"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 stretched, giving way to sweeping grassy plains and crystalline lakes.
A sweet scent floated in the fresh open air as he slowly exited the forest.
He sighed and stepped closer to the cliff's edge, his lavender eyes tracing the rim of a vast chasm overflowing with foliage.
The man's expression hardened with seriousness as he spoke.
"This is the place where I wanted them to go. It took years to reach this moment."
His long black cloak swayed gently in the wind as he strode forward, his boots echoing with each step.
He glanced over his shoulder, tense, as the heavy footsteps behind him grew louder.
Still, he gazed at the vastness of this unknown world, feeling a sense of composure run down his veins.
"After all, this is just another world," He said, giving a light shrug.
The aura that radiated around him no longer resembled that of a simple thief; instead, it conveyed the manner of a wise and mysterious young man.
This transformation had come from the eyepiece fastened to his face. This, paired with his dark hair, made him conspicuous.
He kept his hood up to mislead wanderers. He had deceived Aletha, making her believe he was merely a thief. In truth...
Deep down, he knew how important that scarf really was.
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 I can think of to 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 on 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 divot, 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, with his face to the ground, mumbling something under his breath.
"I did it," He said, "I successfully lured the wanderers."
Inwardly celebrating his success, the young man grabbed a knife.
"Hey, can you give us that scarf? I won't hurt you." Aletha asked as she approached the man. "It's essential to us."
Hearing her voice, the thief glanced at Aletha, froze mid-step, clutched the brown scarf tightly, and his eyes widened in recognition.
The man quickly recovered from his shock, drew his blade, and held it pointed downward, ready to defend himself.
"Below us."
Then, with a sharp motion, he hurled the blade downward, striking the ground at his feet. Cracks splintered out from the impact.
"No matter what you do," He mumbled with determination. "...we ARE going home."
Seeing that the man refused to answer, Asahi unclenched his fists and let out a steady breath, choosing to speak calmly rather than lash out.
"Silence," he said calmly, defusing the tension. "All we desire is the scarf. Return it, and everything will be resolved."
In addition to the cracks that appeared and scattered across the surface beneath them, tremors followed in their wake.
The thief locked eyes with Aletha as the ground quickly began to shake beneath them.
Whatever they did now, escape was impossible.
He stood his ground, resolute.
Trees rocked violently, gradually sinking into the soil.
Everything in the crater trembled fiercely, including the mountain range.
"No, stop!"
At that moment, they noticed it was a trap set by the mysterious man. Clearly, the cloaked individual wanted nothing more than to bring these two home.
Recognizing the imminent collapse, Asahi dashed to Aletha, pulled her into his arms, and whispered urgently, "Stay by me."
Rocks, tree branches, and rivers collapsed and slid into the giant hole, 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 in a wet space surrounded by bubbles and clear turquoise water.
Silence and a pressing weight enveloped them.
Aletha was the first to break the surface.
She gasped for air, trying to take a deep breath as she regained 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.
She looked around, searching for any sign of life.
"Where... am I?"
Asahi was the second to surface, coughing and gasping for air. At first, he saw only darkness, stone, and a few holes of light.
But as he climbed out of the pool, he realized much more awaited them.
Standing before them were several mountains of steel structures, encompassed by a tall, colossal, open rocky cavern.
They stuck together like stalagmites.
Rusted mechanical gears lined tiny pools, and a giant glossy black cube stood under a round ceiling opening, letting the sun shine on it like a spotlight.
A faint, strange scent filled the hot, close air. Aletha stared at her feet, unable to move, stunned by this odd place.
"What is this place?" Aletha wondered aloud.
"It's called 'The Cradle,' a voice said as something rose from the water. "It used to shelter millions."
Immediately, Asahi and Aletha leveled their glowering looks at an individual cloaked in a sharp, dynamic garment as it rolled out of the water.
Without explanation, the man approached Aletha, his gaze piercing hers. He took a deep breath and, as the silence continued, explained 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 looking at Asahi's cold, hardened face, that he couldn't have it anymore. So, before Asahi could land a hit on him, the cloaked man revealed.
"Pardon me for stealing your scarf." He said as he placed it back on their hands and pulled his hood back. "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, or rather man, looked back at her with a grim expression of realization dawning on his face.
"Oh, right," he muttered. "I almost forgot."
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 eyepiece 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 ruler of pretentious and mysterious origin, one of the many who 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 would appear in such a distant place in the universe.
Could it be that he was tracking them down ever since the calamity?
Recalling the calamity, Aletha lowered her voice and twiddled her thumbs.
"I thought you joined the... other Rulers."