GC: Lost, Found and Reunited

Grand Chase: Lost, Found, and Reunited

My relationship with him was… a dream come true. The sliver glow of the moon shone bright in the night sky as my eyes twinkled. I could see his reflection… the image of his face from the full moon. My lips curled into a smile as I looked up. I'll never forget that moment. That day… will never wipe the smile off my lips.

-----

The troll collapsed on the ground as the arrow shot through his chest. Yes, the troll was at it again. Almost everyday, new species of monsters spread out in the forest and thrash every obstacle – including elves and humans – in their path. Many of our fellow elves lost their lives from the invasion. I, the elven archer of the Grand Chase, will strive to keep the forests unharmed with the help of my friends – Elesis, Arme and Amy, until I've heard about a nature protector who has the ability to transform into any certain forest creature like a wolf.

I wanted to seek information about this protector who, however, turned out to be a forest druid. There were a lot of druids inhabiting our kingdom. But this druid was somehow different unlike the other druids. This one definitely caught my curiosity.

I was strolling around the forest one day, bringing my bow along with me in case a crook or a monster tries to attack me, when my eyes caught the sight of a lake. Its crystal blue water glittered from the blue sky as I walked towards it to drink. Ah, the fresh water. I saw my reflection from the water as I giggled. I leaned down to drink when –

Three stone orcs leapt out of the bushes, clutching on the stone mallets in their hands with their filthy and brittle nails. Each of them had two teeth sticking out of their mouth as if they never brushed their teeth before. They growled and landed behind me. I stood up in panic and snatched my bow. I tightened the grip of my bow as I prepared for battle. I looked back from the corner of my eye to prevent myself from stepping backwards otherwise I'll plunge myself on the lake with a huge splash.

Here it goes…

"Big Shot!" I fired five arrows. Unfortunately, the orcs dodged them and I ran in different direction. I aimed my shot to the first orc when I felt rough arms grasped my shoulders and I dropped my bow and it fell on the ground with a clank. It was one of the despicable orcs. He knocked me off my feet as my back fell against the ground. The third orc came. The second one knelt down as its disgusting breath entered inside my nostrils. Yeech~ he needs mouthwash.

I struggled to get up but they pushed me back. I muttered a curse as the third orc raised his stone mallet, ready to hit me… and –

A loud growl reached my ears as a flash of orange entered my vision. It was a wolf. He growled and tackled the orc over me on the ground. The other orc rushed towards the mutt as the beast looked back. The glare from his baleful eyes caused the orc behind him to freeze in his tracks. The wolf lunged at the orc, gnawed, and threw it across the ground until it hit a bark of a tree. The poor orc fell unconsciously on his knees. The wolf rushed towards the next orc. His nostrils flared while staring daggers at the next orc. The orc fumed and tightened the grip of his stone mallet. It was then he lunged towards the mutt and prepared himself to hit him. But the wolf tackled the monster by the stomach as the orc dropped his weapon. The wolf pounded his paws on the orc and fumed. The third orc, which was the last orc standing, rushed behind him with his stone mallet on hand. The wolf grabbed the unconscious orc with his jaws and threw it at the orc like a boulder. Both orcs critically were sent flying as they hit against a giant boulder. They fell facedown on the ground and fainted.

I rubbed my head and managed to sit up. The wolf walked towards me.

"Thanks…" I spoke. I snatched my bow and stood up. I dusted the dirt off my shirt as I turned back to get a good look at the wolf. He wasn't a wolf anymore. But a young and exhausted forest elf.

"Oh, uhh… Hi!" I waved sheepishly. The forest elf turned out to be a boy. He looked the same age as me. His orange spiky hair stuck out in different directions as if he never combed before. He held an axe on his right hand as he placed it over his shoulder. He glanced at my direction with a look from his dark moss-green eyes. There was something in him that made me want to stare at them forever. He turned away and prepared to leave.

"Wait!" I went after him. He turned back. "A-are you the druid the elves were talking about?" I spitted the question out of my mouth.

"Huh?" was all he could say.

I bit my lip. "Oh, never mind." I shook my head in disbelief. I can't believe I'm acting like a fool right in front of him. "Thanks for saving me." I said simply.

"You can't just wander around in the forest all by yourself," he said. "There are a lot of monsters out here." He noted. He put his axe down and laid himself down on the soft grass. He placed his arms behind his head and stared blankly at the sky. I sat down and held my knees together in a fetal position. My bow was placed safely beside my feet. We lingered in silence.

"So… uhh, what's your name?" I broke the silence. "Ryan," he replied, still staring at the sky in a dull expression. I paused for a few seconds before I said: "Uhm… I'm Lire! So… you can transform into a wolf like what you just did when you beaten up those orcs?" I asked, stupefied.

"Right," the druid replied with a simple nod.

"The entire village was talking about you. The druids inhabiting the forest must have been amazed from your arrival." Great. Now I am starting to look like an idiot. "Actually, I've been living in the forest since I was little. I was sent into a quest to sail in Partusay's Sea and defeat that Kaze'Aze character you and your friends are talking about." Ryan said. Wait. Was he following us that time? No. I don't think so. I stayed silent afterwards and sighed, resting my head on my knees. I didn't know what else I should do than just staring at the crystal-blue lake with a druid and doing nothing, except when I looked back and realized he was staring at me… and I saw those green orbs. I felt myself blushing when I shook off my flushed expression.

"A-are you going home..?" I asked.

"I'll stay here. I'll be fine." He replied. I pulled my lips together and stood up. I felt bad about him – alone, idle, and somehow… worried about something. I prepared to leave when I heard a loud growl. I quickly turned around and he has morphed back into his wolf form. He glanced at my direction and ran off like a strayed puppy.

"Ryan, wait!" I snatched my bow and ran after him. No, I don't want him to leave me. W-we just met. He ran in all fours while I tried catching my breath from running. He already knows I was following him. Of course, I don't want him to go. We ran almost a mile when he stopped. I nearly bumped on him. He sniffed in the air to catch the scent of a certain target or an obstacle. His nostrils flared. He fumed and sniffed to another direction. That was when he launched himself to me, my back scraped on the ground and his paws all over me. An Orc Warrior rushed out of the thick bushes, holding a stone hammer on his hand. It was different from the orcs earlier. But this was a bigger one. He was dressed in an old armor, his molar teeth sticking out of his mouth like he had never brushed his teeth before. Ryan leapt off me and lunged at the enemy.

The orc warrior swung his hammer around, knocking the wolf off his paws and sending him crashing on a bark of a tree. He let out a loud yelp as the monster went towards me. I readied an arrow to aim my shot. The arrow flew in full speed, but I missed. Damn. I ran towards the battered druid. He was still in his wolf form.

"A-are you okay?" I asked, kneeling next to him.

Ryan grunted. "I-I'm fine, Lire. Go!" he breathed.

"What? No! Ryan, I don't wanna leave you, I have to – "

"Just go!" he cut me off sharply, struggling between painful gasps. "I'll handle him." His voice was deeper when he was in his wolf form. I gave in and nodded. I climbed up a tree and leapt onto the thick branches. I grabbed some vines and used them as swings across another area. I ran far away from the forest. I wish Elesis and the others are here to help him. I panted in exhaustion. I hope he's… alright. I sighed and decided to go back. I wasted all my energy running almost a mile from the forest. So I did. When I got back, the orc warrior was gone. Ryan was nowhere to be found. I had a bad feeling the orc warrior would have killed him. I remembered the last place where he was before he urged me to go. I pried through the bushes when I heard painful groans.

"Lire… wh…" I followed the direction of that voice. I stepped out of the bushes… and found him…

…injured and battered.

He was in his elven form, his axe on the ground. Oh Mother Nature, he looked terrible! There were cuts scored all over his body, a gash was on his back, and his arms bled badly. He was losing all the blood from his body. I couldn't control myself from crying. I fished into my pockets and pulled out a health potion. I urged him to drink it up, and he did. I placed the empty flask back in my pocket. Unfortunately, I didn't bring any rolls of bandages with me. The sight of the lake caught my eyes. Maybe I could use the water to clean his wounds and –

"Aargh!"

I gasped and saw him struggling from the terrible pain inflicted on him. I squeezed my eyes shut, walked towards him… and hugged him. I'm really doing it. I hugged him tight. His face looked somehow flushed, same as mine. I mean, I just met him. Just then, I felt his arm sling around my back.

"I shouldn't have left you, Ryan…" I sobbed.

"No, it's okay." He whispered, resting his head on my forehead. He pulled me close to him. The bleeding grew worse. I have to do something. But his presence lured me into a trance. I cried on his shirt. Ryan doesn't seem feel the loss of blood all over his body. It was then he whispered: "Lire," he called. "Tell our people you killed the orc," he told me. I stared at him in shock. I don't want to lie to the people in our own race. I tried to say no but he cut me off and said: "Please." He pleaded. "If they're out to find me, tell them I – "He let out another grunt. I hugged him tight. "T-tell them you..?" I sobbed. No reply. I looked up to see his eyes closed. No air came out of his nostrils. The pounding of his heart had stopped. I felt a sharp stab of pain through my chest as he died in my arms. I knelt beside him, crying miserable until I caught the attention of my friends.

"That sounds like Lire over there!" said a snotty voice. A flash of pink caught my vision as chocolate-brown eyes stared at me in complete shock. Amy placed her hands on her lips as tears fell down her cheeks. "Oh my goodness, Lire, h-he's dead!"

"What? Who's dead?" said a tough voice. A flash of red came from the bushes, followed by purple. They stared at me in complete shock as Amy broke into tears.

"What happened?" Arme approached and knelt next to the druid's corpse.

"Boy, that's a lot of blood…" Elesis muttered under her breath.

"An orc warrior attacked him," I wiped the tears off my eyes. "I wanted to heal his wounds but… he lost a lot of blood…. And I was too late," I confessed.

"You should have called us for help," the red-haired knight snorted.

"I wanted to… but Ryan told me not to,"

"What will we tell the elves?" Arme asked in a sad tone.

"We should tell them the truth…" I suggested. Amy wiped the tears off her eyes and stared at the druid's corpse in grief. "He's gone…" she muttered under her breath.

---

There I was, lying in my bedroom as tears fell down my cheeks, grieving over the druid I have recently met and whom I have suddenly formed feelings with. The last time I saw him was his image of lying on the soft grass, his arms placed behind his head and staring blankly at the sky. The tragic scene of the orc warrior crushing him like a rag doll, I felt alone and heartbroken. I'll never see him again… forever.

---

As years went by, I was proclaimed as Eryuell Island's first Nova, the powerful class of the Archers, and I had wielded the powerful bow schematic, the Composite Bow. I felt so happy, but deep inside, my heart was in deep sorrow from the loss of this druid. I grieved over him in silence as I went to the place near the lake back when we had the last moment of us sitting together while watching the lake. I sat in a fetal position, placing my Composite Bow on the ground and staring at my reflection from the water. A tiny teardrop fell from my eye as it fell on the lake with a small drip.

"Ryan… I miss you," I whispered. Those years of mourning over him kept me all heartbroken. How I wished I have spent all those previous years with him if he was still alive. We would have been a couple now, living a happy normal life… and –

"Well, this is certainly a surprise,"

I was snapped out of my inner babbling. That voice… it sounded familiar to me. I squeezed my eyes shut as I opened them. I turned around and saw…

…Ryan.

He was standing there, all handsome and brave. He had changed. His orange hair wasn't as spiky like it used to be when I last saw him. The spikes were slicked down and there was a small ponytail tied on the back of his head. He wasn't holding an axe as his weapon, but a Storm Pike. Those moss-green eyes were the same. He gave me the handsome smile no one has ever done before. Tears cascaded down my cheeks as I stood up, calling his name, and hurled myself into his arms.

"Ryan… y-you're alive…" I sobbed. I was scared at first until it was replaced by joy.

"Yes, Lire, the nature gods gave me another chance to live. I have felt the sorrow in your heart, and the years you've dreamt of me in your dreams. I knew you have feelings for me, don't you?" he said, his strong arms wrapped around me. I've never felt so happy in my entire life.

"Uhh…"

"Aww, c'mon, I can feel it." He said in a playful tone. He stared deeply into my eyes as my cheeks burned. His lips formed a playful smile. "I wanna tell you something,"

"What is it?" I blinked at him in curiosity.

He cupped my face with his hand and inched his face close to mine. "You know, since you almost wanted to kiss me before my life has been taken away –"

"N-no, I wasn't," I shook my head in surprise.

"Oh yeah? What are those words you whispered before I died in your arms?" he asked with a chuckle.

I sighed in frustration and gave in. He smiled and whispered those three words I've wanted to hear from him. Tears fell down my cheeks as he wiped them off with his hand. "I don't want to see you cry, Lire." He whispered. "You look beautiful when you smile," It was then he leaned closer and brushed his lips against mine. I didn't squirm or cried in protest. I closed my eyes and return he kiss. He pulled me close as we shared the passionate kiss.

That was the best moment I will never forget.