Like a lie, if all this is just a dream

by KarmaKuba

Summary:

Loosely following the story of Alien Stage but making slight changes to character relationships
or
What if I took MiziSua, IvanTill, and HyunLuka and made it AstraLyn, LighterWise, and LycaHugo?

Chapter 1: R O U N D 1丨MY CLEMATIS

Notes:

Hello hello! I finally mustered up the courage to actually post this fic I've been working on ^^ This whole idea spawned from a conversation with my close friend after she sent me fanart of Wise's 1.6 story art outfit and I said it was giving Blink Gone Till and spiraled from there

Title is from the english translation of Sweet Dream from the alnst fan wiki
All the lyrics are from the alnst fan wiki actually

Please don't repost my work on other platforms!

Under the shade of a large tree a small group of children sit together, two boys resting with their backs to the tree sitting shoulder to shoulder, a young girl laying with her head on one of their laps fast asleep, and two girls gently singing to the light blue sky.

Two figures stand surrounded by pink bubbles as flower petals fall all around them, one dressed in black with raven hair and the other dressed in white with blonde hair pulled up into a braided bun. The pair exchange a glance between each other, with a scoreboard sitting ominously behind them. As the music builds around them, they both take a deep breath and begin their duet.

Oh, my Clematis

Hope blooming through the abyss 

Oh, my Clematis 

Always be by my side 

You bloomed from the huge black wall 

The galactic stardust 

Spread out in your eyes

As they sing their gentle melody, memories of a Garden of grass and light blue skies creep in. In the vast green field, there is a girl with raven hair surrounded by other children, all seeming to want her attention. “Astra let’s go look at this picturebook together” 

“Astra come play in the water with us” Astra this, Astra that reverberates around her till she catches sight of a girl with blond hair resting in the shade of a large tree upon a hill. The pair make eye contact briefly, only for the girl to look away soon after. Prying herself from the small crowd of children, Astra approaches the girl to introduce herself. “Why are you here all by yourself?” she asked softly as she found purchase next to the girl in the shade. The girl glanced at Astra with an unreadable expression and simply answered, “it’s cooler in the shade” as she turned her attention to the children running back and forth in the grass and splashing in the shallow pond. “Seems lonely, my name is Astra. What’s your name?” she asked  with a smile that seemed just a hair too large. “Evelyn” she replied, just barely meeting Astra’s eyes. 

In the endless darkness

I find you with your scent 

Even if I fall asleep for infinity 

don’t leave my side

Oh, my Clematis 

Hope bloomed through the abyss 

Oh, my Clematis 

Always be by my side

As the flower petals float aimlessly around Astra and Evelyn, another memory stirs, this time about a pair of siblings and an older boy with tinted glasses all sitting together under a large tree upon a hill. Astra, Evelyn, and the younger of the siblings sit in a semicircle making flower crowns with the red flowers from the Garden of green, while the older of the siblings sits with his back against the tree, scribbling in a pad of paper while the older boy with tinted glasses sits beside him, quietly watching.

Memories of lining up with the other children in their class, sheet music in hand with stiff faces as they sing the same melody for the 3rd time that day. Even in the mundanity of that memory, Astra always remembers the way Evelyn would seem to light up whenever they saw each other, giving a gentle smile in response to Astra’s teasing smile. Astra remembers something she was taught in that classroom, do you believe in god? Once upon a time, humans believed in god and had religion. Things that cannot be solved by human power were believed to be god’s will. Believed that the entire universe revolved around the earth. Thought that the place that connected with the sky, which they could not dare to reach was the place where the gods lived. From the moment humanity left the universe, we all forgot god. But if belief in god is human. If all I can do as a human is to believe… my god my universe.

Oh, my Clematis

Hope withered in the abyss 

Oh, my Clematis 

Please, stay by my side 

My Clematis

As their gentle duet comes to a close, the scoreboard behind them reads 86 to 86 for a fraction of a second, only to tick over to 87 to 86. As Astra looks over at Evelyn, all she sees is the blur of Evelyn’s sorrowful smile just before her body falls to the ground, her blood staining the beautiful white dress she wore.

Astra Win, flashes onto the scoreboard as Astra collapses to the ground, tears forming in the corners of her eyes when an armored figure walks up to her, pleasing what looks like a collar around her neck. Off to the side two young men stood, one holding an older-looking guitar close to his chest and the other with tinted glasses, a look of sorrow in their eyes.

Notes:

Thank you for stopping by! This is my first time posting anything I've made so please go easy on me... I only recently started practicing free writing like this (like earlier this year recently) and this was probably the first thing I felt good enough to post

I'm still working on round 2 (I have most of it written just got to finish the first pass then reread and proof read)

I hope you enjoyed my take on an Alien Stage x ZZZ au as much as I have working on it!

Chapter 2: R O U N D 2丨Unknown (Till The End…)

Summary:

A look at the past from another point-of-view

Notes:

Welcome back! Thank you for baring with me and my mediocre writing skills I hope to continue improving! Like I mentioned in the previous chapter the lyrics came from the alnst fan wiki

Please don't repost my work on other platforms and I hope you enjoy round 2 ^^

Two figures stand next to each other as they are raised onto the stage. On the right, a young man with grey hair and an old guitar in hand, on the left another young man with lighter hair. Once atop the stage, the young man with grey hair stepped forward and strummed his guitar.

Come on!

Nothing was my everything

The melody that fills the empty me

It’s you, alright

My feelings are

Error: no better options

In an artificial Garden, a pair of siblings sit together by the shallow pond, the older with grey hair and tired eyes, and the younger with blue-dyed hair and a pale complexion. For as long as the siblings have been in this artificial Garden they’ve always seemed to be off on their own, whenever the other children in their class wanted to play all together, they would politely excuse themselves from the activity. “Wise and Belle never want to play with us, why do you bother inviting them?” whispered one of the children. Just ignore them Wise, no point getting riled up and by extension, riling Belle up when her condition could flair again , Wise reminded himself silently as he pulled out his pad of paper and began sketching. “What’cha gonna draw today big bro?” asked Belle as she leaned over Wise’s shoulder. “Hmm, not sure, got any requests?” asked Wise, giving Belle a cheeky smirk knowing she always loved when Wise asked for her input on what to draw. “Hmmm, how about an angel?” she said, bringing her finger to her cheek in thought. “Alright, an angel it is then,” replied Wise with a smile, as he turned his attention to his pad of paper and began sketching.

A shaking paradigm

I don’t care if my world turns upside down

I wanna know all about you (ya)

When Astra and Evelyn were on stage sharing gentle smiles, Wise was reminded of the day he and Belle first met them. It had been a slow day; practicing reading sheet music, dance practice, and practicing their instruments. Once it was time for a break, Belle and Wise settled next to the shallow pond while the other children went to play with each other. Just as Wise was about to open his pad of paper, a figure walked up to the pair, “what are you two- ooo you draw, can I see?” said the figure as she crouched down next to Wise. As the figure leaned in, Wise could feel his cheeks heat up slightly. While they had never spoken until now, Wise knew how popular Astra was and how all the other children seemed to vie for her attention. Part of him worried that her spending time with him and Belle might upset some of the others, and cause problems for the two of them. “Show her big bro! My big bro is the bestest drawer I know” said Belle with a smug smile. “W-well I’m not that great…” murmured Wise, averting his eyes. “I’m sure you're a better artist than me! C’mon~ can’t I see? Pretty please?” 

“Astra, maybe he doesn't want to show you,” said a monotone voice as Evelyn walked up to the trio. “Oh Eve~” called Astra, shifting her attention to a girl with blonde hair tied up in a messy bun. “I’m Evelyn, and that’s Astra. What are your names?” asked Evelyn. “I’m Belle and this is my older brother, Wise” replied Belle, pointing between herself and Wise. “Mind if we join you then?” asked Astra as she made herself comfortable on the ground next to Wise. “Yes yes!” cheered Belle, giving Wise her cutest puppy-dog eyes. It was always hard for Wise to refuse Belle’s puppy-dog eyes, especially when she wanted something, so he replied “I don’t see why not.”

No more takin’ it slow

The edelweiss of my feelings that blossomed because of you

(You’ll never know)

I don’t wanna stop

On a particularly busy day, it was just Wise and Astra under the shade of a large tree. Evelyn’s guardian wanted to speak with her so she was excused from class for the day, Belle stayed behind wanting to ask for pointer on her guitar playing, and Lighter had a health checkup in the infirmary, so it was just Wise and Astra for the afternoon. At first, the pair simply watched the other children till Wise pulled out his pad of paper, “going to draw something or work on some music?” asked Astra, scooching closer to Wise and peering over his shoulder. “I wanted to finish the drawing Belle asked me to make of that fish you three caught," replied Wise as he flipped to an unfinished drawing of Astra, Belle, and Evelyn with a metallic fish above their heads with some silly sparkle effects. “I still can’t believe you and Lighter didn’t want to join us in trying to catch fish,” Astra pouted, resting her head on Wise’s shoulder. Wise simply chuckled in response, continuing his work on the drawing. All of a sudden, a boy from their class came up to the pair, “Astra, want to come play with us?” he asked, gesturing towards a few other boys down the hill. “Oh, I think I’ll pass-“

“C’mon~ it’ll be fun, plus Wise is so boring. All he ever does is draw” called one of the boys as he made his way up the hill. “Now that’s not very nice!” shouted Astra, getting up from her place next to Wise. “Isn’t it weird though? A boy and a girl being friends ?” asked a third boy as the rest of the small group made their way up the hill. “What makes you say that?” Astra asked, her brows furrowing as she and Wise are surrounded. “I mean, don’t all boys and girls end up falling in love?”

“Do you really believe that?” asked Wise, closing his pad of paper and standing next to Astra, his glare and words catching the boys off guard. “Wha- what do you know huh?!” shouted the fourth boy, stepping forward and entering Wise’s personal space. “I do love Wise! He’s one of my best friends after all” shouts Astra, moving to try and stand in front of Wise. “That’s not what I mean! Don’t you remember from class, a male and female are supposed to mate!” shouts the boy. Astra and Wise exchange a look of confusion, till they both turn towards the boys and make disgusted expressions. “Astra is my best friend and I’m Astra's, simple as that” said Wise. Eventually most of the boys made their way down the hill, finding the conversation had grown awkward and a bit stale, but one of them remained, staring daggers at Wise and Astra. Suddenly, the lights dimmed to signal to the children it was time to return to their dorms. When the boy looked away from the pair, Wise grabbed Astra’s hand and ran down the hill towards the dorms.

Don’t even think this time’s enough

Cause you baby still it’s not enough

(For me, alright?)

Don’t leave me, li li da da da

One slow day when their friends were busy, Belle and Wise returned to their room early. Wise settled at the small desk in their room and began writing some more notes to a melody only he knew, while Belle grabbed her guitar from its stand in the corner of the room and sat on her bed, beginning to practice a few cords.

It was early in their time in ANAKT, when the children were told to pick an instrument to practice. When it was Belle’s turn to pick an instrument to start learning, she picked the guitar. Ever since that day, Belle has enjoyed playing and practicing the guitar. At first, Wise found it annoying since she used to practice whenever she was struck with the want to play it. After the third week of sleepless nights, Wise finally had enough of Belle’s late night guitar practice sessions, “Belle, can we talk about your late night guitar practice?” asked Wise one evening after dinner. “What about it?” Belle asked as she was reaching for her guitar. “It’s just, can you not practice when we’re supposed to be sleeping? Besides getting no sleep, I’m worried you might get in trouble if any of the staff heard you” said Wise, fighting back a yawn. “Oh… guess I forgot that we share a room… and those rules we were told when we first got here” mumbled Belle, retracting her hand from her guitar and sheepishly scratching her cheek lightly. “I’ll be more mindful of when I practice, sorry big bro…” Wise smiled softly as he reached for Belle’s head, giving her a gentle pat. “It’s alright, thank you” he said softly.

Cause you baby still it’s not enough

How dare you think this time’s enough

Ain’t nobody but you’re the one that I’m

Feeling it’s love

Don’t be afraid (come on!)

Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah

One morning, Wise woke up earlier than usual, something felt… wrong. Once he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, he went to the small desk and began sketching. I’m awake anyways so, might as well . Eventually, Wise looked at the time to see it was almost time for breakfast, so he went over to Belle’s bed to wake her. “Belle” he whispered, giving the younger a gentle shake. “It’s almost time for breakfast, time to get up” but he was only met with silence. After another attempt to wake Belle, Wise began to panic, his thoughts spiraling. Did something happen? Did I upset her? Why isn’t she responding?

Eventually the staff shooed Wise out of their room, sending him to the dining hall for breakfast. Once there, Astra noticed Wise standing by himself. That's weird, Belle isn’t with him . Slowly, Wise made his way to the small group of three, his face pale. “Wise, is everything okay? You’re pale as a ghost” asked the older boy, seeming to want to reach for the younger but, he hesitated. “Where’s Belle?” asked Astra, turning her attention to Wise. Wise then suddenly collapsed forward, his tears falling freely once again. All three lurched forward to catch him, only for Evelyn to be just fast enough, “what happened?” she asked quietly. “Belle, she’s dead,” said Wise through his sobs.

‘Cause I like it better

(Feel like I’m crazy, oh yeah yeah)

(Come on!)

Woah, woah, woah

I can’t refuse, overdose

Before the music came to a close, Wise's opponent tried to sing. Wise turned towards him suddenly, the glare on his face catching him off-guard and causing him to stop singing. Wise win appeared on the scoreboard behind him, as an armored figure stepped forward to escort him off the stage, clutching the old guitar close to his chest. Off to the side, Astra and a young man with tinted glasses stood. As Wise walked past them, he spared a glance at Astra who didn’t seem to notice. Wise looked down at his guitar and continued walking, not noticing how the young man with tinted glasses' gaze followed him.

Notes:

Thank you once again for stopping by! I haven't started work on round 3 yet so it might take some time before I can get it posted. Plus I have classes starting up in about a week so it might slow the writing pace even more but thank you thank you for taking interest in this silly au idea I had ^^

Chapter 3: R O U N D 3丨Black Sorrow

Summary:

The final part of the story of a small group of children in a Garden of green

Notes:

Hi again, sorry this took so long, writers block and time management kicked my ass on this chapter T^T like usual, the lyrics came from the alnst fan wiki

Please don't repost my work on other platforms and enjoy round 3 ^^

In a Garden that felt too bright, two boys sit with their backs against a tree, one quietly drawing while the other watched over his shoulder. Eventually, three girls run up the hill, red flowers in hand and ready to be braided into flower crowns.

A figure dressed in black steps onto a stage shrouded in shadows. As the lights raise around the figure and his opponent, he reaches for his microphone and begins singing.

The soggy darkness crouched down

Even if we shake our heads, it’s always the same place

I can’t reach you, so I imagine alone

You who shines, I stand next to you

Under the white lights of the infirmary, an older looking boy with dark green hair waits with bandages over his eyes. A few weeks prior, Lighter got into an argument with one of the other children which escalated into a fight between the two. While Lighter fared better than his opponent, he didn’t walk away completely unscathed. His eyes were severely injured, leading to them needing to cover them till they healed. Today is the day his bandages were going to be removed. Eventually, an infirmary staff member made themselves known and began unwrapping his eyes. Once the bandages were off, the white light of the infirmary seemed extra blinding, causing him to squint. “Any discomfort?” asked the staff member dryly. “Feels too bright” he muttered, squinting his eyes and attempting to shade them with his hand. The staff member simply brushed it off, “to be expected seeing as they were covered for so long. Give it a few days and you should start feeling better.”

After being told he can return to class, the discomfort Lighter felt only continued to persist. Eventually, Lighter returned to the infirmary to see what could be done to stop the discomfort or at least help manage it. “How would you describe the discomfort?” asked the staff member, “sorta feels like opening up an old wound…” replied Lighter, squinting his eyes. The staff member fell quiet for a moment, till they responded, “perhaps we can get you some tinted glasses to shade them then.”

So black, black as it can be

The dark sea gets deeper as you approach

Like a black, black sorrow

A story of such woe

At the end of this story, there is only a cold spot 

stained with blood and empty air

Once Lighter was discharged from the infirmary, he went to his usual meeting spot to find Astra and Evelyn. To his surprise, a pair of siblings were there chatting with the girls. Upon approach, Evelyn noticed him first and gently nudged Astra, tilting her head in his direction. Astra’s face lit up as she sprang to her feet and ran over to meet Lighter halfway. “Oh Lighter! Happy to see that you’ve finally been discharged after that fight you got into” chirped Astra with a smile across her face, grabbing the older’s wrist and practically dragging him up the hill. “While you were away I made new friends, this is Belle and Wise” she said, releasing Lighter’s wrist and gesturing with an open palm at the siblings. “Oh, um nice to meet you two-“

“I like your glasses” said Belle, cutting Lighter off mid sentence. “Uh, thanks” he replied awkwardly. “Belle, it’s not very nice to interrupt someone when they-“

“When they’re talking yeah yeah I know” interrupts Belle as Wise shoots her an annoyed glance. “Anyways, it’s nice to meet you, Astra and Evelyn have mentioned a friend of theirs from time to time” said Belle, giving Lighter a sweet smile. Lighter gave a soft chuckle as he settled onto the grass with the other four children, “well, it’s nice to meet you too” replied Lighter. Eventually, Astra makes a suggestion to make flower crowns which catches Belle’s attention, as she moves to sit closer to Astra and Evelyn. “Sorry about Belle, she can be a bit much when you first meet her” sighed Wise softly, hoping Belle was too preoccupied to hear him. “S’alright, she reminds me a bit of Astra when I first met her” replied Lighter, moving closer to Wise to hear him over the girls. For the rest of the day, Lighter and Wise sat together chatting away about everything and nothing while Astra, Evelyn, and Belle made flower crowns. Once done with their flower crowns, Astra and Belle approached Lighter and Wise, depositing a flower crown atop both of their heads with bright smiles on their faces. As the small group continued to chat and play over the coming days, Lighter and Wise always seemed to find purchase together during their free time in the Garden. When the small group would meet on their hill, Lighter and Wise were somewhat drawn to each other, sitting together with their backs against the tree, or at the shallow pond where they’d sit in some shade together while the girls played.

Where your eyes reach

Where your fingertips brush

Waiting for you endlessly

The red light inside the black darkness

Turning the hourglass

Spending a long time with you

“Lighter?!” called Wise as he rushed to the older when he noticed how unsteady he looked on his feet. “What happened?” he asked, wrapping an arm under Lighter’s. “That guy who was bothering you, he won’t bother you anymore” said Lighter as he adjusted his tinted glasses. The frown on Wise's face only deepened with Lighter’s words, “don’t tell me you got into a fight with him…” said Wise trying to guide the pair to lean against a nearby tree. “His mistake, takin your things and whatnot” replied Lighter, leaning into Wise’s touch. A faint blush creeped onto Wise cheeks, “I didn’t think anyone noticed… thank you” he whispered. “We should get you to the infirmary at least,” said Wise, slowly making their way towards the infirmary.

Once again, Lighter found himself in the white light of the infirmary, the only difference this visit is that he has Wise with him. When a staff member attended to Lighter’s injuries, he was told to stay the night to make sure none of them opened back up. When dinner rolled around, Lighter expected Wise to return to his room but to his surprise, Wise came back to the infirmary. “Surprised you came back, thought you’d go back to your room for the night” said Lighter softly, slowly sitting up in his bed. “I figured you wanted some company, Astra did mention you end up in the infirmary a lot” replied Wise, pulling a stool over to Lighter’s bedside. “Thanks, in the past Astra and Evelyn would visit, but most of the time it was to gossip about what our classmates got up to,” said Lighter with a soft chuckle, remembering all the latest gossip Astra would tell him when he’d been out of class for long periods of time. “Ha, sounds like Astra, she tends to know what everyone is up to at any given time. My guess, her charm’s what draws so many people to her” replaced Wise with a giggle. “She does have that effect on people, I remember one time she got into trouble with Evelyn. Evelyn was ready to accept their punishment but Astra managed to talk them both out of it” laughed Lighter, finding himself relaxing into the stiff bed. The pair’s conversation lasted late into the night, sharing story after story about the three girls that made up their little friend group. Eventually, Wise’s eyes grew heavy so he laid his head down on the bed and drifted off to sleep. For a while Lighter simply stared at the younger, a fond smile across his lips. I wish I could express how much you mean to me, but I don’t want to taint that beautiful smile of yours. Something went unspoken between the pair that night, a fondness both were too scared to put into words, fearful that if they said what they felt, they might lose the other’s friendship.

So back, black as it can be

A dark sea gets deeper as you approach

Like a black, black sorrow

A story of such woe

At the end of this story

There is only a cold spot stained with blood

One day at breakfast, Astra, Evelyn, and Lighter notice that Belle and Wise hadn’t shown up yet. “Maybe one of us should go make sure they’re awake,” said Astra, a look of concern on her face. “Give it a little longer before you go looking for them” said Evelyn, resting her hand on Astra’s in an attempt to sooth her. Eventually, Wise appears at the entrance to the dining hall, his face pale. When he approached, Lighter asked what was wrong, trying to even his voice to hide his concern. When Wise collapsed forward, Evelyn was the closest and fastest, and caught the younger in her arms as he cried. “Belle, she’s dead” Wise sobbed quietly, tucking his head under Evelyn’s. 

After breakfast and class, the children were released for free time in the Garden. The usually lively group of five had turned into a mournful group of four, sitting quietly atop a hill under the shade of a large tree in silence. Wise and Lighter leaned against the tree, shoulder to shoulder, with Lighter watching Wise from the corner of his eye. Astra had her knees tucked against her chest, leaning her head on Evelyn’s shoulder. Evelyn rested her head atop Astra’s gently rubbing circles into her back. Things were never the same in their little friend group after that day. On a quiet day, Astra and Evelyn sat together and made a flower crown of red flowers while Lighter and Wise sat in silence, Wise resting his head on Lighter’s shoulder. Once Astra and Evelyn finished the flower crown, Astra slowly stood up and walked to the base of the tree, setting the flower crown down gently, as if it were something fragile enough that the slightest movement would shatter it into thousands of pieces. Together the small group of four sat in silence, remembering the cutest younger sister and her bright smiles.

Such black, black sorrow

To me you are 

To me, you are my

Black sorrow

You are my

Black sorrow

You are my

Black sorrow

As the score was tallied up behind Lighter and his opponent, Lighter’s thoughts drifted to the shared silence between himself and Wise, the way the younger was more expressive and vulnerable in his company. 90 to 68 read behind him before Lighter Win appeared in its place. In the shadows, a pair of heterochromic eyes pierced through the darkness, watching in silence as Lighter walked off the stage.

Notes:

Thanks for stopping by and reading my silly little au! It might be a while before I can get round 5 written and to you all so bare with me. I started classes last week so my free time has dwindled plus my back and forth with writers block but I'll do my best with what free time I manage to make.

Also how we all feeling about the upcoming 2.3 agents? On my end, I plan on trying to pull for e0s1 Manato with the potential of e6 if I don't mind the S rank agent he's with

Thanks again for stopping by ^^ don't forget to take care of yourselves and I'll see you again eventually with round 5