Hidden in the lush, emerald labyrinth encircling the Fountain, four figures prowled the ceremony's edge, senses alert for the slightest threat.
A woman slipped through shadows, her dark hair streaming behind. Beside her, a burly figure in a misty cloak scanned the forest intently.
They stood like guardians at the cliff's edge. The man leaned in and whispered.
"Happy Fountain Day," he said. "Ms. Drimi."
The slender, woman-shaped figure faced the speaker. Drimi pressed her finger to her mask, signaling for silence, then hugged herself, muttering instructions while scanning the forest for threats.
"Stop with your yammering and happening. Remember Narcissa's orders."
Sunlight crept through treetops, slowly dissolving shadows and outlining their silhouettes.
Green eyes gleamed. His dark, braided hair caught the light. His brown cloak billowed in the wind. Hood down, he stared at the Fountain, intense and silent.
"Fountain Day is for the people. Someday, they'll see its meaning," he said.
With memories of the three-day loop fading, Belial glanced at the others, resolved to speak up.
"Have we met them before?"
As the last echoes of the ceremony faded, a sense of transition lingered in the air. In the quiet that followed, the wanderers gathered their belongings, prepared for the journey ahead, and set their sights toward the Fountain.
Soon after departing, their journey reached its destination. Akwan's carriage rolled to a halt near the Fountain. Clover remained nestled inside, quiet and observant. Asahi and Aletha stepped outside together.
Cautiously, they set foot on the grassy trail and exchanged anxious glances. Their steps sank into the earth. Surveying the area, they listened. Leaves crackled underfoot, releasing a rich, earthy fragrance into the breeze.
The island was edged by beaches hurling sand against jagged cliffs. Water sparkled, pure as spring, splashing crystal teal and cyan across the landscape. A vibrant crowd sprawled before them.
Just as in the city, Asahi and Aletha noticed something peculiar—no one, not even the most elderly, possessed hair as white as the wanderers'. The fountain's surface looked shiny and smooth, silver lights and twisting vines revealing its age.
Crisp air heightened the scene. It crafted a moment to savor.
"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 come here? Didn't I tell you?" Akwan snapped. Aletha flushed and slapped his hand away.
"Hey!" She screamed with a pouty face. "I am NOT stupid."
"Doubt it," Asahi replied, folding his arms.
As they left the bustling crowd behind, the mood of the day changed. With the peaceful celebration fading into the background, they faced a new challenge: the wild fields around the Fountain awaited them.
They ran across the grassy field, their hearts pounding. At the base of the Fountain, a deep chasm opened up, surrounded by thick clouds. The Fountain shone above a blue sea, with waterfalls pouring down to feed the streams and lakes below.
Asahi squinted at the Fountain, studying its surface, while Aletha looked around. Her long white hair followed her as she turned to take in the view.
Above her, the sun beat down, shining harshly on her head.
Aletha quietly commented on what she saw, watching the grass move as the wind passed by.
"Wow! So pretty!" After glancing at the map, Asahi muttered,
"Yes, it's beautiful. This is nothing like my map," he said, crumpling it and tossing it in the water.
"The Great Fountain was built to end war," he said. "They say Rulers from Above and Below clashed here. Beneath lies the grand void. Above—no mortal can see it." His voice softened. "The most enthralling legend is its origin. The Fountain was shaped from the Rulers' tears, shed for humanity's endless conflict during the War of the Wish..."
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.
As he lingered, Akwan's unrest grew. Shifts in the area's sounds drew his focus from the Fountain to the forest.
Metal boots clanged through the forest, colliding with the rustle of hurried belongings. It left them wondering: who pursued so closely?
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 whispered together.
"Run," he said, pushing them toward The Great Fountain as he blocked 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 would await them.
But getting to safety was never simple.
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.
Remembering a previous failed attempt at hiding in a bush, Asahi decided not to trust that method again because the knights' swords had easily exposed their last hiding spot.
So they moved on to plan B.
"Let's try the shore," Aletha mumbled.
The shorelines cut deep into the rock, making them ideal hiding places.
They thought about trying that, but realized the waves might pull them in.
They didn't want to swim again. Remembering how they were pulled under before still made them uneasy.
Choosing plan C, they quickly moved to the bottom of the podium. Aletha and Asahi crouched down and squeezed into the narrow space beneath it, aware they were only partly concealed. Both concentrated on making themselves as small as possible, focusing on hiding while listening for any sign of pursuit.
After ducking behind a rock to stay out of sight, Asahi and Aletha sprinted to the base of the podium, trying to avoid being seen by the knights above. Their feet barely touched the ground as they hurried. When they saw an opening near the podium, they each summoned a small glow of magical energy to guide their steps as they slipped quietly into the shadows beneath it.
"We did it!" Aletha started, but Asahi quickly covered her mouth as heavy footsteps approached.
As the clanging of metal faded, Asahi and Aletha wiped sweat from their brows. Relief surged through them. For a moment, safety seemed real.
A shadow fell over them as they crawled further under the podium's wooden ceiling. Surrounded by darkness, both continued moving ahead on hands and knees, nervous and sweating as they listened for any sound from outside.
It didn't make sense for the space under the podium to be this big, but they found themselves lost in the darkness.
"Bro," she whispered. "Are we lost?"
Although the sun may have shone on the crevices, they realized that above their heads wasn't entirely wood. Instead, the ceiling above them did not belong to the bottom of the podium.
It belonged to the bottom of the…
"The FOUNTAIN?!" they shouted.
Under the Fountain, a stone corridor seemed to go on forever, with darkness all around.
As they pressed forward through the corridor, Asahi suddenly realized that the stone ceiling above them was actually part of a giant ancient castle structure, not the earth as he had originally thought. Confused by how the hidden passage kept extending, he mumbled to himself, trying to make sense of their route.
"I could have sworn we went the right direction…"
Even here, the clash of metal boots echoed down the stone floor. Asahi and Aletha exchanged baffled looks—why would a knight follow them so deep? Their eyes widened as a shadow approached, marked by long teal-green hair, pale skin, and an aura that seemed to wrap around him.
"Stop thyself!" He said as a green luminance coiled around him. "State thy presence."
"The Adtraic!" they yelled.
"Adtraic?" The man muttered, slowly lowering his blade. The mysterious atmosphere faded, giving way to clarity. Asahi and Aletha prepared their blades, having heard these final words. "I haven't heard that name in the last thousand years."
The man stood before them in enigmatic armor, teal-green hair framing brilliant blue eyes. An ornate eyepiece hugged his left eye, and he radiated an imperious beauty as he spoke plainly.
"Never would I have expected... to see white-haired wanderers travel this far down."
Taking advantage of the distraction, they ran from the stranger, weaving through the stone chamber. They spotted an archway ahead, partly hidden by crates they could use for cover.
They were almost free when a wall of glowing blue swords appeared, trapping Asahi and Aletha in a cage of 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 blurted. "That long? How old are you?!"
The stranger narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, his hand on his blade. He looked suspicious, then quickly tapped Asahi's arm and spoke.
"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."
Shaken by his intense stare and the threat of his blade, Asahi grabbed The Forbidden Book and threw it at the wall. The siblings ran for the archway, stopping just before they could 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."
Hearing about their parents shook them. Their weapons fell from their hands 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 started, then fell silent. Asahi and Aletha scanned their surroundings, realizing the world was far vaster than they had imagined. Then Asahi spotted something even greater.
(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 final efforts to sway them, Asahi and Aletha's resistance crumbled. They surrendered, hope of escape slipping away.
Defeated, they let their weapons clatter to the floor and collapsed, gazes fixed on the broken window and the ancient city sprawled 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—ghostly echoes from their last journey in 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.
They looked down and saw old buildings buried under the ground.
Though out of reach, as Paxon's influence faded and their eyes traced the patterns of the buried ruins, realization struck: these structures—
"These structures are from…" Asahi said with remarkable memory. "...our era?"
(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 remember, left silent in the heavy quiet.
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 hit home, unlocking a flood of memories: grand Owner gatherings, bustling cities, Rulers training in distant academies. The city had shimmered with splendor, its skyline crowned by cemeteries and churches.
"Yes." They said, recollecting everything. "We do remember."
Aletha's lips trembled as she recalled the calamity that shattered their world. "But that doesn't matter. We're only searching for 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 that had engulfed them. 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."
Clutching the rocks, Telos waited for the trembling earth to finally grow still.
"Conveniently, you two stumbled upon an ancient catacomb buried deep in the ground, beneath The Fountain, toward the void."
Asahi and Aletha's eyes widened at the sight of the objects scattered 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 struck like an earthquake, rattling their core and shaking 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 offered them a gentle, caring look.
"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)
Another tremor ripped through the ground. Telos vanished into the falling stone, snapping his fingers as a colossal green barrier surged up, its force echoing through the ruins.
After his voice echoed in the collapsing hallway, he said those final words.
"Your true journey is bound to begin."
Asahi and Aletha stood amid the crumbling ruins, the weight of their journey's true beginning pressing down on them. Anxiety and excitement churned in Asahi, uncertain of what lay ahead.
Aletha glanced at her brother, sensing his unease and reflecting on her own feelings of uncertainty.
Despite their fear, hope flickered within both siblings—an invitation to rediscover their world and themselves. Their parents' legacy and the mysteries of the past loomed large, but so did their resolve to carve out a new path.