「Chapter Seven」

9. 03. 2016

Amongst the swirling spirits that fluttered around the branches and lights that hung beautifully from the ancient tree, the mage found herself gazing with wonder at the life that pulsed from within. The leaves, a mixture of stunning colors fluttered with each passing breeze, the tree radiating with energy and power. Gently, Aisha reached a hand out, placing her tiny palm against the magnificent tree, the energy flowing from her fingertips to her whole body. She let out an awed gasp before gliding over towards the branches, her fingers lightly grazing the fruits which hung in clumps. The different shapes and sizes of the fruits almost looked like a bouquet of flowers.

Without missing a beat, the mage took to fluttering around the tree excitedly, her amethyst eyes sparkling as she gazed down at the forestial spirits. From her stare, she could see hundreds of tiny fairies, the size of her hand, tending to the fruits and leaves, their chatter like small whispers that were carried along with the wind. From within the mass of roots that made up Elidis Minentur, she could see elegant Goldhorns trotting along, their antlers twisted in magnificent patterns which hung tiny lights. Snapping her head to look behind her at the sound of wings, she let out a gasp of excitement at the graceful beast which glided past her, it's fur the color of a regal gold. The divine beast's wings flapped rhythmically, it's feathers stretching out vastly as it soared around and through the branches of Elidis Minentur.

"Griffin!" Aisha shouted, watching as the creature swirled around, leaving her sight momentarily as it flew around the tree.

Before the mage could explore any deeper, she felt a warm hand fall upon her shoulders, the female turning to look curiously over at Elsword.

"I know you want to explore…" The male started a sentence only to trail off at the look of disappointment that had begun to make its way onto the female's face.

"But… don't forget to look for the book," He sighed as Aisha beamed up at him, shooting off after the majestic Griffin before he could stop her.

Silently, the mage glided a fair distance behind the beast, her eyes trained on it's fair wings which stretched out elegantly as it swirled along the base of the tree. She wondered if it was the guardian of Elidis Minentur, the Griffin holding a much larger amount of energy compared to the other mythical animals she had spotted earlier. She watched the beast's fur sway with the wind as it quickened its pace, Aisha curiously speeding up as well. She cocked her head to the side as the Griffin made a sharp turn.

Before she could follow after, her senses snapped towards the flicker of bloodlust, it disappearing instantly as the mage narrowly dodged a lightning fast arrow. Her amethyst eyes shot over to where it came from, watching as another arrow was shot, the tip fizzling with an emerald color. With a backflip, she dodged it as well, wasting no time in summoning her wand before she dived towards the attacker's silhouette. Just as she neared the archer, her wand raised, she gasped as something golden tackled her from the front, it's claws pressing harshly into her shoulders as she was sent falling back. With a growl and a violent push, the dragon tore away from the beast, struggling to regain balance as she tumbled downwards.

Warm arms wrapped itself instantly around her stomach, keeping her afloat as it lifted her up. Aisha's gaze flickered behind her to find Elsword with his eyes narrowed, his other hand summoning his blade. She snapped her attention back, her eyes trailing up to find the Griffin from earlier hovering near a cloaked figure. The mysterious attacker held a large and twisted bow within it's hand, an arrow loaded that glowed menacingly with a green color. Suddenly, she winced at the cold wind that brushed against her tored up shoulders, staring at the blood that slithered down her arms and dripped off her fingers.

"Elsword…" Aisha murmured lowly, the male quickly understanding that she was in no condition to fight now that her shoulders were unable to be moved, leaving her unable to wield her wand.

"I'll take care of this," Elsword whispered back, gently pushing her behind him as the mage nodded, escaping to the nearby shade of the branches.

"Dragons," The cloaked figure muttered darkly, "What purpose do you have being here at Elidis Minentur?"

However the swordsman didn't answer, his blade glowing vibrantly with a scarlet color, black shadows visible within the hue. The archer raised its bow, the arrow threatening aimed at Elsword as the mysterious attacked open its mouth.

"Answer me! Are you the ones causing the world to swirl with such dark energy? I sense the same type of power within you that is clouding the land and skies with darkness… If you do not leave this place at once, I will eliminate you!"

"Heh, you talk with arrogance yet your words hold fear," Elsword replied back with a low chuckle, slicing his sword to the side as his ruby eyes flickered with bloodlust.

BGM : Drakengard 3 OST ~ 13 Exvulsion | PerskySplinter

The Griffin fluttered in front of the archer protectively, its beady eyes shimmering with anger. The Black Dragon was in no mood to answer questions, his thoughts solely on slaughtering the beast which had laid its filthy claws on Aisha. With a powerful stroke, Elsword shot forward, his blade glimmering as he sliced down at the archer who dodged and jumped on to the Griffin. The archer shot several shimmering arrows, the male striking them out of his way as he followed after, the two engaging in a fierce sky battle.

Emerald arrows and ruby blades clashed together, sparks of energy flashing with each attack as the two swirled around the tree. Elsword summoned several blades that wrapped around his body, sending out one at a time as he sliced his sword down against the archer, who expertly used its bow to block the attack. The attack let loose a powerful shockwave that pulled the hood over the archer back, revealing blonde hair and long ears. Elf…! Elsword's eyes widened in surprised as the elf growled, violently pushing him back before firing another hail of arrows.

The male shot away, soaring around as the emerald arrows followed after persistently. With a halt, he dived downwards, getting close enough to the ground before curving upwards, the arrows unable to follow after fast enough leading them to smash into the ground. Quickly, the dragon propelled himself back towards the archer who gasped as the Griffin narrowly dodged, the blade barely coming into contact with the beasts wings. With a backflip, Elsword launched himself against the elf, pushing her off the Griffin as she blocked with her bow once more. The two were sent tumbling downwards, Elsword violently summoning a large red slash that slammed down against the elf's bow with the impact of a hundred blades. The attack pushed the female back as the dragon turned around just in time to block the oncoming attack of the Griffin, it's claws crashing against the sword.

The archer gasped as she struggled to regain balance, the attack leaving her unable to to flip herself. She turned to gaze in horror at the ground that was coming closer and closer at an alarming rate. She scrambled to push herself out from under the attack only to realize that if she weakened her defense against the slash she would be sliced in half. However, if she didn't get out from under the attack quick enough she would eventually be pounded into the ground leading to her death as well. The female let out a desperate cry as she felt herself getting closer to the ground, squeezing her eyes and knowing full well that she would be obliterated here into a mound of flesh and blood. Just as she prepared herself for the blow of the ground, she felt the heavy attack on her bow lift up momentarily, gentle arms cradling her from behind as they instantly pulled her away.

The elf was violently yanked away from under the attack, feeling herself being pulled up as she snapped her eyes open, turning to gaze puzzledly behind her. What met her eyes was a majestic white dragon, her lavender hair and eyes sparkling with determination as elegant, white wings pumped powerfully. The dragon carried the elf to safety, gently lowering the archer onto a tree branch high up as she pulled away. The female archer gasped as she watched blood from Aisha's tored up shoulders drip off and fall to the ground.

Aisha winced at the further damage that she had caused to her injuries, her amethysts eyes snapping over to Elsword who was still engaged in a fierce battle with the Griffin. The beast wasn't letting off on any of its attacks and kept pounding over and over onto the male's blade. The swordsman on the other hand kept dodging and blocking, unable to find the perfect chance to counterattack.

"Corymbus, halt!" At the sound of the archer's voice, the Griffin seized for a split second, a fatal move for Elsword began to swing his sword.

"Elsword, stop!" Aisha shouted, shooting over just in time to block his attack with her wand, leaving her to grit her teeth at the pain that caused to her shoulders.

In the moment of surprise, the male was unable to lighten his heavy blow, leading to Aisha letting out a pained gasp. Instantly, he pulled back and worriedly reach a hand out to lightly touch her bleeding shoulders.

"I'm- I'm sorry…" He murmured quickly, gently brushing his fingers over her injury.

"Don't worry about it," Aisha forced a reassuring smile, unsummoning her wand as she fluttered down next to the archer.

Song ends here.

Corymbus, the Griffin, also hovered near the archer, its beady eyes still gazing in caution at the White dragon. The elf knelt down next to the mage, lowering her bow as a sign of truce for Elsword before cautiously touching the wound. A soft emerald hue began to glow from her fingertips, Aisha letting out a sigh at the easing pain.

"This doesn't heal the wound however it does lessen the pain…" The archer murmured, the light spreading across the dragon's body.

For a few cautious minutes, no one broke the silence until the elf opened her mouth once more.

"Why did you… save me?"

"... Well, I'm pretty sure you only attacked me and Elsword because you thought we were working with the Tempest dragon. I realized you were only trying to protect Elidis Minentur," The mage smiled warmly.

"... I apologize for the sudden attack… It's just that you both hold the same sinister energy that is enveloping the land and skies… My name is Rena. I'm a guardian of Elidis Minentur along with Corymbus," Rena nodded, gesturing over to the Griffin who now was sitting next to her and glaring at Elsword.

"Sinister energy…?"

"Yes. Because I am a guardian of Elidis Minentur, I can feel what the roots and leaves feel. The land is rotting and the skies are darkening. The tree has become weakened ever since this energy suddenly appeared. You both hold the same kind of energy, however it is not as dark so I'm sorry for attacking you without any real evidence."

"Don't worry about it. Do you mind telling me more about this energy you're feeling? I think it's connected to what Elsword and I are looking for, the Tempest. Oh yeah I almost forgot! This is Elsword," Aisha waved her hands over to the male who was in a deep staring contest with the Griffin.

"A pleasure to meet you," Rena greeted, "I will tell you what I know but for now, we must tend to your injuries. The fruits here have high healing properties, so the skin and juice from them would serve as a wonderful ointment! Come,"

As the archer stood up, she carefully helped the mage up as well, leading her towards the roots which were entwined to create the trunk of the tree.

"Done~" Rena said cheerfully as she finished wrapping the gauze around Aisha's shoulders, "Is it too tight?"

"Nope, it's perfect!" Aisha grinned back, gently swirling her arms to loosen it up slightly.

They had traveled into the inner trunks, the mage delightfully finding that the inside was almost like a home. Thick roots made up the floors while smaller ones hung shimmering lights. She had walked past several forestial spirits and was amazed at how many had made their homes within the tree itself. Elidis Minentur was extremely tall and thus had several 'floors' inside the trunk itself. From what Rena had told her, they were currently residing on the fifth 'floor', which had small wooden bookshelves and a wooden bed placed in a neat fashion around. Elsword had taken it to sit beside her, his arm slung over one knee while the other kept him balanced in his position. The Griffin had plopped himself down next to Rena, still carefully eyeing the two as it folded its wings in.

"Alright, you wanted to know more about the sinister energy?" The archer asked, placing the gauze and makeshift ointment to the side.

"Yeah, how long has it been there? What time and day did it suddenly appear? Has there been any actually disturbance within order itself?" Aisha shot off a hoard of questions, bombarding the elf as she knelt forward with interest.

"Haha, you have a lot of questions don't you!" Rena chuckled, smiling warmly, "However, I will only answer them once I truly know you are not my enemy."

"Mm… I don't really know how to prove that I'm not an enemy…" The mage pouted, trailing off at her sentence.

"Just answer my questions and I'll know right away. First, are you two the White and Black Dragon?"

Aisha glanced over at Elsword who had his eyes narrowed, "Yeah, we are,"

"Oh wow. I had heard that all dragons went extinct besides you two but to see you here alive… Well, anyway, second question, why are you here at Elidis Minentur?"

"We… are looking for a book,"

"A book? What kind of book?"

"A book that the previous White dragon had written and hid here,"

Rena furrowed her eyebrows, gazing curiously at Aisha's face.

"Alright, third question, what connection do you have to this 'Tempest Dragon', you've so spoken of before?"

This question threw the mage off for a second, her mind swirling with thoughts on how to approach and answer it. She didn't know much either about her connection except the fact that it brought calamity upon this world before and that she wanted to stop it. She knew that she and Elsword were Ying and Yang, but exactly what kind of connection did she actually have? Noticing her pause, Rena watched intently for any kind of threatening movement, her hand slyly wrapping around the bow next to her.

"If I told you that I intend to kill the Tempest Dragon, would you believe me?" Aisha murmured quietly, gazing up at the surprised face of the elf.

"Aisha!" Elsword said sharply, glaring over at her before turning his attention back over to Rena.

"Kill…? But isn't the Tempest one of your kind? A dragon?" Rena muttered puzzledly.

"There's only three dragons left within this world, me, Elsword, and the Tempest. It's not that much of a difference even if one of us disappears." Aisha stated bluntly.

"Besides, if we don't stop the Tempest, the same calamity from 700 years ago will occur again…" She whispered the last part but the archer's elven ears picked up on it quickly.

"What do you mean?! The same calamity which almost brought humanity to extinction will occur again?" Rena shouted, standing up suddenly which triggered Elsword to summon his sword.

"Wait, Elsword…" The mage reached a hand out to stop him from doing anything reckless, "Rena, calm down and listen to me, okay?"

It took a few seconds before the archer released a large sigh, nodding and sitting back down.

"The calamity that took place 700 years ago was caused by the Tempest Dragon, which also lead up to humans slaughtering the rest of us…" Aisha smiled thinly, "The Tempest Dragon is awakening once more, probably because we were reincarnated which weakened the seal that had kept the Tempest asleep."

"Seal?"

"I'm not too sure who created it, but I have a feeling it's from the previous White and Black Dragon,"

"Your ancestors…?"

Aisha nodded, pulling out Aureia's books which she had carefully collected and tucked away. Noticing this, Elsword placed a hand on top of hers, the action warning her of what she was about to do. The female gazed into his crimson eyes, a tiny message being sent between the two just through eye contact. The male sighed and reluctantly pulled away, rubbing his temples as he nodded.

"Those are?" Rena murmured cautiously, her emerald orbs trailing along the three books with wide eyes as Aisha handed them over over.

"It'll be faster if you read this,"

The elf took the books into her hands, gazing over them curiously before opening the first one. As she read, the two dragons waited patiently, amusingly watching Rena's facial expressions change as she flipped through each book.

"Everything's beginning to connect…" The archer whispered, her eyes widening as she shut the last book, "I have the next book that you are looking for!"

"You do?" Aisha stood up suddenly, her eyes wildly searching around as the elf stood up as well.

"Yes, I found it about a year ago but when I read it, it didn't make any sense to me at the time so I stored in a safe place. You see, Aureia's books are enveloped within this pure white energy, which made me realize that it might be connected to something important! To know that it was actually the information to what is occurring right now… It's just- it's just amazing!"

"Can you show us the book?" The mage asked determinedly.

"Of course! I'm sorry for not believing in you earlier… Follow me, it's at the highest point of Elidis Minentur," Rena ushered, climbing up and seating herself on Corymbus, "The only way to get there is through flight."

Nodding, Aisha and Elsword spreaded their wings, the two lifting up into the air alongside the Griffin. After making sure they were ready, the elf soared off and out of the trunk, swirling around the fairies. The dragons followed after closely, traversing into the top of Elidis Minentur, dodging branches and clusters of leaves that blocked their way. The flight there was rather short due to the speed they used and they momentarily arrived at the top of the tree. The roots which made up the trunk sprawled out at the top, the branches and leaves wrapping around in an arc to create a hollow area.

As they landed, Rena took to being the leader and walked towards the middle. Aisha let out a gasp at the sight before her, within the middle was a mass of beautifully curved roots shaped like a half moon which wrapped around a small and short pillar. What laid on top was a book which was held within an emerald orb.

"I placed that there to protect the book from getting damaged," Rena stated, stopping just in front before hovering her palm over the glowing hue.

I need to release the spell… The archer closed her eyes, softly murmuring tiny incantations under her breath. The two dragons watched in awe as the emerald orb glowed brighter, shapeshifting into different shapes as the book started hovering up. Just as the light began to shimmer at its peak, a sharp blue light shot forward, Rena jumping away just in time to dodge. With the incantation broken, the light faded back into its normal state, the book falling back down onto the top of the pillar. The four snapped their heads towards the direction from which the attack was shot, their eyes meeting a silhouettes cold cerulean ones.

Character Classes:

Rena (Guardian of Elidis Minentur) : Grand Archer

Corymbus (Griffin and also a Guardian) : Rena's beast/pet/friend/idk i just thought griffins were cool sorry

A/N:

Hey guys! Long time no see...

I know, I'm sorry for how stupidly long this update took! x.x

I have EXCUSES though! I took too many AP Classes and thus is bombarded with homework

and the new level cap on Elsword got me grinding (kinda)!

But hey, atleast new characters amiright? xD I know I did say before in other chapters

I wasn't adding the other characters but then I was like EH WHY NOT?

Well, I'm certain you guys were sure that Rena would've popped up soon, afterall

Elidis is a giant tree lol. And I'm certain you can guess who the last person was xD

Anyway, this chapter was definitely not my best, I didn't edit it as much so

there might be some repetitive words or weird sentences I didn't catch. I liked how I began the chapter

but then it got kinda crappy later on so sorry for that QAQ.

Answer to Reviews~

DerpyKanshii: me too! i love ancient civilizations and mythology! xD some fan service ohohohoho :3 i think it would take some time for them to kill hunters as dragons but if it were regular humans, rip them xD its September now! you probably have started hell as well MWAHHAHAHAHAH im sorry for the slow updates, i blame the school for taking away my time! 5 jugs of beer aheheheheh, elswords got some REAL tolerance now owo

TheWindWhispers: i did? thank goodness xD same, im so far away from cambodia owo i want to visit it one day :3 YES THEY HELD HANDS! FAN SERVICE! FOR ME AND U GUYS LOL the two dragons got some high tolerance going on hohohoho if it was me id die after like one sip xD elidis minentur or the giant tree in simple words ahehehe owo u found the picture? i hope i explained it correctly, tho i did add a few different details here and there~ chapter is here! i hope u enjoyed it :D

iReii: YAS DAS RIGHT CHUG DA BEER!

Orithia WindBell: omg thia u have such a pretty pen name xD orithia sounds like a princess from some beautiful country and windbell sounds so calming and nice! yes! elidis minentur is one of my favorite ruins/places so far! i love nature so this giant tree is living up to my fantasy of an imagination owo id love to go back to nature as well but idk if i can give up air conditioning and internet xD im glad the plot is flowing and i wanted to try adding a little more romance so that everything will connect together in the future :3 both are so oblivious i happen to love that type of innocent love x3 slower updates indeed, extremely slow updates qwq all these ap tests and homeworks are killing my soul already xD we have to definitely PUSH them to get together since these lovebirds are so dense! ahhh thanks for being patient with this slow egg! im trying not to abandon my stories like i did 3 years ago -COUGH HACK COUGH- hope u enjoyed this update :D

Once again, I'm sorry for the suuuuuperrrrrrr late update! But if you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review, thank you!