The warm blinding yellow lights from the windows polluted the streets with a mellow blaze, the chatter from adults bloomed and echoed over the walls, and finally… the sound of crickets chirping from the wild environment surrounding the entire perimeter of the city.
Asahi, Aletha, Isa, and Kali all passed through a loud tavern before finally returning back to the peaceful streets, seeing all the houses packed onto each other.
"So… boring!"
As Aletha walked like a zombie, groaning and whining, Asahi discussed the reasoning behind the strange encounter with the others.
"How did you know that catastrophe was happening?"
Being precarious about how she replied, Isa looked over and checked to see if anyone was walking past them. Luckily enough, no one but the moonlight greeted them. She wiped a sigh of relief and responded while walking up the stairs in an alleyway.
"It's complicated, but I'll just summarize it for you. I'm connected with those vines, and so is Kali. You and others saw The Sealed Beatific, a magical essence roaming the lands. I don't know why The Sealed Beatific went on a complete rampage, let alone attacked people. It's never supposed to do that."
Asahi glanced back to Kali, Aletha, and then to the street ahead. There he saw a few colorful carriages parked on the sides, some wooden booths, and a few frolicking trees. Some of the windows on the buildings were glowing yellow, with silhouettes of people walking about behind them, most likely resuming their everyday lives.
All the buildings were packed together, leaving barely any space for alleyways and having very different heights. A safer and wiser choice in architecture as far as he was concerned.
"Amazing."
He could tell this city was much more populated than what Pladtioa could ever be.
And to be informed that a particular 'festival' is happening tomorrow just made Asahi even more suspicious of the encounter of the vines.
* * * * * * *
Arriving at the staircase leading toward the residential area, with steady streams winding through and blending with the clean paved streets, Asahi looked at the towering mountains surrounding the city. Green and filled with life. It just sparked his teeming curiosity, almost begging him to explore what's beyond the city.
"Alright, you two should be safe here. This is the farthest place in Linuxinia city. Beyond those natural walls is the rest of Linuxinia,
Isa chuckled lightly and covered her mouth, her silky green hair fluctuating with the midnight breeze. She continued while Kali and Aletha walked through the doors of the busy inn.
"You'd be surprised at how beautiful this country really is. Anyways, it was nice to meet you. You have some potential to help the people of this nation. Say, could you do me a favor?"
Asahi looked down from the towering building behind him and paid full attention to the long green-haired girl. The crickets chirped, the fluctuating breeze passed through the empty streets, and the howling of the wolves livened up the full moon. He replied with a tiresome voice.
"Yes...?"
"Please, take care of Kali. With all your life."
Asahi raised an eyebrow, confident and assured that he would do it even if Isa never asked.
"Okay! Ha... I mean, I've been doing that before. So, of course, I will!"
Isa's smile turned into a serious look.
"No, that's not what I meant."
Asahi backed away, his bottom touching the ferns neatly placed on the stairway toward the front door.
"Huh?"
Isa's incisive glare traveled with unnerving thoroughness, clenching her fists and trying to keep calm as much as possible.
"Don't kill her. I know who you are; I'm not stupid."
Asahi's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What?!"
Isa grabbed Asahi's neck, clenching it tightly while a wrathful look formed in her burning emerald eyes.
"I MEAN IT! Don't hurt her, let nothing kill her, and don't destroy this nation."
Asahi replied with a genuinely confused tone.
"W... What do you mean? I don't have the power to do that."
Without warning, Isa clenched her fingers around Asahi's neck and choked him. He pushed him against the sliding door with incomprehensible rage, and screamed with her eyes trembling in wrath.
"I know what you did to my world several millennia ago, don't play dumb! Kali is the only one left. I'm only nice to you, so you won't destroy anything."
"Ack!"
Asahi tried to push Isa away, but her grip was so firm that it was like super glue. Isa squinted and gritted her teeth at Asahi, staring intensely into his eyes with rage.
"You're a powerful god... I truly don't understand why you're not defending yourself. But if you DARE let Kali or kill Kali in any way, shape, or form, I will acknowledge everyone I know to find a way and kill you."
She slammed Asahi to the ground and released his grip off his neck, stomping on his hand while Kali and Aletha reserved their rooms for the night. As a carriage slowly arrived, Isa turned her head away from Asahi and warned him.
"And even then, if that doesn't succeed, then The Blink will surely do it. Now, get your pathetic self up and never speak to me again. I will not come anywhere near you unless you show me that you no longer have your powers. Or maybe... I'll make a different choice."
As Asahi backed to the front door, hearing Devlin's voice shout from the carriage arriving in the distance, Isa requested Asahi.
"Tomorrow, return to that basement and the room. Don't bring anyone with you, just you... ALONE. If you want to prove to me that you are worthy enough to work with me on investigating the crisis of The Sealed Beatific, then return to that basement tomorrow. Got it?! Maybe then I won't be so hostile to you."
Asahi nodded slowly, coughing and watching Drimi, Devlin, Sally, and the rest of the crew race toward the hotel.
"Okay... f-fine."
Isa grunted and sprinted away from the hotel, racing across the streets and cloaking herself in the shadows. Though Asahi had no idea what Isa was talking about, he couldn't help but feel curious about why she acted that way. All in all, the more strange encounters he had, the more his curiosity boiled.
Just as Asahi could enter the glass doors, he heard a familiar voice shout behind him.
"Hey, feces face! Why are you all the way over here?! We've been looking for you and Aletha for hours!"
Asahi knew the only person who called him that name.
"Devlin... thank heavens you're here."
He breathed a sweeping sense of relief as he saw his trustworthy friends approach him; all with relieved smiles. A tall woman with long silky black hair, cozy amethyst eyes, and a dark mask yelled at Asahi while she urgently led her crew to escort their belongings and luggage to the hotel.
"Oh, so this is where you and your sister have been running off. I'm surprised! This is the farthest place in Linuxinia city! I guess you two had some fun looking around, I see."
Asahi scratched his head, hiding the events that truly happened with a false smile.
"Y...Yeah... we did. Heh heh."
Drimi nodded and clapped her hands; her movements made her look like she was in a happy mood. Not just Drimi but even Sally, Phthonus, and Devlin looked joyful.
(I guess they have been wandering around too.)
While Asahi stood still, thinking silently, Drimi ordered everyone from the carriage with her potent voice.
"Good, alright, crew, get that luggage inside that hotel. No, not that hotel... this hotel!" As the crew carried the luggage through the door, Drimi winked at Asahi, teasingly poking his shoulder with her elbow. "Don't worry about the bill, Asahi. All of this is all on me. All three nights."
Asahi nodded, yawning and feeling gravity win on him. He felt like he could pass out at any moment. Each second his eyes were open. He mumbled while walking toward the counter.
"O... Okay..."
* * * * * * *
"Your room will be on the third floor, Room Number 53. Have a great night!"
"You... too."
The crew was waiting in line. Their hefty luggage was either in their hands or dragged on the floor.
Asahi picked up the card given by the young man behind the sleek dark oak counter and slowly made his way through the lobby, seeing the beautiful black and white tiled floors, the delicate flower pots, the comfy one-seat chairs, and the dangling chandelier.
As he approached the tall staircase, Asahi commented in his mind.
(This place looks like a five-star luxury palace, not some sort of hotel you find on the street. How in the heavens could Drimi afford all of this? Is she secretly wealthy or something!?)
His gray eyes peered at the beautiful hallways with golden door numbers, bright green-pattern wallpapers, and carpet. Paintings were placed all over the wall. Most of it was the scenery outside and places where he had never been before. Like a mountain curved inwards, and a waterfall that doesn't even go down.
"Is this really what this nation looks like? Strange."
Asahi continued up the staircase and shrugged, seeing Aletha "painfully trotting" her way up to her room. As Asahi reached the third floor, he whispered to himself.
(I'm not complaining. After what happened today, this is precisely what I will need to recover. A good night's rest, alone in a room with nothing but my book to entertain me. My ideal paradise.)
. . .
Asahi held on to the sleek golden door knob and slowly turned it, pushing the door and seeing his bedroom in front of him.
(I still can't forget what Isa said. I don't even remember what I did... has it been that long? Is she lying?!)
Before entering his room, he heard a calm, gentle, and soothing voice behind him.
"Oh, bro? You're on this floor too? My room number is 52."
It was a white-haired youth hunched over like an old lady. Even her eyes looked as if they were about to shut at any moment. Asahi scratched his head and stepped back into his hotel room, replying while he yawned continuously.
"Yeah... I need to get some rest. I only had one hour of sleep in Drimi's boat."
Aletha nodded and reached for her door handle, stretching her arms and slamming her head against the door.
"Yeah... I guess you're right."
A silence formed.
"Well... I'll see you tomorrow."
Before Aletha closed the door, Asahi hastily yelled from across the hallway.
"Oh, sis, one more thing!"
Aletha's eyes twitched, staring at the bed just a few steps away.
"What?!"
Asahi's heart paced just thinking about Isa's threat; he wanted Aletha to do nothing with it and stay safe in this place. So, Asahi informed her with the kindest voice he could make.
"I'll be gone tomorrow morning. I promise it won't be long. Just wait in your room until I return. I'll be back as soon as you know."
"*yawn* Got it…."
Aletha nodded her head silently, yawned, and collapsed on the floor, with the door slowly shutting. Asahi couldn't help but chuckle, seeing how clumsy she was at that moment.
(Goodness, Aletha. You can be silly sometimes.)
Asahi raised his voice while watching his sister slowly drag herself to the bed.
"Good night, sis!"
As Aletha's body was planted onto the bed, she raised her arm and gave a thumbs-up before her room door closed.
"Good... night."
(SLAM)
* * * * * * *
The next day, when the sunlight had broken and emerged, Asahi hurriedly got up from his bed, grabbed his notebook, pen, and other belongings, and immediately raced for the door. Asahi had no time to lose; he no longer cared about relaxation and only was concerned for the basement.
The rising sun cast a rosy hue across the morning sky. Golden fingers of sunlight lit up the clouds, bringing with it a flurry of early-morning activity.
As Asahi was sprinting down the stairs, not notifying anyone that he had left, Asahi pulled out his notebook and wrote on it while traveling across the slightly busy streets.
[My experience last night in that hotel room went better as expected. The bed felt so comfy, even the sheets too. I could even see the entire city outside my window, well... only a portion. I slept nice, too, with minimal distractions and few paranoid nightmares. Before I went to bed, I was still writing and questioning what could have been the reason for the vine monsters. I guess today's the day to explore, well... that is if I'm still alive.]
The streets had clusters of carriages passing through, even at the beginning of the morning. Some were big and small, and some were not even carriages. But Asahi never cared for that; all he wanted was to get to the basement as soon as possible.
"Hey, watch where you're going!"
[Is it still night? I can hardly tell anymore. I haven't eaten breakfast, and that smell from those diners is NOT helping. I feel so energized suddenly; could it be that I got more than just an hour of sleep?!]
"Stop reading that book, kid, and look where you're going!"
Asahi bolted out from the crowd of people and raced across the narrow winding sidewalks.
[I'm just a few blocks away from that particular basement. The sky looked so beautiful all of a sudden. Even the sunrise looks fantastic from far away. Alright, enough goofing around. Isa could have been sputtering complete nonsense for all I know.]
When he saw those two ground doors on his left, Asahi felt a familiar sense pushed up against him. He turned to his left and saw what looked like magenta-colored streaks floating in the air and swerving downwards, phasing through the two doors.
"Aiyana."
After approaching the two doorways, Asahi took a deep breath and grabbed the two silver handles, impatient for Isa's arrival.
A trace of bitterness crept into his face. The two doors creaked open, revealing the staircase covered in vegetation. Asahi took a deep breath and lifted his leg, and slowly took one step down the staircase. He could hear his own breathing echoing over the stone walls.
"Is this really a great idea? I didn't even think about telling Kali and the others that I was going there. Oh well, it's too late now."
Despite his mental warnings, Asahi ignored them and persisted further down the stairs, seeing a faint green light flicker at the bottom of the staircase.
He released a quiet yawn and extended his arms, premeditatedly sliding his fingers across the walls, trying to stay awake.
After each step Asahi took down the stairs, the more the aura of Aiyana grew clearer. He could see multiple magenta streaks illuminate the staircase, almost begging him to continue. Asahi rubbed his arms uneasily and murmured while seeing the crooked wooden door in front of him.
"This place feels very ominous..."
He investigated every corner of the vegetation-infested room, from the toppled bookshelves, shattered tables, tossed chairs, and barely dim lanterns.
But to no avail, there was no sign of Aiyana anywhere. He felt a cold shiver run down his back as his eyes met with the crooked door.
Asahi's fight or flight response urged him to get out of this place, but his curiosity told him no. He slowly advanced toward the crooked door, and suddenly, a loud shuffle sounded out behind him.
"Hey."
He quickly turned back; his eyes shrunk in shock, and all of his body was paralyzed. Asahi shouted while trying to find where the noise came from.
"Who's there?!"
Asahi turned his head over to the corner.
"Hey! Come on out and reveal yourself!"
Before Asahi could even think about leaving the area, a young feminine figure appeared in front of him, with long silky shamrock hair, glistening emerald eyes, and pale skin.
"Don't even think you can run from this now."
Asahi flinched.
"W... Who's there?!"
A silhouette flew in rapid directions. Luckily enough, the faint light from up the staircase was strong enough to illuminate just a portion, revealing the figure.
Asahi saw a green haired girl recklessly leaping toward the broken corner of the room, yanking one of the twisting green vines, and forcing her feet down through the misplaced grass. Her palms created a green light, illuminating her entire figure and most of the room. She summoned her two magical daggers and sliced the vegetation, swallowing Asahi's feet. The girl whispered.
"Stay put."
He gulped and nodded his head, helpless and afraid of what happened. Intrusive thoughts emerged in his mind.
"Was this all part of the plan? Is this secretly an execution in disguise?"
Just before he could question anymore, the ground beneath his feet trembled, his feet sank with the collapsing floor, and the mysterious girl quickly flew down with Asahi toward the sinking hole forming beneath the room.
His vision swept into darkness the moment he heard a familiar chiming voice bounce in his ear.
"Please, leave."
* * * * * * *
He felt his entire body swarmed with a disembodied force, a thick, grimy substance wrapping around his legs, and his eyes fogging up into a light green.
Suddenly, Asahi heard someone hollering in the distance.
"Hey, over here!"
The luminescent green vines wrapped around Asahi's legs swiftly noticed the mysterious girl.
"SCREE!"
The hostile vines hurriedly detached themselves from Asahi and slithered along a stone floor, trying to retreat back to where they came from, but the girl had already plunged her two daggers straight through their twining, thickening roots.
"You won't escape from me!"
As the vines vanish into dust, the forceful feeling, along with the green fog in his eyes dissipates back to normality, forcing Asahi to come back on his feet. His vision was so indefinitely blurry, he couldn't see anything beyond his hands. Abruptly, a voice echoed over the dark walls.
"It's even worse down here."
Asahi scratched his head and rubbed his eyes, hearing screams.
"There you are!"
Asahi gasped in shock, seeing the green-haired girl pointing the daggers straight to his chest. That hateful look burning in her fierce emerald eyes reminded Asahi of who she was. He pleaded while his heart pounded in his chest.
"Isa, don't hurt me! I did nothing!"
She sighed and shook her head, cutting the vines off Asahi's chest and backing away. Isa sneered at the white-haired boy and shrugged.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. Well... at least not YET."
Her pupils dilated, showing a shocked look on her face. Isa resumed while suspiciously glancing at Asahi.
"Say, why are you not using your flight powers when I clearly triggered so many events while doing so."
Asahi's heart raced with anticipation. This was the moment to prove Isa his pure weakness in his magic. He hurriedly stepped forward, confidently, and raised his voice.
"Because I don't have my powers! If I did have my magic, I would have easily flown away from this place."
Isa crossed her arms and gave a suspicious look.
"Oh, really?"
Asahi hastily nodded, seeing the dagger's sharp, luminescent point closer to his chin.
"Y...Yes really. I'm weak. I'm powerless! That's what I have been trying to say the whole time last night, and you wouldn't give me a chance to breathe!"
Isa's face flushed red in embarrassment, knowing of her mistakes. She covered her mouth, and her voice notably got weaker than before.
"Oh... well, I-I apologize. I guess you're NOT the destroyer that I was thinking of. It's odd that you're appearance matches closely to them, though. Well..."
She scratched her head and whistled nervously, seeing Asahi's gray eyes squint in frustration.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay. I wouldn't have shown you this place if you had proven that to me sooner."
Asahi erupted.
"That's what I have been trying to show you! Wait a second..." he paused for a moment, analyzing his surroundings.
An unrelenting humidity swooped Asahi, feeling like this place was in a tropical forest. His gray eyes found cracked blocks on the walls, with vines weaving their way across the dirt-stained windows.
"Where... are we?"
He saw the area outlined with water droplets, age, and ruin. Several corridors were dispatched around Asahi and Isa, each leading to a room or even more crossroads. The walls looked to have been here for a long time.
(Strange.)
Asahi scratched his head and turned upward, seeing teal ceiling lights dangling and illuminating the rooms. He jolted to the windows and saw five to seven underground waterfalls flowing down to the darkness below.
A curious and inexplicable uneasiness grew on him. He turned to Isa, waving his hand at her and asking from across the room.
"Are we underground?! What is this place?"
Still embarrassed, Isa tremblingly responded while wiping droplets of sweat on her face.
"Were inside Linuxinia's Stronghold. It's a place teeming with vegetation and has a size that extends to every corner of the nation underground."
"So, you're saying this place is everywhere in the nation?"
Isa nodded slowly, returning back to her normal, confident state.
"Indeed. This is where The Sealed Beatific thrives the most, but also the opposite is lurking here in well..."
Asahi raised an eyebrow and answered sarcastically.
"Yeah, and what's that?!"
Just before Isa could reply, a loud, distorted voice echoed across the halls.
"No... i...it can't be. Are you Asahi, one of the Adtraic Gods we worshipped for thousands of years?!"