chapter fifteen;
death in the air

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KALLISTO and I didn't hesitate one bit, and we immediately brought the man in the back of one house. We couldn't afford to just bring him in the inn with his state. We might suddenly get attention.

"I'll turn him invisible. Let's go back inside the inn." I agreed with him, and he immediately proceeded in going back. The situation was urgent, so we didn't waste any second.

Nang makarating kami sa kwarto namin, kaagad hiniga ni Kallisto 'yong owl beast na naka-human form sa kama. Now that I looked at him, he looked like a teenager. He was just really tall.

Hindi ko rin mapigilan hindi mapangiti nang kaunti. Who would have thought that Kallisto would immediately bring the owl in here? It was a beast. I really liked how open-minded and ready he was to accept some things that weren't really considered a norm in their beliefs.

"I'll heal him," I said as I stepped closer near the bed, and without ado, I let my Celestia flow, and it became little butterflies that went to the boy.

Kung kanina kitang-kita mo sa mukha niya ang sakit at hirap, ngayon halos nawala 'yon at naging payapa ang hitsura niya. I felt relieved that the celestia was this powerful. Because the energy coming from the claw's scratch on his back wasn't to be joked with.

I felt eerie. Like if we weren't early, he'd die because he was going through a forceful transformation of the third phase. Which needed to be transformed naturally because some beasts weren't going to have that in their life.

When I finished healing the owl, it remained unconscious. I approached Kallisto and he looked like he was thinking that we were too late. His forehead was knotted, and he was in deep thought.

"What are we gonna do?" I asked him cautiously. "Should we go to the forest now? I think the owl beasts need help," nag-aalalang dagdag ko.

"I'll contact Mildred and Lincoln to proceed to the forest with us. We'll do this as quietly as we can. I don't want the monsters to get in here." Napatango kaagad ako sa kanya.

The owl beasts were good assassins. Their powers mainly were about stealth, vision, and invisibility. The way the boy appeared before me, he was using stealth and invisibility, and with his excellent vision, he saw Yule and Willow even when they were invisible. Kaya siguro nagpatulong siya sa amin, dahil sa foxes.

Hindi ko tuloy alam kung magpapasalamat ako na nagawa niyang humingi ng tulong sa amin, o matataranta dahil sa sitwasyon niya ngayon, siguradong hindi lang siya ang may ganitong kinahinatnan.

"Should we go now? The monster might go in here." I felt my hands getting colder, thinking about how this area could suddenly become a slaughter place due to the monsters.

"We need to be cautious, we don't want more casualties." My heart was beating loudly just thinking about it. It made me nervous how a lot of things were happening beyond what I knew in Fatebound.

Magtatanong sana ako kay Kallisto no'ng bigla kaming may narinig na ungol kaya naman sabay kaming napatingin sa pinagmumulan no'n at nakita 'yong lalaking owl na umupo nang marahan sa kama habang hawak ang gilid ng noo.

He became wary at us and his eyes shined, but he stopped and trembled a little.

"C-Celeste?" He pointed at me with shock, and I smiled at him. You couldn't really fool an owl's vision, huh? He probably saw how my mana was distinguished. Well, that's one of the abilities.

"A-Abyss?" Napaatras siya sa kama dahil kay Kallisto at sinamaan ko ng tingin si Kallisto dahil sobrang wala siyang kaemo-emosyon.

"We're here to help..." I started. "You saw the beasts earlier that's why you approached us, right?" Napalihis ang tingin ko sa isang parte ng kama kung nasaan si Yule at Willow, at kumaway 'yong dalawa ro'n sa owl.

He looked at me again while blinking his eyes, like he was now realizing how weird the situation was.

A Celeste, an Abyss, then two beasts. It was such a peculiar group.

"Let me ask you directly," biglang imik ni Kallisto at tumayo sa harap no'ng owl. The boy became tensed with Kallisto's glare and voice. Jusko, mananakot pa!

"What happened to your parliament?"

Nanlaki ang mga mata no'ng owl na para bang ngayon lang ulit pumasok sa isip niya ang lahat nang nangyari. He immediately jumped out of bed and held my hands begging while shaking.

"Please... please... help us..." Napatingin ako kay Kallisto nang pagkakataong 'yon. It was desperation. No beast would ask help from humans, especially Celeste and Abyss, because they had also been wary of our kinds.

"Can you tell me what happened?" mahinang sambit ko sa kanya.

"I-I was just playing with the children of our parliament, but... but then suddenly huge monsters with weird appearances went on a rampage. The elders and leaders managed to supress some of them, but they were too strong..." hindi magkaintindihang kwento nito.

"Please help me, please help us, the children are still in there... they might get killed."

Pakiramdam ko sumakit ang ulo ko dahil do'n. Shit. Those monsters were probably what Juno and Azazel fought in Fatebound. But they might be a little weaker than their complete form, because it seemed like they were still on the experimental stage.

Still, it might be too much for us to fight those monsters because when Juno and Azazel fought their final forms, those two already had many power-ups compared to us, who were just beginning to prepare for the war.

"What do the monsters look like?" Kallisto questioned.

"It was like a hybrid of different monsters. It had the face of the wolves but with massive two horns, then a body of a lion, and a tail of an alligator." Nangilabot na kaagad ako sa sinagot no'ng owl sa amin.

"Abilities?" Kallisto asked meticulously.

"They are really strong, and they could slice easily through everything." Napatango naman kami sa naririnig.

"Are they still in your land?"

"Yes. But it seemed like they were going here or to the city after destroying and killing everyone in our land."

"Weakness?"

"Their necks... once you behead them in the neck, they will be dead, but other than that, they would fight even when bleeding like they don't feel pain."

"Where are the other beasts?"

"Our fighters and elders are fighting the monsters. The children and women are hiding and escaping."

"How many monsters are there?"

"There are originally ten, but we managed to kill two."

Kallisto continued questioning the owl about the monsters.

At first, I was in awe of how meticulous he was. I mean, if I were him, I'd go there recklessly without any information, but watching how he was doing things first made me realize that if we wanted to win against those monsters, we need to know some things first.

Meron man akong alam tungkol sa mga monster na 'yon, what I knew was still in the future. And we were currently in the present, so it was good that I have a comparison about it.

Nakinig lang ako sa usapan nila at ilang saglit kumuha ng ilang gamit si Kallisto sa dala namin.

"We are going there immediately," he told me as he put a cloak on me. I could feel a protective magic in that cloak. He probably asked Miss Mildred in advance about it.

He also put a cloak on his own. And he looked at the owl.

"You." Turo niya rito. "You are coming with us." Kaagad tumango 'yong owl at saka hinanda 'yong sarili niya.

"Willow and Yule can stay here," he told me, but Willow shook her head. "I want to help," she said in a determined voice. As much as I agreed with Kallisto that the children needed to stay away from danger, I couldn't deny that Willow and even Yule could be a big help.

I'd been training those two, and they were capable. They were fast-learners.

Napatingin sa akin si Kallisto na para bang nagtatanong kung gusto kong isama 'yong dalawa. I looked at Yule and Willow again, and they seemed like they would follow us, even if I didn't allow it.

I sighed and nodded at them. It was better that I was aware that they were with us. I'd make sure to protect them, too.

"But, you must stay away from them and just support us, okay?" I told them, and they both jumped to me, while nodding their heads.

Hindi na rin kami nag-aksaya ng oras at mabilis na kumilos. I was sure Kallisto had already contacted Stepmother and Lincoln about the situation. We turned invisible, then went out of the inn.

Sinundan namin 'yong owl. Even though he was young, you could really see how skilled he was because the way he moved was tranquil and stealthy. It felt like if I didn't focus enough on following, I'd lose him.

We were going deep in the forest after passing by some houses that seemed like a village. After that, we ran carefully without alerting anyone; even the insects in the forest wouldn't feel the owl's presence.

And he knew the way that would avoid attention and even traps in the forest. Their vision was truly impeccable.

Willow stayed on my shoulders, whereas Yule jumped to stay on Kallisto's shoulder. If we weren't in this current situation, I'd applaud Yule on how fearless he was because he didn't really fear Kallisto.

Feeling ko nga mas naging close sila nitong mga nakaraan, eh. Syempre, masaya ako dahil do'n. Lalo na mas open na si Kallisto sa mga beast gawa ni Yule at Willow. Kallisto wasn't really the one who could hold a grudge. Buti pa siya, ako kasi hindi pwedeng hindi, eh.

We continued travelling for a while, then the owl stopped and warned us that we were near their territory. Napalunok naman ako nang kaunti dahil do'n. I could feel it. Tumaas ang mga balahibo ko sa batok dahil sa kakaibang hangin sa lugar.

There was even an unexplainable smell. Kinabahan ako dahil do'n pero hindi ko pinakita. I signalled Willow to go up in the trees. That was more safe than being in the land. She nodded her head at me and went up. Sumunod din si Yule sa kanya. At nagkatingnan kami ni Kallisto.

"Don't be reckless," he warned me, and I nodded at him.

We walked a few more, and I almost gasped when I hid in one huge tree when I saw the hamlet of the beasts—no, it wouldn't even be called a tiny village anymore. It looked like a slaughter place.

It was full of blood. The soil didn't look like it anymore. It was more like a tiny pond of blood. Then the houses were destroyed as if a storm went by, leaving a devastating mess.

There were some owls on the ground. Some in their beast form, but some in their human form. They were lifeless. Eyes were wide-open, and there was oozing blood from claw marks that killed them.

Halos bumaliktad ang sikmura ko dahil do'n. I closed my eyes and tried to calm my whole system. Pakiramdam ko masusuka ako sa nakita. I already saw these kinds of things in my dreams through Juno and Azazel.

I thought I'd be ready to see some in reality... but no. It was so different. There was a chill in the air. The smell was gut-wrenching and suffocating. I shivered involuntarily. I felt like I was regretting my decision to tag along.

Pero binura ko 'yon sa isip ko at pinilit maging matatag. I survived a lot of things. This wouldn't knock me down.

I tried to control my breathing and let Aqua relieve the fatigue that my body was slowly feeling after seeing such a gruesome scene face to face. Pasalamat na lang talaga ako at hindi ako nasuka.

Kallisto wanted to see more of what happened, but the owl stopped him. He seemed like he was checking the whole place. After that, his shoulders dropped as he looked at us teary-eyed.

"I... I don't feel the monsters anymore; I don't see them in the vicinity, too." Naglakad din 'to papunta sa lugar nang maingat, at sumunod kami ni Kallisto. The Abyss put me on his back and warily scanned the surrounding, too.

"Ruby! Billy! Nora! Oscar!" mahinang tawag no'ng owl sa ilang pangalan. He seemed desperate as he looked around. He also turned back into his owl form and flew around looking for the beasts in his parliament.

Hanggang sa may maramdaman akong ilang mata na parang nakatitig sa akin. Kaagad tumalon si Yule mula sa isang puno at lumanding sa akin. I was shocked at first, but Yule was looking at one tree, and I saw that there was a pair of eyes in there.

The boy who was with us flew over to where those eyes were, and it slowly revealed itself after some talking. Hindi lang 'yon, may mga sumulpot din ulit na mas maliliit na owl at bumababa sila papunta sa amin.

I mentally counted them. There were seven of them, including owl that brought us here. Four little owls seemed wary of us, so it was hiding beside one owl that was as big as the boy we were helping.

The other two were as big as the boy. He transformed into human form again and talked to the other two owls. And with that they also transformed.

"This is Marlo, and this is Arry. And my name is Dacher." Kallisto just observed them. Arry and Marlo seemed wary of us and afraid. Although they all seemed the same age as Dacher, you could see that Dacher was the oldest among them.

"The four are still children, so they haven't gone through the second transformation. They are Ruby, Billy, Nora, and Oscar." Tumango ako sa pagpapakilala nito sa mga maliliit na owl na hawak ngayon ni Arry at Marlo.

They have the same hair colour as Dacher. Brown with some strands of white. And their eyes were also yellow and black.

"T-The elders..." mahinang sabi ni Arry at tinuro kay Dacher ang isang lugar. Kaagad kaming pumunta ro'n at nakita ang dalawang owl na sugatan. I immediately went near them, even though Marlo almost stopped me.

Kallisto went in front of him, para makalakad ako papunta ro'n sa matatandang owl. I didn't hesitate and used my celestia to heal them.

[ The wounds are deep and there is a black energy in it. This is dangerous. We need to stop those monsters. If the effect on the beasts are this much, I'm afraid of what could happen to people. ]

Naalarma rin ako sa sinabi ni Aqua sa akin. So, I concentrated on doing my best in healing the two owls who were bleeding profusely. Nang matapos, pakiramdam ko nanghina ako saglit at muntik matumba sa kinatatayuan.

If it weren't for Kallisto, who suddenly turned his back on me to support me, I would have fallen on the soil. Geez. I might have practiced the Celestia well, but I practiced it for combat and not for healing.

The main power for it was healing; thus, the greater the counter-effect on me. Especially that I wasn't so used to it.

"It will take some time for them to recover. I suggest for them to go back in the inn, instead..." I said to them softly. Arry flinched a little and looked at Dacher, who nodded at her with a smile.

"Yule," Kallisto suddenly called my little white fox. Kaagad tumalon si Yule at lumanding sa braso ni Kallisto.

Grabe, close na talaga silang dalawa. Pwede na silang father, and son. Joke. Pero kung mangyari man, dapat ako mother, aba!

"Guide them back to the inn," he instructed him, and Yule nodded but suddenly halted and looked at me with permission.

Siguro, pinapakain 'to ni Kallisto ng sweets sa likod ko kaya mukhang nakalimutan na ako talaga amo niya. 'Tong Yule na 'to, ang bilis mag-switch lane ha! Sabing prutas at gulay lang muna pwede sa kanya, eh! Kapag siya nabungi!

In the end, I nodded at Yule. "Take them to our room safely."

"Nyaaa!" And he put up his paw while Kallisto was carrying him. They looked so cute.

"You're owls, so make sure to be as stealth as possible."

"Arry should go and take the elders and children. But I'll hunt those bastard monsters," gigil na sabi no'ng Marlo habang nakakuyom ang mga kamao.

"No," Dacher suddenly interrupted. "You need to help Arry in bringing the children and the elders into safety."

"Do you think I'd be able to do that knowing what happened in here? You're injured, too! You should help Arry!" asar na imik ni Marlo kay Dacher. Pero bago pa sila mag-aaway kaagad akong pumagitna.

"Hep! Hep!" they both stopped and looked at me with knotted forehead.

"When I say hep, hep, you say hooray!" dagdag ko pa sa kanila para pagaanin ang nangyayari. Pero syempre may eekstra sa akin.

"Evienne," Kallisto warned, and I just smiled at him brightly like I didn't hear him utter my name in an icy voice and piercing gaze.

"Dacher would come with us. And Marlo would do the same." It would be easier to do that, and we needed some eyes, too, to warn us about the monsters. So, it would be beneficial for us. Also, Marlo seemed as stubborn as me, so instead of arguing and wasting time, we should move.

"Arry will bring the elders with her, and the children will follow her, okay?" Tumango si Arry para sumang-ayon sa sinabi ko.

I tried to cut some cloth from my dress, but it didn't work as quickly as I thought! Jusko, palagi kaya 'to ginagawa ng mga nasa novel, bakit hirap na hirap ako?! Hustisya naman! Wala talaga naayon sa akin, eh!

I was losing a patient trying to cut a piece of cloth when Kallisto stopped me, and he used his Abyss to cut it. Napanganga ako kasi ang dali niyang nagawa 'yon. Wow! Pwede palang gano'n gamitin 'yong Abyss!

Then, it seemed like he read my mind, and he covered one of the owls in the clothing. I took it from him, and helped Arry in tying it to her back. Then, the other owl was held in her arms.

"Off you go," I murmured with a beam, and just like that, Yule waved his hands at me before running away with a few owl children, unconscious elders, and Arry. Of course, they were all turned invisible with the help of Kallisto.

Samantalang kaming mga naiwan ay kaagad na kumilos. Dacher and Marlo immediately used their vision to trace the trails that were left behind by the monsters. Kaagad kaming sumunod sa kanilang dalawa.

"Mildred and Lincoln just arrived in the forest; they'd be catching up to us any minute from now," he informed me, and I nodded. It felt safer with more people around.

However, I felt nervous.

My original target here wasn't the monsters but the dragon. Knowing that those monsters could have some effect on the dragon made me uneasy.

The dragon wasn't supposed to go berserk yet. Even Portia's death was earlier than the dragon's calamitous attack in the Seventh Kingdom.

Kung mangyari man ngayon ang bagay na 'yon, hindi ko na sigurado kung makakaalis kami ng buhay sa lugar na 'to. That was why we needed to hurry up before it was too late.

Mabilis kaming tumakbo habang sinusundan ang dalawang owl, at kagaya ng sinabi ni Kallisto, nakaabot na rin si Stepmother, at ang isang knight sa amin. They were quiet, and they didn't really ask Kallisto about any information. They seemed already informed about everything that occurred.

They just followed us without saying anything. At habang parang papalapit kami nang papalapit sa lugar kung saan pumunta 'yong mga monster. Mas bumigat ang paligid. We were deep in the forest, and the feeling of danger was lingering in the air.

Ilang saglit lang din bigla kaming tumigil dahil tumigil din si Dacher at Marlo.

"Y-Your Highness..." mahinang bulong ni Stepmother kay Kallisto.

She felt it, too.

Kallisto felt it, too, because he looked at me instinctively.

I went closer to him, because my body felt cold.

"T-This aura..." Dacher mentioned while gazing at us.

"D-Dragon," sabay na sabi ni Dacher at Marlo.

Goosebumps spread in my system, and Kallisto gulped because he wasn't familiar with the aura, but he knew that the two owls weren't lying to us.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath. Probably, thinking that we were going to be in a lot of trouble. Because it was the monsters, first, then now, we have a dragon in our way.

If I weren't aware of that dragon, I would have felt like heaven and earth crashed while I was in the middle. But, there was a hope of light in me now. My original target was finally here.

If the monsters also harmed the dragon, I would be able to cleanse and heal it. So it wouldn't go berserk, and I could also tame it like Yule and Willow.

That was the perfect plan. However, there was a huge chance that it wouldn't really happen. So, I must be flexible to what may come.

Naghanda kaming lahat at kaagad hinawakan ni Kallisto ang kamay ko. He looked at me like he knew what was going on in my mind. Like he knew that I would run head-on to the dragon.

I pouted at him, and he stared at me coldly. I froze because he wasn't kidding any more. Not like he knew how to joke, but I knew he would be furious at me if I ever put myself in an unsafe situation.

I sighed and nodded as if I understood what he wanted to tell me.

The owls moved and turned to their beast form to effectively use their visions. Kaagad nilang sinuri ang paligid habang lumilipad, at kami naman ay kinakabahang nag-antay sa ibabalita nila.

I also scanned the place, when suddenly a groan was heard. It wasn't like the monstrous yelp from when Willow was berserk. It was more like howl of a cry.

Naalerto ako kaagad dahil do'n at kinabahan. The heaviness in the air doubled, and the smell of blood got stronger. The stench would really turn your stomach upside down. Nakahawak tuloy ako sa kamay ni Kallisto nang mahigpit habang tumitigin sa mga mataas na puno at paligid.

The owls landed back on the land in theirn human form then informed us of what they saw.

"T-The dragon..." Dacher said in a terrified voice.

"What happened?" nag-aalalang tanong ko.

"There are seven dead monsters and a bleeding... almost dead dragon..." Napanganga ako sa narinig kay Marlo.

"Where is the dragon?" I asked in panic. Dacher pointed straight ahead.

Tingnan ko kaagad si Kallisto at humingi ng permiso sa kanya. "Please?" I asked him in desperation. We needed that dragon. We badly needed that dragon for the Seventh Kingdom to remain unharmed.

Hindi siya nagsalita sa akin at tiningnan si Dacher. "Lead the way," he mentioned shortly, and we walked side by side to follow Dacher and Marlo.

We remained cautious because there was still one monster alive. There were initially ten. Two were killed by the owls. And seven by the dragon. So there was still one remaining.

I activated my Celestia immediately to make sure things would be okay; I also saw Willow on the tree branch watching over us and would attack if there was a danger that could threaten our lives.

The Abyss was also emitting its powerful aura through Kallisto's sword.

Naglakad kami nang marahan at nasa likod namin si Stephmother at 'yong knight.

Halos marinig ko na sa tainga ko 'yong tibok ng puso ko sa sobrang kaba. Idagdag mo pa na sobrang tahimik ng paligid na ni pati insekto ay patay na sa lugar na 'to. I tried to control my breathing to calm down, but the area was really bleak.

Sobrang bigat sa pakiramdam at alam na alam mong sobrang delikado.

Hindi rin nagtagal nakarating kami sa lugar kung saan halos tumba lahat ng puno at may batong kweba sa bandang gilid. That was one of the landmarks. That cave. That cave that I saw in my dreams before.

Sobrang nakakakaba. Pakiramdam ko tuloy pinagpapawisan ako ng malamig sa noo.

Ilang saglit pa nagulat ako no'ng makita ang isang babae sa isang banda na duguan. She was surrounded by a lot of hideous-looking monsters. It looked like what Dacher described; they all looked like devils.

Horns on their wolf faces, a lion's body, and a massive tail of an alligator. Napalunok ako sa takot na baka bigla na lang silang mabuhay.

[ The monsters are all dead. The dragon... the dragon's breathing is almost gone. ] I heard Aqua's voice in my head, and I felt relieved that those devils were dead. They weren't monsters in my eyes anymore. They were literally like creatures who rose from hell to create madness in here.

I immediately approached the dragon with Kallisto. It became wary at me and almost tried to fight me, but then when I covered her with Celestia, she stopped. Her ragged breathing and weakness were so visible.

Para siyang hindi 'yong dragon na sumira sa Seventh Kingdom, kahit alam kong siya 'yon. I saw this woman before. I saw her through Juno. She was definitely the dragon I was aiming for.

And surely, the Avalon would go in here to take her and control her. Good thing, we were faster than them. But we needed to escape now before the Avalon gets here immediately. We couldn't afford to reveal our presence.

But there was one thing that I couldn't fanthom. Were the experimental monsters this strong that she was injured this badly? I doubt that. Dragons were mythical creatures. They were on top of the food chain.

No beasts, and even mages could rival this magnificent creature. They were the strongest when it came to mana levels and all those kinds of things in Cielo. Nothing could ever beat them.

Avalon even suffered a lot of casualties just to try and control this dragon. So... why... why was she in this state?

"C-Celeste... t-the one in the prophecy..."

Matinding kilabot ang bumalot sa buong katawan ko nang marinig ang boses no'ng babaeng dragon.

Her eyes that were glowing in silver, and her hair had the same hue as Kallisto's midnight black. She was indeed a beauty. She was even more beautiful than Portia. Her skin was flawless and porcelain. Her eyebrows and eyelashes were neat and perfect. The tiny nose suited her angelic face. She was ethereal.

Napatingin sa akin si Kallisto sa akin habang pilit ko 'tong ginagamot gamit si Aqua.

"Y-You know the prophecy?" I mumbled in shock. Beasts, more so the mythical creatures, didn't really care about the people, the Celestes, and the Abyss. But the beautiful woman nodded as she flinched in pain.

"I-I hope you take care of my child... as I wouldn't last long anymore..."

Hindi ko maintindihan ang sinasabi niya dahil sa matinding pagtibok ng puso ko sa nangyayari, pero parang alam na alam ko ang gusto niyang iparating sa akin, lalong-lalo na no'ng hawakan niya ang mga kamay ko.

[ I'm sorry, Evienne. We are too late... I can't stop her death. Her life had already been extended through her will. And now, she's running out of it. ]

Nanlumo ako nang sobra sa narinig kay Aqua. Shit. What do I do?

My breathing became heavy, and I could feel my body shaking.

"P-Please... take care of my child..."

Pakiramdam ko bigla akong nanghina dahil wala akong magawa. She slowly closed her eyes as her body started to become dust that was flowing with the wind.

And that was when it sunk in that death was really in the air.

Kahit kakikita ko pa lang do'n sa dragon, pakiramdam ko gumuho ang mundo ko. She might have been part of my plans, but it felt like I had known her for a long time. That was why my heart was heavy.

Hindi ako makagalaw nang mawala siya sa pagkakakandong ko sa kanya at tanging abo na tinatangay ng hangin ang natira.

Habang nahihirapan akong tanggapin ang lahat biglang lumapit si Willow sa akin at saka itinuro ang isang lugar.

The cave near here.

She walked towards it, and as if I were hypnotized because that was where the dust was going, I went there, too.

And when I was at the entrance, I stopped when I saw an egg.

"Please take care of my child..."

The dragon's last wish echoed in my head.

I went near it... as the dust of the dragon went inside it.

[ The egg is unstable... it will die, too! ] natatarantang imik ni Aqua. My eyes widened, and I tried to prevent it from breaking with my Celestia.

[ The abyss! The abyss would help with it! ]

"Kalli, help me please... with your Abyss!" I asked in panic, and he walked towards me as we both lowered ourselves in front of the egg.

"Evienne, calm down..." Kallisto told me with a low voice.

"But it will die..." Halos ibulong ko 'yon sa kanya. Nanginginig ang kamay at katawan. "I don't want it to die..." dagdag ko pa.

"Then, it won't die," he mentioned seriously as the purple aura went to protect the egg.

[ It's working! The abyss is working! ] masayang sabi ni Aqua kaya naman para akong nakahinga nang maluwag. Halos himatayin ako dahil do'n. I just felt drained.

"Thank you..." I murmured at Kallisto, and he didn't say anything but looked at me like he was relieved that I didn't cause any trouble.

When the egg was finally stabilized, I took it and hugged it in my arms.

"We need to get out of here for now, but we'll still try to find the remaining one monster." Tumango ako sa kanya. We really needed to get out now because Avalon might show up.

"Let's get out," sang-ayon ko sa kanya. Pero bago pa kami makaalis ay kaagad lumapit sa amin si Stepmother na may masamang balita na dala.

"The monster. The remaining monster is outside, ready to attack us."

Damn it. It looked like the night was still young, and death was still lingering in the air...

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