"This gem--
Phthonus was hastily interrupted by Sally, whose hair was messed up.
"What is it?"
He gritted his teeth, shut his eyes, and took an exaggerated sigh. Drimi hastily turned to Sally and softly slapped the back of her head.
She whispered to her in a lenient, masculine voice.
"Well, if you could let the poor man speak, maybe he would reveal to all of us what the gem does."
Sally's face turned a bright pink. She slowly nodded her head and nervously answered.
"O-Okay…"
Phthonus lowered the crystal and took a deep breath. However, he was energetic and relaxed, and slight hints of aggravation were ready to spark within him. Belial nervously chuckled and turned to Phthonus's hand.
"They won't interrupt you anymore."
Phthonus nodded his head and smiled under his scarf. He stepped forward onto a patch of fallen green leaves, took a deep breath, and explained to the group in a vibrant, energetic tone.
"This gem is a Prism Fragment, an object capable of fabricating the holder's dreams into a reality. Its energy and power are said to be connected to The Prism of Creation, The Core source of energy in the world."
He tilted his body toward the large cabin, smiled, and nodded his head.
"As you can see, this building looks to be just a typical building.
However, believe it or not, the entirety of this cabin was created from the projection of my dream building using the power of just one small crystal. This crystal!"
He pointed his arms toward the building's front door, grasped the shimmering white crystal tightly, and slowly closed his eyes.
As the group quietly watched Phthonus, the ground around the building began to tremble, first faintly, then more strongly.
The group heard the bookshelves, the plates, and the furniture trembling and moving inside the building.
Large sparks and zaps emanated from the crystal's tip, releasing a vibrant pink ray that raced up and down the walls.
While the wanderers and the others tried to remain balanced from the quakes, the Prism Fragment released a high-pitched chime, and suddenly, all of the buildings shrank and faded into sparkling purple and magenta dust.
Phthonus released a relieved sigh and yelled.
"And so… the process is finished."
He walked toward the group and revealed the glowing Prism Fragment to everyone.
It was imbued in bright colors, with a snapshot of the building glittering inside the sealed Prism Fragment.
All four of the group's eyes sparkled with awe, unable to believe what had happened. Aletha raised her voice and jumped.
"T-That's the building?!"
Phthonus scratched his head, took a deep breath, and scratched his eye. Though he had no hatred for Aletha, Phthonus was irritated and eager to travel to Milmoor Village thanks to Belial's energy-giving croissant.
The group was keen, so in a rush, Phthonus replied to Aletha with a speedy tone.
"Yes, it is. I can't believe you two are so fascinated by this crystal. It's scattered all over Vehemat. Mainly underground. And by underground, I mean most of them are by The Depths."
The wanderers scratched their heads.
"The Depths…?"
Phthonus had a shivering feeling when mentioning the mysterious region.
Drimi, Belial, and Sally were terrified that Phthonus decided to mention that name. Sally faintly whispered as the sun was covered in clouds.
"Phthonus… you know the laws. Please, don't take the risk. I don't want to see you hurt. Let's return to Milmoor for all of our sake. Before we get intruded upon by monsters."
"Eh?"
Asahi and Aletha were evidently confused about what the group meant by 'laws.' They never had any recollection of having constructed 'laws' in their world.
Phthonus rushed outside the sun's light and into the tree's shadows as they were about to discuss. He didn't even realize that the others were following him.
"I have no choice. Asahi, Aletha, I know you two are the Rulers of our world. I can't fully describe the place since I have no memory of traveling there,
...but I've heard that it contains the remnants of the ancient era of Gincad, before your previous world even existed. The first incarna—
Before Phthonus could even mention it, his Prism Fragment slipped from the grip of his hands and flew toward the dirt.
"—ACK!"
His body was forced to the ground by an invisible force, almost crushing his skull against the soil. Blue and cyan sparkles shimmered on his back.
"I can't…."
It felt to him that there was an invisible weight crushing against all of his bones. He could not breathe, his eyes were almost pushed out, and his arms were slowly stretched.
"Phthonus!" The wanderers cried.
They turned their heads, only to see that the others didn't move or breathe.
"Sally?"
Most were paused in space, even the skies.
As blue sparkles continued to flow, rise, and fill the atmosphere, white petals unexpectedly shimmered into place.
The cluster of energy released a massive black shockwave that swept through the forest.
Asahi and Aletha's bodies flew into the air, their arms flailed, and they were tossed through the bottoms of trees. A loud ringing sounded in their ears, and their vision flashed to darkness.
Not much time later, the wanderers arose from where they had landed. Asahi scratched his head, turned to Aletha, and asked her, while the others hurried toward the site of impact, seeking the pair.
"Do you have a memory of what just happened?"
Aletha replied as she pulled herself up and rubbed her eyes.
"Yeah..."
She was lost, confused, and afraid. Aletha scratched her head, turned toward the bushes, made a thoughtful stance, and hypothesized.
"Perhaps it was just a natural thing that occurred in the forest? Or maybe some side effect to our broken magic? We still have minimal knowledge of our present world-- anything could happen."
Despite the horrific event, no one mentioned it. Phthonus, the one affected, acted confused, as if the sparkles were just a natural phenomenon, as if it had never happened.
He lifted his body from the ground and dashed across the grass with the others.
. . .
As the group raced through the bushes to find the wanderers, Asahi clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and speculated.
"I… don't understand. Phthonus was right on the ground seconds ago, and now he stands up as if nothing happened at all. Was this what they meant when they mentioned 'laws' in our world?"
Aletha shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't remember there being certain 'laws' in the past. I say we should get to Milmoor as fast as we can before--"
"Asahi, Aletha!"
Phthonus scrambled to Asahi, scratched his head, and placed his black scarf over his mouth.
His eyes were at the same vibrance, his body seemed uninjured, and his Prism Fragment was tightly caressed on his fingertips.
Excessive sweat slid down his face, with his eyes bulging out in shock. Phthonus stammered.
"Where did you two go? A massive shockwave appeared out of nowhere."
Drimi and Sally pushed out through the thick bushes and raced outside.
"Are you two alright? What was that?!"
Sally, calm and gentle in the aftermath, released a deep sigh, fixed her hair, and spoke softly.
"After Phthonus revealed to us his special Prism Fragment, all of a sudden, a shockwave appeared out of nowhere, and I saw both of you fly into the air."
It was difficult for Drimi to hide her giggle. Thankfully, her mask was on. As her long, silky dark hair flew to the side, Drimi composed herself and spoke.
"Hm-hm. It's so… random. I haven't experienced anything like it. Anyway, I think it's about time we travel to Milmoor. By my understanding from the last time we were here, I say that we have about…."
Drimi paused. The birds chirped, and the sound of shuffling footsteps was heard. Everyone turned around and saw Belial charge through the bushes, with his eyes engulfed in green and his claws piercing the leaves, screaming as if a monster was nearby.
"Get away from the--
Sally hastily stepped forward and blocked Belial from moving forward. He backed up, scratched his head, and asked.
"What just happened? I saw a shockwave and then saw the wanderers fly into the air."
Drimi slapped Belial on the back of his head and deeply chuckled.
"There weren't any monsters there, silly Bebe. It was just some sort of random occurrence that happened."
She paused, turned toward the opening of the forest, and continued.
"Now… as I was saying. From here to Milmoor Village, the distance is about one thousand five hundred meters. If we want to grab our weapons back, and if the wanderers want to go to Linuxinia, we have to travel to Milmoor as soon as we can."
The group nodded their heads and smiled. But the wanderers couldn't wash that thought from their minds.
They realized that whatever happened to Phthonus was a punishment for breaking the 'law' of their world, serving almost as a warning if it were ever broken again.
However, there wasn't an established order before the calamity. Whatever may have happened in the past may have contributed to the current state of the world.
If anything, it made Asahi and Aletha even more curious about what had happened while they were gone.
. . .
A loud silence formed, with everyone senselessly staring at each other.
The birds chirped, the insects hummed, and the leaves flew as a new dawn emerged from the horizon.
The events that happened in Dreamtoe were finally over.
The wanderers and the rest of the group can now toss their memories and move on to the next.
But before they all set out to embark on their continuing journeys, one was still stressed about something.
"Belial, do you still have The Fruit with you?" Drimi asked as she pushed her bangs over her eyes.
The group turned to him, crossing their arms. Phthonus took a deep sigh and walked toward Belial, who was panicked in searching for it.
All of them felt like time was spilling away each moment they stood in the tranquil forest.
Removing the heavenly thought from her mind, Drimi shook her head, began gritting her teeth, and clenched her fists.
"Don't tell me you lost it…."
His friends knew that Belial was entirely responsible for the passing years, but Belial faintly whispered.
"Where… is…"
Before he could touch it, Phthonus hastily snagged the sparkling object and lifted it into the air. He raised his voice as the light from it shone down on his face.
"I have found it!
Everyone turned to Phthonus and saw a glittering object caressing both his hands. It was sparkling and shimmering under a white luminance, like a crystal or a star.
They all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew. For a minute there, I thought Belial had lost it. But of course, I know he wouldn't do such a thing because I always remembered he was responsible."
Drimi advanced through the bushes and hollered to the rest of the group.
"Alright! Now let's go! We still have a lot to do today, so I advise that we travel toward Milmoor now."
Sally, Asahi, Aletha, Phthonus, and Belial nodded and agreed. They stepped out of the bushes, took a deep breath, and advanced further along the trail.
. . .
The day dawned crisp and clear. Drimi hollered as their figures emerged from the opening of the small forest.
"We made it!"
The sudden gust of fresh air and warm breeze welcomed them. The group gazed up at the beautiful morning sky above their heads.
White puffy clouds drifted over the seemingly endless horizon, reflecting the bright blue sea of tranquility and the hidden moon.
Fluorescent scents flowed across groups of flora. The smell of fresh mint and berries filled their nostrils, delighting them with a fresh aroma.
As they descended a cliff, they turned to their right and saw the towering silhouette of Pladtioa Mountain piercing through the blanket of clouds, with flocks of birds circling the square-shaped highlands.
Belial commented as he walked near Phthonus.
"The flock of birds… always encircles that same area every year. It must be a tradition of some sort."
Asahi nodded his head and turned toward the peaceful plains.
"Well, at least we are finally back. I miss the peaceful plains in Pladtioa."
Aletha smiled and lightly giggled.
"I'm relieved that we're here, too. Hey, do you see that?"
Not too far in the distance, atop another cliff, they see the quiet, peaceful town of Milmoor bathing under the warm sunlight.
The tall pine trees danced with the gentle gusts, the grass waves back and forth under the rising sun, and the crystal blue fireflies wandered through the meadows.
When the wanderers saw the silhouette of the village, they raced across the vibrant green hills, shuffled their feet over fallen twigs and leaves, and passed through a sea of dandelions.
As the wanderers parted further from the group, Phthonus screamed from a distance.
"Hey? Where are you two going?!"
Drimi lightly chuckled and patted Phthonus's back. Though they were running away, Drimi didn't mind letting the wanderers smile now and then. She faintly whispered to Phthonus, her bright smile beneath her mask.
"I, too, feel that this town eclipses the sun and watches over the entire nation. Oh, how I wish to witness what this nation was like at its prime."
Phthonus' orange and amber eyes lowered to the ground, seeing damp wetlands and stinky swamps replacing the view of the fresh and clean breeze-bathed plains. As he stared into space, Drimi snapped her fingers.
"Are you okay?"
Phthonus hastily shook his head and washed the past sight of the swamps away from his mind. Though he wanted to reveal it to Drimi, he was too afraid of dropping The Fruit.
"N-Nothing. It was just… a vision… That's all."
The fresh, fertile temperate flatlands, now encompassing expansive green meadows, eclipsed the repugnant state of what the nation had indeed been in the past.
But like any other moment, you must move on.