[Elsword] - Destination: Descendants

Chapter 20 - Lunatic

[Add's Point of View]

...

Operation: Save Ara and Ace's Asses was heading off in a positive direction. There were no hazards to be found in the rooms, just as Eve hypothesized. Zooming and whizzing along on my dynamos as I soared off, I vigorously and vigilantly kept an eye out for Ara and/or Ace, hoping that there were indeed no more enemies up ahead.

Hallways and hallways later (at the very least to say, they were all vacant), I stopped in front of a jail cell holding Ace, my adoptive son. But, here was the odd part: the prison gate was wide open. Yes, open. There was no way that this was legal. What the hell was the catch? Tsk. You don't just kidnap someone, only to leave the goddamn door open, where the rescue could easily happen. No, that's not how it works. F***ers. Who thought of this?!

Nonetheless, I was still grateful, somewhat, that whoever did this made things easier. However, I was still skeptical that this was all a trap. I sent three of my dynamos inside to investigate, although seconds later, they returned to me.

Sighing, I cautiously stepped inside the confinement, ready to withdraw if there was danger. As nothing seemed to transpire, I walked in to approach Ace, who was laying down flat, with his front facing the floor, his shirt tossed off to the side, and his dynamos nearby.

The boy was in an absolutely terrible condition, that even I was surprised. My eyes slightly enlarged at the sight, his back... its dermis was covered with cut marks, with blood that appeared to have only dried up a short while ago. Its paleness was stained with red, that was certain. I wasn't quite sure how long the injury would take to heal, to be frank.

Beside his body, in the gap between him and his shirt, there was a pink, frilly slip of paper on the ground. Narrowing my eyes at it, I commanded my Nasod weapons to bring it to me. It was a note.

...

Hello there, Add and/or team member(s)!

I had a splendid dose of mirth while toying around with Ace! Such a lovely boy he is~ ♥ This is my present to you, so go on ahead, take him before time runs out. I was also kind enough to leave his precious weaponry here, too. By doing so, please meet me as soon as possible, I am eagerly waiting. You won't be able to leave without putting up a fight against me, of course. From the moment you stepped inside, the main entrance has automatically locked itself. Who knows, maybe you'll be able to find someone else you're looking for! Come along now~!

With lots of love,

Ara, Ruler of Darkness.

...

I crushed the message in my hands, throwing it into the corner of the room. I knew this was Ara we were talking about here, but this form disgusted me. She was respectable at the beginning, but now? Pathetic! She said she had accepted her loss, but did she really? It all looked like some sort of long-lasting grudge, unless she held another ulterior motive.

Anyway, back to the main point of focus: Ace. He better have enjoyed that beauty sleep of his.

"Hey, wake up. Tch, hurry!" I glared at him, although I couldn't see his eyes.

There was no response. Sighing, I knelt down beside him, and began to shake his shoulders.

Approximately a minute later, a piercing yelp was heard, escaping from his mouth.

Half-teasingly, I laughed. "Kekeke... About time, Ace."

He slowly sat up, stretching. "D-Dad? AH! I-It hurts... it aches."

"Save your whines and complaints for later. Get onto your dynamos, and follow me. We need to find Ara, Amelia, and my two... friends, before anything else. Then, we can execute payback to those who have done this to you."

"Payback." he dully repeated. "Yeah. I won't let them do this to Ame, no matter what."

I was even more astonished when I saw a twisted smile, similar to mine, plastered across his face.

"Let's get... lunatic." Ace declared.

...

---[CHAPTER 20 - LUNATIC : END]---