[Elsword] - Masked Renegade

01 - Daze

...

Another night, another dream. Ara Haan had a habit of venturing through millions and billions of dreams, where she was always confronted by an imaginary friend of hers. She was a teenager already, yet she was still attached to the allies in her reveries. It seemed 100% normal to her, friends were just friends, after all.

This time, it was a grand castle. Golden glowed and shimmered throughout the ballroom, pairs of people royally dressed and masked, dancing into the darkness. The masquerade commenced, but Ara was still searching for her buddy.

A pair of arms embraced her from behind, a gentle voice following. "I'm here."

She could've recognized that tone miles away. "Add!" she beamed, turning around to hug him back.

Both of their masks had already been put on, a white dress complimented by a black tuxedo. Ara's long gown majestically swirled as she twirled around happily, while Add awkwardly fixed his tie.

"Sorry for being late, Princess. Anyway, may I have this dance?" he bowed on one knee, taking her hand as he softly pecked a kiss.

"Of course you may!" she smiled in return, faintly blushing.

Add wrapped around his right arm around her waist, as she placed her left hand on his shoulder. They clasped their free hands together, and began to step around the dance floor, blending in with all the other couples.

Before long, all the other duos had stopped in their tracks, making a lengthy path for Ara and Add to cross through. They observed and cheered, Ara didn't quite mind the attention and fame, it was fun to be with Add. It was her own daze, and because of that, there were no boundaries; everything was limitless, even the skies.

Hours and hours later, the party was coming to an end. The final classical song had finished playing, as it gradually faded away. The background scene was vanishing into dust as well, and only a white, blank space remained. Ara stood there, embracing Add once more before the reverie ceased. Her head rested against his chest; she could feel his heartbeat thumping loudly as each second flew by.

"That was really fun! Well, I guess I'll see you sometime soon." she said, a tint of disappointment in her voice near the end due to having to leave.

He nodded. "See you. Before you go, I have something for you."

"Eh?"

The Prince lifted her chin, inching closer for a kiss. Right before their lips met, Ara woke up.

~

The teen of Chinese descent sat up groggily as she yawned. It was one more daze to her collection, one more haze to her library of imagination. However, something seemed off. Something, or someone, in her bedroom wasn't supposed to be there.

A boy was peacefully sleeping beside her, using the same blanket as she was. The male seemed to be around her age, and looked identical to the Add in her dreams. Pale skin, silvery hair, and dazzling purple irises.

"Ava..." he mumbled in his sleep.

Though she wasn't sure about who this 'Ava' was, a loud shriek escaped from Ara's mouth.

'I-Is this supposed to be another dream?!' she panicked. 'Why does he look so much like Add?! WH-WHAT IF BROTHER AREN SEES?! Eeep! How on Earth did this happen?!'

The shrill, of course, had disturbed the stranger's rest. His eyes slowly opened up, battering slightly at the sight of her, confused about what was happening. He sat up as well, rubbing the corner of his eye.

"Where... am I?" he asked, not seeming to care about being in the same bed as her.

"Y-You're in my house! A-Ah, who are you, and how did you get here?!" she shouted, a reddening blush dusting her cheeks.

"Who am I? I don't really know. How did I get here? Don't know that, either."

Absolutely clueless, he glanced around. The name 'Add' was written on the back of his hand with a Sharpie marker, and so, he soon gave a reply to her first inquiry. "Oh. I guess you can call me 'Add'."

Bewildered at the coincidence, she fell silent for a few seconds before more and more queries popped into her mind. "Well... My name is Ara. Ara Haan. But! My older brother lives in this building too, and I don't want him to misunderstand--"

With perfect timing, the doorknob was twisted and turned over, as the entrance was free. Aren walked into the room, his orange eyes widening at the sight. "Ara..?"

"E-Eh?! B-Brother, it's not what it looks like, I swear!" she cried.

...