Asahi awakened to an expansive room, lying on a soft bed.
He scratched his head and turned right.
There were no windows.
Shelves and jewelry, encased in a dark chocolate color, lined the walls.
The chairs and tables were lathered in gold, catching the sparse light.
The rest of the room dazzled with a multitude of objects: tools, rings, paintings, dressers, and mirrors.
Intriguingly, the abundance of mirrors seemed almost deliberate.
It looked like a calculated decision—not just for decoration.
Asahi couldn't help but wonder: did they hold some cultural significance, or maybe magical properties?
Did they reflect more than just appearance?
A restless anxiety twisted inside Asahi.
Doubtful thoughts stabbed at him, each one sharper and more insistent than the last.
"Where am I? What happened? Why are there so many mirrors in here?"
Asahi, appalled by the fact that he had been transported here, was almost annoyed by the lack of any information.
Anyone would be shocked if they were suddenly transported to a bedroom devoid of any individuals. In contrast to his confusion, Asahi immediately vaulted off the bed and crawled on the floor.
The soft, tingling bristles of the rug soothed his fair skin. Ignoring the sensation, he quickly sat up and accidentally pressed his head against a bookshelf. A dozen books toppled from above, striking him and leaving him dazed for a few seconds.
"Gah!" Asahi stuttered.
After the shelf toppled, landing partly on the bed, Asahi pushed himself up from the pile of books and scattered them across the room. As he did, he noticed a special green book lying close to his bare toes, distinct from the rest.
He slowly grabbed the book and brushed the dust off its cover, thinking about what made him pick it up.
"Huh?"
Asahi noticed that it had the words… "Pladtioa and its Past" is marked on the cover. He sensed that what lay within its pages was not just a history, but perhaps a source of answers about his situation and this mysterious place. This piqued his curiosity, prompting him to disregard his questions and pull up the cover.
Upon touching the silk fabric, Asahi found inked words lying against the white canvas, caked in dust. It implied this book hadn't been opened for ages. The putrescent aroma lingered and rose to his nostrils. He scowled in disgust.
"UGH. That smell is so… rancid. How long has this book been closed?"
Though ashamed of how this book was battered in such a state, his curiosity bit him, and so he pulled the pages upwards. His eyes lit up, flashed, and his face paled as he viewed the expanding words imprinted on the pages.
(Fourth most, it was a desolate, busy land filled with endless amounts of shallow waters and dense foliage; tainted in a rancid brown. No sovereign was eager to claim the land, but one. And this was…)
Asahi's eyes gaped, seeing the name scribbled out from a blob of ink. He continued reading
(When he founded this land, he immediately alerted his followers and set forth upon its murky waters. His flag stood bright, indicating and showing that, finally, the most repugnant land imaginable was claimed. Castles were erected despite the environment's conditions, followed by houses that were caked in a fluorescent brown. Though the town didn't look bright at first, it soon expanded to prosperity.)
An inexplicable uneasiness clawed at Asahi's mind. Hunger for understanding gnawed at him. Each page he finished left him thirstier for answers. He gripped the book. Tension thrummed in his veins. He couldn't tear his gaze from the words.
(As time expanded, the small village transmogrified into a thriving, prosperous nation filled with dense forests, lush soil, and plentiful gardens. The swamps descended and eroded, freeing and making way for the new land to spread. Granted that these elements further gratified the land, in essence, other individuals from lands afar took place and their ambitions to dwell upon these thriving lands. From time to time, the King would emerge from his brilliant castle and grant others their best wishes.)
However, it wouldn't be long until…
Asahi, being so eager to know more, flipped to the other page and beamed his gray eyes at its contents. Consequently, being that anxious to learn more, Asahi didn't even realize that he was reading the contents out loud.
"That the King would find his partner. She was a beautiful woman, with long blonde hair tied in an elegant knot. Her eyes were chipped with a glacial blue, her skin was delicate and baby-soft, and her body was slender and petite. Depicting such a beautiful blend of all the elements the King desired, she was deemed the Queen of the nation. As she stepped forth upon the newly erected throne, the couple got married and had a beautiful daughter. Once they announced…"
Suddenly, a loud, raucous voice was released adjacent to the open bedroom door.
"Hey, Queen Narcissa…. your 'visitor' is reading your secret book!"
Asahi froze in shock, with his eyes and eyebrows raised. A horrible sense of insecurity erupted from him as he heard loud, audacious footsteps approach the room, growing closer and closer. He hastily tilted toward the door and froze still.
"W-Who…"
At first, he saw a gangling, flat-chested, sandy blond girl rushing away from the door, but then, who stepped in shocked him even more.
"Who DARES to pry upon my secret records?"
The figure paired with this sweet voice was a beautiful woman. Asahi's heart thumped rapidly. His palms grew sweaty. His eyes darted left and right. Footsteps approached. He saw a long-legged, toffee-haired woman step forward.
Her cinnamon-hued skin was flawless. Brown eyes, fringed with long lashes, darted to Asahi. She stepped forward. Long, exposed legs gleamed. His chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. He cocked his head and dropped the book, frozen in shock.
Before Asahi could draw a word from his lips, the woman hastily covered her mouth with her hand and jumped up.
"Gasp!"
Her eyes sparkled with awe, a blush rising in her cheeks as she gasped and stumbled over something. She fell to the floor, then quickly scrambled upright. Flustered, she snatched the book from Asahi's hands and clutched it to her chest before hunching her shoulders in embarrassment.
As Asahi reached out toward her, the woman quickly pulled herself away, her face clouded with emotion, and yelled frantically.
"W-W…Wha… What a-are you doing with that book? H-How did you even find that? How did you--"
A significant sickness of the heart smote Asahi. He couldn't handle the sudden surge of emotions that came over him when he saw the woman up close. Though her face and body looked familiar, there was something different about what this woman had on.
"Her dress…"
Indeed, it was her dress that made the woman look different. She wore a richly decorated, rounded collar that stretched toward her chest. Sashed at her waist was a beautiful scarlet flora pattern that traced around her lonesome attire down toward her leggings; highlighted by the prudish length of her arms.
Indefinitely, by recognizing her proactive, round face, Asahi simpered.
"A… Are you, Narcissa?"
She wheedled with a bright red face.
"Yes. I hoped that the fashion team had worked well with this dress; they said it took a few weeks to make. But it was all worth it in the end."
Asahi begrudgingly nodded his head, appalled and nonplussed that Narcissa's attraction robbed him of his speech.
As his eyes glared vibrantly at Narcissa's brown dress, the beautiful brown-haired woman wheedled.
"I'm wearing it… b-because…"
Her cheeks flushed a beet red. She felt giddy, almost zealous, when staring.
"B-because…" She stammered.
Without saying a word, Narcissa's chocolate eyes bit through Asahi's face. He hung on every word spoken by her, as if-- tranced, then jumped in shock, with his face reddening like apples.
Hastily, Narcissa replied with a bristling tone.
"N-No… not yet, at least. Well, you just awakened, and you have no clue what happened. The reason why you are here is… because…"
She fretted over her speech, as if she were trying to force herself to finish her words.
"I want you to… b-be… my… soon coming..."
Asahi raised his eyebrows.
"Huh?"
A quiver of resistance ran through her, but despite that… she…
"My Soon-coming King!" Narcissa fretted while she pondered her actions and tensed her shoulders. Her urgency was palpable, yet beneath the surface lay a desperation that had stewed over years. She knew the risks of bringing Asahi here without explanation, but time was running thin.
Her friends were trapped, cursed within the mirrors throughout the room, only breakable by the genuine connection she'd hoped to forge with Asahi—a secret hidden within the very depths of this room.
The urgency of the situation gnawed at her, fueling her hasty proposition.
Asahi skidded back on the floor and jumped in shock. He thought this reveal was too sudden and anxious. He rubbed his fingers on his exuberant white hair and queried.
"King? Already!?"
Given Asahi's realization, his memories flickered back in his eyes. His concerns, doubts, and curiosity struck him like a bolt of lightning. These thoughts, of the narcissistic character of Narcissa, bit at him constantly. Asahi took a step back and placed his hand over his heart, hearing the tremulous expression traced from Narcissa's lips.
"Y-You don't understand, I'm only doing this because it's for…"
Asahi lowered his dark eyebrows and squinted his eyes. He snapped his fingers and crossed his arms.
"W-Wait… where's Aletha? Where am I? H-How did I get here?!" Frustration started to bite his neck.
Narcissa released a sigh of distress.
"Please… just listen to me! I'm doing this for a genuine reason. It's for someone else--
Asahi stepped away from Narcissa, his frustration building. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her, then shot a sidelong glance at the doorway, as if expecting danger or an explanation from beyond the room.
"Someone else? N-No… I don't believe you. Are you just doing this because you want my power?"
"N-No… I would never do this for personal gain or power. As I said, I'm doing this for…"
Asahi fumed with frustration and anxiety; he stomped his foot on the ground and hollered with a breaking voice.
"Then why did you take me here?! Speaking of… where is Aletha? Where is Drimi, where is Belial, where is Phthonus, where is Sally?! Where is the village?!"
Narcissa sighed in disappointment and shook her head. Despite trying her best to persuade him, he wouldn't listen. Her sweet, honeyed, leering attitude slowly transformed into a stern, abrasive mindset as Asahi continued to gripe at her.
"I don't understand why you want to do this!? What did you do to Aletha? Where am I?! What—
With a toneless voice, Narcissa ordered glumly.
"Guards… just… capture him…"
Asahi's eyes widened.
"What?!"
Hastily, he felt a cold metal surface slide against his arm and grasp around his skin. Asahi turned over and shook his body away from the knight; however, his body was hastily—
"Get away from--
Asahi's eyelids crossed with exasperation. He struggled to free himself from the arms, grunting and screaming at Narcissa in anger.
"Now you're going to ignore me?! Answer! Where are you escorting me?"
Narcissa walked up to a mirror framed in a gold outline and pressed her hands gently against its reflective surface.
As Asahi sneered at her with skepticism while being dragged out of the room, Narcissa drummed her fingernails on the table, peered at the reflection on the mirror, and anxiously closed her eyes, whispering…
"One day, my father… You will be free from your curse. After all these years, I found an individual who shares my interests. I promise I will find a way with him, even if it takes an eternity. If it takes to cease your curse, I will do anything. But until then, if this boy can accept my confession and draw a genuine connection, you… will… u-unfortunately, be stuck. You too, friends."
A tear flew down her cheek, hearing Asahi struggling in the background. She tried to turn around, but resisted, knowing that there would be another day.
Asahi hollered with a penetrating voice.
"LET ME GO! I need to have a word with her!--"
A deep, gravelly voice ordered Asahi.
"Silence! You will meet her again once you learn your lesson!"
Narcissa droopily approached the door, and as she was peeking, seeing Asahi get dragged across the narrow hallway, Narcissa's lower lip quivered.
"Y-You're right. We need some time before we reach that phase."
(Creak)
(Slam)
After the door's slam reverberated over the hall, Asahi's vision faded.
However, he fainted with a smug smile, because hidden in his pants was Narcissa's secret book, which he had snatched while she was speaking in the room.
With that in his possession, Asahi could freely read all of it… and discover the hidden secrets that reside within the depths of the pages.
* * *
"Aletha… no…" Asahi quivered as his eyes slowly peeled open.
A faint light opened up from the microcosm of the chiseled walls. It touched and scintillated over his dry, pale skin. He felt a cold surface gently prod against his back.
"Umff…"
As a result of this, Asahi's eye slowly parted, revealing a dark chamber with a locked metal door on the left, a table in the center, and a gaping opening in his right. The ceiling was covered in droplets, falling one by one like rain descending from the sky.
(Tap)
A crystal clear droplet gently grazed over Asahi's skin, making him shiver in discontent. He was vexed in sorrow.
"Gah?! W-Where am I? Come on, I just wanted to speak to her."
(Tap… tap… tap…)
The droplets continuously plodded against his head. But shriveled and stained with repetitiveness, Asahi soon adapted to the droplets and slid toward a dry spot.
Lying against the floor, content with loneliness, Asahi pondered quietly.
"I don't understand. I… I REALLY don't understand. All I remember is that I was with Aletha when we saw that massive green beacon open up from the sky. And now… I'm here? I don't understand. Do they remember me? I have so many questions and a few little answers, I-it's making me…"
He scratched his nose and slumped against the cold wall. His lower lip quivered, and dullness clouded his face. Despite being determined before, Asahi's emotions toppled down like a collapsing tower-- having no idea what he would do next.
As a shadow cast over him, and a cold, deep silence erupted from the room, suddenly, a disembodied voice sounded out.
"Hey? Who-- in the hell…?"
The voice sounded husky, like the deep growls of a wolf. Asahi glanced sideways, instantly trying to see where that voice came from. The darkness made it more difficult for Asahi to see.
"Is that a boy? Wait… white hair?! When did people start having white hair all of a sudden nowadays? I thought those darn things were extinct. Am I hallucinating or what?! Speak, boy or whoever the damn you are !"
That… husky tone… transformed to an appealing one; a voice that sounded trustworthy, and placid despite its deep groans. However, it is also blended with an aggressive and hostile tone.
Asahi tried again to locate the source of the voice. His eyes wandered and bolted left and right, from corner to corner, scouring and reaching his arms through the thick darkness. The voice guffawed at Asahi's meaningless searches.
"HAHAHA! Man, for a boy with an appearance like that-- you act kinda dumb. Hey! Dumb elephant, turn around when I'm speakin' to ya'!"
Asahi's heart froze. His head slowly creaked behind, and his pupils flared in shock. This voice just blatantly called Asahi, who once was a powerful Owner-- one that literally ruled THIS WORLD…
…a dumb elephant?
Asahi scrunched his nose and sighed. The voice gradually devolved into a whimsical, foolish tone, completely pushing away what had once been a trustworthy voice.
"Hey, over here, stupid!"
But finally, after all those loud, penetrating screeches, Asahi found them.
"Who… are… you?" Asahi asked while unfurling his fingers and staring with a restless gaze. The gruff voice belonged to a dimpled, pointed-chinned, broad-foreheaded, salt-and-pepper-haired young man.
He wore a bedraggled tunic with miserably shod feet; he looked like an unmade bed. However, the most noticeable feature was his moon-shaped, chartreuse eyes, which complemented his overall appearance and, in all honesty, carried his dirty body.
He gave an astute glance to Asahi, showing his freckles and indomitable smile, as if he was trying to greet him. While Asahi shuddered and stood still, in hopes of not getting killed by the young man, the salt-pepper boy greeted him sarcastically.
"Why hello there, dude! Welcome to prison, it's nice here, am I right?"
Asahi lifted his shoulder in a half-shrug, mute out of shock and fear. The young man brushed his hands together, snapped his fingers, and covered his own eye with his hand.
"Hahaha! Bro, don't have to be mute. What the hell are you doin' here? Do I even know you?! Hell, not! HA HA HA!"
He had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
The young man pushed his shoulder against Asahi's paralyzed arm, nudged his face, and raced toward the other side of the room. It seemed he looked frustrated, and in return, he regretted his rather foolish act; he requested Asahi.
"Do you want my magical essence? The one that makes you invincible and strong?!"
Asahi was still frozen, with his mouth stitched in shock. He didn't even want to move. Despite this, the young man assumed Asahi's utter silence as a yes, then grabbed a pile of an unidentifiable squishy substance, and raced back to Asahi.
"This will make you strong and make you get outta here!"
He rubbed the pile and smeared it over Asahi's pale face, like rubbing chocolate pudding against a baby. The young man stepped back and covered his mouth, tilting his head away, trying his best not to burst out laughing.
As the essence stuck on Asahi's face, his nose instantly crinkled. His face scrunched up in pure disgust, smelling a malodorous aroma rising from his nostrils. Asahi jumped and yelled.
"What did you put in my face?! Do I look stronger?"
The young man's mouth inflated as if buttons were about to fall out. Tears flew in his eyes as he slapped his knee and burst out laughing like a vomiting dog.
"Haha! I can't believe that your dumb self actually believed me! That's my dunce dude! Haha!"
Asahi's eyes blinked owlishly, thinking about it while he heard the young man's laugh resound over the walls. Then his eyes bore a cruel, intense stare, with rage fuming within.
"WAIT, that's your feces?!"
The young man erupted in laughter as he bounced on the floor, seeing Asahi's poop-stained face glaring at him.
" Damn right! And you walked straight into it without hesitation. Dude, you're so hilarious!! HA, hank hank hank!"
Asahi turned red with fury, his blood boiled, and an angry frown caressed his brown-covered face. Hastily, with absolute force, Asahi relentlessly shoved the salt-pepper fool to the ground and screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Do you think you're funny? Blatantly smearing your own feces on my face. Do you even know who I am?!"
As Asahi's fist curled in anger, about to smack the fool straight in the face, the fool raised his hands upward and pushed him away, with a nervous sweat sliding down his face.
"C-Calm down, dude… It's a joke."
Asahi fumed.
"Joke? You think this is a joke?!" Asahi asked furiously.
"If you really want it, I can clean your face…" The fool offered.
Asahi gritted his teeth in anger and tried to settle down. He couldn't believe that anyone, let alone an individual, was capable of such a thing. Granted, the actions, Asahi swung his restless gaze at the fool and sneered.
"And with what? How are you going to clean my face?!"
When Asahi stepped forward, pressing and clenching his fists, the fool's hands started to glow a bright powder blue. Asahi raised his eyebrows, questioning how the young man was managing to do this. However, just as he was about to comply, suddenly…
"Time to wash feces face!"
A massive gush flew from his hands and submerged Asahi in water.
(Splooge!)
Air was sucked out of Asahi's body. He could hardly breathe, feeling all the water rush up his nostrils. He got propelled to the other side of the room.
Drenched in wetness, Asahi coughed out shots of water and rubbed his eyes as the remnants of the gush slid down against the now-wet wall.
"Ack!"
He slowly lifted from the wall, having an even angrier look on his face. This sudden burst of water was so unexpected that Asahi felt he was literally going to drown, hence another reason to punch the fool in the face.
"WHAT was that?" Asahi screamed.
The fool asked.
"Is your face clean yet?!"
All of a sudden, another spurt of water tossed Asahi to the ceiling. The fool asked again.
"Is it off yet?!"
Just as Asahi was about to answer, another gust flew about his hands and pushed Asahi further against the wall. He gasped for air and coughed water out of his lungs, begging the…
"One more!"
Asahi begged while coughing.
"Wait... sto--"
(Splooge!)
The last surge of water rushed out from the fool's magical hands and knocked Asahi out.
"There, now it's off."
While Asahi gagged for air and flew to the floor, the fool made a smug smile and cackled.
" Welcome to the cell, feces face! You may call me… Devlin."