The Lost Prodigy

69. Sacrifice

I closed my eyes when darkness shrouded my sight. My tears were falling along with me. Pero napamulat ako nang maramdaman ko ang aking pagbagsak sa damuhan. The moment when my body met the grass, the heaviness that I felt instantly vanished. I was now at a meadow near a small pond. The moon was shining brightly above the mountain range that surrounded the entire clearing.

I didn’t expect that the underworld would look like this.

I was tired to stand and too numb to feel anything. Pero nang makita ko ang pamilyar na pigura ng isang babaeng umahon mula sa munting lawa ay mabilis akong napatayo habang nagsisilaglagan na naman ang aking mga luha.

“Goddess Maya!” Naiiyak kong tawag sa kanya. The water deity also approached me and welcomed me in her arms. She gently caressed my back and whispered soothing words to my ear while I was continuously crying on her shoulder.

“I’m a bad person, Goddess Maya. I failed every one. And I killed my mother,” wika ko sa gitna ng aking hagulgol. Parang musmos na bata ako ngayon na pinapatahan ng kanyang magulang. But I already knew the harsh truth. My real parents were already dead.

“Be free to express your pain, Blaire. Cry all you want. But I just want you to know that it’s not your fault and you’re not a failure. Because when you claimed your mother’s life, you also had freed her from being a slave to evil for almost two decades.”

My eyes were clouded with tears but I managed to look at the water deity. “But that didn’t change the fact that I had slain my mother! How could a child even kill the person who gave birth to her?”

Hindi ako sinagot ni Godess Maya at pinaupo na lang niya ako sa tabi ng kumikinang na tubig ng maliit na lawa. Humihikbi pa rin ako ngayon at nahihirapan na akong punasan ang mga luha ko. But my back turned cold when the deity’s hand travelled back to her lap. She was sitting beside me and I saw that she was now looking at the beautiful moon with a smile on her face.

“Have you ever wondered where the moon came from?” Natahimik ako sa pag-iyak dahil sa tinanong niya. It was a random question but it triggered my interest.

“I think it was God Azrael’s doing because he brought light to the entire planet,” mahina kong sagot kay Goddess Maya dahil hindi ako sigurado sa pinagsasabi ko. Umiling naman ang huli na nakangiting nakatitig pa rin sa bilog na buwan.

“When we first arrived in Terrazia, it was already there,” sabi ng diyosa ng hindi tumitingin sa akin. Nakatingala pa rin siya sa langit at nakita ko siyang napabuga ng hangin pagkatapos.

“The moon emerged when this planet that can sustain magic appeared. And I believed that there was an unbreakable bond between the two celestial objects. For it was the moon which gave light to Terrazia before we had entered this new world. Sa gitna ng kadiliman ay naroon ang buwan para magbigay sigla at pag-asa. And just like this planet that had the divine Lux as its protector, the moon was also watched by someone. She was Devorah, the Lunar Deity.” Napatingin na rin sa akin si Goddess Maya bago nagsalita. “Your mother is a goddess, Blaire.”

Napalunok naman ako dahil sa aking narinig. Natulala na lang akong nakatingin sa damuhan dahil hindi ko alam ang aking iisipin.

I had a dream about a star talking to me before. Pero hindi isang tala ang aking ina, dahil siya ang diyosa ng buwan.

I heard Goddess Maya sigh before she continued speaking. “But her domain was uninhabitable. She was alone inside her palace atop the moon as she watched over the entire Terrazia. Her existence was unrecognized by those who witnessed the splendor of the moon along with the stars every night. But she was contented to glow for those who want to see her light. Mas pinili niyang manatili sa kanyang kaharian para gawin ang kanyang tungkuling protektahan at gabayan ang mga nabubuhay sa loob ng planeta kapag sumasapit ang gabi.”