The Decaying monsters' formless skin dripped and oozed with their every step. Each leg and tendril squirmed and writhed, sliding over the transforming land, relentless and grotesque.
They lifted their heads. A series of guttural growls and snarls poured out, their piercing crimson gazes shooting and targeting the girls.
"TRAITOR!"
As the deep reverberating monstrous noises echoed across the forest, Aletha and Alai took off running across the hills of Alpine Glitterfly Range, trying to distance themselves and the monsters as much as possible.
While they ran, Aletha tried to maintain a facade of normalcy. By focusing on normalcy, she hoped to keep herself and Alai calm, finding some sense of control in chaos.
"The Decaying?!" she screamed, her tendons tight in panic. "What are The Decaying?!"
Before Alai could finish her sentence, the monsters aggressively pried open their broken jaws and extended their goopy tendrils to the ground, violently tearing each branch apart and climbing over cliffs.
Filthy muck spewed from their flesh, poisoning the flowers and bristles.
They anchored their sharp tendrils into the ground and closed their gaze on the target. Then, as Aletha stumbled on their position, the Decaying monsters speedily launched themselves into the air, drilling and flailing their melting bodies like birds.
At a glance, all their bodies swooped and flew high before they inevitably crashed into trees, forcing many to topple down like dominoes.
Aletha and Alai quickly leapt over a small cliff, stumbling over rocks and tree roots as they landed. The monsters dribbled down the hills behind them, hissing and screaming.
Noticing this, Aletha gasped, her breath bursting out ragged with pain and fear. Even as she watched the monsters tumble, the relentless cacophony of their inhuman screeches closed in, making her heart pound wildly against her ribs.
With the creatures hurtling toward her, Aletha's instincts kicked in. Action was her only option now.
Without thinking, she cartwheeled gracefully, white hair swirling, and landed nimbly on one foot.
Aletha landed on the flexible dirt, breath unsteady and anxiety peaking. But she pressed on.
Once she landed, Aletha carefully locked her eyes on the monsters she narrowly avoided. She grinned, relief washing over her, even as her heart still raced.
"I… I did it." Aletha said, her heartbeat racing almost out of control. "I'm alive."
Just as she thought she was safe, five more dark, muddy puddles appeared around her.
Tendrils scratched and grappled onto the ground, allowing dark humanoid monsters to propel toward the surface. Landing on all fours, all the Decaying monsters prowled over to Aletha.
"Traitors! Traitors of all! The Second Incarnation is wiped. Our kingdoms have gone!" They screamed as they cornered Aletha near a considerably tall cliff. "Your family ARE traitors!"
Aletha's heart pounded as the words 'Second Incarnation' resonated within her. A flash of disjointed memories rushed into her mind—images of grand, shining kingdoms and fragments of laughter and joyous gatherings. But just as quickly as the memories came, they faded into shadows, leaving behind a haunting sense of loss and betrayal.
"My family… traitors? Second incarnation!? What do you mean!? I-I never remembered my family being traitors!" Aletha screamed, trembling so hard her voice cracked, her limbs shivering with terror. "S-Stay back! I am Aletha: The Goddess of Truth! If you dare lay a finger on me… I… I-I…"
://"SILENCE!"://: The creatures interrupted her.
Aletha's eyes shrank at the deep, guttural voices of the creatures. She rooted her feet onto the ground in pure terror. Slowly, she shrank into her knees, feeling the cliff's edge pinch her.
The monsters straightened their postures, rising to stand on two legs. Aletha began to plead, her voice stuttering, her fear plain.
"Alai… w-where are you? I'm scared. I'm so weak." Her voice broke as she barely held back a sob. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for this. What are these things?! What do they want from me?"
As the creatures crept closer to Aletha, moving with a limp and walking upright like humans, Alai sprinted from behind and saw the scene unfolding.
"Aletha!" She hollered with shrunken eyes, reaching over with heavy breathing.
Despite hearing her name, Aletha squeezed her eyes shut, paralyzed by utter dread as the monster's hot, sticky breath crawled across her neck. Her heart crashed hopelessly against her chest; terror overwhelmed her, and she surrendered utterly, arms limp at her side.
As Aletha quivered and froze, feeling her arms and body rooted to her spot, memories began flooding her mind.
* * * * *
://:// "Behold, the second child of our family… Aletha Adtraic: The Goddess of Truth!" ://://
A tall, honorable man with white hair and multi-colored eyes came into view. Although the memory was blurry, Aletha's mind could conjure a vivid setting of a vast audience and a floating white kingdom. The cloth covering her cradle finally blew away with the wind, revealing the baby to the world. Upon recalling this event, Aletha let out a subdued laugh, mumbling without thinking.
("Father…")
As time passed, the memory faded like a photograph left out in the sun. Then, another wave of memories surged in her.
Aletha remembered playing in the forest with her sister. The siblings chased each other, laughing until their sides hurt—a pure memory, bright and vivid.
She recollected the smell of her mother's cooking, the taste of her father's delicacies on Sunday mornings, and the sound of their laughter around the dinner table. Her pained smile widened as her mind recollected the ceremonies and gatherings her family and the lesser gods did, gazing at the kingdoms below.
(W-What is this?) Aletha asked herself with curiosity. (W… What are these…)
But that didn't stop the flood of recollections.
Even as terror twisted her insides and monstrous shadows loomed near, Aletha let the flood of memories wash over her, clinging to each fragment of warmth as if it could shield her from the nightmare.
Other memories came too - memories of heartbreak and loss, of feeling alone with an ability she can not share, and worse, tragedies that served as nothing but blurry thoughts.
"://: THEY ARE LYING! She's lying!://" A younger and furious, desperate voice of Aletha screamed in the darkness. "W-Why can't I tell them? Why can't I use my ability!? I know what horrible things they are hiding! So, why can't I tell them the truth about everything? Why can't I tell them the truth about…://"
Truth.
It's what everyone fears the most.
Some avoid it, others accept it, and most despise it.
Truth may be a good thing, Aletha.… An unfamiliar, deep feminine voice whispered. But it's the lies we live off of that brighten the dark reality we all come to face. Aletha listened to these words, feeling a knot forming in her stomach. The idea of relying on lies to survive unsettled her, conflicting with her very essence as the Goddess of Truth. Part of her wanted to reject this notion entirely, to cling to the belief that truth, even when painful, was the path to righteousness. Yet, she couldn't ignore the world around her, where deception seemed to shield people from unbearable realities. In this moment, Aletha found herself torn, as though two opposing forces were waging war within her soul. Standing at this crossroads, she questioned if the truth she always cherished could truly coexist with the lies that softened their harsh existence. A silent rebellion brewed within her, challenging the very foundation of what she once knew to be true.
://://:
Although the memory was faint and hard to see, the voices from the flood of recollections could be heard as clear as day.
"Lying? Now, sweetie. Why would your parents lie to you?" A motherly voice coaxed Aletha as she hovered her palm over her face. "Your father and I have watched you grow ever since you were just a little seedling. We would NEVER lie to you. Although you are all-knowing of truth, you must keep in mind that no other person knows you more than me, your father, and yourself."
The memory slowly cleared up, revealing a beautiful woman sitting next to a little girl. The woman's long, white hair shimmered like the puffy clouds drifting across the sky; her skin was clean and milky, like the shining texture of the floor, and her eyes were beautiful, like her daughter's.
Young Aletha's wide, innocent pupils widened at the realization of her mother's words. Tears filled and streamed from her eyes as she felt her mother's warmth press against her head.
"R... Really?" The little girl asked her mother innocently.
The mother slowly scratched and groomed Aletha's hair, nodding her head and answering with her soothing voice.
"Mhm. I know more of your life than yourself." She said jokingly with a soft chuckle. As the sun filtered and shone through the windows, the mother leaned over to Aletha's ear and softly whispered. "A parent's biggest fear is not being able to witness their children fulfill their dreams. Though there may be exceptions and expectations, in the end, most parents desire to be proud to see their children healthy and thriving."
As the beautiful, tall woman, bearing a sleek, unearthly black suit, escorted Aletha over to her room, she hovered her glove over the little girl's head and whispered.
"Look, my sweet little angel. I don't want to see you weak. No one does. What I desire... is to see you become strong like your father and me; To be an individual who treats others how they want to be treated, to be a person who can see the best out of everyone. It is your father and my duty to raise our children and hope for them to become the highest they can be."
As young Aletha slowly rested against her mother's lap, she slowly comforted her with rubs and lowered her voice to an even gentler tone.
"Nonetheless, that is a decision only you can make. We can't force you to become that. As you grow up, you will realize that your parents' lessons form the foundation of your life. One day, I want to see you and your brother become what your father and I could not. I want to see you and your brother eclipse and overtake us. I want to see you reach heights higher than we could ever achieve. Because that's what raising a life is all about. I say all of this... because I love you."
As the mother's palms lit up in a bright white flash, four floating orange orbs appeared in thin air.
://:///:
Thereafter, the memory abruptly flashed to another.
. . .
"Were these memories lies? Or were they truths?" These two questions mysteriously blared over Aletha's mind as she experienced this.
Just before Aletha thought it was over, a dark and stormy memory suddenly replaced the previous recollection like a thunderbolt.
. . .
The rain came down in sheets, drumming against the rooftops and the pavement with relentless intensity. The drops were heavy and thick, each one like a tiny hammer striking the ground below. The sound was almost deafening, drowning out all other noises and filling the air with foreboding.
The atmosphere in the divine castle was tense, the air heavy with anger and frustration.
A huge argument was brewing between the father, mother, sister, and brother, their voices rising above the howling winds and the rain pounding against the castle walls.
The father's face was contorted with rage, his voice booming like thunder as he shouted accusations at his family members.
":///:/, you DO NOT lash out your anger at our children!" A furious, profound voice hollered to someone, his voice echoing across a hallway. "They don't deserve it! None of them… deserve the torment you have given them. It's unjust. It's inhumane. Tell me. What is the motive behind all the :///:// that has been done to our children?"
The mother's eyes blazed with fury, and her words cut like knives as she retorted.
"I would never do such nightmarish things, ://://." The white-haired woman said, crossing her arms. "Only a demon could think of doing that."
"Are you positive!?" The father unbearably raised his voice at her with a mighty stomp of his feet. "I don't want monsters in our family, nor do I want liars. You are my wife. It is only natural that I trust you as much as Aletha and Asahi."
The sister and brother were caught in the middle, trying to mediate and calm the situation, but their efforts only seemed to fan the flames of the conflict.
As the argument escalated, lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the room in a bright, blinding light. The thunder that followed shook the castle to its foundations, adding to the already chaotic and confused atmosphere.
Despite the stormy night outside, the real tempest was happening inside the castle, projecting its gaze over a prosperous kingdom.
The family members shouted and argued, each one trying to make their voice heard over the others. It was a scene of utter chaos, a family falling apart before their very eyes.
"NO! Mom is hiding something!" Young Aletha screamed, tears of frustration and disbelief streaming from her eyes. "She is lying! She did that horrible stuff to my brother AND me! She has a hatred. She's broken! Her mind is broken! The truth of her past is--
Without remorse, the mother violently pushed her daughter down to the ground and covered her mouth, saying.
"SILENCE!" She interrupted as she hovered her magic-imbued hand over her daughter's face. "No one deserves to see the truth, not even my daughter or husband."
"This is WEAKNESS!" The father shouted at his wife with his sharp and direct voice, slamming his fist and pushing the woman away from Young Aletha and Asahi. "I didn't agree to marry a WEAK woman! I remember marrying an angel, NOT a monster. Now. Tell us the truth. Tell us the truth behind all of your actions! Don't hide it. If we can't remember it, your guilt surely will."
Instead of replying, the mother raised her hands, and a shimmering aura surrounded her. Her eyes glowed with an otherworldly light as she began to chant in a language her family had never heard before.
As she continued to chant, the air around them grew thick with palpable energy, and they felt a strange sensation in their minds.