A Fading Lie

"I'm sorry Asahi and Aletha." The thief revealed as his face turned to the warm golden rays of sunlight. "But it's been too long since you two were last seen in our home world."

Ahead of him, mountains spanned out almost endlessly, giving way to vast grassy plains, and clear lakes. A sweet ambrosial scent floated in the fresh open air as he slowly exited the forest. He sighed and walked closer to the cliff's edge. His lavender eyes traveled from one side of a colossal crater brimming with vegetation to the next, fascinated.

Absorbed in the scent and murmur of the quiet day, the man's expression hardened with seriousness as he spoke.

"This is the place where I wanted them to go." He said with a vivid and arresting presentation. "It took years for me to reach this moment."

His long black cloak swayed gently in the wind, hearing heavy footsteps getting closer to him. But despite that, he gazed at the vastness of this unknown world, feeling the sense of composure run down his veins.

"After all, this is just another world." He said as he gave a light shrug. "Nothing close to home."

The aura that radiated around him didn't give a broad presentation of what a thief would act like anymore, rather, it gave off the behavior of a wise and mysterious man.

With a pale face, he closed his eyes and whispered.

"I know how much those two value this scarf." He said as his fingers skimmed the fleecy fabric. "But... it is the only method that I can think of that could lure them here."

After he said that, the hooded figure turned around, and headed toward the vegetation-infested crater.

Not long after, Asahi and Aletha approached the cliffside, searching for the man.

As they stood at the cliff, Aletha pointed at the other end of the crater and smirked proudly.

"The thief went over there." She informed Asahi "Just across that crater, through those dense patches of trees."

As she hastily sprinted down the crater, Asahi nodded his head and answered,

"Okay."

. . .

In no time, Aletha and Asahi arrived at the opposite side of the crater. There, they found the thief standing tall and proud, facing the ground, mumbling something under his breath.

"Hey, can you give us that scarf now?" Aletha asked as she carefully approached the man. "It's very important to us."

Upon hearing her voice, the thief glanced at Aletha and froze upon recognizing her, clutching the brown scarf.

"Y-You're...!"

The man swiftly shook his shock away and pulled out his wooden blade, pointing downward, and saying.

"Below us."

Then, like a dagger, he threw and pierced his blade through the ground, forming cracks on the surface.

"No matter what you do," He mumbled with determination written all over his face. ",we're going home."

Seeing that the man refused to answer, instead of lashing out on him, Asahi decided to approach the situation in another way.

"Settle down," He carefully admitted to diffuse the tension. "All we desire is that scarf. No need for any trouble. Just give it back and all problems will be solved."

Clearly, the cloaked-individual wanted nothing more to bring these two home.

In addition to the cracks that appeared and scattered across the surface beneath them, tremors followed in its wake.

The thief stared hard into Aletha's eyes, sensing the ground tremor rapidly. No matter what they could do, it was too late for them to escape. He rooted his feet into the ground.

Trees rocked back and forth, slowly slumping into the dirt. Moreover, everything inside the crater began to shake violently, including the surrounding mountain range.

"No, stop!"

That was the moment when they noticed that this was a trap.

Seeing that the crater was going to collapse, Asahi quickly rushed towards Aletha and pulled her close, whispering. "Stay by me."

Suddenly, the earth beneath their feet split open, gaping wide like a mouth. Their feet balanced on each plate, but before they knew it, the hole opened up, allowing everything in the crater to be swallowed into the dark abyss.

Rocks, tree branches, and rivers collapsed, slid down the surface and fell into the giant hole in a storm, vanishing into the dark abyss below.

The only sounds that accompanied Asahi and Aletha during their descent were the echoes of their screams.

* * * * *

Much of what happened remained unexplained.

Their eyes bulged out to a wet space surrounded by bubbles and a clear turquoise color. Their breathing stopped, silence surrounded them, feeling pressure push against them anywhere they moved.

Aletha was the first to break the surface. She gasped for air and tried to take a deep breath, regaining her senses. Her eyes were wide open, seeing nothing but vast darkness.

Chills crept up everywhere she moved. Rubbing her shoulders, she took a few steps forward and looked around.

"Where... am I?"

Asahi was the second to break the surface, coughing and gasping for air. At first, all he saw around him was darkness, stone, and a few holes giving away light. But then, climbing up the natural pool of water, he realized a lot more had awaited for them.

Standing before them were several mountains of steel structures encompassed by a tall and colossal open rocky cavern. Rusted-over mechanical gears were attached across tiny pools, and an enormous glossy black cube stood underneath a circular opening in the ceiling of the cavern, allowing sun rays to shine on it like a spotlight.

A redolent, odorless scent flew in the stuffy, suffocating air, followed by a pungent aroma, stinking up the vast expanse. Aletha couldn't help but to find her feet rooted in the ground, shocked at this eccentric place.

"What is this place?" Aletha wondered aloud.

"It's called 'The Cradle." A voice said as something emerged from the water. "One of the many advanced civilizations that once sheltered millions."

Immediately, Asahi and Aletha leveled their glowering looks to an individual cloaked in a sharp and dynamic cloak, climbing out from the wager.

Without explanation, the man approached Aletha, his gaze piercing hers. He took a deep breath, and as the silence continued, he provided an explanation to them.

"There are many cradles dispersed across our universe." He said. "Many devices were lost to abandonment. However, what you see behind me will be the only device alive that will bring us all home."

Wrapped around his wrist was a scarf; a sparkling soft scarf coated in shades of brown. The man knew just by seeing Asahi's cold and hardened face that he couldn't have it anymore. So, before Asahi could land a hit on him, the cloaked man revealed.

"Pardon the intrusion of stealing your scarf." He said as he placed it back on their hands. "It's the only method I could think of to lure you two here.``

Given the strange response, Aletha raised her eyebrow and asked.

"Who are you?"

The thief looked back at her with a grim expression of realization on his face.

"Oh right."

With no other choice, he sighed deeply and took off his hood. Long silky dark hair framed his jewel-like purple eyes, and his attire was as dark and celestial as the stars. A lavender eye piece was attached to his right eye, matching the pattern of waves in the sea.

Swiftly, Aletha jumped out. "Hey you look like someone I know…" Her gray eyes broadened in realization. "Wait a minute, Akwan?! How did YOU get here?"

Akwan was a god of pretentious and mysterious origin; one of the many that once ruled over Gincad.

Much like the siblings, he too came from their world.

But during their world-traveling after they fled from the engulfing light, never would they have expected that Akwan appeared in such a distant place in the universe.

Recalling the calamity. Aletha lowered her voice down and twiddle her thumbs.

"I thought you joined the... other gods."

Filled with doubts and regrets, Akwan looked at his hands and recalled the calamity.

A time at which their world lost itself to a consuming-luminance.

The sheer thought of such a sight haunted him.

No one had an idea who or what caused it; all they knew was that they lost everything.

"Let's not speak of that." He said as he scratched his head. "It has been a long time since that happened."

To avoid sparking a situation, Akwan accelerated their pace and led them through the ruined city.

Towers of ruin scattered over the area. Wires entangled themselves from the deepest pits of the surrounding sea of emptiness, to the highest sharpest rocky ceilings.

"Much has happened since you two were gone." Akwan seemed upset as he spoke. "And I'm afraid that there is more I have yet to tell you."

His glare traveled the outermost sights of the ruined city with unnerving thoroughness. Capsules, shattered beyond compare, once-cloud-piercing spires tipped over, and split like a cookie. Nothing seemed glamorous about this area.

That was, until they approached a bizarre object at the center of the circle of debris and stalagmites. A colossal device composed of glossy black glass was located at the very top. Green stems creeped from the cold, solid surface, climbing up the cube. Imperious white gears grinded and tore itself, trying to click and emit a single spark. Five to seven wiry, long, steel arms extended from every side of the cube, folding itself like a card. And, slender, narrow lines of white light flickered on the surface of the glass.

Up went their brows as they tilted up, noticing the size of the device. It was almost as tall as the ruined city itself. Despite witnessing its rather unmoved state, Akwan led Asahi and Aletha toward the surface of the device. The glass on the cube was so shiny that it reflected all their appearances without any struggle.

"Woah!" Aletha said with sparkling eyes of fascination. "This device looks cool!"

Asahi's eyes were also on the surface, carefully observing the device from all angles. Though his voice was rather muted of seriousness upon this moment, he couldn't help but compliment the intricate architecture of each wire.

"I have never seen such complex constructions before."

Turning back to Akwan, Asahi abruptly redirected the topic.

"Akwan, tell me, what is there to come back to? Nothing is left of our world, not even our kingdom. It's the only reason why we're in this situation in the first place. There's nothing we can do other than to wander the stars."

As Aletha narrowed her gaze to Asahi, he clenched his fists and expressed a stifling expression of pain in his voice.

"You don't understand how much we have lost… to that catastrophe. So many individuals we loved, so many places we cared, so… much… traditions we held onto," He suppressed and kept his tears in his eyes, as he stepped forward, shouting in a shaky voice. "All for it to fatally go to waste! Our parents are gone, our loving sister is gone, most of the lesser gods in our world vanished. Tell me, just tell me one reason why I should return to a world covered in ash!"

Silence erupted after his voice echoed across the cavern's walls.

"Because hope exists, Asahi." Akwan replied. "The lies we tell ourselves are what gets us this far. By just accepting the truth without resistance, there is nothing you can possibly be."

Aletha couldn't help but to agree on Akwan's response.

"Yes, stagnation leads to decay. You can't just avoid something without trying it first."

Asahi felt his heart flutter. He wanted to believe in Akwan. But deep down, he knew that the words of hope were hollow.

He looked away from the device and gazed around the ruins. The entire scene made him feel like he was walking inside of a graveyard. The ground was stained with dried blood and littered with trashed metal parts. Shattered crystals lay scattered all over the ground, as if they had been crushed by an earthquake. The atmosphere was dark, and filled with the scent of death.

Fallen into urgency, Aletha looked over to Akwan and urged him..

"So… let's try it." She said as she approached the device. "Let's return to our homeworld and see what truly awaits us."

As a silent reeking wind flew by, Akwan nodded his head in agreement and soon, Asahi followed.

. . .

When they approached the device, Akwan told both the siblings to place their hand on the device. He said that because of both of their appearances, there was a possibility that activating the device may be easier than the intended activation process. And so, they acted in accordance with what they were informed.

After a simple countdown, Asahi skimmed and prodded the black surface of the device with his fingers.

Suddenly, a white spark pulsed under the layer of glass, sending out glowing digital ripples across the cube like dropping a stone into the water. In reaction, Asahi backed up, turning over to Akwan to see if this was right.

He couldn't have been any more correct.

"Ripples have surfaced the device. The activation is successful!" Akwan praised as he saw the flickering glowing white lines flicker into a stagnant position. "Now, Aletha, touch the device as well. There may be a chance that we don't have to do anything other than that."

Asahi didn't know what to say when Aletha took off her gloves and placed her gloved hand on the surface. This action made him nervous. He was afraid that whatever happened next would cause some sort of fatal damage to them.

But surprisingly enough, the device did not explode or blow up.

Instead, the surface became warm against their hands.

"What's happening?"

A deep robotic voice suddenly spoke from it.

[:// ://: ://:]

"It's the forgotten language from the ruined civilization." Akwan said. "The once-universal language now forgotten."

Aletha turned over and asked Akwan with a genuinely confused tone.

"What are you talking about?"

"Doesn't matter." Akwan said as he heard loud digital growls sound behind him. "Just continue touching the device."

[BEEP]

Millions of white iridescent lines and dots exploded from the device.

[Host Identified]

Akwan, eager to see the results of his labors, shoved Aletha and Asahi's hands up against the side of the gadget, setting off a powerful pulse that powered the entire machine.

[Second Host Detected]

[Universal Scanning… Complete. Protocol for Planetary Navigation initiated.]

Slowly unfolding from the device's top, five black "arms" emerged. After expanding the hologram, it reached to the ceiling and rotated erratically.

Akwan seemed enthralled by the gadget's motions, as though he, too, wanted to touch it.

To his dismay, a blast blew him away just as his hands were about to smooth up the surface.

"I'm deemed incompatible for a device such as this." Akwan said. "Just... stay put."

The apparatus let forth another volley of holograms in the form of a gigantic white light explosion, and the constant droning of the apparatus caused their ears to ring.

[World Name: Gincad. Hosts are rendered with familiar genes. Opening Sequence for Cosmic Teleportation]

[10…]

As the device jiggled and their bodies swung rapidly to the left and right, the ground underneath them began to shake.

[9…]

[8…]

[7…]

The immense cave was illuminated by a blinding ray of light.

[6…]

[5….]

Tension clung to everyone as the device's white lights illuminated its four corners.

[4…]

[3….]

[2…]

[1…]

Instantly, a deafening sonic boom rocked and hurled the three upward as their eyes were dazzled by an encompassing white light.

[0…]

In less time than it takes to blink their eyes, the massive spectacle of the cavern, the device, and the ruins trickled down, replaced seamlessly by a vast white abyss.