But as Asahi and Aletha strolled along the stream, walking out from the cramped, lush forest, their sights were greeted with a vast, open field of rolling hills, cliffs, ravines, lakes, and smaller mountains, teeming with old and new structures.
Aletha expressed with her face filled with awe.
"WOOAH! This place is huge!"
Asahi chuckled and smiled.
The extraordinary panorama of the landscape warmed his heart. Asahi kept his bright smile and grabbed Aletha's hand, following the stream that sloped downwards to the rest of the field.
He acknowledged while Aletha pointed out stuff in the distance.
"I can already feel at peace here. Linuxinia is more vibrant compared to Pladtioa."
"Ooo, bro, look!"
Aletha pointed to what looked like distant railroad tracks spanning far in the distance.
"Isn't that the same railroad that the chef told us back in Drimi's ship?"
Asahi gasped.
"Wait, you're right!"
With excitement, Asahi rushed Aletha down the slope. As they trekked across the extensive topography, Aletha tapped Asahi's shoulder and yelled.
"Hey, look behind you!"
Asahi turned over with his smile fading away into a bewildered expression.
What he saw that shocked him was that the forest they had traveled through was all a part of a more prominent, colossal mountain. Its peak stretched and wound down far through the clouds, with a dense fog shrouding the top of the mountain.
The summit was so tall and expansive that Asahi couldn't even see the entire thing.
It stood out from all the other smaller mountains, with a silhouette of a beast soaring around the peak with the clouds.
And to make it all the more surprising, not a single speck of snow was seen on the mountain.
Everything was covered in trees, a forest, and dense vegetation.
* * *
Suddenly, Asahi and Aletha's path was obstructed by something.
Their sights never caught that beyond the hill they had passed was a massive, foliage-infested ravine that spanned from one horizon to the next —a lonely crevasse surrounded by gigantic trees and glass pillars.
Aletha sighed and panted, feeling the blistering heat touch her body.
"Are you kidding me?! How are we going to get to that place now? Why is it so... hot, too, all of a sudden?"
She took a deep breath, planted her bottom against a patch of thick dark green leaves, and sighed, still recovering from the "cookie craze" she had made in the morning.
While Aletha was goofing around, Asahi, on the other hand, was investigating and analyzing each corner of the ravine.
Luckily for the fellow, though, Telos' voice unexpectedly appeared after the long silence from awakening on the waterfall.
(Strange. In some areas, my voice may not be active, much like how some nations prevent me from entering their territory. Despite my soul residing inside another's body, the same laws work as they do when my body is.)
Asahi's eyes widened, confused by Telos' silence.
"Telos? You're back? Where have you been...?"
Telos's voice responded sarcastically.
(I could have sworn I just told you why I disappeared. *sigh* Nevermind about that.)
A group of butterflies flocked across the whimsical, warm streams winding all over the place toward the deep ravine below. Asahi admired them before Telos began snapping him back into reality.
(Are you just going to stand here and fool around? Where exactly are you heading to? You have no knowledge of whereabouts, you don't have your powers, and you don't have your allies with you either. Except for your sister.)
Asahi's mouth made a lop-sided grin, turning to Aletha, snoozing along the ground. His voice mumbled as he trekked around the stream and prancing pink sheep.
"I'm glad Aletha is by my side."
Telos' voice got aggravated.
(That's NOT my point! I'm concerned about your peers' fate; you bear no care for them? Why is that? A god does NOT abandon their allies, no matter how corrupt they are. Do you still remember what I have asked of you?!)
A metaphorical bulb of remembrance bloomed outside Asahi's head. He jumped up and pointed to the sky, his gray eyes gleaming brightly.
"Oh, r... right! You mentioned a woman with long, black hair. She wore... a robe, right?"
(She's not just ANY woman, Asahi. That woman had a heart that could meld into any shape. She had the power to drive darkness to bend into any shape or form. Creature or human, all of it could be mimicked by her ability.)
Telos' tone sounded as if he was absorbed in the thought of her, reminiscing.
(A magnificence that could carve nothing into anything. That woman sculpted and created living things called Buildinias from the faintest of ashes. She was everything everyone wanted to be.)
Both Asahi's palms were pressed against his forehead as he tried to process the flood of information Telos was sharing with him. It was too much for his head to handle.
"T... Telos, okay, okay... I get it."
The overwhelming amount of information Telos provided, combined with the knowledge he had gained since returning, left him feeling overwhelmed to the point where he no longer wanted to continue.
But as Asahi lay down on the soft bristles of grass like a bed, Telos asked him with a gentle voice.
(Asahi, I know you're overwhelmed, but that's just the beginning. There's still much more to your changed world than meets the eye.)
The calm winds blew over the open, lush hills.
"Yes, I know, Telos. It's overwhelming. I don't know what to do. I just... I... wish..."
He turned toward the distant horizon.
"... I had a guide. I feel like I lost everything I knew about my world. I don't know the creatures, the religions, or anything. It's just a mindless swirl of chaotic proportions to me. Everything has changed."
The voice of Telos chuckled lightly.
(Yes, I know. Five thousand years is a tremendous amount of time to be absent. I understand your confusion. Say, Asahi, how about I offer you a deal?)
Asahi raised an eyebrow.
"Like... what?"
(Since my soul is virtually locked onto your body, I have no way of reaching my goal.)
Asahi grew impatient.
"So, where's the deal?"
(The Deal is that if you can so happen to help me reach my goal... in return, I will provide all my knowledge and help you pave a safe way in your journey...)
Asahi's heart leapt, drawn to Telos' offer.
.(..I will tell you the entire history of this world, its people, and their origins. As long as you ask. With that, combined with The Tenth Eye that you have now manifested, I assure you that wherever or whatever destination you choose... it will be reached. So, what do you say? Will you accept this offer?)
A silence formed in the quiet field.
Asahi closed his eyes and thought about the agreement and how much it would benefit him.
"If I accept Telos' deal, that would allow me to learn more about my changing world. That would mean I would have to sacrifice my original goal to find Aiyana."
Asahi continued to think while the sun slowly leaned its way from the center.
"It's a considerable opportunity to simply be given all the uplands of knowledge and thought just by a simple command. But that means I would have to follow everything that Telos asked me to do. Perhaps, along the journey, I could find Aiyana's fragments?"
Asahi snapped his fingers, pushed himself up, and answered Telos while Aletha gazed at him curiously.
"Alright. Then THAT SETTLES IT! Telos, I accept your pact!"
Telos' voice lifted in a bright tone.
(Granted. From now on, Asahi, when you say the word 'Blink", I will be there to hopefully answer your every question and curiosity. There is no limit, as long as you agree that you will accompany and assist me in my goal.)
Asahi's eyes blazed with confidence.
"I promise you I will find a way!"
From that moment onwards, Telos will guide Asahi through his changed world, navigating potential conflicts, stranding him further from confusion, and drawing him closer to understanding.
Even though it was only a voice, learning can come from anything.
Whether through seeing, hearing, or education, knowledge can be imparted in many ways.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the forest behind Asahi and Aletha,
"White hair...? That exists in this world, too?! They look so beautiful. Like something from those TV shows I watched back when I was at home."
An old adolescent girl stood by, gazing at the wanderers.
Her long hair was a light, warm red, where the red was barely visible.
The sparkles draping down her silk hair, along with her exposed, slender arms, gave the view of youth in her, while her stance conveyed maturity as well.
Despite wearing minimal clothing on her torso, just a breastplate, a gray skirt dangled with dark chains was attached to her hips. Her chipped sienna eyes widened as she heard a voice behind her.
"Hey, do you need help?"
From the martini-haired girl's perspective, she couldn't understand a single word the mint-haired girl said. She slowly tried to reply with a flushed look on her face.
"U...Um... eri... no, gi gin solophy yo nai va pichin..." (Means ... 'Yes, I'm lost here. Could you help me? In Gincad Language.)
Pridia lightly giggled and sighed, speaking in Gincad's language.
"Pinchin asnods dhi sai lo fa sdi." (Means, "Your speech is rough" in Gincad language.)
Pridia laughed lightly and raced down the hill, making the poor girl blush in embarrassment.
While slowly rubbing her fingers and stepping out of the forest, trying to approach Asahi and Aletha, the martini girl mumbled.
Why is it so hard for me to communicate with people in this world? Why was I summoned here? I just wanted to watch my show and role-play... not get summoned to a fantasy world that doesn't even speak my language. As she pondered, a faint memory flickered in her mind of a glowing portal hidden in the pages of an ancient tome, intriguing yet strangely familiar. She sighed while leaning over a tree, trying to avoid social contact.
"I don't even have any magical powers. At least some sort of mage would give me a power, but NO! I don't even get that." She sighed. "I wish there was someone... ANYONE who could speak my language. If I weren't wearing my role-playing costume before I awakened here, maybe people in this world would have taken me seriously."
She slowly turned to the wanderers standing in the distance.
"Maybe... those two know my language? Their shoes appear to have come from Earth. So, perhaps?"
The girl clenched her fist, feeling brave and confident toward Asahi and Aletha. The otherworldly girl spoke to herself as her dark, black stockings glistened in the vibrant sunlight.
(It's worth a shot! I've been begging for someone to speak my language!)