and kicked him on the back with her regular force. If Raven was telling the truth, he would have been able to stay on his feet. Instead, he let out a small cry and fell to his knees. His legs had failed to keep him upright.  
"You shouldn't have buckled like that."

The Veteran Commander stood up slowly, hissing in pain. "… Elsword hit my back with the flat of his sword. I don't know what it looks like now."

_No wonder why Elsword was celebrating. Because he just beat Raven in a sparring session. And a hit on the back too…_ She would ask how he managed to land a hit on his back later.  
"Show me what it looks like." The half-Nasod resisted the urge to sigh and took off his shirt, turning his back to the elf. Just like she had expected, a large purple bruise had already formed.

"You've got a pretty big bruise there." Doing her best to ignore the Rune Slayer and the Elemental Master's argument, Rena examined it closely, unable to resist the urge to touch it. Raven didn't react, but just silently stood.  
"… I'm going to get an ice pack. Go to your room and lie on your stomach." The Veteran Commander didn't argue and obeyed.

The Wind Sneaker sighed as she entered the room. The poor half-Nasod wasn't going to be able to properly train for a while with that bruise. She placed a thin towel and an ice pack on his back.  
"You're meant to be getting rest at the moment, but once you start healing, do a little bit of exercise."

He didn't have the energy to protest.

"I'm going to leave you alone now." To be honest, she was worried about him, but she managed to tear her eyes away from his bare back and exited his room. Rena was going to have to keep a close eye on him if she wanted him to heal properly.

* * *

**Greetings, readers. **

**I honestly have forgotten to update. Comparing the amount of writing time to last year, I certainly have not been writing very much. Work from school is really getting to me, and outside of that, I'm busy running Heart of Behemoth to try and get Reaper before it goes. **

**My deep apologies, and I will do my best to try and update as often as possible. Thank you for being patient with this story, if you are, and have a good day. **


	55. Separation

**Separation**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

* * *

She didn't want to recall how they both ended up as captives to the demons.

And she should have been glad that they were separated, and because of that, she got a cell for herself. Of course, the conditions were quite dirty, but it was what she had expected, anyway. Luckily, her wounds weren't serious at all. If she did have major wounds and they got infected, the pain would most likely send her to hell and back. Now, while she sat on the ground with her neck, wrists and legs bound with magic chains, she had to hope that someone came to help her quickly.

All of that became the least of her worries when she heard him scream.

At first, Rena only cursed at the fact that her room was so near to that torture chamber. Then she could feel her heart thumping all across her body and her mind blanked to nothing but the damn Veteran Commander who was in so much agony, yet so close to her. She had heard the hisses, the curses and the small cries. But never had she heard him scream.

The Night Watcher wondered why the wall separating her and Raven wasn't destroyed yet. _Because of these El damn chains binding me._

The screams continued. No other sounds. No metal against flesh. No whipping sounds. Nothing but his screams. She began to struggle against her chains. _Make him stop, make him stop._ But it continued. On and on. The pain in her chest was almost unbearable now. _Please, just stop it._ She covered her ears. Of course, it was futile.

Then his screams got weaker. And weaker. And weaker. Until she couldn't hear him anymore.

_Let me go!_ A rush of adrenaline kicked in, and Rena struggled so furiously that the chains could have made her bleed. Her own nature magic was beginning to break through the magical properties of the chains, and a gust had already formed around her, getting stronger and stronger as she struggled.

… _Anything to get rid of these stupid chains and the wall separating us._

* * *

**I decided to be a bit nicer with this one. I could have had Rena in a cage in the same room while they interrogate Raven and torture him…**


	56. Everything For You

**Everything for You**

**Classes:  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Reckless Fist**

* * *

When Raven woke up, he found himself looking up at blue sky. _… I can't be in Elrios. _ He got to his feet, surprised at how easy it was. He looked down at himself and gasped.

His usual clothes were completely clean. Previously, they had been soaked in his own blood. None of his wounds were there, either. He felt around his stomach. The massive gash wasn't there at all. _Something is missing. _It took a few moments for the realisation to hit him. None of his scars were there. Then he looked at his left arm.

It was human. It wasn't the monstrosity that was the Nasod arm. It was his original human left arm.

He moved each individual finger, curling his hand into a fist, then throwing a punch. Raven pinched his left arm. It hurt. Everything about it was completely normal. The lack of weight on his left side was evident, but he was already getting used to it. He automatically felt lighter. Not only physically, but mentally, too. He was no longer fighting for control with the Nasod arm.

_Where am I?_ He looked around. A light breeze stirred the grass surrounding him. There was the occasional flower, blooming in the late morning sun. Everything was peaceful. It was something Raven had not seen in a long time.

The Reckless Fist was suddenly aware of a presence behind him, and turned around to attack. Instead, some distance away from him, there stood a very familiar figure.

Rena.

Raven wanted to run over and satisfy his urge to hug her. If he could resist it, he would ask the many questions that were in his mind. Where was he? What happened? Why were they here? Is this a dream?

But the sad smile that she had made everything in his mind erase.

"Rena, what's wrong? What happened?" He walked a little closer.  
"It's good to see that you are well at the soul."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"These are our spiritual forms. At the moment, we are in a place between Elrios and… whatever lies on the other side of death."

The silence made the words sink in.

"What are you talking about?" The Reckless Fist asked.  
"Remember your state before you passed out?"  
"… Yes."  
"Your injuries were far too grave for them to heal. You had died very quickly. But now, you are lying in hospital, still unconscious."

"… What?"  
"I had chosen some time before that I would give everything for you, because… I love you. I made a bargain with whatever god there was."  
"What did you do?" _She isn't getting to the point. Yet._  
"I sacrificed my physical form in order for yours to live on."

Silence. Raven didn't realise the tears streaming down his face when he realised what had happened.

"Why… why?!" He couldn't hold back his voice. "The first time I died, I lost Seris and my comrades. Why do I have to lose you?!" Only then did the Grand Archer know that the Reckless Fist had returned those feelings. "Why did you do it?!" He knew the reason. He didn't want it to be happening.

She just stepped forward and kissed him, silencing him completely. There were tears still overflowing from his eyes, and she had started to cry, too.  
"I love you. Please, live on…" Pieces of Rena began to drift away with the breeze.  
"No, no… don't go yet…"  
"I'm sorry, Raven. I love you…"

"No.. NO!"

_I'll give everything for you…_

Then she was gone.


	57. Slow Down

**Slow Down**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

* * *

"Raven, let's go home." Rena was practically nagging in his office. She had been asking the same thing over and over, and the Veteran Commander showed no signs of getting up from his desk. The pile of paperwork was already done, but he had said that there were "a few things to clean up." That was an hour ago.  
"Not finished yet." The pen was working furiously, and the elf wondered what kind of fury he would unleash if the pen gave up on him.

"Please, Raven. You've spent the hour tidying up things. It's 10PM. You haven't taken a break since lunch, and you haven't eaten dinner."  
"It's fine. I'm trying to concentrate."  
"You need to eat, you know. And take breaks."  
"I have to keep working, Rena. The Crow Mercenaries have only just started up again, and I need to make sure that everything is done-"

"I know that, but you don't have to work that hard."  
"There's no one else to pass the rest of this work to."  
"I'll take it."  
"No."  
"Why not?" She pouted.

"Because I know you're not going to be able to get the job done." If he had been annoyed at her for El knows how long, Raven was only starting to show it now.  
"Can we just go-"  
"You can go by yourself. I have no reason not to trust your fighting skills."  
"I'll be lonely."

"You need to rest up for tomorrow."  
"You do, too."  
"Can you please stop talking to me?"  
"Until we go home."

The Veteran Commander growled, tore his eyes off the paper in front of him, slammed the pen on the desk, and glared at the Wind Sneaker.

"I have to get this done. The more you nag, the longer this is going to take. Can you please stop talking to me?"

Rena knew he was going to raise his voice or even punch something if she pushed on.  
"… Can you please slow down? For me?" It was almost a whisper.  
"How can I slow down if I have this much work-"  
"If you don't, you're just going to tire yourself."  
"I can do that later, then."  
"No. Not later. Now. Please?"

Then those puppy-dog eyes. Those irresistible puppy-dog eyes. _Damn it._

"… Fine." The Veteran Commander stood up and walked towards the door.  
"Yay, thanks!" The Wind Sneaker hugged him so tightly it was difficult for him to breathe. After she finally let go, they stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like forever.

Then they kissed. Time, which had been racing before, had finally slowed down.

* * *

**So, another update which I remembered to do after browsing the website for a bit. Writing, as I may have said earlier (excuse my horrible memory), is slowing down because of school, but otherwise, I am still relatively confident that I will finish all 100 themes. Only then will I move onto other abandoned ideas that are sitting there in the folder...**

**Anyway, that's all I've got to say.**


	58. Heartfelt Apology

**Heartfelt Apology**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

* * *

They had succeeded that infiltration mission a few weeks ago, but since Rena had prioritised it over her raiding partner's safety, Raven was gravely injured.

_No, I didn't intentionally harm him. I chose the mission over him. _It was a wise choice indeed. They were now on the upper side of the war against the demons because of it, but maintaining the upper hand was harder than they had thought. That firepower that distinguished the Veteran Commander from everyone else was missing. Sure, the Night Watcher knew that she was very capable on the battlefield, but she was unable to destroy as easily as he could.

But something had tugged at her heart to visit him in hospital whenever she had spare time. It was annoying indeed. Just when she wanted to sit down, enjoy the quiet and the breeze, and just listen to the sound of nature, there was that thought that almost roared through her mind. _Visit him. _

_You should be sorry for what you did._

And she never felt anything about it until the day Raven was finally discharged.

"I knew I'd find you here." He approached her from behind, not attempting to hide behind the trees surrounding them. That burning thought in Rena's mind grew even louder than before, making it unbearable and giving her an urge to scream. To avoid humiliating herself in front of that particular man, she refused to reply.  
"… You're not usually this silent. Are you okay?"

Those words angered her. Rena shouldn't even be feeling anything. But that thought… there was no way she was going to let it control her.

And all of the sudden, he was in front of her, looking into her eyes, as if he was looking for clues as to what she was thinking or feeling.  
"Staring is rude, you know." The Night Watcher hoped that the venom in her voice would be enough to drive him away, even though it had almost never worked in the past.  
"There is something in your mind, and it's troubling you, Rena."

"How can you tell?"  
"You look as if you are about to lose your composure."  
"Just leave me alone."  
"That would make things worse than they already are."  
"That shouldn't be a concern for someone like you."

"But it is. Please, listen to me for once." Raven was bringing his hand up to stroke her cheek. She reacted later than she had wanted.  
"Don't touch me, Raven." A sudden burst of wind blasted him away and he hit a tree hard. All of the air was forced out of his lungs and for a moment he had no energy to stand, causing him to slump on the ground, panting.

The Night Watcher wanted to walk over, give him another tongue lashing, and walk off.  
_You should be sorry for that. Tell him.  
_There was no way she wanted to apologise for that.  
_You almost killed him already. He doesn't deserve this.  
_Of course he did. He shouldn't be trying to get close to her. He already knew that she didn't exactly want to be friends.

_Just say sorry to him. It's not that hard.  
_Of course it was hard. It was like saying sorry to an idiot.  
_What did he ever do to you?  
_He kept trying to establish a relationship that Rena clearly didn't want. And having a relationship could easily destroy. And she would no longer be able to wear the black cape of the Night Watcher.

_He is a friend. He isn't just a useful ally. Why do you think he goes this far to treat you like he does now?  
_Because he was an idiot.

"Rena? You're thinking again." The Veteran Commander had gotten up and was in front of her again.

And suddenly, all of that pain she suppressed exploded. The screams when the demons almost shredded him, the mass of blood that was splashed all over the floor, his body that was lying in a pool of red, the images of his almost lifeless, bandaged body lying in bed, the nightmares, and those roaring thoughts that begged her to visit him…

And finally, that ache in her heart.

No longer caring about that black cloth that she wore all the time, Rena threw herself at him and sobbed freely, not wanting to let go, or stop telling him that she was sorry for everything.


	59. Challenged

**Challenged**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

* * *

He didn't know how and why, but Rena had somehow dragged him away from the camp where the rest of the Elgang and the Velder Garrison were. Now they lay side by side on a grass field, and honestly, Raven didn't want to get up.

"Hey, Raven, can you stand up?" He held down a groan at the Wind Sneaker's words and rose to his full height. She leapt to her feet, too. An awkward silence passed before the elf decided to talk.  
"Damn it, why do you have to be so tall?"  
"That shouldn't matter at all, Rena. You are still very capable of taking me down."  
"But…" _Maybe I would have looked better if I was a little taller…_

"Are you trying to compare me to you?"  
"Uh…"  
"I am twenty seven years of age, male, a grown adult, and human with a Nasod arm. You are female, an elf, and hundreds of years old. We also both have completely different background experiences."  
"So you're basically saying that I can't be as tall, muscular or good-looking as you?"

"… I have good looks?"

Rena inwardly cursed and turned away to hide her blush.

"You're actually the only person other than Seris to give me that compliment. Are you trying to suggest something?" Raven suppressed a smirk.  
"Uh…"  
"You do realise that weighing little is one noticeable advantage." And he was right. All of the muscle and the Nasod arm that he had made him much heavier than the elf.

"Y-yeah, but still… I want to be at least Ara's height."  
"As I have said, that wouldn't matter."  
"But maybe I would have looked a little younger and better…"  
"Are you trying to attract other males?"

_Damn it, of course not!_ But her mouth refused to move and her face heated up further.  
"Well, I don't think there is a need for you to change your current appearance. You're already beautiful as you are."

Just as the words sunk into Rena's mind, Raven had already disappeared.

* * *

**Just if you're wondering what happened, he quickly ran off to make sure Rena couldn't say anything back, and also to hide his embarrassment.  
**


	60. Exhaustion

**Exhaustion**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

* * *

"Raven, tell me why you trained yourself so hard today. You're so exhausted you can barely move, and I can tell you're trying not to fall asleep."

Of course, Rena had caught him staggering back into his room that night. She had barely seem him during the course of the day, and he was practically dripping with sweat at every meal time.  
"I was going to test the limits of my own stamina." His reply was weak but audible, even though he was trying to sound confident.

"Fine then, I'll do the same thing tomorrow-"  
"No, don't." The Veteran Commander realised that he had jumped on that statement too early.  
"Why not? I haven't trained in a while, too."  
"Just don't…"

"Now you're being unreasonable. That's not very like you."  
"Because I don't want you to exhaust yourself like this." He said it a little too loudly and with a bit too much emotion and emphasis.

Silence.

"Then you will only do light exercise tomorrow. If you disappear, or if I catch you doing this again-" The Wind Sneaker realised that the half-Nasod had fallen asleep. She sighed.  
"And I was going to give him a massage to relax his muscles…" Rena did her best to cover Raven with the blanket while he was almost sprawled over the bed, and she promptly left the room, trying her best not to think too much about the feel of his bare skin.

* * *

**Sorry about the lateness yet again. School and other events are happening, as well as lack of inspiration. **

**I will still do my best to finish these 100 themes to at least prove myself that I can dedicate to something other than games and band. **


	61. Accuracy

**Accuracy**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

* * *

"... You've decided to train your accuracy today instead of your kicks." Raven approached Rena from behind. Nature orbs flew in the space in front of her, and she was attempting to hit the moving targets with her arrows.  
"Why not? I still use arrows; just not that often anymore." She replied, her eyes still facing forward. She fired an arrow, and an orb exploded in a brilliant show of green energy.

"Why are you here? Aren't you training as well?" She spoke. An arrow missed.  
"I've just been doing fitness, and my body aches in general, so I'm taking a small break."

They ceased to talk for a few moments while the Wind Sneaker continued to train.

"Here, Raven, do you want to try?"  
"Okay then." The Veteran Commander changed into a stance, held up his Nasod arm, and began to fire bullets one by one. Using the machine gun function was technically cheating.

His accuracy was perfect. Except for the time when Rena decided to push him over for fun, just to make him miss. While she laughed at him as he got up, Raven glared at her.  
"Don't push me like that; I could have shot you by accident!"  
"But-"  
"I could have killed you!"

Silence.

"Okay then, sorry." The Wind Sneaker spoke.  
"Luckily my accuracy isn't as pinpointed as that."  
"But you hit everything! I can't do that."  
"That's because I'm constantly practicing my accuracy during battle as well. You're a melee fighter."

"But I still use my arrows. What if I need them and I miss? That could be-" The rest of the Elgang could be killed, if she made a mistake like that.  
"Don't worry. You'll hit. I trust your accuracy."  
"What if I accidently killed you?"

Raven thought for a bit.

"I would blame myself for not dodging that."  
"But-"  
"Stop thinking like that, Rena. That isn't you." He placed a human hand on her shoulder. "Then, that would be your motivation to train your accuracy. I'll test you later." The Veteran Commander walked away.

She ended up staring at him before his words sunk into his mind.


	62. Irregular Orbit

**Irregular Orbit**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Void Princess  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master  
Eve: Code Nemesis**

* * *

When they realised that Rena and Raven had somehow disappeared from the dining hall, a wicked grin crossed Aisha's face.  
"I wonder what they'll do this time…" The Void Princess had already finished her food and gave whatever leftovers she had to Angkor, who eagerly gobbled it up.  
"What do you mean?" Elsword asked. Sometimes the purple-haired mage couldn't believe that he was this naïve.

"Angkor, tell him what happened when they went off last time." She commanded. The small bat ignored her at first, but after a small punch on the side of its cheek, it grumbled and began to speak.  
"They were cuddling and close to kissing last time. Maybe they'll get a little more physically intimate…"

Elsword blushed. Aisha's evil expression didn't change. Eve, who was seated not far away, did not react.

"But, you know…" The bat continued. "Sometimes they just talk and that's it, so they're sometimes really touchy and feely, and sometimes they're a bit distant…"

A punch from its owner sent the poor thing flying across the room, hitting a wall and sliding down it.

"Don't spoil it!" The Void Princess yelled.  
"It is almost like the irregular orbit of Rena's own nature orbs." The Code Nemesis decided to speak. "They are sometimes distant, sometimes close. Physically speaking, of course."  
"I honestly hope they kiss soon." Elsword spoke. "They're a really cute couple."

Aisha was still forming the scene of the elf and the half-Nasod in a bedroom.

* * *

**This was a difficult one for some reason, so apologies for the bad quality of it. **


	63. Cold Embrace

**Cold Embrace**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

* * *

They really may have had urges to at least be a little physical intimate, but Raven and Rena handled it differently.

The elf, as a Night Watcher, constantly suppressed it. It was more of an annoyance than anything, especially whenever she felt that little _something_ whenever they accidently brushed each other… anything that was skin to skin contact (she sometimes questioned her usual attire). Sometimes, whenever she saw him, she had to tell herself: _I do not want to hug that man._ Not only did he have a metal arm, but there was also that usual serious expression that was almost a piercing glare. But she also felt that little _something_ whenever that expression changed to something much warmer.

It was a good thing too that he rarely smiled, or she would have humiliated herself at least a few times.

The Veteran Commander suppressed his as well, but for an entirely different reason. She was suppressing her emotions as a whole for the mission and her title. He really wanted to avoid being close to any female in general; he didn't want to be anything more than friends or comrades. The risk of _that_ happening again was high, especially because they were now in Velder. The people recognised him, giving him either frightened looks or just not looking at him at all. He really had risen from the dead, and he had that metal arm, too.

Alex was still around, for all he could know. Raven didn't even want to think about what became of him.

For both of them, the nagging urge was always easily dismissed. Both of them expected the urge to get stronger, but it really just stayed where it was and where it was meant to be, which was in the back of their minds. They felt relieved that they wouldn't have to take the effort to avoid each other, especially Rena.

Eventually the day came when Elsword purposefully knocked Raven from behind, and the Night Watcher's instinct happened to change at the last minute, and she attempted to catch him instead of dodging.

Both of them felt happy when they realised that they managed to stay stoic throughout the whole ordeal.

* * *

**A friend of mine gave me a different approach to this, but that wouldn't have suited the theme. **

**Anyway, I deeply apologise for the very late updates. This story is still alive, though, just that things have been happening.**


	64. Frost

**Frost**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

* * *

Even though it was only the first night that they were stranded in a cave during their investigation of the mountain, Rena was already finding it unbearable.

The afternoon had been quite chilly, and the elf had immediately regretted not coming with some kind of bigger coat that would keep her warmer, even if it meant that it was a little harder to move around. The mist that seemed to hang in the air despite the sunlight had already caused her to lose her sense of direction as they hiked through the endless trees, grass and rocks. She didn't like the place because of the coldness, but they needed to find and destroy whatever base the demons had set up, since it was so close to town.

Little did she know that the Veteran Commander had been just as confused as she was, and a snowstorm had just happened to hit.

He had a coat as well, though a little thinner than hers, and he probably didn't need that much clothing considering what his Nasod arm could do. But Raven was still shivering as much as Rena was when they finally found refuge in a cave. And now they were trapped, lost, hungry, and cold.

The half-Nasod mainly stayed silent through the whole ordeal, though the elf guessed that he was silently blaming himself for all of it. As much as she wanted to sleep, it was far too uncomfortable to, even though the two had already huddled for warmth some time ago. The lack of sun and light made it worse.  
"Raven?"

Beside her, he didn't answer.  
"Raven?"

When Rena examined his face more closely, he was staring off into space. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts often. Was something forever troubling him?  
"Raven?"  
"… Sorry, yes?"  
"Are you cold?"  
"My state doesn't matter."

"Yes it does, because I don't want you to freeze to death." The Veteran Commander simply wrapped his Nasod arm around the Wind Sneaker, putting in enough warmth for her. It was hypnotising, and now she just wanted to close her eyes and wake up to Solace…  
"Is that better?"  
"Not if you're freezing."  
"Well, I'm not."

"How do I know you're not lying?"  
"I'm fine. I still have a coat on."  
"Let me feel it." She reached over, feeling the other sleeve. It was damp.  
"Raven, warm yourself up before you warm me. You could get hypothermia or frostbite if you leave yourself to be."

He didn't reply using words, but instead warmed up his Nasod arm even more, and all Rena could do was instinctively snuggle into it, even though it was just metal. Leaning into the Veteran Commander gave her an ideal position to sleep.

She couldn't fight it anymore and let the darkness overtake her.


	65. A Moment in Time

**A Moment in Time**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

* * *

When the war between the elves and the humans began, of course, Rena left the Elgang to join her race.

She didn't actually know much of the details, but she knew that it was not her business to poke into. Even though she, as the leader of the Night Savers, was a very important part of the war, her position did not allow her much access to information. Even though everyone she walked by felt that aura around her, she actually wasn't as high as she was.

The only people who didn't almost stare at her were her own guild members, who continued to keep their heads low, their faces masked by their hooded cloaks. But she immediately knew that something was different about this _particular_ person who was walking in the opposite direction that she was, almost about to pass her. Even under the shadow of the hood and the cover of the cloak, she could distinguish the long, black hair, the two scars of his face, those blazing orange eyes, and the red streak…

Rena found that she had stopped in her tracks for El knows how long, and for a moment in time, she knew the person who she had just looked at. She wanted to grab him, take him into a hideout, and question him. No, not to torture the plans of the humans out of him. She wanted to ask _why in El he was here._

A call from a crow snapped her out of her trance and she whipped around to catch him, only to find that he had long disappeared. She hadn't had enough time to tell whether his ears were pointed or not. The last thing she wanted was to be hallucinating already.

* * *

**Credits to a friend who gave me an idea for this one. **


	66. Dangerous Territory

**Dangerous Territory**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

**As a note, this will be a continuation of the last theme. **

* * *

Of course he knew who that elf was. It was Rena. She was still the Night Watcher, the leader of the Night Savers, and she was a very important part in the war. If they wanted a higher chance of winning, she had to be ridden of. Of course, that was no easy task.

Not only was it hard to kill a former friend, but it was hard to kill her. No, not only because of her fighting abilities. It was because he _loved_ her. And when he saw her again for the first time in several years, it was hard not to take his mind off the pounding that was spreading from his chest to the rest of him. It was still a struggle for him to take his mind off her and back to the mission at hand after he had almost brushed her.

If he had, a fight would have engaged, and soon, he would be outnumbered and taken, most likely tortured before he was killed. Or he could be used as bait for the rest of his race.

He felt a sharp object come his way, and by the time he turned around, it was too late. An arrow narrowly missed his neck, but it caught on a cloak he had stolen, causing it to fly off, revealing his human ears, his Crow Mercenary captain uniform, his Nasod arm, his long black hair, and his face.

"Human." Raven heard Rena hiss under her breath, and the calm crowd before was now overtaken by fear, and it was about to burst into chaos. The Veteran Commander noted several members of the Night Savers appearing around the corners of the street as well as on top of rooves. _They really are everywhere. _He had two choices: bring down as many as he could with his death, or submit.

Honestly, he really wanted to end this war peacefully, and it was his personal, solo mission to infiltrate, discuss and end all this chaos.

The Night Watcher continued to glare at him. He knew she was deciding what to do with him.  
"Are you going to try and kill as many of us as you possibly can before you die?" _Damn, she read my mind._  
"… No. I do not intend on killing anyone."

"… If you want your life, do not struggle."  
"I will keep my word."  
"Then you will be coming with me."

A dart pierced his neck, and he only had just enough time to realise that he was being knocked out.

* * *

**I decided to post an extra three because of how long this has been sitting there without an update. Again, I deeply apologise for such a long delay. I may be losing speed, but I haven't lost motivation yet.**


	67. Boundaries

**Boundaries**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

**Another continuation of the previous theme, except there will be a time gap. **

* * *

"And you, human, are a very ambitious person." Rena's voice, dripping with venom as usual, was as threatening as the blade being held at Raven's neck.

He couldn't move. An arrow had grazed his human arm, and the poison on it worked slowly, but steadily. Not only was he in a lot of pain, but the fact that he was so close to his goal, yet so far…  
"Why do you hate us so much, Rena?"

At the mention of her name, Raven felt the pressure from the blade increase on his neck. Any more and it would draw blood. Any more and it would draw a lot of blood, enough to make his bleed out in minutes. Any more and his head would be rolling away from his body.  
"Because you _humans_ stole what we need to survive. You _humans _just took the El by force and left us with nothing. And what do you use it for? To make your lives more comfortable, while there are thousands of elves dying without it."

A silence. The Night Watcher was almost breathless. The Elders, who were sitting in the background, had been silent the entire time, and none of them had stirred ever since Rena barged into the massive hall and attacked Raven as he tried to reason with them.  
"… Do you think that we, as a race, tried to take the El for our own reasons?"

"Of course! If it weren't, then how could it have happened?" She raised her voice so she was almost shouting at him. The pain was getting worse, and the Veteran Commander wanted to cough, but he knew that he would most likely die if he did.  
"I can tell you now that it wasn't all of us. I know that humans involved. But there must have been help from outside."

"Silence, fool!" The blade was temporarily off his throat, only to sink into his side. Raven screamed in pain as Rena twisted it.  
"The demons are gone. It is impossible for the humans to have gotten any other help. Especially because the _Elgang _was such a powerful force." It was hard to breathe. He didn't have much time left.

"The boundaries… are only imaginary. There isn't one… in between us…" The Veteran Commander coughed with the blade still inside him, and the pain and the darkness threatened to consume him completely. The Night Watcher did not respond until an awfully long silence.

"Enough nonsense."

And then darkness.

* * *

**At the end, Raven meant that the war between the elves and the humans was there for a non-existent reason.**


	68. Unsettling Revelations

**Unsettling Revelations**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Void Princess  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master  
Eve: Code Empress  
Chung: Iron Paladin**

* * *

Raven noted that Aisha had been giggling a lot more often, sensing that something was up. Unfortunately, when he questioned, she didn't give away any clues. Even with the death glare that he was known for, that didn't get anything out of her. Several times, he caught her whispering to Elsword about something, but the Blade Master was always too far away to hear.

Eve and Chung had somehow caught onto whatever the Void Princess was laughing about; maybe Oberon or Ophelia had been overhearing things that Raven somehow wasn't. The two had been in the Code Empress' workshop for quite some time, and the half-Nasod doubted that it was all about Nasod technology.

Half-way through the day, he gave up trying to find out. It was only when he was walking up to his room to turn in for the night that he noticed something different about Rena's abdomen, which seemed larger than usual…

The realisation and panic hit Raven so hard he almost fainted.


	69. Shattered

**Shattered**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Lord Knight  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Reckless Fist  
Eve: Code Battle Seraph  
Chung: Iron Paladin  
Ara: Sakra Devanam  
Elesis: Grand Master  
Add: Mastermind  
LuCiel: Royal Guard/Noblesse**

* * *

Of course, Raven had changed after Rena had been stabbed to death right in front of him.

He barely talked. He was always out and about, even at night. He rarely turned up to meal times, but whenever he did, his eyes were always bloodshot from the lack of sleep, and none of the Elgang could tell whether they bore sadness or anger. As far as they knew, it could be both.

Ever since that battle, they were seeing less and less of him. The Elgang were worried that he was slowly succumbing to the influence of the Nasod arm, and one day, he could completely lose control of himself. Even though he was in such a state, they didn't want to kill him. They would never want to kill each other. And after all that he had suffered in the past, Raven didn't deserve any of this.

But Rena didn't deserve it either. The lack of Rena's presence was just as profound. They missed her cheery smiles, her laugh, her arrows, her flowing green hair… Actually, they missed everything about her. Elsword understood Raven's pain, but he knew that he would never fully understand the Reckless Fist.

Because Raven had been in love with Rena. His behaviour around the Grand Archer had hinted the rest of the Elgang that he had feelings for her. As far as they knew, he hadn't confessed. But when they had gotten more physically intimate, everyone knew that someone, one of the two, had broken it. And they were all happy for that.

That had only been a week before she was killed. They were all in the same battle. They heard his screams mingle with hers. He proceeded to go on some kind of rampage, taking out the majority of the demon army by himself. Obviously, that wasn't enough for him. Now, they all guessed that he was either sleeping, killing, or just thinking. Maybe even crying.

Raven had been shattered. Ciel wondered whether he was broken beyond repair.

* * *

**Again, apologies for the late updates. I will try and finish this as soon as possible. Thank you all so much for supporting this story, and please leave me a review. I do enjoy receiving feedback. **


	70. Bitter Silence

**Bitter Silence**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Blade Master**

* * *

"I think I have feelings for you."

There was silence. The Blade Master saw it coming. He thought he had mentally prepared himself well enough, but he was starting to doubt himself now.

"Actually, I do have feelings for you, and since I know what it feels like, I've confirmed it some time ago. But it's there."

Silence.

"You seem to have some sort of dislike for me, and I'm not sure why. Do you hold something against me? I'm also not sure whether this information is going to make our relationship worse, or whether you are going to disregard what I've said completely. But I think that it is probably for your benefit that you should know. It's also taking something off my chest."

Silence. It was almost like she wasn't there at all. The eyes that stared back at him showed no surprise. Actually, those green eyes didn't show any emotion at all. If she was angry, he couldn't see any of it.

This time, Raven responded with silence as well, hoping that Rena would break it. He hoped that she would at least break it with some sort of insult; it was probably better than her staying silent the whole time. At least he would know how she felt about it, even though she wanted to shut out all of her emotions. But she never said anything. No, the silence didn't feel awkward at all. It was something completely different.

The Blade Master didn't like it one bit.

"… Rena, please say something." He decided to speak out his heart. "I really want to know what you think of this. If you don't return the feelings, that's fine. I expected that, anyway." It hurt for a split second before he pushed it down. "If you hate me, well, you haven't told me that before, but I've received worse insults." That was when he was being framed, and people cursed and spat at him as he was lead into the city's prison.

The memories just added a little more pain. The bitter silence was almost unbearable.

"Rena?"

Silence. Raven was now struggling to push down the tears. Finally, the Night Watcher spoke.

"… Stay away from me." And with that, she turned, disappearing into the forest that they were in for privacy.

Even though the Blade Master knew that she was just listening to him and speaking her mind like he wanted her to, the tightness in his chest overwhelmed him and he knelt down, hugged his knees, and began to cry.


	71. The True You

**The True You**

**Classes:  
Raven: Blade Master  
Rena: Night Watcher**

* * *

The Blade Master found himself thinking about the past yet again.

He is not sure how often it happens, but he is certain that it at least happens every day. Sometimes, he skips a day, but those are usually days when the Elgang have been fighting the demons off in Velder all day long, and by the time he has returned to his room, he is too tired to even try to think about what he did that day. He would usually just collapse onto his bed, fall unconscious almost immediately, and wake up finding himself in his (usually) dirty clothes from yesterday and still sprawled on his bed facedown.

He didn't usually sleep well on those days, but at least he wouldn't sleep terribly, either.

Raven decided to think about the days he would collapse after he got to his room. He remembered that it happened several times when he was the captain of the Crow Mercenaries; he had woken up discovering he was in a normal sleeping position with his blanket on top of him before the scent of breakfast assaulted his nostrils. Seris wouldn't change his clothes (she wasn't the type of person to do such a thing), but he would find a clean set of uniform on his bedside table. She was the most precious thing to him. She did nothing to deserve what happened that fateful night.

In just a day after meeting (and being defeated by) Elsword, Raven had driven himself to sheer exhaustion after a long day of fighting Nasods. His arm, fuelled by rage and the urge for violence, had almost overtaken him completely. Even though he really destroyed more than he was meant to, it was hard to walk without assistance. At the time, the Blade Master thought little about the elf who helped him to his room; he was too tired to think of anything much.

He remembered collapsing onto the bed face-down. The next morning, he had found himself lying in a normal sleeping position with a blanket on top of him, and the scent of breakfast was assaulting his nostrils.

He thought that all the events had been a dream, and that he really was back in that small house that he and Seris shared before. Even the change of clothes had been on his bedside table. It was when he sat up and checked his left arm to make sure that it had been a dream. It wasn't. The Nasod arm was still there. Raven had felt something break inside him and it _hurt._

The Blade Master had felt a similar thing when he had woken up and found himself still sprawled on his bed, without the change of clothes sitting on his bedside, without his blanket on top of him, and without the smell of breakfast. Well, the smell of breakfast really only reached his room depending on where they were staying, but…

First, Seris had been the one doing it. Then it became Rena; he realised that she actually _cared _about him. And now she didn't.

Past all the sadness, he wondered whether the Night Watcher's new role as the leader of the Night Savers had completely devoured her previous personality. He wondered whether that old Rena was still there inside her somewhere. Raven hoped that the previous Rena was her true self, and he wanted her to show it again.

He loved her, and he knew that the true Rena had loved him back, no matter how well she hid it.


	72. Pretense

**Pretence**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

* * *

They all thought that he was perfectly fine. And they let him go into battle, not only because he desperately wanted to, but because they needed his help; Vanessa was injured, and they needed a commander for the Velder Garrison that was sent along with the Elgang.

It was far too late when they realised that something was wrong. Raven collapsed right after the battle ended and there were no more demons standing. The surviving soldiers as well as the rest of the Elgang rushed to his aid, taking him to the medics to have him examined. Not only did he have a large stab wound in his side that was badly bandaged, but there was a dark mark on his chest that was slowly sapping his life force. Everyone deducted that he must have gotten these injuries from a raid several days before.

Even at that time, he was perfectly fine. Even Rena believed him. No one had any idea how good he could get at hiding his pain. Everyone knew that the Blade Master was going to get an earful from the elf after he was well enough to stay awake for a longer period of time.

Actually, the Elgang decided that he was going to get an earful from everyone. He had almost killed himself pretending that he was okay, and that wasn't acceptable. The battle would have been harder without him, but they could have managed it. Eve's constantly calculating mind could be very useful.

That night, Elsword told everyone to be honest with themselves. Actually, he almost begged them. He said that he didn't want anyone else going through what Raven was going through, and that he was so god damn lucky that he was still alive after all of that. Even if everyone possessed the willpower that the Blade Master had, they all had to let everyone know if they were weak.

The Lord Knight didn't cry, but everyone could see the tears in his eyes. The Wind Sneaker understood all the more better.

* * *

**So, enjoy the update. I have assignments due and tests coming up, so I most likely won't update for the next few weeks. Also, again, thank you all for the support you have given me for this story. **

**That's all I have to say for now. **


	73. Patience

**Patience**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Blade Master**

* * *

He was a patient man. That was certainly one thing that she would never forget.

He had been patient enough to deal with whatever slight (yet troublesome) mistakes she had made regarding Nasods, bandits, fixing, and even cleaning and food. He had been patient enough to sit by and let her go out alone at night to meet up with the Night Savers after becoming one of them. At the time, she didn't even realise how painful it was for him, not only because she didn't know how precious she was to him, but also because she had never had feelings for someone else before and thus didn't understand him.

Not at least until now.

Despite all the troubles that he had to endure in his past as a Crow Mercenary captain, as well as the troubles he had to endure regarding the Elgang and their adventures, he had always been patient. She never understood how he did. Maybe he was just born this way. Being born that way certainly had its benefits to those around him, but she never knew how he felt. It never troubled her that she failed to understand him. Actually, she had felt happy with the fact that he was not as troublesome as she would have thought.

By the time she had already gained back the empathy she had lost, it was already too late.

Maybe he really was anxious deep down inside him. He did have his friends and fiancée slaughtered right in front of him before he was tortured to death. Maybe he had been holding his emotions back for all those years, just so he wouldn't trouble his friends. Had he been like this all his life? She would never know. It was too late to ask. And now that she had realised the value of friendship, teamwork and emotion, she had really wanted to ask.

She had already sent him on a mission that would lead to his death. He really wanted to stay behind with her to protect her, even though she kept insisting that she was very capable of defending herself and commanding soldiers. At first, she had just seen it as plain… stickiness, and even arrogance. Arrogance that she needed his protection. But she had realised why.

He had gone with a scouting group to investigate the numbers and the strength of a demon force heading for Velder. Only one returned; a lone soldier carrying Raven's body before he collapsed and bled to death. There were only a few words spoken by that scout.

"Elrios is doomed."

And heck, he may have been right. There had been no time to mourn for the passing of their friend, and Rena realised deep down that she loved him, and realised why he had acted like he did for all those years, and why he meant so much to her. Of course, it was too late to say any of that to him now. And she said something that she never thought she would ever say…

_Please be patient, Raven. Just once more. I'll be there…_


	74. Midnight

**Midnight**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

* * *

Midnight.

It was her favourite time of the day. She was so much more familiar with the shadows than the light, and that comforted her. Add the natural scenery of a forest around her, and there was no other atmosphere that was more comfortable and welcoming. Though it did mean that she got less sleep than everyone else, it was worth it. She needed her alone time, and she had already gotten used to the lower amount of sleep a long time ago.

She especially needed time away from _him._

He was indescribable. He was something beyond annoying. She wasn't sure whether it was a growing hatred or not, because it didn't feel like it; it wasn't like the hate she felt against those corrupt nobles (now that she thought about it, he hated them too). He was a good fighter, he was a good commander, and he was selfless. But he was _annoying_, and she had to stop herself from being rude to him because of those useful qualities that he had.

She really didn't want to be on his bad side. And somehow, she already wasn't on his bad side. He tolerated her for some reason, and she never knew why. Not that it mattered, anyway.

And then she felt the shadows disperse behind her and she turned around. To her despair, it was him, using an overheated Nasod arm as a torch.

"… What are you doing here?" Rena was trying not to lose her patience.  
"I thought I would go out for a walk. I can't sleep, anyway." Raven replied. She wasn't sure whether to interpret that as a lie to mask some other intention that he had for visiting her. Unfortunately for her, he was a good liar. The Night Watcher didn't remember the last time she could see through his lies.

"Leave me to be." The Veteran Commander nodded and walked away, and soon, she couldn't feel the heat from the Nasod arm any more. She decided to push down the twisting and turning in her chest before attempting to continue her train of thought where she left off. And she couldn't. The god damn man was now the centre of all of her thoughts and she couldn't get him out.

_Great. _


	75. Shadows

**Shadows**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

* * *

All of the Elgang knew how well the Night Watcher got along with the shadows.

Being able to fight well with minimal light was a valuable asset that was required for the Elgang to at least be able to hold their ground against the demons, since night raids were common. She was the best at it. The fact that she was an elf helped tremendously, and her elven senses picked up more than any human, and that included Raven. It was almost impossible to sneak up behind her; sure, the rest of the Elgang, as experienced fighters, could sense the presence of anything about to attack, but Rena reacted faster.

Unlike her, Raven's arm didn't help him. Even though he was now a half-Nasod because of it, it did nothing to assist him in the shadows. Rather, he couldn't strike as efficiently in a sneak attack. His uniform and weight rendered him a lot noisier and heavier than he had to be. The sudden attacks were too long. He was too slow into getting back into the shadows. It was as if they didn't welcome him, but rather pushed him away.

Sometimes, he just gave up on trying and fired off several explosive shells anyway. Even though that gave away his position, anything that came at him would suffer a fiery death. Ever since he had humiliated himself several times, he refused to take on that type of role in a mission. Setting up a position and then destroying everything in front of him was better suited for him.

Rena knew that being friends with the shadows had massive advantages. Once this war was over, she could happily assassinate the Veteran Commander. They weren't friends in the first place anyway, and the twisting and turning in her chest was rendering her uneasy all the time. It annoyed her. It affected her ability to lead and fight. It affected her ability to be a leader of the Night Savers by causing whatever unnecessary emotion to rear its ugly head.

She knew that he could put up a fight. But she had to make sure that she was so melded into the shadows that he didn't know she was close until it was too late. Whenever she thought about the whole possibility of killing Raven, she sometimes had doubts as to how much trust she should place into the darkness.

Sometimes, she wasn't sure whether the shadows would help her all the way. Especially with that man.


	76. Summer Haze

**Summer Haze**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

* * *

Rena had to admit that she dreamed a lot.

She wasn't sure whether it was something that she could control, but whenever she realised that her mind had drifted off, it was often too late to stop. Raven had already occupied her thoughts for quite some time, and she had already given up on trying to push him away. The Blade Master was unaware of her rather creative mind, and she was glad that he was. If he ever found out, she would probably faint from embarrassment.

She was lying in the middle of a forest clearing in a bright, sunny day. The light was not so bright that it burned, but it was warm and comforting. The gentle breeze that blew balanced the temperature perfectly, and Rena was in complete bliss with the nature around her. Now the only thing that it needed was for Raven to be with her, and she wanted to be in his arms, before falling asleep…

Now that she thought about it, she really wanted the warmth of another living being. Having the Blade Master lying beside her would be nice. Or maybe using his chest as a pillow. She hadn't thought about doing anything anymore intimate with him outside of kissing… Rena really wished that she could kiss him. Now that the scene was playing through her head, her cheeks flared pink and she felt heat through her whole body.

Things were almost perfect…

"Rena, are you okay?" She jolted at the voice, instinctively preparing to attack, but it was the Blade Master himself looking down on her. If possible, her face got hotter.

"What are you thinking about?"  
"N-nothing…"  
"You have to be thinking about something. Your face is red."  
"U-uh… It's nothing! I promise!"  
"Maybe you should get some shade. You could get sunburnt."  
"The sun's not that intense today…"

She had to admit that it definitely was not the best response.  
"You weren't there at lunch. Were you here the whole time?"  
"Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts. Or maybe I fell asleep and had a dream." The Wind Sneaker was speaking the truth there.  
"Well, I'm still a bit hungry after, so I brought some food, and I figured that you would most likely want some." The Blade Master took out a loaf of bread and began to cut it into slices with his blade. "Do you want some?"

Rena nodded, suddenly hungry. The first few slices that Raven made went towards the elf. While cutting, the half-Nasod really wondered what she was thinking about. Maybe it was about him, but he dismissed the thought quickly. She ended up eating the vast majority of the bread, but he didn't mind at all.


	77. Memories

**Memories**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

* * *

Even though it was about a hundred years ago, the memories of the Elgang were still strong in Rena's mind.

The group have saved Elrios from a demon invasion, and everything had been peaceful ever since. Occasionally, there was political tension amongst the humans, and sometimes a short war broke out, but they were never long, nor drastic. The peace that the Elgang had established had lasted, and had yet to be broken by another demon invasion.

The Wind Sneaker knew that there were most likely people out there, training to be just like they were. She hoped that they would be just as awesome as they were when they were strong. She realised that she missed the days when there were constantly enemies to fight, and there were victims to her kicks and arrows. There was just something to _do_, and now that she thought back to it, she really wished that something would happen.

She wasn't that insane to organise something herself. There was also no guarantee that there had been anyone who had risen to the Elgang's power. Well, not that she had heard of within her secluded elven village where she also began her life in this world. For the umpteenth time, she found herself thinking about the individuals of the group that she was once part of.

Elsword the Lord Knight. His willpower to be just as good as his sister was something that pushed the boy tremendously, and he did rise to her power. She remember watching him spar, and watched the boy as he poured all of his blood and sweat and tears into the very blade that he held every day. He wasn't as brash and bold as he was when Rena first met him, but his more subdued personality was just as friendly.

Aisha the Elemental Master. Rena always wondered whether she succeeded in getting back to her full power, but she certainly had gained quite a lot of it. She was able to wipe out entire battlements with her very potent magic. She grew less irritable overtime, and eventually, something more than a friendship grew in between her and Elsword. Eventually, they got married, had children, and died together. The Wind Sneaker would visit their grandchildren occasionally, and two in particular dreamed to be the fighters their grandparents were.

Eve the Code Empress. The newly reborn Nasod kingdom flourished under her reign, which had developed after the demons were defeated. Rena visited the place occasionally too, and it was good to see that there were finally _good_ Nasods that were all over the place. Oberon and Ophelia always stood at the queen's attention, and the Wind Sneaker noted that she had not changed one bit from when their journies had ended. She laughed at the thought that Eve would outlive her, being a Nasod.

Chung the Iron Paladin. Hamel was quickly restored to its former glory, and he sat as the prince. Eventually, he admitted that he called himself "Chung", and decided never to use the name Seiker until his hometown was restored. His father had been ever supportive as the boy stepped up to the throne, and even after that, not one person the Elgang knew Chung's real name. They were all still excited when he announced that he had fallen in love, and that he was going to have children.

Ara the Sakra Devanam. While her brother had disappeared after the demon invasion, Fahrmann was also rebuilt and was now flourishing under a new council. She was now the only descendant of the Haan family, and she continued to train her martial arts just like she did before. After marrying and having a son and daughter, she taught the two, and Rena grew quite fond of those two children. The Wind Sneaker really wanted to try the arts, but she knew that she was never going to gain access to them.

Elesis the Grand Master. She trained her younger brother hard, and her ability to wield a claymore bigger than herself always surprised her opponents. Her sheer strength and speed on the battlefield were always valued. She too settled down, though she decided that men were not her thing and continued as a teacher of the next generation. The Red Knights that received her training were one of the best generations that ever existed.

Add the Mastermind. When the Elgang were to disband, he announced that he was going to help Eve rebuild the Nasod kingdom. It was a win-win situation after all; Eve would get her kingdom, and Add would get the research (and the codes) that he had always wanted. He probably never got his hands on the Code Empress in the end, but Rena secretly wished that he would. When she asked Eve about how much Add had contributed, she replied that he was an extremely diligent student, though lazy at times. He really did have a good heart, after all.

Lu and Ciel, Noblesse and Royal Guard. Lu was the only demon left on Elrios, and she was happy about getting her revenge on Karis. Ciel stood at her side like the butler he was, and sometimes, Rena questioned their relationship as master and servant. The Noblesse decided that she liked Elrios, and decided to make herself a residence in the outskirts of Velder, where she continued to train herself. The Royal Guard did everything a butler was meant to do, and when Rena visited, surprised that Ciel was even there, Lu explained that her immortality had been passed onto her servant. She seemed delighted that he could stay, and the Wind Sneaker knew that she saw him as something more than a servant.

She couldn't afford to forget one more person.

The Blade Master was the love of her life. It was the first time she had ever met someone as attractive and handsome as he was, and at first, she couldn't believe that she had fallen in love with a human. She also couldn't believe that Elsword and Aisha were trying to push the two together to make them closer. Finally, she gave up and tried to confess, where it went horribly wrong because of a sudden demon raid that they had to defend against. It turned out to be alright when Raven returned her feelings.

Sometimes, she couldn't help but stare at him whenever he was training and fighting. The way he used his blade was certainly different to Elsword and Elesis, especially because he could only use one arm. He was a blur of black, white and steel, and he was almost dancing across the battlefield, demon blood flying and bodies falling. Rena wished that she could fight like that, but all she could was fling bodies everywhere with her kicks. She was even surprised when Raven came to her one day, asking her how she spun without getting dizzy (and consequently sick).

At times, he could be really adorable, and she felt her cheeks flare at that thought, but otherwise, he was just a really sweet, warm person who was cold at first glance, but showed so much more when he opened up. He was always reassuring and protecting, even though it occasionally got too much and Rena hit him in annoyance. Their grandchildren were living somewhere in Velder, having good lives and training to become the warriors their grandparents were.

But Raven was gone. And so was Elsword, Aisha, Chung, Ara, Elesis and Add. She missed all of them, and that pain had stayed with her for a year or two. Now that was gone, and she could look forward to a bright future, and there were generations of elves that she was training to fight just like her. Her grandchildren wished they could dance like their grandfather, and she laughed and let them on their way. She still really wished to return to the days when she was younger.

_Thank you for the memories. _


	78. Change in the Weather

**Change in the Weather**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

* * *

Nothing had happened much yesterday, other than the fact that Solace decided to be particularly unforgiving. The day was scorching hot, Rena swore that she got a new tan, and she was guessing that Raven got one too (if it was noticeable at all). They were glad that none of them had any battles to fight that day, and felt sorry for the soldiers who were battling in the intense heat.

Today, it hadn't changed much, other than the fact that it was cooler. Rena and Raven had a mission to destroy a camp of demons, and the Wind Sneaker was there just in case anything went wrong. Even though the Veteran Commander was a trustworthy man and fighter, they knew that his ability to cause vast amount of destruction came at a cost, and that was to his stamina. The Overheat capabilities of his Nasod arm was something he was used to, but he could never shake off its side effects entirely.

It was a good thing that they decided for the elf to accompany the half-Nasod in the mission. Not only because she was helping by whipping up storms and summoning phoenixes, but also because it began to rain. Very, very hard. And she had never seen Raven's hair so long, never seen him so drenched, and never seen him so utterly _useless_.

The demons had been scurrying to defend the camp that they had spent so much time on building, but as soon as the rain began, it was obvious that it was slowing them down. Unfortunately, they had figured out where all the attacks were coming from, and now they had a chance to counter. There was now a mass of unorganised, armed demons charging at Raven and Rena, and there was barely anything the two could do to stop them.

Usually, the Veteran Commander could unleash a few ignition crows and explosive bullets, but the rain made his Nasod arm unable to do anything other than blunt attacks. Rena's legs were weighed down by her own soaking shoes, and her already less-potent magic had been almost exhausted. Even if she tried, there was no way she could take out this many with magic alone. And without the aid of their destructive weaponry, there was no way they could make it out alive if they fought.

The only option was to run. The problem is, there was nowhere to run.

_The rain is actually going to kill us._ The two were cornered against a cliff face, and suddenly, Raven came up with a weird and wonderful idea. He focussed all of his energy on his Nasod arm and pointed it at the demons, who saw it as useless. The rain was rendering it useless, anyway. But it was all but useless. Rena felt the Veteran Commander grab her arm with some kind of death grip before all hell broke loose.

A powerful explosion of steam bigger than any explosion he had ever made sent the two flying in the air half-dazed. The charging demons were all blown back with tremendous speed, and when Rena finally regained awareness, she realised that she was flying through the air, Raven was still in close proximity, and the attack had created a crater. Raven had never made a crater before. _This is certainly a first._

Then she realised that she and the Veteran Commander were going to fall to their deaths if they didn't do something.

"Rena, are you okay?" Hearing his voice was comforting, somehow. It told her that he was indeed alive.  
"I don't know what the hell you just pulled, but I'll try to slow our descent. I've used up most of my magic, though."  
"… Just do whatever you need to get out of this alive."  
"I'm so sorry if I'm going to permanently injure you in any way."

"At least you're going to be alive." Unfortunately, there was no time to dwell on that statement. They had already begun their descent, and there was barely any time for Rena to make calculations. She really wished she had Raven's mind at this point in time.

She concentrated all the remaining mana she had into the rapidly approaching space in front of her, and Raven felt himself slow down a little too fast. Gravity began to speed them up again, but it was too late for the force to kill them. The Wind Sneaker and the Veteran Commander landed harshly on grass (actually, it was pretty much mud), and the former had to feel around to reassure himself that he had not broken any bones.

"Rena, have you broken anything?" He sat up, noting the amount of effort it took for him to even move.  
"It hurts, but I don't think so." She did the same action.

There was an awkward silence, and the only sound that was heard was the extremely heavy rain. The elf took in her surroundings; they had landed in a forest clearing, she was wet and almost unbearably cold, Raven's back was caked in mud, and it was surprisingly hard to see due to the rain. It took her some time and some remembering to realise that this was the clearing that she had always come to lie in on those times when the weather was much nicer.

"… We should get back to shelter and at least get ourselves warmer before we get sick." The Veteran Commander stood up, wincing from the pain in his back. The Wind Sneaker assumed that he knew where they were, too. She realised that she didn't need to worry about the mud on herself, since the rain was most likely going to wash it all off. However, the feeling of mud seeping into her shoes was not very pleasant.

"Raven, aren't you cold?" Rena asked. While she was shivering almost violently, the Veteran Commander showed no signs of suffering.  
"… Yes, I am." She realised that he was rarely cold, due to the Nasod arm, and he probably hadn't been cold in a long time. If he was shivering, the elf couldn't tell.

Really, Raven wanted to help Rena get a bit warmer, but realised that he couldn't do anything. Again, he was useless in the rain.

When they finally arrived at the base where they usually stayed, Oberon and Ophelia were already there to greet them with towels. Eve was nowhere to be seen, however, as she was most likely working at some unknown project that no one else seemed to know about.  
"A spare change of clothes are in your showers. Please go to your rooms to make yourselves more comfortable. Take care." The two Nasod servants took the wet towels bowed before leaving the two to be after they had finished drying off. They were no longer wet enough to create rivers wherever they walked, but still uncomfortably cold and wet.

Rena had never enjoyed a shower this much in her life. Even though she thought she was going to get a laugh out of seeing Raven being completely useless in the rain, he managed to prove that he was anything but useless.

* * *

**I somehow had a burst of inspiration and wrote more than I usually do, so here is a double update. However, I most likely won't be updating in the next week because of the barrage of assignments that are due. **

**Thank you all so much for staying with me all the way. Again, please leave a review; I like to know what you think about this. That's... all I have to say.**


	79. Illogical

**Illogical **

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

**As a note, this is a continuation of theme 67, which was Boundaries. **

* * *

After that confrontation and some thinking, Raven realised that Rena was not her usual Night Watcher self.

He had a lot of time to think, but sometimes, it even hurt to think. In fact, everything hurt. He was chained to a wall inside a cell, and the first thing that registered in his mind when he woke up was pain. He wondered whether it really just his wounds from that battle. After spending an awful amount of time trying to even set his mind straight, he came to the conclusion that they had injected something into him to make sure that he couldn't move.

His wounds hurt more than everything else, and it was to the point that it was almost unbearable, but he knew that he would have to push through it all if he wanted to leave this place alive. Then he began to doubt that, because he couldn't move. He wondered whether there was anything to counteract whatever chemical was flowing through his blood, but the mere thought of it made the barely bearable pain in his mind unbearable, and he managed to hold down a scream before passing out.

He wasn't even sure how they were keeping him alive, because his stomach had been empty since… he didn't even remember. They must have been injecting nutrients into him to make sure that he stayed in Elrios.

… _I wonder how many days I have been here. No, I shouldn't be thinking about that. I need to be thinking about how to get myself out of here, if that is possible, and what I should be telling Rena. _

She was most likely the one who demanded that he be put here and lie for weeks on end in agony. But what Raven noticed was that she never listened to him. In the past, she would listen and take his words into consideration, even though she disliked him. She had known that he had military experience, and he wasn't a Crow Mercenary captain for nothing. Their combined minds, plus Eve's computer-like calculations, created strategies that were vital for winning against the demon invasion.

But now, she was just ignoring him. Had she heard what he had said before? He didn't know. The Veteran Commander knew that a huge risk of the Elders or Rena not listening to him, and he had taken that risk and carried on with his own solo mission anyway. But he knew that, with their wisdom. they should at least take his words into consideration before decided to disagree altogether. Maybe the Elders decided to let Rena make the decision of whether to listen to him or not. He was a human, and he was an enemy to them, after all.

Recalling the battle against Rena, Raven remembered the tone of her voice and her words. Then he finally realised why it sounded strange to him.

In her voice was emotion.

He thought that she had tried to push it all aside to prioritise the mission at hand, but now, she was letting it take over her. Did the pressure of the war get to her? Or did something internal happen? The Veteran Commander didn't know, but now, the Night Watcher was not thinking with a logical mind. He knew how powerful emotions were, even his Nasod arm had emotions. He knew that he used his own emotions to fuel the willpower that he was known for. He could continue to fight even when injuries should have rendered him incapable of moving.

He drew a possible conclusion that Rena didn't know how to handle her emotions because she never used them, but that was irrelevant for the time being.

He had to fix Rena's logic and bring it back, and he didn't care if he could die trying. It was for the good of the humans and the elves. He came here to end this war, and he was going to do everything in his power to make it happen.


	80. Only Human

**Only Human**

**Classes:  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Blade Master**

* * *

"Rena, you should teach."

The Elgang had just finished a conversation at the common room regarding their futures if they managed to get rid of the demons. An idea had sparked in Raven's mind, and he decided to share it with the elf that he secretly had feelings for.

"Huh? Me? Teach? I'm bad at teaching."  
"You should. You may be one of the best archers in the world. Not only that, but you're an elf."  
"What does being an elf ever mean? It's surprising how many similarities elves share with humans, you know. Having heightened senses and all of that doesn't mean that I'll be better at teaching, it just means that I'm better at fighting. There's a difference."

"I know there is that difference, but what I'm trying to say is that you can pass on your knowledge to so many more people than I could ever do, if I ever began to teach."  
"You can travel around the place, you know."  
"But I can't live for hundreds of more years like you can."

Raven smiled sadly, and Rena felt a pang in her chest. The Blade Master had been attractive and handsome and so lovable from the beginning, and his smiles and laughs always lit some kind of fire inside her, and suddenly, she really wanted to kiss him. Unfortunately, she knew that she couldn't let her urge show. And she realised that she really dreaded the time when she would have to part from him. Forever.

"Even though I have a Nasod arm and I can wield a blade proficiently, I am still only human. There is only so much I can do. There is only so much a lot of us can do." He continued. "I cannot continue to protect peace throughout time, and neither can the majority of us. We can only share our knowledge to so many generations before we are unable to and our existences are merely reduced to gravestones and books. However, Rena, you can live on."

"I'll eventually die of old age, too. I'm not immortal like Lu and Ciel." Rena countered, though she could feel tears in her eyes from thinking about Raven dying.  
"… But at least you can do so much more than any of us, because you have so much more time. Plus, you have potential, and you have the time to let it grow. I can only nurture mine to a certain extent before I run out of time or energy or the physical ability to do so. That is because I am only human."

"Raven…"  
"It's getting late Rena, though I really do want to continue. We have a battle tomorrow anyway, so we should rest." The Blade Master smiled again, and the Grand Archer felt her heart melt.

"I'll remind you of all of this later, depending on what the future holds. Goodnight." He turned and walked into his own room, closing the door. Rena didn't realise that she had been frozen on the spot in the hallway until Elesis asked what she was thinking.


	81. A Place to Belong

**A Place To Belong **

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander **

* * *

Sometimes, Rena wasn't sure whether she missed home. Sure, she had been away from the elven village for more than a year, but she really loved the fact that she had the opportunity to go exploring the world that she was always shut out from in the first few centuries of her life.

Now that she had many new friends, many new sights to see, and many new enemies to defeat, she wasn't sure whether she wanted to return. Life outside of home was a lot more exciting. She didn't mind the fact that they were almost constantly moving to new places to fight the demons that they needed to get rid of, and the fact that she was doing it with the Elgang made the experience all the more fun. Plus, she got to develop a fighting style that the elders would have definitely looked down on.

But finding love definitely was not something that she had expected.

Thinking about Raven, she realised that if the demons were to be defeated and the Elgang was no longer needed, he would have nowhere to stay. He most likely did not want to return to his hometown simply because he was meant to be dead (and came back to life with a Nasod arm), and… he was pretty much a wanted man. The only reason why no one was questioning him was because he was under the Elgang's protection and fighting the demons alongside them.

After the demons were successfully defeated, and Elsword announced that everyone would go their separate ways, Raven revealed that he had a surprise waiting for Rena. She was not sure what to expect. It could be a present. It could be food. He even could be taking her out on a date; that was definitely a possibility, since their relationship had developed quite profoundly and he had romantic experience.

It wasn't anything that she had expected.

He had led her to the outskirts of Velder, and sitting there was a simple, small house. When the elf asked what had been going on and how he had obtained it, the Veteran Commander explained that he had claimed some of the Elgang's money (they were funded by the king of Velder and Hamel to fight the demons) and used it to purchase a house. And when they both stepped into their new property, the Wind Sneaker realised that it really was just perfect.

Raven was smiling the whole time Rena gaped at the simple but effectively decorated interior. His smile disappeared as soon as he saw the hug attack coming, and she almost tackled him to the ground, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing tightly enough that it was hard for him to breathe. When the Wind Sneaker finally realised that she was suffocating him, she released him, only to then kiss him senseless.

It felt like a place where she belonged. And she could feel that Raven felt the same way.

* * *

**So, one last update before I disappear into the cluster of assignments, the impending doom of the yearly maths exam, and the dynamic website I have to make. **

**I have also finally hit the 80-theme mark, which is a milestone I honestly didn't expect to make, but at least that there are only 19 themes left to write. I'll aim to finish this by the end of the year. Also, to all you readers, do you find this story repetitive? Let me know with either a PM or a review, and thank you so much for reading. That's all I have to say.**


	82. Advantage

**Advantage**

**Classes:  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Reckless Fist**

* * *

She knew that he could only fight in close quarters, and she used that to her advantage.

It was rare for the two to have a sparring session, but everyone had eagerly agreed for a match to commence, and they seated themselves comfortably as the audience. The elf and the half-Nasod were unable to hit each other for a good amount of time, due to the former trying to keep her distance, and the latter trying to close it. It was almost like a game of cat and mouse.

Finally, she decided to end it all. First, she focussed her magic to the sky, summoning the Gungnir spears before rushing forward, firing arrows as fast as she could while she ran. Raven, who was caught off guard at this sudden advance, rushed towards her as well, swatting aside barrages of arrows so thick that he couldn't see through it. Just when he could see properly again, the spears rained down on him. While he managed to dodge the spears, the powerful wind magic that surrounded them caused him to flinch and fly backwards.

When he realised what was happening, Rena was too close. Raven didn't know whether he should be fortunate or unfortunate that his Nasod arm decided not to take control of him for a split second to counter what was coming towards him. White hot pain suddenly exploded through his body as the Grand Archer's kick landed successfully on its target, which was the Reckless Fist's groin. He was in too much agony to land properly, and tumbled until he finally stopped, curled up with his hands holding his privates in a futile attempt to ease the pain.

The elf could see his tightly shut eyes and gritted teeth, and was about to rush over to apologise to the half-Nasod before she felt a hand on her shoulder.  
"I don't think he'll be able to hear you. It's best to just let him recover." Elsword was smirking. Not only was his rival defeated by the Grand Archer, but he was defeated in a quite humiliating way.  
"Elsword, you should stop being so mean. How would you like me to kick you like that?"

The redhead instantly cowered behind the Void Princess. With a "hmph", Rena walked back over to Raven.  
"Are you okay? I'm sorry I kicked you like that."  
"Nng, I'm fine… Just, give me a second…" He managed to say through gritted teeth, and for an awkward moment, he didn't make any effort to move.

The elf was going to get Elsword back with this, since he had the same weakness that she could use to her advantage.


	83. Breakfast

**Breakfast**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Void Princess  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

* * *

"Uh, Rena, do we have breakfast?"  
"Elsword, we've only been here for a few minutes. I haven't been had a chance to investigate the island yet."

A raid mission at a demon stronghold had gone horribly wrong, and in a last desperate measure, Raven had asked for all the mana Elsword, Aisha and Rena could muster before setting it off in an explosion. Not only did it completely obliterate a major base the demons were using, but half of the Elgang were now stranded on a remote island of unknown location.

Luckily, they woke up as soon as they hit the water, their bodies alerting them that they were not breathing in oxygen, and they swam to a nearby island. The explosion had also damaged them, and they were all thoroughly exhausted. The sun was now rising, and the sight of that had reminded Elsword that he was hungry.  
"Elsword, if you want breakfast, then you can help us." Raven spoke. They were all lying under the shade of a tree, and unfortunately, none of them were willing to move. Not even the Veteran Commander.

"Okay then…"  
"We should be able to last a few days. After we've all rested, let's try and find something to eat." The older man rolled over onto his side, falling asleep quickly, followed by Elsword and Rena. Aisha decided that she could be helpful instead of lazy, so she summoned Angkor.  
"Can you help us scout the island for animals and fruit?"

"… Fine." Even the bat was reluctant to move, but it flew off anyway into the dense forest behind them. A memory in Raven's mind began to play itself during his sleep…

"_Come on, Raven, you're going to be late for work." He woke up to something shaking him, and he groaned and rolled over.  
"Raven!" She was finally raising her voice, and that took him back to reality. The speed at which he sat up made him dizzy, and on top of the short amount of sleep that he got, he almost fell asleep again. _

"_What?"  
"I heard your alarm, and you didn't get up." Raven realised that the possibility of him sleeping through his alarm was actually probable. Or maybe he got up, switched it off, and went back to sleep again.  
"Sorry, Seris." He rubbed his eyes, trying to at least get rid of the drowsiness, but it was ineffective. "I'll get up now."_

"_Well, you'd better hurry up. Not only is breakfast going to go cold, but you're going to be late for work. Don't you have a mission today?"_

Oh.

"_Thanks for waking me up, anyway." Raven was inwardly panicking. His fiancée left the room to give him privacy to get dressed. He could usually smell breakfast, but this time, he couldn't. He really had overslept by quite some time, and he was suddenly hungry. Finally, he was rushing downstairs, ate as fast as he could, and ran out the door with a quick kiss on the cheek and a wave. _

The Veteran Commander bolted upright. He didn't exactly know why he suddenly woke up, but the memory shook him. Seris' face was still faded and blurry. He could no longer see all the fine details of the house that they lived in. But he still remembered the taste of the food, and he was suddenly hungry, just like he was in that memory. His fiancée had lectured him on the importance of a good breakfast after he skipped a day on one occasion.

He remembered that Rena had done exactly the same thing, and turned to look at her. Luckily, she was still asleep. By this time, Solace was higher in the sky, which told him that it was still morning, and he had slept a couple of hours. Raven decided that, even though his cooking skills were comparatively worse, he was going to help prepare breakfast. As if on cue, Angkor returned from the forest, looking quite happy. By looking at his mouth, the Veteran Commander could deduce that the bat had been stuffing its face with berries.

"There's a lot of fruit in there, and the vast majority of it is edible. It's really nice, too. Here, you can have one." It had even woven a small bowl out of vines, and it offered it to the half-Nasod, who picked up a berry, examined it, and popped it into his mouth. After chewing he decided that he enjoyed the taste of them, too.  
"How many hours have we been asleep?" He asked.

"D'aww, you're not even going to thank me for bringing back food?" Angkor pouted, and Raven sighed.  
"Okay, thanks for bringing back food." The bat practically glowed with pride. "Now, how many hours have we been asleep?"  
"About four."  
"Did you really spend all that time trying to weave that bowl?"

"Uh…" It was suddenly flustered. "At least I managed to make one within a few hours!" The Veteran Commander had to admit that the quality was surprisingly good.  
"… Thanks anyway. No animals?"  
"Nope."  
"Okay. Leave that bowl here so everyone else can have something to eat when they wake up. We're going to get more fruit."

"How are we going to hold them?"  
"… You're making another, bigger bowl."  
"Hey! Make one yourself?"  
"Angkor, we need to work together if we want to survive. It will take them a few days to find us." The bat smiled mischievously.

"Are you implying that you're bad at crafts?"  
"... If you want me to make a bowl, you're going to have to teach me how."  
"Okay, sure!" Angkor's happiness was starting to become an annoyance. "Come with me."

Raven followed it into the forest. He didn't know why, but he felt something inside him glow at the thought of making breakfast.


	84. Echoes

**Echoes**

**Classes:  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Reckless Fist**

* * *

The cave was lined with glowing crystals, and seemed to extend forward so far that Rena really guessed that it could lead to the demon realm. She walked forward slowly, with her bow ready, in case anything came out to attack.

This place was emitting some kind of aura that was making her unusually uneasy. If something shot out, she would be dead if she didn't react fast enough. The pressure was rising, and she felt a bead of sweat run down her forehead.

_Is it just me, or is it hot and cold at the same time?_

She couldn't detect any source of magic, but she had a feeling that it was there. Suddenly, she felt claustrophobic, and turned around to see if there was any entrance that she had come through. That side, too, extended out far enough that the end of it was just darkness. The Grand Archer had no idea how she got here, had no idea where she was, had no idea why she was here.

Her footsteps continued to echo, and no matter how fast she ran or how long she walked, she never seemed to be going anywhere. Was she walking through a portal repeatedly that sent her back to the same place in this cave every single time? Or was it really endless? The feeling of being alone was suddenly overwhelming, and so was the pressure. Something was going to pounce at her, and she didn't know when or where. Rena's elven senses picked up nothing.

"Hello?"

Her voice echoed in the cave, and eventually, what came back to her was not her own voice. It was a growl. Before she could even register what it was, Berthe leapt at her, easily pinning her down with on claw, and raised another to tear her apart. She screamed, and she heard it echo all around the cave…

Suddenly, the cave was gone, Berthe was gone, and her echoing voice was gone. She found herself on her own bed, and she was drenched in sweat. It took her a moment to realise that everything was all a dream. Still, she could not stop the panic that had reached sky-high levels, and she continued to pant. There didn't seem to ever be enough air, and she couldn't stop her fast breathing. Finally, when she had sufficiently calmed down to take in more of her surroundings, she realised that she wasn't the only one in her room.

Raven was there, looking down at her with a concerned expression.

"Raven? What are you doing here? What time is it? Aren't you meant to be asleep?" She found herself speaking too fast, and was afraid that the Reckless Fist wouldn't understand her. She found herself desperately wanting him to stay.  
"I… I couldn't sleep. And… I just wanted to see whether you were awake, but you weren't."  
"Then why are you still here?"

He immediately felt embarrassed.  
"… You looked like you were in a nightmare." Raven did not say any more.  
"And?" He was hiding something.  
"… It doesn't matter."

"Raven?"  
"Yes?"  
"Can you stay here with me?"  
"Why?"  
"I want company. And I want to go back to sleep."

"How would me being here help you to fall back asleep?"  
"Do something." The events of the dream were almost burned into her mind, and she desperately wanted the thoughts to leave her alone. The Grand Archer closed her eyes, and felt the Reckless Fist's human hand begin to pet her head and stroke her face. She suddenly felt so much warmer on the inside, and it was a pleasant feeling she found unable to describe. Rena really couldn't stop herself from leaning into that hand before she finally fell asleep. And she just had to hear a few words that Raven said that continued to echo in her mind…

"Damn it, why do you have to look so cute…"


	85. Falling

**Falling**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master **

* * *

When that sniper shot pierced through his chest, Raven was aware of a few things. He was falling, his body had suddenly gone cold, and he couldn't move. He couldn't stop the strangled cry that came from his lips as he fell. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion; he was falling in slow motion, the sky was moving in slow motion, the battle around him was in slow motion…

_Is this… what Ciel went through? _This time, there was no demon there to make a contract with him. _Have I died… not being able to protect those that matter to me? _He heard someone shout his name from behind, but he couldn't distinguish who it was, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even speak. The darkness was beginning to appear in the corners of his vision, and it continued to creep over everything.

He was still falling. He wondered how much time he had left before the darkness could take over him completely. Raven then realised that he really was going to join Seris and all of his comrades to wherever they were, but he realised that he was going to leave the Elgang behind. He realised that he really valued the new friends that he made, and he realised that he didn't really want to leave them behind. He also realised that he had been in love with Rena this whole time.

"Raven!" He finally recognised the voice that had been yelling his name. It was the elf. She was rushing over to him. Was she trying to catch him? He didn't know. It was too late to figure out. He felt himself hit the cold, hard ground, and the darkness enveloped him completely.

"RAVEN!"


	86. Picking Up the Pieces

**Picking Up the Pieces**

Classes:  
Elsword: Lord Knight  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Reckless Fist  
Eve: Code Battle Seraph  
Chung: Iron Paladin  
Ara: Sakra Devanam  
Elesis: Grand Master  
Add: Mastermind  
LuCiel: Royal Guard/Noblesse

**As a note, this is a continuation of theme 69, which was Shattered.**

* * *

"Raven."

Ciel had finally found the Reckless Fist, who was sitting before the dying embers of a fire, staring off into space. He was snapped out of his thoughts, and Raven threw a death glare at the approaching man. The Royal Guard did not flinch.  
"… Go away." It was all he said before looking back at to the embers.  
"Raven. It has been several months. You occasionally turn up to battles now, and we need you to help us fight against the demons."

"…"  
"Raven, are you listening?"  
"Leave me alone."  
"… Please listen to what I have to say."  
"Leave me alone."

"I want to help you."

Ciel knew that he had struck something inside Raven, but he knew that he had do say a little more to get the half-Nasod to listen to him, so he continued.  
"Again, we need you. We need you on our side, not only because we need your strength on the battlefield, but also because…" the Royal Guard paused. "We all miss you. We all want you to be back on our side and fighting with us. We also… want you to be okay."

"…" Now the half-demon could see emotions flicker in the Reckless Fist's eyes. And for the first time in months, it wasn't anger. Ciel couldn't read it properly, but he walked over and sat down beside Raven, who didn't move. The Royal Guard continued to talk.  
"I know that… you loved _her_… This may be hard to accept, but you need to move on and look to the future. The world will only keep going, and maybe, Elrios will be successfully invaded without your strength."

Anger didn't return to his eyes. Ciel kept talking anyway.

"I know that you've done it before. We know that you've done it before. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. You need to get up, because… _she_ wouldn't want you to be crying in the corner like you are." He paused for a bit before continuing. "_She_ would want you to keep on fighting to protect the world, and keep peace. Hasn't that always what _she_ wanted? Remember that even though _she_ is gone, her dreams are not. Carry them for _her_. Make _her_ proud."

"…" The Royal Guard didn't know what to say next. He hoped that this was at least enough to bring Raven back to the world. All of his words were true; he really wanted him to come back. Finally, after what seemed like a long time, the Reckless Fist spoke.

"I'm sorry."

Finally, he had calmed down. Rather than feeling proud that he managed to get a message into the half-Nasod's thick skull, the half-demon just felt more pained than ever. He could feel the weight that Raven carried, and how it weighed him down so much that he was unable to even interact with people. Suddenly, he seemed like glass, and he needed help and protection.

Raven still was nowhere near where he was before Rena had died, but Ciel knew that it was a start to picking up the shattered pieces.


	87. Gunshot

**Gunshot**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Void Princess  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Reckless Fist  
Eve: Code Nemesis  
Chung: Deadly Chaser**

* * *

Raven, now possessed completely by the Nasod arm, had shown no signs of pain or even exhaustion. While he seemed perfectly fine and was still in such a frenzied state, the rest of the Elgang were very much different.

Elsword had managed to escape the scene after having his belly torn open, and he had left a trail of blood while doing so (and somehow prevented his guts from spilling out). Aisha was slumped against a wall, having used up all of her mana, and had been flung gracelessly. Rena was struggling to stand, and she really had no heart to injure the man that she loved. Eve was close to shutting down, and it was the Rune Slayer who had saved the Nasod from being ripped to pieces.

Chung was leaning on his Destroyer to stand, and he also had no heart to hurt Raven. In fact, no one wanted to; all they had to do was to detain him and let him fight the Nasod arm on his own. Time was clearly running out, and if he managed to get through the Elgang, there would be countless casualties, and there was also the chance that he would unable to return to his normal state.

Everyone knew that Rena was almost his weak spot emotionally, but no matter how hard she tried to reach out to him, it never worked. She was already covered in her own blood, and was losing consciousness fast. The Deadly Chaser was the strongest, and was the only one capable of killing him; a single shot from a Silver Shooter was all it would take. But he didn't wanted to; no one wanted to kill him. Raven didn't deserve this. Eve had tried to restrain the Nasod arm, but it was no use.

The Reckless Fist roared, his eyes blazing with rage and fury, as he charged towards Rena at a terrifying speed. The Grand Archer's eyes widened with fear, and finally, as everything began to slow down around her in the face of death, she realised that Chung was in the background with a Silver Shooter in hand. He was aiming at Raven's heart.

_No, Chung, no, don't fire, please don't fire… I don't want Raven to die…_ She didn't care if she died, but what if the half-Nasod never returned to his normal state? They would never have a chance at returning him back to normal without her. And Raven was almost _invincible._ It would be extremely hard to subdue him, and it would take a lot of lives, too.

Rena didn't want to think that killing him would put him out of his misery. Thinking about it made everything worse. But he was so close to her, and he raised the Nasod arm to crush her and end her life…

A gunshot rang out.

* * *

**And I decided to do another double update because... why not? Writing is, fortunately, still strong, and maybe I will finish the 100 themes by the end of the next month. **

**After I finally finish this, I'll look for something to continue on. This will likely be the Soundtrack Collaboration, but I do have other ideas that I have been working on.**


	88. Possession

**Possession**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

**As a note, this will be a continuation of theme 27, which was Lost and Found.**

* * *

Aisha's efforts were, so far, futile. It was the start of the second week of Raven's life as a cat, and honestly, no one could tell whether he was indifferent, hating the experience, or actually enjoying himself. Everyone guessed that he did not like the fact that he was being treated like a pet.

He was never an intimate person, but now that he was a relatively small animal, everyone had an excuse to pet him, whether it was on his belly, his head, or his body. If he ever was annoyed, he didn't show it. He couldn't really change his facial expressions, and he didn't want to accidently draw blood from his friends by thrashing; he realised how sharp his claws were when he realised that he could climb the sofa without much difficulty. The height of his jumps was also useful.

They also were not sure whether Rena was annoying him by calling him _her_ pet. Of course, Raven was not used to being someone's possession, and he used to be human, after all. But something kept on clicking inside him, and he wasn't sure whether it was just mere annoyance, or rage. Or it could have been something else.

"Aisha, have you found anything today?" They sat at the dinner table. The Veteran Commander was on top of the table with a small bowl of cat food that they had purchased earlier that week. He had almost gotten used to being an animal, and no longer tripped over his small, fluffy paws, or gotten himself dirty with his own food.  
"No, sorry. I can't find anything to turn him back. I can keep on searching, but the most viable thing would be to ask others."

Honestly, the Wind Sneaker was enjoying this thoroughly. She really loved having Raven as a pet. The conversation about turning him back continued over the dinner table, and the former human wanted to contribute. Unfortunately, due to his current form, he was unable to communicate verbally.

Eventually, Elsword and Aisha had gone to bed. Rena was sitting on the sofa reading a book, while Raven sat on her lap.  
"Damn it, why do you have to be so soft and fluffy…" The elf muttered under her breath as she stroked him along the back. He didn't react at all.  
"Raven," she put down the book. "You haven't purred at all throughout the week. Actually, you haven't made any sounds other occasional yelps when we accidently hurt you. You should make some cat sounds."

The Veteran Commander turned away. The Wind Sneaker could tell that he was annoyed, and maybe even somewhat embarrassed.  
"Can you at least make some cat noises, like you're meant to be?" She whined. He stayed silent.

Rena sighed. _You're meant to obey me, since you're my pet…  
_"… Fine." He seemed satisfied with the response, snuggling into a comfortable position against her stomach before falling asleep quickly. The soft snores that came from Raven made the Wind Sneaker's heart melt.

He was so _cute._ And he didn't know it.


	89. Twilight

**Twilight**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

* * *

The Elgang had been fighting all night, and all of them were rather tired, having not slept on twenty-four hours. Even the Night Watcher, who seemed to get energy from the darkness, was exhausted, and she knew that she needed rest. Even though the Veteran Commander was used to these kinds of situations and knew how to push through them, he couldn't deny the fact that he was tired.

Unfortunately, it was twilight. The dark sky of the night was beginning to glow blue, and the Elgang were reminded that there was going to be another day of work and fighting before they could get any sort of rest. Fortunately, what came after twilight was the sunrise, and to Raven, it never got old. He found Rena on top of a small hill, looking out onto the pink and orange hues that were gradually taking over the sky. Solace was waking up, too.

"Rena, you look tired." He sat down beside her.  
"Of course. We've skipped a night of sleep."

To be honest, she looked like she was going to fall asleep any moment, by the way she was blinking rapidly and her body was swaying. The Veteran Commander wondered whether she got any decent amount of sleep the night before.

"We have some time, half an hour at most, before we have to go back for breakfast. You might as well get whatever rest you can." The half-Nasod didn't turn to look at the elf, instead marvelling the artwork in front of him.  
"You are being a bit of a hypocrite."  
"I honestly think you're more tired than me. You look like you're going to fall asleep any moment."

Now that she thought of it, the Night Watcher really couldn't deny his words. And when she observed the Veteran Commander, he really was in a better condition than she was. Solace's light was warming her, and she finally gave up, lying down and closing her eyes. The darkness took over her quickly.

Raven looked down at her sleeping form. Her peaceful expression that she wore while asleep had not changed since the start of their adventures.


	90. Nowhere and Nothing

**Nowhere and Nothing**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

**As a note, this is a continuation of theme 85, which was Falling.**

* * *

Of course, Raven didn't know where he was.

He knew he was floating in some sort of space, with colours and light swirling all around him. He had lost his sense of direction some time ago, and he realised that he couldn't move anything except for his eyelids. He could tell that the rest of his body was there, since he could feel it there, but he couldn't exactly tell whether he looked different. Maybe the Nasod arm was no longer there, but he had no hope of find that out.

As much as he wanted to call out to see if there was anyone here with him, his mouth refused to move. He also had lost his sense of time, and he knew that he had come here some time ago, and he had been thinking and reflecting on his life for some time, and he realised that he was lonely. The Blade Master really wished that someone would get him out of here. Not that it was unpleasant, but because he just wanted to be assured that he wasn't going to float around like this for the rest of eternity like a lost soul.

Raven knew that boredom could drive someone insane, and he hoped that it wouldn't happen to him. He was nowhere, and there was nothing here. He found that he was panicking on the inside, and he was desperately trying to calm himself down. Thinking again about the real world helped to distract his mind.

He hoped that the Elgang had won the battle, and won against the demons. He really hoped that his death wasn't in vain, and he really hoped that Rena was alright. Even though she never said anything, he knew that she loved him back, and he hoped that she could move on, just like he did. She had a few hundred years left, and he had-

… _I don't have seventy-something years left, because I'm already dead._

He thought that he would join Seris and his comrades in whatever place lay after death, and so far, he was discouraged. Did they have to go through all of this? He didn't know. He didn't even know whether he was going to make it to the other side. He also didn't know whether Seris and his comrades were floating around just like he did. Raven hoped that they weren't. He hoped that there was another world after death where souls thrived, and he hoped that he was also able to at least look into the real world again.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, he heard voices. At first, they were too blurry to make out, but as the voices got clearer, the light and the colours began to make a tunnel, and the Blade Master could not stop himself from floating through it.  
"… The bell was sounding, and you didn't hear it? Are you deaf?"  
"I thought it wasn't real! I honestly thought that it was some kind of prank-"  
"Whatever god that lives up there doesn't prank people."

"We didn't even make any kinds of preparations! How are going to welcome him here? Do we just say hi? Come on, we need something more dramatic."  
"Well, there's no time. He's going to come through any moment. Hopefully he hasn't been waiting for too long."  
"Well, sorry."  
"You should be apologising to him, not me."

And he recognised those voices, and the realisation hit him just as he accelerated suddenly and the light overwhelmed him…

* * *

**Well, its the second week of the holidays. I was stuck on a theme, and... I was also caught up playing Elsword and having other things to do at home. **

**Looks like we have ten more to go. I should be able to hold out for the last ten, so stay tuned. Yet again, please leave a review to tell me what you think about this, and don't be afraid to send a PM if you want about this. I don't bite. **

**And... that's all I have to say.**


	91. Answers

**Answers**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

* * *

Rena had a million questions that she wanted to ask. And it all had to do with that one incident…

"_You're lucky to make it this far." Jin and her brother In stood at the end of a hall. Both of them wore smirks.  
"I don't think it was just luck. I would be playing safe if I were you two." The Wind Sneaker hissed, and In snickered.  
"Now, now, calm down, elf. We do plan to play it safe." _

_At that moment, Elsword and Aisha burst into the room, and it took them a moment to catch their breath.  
"We're going to take you down, and we'll get to the core and destroy this place." Elsword finally straightened up and pointed his sword at the two demons.  
"We may be kids compared to you, but don't take us lightly." Aisha added, and her staff glowed with mana power. _

_The demons only laughed in response.  
"I wouldn't be so murderous if I were you… Bring him in." Jin's words told them all that there was something horribly wrong. _

_Two demons brought a shackled body into the hall, holding it upright for all to see. Rena audibly gasped. Raven, who had been missing for several days, was limp, unconscious, and covered in his own blood. Elsword and Aisha couldn't tell whether he was alive or not, and the Wind Sneaker felt a pang in her chest. Something inside her screamed at the Veteran Commander to at least let them know that he was alive, but he remained unresponsive. _

_His usually beautiful long hair was dirty and bloodied, his uniform torn and dripping with blood, a massive gash across his chest bleeding fast, his right arm almost torn to shreds… They all knew that he would be lucky if he was alive, since his clothes hid other wounds.  
"Hmm… fresh out of the torture chamber, too…" In rubbed his chin, grinning, and Rena wanted to kill them all right now. _

_She took a step forward, but at that, Jin pointed one of her green blades at Raven's neck.  
"You make a step against us, and he dies right here." _

_The bastards._

"_Oh, just if you're wondering, we can heal him, of course. Obviously, we're not doing that for free." And hope bloomed in the elf, and she ended up asking a little too quickly:  
"How? What do you want us to do?" Elsword was going to nudge her to tell her that she should be putting more thought into what she was saying, but it was too late.  
"Give up one of yourselves, and he lives for… some more time. We still need to get some answers out of him, and he really is one of the more… enjoyable subjects." _

_The Wind Sneaker suppressed a growl. They really were good at getting her riled up.  
"… I'll give up myself." _

_Elsword and Aisha gasped.  
"No, Rena, they'll torture and kill you! Look what they did to Raven!" The Rune Slayer exclaimed, and when Rena turned back to him, a sad smile had grown across her face.  
"If that's what it takes for him to live, then I'll gladly accept it."  
"Rena-" Aisha tried to stop her from moving forward towards Jin and In, but found that all the strength in her arm had drained. _

"_Ah, very good." Jin smiled more genuinely before gesturing towards In. The male demon's orb glowed ominously, and suddenly, the elf was trapped within a green bubble with chains. She almost squeaked in surprise, but managed to hold it down.  
"As for you two…" The female demon eyed Elsword and Aisha, who were both on guard with their weapons. "I suggest that you leave now. Actually, if you don't leave now, he dies." She moved the blade that was pointed at Raven. _

_The younger fighters gritted their teeth in anger before storming out of the room.  
"This won't be the last you'll see of us." Elsword finally disappeared from view, and Rena knew that all hell for her started now…_

It had then taken an infiltration mission from Eve, Ara, Elesis, Add, Lu and Ciel to bust both of them out. While captured, Rena had insisted that she wanted to see that the demons had fulfilled their part of the promise, only to be led into the torture chamber to find out that Raven was being mutilated all over again after being fully healed…

She needed answers. Now.

But all of her anger almost instantly drained as soon as she entered Raven's hospital room. He looked just as lifeless as he had looked for the past few days. The healers had told her that his chances of survival were slim, and if he did manage to wake up, that didn't mean that he was necessarily alive. It crushed her that she couldn't do anything about it.

_If that's what it takes for him to live, then I'll gladly accept it._

She had just started her own torture session when Elesis, Lu and Ciel had broken down the doors and brutally slaughtered every demon standing in that room (Jin and In managed to escape). Rena had prepared herself for all the pain that they were going to inflict on her. If that was what it took for Raven to live, she would gladly accept it. She wasn't lying to Elsword and Aisha.

_But… was it all for nothing?_

The Wind Sneaker finally moved from where she stood and sat on the bed beside the Veteran Commander. He didn't stir. She knew that it was pointless trying to get answers from him now when he wasn't going to respond to her words at all. The urge to touch him took over, and she found herself stroking his hair and his face. The skin was rough from countless battles, but still warm to touch. She also found herself tracing the two scars; one on his eyebrow, and the other on his cheek.

Rena had always enjoyed touching his hair for whatever reason; it was not as smooth and silky as hers, but still had a comforting feeling. The thickness of it almost gave it the texture of a fur coat, and she found herself enjoying this, as well as the weak warmth that was given his face like an aura. It told her that he wasn't dead yet, and that he was still fighting, and that there was still hope.

After what seemed like forever, when the warmth began to fade and eventually Raven was cold, the Wind Sneaker just wanted the answer to one question.

_Why?_


	92. Innocence

**Innocence**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

* * *

Rena casually sauntered into Raven's room, and found him sitting on the edge of his bed reading a book. Despite this, she sat beside him, snuggling close like she used to. Everything had changed after she confessed and they had started dating (everyone else in the Elgang, except for Eve, found the whole thing adorable), and she had now had the confidence to get a lot closer to him than she had before.

"Raven?"  
"Hmm?" He didn't lift his head from the book. The Wind Sneaker decided not to pretend that it was irritating her.  
"Have you ever done _it_ before?"

She knew that he was no longer reading, by the way the Blade Master visually tensed up and his face flushed pink. Behind his past and his usual cool personality, he really had the potential to be the cutest thing ever.

"What do you mean- oh." Then he turned redder, settled his book on his lap, cleared his throat unnecessarily, and did everything in his power to keep himself under control. Rena was also trying to keep herself under control, since she had an extremely strong urge to kiss him, even if it was just once. After an awkward silence, he finally answered.  
"No. Why?"

The Blade Master thought that it would be safer asking than assuming.

"I was just curious…" The elf still held the mischievous tone in her voice, pressing herself even closer to him from the side and pulling an arm around him.  
"Rena, what are you doing?"  
"Why can't I ask for a hug?"  
"… Fine." He carried on reading. Rena decided to be annoyed at this point, but she kept a conscious thought that maybe, Raven could have been taunting her.

She turned his head towards herself and kissed him passionately anyway, and he could only manage a small squeak-like noise before his mouth was engulfed by hers. The Wind Sneaker turned to get a new angle, and the Blade Master followed almost obediently. Then she pushed him onto the bed (the book was forgotten; it was probably somewhere on the floor), doing her best to attempt to kiss him senseless.

Finally, they parted for air. When the half-Nasod failed to react for a full second, Rena began attacking his neck, looking for some sort of sweet spot. Raven eventually let out some sort of choked groan after some exploring, and the elf licked and sucked the spot.  
"Rena… it's going to leave a mark…" His voice had lost half of its usual power, and she liked it. Really, all she wanted was to make him moan. Loudly.

Then she stopped, realising that she was actually thinking in a _really dirty way._

"… Huh? Rena?" The Blade Master didn't read her thoughts, which was a good thing. Instinctively, he began to run his hand through her long, green hair, noting its silkiness. After a good three seconds of thought, the Wind Sneaker decided to keep her thoughts to herself, and continued to attack his neck.

Though it was really, really tempting to just unzip his shirt and begin exploring his body, she decided that she wanted to keep her innocence for some more time.


	93. Simplicity

**Simplicity**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander **

* * *

Honestly, Rena was happy with the simplicity of her life.

Actually, occasionally, things got chaotic, but most of the time, the elf was cruising along life. Raven was providing a steady income by being the leader of the newly reborn Crow Mercenaries, she was working with him and helping him with errands, and… sometimes, she was bored. This happened whenever the Veteran Commander insisted that she take a day off, and there was nothing to do around the house.

Sometimes, on those days off, she really just wanted to beat someone up.

Sometimes, she really wondered whether living a more complicated life was worth it. That way, she would definitely have something to do every day, and she wouldn't have to sit around their one-storey house, having already cleaned everything and having nothing else to do. Rena knew that Raven wasn't going to give her any work at all on her days off, no matter how much she begged-

She decided that, just to make this simple life a little more interesting, she was going to prank him. Of course, she needed the help of his fellow comrades.

* * *

**I got stuck on a this theme. My apologies. **

**It shouldn't be hard to keep on going and finish at this point, but because all of the reports are due in about three weeks, all the exams and assignment due dates are crammed into this period, so...**

**Expect writing to stall until then. That's.. all I've got to say.**


	94. Reality

**Reality**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Lord Knight  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander  
Eve: Code Nemesis**

**As a note, this will be a continuation of theme 16, which was Excuses.**

* * *

Rena really wished that it was all a dream. No matter how hard she hit herself in attempt to wake herself up, nothing happened. The reality was that Raven was gone.

They had been searching for days, and there was no sight of him. If he really was dead, the Wind Sneaker would rather see his body than for his fate to remain a mystery for the rest of her life. She did have a couple hundred years to go, after all. That was certainly a long time to suffer.

There was still a little hope left in her that was not snuffed out. Maybe he was hiding somewhere and didn't intend to come back until the Elgang really was in danger; she knew that he cared about her and everyone else very much, and he wasn't just going to let them die without him. But the reality was that the Elgang missed his firepower. Not only was it especially helpful in the destruction of demon camps as well as wiping out large numbers, but Raven's strategic use of it helped out in many tight situations.

She had cried every night after he left, or sometimes, she was just too exhausted to cry. She missed him dearly. And he still had those injuries. What if he had been killed by some lesser demons, simply because he was too weak to fight properly? She really wanted to search for him all day. She didn't want to fight in those battles against the demons anymore. Her lack of sleep made her eyes heavy and her mind duller than before, but she couldn't sleep anyway. Her mind wouldn't let her. It was only if she cried herself to sleep, or if she was tired enough to pass out.

The rest of the Elgang didn't comfort her. Maybe they didn't know how. But she didn't mind. This was her burden to carry, after all. In reality, it was all her fault.


	95. Acceptance

**Acceptance**

**Classes:  
Rena: Night Watcher  
Raven: Veteran Commander**

**As a note, this is a continuation of theme 58, which was Heartfelt Apology.**

* * *

He tried not to think about the possible consequences that could arise.

But Raven still couldn't stop himself from hugging her back. Rena was now crying into his shoulder, saying that she was sorry; over, and over, and over. She had definitely bottled up a huge amount of emotion, and she was gushing it all out now, and all the Veteran Commander wanted to do was to comfort her. He wanted to tell her that everything was okay, because honestly, he accepted her apology. He gave up denying that he loved her very much.

Of course, if she wanted to be his friend, then he would accept her as a friend. Actually, he always had. Just that the Night Watcher didn't accept him as a friend. He didn't feel angry at all the things that she did to him in the past, such as that mission that almost got him killed. If it helped to save Elrios, he would be more than happy to give his life for it. He had people who were waiting on the other side, anyway.

"Rena, it's okay. I accept your apology." He couldn't smile because, well, Rena was still crying into his shoulder. "Everything will be alright."  
"Really?" She finally looked up at him, and met his eyes.  
"Of course. I…"

Raven stopped himself before he could say it. If he said it, there was no reversing it. He didn't want to tell her too early.

"Hmm?"  
"It's nothing."  
"I'm still sorry."  
"I already accepted your apology. You don't need to repeat it."  
"I know, but…"

Now the Veteran Commander smiled.  
"Everything is okay. I said it before." He wiped a tear from her cheek. "I'm still alive. At least you bothered to run back fast enough from that mission so that I could live."  
"Of course. I wouldn't want you to die, because…"

It was the Night Watcher's turn to stop herself.

"What is it?"  
"Don't worry, it's nothing."  
"I see that you are hiding something too."  
"So what?"

"… Can I hug you for a bit longer?" Rena asked after a seemingly long silence. It was something out of her character, but none of that came to her mind.

"Sure."


	96. Lesson

**Lesson**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

**As a note, this is a continuation of theme 40, which was Knowing How. **

* * *

The lessons that Rena and Raven had with each other not only helped them to fight, but also to bond.

The elf could see obvious improvements in the half-Nasod; he was rapidly improving the technique in his kicks, and now he was gaining speed. She glowed in pride, watching him practice every morning, alongside his usual fitness. Maybe if he really incorporated kicks in his fighting style…

That would be like… some sort of death dance. Rena really wanted to see that, and finally, in a sparring match against Elsword, she could see the fruit of her efforts.

Raven rushed at the Rune Slayer, and the elf swore that he had gotten even faster because of his training. Since Elsword had no idea what to expect, he imbued his sword in flame before charging. There was a clash of metal before the Blade Master began his assault. When there was no use of kicks just yet, Rena thought that he was just saving it for later to surprise the redhead.

Just as her thought finished, Raven lashed out with a turning kick, a blade extending from a hidden compartment in his shoe and ever-so-slightly grazing Elsword's neck.

The Rune Slayer recoiled backwards. He couldn't believe that he had just lost.  
"Yeah! Go Raven!" Rena stood up from her tree stump and cheered, pumping a fist up in the sky. Aisha grinned at the umpteenth loss that Elsword had against Raven.  
"That was unfair! Don't use kicks!"  
"No one ever said that you couldn't use other tricks." Raven shot back, allowing himself to smirk. "You could have gotten Aisha to teach you magic."

"…"

The readhead rushed off immediately. Raven knew that even if Aisha was bothered to teach Elsword, they would either go off-track, or the lesson just wouldn't work at all.

* * *

**The vast majority of my assessments are now out of the way. I had another case of writer's block, so I apologise for the late update. **

**Now, for the rest of the themes, I can do one of two things:**

**1\. Post the last four themes in the next update.  
2\. Post three, and then post the last theme along with two bonus prompts. **

**I will assume the former if no one actually says anything, but feel free to shoot a PM to me about it if you do specifically want something. Obviously, if you want me to write two bonus prompts, give me one (or two), and I'll put them in a random number generator before writing on them. Keep in mind that I can't write anything inappropriate. As always, please leave me a review if you haven't already to tell me what you think. I enjoy receiving feedback. **

**That's all I've got to say.**


	97. Enthusiasm

**Enthusiasm**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Void Princess  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

* * *

Rena was always enthusiastic about cooking.

Every single morning, Raven would always hear her hum a little tune while preparing breakfast as he came back from his usual morning fitness. Luckily, her food was always good, and she always made sure that everything tasted nice. They had decided to install her as the Elgang's official chef since a cooking competition that was done quite a while ago. No one could make food as well as hers. In fact, no one else knew how to cook much except for her.

Elsword and Aisha almost always fought over the last bit of whatever desserts or snacks she made, and Raven always saw that glow of pride that came over her face while they watched the scene unfold. Her happy mood would immediately go away once the younger two made a mess during their fight, but the Blade Master knew that it was only temporary.

Whenever she was away for some sort of mission or a battle early in the morning, the half-Nasod always found himself missing the smell of breakfast when he woke up. The food that the other chefs had made was not as tasty. Maybe it was just because Rena had poured so much emotion into the food that she made. Sometimes, Raven wondered whether cooking was going to be her favourite hobby, and if she was going to take classes one day and become a professional chef after the demon war was over.

Maybe he could then take classes with her. It would be nice knowing how to cook when he was by himself. But hopefully, he would be living a happy life with her after the war was over. Suddenly, it didn't seem so far away anymore.


	98. Game

**Game**

**Classes:  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Blade Master**

**As a note, this will be a continuation of theme 50, which was Party, and the events of this theme happen after a time skip.**

* * *

"Let's have a drinking game!"

Raven had to use everything in his power to hold down a groan. The gathered crowd around the elf cheered, holding up mugs of beer and other liquor, some of it spilling onto the floor. The pub was as lively as ever today, and the Blade Master did not enjoy it one bit. He even had to constantly remind himself of why he was here in the first place, and that was to make sure that Rena was safe.

The idea of her getting drunk was… the thought of that combined with the constant noise surrounding him made his headache worsen.

Of course, everyone else in the pub was pumped to challenge the Wind Sneaker. Not only was she a member of the Elgang, but she was _beautiful_. Even the Blade Master had admitted to that some time ago. Hopefully, by hiding in the crowd of overly happy men made his presence obscure enough so that Rena couldn't tell that he had been sulking the whole time. Also, the last thing he wanted was to be challenged.

"Raven, I challenge you!" She stood up on the table, jabbing a finger in his direction, and the crowd parted to reveal the half-Nasod, who had lost his composure and was visibly shocked.  
"Rena, have you been-"  
"Challenge me?"  
"I refuse."

The booing started. Rena only grinned.  
"Come on, even the crowd wants it. Besides, you said you never tested your drinking limit-"  
"I said that I don't want to test it."  
"It'll be fun, I promise!"  
"No."  
"Please, Raven?"

There was no way he was going to fall for that face this time.

"No."  
"Fine then, coward."

The booing continued until it was silenced by a single voice.  
"I challenge you, Rena!"

Again, the crowd parted, revealing someone that Rena and Raven knew very well…

"Banthus?!" Both exclaimed at the same time.  
"I didn't go die in some hole, ya know." He smirked. "If I can't beat you in a fight, I'll definitely beat you in this!" The former thief held up a full mug of beer.

_No no no no no no no no no…_

"I accept your challenge!"

Raven didn't ever want to recall what happened that night and what happened the next morning.


	99. Friendship

**Friendship**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Reckless Fist**

**(insert line break here)**

Actually, Elsword and Aisha had kissed already, and they certainly did not want the rest of the Elgang to know, and they were willing to go great lengths to cover it up, or at least defend themselves.

It was fortunate that the Rune Slayer and the Elemental Master decided to wander aimlessly around in the forest (not considering the prospect of getting lost), and an interesting topic of magic was going on when they spotted two very familiar figures in the distance. When the redhead pulled the purple-haired mage suddenly behind the thick trunk of a tree, Elsword managed to cover Aisha's mouth just in time to mute her rather loud squeak in surprise.

"Shh! They'll hear us?" He whispered before poking a head around to try and get a glance.

Luckily, Raven and Rena didn't see them at all. They were too far away for their conversation to be heard, but from the lack of distance in between them, they seemed like they were more than friends. And when their faces met, Elsword felt his facial heat rise drastically.

"Elsword, why are you blushing-"

He decided to shut Aisha up with a kiss before they got found.


	100. Endings

**Endings**

**Classes:  
Elsword: Lord Knight  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Grand Archer  
Raven: Reckless Fist  
Eve: Code Empress  
Chung: Iron Paladin  
Ara: Sakra Devanam  
Elesis: Grand Master  
Add: Lunatic Psyker  
Luciel: Noblesse/Royal Guard**

* * *

It didn't take long for the Demon God to break free from the restraints that the El Lady had put down by possessing Elesis. The Elgang knew this immediately by the sudden spreading of darkness, and immediately rushed back to Elrios, having gotten stronger from their training there.

The El Lady's appearance in the final battle was rendered useless by the overwhelming power of the Demon God. This weakened him significantly, however, and the Elgang used this chance to stall out time and do some damage, while the El Priestesses banded together and channelled all the power that they could from themselves and the El that they had. After this had finished charging, they released all the energy in a massive blast, hoping that it was enough to take down the god.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.

With nothing else left, the Elgang continued fighting.

* * *

"… I'm going to let it take over." Raven struggled to stand. "There is no way I can fight in this condition."

"Don't you dare." Rena spoke from beside him with ragged breaths, raising her bow again. "I'm not going to let you die."  
"Everyone is giving it their all. If I don't, Elrios might be destroyed, and it will all be my fault."

Elsword had used up all of the magic inside him, and had summoned an extremely powerful aura around his sword, giving him more attack range and power. Aisha was using a spell that was giving her massive amounts of mana at the cost of her life force, and she was starting to show signs of exhaustion. Ferdinand, Oberon and Ophelia were at Eve's side, and she was charging them with as much energy as she could muster from her core.

Chung had someone broken all of his physical limits, now able to fire impossibly powerful bursts from his Destroyer with recoil so large it should have killed him. His shouts were certainly different from before. Ara was possessed by Eun, who was using as much spirit power he could to boost the body that he used to fight. Elesis had an aura similar to Elsword's around her claymore, but she seemed to have more strength left than her younger brother.

Add had already set his Dynamos to overdrive, boosting his attacks even more. He didn't care if those things were going to break; all he cared about was his precious Eve, and he would happily sacrifice his weapons for the Nasod queen. Only now did the Elgang notice his sheer willpower for the Code Empress. Lu had activated something within her contract with Ciel, and now both of them seemed to have an unlimited amount of mana. However, it was obvious that the contract was now wearing both of them down.

Despite Rena's pleas, Raven closed his eyes, focussing his mind on the presence of his Nasod arm. It immediately understood, taking him over so fast that it hurt, but he couldn't scream. His eyes were almost blazing when he opened them, and when the arm asked for his aching body to move as fast as it could and hit as hard as it could, it obeyed. Rena could only watch as the Reckless Fist roared and charged forward again with a rekindled fury.

_If he did something, then I have to, too._

The Grand Archer focussed on the energies around her. She could feel the natural El energy from Elrios, as well as the tension in the wind. She could easily control both of these elements, and she could use as much as she liked. It was almost unlimited, after all.

_I don't care if this kills me. Everyone is thinking that way, too. _

And suddenly, Rena was in control, pouring as much mana as she could into each and every arrow that she fired.

* * *

They lost.

Rena watched with rising horror as the bodies of the Elgang fell into the ever-expanding pit that surrounded the Demon King as he rose from the portal.

_Weaklings._

Tears were already streaming down her face. Raven was gone. He had been completely torn apart, and everyone else had died in a similar fashion. Well, she already had a massive cut across her body, and the Grand Archer was currently kneeling. Standing would kill her. Crying out too loudly would kill her. Heck, even moving would kill her. But none of that mattered, because she would eventually bleed to death in a few moments anyway.

_Your fight was futile. Maybe if you didn't resist, I would have let you live as prisoners. _

Even then, she would rather die than serve this god. Raven was gone, and she was glad that she would join him soon. Her body was already increasingly numb from blood loss, and she was too weak to say anything back. All she could was look.

_I think I'll let you go instead of keeping you alive and torturing you until there is nothing left._

There was no shiver down her spine at those words, because Rena was too numb at this point. All of her emotions and physical pain were overwhelming her, and she could hardly process words. When she finally did, she felt happy, and she found that she was impatient for the pain to stop. She also wanted to see him, to hug him, to hear his voice…

The Grand Archer closed her eyes with a smile, and her body fell into the endless abyss.

* * *

**And that brings this 100 Themes Challenge to a close. **

**I am so sorry for the late update; the problem was predominantly writers block. In real life things also happened, and I lost motivation for a good period of time before I decided to pick it up today. I have a feeling that I may end up going on a massive hiatus to take a break from all of this, or I may continue writing a few other oneshots, since I am horrible at writing multi-chapter stories. I am also so sorry if any of this sounded rushed at all; I needed to get the final update through. **

**So... what did you think? Please leave a review to tell me your thoughts, now that this is finished. I want to see how well I did, and I found this experience very helpful for my creative writing at school (I managed to get full marks on a creative writing task), especially as a creative writing is worth a hefty amount of marks in the HSC. Unfortunately, English happens to be one of my weakest subjects and I'm only getting just enough marks to get by, so I want to be able to do well in at least one part of it. **

**This account may become permanently inactive at one point or another, and this is because of in real life things. I may decide to stop writing altogether since I start my HSC preliminary courses next year, and then there's university, and then there is work... So this account may be abandoned completely, or I may come back after a few years. Only time will tell. Just if you're wondering, the courses I have chosen to do are English Advanced, 2 units of Maths (don't know what the course is called), Music 2, Economics, Chemistry and Biology.  
**

**... That's all I have to say. Depending on what happens, this could be a farewell. **


End file.

Elsword, Friendship, Romance