(20 years before the War of the Wish)
"Ever wondered what's on the peak?" A quaint, young, feminine voice uttered as the waves toll in. "I heard that if you reach it, your wish will come true!"
As the vision of Alai's house faded away, it was gradually replaced by a new scene that unfolded before Aletha's eyes. The ruins and debris disappeared, giving way to a beautiful grassy shoreline under a clear sky. Standing near a towering peak were two adults, seemingly unaware of Aletha's presence. While observing this serene landscape, Aletha felt herself transported to a tranquil shore, though she remained unable to touch the earth or alter the course of events she was witnessing.
(What is going on?" She said in her mind, "Is this a dream?")
The child in their teens had bright, shimmering dark hair that hung to their waist, along with vivid azure eyes.
The second child, also in their teens, had soft, green hair with golden eyes.
Both of them traced pictures on the sandy shore with the waves passing by over and over. The sun hung bright in the sky like a lightbulb, and the tall peak shimmered with heavenly radiance. It cast its glow in the beaming blue sky while a castle was situated around the peak. What stood near the peak was a small, bustling town with few people in between. All seemed to be well and happy in Linuxinia.
The girl had a steady affection for the boy, grown from their small adventures in the forests and beaches of Linuxinia. They had never set foot on the northernmost 'bridge,' rumored by parents to bring trouble to an already troubled nation.
"Yes, I have heard about it." The boy said as he drew a star-like shape on the inscription at the peak. "Mother said not to go up there."
"I know." The girl retorted. "But could you imagine what would happen if OUR dreams had come true?"
"I can. And I wish. I wish for…"
"Don't say it!" The girl said as she hushed the boy up. "Let's keep it a surprise. Until we actually go up there."
The boy replied. "Understood."
"Promise?" The girl asked with cute eyes, leaning her fingers toward him.
After taking a moment to deeply breathe in and out, he nodded his head and caged his pinky with her pinky, saying….
"I promise." The green-haired boy said as they returned to the subject matter at hand. "Don't you think it's time to go home? It's getting late…"
"Yeah, yeah, fine! Just a little longer." With attentive eyes, the girl leaned on the boy's shoulders and stared into the sunset romantically. "Let's see if our wishes can come true."
As the boy's eyes coasted to the shimmering peak of Linuxinia, one was driven to wonder… "What could possibly be up there?"
As the vision faded, time rushed forward.
(10 years before the War of the Wish)
Suddenly, the vision flickered on and off, replacing the sight of crimson hills and desolate valleys with diverting spectacles of lush green mountains and vivid shores.
They appeared a lot older now, returning to the sand tracks they had made years ago. As one leaned down near the shoreline, while waves passed down side to side, the boy, now in his teens, began muttering stuff underneath his breath.
"This is the very spot where I first met you, Adeline." He muttered as he stared out at the vast, azure horizon glittering beneath the sun's vivid glow.
"Very well, Sergil… This is definitely the place where we first met." Her voice was a little deeper, more mature now that time has passed. Despite her maturity, she found her inner child erupting back within her, seeing the same golden horizon glitter in the distance. As they set their footprints onto the shore, a sudden vision intruded upon this happy memory.
The scene suddenly shattered, and chaos stormed in as if pulled from the depths of a nightmare. The air filled with acrid smoke stung the throat, while the ground beneath seemed to quake with a heat so intense it felt molten. Searing bursts of fire erupted, casting a hellish glow over the land as rivers of lava snaked through the desolation, hissing ominously. The stench of charred earth and iron filled the air, mingling with the metallic tang of a battlefield. In this maelstrom, the ground was slick with blood and strewn with lifeless forms, each telling a tale of fear and finality. Above it all, an ear-splitting screech pierced the chaos, the ominous silhouette of a dragon circling the sky, its savage cry echoing in the hearts of all who heard. Yet, within the swirling blue strands that danced in the aftermath, a new vision emerged, overtaking the remnants of calamity.
In another instant, the vision changed again.
(5 Years before the War of the Wish)
"Aww, come now, Kali. Isn't he your… destined partner? Green hair, golden eyes? You almost match if it wasn't for that mole on your lip."
There was a huge problem with relationships involving Sergil. The supposed destined partner had always been Kali, even if Adeline didn't want it to be that way. It had always been foretold by the prophecies of Alaunus, and how this 'destined' relationship would unfold, bringing forth a new future for the nation of Linuxinia. But Sergil was entirely skeptical.
"I don't want this, Dad." Said Sergil as he fixed his crown. "Not her."
"Come on now. You're the King of Linuxinia. This is your perfect match."
Although charming, Kali Leila felt nothing for Sergil, as they had never met. Peer pressure only made them more suspicious of each other. Adeline, distant, watched the wedding from the sidelines, sneering at Kali with a hint of murderous intent. No one smiled. Even as King and proposed Queen, deep down, they knew they weren't a match. When the wedding finally took its toll, Sergil did the impossible.
"That's it, Dad, I QUIT!" He hollered at him as he threw the crown into the dirt. "Forget loving Kali, I want to live in the shadows." Before he vanished into the distance, Kali blushed with embarrassment, trying desperately not to rejoice in the fact that they didn't have to be together anymore.
But besides that, she couldn't escape the temptation of ruling the castle and every inch of Linuxinia. So, from now on, she was deemed the Queen of Linuxinia rather than the Princess of Linuxinia.
(4 years before the War of the Wish)
Meanwhile, in the wild, Sergil met Adeline, kissed her without hesitation, and whispered afterward, years lost to time.
"Look, Adeline. I… have to admit. Now that I'm older, I have to say… I love you."
After all the years of having a deep adoration for him, Adeline pushed her dark hair to the side and…
"I love you too!" she said, recalling their sand memories. "Age doesn't matter—I loved you from the beginning."
"Really?" Asked Sergil as he pushed his green hair back.
"Of course!"
These moments, along with the secrets of the forest, drew their love closer together.
Before moving to the city, they chose village life.
Now, the journey to that village was a rollercoaster of trials. First, they met a troll, then they moved onward up a sizable waterfall, almost falling to their deaths.
Lastly, they approached a tall peak. With all the experience they had, Adeline taught Sergil how to climb. After a few weeks of climbing expeditions, they decided to tackle the wall leading into a happy, humble village.
Luckily, what met them was a welcoming group of individuals, who situated them inside a tree house at the center of the block.
Beyond the walls, the luminance atop the peak shone, inviting anyone daring enough to scale the mountain, while the vibrant city at the summit marked the capital of Linuxinia.
"That right there… is the peak of Linuxinia," said a man of fair age as Sergil and Adeline left the village. "In ancient times, the Prism of Creation invited the people below, but the climb is perilous—a real struggle to reach, nearly impossible."
After being told that, the two decided to delay their decision for one more year.
Now, the two have lived happily for a while with the people in Clearstar village.
At the time, the village was uprooted from the earth; exposed to everyone who had eyes to see.
At first, they were just a humble couple living within the village.
However, as time passed and opportunities arose, the two chose to be the center of attention.
(3 Years before the War of the Wish.)
They were at their best, being trained enough to sweat and climb.
Adeline went with the offer of knight training while Sergil chose to go on climbing expeditions to improve his skills. It was nigh on impossible to ever reach Adeline's climbing skill in such a short amount of time. But his training was sufficient enough, and so he pursued his passion to climb while Adeline had cheered him on in the background. All was happy and joyful as the sun smiled on everyone below.
But all wasn't well… When he decided to return to the Linuxinia capital, a horrible illness befell his father. He was hit with age, and coughed so much that he passed.
Then his mother, sick beyond repair, coughed up her final words to Sergil, while Adeline stood in front of the guards, wondering what was going on.
"My son," She said with haggard breathing. "Climb the mountain. Fulfill as the new King and trust Kali with all your heart… and soul." With those final words, Sergil watched as both his parents passed on.
Tears started to well up silently in his eyes. Tears of bloodshed and loss. However, that didn't diminish their desire to climb.
Adeline asked if she could comfort him, and without hesitation, he took up the offer, and she decided to comfort him as he cried in agony, watching everyone he loved die by the hands of the illness.
(2 years before the War of the Wish)
After several years, the final test was inevitable. A test of love and strength. A test of courage and wit.
Sergil and Adeline returned to the capital of Linuxinia. The Queen of Linuxinia was nowhere to be seen. Only the two and the ill people of the capital. Everyone was getting sick.
And then, with all the cumulative strength they got from their training, the two started to take their ascent.
They started with rapid movements, skidding on the rock and scaling a ledge. Then it started to escalate, with thunder and lightning enveloping the scene. As they pass, they watch as rocks slip off the ledge, their arms start to quiver, and their legs start to tremble. However, that had not bothered them, for they were strong when together.
It had been a journey.
A long, grueling journey. Of forced love and true love.
One that has tested every bone.
Alas, as they scaled the final stretch of the mountain, they finally clambered to the very top; The summit, the peak of Linuxinia.
At that moment, an explosion of light, energy, and warmth enveloped the two, who were exhausted and ready to give up.
But, in a moment of clarity, they stood up straight and were surprised to find themselves at the very top, staring out towards the vast expanse of the horizon.
At that moment, standing in front of a strange glass prism, Sergil thought about his parents.
How he was forced to be in love with Kali, when in truth, he wanted Adeline and someone else. Following these saddened thoughts, he remembered the shoreline and how it resembled the barrier of success and love.
Then to the wedding, where he threw his crown on the ground, in pursuit of real happiness. This, mixed in with his fragmented thoughts, caused him to utter his deepest wishes.
"I wish for happiness and love to everyone in Linuxinia."
Afterward, a brilliant flash of light emitted from the glass prism.
"YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND." Said the strange floating object as it folded into itself. Following this brilliant light came a green luminance that shone and opened a hole in the clouds.
(0 years before the War of the Wish.)
Crimson. Death, Suffocation.
The air was choking to breathe. The once brilliant light that shone among the spectacle of Linuxinia crumbled. Adeline was nowhere to be seen. Sergil was at its breaking point in age.
A green luminance caressed around his very existence, coiling into shades of lime and purple. A devastating blow hit the peak as the wish, not from the wish of the King of Linuxinina, but the King of Obrus, had been granted.
Once he made that wish, nothing was right.
At the center of the peak stood a cat girl with bright lavender-green hair. Her green dress fluttered in the wind, holding the hands of none other than Sergil. A dragon encircled the peak. It seemed that all things came full circle.
Both of them utilized their green power and formed a root that expanded heavily in the expanse.
"For the people of Linuxinia." He said as he clenched his hands tightly around the girl.
"For the nation of Happiness." She listened with attentive ears.
What followed was a giant green shockwave that shattered the earth below in a whirlwind of destruction.
The soil was peeled away as gunfire and magic spells, curses, and weapons doomed the world underneath.
A pulsating heart-like object was formed, replacing the grassy hills with an even taller mountain. A hub that connects everything, like brain cells.
Sergil, after holding Kali one last time, jumped bravely into the green luminance and took his own life with it.
The dragon encircling the peak screeched as it watched Sergil's body attach to the heart-like thing like a leech.
All rocks encased the castle, villages crumbled beneath, and the forests sank into the very depths.
Not even Sergil could escape.
The soil covered the roots like a blanket. Then, grassy patches formed, with trees extending, and lakes and rivers.
Instead of dying with a frown, Sergil passed with a grieving smile, knowing that his final wishes had taken effect.
Tsunamis formed after the impact as the old mountain collapsed, and the new one rose. Roots began to expand to every corner of the nation before the crimson sky opened up and unveiled a blue tint escaping out to the rest of the world.
Although not having loved Kali for a while, there was no other choice for Sergil.
Sergil, getting consumed by the green luminance, grabbed hold of Kali. She couldn't help but well up tears of sorrow and remorse. Not for his forced love, but for everyone and herself.
They felt that it was destined to happen, to be in love with someone who can't fathom adoration. Adeline was lost, nowhere to be found. Sergil wrestled with the heart-wrenching choice, driven by desperation and a flicker of belief in the prophecies that had been recited like lullabies since his youth. He considered it his responsibility to fulfill his mother's dying wish, which echoed in his mind like a haunting melody. This, combined with the emptiness left by Adeline's disappearance, urged Sergil to go with Kali, even though he hated her. In his heart, he hoped that choosing Kali might somehow heal the fractures within himself and bring peace to a land that seemed perpetually on the brink of calamity.
But that never stopped them from being friends.
Sure, there have been many instances of fake love floating around them, but in truth, they only wanted to be allies.
Kali and Sergil, feeling like the world was on them, stared at the world as the sky became bright, blue, and radiant, replacing the once crimson atmosphere with a hopeful hue.
Then, finally, as a tearful smile fell on his lips, Sergil let go and died peacefully, staring up at the heavens, holding onto the heart-like figure as he got sealed in rock.
All Kali could do was stand in utter shock and stare at the heart-shaped object pulsating at the top. Her partner was now lost, leaving her and the victims alone.
As she stood at the very edge of a cliff, with nothing but a mere thread to keep her from falling, a massive, titanic magenta eye of a dragon stared her down with an inquisitive look.
"Ah, don't befall to such weakness. I know better for you to simply allow you to perish. You are our bright and morning star, the ruler of Linuxinia. And with it, we shall deem this as a new beginning. A new city for the nation of Happiness. We shall call this power of joy, The Sealed Beatific. This shall be my prophecy." The giant dragon uttered as it reshaped the nation below. "For this is my inscription: A strong girl shall swoop in and claim the mountain below. Come now, Queen of Linuxinia. Don't bow down to such matters. Secure the land below. Your partner now has the power to foresee the future, as The Prism granted."
As the giant dragon departed and carried Kali Leila from the mountain, she watched as the corpses of thousands were blanketed in a sheet of grass. Then, far above the duvet of clouds, with green luminance grappling and clinging onto its legs, a beautiful black dragon with blue eyes and black feathers gazed upon the new sprouting ground, encircling it several thousand times. Then its gaze led to the giant dragon that carried the Queen of Linuxinia down to a new glass city. The dragon had beautiful white scales and magenta markings, which made it distinctly different from the rest.
(5 years after the War of the Wish.)
Now that the war had ceased, every corner of Linuxinia started to blossom, as Sergil's deepest wishes finally took effect.
In little more than four years, all watched as the desolate landscape transformed into a peaceful, grassy space with lush forests, waterfalls, and lakes. The giant Lili pads covered the shore and the ocean, with a rising structure that resembled a tree, blooming with all the sea and land creatures.
Everything sprang out of control until finally, after five years of empty battles and explosions, the white luminance emanating from the Prism slowly dulled and faded away.
For as long as Sergil was attached to it, the dragon would guard it and the peak until the day it dies.
(Present Day)
As of the current day, the ancient mountain was far gone.
No one knows what could be in the summit, not even the king.
While the dragon brings an invitation of wrath to everyone foolish enough to scale this treacherous peak, the strong girl prophecy, along with others, had still not taken effect.
Not one of them, not even Kali, remembers where the black dragon came from, and many of the prophecies have been rooted in time, decipherable until the present.
It was all thanks to Sergil that Linuxinia became what it is.
And Aletha, almost speechless, collapsed to her knees as she found herself in a grassy space, with nothing but rolling green hills and a man with golden eyes and green hair standing vividly, staring at the golden horizon.