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Tainted
iReii | Spirify

Characters:
Ara - Sakra Devanam
Add - Mastermind (He has hair like Diabolic Epser, however.)
Aisha - Void Princess

BGM Battle in the Tomb of Hero | Vanilla Mood | kwon7108
kwon7108 is the YouTuber that uploaded the video. Enjoy while reading :)

I.

Ara sprinted, slipping and panting as she pushed through fallen debris and citizens that cried out in anguish. The beautiful and intricate designs of homes within Hamel were destroyed as countless dark demons stormed across the city. Cries of help echoed into Ara's ears and she scrunched her face, ignoring them as best as she could.

"Aren!"

Her voice came out hard and heavy, almost like a desperate plea. Her legs burned from the momentum of her speed but she pushed on, every fiber of her being screaming for her to find him.

"Aren! Where are you?!"

There was no answer. Blurry images of bloody citizens flew by as she jumped over a fallen home, sweat trickling down her face and dropping to the ground.

"Ara!" Sharply, the Sakra Devanam came to a halt, whipping her face around to find the source of the voice,

"What are you doing? The citizens are in danger, you need to save them!"

From a far, a man clad in armor walked towards her; Penensio, Commander of the Red Knights. Ara looked down, swinging her spear to her back. She let out a heavy breath and refused to make eye contact. Penensio waited impatiently for an answer, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he took note of her behavior.

"Are you hiding something from me?"

With that sentence, Ara glanced up uneasily, a distant sight from not to long ago popping up within her memories. Her grip tightened on her weapon and she slowly shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry. I was trying to find the source of these demons." It wasn't a lie but it wasn't the truth either.

Penensio's face held uncertainty but nevertheless he said nothing. Turning, Ara hastened her pace, the short time spent talking between her and her commander putting a huge disadvantage on her side. She practically charged down the road, jumping and dodging giants pieces of stone as she headed for the middle of the empire. Deep down, she knew the source of the demons, but somewhere inside of her, she refused to acknowledge it. As she came closer to the center, a tightening pain filled her chest. With her breath held, Ara rounded the corner and prayed to the Lady El, prayed that it wouldn't be him. As she turned, it seemed like time stopped and her footsteps slowed.

"No..." She breathed out brokenly, "No..."

But whatever she said meant nothing as the sight of her brother holding a jagged sword came into view. Silky smooth white hair elegantly floated with the wind along with glowing magenta eyes that stared down coldly. Two thick, large horns grew from his head and his skin color changed to one of a pale violet. He would've looked like a Demon Lord if Ara didn't know who he was.

"Aren!" The Sakra Devanam's voice came out raspy and desperate and she started running again.

The demon turned his head, his eyes holding a endless void. Calmly, he lifted his sword, a light amethyst hue emitting from the blade.

Ara back down!

Suddenly all sounds vanished as the Aren slashed down, an intense shock wave flowing out violently. Within that moment, Ara held her spear in front of her, eyes shutting closed quickly. An extreme amount of power hit her body, sending her tumbling back rapidly. Ara felt Eun's energy wrap around her body as she smashed into the ground, a gasp escaping her mouth. Her head felt heavy and a thundering headache soon came after. The amount of shock, pain, and damage left the girl breathless and incapable of screaming. She could feel her conscious fading and her body felt numb and light. Slowly, her ability to hold onto reality dissolved and she soon fell into darkness.

BGM A Tale of Two Sisters OST : "Epilogue" Piano Cover - Lee Byung-Woo | REYNAH
Reynah is the YouTuber that uploaded the video. Enjoy while reading :)

Tick... Tick... Tick...

The sound of the clock began quietly, slowly becoming louder and louder. Ara could hear feet bustling and voices whispering. Her head felt heavy and painful and moving seemed to be out of the question. Beneath her body, she felt a soft mattress and a fluffy pillow placed under her head. As she laid there, her hearing was coming back more clearly and she could finally understand what they were saying.

"How could he? He was the hero of this empire! I don't understand why he would do such a thing..." It was a girl's voice.

"He's a traitor. That's the only reason demons were able to invade our city. Our protection is top notch but with a spy, it wouldn't be impossible to infiltrate." This one was much lower, perhaps a man?

"...Yes, he's a traitor. Even if we had hailed him as the hero of this empire, it doesn't justify the amount of innocent

lives lost. He's not longer a hero just another demon."

"He even attacked his own sister. I should never have trusted Aren!"

As the words left his mouth, Ara shot up violently, eyes snapping open as she shouted out, "No, it's not his fault!"

Silence filled the room as the Devanam looked around, her face twisted desperately. The two voices came to be of Penensio and Ariel. Sadly, Ariel gazed at Ara with pity, her usual bright smile gone, leaving behind the face of a broken human. Penensio face remained stoic but his eyes betrayed that, holding a swirl of anger and regret.

"Ara. You can't justify what Aren did. It doesn't matter if it's his fault or not, he was the cause for the amount of lives lost within our Empire." He looked away from her, avoiding eye contact as he spoke.

"But..!" Ara cried out, tears now brimming her eyes, "I don't know what happened, but Aren is not the type to do this. He's my brother I know! He's sweet and warm and he fights for justice... And I just know he would never do this!"

Penensio's face hardened and he turned to face her completely, "Ara!"

The Devanam's voice instantly faded and she was left with tears streaming down her face. Quietly, Ariel sat down on her bed, placing a comforting hand on Ara's head.

"I know this might be hard for you Ara... But, Penensio is right. Even it if wasn't Aren's fault, the city will never forgive him."

But her words were far from comfort and the only thing Ara could do was lay down and cover herself pathetically with the blanket. She heard Ariel let out a soft sigh as the weight of her body lifted off the bed. Silently, Ara listened as the two left, the door echoing close behind them. With her fingers, she wiped the tears off her face, taking the blanket off and sitting up. Her sniffles were quiet and the only sounds left was the ticking clock.

Ara... Ara listen to me.

Suddenly, a smooth voice filtered into her head and she looked around bewildered.

It's Eun. Ara, listen to me. I happen to know what has become of your brother. During his attack, I sensed a very dark and powerful energy emitting from his sword. I believe this energy is Dark El. If your brother has become corrupted due to Dark El, I advise you stay away from him before it taints you as well.

"Dark El…?" Ara murmured to herself quietly, wiping the last of the droplets of her face.

Shifting her legs, she stood up, carefully looking for her spear. Within the corner of the room, she spotted it and grabbed it before opening the door cautiously. When the coast was clear, the Devanam left and headed for her room. Luckily, the place where she was resting was a small hospital wing within a large dormitory in which she lived in. Despite the sadness which still bubbled within her chest, Ara felt determined to find her dear brother and to cure him. Even it if meant, she would leave behind her home.

A/N

Spirify and I used to write fan-fictions for Elsword about two years ago, however we quit.
Recently, we both had burst of imagination and decided it was time to come back, and this story was created!
All the stories will be posted on mine, iReii's account.

Constructive criticism is always welcomed and please R&R! ^^