Ar tonelico : Another World

It was a sunny day. The Reyvateils from Metafalss who have successed to create Metafalica was going to meet at the castle's library. It was all because of Shun and Frelia's request. They were trying to search for a certain book in the castle's library, which is hidden and which have many books, mostly ancient books. And since Cocona, Cloche, Luca, and Jakuri were all free and interested, they agreed to come to help. Well, not 100% to help Shun and Frelia, though... Jakuri goes with her curiousity about ancient knowledge and stories while Cocona wanted to gather information about Sol Cluster.

Okay, so here they are now...

" Just where is the library?" Jakuri asked impatiently.

" Can you wait patiently? I am going to open the secret passage into the library...," Shun answered.

" Secret passage? Why?" Cocona asked.

" Well, because there are many important books saved there, so we decided to hide them.. Only a few people who know about this fact," Shun tried to open the secret passage.

" Indeed," Cloche added.

" Leyka has showed me the library once before!" Luca added.

" Okay, come here!" Shun opened a big wall which became a passage now. They came in and Shun closed the passage back.

They entered into a room with red old door and once they were in, they were fascinated by the big room filled with big bookshelves with old books in it. The room was a bit messed up and some part of the room has dust too.

Fastly, Jakuri and Cocona entered the room and went to search for the books they were intending to search. It seems like they have forgotten their real purpose, to help Shun and Frelia found the book they searched for.

" So, what's the title?" asked Luca.

" Well, it's an old book about ancient Metafalss... I remember that it has many important information," Shun answered in details.

" It'll be a bit hard," Frelia added.

"Okay, let's part and search for the book!" Luca answered and they all searched in different locations. Including the books that are messed on the floor.

1 hour later...

" Argh... Just where is the book!" Cloche shouted in her frustation.

" Just let's look carefully again...," Luca opened an old book and then closed it back.

" I found many interesting books here," Jakuri answered from the other shelf.

" We are searching for one certain, thick book...," Frelia added, but Jakuri isn't listening. She was busy with her books.

"Oops!" They heard Cocona's voice from the corner and deeper shelf, followed with the sound of falling books, "BRUK!" The others spontaneously came to Cocona.

" Are you okay?" Luca asked Cocona.

" Uhm, yeah... hehe, I was a bit careless back then...," Cocona patted her head with her right hand. She looked at her left hand, which touched a dusty book. She wiped the dust with her hand and grab the book, " Hey, what's this?"

" Let me take a look,"Jakuri received the book and tried to analyze the book from its cover, "The title is blurry... i..el... I couldn't read it..." Frelia took it from Jakuri and opened it, "Uhm... Story of the Hidden World..."

"Hidden world?" Cocona asked.

" Do you know about it?" Cloche asked Frelia and Shun.

" Uhm... vaguely... I forgot... Sorry," Frelia answered with guilty face.

" Whoops, never mind that! It's not your fault that you can't remember about it," Luca cheered Frelia.

" Let's just read that, then...," Shun added.

"Okay...," Luca started to read the book.

o0o

Long, long time ago... There were 4 towers in this world. This story will focus on one of the tower or world. It is a world that connects all of the 3 towers and take care of the balance in the world.

There were many people living there. The technologies were so awesome and fascinating. But no one would ever thought that because of this fact, this world would change much after that. This world can also be said as the first one to stand well.

The world uses a government system. The administrator of the tower is the main sovereign and she usually chooses some trusted people to help her running the government or to teach the newly maiden. So, the 'maiden' is one of the administrator's helper. Not much people obeyed the maiden, especially when they thought that the maiden doesn't suit them at all.

And it all begins at the 15th Maiden's period. At her period, people were so cruel and the world wasn't so secure or peaceful. The government's aim was wrong at that time. They only aimed for popularity and technologies, also the people. They never thought of the quality of their residents.

The 15th Maiden, Manaf Aina Lunateilya was born in a loving family and she has been taught about kindness. The world at her period was reckoned as world without kindness by Manaf. And when she was baptized to officially become the 15th Maiden at her 17th birthday, she has made a vow to change the world. And thus, people started to hate her. She tried and tried to change the world into a better world. She had counted the percentage of people who are still kind, excluding children were only about 28%.

Years passed by. Although married, Manaf didn't have any child yet her husband died because of people's rebel and crazy deeds. She still tried her best to change the world, but kindness only covered 30% of the world after her tries.

One day, she found a girl and adopted that girl as her daughter. She chose to live in a village near the capital to show her sincerity to change the world and to rebel the government. But she died in an incident when her adopted daughter was about to be 9 years old.

At the age of 9, Ai (the false or nickname of her adopted girl) was taken to the castle to get education to be the next candidate of the maiden. She was treated cruel by the administrator's assistants.

At the age of 13, Ai still remembered Manaf's doctrines and started to rebel. She became angry when people started to go berserk and couldn't forgive them. She enraged and destroyed the current capital of the world, Sveinrr. She also managed to destroy some other contaminated areas. The government then sealed her in another dimension called Abyss.

Thereafter, a big war happened in the country between the residents. The administrator then recognized Manaf and Ai's warning and admitted them to be correct. She stopped the war at last, but the war has made many people died. She decided to strictly punish the bad people and decided to hide the world from the 3 other towers in case something happened.

The administrator tried to change the world and finally, the world turned out to be a good place which focused on the quality of people and their lifes, quantity doesn't matter anymore. It took a long time to turn to be reality, but Manaf and Ai's wishes have come true.

Now, many people have forgotten about this world.

...END.

Author's note : I am writing this story based on reality and it's up to you whether you are going to believe it or not. I hereby convey my apology to Ai with this book.—Zen.

o0o

" Is this story really true?" Cocona asked after Luca read the book.

" Of course not, it's just absurd," Shun answered clearly.

" Hmm, I have forgotten about it already... My memories are vague," Frelia replied.

" And Shurelia never said anything to me about this story," Jakuri added, "so this must be just a folklore. Case closed."

" Aw boo...," Cocona was disappointed. It must be exciting if this storybook is true...

Luca closed the book and put it back in the shelf.

" Let's continue to search for the book already," Cloche added, " I am getting tired and it's so hot here..."

" About that," Shun answered, "we've found it... among the fallen books."

Hence, they started to walk to the exit door again.

" Aw boo... that story is real!" They heard a girl's voice from their right side.

" Who is that?" Shun shouted.

"..!" No reply. No one stood there except them.

" Maybe it's just our imagination," Jakuri opened the door, "at least I've brought some books with me." She grabbed 3 thick books.

" Oh well, it's interesting enough to go to this library," Cloche added.

" Let's come here again once in awhile, then!" Luca smiled.

" Thanks for your assistance," Shun opened the gate and closed it back a second after all of them have come out.

" And, can anyone explain about the voice we heard?" asked Cocona.

... No one answered.

" Probably the ghost of the library!" Frelia answered with a big smile.

" Please don't say it with smiling!" Cocona had her goosebumps.

And thus, their investigation ended there. They got into the library again some time after their first visit, and they couldn't find the book about another world that they have ever read once before, although they've searched anywhere...