RITUAL

STEPHEN NILE CARSON'S POINT OF VIEW (IVY'S DAD)

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"Hindi pa ako tapos sainyo! I always control your destiny and you all have a heavy price to pay!" she ended her words with an evil laugh. Her voice echoes inside my mind.

Trixia slowly disappeared in a cloud of black dust with my wife, imprisoned her in an indestructible cage.

Umupo lang ako at natutula, holding my daughter. Around me, all are destroyed into pieces. Fires and smoke everywhere. Darkness and pain in this place. Hindi na humihinga si Ivy, I can't feel her heart beating anymore.

Isa lang ang mapupuntahan ko at tutulungan ako. The Sun Priestess.

I concentrate and use my teleportation with all my might. I went inside. A huge bright castle where the Sun Priestess lives. It's like heaven, every corner shines, and no place for darkness.

"Sun Priestess, I need you!" my voice echoes the whole palace. I can feel her presence and power.

"Ako 'to si Stephen! Please help me!" I said with all my might.

"Stephen, I can hear you. Please calm down, my sister is sleeping," she said serenely. Bumaba siya mula sa malapad at ginintuang center stairs.

I saw her and I bowed to show respect. "My apologies, your highness."

"Is this your daughter, Ivy? She's painfully wounded again. Let me gue-"

I cut her. "Trixia attacked us again."

"The Cimmerian Empire..." mahina niyang tugon, observing my daughter.

"I want you to retrieve Ivy again, please!" I said to her. I kneel, begging her to heal my daughter.

"I don't know, Stephen. My sister, Moon priestess is very weak now. Without her, I'm afraid we cannot do the ritual."

"The rituals we did to Ivy is twice, if we did it again, there's a huge impact that it can damage her heart and brain," she added.

"Please do everything! I want my daughter to live!" I beg again with all my heart and trying not to feel hopeless.

She just sighed. "Tinulungan mo ako palagi dati Stephen from the Cimmerian Empire na nais nilang patayin ako at aking kapatid. And I promised to all the people, me as their Sun Priestess, I will not neglect my duties and responsibilities."

I can't look at her straightly. She then uses her magic that made Ivy float and land on a comfortable bed.

"But there's still one way..."

A hint of hope starts to flame within me. I looked at her. "Sun Priestess, maraming salamat saiyong tulong!"

"But there are a lot of conditions and promises you must not break," pahabol niya.

"What is it?" I asked her at lumapit ako sa aking anak.

"I'll tell you Stephen after the ritual. I must call Kairos," she then sent a virtual message to Kairos, she told me he's one of the apprentices that are controlling time.

As soon as I saw Kairos, the Sun priestess quickly draw significant ritual signs in the middle. They heal Ivy's bruises and wounds first to prepare her body for the ritual. After that, they transfer my daughter to the middle where her body lay peacefully.

"Memento," Kairos said holding an expensive-looking and imperishable box. "This is useful for later," he replied in a calm tone.

Sun priestess anointed a purple fluorite crystal unto Ivy's forehead. She took a deep breath. "I know you're still young and you need to enjoy your life like a normal teenager, Ivy," Sun priestess gently whispered. Her hands glow as she gently touched Ivy's heart and mind. The ritual signs start to glow brighter, the crystal too.

"The darkness within your memories will hurt you, and this isn't the right time that you will know the truth."

"I shall remove most of your memories including your mom, but except for your dad," dark and gold dust started to appear, releasing it from my daughter's body. Then she put it inside the memento box, stated some important spells, and locked it. She stood up for a while and came back with a magical incense. The incense's smoke lightens. Forms a maiden figure that is somehow a resemblance to Ivy's appearance, and enters her body. Soon, heavenly voices filled the place. This made the ambiance tranquil even more.

"This is in exchange for Ivy's memories, but temporarily, unlike before which are permanent. She will be fine at least tomorrow, or the other day," she cupped Ivy's face. Soon, a smile formed on Ivy's face. It is a sign that she forgot all the memories she had before and everything will be normal.

"Why temporarily?" I asked, watching Ivy as she is asleep.

"As I said earlier, the ritual we just did is different from before. There's a chance we cannot save your daughter if we did the old ritual."

"But-" she then shooked her head, she stated important information again that I must know.

"There's still darkness and scars in her soul too, Stephen. Trixia and Cimmerian Empire's power is getting stronger and stronger, and the possibility is high na mamuno nila ang virtual and real-world forever."

"You Stephen, as her father, you must also tell her the truth soon," she said.

My heart is beating fast. "But how? I'm not ready."

She took Ivy's necklace and Kairo also removed the crystal from her forehead. Sun then gets the gem from the memento box and the purple fluorite. She stated some magic spells or incantations. The key necklace and the gems combined perfectly and transformed into a rare style of necklace.

Sun put the new necklace back to Ivy. "There. 9 gems to go, Stephen."

"Here are the conditions. Listen carefully," she said in a serious tone and I'm ready to listen. For my daughter Ivy, for my wife Merielle, for my empire, for the virtual world, and the real world.

"As Ivy turn 18 soon, she must know the truth, pero ikaw mismo ang magsasabi sa kaniya, harap-harapan. If not, if siya mismo makaalam then, it's too late, you might lose her, and the darkness will consume her. There are also different na mangyayari sa kaniyang katawan, a magical change for her. You also need to guide and enhance it for the better," sambit niya at mukhang alalang-alala na siya sa akin.

Yes, once a person from our kind and our world reaches pre-18 or turns 18 years old, his or her abilities and powers will appear.

"Furthermore..."

"Pagpatuloy," sabi ko.

"Furthermore, Ivy must find her true love too in the real world. Real-world dapat ha, bawal sa virtual. Love is also one of the powerful sources of magic, one of the Cimmerian Empire and Trixia's weaknesses."

"If she falls in love in the virtual world, hindi na siya makakalabas pa. The history will repeats itself, alam mo na you and-" pagpapatuloy niya sana ang kaniyang nais sabihin, but I immediately stopped her.

"Okay, I get it! I promise I'll help her. Please, don't say that story again." I commanded her.

"Nakaka-trauma," I added and a slightly angry expression formed on my face. Nagpatuloy siya ulit.

"Your daughter will know kung matagpuan niya na ang kaniyang true love. The necklace will make her identity hidden, Trixia will not find her but temporarily too. She will be having a hard time recalling Ivy."

"I saw a lot of predictions too saiyong anak, you both soon find out. Don't let her heart change, Stephen," biglang sumali si Kairos sa usapan, holding an hourglass.

"Alam ko rin, this will be another hard time and a challenge that Ivy needs to face. Her mother is gone and hindi pa natin alam kung nasaan siya tinago ni Trixia. Please take good care even more saiyong anak, Stephen. She's our only hope, I believe she'll restore and help those who are lost, our soon-to-be empress," she just sighed and sat down at her throne. Kairos nodded at her.

"Yes I will, Sun Priestess. Gagawin ko lahat ng aking makakaya. Hindi ko rin kakalimutan lahat ng mga sinabi mo at pagtulong mo sa amin," ang sabi ko lamang sa kaniya and agreed to her.

She bowed and guide us through the portal. "Take care of both of you," Kairos and Sun waved goodbye at us.

As I enter again the portal with my universal power, I transformed back to my original appearance. Ivy is still asleep. The house went back to normal and the neighborhood never knows me anymore. The Sun priestess truly erases everything, but temporarily.

Pero paano? Paano ko sasabihin ang lahat kay Ivy kapag magiging 18 years old na siya?

I used my invisibility and teleportation. I searched every part of the world until I discovered a peaceful village called Azaleavale, which will be found within the City of Azalea. Everything is peaceful, no one knows me either. As the heavens got darker, I decided to create a house for us to live in.

I sighed after I created the shelter. I put Ivy in her comfortable bed inside her room.

I kissed her forehead gently and touched her hands for reassurance. The necklace shines brighter as the moon's light lands on it. As I look at her face for some minutes, Merielle's face suddenly flashes through my mind. I tried not to cry as I feel the pain hammering through my heart.

I wish you were still here, Merielle. I am sorry for breaking my promise as your sorcerer, wearing a shining cape.

Anak, malalagpasan natin lahat ng ito. Tiwala lang.

There's still hope, I can still feel it...

She's Invincible: The Quest For Truth by ScarletVidia