CHAPTER 65
Imperial Palace
in Capital City of Sartores
The afternoon tea was filled with quiet laughter and the delicate clinking of porcelain. Kumikinang ang nakaukit na Rische Atelier Café sa mga eleganteng plato sa tea party ni Megan.
Nakaupo si Megan sa gitna ng ilang noble ladies at tatlong priestesses mula sa Holy Cathedral. The conversation had been light until one of the priestesses brought up an ancient subject.
"Since confirmed na na ang dating crown prince pala ay reinkarnasyon ni Dakkodas, ang hari ng mga demonyo, edi siguro isa yata sa pitong prinsipe ng mga demonyo ang hari ngayon sa Infernov..." ani Countess Mois.
The table slowly fell silent.
"Don't say that so casually," bulong naman ni Marchioness Jalene. "Those seven are not ordinary demons... may mga sabi-sabi pa naman kapag binanggit sila ay baka mapossesed ka..."
"Exactly," agad na tugon ni Priestess Flor. "The seven princes are said to possess powers that even the ancient mages feared. Each one ruled over a different domain of Infernov..."
"Then if Dakkodas has returned..." another noblewoman began hesitantly, "does that mean the others will eventually come looking for him?"
"We don't know," sagot ng priestess. "But that is precisely what worries the Holy Cathedral."
"Why?"
"Because if the seven princes recognize Dakkodas as their king again, Infernov may no longer remain silent. Baka pumunta sila rito at ipaghiganti ang nangyari kay Vincenzo!"
Biglang nagtawanan ang ilang noblewomen.
"Pero paano nila siya mahahanap?" natatawang tanong ng isa. "Naging abo na 'yon..."
"Exactly! ano ang hahanapin nila? Isang tambak ng abo?" halos hindi na makahinga si Countess Mois sa kakatawa.
Mas lalong lumakas ang tawanan.
"Perhaps they will ask the Cathedral to return him," another noblewoman joked. "Although I doubt even the Holy Cathedral can bring ashes back to life..."
Napatawa na rin si Megan. "Imagine that," she said between laughs. "The great seven princes traveling all the way from Infernov just to discover that their king has already turned to ash..."
"Poor demons," dagdag ng isa pang maharlika. "They waited all those centuries only to lose their king again."
The laughter continued around the table.
"You shouldn't joke about them like that," Farah said quietly. One of the priestess.
"I know it sounds ridiculous, but the seven princes are not creatures that should be underestimated. I grew up hearing stories about them. Sabi nila, even mentioning their names too often could draw their attention."
"That sounds like superstition," ani ng katabi ni Megan.
"Maybe it is, but if it's only superstition, then why do you think the Holy Cathedral forbids ordinary people from studying the oldest records of Infernov? Why are those books locked away instead of being placed in the public archives?" Priestess Farah replied.
One of the priestesses stared at her. Napaisip naman ang mga noblewomen.
The priestess continued. "Because those records contain things that were never meant to be remembered. Mga bagay na kahit ang Holy Cathedral ay ayaw nang malaman ng mga tao. And if Dakkodas has truly returned, then perhaps some of those things are no longer buried."
"But if Dakkodas is alive again," sambit ng isa pang priestess, "then the balance between the mortal world and Infernov may have already changed. For centuries, Infernov has remained distant. Walang malinaw na dahilan kung bakit tahimik sila..."
"Could the Seven Princes really attack the empire?"
"No one knows..."
Umiling lamang si Megan bago muling sumimsim ng tsaa. "If that bastard demon Dakkodas is really Vincenzo, then good thing he already turned to ash. Maybe he was destined to disappear all along, especially since he carried Erenhal blood. Perhaps that was simply his fate."
"Speaking of Erenhal..." maingat na sambit ng isang noblewoman.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but Shanaya Quin really is an Erenhal? and her father is Drakkon Vykar de Erenhal, the first emperor who was believed to have been dead for centuries? and now he's confirmed alive in our generation? That's honestly so creepy."
"Yeah, even I was shocked when I heard about it," sagot ni Megan. "I mean, imagine finding out na ang taong akala ng buong mundo ay matagal nang patay ay buhay pala hanggang ngayon. And not just anyone, but the first emperor of the Erenhal Sartorias Empire. It's quite unsettling, if you ask me."
"By the way, how is the search for the remaining Erenhals going, Your Majesty?" tanong ng isa pang noblewoman.
"Well, my son, the Emperor, is handling it," sagot ni Megan habang inaayos ang manggas ng kanyang damit. "The Holy Cathedral will never stop until they find another Erenhal. Sabi nila, there's still a twenty percent chance that an Erenhal is alive somewhere even now."
"Twenty percent?" tanong ng isang noblewoman.
"That's still quite high."
"Exactly," sagot ni Megan. "And I recently heard something even stranger from the continent of Nervales. Apparently, there was a traitor queen who was secretly a vampire. An Erenhal, to be exact. She supposedly lied to her own kingdom about her identity,
and now the entire continent of Nervales is searching for her..."
"That's terrible," bulong ng isang noblewoman.
"They even sought help from Vermeleyon," dagdag ni Megan. "So I suppose the Holy Cathedral has another reason to keep searching. If one Erenhal could hide among an entire kingdom's nobility, then who knows how many others might still be hiding somewhere else?"
The nobles exchanged uneasy glances. "Then perhaps the Holy Cathedral is right to be cautious."
Megan simply shrugged. "Perhaps. As long as they don't bring their search into my tea parties, I couldn't care less."
"Then the Erenhals really are still hiding throughout the world," bulong ng isang noblewoman.
"Which is why the Holy Cathedral has always been cautious. For centuries, we have been warned about the return of ancient bloodlines and the creatures that once threatened Arcadeya." ani Priestess Farah.
"Ancient creatures?" tanong ng isa pa.
The priestess nodded.
"Not only vampires. The oldest Cathedral records speak of demons as well. Some names are still remembered... while others were nearly erased from history."
Megan lazily reached for another pastry.
"More demons?" she muttered. "Don't tell me we're going back to that again."
The priestess gave a small, uneasy smile.
"I'm afraid so, Your Majesty. There is one name in particular that appears in the oldest records."
She slowly opened the ancient book again. Kanina niya pa ito binabasa habang nag kwekwentuhan sila.
"Erishkigal..."
"Erishkigal?" ulit ng isang noblewoman. "Who is she?"
"Ang sabi sa libro ay isang demonyo si Erishkigal. May mga kuwento-kuwento raw na siya ang demonyong sineal ng mga diyos dito sa Arcadeya..." ani ng priestess.
"Wait... the gods themselves sealed her?" tanong ng isang noblewoman, bahagyang nanlaki ang mga mata.
Tumango ang priestess.
"Yes. And that's what makes her different from ordinary demons. Kung kaya siyang talunin ng mga diyos, hindi na sana nila kinailangang i-seal siya. They tried to stop her, but they couldn't destroy her."
"Then how powerful was she?"
"Powerful enough that the gods had no choice but to imprison her instead of killing her."
Natahimik ang mga babae.
"So she's really that dangerous?" tanong ng isa.
"According to the old records, yes. Sinasabing every time she tried to enter Arcadeya, the gods and goddesses themselves descended to stop her."
"And they still couldn't defeat her?"
"Yeah." the priestess slowly closed the book.
"That is why her name was never spoken lightly. Erishkigal wasn't feared because she was simply a demon."
She looked toward the ancient pages.
"She was feared because even the gods were unable to destroy her... In the books, they describe her as a powerful demon. Pero myths na lang din yung sinasabing siya raw ang demonyo na sineal ng mga diyos dito sa Arcadeya. Wala namang nakasulat kung saan mismo siya sineal,
o kung saang lugar o kontinente."
"Then the Holy Cathedral doesn't even know where she was sealed?" tanong ng isang noblewoman.
Umiling ang priestess.
"Not anymore. Most of the records about her were lost long ago. Ang natira na lang ay mga fragments, stories, and old myths passed down through generations."
"So we're not even sure if Erishkigal really existed?"
"We know the name existed," sagot ng priestess. "But whether the stories are completely true... that's something we cannot confirm."
"Then why is the Cathedral still afraid of her?"
The priestess fell silent for a moment.
"Because sometimes, a myth survives for a reason."
Tumaas ang kilay ni Megan habang tahimik na nakikinig sa kanilang usapan. Paminsan-minsan ay sumisimsim lamang siya ng tsaa, ngunit halatang wala siyang interes sa paksang pinag-uusapan nila.
Napansin din iyon ng ilan sa mga tahimik na noblewoman. Napapatingin sila kay Megan at sa isa't isa, tila napapansin nilang unti-unti na itong nababagot.
"Tsaka sobrang tagal na raw no'ng sineal siya. Noong kapanahunan pa yata ng mga bampira rito, bago sila tuluyang mawala. Hindi ko tinutukoy yung mga Erenhal, ha. I mean the pure-blooded vampires."
Napakunot-noo ang isang noblewoman.
"Wait... you're saying na bago pa mawala ang pure-blooded vampires, sealed na si Erishkigal?"
"Exactly," sagot ng priestess. "That's how old the story is. We're talking about an era na halos wala nang reliable records. Most of the stories from that time have already become myths."
"Which means," dagdag ng isang countessa, "if the stories are true, Erishkigal has been sleeping somewhere in Arcadeya for an unbelievably long time."
"That's actually terrifying," sambit ng isang noblewoman. "A demon powerful enough to be sealed by the gods, existing since the age of pure-blooded vampires... and we don't even know where she was sealed?"
Umiling ang priestess.