(The vase…)
He realized what he had to do next. He continued the dance, slowly parting his eyes away from Narcissa.
Both jotted and skidded their feet across the ballroom floor, like skating on ice. Each movement was precise and accurate to the song.
As they danced and skipped all over the ballroom, Asahi bit his lip, pushed all negative thoughts aside, and whispered to Narcissa while moving to the right.
"I also want to reveal my secret… the man that you see in me isn't who I really am…"
(Break) Another mirror shattered. Narcissa focused on his eyes and continued the dance.
"I was rude to people. I was short-tempered, and I sometimes abused other individuals in other worlds for my own benefit. "
Five to seven mirrors shattered, and Narcissa listened to each word he said.
"I didn't pay attention to anyone in other worlds because I simply never cared. Throughout the thousands of years of world traveling, I was desensitized and inhumane. I was… a jerk; if you could put it that way."
The tempo of the dance increased even more, with flowing, colorful streaks of light bouncing from wall to wall.
Narcissa's eyes broadened in awe. She noticed individuals appearing around them and shouted, feeling her brown hair brush against her face.
"Asahi, the curse… I-IT'S--
Asahi turned over and saw glowing, slender hands move his arms and legs in every direction. Asahi commented.
"Are those… spirits? Hmmm, maybe they were trapped in the mirror, and now that we danced, they're free."
The world spun in circles. The table, the lights, and the walls smeared over Asahi's vision, with only Narcissa's beautiful face clear.
"But now I have changed. As soon as I actually tried to pay attention to the beings who lived in those worlds, my humanity began to return.
My rudeness was repelled, my anger was resolved, and I was becoming a better person. So… the personality you see in me right now…"
Asahi found the dance easy and happily followed the spirits' movements.
"That's my changed self…"
(Break) More mirrors disappeared.
Their voices cheered. The audience faded back.
More mirrors shattered as warm yellow light emerged from the center of the room.
Asahi peered over Narcissa's shoulder and saw the vase shine like a star, releasing a stream of yellow light into the air.
The spirits clapped and cheered as Asahi and Narcissa jolted left and right, spinning in different directions, losing control of their bodies.
"Go! Go! Go!"
The music reached its highest, climactic volume. Hundreds of mirrors shattered from room to room, hallway to hallway, as the trapped souls were released from their cells.
They danced like professionals, moving from left to right. The maids and butlers' jaws dropped as they saw Narcissa and Asahi dance with pure joy.
Asahi chuckled as the wind blew through his white hair, the spirits surrounding them, and applause from the ghosts.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
The maids and butlers saw Narcissa genuinely tear up for the first time. But it wasn't tears of sadness; It was tears of joy.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Narcissa laughed and announced as they concluded their dance.
Before the dance ended, the massive mirror that hung over Asahi and Narcissa shattered into fragments.
The shards disintegrated into thin air, unleashing the reflections back into the world.
Glass rained down like snowflakes.
The vase's divine protection saved them from harm. Instead of the usual dark purple shredding the vase, it was—
Narcissa jumped with happiness.
"It's yellow!"
Asahi jolted toward the table and saw a path of warm yellow light pierce through the walls and form a trail outside. He assumed.
"It's a trail!"
Narcissa jolted toward the table and murmured.
"It is…?"
The dance concluded.
. . .
As the strings, bells, and the entire orchestra finally stopped playing, Narcissa turned back to Asahi and embraced him without a thought. "We did it!" she cheered.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I feel… alive. I feel… d-different!"
The palace's dark aura faded. As Narcissa danced joyfully, Asahi chuckled softly and replied.
"Haha. I thank you as well. Hey, come here…"
She raced across the ballroom, ecstatically moving left and right. As she began to calm down, Asahi took a deep breath and said.
"Narcissa, you awakened something I never thought I had…
He clutched her hands and bent down to her head.
"Respect for you. This date was wonderful, Narcissa. You shared a side I never thought you had. At some moments, I… started growing more attracted to you…"
Narcissa raised her eyebrow, eyes sparkling. "I'm not sure," she said.
"R-Really?"
Asahi slowly nodded and smiled.
"Yes… Your real side is brighter than I ever thought it could be. I could feel my heart race as I danced with you. I could feel my face heat up when we strolled around the palace and the beautiful garden. And… still. I have one more thing to say…"
Narcissa leaned toward him, paying close attention. Asahi closed his eyes and whispered to her.
"Please know this, Narcissa… I can't be with you… There's someone else I am focused on. I enjoyed hanging out with you a lot… but I think it's time we part ways. When the time finally comes, if you continue to act just the way you are…"
Asahi leaned over to her ear and whispered.
"Maybe you can get a REAL partner…besides me."
Narcissa's eyes widened. The moment she heard Asahi, she felt all the effects of her curse vanish from her presence. After all those years of the relentless curse of forced narcissism, finally, Narcissa truly felt free from the shackles of the burden.
She took a deep breath, stepped forward one last time, and stared deep into Asahi's eye-lined eyes. As his eyes met with hers… Narcissa thought.
(I can't believe… that the one that was chosen to remove the curse was this boy. What is so special about him that makes him different from everyone else? Was it because he was a Ruler? Or could it just be fate?)
She shook her head and pushed all her thoughts away. As Asahi stood still, she slowly rubbed her fingers over his cheek and answered with a light smile.
"Someday.. Asahi… someday. I know that you can't be with me forever, but regardless, I enjoyed spending time with you too."
They smiled at each other for the last time. Their actions were purely to fulfill the date, yet Asahi and Narcissa both felt a hint of love. As the date drew to a close and thoughts faded, the ceiling lights swayed overhead. Suddenly, a butler shouted at them from across the room.
"Fantastic job, you two!"
The maid leaped up and congratulated her as well.
"Congratulations, Lady Narcissa and Asahi!"
As Narcissa stared into space, she saw all her maids and butlers; she realized, after all these years, that the curse that had burdened her was finally lifted.
In a rush, Asahi dragged Narcissa toward the doors and tried to go to Devlin.
"Follow me!"
* * *
Instead of saving Devlin, Asahi and Narcissa decide to change back to their everyday attire.
Suddenly, as they reached for their clothes to change, a loud explosion echoed from below the palace.
(BOOM)
The building trembled. Objects slid down. Furniture crashed into the walls. Asahi and Narcissa sprinted down the hall, mumbling, clutching their clothes.
"What was that?!"
Suddenly, a loud, demanding scream echoed over the palace.
"ONWARD!"
Asahi's heart froze. Despite hearing it from such a distance, he still recognized that voice. A loud, determined, confident, and brave voice. One that matched his sibling.
He rushed into an empty room, stripped off his suit, changed into his original clothes, washed off the eyeliner, untied his hair, kicked off his heels, and raced down the hallway.
As the palace continued to shake, Asahi jolted down the stairs and toward the two massive wooden doors.
"Huh?!"
Asahi's gray eyes widened, his throat lurched, and his heart stopped. He saw who was in front of the door.
A girl with white hair, crystal-gray eyes, and fair skin, with a young face and dark, sparkling attire, stepped out aggressively from the door, grasping a sword, as a large group of people followed.
Some leaked into the building and tried to ambush as fast as they could. But just before the others even entered the building, Aletha swiftly lifted her arm and commanded.
"Stop!"
The group stopped immediately.
Silence. The atmosphere changed. Her footsteps echoed over the walls.
(Tap)
(Tap)
As Aletha approached Asahi and dragged her sword across the floor, she gasped and noticed Narcissa sprinting to Asahi from behind. She alerted him.
"Asahi, behind you!"
He stepped backward and fell silent, confused about why she looked so afraid. As Asahi stepped closer to Aletha, a warmth suddenly touched his hand.
"What?"
Suddenly, Asahi pulled away from Aletha. A tall, brown, transparent glass-like barrier emerged from the ground, separating the group from the rest of the palace.
In absolute shock, he jumped up and raced to the barrier. He placed his hand over the clear shield. The barrier pulsated a few times, then shocked Asahi's fingers and knocked him back.
"AHH!"
He rushed behind and saw Narcissa in the distance. Aletha stared at him with confusion, questioning why he was ignoring her.
Asahi sighed deeply and hollered from across the halls.
"What are you doing?!"
Asahi turned back to his sister. A furious look shrouded her entire face. Her eyes twitched; her face glowed a mean red. Her fists trembled. He realized that Aletha didn't know Narcissa had changed. She must have noticed the bruise marks on his face from Devlin.
Aletha thought those marks were from Narcissa, and so… in correspondence to this… Aletha gritted her teeth, clenched her sword, pointed it to the ceiling, and shouted.
"Attack!"
Asahi tried to stop her.
"No! Aletha… please let me explain--
Before he even realized it, the group had already started to attack.
His feet automatically pivoted backward, his heart raced, and his breathing quickened.
Asahi's eyes darted to the left. He saw ten to twenty people smacking their weapons at the barrier; some were children, and others were full-grown adults.
Arrows bounced off the barrier, a dozen swords clashed against the yellow surface, and the palace started to quake.
Asahi held his breath and turned to the right. He saw the front walls buckle, then collapse as bricks shot into the air. As the dust cleared, a gaping hole appeared, revealing not only Aletha but an entire army.
Lights flew down to the ground, mirrors shattered, and the moonlight shone through the cracks. Catapults rolled in, and rocks were tossed at the barrier. As the shield endured the attacks, its surface slowly chipped and cracked.
Asahi gulped.
"W-What the…"
Narcissa pulled him away from the barrier, clenched her glowing fists, and closed her eyes. A luminescent brown strand encircled her head. She opened her eyes and peered directly at the crowd with a look of frustration. Some stepped back out of fear; a few persisted in breaking the barrier.
Narcissa alerted Asahi.
"Stand back…"
He shook his head and slowly backed up. The situation escalated rapidly.
Blinding brown rays emerged from the center of her palm and peered through the cracks of the barrier. Her hair swooped back and fluctuated rapidly. Asahi saw many streaks of light fly across the hallway toward Narcissa's body.
"Spirits?"
Aletha's eyes widened. Magical lasers sprouted out from the floor, printing silhouettes of clones in front of the group. People gasped and recognized some of them.
"Is that… me?"
The clones charged at each other, swords clashing. Many forced their reflections to the ground, striking and hurling rocks at them. The palace became a battleground as windows shattered, furniture was shredded, and more of the ceiling crashed to the ground.
Asahi and Narcissa tried to evade the group, dodging attacks, sprinting all over the palace, and approaching the dungeon.
"Asahi, you actually returned? I can't believe it!"
Asahi nodded his head silently.
"Yeah. Okay, Narcissa, unlock the door."
She nodded her head, grabbed the keys, shoved them through the lock, and swung the door open. Devlin charged at Asahi and gave a swift handshake, laughing loudly.
"Hahaha! I knew you'd come back for me. I thought you were a goner. Anyways, what got you so paranoid, my friend?"
Asahi leaned toward Devlin and spoke in a serious, quiet tone.
"Now's not the time, Devlin. The palace is getting ambushed, I relieved Narcissa of her curse, and I made that date. We were right!"
Devlin crossed his arms and impatiently uttered.
"Haha! We're right. So… you said what now? The palace is getting ambushed? What does that mean for me? What should I do?"
Asahi stared Devlin in the eye, Narcissa formed a barrier around the dungeon, and after a few moments, he clutched Devlin's hand and asked properly.
"If you want to escape, promise me that you will stop messing with me with your jokes."
After moments of thought, Devlin nodded his head and shook Asahi's hands in agreement.
"Alright, fine… It's a deal!"
"Are you sure?"
Narcissa panicked and screamed.
"Stop goofing around! Asahi, Prisoner, follow me!"
"Okay!"
As they raced out the entrance and followed Narcissa, Devlin questioned.
"Why do I have to follow her now?"
Asahi shook his head and facepalmed.
"Just listen to her. She's a lot different than what we assumed."
"Okay…" Devlin replied, sneering suspiciously.
* * *
Running toward the front door, they were just in time to speak with Aletha. Narcissa cast another shield around them to stop the wild crowd from attacking them. As Aletha crossed her arms and pouted, Asahi stepped forward and explained in a speedy tone.
"Sis, just listen to me. Narcissa isn't what you think she is. She is bright and humane, just like us. The only reason why she is this way is because she has a curse and--
An earthquake trembled their toes. The people clashed their blades on the shield. Asahi continued.
"Narcissa absorbed an Angel Factor. She's okay now and--
Devlin interrupted Asahi as he saw something emerge from the horizon.
"Asahi, LOOK BEHIND YOU!"
After hearing Devlin, Asahi, Aletha, and Narcissa, everyone else stopped fighting and turned outside.
The nation had never been this silent before.
. . .
Beyond the vast plains, meadows, lakes, and ponds, all the way toward the moonlit forest of Purefell, a massive rectangular purple beacon of light struck and extended high into the sky.
The clouds instantly cleared from its path, the sky lit up as if it were day, and a loud, thunderous clap rattled the skies, crashing through the darkness.
A gargantuan purple shockwave flew and swept across the entire nation, pushing trees, buildings, mountains, and rocks. The whole nation quaked. A monster that had no face. All panicked…
"What's happening?"
"What are we going to do?"
"What… is that?!"
Asahi and Aletha clutched their hands tightly and closed their eyes, feeling the gust of the shockwave knock them back. As they heard the noise growing closer and closer, Asahi screamed at the top of his lungs.
"SIS, HOLD ON!"
Precariously, as the light engulfed the palace, as people embraced uncertainty...
... as the shockwave impacted, Asahi and Aletha's vision flashed to white.
* * *
Moments later... the wanderers began to hear crickets chirp. They hastily lifted themselves from the tender grass and found themselves surrounded by trees, rocks, and cliffs, with no one but them in sight. They called out to the forest.
"Drimi, Phthonus, Sally… ANYONE?!"
The only thing that answered was the wind.
. . .
They wandered Purefell forest—hopping cliffs, moving through trails, and scavenging every corner—hoping everyone was alive. After the shockwave hit the palace, they assumed they had been forced to teleport to The Great Fountain.
"Where are we…? What happened?" Aletha asked, her voice uncertain.
Stopping to catch their breath, they tilted down to the ground and stopped to think. Asahi mumbled.
"After that shockwave took us, we either got transported to The Great Fountain. Come on, Aletha. Let's see if anyone else is here," Asahi said, mumbling.
"O-Okay…"
. . .
After scavenging and wandering through each part of the forest, Asahi and Aletha began to lose hope. They started to question, "Are we the only ones teleported?" or "Did everyone in the palace vanish except us?"
. . .
After roaming every corner of the forest, just as Asahi and Aletha were about to give up, they approached an area nearest to the fragments of the demolished Fountain; with trees lined up in a circle, stones scattered everywhere, and ash coating the grass, they heard the distant sound of the waves crashing on the cliffs.
As they progressed along the cliff, the wanderers saw a circular disk-shaped structure beneath it.
They heard owls hooting, crickets chirping, and the wind whistling. Despite what had occurred previously, it seemed to the wanderers like nothing had happened at all. However, just as they were about to give up searching for anyone, the wanderers found a beautiful brown-haired woman resting against a rock, nearest to the cliff.
But what caught their attention, even more, was a string of yellow lights pointing directly to the Fountain.
Nonetheless, despite all that they experienced, the wanderers never knew that residing within the disk-shaped structure... was a powerful device counting down to what could be… their world's demise.
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