Chapter 28

immortality
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Nagising ako dahil sa liwanag na nakita ko. Pagbukas ko ng mga mata ko ay ang pamilyar na puting dingding at kisame ang bumungad sa akin. Am I in my room?
 
“Oh. You’re awake.”
 
Napatingin ako sa gilid at nakita kong nakatayo malapit sa pintuan si Henric. Doon ko narealize na nasa ibang kwarto ako dahil nakahiga rin sa kanya-kanya nilang kama sina Lexi, Yano at Ryleigh.
 
“Huh. So you’re the first one,” Henric remarked as he stared at the three who were still asleep. Strange. This was the first time that I was the first to recover completely. I slept for two . . . Or was it three days? Wait . . .
 
Napabangon ako bigla nang sumagi ‘yon sa isip ko.
 
“A-anong araw na? Ilang araw na ang nakakalipas?” I felt uneasy but Henric just smiled.

“Don’t worry, it’s still the same day. You just slept for three hours.”
 
Pagkarinig ko no’n ay gumaan ang pakiramdam ko at napabuntong-hininga na lang ako. Akala ko inabot na naman ako ng ilang araw gaya ng nakaraang trainings namin.
 
“Come with me,” biglang sabi ni Henric at pagtingin ko ay naglalakad na siya palabas ng kwarto. Dali-dali akong tumayo at sumunod sa kanya.
 
Tahimik lang kaming naglalakad sa hallway at may kakaiba akong naramdaman sa paligid. The air seemed heavy and suffocating, and I could feel the growing tension around us. I wanted to ask him what was going on but he suddenly stopped walking. Curious, I sidestepped to see what was in front of us and now I was looking at a huge door.
 
“Laxo,” he chanted and the door opened by itself.
 
A gasp escaped from my mouth when I saw the other side of the door. The whole Capital and even the villages surrounding it came into view, but the astonishment I felt was immediately replaced by horror.
 
“The Exorcists made their first move,” Henric said in a grim tone.
 
The villages located at the borders of the city were on the brink of destruction, and my village wasn’t exempted. Seeing those places engulfed by fire made my body shake uncontrollably.
 
“We need to stop them,” bulong ko sa sarili ko.

“The Divine General already sent capable Divians to protect the villages.” Agad naman akong napalingon nang marinig ko ‘yon.

“Bakit hindi ang Spirit Masters?”

“The Spirit Masters have other missions.”
 
Pagkasabi niya no’n ay nagpaalam siya sa akin. Pinapatawag sila ni Divine General kaya naman naiwan ako roon na nakatingin sa kalahatan.
 
“Reika . . . ”
 
That voice again. I turned around even though I already knew that I wouldn’t found anyone behind. And I was right. The hallway was deserted.
 
Napagdesisyunan kong umalis doon at naglakad ako pabalik sa loob. Doon ko naalala ang daan papunta sa kwarto kung saan sinubukang tanggalin ni Astrid ang seal sa bandang balikat ko.
 
The seal . . .
 
Hindi kaya dahil doon kaya nauna akong magising kina Lexi? The seal was temporarily lifted when Astrid tried to undo it. Maybe some of my sealed power was released?
 
My hand instinctively reached for that spot on my shoulder. I remembered the scene I saw during the seal removal. ‘Yon din ang dahilan kung bakit ipinatigil ko ang pag-release ni Astrid sa seal. I was not yet ready. This wasn’t the right time.
 
Binilisan ko ang lakad ko habang naka-alerto sa paligid, hanggang sa makarating ako sa kwarto na ‘yon. Agad akong pumasok at mabilis na sinara ang pinto. Bumungad sa akin ang Book of Prophecies na nasa gitna ng lamesa at napapaligiran pa rin ito ng spirit particles. The incantation she had chanted during the quake was still effective.
 
When I reached for the book, the spirit particles departed. Maingat kong binuksan ang libro at hinanap ko ang prophecy na sinabi ni Tita Aina. Halos kabisado ko na ang bawat salita pero hindi ko pa rin gaanong maintindihan ang ibig sabihin.
 
Where the havoc has ended,
Another will be started;
 
That meant the upcoming war, just like what happened seven years ago. Ibig sabihin ba ay sa Capital mismo mangyayari ang labanan?
 
Fangs and wings shall decide,
The Shadow will be your guide;
 
Wings . . . I think it would be Phoebe, while the fangs might be Lio? I'm wasn’t sure about that. Pero sigurado akong si Master ang Shadow na tinutukoy ro’n.
 
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.
 
The last four lines made no sense to me . . . yet. Hell? Seal? Guardian? Cage? Dead? Flame? Wait, flame? Would that be also Phoebe? Pero--
 
The whole place was engulfed by fire. No, not just this place. The whole world.
 
Halos kilabutan ako nang bigla kong naisip 'yon. Was it that flame?
 
"Reika."
 
Napatalon ako nang marinig ko na naman ang boses at bigla akong nag-panic dahil muntik nang mahulog ang libro. Buti na lang at agad kong nasalo bago pa malaglag mula sa mesa. Pero napatigil ako nang makita kong nalipat pala ang pahina at nabasa ko ang nakasulat ditto.
 
"Immortality prophecy?" I mumbled.
 
Babasahin ko na sana ang mismong prophecy pero narinig ko ang pagpihit ng doorknob at pagtingin ko ay unti-unti iyong bumukas. I immediately hid between the shelves even though I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Well, I just did something wrong.
 
I had brought the Book of Prophecies with me.
 
Narinig ko ang pagsara ng pinto at ang mga yapak ng pumasok. Ang bilis na ng tibok ng puso ko dahil natatakot ako sa pwedeng mangyari. What if it was a Spirit Master? What if it was Astrid and she saw that the Book of Prophecies went missing on the table?
 
“She’s not here, too.”
 
Nagulat ako nang bigla kong narinig ang boses ni Ryleigh at dahan-dahan akong sumilip sa pagitan ng mga libro. I confirmed that it was him when I saw him looking around the room. Flipping the pages, I immediately read the prophecy.
 
Unlimited power will be hers,
Accompanied by its curse;
Death can’t claim her spirit,
But few will be after it.
Fire will claim its flame--
 
“Found you.”
 
Naisara ko kaagad ang libro nang marinig ko ang pangalan ko at paglingon ko ay nakasilip na si Ryleigh sa tinataguan ko.
 
“A-anong k-kailangan mo?” I asked, trying to hide the book behind me, which was a dumb move. Nakita naman na niya at hindi ko rin naman natago nang buo dahil sa laki nito.

“What the heck are you doing here?”

“Nothing,” I said as I casually walked toward the table. Binalik ko sa dati nitong posisyon ang libro at akmang lalabas na ako nang bigla niyang hinigit ang braso ko kaya napaharap ako sa kanya. “W-what?” tanong ko pero nakatingin lang siya sa akin. After a few seconds, he sighed and unhanded me.

“Let’s go,” mahina niyang sagot at hinatak niya ako palabas ng kwarto.

“Saan?”

“To the villages.”
 
***
 
Habang naglalakad kami ay sinabi ni Ryleigh ang mga nangyari. Halos sabay-sabay lang din silang nagising at sinabihan kaagad sila na may kailangan silang gawin. According to the Divine General, it is our duty to help the other Divians and protect the people from Exorcists. Divians from Divine Camp were sent to villages for reinforcements and we’ll join them, too.
 
“So Yano and Lexi are going to Galna village?” tanong ko dahil kaunti lang daw ang Divians doon.

“Yeah. And Khalir village is ours to protect.”
 
Pumunta kami sa pinakamataas na parte ng side na ito ng Hydra at halos lumubog ang puso ko nang makita ko ulit ang kalagayan ng paligid.
 
“Kon, sal-ve!” he summoned. I was about to call Phoebe but he stopped me. “Don’t call her.”

“Why?”

“One of us should conserve energy, in case something bad happens.”

“Pero—”
 
Kon materialized in front of us and we hopped on his back. Habang nasa itaas kami ay nakikita ko ang kaguluhan sa lahat ng lugar pero hindi ko pa rin lubos maisip na nagsisimula na ang digmaan sa pagitan ng Exorcists at Divians. Ni hindi ko nga maintindihan ang dahilan ng pangyayaring ‘to.
 
“Is it because of the seal?” mahina kong tanong at nakita ko ang paggalaw ng balikat ni Ryleigh.

“What else would be the cause of this?” he asked back. “The Spirit Masters said that was the same cause of the former havoc but they didn’t get what they want. And now, they want to get it again from them.”

“Pero ang sabi nila, hindi na nila alam kung nasaan ang seal, hindi ba?”

“Hindi natin alam kung totoo ang sinasabi nila,” matigas niyang sagot. “Of course, they won’t tell us everything about that goddamned seal. For them, we’re still kids.”

​“But . . . ”
 
I wanted to say some rebuttal but deep inside my mind, I know that he was right. There were so many mysteries about that immortality seal and nobody knows its whereabouts and what had happened to it. I really wanted to know more about it because, even though they don’t want to admit it, I had a feeling that my parents died because of it. They had a connection to that seal.
 
Did they protect it--
 
“Shit!”
 
Bumalik ang isip ko sa kasalukuyan at naramdaman ko na lang bigla na nahuhulog na ako. It was so sudden that I didn’t do anything. I couldn’t even do anything. But when I heard someone laughing behind me, that was when my adrenaline acted on me.
 
“Verscheiden sie viel hyva mich han,” I chanted and surprised when I realized what I had said. Parang kusang lumabas sa bibig ko ang mga salitang ‘yon.
 
Suddenly, spirit particles surrounded me and I saw the outlines of Jerry and Carlos. They enveloped me and I transformed into my hybrid form. The forest was just a few meters below so I immediately lashed the whip behind me and I heard a yell. Before colliding with the trees, I backflipped in midair and pulled my whip hard. My body brushed against the branches and leaves as I fell through them but the guy bound by my whip broke all the branches and trunks he passed by. Shortly after, I landed with both feet and he fell on his back.
 
“You fucking Divian!” sigaw niya habang umuubo at hinahabol ang hininga. Inaasahan ko na sisigaw pa ulit siya sa akin pero nagulat ako nang bigla siyang ngumiti. “Fucking Divian,” he said while smiling. “You’re dead.” Bigla niyang hinatak ang whip ko at natumba ako dahil sa lakas niya.
 
The next thing I knew, a huge black bear roared behind me, ready to attack with its long and sharp claws.

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