The City of Empyrean [ON HIATUS]

Chapter 2: Trip to Hamel

After submitting the job completed, the Elgang went back to the mansion they've been living in. It was three stories high, this mansion is located in the woods and it was also near to Velder.

The sun already set as the sky was split blue and orange. Lights were opened in the mansion as Rena, Aisha and Ara prepared for dinner, while the boys sat on the couch, waiting for the food.

Raven was discussing about battle stances and strategies, but Elsword wasn't a good listener and sometimes gets bored whenever Raven- or Rena, talks about them. Chung, however, he have thought something different in mind.

He turned to the opened window just meters away, and saw Eve. She was training along with her precious servants. Lasers shot out and spears casted as several wooden dummies were turned to bits.

"Illusion Stinger!"

Eve... Chung thought. He was lost in thoughts and was still watching the Nasod, didn't even paid attention to Raven and Elsword's call, until he finally snapped back.

"Y-yes?"

"Are you okay, Chung? You've been dozed off for a while." Elsword looked concerned.

"Oh me? I'm alright. I was just thinking about coming back to Hamel." Chung lied.

But the infinity sword didn't seem to know that he lied, instead he grinned, "If you're nervous don't worry! Well, we can't wait to see your 'free' father!" Elsword assured.

Chung made a nervous laugh, "Gee, thanks!"

"No prob!"

Raven looked at Chung without him noticing, until he turned to Aisha, who called them that it was time for supper.

-----------------------------------
------

Everyone but Eve, finished dinner as they went to their rooms. Yes, the mansion have all rooms for six people, though it's pretty big. Chung lied awake on his bed when he heard the laser sounds. Surprisingly he wasn't thinking of the trip, instead he was thinking of Eve. Up to now, she's still training? He thought.

Suddenly, the sound of lasers faded. He sat up and began to wonder as he looked through his window.

He saw the Battle Seraph walking back to their mansion. He sighed in relief, seeing that his friend stopped training, he went back to bed and finally fell asleep.

------------------------------------
-----

"We have returned."

A man covered with hooded-red cloak appeared, followed by other two hooded cloaks, one was green and the other was blue.

"And we have news for you." Said in monotone by the hooded-green cloak.

"Finally! It's about time that you got something good this time." Logan said haughtily. Aidan ignored him as his eye looked at the red hooded figure. "Go on."

The red hooded figure spoke with his mouth, as a man's voice came, "We found it."

Aidan's eye looked at him intense, "Really? Then where is it?"

"It's not where." He replied, "She has it."

Silence filled in the room as the white-hooded woman broke it, "If she has it then why didn't you capture her?"

"Because there were people with her." The green hooded figure replied.

"People?" Logan asked.

"Yeah!" the hooded-blue cloak figure interrupted, with a voice that sounded like a maniac, "There was a group of people, but one is an elf and the other is a hybrid." He explained.

"Then why do you fear of such people like them?" Aidan asked.

"That's not all, general." The red hooded man replied, "Among them, was a child of your great nemesis."

Silence came back once again. Aidan hid his eye under his cover as the five hooded figures looked at him, waiting for his response until he finally said,

"Where is she now?"

"I believe that she and the group of people are heading to the City of Atlantic."

"The City of Atlantic..?" Logan asked.

"But now, everyone calls it the City of the Water..." The white-hooded woman replied. "But isn't that where-"

"He lives." Aidan finished before her. "Then wait for their arrival there, and if they do... Capture her without any eyewitnesses, especially that child."

With no questions asked, Logan and the white-hooded woman stood up from their sits as they left with the other hooded-cloak figures, but the red-hooded man stayed behind.

"What is it now, Adam?"

The man-Adam- calmly replied, "I believe there's something you want me to know."

Aidan looked at him in silence as Adam turned with last words, "Guess not." There he walked in the darkness and disappeared.

He looked at to where Adam disappeared as he pulled up his left arm, revealing strange markings around it. All of them are rune letters, but at the center of it, was a giant-like centipede forming an infinite sign.

He repeated the words of his subject said as the runes and the centipede on his arm began to glow dark purple. So you still have your child? He thought as his arm began to glow even brighter. "I wonder if that child of yours would be the next..."

------------------------------------
------

Pelicans pecking on the stone ground as they quickly flew away when Elsword and Chung ran into them.

They ran as fast as they could, passing some food and item stalls until they saw ships on a port.

"There it is!" Chung pointed out, "Hurry up Elsword! The ship is about to leave along with our friends!"

Elsword stopped in his tracks as he hardly panted, "Chung, please give me a minute."

"No one minute!" Chung abruptly grabbed him by the arm.

"Hey!" Chung ignored him as they both ran straight to the port.

-------------------------------------
-------

Eve watched down silently at the port covered with crowded people

"Where are they?" Ara asked. "They should be here by now."

Ara stood beside her while Aisha walked around circles feeling frustrated.

The other members of the Elgang were already at the ship that takes them to Hamel. Raven and Rena went inside the ship, just to put their stuff in the their local rooms along with their weapons.

"Wander off, I guess." Aisha huffed.

"Don't include Chung," Ara reminded, "Besides he's honest! He's not the kind of person to do that all day!"

Not the kind of person... Eve thought.

"I wasn't including him, just Elsword!" Aisha pouted.

Eve didn't turned to the Dimension Witch when she quitely said, "You two are one old married couple."

Hearing the word 'couple', made Aisha's face turn red as Elsword's hair. Ara concernly looked at her and asked, "Are you sick, Aisha?"

"W-wha? No, I'm not sick!"

"Then why is your face's red?"

"Um... It's just-"

"Oi!"

The girls looked down and saw Chung waving his arm at them with Elsword behind him, who was panting like crazy.

"They made it!" Ara said happily.

"And what's with him?" Aisha asked with her face came back to normal when she saw Elsword acting weird.

Eve scanned on the red head and said in monotone, "Tired."

The boys quickly went aboard the ship and it was ready to sail off to Hamel with unexpected events await the Elgang.