Truth and Family: A God's Journey

The sun emerged from the horizon, casting a warm golden hue across the plain of existence.

Birds began to stir and take flight, their calls echoing through the fresh air as they swooped low over the awakening waters.

Its light spilled like molten glass, coloring the sky with fiery orange and gentle pink, while a soft breeze swept over the water, bending the waves in subtle rhythm.

As the day dawned, shadows crept back and highlights painted a vivid picture of the new day, bringing figures into motion as they prepared for what lay ahead.

​"So… what are your thoughts on my brother, Telos?" Aletha asked as she turned to the watery horizon. Now, keep in mind, it had been days since they had seen Asahi.

"Asahi? It's mixed," Telos said with an unsure frown. "I don't hate him, neither can I trust him too. He failed Kartara when it mattered. Look, I want to forgive him. But my trust only depends on true understanding and regret from him, not empty apologies."

Before he could finish, Kartara rose from the shimmering water.

Her dark hair whipped in the wind, and her eyes flashed with a tempest of emotion—betrayal and fierce resolve.

She stood tall, regal even in her pain, her vulnerability woven seamlessly with undeniable strength.

"Asahi... right now... is selfish." Kartara's voice was steady, pain beneath her words.

She clenched her fists, turning to Aletha.

"You think your 'resurrection' was for love, but Asahi acted out of hatred and fear—he couldn't bear to lose control over fate. Binding you to the peak was his way to protect what he values most: family and no one else. In doing so, he lost you again, and out of rage, shattered the Orb and destroyed balance. Making not one, nor two, but four people immortal."

As Telos drew near, Kartara snapped her fingers, conjuring a shimmering vision that revealed Asahi's perspective. The world of Gincad seemed to spin in her grasp as she pressed on.

"The Orbs and The Prism anchor reality. Immortality preserves life; Destruction holds chaos at bay; The Prism nurtures Creation. If Asahi destroys the Orb of Destruction, he could unravel and destroy our world. Civilization of thousands of worlds might collapse as nature's laws twist. The universe might simply end—a disaster worse than The Last Calamity or The Black Flood."

A star map shimmered into existence before them, revealing a devouring void that consumed all light, tearing the universe asunder.

"His motivations are reckless. If he doesn't see what's at stake, all will be lost. I forbid him from entering—for now. This isn't vengeance; it's to protect you and our world. I act because I care about you and the balance Asahi threatens. I don't want you to be hurt by his past tragedies or repeat his mistakes. He's faced loss and betrayal, and that's shaped every dangerous choice. He has just eleven tries left."

Aletha had little clue what Asahi had done—she thought he was on loop one.

After the reveal, her suspicions of Kartara deepened.

"What are you hiding from me?"

Telos backed up from her words, seeing Kartara clench her fists in rage.

"Trust me," she said with a genuine look of care. "You don't want to know."

. . .

(Meanwhile, in the icy caverns.)

"Lord Asahi, is something the matter?"

Now, it had been about two hours since their last encounter with shimmering light.

After that memory of the circle table, Asahi had been fighting slimes, wraiths, and even more dangers lurking beneath the shadows of the entombed ancient cities, desperately searching for Primrose, Grandpa, or Trid.

From everywhere he looked, all that met him was either monsters, icicles, ice pools, or glaciers carved into the earth. He sidestepped a snapping slime and ducked behind a jagged icicle as he descended into the depths. Suddenly, a gargantuan wall of light appeared over the natural icy corridor, halting his careful progress.

"Lord Asahi, a barrier has been made... what do we do?"

Suddenly, a golden luminance spilled from the outer edges. Quickly, a beacon of light shot rightward at the wall, shriveling it completely in one foul swoop. A blonde-haired girl wearing a blue coat appeared before them on the icy horizon, shimmering with a golden light deep into her palms. With the wall dissipating, memories of...

"What did I say, Asahi? Didn't I say to stay back?"

An old man quickly held his staff and conjured up a blue luminance that trailed the target's movements. She quickly dodged the incoming barrage, flashing in and out at the speed of light. Then, her blonde hair, glowing with a golden shimmer, fluctuated as she delivered a light-engulfed punch straight at the old man.

Arising from the cloud of dust, she slowly shook her head, her purple eyes darting toward him as the bow on her head fluctuated, and she introduced herself.

"I'm Chiara, Lesser Ruler of Light." She said, staring at the faint ray of light shining in the crevasse. "From the Second Incarnation of the world, Gincad."

After settling down, Asahi was taken aback by her voice. He couldn't muster up the wrath to punch the girl. All he could do was stand back as she kneeled to him, awestruck at seeing a Lesser Ruler this far down in the world.

"With all due respect, Asahi, Greater Ruler of Hope, I bow down to you. You have blessed us with your long-awaited return." As silence filled in-between them, she pointed her fingers to the ceiling. " Say, remember back when the Kingdom of Cleira was there? Back when we were children and you were bullied?"

It was at that moment that Asahi realized.

"You're from..." As he took in the new sight of light-fractured walls, Asahi continued. "...our era."

. . .

The icicles had fallen, showing an open metaphor that the cocoon of mysteries will finally shatter like a frozen heart.

Asahi, trying desperately to remember, looked back at Chiara, asking as The Ruler of Memories tangled within his thoughts.

"Do you remember the Greater Ruler of Light? Ayla?"

After a deep silence of pondering, Chiara took a deep breath and... with all the energy she had left after discharging it at a wall.

"Of course! And your mother, and father, and sisters." Chiara said. "Remember when we were just children, wandering the desert to form a sandbox just for us to play in?" Immediately, the mysterious veil faded, revealing her true identity and act. She wasn't just a friend... this was his childhood friend.

"Chiara," Asahi said, a faint tremor touching his lips. He was both confused and relieved, knowing that some of the Rulers had survived.

Though he struggled to remember who Ayla was, after touching a portrait of Paxon, the Ruler of Memories, on the walls, memories eclipsed each other, revealing hidden truths buried in ice.

. . .

"The Last Incarnation's destruction. The once fertile lands shall wither, turning into desolate wastelands, and the skies shall become tumultuous, relentless with storms. This outcome would spell doom for every living being in the universe. This is what we call, The Last Calamity!"- From a trusted Prophet.

Asahi remembered his childhood home, nestled in those fertile valleys and not in the clouds, where he spent countless days exploring its vibrant fields with his family and friends by his side.

Now, although he was one of the Owners of Gincad, his parents permitted him not to interact with Greater Rulers, but only with Lesser Rulers at the time. Greater Rulers held dominion over expansive realms and directed significant celestial and terrestrial events, like The Ruler of Memories, while Lesser Rulers, like The Ruler of Pigs, governed more specific aspects or regions or cities.

The constraints weighed heavily on Asahi, shaping his every decision and filling him with a growing sense of isolation.

His parents limited his contact with Greater Rulers to shield him from larger cosmic dangers, hoping to delay the burden of power.

This fueled his longing for understanding and connection, ultimately shaping the decisions he'd make as he grew older, before he became a teenager.

"Bye, mom. Bye, Dad."

Asahi was just a little sapling.

Before he had lived in the castle in the clouds, his parents had established a great connection to the earth below.

"I have always wanted to see my little saplings grow, but Asahi was different. He had a smile on his face, even during his birth. Each time he ran outside, playing with his little friends, I couldn't help but show a smile on my face. Perhaps, the world too, is our huge child?"-Acheros to Achlys.

. . .

"Dad, what does the First Incarnation mean?"

Now, this was back when Asahi was only twelve years old, Aletha was almost at the same time, and Cleira was slowly starting to take shape. Their parents decided they could live in the castle but not engage with the world below, opting for safety over freedom to protect their children from unknown dangers.

"Sweeties, do not ever go to the world without our permission," Achlys said as she patted the heads of the three. "Danger lurks everywhere there." Although Aletha could see through her mother's lies, she still abided, respecting her.

After that ban solidified, they would have to find alternative methods of entertainment and attend schools in Cleira that made no mention of the world below.

It was as if the hearts of their parents hardened after Asahi had asked about the First Incarnation of the world.

No one, but their parents, knew the truth of how they established dominion over the world of Gincad.

Even the creatures kneeled to them.

Asahi started to get bullied despite his status, with others saying he was just a shadow of his father and that he wouldn't grow up at all. These words echoed in his mind, and as they did, his fists would clench involuntarily.

One day, after enduring another round of insults, he stormed out of the academy courtyard, his heart pounding with anger and shame. Instead of heading home, he found a quiet, deserted field where he let out a frustrated yell, the sound echoing through the open sky.

He picked up a rock and hurled it as far as he could, feeling a tiny release in the momentary distraction.

Deep down, he felt a growing sense of inadequacy; each insult was a reminder of how separate he felt from his father's legacy. When he sat down, exhausted, he whispered to himself, 'I'm more than that,' as determination anchored his heart.

He vowed to prove not only to others but also to himself that he was more than just a shadow, that he could forge his path.

After being picked on at school, Asahi wanted to learn independently.

So, when his parents were not looking, Asahi descended from the clouds into the nation of Gweneeg, where he attended school.

Of course, he excelled greatly in history, since his parents had taught him that. And he was disguised as well, using his hood to cover his hair and face.

But despite the ban and all the other Rulers and students, there was one girl who defended him back in the Academy of Cleira.

A blonde-haired, purple-eyed girl, Chiara: Lesser Ruler of Light.

. . .

"Asahi!" She yelled. "Asahi, wake up!"

The fresh chill of the caverns returned and swallowed him whole.

Chiara was throwing several lightning bolts at the ice golem, weaving and transforming the mimic bears gathered around the ice lake.

"What's going on?"

The gray-haired old woman responded.

"Ever since you blacked out, my lord, we have been getting attacked by bears all over."

Then, Asahi's vision flickered. The spider legs, the moments.

Just before he could take grasp, suddenly...

"Ah, the white-haired prince returns to the hidden world from endless turmoil." A gritty-sounding voice echoed from the icy caverns. He had dark cyan eyes with pale skin. "Have you not seen what your parents caused? Have you seen what attention you drew for sensessly 'shattering' the Orb of Immortality? How did you attract the Black Flood ready to sweep us all?! Almighty prince?"

Although the man looked like Trid. Asahi knew well that it was someone else wearing a mask of him.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Trid, your beloved companion."

Asahi saw through the lies as if they were glass.

"No. Tell me the truth. Who. Are. You?"

"Ugh, you're no fun. You made them immortal, and not yourself. Seriously, what is going on in your sick head?"

Not containing his rage even longer, as 'Trid' floated in the air, Asahi realized.

"If you possess immortality, that means you can't attack. And if you can't attack, that means you're nothing but a walking wall."

'Trid' backed away, trying desperately to attack. But all it led him to be shocked by a tempest. It seemed it was as if

"Wait, you're telling me, even as an immortal, they can't attack? Foolishness. Why would a fool stumble upon such a weak ability? What's the point? All the angels in the exordium are immortal, and they can fight. So why can't I fight?"

"Why was the Orb of Immortality out there in the open? And also, who are you?" Asahi asked.

"I'm glad you asked." He replied as he threw icicles at the ceiling of glaciers. "If I can't fight you, then I'll stunt you! The name's Treach... one of the fifteen Angels of The Elysian Realm. I've heard you met with The Guardian. See, it's such a big feat as he is the first in line to power. Actually his title is Greater Ruler of Power."

The Guardian, The Ruler of Power, although blurry, could be recollected. The millions of people caught by its vortex. The cosmic light that shone across, the spears, everything came into being. Knowing that he was just one of the Angels of the enigmatic Elysian Realm.

As Asahi, Chiara, and his followers from all over stood before Treach, he continued, a golden halo shining above his head.

"I harness the powers of guilt and powerlessness. With just one snap of my fingers, I can reshape a person and make them puny humans. You may call me…" As the hill crashed into a cliff in the cavern, Treach continued. "The Greater Ruler of Weakness."