Asahi and Devlin anchored their eyes to the neat lettering imprinted onto the silk pages.
Upon scrutinizing the chapters, they saw a sketch of a castle lying atop a cliff with a horizon sketched onto the side. Awaiting for Devlin to read, Asahi squinted at him and asked.
"Hey, are you going to read… or…?"
Devlin showed a look of anxiousness and embarrassment. His face was a lot redder, and his eyes were shaky. After a moment of silence, Devlin skidded back and declared, peering through the pages.
"I-I am not a good reader."
Asahi's eyes widened.
"You're not a good reader? But… judging by your previous act and vocabulary, you sound like a person who can read."
Devlin's lips quivered, with his heart thumping rapidly. He closed his eyes and sighed.
"I-I'm not. My parents refrained me from going to academies in Destia. They fear that The Queen controls them and may cause punishment. So, I had to learn by myself, which I refrained from studying. It's a long story… and I rather not talk about it. Say…"
He slowly tilted his head to Asahi, projecting a signal to him.
"Asahi, how about you read instead? Are you a good reader?"
Staring into Asahi's vivid gray eyes, Devlin thought.
(Is Asahi... a nerd? He can't be… with that appearance.)
At a glance, Asahi proudly stood up and made a prideful chuckle. His smile and his posture present him as one. He cackled and shook his head.
"Of course, I know how to read and write. Before returning to my or rather... our world, I learned nearly four-hundred languages upon my travels."
"FOUR HUNDRED LANGUAGES?!" Devlin clamored.
Asahi stroked his chin, closed his eyes, and smiled, prattling while dropping the book.
"Well yeah, my sister and I have traveled many worlds for millennia."
Devlin interrupted with a loud, creaky voice.
"You have a sister?!"
Asahi nodded his head and chuckled.
"Of course I do! We're just separated, that's all. But I'm sure we will reunite soon. Anyways, back to what I was speaking about. Language is a priority in communicating with anyone from different worlds. Mainly, demon language was one of the struggles; since those worlds were the most hostile. I have studied in libraries and even took the precautions to expand my memory by drinking potions. What was it… eight-hundred books? Oh, right! I have a fully handwritten book on me. It's a record for each world my sister and I visited."
Asahi reached for his pocket and pulled out a slim black hard-cover notebook. He placed it on the ground and pulled it open to a random page number.
"See, this is Aroga. It's a world I have traveled filled with creatures and swamps. Actually, I think the entire world is swamp-infested. You would understand if you were…."
Devlin tried to pay attention to Asahi's explanations; He couldn't fathom how well-written and clear Asahi's handwriting was. Each letter was pointed and precise, having no mistakes in each word and symbol.
It was shocking for Devlin to see that the boy he previously made a fool of was a universal world traveler, let alone his god.
His respect for Asahi increased gradually. He ducked his head and continued to listen to Asahi's tedious rambles.
"I made this book just in case our systems went down. Oh, yeah, not to mention that my sister and I obtained an electronic wandering device to archive all our history and experiences in one place. There have been many duplications scattered all over the place. It's even… connected to my mind. Some of those duplicates might have reached other people's hands, now that I think of it. Maybe… spectators are even taking the precautions to witness my journeys right now..?"
Devlin freed a loud yawn from his dry mouth and moistened his eyes. Even though Asahi's solid block of information was fascinating, it seemed that he directed way off course from the topic.
"A-Anyways, that's not the point…." Asahi said as he placed the notebook back into his pocket. "I apologize if I went off-topic; let's actually get to read the story."
Devlin released a sigh of relief.
"Thank you. Now that I have heard your explanations and past experiences, my perspective of you has greatly changed. I swear I won't mess with you again, that is… if you want that."
As Asahi picked up the brown book, placed it on his lap, and pulled the cover, he nodded his head and smiled.
"It's okay if the jokes are harmless. I want some comedic relief sometimes to forget my failures. You know what? When I met you, I realized there are a wide variety of people in my changing world. So, thank you for that. You have my gratitude."
Devlin nodded his head and celebrated in his head.
(Yes! More fooling with feces face! I-I mean Asahi. He is gradually getting a lot more wordier now. Maybe I should hasten up the process…?"
After a minute of thinking, Devlin pulled to the exact page they left off and tapped Asahi's shoulder, signaling him.
"Hey, now that you have given your rather lengthy explanation, can you read the book?"
"Absolutely!" Asahi exclaimed as he pressed the brown book on his lap.
Scrambling through the pages, trying to find the spot, Asahi and Devlin rested against the cold stone wall, relaxing their eyes and anchoring them to the pages. As the light shined brightly on the book, Asahi began.
"The God of Purity and his beloved wife birthed…."
* * * * * * * *
The God of Purity and his beloved wife birthed a beautiful mocha-eyed girl with a fluffy tail and pointy fox ears, reverting to the chaos prior.
For the upcoming years, they prospered above the peak of Mount Edith, a precious land filled with resources, gems, and beautiful vegetation.
They sought to expand upon their palace, inviting new visitors to wander among their wealthy rooms. In contrast, a beautiful traveler from afar served as Narcissa's tutor, teaching her math, language, and a commonsensical way of thinking.
For seven years, Narcissa grew more attached to her tutor every time she had a class with him, to the point where she turned away from her parents just for him.
But it was soon realized that this tutor was a deceitful individual; who took advantage of her loyalty by demanding her do effortful tasks. An example: is killing her butler.
When Narcissa's parents were not around, a comet descended from the heavens on one fateful day. It created rich, artificial land, granting blessings to those who pry upon its soil. But when Narcissa's tutor urged her to travel there, a tragedy ensued.
She TOUCHED the mysterious crystal.
Narcissa saw her reflection on the sacred object. The world glowed as the crystal absorbed Narcissa's humanity right before her eyes.
What she absorbed wasn't just an everyday item, but one of The Forbidden Angel Factors kept sealed and locked from everyone.
The crystal dissipated after it was absorbed, followed by its lands and a small crystal clear lake that reflected the sky appearing out of thin air. Her tutor was nowhere to be found.
For months, Narcissa's transformation remained unnoticed. Even she, herself, never felt dubious or anxious from her absorbed Angel-Factor. That was…
* * *
Before Asahi could turn the page, he whispered confusingly.
"Angel Factors? I have never heard of those before."
"Oh, really?" Devlin said with doubt.
"Just follow along…."
They continued reading.
* * * * * * * *
Sharing a young face, young Narcissa raced down a hill with her absorbed Forbidden Angel Factor attached.
"Wow! So cool…"
She was all alone with no one but her in... sight.
Despite being the king's daughter, Narcissa was lonely, waiting for the day her tutor returned.
One day, Narcissa was bored, so she traveled to Deepenpond and relaxed there. It would be... that in this exact place, the Angel Factor would awaken entirely.
The sun peered from the thick white clouds upon kneeling at the lake. Its rays shone vibrantly onto the lake, reflecting its light like a mirror.
The wind pushed her long mocha hair, and her young face peered deeply into the water.
"Woah!"
Her brown eyes widened in shock.
A beautiful face with long mocha hair, round cheeks, coffee-colored eyes, and pointed fox ears shone under the surface.
Her heart stopped, having seen her face for the first time. She couldn't handle the adorable face she saw, almost as if she urged herself to touch it.
"Woah!"
And then, that's when the Angel-Factor ignited.
(Activation Succeeded)
As soon as her silk fingers touched the surface of her clear reflection…
"Oh, hello!"
The reflection transformed into a solidified figure.
They emerged from the waters, with young Narcissa assisting them by pulling them out.
Each detail, each element of Narcissa, was reflected in the clone.
The clouds swiftly darkened. Young Narcissa couldn't help but stare at her live reflection clone standing in front of her. She was so entranced with her clone that she pushed her down and started touching the reflection clone.
"You're so pretty!" Narcissa screamed cheerfully with wide eyes.
This adoration was entirely unhealthy.
At such a young age, Narcissa was obsessed with seeing her appearance so obsessed that she wanted to make love to it.
However, her father stopped her as it started to rain, abandoning her clone in the lake.
Years later, older than she was, her clone followed young Narcissa down the hill; she reached toward the waters and fabricated another reflection. She eventually began abusing her ability, going to such lengths to create a group of clones and… making love to each one of them.
This event would eventually lead to something even worse than the tutor.
Asahi turned the page.
As Narcissa was about to race out of the palace to 'play' with her clones, she heard her father.
"Narcissa, I thought I saw you in the town, and now you're here? Is there something you're hiding from me?"
In which his daughter lied.
"N-No… that's just your imagination."
By the same token, as Narcissa was about to play with her reflection clones, she discovered that only one of them was there. She ignored the warning and ran down the hill, accidentally stepping on a brown, stingy mud pile. Upon realization, the substance smelled… like herself.
. . .
"Herself?!" Asahi interrupted, jotting the book down.
Devlin nodded his head and replied in an aggravated manner.
"Yes, herself. Please, follow along and continue reading."
"Okay…" Asahi said, deeply invested in the book.
* * * * * * * *
The next day, Narcissa's father asked why he sees her everywhere, and the outcome was always...
"That's just your imagination."
Every time she lied, Narcissa would always see a pile of mud appear in Deepenpond, followed by the loss of her clones.
After years of abusing her ability, Narcissa's father was slowly shrinking, followed by his appearance slightly deteriorating and getting consumed by a black substance.
Narcissa hung pictures of herself all over her room, followed by hundreds of mirrors to fabricate even more clones. This led to an degradable mindset that she could never return from.
Another year had passed…
"Narcissa, I don't… feel well. Could you…" Her father said as he wilted in agony.
Narcissa gave no care to anyone but herself and continued to play with her clones despite the corruption. When she tried to go to Pladtioa city, she would be spat on by the people because they thought she looked ugly.
But in reality, she did look beautiful; however, she was cursed to look 'ugly' to everyone but herself.
Narcissa wept and cried by the coming days, watching her clones vanish into dust. She ignored her father's agony, abandoning her own daughter and his nation.
Every time Narcissa tried to birth a new reflection, it swiftly vanished into dust.
This led to her superstitions consuming her thoughts and thinking the people were to blame.
So given control and sovereignty for Pladtioa, Narcissa slaughtered towns and ruthlessly razed forests in anger from her deteriorating power. This was pure sin, so… in contrast to her actions, Narcissa's 'Angelic' power got corrupted.
During one dark day, after slaughtering and destroying segments of her own nation, she tried desperately to peer into the pond and catch a reflection. Though it worked, she quickly realized…
Banging on the invisible surface, Narcissa realized that her reflection had replaced herself.
At that moment, Narcissa's soul would replace her reflection clone every night, while her dark reflection would control her body during the day.
Though late, her tutor finally returned, grasping a bottle. He indignantly slaughtered Narcissa's father right before her eyes, then trapped his soul inside one of his vases, leaving the corrupted God of Purity to roam the world.
The only words the descending tutor gave after this tragic event were…
"Narcissa, if you were to find true love with your curse, your father would be set free from corruption, and your factor will dissolve."
Narcissa stepped forward and screamed with tears falling down her eyes.
"Do you have any part in this?!"
The tutor remained silent and vanished into thin air.
And it would be after that, that Narcissa and her Clone would wander and rule Pladtioa ever since.
* * * * * * * *
Devlin closed the book, pivoted his thumb to the floor, and remarked.
"And that's why I never thought that you were the only one Narcissa was attracted to out of all the people in the world. Does it have to do with your status?"
Asahi shook his head in doubt.
"No, I don't think so."
Asahi's eyes shrunk. He would never have believed that this book would have justified Narcissa's actions. Asahi closed his eyes and muttered with a tone of disbelief.
"S-So… there are Forbidden Angel Factors? I have never heard of those before. And this girl, Narcissa… Could she make clones using her reflections? That's interesting, fascinating even. I just… feel so bad for what happened after. It seemed she endured a tragedy."
Devlin shook his head and sighed, tapping his fingers against the wall.
"You're missing another thing."
"And what's that?" Asahi asked, shocked.
"The Day and Night thing, ya' know… her clone possessing her body during the day, while her actual soul is active in that exact figure at night."
Asahi backed up to the wall and exasperated heavily.
"Oh right, yeah… that. Well, now that I think of it…." Asahi turned to the window and contniued. "Her actions were a lot more zany and inhuman when I awakened. Perhaps we have to wait until nightfall to generate an elaborate discussion."
Devlin raised an eyebrow.
"Do you really think it would be that easy?" He sighed deeply, shaking his head and slapping his face. "You're even dumber than I thought. Say, how about you read that last paragraph aloud? Perhaps that would get your book-worm brain working."
Asahi grabbed the large brown book and slammed it back onto the ground, pulling all pages toward the left toward the last paragraph. There were no sketches, let alone the absence of diagrams, only this one paragraph that gleamed daringly from the sun's rays.
After a brief silence, Asahi read the paragraph aloud with a soft voice.
"Undeserved death of his wife, the corrupted king went on a rampage and forced all of his comrades to be buried and cursed into the nation's soil. Mount. Edith lost its throne from the army of dragons that emerged from Obrus…."
Devlin's eyes shrunk. He raced to Asahi and pulled to the very last page, whispering anxiously.
"T-That wasn't the right paragraph."
Asahi scratched his head and nodded.
"O-Oh… okay."
He saw Devlin's fingers point to the bottom of the page.
"Now, read that."
Asahi nodded silently and wetted his lips, then the silk fabric of the page. He slowly inhaled and deeply exhaled, starting from the first word.
"To enumerate, the God of Purity who was corrupted, made the Fountain to make one pin-point for her daughter to recognize only during the night; and unfamiliarity in the day. No matter what Narcissa does, she will always remember that request… 'to find the suitable interest.' Out of envy, she stole all reflections in Pladtioa and kept them inside the mirrors of her eroding palace; to ensure that no one else would share her powers. On condition of her selfishness, Narcissa's superstitions led her to assume that 'if anyone were deemed disgusting to her, they would be sacrificed.' It would be realized that it would be almost impossible for her to find her 'suitable interest' with the people in Pladtioa…."
The ink followed by the wording was stopped with the word 'but' shriveled in screeching lines. It seemed to Asahi that the one who had written the book had either lost their lives or ran out of space.
But what erupted his questioning even further was how desperate Narcissa was to Asahi in the room.
Closing the book, Asahi scratched his chin and pondered quietly.
"Narcissa could have lacked communication skills, which would justify her questionable actions. But if it were true love, she wouldn't include her 'father' in this. However…"
Asahi stepped forward toward the bars and lowered his voice.
"... if I'm suitable enough to relieve her from her curse…."
As Devlin stared at him confusingly, Asahi peered at the opening beyond the cellar, clenched his fists with determination, and raised his voice confidently.
"Then I will ensure that I will save her… even if it doesn't involve my goal."
* * * * * * * *
Meanwhile, staring in one of her ten mirrors…
"It's almost evening…." Said Narcissa to the reflection.
The reflection itself nodded her head and answered.
"I have a feeling that you have found… the one."
While glimpsing at sunset over the horizon, Narcissa nodded her head and reached for the mirror's surface.
"I did… origin. Your father will return. I guarantee it. When night falls, make sure to release that white-haired boy out of the cellar. There is something more important in him than you realize."
"Okay…" The reflection replied as her arms solidified.
Narcissa mumbled while glancing at the front door, fondling over a vase covered in black.
"It's time for my father to return… Hopefully, you know what you're doing… Mr. Adtraic, Junior."