~ The Demon Child and the Village Girl ~

Aisha – Dimension Witch

Elsword – Infinity Sword

It was late spring, and the flowers had finally begun to bloom. In the soft golden light of the warm, morning sun, it looked as if small fairies were dancing around the colorful blossoms. The trees nearby rustled their leaves softly, as if the forest was an enchanted orchestra. A passerby, wearing a purple hooded cape, stopped to take in the view, rubbing her eyes occasionally to erase the illusion of glowing nymphs flittering about on the beautiful fields.

"What lovely flowers…" The young girl whispered to herself. "I wonder if Grandfather will like them?"

The girl placed down her wicker basket on the gravel road and quickly ran to the nearest patch of flowers – a small gathering of yellow daffodils.

"In the ancient language of the flowers, daffodils represent 'respect'…" The girl let out a light laugh. "These will be perfect for Grandfather!"

Kneeling down, the girl began to gently pluck the flowers, being careful not to damage their stems or any other plants nearby. As she plucked the fifth flower, the girl stood up and murmured an incantation, being careful not to be too loud. As soon as the words left her mouth, the cluster of daffodil stems in her hands began to wrap themselves around each other, forming a very simple but lovely bouquet. She smiled, pleased with herself.

"Hey there, Aisha." The girl quickly turned around to face the voice, huffing slightly at the familiar hooded figure before her.

"What are you doing here Elsword?"

The taller boy laughed, though he did not walk closer to the girl. He pulled his beige hood back slightly, revealing spiky red hair, with a taint of black, and sharp crimson eyes.

"What about you? Are you visiting your grandpa again?"

"Yeah, Grandfather's gotten very ill recently…" The boy frowned.

"He's sick? That's not good, hope he gets better…" The redheaded boy trailed off, unsure of what to say next. He looked away, scratching the back of his head with his arm.

With nothing else to say, Aisha walked back onto the road, placing the flower bundle into the straw basket. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a large, fresh gash across the boy's left forearm. She let out a gasp, eyes wide.

"Elsword! You're hurt!" The hooded girl exclaimed, running over to the surprised boy.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?!" Aisha grabbed his arm, continuing to examine the large wound, despite his complaints.

"Stay still! We need to get you treated before it gets infected." Struggling to maintain her grip, the girl quickly cast a restriction spell, binding the boy's body and limiting his movements.

Seeing that the girl had no intention of changing her mind, Elsword let out an irritated sigh and relaxed his body. He watched as the girl continued to chant multiple healing spells, sealing off the wound and fixing the skin around it. With the wound healed, the girl called off the bind on the boy's body. He quickly pulled his arm back, muttering a simple "Thanks" as he turned away. The girl smiled.

"You're welcome." Her smile faded. "Did… Did the villagers try to kill you again?"

The boy averted his gaze, though he could still see the girl's amethyst eyes clouded with worry.

"It's no big deal…" He replied, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

The girl did not respond, even though it was quite a big deal. She didn't know much about the redheaded boy – only that he was once under the care of Mayor Hoffman, though his presence was kept a secret. Ever since the villagers discovered his unusual red eyes, they labeled him as a demon child and kicked him out of the village. As for the mayor, he was… …punished heavily for "siding with the demons". 'Even though neither of them have ever done anything wrong…'

Aisha pulled her hood back, letting her long curly pigtails fall on her shoulder. She reached up and patted the boy's head, much to his surprise. Gently, she brushed a few loose strands of hair away from the boy's face, pinning it to the side with her hand. With her free left hand, she pulled the purple barrette out of her hair and clipped it to the boy's head. She pulled back, placing her hands on her hips and smiling victoriously.

"There we go! I'm letting you borrow my favorite hairclip, so don't you dare lose it!"

The boy gave an amused snort, replying with a cynical tone.

"Thank you, oh mighty Aisha."

The girl laughed, pulling her hood back up as her face turned serious.

"Until I see you again, please don't get caught…" She whispered softly.

The boy smiled, gently reassuring the purple-haired magician. "Don't worry, I won't die."

He too, pulled up his hood, tucking his crimson hair into the cloak. With a swift motion, he grabbed the small girl and pulled her in a tight embrace.

"Thank you for believing in me…" He mumbled.

With one last gentle squeeze, the boy pulled away, chuckling lightly at the girl's flustered face.

"You'd better hurry, before it gets dark."

With a vibrant smile left on his face, the boy began to run deep into the forests, waving his injured arm cheerfully as he bid farewell to the twintailed maiden.

"Bye-bye Aisha! Don't get caught now!"

The sun had begun to set, leaving a small purple-haired girl slightly worried as she traveled through the large forests. There had been rumors of bandits appearing at night, kidnapping any poor maidens they found and… She shivered, unable to continue the train of thought.

Collecting herself, Aisha began to hasten her pace, hoping to arrive back in her home village before they closed the gates. Eventually, the girl slowed down, feeling quite exasperated after running for so long. She did not want to use any teleportation magic, for fear of being discovered as a mage when she landed, but the only other alternative…

Aisha glanced around and, seeing no one in sight, raised a finger to her lips as she mumbled out a time-space distorting spell. Spreading her arms out before her, a small gust of wind blew by, leaving behind a set of small, cloud-like wings on the girl's white boots. Knowing that the spell would last a minute at max, Aisha began to dash quickly towards the village, running at a god-like speed.

As the tall, wooden barriers entered her view, the mage quickly stopped and dispelled the buff cast upon her. She dusted her clothes and pulled back her hood, letting her loose curls fall gently. She glanced up at the sky, noticing that the last rays of sunlight were just about to disappear. Collecting herself, Aisha began to lightly jog to the village entrance, only to be stopped by a trio of unfamiliar people.

The tallest had rough chestnut hair and a scar over his right eye. As if his large build and menacing glare were not intimidating enough, he also wielded a very large broadsword upon his shoulder. His companions were hidden behind white fox masks, though their voices easily gave away their gender.

"Hey boss! Looks like that girl's a magician. What d'ya wanna do with her?" One of the masked males, wearing a putrid green jumpsuit, asked laughing.

The presumed leader let out a loud bark as he took a step closer to the scared girl. He turned his head to face her – a wide smirk growing on his scarred, tan face.

"I don't know much about magics, but I can bet she'll fetch us a pretty little penny on the markets. Tie her up will ya? But don't hurt her too much; I'll want to play with her later." He laughed loudly as his underlings pulled out their various knives and blades.

Aisha took a step back, gritting her teeth tightly to prevent them from chattering. Not only did they discover her secret, but also planned on selling her off? She shuddered at the thought.

The twintailed maiden took a death breath in an attempt to calm her rapid heartbeat. She had once studied in close combat and offensive magic, but never practiced after Wally became mayor of Elder – passing a law that forced all magicians to be reduced to mere slaves. She would not have enough time to stand around and chant an incantation or gather enough mana to attack with.

As risky as it was, the best plan of action would be to teleport straight back home and pray that no one would catch her in the act. However, the main problem of the bandits still remained. Such a long-ranged teleportation spell would take some time to cast, even for a mage who specialized in time and special distortions. She clenched her hands tightly, and began to whisper the words to the spell as quickly and quietly as she could.

"Hey girly, don't be scared. We won't hurt you… …Too much." One of the bandits cooed.

Aisha did not pay attention, tuning her mind out as she continued to chant the spell. Seeing the bandits close in on her, she began to slowly step backwards, sweat beginning to form on her forehead.

"Oof!"

Aisha bumped against a wall, cursing under her breath as her spell was interrupted. 'But wait... There shouldn't be any walls out here, in the middle of nowhere…'

Without any warning, a pair of large hands grabbed her fragile waist, lifting her high up into the air. The twintailed magician let out a yelp, and began to struggle against the grip.

"I caught her boss!"

The girl glanced down at her attacker, noticing him wearing the same fox mask as the other two bandits. Her mind began to race as she continued to struggle against the strong grip. What could she do? What could she do? Her eyes darted around, trying to find something that may assist her escape. She found a speck of red.

Before her mind could even register what had happened, the red speck flew from the forests and towards the bandits. Screams of fear and agony were heard as the small group fell one by one. Feeling her attacker's grip loosen, Aisha clenched her eyes shut, preparing for a nasty fall. She felt her body fall, but felt no impact. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes, widening them in shock at the sight of her savior.

"E-Elsword?!"

The crimson-haired boy smiled, his crimson eyes shining in the dark of the night.

"I'm glad you're safe. That was really bad luck though, having to meet these nasty guys out here." He glanced around, his eyes cold and sharp.

Following his gaze, Aisha noticed the still corpses of the attacking bandits. Before she could closely examine their bodies, her head was turned towards her friend's chest.

"Don't look." He whispered, surprising the girl.

She nodded, feeling queasy about the whole incident. It was only then that she had noticed the position she was in. The redheaded boy had wrapped his arms around her legs and waist, lifting her in the famous 'princess' or 'bridal' carry. She felt her face flush with embarrassment.

"P-Put me down. I can walk by myself." She commanded, not daring to make eye contact.

The boy obeyed silently, gently lowering the smaller girl back onto the earthly ground.

"You should hurry back, before the gates close. There might be more out here." The girl nodded.

"Thanks for saving me."

"H-Huh? I mean, it's no big deal. Anyone would have done that…"

The girl let out a light laugh, turning to face the boy. She noticed a certain, purple barrette clipped to the left side of his hair and let out a surprised cry.

"What's the matter?!" The boy asked sharply, worried. The girl beamed.

"You still have it! My hairclip!" She flashed a bright smile at the taller boy, watching with an amused face as he fluttered about, trying to come up with a plausible excuse.

"Th-There's no reason to throw it away…" He quickly turned away, hiding his red-tinted cheeks from the bubbly mage. The girl let out a small chuckle.

"…Thanks."

"Aisha!"

The purple-haired magician turned around at the sudden desperate-sounding call. She saw Luichel – her landlady and aunt – run towards her, a terrified look on her face. And behind her, many other villagers, all carrying torches or various spears. The girl stared at the mob before her, wondering why in the world the villagers would be out and about in the middle of the night – with weapons, no less. And then it struck her. She glanced at the boy behind her, noticing his clenched fists turn white. He bit his lip, drawing blood, but continued to stare at the ground unfazed. The girl reached an arm out to him.

"Els—"

"Aisha, get away from him!"

Aisha flinched at the harsh command, and turned to face her neighbors. Although the sun had already set, the light from the flames easily revealed their putrid expressions. Hatred. Disgust. Fear. Scorn. All directed to an innocent, young boy. She swallowed, forcing saliva down her dry throat.

"Please… Please wait! Elsword's innocent! He's never done anything—Kya!"

Aisha felt a harsh force on her back and quickly moved her arms out, collapsing on the ground and kicking dirt all over her white and magenta outfit. She peered over her shoulder at her silent friend, noticing his crimson eyes hollow and regretful. As if he was apologizing for his non-existent sins.

"Take the girl, I don't want her anymore. And clean up after my men while you're at it." He gestured to the corpses nearby. "Those guys were useless, but don't worry, I'll find better ones to replace them." He smirked haughtily at the small crowd, earning incoherent shouts of various threats and insults.

The girl stared at the redheaded boy before her, shocked at his sudden transformation. But before she could react, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her.

"Oh Aisha! I'm so glad you're still alive…" Hesitant, Aisha gently patted her aunt's back, as if trying to reassure her. The older girl suddenly pulled away.

"Are you all right? Did he do anything to you?" She called out worriedly, her eyes darting for any injuries.

"I'm fine Luichel, but Elsword—"

"Don't worry about him sweetie. We'll take care of him; you'll never see him again."

Wiping her tears on her sleeve, Luichel stood up, a bright flame flickering dangerously in her caramel-colored eyes. She turned to face the proclaimed demon boy.

"We'll give you one last chance – leave this village and never return."

The boy gave an amused snort.

"I'll leave all right – your hosting skills are very terrible. But I like it here, so I'll definitely come back. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week…" Elsword clenched his arms behind his head in a casual, nonchalant manner, ignoring the enraged cries of the villagers. He turned around, hiding his watering eyes from everyone before him. He blinked rapidly, forcing the tears back. Collecting himself, he raised his head to bid farewell to his only friend.

"I'll see you later Aisha. Let's play some more next time okay?"

And without another word, the boy ran deep into the forests, leaving the villagers extremely bewildered.

Aisha stared at the dark forests, unsure of how to react. It was as if the boy had been intentionally trying to get the villagers to hate him. She did not understand. Why?

The girl snapped out of her trance as she felt a pair of hands clasp her shoulders. She raised her head to meet with caramel orbs and bright orange hair. She glanced around, noticing that she was surrounded by her many neighbors. She looked at her aunt.

"Aisha, I'm sorry, but this is for your own safety. We don't know when he'll come back and try to kidnap you again. Please understand sweetheart." Luichel then pulled the younger girl into a tight embrace.

Returning the embrace, Aisha glanced around at the debating villagers. She could not concentrate, but heard bits and parts of every conversation.

"…lock her up…"

"…as bait, lure out the demon boy…"

"…lly's knights and protect her…"

She didn't know what the villagers were planning, but was too focused on their prejudice nature. Why couldn't they just give Elsword a chance and see that he wasn't a demon child? She lowered her gaze. All she wanted was for them to see him as a regular human boy he was…

Aisha stretched her arms, raising them out to embrace the clear blue sky. It had been months since she was last able to leave the village, courtesy of a certain redheaded troublemaker. ...A certain redheaded troublemaking friend… She hung her head, letting her violet pigtails fall off her shoulders. It had been months since she last saw her crimson-eyed friend. Ever since his little speech, more bandits had appeared around the village, leading the villagers to think that Elsword had sent them. She doubted it, but not even her loving aunt would believe her claims of the boy's innocence.

She let out a sigh and prayed that the boy was all right. Tearing her gaze away from the sky, Aisha walked over to a nearby tree and sat down, leaning her back on its broad, smooth bark. Despite nearing fall, the forests stayed lush green, as if the plants were trapped in time, though most of the flowers had already withered.

Seeing no one in sight, the twintailed magician pulled out a thick novel from one of her many dimensional pouches. She brushed her gloved hand over the leather-bound cover, cleaning it of its non-existent dust, not even bothering to glance at the title. She opened the book, flipping by many pages until her eyes settled in on the crisp black text. 'Chapter One: The Girl Lost in Time…'

The girl began to read, though her mind did not absorb the words. Her hands unconsciously flipped the pages, though she did not understand anything that occurred in the novel. Eventually, her mind began to doze off, though her hands continued to turn the page.

A soft rustle above her head awoke the girl from her trance. She raised her hand to touch her head, feeling silky petals and soft leaves adorned in a ring-like pattern. Her mind awoke with a start. 'Flowers? But they should have all wilted…'

"Like it?"

The girl raised her head, meeting with a smiling, hooded figure. The stranger pulled his hood back, revealing spiky red hair and similarly shaded sharp, crimson eyes.

"E-Elsword?!" The girl gasped, her eyes wide with a mixture of emotions. The boy laughed in response.

"The one and only."

He sat down beside the girl, pulling his left leg in to use as an armrest. He let out a quiet sigh, raising his head to gaze up at the clouds above.

Aisha stared at the boy beside her, an overload of questions flooding her mind, though no words came to her tongue. Her eyes darted to a familiar barrette clipped in his messy red hair.

"You still have it? My hairclip?"

The boy turned to face the twintailed magician, replying with a sincere smile.

"Well, I don't have a reason to throw it away… …Just yet."

"Yet?! What's that supposed to mean?!" The girl pouted, earning a cheerful laugh from her redheaded friend. The boy's lighthearted laugh was contagious, and the girl soon found herself laughing alongside the redheaded boy. Her smile quickly faded as a thought ran through her mind.

"Hey Elsword, is it okay for you to be out here? I mean, the villagers still think you're…"

She was met with silence. The boy did not respond. Instead, he smiled and reached out his arm to ruffle the girl's hair, much to her annoyance.

"It's all right, I'll make sure they don't find me. In return, you have to try and come out here as often as you can okay? I've got lots I want to talk to you about. And now that the bandits are finally gone…"

Pieces of a puzzle formed together as Aisha connected his words with his speech months ago. The sudden increase of attacking bandits near the village. His arrogant speech that made the villagers fear for the young girl's safety… The girl broke into a wide smile and inched closer to her red-eyed friend.

"Okay! I promise, so you've got to keep your promise too."

The boy laughed.

"I promise. So you see, I went to Bethma the other day…"

The girl quickly chanted a spell, opening a dimensional pouch and tossing her book in it. The boy continued to speak, completely unfazed by her spells.

Aisha smiled. She was glad that the boy was able to trust her, despite being a mage. And she was even gladder that she was able to trust the boy, despite all the cruel myths surrounding him. Adjusting her flower crown, she turned to face her loyal friend, listening intently as he continued to tell his tale of fairy tale-like lizardmen, walking cacti, and dragons made of bones.

Eventually, the setting sun alerted the duo of their ever-nearing parting. Elsword stood up and stretched his arms, stifling back a yawn. He turned to the smaller girl and offered a hand. Aisha grabbed the outstretched hand and pulled herself up, dusting her dress with her free hand.

"Hey Elsword, can we meet again tomorrow? Right here?" She asked, slightly worried about the boy's response.

"Of course. And the day after tomorrow, and the day after that." He smiled reassuringly, gently squeezing the girl's delicate hand.

Reluctantly, he let go of her hand, and started to walk towards the center of the forest, away from the light gravel path.

"Maybe someday we can go on an adventure together, just the two of us…" He mumbled.

"I'd like that." Aisha replied, smiling cheerfully.

The boy hastily turned around, his eyes wide with surprise. He did not expect the girl to hear, much less reply. His face softened into a sincere smile.

"Just the two of us." He repeated, pulling his hood back up.

Without another word, the twintailed magician and the red-eyed boy started to walk their separate paths. But they were not worried, for they knew that they could trust their precious friend. The setting sun marked their departure, but the rising sun would bring them together again.

"Elsword, wait up!" The twintailed magician called out, gasping heavily for breath. But her red-eyed companion did not even slow down. He turned around and grabbed the girl's right hand, pulling her along at a superhuman speed.

"Come on! We're almost there!"

Ignoring the girl's constant complaints, Elsword led the girl down multiple spirals of stairs, being careful not to trip either of the two. Eventually, they reached a large wooden door. Kicking the door open, Elsword ran into the ginormous room, his purple-haired companion in tow.

"We're here!" He laughed, throwing his arms up in the air.

Panting heavily, Aisha straightened her body and gazed at the scene before her. It was a beautiful forest, unlike any that she had ever seen. Tall trees of all shades of green lined the room, long drooping vines hung like party banners from every tree and bush, and in the center of the spacious room, an endless field of flowers – their colors bursting brightly in the artificially lighted room. The girl felt a smile creep onto her face.

"It's so beautiful…" She murmured, unable to tear her gaze away from the floral haven. The boy laughed.

"Really? I can name someone here even more beautiful." He turned to face the twintailed magician, a haughty smirk forming on his lips as he watched her face turn beet red.

"I mean me, of course." He continued, smiling proudly.

"What the heck?! You're not supposed to compliment yourself in front of another person! That's just rude!" The girl huffed, pulling her hand away.

The redheaded boy laughed, pulling the girl's hand back and reconnecting their fingers.

"I'm kidding. The most beautiful one here…" He leaned down and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. "…Is definitely Miss Aisha."

The purple-haired magician quickly turned her face away, covering her red face with her free arm.

"S-Stupid Elsword, you're not supposed to say it like that…"

"I mean it though. Thank you for always believing in me."

Feeling her face cool down, Aisha turned to flash a bright smile at her redheaded friend. It had been merely a few days since she ran away from Elder, and even though she had experienced many difficulties and horrors on their journey, she did not regret her choice. Her aunt and fellow neighbors must be really worried, but the twintailed magician refused to return until they accepted her friend – not as a demon child, but as a regular human boy. She was being stubborn, and possibly making really stupid choices, but that did not matter to the girl. Feeling a light squeeze on her right hand, Aisha turned to face her redheaded companion.

"Are you sure you're not homesick or anything?" He asked, hesitant. The girl quickly shook her head in response.

"I'm sure. I… I want to travel the world with you, Els." She smiled, noticing the corners of the boy's lips rise slightly.

"Yeah, I do too…" He whispered.

"What was that?"

The boy shook his head.

"Nothing. You ready to continue?"

With a nod of approval from his purple-haired companion, Elsword led the two back up the spiral staircase, moving at a much slower pace than before. As for their destination… …Well, who knows? As long as they don't get caught. He chuckled lightly at the thought.

"What is it?" The boy shook his head.

"Nothing, nothing. Come on, let's hurry." 'After all, we've got a whole entire world waiting to be explored…'

~ Author's Notes ~

I'm sorry, I kind of gave up at the ending. Too braindead. XP

Since many people were expecting/wanting romance in Journey of Thousand Fathoms, I decided I might as well write some romantic oneshots to make up for the discontinued series. Plus, it'll help me improve on my romance-writing skills, and just might give me some inspiration to continue JTF.

Each oneshot will focus on two classes from the main 8 characters (Ara and Elesis included), with the other characters, or NPCs, possibly appearing as side characters or making cameo appearances. Later on, I might include the EHNPCs, but for now, it's just the Elgang.

Every oneshot will take place in a different AU, with some sort of relation to fantasy, hence the title. Some may be longer and/or more detailed than others, but every oneshot will end in a happy(-ish) ending, unless requested so. Yes, that means I'll be taking requests if anyone's interested. Feel free to send me a PM/comment/review/etc. regarding the classes you would like to see, and an idea/scenario/etc. if you have one. I'm fine with writing romance for same-gender pairings, and different-gender pairings, as you just saw. However, I will not be writing any "M" rated stories, just to keep the rating range on the oneshots smaller.

Please take note, however, that I will not write any ChungxRena/Aisha and ElswordxRena. I'm sorry, I really dislike those two pairings. I'm just unable to accept them, even after reading multiple stories featuring those pairings. They just seem so... Off.

With all that said, thanks for reading this far, and I hope you enjoyed this oneshot. As always, feedback of any sorts is always welcome.

If there are no requests, the next oneshot will be IPxDC with a vampire theme~.