As soon as our transport arrived, we readied ourselves for another trip. Nang mailipat namin ang aming mga kagamitan sa magiging bago naming sasakyan ay hindi na kami nagsayang ng oras at kaagad na lumarga. Nagpadala na rin ng mensahe si Krein sa Karirana na iniwan lang namin sa Lashevierr ang karwahe. Masayang kumakaway ang mga tao sa amin habang kami ay palayo nang palayo sa kanila. Nandoon rin si Alec. Nakikita ko siya sa malayo na may hawak na feather fan. Katabi niya ang babaeng nakasalubong namin sa labas ng kaniyang chamber, si Scarlette.
"You reek the scent of a distorted persona. You don't bloom, you don't wither. Just who are you?"
Hanggang ngayon ay hindi ko pa rin lubos na maintindihan ang sinabi niya. Hindi kaya sinabi niya lang iyon kasi naa-amoy niya ang pawis ko at ayaw niya lang talaga magsalita ng diretso? Wala sa sarili kong nai-takip ang aking mga palad sa nag-iinit kong pisngi dahil sa hiya. Bakit ngayon ko lang na gets yung ibig niyang sabihin doon? Arg!
May mesa sa gitna ng karwaheng lulan namin at may nakapatong doon na tingin ko ay isang stove at sa ibabaw naman ay may isang cooking pot kung saan may niluluto si Miss Kreziana. Naa-amoy ko rin ang samu't-saring pampalasa na nilagay niya roon. The aroma of the spices lingers in my nose.
"Kulang yata ng sangkap. Nakalimutan ko kasi na bumili ng repolyo sa bayan," rinig kong wika niya habang tinitimpla ang niluluto.
Teka. . .
"Repolyo?"
Tumingala si Miss Kreziana at tumingin sa akin nang magsalita ako. Kaagad rin naman niyang binalik ang atensiyon sa ginagawa matapos ang ilang segundo. "Oo, bakit?" ang kaniyang tanong.
Leiy, I owe you so much. If I could go back right now and thank you, I wouldn't get tired of saying it a hundred times. "I think I can help you with that," ani ko. Kinuha ko sa gilid ang basket kung saan nakalagay ang dalawang piraso ng repolyo na binigay ni Leiy kanina. Inabot ko iyon sa kaniya at iyon naman ay natutuwa niyang tinanggap.
"Didn't expect you to buy something like this, Riri," she chuckled. "I owe you one," a slight curve formed on her lips as she said those words to me.
"It's nothing," I replied. Besides, this wouldn't happen without Leiy's help. I'm grateful to him for that matter.
Malawak itong lulan naming karwahe. Pwede ka pa ngang matulog sa sahig sa sobrang lapad nito. It's like a whole room. Kasyang kasya kaming lahat dito. And there's a closet standing on the side too. I'm gonna have to check what's inside later.
Hindi na kailangan nina Krein magmaneho kasi mayroon nang mga tauhan sa harap para mag maneho. At hindi lang iyan, may kasabay pa kaming apat na royal chariots na nagsisilbing guwardiya namin sa daan. Dalawa sa harap, dalawa rin ang nakasunod sa amin.
They're identical. Their cabs are made of silver with a touch of gold that resembles a serpent. At sa likod ng cab ay may nakasulat na Maurgriann sa ginintuang kulay. Gawa sa matigas na bakal ang dalawang gulong nito sa hulihang bahagi habang ito'y hila-hila ng puting kabayo. Considering what these chariots are made of, at first glance, you'd think it's heavy. But the horses are built just for them.
How magnificent. From the iron wheels to golden figures on the cab, it's quite a sight. The owner of this is most likely someone with a high profile.
Napatingin nalang ako sa labas ng bintana. Rinig kong tinatadtad ni Miss Krein ang repolyo pero hindi na ako bumaling dito. Tinuon ko nalang ang atensyon sa labas habang iniisip ang mga nangyayari. I have been keeping a secret from them. So does Quilya. We all do. At hindi ko inakalang ganito pala. Konektado pala ang lahat.
I've always been a fan of fairytales. Subalit hindi ako naniniwala sa mahika. Pero tadhana na mismo ang nagsabi sa akin na totoo ang mga iyon. At kailangan ko na paniwalaan dahil iyon ang katotohanan. Iyon ang aking riyalidad.
Sa makatotohanang salita, noong ako'y bata pa at nasa bahay ampunan, nakatagpo ako ng isang nilalang na tinatawag nilang realm guardian. Sila ang nagpapanatili ng kapayapaan at katahimikan sa mundo. Sila ay makapangyarihang nilalang at sa kanila nakasalalay ang kaligtasan ng sangkatauhan sa buong daigdig.
Quilya told what she knows, including her secret. Noong una, hindi ko halos maintindihan kung paano ako nagmula sa mundong ito kung doon naman ako lumaki. Pero pagkatapos niyang ipaliwanag sa akin lahat ay tila nawala ang gusot sa aking isipan at gumaan ng kaunti ang aking pakiramram.
I don't fully believe it, yet. But according to her, a series of events happened a hundred years ago. A war broke out and disrupted the balance of the realms. To stop that, the thirteen realm guardians must join together and put the invading forces of the dark realm to a halt. But their strength wasn't enough to stop the chaos. They couldn't save the realm on their own, so they called upon the Gods and Goddesses. One Goddess descended and offered them help, but it wasn't without a price.
To end the war once and for all, the Goddess requires a huge sacrifice to attain enough power to draw down the curtain of the seemingly unending bloodshed. To do so, one guardian must be sacrificed. And as brave warriors, everyone volunteered themselves but it was such an unwise decision. As the sole protectors of the realms, the Goddess couldn't allow such unreasonable losses just for one purpose. She only needs one, otherwise, it would be impractical.
Helpless, they decided to let the Goddess herself choose. And so she did. But only they would know who was chosen. They forbid everyone from knowing who it was.
Now with her powers combined with a realm guardian's, she instantly put an end to the disaster. She was victorious in driving off the demons from ruining the realm, but she was unsuccessful in eradicating them. Instead, they were sent off to the outer worlds, in the outermost borders of the universe. It didn't end there. One day will come, no matter how far they are from most of the realms, they would still be coming back anytime. So to avoid incoming invasions in the meantime, with all the remaining powers she had left, she decided to cast a seal on the gates. Prevent any guardians from entering and exiting the realms to avoid a potential threat. Thus rendering all existing realms safe from forays, and so leaving them no options but to remain and provide aid to the wounded. In addition, with the forces of the dark realm half depleted, it would take them another century to rebuild their heavily damaged brigade.
But things were a bit too late. The entire realm has already suffered a huge loss and there was no turning back what has fallen. Once a leaf falls it cannot go back to the tree. The guardians, however, went on their separate ways but none of them lose the will to carry on with their purpose regardless of the outcome. From there onwards, they devoted themselves to restoring the balance of the realm by keeping themselves from entering through the gates first. And no one shall pass through ever again. This rule was approved and agreed on by the majority of the guardians before they completely part ways. They carried this rule for years amidst their recovery from the devastation as remnants of the war long gone still haunt them. For decades, this rule was maintained.
But it was not until the beast of singularity, the only one who did not agree to this rule, decided to break the order. Out of sorrow and longing for the companion she lost during the war, she left and traveled the realms one after another in search of this person. And that guardian is none other than. . . her.
"Look at me closely, Aeriah. This is who I am."
"Quilya. . . you are. . ."
I had the least expectation that the entity I saw— who emerged from that book— would be someone of this caliber. The name I couldn't understand before turns out she is Quilya Neinfraud, the beast of singularity. The realm guardian I met that evening.
And the person she was looking for was me.
I had no idea that the secrets we had been hiding from one another for so long were relatively interconnected. I don't know how I was sent to a different world after the war. Was it the Goddess's doing? Knowing what she did to fend off the demons, it's possible that I was one of the unfortunates who were sent outside the realm. And I highly think that's the only reasonable hint that points out to this conclusion.
The reason why I still don't deem what she told me credibly is that no evidence supports it. There's still no logical explanation as to how was I that person she was looking for. To be frank, this information defies all sense. It simply contradicts logic. She could've totally mistaken me for someone named Alice considering how realistically impossible it is for me to have previously existed in this world. For all I remember, before the Riessevilles adopted me, I grew up as Aeriah.
And that's about everything I know for now. I guess this is what she meant by saying that the rest is up to me. Which is why I must know. There are three primary things I need to learn and understand. First, who is Alice? Second, who, and what am I? How did I end up in that world? And lastly, what resulted in such an intricate denouement?
In other words, I need to find myself, a lone dandelion in a valley, blown and scattered in the wind.
"Riah, ang lalim 'ata ng iniisip mo," pukaw sa'kin ni Marreanne. Napahawak ako sa sentido ko tyaka mahinang pinisil-pisil iyon. "Don't stress yourself too much about it. I know you have a lot going on inside your head right now and I understand that. But please, Riah, nandito ako palagi para hingian mo ng tulong, okay?" she lightly tapped my shoulders while giving me a reassuring smile. Gumaan ang pakiramdam ko dahil doon. I wholeheartedly smiled back with a nod in return.
"Don't push yourself too hard, Riah," segunda ni Quilya. Nabaling naman ang tingin ko sa kaniya. Nang magkasalubong ang mata namin ay mabilis akong umiwas ng tingin. Hindi sa ini-iwasan ko siya, I just felt a little bit uneasy just by looking at her. That she's someone else entirely unbeknownst to me. A realm guardian. "Alam kong nagulat ka sa nalaman mo tungkol sa akin. Subalit iyon lang ang aking paraan upang matulungan ka. I'm afraid I can't help you further. Pero may tamang oras para sa lahat, Riah. You'll have to be patient."
I have no idea how having her identity revealed and learning she's an entirely different character would help. But those reassuring words coming from her is just what I wanted to hear. A curve formed on my lips as I turned in her direction. Hinatak ko silang dalawa palapit sa akin tsaka sabay-sabay silang niyakap. "Thank you," I muttered.
"Alright, girls. Lunch is ready!"
Miss Kreziana cooked us delicious meals. And we all ate while seated around the table. However, the joy was short-lived.
Amidst our cheerful smiles and chatters, a loud bang followed by a minor ground tremor thwarted our pleasant reunion, causing the horses to halt in panic. Fortunately, the chauffeurs are quick to alert everyone of what's happening outside.
"We have a situation. An unfamiliar entity attacked one of our chariots. And it appears to be in possession of magic of an unusual kind," one of them informed. As he was done with his announcement, he stood there straightly with his head held high, clenching his right hand on his chest, awaiting Krein's order.
Quilya cleared her throat. "Krein, I'll head out first and have a look for myself," she said in utmost boldness. Her sudden behavior change astounded me.
"I approve," he affirmed without reluctance. The latter simply nods as she followed her objective. And with that, she stood up and left. "Now, everyone," Krein gathered our attention. "I sense a hostile entity outside. Deploy at once, and be careful. It poses quite a threat." They immediately obeyed his word and went off while I remained sitting here, not knowing what to do. He turned to look at me, giving me a probing glance.
"You stay here, Aeriah, as you are not in a fighting condition. We'll settle this." After delivering those remarks, he then, in silence, went after the others. Completely leaving me behind unsure of what to do. I'm clueless.
I couldn't stand just listening to them from here. As if on cue, a thought came to mind. After waiting a few minutes, I finally snuck out and hid in the back of the carriage. As I roamed my gaze in the area, I found a good spot for hiding. In a distance, I saw a huge rock the size of a wagon, just enough to hide my small figure. I didn't waste a second and worked myself closer. From here, I can freely spectate what's happening without being seen.
I don't know why I did this. Without knowing what or who they were dealing with, I simply couldn't stand to wait inside the carriage.
"Hindi na siguro ako makikita dito," I murmured.
But just as I was about to observe how will things unfold, I didn't anticipate that it would go tragically wrong for me. I may have escaped their gaze, but I completely overlooked the fact that the enemy would see me, and now I'm its target. It stood atop the rock where I'm hiding and glared at me menacingly. Up close, I can feel its presence radiating fiercely. This creature appears threatening due to the black vapor emanating from its body.
Its head is similar to that of a wolf, a body that resembles a lion, and a tail of a serpent.
"Oh, my— Aeriah!" Quilya shrieked, her voice worried.
The beast in front of me let out a horrifying scream. And then, the skies darkened as thunders roared, creating a series of rumbling sounds as the clouds clumped together to form a tornado. Crimson lightning encircled it. Some struck the trees nearby and were instantly turned into ashes. The wind becomes heavier and blows disorderly.
Such monstrous power.
With its eyes the same color as those of lightning, for the second time, the beast glared at me with murderous intent. It bared its fangs, ready for a strike.
Unfortunately, my body seems to have completely forgotten how to move. I'm too stunned and scared at the same time to run. My entire being is shaking in terror, horrified by its power. I tried to shout for help, but no voice came out. And I couldn't risk taking my eyes off it for a second. Otherwise, I'm dead.
Please, help me. Marreanne, Krein, Quilya. . .
The beast growled and then dashes toward me. Helpless, I decided to close my eyes, bracing myself for the blow. But at that desperate moment, a pair of hands caught hold of my frail shoulders and drew me away from the situation. But as quickly as she withdrew me from the scene, the attack, however, managed to graze my leg, leaving a wound.
"I'm glad I made it in time. Stay here, Aeriah. I'll be back quickly." It was Quilya who saved me. Behind her stern voice, I can tell that she's worried. After that, she turned to them once again, letting go of my shoulders. "Everyone! Surround the enemy and don't let it go near Aeriah!"
They yelled back in unison, "Roger!"
And with that, they gathered around the enemy, whose eyes were fixed on me while simultaneously taking on a defensive and an offensive stance. They all switched into their fighting stance.
"On my command,"
A fierce battle is about to occur.
"Charge!"