KASDEYA ARGYROS' Point of View
"Katharsis truly are fools, aren't they?" A voice asks, but I'm not entirely sure that I should answer.
"They claim to carry the will I have failed and abandoned, but they'll never understand the woes of a mother." The voice is ringing, and it's unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. Kinilabutan ako. "To see their children dethroned, a despairing sight. I did whatever I could to salvage what they have lost, to give it back to them and avenge them, but alas...
"Heroes are worse enemies than those newer gods themselves."
There's no dream. Just a voice. Wala akong makita kundi kadiliman sa ilalim ng mga talukap ko. I know I'm sleeping, and someone is talking to me... blocking out my other dreams.
Hindi ito ang batang babae na laging kumakausap sa akin. This voice is different. It's much deeper, mature, the sound of an old woman buried deep beneath the earth.
As if the earth itself is her mouth. But there's no ground or dirt around me. Not even a sky or a sea. It's just dark.
"Olympian or not, those little gods are no different from each other. They are merely pawns who pretend they can rule the world, but they can never make the earth bow down to them."
A low laugh reverberates around my head, as if it's an empty chamber where she's speaking in.
"Katharsis are fools," Ulit nito. "And I will not let them have their taste at power."
Another shiver. Something crawls at my skin, the same feeling of dirt touching me when I lie down on the ground.
"They think they can use my children for their own benefit?"
Nakakasulasok ang amoy ng lupa sa ilong ko.
"They will have to think again."
The back of my eyes hurt. My mind is ringing. My skull is one pound away from being cracked open. The smell of earth penetrates through my skin down to my flesh, as if seeking to swallow me whole.
"And you..."
Kahit na hindi ko maramdaman ang aking katawan, kinilabutan ako. This time, her voice isn't distant. Like she's speaking to me directly, and every rise and fall of her tone accompanies the pounding in my head.
"Demigods like you... will join them."
Who are you? Sinubukan kong ibuka ang aking bibig ngunit walang lumabas na tunog dito. I try to feel my tongue, my lips. Why does it feel so dry and grainy?
Naubo ako. Hindi ko pa rin maramdaman ang aking katawan, pero umubo ako nang umubo.
I vomit soil and rotten roots.
Without knowing, my consciousness is already covered by dirt. Sinubukan kong gisingin ang sarili ko. Mas lalo lang akong hinatak ng lupa.
The feminine voice laughs, as if it can see my struggle. "I will destroy every half-blood. Every god. Every single one of you."
Lumayo muli ang boses.
"The creation of man was the first flaw of the divine. The elder gods wouldn't have made that mistake... My children will rule the world again once I've killed those who came after them."
I won't let that happen. Saad ko sa aking isipan. I can't let a goddess dictate my life and my fate.
But the struggle remains silent. Can she even hear me?
The lilt in her words prove she can't.
"I do not control the world. I am the world. And I will judge the lives of those who are worthy to keep me."
It laughs again. Loud enough to create another ring in my ears.
I try to grit my teeth through the dirt in my mouth.
Hindi na dapat ako nagtaka. This is another remembrance from that broken prophecy. A connection with a goddess I somehow received as consequence.
"And you demigods, along with the younger gods you worship... I have judged you inadequate."
Gaea.
The more she talks, the more I'm pulled under. I scan't see anything but darkness. Nakapikit pa rin ang aking mga mata at kahit na subukan kong dumilat, may nakadagan sa aking mukha.
It still feels like I'm not sleeping at all. This is too real. I can barely remember where I was before this.
Just before I succumb deeper into the earth, another voice calls for me. Pamilyar na ito at hindi nakakakilabot katulad nung nauna.
For the first time, I'm relieved to hear her.
"Kasdeya..." Tila bulong lamang sa hangin ang kaniyang boses. But I can hear it, right next to my ear.
Mas lumakas pa ito. "Kasdeya," Tawag niya ulit. "My voice will guide you."
Get me out of here.
Akala ko ay katulad ni Gaea, hindi niya ako maririnig. Ngunit sinagot niya ako.
"Keep listening to me. Kumapit ka sa boses ko, huwag mong pansinin ang paligid. At huwag na huwag mong papakinggan si Gaea."
As if on cue, I hear the distant cackle of the goddess' laugh. I try to drown her out.
Nag-focus ako sa boses ng batang babae. We don't always see eye to eye, but right now, she's my only way out of this nightmare.
Mariin akong pumikit sa kadiliman nago dumilat muli, fully expecting that I'll be awake at the prison cell.
But what greets me is way worse.
Hindi na ako nadadaganan ng lupa. Hindi na rin kadiliman ang nakapalibot sa akin. Akala ko gising na ako, pero ibang bangungot ang bumungad sa akin.
The voice of the little girl also disappeared. Ngayon, nakatayo na ako ngunit hindi ko pa rin magalaw ang aking katawan.
My back is flushed on a solid surface. Hindi pa rin ako makagalaw, ngunit imbis na mapigilan dahil sa nakadagang lupa, nakapalupot sa aking katawan ang makakapal na sangay na puno ng tinik.
When I tug on my restraints, the branches come alive and tighten their grip on me. Pati ang pader sa likod ko ay gawa sa halaman at mga tinik. I can feel them prodding on my skin, the larger thorns dare to scratch my cheeks.
Bakit hindi pa rin ako nagigising? I followed the girl's instructions, but I don't think she pulled me away from my dream.
Kailangan kong magising. I can't stay like this, trapped in my own sleep while a goddess holds me hostage.
Ramdam ko na ang buo kong katawan, hindi katulad kaninang parang hindi nakakonekta ang aking mga braso at binti. It's so much worse this time, though.
All I see are walls made of vines and wriggling thorns. I can move but I don't do it. Unless I want the thorns penetrating me.
