The threads of his white hair fluctuated slowly among a warm, watery lake. His hearing, along with his movements, was slowed down. Light shone meters above his head, his foot scraped a sandy surface, and realization kicked up his lungs.
(I can't breathe.)
The first thing that caught Asahi's eye was the amount of seaweed, flora, coral, and vegetation scattered over the surface. Beautiful flowers were covered by the water above, concealing all the foliage like a blanket.
Turning to his right, he saw a silhouette of lofty brown cliffs behind the blue ceiling. But his body was caught in a current that pushed him further from it toward somewhere else.
The glistening ball of light gleamed down on the water, piercing its rays on the leafy surface. As he noticed bubbles rise from his mouth, Asahi booted himself upwards and desperately swam to the surface. Telos' voice sounded out.
(Interesting... it appears that the blue meter is depleting at a rapid rate.)
Asahi poked his head out of the water, only realizing that his body was moving forward with the rushing water. He coughed up and kicked his legs to stay afloat, turning over to see that he was being carried within a river. The shadows of treetops shrouded his head and blocked the golden rays.
Asahi up kicked his legs to stay afloat in the river, floating like an inflatable through the rushing current.
"I can't... hold it any longer."
It turned out that this river wasn't approaching another lake but toward a tall waterfall rushing down several kilometers above.
The sun blinded Asahi's eyes, joyfully seeing the water wish over the rocks. Before he knew it, his body was tossed down, diving into another body of water.
. . .
As he was in the air, he could see a vast open expanse of lush mountains surrounding what looked like a massive lily-pad lake before diving into the waterfall.
His body plunged through the water again; luckily enough, he could stay afloat; his ears continued to plug from the water.
(I have to keep swimming.)
As he kept afloat, Asahi turned behind and saw the waterfall thundering near him like a gigantic waterspout.
When it toppled into the ecstasy lake, it foamed it at the bottom. The rest of the lake was as clear as cellophane, enabling Asahi to see down into the rocky bottom. Fronds of forest-green plants waved gently in the depths. The waterfall looked like a sheet of blue velour as it wished down. Its edges were hemmed with whipped-white lines.
As Asahi swam toward a shallower area, he saw a canopy of vegetation surround him.
(It's so different here. I have to go to shore, now.)
Asahi gasped for air and deeply inhaled the fresh ambrosial scents lingering with it. He saw the serrated mountains looming in the distance.
He made his way around the tall sparkling waterfall, breathing in brine as he swam toward shore.
Telos' voice replied in Asahi's head.
(I feel you have landed in Lily Leila''s Garden, several kilometers from where you came. Method of travel was most likely from the giant tornado you have encountered prior.)
Butterflies and the warm air brought the levity of relief to Asahi.
As his body slowly ascended up the shallow water, he found a white-haired youth lying peacefully next to several trees and pointy bushes several meters away from him.
Asahi shook his head and muttered to Telos while he approached her slowly, still several meters away from her.
"Do you know what happened when I was unconscious?"
(Unfortunately, no. I can't recollect anything at that time.)
Telos voice sighed.
(I can't believe that this nation could sap away the magic from others; it's no wonder why everyone in Linuxinia is weak.)
Asahi scratched his head.
"Can you explain what happened in the city?"
(Hardly. I believe that the varmints that you have encountered belonged to The Ending. And most presumably, they were responsible for the sudden invasion, such as the lasers and, most definitely, The Tornado.)
"Oh, okay."
Asahi voyaged along the sandy shore, feeling rock pebbles beneath his feet and wet water droplets skating down his damp hair and body.
All he ever wanted was to relax, and despite savoring the moment for a day, it still wasn't enough. But perhaps... this instant would be different?
. . .
Peace.
A grin arose on Asahi's bright face while watching the beautiful blue sky reflect the fluorescent colors of the landscape. His voice was as soft as the grass.
"I do have to say... I feel relatively more at peace here than in the city."
.As he saw his sister in the distance, Asahi planted his feet down on the sand and mumbled.
"Just a little longer..."
* * * * * * *
Birds trill sweetly high, the chorus as playful as the birds themselves. With closed eyes, Aletha's heartbeat started to drum to the melody.
"Sigh..."
Aletha smoothly squeezed the moisture out of her white hair, feeling the sense of tranquility bloom inside her soul each time she pressed.
Unlike Asahi, Aletha landed on a soft patch of grass just a few meters away from the pathway winding over the beautiful crystal clear waterfalls.
She felt dizziness pound her head from the constant memories of the chaos blooming inside her. While she picked a glistening leaf off her shoulder, Aletha mumbled.
"Where am I? This looks nothing like Linuxinia city."
Though the ground was dark, cast into shadow by the tall mossy pines on either side, the sun must have been brilliant beyond it.
Every tree glowed brightly virescent just at the edges of the trunks, forming a line across the vast mountains.
Flowers sprawled everywhere, with small glass pillars, old broken wheels, and carriages spreading in the rich soil.
Even that looked like it blended well into the scenery.
Aletha soughed profoundly and drove her doubts aside, allowing the fresh air to console her. She stuck her nose in the ambiance and inhaled the delightful scents. Her mouth curved into a smile.
"This place is a lot quieter than the city."
She took a deep breath and relaxed against the tree, meditating and hearing the beautiful sounds of nature blossoming.
The thriving trees play about the earthy hues of the branch and trunk. As Aletha took in the freshly calm air with that hint of an earthly aroma, the fragrance of homeliness dawned on her.
"I don't want to move."
. . .
"I want to stay." Asahi's voice remained as warm as early spring. He absorbed the view of his surroundings and was relieved that he had awakened here.
Asahi couldn't even hear Telos' voice anymore.
All he could do now... was RELAX.
(Sniff)
Asahi watched the beautiful turquoise lake flourish, lost in the rhythmic tempo of the ripples that passed by. His eyes were steady to the horizon, face aglow with the golden rays, feeling the wind tickle him.
This was the remedy he wanted the most. To be at ease with problems and finally relax within nature.
Compared to the busy streets of Linuxinia City and the flat rolling plains of Pladtioa, this place was more of a blessing to him than any.
Both the siblings were slowly easing themselves into serenity, bathing themselves in the peaceful haven of wilderness.
All Asahi did when he had finally walked over to his sister was shuffle and nestle himself with the soft grass and let his teeming anxiety fly away.
(One... two... three... four.... five... six.... seven... eight... nine... ten... eleven...)
* * * * * * *
"Okay, let's see what this place has to offer."
Thoughts and feet wander, lungs fill, and time rolls by in its silent and endless way. Calm is the grove right after the storm. Asahi and Aletha trekked their way and wandered like they usually do.
A turquoise-blue stream wound its merry way through the forests. Aletha gasped while pointing out to the twigs flying with the current.
"Ooo, look out how sparkly the water is."
Asahi chuckled softly.
"Haha, I can see the flowers at the bottom. I guess Sally was right when she said that this nation is the cleanest. Okay, come on. Let's go."
Babbling and burbling, the stream sprung over the limestone rocks in its way. Pebbles whisked about in the under wash like pieces of glitter. As they gleefully strolled, an old brown hut was seen lying around the streams' passageway.
They chose to ignore it and continue along their way through the wilderness.
Despite walking away, they never noticed a person in the hut, prying her dazzling orange eyes on the wanderers, catching every movement.
She slowly stepped out, smiled warmly, and pointed while her red skirt flew with the wind.
"HA! They ARE here!"
* * * * * * *
Asahi trembled while staring at the dancing flowers and feeling the last bits of droplets on his body dry up.
"I wonder where all of our friends went. So much was happening before that I couldn't keep track. I hope they're okay."
Aletha patted Asahi's back, her face warming up from the humidity lingering in the forest.
"I'm sure they're fine."
"Are you positive? There were monsters everywhere."
The white-haired girl shook her head and sighed.
"Yes. The city looked untouched when we were flying in the tornado."
Asahi raised an eyebrow.
"I could have sworn--"
Aletha interrupted.
"Stop being so anxious, bro. Follow me. Let's see if anyone has landed here with us."
Asahi's eyes leaned silently upward.
Chords of soft light speared down from above, bathing Asahi and Aletha's heads in gold. It was glinting with little sparkles like a thousand diamonds blessed an inner fire.
Not too long after, their concerns were scrubbed away like dirt.
But as Asahi and Aletha strolled with the stream, walking out from the cramped lush forest, their sights were greeted with a vast open field of rolling hills, cliffs, ravines, lakes, and smaller mountains teeming with old and new structures.
Aletha expressed with her face filled with awe.
"WOOAH! This place is huge!"
Asahi chuckled lightly and made a smile.
The extraordinary panorama of the landscape made his heart warm up. Asahi kept his bright smile and grabbed Aletha's hand, following the stream that sloped downwards to the rest of the field.
He acknowledged while Aletha pointed out stuff in the distance.
"I can already feel at peace here. Linuxinia is more vibrant compared to Pladtioa."
"Ooo, bro, look!"
Aletha pointed to what looked like distant railroad tracks spanning far in the distance.
"Isn't that the same railroad that chef told us back in Drimi's ship?"
Asahi gasped.
"Wait, you're right!"
With excitement, Asahi rushed Aletha down the slope. As they trekked across the extensive topography, Aletha tapped Asahi's shoulder and yelled.
"Hey, look behind you!"
Asahi turned over with his smile fading away into a bewildered expression.
What he saw that shocked him was that the forest they had traveled through was all a part of a more prominent, colossal mountain. Its peak stretched and winded down far through the clouds, with a dense fog shrouding the top mount.
The summit was so tall that Asahi couldn't even see all of it.
It stood out from all the other smaller mountains, with a silhouette of a beast soaring around the peak with the clouds.
And to make it all the more surprising, not a single speck of snow was seen on the mountain.
All of it was covered in trees, forest, and dense vegetation.
* * * * * * *
* * * * * * *
Suddenly, Asahi and Aletha's path was obstructed by something.
Their sights never caught that beyond the hill they had passed was a massive foliage-infested ravine that spanned from one horizon to the next; A lonely crevasse surrounded by gigantic trees and glass pillars.
Aletha sighed and panted, feeling the blistering heat touch her body.
"Are you kidding me?! How are we going to get to that place now? Why is it so... hot, too, all of a sudden?"
She took a deep breath, planted her bottom against a patch of thick dark green leaves, and sighed, still recovering from the "cookie craze" she had made in the morning.
While Aletha was goofing around, Asahi, on the other hand, was investigating and analyzing each corner of the ravine.
Luckily for the fellow, though, Telos' voice unexpectedly appeared after the long silence from awakening on the waterfall.
(Strange. In some areas, my voice won't be active, much like how some nations prevent me from trespassing. Despite my soul residing inside another's body, the same laws work as do when my body.
Asahi's eyes widened, confused by Telos' silence.
"Telos? You're back? Where have you been...?"
Telos's voice responded sarcastically.
(I could have sworn I just told you why I disappeared. *sigh* Nevermind about that.)
A group of butterflies flocked across the whimsical warm streams winding all over the place toward the deep ravine below. Asahi admired them before Telos began snapping him back into reality.
(Are you just going to stand here and fool around? Where exactly are you heading to? You have no knowledge of whereabouts, you don't have your powers, and you don't have your allies with you either. Except for your sister.)
Asahi's mouth made a lop-sided grin, turning to Aletha, snoozing along the ground. His voice mumbled as he trekked around the stream and prancing pink sheep.
"I'm glad Aletha is by my side."
Telos' voice got aggravated.
(That's NOT my point! I'm concerned about your peers' fate; you bear no care for them? Why is that? A god does NOT abandon their allies, no matter how corrupt they are. Do you still remember what I have asked of you?!)
A metaphorical bulb of remembrance bloomed outside Asahi's head. He jumped up and pointed to the sky, his gray eyes gleaming brightly.
"Oh, r... right! You said something about a woman with long black hair. She wore... a robe, right?"
(She's not just ANY woman, Asahi. That woman had a heart that could meld into any shape. She had the power to drive darkness to bend into any shape or form. Creature or human, all of it could be mimicked by her ability.)
Telos' tone sounded as if he was absorbed in the thought of her, reminiscing.
(A magnificence that could carve nothing into anything. That woman sculpted and created living things called Buildinia's from the faintest of ashes. She was everything everyone wanted to be.)
Both Asahi's palms were at his forehead, trying to process the flood of information Telos was sharing. It was too much for his head to handle.
"T... Telos, okay, okay... I get it."
The heavy amount of information Telos gave him, combined with the knowledge of everything else he had learned since he returned, made him overwhelmed to the point where he never wanted to continue anymore.
But as Asahi lay down on the soft bristles of grass like a bed, Telos asked of him with a gentle voice.
(Asahi, I know you're overwhelmed, but that's just the beginning. There's still much more to your changed world than meets the eye.)
The calm winds blew over the open lush hills.
"Yes, I know, Telos. It's overwhelming. I don't know what to do. I just... I... wish..."
He turned toward the distant horizon.
"... I had a guide. I feel like I lost everything I knew my about my world. I don't know the creatures, the religions, or anything. It's just a mindless swirl of chaotic proportions to me. Everything has changed."
The voice of Telos chuckled lightly.
(Yes, I know. Five thousand years is a tremendous amount of time to be absent. I understand your confusion. Say, Asahi, how about I offer you a deal?)
Asahi raised an eyebrow.
"Like... what?"
(Since my soul is virtually locked onto your body, I have no way of reaching my goal.)
Asahi grew impatient.
"So, where's the deal?"
(The Deal is that if you can so happen to help me reach my goal... in return, I will provide all my knowledge and help you pave a safe way in your journey...)
Asahi's heart leaped, interested in Telos' offer.
.(..I will tell you all the history of this world, its people, and its origins. As long as you ask. With that, combined with The Tenth Eye that you have now manifested, I assure you that wherever or whatever destination you choose... it WIll be reached. So, what do you say? Will you accept this offer?)
A silence formed in the quiet field.
Asahi closed his eyes and thought about the agreement and how much it would benefit him.
"If I accept Telos' deal, that would allow me to learn more about my changing world. That would mean I would have to sacrifice my original goal to find Aiyana's fragments."
Asahi continued to think while the sun slowly leaned its way from the center.
"It's a considerable opportunity to simply be given all the uplands of knowledge and thought just by a simple command. But that means I would have to follow everything that Telos asked me to do. Perhaps, along the journey, I could find Aiyana's fragments along the way?"
Asahi snapped his fingers, pushed himself up, and answered Telos while Aletha gazed at him curiously.
"Alright. Then THAT SETTLES IT! Telos, I accept your pact!"
Telos' voice lifted in a bright tone.
(Granted. From now on, Asahi, when you say the word 'Blink", I will be there to hopefully answer your every question and curiosity. There is no limit, as long as you agree that you will accompany and assist me on my goal.)
Asahi's eyes blazed with confidence.
"I promise you I will find a way!"
From that moment onwards, Telos will guide Asahi through his changed world, navigating through potential conflict, stranding further from confusion, and nearing closer to understanding.
Even though it was only a voice, learning can come from anything.
Whether seeing, hearing or educating, knowledge has many ways to be given.
* * * * * * *
Meanwhile, in the forest behind Asahi and Aletha,
"White hair...? That exists in this world too?! They look so beautiful. Like something from those tv shows I watched back when I was at home."
An old adolescent girl stood by, gazing at the wanderers.
Her long hair was very unsaturated in a light warm red to where red could barely be visible.
The sparkles draping down her silk hair bristles, along with her exposed slender arms, gave the view of youth in her, followed by her stance giving of maturity too.
Despite wearing minimal clothing on her torso, just being a breastplate, a gray skirt dangled with dark chains was attached to her hips. Her chipped sienna eyes widened as she heard a voice behind her.
"Hey, do you need help?"
From the martini-haired girl's perspective, she couldn't understand a single word the mint-haired girl said. She slowly tried to reply with a flushed look on her face.
"U...Um... eri... no, gi gin solophy yo nai va pichin..." (Means ... 'Yes, I'm lost here. Could you help me? In Gincad Language.)
Pridia lightly giggled and sighed, speaking in Gincad's language.
"Pinchin asnods dhi sai lo fa sdi." (Means, "Your speech is rough" in Gincad language.)
Pridia laughed lightly and raced down the hill, making the poor girl blush in embarrassment.
While slowly rubbing her fingers and stepping out of the forest, trying to approach Asahi and Aletha, the martini girl mumbled.
"Why is it so hard for me to communicate with people in this world? Why was I summoned here? I just wanted to watch my show and role-play... not get summoned to a fantasy world that doesn't even speak my language."
The young girl pouted, crossed her arms, and sighed while leaning over a tree, trying to avoid social contact.
"I don't even have any magical powers. At least some sort of mage would give me a power, but NO! I don't even get that." She sighed. "I wish there was someone... ANYONE that could speak my language. If I wasn't wearing my role-playing costume before I awakened here, maybe people in this world would have taken me seriously."
She slowly turned to the wanderers standing in the distance.
"Maybe.. those two know my language? Their shoes look like they came from Earth. So, perhaps?"
The girl clenched her fist, feeling brave and confident toward Asahi and Aletha. The otherworldly girl spoke in her mind as her dark black stockings glistened under the vibrant sunlight.
(It's worth a shot! I've been begging for someone to speak my language!)