The Grimoire

Chapter 40: The Opposite Gates

I watched myself in the mirror, wearing a modest white simple dress as I hold a bouquet of flower in my hand. Napahigpit ang hawak ko sa bulaklak habang iniisip ang susunod na gagawin. The door suddenly opened kaya napatingin ako doon. I noticed Cairo, who was dressed in a majestic suit, and he smiled and nodded.

"You look beautiful," he praised, and I smiled back at him. 

"This is not a true marriage, come on," sagot ko at tumango siya.

"Let's go, your groom is waiting," he teased. Binato ko ang bulaklak sa kaniya at nasalo naman niya. Lumapit ako sa kaniya and he extended his hand as he escorted me to the grimoire's location. Tinanggap ko ang kamay  niya at binigay niya na rin ang bulaklak ko. We both walked down the hallways guarded by soldiers. 

While we were on our way, I had a flashback to a time when I was traveling down the same corridor, but I was escorted by my brother. Soldiers were also present in the hallway. Not to mention that I'm starting to remember things without pain, which is a good indicator of my progress.

We continued walking outside, turning to a location where there were various sorts of plants. Hindi ko matukoy kung puno ba ito ng mahika o sadyang ginawa sila mula sa mahika. Cairo and I were astounded by the view, and I couldn't help but grin as I imagined this as my real wedding.

Napatigil kami nang marinig namin ang palakpakan sa harapan namin and it turned out that everyone was here. Although konti lang kami rito, awkward pa rin siya sa side ko lalo na't hindi ko naman gusto ito. Cairo's smile began to fade as he stepped back at kailangan ko nang maglakad mag isa. I turned back at him, and he gave me a reassuring nod that everything will be okay. Napatingin muli ako sa harapan and I saw Al's wide smile, waiting for me at the altar. The grimoire was right there.

I proceeded slowly and came upon another breathtaking vista. A waterfall next to this place leads to the enormous ocean. Gustohin ko mang tumigil, I had no choice but to walk forward. The breeze was refreshing, and the weather was lovely. I can't dispute that it's a beautiful day for a wedding.

Al offered his hand at napatingin lang ako doon. Sobrang bilis ng mga pangyayari. I just met him again yesterday tapos ngayon kinakasal na kami. 

"V?" he called. I accepted his hand, and I gave him a smile. He nodded and assisted me towards the altar kung nasaan nakapatong ang Grimoire. We both climbed up until the third stair at kitang-kita ko rito ang grimoire and ang barrier na ginawa ko. The barrier reacted on my presence and at this time, another set of memories came back.

Napahawak ako sa ulo ko at napapikit ako. 

Ocean.

Ship.

Sunken.

City.

Hide.

Red eyes.

"V, are you alright?" Al asked at napatingin ako sa kaniya. I tried to catch my breath at lumingon ako para tingnan ang team ko. They knew what was happening and they all look worried. I gave them a nod to tell them that I was okay at humarap ulit ako sa grimoire. What was that? It doesn't seem like an old memory.

It almost seemed like it was a vision.

A warning from the future.