Chapter 6: Akari’s Secret

A mysterious voice echoing in Joine’s mind

"Awaken..."

“WHA!!” Joine sprung awake, his heart pounding.

“Geez, the voice again…. I swear the voice just gets louder, like its tryna tell me something, I still don’t get where does voice are coming from”

Shaking off the lingering drowsiness, he sat up and stretched letting out a deep sigh.

"Mmm, another day, another adventure"

He glanced around, taking in the warm morning light filtering through the shelter. Then he notices, Akari was already up

“Mm seems like she’s already up and ready, well guess I should get moving too”

Joine Stretched one last time before stepping outside, and then he saw Akari, sitting on the cold, hard, ground, lost in thought

But just he was about to call out to her, his eyes caught something, her right arm, glowing with ancient, intricate runes

As Joine took a step closer, the symbols shimmered. But before he could say anything, Akari quickly pulled her sleeve down, her expression unreadable. Akari, last in words, she quickly stood up and run quickly as fast as she can.

Joine shocked

“W-What!!!”

Joine without hesitating, sprinted after Akari into the forest, leaving the shelter wide open and unprotected

Akari Breathing grows heavily “Hah… Hah… Hah…. P-please stay away from me, I’m just...”

Before she could finish, she failed to notice the sudden drop ahead, her foot slipped and tumbled off the edge of a steep hill.

“OHH!! NOOO!!! AKARI!!”

Joine’s heart pounded as panic surged through him. He had to act fast, but there wasn’t enough time. Without thinking, he pushed his body forward with all his strength, leaping off the edge and stretching his hand toward her

“Hold On”

“O-okay”

And then something happens, As Joine clutched Akari’s hand, a sudden surge of energy pulsed between them. Their arms ignited with a radiant glow, Joine’s right arm and Akari’s right arm both pulsing with ancient symbols, intertwining like threads of fate

A shockwave erupted from their contact, suspending them mid-air and everything around them froze, like time itself had stopped

“Ehhh!! What’s going on?” Akari’s panicked voice echoed through the stillness

“Geez, no need to shout”

But!! We’re literally frozen in midair!!”

“Yea, but look on the bright, side, Hehe, get it, because we’re glowing”

“This is not the time for jokes!!” Akari eye twitches

“I’m serious! At least we’re not plummeting to our deaths.”

Akari hesitated… “Okay, fair point. But what happens when time unfreezes?”

Joine paused. “Mmm… well, we’re probably screwed.”

Then, a third presence surged between them, an unseen force pressing against reality itself.

Suddenly, the magic curst on Joine right Hand, and the ancient mark on Akari right Arm, fainted slowly, then the sky split open, revealing a pair of glowing eyes, massive, endless, watching them from beyond the fabric of existence.

A voice, neither kind nor cruel, spoke with an eerie calm

“You have strayed from fate. Return… or be remade”

Before they could react, a bright light shined on them, and the world around them shattered like fragile glass.

Joine opened his eyes, gasped as he found himself standing in a temple, ancient writing embedded onto the walls. Akari was curl up on the floor, trembling

“Where are we?” Joine Muttered to himself

Joine looked, step over to her and put out his hand

“It’s gonna be ok”

Akari, suddenly, stop tremble and hold Joine by the hand, and Joine pulled her up and slap her, and smiled, she rubs her face, be she didn’t get mad or anything.

“Ow, but thanks I needed that” Akari smiled

Joine stepped closer, his gaze unwavering. "No more secrets, Akari. What are you running from?"

Finally, she exhaled. "Alright... I'll tell you everything."

"I wasn’t always alone. I come from a place that no longer exists—the city of Solmara. It was home to my people, the Luminara Order. We were guardians of the divine light, protectors of an ancient power."

She paused. eyes shadowed with old pain. "But then... they came."

Joine’s expression hardened. "Who?"

Akari swallowed. "The Voidborn, Creatures of pure darkness, they wiped us out, erased my home, my family, everything. I was the only one who survived."

Joine clenched his fists. "Then those runes... they’re not just for show, are they?"

Akari shook her head. "No. They’re a gift... but also a curse. They’re what kept me alive that night, but they also mark me as the last of my kind. If the Voidborn ever find me..."

Her voice trailed off, but she didn’t need to finish. The weight of her words settled like a storm between them.

Joine took a deep breath and then smirked. "Well, guess it’s a good thing you’re not alone anymore."

Akari blinked. "What?"

Joine crossed his arms. "You’ve been running your whole life, right? Hiding? Well, I say you stop running. If those void-whatever things are looking for you, then they’ll have to deal with me too."

For the first time in years, Akari felt something she thought she’d lost hope.

She smiled. "You really are reckless, you know that?"

Joine grinned. "I prefer ‘fearless.’"

Akari laughed softly. "Alright, fearless, then let’s face whatever comes next, ‘together."

Joine and Akari Laughed together

"By the way, Joine, I've been meaning to ask you... What's your goal? Why are you here?”

And Akari's eyes narrowed, glancing at his hand.

"That mark... what is it?"

"Damn, one question at a time, will ya?" He rubbed the back of his head. "But to start... I’m from Earth”

Akari's eyes widened. "Wait, really?! I’ve heard stories about that place! But how did you end up all the way out here?"

"Some shadow freaks broke into my house" he muttered, his voice lower, strained.

"I don’t know what they wanted, but they were after me. But before they could lay a hand on me…. The divine protection, Lumi cast around my room prevented them from entering my room whiles I was asleep, guess I got lucky”

Joine looked down, his expression darkened “B-but my sister wasn’t”

Akari gasped “wait what! You have a sister and what you mean she wasn’t”

“Those… Those!! Dam bastards took her”

“WHAT!!”

“While I was sleeping, I couldn’t do anything, my friend, Lumi tried to save her, but he couldn’t do it alone”

"Those disgusting, heartless, AARGH!! This makes me SO MAD!"

"Whoa chill out!"

Akari’s body trembled, her aura flaring wildly. "How do you expect me to chill after hearing THAT?! They took your sister!

“Yeah, I know… but right now, we need to focus on getting out of here”

“But I’ll find her. No matter what, even if I have to tear through every damn shadow in this world”

“Damn Right, hey, but who’s Lumi”

Joine smirked. “Mm, he’s a beast literally. From some ancient tribe… the Fu Ju, A powerful fox with abilities that are on a whole other level”

Akari’s eyes lit up. “Oh wow, he sounds awesome!”

Joine chuckled. “Yeah, just wait till you meet him”

Akari grinned. “Can’t wait”

“Wait Akari, you hear that”

Rrrrrrrrmmmm… Grrrkkk… Shhhkkkk… RMMMMM!

A deep, earth-shaking rumble tore through the air. The ground trembled beneath their feet

“Sounds like a bolder!!” Joine Shouted

And then it came into view.

A massive, unstoppable boulder, easily twice their size, thundered toward them, there was no way around it. No space to dodge.

Their backs hit the cold, unyielding wall of stone behind them, ‘Trapped’.

“This is the end…” she whispered, already accepting her fate.

“NO! I refuse to believe that!!” he roared, his voice echoing through the temple hall

There had to be a way. A chance, even without powers, there had to be something.

The boulder thundered closer………. and Then

To be continued….