The air was cold and damp, pressing unease against their skin.
The scrape of a floorboard underfoot echoed softly, mingling with their sharp breaths.
A chill from the stone walls seeped into their bones, anchoring the fear around them.
As they glanced at each other, shadows traced uneasy lines across their faces while they tried to understand the meaning of Fountain Day.
Moments earlier, they had woken up, memories blurred by The Ruler of The Forgotten's haunting presence.
Until a sudden realization lit up their faces, confusion hung between them.
"Asahi, check the book!" Aletha's gray eyes trembled.
At Aletha's urging, Asahi opened the ancient book with careful hands. Aletha and Asahi leaned close together, their eyes darting over the cryptic script in search of answers. Meanwhile, Akwan stood a few feet away, watching their movements from across the room.
One inscription leaped from the page, seizing their focus.
"The Self-proposed Librarian lost to the tendrils of The Ruler of The Forgotten, but his fate was sealed as two white-haired beings emerged from the pages."
"It's talking about us!" Aletha's face fell in shock.
"In the end, they saved Drimi, Belial, Akwan, Landon, and all the others by following in accordance with Liora's list."
In that instant, a chill ran through them. No longer just a legend, the book's cryptic words became the story of their own lives in the city of Pladtioa. Every detail described their adventure in Pladtioa.
Each loop would reset Akwan's memory, as well as Belial's, Drimi's, and Sally's.
The Forbidden Book tracked it all, from the first to the last cycle.
Yet, fragments of his memory clung together, preserved by their victory over The Ruler of the Forgotten. As the pieces fell into place, a question surfaced, urging him to speak.
"Where do you think the Scarf went?"
. . .
"Rumors swirled of the scarf blazing across the sky like a falling star." Akwan took a deep breath.
Asahi and Aletha exchanged bewildered looks, both turning to face Akwan as their curiosity about the scarf grew.
"Where did it go?" Asahi and Aletha both asked in unison.
The scarf's mystery called to them, daring immediate pursuit.
Since they were unsure who had the Scarf and couldn't act immediately, Asahi and Aletha shifted their focus to the brown book. Asahi nodded toward the book, then glanced at Aletha. Aletha looked at Akwan, who sat nearby and continued illustrating.
"Hey, you two," Akwan said as he peered from the shed door, searching for guards. Immediately, both of them jerked upward, responding.
"What?" they said together.
Clover and Akwan both peered out from the crack near the door, listening closely to the sound of carriages moving outside. After checking for danger, Akwan, the mysterious dark-haired man, stepped away from the door, turned toward Asahi and Aletha, and motioned them to come closer.
"Do you want to have a ride to The Fountain?"
He scratched his head and muttered, recollecting his history of being in Pladtioa.
"A beautiful Fountain rests on Pladtioa's southeast side. If we leave now, we might catch a ride through the lighter traffic toward The Great Fountain," he said. "It is now or never. Traffic gets busier this afternoon."
Unable to resist the invitations and having set aside worries about the Scarf's whereabouts, Asahi and Aletha stood and followed Clover and Akwan out to a black and cyan-colored carriage waiting nearby.
The horses shimmered in cyan and black, their lustrous harnesses glinting in the sunlight. Each animal bore a bold infinity symbol on its flank, intensifying the spectacle.
A display of luxury caught Asahi and Aletha's attention. They exchanged a look of wonder, unsure where the Fountain's path might lead. Still, the urge to leave Pladtioa's familiar streets and explore the unknown pulled at them.
Without hesitation, Asahi and Aletha took up the offer and were guided to the carriage with Akwan.
. . .
It seemed the whole nation had gathered. Carriages of every color sparkled and moved, forming a lively line toward the horizon. Amid the bustle, Akwan's carriage waited by the gate. Their curiosity drew them to the unusual ride.
The carriage moved forward with quiet grace. One side featured stained-glass casting that changed color; the other, a polished wooden table shining in the light. Above, a crystal chandelier hangs over a red rug. Sunlight filled the carriage as Akwan gazed outside, lost in thought.
"I suppose this is your second carriage ride, correct?"
"Yes," Aletha replied, twiddling her thumbs.
After countless cycles of three repeating days, the truth of their predicament finally settled over them.
Beyond the endless loop, a new light appeared. The long-awaited fourth day had finally arrived.
Sunlight blazed even brighter as the carriage climbed a steep slope. The wanderers pressed their faces to the window, marveling at the kaleidoscope of people appearing along the ramp's edge.
Despite the spectacle of colors, hairstyles, and eyes, not one had a tiny bit of white on them—not once did they have gray eyes. Some were human hybrids with cat ears, others tall mechanical knights, and some didn't even have a human shape.
"How many people are in here?" Asahi muttered as he caught sight of the many people shuffling down the streets.
"About one hundred sixty thousand people," Akwan replied as he pushed his bangs away. "Not to mention, the citizens coming from the other side of the world, the main continent, Vehemat."
"Vehemat? So we're not on the main continent?" Aletha stared at the poorly-illustrated world.
"Correct," Akwan said as he unveiled a better illustration of the nation. Quickly, he grabbed a feather pen and then circled the chunk of land cast off at the left-hand corner, secluded from the rest.
"Pladtioa is a secluded nation," Akwan placed the map on the brown table at the center. "If you ever want to get happy and live prosperous, loving lives, I suggest you go to the warm sanctuary, Linuxinia, first."
Clover shook her hair and mumbled as well. "However, if you want to go into danger and horror, I suggest the cold hands of Astait."'
Asahi and Aletha both turned their eyes away from the southwest corner of the map, pondering Clover's words.
Then Akwan: "But first, before you even try that, try to familiarize yourself with THIS nation. Perhaps you might get clues regarding your parents?"
After rolling up the map, Akwan noticed the carriage nearing the entrance gate, an enormous arch stretching across the way ahead. As the three-day loop ended, he gave Asahi and Aletha a quick gesture for caution. Acting fast, Akwan pressed them both down to the floor as the carriage rolled through the city gate.
Two guards clad in silver armor with blue tints blocked Akwan's path. Asahi and Aletha crouched low in the carriage, holding their breath and doing their best not to make a sound. Seeing this, Asahi quickly put his hand over Aletha's mouth as the shadow of a guard approached.
"Sir, we need to see your pin. All citizens in the capital must have a pin of recognition when they both enter and exit the gate."
Akwan slowly nodded and slid his fingers through his pocket. He gripped a shining circular gold pin with four stars encircling it. Then he tossed it toward the guards' hands. A silence came for a moment. Akwan shed a sweat as a horse carriage came from behind, dashing through the gate without stopping. Afterward, they heard a carriage passing back, with the sound of…
"Stop there! That's a felony!"
As Asahi and Aletha kept their mouths sealed, they heard the words of relief.
"I show you our deepest gratitude for revealing your pin. Not many have this type of medallion. You may now exit the city. Happy Fountain Day!"
With a glance, the guard returned the pin to Akwan and saluted. The carriage creaked forward, passing through the gate onto a dirt pathway stretching for kilometers. Asahi released his grip from Aletha's mouth; she kicked him hard in the stomach. Tumbling quickly to another seat in the carriage, she caught Akwan's prompt.
"Wanderers, you can come out now."
As they moved to sit on the red seat, they sighed in relief. The carriage was now speeding through traffic, thanks to the horses' formidable pace. Taking a steadying breath, Akwan leaned back against the wall, his eyes fixed on the map as he began to speak.
"Have you two become familiar with what The Fountain was?"
Neither had learned the Fountain's origins. Their questions broke the silence. Previously, they had focused only on retrieving the scarf. Now, they faced three clear goals.
One goal was to find Aiyana, the second was to see their parents, and the last was to find out what actually happened to their world.
Of course, being time-dilated for several years, one may be stupefied by this dramatic time gap. After taking a moment to calm themselves, Asahi and Aletha replied.
"No."
Coming with this knowledge, now that The Ruler of The Forgotten's influence lost grip on his head, Akwan snapped his fingers and remarked.
"Ah, Well. To put it this way, Fountain Day, the day that is celebrated for the one who constructed the Great Fountain, was a day cherished for the Fountain stood proudly in the land." Akwan resumed as he turned over to the carriage.
"Fountain Day is supposed to be recognized as the day of Gratitude, Gifts, and most importantly, will. However, when the Ruler of Purity chose to ditch the people of Pladtioa for taking advantage of the Great Fountain two centuries later, greed started to form."
"Soon, the 'new' ruler of Pladtioa ordered or practically forced the people to give their gifts to them. From that day forward, The Fountain would get abused. No one knew the reason for The Ruler of Purity's disappearance, but they could all assume that they were not worthy to be gifted by The Rulers.
After taking a deep breath, watching as Asahi and Aletha sat on the red chair, he continued.
"So the people of Pladtioa slowly started to lose respect for The Ruler of Purity. But after that one fateful day, after a decade, the greedy ruler got what they deserved and got dethroned by someone better."
Later, as the carriage approached through a clearing in the pathway, Akwan cut his conversation short and muttered.
"We're here."