Truth and Family: A God's Journey

A sea of grass and dandelions fluctuated with the symphony of the breeze; their gentle rustling echoed a soft melody that swayed with the elements. The refreshing scent of dandelions drifted through the air, mixing with the earthy aroma of fresh soil. Everything mingled harmoniously in this dazzling consort of vibrancy.

Towering above, a giant circle of mountains encircled a vast, bustling city under the feathers of brilliant birds. The distant calls of birds merged with the occasional laughter and chatter from the city below.

Clouds drifted across the shining horizon, while hills and mountains dotted the circle of grassy terrain. The wonders of yesteryear... all seemed perfect.

A white-haired man with multicolored eyes gazed at the land. He saw lakes, birds, animals, and people. Each was busy in daily life. As he watched, a profound peace washed over him. In that moment, he felt an unspoken bond. Every rustle of leaves and whisper of wind was part of him. Everything seemed perfect, yet a gentle melancholy lingered. Such moments are fleeting. He silently vowed to cherish this scene.

"See this, my saplings? This is what paradise feels like," the man said as he sat with little Asahi and Aletha. In this prosperous age, "Sometimes paradise doesn't involve all the shadows. Sometimes you'll know you found it when everything beats with you in harmony."

After seeing the thousands of castles across this wondrous scene, everything seemed to shatter once the three peacefully sprinted down the hill. As the man clutched his son, he pointed first to the city in the distance, then to the mountains, and finally to the sky, saying...

"Gwenneg is nurturing to all. And I want the same to be you. Find what makes your paradise. It may be closer than you think. Only then, all of this land is yours."

Now, under the silk ribbons of the blue, and after a terrible cold and chilling winter, the castle that watched the sunlight shine was submerged underneath the floor of waves. This was where Primrose was. This submerged castle, town, was from the very thing everyone tried to cover up—the Second Incarnation of the World.

Now with Paxon not a threat anymore, memories of all types fluctuated outside of Asahi's mind toward people who hadn't even considered these visions to be theirs. Primrose hadn't even recalled seeing this version of Gincad, ever.

(What was that...?)

At first, she tried to swim upward, but it only seemed as if the surface grew even more distant. Panic initially gripped her, a tight sensation in her chest as if the weight of the water pressed down from all sides. Her heart quickened its pace, resonating in her ears like a distant drum. Then she stepped as gravity seemed to be lighter under here, her movements slow and surreal. The water pressed against her skin with a cold, enveloping embrace, yet it was oddly liberating.

And then, that's when all was revealed.

Beneath the waves lay an entire city, mingling with the floating debris and crumbling in the water. Boxes, anvils, all of it floated under the deep blue sea.

And Primrose couldn't even identify what they were. Mixed emotions churned alongside the currents inside her: awe for the city's spectacle, curiosity about its origins, and an underlying sadness for whatever loss it represented.

It was fresh and frozen, cold and still. The saltwater hadn't bothered her. Only the bubbles in this submerged city. As she progressed onward, stepping slowly, she came upon a giant castle at the epicenter of the submerged city, where she saw ice thaw and solidify. Icicles were scattered over the place, as if they had been placed long ago. She couldn't even smell. All she could do was watch and interact with low gravity.

(I remember this giant orb thing.) Primrose thought as she swam through the incoming debris. (But I don't remember ever seeing this or that vision. Could that past belong to Asahi? Is this entire city of Asahi's making?) Questions flowed like the water underneath the teal ceiling. Her eyes grew blurry as she sank deeper, descending into the glacial ruins, pinpointing all these remarkable locations. Then, before she went further, another memory delved in from the depths.

. . .

An icy cloud of snow erupted from the center of the world. The winds of before blew it off from the desert, targeting the peaceful greens. Sooner than they knew it, a colossal cloud of snow and ice festered deep into the nation, covering it all in snow and ice. Glaciers formed in an instant, seeming to be perpetually frozen. Snowflakes drifted far in between as a figure floating above. The white-haired man carried his trident and aimed it straight at the woman.

The might of a thousand lightning strikes bolted with the trident as it pierced through the air. But it had already been too late. Gweeneg was submerged in snow and ice. When the trident had hit The Ruler of Snow, all came loose. A gargantuan explosion of the Greater Ruler's death had swallowed up a quarter of the world in ice. The only catch was that without solid land, it would have been submerged under the ocean for years. Thus... leading...

. . .

Primrose gasped at the sudden image. The once lush terrain turned into snow in an instant. Now it made sense why there was ice so far deep into the ocean's core; it was because of the...

(Ruler of Ice.) Primrose thought she had had enough of seeing this demented view of the once-prosperous nation.

Just when she had thought of giving up going back into the surface, suddenly a gargantuan inverted whirlpool sent her kilometers up into the icy surface, sending her far above the surface. She grew dizzy at the speed and pressure of the water, growing intense. A fresh electric shock ran through her as she felt and gasped for air.

. . .

(Meanwhile...)

Asahi, too, was swept up in visions like Primrose's. He saw the snowy cloud of ice, the thriving green nation, all of it unfolding before him. As these images cascaded through his mind, a mix of emotions overcame him. Awe at the sheer beauty and history of the land, a profound sadness at its loss to endless ice, and a visceral fear at the revelation of such power—all these flooded his thoughts.

His heart ached, knowing the weight of such memories, and a chill crept through him that was not solely from the cold. The deep connection to his past and its stakes overwhelmed him, grounding him in this moment of unexpected clarity.

The visions made him stagger, though he stood deep within the catacombs of ice.

"Was that my... father?" Asahi asked as he held his head, dizzy from the memories that flooded violently in the shallow expanse of his mind.

"Acheros? Lord Asahi?"

His eyes widened at the name. The cold could not reach him as memories surged, cascading through his mind.

"Acheros, the patriarch of the Adtraic family, had always been a leader, destined for command."

A distant voice said in his mind, there but unfindable.

"It was said that a single word from him could bend all to his will. He led the world and universe with a trident, commanding even the depths of The Black Flood to be swallowed up in his light. He was the first to uncover this world, the first overlord who had shaped the world to his pleasure. He was once a calm man, but after being taken from the light, all hope seemed to dwindle. Yet, beneath his formidable exterior, Acheros harbored a deep love for Asahi, his eldest son, seeing in him the potential for a brighter future."

To Asahi, Acheros was not just an heir, but a symbol of hope, a title that should belong to him, a chance to mend the world he had once controlled. It was this bond that had been his anchor, even as darkness crept into his heart.

That was the vision etched in his mind.

Though the details were hazy, fragments remained.

But that was not his actual worry. Now, his thoughts turned to Primrose, Trid, and Grandpa. What nightmares had immortality revealed to them? How had it transformed them? And what had they endured all this time?

. . .

"Let me tell you something, damn it. You're nothing but a no-good truce." Grandpa, his wild gray hair bristling, gripped his cane and fists, delivering a fierce smack to the scrambler. The shock barely fazed him—he lived for moments like this, ready to take on anyone.

"That'll... teach ya to not mess with my children, hear?"

In an instant, everyone nearby pleaded for mercy, desperate to escape the wrath of Grandpa's cane.

"We're sorry, Mr."

Grandpa hurled his cane, landing one last blow before slamming his opponent down—only to be jolted by a fierce shock himself.

"Tell that to the angels when I beat you up, hear me, damn it!?"

Snow piled thickly as the curse's shock left him helpless, unable to fight back. Yet deep down, he knew every moment was worth it.

. . .

"Lord Asahi, is something the matter? Why can't you talk?"

He remained silent, lips pressed tight. Inside, Asahi's thoughts twisted and churned, memories he could barely grasp sliding through his mind like snakes. His fingers traced the cold stone, the hallways closing in with a chill that shook him to his core. Only the warmth of old memories offered comfort—remnants from a life before The Last Incarnation—the Second Incarnation of the World.

. . .

Far beneath the cloud kingdom, factories rose across Gwenneg—not merely to craft goods, but to spread warmth to the shivering. The Greater Ruler of Fire, wild and unpredictable, offered aid to Gwenneg out of devotion to Acheros and, above all, to Achlys.

Back before there was warmth, they relied on flame pillars. Which had helped heal from the sheer cold. Occasionally, they would fly down like needles and melt the seemingly unmeltable ice. These pillars were ancient artifacts fused with elemental magic, capable of extracting heat from the core of the earth. Once activated, they radiated warmth, providing a life-sustaining temperature for the people. This product fueled the nation and showed how far they could go without the need for Rulers. They had thought it was Asahi who had bestowed this upon them, worshipping him as if they were a deity.

However, the one responsible for dropping the pillars wasn't just Achlys, but out of love and pity for Asahi. The Ruler of Fire couldn't help but see the nation he loved disappear, so they made a pact. The pact to...

"From now on, Asahi, Achlys, Acheros, and all the Adtraic... I shall serve you under great respect for saving my son from the fire of Azazel. If you need any assistance, please don't hesitate to ask. Asahi's nation deserves better."

It was because of Acheros that Asahi's nation wouldn't freeze to death. But even so, it wouldn't last.

When that swallowing veil of light dropped, everything had changed.

The Greater Ruler of Fire vanished; even those who had shaped their own had succumbed to the Engulfing Light.

The Question that remains was... why did this light engulf everything and everyone?

Why destroy what was a perfect world for everything in the first place?

And to that, answered Aiyana from the City beyond the clouds.

("I destroyed our world.")

("If it wasn't for this destructive curse.")

These answers had not fulfilled his curiosity. He still had questions like, "Where did the Curse originate from?" and most importantly, "How did it destroy everyone and even the Rulers?" These questions, like earthworms, stood there in the darkest depths of his mind. Questions that will never let go or stick like glue.