Stumbling Within the Grip of Time

I was drenched in sweat before I even came to realize it. Sun continued to find its way higher up in that clear sky and the sands beneath were scorching, burning my skin. Even the wind that was passing by every moment and now was warm, too warm.

My entire sight was filled with nothing but golden sand ranging from a distant I could no longer see. There are cacti around and huge rock formations edged almost everywhere, but none of them could serve as a guide.

I was panting, all our breathings were ragged to the point that we couldn't even keep up with our pace anymore. But stopping for a rest is not a good idea either, the sun above is too hot that I'd surely melt down if I were to stay still.

"I can't take this anymore!" Andrea screamed beside, taking off the last of her clothing—leaving a white sleeveless shirt underneath. Well, not that I don't sympathise.

"I-I'm...dying.." we heard Iyana whispered behind, she was several steps from us due to her slow pace.

If we were drenching in sweat, she was in a far more worse state, she's bathing with it. Iyana always had a slow stamina, I noticed that improved a lot but against this heat...she's withering. I sighed and looked around, taking off my hood.

The Desert of Carridean. I knew deserts are hot places, but I didn't expect it would be this hot. Every single time I step, my boots sank unto the sands, and despite the protective covers around my foot, I could still feel the heat seeping through my bare skin. My body tried radiating energy to protect myself, but it's useless...because it only added to intense heat I'm feeling.

It had been a month since we left Arizole. I didn't really have a great time there, but I guess it was reassuring to get back, to know what's going on around there. Because no matter how much they slap reality of how I no longer belong, the fact that I still grew up in that island doesn't change. But then again, I'm not that particularly attached.

Three weeks ago, Angela decided to return to Zyrendel along with Alaric and Lyn, she was hoping Andrei might have already returned and share some news with her. I haven't any idea what that mentor of mine has been winding up after I disappeared in this world for almost two years.

Then Alvar'ius, my brother, set himself to find Ka'ela, hoping to track her down. I'm actually very worried about their meetings, after all...Ka'ela had always been hostile when it comes to Brother, especially when I wasn't around.

Plus, remembering what my father told me about her plans...I guess it's better Alvar'ius went to settle her down. She's very much trying to kill me now after all. But as much as I'd like to think deeper about those things, I still have plently of problems I haven't dealt with. Now isn't the time to be thinking about others' wellbeings.

"Celeztie!" Andrea called behind.

"Y-yes?" She replied, flustered.

"We've been out here for days now, sigurado ka bang tama ang dinadaanan natin?"

"Um..." I glanced to her direction and watch her focus her eyes on the map laid on the scroll.

The scroll I was talking about is that thing Worlds' Battle sent. I only had four months to find Cretian Plains, and now even less than that. The map pointed somewhere in Yillusa, a small international land where different people come to sell unusual goods. The land is surrounded by a desert though, and it was difficult to get to this place.

It took us a whole two weeks to find where Yillusa exactly is. The country doesn't have a ruler, it's usually referred to as the Trade Capital between the third and fourth continents. As I had explained before, this world had a total of seven continents. First and second is an Empire called Alberich.

The third continent is the Siegber Nations, another huge Empire. Then there's Leomer Kingdom which managed to to conquer the whole seventh continent, making itself another powerful Empire. The fourth and fifth continents are where many independent countries and Kingdoms live, such as Magnus and Zyrendel.

Yillusa, being a free country without a ruler, became a home for many homeless people. Here, they sell stuffs which don't normally get sold on the outside because obviously it's illegal. But despite being a free country, Yillusa is one of the most difficult country to breach in.

Its borders are surrounded by a large desert called Desert of Carridean. I heard there are many powerful monsters springing around, but we've been walking around here for three days now and still haven't encountered one. Not that I was hoping we would. So it's practically a suicide mission to get into Yillusa. No wonder no Empires wanted this infamous land.

"That's weird...there was supposed to be a fortress around this area." Celeztie said, still eyeing the map.

She's the only one who could decipher the ancient words in there, so I left the job of navigation in her hands. She's very well-versed in different languages, even the archaic ones that only ancient figures should be able to decipher. It makes me wonder where she stores all those things inside her head.

"So you're saying we're lost?" Naiinis nang tanong ni Iyana.

She doesn't usually get that annoyed, but the hotness is probably getting through her. We have somehow survived the past three days in this desert, but we're running out of foods for survival. It's not that we could just find an animal here and hunt it down.

"Ah...well.." she scratched the back of her head and once again, mumbling to herself about what she's been reading in the scroll.

"I notice your daughter's pretty awkward when it comes to us." Iyana muttered, walking beside Andrea and I.

"Noon ko pa nga napapansin." Dagdag naman ng isa. "I asked her a question yesterday and she flinched, avoiding me."

"At hindi siya makatingin sa amin ng derecho ng mata." Iyana said yawning. "Are we that scary?"

I frowned. Hindi lang naman sila ang nakakapansin, ramdam ko na mailap sa kanila si Celeztie. But I didn't dig much deeper into it because I was hoping she was just being shy, but at this rate...it'd be obvious to say she fears them.

"We have things against you, pero hindi kami ang klase ng tao na mandamay ng iba, even if she's your own blood." Andrea clarified.

"I know." I wiped my forehead with my arm. "I'll talk to her if I feel like it."

"Talk to her later." They both said at the same time. Napailing na lamang ako sa dalawa.

"Anyway, if it's a fortress we're looking for then is that it?" Sabay turo ni Iyana sa hindi kalayuan.

Magkapare-pareho lang ang mga nakikita namin kaya hindi madaling mahanap ang tinuturo niya, but on the corner, may isang malaking pader na gawa sa mga rock formations na nasa paligid. Natatakpan ito ng mga buhangin kaya hindi ito madaling matunton.

Nagkatinginan kaming tatlo bago lumapit dito. Our footprints behind were imprinted on the sand, but the next moment, they weren't because of the passing breeze. The sun is being covered up well when we got closer, our shadows casted on the ground. Malaki ang pader, may nakasulat dito na mga lenguwahe na hindi ko maintindihan.

On the middle of the gravel-made wall, there's a small pathway dividing the edges of the rocks. It's dark, reason why I couldn't exactly see what's on the far end of it and it's too narrow that only one person at a time could enter.

"The language written on the scroll is similar." Celeztie mentioned, her hands travelling over the wall.

"What is it?" Tanong ko.

"All of the phrases on this wall say the same thing. A question." She frowned. "A riddle, actually. Oh and the rocks containing the words can be rearranged."

"At ano naman ang kinalaman ng riddle na ito kung bukas na ang daanan?" Tanong ni Andrea.

"Who knows." She shrugged. "Shall we answer or just continue our way inside?"

"Let's just go in." Iyana suggested.

"But the riddle must have a purpose, right?" Andrea looked at the wall. "What's the question?"

"I am interwoven with space. I see oceans turn into deserts, lands turn into Kingdoms, men against each other, and knowledge being pass down. I hold eternity for as long as humans could tell." Celeztie said as she read the language on the wall. "Now that's complicated."

I sighed and actually thought about it. What have seen oceans turn into deserts, lands into Kingdoms, men turn against each other, and and what have seen knowledge being pass down? The clue is already in there, the answer is said to be interwoven with space and it holds eternity for as long as humans could tell.

"Is it God?" Iyana asked, and the answer somehow amused me. God isn't even interwoven with space, because God is space itself. If Gods even exist, that is.

"Let's see..." I watch as Celeztie arranged the rocks, lining up in three.

But as soon as after she did just that, bigla na lamang yumanig ang lupa. I patted off the sand particles falling from my head because of it. The others coughed because of the forming dusts in the air.

"Is it just me or the pathway became even narrower?" Lahat kami ay napatingin sa tinitignan ni Andrea. And she was right, the path is even more tight now, I doubt a person could even enter anymore.

"I told you we should have just entered."

"Kasalanan mo dahil sa maling sagot mo!"

"Eh kung ikaw din kaya ang sumagot?"

"I'll take that challenge." Andrea crossed her arms in front of her then. "Change!"

"Uh okay." Even Celeztie wasn't sure of it.

She once again rearranged the rocks anyway. But this time, the pathway completely closed, both the edges of the walls were now sticking with each other. We could hear Iyana preventing her laughter and Andrea obviously being pissed off. Hinawakan ko na siya sa balikat bago pa man niya sugudin si Iyana.

"Enough playing. You just both ruined our only way to get out of this hell."

"It's not that we're aware of the answers—" I interrupted Celeztie.

"Time." They fell into silence for quite some time before Celeztie moved and find the rocks containg the words.

"How can you be so sure?" Tanong ni Andrea.

"The only thing that is interwoven with space is time. Time sees everything, and it will always remain forever as long as humans are there to tell."

"So you mean you knew the answer all this time and you never said anything?" Naiinis na wika ni Iyana.

"Well, what can I say? It's amusing having to watch people work hard only fail in the end, don't you think so?"

"Really twisted." Andrea said rolling her eyes.

"Look, the wall is moving." Celeztie pointed.

Ang kaninang nakadikit na pader ay ngayon ay nag-iwan na ng malaking espasyo sa gitna. Kasabay din nito ay ang pagkawala ng mga lenguwahe na nakukit sa pader. In exchange, torches hang unto the corners of the pathway suddenly all lit up, leading to the distance on the opposite side of this path.

Pumasok kaming apat dito ng sabay sabay. Gawa din sa matigas na bato ang inaapakan namin na medyo natatakpan ng buhangin, at sa bawat pag-apak namin ay lumilikha ito ng tunog. May mga matutulis na bato sa paligid kaya hindi ganoon kabilis ang paglakad namin para maiwasan ang mga ito.

The floor has numerous circle designs that reminded me of magic circles, they aren't activated though. But it makes me wonder kung para saan ang mga ito. Base on the circles' law formations, it's magic that—

"So what was the purpose of that riddle in the end again?" Iyana asked, obviously annoying Andrea for suggesting that the earlier question might have a purpose.

"Shut up."

Celeztie chuckled because of the two, then she grabbed the back of my cloak, urging me to glance at the scroll and when I did, it was filled with different images of rock formations found inside this place. Base on the scroll which is showing a topographic map, I figured out we're about to enter some sort of an ancient temple.

"I don't know know where to go next." She pointed at the top where this suppose pathway will be divided into another two narrow passages. "The map will show us the ranges of the surroundings we're stepping into. But unless we go deeper and choose a path, the map will not show anything but this." She added, looking around.

"So in other words, one path could be a trap or perhaps both." I shifted up front where the suppose pathways are divided, the other two were just standing there in wait.

"Exploration missions like this have always been never my cup of tea." Iyana said with a yawn as she leaned over a flattened rock protruding from the ground.

"I say we should just go in regardless of anything." The other beamed. "If there are indeed traps, I doubt any of them could actually kill us, right?"

"That's too carefree of you, Andrea." I dismissed her idea. "Unlike you, I dislike taking unforseen risks."

"Eh ano ang gagawin natin? Maghintay sa wala? I'm dying of heat here, and if there's even a tiny chance we could leave this hell of a place, then I'll take it." As she fanned herself using her hand. Always the risk-taker, not that I dislike that part of her. "And oh! That riddle earlier might have something to do with this."

Napatingin kami ni Iyana sa kaniya sa sinabi niya at napaisip. Nagsimula nang magsuri si Celeztie sa mga nakaukit sa mga bato, pati narin si Iyana. Ako naman ay napangiti na lamang at lumapit sa gitnang haligi na naghahati sa dalawang daanan.

"Seems like not only your physical aspect improved, I'm impressed." I grinned. Who knew she could think of such. I was actually considering her proposal earlier, about carelessly going inside either of the two.

She lightly punched my shoulder in return. "What is that even suppose to mean?"

"Found it." Iyana even raised her hand.

She pointed at the circle mark on the flattened stone she was just leaning over. She blew off the dusts atop of it as Celeztie went to analyze. She says exploration missions were never her cup of tea, but back at the Academy, Headmistress would always give her solo missions about looling for an important object because of her amazing observatory skills.

Solo missions that were given to her back then always only took a day or two, even sometimes less than that, to complete. Kung minsan nga ay hindi na ako sigurado kung talagang walang lang siyang stamina para mag-effort kaya mas binibilisan niya o wala lang talaga siyang interes.

But I have never truly described her as a lazy person, well except when it came to cleaning in our room. Noon ay halos araw-araw nagtra-training si Andrea kaya kaming dalawa lang ang kadalasang naiiwan sa dorm, and she'd hate it for she knew how much of a clean freak I was. Kaya bago pa man ako magising, ay nawawala na siya.

Back on the present situation though, looking above, on the right pathway, may nakalagay na isang simbolo na hindi ko maintindihan.

ስድስት
sidisiti

But on the left pathway, there is no symbol at all. On the flattened rock that Celeztie has been analyzing has the same language too, I just don't recognize them. Probably one of the ancient languages.

ጨረቃ ፀሐይን በምትተካበት ጊዜ ፡፡
ch'erek'a t͟s'eḥāyini bemititekabeti gīzē ፡፡

Having to learn Latvian when I was a child as part of our island's ancient language and forcing myself to learn Greek back at the Academy were already hard enough, but looking at them made me want to learn the language itself. As I have mentioned before, I absolutely hate it if there's something I couldn't bring myself to understand.

"When the moon replaces the sun." Celeztie read, then she pointed at the symbols above. "On the right, it tells six then on the left...there's actually none."

"So we're suppose to tell the time when the moon replaces the sun? Now that's tricky." Iyana said.

"Somehow, the language shown on this scroll whenever it shows a map is different from the language written inside this place, unlike outside on those walls."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I'm saying that there might be more different archaic languages when we go deeper. This one is Ethiopian, or what in the future, we refer to as Amharic." She frowned. "I'm afraid that I might not be able to decipher anymore archaic languages if the language itself is unknown to me. After all, I was born in a completely different era compared to now."

I smiled and flicked my fingers over her forehead. "You worry too much, it's not that we expect you to decipher everything in here. Kaya sabihin mo lang kung hindi mo na kaya."

"Uh-huh." Iyana agreed. "Shall we enter the left?"

"Wait, why left?" Andrea asked, stoping Iyana from stepping inside.

"Seriously, Andrea?" She sighed. "Moon could never replace the sun, sure it can be said metaphorically that it may so, but...forget it."

And—she got tired from explaining, I could tell when she suddenly blinked at me. So Andrea glanced at me instead, her eyes urging me to explain. Celeztie prevented another chuckle and chose to lead the way for she has the map, and the three of us followed behind.

"Sun never disappears, and so does the moon. This world rotates where the other side of the world faces the sun, and the other faces the moon." I started. "In sunsets, you can see the sun being replaced by the moon, and just as Iyana had said, sunsets can be referred to like that in a metaphorical way. But logically thinking, these sorts of riddles always look at the general picture."

"In other words, hindi lang point of view mo ang dapat mong isipin kundi ang buong nasasakupan. Kung nangyayari man ngayong pagabi na at palitan man ng buwan ang araw, sa kabilang dako ng mundo, ang araw ang pumapalit sa buwan." I added.

"So we can't precisely tell when is the exact time the moon replaces the sun. Because if you think about it, sun is just being covered due to the darkness and moon is just there due to the world's rotation. But there is no replacement going on at all for the other side is experiencing the same thing." Iyana finally continued.

"I don't understand." Andrea kept frowning in confusion.

Well, it's not like we were expecting her to understand any of those anyway. Kaya nga mas hinabaan namin para hindi na siya magtanong pa. As we walk through this dimmed pathway, I could still feel Andrea's confusion due to that little riddle earlier, and it made me let out a small amused smile.

"Argh hindi ko talaga maintindihan." Naguguluhang sabi ni Andrea. Natawa na talaga na tuluyan si Celeztie na kanina niya pa pinipigilan.

"They're just playing with you, Miss Andrea." Celeztie admitted which made Iyana smirk. "The reason why we chose the right path which has no definite answer than the left with six is that, hindi natin alam kung six in the evening ba o six in the morning."

"The clue stated: when the moon replaces the sun. Clearly that's evening, but the answer to that riddle before was 'time'. And time is always interwoven with space, and the day and night cycle is under that category. Simply saying, in that case, six is just a number, a value, not the 'time' itself." Celeztie ended.

"Oh that was a lot easier to understand." Then she smacked Iyana. Napangiwi naman ang isa sa sakit. "How dare you do that, at lalo ka na!" She yelled, pointng at me.

"I told you, it's amusing having to watch people work hard only to fail in the end. In your case though, it was amusing watching you get all puzzled up."

"How annoying." Sa inis niya ay pinantayan nito si Celeztie sa unahan.

"You realize the other pathway is the right answer, don't you?" Iyana whispered beside me. I remained looking up front and decided to quicken my pace.

"Who knows."

"Twisted, Keila. Really twisted." She smiled. "If we had gone to the other side, all of us could have been seperated. How did you figure that out?"

"I've been looking around, Iyana. The six wasn't simply just a value, it's the number of how many seconds would it have taken us to disappear from each other's line of sight." I said as a matter of fact. "The riddle from the entrance's main purpose is to warn us about that. If we had missed that riddle, then we are very likely to choose the 'right' answer and gone to the other side."

"Pero paano mo nalaman na magkakahiwalay tayo?"

"Stop testing me already." I sighed. "The floors earlier were covered in magic circles. The magic would have been activated if we had gone to the other side."

"It's strange, isn't it? The law formations on those circles are magic that sends people in different parts of this place. Simple lamang ito teleportation spell pero sa luma ng lugar na ito, nakakagulat na hanggang ngayon ay hindi parin nawawala ang magic circles na iyon."

"Ibig sabibin ay malaki ang posibilidad na may mas nauna na sa ating nakarating dito at pinipigilan tayong dumaan sa daanang iyon." I replied. "But even knowing what the magic is, I can't afford for us to get seperated."

"Me neither. Why do you think I even blinked at you earlier?" She tapped my shoulder, leaning herself closer. "Celeztie, isn't it? I don't trust that girl from the moment I first laid my eyes on her."

"I know." I can sense it after all, and it's not only her, Andrea also doesn't. But they sure are pretty good at hiding it.

"Only she can understand what is written on that scroll. I have my doubts, Keila. But I trust you know what you're doing."

"I know."

"Just now, she was clearly aware we were just making things up about that explanation." She stared at me for a few moments before asking, "...ano ang binabalak mo sa kaniya?"

Napaisip ako sa tanong ni Iyana. It's not that I don't trust Celeztie, but I could never make myself completely trust her either. Every time I think of trusting her, a part of me pulls me out of that trance and regain my logical awareness.

And that part of me is screaming that I should never trust this girl yet at the same time I don't dislike the idea of trusting her. It's strange, so I just leave it at being neutral when it comes to dealing with her. I was only keeping her alive until now because she's a vital part of my plans against Leomer in time for war.

"Rest assured, she won't hinder me."

"I don't have the rights to say anything about how you deal with your own daughter but, don't get too attached, Keila." Then she walked ahead, matching the other two.

"I won't." I muttered to myself.

The pathway was dark, the only light that illuminates the surrounding is the one coming from the far end of the path, but on the other side, there's another hall. The whole place is very old that whenever we step, particles from above keep falling.

As our movements echo along this silence, Celeztie led the way not to the front, but turned to the other hall. The scroll in her hand then began glowing as we went deeper. And the more we kept our pace, the more water seems to drip from above, as well as to the small corners of the walls.

"Sand is right above us, right?" Andrea asked. "Then where did all this water came from?"

"You'll find your answer soon." I answered, letting myself walk ahead of them.

There was a huge circular pit on the end of the pathway. There was that sound of splashes of water, as well as something breathing slow and steady. I could feel another emotion, but it doesn't seem to belong to any human due to how large the emotion I'm feeling.

We stopped when the ground reached its end. The other floor continued meters away from us and below, there's a huge pool of water; its depths ranging far too deeper for my eyes to follow. And there's something in there...something alive.

"Are we supposed to jump from here to there?" Tanong ni Celeztie sabay turo sa kabilang dulo.

"Or maybe we should have gone the other way." Andrea suggested, but the latter shook her head.

"The map shows a red dot and that dot itself is our destination. If we had gone straight, we'll just meet a dead end."

"I'm sure you all feel those movements down there." Iyana crouched, feeling the ground vibrate. "So let's not ignore that."

"Or we could." They all looked at me. "If we could somehow get ourselves to the other side without whatever that thing's awareness, that is." I frowned, creating a small fire around my hand to brighten up the surroundings more. "But look, it had already long noticed us coming. The water we've encountered is already a sign it's been moving."

Upon saying that, a dark shadow immediately crept its way up towards the water's surface, creatung a huge splash of water that suddenly made us soak in wet liquid, the fireball I had created already diminished. Before I could even wipe my face, the ground shook violently, rocks started falling from above, heading their ways on the water.

Light from the outside illuminated everything in sight, as a loud shrieking penetrated my ears down to my mind. Backing away, I held the wall beside me to prevent myself from actually losing my balance. The others were caught up in the mess too.

Narinig ko na napapaybo si Iyana dahil sa tumitipon na alikabok habang si Andrea naman ay hinahawakan ang cloak ni Celeztie na muntik nang mahulog sa tubig mismo. Hawak hawak niya parin ang scroll na basang-basa narin.

The height from here down the water is probably around at least forty meters which is exactly equivalent to a building with ten floors. Falling from this height might cause death, the thing we avoid the most at the moment. I followed all of their gazes and something which mad me grit my teeth.

I don't know how, but the moment the relic Sigillum found its way inside me due to its attraction towards my abundance of energy, I could suddenly summon different kind of monsters and strange enough, I even know their names and thoughts. The only disadvantage when summoning a monster from Sigillum is that it has some drawbacks.

Those drawbacks include that I automatically know what they're thinking, what their desires are, and what they see, they all immediately flow through my mind like some sort of a tape which would often distract me, and it happens no matter how far they are from my position.

I know those things because when I found out Sigillum was inside of me, I've been forcing myself to get used to the feeling like my body isn't just my own now, it's a home for thousands of demons. Because of my ability to sense emotions, what I feel from them inside me generates more energy, and sometimes it gets too much.

This monster in front of us is huge, I have a feeling its body even extends down that water from where we couldn't really see. Monsters don't usually have energy and they cannot generate their own, pero maliban nalang kung ang halimaw na ito mismo ay may dugo bilang isang demon.

The monster can clearly breathe underwater, it's so big that it causes vibrations all around this place just from a simple movement. It's a huge beast with very large mouth, its edges surrounded by sharp pointed set of teeth that could even pierce through something thick.

Contradictory to that large mouth though, its eyes were small and blank as though it couldn't really see anything. Its whole body is basically made of fur. Despite having several long tentacle-like arms, it has a hand that contains a sharp nails, not to mention it's absolutely huge.

"That monster...is humongous." Andrea muttered, pushing Celeztie behind her.

"Step back!" Iyana warned as the monster lifted its giant hand.

Due to its size, we barely even escaped from it when he slammed down his nails towards or direction. This time, the floor where we were just stepping unto earlier began to crack until it completely crumbled down to the water.

"Forget getting to the other side if we can't even pass through that thing." I said.

"Shall we just bust it up then?" Andrea with another suggestion, clenching her fists.

"No, we're running." I replied, shutting her outburst down.

"What?!"

"Not now, Andrea." Iyana interrupted, pulling her as the four of us ran back to where we came from.

We were running when the cracks visible on the floor became much wider, opening a huge space in front of us and to my surprise, tentacles suddenly appeared between that space. The tentacles served as a wall to prevent us from escaping. Not to mention what's under this place is water, which means we're right into that monster's territory.

The energy I'm feeling is even more sinister than before. But this presence is familiar, too familiar to my own liking. And my own energy is in sync with that monster, it's like it keeps absorbing mine. I wonder if it's because of my abundance in energy. Pero sa mundong ito, minsan lang talaga makikita ang mga halimaw na may sariling mga enerhiya.

Monsters that fall under that category are unique for they have a demon blood running within thwir veins. Those monsters that can generate their own energies have a particular skill that exceeds them far more than a normal monster.

Noong unang panahon kasi, nakakalat ang mga demonyo sa mundong ito. Demons are known for their desire to dominate and desire to kill anything that stands on their way. Theu are also knows for having longer life span than humans. Most demons in the past have the appearance of humans, one example of it are Silverrium and Aeryn, that girl I had picked from Alberich.

Until several generations have passed and the Demon race has become uncommon. What is left now from those demons are what humans refer to as 'monsters' spawning up almost everywhere. But unlike a real demon, monsters aren't all that formidable that's why mosy humans have the ability or magic to kill them.

Pero ibahin nila ang mga halimaw na may dugong demonyo. They aren't as strong as full-blooded demons but they're pretty formidable, katulad nalang ng halilaw na gusto kaming patayin ngayon. I sense an overwhelming hunger from this monster—demon, whatever.

And what I mean by 'hunger' is that it had probably been several years now since it last encountered somebody with large energy such as mine. Although I haven't really released my energy yet, monsters are particularly sensitive when it comes to those things.

At hindi lang naman ako ang may kakaibang enerhiya dito. Pati narin si Iyana at si Andrea ay may malalaking bilang ng enerhiya. Perhaps if we had indeed went to that pathway with the number six earlier, there's a small chance of one os us encounteting this thing. But I didn't want to get seperaed with the others, it's very difficult to deal with the aftermath after all.

I suddenly sensed Andrea was about to release her own energy, I could feel it since I'm the closest to her at the moment, kaya hinawakan ko kaagad ang balikay nito at pinilit itong tumingin sa akin.

"That thing reacts on energy," I said pointing at the tentacles. "If you release your own right now, it would act more violent."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Naiinis na tanong nito. "In case you aren't even aware, the monster is closing right underneath us."

As if on cue, a huge hand protruded from the ground, its sharp nails digging its way up which made us all jump back to avoid it. Unfortunately, it really does react more around me that it managed to pinpoint my location, moving its hand to my direction.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance and summoned a barrier, its hand jolting back the moment it came in contact with my barrier. A tentacle found its way right underneath me, wrapping my legs with its slimy tingly texture.

"Iyana, can you use your space?" I asked as I released electricity from my body, burning the tentacles into cinders.

"I've been trying to pero simula nung pumasok tayo sa lugar na ito ay hindi ko magamit ang ability ko." She answered, her bullets piercing through the tentacles that's been attacking them as well.

"Now that's even strange." I whispered. "Seems we got no other choice. Andrea, bust your way towards the other path."

"You don't have tell me that." She smirked.

The moment she released her energy, everything ariund her started to break. The ground cracked, the air scattered around, the water breaking, and every tentacles that kept attacking her one by one exploded. Dahil sa lakas ng enerhiya niya ay napunta sa kaniya ang atensyon ng halimaw.

The monster resurfaced from the water, its large mouth opening to engulf her from below. But without even having to get near her first, the monster let out a huge cry of pain as Andrea broke all of its sharp teeth in only a second. I can pretty much bout that she can defeat this monster with just her alone.

Pero hindi ito isang normal lang ng halimaw, it absorbs energy and to defeat this thing, she has to exude more and mroe energy, reason why she'd be at a disadvantage. This monster has a demon blood after all. But then again, that doesn't mean she can't beat it.

"I'll handle this, now go." They all nodded.

I could feel how Andrea didn't like that idea though. She probably thinks I must be thinking that she couldn't handle it. I let out a sigh as I summoned my dual swords and as I did, the monster's attention shifted back at me.

"You aren't weak, Andrea." I smiled. "Believe me when I say that."

I regretted the fact that I didn't reach out to her when I had plenty of chances to do so before everything became a mess between our so-called friendship. But at the same time, I didn't want to regret it, I hated that I feel such emotion. If things didn't go that way, if the three of us didn't go to our own seperate paths, I doubt we could have become stronger.

She returned that smile with her own, summoning hundreds of daggers which pierced through the monster's face, sending the monster back as blood spurted out like a fountain, mixing with the water below. The daggers then blended in together to form some sort of bridge that connected this path to other side.

I jumped up, twisting my body against the air, both my blades dancing as I twirl, cutting every tentacles. Bago pa man makgawa ng kung ano ang halimaw, gumawa ako ng malaking fireball at agad itong tinapon sa kaniya. The monster easily deflected the fireball by its other hand though, hitting the rock formation hang unto the wall, making the rock above it collapse.

Habang sa akin ang atensyon nito ay walang kahirap-hirap na nakarating ang tatlo sa kabilang dulo at tumakbo palayo. Napbuntong-hininga ako at binalik sa halimaw ang tingin ko.

"So, how come something of Denaricus is still alive and kicking after all this time?" I asked, spinning my swords around.

No wonder this thing's presence is too familiar, the energu around him reminded me so well of Denaricus. Of course, I could have completely obliterated this monster, but with the others here just a moment ago, I can't do that. I don't want to absorb their emotions to generate energy. And if Andrea were here, there was no doubt she could have finished this monster no matter how strong the latter is.

"Insolent human, you dare mention my master's name so casually?" The monster had a grouchy voice at nagulat ako nang bumalik sa dati ang mga sugat niya. He can regenerate, huh?

"That's because I know him." I replied as he circled his body around the water.

"Must be true since you know of his presence in mine." He dove its head back into the water and after a few moments, he resurfaced once more. "What is your purpose here, human?"

"Hinahanap namin ang Yillusa. Dito kami dinala ng mapa."

"Yillusa...Yillusa...Yillusa..."it let out a breath which froze the nearbye surroundings. "It has been more than twenty years since I have heard of that name."

I frowned. "Ano naman ang ibig mong sabihin dito?"

"Yillusa is a small land and as to that reason, the Desert of Cariddean prevents any intruders from breaching in. Many ages ago, Yillusa used to be a prosperous country. Not until Denaricus destroyed the country itself to hunt down many surviving Cursed Bloods hiding in here."

"As expected of such a man." I clenched my fist.

I was remembering the memory Denaricus showed me, on how he slaughtered both men and women, children and old. How he did something so monstrous and still being able to live through it all. All for the sake of his version of 'peace', all for the sake of this present world.

Hindi ako nagagalit sa ideya na kailangang mawala ang mga irregulars sa mundong ito, nagagalit ako sa katotohanang parang wala lang sa kaniya ang lahat ng iyon. The emotiojs I felt from him back then was simply guilt...but there's that satisfaction. Perhaps I'm just envious of how he did something so cruel and was still proclaimed a hero in this world.

"Master Denaricus created the Desert of Cariddean himself to make sure none of the irregulars could enter. Demons like me would only wake up when we begin to sense irregulars such as yourself, and we kill them. And it had been many, many years since I have last awakened."

"I could tell due to that immense hunger." The monster laughed at my words.

"And it had also been many years since Yillusa had visitors. Even if you did manage to get into Yillusa, you will be surprised to find the place empty, devoid of any humans but crawling monsters. So what is your purpose here?"

"The World's Battle, surely you've heard of it."

"Oh...they still have that game."

"A game, huh?"

"But it is a game. Game of eliminations until one is left to grant its utmost desire, a wish. But that reward is just a deception child. World's Battle is simply to entertain its players, a game for those who desire for someone else's blood, someone's else's life."

"I see." Not that I didn't know that.

"Although it's strange how your 'map' had brought you here. Are you even certain Yillusa should be the place you're looking for?"

"Cretian Plains." I answered.

"Ah a place of legend. Legends have it that Cretian Plains is a mysterious one, none have ever found it no matter how hard your search this world. Cretian Plains is a land with abundant mana, or what you now call as 'spirtual energy'. A land filled with many unique resourceds that none could be found in the rest of the world."

"Hindi mo ba alam kung nasaan ito?"

"Even if I did, I have no reason to tell you."

"Is that so?" I then lifted my blades. "How unfortunate."

Sa isang iglap ay nasa unahan na ako ng isang mata nito. Hindi na ako nagsayang pa ng oras ay kaagad na tinamaan ang isang mata nito gamit ang isa kong espada. Nagpalabas ito ng isang malakas na sigaw at sinimulang umatake gamit ang tentacles nito.

Umikot sa akin ang mga ito at mabilis na nilunod sa tubig. Sinubukan kong makawala pero habang hinihigop nito ang enerhiya ko ay may napansin akong kakaiba sa tubig. I closed my eyes and tried to pinpoint where this strange energy is coming from.

I immediately opened my eyes, letting out electricity which quickly burned the tentacles as they finally released me. I swap up the surface, exuding a breath. The monster took that opening to use its hand to slam me back down. Somehow, its sharp nail dug deep into my thigh, blood dripping out, mixing with the water.

I gritted my teeth, throwing both of my weapons above as they pulled me up as well. Pinagdikit ko ang dalawa kong espada at tsaka ito umilaw. Naging isang lance ang itsura nito at bumigat pa sa kamay ko. Binuksan ng halimaw ang malaking bunganga nito sabay talon papunta sa akin.

"It is futile struggle, human! As long as I have this water, I will not die—"

"I know." I cut him short.

I threw the lance down to its mouth, deep to its throat, as the monster flew right back down. I raised both of my hands beside me and created a barrier that allows me to levitate in the air. I watch as the monster drown its huge body back to the water, creating a big splash that could have gotten me wetter than I already am.

With that amount of water up in the air, I directed most of my energy towards the liquid, eventually evaporating the water. Due to the intense heat I was contantly releasing, the particles of liquid was immediately changed to that of gas, making the all the water in that pool dry up.

As a result, the monster hit its back on the solid ground. The place around us started to collapse the moment that happened. Dusts covered up the air as I slowly landed on the ground. The monster beside lay its body weakly, letting out a panting breath which cooled down the temperature.

Ngayong wala na ang tubig ay napansin ko kung gaano kalaki ang buong lugar. Sa unahan ay may isang hagdanan na nakadirekta sa isang parang altar.

Nang umapak ako sa pulang carpet ay biglang lumiwanag ang madilim na paligid. May apoy nang nakasindi sa mga kandila na nakahilera sa gilid, pati narin ang mga lanterns sa ibabaw.

"This place used to be a temple." The monster mentioned as I found my way up in this altar. "It appears that you are aware of wha is hidden there." He continued, seeing me took the red cloth covering a chest.

"There are only twelve relics in this world." I touched the lock covered in magic and in an instant, the magic broke down, opening the lock. "Who knew I'll be able to find one here."

"Master Denaricus once told me how that relic will only to go that one man who is meant to have it." He was satisfied when he said that. "Irregulars in the past come here not to simply hide, but for the to acquire that relic."

Opening the chest, what was laid inside immediately caught my attention. It was simply a medallion, the only difference is that it doesn't have a chain that could be attacked to one's neck. The chest even had a symbol written outisde.

It has a circular appearance, the design on the middle reminded me of wings. But what's strange is that the middle seems to be glowing in pale blue in accordance to my eyes colour. The sinister energy I was feeling before came from this thing, not from the monster. Something was written on the metal holding the brooch in circle, the letters were so small, blending in so well with the colour I almost didn't notice.

"Sit mihi et invenire subsidio ut."

It's as though the relic is calling me. So I grabbed it without thinking anf the moment my fingers touched it, something cold went from my hand towards my body. All of the sudden, the relic disappeared from my grip and I was thrown away.

My back hit the monster's hand as though it prevented me from hitting the ground. It was soft and pleasant to feel. But as I touched my chest, I could feel the relic throbbing inside me, mixing with Siggilum. Because of the two relics merged inside of me, I coughed a lot of blood as my knees fell on the floor.

I was panting, it was getting harder and harder to breathe. The painful sensation of both relics merging inside my body was too much to bear that I failed to realize how I was already emitting both pure and dark energy, condensing the air.

"The Pyramid is a relic that opens and closes another realm. Hernal's Box is a relic that stores magical law formations and forbidden spells. While Sigillum is a relic that keeps monsters and demons in one dimension." I said, gripping my clothes tighter, hoping that it would relieve this painful sensation as if my body is being crumbled to pieces.

"That relic is called Gïzë (chize) which means 'time' in Ethiopian language." He answered as I coughed another set of blood, my mind was spinning. "There are many irregulars who have died claiming the relic. Do you realize how strong that relic is?"

His cool breathing somehow eased up the heat that seems to be roasting my body, burning my clothes. Until I felt as though something is being changed inside my body, making my whole system throb in stabbing pain. My energy isn't even circulating anymore.

"Gïzë is a relic that either stores or steals one's time." My eyes widened, realizing what the monster behind me has just said. "And as of the moment, your time is being stored. Which is me saying that—"

"That my time is unlimited." I continued, finally standing up.

My hands were shaking as I walk far from this place. Every steps I took felt heavy, my eyes were narrowing and my entire body is aching. But most of all...my heart isn't pounding, as though frozen. How strange, I have emotions, I can feel them...but my heart doesn't seem very alive at all.

"The World's Battle." I stopped when the monster said that. Glancing back, I saw his huge body slowly turning to dusts. "Time is now on your side, Ke'ala Feyree."

"I don't know what I'll use that for."

"Your future is changing, child. So much that it is becoming unclear." Its voice echoing through this space.

The demon said those as it stared deep into my soul and for some reason, his words brought me fear. I don't know what my future would bring me, and that is enough reason why I fear it. I almost didn't want a future then.

"I see." I answered, hiding my fear away. It lowered its head as a sign of respect while I continued walking out.

"Cretian Plains does not exist." I frowned.

"How can you be so sure?"

"An ancient being as myself knows, my presence is enough for a proof." It answered. "Cretian Plains does not exist, it will only remain as a legend and nothing more. I see that your 'map' wants you to take the relic and not lead you to your rightful destination." The monster laughed. "I shall bid you my good luck, human."

"Only she can understand what is written on that scroll. I have my doubts, Keila. But I trust you know what you're doing."

I suddenly remembered what Iyana had said. I turned around to ask for more but there was nothing left there but dusts crawling up, mixing in with the light coming from above.

"Celeztie..." I clenched my fists, looking up. "So even you dare to betray me."

AN: And—that goes for this update. Happy reading!