Azriel's eyes fluttered open, his body aching as he lay sprawled on cold, uneven stone. The air around him was thick with the scent of damp wood and old incense. Slowly, he pushed himself up, taking in his surroundings. He was in a run-down Japanese-style temple, its once-elegant shoji screens torn and faded, letting thin slivers of pale morning light seep through the gaps. Wooden beams overhead creaked, weathered, and worn, and the tatami mats beneath him were frayed, patches of moss creeping up their edges. A faint breeze whispered through the cracked walls, carrying with it a ghostly chill that seemed to sink into his bones. Shadows lingered in the corners of the room, and though the place felt abandoned, an uneasy silence hung in the air as if the temple itself was watching, waiting.
Azriel's gaze settled on a doorway across the room, slightly ajar and barely holding onto its hinges. Through the narrow opening, he could see a soft, pale light spilling in from outside, illuminating specks of dust that floated lazily in the air. The sight was strangely inviting, a beacon in the quiet desolation of the temple. He rose to his feet, steadying himself as he took a step toward it, the worn floorboards creaking beneath him.
"Maybe that's the way out," he murmured to himself, eyes fixed on the light.
Azriel moved cautiously toward the doorway, his steps soft on the creaking wooden floor. The dim light filtered through the torn shoji screens and cast long shadows across the room, highlighting faded calligraphy scrolls still clinging to the walls. The air was thick with an earthy scent, laced with a faint hint of old incense, as though remnants of past rituals lingered in the silence. He brushed past an empty alcove where a small, dusty altar sat neglected, its offerings long since crumbled to dust.
Reaching the doorway, he peered out. Beyond the worn wooden frame lay a stone path leading into a mist-laden courtyard, where moss had overtaken the ancient stone lanterns standing solemnly among the trees. A weathered torii gate loomed in the distance, half-covered in vines, marking the temple's threshold to the world outside. Azriel took a deep breath, the chill of the morning air grounding him.
"This place feels familiar," he whispered, hesitating for just a moment before stepping through the doorway and into the mist.
As Azriel stepped through the doorway and out into the mist, the sight before him stole his breath. The forest dropped away sharply, giving way to an expanse of floating islands suspended in the sky, each one adrift in a vast sea of clouds. Towering cliffs dotted with waterfalls hung in midair, the streams cascading into nothingness before they transformed into a glistening mist. Strange, ethereal birds soared between the islands, their cries echoing faintly in the open sky.
"I… I'm…" He tried to find words, but his voice caught in his throat. He took a shaky step forward, gripping the edge of the temple's stone path. This wasn't some hidden glade or secluded mountain; he was somewhere he had known. Stories he had always read since he was a teenager.
"This… isn't possible," he whispered.
"Except it is great-grandson," a deep, resonating voice intoned from behind him, filled with both warmth and ancient weight.
Azriel froze, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as the familiar voice washed over him, rich and grounding. Slowly, he turned around, his breath catching as he faced the source. Standing there, framed by the faded doorway of the temple, was his great-grandfather, a figure he'd only known through memories and old photographs. The man's form was imposing yet gentle; he was wearing dark, comfortable pants that allowed for easy movement, a long robe-like jacket that draped over his shoulders, the fabric adorned with shimmering stars and swirling nebulae designs across the cloth as if he stole a fragment of the night sky. His great-grandpa oddly looked as young as him.
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"Great-grandpa…?" Azriel's voice was barely a whisper, his disbelief giving way to a flood of emotion. The old man, or rather a young man, smiled, his eyes filled with kindness and a deep, knowing spark.
"Yes, Azriel. It's been some time," he replied, folding his hands in his sleeves.
"How..?"
"I don't have the time to explain," Arthur responded. "Welcome to Astraquilla Azriel."
"It's real, Astraquilla is real; your stories are real," Azriel said with some happiness in his voice. "Why..?"
"Why what?" Arthur asked.
"Why did you send me here? What is with a crazy door?"
"Okay, slow down, Azriel,'" Arthur said with calm in his voice. "First, I can't explain anything about the door."
"What is the second reason?"
"I sent you here to find a new reason to live," his great-grandfather said, his gaze steady and unwavering.
"What… what do you mean by that?" he asked, confusion twisting his voice as he felt a knot tighten in his chest. "I had a life back home. I don't understand…why bring me here?"
His great-grandfather's expression softened a gentle sadness in his eyes.
"Azriel, you've been wandering through life, bound by duty and routine, but without direction, without purpose. The spark you once had has dimmed. I could feel it from beyond." He gestured toward the vast sky, the islands hovering like ancient guardians of secrets long forgotten. "This place, this world, holds challenges and truths beyond what you've ever known. But more than that, it holds pieces of yourself you have yet to uncover."
. "You mean…you think I can find that here?" Azriel looked down, his thoughts a chaotic swirl
"Not just here," he said, with a small smile played on his great-grandfather's lips. "but within yourself." He placed a hand on Azriel's shoulder, and suddenly, the warmth of his touch felt grounding, as real as anything in Azriel's old life. Azriel closes his eyes and breathes, calming his heart.
"Will you trust me, great-grandson, and take this journey?"
"Yes, I will, Grandpa," Azriel answered with complete confidence in his crimson eyes.
"Then know what the first step is," Arthur said, pointing towards the temple. "It's safe in there."
Azriel looked at his great-grandfather, feeling the weight of the unspoken words between them, then glancing back at the worn, shadowed interior of the temple. He took a step toward the entrance, his heart pounding, but he paused, turning back one last time.
"Great-Grandpa… I just wanted to say… I love you. Thank you for everything." His voice wavered, the words heavy with gratitude and a longing he hadn't realized he'd been carrying.
"I love you too, Azriel. I always have." Arthur's warm smile broke across his face. His figure seemed to shimmer slightly in the morning light, like a memory half-forgotten and half-remembered, and then his great-grandfather vanished.
Azriel gave a small nod to the empty air, holding back the well of emotion building inside him, and turned toward the temple. He stepped through the doorway, the cool air enveloping him as shadows embraced him once more. The quiet within the temple felt different, no longer ominous but inviting as if the walls held secrets meant just for him. He took one breath, remembering the beginning of Tales of Astraquilla, his great-grandfather's first step in this world.
"Begin [System Integration]!"