Down System

Chapter 18

A promise was made. One covenant would ruin the future of every Hadessian. A selfish power was already taking its place. It was happening again.

Namika let out a deep sigh as she wandered her sight all over the view. As the wind blew her hair, she fixed it and spoke again.

"This is bad," she whispered. "We have to control this. You have to stop the dark fate." She turned her gaze at me and puckered her eyebrows when she noticed my tears. "Why are you crying?"

"Namika," I spoke her name, "are we really going into this?"

"Yes, we are. There's no other way, Aleera. We have no choice but to fight. It's the sake of all people against one person." The old woman touched my shoulders. "Young girl, do your part. It's your duty and no one can do it for Hades except you. I'm just here to help, but without you, no one will be able to control the future."

"I'm just attached to him, and I can't believe I would do this to him."

Namika looked directly at my eyes, holding my shoulder even tighter. "You have to remember that Ferno is not your friend, he's your enemy."

I swallowed my own saliva.

"I know you have a good heart for him, but you must forget everything about him," she added. "You must throw the memories away and move on. You will never depart from your place if you stay in that past. He saved you, I know, but that's just once. Will you let the Hades suffer for that little kind of defend?"

I shook my head.

"No. That's it. Your answer is no, and you have to prove that. Strengthen your spirit, young girl. You will never live in this world if you only have kindness in your heart." She placed her pointing finger in my head. "You have to be brave, or you will end up being defeated."

I remained silent as I stare at the old woman's brown eyes. It was just hard for me to get over Ferno, but she was right— if I would always keep in my mind what had happened in the past, I would never see tomorrow.

I hold onto the grills and gaze at the glimmering stars in the night sky. I felt the warm breeze that was continuously touching my skin as I thought thoroughly of my decision.

"Your words never become pointless," I told the old woman. "You are right, and I'm now taking my final decision." I steered my sight to her. "I will save Hades from the cruel future."

Namika smiled and hugged me. "I know you'll do it."

"But, I have one request."

She let go of me and faced me again. "Anything for you, young girl."

"I want to visit Ferno's graveyard tomorrow. Just for the last time, I want to see him."

"Don't you have classes tomorrow?"

"I have, but I don't care. This is more important. Just please don't let Mommy and Daddy know that I leave a day in school."

"You can count on me."

"But, I have a problem," I said.

The old woman expressed hesitations. "You don't know Ferno's house, eh?"

I nodded. "Will you come with me tomorrow in the early morning to look for his residence?"

"No worries, I know where he lives."

"Good," I smiled. "I'm going home now."

The old woman laughed. "Are you sure? I bet you're lying."

"You really are a voodoo."

"Clairvoyant."

"Okay, whatever. So, am I sleeping on your bed?" I charmingly blinked my eyes at her.

"I couldn't resist with these beautiful eyes anyway," the old woman smirked.

I expressed a loud whoop of joy and excitedly ran towards her bed. I knew my parents would be surprised by my absence in the room, but as long as I was in Namika, I didn't have to worry about things. Besides, I wasn't still sure if my parents would go home this night since I didn't have a connection with them for the whole day.

I yawned when the old woman covered me with a white sheet. Because of lassitude, I had slept immediately. When I opened my eyes again, the sun was already peeking through the window. Another day had come. Another hope had begun.

Stretching my arms, I looked for Namika, but she wasn't in the room. I was about to find her when the door opened.

"Oh, you're now awake. How's your sleep?" she asked, walking towards me with a tray of food in her hands.

"It's good," I answered. "What time is it, by the way?"

"Quarter to seven."

"What?" my eyes widened. "I thought it's only six! I expected we're leaving the house at that hour. We will still be going down the mountain," I groaned.

"No worries. We can get down in just five minutes."

"Seriously?" I chuckled.

Namika nodded. "Nothing to laugh about. I ain't facetious with what I've said."

"Well, alright," I turned a serious face.

I finished eating the food she served me before heading down again. I thought the old woman was just kidding about the five-minute trip, but she proved me wrong.

My eyes were just widening as I roamed my sight all over the mountain below. I was riding in a big bubble that was never blowing out, no matter how I pricked it. It was moving swiftly, bringing me a bit of dizziness.

"This one's amazing!" I told the old woman with a grin. "You're a wizard, you didn't tell me!"

The bubble came from the old woman's power. She made it using her wand that I had seen for the first time. She just uttered to words: bubble be here, and it came out! It was no ordinary thing, and it could only be disappeared using her magic.

"Just a seer," Namika said, "the powerful wand made it, not me."

"Whatsoever, you're still a cool witch for me!" I beamed, but frowned right away. "You really didn't tell me about this. I've climbed the mountain that I could almost die, oh, goodness!"

"I didn't order you to hike anyway. Your fault," she smirked.

I didn't talk and just enjoyed the scenery again for the last minute of flying in the sky.

When we reached Ferno's house, I took a deep breath. Jitters shook my spine as the cold air breeze caressed my skin. My heart pounded, seeing the little house of that boy in the middle of a hideous forest.

Ferno's location was distant to Ragwarths; I wondered if he wasn't getting late in his first class, especially that he had no vehicle to ride on. Besides, the school bus couldn't fetch him from this dangerous, skimpy area.

As I get out of the bubble, the stench of putrid trees tickled my nose. There seemed to be sneaking around the dried leaves because my ears could hear them. The sun couldn't glimpse because of the numerous towering, thick logs that were covering the area.

"Are you sure this is his house?" I asked Namika, and she nodded.

I hesitated, it was really Ferno's locality. The house was alone in the whole jungle, and the inside appeared mum. I could think of it as an abandoned hut, not until someone exited from it.

A woman, in a long plain white dress, stood in front of us with arms akimbo, scowling at us two. "Who are you?" she asked in rage.

I stepped my feet forward and took a deep breath. "Good day, Ma'am. I'm Aleera Vernize, the girl in Ferno's room in the hospital, if you can still remember."

"I don't care," she glared. "You will visit that child, won't you?"

I nodded. "If you'd deign, Ma'am."

"Sorry, not sorry, but I've already buried him. If you have no further questions, you can now leave. Don't waste my time."

I stopped the woman when she tried to go back into the house. "Sorry, Ma'am, but where did you bury him? Can you please tell me?"

The woman looked at me in a grimace. "And who are you to command me?"

"Pardon, Ma'am, I'm just asking you a favor."

"Who are you to ask a favor to me?" she shouted. "Idiots! Leave! Stay your freaking faces away from me!"

"But, I'm your son's friend, Ma'am!"

The woman laughed. "Ferno has a friend? That's impossible. What did he do to you to like him? He's just a waste! Good for him that he died."

"And what did you do to deserve him?" I asked, clenching my fist. "You are a useless person and a mother to your child. It was supposed to be you who died and not him!"

The woman's eyes grew big. "What did you say?"

"Didn't you hear them? Do you want me to repeat saying them to you, Ma'am?"

Clenching her fist, the woman planned to attack me, but Namika stopped her using her magical wand. She was tied with a shining silver, thin but sturdy rope, causing her to freeze.

"Don't you dare touch this young girl," the old woman said. "Just tell us where you buried your son and I will let go of you. This has a poisonous drug, and in just two minutes, you will die."

"I'll speak!" the woman cried. "Just please let go of me! I don't wanna die!"

"Then, give us what we wanted."

"At the back of the house!" the woman said in haste. "There! I buried him there! Now, let go of me!"

"Okay, good," Namika smirked. "No worries, the power I put on you is no poisonous. You just have to wait for one week before you finally could move from your place."

"B-but-"

"No buts," Namika said as she touched the woman's chin. "Enjoy your one-week stay here. There will be snakes that would climb on you, so you know. Be friendly, okay?"

The woman gave her a scathing look. "You, ornery old woman!" she shouted as we left. "Curse you!"

"She's the real witch," Namika laughed when we headed to the back of the woman's house.

When we found Ferno's grave, tears fell again from my eyes. I just understood why he was so cold to me, why he hated women, and it was because his family treated him like garbage, especially his mother.

Shouts coming from the ruthless woman continued to awaken the place. Other voices had started to join her as well— possibly her two daughters, who adapted her rubbish attitude.

I knelt and touched the ground with my palm, shaking. There was no effort exerted in entombment. No proper tomb. No flower offering. No candle lighted. Everything was plain. How could they bury Ferno like an animal?

I was still wailing when shouts coming from my back had occurred. When I turned around, my eyes caught two ladies with unkempt faces trying to invade us.

"How dare you-" one of them who spoke wasn't able to continue when Namika pointed out the magic stick to them and spoke the word: freeze, causing them to be stuck in their places.

"What's this?" the other one said worriedly. "My bad, why can't I move? What's this? My god. What's this!" she cried.

"To answer your question," Namika mouthed, "that's a powerful rope bounding you two, a punishment for your discourtesy. That won't set you free until you change your behavior, filthy girls."

I continued touching the ground, never minding the rant of the two ladies at my back.

The future of Hades would go berserk because of this boy in the ghastly pit; however, no matter how grim the world would be, it wasn't Ferno's slip.