chapter seven;
mystified

—

I FELT like my brain scattered to different parts to think of numerous things about one subject: Marriage.

Even though, I accepted parts of it because it was really the safest choice. There were still pieces that made me doubt.

Really? Me? This body? Evelyn Portia Baudelaire? A failed prophecy?

Ganoon ba talaga kahina 'yong abyss ni Kallisto? I mean, Portia was basically celestia-less. It might not be known to a lot of people, but it wasn't really a secret that Portia didn't have an ounce of celestia in her.

It'd be a scam to agree to this marriage when I didn't have anything to offer as a Celeste. And I knew exactly why Kallisto proposed this deal. It was to ease the pain he was feeling, and a Celeste with a celestia was the answer to that.

He was really smart. He wasn't the Crowned Prince, so Elysia—especially the Shrine—wouldn't prioritize him, and he might not get a Celeste even in his deathbed. So, instead of begging the Shrine for a Celeste, he was going to take me and it'd solve his problem.

And for me who might be punished by death, I would still live and even as a Princess. So... I really had no reason to refuse. It was a great answer for my survival. But if I go too deep from the surface. Agreeing would create a lot of problems and it could also lead to a path of doom.

A grave I dug for myself.

In the end, if I really wanted to live, I needed to come clean.

And the people in here, even with my sin, didn't mistreat me. They were even considerate. They were just really distant because of this body, because of Portia's image. If I wanted to really start again being surrounded by this people, I wanted to be Evienne sincerely.

"Your Highness... are you saying that you're willing to marry a Celeste that was only by name... without an ounce of celestia?" Celestia was the only thing that helped with the Abyss. But, without it, I doubt it'd keep my head for a long time.

Napakunot-noo si Kallisto sa sinabi ko at napatungo ako. My breathing became heavy as I waited for his answer.

"Are seriously going to lie?" His voice was calm but my ears heard a threatening tone in it.

"I'm sorry, Your Grace?" kinakabahang sambit ko. I could feel my stomach turning in trepidation. Wasn't he aware of how obvious that I—or Portia—didn't have any celestia? Wasn't he still in pain right now?

Celestia could be activated instantly and/or unconsciously as long as there was an Abyss near, but it could also be controlled to not give comfort for the Abyss. And for my case, it was none of the above because there was no celestia in the first place.

Unless... I suddenly manifested Celestia?

But its manifestation wasn't ordinary either. A Celeste would have a fever or other symptoms of sickness for days or more, because celestia would be unstable in their body at first.

And when I woke up, none of those things happened nor even the times that Portia's body was asleep there was nothing of some sort.

Even Juno experienced three days of flu-like symptoms after using her celestia with Azazel. Sobrang powerful nga no'n na kahit ginamit niya 'yong celestia three days lang siya nagkasakit, kahit sa totoo pwede siyang mamatay sa ginawa niyang paggamit no'n, lalo na hindi siya pamilyar paano kontrolin o gamitin 'yon.

"If you are trying to get away from this deal by saying you don't have celestia, well, better think of another not-so-dumb reason." Napalunok naman ako nang wala sa oras sa narinig na sagot kay Kallisto.

"You... you mean to say that I have a celestia, Your Highness?"

"Based on your logic, are you asking an Abyss if he has an abyss?" he said sarcastically.

"Huh?" litong-lito na ako bakit ba naman kasi daming paliguy-ligoy nito, yes or no lang naman sagot, nakakaloka! May rule ba sa ganitong mga setting na maraming hidden meaning mga sasabihin mo, jusko!

Mauubusan talaga ako ng braincells.

"Obviously, you have a Celestia, Baudelaire. I wouldn't propose this kind of thing to you, if I don't gain anything." Halos mapanganga ako sa sinabi niya. Napaangat ang tingin ko at napatitig ako sa kanya na nanlalaki ang mga mata.

"Me? I have a celestia?" I murmured unbelievably.

Did Portia somehow activate the spell? Was my lifeline already being sucked because of it? No! There was no way! If it did, I'd have some kind of symptoms and pain all over this body!

"Are you trying to piss me off again, Baudelaire?"

"No!" kaagad na sagot ko. "I, I just... just when did I manifest this power?" nalilitong tanong ko sa sarili. It didn't make sense. "Are you sure?" dagdag na tanong ko pa.

He sighed and massaged his forehead a little. "Yes. You're using your celestia right now. You never even stopped using it since we talked." Halos mapanganga ako nang malaki sa sinabi niya.

What the heck?

"Didn't you scheme that to get my attention and to convince me to spare you?" he asked cynically.

Aba kung gano'n nga naman, e 'di sana hindi na ako kinabahan 'di ba? Pero! Hindi talaga!

Was there something wrong in the novel I have written? Maybe Portia had a tiny celestia in her? And that was what I was using right now?

Pagkatapos mahina rin naman ang abyss ni Kallisto kaya siguro kahit kaunti lang 'yong celestia na 'yon sobrang effective sa kanya.

It was the only possible thing that I could think about. Because if that wasn't the answer, just how the heck did I manage to get some celestia? From Yule? No way. Beasts people weren't capable of attaining this power.

"What if I run out of it? Would you kill me?" nahihirapang tanong ko.

"Celestia is a power that lasts, and wasn't something that runs out even if you have so little of it. A Celeste like you should be more aware of that fact than me, Baudelaire." Bigla naman akong kinabahan sa sinabi niya. He was right though.

But still, I couldn't believe it. And if it was really true, I just hoped that it wouldn't suddenly disappear because it might really cost my life.

"If you are still going to insist your nonsensical reason, here's the proof."

My eyes almost fell out of my sockets when his eyes glowed in violet and how his abyss slowly formed in his hand.

The glistening aura of violet, suddenly turned to shapes of butterflies and it suddenly flew to me.

When it went to me, there was suddenly coldness and heaviness in the air, however, the butterflies felt like they were smiling and happy. They surrounded me like they were showering me with little violet glitters.

It gave me such a wondrous and unexplainable feeling.

I couldn't believe my eyes that I was seeing the abyss that always seemed so terrifying when being used, to be like this... free. Some butterflies even rested on my fingertips and hair.

And because of that... I felt something in Portia's eyes and body. It was like the blue crystal-like eyes glowed like how Kallisto's eyes shined.

If his was the galaxy, I was sure that Portia's were the epitome of the sparkling deep blue ocean.

Then, I became speechless when little waters like droplets seemed to form around me as they played with the little butterflies—that was the abyss.

"H-How...?" hindi makapaniwalang banggit ko.

The droplets followed the butterflies and it was like forming a swirl with grace. Napanganga ako sa nakikita. Hindi makapaniwala. This power... this feeling... it all felt familiar.

Celestia.

It was a celestia.

Even if it was in the form of water, it was indeed, celestia.

It made me in awe.

I was used to seeing Juno's celestia that was mostly dominated by the fire element. So, it stuck to me that celestia was a fire aura. It was the perfect opposite of the abyss that had always a cold aura.

So, seeing water right now was something so unfamiliar, but at the same time, mystifying.

It felt so comfortable and warm. And the butterflies seemed like enjoying the celestia's sweet feeling as it played around with it.

Those two powers were so harmonized that you'd be wonderstruck.

How was this possible?

How could Abyss and Celestia... felt so free and unbound?

It wasn't like what I had seen from Juno and Azazel, that even though complimentary, it was always overwhelming and intense.

Their powers always felt like a huge aura that would swallow you when you left it out of control. Something that would devour you when it broke away from its chains.

But this... even if Kallisto nor I wasn't controlling it was like we were completely in sync with it.

I felt goosebumps all over my body with the experience.

"I... I really have a Celestia?" My voice was cracking and I didn't know why.

"When y-you first met me..." I started. "Not a few days ago, but before that... did you feel this... celestia?" I asked without thinking. It was just those words fell out of my lips just because.

"No..." he said staring directly in my eyes. "I only felt your celestia the moment I talked to you the last time."

Kallisto become blurry in my eyes. My heart was overwhelmed by some emotions I couldn't name.

If what he said was real...

It was the first time.

The first time that I had something I could call mine, as Evienne, in this vast world.

Portia didn't have it before. Although it might be her power originally that just manifested late, I was in her body now.

It sounded selfish and something that was a reach. But... I still... it was making me feel like I was really a part of this world. Something that would solidify that it wasn't just a novel of mine anymore, that all the people in here wasn't characters anymore.

They were as real as me.

"Now, with this, you aren't going to say that you don't have an ounce of celestia, anymore, right?" Wala ako sa sariling napatango sa sinabi ni Kallisto.

I was still gawking at the little butterflies and droplets swirling around me. Ni hindi ko na nga rin tinitingnan si Kallisto, at mas focus ako sa celestia at abyss na nararamdaman kong masayang-masaya at malaya.

How could these powers felt like they have their own feelings?

It was surreal.

I smiled and embraced that warmness mixed with coldness. It was refreshing.

Habang natutuwa pa ako biglang lumipad 'yong mga butterfly papunta kay Kallisto kaya't napatingin din ako sa kanya. Natigilan din ako saglit dahil para akong sinampal at ginising ng napakagandang litrato.

It was a masterpiece to look at.

How calm and placid he was with his dark hair and glowing violet eyes. How the butterflies floated around him, and kissed his fingertips. He looked like a painting out from my dreams.

His lips weren't smiling but his eyes were so serene. It was like he was happy even if he wasn't showing it.

Parang may kakaibang saya tuloy sa puso ko. Parang nabura 'yong intimidating, sarcastic, at dark aura ni Kallisto sa isip ko. And this picture of him, just stayed like that. Stuck in my mind, but I wasn't complaining.

But then, the butterflies slowly faded as it went back to his palms. The droplets that were surrounding him, went back to the place of where my heart was.

The atmosphere that was so astounding vanished in the air.

Now, the Kallisto that had a dignified and overpowering presence was in front of me.

"Should we have a proper conversation now?" I nodded with what he said, because now it was really real that he wasn't just betting on an empty risk. He was really going to use me for his own gain, even though, he considered me as a dangerous person because of Portia's deeds.

"You and I will be married solely for the purpose of me being your Celeste...?" I said in a hesitating voice.

"Yes," maikling sagot niya.

"Will I still be locked up in this room?" tanong ko sa kanya.

Pagak naman siyang natawa. "No. As long as you don't escape from me." Napatango naman ako ro'n. It wasn't like I could even escape. I knew he'd hunt me even in the depths of hell. And I would never escape because I'd be killed in the slightest attempt.

And for sure, there would be some kind of spell that would prevent me from doing so. Kallisto wasn't the person who'd come unprepared. He was ruthless in politics as I remember in my dreams.

He was the King that made me really feel so scared even if he was belittled by the other Kings for being the weakest Abyss.

But having a weak abyss, doesn't mean he was entirely the weakest in all aspects. He was a brilliant and wise ruler. Even the other Abyss would keep their mouth shuts in their meetings, when it was him discussing and proposing things.

And this person trained his body to withstand strong aura, power, and weapons. For me, he was the strongest King if you don't include the abyss's power.

However, life's unfair. Still, the Kings of the other Kingdoms did overpower him when it comes to the Abyss. Especially, Azazel who was the strongest among them.

"What are my duties as your Celeste, Your Highness? How should I act?"

Those words already meant that I was ninety percent in agreement with this marriage for convenience. So, I saw how he smirked.

"There's only a few that I would want from you. First, don't ever try to escape in my grasp. Second, you must come with me if I am going somewhere, where you are needed as a Celeste or as my wife. And third, you must never hurt nor do something that could hurt any people, or the Seventh Kingdom itself."

I took in his words seriously. The first one was given. Hindi naman ako tatakas, mas mabuti na rin na nandito ako sa Seventh Kingdom kesa naman nasa Elysia ako. Mas ligtas  sa ngayon dito kahit papaano.

'Yong ikalawa, mukhang gagamitin niya talaga ako nang todo-todo. Kaya naman kailangan ko rin makinabang sa kanya. I knew this thing wasn't a deal where both parties should have equal benefits, but I'd still make use of Kallisto secretly.

The third one was the easiest. If it was Portia, it'd be hell. But I was Evienne. And hurting people wasn't really something that I'd do. I knew it like the back of my hand, what it felt like to be in endless pain, so... he could rest assure that I'd not be on his way nor taint his reputation.

Pagkatapos mag-isip. Tumango ako sa sinabi niya.

Wala na akong choice kung hindi pumayag syempre. Kapalit nito ang buhay ko mismo.

And it wasn't really that bad... but there would be an awful amount of changes that would occur from now on. Not that I was stuck in the novel's storyline. The moment I ended up in here, things were bound to change anyway.

I have the advantage of knowing the future. I'd use it.

Things might get twisted and might be thrown off path, but I was sure that notable and important things would still proceed as the novel anyway. Especially about the Avalon. They have a goal, and they'd reach it in moves and plans that I knew of.

May iibahin man sila paniguradong alam ko pa rin 'yong daang pipiliin nila dahil alam ko kung paano sila mag-isip at gumawa ng plano.

"Then... I agree with it." I looked at him with a determined eyes.

He smirked in victory. "Great. I thought I'd use threats for you to agree." Buhay ko na 'yong nakataya, jusko, syempre kukunin ko na 'yong chance. Sino ba naman ako para umarte?

Gwapo-gwapo ni Kallisto kahit medyo masama 'yong ugali niya ngayon sa akin. Panigurado naman dahil nga 'yon sa ginawa ni Portia. Kaya naman susuyuin ko na lang 'tong isang 'to para maging magkabati na kami.

"All that's left is to sign papers, and you'd be officially a Princess of the Seventh Kingdom." Napatango naman ako ro'n.

"Before that..." Kanina ko pa gusto itanong sa kanya ang bagay na 'to. At alam kong may malaking chance na pwede kong pagsisihan ang pagpayag ko sa magiging celeste niya, pero si Kallisto siya.

I just hoped that his answer would be on my expectation.

"Please don't take my question as treason or some sort... just treat it as a harmless curiosity even if it's impossible, Your Highness..." Mas lalong sumeryoso ang mukha niya sa narinig mula sa akin.

Napalunok ako at huminga nang malalim.

"Do you have any or even a slightest desire of being the King of the Seventh Kingdom?"

I dropped the question casually even though it could be seen as a treason.

Kumunot ang noo niya at tila umilaw ulit ang mga mata dahil sa galit. I remained calmly waiting for his answer. His answer right now would shift the whole balance of Cielo, Fatebound, and my whole life.

He inhaled and exhaled trying to calm himself from exploding with my impudent question.

"None. Not even the slightest." His voice was so controlled, it made me feel the shivers. Alam mong sigurado at walang pag-aalinlangan ang sagot na 'yon. Parang may biglang sumuntok sa puso ko dahil sa tindi ng emosyon mula ro'n.

"So don't you dare think of coveting the crown from my brother, the Crowned Prince, for your wicked greed."

Instead of being intimidated and unsatisfied with his answer like he was expecting from me, I stood up from my seat and put my hands together on my stomach. I smiled even though he didn't see it, as I slowly gave him a bow full of respect.

Hindi ko man kita, alam kong hindi niya inaasahan ang ginawa ko.

"Then... please take care of me, Your Highness, as I am now in your hands and this Kingdom's person."

I said it with sincerity.

For now on, I am Evienne Soleil... a person of this world.

A person of Cielo.

A person of the Seventh Kingdom.

A Celeste.

And a wife to Kallisto Artem St. Auclain.

Hindi siya nakapagsalita sa ginawa at sinabi ko. I felt like for the first time, he didn't know what to do with the unexpected response he got from me.

A smile slowly curved into my lips.

Kallisto might not be aware, but with his answer, a huge change from what I was supposed to do became completely twisted. In my mind, there was already a lot of plan of what should I do now.

Being his wife and a princess of the Seventh Kingdom, changes everything.

If Kallisto answered that he wanted to be a King, I might back out from this. I didn't want to become a Queen. Stress na stress na nga ako preso pa lang ako, paano pa kaya kapag Reyna na? No, thanks.

And if I became a Queen, I'd be stuck in the palace, and it'd prevent me from doing a lot of things. I would not be able to do what I was planning, so it wasn't really a wise choice.

But having freedom of going to different places with Kallisto... I would be able to commence things. So, I'd take advantage of this place and position for a future that would save me from death.

Because my number one goal is survival.

Kahit minsan parang joke lang 'yon. Seryoso pa rin ako ro'n.

With that I heard a sounding smirk from Kallisto.

He called for stepmother, too, and she was the one who made me promise under a magic spell about escaping. Kapag tumakas ako, titigil ang tibok ng puso ko.

Jusko, talagang hindi ko na babalakin.

Then, we also put some kind of rules for our marriage. It was simple. It was just about how I should behave.

And I also requested for Kallisto to give me a chance to prove myself to him—that I was a changed person. Of course, it was ridiculous to hear, but sooner or later, he'd really see me differently from Portia. I was sure of that, because I was sure of my identity.

Things were quiet simple as we agreed with the majority of it.

And with things finalized we both signed on the marriage papers.

Overnight... I became married to Kallisto. Something that I never dreamt of even in my wildest dreams.

Looked like I took the place of the Celeste that was supposed to be Kallisto's Queen. I felt a little uneasy, but I shrugged it off. If it comes that Kallisto fell in love with her again, like in the novel, then I was willing to step down as his wife.

And with that, I'd have freedom and with my life still intact.

Whatever, matagal pa naman 'yan. Kung ano'ng mangyayari, eh 'di 'yon ang mangyayari. Sa ngayon, kailangan ko munang harapin 'yong mas importanteng mga bagay.

When we were left by stepmother after we signed the papers and other things, it felt so weird.

So the person in front of me... was not just anyone anymore, but my husband?

My goodness!

Hindi pa ako nagkaka-boyfriend sa tanang buhay ko, pero ngayon may asawa na ako!

Iba talaga nagagawa ng gwapo—este kapag buhay mo na 'yong nakataya.

Still, I think this thing was worth the gamble.

"So... can I go out of the room from now on?" maingat na tanong ko sa kanya.

He just nodded silently. "Your room is still being prepared, it would be next to mine, in the second floor. You'll going to stay in this Palace with me." Napangiti naman ako ro'n. Just thinking of how I could finally go to the garden and play with Yule made me giddy.

"Are you going to go somewhere where I needed to come with you?" He shook his head.

"Nothing like that right now." I just nodded.

"You'll have maids that will attend you from now own."

Medyo nataranta naman ako sa sinabi niya. Jusko! No, nakakahiya kapag may magpapaligo sa 'yo, 'no!

"Wait... about that can I not have those?" Napakunot-noo siya dahil sa sinabi ko. "One is enough for me!" dagdag ko para kumbinsihin siya. I also gave him puppy eyes but he subtly rolled his eyes on me.

"Okay." Pero nakahinga naman ako nang maluwag sa pagpayag niya.

"Thank you," I mentioned sincerely and I was really happy that he didn't ask more questions about why I requested that. Mukhang nagtaka siya pero binalewala niya na lang.

Still, hurting his people and escaping would put my life on the line. So that itself assured him from funny businesses that I might do.

Well, I do have some funny business to do, but I'd be beneficial to him and to this Kingdom.

We also discussed about my celestia and his abyss. Every night, he'd visit my room for me to use my celestia on his abyss. Based on what he said, he could last without pain from my celestia for a day.

Looked like my celestia wasn't really that strong yet. Usually some Abyss could last three days to a week, and it'd still be painless for them.

Naging determinado tuloy akong i-train ang celestia ko dahil do'n.

Nag-usap din kami tungkol sa Shrine.

Kallisto married me, a Celeste without their permission. Wala silang magagawa dahil pumayag ako, pero kailangan pa rin naming ipaalam ang bagay na 'yon sa kanila.

He was thinking of visiting the Shrine with me for formality about our marriage, after he was done dealing with the problems about the active monsters in this Kingdom. Lihim akong humiling na sana matagalan siya.

It wasn't easy dealing with monsters anyway, so it'd probably last after the Lantern Festival, so I won't get entangled by the leads and Avalon this time.

Matapos naming mag-usap umalis din siya sa kwarto na 'to.

Naiwan akong mag-isa at saka lang yata nag-sink in sa akin na kasal na ako sa kanya nang gano'n lang kadali.

Isang sign lang ayon kasal ka na talaga.

Kallisto wasn't that bad, too, he suggested that he'd allow it if I wanted a ceremony. But I refused. Not that I didn't want to announce that I was married to him, but because it'd be easier to do things if I wasn't known.

Pumayag din siya kasi mas madali 'yon para sa kanya. He was a private person so he didn't really want his life to be broadcasted in the whole Kingdom.

Sa ngayon ako, siya, si stepmother at ilang tauhan pa lang na pinagkakatiwalaan niya ang nakakaalam no'ng pagiging mag-asawa namin.

I went to the bed and laid down with an absent-minded mind. Goodness, a lot had happened in a day!

Parang kanina nag-aalala ako sa parusa ko, at kasabay ko lang siya kumain, ngayon... aaaahhh! I felt my cheeks heated with the thought that I married a really handsome and hot man!

Hehehe. Mukhang sinuwerte ako pagkatapos ng lahat ng kamalasan ko, ah?

Nakakapanibago... pero iniisip ko na lang na contractual lang 'yon at user lang kami ng isa't isa kaya, parang hindi rin kami kasal.

There was no obligation of a wife. Kaya naman okay na okay sa akin 'yon at wala na akong masyadong inaalala. I don't know how to be in a relationship so it was a blessing that there was no demand about those kinds of things.

Napagulong-gulong na lang ako sa kama ko dahil sa mga iniisip.

Now that I was really married to him.

It was time to start a plan on how to survive in Cielo until the end of time.

Kailangan ko nang kumilos ngayon. Mas maraming importanteng bagay ang kailangan kong gawin simula ngayon.

And the first thing to do was to stop the destruction of the Seveth Kingdom.

Now that I am a person of this land and I live in here... the safety of this place was my topmost priority. Especially if I wanted to live a wealthy life in here.

Kailangan ko rin mag-ipon ng maraming pera para kapag hindi na ako kailangan ni Kallisto, mayaman na ako. I could finally be the rich, intimidating, and untouchable tita that I'd been dreaming of! Wahahaha!

But before that... maraming mga conflict ang mangyayari sa Cielo.

And the most important thing that I needed to get ready about was the war.

The war of between Kingdoms and the Avalon.

Avalon was everywhere within the Kingdoms, so I had really no way of knowing who they were or where they were hiding currently. But I do know some prominent people in their group and events that would happen because of them.

The full blown attacks of Avalon would start in the Seventh Kingdom. They were the first casualty of the war and since the Seventh Kingdom wasn't ready... it was a devastating loss for them.

I still vividly remember on how Juno and Azazel helped this place.

The Seventh Kingdom lost their land, pagkatapos sobrang dami pang namatay.

And to stop the ruined future of this land... the first target was the dragon.

I needed to get the dragon that the Avalon would use to literally clear and sink half of this Kingdom.

Without the dragon, there would be no weapon that would cause that incident. They might use other monsters, but there was nothing more powerful than the dragon that they manipulated.

And another important plan was to save the First Prince to avoid Kallisto from becoming the Crowned Prince (like what happened to the novel).

Kapag naging Crowned Prince si Kallisto madadamay ako. I'd be the Crown Princess, and that couldn't happen because I would not be able to move to prevent the war. Wala naman kasing maniniwala sa akin na magkakaro'n nga ng gyera sa panahon ngayon.

So, instead of wasting my time convincing people, I just needed to do things to prepare for it.

To do all of these things, I needed to talk to Kallisto tomorrow night to get information.

Habang iniisip ko ang lahat ng bagay na kailangan kong gawin, pakiramdam ko sumakit ang ulo ko.

In a blink of an eye, things started to change... but those changes were needed if I didn't want to see a repeat of how devastating the war was.

Juno and Azazel won the war in my dreams, but it felt like they lost.

I didn't want that feeling.

That's why from now on, it was time to change things.

Fatebound. I thought about my novel.

I was the writer of it. So I exactly knew what to do... and it was now the perfect time to rewrite it.

—

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