"Oh almighty Adtraic family, save us!"

Icebergs shattered and plunged into the simmering sea.

Volcanoes erupted, hurling molten fury skyward.

Tsunamis roared, swallowing coastlines in their relentless surge.

Winds twisted into a furious vortex, spiraling ever tighter.

A blinding wall of light devoured the horizon.

At Gincad's edge, thousands of Rulers stood transfixed, witnessing the storm erase the world. All of them were speechless, as if captivated in the beautiful, blinding light. Some tried to soar to the stars, while others embraced it. Some even prayed to be saved by the Adtraic. But there was nothing they could do.

Then came the cries, echoing from the wall of light. The kingdom split in two as the world collapsed, with the light swallowing everything in a single, merciless gulp. Every ruler, without exception, vanished into the brilliance. Asahi's stomach twisted with nausea as he relived this core memory. It stuck to him like sap from a tree: the magenta light had devoured everything—his nation, his world, and all his anger, which remained focused on the one he had loved since the beginning. The destroyer of his world.

Aiyana.

All those rulers were gone, and yet... even after that catastrophe, there were revealed survivors such as The Greater Ruler of Weakness and Power roaming under the earth. Greater Ruler of Memories, ice, snow, fire, all these central elements, and yet only their descendants or a fraction of their former selves remained. It had come to realization that all the way since Pladtioa, the world had not been destroyed, but changed.

Changed so much that it was barely recognizable.

These eight nations...

These abandoned dimensions...

. . .

This all led to the present: an orange-haired girl kept watch over Asahi as he slept.

Her hair fell in fiery waves down her back, a testament to her lineage as a descendant of the Greater Ruler of fire.

Her attire, a vivid ensemble of black and golds, seemed to shimmer with every step she took around the room.

She was busy arranging soil canisters with nimble fingers, her movements precise and deliberate, exuding a quiet confidence.

Asahi felt warmth on his lap. A black cat had pounced on the bed, licking its paws and perking its ears.

"Master Asahi. You're awake!"

Asahi squinted, rubbed his eyes, and turned to his right.

"Ames? What are you doing... w... where am I?"

The orange-haired girl sighed and darted to the door.

"Kenneth, I think one of them awakened!"

A voice sounded out from the hallway.

"Coming, Ignatius."

As footsteps echoed on the wooden floor, Asahi hid behind his blankets with Ames, confused as to his whereabouts. Ignatius led Kenneth to the room. Several lanterns perched on the counter, with a bookshelf to his left. There were no windows, and a few potion bottles sat at the side. The temperature was oddly warm for a snowy region like this, making Asahi question his location.

"Where... am I?"

The orange-haired girl, Ignatius, overheard Asahi's complaints and explained.

"We took you to Flameweavers' Village, a place for all Flameweavers alike, or for those who seek warmth. It's near Blacksmith Haven, we usually don't figure on going there."

Ames wagged his tail and licked Asahi's ear playfully,

"You were asleep for so long, I was genuinely concerned for you, master."

"Same here," Kenneth said, his dark hair fluctuating with the warmth of the wind. "Right after your commotion, we found you on the ground. So we decided to pick you up and drop you off at my place. If you're hungry, go grab hashbrowns. They're next to you."

Just as he grabbed one, suddenly, visions flickered. A dark-haired, cyan-eyed man, a Pink-haired girl, Trid and Primrose, and Grandpa. Without those three, he...

"Oh, we should have told you from the start." Kenneth pushed and brushed his hair back and sighed, peering directly with his cyan eyes. "That man and girl are in another room. We just had enough rooms to keep you apart. I'm glad to see you all safe."

The shocking hospitality of Kenneth and Ignatius was shocking enough. The only time he received such generosity was from Trid, and yet even then, it wasn't to this extent. This led Asahi to ask.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"For about a day..." Kenneth replied, scratching his ear. "You had been asleep for so long, even the blacksmiths were concerned."

Now, before Asahi ran off. There was one thing he had to keep in mind.

"You can't rush perfection."

He had tried to save everyone, again and again, but now he recognized the pattern—the endless loop he was trapped within.

He could not afford to waste this borrowed time.

If he hoped to outmaneuver danger, he would need to act with both efficiency and cunning.

Slowly and carefully.

. . .

Once assured that Primrose, Trid, and Grandpa were safe, Asahi began to explore. Stepping outside, a stinging warmth pressed against his skin.

At first, he noticed there were enough canisters to fill a wagon.

To his right, a massive mine shaft yawned in the ice. Minecarts zipped back and forth, gathering soil from a shattered ruin buried in snow. Each cart plunged downward, collecting particles to be transformed into canisters.

The process seemed straightforward, yet Ignatius insisted on guiding him through the place.

"This is where fire canisters are produced." She said. "Legends say long ago, the Greater Ruler of Fire, Agni, had created a moon, but that was intertwined with another moon, causing fragments of it to fall to the surface. Here rests one of the molten moon fragments. While the rest is hidden in the clouds."

The idea of wielding such wonders made Asahi's head spin. He had never imagined more than one moon could grace the sky. Yet the thought stirred a memory within him.

"Back in my era, there was only one moon." He said with a closing. " My parents prohibited the creation of more than one moon. It was considered a transgression to do so. It was dangerous altogether because it attracted...these eldritch abominations..."

Suddenly, another memory blazed to life in his mind.

. . .

The Azure sun that glimmered and overlooked his world like the singular moon. It turned golden for a second before an entire storm surged in. Soon, dragons had invaded that sphere, and two glimmering stars were seen fighting these monstrosities.

First, it started with a world-eating dragon.

But almost instantly, Acheros' strength and Achlys' cunning lulled the beast into slumbers.

Then waves of enemies rained from the sea of stars, but Achlys and Acheros vanquished most, while the rest hid or were consumed.

Millennia had slipped by since Achlys and Acheros last defended the world. Their fierce guardianship sprang from duty, a promise to protect family and followers.

Now, with only Asahi and Aletha left, the world once more teetered on the edge of peril.

. . .

It was just like the battle with Alaunus—a narrow escape that hinted at even greater dangers lurking beyond. Thankfully, that threat had not yet arrived.

Asahi reacted with a muffled cough, answering as Ignatius waited for his reply.

"My parents spoke of times when they had saved the world. But I realize, we're doing their job."

"Your parents?" Ignatius replied with a sprinkle of sass. "What do you mean by your parents? Who are you?"

Ignatius and Kenneth knew little of the Second Incarnation of Gincad. If Trid were present, he would have revealed it all. Asahi, however, remained silent, descending the steel steps toward the molten moon fragment.

Now, as he gazed at a shard of the molten moon buried in ice, he remembered what Paxon had offered before fate took its turn.

"All those remaining truths will begin to surface..."

If he hoped to uncover the key to this daunting challenge of his past, he must find anything related to Paxon and learn more of his fate. He had already received so much like fighting a titanic, world-ending monster, or the Paradise buried underneath the waves. But he needed more answers. What truly happened to Paxon, and why was he the way he was?

These questions, for now, will stay surfaced in his thoughts as he saw Primrose sprint to Asahi, embracing him and crying.

"Asahi!" She cried, tears flying in her eyes. "Y...You're safe!"

"Of course I am," Asahi said with a light chuckle, watching as Ignatius and Kenneth glare at the two. "But don't call my name for everyone to hear."

"Asahi?" Ignatius mumbled as she covered her mouth. "What an interesting name." Quickly, she tossed a soil canister, and Asahi caught it. She winked as she pushed her orange hair away. "Anyways, come ask me if ya' need anything. I will be near the molten moon fragment."

As Asahi was wrestling with his inner thoughts and outer problems, Ames came and joined in on the fun, pouncing on his face and licking his paw.

"Master!"

Primrose squinted, then embraced Asahi, crying as...

"I... I thought you died. There was this man, and he had goopy arms and everything. He... I saw him kill you in my dream."

Asahi flinched in surprise. Killed? He had skirted death before, with the Orb of Immortality's rules bending at every turn, but never truly died. If he had, the unknown would have swallowed him whole. He was not meant to feel pain, yet something had malfunctioned. If rules could bend, so could reality itself.

"But it's just a dream," Asahi said, hugging Primrose as Trid and the others watched in confusion. "Nothing like reality. Say, what did the man look like?"

Primrose fell silent. She clenched her cheeks and closed her fists, mumbling as Asahi reeled back in shock.

"A man with white hair and a trident. I saw him kill everything and you."

"A man with white hair and a trident...?" Asahi said, eyes widening as a certain figure came into view. "My father?"

Primrose gulped.

"H... He's your father?"

. . .

(Several hours before...)

Clouds shrouded the sky.

Cities crumbled in destruction.

Primrose was sitting beyond reality, watching as chaos unfolded.

A white-haired man holding a trident came to invade the cities, tearing them down with purple lightning. Cars shriveled and got tossed as skyscrapers collapsed into chaos. People ran back and forth, unable to know what to do. But it was already too late. Creatures emerged from his trident, capturing the entire world in destruction. Trucks flew by and were tossed into the gargantuan vortex of carnage.

As soon as he knew it, darkness had devoured the world whole, shrinking. Then, coming from beyond, a white-haired boy floated in space, catching the asteroids and hurling them toward the white-haired man. A battle of epic proportions. A gargantuan laser erupted from the trident of the man, targeting the boy. But the boy deflected the attack and struck back at the invader.

Just as it was about to strike the boy...

. . .

(SWOOSH)

Primrose awakened from slumber, instantly running to the door with her heart palpitating roughly.

"W...What was that?" She said, remembering the tumult of the dream. After seeing that horrific event play out, Primrose came rushing to Asahi, crying with tears of guilt and sorrow.

"Asahi!"

Whatever it was, THAT very vision will continue to haunt her days to come.

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