Down System

Chapter 23

I woke up to a loud screaming coming from a familiar woman. I got out of my bed and widened my eyes the moment I saw Mommy Morrigan being beaten by the military, including Daddy Perseus.

"Daddy, please stop it!" I shouted as I ran towards them.

However, halting the Hadessian men from abusing my mother resulted in me being harassed as well. I ended up being lashed by horsewhip, which made Mommy Morrigan cry even more.

My back was already hurting.

I begged Daddy Perseus to free us, but he didn't listen to me; instead, he continued whipping me until my spinal cord got broken.

Mommy Morrigan continued pleasing them, too. But even though she cried blood of river, nothing would terminate the military from doing what they wanted.

The cruelness of the Hadessian men ruled over the land of Hades. They were abusing women for their glory. Power was all they hold. If a man could not tempt to hurt a woman, he would be named as a weak soul, impotent human. Nobody liked that, and so, all men would do everything just for them to get entitled.

"I'm begging you, stop hurting my daughter!" Mommy Morrigan shouted once again. "Perseus! Aleera is your chil- ah!" She wasn't able to continue when my father slapped her on the cheeks.

"Stop mentioning that," Daddy Perseus said, affirmed. "You are no longer my family."

"You've exchanged us for what? For power?" Mommy sighed in a strong manner. "I've expected a lot from you," she said, enduring the pain, "but you disappointed me at last. Do you think you're powerful with this? No. You're just proving that you are nothing but a weak man that's afraid of judgment."

"I said, stop!" Daddy clouted at her once again. "If you're not going to shut your mouth, I'll kill you two."

I tried getting up and hugged my mother. I told her to just stop talking because no matter what we say, we would still be enslaved. But, I was also frustrated when she didn't listen to me.

Mommy Morrigan continued ranting and fighting over my father. At first, the military ignored him, but after some time, Daddy spoke to her, saying,

"Goodbye, my love." He picked up a gun from his pocket, and shoot my mother.

"MOMMY!"

I woke up, hardly breathing. My tears were falling from my cheeks, and it felt like I had been lifting heavy rocks for long hours.

It was a bad dream.

For some time, I was just wailing. I knew it was just a dream, but it felt true. It had almost brought me to death. Before I could wake up, I had a hard time moving my body. I couldn't even speak though I wanted. My soul was awake, yet my trunk was dead.

It wasn't just a bad dream, but a nightmare.

All I thought, I would meet quietus for the second time around. But when my father gunned my mother in my dream, I got up in haste from lying on my bed.

My heart was still pounding. A stench of fear was in me. I would not carry the burden of losing my second mother for the second time around, and once more seeing my second father kill her wife. I had been through enough. What would I do if that dream turned into reality?

I threw the pillows, and continued yelling, until Mommy Morrigan and Daddy Perseus came into my room, asking me what was wrong.

It had been hard for me to speak, so they just waited for me to calm down before asking the same question again. When somehow I felt relieved by their presence, I hugged them two with my tears still shedding.

I looked at my father. "Daddy," I said, "please promise me that no matter what happens, you won't hurt Mommy."

Daddy chuckled. "Of course, I won't. I love your Mommy Morrigan, and I've promised to love and cherish her forever," he said and hugged me. "I will never do that, my baby. I will never hurt the two of you."

Still crying, my mother joined the group hug, but released right away and said,

"Your temperature is high."

Daddy's eyes grew bigger. He touched my forehead and released a sigh. "She's sick."

"I knew it. Let me just get the medicine-"

"No," Daddy cut her off. "Better not now, honey. It will not help, I assure you. Just ask her the food she wanted."

"Alright," Mommy said, hugging my shoulders. "Aleera, what do you want to eat?" she asked, which made me steer my gaze to her. "Just tell me, and I'll cook for you."

I took some time thinking of what food I would like to eat, and when I was done, I told her about it.

My parents left the room eventually, but Daddy Perseus came back with a bowl of water with him; little did I know that there was a towel on it.

"Good thing we didn't go to the office," he said, squeezing the cloth. "This time, I'll take care of my sweetheart." He took a seat on the bed and wiped my whole body with the wet, warm towel.

Perhaps it was my fever that made me dreamt of it; it could be the astonishment in knowing the reason behind my purpose as well.

After Namika told me why I was chosen to save Hades from the merciless governance of Ferno's administration, I didn't stop thinking about it, to the point that I wasn't eating enough and sleeping due to planning of the thing I should do to not disappoint my nation.

I coughed, which made my father went out again to get me water. My body started feeling weak when they told me I had a fever.

While left alone in the square, I moved my sight to the window. It was still dark out there. The clock on top of my bed gave me a hint that it was still dawn, four to be exact.

"You'll be staying here, okay?"

I was still glancing at the dark sky when my father's voice interrupted me. "I won't leave anyway, Daddy," I said.

"Yes, and you'll not be going to attend your class today," he said as he went back to his seat. "Just take time recovering, and we'll excuse you. Drink this." He gave me a glass of water.

As I drank, the dream crept into my mind once again. I was stuck staring at my father while he was still wiping my body with the cloth. I knew he was good, but what if one day, he changed?

To think, a decade was still far from this year, but that was just a short-term for the preparation to stop Ferno from taking the throne. It was a hard mission for me, but I would do everything to halt him and his wickedness because I didn't want to experience the same thing again.

I had been through difficult obstacles, and I once blamed the world for them; however, was it overwhelming to think that life was still good to me despite everything? I was sent to death to live again in the past, to rescue Hades. Now that I had a hint of the future, it would not be heavy for me to find things out.

"Daddy," I mouthed, which made him gaze at me and stop from what he was doing, "are you afraid of tomorrow?"

"Why asking such a question, sweetheart?" he asked, folding his brows.

"I just want to know," I replied.

"Well, honestly speaking, I am not fearful of tomorrow. I am more frightened of today."

I expressed hesitations. "Why?"

"Because today might be the last day, but tomorrow is another hope."

Daddy's point brought a smile to my face. He was right. Today was scarier than tomorrow. Today, you'd be living your life and not knowing it was your end already, yet had not given your best to everything. Tomorrow, however, was another day of changing your regrets and starting to fulfill your shortcomings. Today would be the day of regret, but tomorrow would be the time of cure.

To not have contrition, I would rather see today as my last day. If a person started viewing things like it was an end, he would definitely give his best to not be remorseful if ever his time came. I wanted to be the person who had no regrets, so I would fear today and become the valor of tomorrow.

"But, what if things turn around, Daddy?" I questioned. "What if the tomorrow you view as another time of hope will be a day of sorrow?"

"Then, I would prepare today to be ready for tomorrow," he answered. "I will fear today to be courageous tomorrow because I will never be brave if I didn't experience weakness."

"Are you willing to use that bravery to cast away the dolor, Daddy?"

"It's an audacity, sweetheart."

I smiled. "So, you are willing to take the risk?"

He nodded.

There was silence for a moment, but that wasn't leveling to awkwardness. It was a serene, blithe atmosphere.

Hearing those words from my father seemed my fever to be gone. I couldn't help myself beam, thinking of how he minded of me. I trusted him. I believed he would not do badly in the future.

"Daddy," I spoke again, "do you promise you won't hurt Mommy?"

He came closer to me and hugged me. "What's bothering you about it, my baby? I promise I won't hurt your mother. I didn't wait for her to come to the altar to give her pain, but love."

"You love her?"

"With my whole heart, I love her."

"Daddy," I called him out again.

This time, he couldn't stop himself from chuckling. "I love your mother, I promise," he said.

"No, we're now off to that topic."

"Oh, sorry. I thought you're gonna ask the same question again," he giggled. "What's your concern, sweetheart?

"Do you mind telling me your love story? How did the two of you meet?" I asked.

"Well, Morrigan is my best enemy before," Daddy started explaining. "I would always tease her, and she would always take revenge on me by doing stupid things. She's my classmate, and that's why we always see each other. Until then, we fell in love."

I was still about to speak when my mother entered the room, holding a platter of food.

"What's the business in here?" she chuckled.

"Well, she just discovered that we are the best enemies that turned into lovers," Daddy Perseus laughed.

While serving me the food, I was observing them two; the way they smiled at each other was different. I wasn't familiar to love because I didn't yet experience it in my first life, but I knew it was the love they were showing to each other.

My parents would sometimes fight, but it had a reason, and it was for a purpose. Their relationship was strong, and no matter what fence could hinder them, they would jump over it.

The smile on my lip couldn't be faded, but when the dream registered in my mind again, my face crumpled. How I wished that nightmare would not affect the bond of my family. Anyway, I would not let that happen.

The sun was slowly rising until it was bright again, yet Mommy and Daddy didn't leave my side. The three of us were enjoying the soft wind that was passing through the window when someone knocked on the door.

It was Namika who planned to enter, but when she saw us, she stopped. "I'm sorry, did I bother you, guys?" she asked.

Mommy Morrigan shook her head and invited her to come in. That was also the time that she told her I wouldn't be attending class because of my fever.

Daddy Perseus, on the other side, gave space to the old woman.

When Namika was already sitting beside me, she brushed my hair with her hands and spoke to me. "It's so sad to think you are sick today," she said. "A perfect timing for my sandwich, indeed. Do you want them?"

I smiled and nodded.

The old woman took the sandwiches inside her pouch and offered them to me. She was giving strange gestures while handing me the food, and I was trying to figure them out.

For a second, I caught her eyes sharply looking at me. I found her telling me to be strong with that expression; she might be thinking I got the sickness from the thrill of knowing the truth.

I hemmed. "I'll be strong with this," I faked a smile, and thanked the old woman.

Before leaving, she drew her face close to my ears. "I knew this will happen," she whispered. "Eat the sandwiches, there's a cure on them."

I looked at her affirmed before she left and exited the door, but she came back again after some time.

Namika stood in front and asked pardon for interrupting. She took something again in her pouch, telling us she forgot something. She handed me a vial and whispered to me,

"This salve holds power."