Asahi froze in shock at the sudden revelation of the name. It had been so long since he had ever heard that name.
"A...Aiyana?" His lips trembled.
(Yes, your younger sister. I sense her.)
(If we don't get to her soon, we might never get the chance to see her again.) Telos continued as Asahi turned back to the stars.
"Chance? To see her? No, I saw Aiyana die. She can't be alive," Asahi muttered.
With Telos' message, a powerful internal conflict surged inside Asahi. Memories of Aiyana—her laughter, their broken promises—came rushing in.
He could almost hear her voice echoing in his mind, and for a moment, he was back in the fields where they used to play as children, her laughter ringing in the air.
A wave of nausea swept through him as he battled the disbelief that clawed at his rational mind. A physical shiver coursed through his body.
Could Telos truly be right? Disbelief and hope tangled within him, a storm in his heart, pressing heavily on his chest. He glanced again at the distant stars, searching for answers, feeling the weight of the universe on his shoulders.
Doubt lingered with every heartbeat.
Despite this, the thought of losing another chance to see his sister, should she live, sparked an inextinguishable fire. He gathered his resolve.
Ignoring Telos' warning was not an option, even though the path ahead held many shadows.
(Go, and tell your sister swiftly. I shall reveal more once we get there.) Telos said, his voice turned into a determined tone. (There should be a bridge leading to Cleira near the northernmost part of Linuxinia. There, you shall see the problem.)
After processing Telos' shocking revelation and realizing the urgency, Asahi ran over to his sister, compelled to share the news despite his lingering uncertainty. He whispered to her as everyone was enjoying the feast.
"Aletha, come outside. Now."
Aletha scowled, setting down her food. "This better be important. Can't you see I'm busy?"
"This is urgent." Asahi said.
Dropping her chicken drumstick onto her plate, Aletha raced outside with Asahi, sensing the urgency in his voice and the unspoken gravity of the moment, feeling herself drawn by concern as much as curiosity.
"Did you know that Telos is inside my mind?"
"Inside your mind? I heard you mention him. Why?" Aletha replied, puzzled.
He hesitated to mention Aiyana, but, before things worsened, chose to reveal the truth to Aletha.
"Aiyana. She is alive," he said as Aletha's gray eyes widened. "Telos sensed it."
Aletha, taken aback by the unexpected news, felt her heart skip a beat. Her eyes widened in disbelief, her mind racing to comprehend Asahi's revelation. The shock was evident in her posture; her body jolted slightly, as if she had been physically hit by the information. Yet, beneath the surprise, a spark of urgency ignited within her, fueled by the hope that Aiyana might still be alive.
"But I thought she died," Aletha said, glancing at the sky. "Are you sure?"
Asahi fixed Aletha with a serious look.
"I'm not joking," he said, stomping the ground. "Telos wouldn't lie."
(Go, and leave this house) Telos said to Asahi, his voice guiding their every footstep. (There may be a place where I can see you in my normal form.)
"Is that why you've been so quiet?" Asahi asked.
With a suddenness in his voice, Telos replied as Asahi's mark on his face glowed a green luminance.
(I spoke with the shield I made, right? Until my soul's detached from yours, you'll keep hearing me.)
Just as the seriousness of the situation escalated,
(But first, get something to eat, and get some rest,) Telos said with a confusing, quaint tone. (Your bellies and brains shall need it for this adventure we shall take. I apologize for the urgency.)
"But you just said to get ready now…"
(We still have two more days to get to the anomaly. It will be better to get rest than to go tired.")
. . .
After some people had departed the house, as everyone in the mansion fell asleep, Asahi and Aletha awoke in the very early dawn, heading northward to where Telos had led them. The sun glittered in beautiful, warm colors like paint.
The hills and trees, unlike those near Toivo's mansion or Linuxinia peak, took on an alien quality. The clouds above loomed stormy gray. Cyan lightning flickered and curled around the summit.
Beyond the horizon, rested a far-reaching shoreline with waves tolling out and about. Asahi and Aletha set foot on the cliff, seeing the sand extend for a block or two. Then, as they set foot near the waves crashing onto the shore, Telos began to speak in Asahi's mind.
("There it is, the crumbling bridge leading to the Nation of Unity, Cleira.)
"Nation of unity?" Asahi questioned the strange title. "Why call it that?"
(Ever since the beginning of the world, all of the nations have been given different, meaningful titles.)
After they set foot and sat on the sandy shore leading toward the crumbling bridge, Telos revealed all to Asahi.
("It began with The Nation of Purity, a land renowned for its unwavering adherence to tradition and spirituality, where pristine waters and lush landscapes reflected the purity of its people's hearts. Then there was The Nation of Happiness, a vibrant place filled with laughter and music, where festivals lasted for days and the air was perpetually sweet with the scent of blooming flowers. These nations paved the way to The Nation of Hope, The Nation of Love, The Nation of Truth, The Nation of Charity, The Nation of Virtue, and finally, the Nation of Unity.")
( "All these nations were made and shaped by the titanic hands of the original Sovereigns and Queens of the world. It was only then, after the War of the Wish, that all had lost their given titles. I won't go too long about this… but be cautious of the titles you give the nations.)
Aletha, having no clue what was going on in Asahi's mind, decided to peer her gaze at the gigantic stone bridge extending out several thousand meters to the horizon. She squinted her eyes and saw several flashing storms and a circle of white luminance staining the sky. Asahi and Aletha stepped onto the crumbling bridge, witnessing purple cracks encircling the bottom depths.
"Asahi, is this the best idea?" Aletha asked, stepping back.
At first, fear gripped Asahi as he stepped into unknown territory—he had no clue what lay beyond the bridge. But with Telos' mind beside him, and memories of the battle with Alaunus still fresh, he pressed forward.
"If it's for Aiyana," he said, dodging a wave, "it's for everyone. Aletha, let's find her."
Aletha, with her body protesting, got up and sighed, saying…
"This better not be a trick."
(It will never be a trick.) Telos said in Asahi's mind.
(Don't say that, Telos. She's my sister.) Asahi insisted.
(Good, but it must be said. Don't falter. No matter what you do.")
. . .
As they progressed on the bridge, the intensity and magnitude of the storm increased.
The bone-rattling roars of the approaching light continued to spin and warp the air. A pink luminance shone at the center of the bridge, unleashing rapid bursts of energy into the sky. Gravity began to shift, unveiling a giant city behind the portal's circular frame.
The pink luminance had not faded but instead grew in size as the two came close.
"Asahi, hold my hand." She said as they watched the stone bricks of the bridge crumble and float in mid-air.
"Sure."
While she clutched onto her brother's hand, preparing for what was to come, the silhouette of a teal-headed, blue-eyed man came into being. His face, full of seriousness, spoke as the very bridge began to shift and bend like a black hole.
"Prepare, wanderers. For the world beyond the firmament."
Asahi and Aletha looked forward to the man, watching as the entire firmament shattered and spread like an artist's painting. It was the same sight as before. A city hidden underneath the clouds. With no warning, Asahi and Aletha felt their bodies bend and contort until finally, their vision faded to black.
Just before they floated in, Asahi thought of the people they had left behind. Kendra, Kali, Ubel, Zeru, everyone. He remembered the time when he and Aletha wandered the ancient city, covered in rock and vines, and how they exited it by artificial means. And now, soon, they shall make their triumphant return to…
* * *
The sky was dark… dark… blue with four moons behind a massive expanse of cloud-shaped pillars. From head to toe, these white pillars of clouds were attached to the ceiling of the other world like stalagmites or rocks. It was the same place they arrived back in Pladtioa, but on a larger scale.
"Asahi!" Said a cold, masculine voice. "Asahi, wake up."
Abruptly, his eyes parted open, revealing the sight of several black obelisks reaching out from the sea of clouds. It was unlike anything Asahi saw, but it seemed familiar.
"Where… where am I?" Asahi asked as he saw Telos pulling himself up.
"I'm glad to see you awake," Telos said as he crossed his arms. "My normal form takes shape here. We're not inside Gincad."
Asahi, confused, shook his head in disbelief, pointing upward.
"B…But I just saw us flying up the clouds. You're supposed to be in my mind."
"It's a separate space," Telos answered as he showed Asahi the crashed spaceships. "Far from the fabric of this world. Ever heard of The Amenia?"
"Who?" Asahi asked with genuine curiosity
Telos, crossing his arms and chuckling, decided to look into the expanse.
"The Amenia were once a unified, advanced, and ancient race," he said. "A race capable of running an entire world, both bearing silky white hair and gray eyes. They were masters of architecture and technology, known for their monumental cities and complex machines."
Confused, Asahi struggled to recall his memories. He remembered this space being mentioned back in Pladtioa, when he'd mistaken a white-haired person with gray eyes for Aletha. Everywhere in this strange realm, steel contraptions emerged. Black trees and white waters etched their forms through the landscape, and spaceships dotted the distant skies. Thinking of both mother and father, Asahi finally asked a burning question.
"Wait… were Aletha and I not the owners?" The prophecies of Alaunus came into being. "It is said that we are the owners of the prophecy.
"Don't ask me," Telos replied with a shrug. "Before we pursue Aiyana, let's look for your sister. She's here somewhere."
"Right," Asahi said. "Aletha."
. . .
The trees were black and white, extending on the cliffs etched with markings.
After having passed the corridors of black steel and scientific advances, they made their way through shattered laboratories, then toward sky scrapers of both steel and wood. The structures were built with absolute fluidity, with only a giant artificial sphere shedding its light. As they continued to pass, Telos started to express.
"Ah, I see now. The Amenia, in their once golden glory, crafted a nation filled with cities." He said as they passed by an inactive mechanism. "This is one of their many, many cities."
"Why is it here in Gincad?" Asahi said. "And how did I not know of this?"
"Because something or someone is trying to cover it up," Telos crossed his arms, stopping next to a war machine. "I see passion flowing through every crevice of this place. They indeed were remarkable individuals."
Now coming to his senses, after having recollected the white-haired individuals, Asahi was caused to question.
"Were my family and I the only white-haired creatures?"
"In this world," Telos replied with a vivid expression. "But outside, they used to be everywhere."
"And how do you know this?" Asahi asked as he saw the skyscrapers of black reflect over the dreary four-moon expanse.
"Because I have my reasons." Cutting the discussion there, Asahi and Telos tried searching for Aletha. They checked the many castles dotted on the place, the skyscrapers, before finally…
"ROAR!" A mechanism of fairly sized proportions captured Aletha, who was asleep in its arms.
Asahi and Telos quickly grabbed their swords and generated a white light as the battle began.
He started with a slash and then two, cleaving through its steel layers. Then, Telos, who heard the creatures, effortlessly gave it another bash and tossed the mechanism back. The world spun on its head as cloud pillars enveloped the wanderers, Telos, and the devices. Each one of them started to awaken, their visors a bright white.
Struck with familiarity, Asahi began to ask.
"Haven't I fought these before?" He said as they saw white-haired people emerge from the sea of buildings.
Just as he came to his senses, the mechanism threw its arm at Asahi before finally allowing it to drop Aletha.
Safely, she fell down, being cornered by white-haired beings.
Now that they had an audience, Asahi danced with the mechanism, unleashing heavy blows furthermore. He had moved his arms and legs with agility, remembering the time when he had been trained. The blades and the zombies, the rock and the chair; all of these memories came into fruition like a seeded sapling.
They threw every heavy attack they had at Asahi before using their visor to shoot white luminance.
Instantly, Asahi's light-covered blade shredded the back side of the mechanism, forcing it to fall.
"I'll handle this," said Telos as he struck it with his blade. "You two, get out of here."
As they saw the machine collapse, crashing into the ground like a dying dog, with the luminance fading as well, Aletha, now vulnerable to whatever dangers arose from the surface, started to awaken.
Her eyelids part into a fairly spacious room with vines dangling everywhere and windows revealing the outside of this realm. Asahi was fighting the devices while Aletha parkoured her way into the room.
Memories of her encounter came into being, from her passage from Alai's house to the field of flowers, to the zen garden, to the dragon, and the hidden citadel on the peak. Each memory carried a different wave of emotion through Aletha. A deep sense of nostalgia enveloped her when she recalled the serene beauty of the zen garden. The memory of the dragon brought a tinge of fear, reminding her of the peril they had faced.
Yet, with the fear came the hope that had driven them forward —a hope to overcome and discover what lay beyond.
These memories made her pause, feeling a flutter of anticipation about what they might find next. All of these memories came into being as she began to ask.
"Asahi, where are we?" She said as she looked at the quadruple moons. "All I see is… dark."
"We're in Usonpiri'ah," Telos answered Aletha. "Run, now!"
As they got chased by the creatures, Telos suddenly unleashed a barrage of cyan luminance that encircled the field, enveloping the creatures.
In one shot, they both watched as every mechanism surrendered to his power, collapsing and spilling out gooey essence.
Then, Asahi and Aletha sprinted out of a podium into a wall of stone attached to the pillars of clouds. Swiftly, they ran up the stairs, with the weight of guilt pressing onto their shoulders.
The dust of the blanket of clouds entered their sight and noses, and their blades glimmered against the gloom of the dark.
After reaching a spacious room, they met a gargantuan foe.
Covered in wires and devices, a formidable opponent capable of securing its grasp on Asahi and Aletha both came into their perspective.
Luckily, Telos, looking exhausted, approached the room and threw his blade at the mechanism, saying,
"The scent of your sister is close. Stay put, we must defeat that device."
Asahi and Aletha knew that failure to triumph in this battle meant more than just personal loss; the fate of their sister and perhaps the very balance of their world hung precariously in the balance.
If the mechanism was left undefeated, the path to Aiyana could be closed forever, and the secrets Telos promised to reveal might never be uncovered.
With stakes running deeper than the personal, it was a confrontation that tested the core of their resolve.
With unsure smiles, Asahi and Aletha nodded their heads and unsheathed their blades, preparing to engage this being of epic proportions.