"Aster?! Rina?!" Yuji turned around as the two suddenly vanished after Aster had stared off into space. Turning his head, he noticed Celine and Isabella's bodies glowing- but before they could leave, he reached out towards Celine who inturn reached for him. At that moment, he noticed his own hand glowing.
The starry night sky that spanned the horizon had been lit up in a vibrant aura. The sky seemed different. It once was dark, but this time- an aurora spanned the entire horizon, lighting the night sky through vibrant colours. He felt his hand touching something- or rather, someone. As he looked down, expecting Celine- he instead was greeted by a child who bore similar eyes and hair to her. Even her expression was odd, her eyes were sky blue and endearing. Yuji himself was captivated- not by the girl, but rather by his own arms. Why were they child-like? Better yet, why was he looking at this girl?
"Yuji..? That isn't you... Is it?" She asked, to which he slowly nodded. He at last let go, looking at himself once over. "Why...?" He could question all the possibilities, but even he didn't know he was in an illusion. Afterall, prior to entering whatever domain they were in, he led the full belief that he was in reality- or rather he had no reason to question it at all.
"You're Celine... Right?" He asked, knowing that even throughout his childhood, he had never encountered an elf before meeting Celine.
"Where are we..? Where are the others?" Celine suddenly felt a breeze that sent shivers down her spine. Snow was falling throughout the ever winter landscape. They were cold, with nothing to keep them warm. With a quick snap of her fingers, a warm flame flickered at the tip of her fingers before holding it towards herself and Yuji.
"I'm not sure. Whatever's happening, it isn't good. If everyone's like us, then we need to group up to find them... Damn it..! What do we do now?!" Stress had begun settling in. Never being on his own, it was a strange sense for Yuji. Thankfully, his eyes crossed a nearby shelter. Light emitted from within, and it seemed fine to enter. It welcomed travellers, considering the sign that was covered a fair amount by snow, it would be a saving grace for their situation.
"Yuji, let's go to that cabin! We need to think about our next steps!" Celine suggested, having caught sight of it before him. With a quick affirmation of their safety, Celine gave him a simple pat on his shoulder with a smile. His breath escaped in a slow exhale, the air being so cold that the stress of that breath heaved in a heavy mist. The two made immediate haste towards the cabin, and as they neared the canopy at the front of the cabin, they shook themselves off any snow that laid over their bodies that grew colder. Waving her hand, the flick of flame dissipated before the two jingled the doorknob. It was open, and with enough force, they were able to twist it fully. Thankfully the knob wasn't frozen over time, and in a quick motion- the two rushed inside. The warmth of the cabin was a vast difference between the cold outside. Their eyes had a quick look over. The interior was simple, a table was set up where they could eat, and there was a couch where they could rest. To the left, there was a single door, supposedly being the only room available where they could sleep.
"Let's check all the rooms first. It isn't a big cabin, so I think it's just the two... It's best to see if anyone else made it here." Yuji suggested, looking over the room. There wasn't too much to see, but there was a fireplace that kept going and going. The fire seemed to burn, but there didn't seem to be any fuel.
"Ah... Traces of elemental energy." Celine stated, her ears fluttering up and down as her eyes hummed a dim aura of blue. "Someone casted magic here. I think it's a lingering flame... It's definitely warm."
"You're right about that. What are two kids doing all the way out here in the Mount Maliver?" Asked a voice that emerged from behind. The two were quick to turn their heads, shaken from the sudden jumpscare.
Thankfully, it was a normal person. She bore pink hair, pink eyes and worn a nightgown of white. She was beautiful, to the point that even Yuji who generally didn't look at women was quite moved.
"Ah... We're-" Celine suddenly cut off Yuji's words, replying in an accurate way. "We're lost- we don't know where we are... I've never heard of... Mount Maliver."
Celine's eyes narrowed down. She was an intelligent girl, and to Yuji, she was downright one of the smartest of them all. When it came to geographical knowledge of the continent of Freiheit, she was vast and expansive about it. She understood the difference between the north, south, east and west- wary of the knowledge behind the Four Winds and knew mundane cities, towns and most of the mountains.
But the girl of white was somewhat normal. She tilted her head with a finger tapping her chin. "Hm... It's the biggest mountain in Freiheit, so I'm shocked you don't know about it... But since you're lost all the way out here, you should stay here while I try and find where your parents are." Soon enough though, the pink haired maiden was caught off by something about Celine. She rushed over, her movement being so quick that she didn't even have time to react. She kneeled, looking at Celine's cute little ears before touching them.
"Woah... An authentic Elf! Hah! And here I thought Elves would never charter Freiheit... Your kind are too proud, but to see an Elf that isn't Ailixiya is refreshing!" She began caressing her ear, to which Celine didn't react kindly to. Turning her whole body away, she held both her ears that were a bright red from how cold it was.
"Uhm... Miss, what is your name?" Asked Yuji, who was still unsure about this situation. She didn't seem to be an adventurer, but perhaps it was due to how pretty she was and the fact that she wasn't in gear. Then again, it is the middle of the night and they so rudely entered the cabin. She seemed to have just woken up- yet her hair remained tidy.
"My name? Hm... Why don't you call me Kiara?" She smiled, patting Yuji on the head. Mere moments ago, before the two were transported to this mountain, that name was mentioned by none other than Aster. She was the girl who they were supposed to look for and she was right there. A maiden of pink hair, an innocent looking person. But, why were they children? Did they have any ties to these line-up of events?
Celine caught on, judging by her sudden change in expression. But such a reaction warranted a reaction from the girl. "Aw... Here I thought Kiara was a cute name! Hehe." She scratched the back of her hair. Luckily she hadn't looked further into it. Kiara was a relatively normal girl, but Yuji's and Celine's knowledge of her was lacking. But what mattered most was that she was there, the key to this mission according to Aster.
"Kiara, what do you do for a living?" Celine asked, sitting at this point, keeping herself warm. They needed clues, and with the mysteries piling up including where they were, they weren't going to be able to go anywhere at the rate. The maiden sat by the flames as well, her eyes grew soft, as she began to drift away into the fire.
"Well... I'm just someone trying to live a normal life. With darkness plaguing the world, it has become hard for people like me... Like yourselves to lead a safe life." Her friendly smile disappeared, and she became rather depressed. But, her chosen reply was clues toeards their answer. There were two moments in time when darkness plagued the world- only two.
500 years ago, an event labelled the Calamity had occured and was defeated by an unsung hero. A few years after that, the rise of the Abyss occured where another unsung hero fought for the safety of the world- to stop the Gods from causing a world-ending wipe. It could've been either, but nonetheless, Celine was quick to deduce the time frame.
"Anyways, what are your names, little ones?"
The two decided to reply in kind. During the times of darkness, it was stated that the world never knew such depression. Everyone lived in fear, and for a girl like Kiara- even she lived in great fear. To an extent, they were able to respect her for living in such conditions. It was tough, and to live in such a cold area just to avoid that darkness- absent from any form of interaction, it must have been terrible. This may have been the first interaction shes ever had.
The two shared their names, one after another. "We're looking for our friends... Bella, Ayra, Sera and Aster." Kiara's eyes glanced up once the last name was mentioned. Her lips opened, but soon closed.
"Ah... Sorry about that. I didn't mean to give you false hope... Your friend was named after a great man who saved the world from darkness. If only he could return to save the world once more." Yuji and Celine were pretty stunned by that statement. The name of someone who saved the world from darkness was just given to them so casually. A name that had never ever been recorded in human history- a name that had been lost to time, leaving the hero who saved the world from the Calamity unknown- had finally become known. It was an unexpected moment, considering they were just labelling a list of their friends, but they learnt something new.
"What is happening to the world? I mean, I don't remember too much." Yuji's blatant lie was a little painful for Celine to bare, but she gritted her teeth and kept her focus on Kiara. "What's happening..? Well, it's a little much to explain to two kids. But, it's better to tell you now rather than later. I don't want you two to get into trouble."
'The Abyss are a horrible race of creatures. They plagued the world after the Calamity was defeated. Some theorize that it was a result of the Calamity being destroyed and it's darkness simply emerged into these sentient entities.
To start with, the Calamity itself was the only sentient darkness there was. Before then, these creatures of darkness were mindless entities that sought positive mana. To describe them, they're like a force of nature.
Yet, when the Calamity was defeated, that force of nature should've been eradicated completely. Aster, the Hero of Calamity was the one who defeated it. But, he sacrificed his own life for that achievement. Since then, the Divine Saint Laylah did everything she could to restore order in Freiheit. One day though, the Abyss emerged, and the world was thrown back into chaos. Not just the Kingdom of Freiheit, but the Halidom of Somnia, the Empire of Poder Ukaxa, The Dynasty of Creer, the Realm of Huayuan, The Sanctum of Yaiba and the Domain of Kholodnaya Stal. Everywhere, the Abyss emerged. These beings of darkness brought destruction in every corner. Since then, the Gods took step into the mortal realm and begun an all out war.'
"I sometimes wonder how my family are doing..." She said, looking at the two little ones once more. "I have an older sister, who was always... Sigh. Never mind." Her lips quivered, looking back at the fire. She tidied her hair, brushing it behind her ear. Celine's eyes caught the ear piece that exposed itself, showing off a small crest. Whatever the crest was, she couldn't quite make out what it was.
By chance, Yuji felt immense pain as his vision grew blurry. His sight was fading, and as he looked onward- he found his body buried in the snow with Celine's body just ahead of his. Kiara, who was in her nightgown, was clad in a purple elegant clothing, donned with armour and a sword that was a brilliant diamond, yet thin enough to be a rapier. Black flames begun setting the trees on fire, and even the bits of wood from the cabin was alit.
He didn't even process what happened, all he saw was immediate destruction as Kiara had begun to reminisce. Destruction followed by these creatures. It's body was similar to the thing that Elizabeth and Theresa had to fight before they entered the dungeon. Far too similar. But Kiara was fighting that thing head on, her magic was brilliant enough to make Elizabeth's flames look like a simple ember. With a swing of her blade, the traces of starry energy completely eviscerated the plain of reality- almost as though she tore through space like shattered glass. The dark being was no match, by a long shot. But, it was certainly more than strong enough to cause destruction. Suddenly, Kiara rushed over to Yuji and Celine before waving her hand.
"Please..! Stay with me!" Her voice grew muffled. It was a miracle that Yuji was even able to retain consciousness. Celine herself was completely knocked out, and Kiara's actions to save them were futile.
Yuji, although he lost consciousness, felt his conscience completely present. The pain he felt- it felt unrealistic. And as he glanced down at himself, he found himself at a reasonable height once more. Where Celine laid, she was standing. The familiar person that she was, while being shorter than the average height, she was no doubt the way she was before.
"Yuji?" Her voice reached, the void of darkness surrounding them, the all too familiar space that the others have been through. From behind, footsteps were approaching them.
"Celine..? Yuji?!" The shy voice came out, as the slow steps forward quickly turned to running. Jumping at Celine, she was hugged by the crimson eyes black haired Rina who was happy to see the two.
"Rina! You're okay!" Yuji relieved by these circumstances, had hugged the two. After those events, it was difficult for them to remain so calm. Everything to say the least was chaotic.
"We just found Kiara- but... It was from a time 500 years ago. Celine and I ended up dying, but we awoke here."
"It's safe to say we experienced some sort of dream walking..." Celine concluded. Illusions didn't hurt compared to dream walking, so it was the closest thing Celine could draw towards.
"You two found Kiara? I... I heard a voice, though it almost felt like an internal monologue. It told me to follow the light, and I will find the others... Here you two are!"
Yuji and Celine shared sights, they were just happy to see another person after that weird experience. But, it left Ayrandel, Seraphina, Isabella and Aster completely gone.
"Follow the light... Is this voice trustworthy?" Celine asked, to which Rina nodded. She was unsure why she could trust the voice so, but if Rina was confident enough, then there was no reason to doubt it. If they ended up regretting it, they could at least do it together.
"If we keep following the light, we should be able to escape this place and find Elizabeth and Theresa. If you and Yuji were able to find a clue about Kiara, then maybe the other four will find things too!" Rina suggested. The mission grew complex, and there seemed to be no end to the disarray they were experiencing. Regardless, it seemed a miracle occured. With Rina's traumatic childhood, and Yuji and Celine's discovery of Kiara, the steps ahead grew clearer and clearer and the means of escape grew larger.
It was only a matter of time.