Chapter 26

prophecy
​

Sir Arsen let me sit in front of the huge book and looking at the writings made me nauseous. The book was five times bigger and thicker than a normal book and it was bound by an intricate leather cover. The pages were already brittle and delicate due to its age but I could feel the power radiating from each line. I felt like I’d be opening something that was not meant to be seen.
 
"This is the Book of Prophecies," the Divine General said. "Written by the best Seers from the ancient times up to the present. Major and minor prophecies were recorded here and some of them had already happened, while some is already happening and will surely happen."
 
Prophecies were powerful words chanted by Seers. And these words would happen, based on our interpretations, whether we like it or not.
 
Written on the open page was the prophecy that Tita Aina chanted.

​Where the havoc has ended,
Another will be started;
Fangs and wings shall decide,
The Shadow will be your guide.
Hell will breathe its fire and rage,
Until the seal and the Guardian break their cage;
The dead shall take the blame,
And the Divian burns in flame.

I shivered as I repeatedly read each line and I couldn’t believe that four days from now, this prophecy might come true. No. It would surely happen.
 
"This is the prophecy revealed by Aina,” Sir Arsen mentioned and the three Spirit Masters behind him suddenly turned grim. 

"Alam n'yo na po ba ang ibig sabihin ng mga linya sa prophecy?" tanong ko at ramdam ko ang tensyon sa loob ng kwartong ito. He smiled and glanced at the three.

"Yes, but I think they should be the ones explaining this to you."
 
Pagkasabi niya no’n ay agad siyang tumalikod at akmang aalis na sa kwarto.
 
"A-are you leaving already, Divine General?" I asked.

"I have a lot to do,” he answered. “I just went here to see if you’re ready to know the truth, and I think you already are.”
 
He exited the room and left me bewildered. Astrid sat right across me while Master and Henric stood on my side.
 
"Just like what Divine General Arsen said, prophecies are absolute. And this Second Havoc prophecy will certainly happen," Astrid said as her fingers trailed the pages.

"Pero paano kayo nakakasiguro na may kinalaman nga ako sa prophecy? What if . . . what if Tita Aina was mistaken?”
 
At first, I was excited and curious about what my role would be on this prophecy that Tita Aina tols us but as the day passed by, I was starting to fear it. I was scared to have a huge responsibility that could compromise everything.
 
"Aina is the best Seer of this generation," Master noted. "She won't say something that won't come true or doesn't have any value."

"Besides, the Divine General seems so sure that you're really involved in this matter," dagdag naman ni Henric.

"The prophecy that she revealed is actually the second—"
 
Natigil naman sa pagsasalita si Astrid dahil bigla kaming may narinig na malakas na pagsabog. When I looked at them, they were already on their defensive stance. I was about to stand up but the floor suddenly trembled.
 
"What's happening—ugh!" Master groaned and it was followed by Astrid’s scream while Henric winced in pain.

"A-anong n-nangyayari sa inyo?" I asked as I approached Master. 
 
She was clutching her upper left arm and I caught a glimpse of light around that area. Henric, on the other hand, touched his nape and Astrid clenched her forehead.
 
And then I saw it. They all had strange markings on their particular body parts.
 
"T-the Divine General!" sigaw ni Henric at pinilit niyang tumayo pero pare-pareho kaming natumba dahil sa lakas ng pagyanig.

"Cies servo notas!" Astrid chanted and spirit particles began circling the Book of Prophecies. Nawala ang epekto ng lindol sa libro at naging kalmado ang parte kung nasaan 'yon.

"Reika, we're sorry but we have to postpone this talk. For now, we need to be with the Divine General," sabi ni Master sabay tingin niya kina Astrid at Henric. "Let's go!"
 
Kahit hindi ko alam ang nangyayari ay sumunod ako sa kanila. The continuous quake hindered their movements. I was almost sure that this was caused by silvanias inhabiting Hydra, and that meant this place was in danger.
 
Nang makarating kami sa Divine Hall ay naabutan din namin doon ang iba pang Spirit Masters at maging sina Ryleigh, Lexi at Yano. The other Spirit Masters also had markings engraved on their certain body part that were glowing brightly at the moment.
 
"I'm fine," the Divine General said as he entered the Hall. But what surprised me was the blood gushing from his forearm to his hand. He looked calm despite the wound but the Spirit Masters looked worried for him.
 
"What happened, Divine General?" Lark asked as he adjusted his eye patch.
 
The Divine General looked at his bloody hand and said, "Ignus is coming. I guess his desperation overcomes the curse that theycreated." Tumingin siya sa amin pabalik sa kamay niya. "This is his warning."
 
The atmosphere instantly became suffocating. Their stance shifted into combat mode and their expressions frightened me. These people were Spirit Masters, the strongest Divians who keep the peace and order in this nation, and assist the Divine General on his decisions and orders.
 
"Blade, Shadow," the Divine General called while looking at Master at Gavin. "Train them," sabay tingin niya sa aming apat na apprentices.

"Yes, Divine General," they answered as they bowed to him.

"The rest of the Spirit Masters, follow me. We're going to prepare for battle."

​"Yes, Divine General!"
 
Sumunod sa kanya sina Astrid, Henric, Adrielle, Lark at Tito Leon habang naiwan kami rito kasama sina Master at Gavin.
 
"W-what the heck did just happen?" Lexi stuttered and we were all holding our breath since sir Arsen entered the room.

“Look at that poor guardian,” sabi ni Master habang nakatingin sa loob ng Divine Hall kaya napasilip din kaming apat. A dog guardian was slowly disintegrating into nothing and my heart sank as I immediately thought of Jerry.

“An Ainu dog, despite its gentle features, is a known hunter and will do everything to protect its owner,” Gavin said. “He must have been ordered to hunt the Divine General until he dies.”

“That’s cruel,” Yano commented.

“How can a Divian do this to his own guardian?” I asked, scared that one day, my own guardians might face the same fate.

“They aren’t Divians,” biglang sabi ni Ryleigh at kita ko sa mukha niya ang galit. I had seen him pissed a lot of time, but this was the first time I saw him furious, and it was terrifying. “This is the work of an Exorcist. They kill and exterminate guardians and their owners without a second thought.”

“Ryleigh.” Gavin stepped closer to him and shoved his sheathed sword into Ryleigh’s stomach. “Control your temper. Do you want that to happen again?”
 
Ryleigh closed his eyes and started breathing deeply. Nagkatinginan naman kami ni Lexi dahil hindi namin alam kung anong nangyayari. Besides the attack, what bothered me was the words said by the Divine General.
 
“Anyway, come with us. We need to see your improvement, if there’s any.”
 
Nagsimulang maglakad sina Master at Gavin kaya naman agad kaming sumunod. Nasa pinakalikuran kami ni Lexi at bigla niya akong siniko.
 
“Ano palang nangyari sa’yo? Saan ka pumunta kanina?” mahina niyang tanong. Nagdalawang-isip naman ako kung sasabihin ko pero dahil isa siya sa pinagkakatiwalaan ko ay nagdesisyon akong sabihin sa kanya.

“Nagkita kami ni Divine General kanina, kasama ang ibang Spirit Masters.”

“What? Bakit? May ginawa ka bang kasalanan? Teka, anong ginawa nila sa’yo?”

“Wala. May pinakita lang sila sa aking libro.”

“Libro?”

“The Book of Prophecies.”

Lexi halted, shocked. “You mean . . . the collection of all the prophecies seen and chanted by the best Seers of each generation?”

“Yeah.”
 
I told her what happened earlier but we stopped talking when everyone in front of us halted.
 
“We’re here,” sabi ni Master at napanganga ako nung makita ko kung nasaan kami.

“This is the harshest training room inside Hydra and sorry to say this but you need to get stronger within four days,” Gavin said in a demanding tone.

“Get inside.”
 
Pumasok naman kaming apat sa loob ng kwarto at bigla kong naalala ang training namin kay Henric. There were still spirit particles scattered around but this wasn’t just an empty white room anymore. Rainforest, grassland, desert and other combined biomes made the landscape diverse and complicated.
 
And then something weird happened. The four of us felt an overwhelming aura and both Ryleigh and Yano shoved us away. We all fell to the ground and a sudden, strong gust cleared everything in the place where we stood a while ago.
 
“Rule number one: Don’t lose your attention in front of your enemies. Did you forget that already? Ryleigh? Yano?”
 
Gavin stood several meters away from us with all his swords unsheathed. A few seconds after that, another bone-chilling aura made the room suffocating. Bigla kaming nagkatinginan ni Lexi.
 
“Carlos!”

“Smith!”
 
Carlos and Smith materialized in front of us and I pulled Ryleigh with me while Yano and Lexi mounted on Smith. Isang hakbang pa lang ang nagagawa nina Carlos at Smith ay nabiyak kaagad ang lupa kung nasaan kami kanina.
 
“Oh, nice dodge,” Master commented and she was wearing her black attire as the Amazon Divian.
 
She walked toward Gavin and they faced the four of us. Even though Master’s face was covered with a black cloth, I could feel that she was smiling beneath that.
 
“Blade and Shadow,” I muttered. “The Divine General called the two of you Blade and Shadow.”

“Those are our epithet,” sabi ni Gavin. “The only time he calls us by those names is when something ominous approaches.”

​“But what about those marks?” tanong naman ni Yano. “Sir Gavin, wala ka namang ganyang marka sa kamay mo dati. Anong ibig sabihin ng mga ‘yan?”
 
They both looked at their own marks. Unlike a while ago, the markings weren’t illuminating anymore. Instead, they looked like scars etched on their skin.
 
“This is the mark of the Spirit Masters and it usually appears when the Divine General is in trouble or . . .” Master’s voice faltered. “Anyway, enough with the questions. Let’s get started—”

“I have one last question, Master,” seryoso kong sabi at maging sina Lexi ay napatingin sa akin.

​“What is it?”
 
Huminga ako nang malalim dahil natatakot akong malaman ang sagot pero gusto ko ring maliwanagan sa mga pwedeng mangyari.
 
“Where the havoc has ended,
Another will be started;
Fangs and wings shall decide,
The Shadow will be your guide.”
 
I recited the first half of the prophecy and I saw the glint in Master’s eyes. Alam kong alam na niya ang itatanong ko pero hinintay niya pa rin akong magsalita.
 
“Are you that Shadow?”
 
She remained silent for a while and I couldn’t read her expression because of the cloth on her face.
 
“Do you remember the first time you told me about the prophecy?” she asked and I nodded. I remembered her getting pale after hearing each line. 
 
“I told you, Aina won't say something that won't come true or doesn't have any value. When I heard my epithet in that prophecy and you said that you’re the daughter of Kass and Ramon, I knew that our lives are going to be intertwined.”
 
All of a sudden, both of them changed into their half-guardian form.
 
“Reika, I am Shadow, and I will guide you to your excellence,” she said as Lily’s wings grew on her back. “Now, come. Show us the fruit of your training and experience, Divians.”
 
I don’t know if it was because of her words or we were just drawn by their strength and intensity, but the four of us, without saying anything to each other, summoned our guardians and geared up to give our all.

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