Deep within the lush green forest surrounding the Fountain, four beings stalk the ceremony, awaiting any dangers.
One possessed a graceful, feminine silhouette. Her long dark hair flowed like a shadow behind her. The other stood broader and more imposing, his form shrouded in a cloak woven from morning mist.
A shroud of mystery wrapped around them. They stood as silent sentinels, poised at the very brink of the world. The masculine figure murmured under his breath.
"Happy Fountain Day," he said. "Ms. Drimi."
The slender, woman-shaped figure slowly turned her head toward the speaker. Drimi gently raised her finger to her lips, then leaned forward and rested her hands against her arms as she muttered.
"Stop with your yammering and happening. Remember Narcissa’s orders."
Sunlight crept through the treetops, peeling back the inky shadows that cloaked their forms.
Green eyes shone under his long, dark braided hair. His brown cloak moved in the wind, his hood back, as he looked at the Fountain.
"Fountain Day is nothing but a gift to the people. Someday I wish for them to grasp the meaning of this day..."
As the memories of the three-day loop grew weaker and weaker, Belial decided to mention it to the others.
"Have we met them before?"
. . .
At last, their journey ended as Akwan’s carriage rolled to a halt.
Clover remained nestled inside the carriage while Asahi and Aletha stepped cautiously onto the grassy trail, their feet sinking softly into the earth. Meanwhile, leaves crunched beneath their heels, releasing an earthy perfume into the breeze as they surveyed their surroundings.
Encircling the island where the Fountain stood, shorelines flung sand across rugged cliffs. The water shimmered with springlike purity, crystal teal and cyan splashing color onto the canvas of the world. Before them stretched a vibrant gathering of people.
Like in the city, Asahi and Aletha noticed that no one, not even the old, had hair as white as the wanderers’. The fountain’s surface looked shiny and smooth, with silver lights and vines showing its age.
The crisp, clean air mingled with the breathtaking view, weaving a moment that demanded to be savored.
"The Fountain is beautiful once you see it from up close," Akwan said as they took a vivid look. "People from all over the world take their time to visit Pladtioa just for Fountain Day."
"Really?"
"Why else would there be people in such a random place? Are you ignorant or stupid? Haven’t I told you before?" Akwan said sarcastically, embarrassing Aletha. Her face turned red, and she slapped Akwan’s hand off and yelled.
"Hey!" She screamed with a pouty face. "I am NOT stupid."
"Doubt," Asahi said with crossed arms.
. . .
After that encounter, they dashed across the grass fields, hearts pounding. From below, they glimpsed a yawning pit at the Fountain’s base. Its towering height speared through thick, puffy clouds. The structure shimmered above an azure sea, waterfalls tumbling from its sides in radiant cascades, nourishing creeks, rivers, and lakes far below.
As Asahi analyzed the surface of the Fountain, Aletha took in her environment fully; her long white hair flowing like the streams.
The intense glare and shine from the blazing ball of light hovered over her head.
She commented on her experience as the grass continued to dance with the wind.
"Wow! It looks so pretty!" After recollecting the poorly-illustrated map, Asahi joined in and mumbled.
"Yes. It’s indeed beautiful,"he said. "It’s different from what I had in my mind. This map doesn’t do it justice." After crumpling up the poorly illustrated map and throwing it into the water, Akwan came in to express, holding onto a blue luminescence.
"It states here that this is The Great Fountain, a wonderful structure made to halt the dangers of war," He said. " It is written that the Rulers from Above and Below are intermingled and tangled in war within this very structure. Beneath is the grand void, while above can’t be seen with mortal eyes."
Akwan paused, drawing in a breath as he gazed at the spectacle before them. The Grand Fountain’s mysteries stirred questions about their lost world and the fate of their family.
Nevertheless, as time passed, Akwan started to notice something.
The clang of metal boots echoed through the forest, mingling with the rustle of hurried belongings. It left them wondering: who was following so closely behind?
As the footsteps drew nearer, realization dawned: the knights of Narcissa were on their trail. Akwan’s dark blue eyes darted, scanning for escape routes as he urgently ushered the wanderers out of sight.
"Asahi," He said with a desperate, nudging tone. "Aletha,"
"What?" They both said with a whisper.
"Run." He said as he pushed the two forward near the bottom of The Great Fountain, continuing as he fended off three of the guards.
"HEY!" A knight said as they unsheathed their blades. "Stop them!"
Asahi and Aletha raced in the direction Akwan indicated. Beside the Great Fountain stood a podium and a green board—if they could just reach it, safety awaited.
But reaching safety was never meant to be easy.
Asahi tried to use his positioning skills as he had before. Instead of just shifting from place to place, he now needed to figure out a way for both of them to hide.
(We could go to the bushes...")
But then he recollected the swords.
With just one swing, they would kill the bush.
Recalling a previous failed hiding attempt in a bush, Asahi decided he couldn’t trust that method again.
This drove them onto plan B,
"We could go to the shore," Aletha mumbled.
The shores were deeply embedded in the rock. This made it perfect to hide.
They COULD try that, but then they realized the waves could pull them back.
Heavens know what would happen if they tried to swim again. Not after being summoned up beneath the waves.
This drove them into plan C: hiding at the bottom of the podium. Aletha and Asahi quickly ducked down, squeezing into the slim space beneath it. Although the spot left them exposed, it blended in better than hiding behind a bush. Together, with the energy they had gathered, they committed to their third option—concealing themselves under the podium.
After ducking behind a rock, Asahi and Aletha sprinted to the base of the Podium. Their feet barely touched the earth as they ran. Reaching an opening, they summoned the last of their lesser magic. A faint light guided their way.
"We did!" Aletha celebrated. Again, Asahi covered her mouth, hearing heavy footsteps toll about.
As they heard the clanging of metal slowly grow distant, Asahi and Aletha wiped away a sweat of relief.
A looming shadow unfurled above as they slipped beneath the wooden ceiling. Darkness devoured their vision. Pressing onward, sweat prickling their brows, they ventured deeper into the podium’s mysterious depths.
It hadn’t made sense how the bottom of the podium could extend this far.
"Umm, bro," She said as she patted Asahi’s back. "Don’t you think we have gone a little too far from where we were?"
Although the sun may have shone on the crevices, they realized that above their heads wasn’t entirely wood. Instead, what they noticed was that the ceiling above them didn’t belong to the bottom of the podium.
It belonged to the bottom of the...
"FOUNTAIN?!" Asahi and Aletha shouted in unison.
The stone-bricked corridor seemed endless, stretching onward in a relentless, unbroken line.
Now it made sense why they felt the path extend. It’s because the stone ceiling didn’t belong to the earth, but to a giant ancient castle. Confused as to why it had expanded this far down, Asahi mumbled.
"I could have sworn we went the right direction..."
Then, after coming this far, they still heard the sound of metal boots clashing against the stone floor. Asahi and Aletha wore an expression of cluelessness, not understanding why a knight would go further down. Their eyes widened in shock at the approaching shadow, with long, teal-green hair, fair skin, and a mark that enveloped them, saying.
"Stop thyself!" He said as a green luminance coiled around him. "State thy presence."
Just as they were about to get swallowed into a green luminance of deadly intensity, Asahi and Aletha shouted in unison.
"The Adtraic!" They screamed.
"Adtraic?" The man muttered as he slowly lowered his blade. After the mysterious atmosphere faded and gave way to one of clarity, Asahi and Aletha prepared their blades, having heard these final words. "I haven’t heard that name in the last thousand years."
Clad in strange, mysterious armor, the man before the wanderers had teal-green hair and brilliant blue eyes. The frame of his eyepiece was shaped next to his left eye, and this man radiated with imperious beauty, speaking with a normal tongue.
"Never would I have expected... to see white-haired wanderers travel this far down."
Seizing the distraction, they darted away from the enigmatic figure, weaving frantically through the stone-brick chamber. Ahead, an archway beckoned, half-shielded by scattered crates perfect for dodging and concealment.
Just as freedom seemed within reach, a sudden wall of glowing cyan swords erupted before Asahi and Aletha, trapping them in a cage of shimmering light.
"Now now," he said with a gentle tone, his voice deep-rooted. "I mean no harm. Just curious as to where you two have been for the last three millennia."
"Three millennia?" Asahi said, confused. "Has it really been that long? How old are you?!"
The mysterious man shook his head, scoffing and narrowing his eyes. He stepped forward, heel pressing down as he grasped his blade’s hilt, suspicion evident in his posture. With a swift motion, he reached out and tapped Asahi’s arm before speaking.
"Reveal yourselves," He said, no hesitation. "Your true forms."
"True forms?" Aletha said as she helped her brother out. "What do you mean?"
"Don’t act foolishly now. I am only here trying to help."
Startled by the intensity in his gaze and the menace of his blade, Asahi seized The Forbidden Book and hurled it against the wall. Hearts pounding, the siblings sprinted for the archway, only to halt at the brink of escape.
"Fine. If I can’t introduce myself the simple way..." The man quickly struck a sword mark into the air, knocking Asahi ferociously into a wall. "Then I must do it the hard way."
"Asahi!" Aletha screamed as she unsheathed the Sword of Eventide from her hip. "What did you do to him?"
"Look, I tried being straightforward with you two," The mysterious man said as he grabbed and choked Aletha in rapid succession with green strands. "I’m only trying to be kind, as your mother and father requested."
Their mother and father’s mention struck like a concealed dagger, shattering the siblings’ resolve. Their blades slipped from numb fingers as they dropped to their knees.
"You... know about our mother and father?" Asahi asked, dust spilling from both siblings as they stared at the man. Aletha glanced at her brother, uncertainty in her eyes, while Telos sneered and muttered under his breath.
"Ah, you finally complied," he said, restoring both with teal essence and what looked like green dirt. "Telos. Call me Telos."
"Telos?" Aletha began, but stopped. To understand the full extent of the man’s power, Asahi and Aletha closely examined their surroundings—and realized the world around them was even vaster than they previously thought. Then Asahi noticed something even larger.
(Telos. Now I know. I know that he is interested in the book I have.) Asahi thought. (Can I use this as a lure?)
When all seemed lost, Asahi yanked a book from his satchel, aiming to throw it out the window overlooking an underground city. Just as he tossed it, it stopped at the window’s frame.
"NO!" He hollered as he ran to the brown book. Quickly, he clutched onto the brown fabric just meters away from escaping, then threw it to the ground, saying,
"Do not discard that book!" He said, his voice rising. "There’s importance within those pages!"
After Telos’s last attempts to win their compliance, Asahi and Aletha’s resistance faded, and they surrendered, abandoning all hope of escape.
Defeated, they let their weapons fall and collapsed to the floor, eyes drawn to the shattered window and the ancient city far below.
"The ground... or rather the soil is unstable," Telos said as he dropped his blade too. "Do you know how far you two have gone?"
"It only felt like a couple of meters," Aletha replied. "Then it continued to expand over and over, and there were these huge stairs meant for giants and--
"Enough," Telos interrupted, "That’s enough information for both of you."
Faint, haunting voices drifted through their minds, eerily familiar—ghostly remnants from their last journey through this world.
"You two are Asahi and Aletha," Telos said, lifting the siblings into his arms with measured care. "Owners of the Second Incarnation of the World."
"Second incarnation...What are you saying?" Aletha asked Telos as the sun’s rays gradually grew brighter and brighter.
"You two don’t recollect it?" Telos asked with genuine shock plastered on his face. "The Second Incarnation of The World of Gincad; The world that you had owned as Owners? You two don’t remember?"
With Paxon, the Ruler of the Forgotten, influencing their moving and thinking, Asahi and Aletha looked truly puzzled, uncertain what "Incarnation" meant. They remembered their world, but had never heard it described that way.
When they looked down, the two found several structures buried beneath the ground.
Though unreachable, when their gazes locked onto the patterns of the buried structures below and Paxon’s tendrils faded, realization dawned on them: these structures—
"These structures are from..." Asahi said with remarkable memory. "...our world?"
(Was he talking about those structures buried under the earth?) Asahi wondered.
"Let me tell you... In a different perspective," Telos mumbled. " Do you remember the Kingdom of Rulers?"
Kingdom of Rulers?
Asahi and Aletha struggled to grasp these elusive memories, leaving them speechless in the heavy silence.
As they dashed across the trembling ground, eyes catching glimpses of murals crumbling into the walls, a memory surfaced: a gleaming white city suspended high above the clouds. Telos paused, gathering his thoughts.
"Back in the second incarnation of the world, there were rulers of all types. For example: Ruler of Earth, Ruler of Sun, Ruler of Water, the higher the Ruler, the more power they consume." Telos paused, glancing at Asahi and Aletha’s forms as he took out his sword. "But you two were far above simple Rulers. You both were Owners; one that controlled every corner of the world from the harshest waves to the rolling hills."
Telos’ words struck deep, unleashing a torrent of memories: the grand gatherings of Owners, bustling cities, and countless Rulers training in academies across the kingdom. It had been a city of splendor, alive with glory, its skyline crowned by cemeteries and churches.
"Yes." They said, recollecting everything. "We do remember."
Then Aletha said, her lips trembling, remembering the calamity that shook their world. "But disregard that. All we are looking for... is our parents. Have you seen them?"
"Your parents?" Telos scoffed. "Mr. Acheros and Mrs. Achlys? You need not worry about their fates."
"Huh?"
"Nothing, just some nonsensical ramblings," Telos said.
Suddenly, an avalanche of rocks thundered down, blocking their path. The earth split into crumbling, brown chasms that devoured the ground beneath their feet.
With the hope of exploring the lost underground villages, they fled to the surface, dazed by the chaos. Beneath them, ancient structures twisted into a swirling vortex of ruin and blinding light, exposing the staggering depths they had reached.
As a chunk of earth crashed down, casting much of the room into shadow, Telos fell silent, lost in contemplation.
"So both of you remember about The Kingdom of Rulers, but not about your OWN world? Who took a grasp on your mind to make you forget everything?" Telos said as he covered his face in green and blue luminance. " That... is the perfect way to lose grasp of your world. Memories are what forge a world in the first place. I see now..."
"If it wasn’t for the Ruler of the Forgotten," Asahi said as he passed a couple of paintings. "...we would have remembered."
"But... we don’t," Aletha said. "His influence is still on us, tearing our minds even after his defeat."
After gripping the rocks, Telos waited as the earth finally stopped shaking.
"Conveniently, you two stumbled upon an ancient catacomb buried deep in the ground, beneath The Fountain, toward the void."
Asahi and Aletha’s eyes broadened as they noticed the items resting on the ground.
"Those paintings, they look like my brother and me!"
Telos nodded with a smile, proud of what he had done.
"Yes. Indeed," He said. "You two were fated to return to this world. But it seems that you arrived here much too early. Your return is thousands of years earlier than the prophecies’ mention. It may be the fault of an anomaly that drove you two to return so early."
His words hit like an earthquake, shaking them to their core and threatening their beliefs.
"Now, leave this place," He said. "Wander your changed world and discover what happened. I have no part in this."
"Oh, so where will you go after you escort us out of here?" Aletha asked as Telos gathered energy to his blade.
"... As for me," Telos coughed. "...well... I will travel elsewhere. Don’t bother finding me; that is of the least worry for you two."
He gave a caring stare.
"Go. Leave. I have no business attending to both of you. However... there is one last thing I need to say."
A calm, wistful smile beamed on his face.
"I wish you two luck on your adventure."
(CRACK)
As another tremor tore through the earth, Telos vanished into the collapsing stone, snapping his fingers. A colossal green barrier erupted, its power reverberating through the ruins.
After his voice echoed in the collapsing hallway, he said those final words.
"Your true journey is bound to begin."