Aletha scoured across the city, from the long, extensive cobblestone streets of the rural apartments, all the way through the busy marketplace.
Upon approaching the last five extensive streets, she saw a tall wall extending upward, stretching diagonally for kilometers.
As she sprinted across the arching bridge, Aletha turned behind and saw thousands of people cheering and chanting.
"Freedom for Pladtioa!"
"For our reflections!"
"For the lost!"
Aletha's eyes widened, unable to comprehend the extraordinary number of individuals. From one direction to the next, each individual varied differently in size; some looked to be children, while others were absolute giants.
(Crank)
She hurriedly turned to her left and saw a group of muscular men heaving catapults over the bridge.
Carriages emerged from the slope of ramps, and horses neighed as their rock-solid hooves skidded across the ground.
What truly made it the cherry on top were the lights and torches people used. Pladtioa couldn't have been brighter.
Just as Aletha tried to step forward and continue the march, she gasped and mumbled anxiously.
"My brother is still missing. What could have happened to him? No, d-don't tell me— did he get tortured?!"
. . .
Asahi and Narcissa pushed through the front doors, laughing happily as they held hands and strolled through the courtyard.
"This place looks beautiful."
. . .
Aletha shivered with fear and hyperventilated, guessing and worrying about the potential events involving Asahi.
"Did he get captured?"
. . .
Asahi and Narcissa turned their heads to the cold glow of the moonlight sky and smiled.
They placed their hands on the precious railing and stared at the fluttering fireflies passing by in front of their faces.
They strengthened their grip and skipped across the garden, with their eyes meeting each other.
. . .
Aletha fretted over her speech and bit her fingernails, hoping the possibilities were not true. Anxious about Asahi, she froze still and screamed.
"Did… h-he get killed?"
. . .
Narcissa bent down toward a patch of beautiful flowers and sniffed all of them. They were in a garden filled with colorful flora.
Despite being on only their first date, using his past knowledge, Asahi insisted on grabbing one of them and placing it softly on Narcissa's head.
As the wind blew silently through their long, shiny hair, Asahi stared deep into Narcissa's creamy brown eyes and whispered to her with enthusiasm.
"You look… gorgeous… Narcissa."
Narcissa's face flushed red, she fidgeted with her hair, and tilted her head away from Asahi, trying to hide her blush. Though she knew this was to relieve her curse, every time Asahi speaks or does something kind to her, she grows more and more attached.
The beautiful, toffee-haired woman trembled as she stood on her tiptoes and stared deeply through Asahi, her magnificent, sparkling dress billowing upward.
"Do you really think s-so… Asahi?"
Asahi nodded his head and grabbed her arm gently, showing a straight, pretty smile on his face.
"Of course… You look like a beautiful lone dove swimming in a clear, timid lake of blue."
Narcissa fluttered in joy and neared closer to Asahi, stepping up the stairs one by one.
As they reached the last bit of the stairs, they took a moment and sat down, with Narcissa's head relaxing and lying on Asahi's shoulders. As they dangled their feet over and looked back at the clear, starry sky,
"Oh, Asahi… Do you want to dance in the ballroom?"
Asahi knew of the ballroom, but never thought that Narcissa would offer a dance to him. Looking back at the reminder of Devlin and Aletha, he shook off his daydreaming and bowed his head to her, smiling with pride.
"Absolutely…"
"..."
Narcissa blushed even more and smiled with light giggles.
"Such a gentleman…"
She covered her mouth and took one step while holding Asahi's hand. Though she insisted on opening the door… abruptly, Asahi's fingers wrapped over the knob…
"No, allow me…"
Narcissa nodded and stepped back, seeing Asahi grab the fine door handle. Gently, he turned it and opened the door for Narcissa. As they advanced toward the narrow hallways, Asahi thought silently in his head.
(Just how long shall this request last? What is Aletha doing right now?)
. . .
She was paranoid, frightened, and anxious about the fate of her brother. She almost resorted to speeding up the preparation process, but was immediately stopped by Phthonus, who paced forcefully through the crowd, and pulled her away from the gate.
As the chattering continued, Phthonus turned his head to Aletha, raised an eyebrow, and whispered, breathing heavily.
"Aletha, what… are you doing?"
Consumed with overwhelming anxiety, she answered speedily while trying to escape Phthonus's grip.
"I need to get Asahi now. H-He might be in danger, h-he could be hurt…"
Phthonus gripped onto Aletha's arm tightly and refused to escape his grasp. He hurried to Aletha's ear and whispered to her, trying to calm her.
"Hey, hey… calm down, Aletha. Asahi is going to be okay. I know how The Queen acts at night, and just so you know, your brother is safe for now. Hey, pushing all of that aside… you might not know it, but THIS right here…"
Phthonus forced Aletha to see. He pointed to the massive group of individuals varying in size, shape, and color. Aletha examined for a moment, and her head was forced back to Phthonus' face. He continued.
"...It's rare. The citizens waited so long for a rebellion to erupt. I know you might not have been here from the start, but they didn't have the power or strength to command and unite everyone back then.
They were sick and tired of how Narcissa treats this nation, and that's why they always celebrated Fountain Day, because it was the holiday for the original ruler of this nation. The people could be driven insane sometimes…"
At a glance, Phthonus pulled his dark scarf over his mouth and peered directly through Aletha's beaming dark silver eyes.
"But you… Aletha, you're different. You spoke to them as if they were your friends, didn't hesitate to share your truthful words, and persuaded everyone to join you. I don't know how you did it. But, it's amazing…"
Aletha slowly nodded her head and took two deep breaths. Phthonus' words awakened her realization of what she had just done. In a matter of seconds, Aletha persuaded the entire city to join her and listen to her. That should be enough to encourage her… and so… her adrenaline sparked. Her eyes widened, she stood proudly, and posed in front of the crowd, about to announce…
But then….
"Hey! Whatcha doin' over there?!"
Drimi emerged from the crowd. She dashed through the streets and pushed her nosy head in between Phthonus and Aletha-- prying upon their business.
"What are you guys talking about here?"
Phthonus stepped away and crossed his arms, making a pout face and an intolerable attitude.
"I just calmed Aletha down. The poor girl was still thinking about her brother."
"Oh, really?" Drimi replied while raising her eyebrow.
She pulled her mask over her mouth and slapped Aletha's back with a loud, hoarse chuckle.
"Heh heh!"
It was clear that she had reverted to her masculine act, reflecting on how her father had acted towards her a long time ago.
As Phthonus stepped away from the crowd, Drimi erupted with adrenaline.
"Asahi and you will be FINE, sweetheart! Just look at everyone as if they were friends! Look at all their smiles and not their eyes. If you don't look at their eyes and instead see their smiles, maybe that will persuade you and make you feel confident. Haha! That's what my father said to me when I was little! And I'm sure you could take the advice too!"
Aletha nodded her head slowly and gave a weak grin.
"O-Okay… I will jot it down. But, now's not the best time; okay, Drimi? There are thousands of people waiting for their redemption…"
"Oh, yeah, I forgot! I'm sorry…"
Drimi nodded her head and followed Aletha's duties, holding heavy weaponry with her bare hands.
. . .
Approaching the massive steel gate that lay at the epicenter of the wall, a vivid cold evening breeze blew through the opening crevices of the gateway. Aletha saw two guards, covered in metal armor, standing at each end of the gate; both held long, intimidating spears. She tried to ask them…
"Hey, excuse me… could you--
Suddenly, without resistance, the guards immediately answered as they paced toward the lever.
"Allow us…"
(Click)
In just a short time, the two guards forced the large, gold-coated lever down, and soon the gateway creaked upward, lifting and revealing the sight of an open cliff. The group cheered.
"Hooray!"
Despite opening the gate so suddenly, Aletha questioned herself.
"The guards didn't even resist?"
(Tap)
(Tap)
(Tap)
The guards hastily leaned back against the sides of the gateway, bowing to Aletha and asking her.
"Please, be successful in this. Our families went missing after we were promoted to the guard. If you could be so kind as to scavenge the castle for them, it would be an honor to serve this insurgency as well."
Aletha quivered her fingers, nodded her head, and gave a long handshake to both guards with a smile of pride.
"I appreciate your acknowledgment…"
The guards provided Aletha with the physical descriptions of their families. After a moment of silence, Aletha scratched her chin, perked her head up, and answered with a formal tone.
"If I can find the rest of your families, I will ensure that I return them to you as soon as possible."
The guards knelt and nodded, showing intense gratitude.
"Thank you, and may the heavens bless you… er… um…"
The guards tried to say her name. Aletha revealed herself.
"It's Aletha…"
The guards nervously nodded and pointed their spears toward the gateway.
"A…letha… you and the rest may proceed. We will be greatly patient for your awaited return."
As Aletha and the others advanced through the gate, pressing their feet, wheels, and hooves into the soft, tender ground, she saluted the guards and shouted to them, a proud grin on her face.
"Don't worry, it won't be long…"
She cocked her head toward the massive group of people, lifted her arm into the air with confidence, and screamed with all her might.
" Now, Insurgency, March onward"
The Insurgency cheered and jumped in the air, clapping and chanting.
"For Pladtioa! For Pladtioa! For Pladtioa!"
"WOO HOO!"
. . .
Meanwhile, far from Pladtioa City, an event is happening near the forest and ruins of The Great Fountain.
"GET BACK HERE!"
Two silhouettes battled above— piercing through the forests, flailing their fists at each other, and erupting potent magic blasts. They soared above a massive forest like two planes in a dogfight.
Purple and Cyan lights flew and spun across the air from random directions. Cyclones and lightning bolts scattered around the dense forests, forming trails of ash behind.
Thick clouds formed as a dark-haired, lavender-eyed man sprang up into the air and prospered himself, unleashing massive cyan beams of light toward a dark silhouette.
His attacks coated the plants in celestial-pattern stains, with cyan and white-spotted essences purifying flora.
The silhouette quickly bolted away from the lights, turning over and unleashing bursts of magenta beams from his mechanical blasters.
(Boom!)
(Boom!)
(Boom!)
While the craters from the lightning strikes faded from the forest's depths, a loud, mechanical-sounding scream rang out as thunder roared overhead.
"Stay back! Stop doing this! I'm trying to save the World!"
His complaints were not answered. The mechanical individual was bruised from the barrage of magical lightning bolts and was shoved through four trees before being forced into the hard ground.
The individual struggled, tilted his head toward the man, and saw a man with long, dark hair, glowing lavender/cyan eyes, and pale skin ruthlessly attacking the husk, which was covered in metal and warm, purple light.
The man shouted with fury as the metal husk got ruthlessly buried through the solid stone.
"Tear, activating a nation-destroying device IS NOT saving the World! You ruthless creatures who nonchalantly joined The Ending know NOTHING about this World! Stop entrusting your means to The Princess!
All of this is a deception… and you don't even realize it!"
(Thrust)
The metal husk unleashed a massive laser, knocking the dark-haired man into the air. As he blocked the attacks with his shield, the mechanical husk— Tear shouted at the top of his voice.
"All of you are BLINDED from this emerging discrepancy! This World, along with its people… is all a lie! I don't even remember who I am. If you persist in resisting the truth, it will be at your fault that The Last War starts! The Creationists should have never meddled with The Orb!"
A cluster of lightning strikes flew across the forest. The ground trembled, forcing Akwan to lose balance and descend to the earth.
"The loss of memories was at the fault of The Ending. Don't intrude upon my territories and blame the Creationists. Even though I'm using only a small portion of my power, I could still out-match you…."
Approaching closer toward Tear, as he lifted his arm and shrouded it in blue luminance, just as he was about to unleash another attack on Tear…
All of a sudden, the clouds stopped moving, and explosions stained the air; time seemed to slow down.
Akwan's eyes met Tear's visor, his heart thumping rapidly with fear; his entire body was paralyzed with shock.
He grew concerned about the unimaginably powerful aura surrounding Tear.
And with that, far in the distance, with a thin luminescent purple string attached to Tear, he saw…
His eyes shrank in absolute shock.
"That… c-can't be… The Princess—SHE'S HERE?!"
Before Akwan's words were drawn from his lips, his vision pierced through Tear's mask, revealing a familiar face under the mechanical helmet.
"H-HUH?!"
He gasped in shock; the flow of time accelerated, and… an immense surge of power bloomed from Tear's presence.
Reality itself flashed before Akwan's eyes as if his existence and soul had been ripped apart and rebuilt again. All sounds were mute, even Akwan's thoughts.
. . .
. . .
Precipitously, as his presence was ripped apart, a gargantuan magenta beam, the size of five skyscrapers, struck Akwan and impelled him through the sky.
He could feel each limb in his body crushing and crumbling away.
"What?! N-No… he can't be—
Akwan clenched his fists, grappled onto a cloud, and closed his eyes, trying to hold on. Immense energy flew and devoured each corner of his limb. Dust flew in the air, tears flew in his eyes, and his voice echoed over space.
"The Princess— She's helping Tear?!"
As Akwan's eyes turned toward the glistening, bleached moon, his presence was consumed by an insatiable squall of purple light; Akwan's scream ruptured.
"What is this world hiding?"
Sudd—-
. . .
Instead of Akwan's feet standing on the tender bristles of grass…
"Where… am I?"
…it was the dry, grainy, coarse texture of sand.
Akwan bent toward the blazing horizon, which seemed an expanse of sandy dunes, then back to his glowing hand, acknowledging his location.
The sandy dunes, the desert, the barren land… all of it was familiar to him.
As Akwan advanced further into the sweltering desert, he fell to his knees and muttered breathlessly.
"I… was teleported to… Zomrack?"
He bit his lip and furiously slammed his fist against the ground, pondering the thoughts that erupted from his head. Despite being The Creator…
"I failed… Pladtioa. I failed them all…."
A sight of Asahi and Aletha's faces flashed in his mind. He tried to hold his tears and buried his head in the coarse ground.
"My apologies, Asahi, and Aletha; I wasn't in my true form when I fought Tear. If only I had all of my power…."
The hot wind blew, pushing the tiny particles of sand. Akwan took a deep sigh and continued.
"I know the potential both of you possess. I know the truth about your family and the World you once owned, but something is stopping me from telling you. But know this… if you can hear me…"
He tilted toward the fleet of white, puffy clouds.
"If you two TRULY want to begin to reclaim your world…."
Akwan tightened his fists; the wind blew against his long, dark hair. The sky reflected in Akwan's gleaming lavender eyes.
He lifted himself off the ground and wiped the sand off his face.
As Akwan glared toward the distant mountain range beyond the tall dunes… Akwan urged with a tone of faith.
"Then you MUST deactivate that destructive Device. Not just for the fate of Pladtioa… but for the entire World. Only then— will your journeys TRULY begin."
He relaxed his arms against the ground.
"But as for me…"
Akwan saw a tumbleweed fly over the sand.
"It will be a while… until we finally meet again. I'll try my best to travel to Linuxinia, but that isn't a promise."
On the other side of the world, both Asahi and Aletha's ears ring— implying that they heard Akwan's message.
Yet, they ignored him and continued their duties, as if the device wasn't there in the first place.
Asahi whispered to Narcissa as he escorted her toward the ballroom.
"Shall we begin?"
. . .
At the bottom of the cliff…Aletha asked the group as they began their long, proud march.
"Shall we begin?"
. . .
No matter what happened, the future of the nation of Pladtioa, the future of the entire world…
…will all depend on how The Wanderers settle their events.