[Elsword] - Masked Renegade

13 - Reverie

...

That night, nothing significant occurred. The Haan household was duller than normal, because of the death of the Red Knight. Ara had placed the box of cookies from Ciel on the table, heading straight to sleep. Since both bedrooms were occupied by their guests, she was forced to rest on the couch, while her brother took the other one. At least it was better than the floor.

She glanced at the cracks under the doors of both rooms before diving straight into slumber. The lights were shut off, indicating that both Aisha and Add were most likely asleep. Relieved, she made herself comfortable on the leather sofa, after slightly shifting around. It was hard to be perfectly comfy due to the limited space, but it was manageable. She peered over at her brother, who was already laying down on the seat opposite of hers.

"Good night, Brother..." she softly smiled, closing her eyes.

"Night, Ara. Sweet dreams, sleep tight, and don't let the bed... er, couch-bugs bite." he chuckled.

~

For the first time in forever, Ara had drifted into a serene reverie. Ever since Add materialized into her outside life, she hadn't been dreaming. She hadn't seen the 'dream' Add she admired. Yet, when she finally dreamed once again, a new face manifested. It wasn't Add.

The landscape turned into a bright array of puffy clouds. The hues of blue in the skies adorned these balls of fluff, dazzling with radiance. Ara was standing on one of these clouds, glancing around, alarmed. She felt practically weightless in the presence of the white blankets of fuzz. She bounced around, soaring through the air gracefully, before making a mighty land. But, what did all of it symbolize?

A figure appeared before her, blocking the dim sunlight. A girl that looked quite similar to her in several aspects. She had long, black hair, with a single streak of white. Her left eye was orange, just like her, however, her right eye was red. She wore identical attire, but it was different all the same. She had a more... darker feel in comparison to Ara Haan.

Despite being so alike, the Sakra Devanam had no clue who on Earth she was.

The unknown female smiled at her. At first, it appeared to be a kindhearted, soft, and welcoming smile. The more Ara observed, the more different it became. It started to alter, slowly shifting into a cunning simper.

"Who... are you?" Ara spoke up to inquire, though her voice was noticeably trembling as she attempted to play a bold front.

"Look how much you've grown, Ara. Who am I, you ask? You can call me Ava, or maybe even Asura, but really, we're almost the same person." she grinned.

"'Same person'...? What do you mean by that?"

Ava's grin widened. "Bubbling full of questions today, huh? Being curious isn't a bad trait, but I think it's too soon to go so deep into what we truly are. For this visit, I'm just here to congratulate how far you've gone."

Before she could respond, Ava had approached her from behind, gently embracing her as she patted her head. "Now, now. Let me finish talking."

Ara was stunned. The aura Ava had given off was unnerving to her, but at the same time, it felt relaxing, as if her vibe was alluringly drawing her closer.

"In this world, no, universe, you cannot trust every single individual you meet. Ara Haan, you are still naive, and despite my congratulating merit to you, you still have much to learn. Let me give you some advice. The only one you can truly trust is yourself, and even so, your 'heart' isn't too reliable of a choice to rely on. Not even your beloved brother Aren can be trusted. Understand?"

"W-Wait..! Miss Ava... what do you mean?"

"You never know when the people you thought you knew best are going to backstab you. Just like that. Everything you once thought was yours, could simply vanish. Pay heed to my words. If you don't, then so be it. I'll be watching your suffering from afar, nonetheless."

Ava released her from the hug, leaving the vulnerable, confused, and off-guard Ara standing there, trying to process everything.

And just like that, as Ava had said, the 'trust' shattered. The Asura pushed her off the clouds.

She gaped, gasping as her eyes dilated in fear. She reached upwards as she fell sky-high, grasping at the thin air. The pressure plucked at her delicate skin. There was an unpleasant ringing in her ears. The atmosphere seemed to close off on her. Everything was breaking apart, but what was there left to hold on to?

How long had it been? Finally, a splash was made. The clumsy girl began to fade into a deep, body of water. Descending down into the darkness, as she plunged into the shadows. She began to lose her senses the more she sank. The water penetrated through her body.

There was nothing remaining, and the scene faded black.

...