Pointed ruby-red rooftops, dark glossy stone brick walls, beautiful glass doors, and glistening windows were only a few details to describe the architecture of the buildings.
Some places had long and narrow glass bridges, while others had steamy hot, natural spas, taller, reaching up to the glass ceilings suspended above, all built around many rocks and crystals.
This place was a sanctuary, a birthplace for relaxation and sloth.
Streetlights dotted everywhere among each corner of the underground area, illuminating each paved road. The sight was followed by open canals and tall, lush trees paving through enclosed places like shops and plazas.
The rowboat Aletha and the man boarded docked near the fifth shore, followed by the sound of several people chattering and walking around the area.
To Aletha, the sight of this place was vastly different from the other part of the city she saw.
There were more people, primarily adults, located here.
(Could that place I have seen before be the residential area of Clearstar City?) Aletha thought. Although it made sense to her, she couldn't accept it, considering she had just arrived.
Not long after, the blue-haired man said farewell to Aletha, pointing her to the town hall, just two buildings away, next to a segment of tall stone staircases. Of course, Aletha took notice of this and quickly asked him.
"Wait a minute, didn't you just say you were going to tell me the history of this city? Why haven't you told me that yet?!"
The blue-haired man shook his head and hoisted his arm into the air, stepping across the docks and notifying her.
"You will be fine." He replied. "I'm sure people around here would tell you about the city's history. If not, just know that I will return to the docks. Because something important is about to happen today."
"Something important?" Aletha muttered curiously. "What's that?"
"You'll see later on. For now, just go to the town hall!"
While the chatter continued, and as Aletha walked across the docks, a nervous smile emerged, and she responded.
"Okay, nice to meet you!" Then, an immediate realization dawned on her. "Hey, wait a minute!"
The man turned his head, confused as to what she wanted now.
"What?"
Aletha waved her hand.
"You haven't even told me your name yet!"
A disbelieving expression floated around the blue-haired man's face.
"Seriously?" He mumbled. "Oh my goodness, I was completely caught off-guard about your story that I forgot to introduce myself. Well, I'll just make it brief." He hurriedly made a stance and fierce pose, leaning his arm into the air and waving at Aletha as the boat slowly parted away. "My name is Zahir!"
Aletha's eyes widened, mumbling in shock. "Zahir? That's an… interesting name." Soon before she realized that the boat was gone, Aletha tried to wave back to Zahir.
"Um, well… nice to meet you!
Standing on the boat's edge, Zahir, the blue-haired man, made a light chuckle and snapped his fingers, shouting.
"Nice to meet you too! I'll see you soon when I finally settle on my bearings. Good luck out there, and don't forget about the big event!"
Taking footsteps, Aletha hollered at him once more.
"I won't!"
* * * * * * *
Before Aletha, Colored window sills were placed everywhere in each building Aletha passed through.
As she walked, her ears were caught in a storm of sounds.
The Vendor shouts, soldiers hollering, boot stomps, roars of the furnace, clangs of swords, and sandals slapping on brick-- all those noises surrounded her. She amplified her pace and raced through the plaza, seeing several people sharing admiring glances at her.
Some wore noticeably different clothing like blue and silver uniforms, tall fancy dresses, etc.
With her feet caked in the sawdust bestrewn about the city, Aletha tried to dash through the narrow streets. But as she looked for the plaza, Aletha flinched at the shower of compliments and praises are given to her.
"Hey gorgeous, come here, and I'll give you a discount!"
A nervous sweat slid down her face.
"Erm. N-No thanks." She replied with a slightly disgusted look.
And then another, a woman wearing a green robe with gray hair, approached her with a smile.
"Woah, you look amazing!"
"T-Thank you," Aletha said with a suspicious, crooked smile.
(These people are weird.)
This unneeded praise continued on and on as she raced through the gates.
Her eyes broadened in shock, noticing the townhouses, villas, and boarding houses all built up and around the vast expanse of stone.
Ropes dangled above her head, the sweet scent of vanilla shrouded all around, and the loud screams of cats echoed over from wall to wall.
As her feet crossed ways along a shimmering glass bridge leading through yet another corridor of townhouses, a group of teenagers looking to be near their sixteenth year approached Aletha, spitting out compliments and praises.
"Wow, that's such a nice shade on your hair!" One said.
"I never thought it was possible to reveal that much skin. You look like a supermodel!"
"Mmm, short but pretty. Nice going; how old are ya?"
"You wouldn't want to know," Aletha said as she hurriedly moved away.
In reaction to these unneeded praises, Aletha snarled and pressed her lips together into a thin line, narrowing her eyes with a slight head tilt, thinking. (Why do you exist? You know what? These praises… they're getting out of hand. I need to find a way to get out of here.)
Without replying, Aletha sneered at the individuals, barged through the group of teenagers, ignored their frustrated screams, and raced through the gates toward the other, tamer part of the city.
. . .
It was clear to Aletha that this area of Clearstar was a lot more different and energetic. She almost regretted the fact that she didn't stay within that other portion of the city.
But as she approached the "relaxation" part of the city, yet again, while she crossed through the hallway of natural spas, Aletha got sprinkled with praises.
"I like your hair! Do you think you have time to talk?"
"You look like a goddess!"
"Where are you from?"
Aletha's face turned red shortly after, not from embarrassment or fluster but anger and irritation. She rolled her eyes and made a long-suffering-sigh answering.
"Why do you want to know?!" She said as she bared her teeth. "I'm just a stranger. Grah, if you get closer to me, I will sock your face off!"
A prideful and confident smirk emerged from the smug, blonde-haired man.
"Oh, please. Like you're going to do anything useful."
(That's it, I'm done.) Aletha angrily thought as she flared her nostrils in rage at the man with irritation.
Looking up at the man, she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, pushing the man and fleeting away, shouting.
"Stop it, stop it, STOP IT! Gaa, I can't take this anymore!"
One reason she came here was to find Rinnea and grab the necklace. But instead of following that pattern, all she managed to do was find herself inside a sanctuary with crazy people.
When she ran, a thought came from her.
(Honestly, I like the older place. I'm okay with children, but full-grown adults, gah!)
Suddenly,
"Woah there, where do you think you're going in such a rush?"
She bumped into a girl with crimson hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a bright violet skirt and a pink crop top kimono.
Immediately, Aletha bowed down and apologized with a quirky tone.
"Sorry, sorry, I was in a rush."
As the crimson-haired girl slowly rubbed her forehead, looking back and forth to find who bumped into her, a loud masculine sound came out from Aletha's right.
"Wait a second... Aletha? How did YOU get here?"
Beneath the cold glare of the desolate cavern arose another figure, slightly taller, having short dark brown hair, dark, caramel-colored skin, and cold emerald eyes.
Aletha rushed and panicked, screaming back at the stranger.
"I should ask YOU that!"
After she screamed at the man, Aletha tilted her head back to the girl and shouted.
"Do I know you?"
The crimson-haired girl allowed herself a soft smile, crossed her arms, and eyed Aletha with warm ruby-red eyes. Then, in just a short second, the crimson-haired girl swiftly kicked her legs up like a kangaroo, swung her arms, and erupted in joy.
"Oh… my… goodness! Are you that white-haired girl we met in that hotel a few days ago?!"
Aletha raised an eyebrow, answering as the girl forced her into an alleyway.
"Um… yeah…"
A relieved expression floated on the girl's face, pushing her ruby hair to the side and expressing.
"You are?! That's wonderful. So, what have you been up to?! You haven't forgotten my name, haven't you?"
Shortly afterward, explanations from Aletha bandied about from mouth to mouth.
. . .
(Twenty-Minutes of Explaining Later…)
"Oh, so that's why you got those reactions! Well, that makes sense. I mean, you did save a nation, and not only that, you have white hair, the rarest color in this world."
Aletha nodded her head attentively, then immediately switched topics, not giving a single care for Alai's sentence.
"Why did you react like that?"
"It's because I'm hyper. That's how I usually act." Alai snickered.
"Oh, really?" (Well, this is going to be a pain.) Aletha thought as she looked at the crystal canals streaming across waterfalls covered in fogged glass. She looked back at the green-eyed man and asked.
"So, what about you… Zeru? How did you, Alai, and Brunella all get here into this underground place?"
Zeru replied casually.
"Most of us came here from the tornado. We all crashed through the glass ceiling, and after that, we arrived here."
"Hmm, so you say 'most' of us came from there? Where are the rest?"
Alai excitedly pointed at the plaza not too far off, shrouded in individuals, "Over there! There are a lot of familiar faces in that area!"
He added, fondling some of the strings dangling from the balconies above.
"Yeah, but some also left Linuxinia toward their home nations since they have something better to do."
Aletha raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "And who were they?"
"There's no time to explain. Something important is happening right now. Isa and Kali are ready to make their announcement."
She quickly skidded backward in shock, "What?! Isa and Kali? Ready to make an announcement? It's not even been half a day, and they are already in this situation?!"
Alai lightly giggled and covered her mouth, murmuring with a smug smile, crossing her arms.
"Hee hee. Aletha forgot that they are the Queens of Linuxinia. It's no surprise they would be given praise." She shrugged the thought off and continued with a prideful tone. "Anyways, if you really want to know what's happening, then just go over there where they are at."
"Ohhh, then hurry up! I need to tell them something!"
. . .
Only a short time after that, Aletha rushed the others through the long narrow streets, dodging offers of spa memberships all around an area closely related to certain activities, trying to find Kali.
Fortunately for her, she made it past the steaming wonderland, finally passing through another stairway before meeting at the center block, suspended by gigantic winding roots.
As she was averting through offers all around, Zeru informed Aletha.
"See that large root above the ceiling? That root sustains a huge segment of the magic in Linuxinia. Here in this nation, Happiness is the greatest power."
(Happiness... the greatest power?) Aletha repeated in her mind. (Isn't that supposed to be a natural emotion? Why does it have any significance to the magic in this game?)
Confused, Aletha tilted her head to Zeru with narrowed eyes, shrugging and responding.
"Happiness? How does that work?"
Zeru, having a high knowledge of everything, lifted his chin and circled his shoulder, tucking his thumbs in his waistcoat and answering sternly.
"Here in the Nation of Linuxinia, a seed regulates and administers the capacity at which a particular emotion is granted; The Sealed Beatific. " He turned over to the green and cyan stream of particles encircling the root, nudging Aletha to look as well, adding as he continued on and on. "The Sealed Beatific is a generous blessing given and created by the supreme Sovereign of Linuxinia. It can amplify magic to extremes, bless and transform the lands into its richest state, and of course... please everyone with joy."
Upon Zeru's explanation, Aletha's shoulders and mouth dropped in awe, letting her imagination run wild.
"Oh, that explains why this place feels more different than Pladtioa!" Aletha said with a deeper intake of breath. "Wait, so why can't I feel it? How would I know if The Sealed Beatific is there? How would I figure out if this... Sealed Beatific activates?"
"Actually, you have seen it in effect already!" Alai intervened as she pushed her crimson ponytail. To keep Aletha's attention, she stood beside her and pointed at the green essence surging up and coiling around the giant root. "The green stuff you see floatin' around everywhere, and almost everyone in Linuxinia is all part of The Sealed Beatific. Remember when we were fighting those bad things after that sabotage of The Announcement?"
"The Announcement..." Aletha mumbled as a piece of her memory of the event flooded her mind.
Alai sputtered her lava bombs on the approaching creatures.
She remembered Asahi and her flying in the air with chaos erupting around each corner on where they stepped foot and the green essence splurging out of the root as Isa held her armor in place and protected them from the invading creatures.
All of it urged her to gasp.
"Wait... YES! Yes, I do remember!" Aletha said, rushing her words. "It was all chaotic and messy. There was green essence everywhere, and all the people used their magic and stuff! So are you telling me that it was because of The Sealed Beatific that caused all of you to react that way?"
"Mostly, yes," Zeru answered, stepping in with a prideful chuckle. "Everyone that had magic at that time felt an amplification in them once Isa had made the green essence splurge. However,"
Changing his tone, Zeru fixed his hair and kept his emerald eyes anchored at Aletha, resuming as their gaze traveled through the many people of Clearstar City.
"... there are some adverse effects from The Sealed Beatific. Not completely negative effects, but from the people who take advantage. For example," He paused and slid his hands in his pockets. "Only in Linuxinia can Happiness be used more as a resource than an emotion. The people here sometimes take advantage of The Sealed Beatific's power, blinding others with its potent abilities and using it for evil deeds."
The moment Zeru uttered the word 'evil deeds' out from his mouth, it caused Aletha to recollect something.
When all girls, Isa, Kali, and Emine, including herself, gathered around a campfire after wreckage, laughing it off as if it were an everyday occurrence. The hypnotic purple glow surrounded them, transforming their personalities.
And when they had danced non-stop for two hours, she recollected all of it. Aletha's eyes flashed with remorse as she stared at the pulsating root, giving a nervous gulp.
"Yeah, evil deeds." She said, chewing the inside of her cheek. "I... r-remember experiencing something like that. It felt as if all my worries had been consumed; that I was forced to dance non-stop and not worry about the others involved in the train crash that drove me and my friends there."
"That's the power of The Sealed Beatific," Zeru explained, his cold gaze piercing Aletha's gray eyes. "From your explanation, it seems someone outside had manipulated it, causing all four of you to act that way. Similarly, many of those same occurrences happened in the past. But they were nothing as tame as what you have explained."
"Really?" Aletha said with a disbelieving look in her wide gray eyes.
"Indeed," Zeru affirmed Aletha with a serious face. "There were events far worse than just some hypnotic state. For example, settlers of a village from Evercross Plains used the powers of The Sealed Beatific as a bargain for the depressed people of Astait. Instead of giving it for free, as the previous sovereign of Linuxinia had intended, the villagers specifically manipulated people with bottles of The Sealed Beatfic as some sort of remedy, all for the purpose of monetary gain rather than generosity."
"That's horrible," Aletha said with a pinched mouth, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Someone had even tried to use the blinding powers of The Sealed Beatific on The Queen of Zomrack, which had undoubtedly failed," Alai added with her smile lowering down to a frown.
"But that shouldn't be of your concern." Zeru redirected his statement as he turned away from the suspended root. "What you should be concerned about is the upcoming announcement from The Queen of Linuxinia a few hours from now."
"Announcement?" Aletha said, raising her eyebrow in curiosity. "What announcement?"
"There is an announcement going to take place relatively soon relating to the incident of the mysterious vortex and the sabotage of the ceremony. It will be held by Isa and Kali and will host..." Just before Zeru could explain further, a person pushed him over, tapping her shoes on the ground.
Alai, impatient about everything, crossed her arms and released a dragged-on sigh, tapping Aletha's shoulder and mumbling.
"Ugh, come on! Stop standing around and talking." She said with impatient gestures. "Let's go! We can explain later!"
"Okay, okay." Said Aletha and Zeru as they felt dragged out further into the city.
. . .
As they departed, Aletha looked back at the root, then to Zeru, mumbling to herself as Alai led them out of the area.
"Gosh, this place is much more mysterious than I once thought. I was REALLY holding my temptations not to go to those spas. Agh, that's the perfect place to relax, and I can't even have that!"'
Suddenly, a voice came out.
"Stop your complaining, and get over it, little rabbit!"
Little Rabbit.
That term, it could only mean one thing.
Aletha turned to where the voice came from and was shocked to see a girl with long lavender hair and two heterozygous eyes approaching her. Zeru and Alai backed up, having no interest in her.
But Aletha, on the other hand, kindly welcomed the girl as footsteps talked about.
"Greetings! Who are you again?"
A broad expression of disgust and boredom floated on the petite girl's face. She immediately clutched Aletha's neck and messed with her hair, fondling the soft white bristles like someone would pet an animal.
Then, she pushed her away and snarled, expressing selfishness and pride in her high-pitched voice.
"Grr, even your hair reminds me of the fur on those hares back in Desita. These little rabbits are intruding upon my space." The lavender-haired girl crossed her arms and pinched her own cheeks. She raised her voice. "Let it be, Jesica! You probably remembered me in that carriage. Well, I followed the power of MY vision and decided to follow the others into this… relative sanctuary for rabbits like you."
This would be the moment where Asahi would intrude upon Jesica's act, but Aletha was forced to submit to Jesica's outrageous personality without him. And so, with carelessness, Aletha pushed Jesica over and led Zeru and Alai down the stairs toward a settlement of what looked like a whole hallway of markets.
Jesica's screams accompanied her across her descent, going her own way to chase Aletha down the block until they reached…
"Why are there… so many people here?"
… a vast block surrounded by buildings and a sea of individuals. As they pushed through the crowd, Jesica explained.
"Stop acting ignorant, little rabbit. The Queen of Linuxinia is going to make another announcement!"
Aletha raised an eyebrow at the lavender-haired girl.
"You mean… Isa, right? Why does she have to make an announcement? Is there something I'm not getting across? Were we NOT just in a crash site a few hours ago?"
With all these problems stirred together, Zeru got straight to the point, shaking his head and crossing his arms as chatter bounced about.
"See for yourself."