Reign's POV

Foel Fras, North Wales, United Kingdom.

Natunton ko na kung nasaan ang digmaan ng Alphas, ngunit sa hindi malamang dahilan, hindi ako makalabas ng mist pagkatapos ko itong utusan na palibutan ako at dalhin sa Foel Fras.

I was stuck, in the middle of the black glittering mist that has been circling me since I summoned it.

Umikot-ikot ako sa kinatatayuan ko, nagtataka kung bakit hindi ako makalabas, eh ilang beses ko nang nagamit ang kapangyarihan kong ito. I was sure I could bring myself to another country, as I've already done it before, when I was practicing my teleportation ability.

What went wrong?

Inangat ko ang aking kanang palad at tinignan ang manipis na mist na tumatakbo sa gitna, tila isang naglalahong tali, sa aking kamay.

Pagkatapos, ibinaba ko ito nang nakakuyom.

I'm losing my grip of the mist, I thought, while looking around the darkness.

My own power...

I scoffed.

Unbelievable.

Humigpit ang pagkakakuyom ng aking palad. My own... Pinigilan kong manginig ang aking kamay sa matinding inis sa sarili. My own power.

Kung kailan pa talaga kailangan kong gamitin 'yong kapangyarihan ko, ay 'tsaka lang ito di gagana nang maayos?

"Are you kidding me?!" sigaw ko.

I took heavy strides towards the barrier of mist around me and grabbed a bunch of it. Galit ko itong hinawakan, at saka marahas na hinatak upang tanggalin ito.

For a moment, I was able to hold the mist, and pull it away, but it was quick to fly back to my surroundings.

Frustrated, I used both of my hands and pushed them deep, into the wall of mist right in front of me. Hindi ko maaninag kung anong nangyayari sa aking mga kamay habang nasa loob ito ng mist, pero nagsimula akong makaramdam ng hapdi, na parang dinadaganan ng liha ang aking balat.

Sa halip ng patinding sakit, diniin ko pa ang aking mga kamay sa mist at tinipon ang aking lakas sa magkabila kong palad.

The pain grew unbearable. I felt the rushing of the wind in my hand, but instead of the wind, it was pins and needles that scratched my skin.

Though it was tempting, I didn't pull my hands back, and instead, endured the pain a little while longer, with gritted teeth.

Saka lang huminto ang aking pagdurusa sa sandaling narinig ko ang di-pamilyar na tinig ng isang babae.

Tumigil din kasi sa paggalaw ang mist at kasabay nito ay ang pagkawala ng sakit.

"You are lost?"

Her voice was coarse. It was too rugged to my ears, a bit painful to hear.

Dahan-dahan kong ibinaba ang aking kamay at humarap sa direksyon na pinanggalingan ng boses.

On the other side of the dark, a shadowy figure stood, and all I could see was a pale face on top of a robe made out of the mist, but I could tell the mist that dressed her was different from the mist that I know.

Because it was darker... and colder...

I noticed a drop of blood run down from her eye. Taking a step closer, I realized that her face was extremely wounded and beaten. Nabalot ito sa mga pasa, at mayroon din siyang mga hiwa kung saan nagsilabasan ang matutuling daloy ng dugo na sunod-sunod na dinungisan ang napakaputla niyang mukha.

"Are you a god?" I asked, when I saw that her blood was red. She was either a ghost, or a god in her mortal form.

Her black hair was long, and extended towards the mist around us.

And though her deeply cracked lips opened, her mouth remained unmoving, even as she spoke.

"I am Achlys," she said. "I am the mist in your eyes, in your hand, and around you."

"I've heard about you," sabi ko. "Ikaw yung tumulong kila Mama-"

"I did what I did because I believed it was the right thing to do," aniya. "Not because I wanted to help your mother nor anyone else."

"I'm..." Sinadya kong hinaan ang aking boses, pagka't nasa harap ako ng isa sa pinakamakapangyarihan na deity, ayon sa mga kuwento sa'kin ni Mama.

"I'm Reign."

Ilang segundo niya akong ipinailalim sa nangungulimlim niyang mga mata. Walang kabuhay-buhay ang kanyang pagtitig sa'kin kaya hindi ko mahinuha kung anong ginagawa niya, kung sinusuri niya lang ba ang buong pagkatao ko o pinagbabantaan na ito.

"Tinanong mo kung nawawala ba ako..." sabi ko, na may kasamang nahihiyang tawa. "I think I am now."

"I was supposed to get into another battlefield, but for some reason, I'm here," salaysay ko. "I must have made a mistake-"

"You have..." Pinanliitan niya ako ng mga mata. "And now you're here..."

My lips pursed tight.

It was obvious that she was suspicious of me.

"Please," sambit ko. "I just want to go back."

"Aren't you a very interesting one?"

"I-" Umiling-iling ako. "I'm really in a hurry right now, and I'm very very sorry kung nagkamali ako ng lugar na pinuntahan. It was an honest mistake."

"Do you know where you are, child?"

"No," nagmamadali kong sagot. "And I won't bother asking, as I have somewhere else to be."

A strange smile appeared on her face, darkening her already grim expression. Dahil dito, napaatras ako ng isang hakbang at naghanda kung sakaling bigla niya akong atakihin.

Bahagya kong itinago ang aking kanang kamay kung saan nagsimulang lumitaw-litaw ang maliliit na kislap ng itim at puting kuryente.

Napansin niya ito, ayon sa dagliang pagsulyap niya rito.

Achlys, was a special goddess, because while Hecate is the goddess of the mist, Achlys is the mist. She is the mist that clouds the eyes of mortals before they die, and she is the mist that's able to imprison other immortals.

Kaya isa siya sa pinakamakapangyarihan dahil siya ang kumakatawan ng katapusan. Ibig sabihin, sa bawat sandaling may natatapos na bagay, tao o gawain, nandoon siya.

And the goddess' mist isn't any other mist.

Hers' is the death-mist, that can put an end to both mortals and immortals.

But that's not all.

If you're going to deep dive into the ancient stories, which I did, you're going to find out that she could be another primordial deity, one that existed before or together with Chaos, the first god.

Achlys, ever since the beginning of time, has been a mystery.

No one knows what she truly is. They say she represents sorrow, sadness... but now that I met her, I finally understood what Mom meant, when she told me that Achlys could be more than what we know.

I could feel it from here.

The power behind those sad and drooping eyes.

Hindi mabura-bura ang suot niyang ngiti habang binabalikan din ako ng nangunguryusong tingin.

"Skyreign Austria..." she breathed my name, mist coming out of her mouth.

Sinundan ko ng tingin ang manipis niyang daliri na dahan-dahang umangat nang nakaduro sa'kin.

"Tell me..." Her voice whispered, almost close to my ear. "Who do you think you are? To threaten me with lightning?"

I looked down on the lightning bolt that's newly formed in my hand. My fingers curled tighter around it, as I stared back at the goddess once again. This time, I was fully prepared for her rage, and waited for her to move.

But she didn't.

Instead, she just slowly lowered her hand, and her smile straightened.

"You've ended a war, and now you start with another..." aniya. "You are a restless one."

Kusang lumihis ang aking tingin mula sa kanya.

"I believe you unknowlingly brought yourself here because you know you're caught in between," dagdag pa niya. "You are able to set your eyes upon your destination, but you cannot leave from where you see it."

My grip of my lightning bolt loosened, until it finally disappeared.

"You are stuck. Imprisoned. Confined. Detained. You can only see the end but you cannot move towards it."

Humugot ako ng malalim na hininga at tahimik itong ibinuga, kasabay ang bigat ng katotohanang pinagsasabi niya.

"You are caught in between following orders and making orders on your own," she added. "Caught in between dreams and nightmares, life and death..."

"You are lost," saad niya. "That is why you have brought yourself here."

"It was an accident," I said.

"Truly," sambit niya. "But one does not easily come to me by accident."

"The Heavens, the Underworld, the Mortal Realms, the Realms of Time..." She started to count the realms. "Where you are right now, is not in one of these realms."

"You are in the In Between," pagbibigay-alam niya. "The In Between is the void, the space, that's in between all the realms."

"It is where deities like me linger... where we could see everything, feel everything, all at the same time," she continued. "This, is where you could have met another goddess, by the name of Ananke, who spends her time wandering in the dark while holding her spindle made out of the brightest stars."

"You are fortunate to have met me first," she said in a matter-of-fact voice. "For Ananke is an unmerciful goddess, whose threads can entangle other powerful gods and keep them here for another eternity."

"Sometimes, she takes the form of a large serpent, with golden eyes and scales..." Inilibot niya ang kanyang paningin sa kadilimang nakapaligid sa amin, tila nagmamatyag, bago muling seryosong tumuon sa'kin.

"Reign, you are in a place unknown to men, unrecorded in history, and the gods that dwell here will do everything to keep it as such..."

Palihim akong napalunok. "Makakalabas pa ba ako dito?"

"That is not the right question to ask, child," aniya. "The question here is, what you will do after you have left this place and returned to war."

"Are you still going to be lost?" tanong niya.

"Honestly?" I sounded defeated. "Wala rin akong sagot para sa tanong na 'yan. Ang alam ko lang, dapat akong lumaban dahil may gusto akong protektahan."

"Protect? Who?" usisa niya.

"My family, and my friends."

"Lies do not exist in this realm, Skyreign Austria," she subtly grinned at me. "You want to protect your family, you friends... but most of all, you want to protect the one you want to save."

"I don't think he could be saved."

"You do," sabi niya.

"I want to get out of here."

"You can't leave the In Between when you are still lost," tugon niya. "You must know where you are going."

"I'm going to the United Kingdom."

Then, the goddess chuckled, but in a depressing tone, so it sounded like she just grumbled. And I only knew she laughed because she slightly smiled.

"You are still lost," puna niya. "But I could help you find your way out."

"I have nothing to give you in return," I informed her.

"All I ask is a candle flame offering, at my temple."

Tumango-tango ako. "I guess I could stop by to light a candle for you-" I suddenly remembered I had no idea where her temple was. "Where was it again?"

"Tartarus," sagot niya na ikinatigil ko.

A few seconds passed and I found myself nodding my head again. "I will."

Her drooping eyes lazily blinked, as a blanket of cold air rushed around me, making me feel a bit tired and sleepy.

We both looked at each other sleepily, before I finally let my eyes close and dozed off.

Kasinglamig ng lupang hinigaan ko ang hanging pumalibot sa'kin sa mga sandaling naglaho si Achlys sa aking paningin.

Dahan-dahan kong iminulat ang aking mga mata at nakita si Bella na nakababa ang tingin sa'kin. Nangunguryuso ang kanyang mga mata at sa likod niya, unti-unting natatakpan ng makakapal na ulap ang langit, pinapadilim ang gabi.

Inangat ko ang kamay ko na agad niyang hinawakan at hinila ako pataas. Nang makatayo na ako, ay saka ko napansin ang helmet na nakaipit sa kabilang braso niya.

I squinted my eyes at it for a few seconds. "Is that...?"

Hindi siya sumagot at sa halip ay pinadalhan din ako ng nagtatanong na tingin.

"I'm sorry, hindi ko rin alam kung anong nangyari sa'kin," sabi ko sa kanya. "I think I made a small miscalculation when I tried to teleport."

My encounter with Achlys felt like a dream, but I knew it wasn't. Because I could still feel her eyes looking straight into me even though she's not here.

Bella hummed, meaning she understood.

One by one, the sound of war reached my ear, and it came from the other side of the small hill in front of us.

It grew louder as we hiked the hill, and when we reached the summit, our feet automatically stopped. We were in full view of the chaos that was happening below us, and we have just discovered that it has already become a full-blown war.

Everything was a catastrophe.

Wala ngang mga punongkahoy dahil damuhan lang 'yong buong lugar, pero nakaturok naman sa lupa at nakakalat ang mga bakal na kasingtangkad ng mga kahoy.

Nasa isang dako ang malaking facility ng Orion na tuloy-tuloy na sumasabog, habang nasa kabila naman ang isa pang mas maliit na facility kung saan walang-tigil na lumalabas ang mga kalaban.

Kasunod kong tinignan ang mga tangke na lumabas mula sa paanan ng malaking facility. Bumuo ito ng isang hanay sa harap ng facility, at humarap sa iisang direksyon, bago sunod-sunod na nagpaputok.

Napangiwi ako sa ingay, ngunit mabilis din akong napatuon sa gawi na pinaputukan nila, saka nakita ang iilang mga sundalo na pakalat na tumakbo patungo sa gitna ng digmaan.

Maingay akong napabuga ng hangin sa naabutan naming kaguluhan.

"Can you tell me where the allies are?" tanong ko kay Bella.

Dinuro niya ang burol na nasa likod ng maliit na facility.

"Behind it?"

Tumango siya at dumuro na naman, this time, sa itaas.

"Planes?"

"Mmm."

"How about the Alphas?" karagdagan kong tanong. "Alam mo ba kung nasaan sila?"

Umiling siya.

My question was answered when a lightning struck the big facility. The sound of electricity hitting metal overcame the sounds of soldiers fighting. The sky crackled, threatening to fall, but it didn't.

Luke had his power under control.

Napaatras kami ni Bella nang biglang lumabas mula sa ilalim ng lupa ang isang itim na chariot at lumipad paangat.

Dalawang lalaki ang naglalaban habang nakasakay dito.

Isa sa kanila'y nakilala ko. Si Denzel, isang Alpha, na anak ni Hephaestus.

Umabot sa ilalim ng mga ulap ang chariot na sinasakyan nila nang mahulog ito pabalik sa lupa, ngunit unang sumalpok ang katawan ni Denzel sa harapan namin at gumulong nang kaunti pababa.

Sa may di kalayuan, bumagsak ang chariot at agad sumabog, dahilan na tumilapon mula rito ang katawan ng huntsman.

Wala sa sarili akong napahawak sa kapa ko na alam ko'y kalahati ay nagkapunit-punit na, ibig sabihin, hindi ito gaanong magiging epektibo sa'kin at sa iba na gusto kong matulungan.

"Where's your cape?" tanong ko kay Bella nang lingunin siya.

Ipinasok niya ang kanyang kamay sa helmet na bitbit niya at hinila palabas ang kapa niyang tila binanlaw sa dugo. Namimigat ito nang suotin niya at pumatak-patak pa nga ang dugo mula sa dulo nito.

"Bella..." namamangha kong puna.

Hindi niya ako binalingan ng tingin habang hinihigpitan ang tali sa kanyang harapan.

"Reign?" tawag ni Denzel na nakataob sa lupa pero nakaangat na ang ulo sa'min. "At Bella? A-Anong ginagawa niyo rito?"

Lumapit ako sa kanya upang tulungan siyang makatayo.

"Please don't tell my Dad," tugon ko.

"Nasa eroplano sila ngayon, kasama si Sophia," pagbibigay-alam niya.

"They're overlooking the war?" tanong ko na tinanguan niya.

Napansin ko ang mahabang sugat sa gilid ng kanyang binti, tila binalatan. "You're badly hurt," puna ko rito. "How about the others? Where are they?"

Muling tumama nang malakas ang kidlat sa malaking facility ng Orion.

Ilang segundo akong tumitig dito, saka sinenyasan si Bella na umalis. Pagkatapos, sinenyasan ko rin si Denzel na samahan akong bumaba mula sa tuktok ng burol at tumungo sa kaguluhan.

"Walk me through what's already happened," tugon ko nang nakapalikod ang aking mga kamay.

"Napaghandaan ata nila 'yong pagdating namin." Nagsimula siyang mag-kuwento tungkol sa mga nangyari simula nang makarating sila. "Anim na grandmasters ang andito ngayon para depensaan yung teritoryo nila, at labindalawang masters, at isang libong prodigies."

Nakakunot ang aking noo habang nakikinig kay Denzel, at nang maramdaman ang iilang pares ng mga matang tumuon sa'kin, dahan-dahan kong inangat ang aking tingin sa huntsmen na unang nakapansin sa'kin kahit malayo-layo pa ako sa kanila.

Hindi ko tinanggal ang aking tingin mula sa mga kalaban nang magtanong ako kay Denzel. "Do we have an estimate of the members?"

"Reign..." aniya. "Hindi pa natin sila nabibilang, kasi di pa natin alam kung saan sila galing. Mga anak talaga ng putcha, bigla-bigla nalang sumusulpot."

"A portal?"

"'Yon din ang hinala namin," sagot niya. "Kaso di pa namin matunton."

A portal that cannot be detected...

I suddenly remembered that time at the council of Elders' temple, when Henri boldly entered the hall without attracting the attention of the oracles and the founders.

Gently nodding, I realized, "He's here."

And I didn't mind if he could see me. I didn't try to hide behind the mist or conceal my presence. Hindi ako nag-alala kung sa aming dalawa, siya ang unang nakakita sa'kin, at nagbabalak na siya ngayon kung anong gagawin.

Huminto kami sa paglalakad ni Denzel pagkatapos makita ang huntsmen na sumusugod sa'min.

'You've ended a war, and now you start with another. You are a restless one.'

I calmly opened my arms behind my back to reveal the bright lightning I summoned in my right hand, and the black lightning I held in the other.

Sasalubungin ko na sana ang mga kalaban kasama si Denzel nang daplisan ako ng mahinang ihip ng hangin sa aking pisngi, pinapalingon ako.

Sinulyapan ko muna si Denzel bago lumingon sa tuktok ng burol kung saan ako galing, at mayamaya'y malumanay na inabot ang titig ng lalaking nakatayo rito.

'You are lost...'

Nakapihit ang kanyang mga braso sa dibdib at ayon sa tindig niya, hinihintay niyang ako ang lumapit sa kanya.

Caught in between helping an ally who needed me to fight with him and answering the call of an enemy who wanted me alone, I thought about what Achlys said.

About how I may be stuck, and how I am deeply lost.

And maybe I was, lost...

But at least I know where to go first.

I know where I am needed the most, and it is by the allies' side. Not his'.

Tahimik at mapayapa dito sa kinatatayuan ko, sa pagitan ng pagdedesisyon kung anong susundin ko: 'yong puso ko o 'yong utak ko.

Unti-unting nalulunod sa sigaw ng dibdib ko na lumapit at kausapin siya, minabuti ko nang talikuran siya, at hayaan ang ingay ng digmaan na takpan ang sigaw ng kagustuhan kong pumunta sa kanya.

This was still a war of powers, after all.

A war of control.