CHAPTER 67 #2
Napahawak ako sa kaliwang sentido at napasandal sa aking kinauupuan. The more I learned about what happened 502 years ago, the more questions started forming in my mind. There were still too many things that didn't make sense.
"So how about Aurelius Archimedes Quentin and Beaumont Stavros Vacardi? why did they turn against you? ang alam ko, loyal ang mga 'yon sa inyo. What happened? totoo bang dahil sa oath at sa sinumpa nila kaya nila kayo tinalikuran?" tanong ko, my eyes fixed on Cassandra and King Drakkon.
Nakita kong umiwas ng tingin si Cassandra at muling uminom mula sa kaniyang kopita, almost as if she was trying to avoid the question.
Hmm...
I smell something fishy.
Is Cassandra perhaps...?
Hindi ko naituloy ang iniisip ko nang muling magsalita si Haring Drakkon. Sandali siyang tumingin sa kaniyang anak bago muling ibinaling ang kaniyang tingin sa akin. Napansin ko rin kung paano tinaasan ni Cassandra ng kilay si Anastacio, as if silently warning him not to say anything.
"Aurelius Archimedes Quentin and Beaumont Stavros Vacardi fought alongside the Erenhals and remained loyal to us. They never truly turned against us, Little Red... But in the middle of the war, I was struck by a vision. And in that vision... I saw you, the one I told you about."
Sandaling tumigil si Haring Drakkon, his eyes slowly shifting toward me. "I saw your silhouette, standing beside your red dragon. And there was a powerful being beside you... Anastacio. And the darkness within you... the demon, Lucy Pearl."
Napatingin din siya kay Lucy na tahimik na nakaupo sa tabi ko, still holding her cup.
"And... the blood of the old Erenhal was destined to fall. No matter how hard we fought, no matter how many enemies we defeated, the prophecy would eventually come to pass."
"... that was the prophecy of the Orythea... you."
Nanatili akong tahimik.
"But before I saw the vision of the prophecy about the Orythea, I dreamed of a Saintess."
Sandaling huminto si Haring Drakkon, tila muling binabalikan ang mga pangyayaring naganap ilang siglo na ang nakalilipas.
"Noong una, hindi ko pinansin ang sinabi niya dahil kailangan kong ituon ang buong atensyon ko sa laban. We were in the middle of the Holy War, and I had more important things to worry about. I thought her words were nothing more than a dream."
Napabuntong-hininga siya. "But she came to me again."
"That was when she confirmed it to me. The first prophecy was never about us."
His expression became serious.
"The first prophecy was the very first vision I ever saw when I was young. I didn't understand its meaning back then, but as I grew older, I realized that it was connected to everything that happened during the Holy War."
Napaayos ako ng upo. "Ano iyon?"
"She came to me in a dream and told me about a demon named... Erishkigal."
Erishkigal?
"The first prophecy the old Holy Cathedral saw was about Erishkigal. It was never about us." ani Cassandra.
Nanatili akong tahimik habang nakatingin kay Haring Drakkon, waiting for him to continue.
"The Saintess confirmed it to me in my dream. She told me that the Holy Cathedral had misunderstood the prophecy and believed that the Erenhal were the ones it was warning them about. But they were wrong."
"... I eventually discovered who that Saintess truly was."
"She was my grandmother, Little Red."
Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. "Your grandmother?"
He nodded. "Yes. She was one of the Saintesses who had the ability to receive visions from the gods. I inherited that same ability through her blood."
"That is why I was able to see the visions during the Holy War. It wasn't a coincidence, Little Red. The visions were passed down through our bloodline."
Napatingin ako kay Anastacio na tahimik na nakikinig, then back to King Drakkon.
"The first prophecy was about Erishkigal. And my grandmother was the one who confirmed it to me."
I slowly lowered my glass, finally understanding why King Drakkon had been able to see visions that others couldn't.
"Have you heard about the myths and legends going around, Little Red?"
"What myths?" tanong ko.
"About her, the demon named Erishkigal," ani Cassandra.
"Wala akong naririnig sakanya. Ngayon ko lang 'to narinig sainyo..."
"The myths say that Erishkigal is an ancient demon who wants to destroy Arcadeya. She was once so powerful that even the gods and goddesses could not defeat her. After countless battles against her, they had no choice but to seal her within Arcadeya."
Nanatili akong tahimik habang pinoproseso ang kaniyang sinabi.
An ancient demon powerful enough to fight the gods and goddesses themselves? That sounded far more dangerous than anything I had imagined.
Napalingon ako kina Lucy Pearl at Anastacio, parehong tahimik na nakikinig sa aming usapan.
"Do you know about her, Lucy Pearl? Anastacio?" tanong ko sa dalawa.
Lucy Pearl shook her head slightly.
"I don't... know," aniya, her expression filled with uncertainty.
Tumingin naman ako kay Anastacio.
"There was indeed a demon who wanted to destroy Arcadeya," his voice calm but serious.
"Ngunit hindi ko makumpirma kung si Erishkigal nga ba talaga iyon dahil ako ay natutulog ng mahabang panahon. Ang kuwentong iyan ay matagal nang kumakalat sa kapanahunan ni Aurelius, even during the age of the pure-blooded vampires."
"Even during the age of the pure-blooded vampires?" tanong ko.
Tumango si Anastacio. "Yes. It was already an old legend. There were stories about an ancient demon who would one day awaken and bring destruction upon Arcadeya. But whether that demon was truly named Erishkigal... no one could confirm."
"And the myths... was true."
Nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa sinabi ni Haring Drakkon.
"Nararamdaman ng mga diyos kapag may magtatangkang pumapasok na demonyo sa mundong Arcadeya na may masamang hangarin. They can sense the presence of a being whose power threatens the balance of the world. The saintess, my grandmother herself said it to me in my dreams."
Napatingin ako kay Lucy Pearl na tahimik lamang na nakikinig sa aming usapan. She hadn't said a word since King Drakkon began explaining everything, but I couldn't help but think about what he had just told me.
Kung nasesense ng mga diyos at diyosa ang isang demonyong nais pumasok sa mundong Arcadeya na may masamang hangarin, then they should have sensed Lucy Pearl when she first set foot in Arcadeya.
But they didn't... she never entered Arcadeya with evil intentions...
"... naabutan nila si Erishkigal na nagtatangkang pumasok sa mundong Arcadeya, kaya kinalaban nila ito. They knew immediately that she wasn't an ordinary demon. Her power was beyond anything they had encountered before."
His expression became serious.
"Ngunit sa sobrang lakas ni Erishkigal, wala silang magawa kundi i-seal siya. They fought her countless times, but no matter how powerful the gods were, they couldn't completely destroy her."
Binuka ni Haring Drakkon ang kaniyang palad at muling lumitaw ang isang magic circle, showing the three realms before us.
"The gods could not seal Erishkigal in Gadesea because it was the realm of the gods. Her presence there would give her direct access to divine energy, making her even harder to contain."
Nagbago ang imahe sa kaniyang palad.
"They could not seal her in Holmeia either. It was the ordinary human world, too fragile to withstand the presence of a demon like Erishkigal. Her power would eventually destroy the world itself."
Muli niyang binago ang magic circle.
"Infernov was impossible as well. It was the realm of demons, where Erishkigal's power would only grow stronger and where countless demons could eventually join her. If she were sealed there, there was no guarantee that the seal would survive."
The magic circle slowly faded.
"Only Arcadeya could contain her."
"Ibig sabihin, wala silang nagawa kundi i-seal si Erishkigal sa mundong Arcadeya kahit gustong-gusto nitong makapasok dito?"
ani ko, trying to understand the meaning behind everything he had just explained.
If the gods could sense demons that entered Arcadeya with evil intentions, then Erishkigal must have been different.
"Yes. Arcadeya was a world filled with magic, powerful enough to withstand her presence while also allowing the gods to create a seal strong enough to imprison her."
Napabuntong-hininga siya.
"Ngunit hindi ko alam kung saan talaga nila sineal si Erishkigal."
Napakunot ang noo ko.
"You don't know?"
Umiling si Haring Drakkon.
"No. Even the gods kept the location hidden. They feared that if anyone discovered where she was sealed, someone might attempt to break it."
Sandali siyang natahimik bago muling nagsalita.
"Nang nakita ko ang propesiya tungkol sa iyo, napagtagpi-tagpi ko ang lahat. The first and second prophecies are connected. Erishkigal and the Orythea."
Sandaling tumigil si Haring Drakkon, his eyes fixed on me.
"The Orythea is the only one who can defeat her."
Nanatili akong tahimik, trying to process the weight of his words.
"So I ordered Aurelius Archimedes Quentin and Beaumont Stavros Vacardi to kill us and find Erishkigal across Arcadeya. We fought hard to achieve immortality because we knew that we would need centuries to find her. We couldn't simply wait for the next generation to discover the truth.
We had to search for her ourselves."
"We searched through every corner of Arcadeya. We followed ancient records, traces of corrupted mana, forgotten ruins, and every possible clue that could lead us to the place where Erishkigal was sealed." Cassandra continued.
King Drakkon's expression became solemn.
"But we never found her."
"Years became decades. Decades became centuries. We searched through ancient ruins, forgotten temples, abandoned territories, and places where the mana of Arcadeya was unusually strong."
Drakkon shook his head. "But we still couldn't find her. Hanggang ngayon."
"So you're saying..."
"Yes.. we are not simply hiding in Vlymir, Little Red. We are searching for Erishkigal."