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ALNATH'S POV
My head was still buzzing when I opened my eyes, a dull ache settling behind them as though something had been forced out and refused to return. I pressed a hand to my temple and pushed myself upright, the movement slow, and unsteady.
"What's going on… where am I?"
My voice came out rougher than I expected. The floor beneath me felt cold, solid, and the moment my eyes fixed on it, something stirred at the edge of my mind. Flashes slipped through my thoughts before vanishing just as quickly.
"What happened…?"
I tried to hold onto them, to force the memories back into place, but the harder I reached, the further they slipped. A tightness settled in my chest, frustration creeping in as nothing made sense.
"The only one who can help you recall what happened is Achernar."
A voice said, calm and soft, yet clear enough to fill the space around me.
"He is, after all, the one responsible."
I turned to check who it was.
A boy stood a short distance away, as though he had always been there. He wore a white haori lined with gold, the fabric hanging neatly around him without a single crease.
His hair fell in loose strands, a blend of gold and white that caught the light in a way that made it difficult to look away. His face, however, was hidden, obscured by a pale glow that refused to settle into clear features.
"W-who are you?"
I asked, my voice quieter now, uncertain.
He regarded me for a moment, then answered without hesitation.
"They call me the Golden One."
...
"T..the Golden One?"
I repeated and he gave a faint nod.
"What am I doing here? Where's Achernar? What did you mean, he's the cause?"
"I can't answer either question right now."
He replied calmly. I frowned, the frustration rising again.
"Why not?"
"I'm keeping my word."
His reply settled between us, leaving little room to press further.
I stayed where I was for a moment, the silence stretching as my thoughts circled back to the fragments I could still grasp. Achernar… and something about the final planet. The feeling that it mattered refused to leave.
I drew in a breath and steadied myself.
"Excuse me… I have something important to attend to. Please, pardon me."
I was still on the ground as I said it, my wings shifting behind me before spreading out. The motion felt natural and in the next moment I pushed off, lifting into the air and heading towards the exit without looking back.
"No matter what you do."
His voice followed, calm as before.
"I will always be watching."
I didn't slow. I dipped lower and picked up speed, choosing to ignore him as the distance between us grew. My focus turned inward instead, chasing the fragments of memory that kept slipping through my grasp, trying to piece together what had happened before I woke.
Something had happened, that much was certain, but the shape of it refused to settle in my mind. The more I reached for it, the more it slipped away, leaving only a lingering sense that I was missing something important.
The box.
The thought came back to me. If anything held the answer, it had to be that.
By the time I reached the final planet, a full day had passed, though it hadn't felt that long. My speed had increased without me meaning to push it, as though something ahead was pulling me closer. I could feel it now, a steady draw in my chest that grew stronger the nearer I got.
'The box.'
I found it suspended above an endless stretch of water, unmoving, untouched. The planet itself was barren, silent, offering nothing else of interest. There were no Stars here, nothing living at all, so I didn't bother searching beyond what I had come for.
I hovered for a moment, studying it, then reached out.
The instant my fingers made contact, a pale blue light spread from the surface and wrapped around me. It wasn't violent, yet I couldn't resist it. My surroundings fell away, the ocean, the sky, the planet itself, all gone in a breath.
I was pulled into something else. A wide, open expanse stretched around me, empty in a way that felt deeper than space. The colour of it was soft, almost calm, yet it carried a weight I couldn't explain.
"There you are, Alnath."
I turned at the voice.
Lord Achernar stood a short distance away.
"Lord Achernar."
I moved towards him, but the distance between us didn't change. Before I could make sense of it, my strength gave way. My knees hit the ground, and a strange pressure settled over me, not pain, but something close enough to force me down.
"Get up."
He said, his tone firm.
"Our time is limited here."
"L.."
"I have been dealing with some difficult decisions lately, and I wasn't sure which was the right one."
He said.
I studied him, unease settling in my chest.
"What happened?"
"You'll soon find out."
"H.."
"Do you remember what I told you about identifying the weaknesses in everyone you meet?"
His words stopped me. I swallowed and nodded.
"Yes."
"Then listen carefully. I'm entrusting you with mine. Only you will know it."
His voice remained steady, but there was a weight behind it now.
"No matter how many protections I've placed on myself, there is still a weakness I cannot erase. Everyone has one. Revealing it is the same as handing over your life."
I didn't speak. I could only watch him, trying to understand why he was telling me this.
"This is mine."
He continued.
"If someone were to use it against me, it would be enough to bring me down. It wouldn't end me completely… but it would be enough."
As he spoke, his body began to break apart, the edges of him thinning into faint fragments of light.
My breath caught in my throat. This can't be goodbye.
"Wait… why are you telling me this? Where are you?"
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes, a faint smile forming, calm in a way that made my chest tighten.
"You're strong, Alnath. Stronger than me. Maybe not yet… but you will be."
"Wait… Sensei, wh.."
The space around me gave way before I could finish. The moment his form started to fade completely, everything collapsed, and I was forced out.
I staggered as I returned to the ocean, the sudden shift leaving me disoriented. The water stretched endlessly beneath me once more, the sky unchanged, as though nothing had happened at all.
But the box...the white surface was no longer whole. It faded before my eyes, peeling away to reveal what lay beneath.
A sphere, black and azure, was pulsing faintly where the box had been.
Whatever it was, it connected to the message Lord Achernar encrypted.
When I raised my arm to seize the sphere, a sudden heat lanced through my palm, sharp and biting, leaving behind a mark that throbbed faintly before the pain vanished.
I stared at it, an amorphous tattoo etched into my skin, shifting with perspective, sometimes a deep azure, sometimes a void of darkness, as if the light itself couldn't decide how to colour it.
"I need to find out what happened to Achernar."
I stood, straightening my back, my fingers curling around the tattoo as if drawing strength from it.
The air shimmered, and the Golden One appeared once more.
"I have been authorised to share what transpired with you, thanks to the message he left."
"What are you waiting for, then?"
I snapped, my impatience flaring.
Instantly, electricity surged through me, wracking my body with a violent pulse from within. My vision flashed white before darkness claimed me.
"Learn some manners first, kid."
His voice echoed faintly above me as my body went limp.
To be continued...