Heshiena's Point of View

Nasa daan na kami patungo sa Aeras City. Hindi namin alam kung saan ito. But Miss Aqua said Aeras City was in the northern part of the realm. Magkalahating isang oras na nasa biyahe pa rin kami.

Surprisingly, Ace was silent since we left.

Tumingin ako sa labas ng bintana. Tinatahak namin ang napakalaking gubat na 'to. Trees are taller than skyscrapers. May mga wood nymphs pa akong napapansin. Madilim ang paligid. Dahil unang-una, gaya ng nasabi ko, hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin nagpapakita ang araw at buwan.

Panghuli, mas lalong dumilim dito dahil sa mga kahoy. Napakapit ako sa suot kong jeans nang makaramdam ako ng kakaiba sa paligid.

I heard Ace gasped for air in surprise. I guess I am not the only who noticed that. Lumiwanag kaagad ang aking mukha nang mapansing tila papalabas na kami ng gubat.

But before we could even get out, a shadow figure appeared at the edge of this forest road. And our odigos disappeared at the same time. Base sa anino nito, mayroon itong pakpak ng tila isang ibon. A body of a lion's.

Nang makalapit kami, saka lamang namin makilala ang halimaw. With the same description, the monster had a woman's face and breasts, the body of a lion's, and a bird's wings. Her size was twice the size of a mini-truck.

She's still bigger compared to us.

"Demigods."

Mabilis na hininto ni Mavros ang sasakyan. Ikinumpas niya ang kaniyang mga kamay. Pero mabilis ko siyang pinigilan. Sumalubong sa akin ang nagtataka niyang mga titig.

"I don't have the feeling she would prey on us," sigurado kong saad, "unless . . ." I heard Ace squealed in his seat, "if we answered all her riddles correctly."

Wala akong nakuhang sagot mula sa tatlo. But their silence is enough as an answer. Kasi alam kong alam din nila na posible ang sinasabi ko. Or this monster might be our savior to get to Aeras City. Because up till now, hindi pa rin namin alam kung nasaan ito.

Our odigos just vanished like a bubble the moment the sphinx appeared before our eyes.

"What can run but never walk, have a mouth but never talk, have a head but never weep, have a bed but never sleep?"

Napahawak ako sa aking dibdib nang bigla na lamang sumikdo nang mabilis ang puso ko. The sphinx finally give us her first riddle. Si Ace naman ay nasa likuran lamang ni Chry, tila natatakot habang kinakagat ang kuko niya.

Probably thinking of an answer.

There's a long pause of silence. The sphinx was waiting for our answer patiently. Nag-isip ako ng sagot. My ears twitched when I heard a river stream from our right side. May naririnig akong mga bulung-bulungan.

Hindi ko alam kung saan ito nanggaling.

"A river."

Napatingin ako kay Mavros nang marinig ko siyang magsalita. A river. Mabilis akong napatango. River stream indeed seems like running, but never walks. The sound of the stream can be the mouth. The head can be the source of a stream or a river.

Lastly, the sphinx probably refers to the bed of a river.

Kung iisipin, talagang may naririnig akong river stream mula sa right side ko. Mukhang napansin din naman ni Chry nang makita kong nakatingin din siya sa kanan.

"I am always hungry and will die if not fed, but whatever I touch will soon turn red. What am I?" Muling nagtanong ang sphinx.

Palaging gutom and namamatay kapag hindi pinakain? Pero kahit ano mang mahahawakan ay mamumula? Tanging isa lang ang naisip kong posibleng sagot.

"Fire," I confidently answered.

The sphinx looked at me in the eye. I heard her clicked her tongue in disappointment. Dahil sa ginawa niya hindi ko mapigilang kabahan. Mali ba ako?

"I am always there, some distance away, somewhere between land and sky I lay, you may move toward me, yet distant I'll stay. What am I?"

Isang ngiti ang sumilay sa aking labi nang binatuhan niya muli kami ng panibagong tanong. I was right. My smile immediately faded when I heard Mavros let out a soft chuckle. Naramdaman ko kaagad ang pag-init ng aking pisngi.

I was quick to bite my lower lip when I heard Chry click her tongue. "The horizon." This time siya naman ang sumagot.

"What has one voice but goes on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?"

We heard Ace gasping for air. An excited smile gradually formed upon his lips. That question. I am sure it's the same one when the sphinx asked this to Oedipus.

And he cleverly guessed the answer.

Tumalon-talon pa si Ace. Itinaas pa niya ang kaniyang kamay. "I know! I know!" he bubbly insisted without breaking the smile on his lips. "It's human being!" Para siyang batang tuwang-tuwang makasagot ng tama. "Who crawls as a baby, stands on two legs as an adult, and walks with a stick in old age," he completed the answer.

We all know what is the answer of course. But we've decided to give this one to Ace. Napapansin din kasi naming parang nag-aalala siya na baka hindi siya makasagot sa isa sa mga riddles ng halimaw.

When the baby crawls, parang nagkakaroon na rin ng apat na paa. Tapos kapag naging adult na, naging dalawa. At kapag tumanda, magiging tatlo dahil sa panungkod nito.

We stepped two steps backwards when the sphinx spread her wings. And disappeared before our eyes. So, that was it? How can we use those answers to find our way to our destination?

Bumalik kami sa loob ng sasakyan. We waited for about a couple of minutes for our odigos to appeared. Naiinip na lamang kami sa paghihintay hindi pa rin ito bumalik.

"Great!" Chry sarcastically exclaimed. "So we're going to use our answers to navigate our way straight to our destination," she added.

Mavros brings the engine back to life. Me, on the other hand, hummed in agreement to what Chry said. Silence once again took over between us four. But I never think twice to break it by clearing my throat.

"Mavros answered the river." I opened up. "Before the sphinx could throw her first riddle, I heard a river stream on the right side of the forest."

In the rearview mirror, I saw Chry nodded. Ace remained silent so did Mavros. Pero alam kong nakikinig sila pareho sa mga sinasabi ko.

When we finally exited at the forest, we were greeted by an open field. The ground was embraced with bermuda grass. Makulimlim pa rin ang kalangitan. But I know this place was breathtaking during the daytime.

Hindi nga ako sigurado kung umaga o gabi ba ngayon.

Sa kaliwa, napansin namin ang iilang mga centaurs na nagtatakbuhan papasok ng gubat.

"Oh!" Ace exclaimed. "There's a river over there!"

Mabilis kong sinundan ng tingin ang itinuro niya. And he was right. Tiningnan ko ang daan namin. There's no need to take an alternative way because the road is leading us straight to the river.

Across the river, may mga iilang maliliit na bundok. I scoffed. Naalala ko ang chocolate hills sa kanila. My forehead furrowed when I saw a man standing at the very top of the hill. Hindi ko siya masyadong maaninag.

"There's someone . . ." ang aking bulong, "at the very top of the hill." Pero mukhang napalakas yata ako ng pagkasabi nang mapansing sumilip din ang tatlo sa bintana.

"There's no one, Lady Heshiena."

Mas lalong inatake ako ng matinding pagtataka sa isinagot sa akin ni Ace. I looked at them in the eye. Chry surprisingly nodded. Nabaling ang tingin ko kay Mavros. Napagtanto kong nakatingin din siya sa akin nang nagtataka.

Based on his facial expression, the three of them had the same answer.

"What . . ."

Muli akong napatingin sa tuktok ng bundok. Nandoon pa rin ang lalaki. Napasinghap ako sa takot nang makita ko siyang nakatingin sa akin nang diretso. Sunod-sunod kong narinig ang mga ibinulong niya.

"Beware of yourself, Heshiena . . ." a distorted voice of a man appeared in my mind. Beware of myself? What does that mean? "Alpha . . ."

Mas lalong kumunot ang aking noo. I could feel my brain just malfunctioning. Akala ko ba natapos na ang riddles na 'yan?

"Who are you?" I bravely asked.

"The messenger of spring," he telepathically answered back. "The gentlest of the winds."

Tinignan ko ang mga kasama ko. I realized, they were waiting for me to elaborate what I just said earlier. Nagpakawala ako ng malalim na pagbuntonghininga.

"The man just introduced himself to me as the messenger of spring," I said.

Muling nanumbalik ang pagkunot ng aking noo nang makitang nagkatinginan sina Mavros at Chry.

"It's Zéphyros, the god of the west wind," it was Mavros who answered.

My eyes grew wider in surprise. Muli akong tumingin sa pinakatuktok ng bundok. A disappointed sigh escaped from my lips when I saw he disappeared.

"What did he say?" Chry asked.

Bumagsak ang mata ko sa sahig ng sasakyan. The god of the west wind just warned me about myself. I don't know what does it mean specifically, but I know I am going to be the epicenter of everything once again.

He even uttered the word alpha. Sa pagkakaintindi ko, alpha is something that is first or beginning. I was trying to decipher what Zéphyros is trying to convey. Pero sumakit lang ang ulo ko ang kinalabasan.

Nakahinga ako ng maluwag nang mapansing hindi na ako kinulit ni Chry sa sagot ko. Dumating kami sa ilog. Sabay kaming lumabas ng kotse. Habang ako naman ay dumiretso sa tubig.

I was taken aback when a water nymph appeared. Ngumiti pa ito sa akin.

"Do you know some place here that signify fire?" ang aking tanong sa kaniya.

She nodded. "There's a single volcano behind these hills." Napasinghap ako sa sinabi niya.

She's absolutely right. Volcano represents heat or fire. Although a volcano spit lava. Bago ko sasabihin sa tatlong kasama ko, naghilamos muna ako sa napakalinaw na tubig. Pagkatapos ay nagulat na lamang ako nang mapansing may babaeng nakatayo sa likuran sko.

Mabilis akong lumingon. Pero wala naman siya roon. Tumingin ako ulit sa repleksyon ng tubig. And she's still there. Ang una kong napansin sa kaniya ay ang kulay buhok niyang bahaghari.

"Beware of darkness . . .'' she whispered, " because you will only fall into places that you can't see."