The Semideus

Chapter 43

"Hinawakan ko ang puso ko ngunit nagtaka ako nang wala akong maramdamang panghihina."

"Xynthea, the one who doesn't have a thread."

— Chapter 5, The Fates.

ARROW
DIANE's POINT of VIEW

"Hindi ko gets!" sabi ko kaagad kahit isang araw na ang nakalipas. We all had headaches. Like, hello? Sino ba naman ang hindi sasakit ang ulo kapag may memories na pumasok sa utak mo, tapos hindi mo pa naintindihan!

"Ano 'yon? Pinatay ni Cronus si Xynthea, tapos binuhay niya rin?! Paano?!?! Hindi ko talaga ma-gets, sismars!" angal ko at muntik nang magpadyak-padyak.

How the Tartarus did Cronus make Xynthea alive again? Grabe. Anong klaseng magic 'yon? Pwede rin kaya akong maging gan'on kung sakaling mamatay ako? Charot lang. Tanggap ko na naman.

"Cronus has the power of time. Xynthea has too. Basically, hindi kinailangan ni Cronus ibalik ang oras para ibalik ang living state ni Xynthea. Katawan lang ni Xynthea ang bumalik sa pagkabuhay, but then her soul will forever belong to the afterlife. She's the opposite of a ghost. The ghost is a lost soul, but then Xynthea is a lost mortal without a soul. Soulless."

Napapikit-pikit ako sa explanation ni Calliope sa'kin. Tinagilid ko ang ulo ko para i-absorb lahat. She has no soul... then how is she living?

'Yong isang muse na hindi ko kilala ang nagsalita ngayon. 'Sensya na guys, si Calliope lang kilala ko. Alangang magbanggit ako ng pangalan tapos mali pala.

"Xynthea lives by the soul of the others, or by any living creature. Remember the judgment? She didn't die because first, she is already dead. Second, she doesn't have a thread. Third, her energy is being regenerated because of the dying souls. Kaya n'ong panahong 'yon, mas lalo siyang lumakas."

Another muse continued, "There was also an instance wherein she unconsciously steals lives. The one in the Grove of Dodona. May bumagsak o namatay na puno d'on 'di ba? It's because she was getting energy from that tree."

"Ay gan'on?!" singit ko bigla. Wow. Nakakabigla.

They all nodded at me. Napansin ko namang malalim ang iniisip ni Aster kasi syempre, smart siya.

She recalled something aloud, "The hourglass indicates the time the mortals would all die..."

Ah, I remember. 'Yan ang huling sinabi ng ghost mother ni Zeref na lumandi kay Cronus!

"What about it?" Gideon asked.

Yieeeeeeee.

Aster looked worriedly at us, "We should go to the mortal world now."

"Ngayon? We still have two days, Aster. If my calculation isn't wrong—"

"It's wrong, Zeref. Kayang-kaya ni Cronus pabilisin ang pagpatak ng grains sa hourglass. He is the Titan of Time. Remeber that. I really have a bad feeling. I just hope that I am wrong," pagputol ni Aster agad kay Zeref.

The Muses nodded. "We shall transfer you to the mortal world," they said in chorus.

"Please take us back to Astakos," hirit ni Aster bago muling kumanta ang mga Muse. A symbol lit the floor, and suddenly we were afloat in the air. Nakarating kami sa mga ulap, at pumikit lang ako... biglang nasa Astakos na ulit kami.

Aster ran and entered the Nekromanteion. Sinundan naman siya ng iba, at dahil chismosa ako, sinundan ko na rin sila. Nang makapasok ako naramdaman ko na parang... may nag-iba.