CHAPTER 1: (PROLOGUE) THE ENGULFING LIGHT

A swallowing veil of light was unleashed from the heavens upon the world.

The world held its breath.

Then all mayhem came loose: large, glowing cracks ripped between all continents.

Kingdoms collapsed under the brilliance.

Villages and cities were swept up in a whirlwind of chaos.

Terror and anguish clung to the remaining rulers; their legacies vanished in this blinding sweep.

Even the creatures, dragons, and the rest died, screeching and crying while they were brushed away by the luminance.

Castles, factories, towns—all fell apart in an instant.

A bulky, white-haired man hurled his trident at the castle, panic and desperation in every rapid move. A giant barrier flared, shielding the castle from oblivion. Shock and terror widened on his multi-colored eyes as the land he loved unraveled.

"My saplings, where have you run off to?" His voice was tight with dread as he battled the tide of light. His words trembled with barely hidden fear. For a fleeting moment, determination steadied him. "No matter. All three must be protected. For the future of our dynasty!"

Suddenly, a tall, white-haired woman leaped from the castle ledge and began to levitate next to the man. Both focused on defending the imperious white castle from the approaching light, struggling side by side as they braced themselves against the force that was tearing their world apart.

"Asahi, Aletha, Aiyana, where are you three?" she cried, agony breaking her voice as she was swallowed by the searing luminance.

They watched helplessly as their surroundings unraveled into space like a blossoming flower.

Eons of dreams and toil vanished in an instant, swept away as if they had never existed.

This was their home, a world once filled with rulers of every element: Gincad.

"Our world..."

A boy with white hair whispered as he plunged from a ruined castle, landing on an ashy mountain. His gray eyes widened, his heart thundered as the world spun.

The wind swirled. He walked on. A brown scarf slipped from his grasp.

"No... So much has already been lost," he whispered, grief weighing down his words. "I won’t let the unknown take another thing I care about."

He reached for the scarf as it flew away, holding it to his chest like a mother cradling her child.

The sky began to glow brighter.

This was the end.

"I’m sorry. Everyone." His voice echoed from the sinking mountains. "... for my foolishness. For my carelessness."

Only silence answered him; tears spilled down his cheeks as he broke, convulsing with irrepressible sobs, utterly heartbroken.

"I just want a peaceful life," he said.

With his head down, Asahi slowly turned. Grief pulled at each step. He drew around.

He gazed upon the world he loved and cherished, thinking it was forever gone.

All reason to remain had faded into the ashes.

But even as despair clawed at him, he found himself unable to turn away.

Though everything lay in ruin, his spirit ached for understanding. He needed to witness how far this calamity would reach. Even if it broke him.

But someone had stopped him.

"Asahi!" A distant voice shouted. "Over here!’

Tilting his head up, he noticed a faint light overhead. From collapsing stone, a slender pale arm reached out, casting hopeful paths of light.

He stretched out his arms, grasping desperately for support. A white-haired girl appeared above the hole and extended her hand. He clasped it firmly, letting her pull him up and out, escaping the collapsing debris together.

"We have to leave," she stammered, her voice shaking as another silver-haired girl followed. "Everyone is gone. Even our parents."

Afterward, the siblings frantically sprinted across the scorching fields, watching as a cluster of meteors pierced through the clouds.

Frightened, their ears rang with the piercing, desperate screams of those doomed within the wall of light, their cries searing into memory.

"Save... us."

Several innumerable voices echoed across the fading world, begging for help.

But there was no way for the Adtraic to save anyone anymore.

All they could do was run.

Far from the ruin and chaos.

. . .

While the siblings pressed onward, suddenly, the scorching world vanished, replaced by emerald forests, meadows, and rivers—a different planet far from Gincad.

"Get back here, you thief!" Two siblings screamed as their feet flew across thick brown dirt and leaves.

As they paced through the hills, their gray eyes fixed on a person cloaked in a long, dark hood, sprinting swiftly into the forest.

The thief’s eyes glanced behind, noticing a girl catching up to him.

Cradled in the thief’s gloves was a long, shimmering scarf coated in hues of brown. The soft fabric comforted even the most hardened individuals, valuable and loved, an artifact that held deep meaning for the siblings, urging them to chase it.

"Stop! Give it back!" the girl shouted, anger trembling in her voice as she pushed her white bangs aside.

"I couldn’t even spot you from a meter away," the cloaked individual mumbled as he leaped across a ravine. "As if they could catch--

A white-haired boy followed the thief, keeping pace.

"I won’t let anyone take that scarf again," he said, launching across the ravine in white light as he grabbed the thief’s hand.

Airborne, he landed safely and immediately resumed his pursuit.

Trees blurred as he ran.

Their eyes locked on the thief.

Once sighted, Asahi tightened his gloves. He conjured a dazzling white light around him, preparing to retrieve the object in the thief’s hands.

Just before Asahi’s fists could reach the thief, the cloaked individual narrowly scrambled to a thick patch of bushes, vanishing into the shadows.

"You’re not getting away!" Asahi yelled, boots scraping furiously against the ground. Fury burned in his voice. "Show yourself!"

After the silence left in their wake, the same mysterious voice responded to him.

"Gladly," he replied.

Suddenly, the thief launched from the bushes, hoisting an old wooden sword. He swung at the boy’s heart, striking with all his might. With each rapid strike, Asahi made an incredible dodge pattern.

After the last slice, Asahi hurriedly unsheathed his sword and countered the attack by deflecting the strikes, sending a powerful blow toward the thief’s stomach with his fist.

In reaction, the thief quickly rolled to the ground, with white sparks discharging from the magical punch.

"You’re not even from this world!" he shouted, the accusation tinged with fear and resentment as he back-flipped away. "A foreigner. An alien! You two should know..."

Sunlight beamed through clouds and treetops as the thief sheathed his sword and fled.

"If you don’t want trouble," Asahi warned, "you never should’ve taken it."

"Pfft, yeah right," the thief retorted. "If only you knew WHY I’m doing this."

With that being said, the thief hurriedly turned his head to another patch of bushes, sprinting as fast as he could.

Asahi’s gloves glowed white as he delivered a punch, sending the thief flying.

"You don’t know who we are," Asahi said, leaning in. "We’re Rulers. Beyond your understanding."

A girl with long white hair emerged, looping the scarf around the thief and struggling to pull it back.

The thief yanked the scarf from Aletha and retreated, eyes anxious.

"H...Huh? How is that even possible?" he gasped, breathing heavily. "You two, don’t you remember me?"

Asahi darted to the thief, smirked, and grabbed him firmly.

"Surprised?" Suddenly, he retraced the thief’s words. "Wait, remember you?"

The thief gulped, froze still, and answered tremblingly. "N...Nope. I’m not surprised."

Asahi shook his head off the thoughts and clicked his teeth.

He gripped the thief’s neck, hands glowing white, and called to the girl approaching.

"Aletha," He said, "...grab the scarf now!"

She snapped her fingers and hollered back, giving a subtle wink.

"Right on it, bro!"

After climbing the cliff, Aletha barreled into the clearing and cartwheeled toward the brown scarf, snatching the end of its fabric. Charging at the thief, she wrapped the long scarf around him, successfully restraining him.

Asahi and Aletha tightened the scarf, restraining the thief until he cried out in pain.

"NO!" He gasped as he collapsed onto the ground. "Okay, okay! You win."

Asahi lifted his chin and squeezed his fists in refusal.

A cold, chilling seriousness carved across his face, shadowing his features. His arms tense, he stepped forward, voice sharp with wounded pride.

"Someone like you shouldn’t take things," he said, clutching the scarf. "Just give it back. It’s important."

Aletha shook her head and sighed, hearing the thief implore loudly to Asahi.

"Stop squeezing! Please! I’ll tell you why—I took it because it looked like mine!"

Aletha drilled the thief’s eyes with a cold glance of disapproval; her white pupils glowing as she saw the aura of lies float in the thief’s false face.

After they grasped the situation, the girl shook her head and objected.

"You’re lying! He stole it to sell it!"

Asahi’s eyes flared with anger; his voice, a cold accusation, trembled with hurt.

"Is this true? Did you steal it just for money?"

The thief cowered with a begging smile.

"No! Listen to me—maybe you’ll understand!"

Aletha sneered at him, crossed her arms, and shot her eyes with a look of truth, saying.

"He’s lying."

Asahi squeezed harder, rage boiling over. The thief’s face flushed blue, his screams ragged and desperate, gasping for air as panic seized his entire body.

"Ahh... I can’t... I can’t breathe! Please! Dear me, give me mercy!"

Aletha’s stomach twisted with shame as the thief choked and coughed under Asahi’s grip. Pity stabbed through her, horror mixing with sorrow as she watched him cry and cower.

"I can’t take this," she murmured. "No more pain, Asahi."

Before any more pain could be inflicted on the thief, Aletha nagged her brother’s arm and yelled.

"Asahi, stop! I don’t want anyone to die. Just keep him here. I need to talk."

Asahi lessened his grip, slackening his hold on the thief. He stared down at him in silence, wrestling with the urge for justice. In all his years, he would never have done this, but the relic’s importance gave him pause.

With an urge fuming down his neck, Asahi turned back and answered Aletha with a tone.

"There’s no reason to spare him," he said, hands away from the scarf. "We’re not from here, but why would he steal from us? Maybe he needed the scarf. Or is he lying again?"

Aletha looked upward and made a thoughtful expression.

"Because... I don’t believe that he is evil," she answered. "The only reason he was lying is because he’s scared. Maybe he needed something from this scarf—maybe a memory, comfort, or help for his own reasons." Her eyes dropped to the cloaked individual. "Well, at least I hope so."

The thief hurriedly shook his head as he felt relief fly into him at last.

"Yeah, tell him!" the thief said, still shaking.

Aletha chuckled dismissively and smirked at the cloaked man.

"Don’t get cocky. Tell us the real reason you took it, or my brother will use his fist," Aletha warned.

"No... don’t," the thief pleaded. "Fine, I’ll tell you." Aletha nodded, guiding him to a tree.

. . .

Then, without any moment to take a breather, Aletha immediately interrogated the thief.

"Why’d you steal our scarf? Be honest. Don’t tell me you just wanted money—you’d get barely five coins," Aletha mocked, arms crossed.

The thief gulped, shook his head, and tried to remain silent with sweat sliding down his pale face. He kept his shadow-veiled eyes on Aletha, clearly weighing whether to trust them with his real motive or try to escape.

But before he could think of escaping, Asahi stepped forward, gunmetal eyes narrowed in warning.

"Don’t even think about it."

The cloaked person hunched his shoulders and swallowed hard, feeling how strong Asahi was. He knew if he tried to fight or run, Asahi would stop him right away. So, he did what anyone would do in that situation.

Without warning, the thief fled off with the scarf in a hurry, leaving behind a trail of footprints in the dirt.

"What a coward."

Aletha sighed in disappointment, disbelieving of his actions.

"He just can’t stop running," Aletha said, fuming. "Let’s go after him!"

Aletha and Asahi took off at a run, sprinting to close the distance between themselves and the thief with each stride.

The shrouded man dashed across the woodland and continued to run until he came to a tiny clearing in the trees, stopping in his tracks.

"Almost there," he panted. "Just a few more meters."

Just as he finished praying, he balled his fists, hung his head down, and whispered as he stared at the ground.

"...then we ALL can go back home."