ARIA～Finally with you～
A story that begins with despair
Painting : YOKO NAKAMURA
Story : YOKO NAKAMURA
Special Thanks : YOSIHIYUKI SAGA
Prologue "Not So Distant Future"
Once again, I sighed as I looked up at the night sky through the glass window from my bed.
My name is Aria. Born with a frail body, I couldn't even go outside alone like ordinary people. So, I engage in activities as a painter in the world's largest metaverse, a virtual space world.
But every day, I felt sad, offering prayers to the moon every time I looked up at the night sky.
"Could someone whisk me away to a different world?"
With such thoughts in mind, leaning against the window frame, I began to doze off.
When I woke up, I found myself lying on the sand dunes where my father used to bring me when I was a little girl.
Raising my head to look up at the night sky, I saw two moons floating.
Where am I? Am I in a dream? It seemed like I had slipped into the world of dreams. A gentle breeze brushed against my face, causing my hair to sway. For a dream, it felt too vivid.
As I wandered through the forest after leaving the sand dunes, I encountered a shimmering Golden Fennec.
The Golden Fennec said, "You will soon meet someone important," and then disappeared into the forest. On my way back from the forest, under the starry sky, I met a young man. "Hey there! I'm Stella. I was also led here by the Golden Fennec, are you, too?" the young man said with a gentle smile. "Yes, I am. I'm Aria, nice to meet you." At that moment, I fell in love with him at first sight, blushing.
I woke up to the brightness of the morning sun. It seemed like I had been dreaming. While recalling the young man I saw in my dream, I began to prepare breakfast, feeling a natural smile being formed on my face.
I couldn't get the young man out of my head. But I couldn't remember him. Yet, there was an inexplicable feeling of nostalgia that I couldn't shake off. I stopped cooking as the holographic television began to broadcast an emergency news program.
In recent years, global warming has worsened every year, with abnormal weather conditions resembling nature's revenge on humanity, and earthquakes are occurring daily somewhere in the world.
Furthermore, both economically and militarily unstable, humanity has experienced localized wars repeatedly. And finally, they escalated into a world war. With the tension mounting, it wouldn't be surprising if humanity were annihilated in a full-scale nuclear war, leading to days of intense anxiety.
That's why, no matter how difficult it is, I will continue to paint "hope" as an artist, longing for a peaceful world. The desire to meet the young man from my dream in the real world gave me hope and courage in my heart.
I slid the volume bar of the holographic display to focus on the holotv. The voice of the AI announcer grew louder, but I couldn't hear it clearly, and as the sound cut off, the holotv screen went blank. Then, all power was cut off. A blinding light engulfed my vision, and my thoughts ceased.
The earth was covered in dust, and everything evaporated. Civilization on Earth crumbled in an instant. Finally, humanity, in its foolishness, had turned the Earth into a planet of death with its own hands.
I regained consciousness. Someone was beside me. Next to me stood the young man I had met in my dream. Is this a continuation of the dream?
The Golden Fennec appeared before us and spoke. "It's not a dream. I have saved your souls. You two will jump back to the past timeline," it said, smiling slyly. It was so abrupt that the young man and I exchanged surprised glances.
The next moment, our consciousness jumped back to the past timeline.
Act I: "World of the Magic Mirror"
In a two-dimensional world of magical mirrors, where time-devouring glass fish and soul-connecting glass fish swim through the air.
In such a world, there was a girl who had forgotten both her name and memories. The girl had her memories erased by the goddess of darkness, so she couldn't recall the faces or memories of her loved ones. The girl was buried in the memories of people, gradually fading into oblivion. Alone in the world of magic mirrors, the girl's soul was despised and hated by fierce beastmen and ghosts, writhing in loneliness, on the brink of disappearing.
Eventually, dark wings sprouted from the girl's soul. No longer able to distinguish between light and darkness, she transformed into a half-beast person resembling a black cat.
Nevertheless, with the faint cry of a soul longing to live still in her heart, she lived alone in a house atop a hill in the forest.
One day, a bird with beautiful wings appeared at the girl's hillside home. The bird danced around the magic mirror singing, "Aren't I beautiful? La la la~." When the girl asked, "Who are you?" the bird replied, "I am an angel serving the God of Light." "Huh! Really?" The bird said, "Yes. Your tears sparkle around the magic mirror. The crystals of those tears will become Sun Catchers guiding happiness. Reflect your feelings in the magic mirror."
In her heart, the girl silently prayed, "If things continue like this, my heart will crumble. Please help me! Please make me feel happy!" The bird said, "The god I serve has the power to fulfill the wishes of all living beings in this world," and then flew away.
How much time passed?
One night, in the girl's dream, a boy wandered into the forest of the sea of trees. Though she knew it was a dream, the girl fell in love with the boy. It was her first love. Under the blue light, the boy saw many sparkling stones reflected in the magic mirror. The girl exclaimed in surprise, "My tears' crystals are shining." "Ah! That's the light I've been looking for. I see light within you. Please give me one of those shiny stones," he said, gently touching the cold cursed magic mirror.
When his warmth was conveyed to the girl's heart through his touch, in the boy's hand, the stone he chose turned into a "guardian stone of love" with a mysterious power. In an instant, it released all the lives trapped in the magic mirror. As the girl woke up and looked around, she saw the shattered magic mirror lying on the ground. The boy said, "I'll fight too, so you have to live firmly. We'll meet again someday," and then disappeared.
At that moment, a red bird landed. "I am Esperanza, giving hope to people. The name of the god I serve is Licht, the God of Light. I hope to meet Licht someday, and I hope to meet the other soul, You," Esperanza said before flying away.
However, the power of darkness was strong, and the magic mirror quickly regenerated. The girl was left behind, unable to escape, and ended up living in the world of the lightless magic mirror as a half-beast person.
When the pale moonlight shines in the world of the magic mirror, a White Fennec appears from somewhere and drops beautiful sparkling stones in its wake.
The girl asked the White Fennec, "Who are you?" "I'm Stella. Nice to meet you," said the White Fennec. "May I have one of these sparkling stones?" the girl asked Stella. Stella nodded and said, "Let's gather them together." The two of them gathered the sparkling stones.
On nights when the light of the pale moon shines, you can hear the mysterious song of Stella. Following the song, they found a broken merry-go-round in the forest of the sea of trees.
To Stella's singing, lights lit up, and the merry-go-round started to move, spreading out a fantastical world.
On the carousel, the girl held Stella and was enchanted by the shining merry-go-round world. She wished for this joyful time to last forever. Throughout the night, the girl savored moments of peace on the carousel with Stella and the beastmen and ghosts left behind. The fun time passed in the blink of an eye.
One night, guided by a swallowtail butterfly, the girl met a beautiful fairy named Tea. Fairy Tea was also trapped in the world of the magic mirror. Fairy Tea had the ability to see the future.
She said, "You are not alone. There are guardians of unseen beings. Even if you can't grasp the light, you are surrounded by gentle love that will never abandon you," and then disappeared.
After that, the girl collected the sparkling stones dropped by Stella. She realized that these stones would become Sun Catchers, as Esperanza had said.
The girl connected the stones and hung them in the forest. "With the hope that this forest and everyone's hearts will be enveloped in light someday," she said, imbuing her wish into them. She also made a Sun Catcher necklace for herself to wear around her neck.
One day, when a beam of light shone from somewhere, stones of various colors in the forest began to sparkle. For a moment, the girl's body was enveloped in intense light, and soon the entire forest was engulfed in a world of rainbow-colored light. The girl was surrounded by an orb of rainbow light and witnessed the scene reflected in the orb.
It was a scene of a princess she had never seen before, wearing a beautiful dress, hugging her first love who appeared in her dreams, surrounded by bright red roses.
The girl murmured tremblingly, "Who are you? What are you doing to my beloved!" For the first time in her life, anger was born in the girl's heart. From jealousy toward the princess, her heart was about to be torn apart by sorrow.
As a single tear fell from the girl's eyes, Stella transformed it into a magical stone with her mysterious power. The magic stone began to shine, enveloping the girl and Stella in its light, and the girl felt it. "Stella is the only irreplaceable one to me. I'll never give Stella to anyone!" The girl continued to dance with Stella, shaking off her sorrow.
Eventually, from one night, when the magic stone shone, little fairies began to appear frequently. When the girl asked, "Who are you?" they replied, "We were born from the hatred and sadness in your heart," and then fell silent. "What is your name?" she asked, but whenever she got angry and said, "You're a difficult child to handle," it would weakly disappear, so the girl panicked. "I am the symbol of your heart's wounds, hatred, sadness, and pain. My name is Ange. Please don't hurt me, be gentle! Without Ange, your heart will also disappear. Protect Ange," it said.
The girl felt she must cherish Ange, who had been born from her heart's wounds, hatred, and sadness. “Without me, Ange will also disappear. Ange is my everything.”
Ange made her realize that loving Ange is the same as loving herself. On nights of the full moon, the fairy Ange began to fly around energetically. However, the girl didn’t notice that her feeling of hatred born from jealousy in her mind started to change into something darkish, with her encounter with Ange.
Crystal of an ornament stone in her necklace, the sun-catcher on her breast, lost its radiance and changed into a mere black stone.
Act II: "Princess Aria's Love"
Long ago, on the Earth, the third planet of the solar system, at the far end of the Milky Way galaxy...
In the western continent, the Great Empire conquered neighboring countries one after another, extending its influence to the farthest reaches of the western sea, the "Sea Kingdom." The Sea Kingdom prospered through trade in salt, pepper, and seafood with other countries. Finally, the Great Empire invaded to seize control of this abundant trade. Despite the Sea Kingdom's desperate resistance, it couldn't match the might of the Great Empire, and the king of the Sea Kingdom was cornered. The king of the Sea Kingdom, let his queen and prince, flee to a hidden fortress in the forest, and fought bravely against the Great Empire's army, but ultimately all his army perished... Amidst the black smoke and crimson flames, a lone boy stood frozen. A creature unlike any he had ever seen gazed at him with gentle eyes from beside him. It was a Golden Fennec with golden fur. The boy said to the Fennec, "My mother was killed before my eyes. She was killed by the unreasonable and cruel 'war' between humans." With those words, the boy lost consciousness and collapsed.
Some time later, in a large island nation that became a province of the Great Empire, a girl was born. The king and queen named the angelic baby "Aria."
Princess Aria was blessed with love and grew into a bright, pure, and cheerful girl.
On her thirteenth birthday, one day…
Aria was told by her parents to treat a distant royal relative, the only surviving prince from the previous war, like a brother. The prince's name was "Stella." Aria immediately felt affection for the dignified young man. Even Aria's beloved dog, Candy, quickly grew fond of Prince Stella. One day, while Princess Aria and Prince Stella were helping with rose gardening in the palace gardens with their butler, Stella accidentally pricked his finger on a rose thorn. Seeing Stella trying to hold back tears, Aria noticed and removed the thorn from his finger, sucking out the poison to prevent it from spreading. "Here, take this," she said, handing him a single rose.
Sensing the loneliness in Prince Stella's heart, Aria said, "It'll be alright. Love's rose will surely guide you," as she smiled gently and hugged Stella tightly.
Prince Stella fell deeply in love with the charming princess. As he struggled with unfamiliar surroundings and the pain of losing his parents in the war, the princess became his pillar of support. Initially shy, they gradually grew to be like true siblings.
One day, Stella had a dream.
His shining parents appeared before him, smiling. His mother said, "Stella, listen carefully. You were saved by the 'Earth Mother Gaia,' the goddess of this planet's land. So, no matter how difficult and painful your destiny may be, face it with love and overcome it. You have a special mission to fulfill. Believe in yourself and move forward for the sake of others. That is the power of love. We, together with Gaia, are always watching over you. The 'Golden Fennec' is Gaia's incarnation. When you meet someone important to you, it will love and help you." With these words, they disappeared.
Stella made up his mind.
"Mother, Father, please watch over me. I will fulfill my mission with courage," he vowed.
Two years passed peacefully.
Aria and Stella grew both physically and emotionally. During this time, they each had more responsibilities, and their time together grew shorter.
Aria realized she harbored obvious feelings of love for Stella. The days they couldn't see each other became unbearably painful.
On the sacred night of the year's end, after events and parties had ended, Stella and Aria were alone together on a terrace within the palace, gazing at the starry night sky spread out above.
Aria presented Stella with a scarf she had lovingly knit for him. "I made this," she said shyly, looking down. Stella was overjoyed and tears welled up in his eyes. "Thank you, Aria! I'll treasure it," he said, offering her a cute plushy teddy bear.
Aria exclaimed, "Wow! It's so adorable!" and hugged the teddy bear tightly. "Let's always be friends," Aria said, kissing the teddy bear and then kissing Stella on the cheek. Stella blushed deeply and began, "I—" before gathering his courage and saying, "I love you." "I love you too," Aria replied. At that moment, the brilliance of the stars in the night sky intensified in response to their feelings, creating a mystical spectacle. It was a sacred night that neither of them would ever forget.
As the new year arrived and a few days passed, it happened one afternoon in early summer.
In front of the palace, there stood a large tree on a grassy hill. It was said to be a magnificent tree where the mysterious power of the celestial spirits resided, and it had been called the "Spirit Tree" since ancient times.
It was while they were playing hide-and-seek together for the first time in a while, at the foot of the Spirit Tree, that something happened.
Aria, searching for Stella, had become the seeker and pressed her body against the Spirit Tree, covering her eyes. She counted to one hundred and then, after opening her eyes, searched for the prince, but he was nowhere to be found. No matter how many times she called out loudly, there was no answer. As dusk fell, they returned to the palace, where Aria, crying, told the butler that Prince Stella had disappeared, saying, "He'll be okay, won't he? They'll definitely find him, won't they?" The butler, panicked, called the guards and searched far and wide, inside and outside the palace grounds, but to no avail. The search extended throughout the entire country, but Prince Stella was not found. What's more, there were no one including her parents, his butler, who remembered Prince stella. And eventually, one by one, everyone except Princess Aria began to disappear from this world.
Act Three: "Light God Licht"
Every day, Aria prayed to the sky, "May I meet Stella again." One night, Aria had a very peculiar dream. She was looking up at the night sky, singing her prayers and thoughts for the prince.
"[Can you see the shining star for you?
The shining star that I hold in my heart.
Notice my light and embrace me with a smile!
Riding on the crescent moon across the sea of space,
I will come to you.]"
The next morning, a red bird landed on the window sill of Aria's room. Candy, Aria's dog awakened her by the bird licking her face. The bird said, "I am Esperanza, serving the god of hope, Licht. Licht wishes to meet you. Let’s meet at the Spirit Tree, and await his presence," and it flew away. Aria thought, "My prayers reached the heavens," and hastily made her way to the hill with the Spirit Tree.
Breathless, Aria and Candy arrived at the hill, where the red bird had perched on a branch of the Spirit Tree. Behind it, the god of light, Licht, appeared and addressed Aria with a gentle smile.
Licht, with the appearance of a radiant bird, spoke kindly. "Currently, this vast universe is beginning to split apart. A part of this divided universe has fallen into a crack in the fabric of time. I sent Esperanza to the dark world beyond the rift to stop the division, but it was in vain. Therefore, Aria, I wish for you to go to that dark world in our stead and halt the division," Licht said.
At that moment, space distorted, and an elderly woman appeared before the Spirit Tree, facing Esperanza, the red bird.
Licht continued, "The woman you see is another version of yourself, whose life energy was consumed by the dark goddess, Gaia, trapped in this mirror world. She is convinced that she is trapped in this mirror world for such a long time that makes her feel faint. And the boy you seek is also trapped in the mirror world, assuming the form of a White Fennec. If this division continues, not only Earth but the entire universe, including us, will perish. Even the consciousness of the moon, Theia, has been trapped, and if left unchecked, the moon will collide with Earth and perish. You alone, Aria, can save them and halt the division."
Aria was speechless, finding it hard to comprehend. She pinched herself to check if it was a dream, thinking, "Ouch! It's not a dream." Licht smiled and said, "It's not a dream or an illusion. I am the soul dwelling in the sun, the consciousness that governs light. But I am not the almighty god humans and Esperanza perceive me to be. We consciousness beings are part of the great universe, the source of countless galaxies, known as the 'Beginning and End.' However, behind the division of the universe is the dark goddess, Gaia, orchestrating it.
We cannot interfere with the opposing attribute of Negative Gaia.
Aria, born as a human, the daughter of Gaia, the guardian goddess of this universe, I want you to save this universe. Please take this. It will help you in the peril," said Licht, handing Aria a transparent box containing a luminous egg.
Aria, understanding only half of what Licht said, asked, "Okay, I will do my best to turn this world as it was. But how do I use this light egg?" She was surprised to find herself saying like this as if she understood.
Licht replied, "When you express your true feelings, a natural incantation will come to mind. Shout that word towards the sky. It will unlock the energy trapped in the light egg. Miracles will happen then. Please, Aria, I beg of you. Aria! Your mission awaits. Come on the night of the total lunar eclipse the day after tomorrow," and then Licht vanished.
Aria thought, "I'm the daughter of the guardian goddess of the universe? I'm going to save the universe? Even if you say such absurd things, it's troubling! No, I'm going to save dear Stella and myself!" and muttered to herself, convincing herself.
On her way back to the palace, Aria heard a faint cry for help. "Help me," it said. "Where?" Aria looked around, but there was no sign of anyone nearby.
Candy, her dog, was barking far ahead. When Aria hurried to Candy, she found a molehill with a lizard stuck inside. "What are you doing?" Aria asked. The lizard replied, "Can't you see? I'm stuck down here!" Aria teased the lizard, saying, "If you're going to be so proud, should I just leave you here?" The lizard panicked and said, "Please don't say that. Please help me! I heard your conversation with the light consciousness, Licht. I am the son of the dark consciousness, Dunkelheit. My father ordered me to help the daughter of Gaia, the guardian goddess of this Earth. I came here with the dark egg. When I emerged from the dark egg, I assumed the form of a creature from this world. Now, I'm like this. I'll do anything to help. Please, help me!" The lizard went on talking and pleaded.
"Well, you sure talk a lot for a lizard. I'm Aria. Nice to meet you. So, you're the son of the dark consciousness, meaning you're the Dark Prince?" Aria, surprised, observed the lizard. She noticed scales on the lizard's back that resembled the star-shaped birthmark on her left cheek and instinctively believed that the lizard was telling the truth. "What's your name?" she asked. "I don't have a name yet," the lizard replied. "Then I'll give you one. Since you're the nameless prince of darkness, how about Zero?" Aria suggested. "Zero, huh? Cool name! I like it," the lizard said, impressed. "Aria! With Zero here, this mission is bound to succeed!" he exclaimed confidently. Aria laughed and thanked Zero for their encounter.
Act Four: "To the Realm of Darkness"
At that night of total lunar eclipse three days after, Aria had a very sorrowful dream. It was a poignant dream about the fate of the other her, the 'maiden imprisoned in the mirror'.
She struggled to stay awake, but somehow drifted into sleep. Suddenly, she woke up with a start, tears streaming down her face. Those tears, as if possessed with a life of their own, shimmered and transformed into little fish swimming around her. Aria, pinched her cheeks in disbelief, "Ouch! It's not a dream, then!"
The glass fish floated in the air, beckoning Aria to follow. Aria, realizing it was an extension of her dream, pinched herself again, "It's not a dream after all!"
Waking up Zero, who was sleeping nearby, Aria gestured for him to fit into her breast pocket. Since Candy was sound asleep, she gave up on bringing him along and hurriedly followed the glass fish out of the room, trying not to make any noise. Silently, Aria followed the glass fish.
They arrived at the door of a storeroom in the depths of the vast palace, a place Aria had never entered before. The door, which should have been locked, opened by itself, inviting them in. Aria, trembling, entered, and as soon as she did, lantern candles in the dim room lit up on their own.
Again, she pinched herself to check if it was still a dream. "Ouch! It's not a dream, then!"
Zero nodded, mimicking Aria, "It's not a dream after all."
The glass fish came to a halt in front of an old dressing table, motioning as if to peer into it. Aria cautiously lifted the mirror cover and looked into the mirror. The glass fish then, with a splash, leaped into the mirror. Aria, taken aback by the series of strange events,
A smoky cloud-like substance billowed out of the mirror, enveloping Aria and Zero, dragging them into the mirror.
Candy, who had followed in search of Aria, arrived too late. From the mirror came Aria's voice, "Candy, I'll come back for you with Stella, I promise. Be a good boy and wait here, okay?" Candy, looking desolate, continued to bark in front of the dressing table, endlessly.
Inside the mirror, a vast universe stretched out before them. The space was adorned with a crescent moon, or rather, a spaceship resembling the crescent moon Aria had seen in her dream. Moreover, Aria herself floated in space.
"Aria-sama, please come aboard," a voice came from the spaceship. Aria approached as instructed, and the door automatically opened. Upon entering, another voice said, "Please come to the front." As Aria reached the front, a large seat appeared. "Please sit down," it said. The ship itself seemd to speak.
When Aria did, the seat molded itself around her, embracing her. "We will depart," the ship announced, and it began its journey into space. A transparent glass-like window appeared in front of Aria, through which the lights of the stars flowed like rivers of light, an indescribably beautiful sight.
Aria asked, "Mr. Ship, you were the glass fish earlier, weren't you? Do you have a name?" The ship responded, "Yes, but that was just a temporary form. I am actually an energy being serving Lady Theia, the consciousness of Earth's satellite, the Moon. I do not have a specific name. However, if you wish, you may give me a name of your choosing."
Aria thought for a moment and said, "So you were indeed the glass fish that sparkled. You are a spirit of the Moon. Since you are shaped like a crescent moon, how about 'Moonlight,' reflecting the moon's light?"
The ship replied, "What a wonderful name. I like it very much. Thank you. Please call me Moonlight from now on."
Aria then wanted to ask where Moonlight was heading but felt she might receive a complicated answer, so she refrained. However, she couldn't help but ask something that she really wanted to know.
"Moonlight, what am I? And most importantly, is Prince Stella safe? Please explain simply."
Moonlight answered, "To your first question, Lady Aria, you are originally the princess of Gaia, the consciousness of Earth's land. Consciousnesses are higher-dimensional energy beings, but if that sounds too complicated, you can think of it as a 'soul' in human terms.
You were supposed to reincarnate this lifetime as the daughter of Gaia, the soul of Earth. However, due to the rebellion of the dark Gaia god, you were born fused with a human soul. Therefore, the current you are a higher-dimensional energy being, a soul without a physical body. Your body in the three-dimensional world is your energy core, no, I'm sorry, I'm making it complicated again. I lack human emotions, so human language is truly difficult for me." Moonlight then fell silent, seemingly thinking.
Aria gently reassured Moonlight, "It's okay, Moonlight. It's my lack of knowledge. Just explain as you can."
Moonlight started to explain again. "Aria-sama, I'm sorry to have caused you trouble. To answer your questions, you are originally the princess of Gaia, the consciousness of Earth. However, due to the rebellion of Gaia, you were born fused with human souls, thus you are now in a state of fusion with human consciousness. Therefore, you are now an entity of higher-dimensional energy, a soul."
Aria, finding it a bit difficult to understand, responded, "So basically, I've become a soul detached from the physical body. Is Zero the same?"
"It seems so. As for your second question about Prince Stella, he is indeed safe. But please confirm for yourself what lies ahead," Moonlight explained.
"Then, where are we heading, Moonlight?" Aria asked, avoiding more complicated questions.
"We are heading towards the ancient rift in the dark universe's beginning. It may shake a bit, so please bear with me," Moonlight replied, and the view ahead changed from a beautiful kaleidoscope of twinkling stars to absolute darkness. Moonlight, carrying Aria and Zero, raced towards the realm of darkness at a breathtaking speed.
Act Five: "Two Arias"
As Moonlight passed through the dimensional rift and entered the dark cosmos, a planet that looked just like Earth emerged, except for the absence of sunlight and oceans. It was a split Earth.
Moonlight landed near a desertified hillside spirit tree within Aria's kingdom on that Earth. As Aria stepped outside and looked up at the dimly lit cosmic darkness, she noticed a blue moon floating, seemingly emitting light from within.
When Moonlight transformed back into the glass fish from the spacecraft, it split into two upon its return.
Since the two had merged as a pair, they split again.
Aria asked them, "Do you have names?" The blue glass fish said, "We don't have names, but I can manipulate time." Aria suggested, "How about 'Moontime'?" The blue fish wriggled its body in joy, saying, "That's lovely." The pink fish said, "I can connect souls." Aria named it "Soul Lady."
Zero chuckled, "Aria, you really love giving names!"
Soul Lady added, "The girl who is your alter ego believes she is the Dark Queen. And since she doesn't see you as her other self, you'll need to convince her. She wears a necklace made of crystals called Sun Catchers, said to bring happiness. But now, it has lost its light, hosting the evil negativity of Gaia, the Dark God. You must be careful. If we don't purify Negative Gaia, this universe will split and vanish."
Moontime interjected, "We don't have much time until the dimensional rift closes. All the split souls of this world are being sucked into the Mirror of the Forest."
In the distance beyond the palace, there sprawled a city where people lived. Further on, there stretched a vast forest.
"We know the location of the mirror. We'll teleport you, Aria and Zero, to the mirror in the forest," said Moontime. In an instant, Aria and Zero stood before the mirror. Beside the mirror stood a large tree resembling the spirit tree.
"Another spirit tree here!" Aria felt the sacred aura.
Suddenly, voices echoed from within the large mirror. "Welcome, Queen!" When Aria faced the mirror, she saw a girl dressed in black clothes.
As Soul Lady predicted, the girl wore a darkened Sun Catcher necklace.
The girl reflected in the mirror, though with different hairstyle and attire, was unmistakably Aria herself.
Having learned the situation from Licht and Moonlight, Aria faced the girl in the mirror, who was staring back at her with resentment. The Dark Queen said, "You're the one who trapped me in this infinite hell for centuries. And you're the princess who stole my first love."
Aria remained silent as the girl's hatred flowed into her heart like an avalanche.
Further, the Dark Queen taunted, "You've lived a cozy life as a queen without any worries. You're a foolish old woman who believes that's happiness!"
"Because of you, I can no longer trust anyone. And my soul's wings have been dyed jet-black with hatred for you! Now, I myself have become the very darkness that rules this shadowy world. I am the cunning queen of darkness who reigns supreme in this world of shadows! You must have had a wonderful life, loved by your parents and served by butlers and maids. You can’t possibly understand the feelings of someone like me who has been terrified of ghosts and beastmen, and has gone hungry since childhood. But you know what? That ends today. I will drain all the energy from your soul and become you," she declared.
"That's fine. You can think what you want. But let me tell you the truth before I give you all my soul's energy," Aria calmly responded.
The Dark Queen sneered, "What do you mean? Are you giving up? What a weak Queen!"
Aria inquired, "Can I ask you something? How do you see me?"
The Dark Queen replied, "You're an old hag who's lived as a queen without a care in the world. You're deluded into thinking that's happiness!"
"Is that so? Think whatever you like. I don't know who showed you what or filled your head with those ideas. You can have all of my soul's energy if you want. But first, let me tell you the truth," Aria said.
The Dark Queen Aria was slightly unsettled. "The truth? What are you talking about?" Aria spoke quietly but firmly. "You are another version of me. You are 15 years old. You are not an old woman. You have been shown hallucinations all this time! It must have been so painful for you."
The Dark Queen, visibly shaken, stammered, "What a nonsense! How could I be you?"
"There's no helping it. Here's the evidence!" Aria pinched her own cheek firmly. The girl in the mirror screamed, "Ouch!" as she held her cheek in pain. "Now, the other side," Aria pinched the opposite cheek.
As Aria attempted to pinch her cheek again, the Dark Queen pleaded, "Stop it! I give up!" Aria reassured her, "How did you figure it out? You're my alter ego. I'm sorry for everything. The other me—Aria!"
The other Aria, bewildered by the reality thrust upon her, asked, "What am I supposed to do now?"
"You don't have to do anything. I'll make you feel better right away," Aria said confidently.
Aria called out to Soul Lady, "Lady, I want you to connect my soul with hers. Can you do it?" "I am a spirit who connects souls. Of course, I can," Soul Lady replied. She merged with Aria's soul and extended threads of light toward the soul of the other Aria inside the mirror.
At that moment, the mirror shattered, turning into sparkling fragments that enveloped the two of them in a large cocoon of light.
Inside the cocoon, the two Arias faced each other.
Aria spoke, "I've seen everything about you in a dream. Where are Stella and the Moon Goddess, Theia?"
The other Aria responded, "They're inside that blue moon."
"Got it! Zero, it's your turn. please protect that moon where they're trapped with your dark energy? Please!" "Got it!" Zero exclaimed. He called Moontime and instantly teleported beside the blue moon, covering it entirely with his dark energy.
Aria gently opened a transparent box she had received from Licht and took out a shining egg of light. She said to the other Aria, "My beloved prince's name is Stella! Yes, the White Fennec Stella. He's your beloved. Hold this egg of light together with me, and let's sing our feelings to our beloved."
The two Arias held hands firmly and expressed their emotions together.
"The Glass Fish that Connects Souls through the Door of Light"
When I sleep beneath the azure moon
In the depths of the forest, I dream
Your shattered heart
My heart remains unbroken
The soul that harbors love never breaks
Is there no way for them to meet?
I am you, Yet I am also myself
But I will always protect you
Always hold you close
Because you are me
So beloved
So precious
The one I love so deeply
But can my love reach you
My beloved?
When the gentle light of the moon shines down
The sparkling glass fish
The door of light opens, connecting two souls
Glass fish that bind souls
Now connect our souls together
At that moment, the Negative Dark God Gaia cried, "Stop!" Then, purified into positive energy, it merged with Aria's soul. The Crystal Sun Catcher also regained its original brilliance.
And then, the mirror shattered and fell. At that moment, rainbow flashes emanated from Aria's Sun Catcher crystal, piercing the sky, enveloping the shattered Earth, as two universes overlapped. With just a momentary delay, the fissure of the ancient dark universe closed.
Aria found herself standing before the spirit tree. The girl bathed in light had transformed into a beautiful woman, adorned in a crimson dress, wearing a shining Crystal Sun Catcher necklace around her neck. The souls of the two Aria's merged, transcending time, and Aria sang once more.
"Bondage of Love"
If there is a time
for me to shine in my life
I want you to see that moment
of the beautiful light
If there is a time
for you to shine in your life
I want to be there
to see the moment of brilliant light
To remain as the existence
Of someone's precious soul
No, to remain as The existence of your precious soul
That is what I wish to be
My eyes Are gazing upon you
Your eyes, gaze me back, believing in me
Before this cosmos fades away
I want us to feel the meaning of life
Before I disappear
Before you disappear
I want us to feel the meaning of life
The light of the soul, circulating endlessly
The light of love
meeting again and again
That is the connection of souls
That is the bond of love
A bond of love spanning 13.8 billion light-years
Beautiful golden wings sprouted from Aria's back.
In the next moment, Aria danced through the air, gently catching Stella, freed from the blue moon. Aria descended into the palace hall.
Stella, now a radiant young man, bore a lizard emblem on his right arm. Aria grasped Stella's hand firmly, saying, "Welcome back." "Home at last," Stella, now matured, replied tearfully.
Looking into Stella's eyes, Aria said, "Before we finish, we must return all life to its original state, together." "Anything with you, Aria," Stella nodded.
"Me too," Zero, in Stella's form, chimed in. Zero had merged with Stella to help him. Aria joked, "Oh, you were there too?" to which Stella's form of Zero, pretending to cry, responded, "Oh, no!"
Aria asked, "Where is Lady Theia?" Pointing to the sky, Stella's form of Zero replied, "She's returned to the consciousness of the moon and is watching over us!" Aria expressed her gratitude, "Zero! Thank you for protecting Stella and Lady Theia. You've done wonderfully," and Zero scratched his head, blushing, and smiled bashfully.
Aria asked Stella, "Is this really the end?" Stella replied, "We'll always be together, forever." "Understood," Aria resolved.
They slowly opened the box containing the "Light Eggs" and held hands.
Then, from the box burst forth a "Golden Fennec," which settled before Aria and Stella. With a gentle gaze, it looked up at them, and its body began to radiate light. Suddenly, a translucent, beautiful woman appeared before Aria and Stella.
Stella exclaimed, "Mother!" in surprise. The translucent woman resembled Stella's mother so much. Aria asked, "Lady Gaia?" The beautiful woman nodded and said to Aria and Stella, "Your bond of love was genuine. You both faced trials bravely. Thank you! I offer my gratitude. Now, Aria, please turn your feelings into words."
With the presence of her other mother before her, Aria felt a warm feeling, dispelling all doubts and fears. "Yes!" she replied and firmly grasped Stella's hand, looking up at the universe.
The incantation of regeneration, "Cosmos Rebirth!" floated into Aria's mind, and she exclaimed it.
Then, a flood of aurora-like light poured out from the "Light Eggs." The energy of love between Aria and Stella burst forth, scattering into the cosmos. And thus, a aurora bridge was erected in the universe. Lady Gaia ascended this aurora bridge. After ascending for a while, she turned back to Aria and Stella, winked, and her body shone brightly, becoming light, extending the aurora bridge to various spirit trees in different places. Through this newly formed aurora network, the brilliance of light enveloped the entire universe.
It was a moment of such beauty and wonder.
However, Aria and Stella had exhausted all their energy and quietly, slowly faded away.
At the same time, at the center of the universe, swirling, the "Brahman" enveloped the Earth, and the consciousness of the Earth's Mother Gaia was revived.
"The memories of Aria and Stella's love" began to restore the memories of the people on Earth. The energy of love filled with joy of living began to dwell in all life.
Thus, the Earth returned to its original state, a beautiful blue shining star.
As a side note, the passionate solo from the opera came to be called "Aria" because Aria's deeds were passed down as memories of people's souls, gently touching upon the memories of that time.
Epilogue "Present"
"Did I wake you?" I woke up with a blanket over me, and before me stood the boy with a slightly embarrassed smile. It was the boy I met in my dream.
The nuclear war never occurred, and with Aria's "Cosmos Rebirth," the world line changed, and there was a peaceful world without war. But I alone remember those memories.
I remembered everything. My name is "Aria."
In this world line, I graduated from graduate school in good health, became a painter, and worked as a specialist curator at the National Museum.
Six years ago, ancient ruins were discovered from an old stratum. I met "Professor Stella," the chief researcher of the excavation team, and fell in love.
Aria and Stella, together, gazed up at the blue sky and prayed, "May this peaceful world continue forever." The Sun Catcher glittering, it colored the white wall paper into rainbow color. The world is full of light today, too.
The end
Character ＆ Special Names List
Aria (German)
- Main character princess, meaning "air"
Stella (Italian)
- Sub-protagonist prince, meaning "star"
Licht (German)
- Conscious entity governing light, meaning "light"
Dunkelheit (German)
- Conscious entity governing darkness, meaning "darkness"
Esperanza (Spanish)
- Red bird serving the god of light, Licht, meaning "hope"
Theia (Greek)
- Conscious entity of the moon, derived from the name of a primordial planet that collided with Earth about 4.6 billion years ago, contributing to the formation of the moon
Ange (French)
- Fairy inside the magic mirror representing the girl's inner self
Zero (English)
- Son of Dunkelheit
・Special Names
Consciousness being
- A term representing a soul-like entity residing in all things
Brahman (English)
- Existence at the center of the universe, also referred to as the "beginning and end," originating from the cosmological concept in Indian philosophy
GOD of GAIA (English)
- Earth mother goddess, sourced from the Gaia hypothesis, a self-regulating system maintaining suitable conditions for life through interactions between organisms and their environment.
[As an afterword]
I have expressed it as pictures, poems and stories with the theme of light and darkness, the importance of happiness and life in my heart, and my wish for peace.
This time, as "the world of Aria", I created a story that I want everyone to know more about the world view of my paintings, so I would appreciate it if you could read it.
YOKO NAKAMURA