TWENTY-FOUR

TWILIGHT VALE, THE VOID OF THE GODS

"GO AHEAD AND slash your sword! Did you really believe I could be stopped by nothing more than Archduchess like you? What a moron. Nobody would bother to save you, and you're all alone here.

"Sa tingin mo, 'di kita uurungan? This is Twilight Vale! And no simple masked man would scare me!"Giovanni's wrath explodes like a fire. He finally did it. All she can do is grin at him. But it wasn't her usual charming smile; this was an expression that she was too deadly to annoy.

"Before we start fighting, let me introduce myself. I'm Xavion, Demeter's son." He rose up in his position and lighted his eyes, which shone. This Demigod appeared to be odd.

Perhaps his scars and tattoos express the story of how he became a Cursed Demigod. Giovanni couldn't tell what was going on with him. He's quite dangerous.

Giovanni isn't even scared noong unang pagpunta niya dito. Pero may kakaiba sa lalaking ito na 'di niya alam. Basta't alam niya na siya ay isang delikado. Doon siya naniniwala.

He was moving slowly, and mist had shrouded the area where she was standing. His eyes follow her, giving her those threatening stares he was known for. But Giovanni simply stood there. This isn't the first time she has dealt with a villain.

"Matagal na kita gustong makita Giovanni. I've been longing to meet you just to kill you!" Sigaw ni Xavion He exhaled and shot her with his destructive magic.

Using power of destruction, he's able to induce disastrous events onto any kind of event.

He could make celebrations where everyone is having fun turns into a riot or a construction of a house going according to plan turns into a disaster that results in the house being destroyed. Anything good can be made into a bad situation.

With a fast run, Xavion moved his palm and the dead trees suddenly fell in Giovanni's direction. He then smirked at her while slowly raising his chin and swinging his arms in an exaggerated laugh. "We'll see whether you make it through this, Archduchess!"

Is it true that he just knocked down the trees to make up for her bad luck? This man attacked too quickly, and his only concern was to kill her.

So, she just clicked her tongue. 'Wala na akong oras pa para maglaan dito. Ang aking layunin ay makarating sa Twilight Vale sa lalong madaling panahon dahil kailangan kong makatakas dito. Kung 'di lang ako iniwan ng ungas na 'yon!' That's all she could think of.

Wala na siyang oras para maghintay pa. Bilang karagdagan, 'di siya sigurado kung ano ang maaaring mangyari kapag siya ay inilabas dito. Pero nakakasiguro siya sa isang bagay. That the cosmos refers to the ordered universe, encompassing everything from the heavens to the earth.

It embodies beauty, order, and harmony, representing a universe that is structured and purposeful. The significance of the Cosmos in Greek thought lies in its embodiment of order, contrasting sharply with the primordial state of Chaos.

It begins with the concept of Chaos, a formless void representing the initial state of existence. From this chaotic backdrop, the Cosmos emerges, signifying the establishment of order. This transition from Chaos to Cosmos is not merely a physical transformation but also a metaphysical one, symbolizing the triumph of order over disorder.

"Alam ko na talagang pupuntiryahin mo ako, hangal ka!" at dahil dito, sumigaw siya. Ang lalaking 'to ay tila sigurado na tapusin na lang siya. Wala siyang ideya kung bakit siya nandito, dahil siguro sa misyon niya.

Walang pag-aalinlangan na lumapit siya sa lalaki at sinamaan 'to ng tingin, "Hindi ang tulad niyong mga scientist ang magpapabagsak sa 'kin!"

She could only hope.

His eyes opened, and he appeared shocked by her judgements. The way he looked was difficult to understand. Siya 'yung tipo ng tao na walang pakialam kung sino o ilan ang na paglaruan niya. Sa lakas ng hanging namamagitan sa kanila, muli siyang binigyan ni Xavion ng masamang tingin.

"Hindi ka ba nababahala sa Fate na ibinigay ko sa 'yo? You're cursed because of me. Bukod pa rito, 'di ko ibinibigay ang bagay na 'yon ng basta-basta, Archduchess."

Napatingin sa kanya si Giovanni. 'Di siya makapaniwala sa sinabi niya. Halos nanginginig na siya sa takot ngayon sa natuklasan niya. Napakadali para sa isang tulad nila na paglaruan ang sinumang gusto nila, 'di' ba? She was unable to understand how these scientists were capable of such things.

"Well?" He smirked at her, "Isn't that exciting?"

'Exciting your ass! Pagkatapos kong malaman ang plano mo, sa tingin mo matutuwa pa ba ako sa kagaguhan mo? Baliw ka ba?' Giovanni gritted her teeth, unable to stop herself from cursing Xavion in her mind.

"I read about this a lot in a book." At Imetheos' library. The world around us in the Twilight Vale is made up of cosmos, and there's only one way for me to escape in the House of Hades." Her gaze turned cold, and she quickly summoned her large pitcher and released some water, and Scylla entered the scene, "That's to determine where the key goes."

"What are you doing?!?"

'Di niya alam kung paano paamuhin si Scylla gamit ang kapangyarihang 'yon, at alam niyang sa kasalukuyang estado niya ay hindi 'to magiging madaling labanan para sa kanya. Walang nakakaalam kung paano lalaban ang lalaking nasa harapan niya ngayon. Giovanni's only option was to click her tongue. 

This is pointless. She sprinted over to him, grabbed the pitcher, and called forth Scylla. The monster roared as the waves of water pushed in front of her. 

A monster with 12 feet and 6 heads on long, snaky necks, each head having a triple row of sharklike teeth, while her loins were girdled by the heads of baying dogs. 

And she was a sea-monster who haunted the rocks of a narrow strait opposite the whirlpool of Charybdis. Ships who sailed too close to her rocks would lose six men to her ravenous, darting heads. 

"You're willing to ruin my precious sleep?"

"I last remembered you were my familiar."

Scylla looks to be quiet only when she is not surrounded by males who would eventually become her dinner. Giovanni glanced at the beast without fear, then turned and pointed at Xavion, saying, "Deal with that man."

"I'm the son of Demeter. What the fuck are you even saying?"

Scylla's eyes expanded, indicating how horrible she could be. As darkness surrounds them, kitang-kita ni Xavion na pinagpapawisan na siya. 'Di siya makatingin sa halimaw na nasa harapan niya ngayon.

Halu-halo ang nararamdaman niya sa mga sandaling 'yon. Sobrang bilis ng tibok ng puso niya and his heart thumped like crazy! His face became white at halos mawalan ng lakas ang binti niya.

His breaths were exhaling so hard that he could not move his legs at all. As Scylla's shadow approached, he shouted and lost balance.

"Don't kill me!" He shouted.

"Minsan ko lang  'to sasabihin, kaya makinig ka sa 'kin ,'di ko hahayaang paglaruan mo ang kapalaran ko ng gano'n. Now that you know what I am capable of, there's nothing stopping me."

She moved her palm and released some circle-shaped waves of water, and Giovanni's eyes lit into blue violet. "Go ahead and kill me. Well, if you can."

He took a step back, turned around, and tried to get away, but it was too late. One of Giovanni's tattoos blazed in her flesh, as did Scylla's. She moved her hand, and Scylla now uses her upper body to catch Xavion with the Charybdis.

"I haven't eaten anything other than those men on the ships, so I'm curious what this man would taste like." Her golden hideous eyes were scarier now.

"Wait."

Giovanni gave him a smile, which infuriated Xavion. 'Don't get too cocky, Archduchess!' That was all he could think of.

"Since you started it, siguro dapat ipakita ko sa 'yo kung ano ang kaya kong gawin."

"Sa tingin mo ba talaga? When your fate puts you in danger!?"

"Ngunit may isang tulad ko na gagawin ang lahat para pigilan ang iyong mga kagaguhan!"

"Then you're dreaming!"

"I'm able to. And I'll put a stop to it."

They both stared each other and Scylla gripped Xavion atat ibinalot niya ang kanyang galamay sa kanyang katawan. Umilaw ang mata niya at napasigaw, "Now, little girl!"

☫✠_____♆_____✡♆

WHEN GIOVANNI REMAINED silent, she moved swiftly toward him and used her water magic. Water is, as they say, the source of life because without it, how could you possibly survive?

Using the Water Form Magic, she can manipulate water in every form possible, the basic three being liquid, solid and gas, as well as transform it from one phase to another. More powerful users can convert water into the fourth phase, plasma.

She can also manipulate every property of water, such as viscosity and density of water, changing liquid into thick and adhesive or thin as oil, or condensing vapor particles and liquids enough to be tangible to the point where they are solid and hardened.

"Giovanni, how could you?"Anger definitely surrounded Xavion's voice. "Hindi 'to ang katapusan ng lahat! Tandaan mo 'yan!"

"You sure about that?"

As Giovanni approached, the ground began to rumble. She stood where she was and closed her eyes to focus deeply. Then, she stretched out both arms, and her tattoos sparkled in the same shade of pink as her aura, resembling golden sparkles of magic.

She inhaled deeply, then realized she was surrounded by tons of waves. The magic was too powerful, and she couldn't control it very well. Giovanni formed the water into an arrow, held it tighter, put it on the bow, and shot at Xavion. She pulled the arrow, and it flew in his direction, splashing large waves of water directly into his face.

Napabalikwas siya sa lakas ng pagtama ng tubig sa kanya at natumba na lang kung saan and Giovanni simply clapped her hands and grinned at him. She seems to be looking down at him.

"Next time, don't fuck with me. Okay?" She smiled sweetly, flipping her hair.

Tumalikod siya and dispels the spell, allowing Scylla to vanish. Nakaramdam siya ng panghihina sa katawan at nagulat si Giovanni nang may sumapo sa kanya. Isang magandang babae na may kulay kahel na buhok na kumikinang na parang buwan.

"Giovanni!? Giovanni? Hey, are you—"

With that, she closes her eyes. Her body is starting to give up because of the magic she used. So she eventually slept soundly.