As the Queen of Pladtioa prepared to speak, every head turned toward a swirling shadow above, pulsing with stolen energy.
Clad in a helmet as shadowy as the void and garb fit for voyaging among abyssal stars, he stood atop the Fountain, crackling with visible electricity. He beat his wings once, thunderously, launching himself upward. With arms raised, his twin purple eyes blazed gold as the crowd below stared in awe.
Shadows curled around him as his voice echoed, pouring out anguish as the crowd waited in silence for the Fountain's Gifts.
"The Great Fountain," he declared, his voice saturated with disdain. "Is this what you stand beside, seeking meaning from such an artifact? What value lies within this object?"
Instead of scattering in fear, outrage erupted; voices clashed with the intruder. Wanderers lowered their heads, others clutched weapons, and some retreated as his laughter crashed over them. Purple light blazed from his palms as he taunted the crowd.
"What can you possibly see from an ineffectual object, abandoned by its builder? How can this be deemed worthy by the Rulers?"
His gaze locked onto the radiant Fountain as a mocha-haired woman screamed, her anguish on full display.
"A very courageous builder made this structure. Destroying it will fracture the peace and harmony of the world, and then, impending chaos will soon engulf it. If you do this…"
Narcissa's gaze held steady as she met his eyes, her posture rigid and unyielding. Even as his laughter echoed around her and he brandished his blade, daring her to flinch, she remained motionless.
"How foolish can you be?" the man said, raising his weapon skyward. "This Fountain tangled the Second Incarnation's bond to the Heavens."
There it was: the fabled Second Incarnation. As Asahi and Aletha wandered, they sensed the world drifting into ancient, haunting depths. The gathering of white-haired souls in the village first stirred their questions.
"What truly happened to this world?
. . .
Chaos surged through the gathering like a living storm. His voice rolled over the shoreline, dark and foreboding, as people fled the Fountain in terror.
"I have tried to honor someone greater than this worthless Fountain," the shadow said, casting purple light. "This is only a pile of mistakes that caused the world's troubles."
The shadowy figure fell to one knee, head flung back, fists clenched. The air sizzled with tension as his gaze locked on the wanderers. Time seemed to halt.
When archers released arrows, he dodged by leaping aside. Narcissa, Queen of Pladtioa, then commanded the knights.
"Unleash your fire upon the foul soul daring enough to try and threaten the world!"
Asahi and Aletha's throats tightened as they watched the enraged crowd pelt him with stones.
As rocks and arrows flew from the crowd, the man flicked his hand, stopping each projectile mid-air before hurling them back. Some rocks struck audience members; several arrows grazed his shoulder, but he remained unfazed.
Yet, in the instant before unleashing destruction, tears spilled down his face.
Tears shimmered in their eyes, anguish and tense laughter mingling in the storm.
Amid chaos, the wanderers plunged toward the forest, swept by a torrent of desperate bodies clawing for freedom.
Just before they reached the archway, guards stepped forward and blocked their path.
"What are you doing here?" They said. "Get back to the podium."
Asahi lunged, shoving one guard, while Aletha spun to another, her frantic words tumbling out. Desperation blazed in their gestures.
"We can't! There is danger on top of that Fountain. Can't you see around you?"
The guard nodded briskly, stepping aside and letting them pass.
"Wait for me!" a guard called, just as electricity struck their backs. As people ran and gathered to evacuate, the figure atop the Fountain unleashed lightning, striking a civilian. Amid cries and laughter, the individual spoke again.
"This region is a mistake. Plados should be the one to rule, but he lost his life. How horrendous," The silhouette replied to their silence. "I want to cease the misery of these people and solve this conflict. A way to solve this once and for all!"
He raised his arm suddenly, purple electricity swirling around his hands. His fierce glare pinned the two wanderers as the air charged with storm energy. The silhouette lunged, voice erupting in a furious scream.
"For I am Tear, the one who shall finally settle this tragedy!
. . .
The wanderers and others stared at the storm-dark sky as a violet streak tore through the Fountain. Magenta beams erupted, carving purple cracks that spiderwebbed across its surface.
The cracks seared themselves into memory, etching a ghostly afterimage that lingered long after the light had vanished.
Cracks spread across the world, bright as broken glass, sending waves of destruction through the land.
In the present, Asahi and Aletha gazed out as a faint, shimmering flash spilled like liquid silver across the horizon.
Then destruction struck: the Fountain shattered into a thousand glittering shards, scattering light and hope alike.
Tear glided through the air as if swimming, hurling searing lasers that tore chunks from the Fountain. With a snap of his fingers, a colossal purple explosion erupted, swallowing the earth in light.
From the smoky haze, four figures emerged, eyes wide with shock as they battled oozing slimes from the wreckage. The green-eyed boy balled his fists, hair lifting in the charged air.
As they witnessed the destruction of the Fountain unfold, a platinum-haired girl muttered.
"It's gone," She said. "Just like that. And we couldn't do anything about it."
A masked, dark-haired woman briefly comforted her with a hidden smile. Her hair flew upward amidst the explosion, revealing glimmering amethyst eyes.
"It wasn't our fault," she said. "Nor was it their fault. It was… Tear's fault."
"Tear?" the green-eyed man repeated, urgency in his tone. "And what about the white-haired wanderers?"
Swallowing their fear, the four stood transfixed, spellbound by the explosion's wild fury and the devastation it wrought.
Their attention shifted, their stances changing as if the ground moved beneath them.
Asahi and Aletha stood out like ripples in water, their silhouettes emerging from the smoke.
"We'll talk about them later, Belial," the dark-haired woman said. "I feel a sense of familiarity with them, but now is not the time to simply watch. We have duties to fulfill. That's the reason we're together, dimwit."
At the forest's edge, the woman and her companions stepped onto the cliff, their eyes sweeping over chaos in every direction.
"Now, let's just focus on saving the wanderers."
. . .
Narcissa's screams echoed through the forest with the crowd's frantic shouts. Panic carved itself into Asahi and Aletha's faces as fear seized them.
The uproar swelled; the crowd's screams battered their ears as dust swept east, blurring everything from sight.
All Asahi saw from the smoke was the shadow of Aletha.
Asahi lunged for Aletha, gripping her arm. She jolted in shock at his sudden touch.
"Asahi!?"
Asahi covered Aletha's mouth to keep her quiet and dragged her to a hidden forest opening, away from danger.
"Aletha, be careful…"
As four tall silhouettes slashed through the crowd, Asahi braced and charged, but one kicked him down before he could reach them. Aletha stood back, unable to help.
"There they are," they said. " The King that SHE, our majesty, is looking for!"
. . .
The dust cloud billowed skyward, forming a crater at the Fountain.
The figure flung ash to the earth, a wicked sneer curling his lips as he brandished his blade with theatrical flair.
"Why leave when the show has just begun?" he asked, challenging the crowd's silence. "Or are you all so ignorant you can't hold a conversation? Greedy shrews."
The crowd screamed and fled the forest as the silhouette emerged from the smog.
He struck with ruthless precision, feeling his victims as a sinister purple glow spiraled around him.
Asahi and Aletha stared, faces devoid of emotion, at the figure atop the shattered Fountain, unable to move. Aletha, eyes wide, turned and pointed at the bodies spinning through the air, clearly distressed by the gruesome spectacle.
"Who are you?"
"Who am I?" Tear echoed, blades still pointed at the white-haired girl. "I am Tear, a corrupt member of The Ending."
"The Ending?" Asahi and Aletha muttered.
"You two are fools for standing in front. Why are you not running away? Do you think your measly powers shall affect me?"
Despite all his lies, he was right. Asahi and Aletha were actually powerless. If they had their powers, they would have defeated him easily.
Deprived of their powers, they were as breakable as glass. Without a word, Asahi gripped Aletha's hand, and together they vanished into the swirling chaos.
They knew if they had stayed any longer, they would have been defeated, just like at the shorelines of Pladtioa.
As Narcissa turned her head back and forth, trying to find where the Four Knights had gone, she spotted the wanderers and realized they stood out among the crowd.
"You think you could get away?" she asked, charging her sword with a brown luminance. "Or did you accept your fate?"
Just as Narcissa threatened, Asahi grasped Aletha's hand and prepared to defend themselves. Narcissa began advancing toward them, her intent clear, but before she could reach them,
A flash of green light tore through one of the knights. Panic seized Narcissa as she darted her gaze, desperate to find the source…
(SWOOSH)
A second shot ripped through another knight, who crumbled to dust as the guards erupted into terrified screams and scattered.
"Intruder, show yourself!"
Then, many green lights shot in, hitting and going through eight guards. Narcissa quickly looked up, hoping for a reply.
"Who are you?" she asked. "Where are the Four? Didn't I say all four should keep watch of the Fountain?"
After the strike, Narcissa saw three human silhouettes atop the cliff. A masculine voice rang out as the sound of smoldering stone filled the air.
"That's impressive." He said, clicking his tongue. "Impressive for you to take no care for the guards that lost their lives because of your own selfish ways."