Among the meditative golden room, the petite-green-haired girl dragged Asahi toward a chair, grabbing and pulling out the brown book buried in his pants.
His eyes broadened in fear, and recollected instantly what happened the moment he revealed the book to Akwan, reaching his hands and screaming to her.
"No, give it back!"
Clover shot a sneaky glare at Asahi and shook her head, stepping over to Akwan and tapping his shoulder.
"Hey, Master Akwan. One of the visitors has been carrying this book." Her heart hammered, rubbing the solid cover and feeling a radiant aura shine around it. "I believe this is the one you have spoken to me about for months. I... don't understand how they have received it, but..."
The girl's hands were seizing greedily on the book, dropping it not to let it overwhelm her. Akwan turned over and pulled his cloak over his head, revealing a familiar pattern Asahi had seen. A memory flashed inside his mind as he heard footsteps sound behind his back.
"Haven't you two chased me long enough?! Just let me have it." His pitch, the way it was presented, almost matched the voice coming from Akwan's mouth
A teeming suspicion dawned inside Asahi, speaking inside his mind as he saw a white-haired girl approach him.
(Wait a minute, I remember that. Isn't that man wearing the same cloak that the thief my sister and I had chased back in the previous world?!)
With a prodigious boldness and energy of intellect, Asahi pushed himself off the chair, sprinting to Akwan, realizing that the brown scarf had been attached to the white-haired boy when he had entered the void. He pushed him away from the shelves and shouted.
"How in the world did you get here?"
Akwan gulped, not understanding his words.
"W-What are you talking about?"
As the book glistened underneath his feet, Asahi hurriedly pulled and shoved the brown scarf up Akwan's face. He objected.
"You remember this? The one you have snatched away from us for no reason? I'm pretty sure you are at least connected to that thief someway."
An awkward pause flooded the room.
Aletha froze in shock, recollecting the fleeting moments of the chase when they were walking among a lake, only to be robbed by a thief wearing that exact cloak. She stepped forward and expressed disgruntled confusion.
"Are you that thief we encountered?" She asked boldly.
Akwan's eyes drifted over to the wall, not giving an answer, staring only at the book beneath him. Asahi tightened his fists and stepped forward, threatening.
"Tell us!"
Aletha's gray eyes focused on Akwan, watching the truth fade into view among her glimpse. She raised her voice as the green-haired girl stepped behind.
"Silence is the best counter. I can see through that look in your eyes the concealment of truth. I know what you are hiding. Just answer so you don't waste any more of our time."
Akwan hung his head down to the floor and released a sigh of contentment, picking up the brown scarf lying on the floor and placing it near the book on the hardwood floor.
"I honestly have no idea what you are speaking about." He pressed his hand against his chest and bared his teeth. "There is something interfering with my memory. It feels like I have done it, but at the same time... it feels like I haven't."
Both the wanderers gasped, their eyes trembling in pure surprise.
"Huh?"
Aletha nodded in approval, whispering as Akwan rubbed the brown book.
"He's speaking the truth."
Asahi couldn't believe it.
The man standing before him doesn't even look close to the thief he remembered. Not even the pale skin refracted light on his face. Yet somehow, there was still something clinging to Akwan's appearance that drew a glimpse of familiarity.
Surprised, Asahi suppressed his frustration by turning over and answering with a stern tone.
"How did he forget that? Was all of that commotion with the thief and that scarf all an illusion? No it can't be."
Shortly afterward, Akwan interfered.
"If anything, if I were to steal your scarf, I would be dead. I don't even know if it resembles anything, as far as I'm concerned, nor that experience of making some sort of 'act', mainly because I have never left this world to know that.."
Aletha jumped up in a tone of fascination and awe, insulting the dark-haired man.
"Well then, I guess your memory is bad. Old grandpa! Slowpoke!"
Akwan sighed deeply, shaking his head and pleading for forgiveness.
"Seriously, how immature must you be to believe such foolish thoughts? No matter, there is something more important I need to discuss with you."
After yet another silence, a loud chiming sounded out from nowhere. All four hopped up and saw the brown book that had caused problems to glisten and float on the ground. Akwan's eyes widened.
"Where did you find this book?"
Again, Asahi raised an eyebrow in suspicion, feeling a sense of familiarity brood upon him. But rather than the "usual" act of pushing away, allowing a group of bandits to rush into the room, the book's glow faded, leaving nothing but silence.
After the group gathered around the book, confused, Asahi stepped in and took advantage of the silence to insert and input his "vision" he saw when he had passed out.
Aletha's face paled, unable to believe this wicked sorcery that had been cast upon her brother.
Surely this room was clean, right?
With this intention grappled on her mind, she stated.
"Nothing about this place is anything close to what you have seen? Akwan, dying on the floor? That doesn't make sense; he's alive! So why are you saying this room was trashed? It looks perfectly fine!"
Asahi tightened his fists, determined to spread the word.
"Just trust me, sis. I know what I'm saying."
He focused his eyes back on Akwan's face.
Each second had elapsed, and Asahi started to lose track of time, followed by his train of thought. He stepped outside the room and saw golden rays of sunlight beaming across a staircase.
He could have sworn it was the cold atmosphere of the evening a few minutes ago. And yet...
"Asahi, why are you looking so freaked out?"
His concerns were immediately targeting that same brown book, pointing to it, and fighting his sprawling insane thoughts.
"It was night, I swear!"
Clover chuckled lightly, not because she wanted to embarrass Asahi but to cast light on the situation.
To her, it was just a normal day. And so, even with the constant threat emitting from the book, she pushed away all doubts and led the group outside to take a breath of fresh air.
"Forget all that boy's nonsense. I don't want this problem to ruin all of my days. Besides, today is national starch day! It's basically where every shop in the city offers low prices of starch-related goods like bread."
Asahi raised an eyebrow, confused about how this would spark up any importance in him.
"Is that important at all?"
Clover puffed her face and shook her head.
"No, but... it's something interesting. Right? Come on, since it's been a while, I want to take this opportunity to show what this city has to offer."
Akwan nodded in agreement, pushing his dark hair back and following Clover out the door, feeling the sense of turmoil rushing within the busy streets.
"I stand with Clover. Nonetheless, I still advise that Asahi, you should HIDE and keep The Forbidden Book at all costs. Let no one steal it."
Asahi backed up and made a proud smirk.
"Ah, so you DO remember what happened. You warning me about it and the bandits barging in?"
"Yes, but only barely. I don't remember thieves barging in, but I can recollect warning you of that book's power." He waved dismissively to strangers, whispering as he shoved the book in Asahi's pocket. "Just be aware of your surroundings, okay? I don't want any of you two to get hurt."
Aletha struck and straightened her posture, confidently chuckling as her eyes gazed straight at the beaming sun.
"Haha, don't worry. We're strong enough to defend ourselves."
Akwan shrugged.
"Just be careful."
* * * * * * * *
The main streets were crowded, except for the occasional passage of horse-drawn carriages; the road was filled with pedestrians.
Asahi, Aletha, Akwan, and Clover, were all bunched up together, living their lives in suspicion with The Forbidden Book in their possession, watching the cold gaze of strangers pass by with a blur.
"Stay close."
The wanderers pondered how the streets flooded with individuals, despite the narrow passageways among streets.
Though there were an increasing variety of people, Aletha noticed that all of their faces were strangely clean, with no marks or discrepancies. She shivered while they passed by a pastry stand near a bridge.
"How come none of these people have any mistakes on their faces? All of their skin look super, SUPER smooth and clean like a baby. That's soooo weird."
Asahi scratched his head, stood next to Akwan, and examined the bread choices offered on the sleek oak table.
"Don't mind them. You have your own life to worry about."
There were four choices, whole wheat, white, grain, and... sesame seed. Though the variety and market looked savory and delicious to choose from, Asahi could barely recognize the language plastered on each sign.
"Ugh, why are the words so difficult to read? I can't even see the price!"
Akwan chuckled, hearing carriages pass by behind.
"Ha, yeah... I suppose some of what you were familiar with may be completely changed. Remember, it's been five thousand years since you left. Of course your world ought to change."
Warm sweat slid down Asahi's face, remembering the sheer scale of that time and feeling the moderate temperature warming the city.
He felt panicked and afraid, almost betrayed, acknowledging his brain's utter bluff, saying it's only been ten years.
By the same token, Akwan still has yet to explain what this "time-dilation" means. In opposition to this, Asahi stepped forward and asked, hearing bells ring in the distance.
"So. About earlier. You said something about time dilation? What is that about?"
But before Akwan could have heard him, a long, metal, pointy sharp tip of what he assumed was an arrow nearly skimmed his head, piercing through one of the loaves of bread and splattering chunks of it into the air.
"What the--?"
A fleeting feeling of uneasiness dawned in him, hastily turning backward and hearing a loud, orotund voice sound out from above.
"Settlers standing in front of the hut, step forward and surrender!"
The siblings' pupils rounded in surprise.
"Eh?!"
Akwan felt an ominous aura lingering around and pulled them away, warning.
"I sense a power of a thousand men prying close."
Suddenly, the same loud voice echoed over the empty streets.
"Cease your cares and draw your attention upward! That is in ORDER!"
Probing visual caress, the wanderers backed away, focusing their attention on the flat rooftops. As their face flashed from the blinding sunlight, in front was a silhouette holding a slender arched bow, aiming it straight at the white-haired individuals. They said as his hands reached over to his leg.
"You are under arrest for intruding and invading this city without going through the process."
Aletha blurted in confusion.
"What are you talking about? I thought the city was free for all citizens?"
The distant silhouette crossed his arms.
"Then you have been highly mistaken. Stand still. Do not move another centimeter from your position. That's in order!"
A loud rumbling echoed over the walls, coupled with the sounds of chains dangling and clashing on a metal surface.
Akwan darted his vision upward, and just as he tried to interfere with the mysterious person, the sight of him vanished.