『CELINE』

In the midst of an endless path of dimness, our group stumbled into a hoard of angry, vicious goblins. Aizen’s unending whimper made me drown in frustration. One of the goblins attacked him in surprise with a poisonous dagger. His arm wasn’t bleeding, yet the poison was slowly devouring his arm, tainting with plum-like hues. 

“Can’t he contact Blue?” I asked Aizelle.

Aizelle grimaced at me. “Dimwit. Freaking look at him right now. Do you think he could summon her in that state?”

Wala sa sarili akong napakagat sa aking labi at pinanood si Sapphire na binabantayan si Aizen, inangat ko ang lupa kung nasaan sila’t kinulong sila ro’n upang hindi na muli nilang masaktan si Aizen.

Nakapaligid sa akin ang mga galit na galit na goblins habang si Aizelle ay naka-puwesto sa aking likuran, nasa itaas siya’t nagsisilbing suporta ko bilang nasa harapan.

Pinanliitan ko ng mga mata ang mga nasa harapan ko, walang kahit anong lason ang mga armas na kanilang hawak ngayon hindi katulad nang ginamit ng isa sa kanila kanina kay Aizen.

Did they mistakenly think of Aizen from someone else?

I gracefully lunged my sword to the goblin standing in front of me, and without any hesitation, I pierced its chest, but it immediately regenerated. The goblin beside him charged his sword in my direction, yet in just a blink of an eye, its chest was immediately struck by an arrow.

Higit mag-iisang oras na simula nang makaharap namin ang mga goblins, isang oras na rin na iniinda ni Aizen ang sakit ng lason sa katawan niya. At kahit anong gawin kong hiwa o ‘di kaya’y pagbaon ni Aizelle ng nga palaso niya sa mga goblin, bumabalik lamang ang katawan nila sa dati.

Ito ang kauna-unahang beses kong makakita ng ganitong mga goblin, higit silang kakaiba sa mga makikita sa labas ng Labyrinth.

I heard Aizelle sighed. “Celine, stand back.”

“Why?”

Her eyes dauntingly gazed at me. “I am going to finish them with one attack.” Aizelle’s voice was deadly serious as if she knew that she’d be able to eradicate all of them.

I heaved a sigh and twirled my body as I swayed my sword, making the goblins near me back off. I used that moment to leap in every ground that I elevated with my blessing.

What the hell is happening?

After reaching the ground sheltering both Aizen and Sapphire, I immediately halted. An enormous of magic is slowly withering the life embedded in the vicinity. My eyes followed the trail of the faint sight of the magical particles gathering around in the center.

Aizelle stood in the midst of attracting the goblins with the incredible display of her magic. The ground gradually crumbled, cracking its every path as the gravity weighed substantially. And as the heaviness corrupted the entire vicinity, the goblins felt the gravity’s weight, making each of them kiss the ground.

In the land of divinity, demigods are known as the symbol of divinity… at katulad ng mga Seraphim, mayroon kaming perpektong anyo. Isang impossibleng anyo na tanging makikita at mababasa lamang sa mga lumang libro.

Ngunit dahil walang kahit isa pang nakararating sa anyong iyon… sinasabi ng halos lahat, ito ay gawa-gawa lamang.

Hindi ito totoo.

Ngunit ngayon… ang nakikita ng mga mata ko ang paniniwalaan ko.

A large rose gold magic circle enveloped the entire vicinity, covering the ground with its splendid light as Aizelle shone in the middle of it. My naked eyes adored every inch of her transformation. Her glistening white marble haired slowly turned into a pastel sakura hues as her legendary golden bow turned into a fragile shimmering glass, the final form of the infamous legendary bow. And, eventually, her alluring tainted pink eyes changed into blinding golden eyes.

The last pinnacle… the dream of every demigod to achieve.

“Zenith of Perfection…” I whispered.

I am not naïve, not to know that she’s been hiding that form for years. Especially that, Aizelle was consciously robbing the life within the things embedded in the Labyrinth caught in our naked eyes.

Aizelle closed her eyes, chanting words into thin air.

Let the eyes of Heaven be with me,
As the amity,
The glorious light blessed me thy power
To vanquish heinousness.
Let the purity of the Heaven be with me,
As the heiress of love,
Oh, Eros…
Grant me thy divineness.
Thy amity, thy love…
Shine! Hamaya!

My eyes almost popped out. Seeing this scene is like a magnificent dream. As Aizelle opened her eyes, the number magic circle tripled, along with a holographic targeting reticule in front of her.

“Wow…”

Her eyes glistened as she let go of her hand, releasing a fragile arrow, and as it embraced the thin air, its number multiplied while coated by a pinking speckle of dust. And the goblins lurking around us greeted the arrows unwarily. The arrows showered endlessly, piercing every goblin around that they couldn’t even regenerate their body until they all turned into dull ashes.

“A—Aizen…”

Mabilis kong pinakawalan sina Sapphire at Aizen at tumakbo sa direksyon ni Aizelle upang saluhin niya. Dahan-dahan na naglaho ang Zenith Form niya habang pumipikit ang mga mata, nang saluhin ko siya’y agad ko siyang tinulungan upang makutungo sa direksyon nina Aizen at tinulungan na makaupo.

Ang malamlam at kabadong mga mat ani Sapphire ay tumingin sa akin at sa paglapat ng mga mata ko kay Aizen, kalahati ng katawan niya ay kulay lila na. Sobrang init din niya at ang bawat impit niyang daing ay nagpapahayag ng sakit na dinaramdam niya.

“Tangina…” wala sa sarili akong napabulong nang may maramdaman akong panibagong prisensya sa likuran namin.

At dahil parehas wala sa matinong ayos ngayon ang kambal, ako na lamang ang tanging makaka-pagprotekta sa kanila. Tumayo ako’t humarap sa aking likuran kasabay nito ang pagsipa ko sa ere, nagulat na lamang ako nang may humawak do’n at huli na bago ko mapansin na nakabalikdan na pala ako.

Inis akong tumingin sa may hawak sa akin hanggang sa dahan-dahan na napaltan ng mga luha ang aking inis habang ngumingisi ito sa akin.

Anong… anong nangyayari?

His heartwarming smile brought ease within, and as he slowly put me down, words still failed to escape my mouth. He ruffled my hair and grinned.

“I’m back, princess… won’t you welcome me?”

“Gnomeo…”

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

『AICELYN』

Run.

Run.

Run…

In order to stay breathing, to stay alive in this endless darkness, all we can do is to run. But this time, I have someone to lean on, unlike three years ago. In this wicked, deadly continent, I tried battling for my life alone. No one was there to save me from this graveyard…

Not until Night came, he stayed with me in the shadows even though he could leave, even though he could escape this tragedy.

“Ice…” I heard Night mumbled.

I frustratingly bit my lower lip as terror began to be filled in my chest. Saglit kong hinawakan ang noo ni Night, hindi ko alam kung bakit sobrang init niya ngayon gayong ayos naman siya kanina. Hindi rin naming magawang makaalis sa aming puwesto dahil sa dalawang nakatatakot na nilalang sa aming likuran.

Dark Continent… a graveyard and every demigod’s nightmare.

“Find her.” I heard a female voice said. “She is the cursed demigod. I must have her!”

“Asmodeus… She’s mine. So, shut up,” the other one hissed.

Marahan kong pinikit ang mga mata ko’t inalala ang usapan naming ni Artemis noon. Cursed demigod. Ilang taon akong nakulong sa Cerulean Palace dahil sa identidad na iyon ngunit kahit ilang taon pa ang lumipas, isang malaking palaisipan pa rin sa aking kung ano ang ibig sabihin nito.

“You better watch your mouth, Mammon. Those pitiful symbols of divinity and the divinity themselves already offered their life to death… that even lied to their people by making the Great Prophecy in order to hide their mistake.”

Mammon chuckled. “Why don’t you take care of the other demigods, Asmodeus? Give the cursed demigod to me.” Other demigods?

“So, Belphegor really did contact Salvante…” They knew who Celine is. Pero anong koneksyon ni Celine sa kanila? Bakit kilala siya ng mga Kins?

But… why does it feel I knew the answer and can’t just utter it?

“Let’s go for now. That cursed being will definitely show herself once she learns the arrival of her friends.”

Celine is coming… but why would she even waste her time on saving me?

At nang mawala ang mabibigat at nakakatakot sa prisensya sa paligid namin, naramdaman ko ang dahan-dahan na pag abot sa akin ni Night hanggang sa kinulong niya ako sa isang mahigpit na yakap.

“Ice…”

“I… I don’t want her to save me. She will regret coming here. Hindi niya na magagawang makabalik pa sa Divine Continent pag pumunta siya rito. Hindi ba p’wedeng kausapin mo?”

“Hindi ko kaya, Ice.”

“Please. Go back to Aizen,” I pleaded.

“And leave you alone? No way,” Night said. Muli kong hinawakan ang noo niya’t saglit akong nagulat dahil bumalik na sa dati ang temperatura niya. “Hindi ko alam kung anong alitan ang naganap sa inyo ni Celine pero… kahit kailan ay hindi ka niya sinabihan ng masasakit na salita sa ilang taon na kasama ko siya.”

“Seven Kin of Purgatory…” I whispered. “Hindi nagagawang masktan nina Asmodeus.”

Night looked at me with intent. “The Kins can never touch… unless it is Satan. I am Grim Soul now, Ice. And I carry the cursed of wrath—Satan’s bloody curse.”

“Then… you can touch him?” I asked. He shook his head, making me look at him with curiosity.

“But… a king vessel can.”

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