1 Just a Faint Memory

A monstrous veil of light descended from the heavens upon the world, bringing with it an unconquerable catastrophe.

Large glowing cracks opened up between all continents.

Enormous walls of flames swept furiously across the scorching peaks, spreading into the most distant lands, burning every town in sight.

All were helpless in this disaster.

Various kingdoms fell to the engulfing radiance, massive glaciers crashed into the sea; grasslands scorched to a crisp, and vicious, restless vortexes of destruction dragged villages and cities into the white abyssal depths.

Decades, centuries, and even millennia of work… obliterated.

Not even the skies were spared.

The engulfing light swallowed the night sky, twisting the once-blue hue of the atmosphere into the boiling shade of crimson.

Before the catastrophe, this world had thrived and prospered under the Adtraics dominion.

All, however, perished and were pulverized into a sea of fire, ash, and brightness, without ANY warning.

"Our world..."

A boy with snow-white hair, gray eyes, and fair skin stood atop an ash mountain, bewildered and dreading what stood before him.

As he passed through the molten winds, a brown scarf blew away from his arms.

"No. So much has already been lost. I will not stand by and watch as the unknown takes another thing I care about." He grieved.

Just as it flew away, he desperately reached for the scarf, keeping it near his chest like a mother would for her child.

The boy's name was Asahi, one of the three children of the Adtraic family.

Despite having possessed unimaginable power, he could do nothing more than watch the destruction of his family's world unfold.

As if mocking him, the sky began to glow brighter, illuminating the land below.

This was the end.

"I'm sorry…."

His voice bounced back to him from the sinking mountains.

It was a lonely sound.

One that no one else would ever hear again.

"I just want a peaceful life."

With his head down, Asahi slowly turned around.

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

There was no longer any reason to stay.

And yet, he couldn't bring himself to leave.

He felt compelled to remain here.

Even though everything was annihilated, he wanted to witness how far this calamity would reach.

But someone had stopped him.

"Asahi!" A distant voice shouted.

The boy tilted upward and saw a faint light cast above his head. A slender pale arm emerged from the collapsing stone, giving off pathways of light and hope.

He desperately reached over to it and saw a white-haired girl pulling him up. Without resistance, he gripped tightly on her hand, rising up from the hole.

"We have to leave." She trembled as a silver-haired girl followed her back.

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

Then in the distance, the two heard the screams of those trapped within the wall of light tremble their ears.

"Save... us."

Several innumerable and intelligible 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.

Run away.

Far, far away.

* * * * *

Suddenly, as if it was some sort of film, the smoldering world was replaced with the sight of a forest with emerald green trees, vast meadows, tall sienna mountains, and rivers across the horizon; a completely different view.

"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 shot at a person cloaked in a long dark hood, sprinting swiftly into a forest

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

"Ugh." He complained as he grabbed hold of something. "My destination is still so far from my reach."

Cradled in the thief's gloves was a long, shimmering, unearthly scarf coated in hues of brown. Its soft fabric was enough to comfort even the most hardened of people.

The reminiscent aura that had emanated from the scarf heavily implied that this item was far more valuable than just some ordinary scarf. Something with value and love; the genuine feeling that drove the siblings to chase after it.

"Stop, and give us that back!" The girl hollered as she pushed her white bangs to the side, "That's not yours!"

"Goodness, I couldn't even spot you from a meter away with the attire you have on." The cloaked-individual mumbled as he leaped across a ravine. "As if they could c--

Appearing straight from behind, a white-haired boy with a brown fluffy scapular attached to his shoulder, leaped into the air, focusing all his attention on the thief's movements.

"I won't allow anyone to take that scarf like the winds almost did ten years ago." As he muttered this, he amplified his pace, and propelled himself across the ravine with a magical white luminance; the girl following his tracks.

Airborne, he landed safely on the ground, before immediately continuing onwards, trailing the thief's every movement.

Trees around him flew across their vision like a blur.

There was no time for stopping, only chasing until finally their eyes met with the cloaked individual once more.

Once sighted, Asahi tightened his transparent gloves and 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 that easily!" Asahi yelled as he skidded his boots on the ground. "Show yourself!"

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

"With pleasure."

Suddenly, the thief launched himself from the bushes, hoisting an old wooden sword with a red blade. He swung the weapon and aimed for the boy's heart, striking with all his might. But with each rapid strike, an incredible dodge-pattern was made from Asahi.

After the last slice, Asahi hurriedly pulled out his sword and countered the attack by deflecting the strikes, and 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 hollered as he back-flipped back up. "A foreigner. An alien!"

While the golden beams of sunlight peeked through the circle of clouds and treetops, the thief hurriedly sheathed his sword and ran away from the siblings.

"If you don't want to get hurt, " Asahi informed as he reached over to grab the scarf once more, "you should never have stolen the scarf to begin with."

"Pfft, yeah right." The thief snickered "If only you were to know 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.

Nevertheless, Asahi wasn't going to let him escape. His close-fitting gloves glowed a brilliant white, and as his eyes anchored over to the cloaked individual, Asahi delivered yet another earth-shaking punch, sending the thief flying back.

"It appears you don't know who we are." Asahi said as he ejected the luminance clinging on his hands, bending over to the cowering thief. "We're gods."

Abruptly, from the shadows, a girl with long white hair intruded the area. She quickly clutched the tip of the brown scarf and threw it on the cloaked individual, wrapping around him like a rope. Her evening gloves absorbed the sunlight, flying around as she struggled to pull the scarf back.

In reaction, the thief hurriedly snatched the scarf from Aletha's hands and skidded his feet away from the two siblings, questioning with a face full of sweat.

"H...Huh? How is that even possible? You two don't even look like-

Simultaneously, Asahi rushed and bolted to the thief, showing a cheeky smirk as his hands captured a full grip on him.

"Surprised?"

The thief gulped, froze still, and answered tremblingly. "N...Nope."

Asahi shook his head and clicked his teeth.

"Tsk Tsk Tsk." He clutched the thief's neck with his metal arm, engulfing his hands in a magical white light. As the thief struggled to move, Asahi hollered at a white-haired girl approaching from behind.

"Aletha, grab the scarf now!"

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

"Right on it, bro!"

After she climbed the cliff and barreled into the area, the girl hastily cartwheeled toward the brown scarf and clutched the tip of its fabric. She then charged at the thief and swung the long, shimmering scarf around him, as done previously, but this time, it was actually attached.

Before the thief could breach out from the soft fabric, Asahi bolted toward the other side and squeezed the thief tightly with the scarf, suffocating and hurting him, forcing him to cry.

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

Asahi lifted his chin and squeezed his fists in refusal.

Hearing his response, a cold, chilling, seriousness plastered itself on his face. He crossed his arms and stepped forward, responding to the thief in a rude manner.

"I'm annoyed that someone like you would take something for no apparent reason." He said as he clutched the scarf.

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

"Stop squeezing me! Please, I'll do anything. I will even tell you why. The reason why I snagged your scarf is that 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! That thief didn't steal the scarf because of a misunderstanding. He stole it because he thought he could sell it!"

Asahi's eyes dragged his hawkish gaze back at the thief's little, entangled legs and tightened his fists with rage. In a dour expression, he knelt back to the thief and uttered.

"Is this true? Were you trying to sell our family's scarf because you just wanted some sick fortune?"

The thief cowered with a begging smile.

"N... No... not at all! If you could JUST listen to me, maybe you will understand--

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

"He's lying."

Asahi squeezed the thief harder, forcing the thief's face to turn blue and his legs to flail all over the place. The thief cried out.

"AHH... I can't... I can't breathe! PLEASE! Dear god, give me mercy!"

After Aletha saw the thief choke and cough to death from the pressure of Asahi's grip, a shameful and pitiful feeling emerged in her; as if she wanted to spare him. She muttered shamefully, seeing the thief cry and cower.

"I can't afford to see this no longer."

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

"Hey, Asahi, you can stop now. I don't want to see anyone die. Just keep that thief from escaping. I need to have a word with him."

Asahi weakened his grip and glanced downward at the thief quietly. In all his years, he would never have done this; but this relic was important to him.

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

"There is no reason why we should spare such a being." He said as he kept his hands away from the scarf. "I understand we are not from this world, but I can't fathom why such a being like him would steal something like that from us. What makes you think he is good?"

Aletha looked upward and made a thoughtful look.

"Because... I don't believe that he is evil. The only reason why he was lying is that he was scared." She said as her eyes dropped downward 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, yeah, you tell him!" The thief clamored as he trembled in shock.

Aletha chuckled dismissively and smirked at the cloaked man.

"Now, don't get cocky now. If you continue to act that way, I may allow my brother to hurt you. Stop being a liar, and tell us the REAL reason why you decided to rob our scarf away from us." To add tension into the request, Aletha added. "Or else, face the fist of my brother."

"NO, DON'T!" The thief pleaded, sighing without count. "Fine, I'll tell you." With that conflict pushed out of the way, Aletha smiled and nodded, leading the entangled thief to a tree with Asahi.

* * * * * * * *

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

"So, why did you steal our scarf? I want an honest answer, not some lame one such as, 'oh, I want to sell this for money.' The best thing you could get from this scarf is five coins, and that's on a good day." Aletha mocked the thief as she crossed her arms.

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, hoping to find a way out. Then when she wasn't looking, he scanned the place to escape the siblings.

But before he could even think of running, Asahi stepped forward and sneered at him with his gunmetal gray eyes, warning.

"Don't even think about it."

The cloaked individual hunched his shoulders and gulped, feeling the absolute power radiating within Asahi. He knew well that if he were to intervene or even try to escape, he would be slaughtered by him on the spot. So, in regards to that, he did what any normal person would do in this situation.

"Bye!"

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 is just SO determined to run away from us." Aletha said as her body fumed with rage. "Well, I guess we have no choice. Chase after that liar!"

With that said, Aletha and Asahi continued their pursuit of the thief, increasing their speed with each step.

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.

"I'm nearly there." He said with a half breathless murmur, "Only 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."