[A/N: This is the special chapter from the book, but the unedited or unrevised version. As my birthday gift to you, my loves, this would be available to read here in Wattpad for until July 1. I hope you enjoy reading. I love you all so much and thank you!]

WISH

Zeref's Point of View

"SIGURADO ka na ba rito, Zeref? Hindi na namin mababawi kung ibibigay namin ang hinihiling mo," ani Atropos habang pinapaulanan ako ng sama ng tingin.

Mariin akong napapikit habang nag-iisip kung itutuloy ko ba talaga ang balak ko. It's been almost a year after winning the Semideuses' annual competition, and I have to ask for my wish before another Semideus gets crowned greatest.

Napabuntonghininga si Lachesis at nagulat ako sa mga sinambit niyang salita. "Fine. We'll give you another two months to decide on your wish. If you are still undecided, you'd have no chance to wish again."

"Thank you. Rest assured that I'll be decided by then," magalang kong sagot bago lumabas sa templo nila. Pagkalabas ko'y pinalibutan agad ako ng isang malakas na hangin, at nang mawala 'yon, nakabalik na ako sa'king cabin.

My eyes drifted to the cabin across mine, and my lips lifted a little because of— Kaagad nawala ang ngiti ko nang biglang sumulpot mula sa kawalan si Irish. "Hi, master! I have chika. You're so matutuwa nang bongga!" Bati niya't pinupulot ang kamay sa'king braso.

"What is it, Irish?" tanong ko sa kaniya at pilit na tinanggal ang kamay niya— kaya mukhang papatayin ako lagi ni Damon, masyadong malambing si Irish. Napanguso siya ngunit tuluyan na rin akong pinakalawan, pero hindi naman nagtagal ang lungkot niya't malawak siyang ngumiti.

"We have another mission! It's going to be eliminating the suspicious monsters of the Icarian Sea!"

I scowled after hearing that. Anong nakakatuwa r'on? Ni hindi na ako interesado sa mga misyon, at mas lalong hindi ako intersadong maging Greatest Semideus ulit. I have nothing to wish for anymore!

"I'm not even delighted with your ne—"

"Ang sabi'y may makakasama tayong apat pa," pagputol niya sa sasabihin ko't mapanlokong ngumisi.

"Sino naman sila? Why'd they suddenly throw someone to our group?"

She hummed while poking my arm for no reason at all. Nang-aasar lang ata talaga 'tong babaeng 'to. "The first two added are the famous death twins, Thana and Storm. The other is the adopted daughter of Artemis, Diane. The last one would be your crush na Diyosa!"

Crush na Diyosa? Could it be the new Goddess of Time, Xynthea? Ever since Irish saw me staring at the Goddess, she teased me nonstop— like what she's doing now.

"Yie! Alam na agad kung who!"

"It's because you keep teasing me, Irish," angal ko. Tumawa naman siya at sinagot na naman ako, "It's because you always stare at her!"

I scowled, and I turned back to my cabin, but I was astounded because my cabin was gone in sight. "Irish!" pagalit kong sigaw 'pagkat dinala na naman niya ako sa bagong lugar nang 'di man lang sinasabi sa'kin. Hindi ko na rin napansin dahil humusay na ang pagkontrol niya sa kapangyarihan, as if she can teleport with just a blink.

Nilingon ko siya ngunit mabilis kong tinikom ang bibig ko nang makita ang kambal— the Death Twins, only children of Thanatos. While the man, Storm, had bloody red eyes, the woman, Thana, had stormy gray eyes. Their hair colors were similar; only that Thana's was a lighter gray. The two of them, especially the lady, were almost confined in the Underworld. Ngayong taon lang sila sumali sa mga Semideuses bagaman puwedeng puwede na silang sumali noon palang.

"Thana, I'm aware this is your first mission. Are you sure you'd like to join? If you're not caref—"

"Stop scaring at my sister." Nagulat nalang ako nang biglang hawakan ni Storm ang kuwelyo ko. I huffed, and a smirk formed on my lips, "Mind your manners, bagyo."

Akmang hihigpitan niya ang hawak sa kwelyo ko nang hawakan siya ng kambal niya. Napabuntonghininga siya't mariing pinikit ang mata. I took the time to speak my words for him, "I believe you're just overprotective of your sister. I'm not belittling her nor scaring her. Olympian missions are not something to take lightly. The underworld has pampered both of you, and according to the rumors, the lady has not deve—"

"It's fine. Sinadya kong sumama sa misyong 'to dahil gusto kong lumakas, at gusto ko ring malaman kung ano ang kaya kong gawin. If I stay back, I will not learn," sagot sa'kin ni Thana bago pa ako magsalita. "I also joined because of Goddess Xynthea. She's been my friend, and I'd like to stand by her side."

Xynthea. Napatingin naman ako sa paligid upang hanapin ang Diyosa, ngunit sa halip na siya ang makita, isang sigang babae ang nakatitig sa'min. Nakapamulsa siya't tila inip na inip na. Her black hair was tied up, and her eyes that had a glint of the moon inside reminded me of someone.

"You are?" I asked.

"Diane, the adopted daughter of Artemis," malamig niyang saad at umirap pa.

Irish hummed and put a finger on her chin. "Adopted? You really look like her. Are you sure you're not her daughter?"

Diane looked at her with disbelief and shook her head aggressively. "Artemis swore an oath to the River Styx. Kung anak niya ako, malamang hindi na ako buhay at pipi na siya! Nas'an ba 'yang utak mo?"

"Hey! Mind your words!" Irish said and acted like she was hurt. She even pouted and looked around to find Damon. Malamang ay magpapaawa, tsk. Narinig ko naman ang mahinang bulong ng babae, at natawa nalang kung ga'no siya kaprangka. "Mind, mind. Wala namang mind."

"Did Artemis send you here, or you joined to your own accord?" tanong ko nalang upang mabaling ang kaniyang atensyon. I wouldn't want ladies quarreling in our mission.

She glanced at me and shrugged. "I think she did mention a mission, but I went here because I was interested in the Goddess, Xynthea." I-Interested? "Hindi ko rin sigurado kung interesado ako dahil Diyosa siya, o dahil may koneksyon akong nararamdaman sa kaniya. As if she was a lost friend. . . pero interesado rin naman ako sa inyo. Kayo ang mga malalakas na Semideus, 'di ba? Sumama ako kasi sipsip ako."

"You're admitting it? No wonder I don't get good vibes from you. You're probably just here to gain attention," biglang singit ni Llyr, at tiningnan mula ulo hanggang paa si Diane.

Nagkunot-noo si Diane, at halos nag-usok ang kaniyang ilong. Muntik ko nang matampal ang noo ko sa nang patuloy silang nagsagutan.

I don't think we'll get along immediately, but she's not a bad addition to the team. She's exceptionally skillful to archery and hunting. Rumors say that Artemis adopted her because of her hunting prowess. Katakataka lang na ngayong taon lang din siya lumabas.

Seems like all the powerful newbies were added to the team.

Nagulat naman ako nang biglang may sumakal sa'kin, at sa kamay palang, alam ko nang si Gideon 'yon.

"Hi, Master!" malakas niyang sigaw.

Siniko ko naman ang kaniyang dibdib kaya't malakas siyang napadaing. Aster glared at me while aiding her man.

Tinaas ko siya ng kilay, "What? I didn't even start it."

She huffed and looked at Gideon with such caring eyes. "Where does it hurt?" Napangiwi naman ako nang sinadya pa ni Damon umungol, akala mo naman masakit talaga.

"Sorry, I'm late!"

My head almost snapped when I abruptly turn in the voice's direction. Napalunok ako't tinungo ang aking ulo para batiin ang Diyosa. "It's fine, Goddess Xynthea."

The others bowed to her presence too, but she shook her head and ordered us to raise our heads. "No need for formalities. Please call me Xynthea. I've joined your team to be trained and improve my abilities so that I could be worthy of my title."

A Goddess proving her worth? That's odd. The moment Fates bestow a title to someone, he or she is already powerful— even without training. I think she's just humble or somewhat worried because of the expectations everyone holds for her. The Fates favor her so much as she's the first being to be weaved by themselves. Some even call her the Fates' child.

"I see," mahina kong wika.

***

A MONTH has passed, and we have already taken the necessary actions for our mission. We helped the citizens of Icaria to evacuate and build a temporary village for them. Everything was made possible with our connection to the Underworld, the land of wealth. Hmm, I guess adding the death twins to the team isn't bad at all.

Iniisip ko lang kung bakit wala pa kaming nakikitang kakaibang halimaw rito. The report says it was monstrous and enormous— almost alike to the Lernean Hydra we slew back at the Ionian Sea.

Irish never felt a presence of it, and Llyr never saw it under the sea. Naisip kong nagsisinungaling lamang ang mga Icarians para makakuha ng suporta mula sa mga Olympians. . . ngunit kung gan'on nga ang nangyari, nalaman agad ni Aster na nagsisinungaling sila.

There's something wrong, and I'm sure of that.

"Zeref, we patrolled around, but only small monsters were seen again. They were already taken care of," Xynthea reported immediately after they returned to our camping base. Hanggang ngayon ay naiilang pa rin ako na isang Diyosa ang under ng team ko. I was the captain, while Aster was the vice-captain. They receive orders from us— even the Goddess and full-blooded Semideuses did.

"Do you think someone else might have already killed the sea monster, Aster?" tanong ko 'pagkat masyado nang kataka-taka ang pangyayari.

Umiling naman si Aster, at halos sabunutan niya na rin ang sarili niya sa pag-aalala. "I don't know! But if yes, it would cause a scene, and the Icarians would know it. My powers tell me that they aren't lying, so I know they're not deceiving us."

"Aba't subukan lang nilang lokohin tayo, patay 'yong mga 'yon!" bulyaw ni Diane, at sinuntok pa si Damon.

"The heck, Diane! Hindi mo kinailangang i-demonstrate sa'kin!" angal ni Damon at pinagmumura pa siya. Bahagya namang tumawa si Storm at nakisali pa sa bangayan nila. Hindi ko rin akalain na mas iingay pa ang grupo— hindi ko sinasabing gusto ko ng ingay.

"Baka naman lumipat na sa ibang lugar ang sea monster," Xynthea suggested while looking at the sea. She closed her eyes to reach out her hands, and lilac lines lanced out of her fingers— stretching out to the sea.

Nagsimula namang tumahimik ang iba't pinagmasdan ang ginagawa ni Xynthea. Isang kilay ko ang napataas nang mapansing bagong teknik ang ginagawa niya ngayon. She hasn't done this before, so I assume she has just learned it.

"She feels a strong presence towards the sea, but it's small and compressed," Irish spoke for Xynthea. "She doesn't think it's the sea monster, but it's possible that the compressed energy would expand and become a sea monster."

"Meaning to say, the sea monster transforms?" asked Llyr. Mukhang hindi naman siya nakumbinsi sa pinahayag ni Irish at Xynthea. Hm, kung ako rin naman. Llyr didn't notice what Xynthea found when he was patrolling the seas. Pa'nong bigla nalang may lumabas na ganoong presensiya?

Minulat na ni Xynthea ang kaniyang mga mata't kaagad na nilingon si Llyr, "Naiintindihan ko kung bakit hindi mo naramdaman ang presensya. It was faint at my first try, but I used the strings of Fates to try it again this time. The strings of Fates can notice a presence that has been veiled for a long time. There's a strong veil hiding the presence of the—"

Mabilis kong naiangat ang kamay ko upang gawing yelo ang malaking alon na biglang bumulaga sa'min. A loud wail vibrated through the waves, and my ice got broken. Napamura ako ngunit napansin kong bumagal ang pagbagsak ng malaking alon sa'min.

My eyes glanced at Xynthea, who summoned the hourglass capable of controlling the speed of time. The inside of the hourglass became water rather than sands— that means only the water's speed would be manipulated.

Ginamit naman ni Irish ang tyansyang 'yon upang ilipat kami sa bagong puwesto, kung s'an 'di kami matatamaan ng malakas na alon. Naiwan si Llyr d'on dahil mas lalakas siya buhat ng tubig.

"Na-trigger ata siya ni Xynthea," natatawang wika ni Diane. Napatingin naman ako kay Storm na mukhang galak na galak para sa una niyang pakikipaglaban, samantalang puno naman ng pagtataka ang mukha ni Thana.

"Woah, that's bigger than the Lernean Hydra," ani Damon at pinalabas ang kaniyang claymore. Pinalagutok niya rin ang kaniyang leeg bago ituloy ang sinasabi, "Mukhang mahihirapaan tayo rito, but there's a big prize waiting."

Napangisi naman ako't tumango. The sea monster had crystalized wings and the tail of a snake. It has a silver beak that I think is made of a blade. If a sea monster is this big and unidentified, the Olympians will reward us with a bigger prize. I suddenly became motivated because I felt that none of us felt fear. We had each other's back, and we wouldn't let each other be hurt.

"Anong itatawag natin d'yan, bebe girl?" mapang-asar na tanong ni Gideon kay Aster.

Aster released her staff and uttered its name, "Icaro Dracones. He has wings like Icarus, but he can't fly high because the crystallized wings would melt— just like what happened with Icarus. He flew too high and fell to the sea when the wax of his wings melted."

"Ang galing-galing naman talaga!" singit ni Gideon. "Bebe ko yan!"

"Manahimik ka nga, Gid," bulyaw ni Diane habang pinapaulanan na ang papalapit na Dracones.

Hindi pa kami makalapit dahil lulubog kami sa tubig at hindi kami makakagalaw nang maayos kung gan'on. We were waiting for Llyr to absorb and move the waters to the other side, but it seems like it would take longer.

"Xyn, would you grant me a favor of making my freezing skills faster?" tanong ko sa kaniya. She moved her gaze to me and nodded. The wave in her hourglass became ice mists, so I proceeded to move towards the sea. I leaped and gathered ice mists around before landing with my fist first. Awtomatiko namang nagyelo ang tubig, at nagsilbi 'yong lakaran namin papunta sa Icaro Dracones.

Halos nalaglag naman ang panga ko nang biglang makita si Thana na tumatakbo lagpas sa'kin. I could hear her brother call her name and stop her from going any further. Napamura naman ako sa sarili kong utak, at wala akong choice kun'di—

"Huh?" "What?" "A-ano?" "Huh!" "Luh!" "Eh?"

"Are you okay?" sambit ni Thana.

Nalaglag ang mga panga namin nang biglang mawala ang Icaro Dracones at napalitan ng isang lalaki ang naroon sa puwesto. He was floating above the waters, and Thana was, too. Where the Icarius did the sea monster go?

"Thana. . . what are you doing?" mahinahong tanong sa kaniya ng kambal niya, Storm. She turned to us with such a furious look, as if we did something wrong when she's the one confusing us!

"What are YOU guys doing? You're trying to harm someone as if he's an enormous monster," sagot niya at inalalayan pa ang lalaking tumayo. Pinagmasdan ko naman ang lalaki, at napansin ang kaniyang kulay berdeng mga mata. Samantala ang kaniyang mga buhok naman ay tulad ng mga rosas.

Ngunit mas kataka-taka ang sagot ni Thana. Didn't she see the Icaro Dracones earlier? I'm sure I saw her confused look— oh, I think I get it now. She didn't see the monster, so she was confused about what we were talking about.

"Baliw ka ba!?" sigaw sa kaniya ni Storm. "Bitiwan mo nga 'yang lalaking 'yan!"

Malakas naman akong napatawa't napailing. Napahawak pa ako sa'king mga tuhod dahil hindi ko mapigilan ang tawa ko.

"Isa pa 'tong baliw," sambit ni Ma-Damon kaya't agad na nawala ang tawa ko para tingnan siya nang masama.

Nang bumalik naman ang mga mata ko sa inosenteng mukha ng lalaki, muli na naman akong napatawa. Hindi ko kinayang magsalita nang malakas kaya't pinarating ko nalang kay Irish ang naiiisip ko.

Nang marinig naman ni Irish 'yon, napatawa na rin siya nang malakas. "Oh my Goddess! This is— Pft! Akala ko pa naman may malaking prize na tayo! It's a prank pala!"

Napamura naman si Llyr at inis na nagsalita, "Ano bang pumasok sa mga kokote nila?"

"There's no sea monster!" Irish exclaimed. "The boy is capable of making illusions, and the Icaro Dracones is just an illusion made by him! Luckily, Thana can see through illusions and veils. If not, we would like dumb people fighting over an illusion. My goodness!"

"Ha? Sinasabi mo bang nagsayang lang tayo ng oras at pera rito?" bigong bigkas ni Storm habang hinihila na si Thana palayo sa lalaki. "Sabing layo, eh."

Their faces went blank for seconds before bursting out to laughter. When I finally calmed down, I looked at them. Everyone was speaking of how our efforts for a month were wasted just for a laugh. Napailing ako habang hindi pa nawawala ang ngiti sa labi.

Nilapitan ko naman ang lalaki, naglahad ng kamay sa kaniya't nagpakilala, "We apologize. We're Semideuses from the Olympian World. I believe you have no intention of harming Icarians. That said, please refrain from using monstrous illusions. May I know your name?"

His reply to me was slow in coming, and he stuttered a few times. "G-Gaurav. I'd like to, but I can't control my illusions. Kaya. . . nagtatago lang ako rito sa dagat para wala nang matakot."

I hummed and thought that this man must be a child of a powerful God, but I just wonder who. Maybe it could be answered when he comes to the Olympian World? That implied— "Then, would you like to join us in our journey? With us around and the Gods guiding you, you might be able to control your illusions."

"Can I?" tanong niya habang nag-aalalang tiningnan ang iba.

Nilingon ko naman sila na hanggang ngayon ay tumatawa pa rin habang pinag-uusapan ang mga ginawa namin. I smiled more and realized that maybe happiness could not be granted by past memories— which I requested from the Fates a month ago.

Naalala ko ang sagot nila sa'kin nang sinabi kong gusto kong maalala ang lahat ng nangyari sa'king nakaraan. "Sigurado ka na ba rito, Zeref? Hindi na namin mababawi kung ibibigay namin ang hinihiling mo."

I've been having visions that seemed like a memory from the past— ones that had Xynthea and Diane. Pinaghinalaan ko silang parte sila ng nakaraan namin, ngunit tinanggal sila ng Moirais sa alaala namin. My heart remembers the tears, blood, battles, and grief. . . maybe it's time that I let that go.

After all, memories are quotation marks that prevent me from going on. I need to continue this story and stop dwelling on the past chapters. I finally know what to wish for.

"You may join us, especially that we have the same wishes. We wouldn't want others to be harmed. We wish for their happiness and safety. Am I right?" sagot ko kay Gaurav.

Sa wakas naman ay tinanggap niya ang aking kamay at ngumiti nang maliit. After shaking hands, I returned to the side of my comrades. Diane, Llyr, Damon, Irish, Gideon, Aster, Storm, Thana, Gaurav and Xynthea.

I wish for the Fates to guide us in our never-ending journey.

The Semideus
By lostmortals
Plagiarism is a crime.

Thank you for reading!