Capítulo 148: Pursuit (Asahi: Part 19)

At these words a vague and half-formed conception of meaning dawned in Asahi. Throughout his years, he had never truly understood what it meant for people to hold a story. To feel what it would be like to be in someone else's shoes. And now, seeing it be festered before his imagination unlocked value upon every life he had met. Firstly, he took the words at heart and drifted his eyes at the wall, remembering the challenges he had to endure with Toivo. Thoughts floated in his mind while he kept quiet.

(So… Kendra…. Had also endured the challenges to? That explains why she is so strong.)

After he had thought silently, recollecting all of what he had imagined hearing the story of Kendra be uttered, Asahi began questioning her.

"Kendra, why did that memory pop out of your head when you saw me?"

Kendra closed her eyes and kept quiet from the question. Her eyes seemingly have been only anchored at Asahi's upper body. But her eyes were not filled with the slight glimmer of pulsating attraction, but rather of reminiscence. With one cold breath, as she felt the memories pull on her brain, Kendra answered Asahi's question.

"It's because… the way you look, with your muscles you gained, the shade of your hair, and the tattoos you have… reminded me of that man."

Asahi's eyes broadened with an open mouthed stare.

"Really?"

"Yes." Kendra said with her face flushed with nostalgia. "Sure your figure may be a bit smaller than the man's, but… the aura that you present, and the way you had spoken in front of your followers, reminded me of that man who raised me. IT's as if… you're almost like a copy of him."

'A Copy of him.' That thought attached to Asahi's mind as he continued staring at Kendra's dilating pupils. There were feelings that rose up on him as he stared at Kendra's face, as if her emotions alone were enough to tell a story. And what stuck inside the most, was a quote she had recited from the man that had raised her.

("The only true and free gift one receives… is their birth.") He couldn't possibly ignore it, no matter what he had done. There was such truth following those words that he almost felt his heart ache from it. Now that he had realized it, Asahi hadn't even known how he was born at all. It had been so long since his birth, that it was as if the moment was just a tiny smidge buried away by several, hundreds of years of experience.

Nonetheless, pushing those selfish thoughts aside, Asahi focused only on the soul of Kendra. He sat up straight, kept his breathing steady, and with a caring voice, he uttered.

"I never knew there could be such cruelty in this changed world." He said, his heart beating restless. "I… I want you to know that even if I don't have a great understanding of what is out there, I can draw an understanding on who you are."

"R… Really?" Said Kendra with wobbling eyes.

"Yes. You are a determined girl, Kendra. Even if you had lost everyone you loved, because of that man… you pushed on. You chose to find purpose in life with the guidance of him. You chose to become strong and energetic. And what you had done, made me realize something as well…" His eyes leered over to the palace.

Moreover, visions of the past filled his mind.

* * * * *

Though the memory was weak, and though two faces remained veiled by blurriness, he could see his younger self, Aletha, and Aiyana sprinting ecstatically to the palace, holding the same baby dragon close in their hands. The young, bright white-haired girl immediately nudged a tall woman sharing the same shade on her hair with a tremblingly excited voice.

"Mom, mom! Look what we found!" She said as she displayed the white baby dragon to the woman. "When we were at the fields, I found this cute dragon in the pond! Can we keep it, mom? Can we keep it!? Pretty pretty please!"

Suddenly, visions of a colossal dragon soaring across the clouds of the cosmos consumed the smile of the unidentified woman. Visions of sunlight beaming down at a beautiful nest where a dragon resided. A lush garden standing high in the clouds. Memories shuffled endlessly as the struggle to remember this moment came before him.

(As present Asahi witnessed the empty hallway flicker and flash to the beautiful one in the memory, the woman from the memory replied with her soothing voice.)

"Hmm, I don't know sweetie." She said as her hands softly caressed the dragon's tiny wings. "Your father really isn't fond of creatures residing in our home…" The way she spoke sounded so intelligent and wise, it's almost as if the woman was a genius.

The young, silver-haired, magenta-eyed girl, Aiyana, jumped in front of young Aletha and bent down, pleading with her high-pitched voice.

"Please, oh pretty please, mommy! It looks super cute!" She said, her eyes glittering with persuasion. "Something so cute won't survive in the wild for long!"

Another memory, one Asahi couldn't recall, invaded his mind. It almost seemed like the opposite of this gorgeous view. A land of darkness. Where the skies were tainted by a blinding white, followed by screams, and collapsing towers beyond human comprehension. A roar of a dragon echoed across the vast fields, coupled by the sounds of laser beams shredding innocent civilizations to the ground. As the memory flashed back to the peaceful one, a tall man with an unidentified face and a rather radiantly beautiful, brawny figure, stepped forward and answered Aiyana with his deep and resonating voice.

"I suppose if you three were to feed it, take care of it, and raise it, as your mother and I had done unto you three, then I'll allow it." He said as he saw smiles beam up from all three of the children's faces. But just before they could grab the tiny baby dragon back, the man stepped backward and crossed his arms, sharpening his voice. "That is only if you were to sacrifice your time, meaning… no drawing all day, Aletha."

In reaction, the young, stubborn, white-haired girl pressed her lips together in a thin line of poutiness, but then smiled crookedly, making a long "sacrificial" sigh.

"Okay, dad." she replied with a childish, round face.

The father's eyes then cruised over to Aiyana. Considering that she was the youngest, he had changed his approach to her, treating her like a child, as he should.

"... Meaning, you may not touch the flowers in the garden, and play with your friends in the morning, Aiyana." Since you, your brother, and your older sister will have to find food for the creature in the mortal world every morning." But unlike Aletha, the father patted Aiyana's head and smiled, whispering. "Oh, but don't you worry, little one. There's nothing bad about exploring the beauty of our world."

Unlike Aletha's stubborn and ignorant response, the silver-haired girl reacted to the demand with a calm and accepting manner, replying as her silver-hair followed the comfortable breeze.

"Yes, father."

Lastly, the father's sharp eyes settled over Asahi, who had seemed not interested in the part and only cared for thinking and staring off at the wonderful world around him. He crossed his arms, redirected his approach to Asahi with his stern voice, and demanded.

"And that also means, you can not write without disturbance anymore, Asahi." He said with a covertly triumphant voice. "Considering you are the eldest among the three, you will have to take occasional breaks and take care of the dragon."

"But what if I don't want to? Do you know how hard it is to write with disturbances in the way?" Asahi said aggressively like the angsty teenager he was. "I never cared for the dragon in the first place. It was that of my sister's interest that led me to this. I literally had to stop them from fighting over who--

Immediately, the mother stepped in and interrupted Asahi with a soft slap on his head.

"Asahi, you know better than to speak to your father that way." She said sharply. "Sometimes, life isn't all about what is occurring in your head."

Without remorse, she pushed Asahi toward his younger sisters and added with her alarming voice.

"It's about how you treat others, and how you face life's challenges for your dreams."

Though he had heard his mother's rather changing words, Asahi decided to continue releasing his crop of complaints at her.

"But… but come on! Do you know how many ideas are sprawling in my head? You know, if I'm the oldest, maybe I should leave the castle. I never wanted to be with you anyways!"

"HEY!" The father hollered at Asahi with a reverberating, irritated voice as Aiyana and Aletha reeled back in fear. "You do NOT speak to your mother that way, you hear? Do you know how much she has done for you? How much pain she had endured to give birth to you?! How much pain we both faced to keep you three safe?!"

Enticed by the unusually aggressive approach the father gave to their child, the mother quickly stepped in front of the father and yelled back at him with a demanding voice.

"Honey, stop it this instant." She said, keeping her voice low. "Let me handle it."

Instead of approaching Asahi with anger and wrath, the mother chose to settle him down by treating him by wrapping her arms around his body, holding him tightly against her warm embrace. For moments, Asahi almost tried to break free from his mother's embrace. But after seconds of silence, engaging at the serenity of the sweet and loving manner she gave, Asahi settled down and sighed.

After the chaos of the situation settled down, as the peaceful wind flew by the palace, the mother leaned over to Asahi's ear and whispered gently.

"Look sweetie, we're only being strict to you because the more you grow up, the more that you realize how cruel life can be." Asahi lowered his shoulders and closed his eyes, feeling his mother's heart beat against his head. "I know that you're smart, dear. You have so much potential in you, I know that. But sometimes you have to establish a balance between dreams and reality."

Asahi listened carefully to his mother, and after a short while, he opened his eyes to see her face filled with love and concern.

"We all love you. Every one of us does. But when I see that you refuse to let your sisters take care of the dragon, I see selfishness. So…" As she departed from her embrace, the mother finished her sentence with a loving voice. "...please, just this once, acknowledge that they have a life too and allow them to be happy."

The father added on to the sentence with a calmer tone.

"Though we may have our differences, we all share one thing in common." He pointed his finger directly at Asahi's heart. "... that we all pursue this strive to find happiness in our lives. So who is it to say that someone doesn't deserve it? Come now, son, will you please allow your sisters to be happy, instead of focusing on your gain?"

(It was at this moment, that present Asahi realized that the words he had said to his followers were not HIS words, but were words that came from his… father. While Kendra stared at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to respond, Asahi's memory finished with one last vision.)

After young Asahi heard those powerful words be uttered from the deep, honorable voice of his father, he took an accepting bow, and replied with a small smile on his face.

"I will, father. I will sacrifice my time to make my little sisters smile."

And with that, after Aletha and Aiyana rejoiced in joy, the memory faded with the sight of all the family walking up a tall white staircase with the baby dragon tightly cradled in their hands.

* * * * * * *

After seconds had passed, and the memories faded back into the present, Asahi decided to finish his sentence to Kendra with a grin on his face.

"... that people who are determined to find purpose in their lives, DESERVE to reach their goals." There was so much weight pulling on him, trying to make him tear up from reminiscence and sorrow of the past. The thought that he can't reach his parents' grasp anymore; To not feel the embrace of his mother anymore, and to never see the kind and innocent face Aiyana had.

And yet, he kept strong, trying to show just a bit of selflessness in him for Kendra. As the voice of Asahi's sentence flew across the hallway with echoes, Kendra reacted with a quick embrace, letting her tears slide down Asahi's bare back.

"A… Asahi…" She said as she tightly shut her eyes. "You're so… you're so… r-right. People that are willing to try, despite losing everything, deserve… to have happiness." Visions of her family started flickering in her mind as she held Asahi tightly. She shivered at the coldness of the ruins around her, but with the warmth of Asahi, it felt as if she was sitting next to the fireplace in that man's hut. The feeling of comfort, and company.

Although they felt like they could stay in the position forever, they knew it was time to move on, especially Asahi. When he had parted from the meaningful embrace with Kendra, he stared through the shattered window of the stone corridor and gazed at the vast foggy expanse of the underground world behind it. It was beautiful to him. Not in a way that was appealing, but fascinating to see that…

"...an entire world can survive under here." He muttered as saw the sight of grassy plains invade his vision. "As long as I know that my old world is still alive, then… maybe I can continue on this journey."

Along his sights, he saw Kendra approach from his side. She hadn't spoken to him, but instead, she silently gazed at the sight before the window. Pillars and towers of both stone and concrete, embedded into the wall of earth, some submerged underneath vegetation.

"You know Asahi, the more that I know about you, the more that I can see past you from a god." Kendra whispered as she slid her fingers down the cold stone walls. "To me, you are more of a human than anything. One that has feelings. One that can understand how others feel, despite having not known each other for a while."

As the wind passed by and pushed his white hair back, Asahi turned around and set his sight on the optimistic blue-haired girl speaking. "It's as if… we were best friends for a while." She said, head low.

For the purpose of advancing and in the hope that they will return to the surface soon, Asahi took a long deep sigh.

Keeping a smile on his face, he replied to Kendra with a calm whisper as memories of their past flashed before both of their minds.

"Kendra, you have a pursuit to go after much like I have. You have a life ahead of you. You can choose whatever you want to do. Look, I don't want you to waste it on being in this underground expanse for the rest of your life. So…" He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, feeling hope coursing through his veins. "...let's find a way out of here. Let's not just bring you, let's try and bring everyone here so that they can find purpose and pursue their goal of finding happiness in their lives. What do you say?"

After a long silence, Kendra bounced up, straightened her posture, and answered with a loud and bright reply.

"Absolutely!"

* * * * * * *

Just before Asahi had forgotten about his followers, he and Kendra quickly sprinted back to the room. Unlike the first group, this one hadn't known that Asahi was going to bring them to the surface.

And so, as all their faces directed over to the approaching white-haired boy, Asahi revealed to them with his formal approach.

"Look, I know how long you have dwelled in here. The pain you feel is insufferable, I know it very well." The followers looked at him confused for a moment before paying him close attention, hearing what he had to say. "But allow me to guide you all to the heavens you see before the ceiling. Let your lord witness a world above this one. A beautiful world, bathed in sunshine and moonlight. For in that world, you possess the ability of choice. To find purpose among all your lives."

Kendra pretended to know what Asahi was talking about, but in reality, not even she could decipher such cryptic tongues. But alas, after moments of silence and thought, the followers flinched up in shock and quickly noticed something, completely disregarding Asahi's claim.

"Lord Asahi, it appears you are missing something."

Not long after, the followers including the brown-shield girl pointed directly to his exposed torso, just barely concealed with the brown robe he had worn. His clean skin with a long, thin tattoo embedded onto his chest that had stretched downward the waist down alarmed all of them. Immediately, one of the individuals who sported a half-stripped brown robe, took a step forward, and bowed at him with quivering arms.

"Lord Asahi, I had never thought to see the day to see your torso exposed to us." He said as he gulped down a shallow breath of worry. "Shouldn't your presence be more… of a high-standard?"

Asahi's eyes quickly expanded at the sudden realization. Although he had found Kendra, and knew a smidge on what Alaunus was, he still had not a single clue where his attire went.

(Ames.) He thought. (I still… need to find… Ames.)

Rapidly switching his position, Asahi grabbed Kendra's hand and stepped forward toward the exit of the palace. It was made of carved holes, with not a single sight of artificially-cut one's anywhere. Vines had dangled over its top, and its opening was flooded with streams of darkness. Though just before his feet even had touched just an edge of the exit, a low-pitched voice directed to him.

"Lord Asahi, stop!"

With alarm, Asahi glanced sideways and saw the same girl, sporting a shield, brown hair, and brown eyes, approaching him with five other individuals. But something caught his attention. In-between her hands was a flail, a transparent flail coated in the hue of beige. Its color, along with the other features of the attire including the significant brown scapular, had popped up in him like an imaginary spotlight. He hastily sprinted to it in relief, hearing another man's voice, sounding relatively old and brittle, echo across the walls of the ruins.

"It appears… you have lost your divine attire, Lord Asahi." He said, his head bowed down, trying to cover his vision away from seeing Asahi's exposed presence. "Of course, although some may be well off with the brown robe you have, it just doesn't match closely to the true attire you once had. I'm sure there's an explanation to this."

"Indeed, there is." Said the brown-shielded girl as she stepped forward in front of the waterfalls of faint luminance. "When we heard the dark sky all of a sudden shatter in its fault for unexpected reasons, we noticed a seemingly unconscious figure falling downward over top of a lush mountain in the distance."

Kendra, despite not being involved in this, decided it was best to listen along. She kept her mouth sealed, listening with an attentive stare as she kept close to Asahi.

As the group parted away from the natural exit embedded into the wall, they decided to walk along the hallway of glassless windows with their lord, into what could be presumed as the city's main block. There was something strange seeing such a prosperous city occupying a space so deep underground. But, seeing it through a window would do no justice.

It was already bad enough knowing that there were billions of people residing in these cities underneath a ceiling of darkness. But now, seeing that there are children here, wandering the streets, some of whom have never even seen sunlight in their lives, made the fate of the people even worse. Of course, the people residing in these nameless cities had to expand and continue the longevity of their civilization. But for five thousand years, millions not having seen the sunlight ever again, made Asahi deeply pity them.

"What did anyone do to deserve this?" He whispered as his eyes fixed at the children residing near the broken statues embedded all around the city.