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[rainsonata]

Doppelgänger 6/15

Chapter 06: Mindfulness  

Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; none Rating: M Word Count: 7,205

Summary: It was like looking into a mirror. What happens when one’s reflection talks back and throws uncomfortable questions? El Search Party struggles to find entrance into the Demon Realm, but Dominator has a plan.   

Alternative Title: Dominator fucked up and now everyone meets their alternative selves   

AO3 Link / FF.NET Link

— [Chapter 01] [Chapter 02] [Chapter 03] [Chapter 04] [Chapter 05] [Chapter 06] [Chapter 07] [Chapter 08] [Chapter 09] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15] —  

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Class Notes: 

Canon Path: Knight Emperor, Aether Sage, Daybreaker, Rage Hearts, Code: Esencia, Comet Crusader, Apsara, Empire Sword, Doom Bringer, Ishtar and Chevalier (Innocent), Bluhen   

Alternative Path: Rune Slayer, Oz Sorcerer, Anemos, Furious Blade, Code: Ultimate, Fatal Phantom, Devi, Flame Lord, Dominator, Timoria and Abysser (Catastrophe), Richter

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Code: Esencia

Fighting has temporarily ceased. In what appeared as a sign of victory was cut short by the appearance of an additional enemy. He shared Rage’s appearance in facial structure and body, but his disposition and body language spoke volumes of his intentions. Esencia understood when Blade extended his sword, lowering his body with the poise of a veteran fighter. His narrow eyes revealed a common emotion the Nasod queen recognized in all living beings she had fought. Blade was wary, defensive.  

Her scans displayed readings Esencia saw when she looked at Richter. Same levels of El as Rage, yet there were differences that perplexed Esencia. Nasods and humans’ levels of El fluctuated depending on the situation and their condition, but always had an average reading. Rage and Blade had similar levels, but they were distributed in different areas. It was as if Blade had neglected his Nasod arm in favor of another form of fighting to have developed higher stamina than his counterpart.   

Grabbing Richter by the arm, the swordsman aided the blue-haired man in a quick but clumsy exit. Rage had once performed an act of kindness when Esencia was damaged from a fight against the demons invasion in Velder. He and Bluhen were not enemies, but they were not what humans considered to be close friends, only lifting their heads slightly in acknowledgment if they happened to be next to each other. Seeing their alternates come to each other’s aid wasn’t something Esencia could have predicted.    

How many were injured? Empire asked through their communicators, her intonation rose at the end in concern. Is everyone all right? 

“How did you know?” Apsara asked, “Are you hurt too?” 

The red knight gave a quiet chuckle, You left your speaker on again. 

“How- how much did you hear?” The martial artist stuttered, waving her arms in alarm. Empire didn’t need to see Apsara’s face to recognize the panic in the martial artist’s expression, exaggerated even by human standards. Hair strands perked from her hairline, falling over Apsara’s pink face.    

Enough to catch that argument you had with Ain, Empire said. That was him, right? He didn’t sound very friendly. 

“Hmph, that is a subpar description of what he is.” Ishtar puffed her cheeks, crossing her arms closer to her body with a deep scowl. “An ungrateful brat who won’t call us by our names.” 

“Doesn’t ours do the same?” Chevalier was confused, “He only recently started calling us nicer names.” 

“Is Rune safe?” Esencia asked. “Has he spoken?”

Out of the rune user’s insistence, the party had dubbed him as Rune to avoid confusion between the two Elswords. He was their leader, yet at the same time, he wasn’t Knight. Members of the El Search Party commented on his clothes (“Are you sure you don’t need another jacket?” Crusader asked). 

With a gentle smile, because humans became eased when given little gestures, Rune failed to conjure a proper answer when Esencia offered him tea. A melancholic expression flashed in his eyes before the magic knight agreed to help them. The same eyes Esencia had when she opened her eyes to discover that her faithful servants were no more. Guilt. Pain. Things she once felt shame to possess. Did both Elswords experience them too?   

It was difficult to determine the cause of the appearance of their counterparts due to insufficient data, but the Nasod queen was prepared to utilize what they did know. Rune was another Elsword who claimed he had contact with their leader. That was why she accepted the El Search Party’s decision to keep Rune. His resonance with the El could be helpful in addition to Bluhen’s in finding Knight in the shroud of dark El and demon inhabitants.  

Empire lowered her voice into one of sadness. Lights flickered from their communicators, no longer flashing a message to all team members. She didn’t want to be heard by the others. Her voice reached their smaller group of four. 

Rune’s still here, Empire said. I told him not to push himself, but he kept apologizing, saying it’s his fault.

“They located us,” Esencia looked to the distance on her left side, allowing her lens to zoom into the moving shadows in the distance. “There are four of them.” 

“We’ll talk to you later,” Apsara spoke into her communicator. “Keep everyone safe.” 

Her speaker went off before Empire could give a response.     

The sky glowed, iridescent light shining in all directions. Gold thread swung over Richter’s head, steel-blue eyes gazed ahead with long hair extending down his back. The colors in his eyes inverted - pupils and sclera turned blue and white irises. El radiated from the man’s pores as he drew out pointed blades for each hand; they lacked physical shape but were held together by an immeasurable amount of sheer will. 

Several blades formed around Richter, merging into a longsword as he dashed forward and propelled himself. His blade clashed with Ishtar’s, barbed weapons sharpened at their ends with each side waiting for a moment of hesitation from their opponent. Richter backed away at the sound of bullets coming from his right. 

Smoke emitted from Chevalier’s gun blades. Bullets pierced across the battlefield the second time, bringing the priest’s attention over to the butler. Fighting a human opponent made Chevalier cautious, pulling his trigger away from Richter’s vital organs. It was apparent that the blue-haired man’s intention was to keep the priest alive. He had no interest in killing his own kind when they could make use of Richter’s knowledge. Richter’s intention in attacking them wasn’t something Esencia could extract from a database if one existed.  

Chevalier adjusted his feet, spread apart to fire a giant cannonball. Intensive levels of energy spiked from his gunblade and imploded. The aftershock threw Richter against the tree trunks with an audible thud. The teal haired man wiped his forehead, furrowed brows and stared at the crisp cut indented into exposed alabaster skin.     

Clutching her left arm, Ishtar smirked. “Your timing is impeccable as always.”

“My apologies,” Chevalier landed on his feet. The cross-shaped firearm on his back shifted as he repositioned himself. “I’ll have to be faster next time.” 

A shimmer of light shone in Ishtar’s hand, materializing into a blue spear. Light shimmered at her feet, leaping midair and blue flames flared from her body. Fire crackled and engulfed Richter in a sea of blue. The forest’s temperature rose in unison to the duo crossing their weapons. 

Moby and Remy alerted Esencia to look over her shoulder. Her lens shuttered. Oberon summoned by her side, her servant raised a blade in each hand for a wide slash. Each pose was precise with a purpose, reading his opponents’ moves to formulate the next attack. The chain attached to Oberon’s shoulder blade clanged when he pressed his blades together to block an attack. A pair of heeled shoes with spiky cleats came into her peripheral vision. 

The wind carried Anemos’ weight in a complex dance of jumps and sprints. The markings on her thighs made her similar to Ventus’ not only in appearance but in the way she held herself. She was confident, but the smile tugging at the edge of her lower lip gave way for a very human expression in which her brows were lifted ever slightly, gleaming with a spark of playfulness.

Anemos twirled, performing somersaults and landing high jump kicks into Oberon’s chest. The Nasod assistant flew across, slamming his foot back in resistance with blades dampening the elf woman’s attack. 

“Sorry! My bad~” The elf spread her fingers in a lazy wave, “I heard you were here. Didn’t know you had extra friends with you!”

Esencia winced when Anemos left an indentation between Oberon’s ribs. Pulling her servant back, blue screens projected from Remy and Moby. She had a sentry drone take over and ordered it to charge. Its small size took Anemos by surprise and made the elf lose her footing in the sudden attack. Anemos took the fall in grace and landed on her palms, bringing her legs back and into a backflip to avoid further damage. 

“Friends…” Esencia pursed her lips. Extending this fight would be beneficial because it would buy time for the rest of the El Search Party to get away from the chaos, but she recognized the flaws, as well as a Nasod should. Longer fights meant a reduction in supplies and high risk in losing valuable team members if any of them were injured. She had her servants, but they didn’t perform well in extraneous fights. Identifying and targeting Anemos’ weakness must be a priority. The Nasod queen trusted her friends’ ability to take on the other three.

“Airelinna,” Anemos brought her palms together. A gentle breeze summoned a small creature, leaving a blessing and restoring her stamina. Her footsteps became lighter as she drew out her bow. Arrows formed at Anemos’ fingertips and shone, raining down upon the Nasod queen.          

“Oberon,” Esencia drew back a hand to summon back the Nasod servant. “Protect.” 

Oberon held his arms out and summoned a blue dome-shaped barrier between Anemos and them. The electric field sparked as he raised his blades at the elf, pushing her back and blocking her attacks.   

“You’re not chatty,” Anemos tucked her body into a low crouch. She hugged her left arm and winced in pain, sweat trailing down the side of her neck with a tired smile.  “You and Eve would get along well.”   

Esencia blinked. The other Eve? Something in her circuits clicked at the mention of another Nasod queen. They would likely hold the same code if the other Eve followed the same path as she did, but it was not the first time the thought had occurred in Esencia. The loneliness persisted even after she reclaimed her servants. Would the other Eve experience the same emotions as she did?

“Unless you know where Elsword is, there is nothing to add to this conversation,” Esencia said. 

She ordered Oberon to retrieve and raised her hands to summon her other servant. Humanoid in appearance, Ophelia was shorter than Oberon and donned a knee-length dress.  

“I thought you would say that,” Anemos sighed. 

Propping herself back on her feet, Anemos leaped from across, taking long strides and using her magic to increase her speed. The elf strung her bow back, firing three arrows at Ophelia. Ophelia emitted electric currents from her core, catching the arrows midair and reducing them to ashes.      

A kick to the side, a powerful wind churned from within Anemos. Powerful wind picked lifted Esencia into the air as the elf struck Ophelia between the ribs, sending the servant flying across the forest. The tornado dropped Esencia to the floor, but not before she dropped into Oberon’s arms. She thanked the Nasod and patted Oberon by the shoulder to be lowered. 

Oberon sliced through the air with his blades, forming a circular motion as he danced a macabre dance. Moby and Remy burst into awakening mode as Esencia activated the Queen Core. The core configuration reversed into a ring with the core at the center and blared a violent red. Lasers shot from the core’s essence in unison to Oberon striking into their target. 

Blood gushed from Anemos’ forearm. The woman wrapped the injured arm with a spare piece of cloth and applied pressure to it. She kept her weight in the back of her feet and kept moving, her eyes danced between Esencia and the Nasod servants. 

“The way you fight reminds me of someone,” Anemos breathed. “He’s not one to underestimate the enemy either.”

“You acknowledge being the enemy?” Esencia asked. 

She giggled, “I’m not blind in your distrust of me.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous,”  Esencia denied. Until there was enough information about the El Search Party’s counterparts, she would withhold trust until there was evidence saying otherwise. The Nasod queen was uncertain about having an amicable opponent, too friendly to make her comfortable.   

“Do you now?” Anemos drawled.      

“Oberon,” she called for her servant. “Sonic Wave!”

Appearing in front of the queen, Oberon took charge. His helmet shone as he raised his legs and kicked the ground to propel himself at Anemos. Oberon performed a backflip for a wide slash with the side of his blades when Esencia detected foreign Nasod technology. Before her program could detect the source, an unknown object flew past her field of vision. It followed Oberon. Moby and Remy detected its movement guided by a tracking device. There was insufficient time to identify it. A flat disc the size of her palm fired into Oberon’s body, increasing the number of dents in the Nasod before returning to its owner. 

Four drones appeared together as a cluster. She picked up high readings in energy as pink lasers fired from them in unison. Oberon fought to resist the tension, waving his blades to inflict damage, but they persisted. Temperatures rose the closer the drones approached Oberon, melting through his plated exterior and forcing the Nasod to shut down.     

“What kind of drone is this?” A male voice rose from the dust. Sparks flew from a pair of magenta eyes, “Is that all the Queen has to offer?” 

Esencia narrowed her eyes. Oberon was a servant, not a drone. She did not need a facial recognition program to inform her who the man was.  

Dressed in white, Dominator had six drones and a pair of circular ones following him the way Moby and Remy did for her. Using his drones as a makeshift seat, the man crossed his legs and ground his heels against what was left of Oberon’s faceplate. The black portion was scraped to expose melted circuits and snapped wires. 

“Didn’t I tell you I would take on the Queen?” Dominator pulled Anemos up from the floor, “The fox is all yours.” 

“Leaving her to me and Raven?” Anemos was not as impressed. 

“It takes time to set up the perfect experiment,” the scientist waved his hand. “Wouldn’t you agree, Eve?” 

Her circuits ran hot in response to his intonation. Dominator talked more than Bringer by a wide margin. Regardless, she held the same emotion as she did with the brawler who proclaimed himself to be a Nasod engineer. Irritation flared from Esencia’s emotion control circuit before she had the time to rein back control on irrational thoughts. 

Dominator mentioned a fox. Apsara was a target to the opposite El Search Party because of Eun. They viewed her as an obstruction from confronting the martial artist and sent Dominator to fight her. Leaving the Nasod specialist to fight the Nasod queen was a logical decision on their part. Oberon was no longer in service, but Esencia still had her servants and her friends. That would be enough to sustain herself.       

“No response?” Dominator chuckled darkly, “That’s fine. The priest told me about your new drones. Let’s see how they fare in an experiment.”  

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Rune Master

“How many were injured?” Empire spoke into her mic in a hushed tone, whispering words not meant for anyone to hear. “Is everyone all right?” 

Rune leaned inward, yearning to listen to the conversation the red-haired knight had with their - her teammates. They looked like his friends, something he was still scrambling to piece together with as much grace as one could in his situation. He wasn’t going to pretend that he understood why there were two El Search Parties, but he knew that Empire was concerned for the well-being of her friends. Empire wouldn’t be his big sister if she wasn’t as caring and took responsibility for the pain of others. 

A cold chill ran over Rune’s pores, a cool breeze rustled the leaves from the tree trunk where he laid his head to rest. If he gazed at the sky, he could have identified all of the constellations overhead. The stars’ alignments shifted from their positions in Elrios, but they were recognizable once he adjusted his perspective of them. 

“I’m here if you need to talk.” Empire’s voice rang in his head.  

Ever since he confronted Solace and gave himself to the El, he gained newfound sensitivity to everyone’s wavelengths. He saw colored lines connecting the users to the source. Although he wasn’t as adept in detecting and differentiating El resonance as Richter, Rune knew as soon as he met Knight. They ran on the same wavelength, a red spark formed between the two before violently torn apart by the demon encounter. 

“Why do you talk to me like I’m him?” he asked.   

Rune reached for his communicator, toying with the white device clipped between his jacket sleeve. The thin purple highlights shone innocently under the moonlight. His sister’s counterpart was occupied with her own conversation and the rest of the group were tending to their wounds from the previous fight. This was his chance to contact his friends and make a run for it. He needed to let them know where he was. 

“But you are him.” 

Was he? Rune was no longer sure. He may have shared the same El resonance as Knight, but did he use it to its full potential? His father and sister trained him the way of the sword, only for Rune to pursue magic in their absence. Knight stayed true to his ways and became a Velder knight, never losing sight of the dreams Rune abandoned in Elder.    

“Knowing that I’m not him, you still hold me captive?” Rune lowered his head, “That’s selfish of you.” 

Rune knew he hit a sore spot because Empire flinched from the disdain in his tone. Captive was a strong word, but being tossed over Rage’s shoulder like a rag doll without his say in the matter wasn’t exactly something he was gung-ho about either. Who would have thought Blade’s counterpart could make impulsive decisions on the fly without making a lecture out of it? 

“You’re the last person Elsword talked to.” Empire whispered, “Any clues about his whereabouts would help.” 

So they were going to keep him here until he spilled the beans or when they found the poster boy for heroism? Rune didn’t like it. Weapons were drawn and emotions ran high. As long as Knight was absent, any words of reason would fall into deaf ears.  

Slipping away now was a possibility, but it was a fool’s plan if Rune wanted to be outnumbered and outpowered. In unknown territory infested with demons, the odds were against him if he wanted a successful escape. Although the group was four members short, seven people remained. It was best to stay low and wait until his friends could find him. Ultimate and Dominator had the technology to track him and Richter, Abysser, and Timoria had their keen senses.         

“I know you’re not happy but…” Empire choked, “Please. He’s my brother.” 

Rune bit his lips. He was awful at saying no to his sister. She just wanted to see her brother again. How could Rune deny her that when he went through the same pain? Knight gave it his all and pushed him away in exchange for his livelihood, an act of selflessness he had clearly learned from his sister. It was a weakness that was going to be exploited against him one day, Rune looked up in exasperation. 

How hard could it be to find a redhead in a dimension where everything came in shades of blue and purple? If Knight was anything like him, he wouldn’t stay quiet for long and cause havoc to whoever was unfortunate enough to kidnap him. Rune had doubts Knight was one to stay put without fighting back. The rune user wasn’t even aware of Knight’s existence until hours ago, yet it had become easy to accept his other self after the initial shock.   

Rune did what he could to be discreet in turning on his communicator without making it obvious. No need to alert the El Search Party that he was making a call. He saw Knight’s friends using similar devices as his, identical in everything but the color schemes.   

“Come on, work!” Rune mumbled to his communicator. 

It worked fine when they were in Elrianode. Why did it lose connection now? Was it the high concentration of Dark El or demonic energy? He allowed the device to flicker to life and stayed still. Static filled his eardrums as he struggled to find a connection. No luck.  

Was there no other way to contact his friends? Rune looked at the device in defeat, pondering if smacking it by the side would fix it. Dominator would probably yell at him for that, but at least he’ll get a good laugh out of it.    

“Elsword?” 

“Ack!” Rune tossed his communicator in the air, juggling it between his two hands before stuffing it in his jacket pocket. His shoulders relaxed when he saw a pair of eyes the color of the Hamel sea. “Hi, uh… Chung. What’s up?” 

“Do you mind if I join?” Crusader pointed at the patch of grass beside Rune, “We won’t be moving until everyone is well-rested.” 

Rune shook his head, biting the side of his cheek. What was he going to do? Say no and tell Crusader to go elsewhere? Discomfort edged in the back of his mind at the thought of shooing the other male away. He scooted to the side and made room for the guardian, pulling his legs into a criss-cross with his arms on his lap. Next to the full armored Crusader, Rune felt naked and exposed to the elements in his unbuttoned white jacket. 

Phantom once explained to Rune about the material used for the armor Hamel soldiers donned in combat. There was a science in making the white armor durable enough to absorb damage in battles, but light enough for the wearer to stay on their toes and avoid detection by the enemy. The armor and destroyer made Crusader reminiscent to Helputt, who Rune had met briefly before he left to fend off the demon army. Would Phantom still have a father if their party found the elder Seiker earlier?   

“I’m sorry about how I’ve been treating you.” Crusader rested his cannon against the tree trunk. “I should have listened to you and now we’re in this mess.”

“I’m not sure if that would make a difference,” Rune closed his eyes. “Carrying me off without an explanation isn’t a well-thought plan.” 

Crusader stared at the rune user but agreed, “I guess not…” 

“Never thought Raven was the impulsive type.” 

“What is he?” 

Rune grinned, “a bird.”

“I’m being serious,” the guardian deadpanned.  

“How can you say I wasn’t?” Rune covered his chest with one gloved hand, “that really hurt. I thought we had something together.” 

Crusader turned his head away and let out a quiet huff, sweeping his bangs to the side. He wasn’t going to ignore Rune, was he? Not even an acknowledgment of his ridiculous statement? Phantom would have thought it was funny, Rune looked at the guardian in disbelief. 

A pointed hair ornament held his ponytail together and gave the guardian a regal look like the princes that lived inside Rune’s storybooks. His facial features were Phantom’s, yet they were different. Was it because Rune was aware that this was not the Chung he traveled with? Or was it because Crusader held caution in approaching him as if he was an abnormality? Someone to be wary of?  

“Why are you in Demon Realm?” Crusader asked. 

“Can’t a guy take a scenic stroll?” Rune dropped his smile when he realized he wasn’t going to get a response from Crusader until he dropped the facade. “It’s the same reason as your Elsword. We’re looking for information about the Dark El and the El is unstabilized again because of me.”

“The El,” he echoed. Recognition flashed in Crusader’s face, horror and guilt pained in his eyes. “Unstable because of you? Elsword, that isn’t your fault-”

 “Call me Rune,” he interrupted. Rune was not going to deal with the confusion of two Elswords if they were going to talk about him. It hurt to see Phantom’s look-alike show undeserved solemnity for a carbon-copy of their leader.  

“You’re just as foolish as him,” Crusader said without venom. “Don’t take the blame for everything when it’s our fault too.”

Ah, this conversation again. He could feel Crusader’s fixed stare into the back of his neck. It wasn’t fair feeling complacent in talking to a man who looked so much like Phantom. So serious, yet had his emotions out on display like a playbook. Rune almost felt guilty for toying with him.   

“That’s what he said, too.” Rune let out a genuine laugh, “Did Elsword succeed?” Rune was hopeful. Did Knight find a way to stabilize the El without a human vessel?  

“No, the El is unstable.” 

His heart dropped. Nothing was different from his timeline? Rune glanced over to where the rest of the El Search Party were. Moonlight shone across to where he and Crusader sat, just enough for Rune to make out the figures dressed in green, red, purple, and black huddled together. That must be Daybreaker talking to Empire and Rage. Their shadows leaned against the base of an overhauling tree lined by fluorescent moss. Rune could barely make out Doom Bringer’s silhouette with his weapons floating beside the brawler. Flowers bigger than them curled at the end of their sharp-edge petals, roots scrawled over the damp floor.  

Crusader turned his attention to where Rune’s was. Sitting at the base of the tree was Aether talking to Bluhen. The two had their heads close together, moving their lips in inaudible exchanges. Their quiet murmurs filled the emptiness between the deep parts of the forest. Crusader’s his eyes crinkling when he saw Aether explain something to Bluhen. 

Don’t be stupid, Rune scowled. That’s not Phantom. He and Oz have done collaborations in the past, but he didn’t see her like that. Phantom wasn’t interested in… No matter how similar they were, Crusader didn’t choose to become an assassin. They couldn’t be any more different. No need to get frustrated. 

“Is something wrong?” Crusader turned to face Rune.  

Rune held an unsteady gaze at the blond man, searching for signs of Phantom in the guardian. Same complexion and body structure, although it was hard to tell with the heavy armor plates. 

“Your crown thing,” Rune pointed at the hair ornament sitting at the back of Crusader’s head where the ponytail started. “It’s falling off.”  

“Oh, you mean this?” Crusader tugged and pulled it out. He ran the comb teeth through his hair, tucking it back and pulling his hair to make sure it stayed there. “Wow, you have an eye for this. Thanks!”            

“Sure,” Rune hated how hollow he sounded. The redhead sighed, “Doesn’t it bother you that both of us failed to stabilize the El?”

“It was our decision to rescue Elsword.” Crusader’s expression remained kind and patient. “Even if it meant risking the world, he meant more to us than the El.” 

“Placing your trust into one guy,” Rune tilted his head. “Is that a wise decision?”    

“Are we talking about you or Elsword?” Crusader asked. 

“Both.”  

Forget about holding accountability for a party of twelve. Rune never asked to be placed with the responsibility to keep the world in balance. He was no longer the awkward teenager searching for an adventure and place in the world, but doubt in himself remained. Why him? There were knights and soldiers more capable than him!  

“You’re not the only one searching for ways to keep the El alive.” Crusader got on his feet and offered a hand to Rune, “You have friends to help.” 

Rune accepted the male’s hand and was pulled up to his toes, shaking his legs from a bad case of pins and needles. “How do you know they don’t hate me for pulling them into all this?” 

“I don’t,” Crusader admitted. “But if they followed you into Demon Realm, I doubt they do.” He stole a glance at Aether again to see the mage leaving, “Let’s head back. Everyone’s waiting for us.”

“Thanks for the talk,” Rune looked at his scarless hands. How did Bluhen do it? He should ask if Richter could do the same. “I needed it.” 

The guardian smiled, “That’s what friends are for.” 

But we just met, was caught in the back of Rune’s throat when Crusader smiled. The rune user ducked his head and ran to catch up to the El Search Party crowding beside a giant flowering plant for shelter. He was surrounded by familiar faces, yet they were all new to him. Rune took a deep breath. The sooner he helped them find Knight, the closer he was to return to his friends. What a mess. 

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Dominator 

Collecting battle data from their opponents was panning out to be better than Dominator ever could have hoped for. The butler and his demon brat were occupied by a disgruntled priest with no tack. Thanks to Anemos, the queen was worn down and allowed Dominator to come in and take down one of her main Nasods. Blade’s plan was to pull away three of the opposing team’s long-ranged fighters to reveal Apsara’s blind spots.  

“Don’t tell me this Nasod is all you have.” 

Dominator grabbed a broken Nasod arm and tossed it to the rest of the white armored Nasod beneath his feet. Disappointing. Has Esencia gone weak from the security of relying on her servants? Richter said she had more Nasods under her disposal. Where were they? 

“Oberon is a servant,” Esencia glared.   

“My apologies,” Dominator said with amusement. 

How interesting. The queen saw her subjects as sentient beings despite being their creator and programmer. Had Esencia been an organic lifeform, Dominator suspected she would have broken into angry tears over the damage he had done to the Nasod.    

“Ophelia!” Esencia ordered her servant, “Assault Spear!” 

Another Nasod rose from the ground with a spear almost twice her height. Ophelia, was it? Weapon pointing downward, Ophelia descended. Dynamo blocked most of the impact, shielding him from the attack. Pressured strained against Dominator, placing his weight to the back of his feet and gritting his teeth. 

Dominator gagged as dust and debris settled around him. It was going to take hours for him to wash out the dirt after this, he scowled. No matter, this battle should be easy. His eyes landed over to Ophelia, who had sparks flying from her forearms and one leg pulled back into a fighting stance. Just a little further and he should have enough information on the Nasod servant. 

“Drone Activator!” The tracking device shot in the form of missiles, aiming for Esencia. 

Ophelia dashed to take the hit for her queen. The device latched onto the Nasod’s stomach and flashed purple to signal the target’s location. Dominator reached for his panel as Dynamo alerted him on his opponent’s presence. Blood trickled down his leg as Dominator caught Esencia firing electric shocks alongside her Nasods. His vision went red as Dominator experienced high voltage of electricity traveling through his body. 

Dominator snarled and bared his teeth. He wasn’t going to let Dynamo and his armor reach their limits before passing out. Not when he was close to acquiring data on another model of Eve. Sparks flew from Dynamo as Dominator installed a set of drones at his feet. Lasers fired and rained down on his opponents, casting harsh lighting against the dense forest.     

Launching herself up into the air, Esencia fired electron balls as she glided away from the explosion. Electric currents shot from Ophelia’s forearms before her exterior was decimated by the heat from Dominator’s Starfall. The Nasod’s outer shell cracked before she was recalled by Esencia. 

“Impressive,” Dominator stopped to catch his breath. His face stung from the bleeding, how troublesome. “You have separate Nasod units to address your limitations in battles and your powers are still functional. I wouldn’t expect less from the Nasod queen.”

Esencia had a core hidden behind her bangs. It shone a brilliant light despite the accumulating scratches from the current and previous battles. Most Nasods would have lasted in half the time Esencia did in their fight, but it helped when she had an array of servants to fight for her.  

“Surely you have something to say,” Dominator rubbed his chin. “Don’t you have questions to why you are no longer the only Nasod queen? Do you realize that means there are multiple timelines existing in different dimensions?” 

“Be quiet,” Esencia said. “Unless you know where Elsword is, discussing this is pointless.” 

“The red menace?” Dominator snorted, “Don’t make me laugh! You have him. I am-”

“Annoying,” Esencia looked down at the scientist. “You talk a lot.” 

Ouch. 

“Blunt as ever, I see.” Dominator wiped the blood trickling his mouth with his sleeve and grinned. “Why are you fighting me then? Certainly not because you want to listen to my lovely voice.” 

“Elsword is missing and was last seen with yours.” 

“An idiot attracting another idiot,” Dominator commented.

Learning that Rune cooperated with the other Elsword was valuable information the El Search Party would find helpful. The scientist froze when he saw a shadow from above, a giant mechanical arm summoned over Dominator’s head. It slammed into the ground, sending seismic waves vibrating through the ground. 

Heaven’s Fist missed Dominator by mere inches as he phase shifted to a higher place. Rocks shot from the ground up and tossed him around, applying pressure and shoving him to the side. His body protested in the rough treatment and to the metallic taste in his mouth as Dominator crawled on his fours.  

“Don’t be rude,” Esencia glared.  

Looks like he hit a sore spot when it concerned the opposing team’s Elbrat.       

“Apocalypse!”

Screens surrounded Dominator before he summoned Nasod cubes to unionize into one several times their size. They moved together as a unit and followed their master in search of a target. Individual cubes rearranged themselves to resemble a flower. Apocalypse shot lasers from the end of its petals and fired missiles. They exploded as they came into contact with an invisible dome protecting Esencia.  

A shadowed figure formed from the dust. Esencia’s third Nasod assistant wore a white trench coat over a pair of black boots with a gold visor hiding his eyes. He landed feet first with his head lowered, bowing to Esencia and wielding a blade. Nasods obey their creators, but the ones under Esencia’s command treated her like their ruler. Were their codes based on human behavior or was it simply them recognizing Esencia as the Nasod queen? 

“Ferdinand, battle mode!” Esencia cried. 

The Nasod dashed forward, electric currents traveled through his blade and struck. Sparks clashed between Ferdinand’s blade and Dynamo, absorbing the impact and reflecting electric shocks to the Nasod. Apocalypse fired a particle beam at the Nasod, forcing Ferdinand to recede from Dominator.    

Dominator summoned a drone and activated it midair. A black hole formed around the drones and caused an air suction, pulling the Nasod servant and his queen away from the ground. He launched a drone and attached it to his target. Numbers appeared on Dominator’s screen in a countdown only visible to the scientist. The smell of burning metal filled his nostrils as the explosives set off on Esencia’s body and stunned the ruler. Charged Impulser released its hold and Esencia collapsed to the floor.  

Apocalypse hovered over the scientist and pointed the particle cannon to Ferdinand. Good, cube. Esencia’s Nasod servant zipped through the air with acrobatic grace, evading lasers and missiles from the destructive cube. Apocalypse trailed behind Ferdinand, nipping at his heels for lack of better wording.      

“What’s wrong, Eve?” Dominator taunted, “Did you run out of servants to fight for you?” 

It was interesting to note the destructive code’s absence in Esencia. Was the queen aware of the ancient code? Or did this timeline fail to raise the factors that could have pushed Esencia into becoming a destructive Nasod as Ultimate did? Not only did her appearance contrast Ultimate’s, but her stamina and how she fought suggested that her codes were a variation from her counterpart.    

Wait. Dominator turned his heels at a realization and checked his scans. His eyes widened. Esencia was still active. A lone figure blurred, too fast for his eyes to have time to come into focus. Electric currents crackled from the edge of Ferdinand’s blade. Hot pain erupted from Dominator’s body, red spots dotted and bled into his vision. Lightning struck his body and traveled down his chest. Dominator hissed in pain, closing his eyes shut and hugging his shoulder blade where Ferdinand had struck. His body shook, gloved hands drenched in blood and sweat. Dominator ignored Dynamo’s alerts flooding his screens.

Damn you, Eve.

Dynamo huddled together in defense when Dominator turned to face Esencia’s Nasod. Ferdinand raised his blade and swung past where Dominator’s head once was, turning to strike again before the Nasod’s body shone in bright light. Ferdinand’s body shuddered, his movements churned into a sluggish response before the Nasod vanished from sight. 

Dominator checked for Apocalypse’s status. Datalog said it wasn’t Apocalypse that forced Ferdinand to shutdown. Unless… The scientist pushed his screens aside and looked at where the queen was supposed to be.      

Esencia remained laid down with her porcelain face to the side and visible cracks on her body. She was in sleep mode and was conserving energy from a forced shut down. Her long figure was hidden by layers of a white gown smeared by red demonic dirt. A bulk of metal stuck out from her ribs at an odd angle, coming close to jabbing into someone’s leg. The elf had her foot over Esencia’s chest and rested her chin over one knee.     

Blood gushed from his shoulder and Dominator’s face turned red, moving his arms so he could use his jacket to stop it from further bleeding. The blood was going to seep through his clothes and he would have to wash it again. How troublesome. His stomach churned when she placed a hand over his arm.  

“How much does it hurt?” Anemos asked. “Are you okay with sitting?”

Dominator nodded, forcing himself to speak. “Ha, the queen is no pushover.” 

The elf supported his back with her hand and ushered him to rest against a tree trunk, lowering his body and making sure Dominator kept his balance. He closed his eyes shut and breathed through his mouth. It stung when he stretched his shoulders for Anemos to inspect. 

Anemos produced a thermos in her hand, twisting the top and opening to reveal crystalline liquid filled to the brim. A strange flower laid at the bottom of the thermos - white petals blooming out of its blue center. Steeped in boiling water for hours at a time, it had a bitter herbal taste that refused to leave Dominator’s mouth after taking a gulp with a pinched nose. It was a disgusting concoction (“Everything’s edible once you heat them up!” Ignia said with a wink.), but it somewhat lessened the pain by numbing his nerves.  

Dominator looked ahead, refusing to look as Anemos opened his bag. No matter how many battles he fought, he couldn’t stand the sight of blood on his own body. It reminded him too much of old memories he wanted to forget.   

He smelled the ointment she used for all occasions and applied pressure to the wound with a cotton ball. Mental images of a woman with white hair and gentle eyes flashed in his mind. The scientist fluttered his eyes open, careful not to move too much unless he wanted to feel his tendons sting. 

“I found valuable information that may help us,” Dominator blurted. “Elbrat was seen with theirs.” 

“The other Elsword?” Anemos added another cottonball to soak up the blood. She pulled out a bandage to wrap around his shoulder blade. “I did hear something about that, but I didn’t see anyone else with Elsword.” 

“Theirs have gone missing too,” he added. “Taking the brat as a replacement, huh? Ow!”

“I don’t think so,” Anemos tightened the bandage and sighed. “Their Eve mentioned looking for their Elsword even though ours is with them. They might have thought Elsword could help find him.” 

Hey, that was painful! She could have cut his blood circulation! Dominator directed his glares to the older woman, hoping she would recognize his annoyance and feel guilty. Anemos threw him a deadpan expression and might as well have shrugged, Nice try, Add. 

“Elsword this, Elsword that.” Dominator grumbled, “It’s always about that kid. We might as well find him ourselves so we can trade, I guess. Use him as a bargaining chip. Brat for a brat.”     

“We can do that,” Anemos had a thoughtful expression. “Are you telling the others?” 

The scientist covered a part of his face with one hand. “I didn’t think we were going to search for two. Are we spreading ourselves too thin?”   

“Let’s focus on finding their Elsword since we already know ours is with them.” 

Dominator snorted, “we’re going to need nicknames if we’re going to keep talking about them.” 

“Isn’t this something you enjoy talking about?” She asked. Anemos tucked in the ends of the bandage and washed her hands with water from a water bottle.  

“Yes,” Dominator chuckled with a smile. “Inconvenient, but fascinating nonetheless.”  

He saw Anemos shaking her head with no foul intent, a look of wonder she held when she didn’t quite understand what he was talking about. It didn’t bother him. No one in the El Search Party besides Ultimate had a true grasp of what he did. Ultimate wasn’t much of a conversationalist and Rune was more likely to ask him questions about his research than the Nasod queen herself. Hm, it was quiet without the red punk to fill the silence with his pointless chatter.

“Eat up,” Anemos offered him a tart, topped with vanilla buttercream frosting and jam made from Elysion’s star fruit. “You need to heal.”  

“They won’t be happy once they find her,” Dominator stole a glance to where Esencia laid. 

Restoring Esencia wasn’t his responsibility, but Dominator had a feeling the other El Search Party will try to make him do it anyway. Ugh. Nothing a few hours of repair couldn’t fix once she regained power, but he was worried. To his knowledge, Blade and Richter were still fighting if they hadn't returned or contacted them. 

“Let’s focus on getting back to Ain and Raven,” Anemos said. “They need our help.” 

The Star Fruit Tart kept its shape when Dominator broke it at the center to take a bite, a sweet but citrusy taste. He stuffed another tart into his mouth, snickering when Anemos shook her head again but smiled. Collecting battle data for the fox and the demons were worth the investigation. Fighting their teammates’ alternates was going to be interesting, Dominator mused. He left Esencia sitting upright against a flowering plant with her eyes closed before joining Anemos with Dynamo behind his heels.   

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

Author Notes: Thank you for being so patient with me. Life has been busy for the past few months and I realized that the year is almost done. I will try my best to continue writing the later chapters in between busy hours. I miss writing these characters and I’m thankful for those who still stick around to read my works.

#elsword #eltag #mywriting #my writing #elsword fanfiction #Elboy (Elsword) #Aisha (Elsword) #Rena (Elsword) #Raven (Elsword) #Eve (Elsword) #Chung (Elsword) #Elesis (Elsword) #Add (Elsword) #Ain (Elsword) #Lu (Elsword) #Ciel (Elsword) #itsbeen80yearslolnojk #doppelganger