Wanderer's Trail

"So... what you're trying to say is that you fell here... from another world?"

ᴜᴘ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛʀᴀᴛᴏꜱᴘʜᴇʀᴇ, ᴀ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴀʀᴇ ᴡᴏʀꜱʜɪᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴄᴀʟʟ ʜᴏᴍᴇ, ʟᴀɪᴅ ᴘʀɪꜱᴛɪɴᴇ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴛꜰᴏʀᴍꜱ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴍᴀʀʙʟᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄʟᴀʏ. ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴋʏ ʟᴀɪᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ɪᴛꜱ ʀᴏᴏꜰꜱ, ᴇɴᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀꜱꜱɪɴɢ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟʟᴇᴅ. ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀᴍᴀᴍᴇɴᴛ, ᴅɪꜱᴛɪɴɢᴜɪꜱʜɪɴɢ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʙᴇʟᴏɴɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴅꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʙᴇʟᴏɴɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀꜱᴇ. ᴠᴀꜱᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴍᴘᴛʏ, ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʟɪɴᴅɪɴɢ, ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴋɪᴇꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʟᴏᴜᴅꜱ, ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢɴᴇꜱꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ.

ɪ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ ᴀꜱ ʜᴇ ꜱᴛᴏᴏᴅ ʙᴇꜱɪᴅᴇ ʜɪꜱ ꜱɪꜱᴛᴇʀ. ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘʟᴀᴛꜰᴏʀᴍ; ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴀʏ…

"But when you wanted to leave, and go on to the next world…"

A tear in reality split the skies open, darkness and crimson seeps through the cracks until it opens wide. The symbol of three stars appears as dread quickly befall upon the twins. Wariness and anxiety wreak havoc as a pale lady brandished in black and red appears from the rift.

"...your path was blocked by some unknown god?"

"Outlander, your journey ends here!" loud and demanding, the crimson pale lady states. Reality's wound solidified into three stars, honing on the twins with every action they take; like eyes watching their every move. With their only escape route blocked, the twin stars have no choice but to instigate action towards their enemy. 

The reckless twin dares to challenge the lady first, "who are you!?"

"The sustainer of heavenly principles," the crimson pale lady answers, "the arrogation of mankind ends now."

The lady, sustainer, God holds power in her hand, a cage ready to trap its prey. As she states her last words, a cube had appeared right below the twin stars' feet, making the jump at the sudden action. They brandish their swords as they fly across the sky; their wings as golden as their eyes. Together, always together, they charge at their enemy, the God that dares to block their way from freedom. The God gave them no mercy as cages follow them across the sky, twisting and turning, following their prey. The God seeks judgement upon those who have entered through unsavoury means and those who aid the sinful ones. Like a duet, they dance across the sky together, dodging every attack the God gives with ease. Together, always together, they attack the sustainer of heavenly principles.

In a moment, they were soaring…

In a moment, they were aiming…

In a moment, they were trapped.

✧ ◦ ✧ ◦ ✧

ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʟᴇ ʟᴀᴅʏ, ʙʀᴀɴᴅɪꜱʜᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇᴅ, ʜᴀꜱ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴀ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ ꜱᴛᴀʀ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ ɢᴏ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴɪɴɢ ꜱʜᴀʟʟ ꜱᴛᴀʏ. ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴀɪᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱɪɴꜰᴜʟ ᴏɴᴇꜱ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ ᴘᴀʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀɪᴄᴇ.

✧ ◦ ✧ ◦ ✧

A simple glance was all it took for Aether to notice what his opponent was thinking. A choice, and she had chosen him. However he failed to guess what the nature of that choice was.

Aether jumped away, leaving his golden sword behind, thinking that his enemy was about to focus and strike him; How mistaken he was when he saw the cubes latch onto his sister's sword, capturing her hand and binding her. The look of distraught and helpness on her face when she looked at her brother as he called out her name, "Lumine!"

Anguish, absolute anger and rage filled Aether as the cube consumed his sister, trapped his sister, took away his sister. The God that stood in their way collecting Lumine as if it was her right to receive the hunting price; an opening. 

His blood boiled as he charged from behind, focusing all of his power into his hand as he punched the God, ready to take what is not rightfully hers; not his sister, never his sister. An explosion as his fist collided with something, but as soon as the dust settled, Aether saw the cubes had consumed his rage and protected the God. It ate and trapped his hand despite how much he tried to escape — a duel between will and might with the God as its champion. The cube consumed him, little by little. 

Aether called out, 

"WAIT!" 

Desperation in his voice, 

"DON'T GO!"

No matter how futile it is, 

"GIVE MY SISTER BACK!"

Whatever it takes.

✧ ◦ ✧ ◦ ✧

Darkness… 

All he saw was darkness…

He feels numb…

Yet he's cold…

How long ago has it been?

Nightmares…

Nightmares upon nightmares…

Neverending dream that was a torture…

✧ ◦ ✧ ◦ ✧

"And just like that, the god took away my sister…," Aether mournfully says as he begins to close the story, "Some kind of seal was cast upon me, and I lost my power."

Mindless scribbles on the sand painting the crimson pale lady and her power is etched on the ground as he continues, "So while we used to travel from world to world, we are now trapped here."

Anger creeps into his throat before it dissipates.

"How many years ago was it?" He asks. 

Was he asking himself? The universe? Paimon? 

"I don't know…," …he doesn't know.

"But I intend to find out," with resolve and determination, he will find a way.

He reminisced of the time when he first woke up. Alone, on a cliff, high above the ground, "When I woke, I was all alone — until I met you two months ago…."

He reminisced of the time when he was out fishing for food. After not eating for a good while from when he first awakened (Afterall, how could he? He had just lost his sister, he was not used to doing things alone… especially when Lumine was the one who usually reminded him to eat…) he thought some fishing might do him some good for a quick meal. Quickly setting up a makeshift fishing rod was easy, the not easy part was finding a suitable stick that could hold up the weight of the fish. Really funny how the first fish he caught was a fairy.

( « She was a fairy✨ » someone fills the thought in his head )

"Yeah, Paimon really owes you for that," said fairy replied, "Otherwise Paimon likely would have drowned… So Paimon would do her best to be a great guide!"

Aether smiled at the white-haired fairy. He's glad that he has found himself a companion, otherwise he doesn't know what to do with his endless sense of loneliness. His ties cut with his sister, he can not even sense her anymore… With his will resolved, he will find the God that did this to him and his sister. He will take what is rightfully his and free his sister from her shackles… maybe then they will be free from this world and can leave for another.

"We should head off," Paimon tells her companion, " Let's get going!"

Paimon flew towards something in the distance… a chest-piece, a magical one, he doesn't know and he's not willing to touch it if it ends up being a trap by that dastard sustainer. Aether can feel the power surging to it from the bottom, much like veins pumping through the ground. He can feel its essence beneath his feet, even with how little of his powers are left. It's a part of his body, his senses in a way. 

« You're not going to tell her about me? »

A voice from Aether's head teases, if he just so looks to his left he will see someone playing with the sand and sea. 

"Last time I checked you were just a disembodied voice in my head, when did you get a body?" Aether quips.

« Always had one, just never showed it off cause why would I when I can just torment you? »

« So, are you going to tell her now that I have a body?»

"Why would I? I assume no one can see you since she hasn't asked any questions pertaining to you," Aether sighs as he stands up from the rock he was sitting on. The sun shining in the sky, cascading its light and sharing its warmth to Aether, however artificial it may be. 

« Hahaha… deary me, should've known you're a sharp one »

This is Aether's life now. Before Paimon, there was this disembodied voice in his head. At first, he thought he was hearing things or maybe even going crazy after fighting and possibly cursed by that wretched God. However, the voice soon explained themselves, how they are not a curse from the Gods and how they have no relation to any higher beings at all.

« I am simply a Watcher. I watch and I play »

Was all they said as an explanation to who or what they are. Information will come in due time, he supposes, that's what they also said. 

Aether lets out another sigh (Man, he's been taking a lot of sighs today) before he heads off to Paimon so as to not keep her waiting for long. He doesn't want to keep his guide waiting now, does he?

He walks alongside Paimon on the beach before suddenly some blue slime popped up from the ground. Paimon didn't notice as Aether quickly takes care of it. 

"woah… that's too close," Aether thinks before catching up with Paimon who is waiting for him at the chest piece looking thing… It was red, with a crown on the top part. Paimon doesn't say anything or do anything other than look at him expectantly. Does she want him to touch that thing???

« That's a waypoint »

The voice supplies. 

« It's connected to the veins of this world, connecting it to the network »

They add.

« Touch it. I'm sure its functions are familiar to you »

However annoying or distrustful the voice is to Aether, he trusts them well enough about information regarding this world. They were the one who aided him in learning about this world's language, after all. Without them, Aether would have probably still been stuck learning the language through gimmicks, body language and pointing at things with Paimon. Paimon was also a good teacher and very patient with Aether when she was teaching him and he's very much appreciative of it. Without their combined efforts, Aether would be twice or maybe even thrice confused as he is right now.

Aether reaches out and touches the waypoint. It suddenly lights up and rises from its platform, turning into the colour blue. Paimon, looking proud at Aether's action, decides to go ahead deeper into the forest. 

« The power you sense connected to this thing is the veins I was talking about, they are called leylines »

The blonde traveller hums as he walks away to catch up with Paimon. Leylines, huh? He can make use of this. As Paimon sees her companion making his way towards her, she cheers and points her finger out down the road with a sense of adventure.

"We're off to... a Statue of The Seven!"