This is one of my favorite chapters! Huhu! I enjoyed writing this! You can listen to the music above while reading to feel more the chapter. 

Chapter 70: Greetings

There are moments in our lives when it suddenly feels like time has slowed down—that even in the middle of chaos and when everything around is a mess, the world turns into a blur, and the only thing clear is that path—your goals and dreams that our hands deemed impossible to reach. When I saw her red lotus, illuminated with white light around it, I felt my heart somersault—and it dawned on me that this was one of those moments.

"Rosh, I've found her."

When I finally found her location and realized that it was too far away from me, everything returned to normal as if the clock had suddenly resumed its regular pace—pulling me back to reality and interrupting that fleeting moment of magical daze. My body was tossed in different directions, sharp fangs digging into my skin.

"It's fucking far, Rosh!" sigaw ko na tila maririnig iyon ng prinsipe.

Lalong sumakit hindi lang ang mga pangil sa nakabaon sa katawan ko kundi pati na rin ang ulo ko sa pag-iisip kung paano ako makararating sa posisyon ng bulaklak na iyon na hindi ko na kailangang dumaan pa sa napakaraming halaman na ito na handa akong kagat-kagatin.

Should I fly?

I suddenly remembered the ability of my wand and the powers that it absorbed. Hindi ba't kumuha rin ako ng hibla ng buhok ni Seth? I could fucking fly! Ngunit gaano ako kasigurado na hindi hahaba ang mga halamang ito para abutin ako at muli akong maipit sa ganitong sitwasyon?

It's damn impossible to avoid the series of gigantic plants before I could even reach Astrid. I should surge like my arrows and stop directly at her flower.

"Think . . ." bulong ko sa sarili ko habang nahihilo. I didn't expect that attacking one of these plants would reveal Astrid's location, it was just purely out of my irritation.

"Think, Kezalli . . ." muling bulong ko habang ibinabalya ako.

Until I tapped my tightly balled fist on my palm after realizing what I had to do. Habang marahas na iniwawasiwas ng halaman ang katawan ko ay luminga ako sa paligid para higit na makita ang posisyon ko at layo mula sa lotus ni Astrid.

I was right, I should surge like my arrows. These monstrous flowers could attack me, but those attacks would deflect them if I had the power circulating me, but I couldn't just force this wand to do such a thing, surging while emanating power around it.

"I should stop all this silliness," bulong ko sa isipan ko.

When I summoned my wand again, it didn't transform into metal rings, a sword, or its usual form. Instead, it turned into a spear. I lifted one of my hands, allowing the spear to float above me. The momentary movement of the spear cast a shadow that brushed against my cheeks, while another bead of sweat trickled down my temple.

I allowed the gigantic plant to continue swirling with my body and waited for the perfect moment when it stopped in the ideal position. As I witnessed the sudden glint on the tip of the spear, exactly as I had anticipated, I dropped my hand with precision. Like lightning streaking down from the sky, the spear struck the plant, piercing through it with the force of a bullet, turning it into a half.

Kasabay nang pagkahati ng katawan nito ay ang unti-unting pagbagsak ng katawan ko, ngunit bago pa man ako bumagsak sa tubig ay agad kong tinawag ang armas ko. The spear transformed into a wand with wings at its end. I mounted it, straddling the wand. My legs flapped against the air as I guided the wand to follow my lead. I took the other half of the plant and pulled it quickly toward a certain direction as the other moving plants tailed me, attacking me with their bites. My wand kept dodging, swirling, and diving as the plants continued to follow us. When I finally spotted my desired position, I quickly moved around and wrapped the stem of one of the gigantic plants, tying half of the plant onto it and creating my own bowstring made of these annoying plants.

Since I tied half of the stem of the first plant to another and created something like a bowstring, I only had to do was to push the stringlike plant forward giving me more force to push me towards the only one lotus in front of me.

Kung kanina ay nakasakay pa ako sa wand, ngayon ay pinili ko nang sumabit dito. I pierced the tip of the spear into the stem that I had improvised as the bowstring. My hands tightly gripped the body of my wand as my body swung below it. Miraculously, the attacks from the other plants ceased, confirming my theory: they don't attack their own.

The wand kept pushing with its adapted black wings of Seth, stretching the stem and giving it more force to push me later. As I moved forward with the slow push of my half-spear and wand, the shadows of the plants bowing around me and their predatory presence intensified my ramming heartbeat. I could no longer feel the brown water that drenched me; it felt more like my own sweat covering my body.

When I finally reached the third plant, piercing the tip of my spear from one plant to another while holding its force to push me forward, I moved again, facing the direction aimed at Astrid's lotus. I had created a slingshot with me as its bullet, and once I pulled my spear on its stem, its force would push me toward Astrid, giving my wand another way to protect me rather than focusing on flying.

I took a deep breath, "Here I come."

I looked up, glancing at my wand as if it was alive, "Let's go."

When I whispered those words, the spear pulled itself, and the force of the improvised bowstring propelled me and the wand forward, just as I had anticipated. Now that my wand wouldn't be confused between attacking and protecting me with the help of the plants' force, it was thrown into the air while my body dangled below it. Suddenly, my wand created green rain showers— like fireworks exploding as the monstrous plants extended their heads to attack me.

"Wow . . ."

Mas lalo akong humanga sa kapangyarihan ng armas ko. The pixies told me that this wand would only function effectively to its extent if the owner was creative enough to use it. But I didn't expect that the ability of this wand would surpass my imagination.

There's always been at the back of my mind a wish that I had a spell like Claret, but with the power to control this kind of weapon. I am starting to think that I could no longer ask for the mastery of spells in green light. The wand and how it protected me was enough for me to survive.

There were rain showers, explosions, and green smoke and glitters as my wand and I surged above the attacking plants. "Ang galing ko naman. Is this really coming from my power?" tanong ko sa sarili ko habang nakatungo at pinalilibutan ng sariling liwanag.

Nanatili akong nakatungo habang pinagmamasdan ang bawat akmang pagsugod sa akin ng mga halamang iyon na nauuwi lang sa pagsabog. Kung kanina ay pawang katahimikan na lang ang mayroon sa lugar na ito, ngayon ay hindi lang pagwawala ng tubig at pagsayaw ng mga halaman kundi ang sunod-sunod na pagsabog.

"Thank you," I whispered to my wand.

Ibinaling ko na ang atensyon ko patungo sa lotus na ngayon ay malapit ko nang marating.

"Here I am, Astrid."

Habang papalapit ako sa lotus na akala ko ay siyang pinakamaliit na bulaklak dahil sa layo nito, ngayon ay higit kong napagmasdan ang laki nito na doble sa mga naunang halaman.

The wand was not directly surging at Lotus Flower, but we were above it. That's why I had to stop my wand and quickly transform it into something for me to finally enter it.

I had this feeling that the moment I had a pause, the other gigantic plants around Astrid would snatch me and throw me farther away from her. The inside of this mirror could have healed me, but this place had been spelled or blessed to protect its own goddess, and it's Astrid. Everything around this place was designed to protect her from a foreign creature.

Without the life of the goddess of the blue fire, everything in this place was in chaos. Maybe the blue fire summoned me to save Astrid from the realm she had created that she could no longer protect. . .

I shook my head. I wasn't sure about this, but I had a promise with Rosh that I'd discover something about his mate. The blue fire welcomed me into this place with a vague message.

Hindi ko pa rin alam, ngunit isa lang ang siyang tumatakbo sa isip ko. I'd do my best to bring her outside because this dead place doesn't suit her anymore, a woman destined to be with the known prince of beauty should be protected in the most beautiful place, and this isn't this mirror anymore.

Nang sandaling malapit na ako sa lotus ni Astrid, saglit akong pumikit. Mas dumiin ang pagkakahawak ko sa wand ko at nang sandaling nagmulat ako ay marahan akong bumulong.

"Now."

My wand turned into another weapon, this time, it was like a combination of the similar style of Prince Rosh and King Tobias, a green whip, like a vine, and the crawling water tentacles. The straight wand disappeared and the whip-like green weapon created a circular shape around me, deflecting every monstrous plant that tried to attack me.

I was floating in the air, one leg folded, one hand outstretched above my head, and my hair flowing around me. I held the base of my wand as I continued to move, creating a spinning shield that protected me.

I noticed a small opening of the lotus in the middle of it and slowly entered it, where I was greeted by another ball of water.

The ball of water with a familiar figure of a woman in white.

I had the time and power to avoid the water and land safely on another part of the lotus, but a small smile crept onto my lips as I allowed my whole body to be swallowed by it. As I let go of my wand and finally let the water envelop my entire body, my arms slowly opened wide as I anticipated its coldness.

But before I knew it, the coldness I expected was warm and comforting. My whole body was absorbed by the ball of water inside the gigantic lotus, and as I continued to drift in the water, my eyes revealed the familiar face of a woman sleeping—the same face I had seen growing up in every shelter for homeless kids. It was the only face I could remember from the human world—a constant reminder during my darkest days that I had the right to experience emotions again. It was the same face in every picture I saw, with a genuine glimmer in those closed eyes.

The same woman who comforted me during the coldest times of my life—the only light when all I could see was darkness.

Hindi ko alam kung bakit nakikita ko siya sa bawat litrato na nadadanan ko sa bawat ampunan. She was basically just a picture, but her warm smiles with those innocent children gave me hope that maybe, there would be a time that I could see faces again.

It had been a mystery for me, but now I finally had the answer— she was just like me, a woman from the prophecy.

In the middle of the warmth of the water around us, I continued to sink, my hands trembling as I tried to touch her. Suddenly, I forgot that I needed air to breathe. As I gently reached her cheek, my smile grew wider, seeing for the first time in the flesh the only woman who seemed so real during my life full of darkness.

Now, she was no longer just a picture—a history, a story, and a tragedy. As I moved closer, with my palms cupping her cheek, I pulled myself to her, closed my eyes, and pressed my forehead against hers. "Hello there, Astrid, I am here to get you."