"Else whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire, This longing after immortality? Or whence this secret dread, and inward horror, of falling into naught?"
It said as it dragged its lengthy glowing spear against the floor.
" Why shrinks the soul back on itself, and startle at destruction? 'Tis the divinity that stirs within us, this heaven itself, that points out a hereafter!"
From its loud, booming voice, the vision of the realm beyond the portal wall flickered between brown grass and stars, and snow-white clouds and golden stone repeatedly.
At the corner of Asahi's eye, he caught people stopping themselves from being taken away by the portal, leaving them to run to their god with desperation as The Guardian pointed its spear at him.
"Tis heaven itself, that points out a hereafter, And intimates eternity to man." It said as Asahi dodged its dancing swings. "Eternity! Thou pleasing, dreadful thought!"
(Eternity?) Asahi mumbled as he tried to keep up with The Guardian's movements. (What do they mean… by Eternity?)
He looked around and saw the surrounding "painting-like essence" flicker continuously until thousands of people ran over and began floating across the expanse.
He couldn't believe his eyes.
"No. How… did they…"
Among that line of people was a familiar face bearing brilliant azure hair and cyan eyes.
"Asahi!" She screamed with remorseful tears in her eyes.
From her footsteps, a pained look came through. Asahi drew his eyebrows together as he kept his eyes on the approaching girl, offering her a relieved smile, when The Guardian abruptly froze in place.
"Kendra…" Asahi mumbled quietly. (My emotions are getting tampered with by this supernatural feeling. I know it.)
Finally, seeing the glistening azure eyes that the maid had borne, Asahi fabricated an anticipated conclusion.
There was no reason to fight anymore. There was no reason for him to needlessly scavenge and observe every flying face that came Asahi's way.
Because the friend that Asahi was looking for throughout these hours of senseless flight had already approached him.
Once their hands had intertwined, Kendra pulled Asahi up from his dumbstruck position and led him away from the walls of the funnel.
Although the situation ahead of them may have been dangerous and peculiar, the two kept smiles of confidence stuck on their faces, their position ahead of them unpredictable.
"Asahi. There you are." Kendra said, keeping her breathing under control. "I… don't know where I am. I don't know what's going on. But at least I found you."
When they had finally distanced themselves away from the deceptive wall of rippling essence, The Guardian bore no heed for mercy.
In one fell swoop, it launched itself into the air and extended seven cyan-painted wings into the starry ceiling. Then, as it caught Asahi and Kendra sprinting away into the center of the funnel of illusions, The Guardian hoisted its glowing spear upward and forced it to fracture into four pieces.
Kendra and Asahi were caught off guard by its actions, watching as the floating pieces drifted away, mingling with the sparkling essence that encircled them.
"Is that... what is that?" Kendra mumbled, obviously, as Asahi tightened his grip.
"I have no idea," Asahi replied, as his eyes watched the four parts spin and transform into an oval shape. "But I say, we should… MOVE!"
After Asahi uttered that, he forcefully pushed Kendra and himself away.
From their narrow dodge, laser beams flew from the direction of the spear and struck through the space, causing a tiny void to appear at its impact zone. Both their bodies shuddered in fear from the world-thundering sound. They were frightened just by that, but also by the sheer power of those lasers and what had floated in front of them.
"WHAT ON EARTH IS THAT!?" Kendra screamed as her heart skipped a beat.
Surrounding The Guardian… were four floating gigantic eyeball-shaped creatures with wheels within wheels of diamond, golden, and eyes encircling and overlapping each other.
The entire fabric of existence rippled with each movement it made.
At the center of the alien-like beings were silhouettes of an infant, blaring a loud symphony of what sounded like trumpets in every corner of reality.
"???" They sounded with ear-trembling honors as they floated in front of Asahi and Kendra.
In reaction, both of them caved their chests inward in dread of the four creatures. Despite their menacing, terrifying forms, only The Guardian seemed to be in control of them.
Chains locked tightly onto those four creatures, forcing them to unleash unimaginable power onto Asahi and Kendra.
The creatures hollered as their wheels illuminated with a divine glow.
Golden lasers shot from the aliens' pupils toward all the footsteps Asahi and Kendra were to take.
Voids of proportions opened in the transparent floor, swallowing the luminance before closing.
They sealed their lips shut as they ran for their lives, powerless in this situation.
After bouncing from corner to corner of the shrinking, blurry funnel of illusions, the people scrambled around as The Guardian struggled to catch Asahi and Kendra.
But before any creatures could disassemble or part from The Guardian, it viciously hoisted its shining gauntlet up into the air and uttered cryptic sayings.
"An Eternal is an Eternity, but an Eternity can NOT be Eternal!"
An illumination expanded from above the ceiling of stars and luminance.
Time itself came to a standstill, and Asahi and Kendra dropped to their knees, out of breath.
Their expectations darkened into anxiety as the sound of wheels grazing against solid ground disturbed their ears.
They bowed their head to the approaching monstrosities, sweat sliding down their face, keeping a vacant stare at the situation before them.
And yet, even with such despair dawning on them, not once had they truly looked away at the face of danger.
The Guardian stood close and twirled its spear, and danced with the other angels. Asahi closed his eyes and pushed himself up, tossing the weight of anxiety out of him.
Staring at the panorama before him, he noticed that the sea of brown grass grew more apparent, revealing an endless expanse of stars on the horizon.
Though he may be clueless about what kind of realm it was, all he had cared about was getting Kendra back up to the surface and finding his lost sister.
Memories dawned on him as he rooted his feet into the ground.
From the Ancient Golem to the opening of the ravine, to being captured in a cage, and wandering through buried kingdoms.
To tell stories of a dragon and a swallowing night sky, to raise everyone's hopes, to promise everyone to the surface, to encounter monsters, and to even encounter an alien cosmic knight.
To find a mysterious power, to use it, and save their lives.
All of those memories had come to fruition.
With nothing else to do, Asahi and Kendra tilted their heads toward the floating eyeball creatures and slowly anchored their gaze on the growing luminance.
Everyone stood helplessly, in shock, as the funnel grew and flickered to random areas in rapid patterns.
"Lord Asahi, no!"
"Please, don't give up, my Lord!"
"We want you to live!"
"Why are you hopeless?"
"You are The Ruler of Hope!"
They were right. Asahi was supposed to be the Ruler of Hope. And yet… here he was in this situation, standing in front of a friend, powerless as they watched their lives pass through their eyes.
. . .
. . .
However, deep in his thoughts, remembrances arose.
. . .
Remembrances from long ago and present.
. . .
"Though we have our differences, we all pursue this striving to find happiness in our lives."
. . .
Asahi's eyes flashed with remorse. Even if he were stuck in this hopeless situation, one spark remained in the darkness of despair. Another memory flashed in him.
. . .
"The only true gift one receives… is their birth."
. . .
Kendra's eyes trembled before the approaching four creatures; her life flashing before her eyes.
. . .
"Sometimes life isn't about what's occurring in your head. It's about how you treat others and face life's challenges for your dreams."
. . .
Just as the angels were about to unleash their attack on Asahi and Kendra, dark magenta eyes suddenly appeared. Emerging from a dark figure, she floated before the funnel, veiled in a dark mist, carefully observing the situation before her.
. . .
"Dear, you have been given a beautiful gift…"
. . .
The creature's eyes alight at their max capacity, feeling their bodies yanked from the chains attached to The Guardian's gauntlets.
. . .
"A glorious and miraculous present on which we call life. It's an experience that contains both good and evil, problems and solutions, and questions and answers. It's something that every god, monster, or human in existence should ALL appreciate."
. . .
Suddenly, from beyond the thick wall of flickering blur and visions, a magenta luminance emerged, arising at the command of a slender, pale hand adorned with four thick, dark rings on each of her four fingers. It extended from the funnel onto the floor, grappling the floating wheel creatures one by one.
. . .
"Always remember this little one…"
. . .
In the heat of the moment, the trumpet blaring stopped.
The glow that floated around the creatures' pupils and wheels immediately dissipated as the magenta stream of luminance branched and extended to every corner of the funnel of flickering realms.
Upon that reaction, Asahi and Kendra raised their eyebrows and exchanged questioning glances.
(What... is that?) Asahi thought.
People from all around watched in awe as the streams of magenta light roared and soared in circles of rapidity.
The Guardian lowered their spear and looked up in confusion, seeing nothing but the starry ceiling and thousands of magenta strings invading the portal.
. . .
"That no matter the problems you are in…"
. . .
With each second, Asahi and Kendra slowly lifted themselves from the ground, watching as the ground beneath them reflected the swirling light encircling them.
Asahi clasped his hands under his chin, his fingers forming a praying gesture in response to this miraculous phenomenon.
While Kendra covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes widened and shone with a sense of hope.
. . .
"... the dangers and miracles you make…"
. . .
The Guardian shook its head, and it relinquished its spear, acknowledging the devastating power around it.
Though its face may have been veiled, its body language alone shows that it had given up.
Slumped shoulders, dropped arms, wobbly legs. Asahi stood flabbergasted upon seeing the powerful enemy fall to the ground.
"What is it doing?"
The arising hope shining with excellent transparency urged The Guardian to unshackle the angels from their own chains, releasing them back to whence they came from.
"Be free, my angels," The Guardian whispered as they watched the wheeled beings vanish into the wall of rippling landscapes. "For no one will be afraid of you no longer."
Once the last angel had disappeared into the funnel, it released one last sound of its trumpet before leaving The Guardian alone.
After Asahi and Kendra watched as all angels departed, the Guardian retrieved its spear, and with all their strength, they rushed to the two with brutal force.
Kendra immediately jolted upward and rushed in front of Asahi. The Guardian stopped for a moment before increasing the energy drawing within the spear, charging with absolute force.
"Kendra! What are you doing?"
As his confused scream echoed across the vortex, everyone around them dashed in front of Asahi, disregarding their lives just for him.
"Protecting you!"
Forebodings possessed Asahi as his eyes fixed on the wall of followers standing before him. He had this urge to sprint over and protect them, but instead was faced with the smattering realization that they contained so much respect for him that they would go out of their way to stand in front of them.
As The Guardian's spear neared closer and closer to the wall of individuals, something was caught in the corner of everyone's eye.
The thick luminescent magenta strings attached themselves to the rippling wall of the vortex like spiderwebs, expanding with each stretch. The Guardian's attention was stolen. With haste, it lowered its spear and stomped its foot on the ground, speechless.
Kendra hurriedly took two steps backward, raising her eyebrows. Great shuddering seized them both.
In a frenzied motion, the magenta strings sent the rippling wall of the realm outward.
The Guardian took its authority and rooted its feet firmly in the ground. The group remained stagnant, goaded on by the disappearing sense of false gratification.
"The heavens are collapsing!" One of them uttered.
Suddenly, the magical strings took a noticeable maneuver and breached through the portal. With each push of the glowing strings, the flashing visions flickered back to the sight of the nearly endless sea of stone, ruins, and darkness.
The Guardian shook its head and charged at Asahi and Kendra, increasing its pace as it flapped its wings.
Yet the funnel continued to expand and stretch like a balloon, unable to withstand the pressure pushing against it.
As time slowed down, and everyone's eyes froze in this perspective of Asahi, one last saying resonated in his mind.
. . .
"... except yourself."
. . .
In an instant, the entirety of the funnel of illusions shattered to pieces, causing the sight of the realm to dissipate back into the underground caverns.
Darkness and fog once again enveloped the place.
The swirling stars and glitter faded along with the magenta strings.
Asahi, Kendra, and the other followers were left alone, watching as The Guardian got forcibly knocked back by a shockwave, falling several meters out to the cavern.
The Vortex of Living Things miraculously ended. Asahi stood in stunned silence, his chest heaving with relief as the chaos gave way to a profound stillness.
Around him, the followers slowly looked up from where they had sheltered themselves, their expressions shifting from fear to disbelief and finally to joy.
The air was rife with whispered reassurances and tentative laughter. Kendra, her cheeks streaked with tears, managed a trembling smile and reached for Asahi's hand.
The once oppressive caverns now echoed with the sounds of a reborn hope, the promise of a new beginning whispering through the air like a gentle breeze.