While the siblings pressed onward, suddenly, the scorching world vanished, replaced by 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, making them feel valued and loved.
"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 girl's hand. "Just give it back."
Airborne, he and the girl landed safely and immediately resumed their pursuit.
Trees blurred as they 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. "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.
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. Anyways..."
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 tensed, and he stepped forward, his 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 with a cold glance of disapproval; her white pupils glowing as she saw the aura of lies float across 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, he balled his fists, hung his head down, and whispered as he stared at the ground.
"...then we ALL can go back home."