Paradox Saga: Rising Sun

Appius Lets Me Take A Look In My Coma Ritual (Part 2)

After a few minutes, my younger self emerged outside my room while holding my father’s hands. Looking at it made me feel nostalgic and creepy at the same time.

My younger self smiled as he looked at the crowd downstairs. “You’re here!”

“Yes, they’re here for you, Shiro,” Dad said and released my hand. My younger self ran to the direction of the crowd and hugged Apius first.

Appius and the others quickly hid their essences behind their back. My Mom was looking at me as she held hands with my Dad.

“Hello, Alonio!” Appius said as he ruffled my hair and smiled unconvincingly.

“Hello, Appius!” I said at the same time with the younger me as if I was starting to remember this scene unconsciously. I hugged Appius like a young kid, which I am.

“Hey, Shiro,” Mom said and kneeled for a hug. “Come here, baby.” Her left hand was closed into a fist like she was preventing me from seeing it – the kind of moms would do.

My younger self grinned widely and removed his hands from Appius’ neck; he ran and tackle-hugged Mom. “What is it, Mom?”

“Here…” she said and put a violet candy on my hand. It seemed to shine in a mystic way. “It’s a grape-flavored candy, baby.”

The child version of me looked at the candy on his hand and then to my Mom. His face suddenly frowned.

“Mom looks sad…” I uttered. “Why are you sad?”

My mother faked a smile. “Mommy’s fine, Shiro.”

“Would you be happy if I eat this sweet candy?” I said as if I didn’t listen to what my mother had said.

Mom nodded grimly. “Yes, Shiro…”

I could tell that Mom was trying not to tear up. Perhaps it was child’s instincts, I don’t know, but she was resisting her emotions so much she looked like she was going to burst anytime.

“Okay! I’ll eat this so Mom won’t be sad anymore!” the child version of me declared before putting the candy in his mouth. 

Dad kneeled beside Mom with the same expression as hers. I could see my father’s face tense, trying to get a grip like a loosening knot of rope.

My child version made a face like he’d eaten a sour gumball. “Mom! This does not taste like grapes!”

Dad chuckled but it sounded more of a croak. “Silly boy…”

The young Shiro smiled and opened his mouth with his tongue out. The candy was nowhere to be seen. Either I had a power to nibble candies quickly when I was child or I swallowed the candy accidentally.

Then, it happened. The young Shiro’s eyes widened and looked panicked like a kid who ate too much sugar. I feared I’d start running around the whole house and smash everything I can hold. But I didn’t.

The young Shiro averted his eyes into Mom and Dad and let out a yawn. “Mom, Dad, I feel sleepy…”

Mom held Dad’s hand firmly. “I know, Shiro…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, Mom. I’m just sleepy,” I said again at the same time with the young Shiro on the screen.

I could see a tear escape from Dad’s eye. “Sleep well, baby…”

My young self forced a smile. “Yes, Dad. Goodnight, Mom and Dad,” he said and put his two tiny hands on my parents’ cheeks.

“I love you, baby,” Dad and Mom said in chorus as they held my hand.

Young Shiro stifled another yawn. “I also love Mom and Dad so much…”

And with that, my eyes closed. I fell backwards and would’ve hit my head on the floor if Dad didn’t catch me on time.

“This is the best way, Takechi…” Saemon-san said and put a hand on Dad’s shoulders.

Dad wiped the tear rolling down his cheeks. “Believe me, Saemon. I know…”

Dad laid me down in the couch as the other Figures, my godparents, looked down on me, their faces tense and grim at the same time.

“Takechi…let’s do this,” Mom said with a brave tone. My father nodded.

All of them started to get their essences out, each glowing with pure power.

Mom cleared her throat. “We should start the ritual starting with Takechi,” she said.

“Yeah…” Dad said. He looked at me with doubt – like he was still unsure about this “ritual”. “Chie to yasashi-sa ni michita senzo yo, kono-ko o awarende iyashite kudasai (O ancestors filled with wisdom and kindness, please have mercy and heal this child of mine),” he chanted before looking down at me.

As if replying to my Dad’s chants, the essence illuminated. My father stared at me with sadness as he raised his hand up and brought it down on my chest.

“Purify!” he shouted and the veins on my body glowed - the same with the previous memory that Sadao-san showed - but instead of multiple colors, my veins only lit blue. My forehead glowed before something floated out from it. It was in kanji though I cannot read it.

Dad started to breathe rapidly before the veins in my body started to stop glowing. He got his hand away from my chest and backed away. He lost his balance but Mom was behind him and caught my Dad luckily.

“Are you fine, hon?” Mom asked Dad.

“Hai (Yes), just a little bit disoriented and dizzy but besides it, I’m fine,” my father replied. “I can’t believe our son just exhausted all my mana from me.”

“Seems like Shiro really is the prophesied one, don’t you think?” Mom asked.

Dad managed a half-smile. “Got my genes, I guess?”

“And mine,” Mom reminded. “My turn…” she said and walked closer to me. Her hand was now holding another glowing orb. “O mga ninuno na puno ng karunungan at kabaitan, mangyaring maawa kayo at pagalingin ang aking anak (O ancestors filled with wisdom and kindness, please have mercy and heal this child of mine),” she recited before she raised her hand and forced the essence down to my chest – the same thing that my Dad did. “Purify!” she shouted and my body formed glowing lines again. They were still blue but this time, they were in a lighter hue, like the color of a clear sky on a sunny day.

My Mom backed again and Dad was already behind and caught her before she fell. Beads of exhaustion were forming on his face.

“Shiro’s pretty amazing,” Mom said between quick breaths.

“This boy’s gotta be my apprentice when he grows up,” a man with long blond hair declared. “He’d be a good Figure once I train him.”

“That will happen if he’s an Assassin, Svinn, though I bet he’s going to be a fine Craftsman like me,” Appius boasted.

“Quit it, you guys!” the woman with golden hair shouted but it was obvious in her face that she was trying not to chuckle. I’d really chuckle if I was in her shoes. Two Beta-Tier Figures fighting for something so simple they looked like little kids does look stupid to me.

“Well, it’s my turn,” said the blond woman.

I would’ve thrilled to see what happened after that before the screen blacked out statically like a TV without signal – sounds of wool being rubbed together coming inside our ears before the screen disappeared along with the foggy swirls.

“What?!” I screamed. “Where’s it, Appius?” I asked him.

My godfather scratched his head. “Well…seems like that’s the only limit of my Nostalgia Sphere, Shiro. This is still the prototype and with the increasing creation of Anaphoras, I had no time to perfect it,” he said and got the bronze ball.

“What happened after that?”

“Well, all of us recited our incantation to receive blessings from our ancestors to use their essences and heal you. All of us exhausted our mana as we forced our essences inside your body, Shiro. After that…” he stopped.

I raised my brow. “After that, then what?”

“Well…you may not like this but we did a ritual to hibernate you. You were in a coma for seven years, one year for each essence, and woke up after that. I’m sure you don’t remember but you woke up in our headquarters, the Heptagon’s guild,” he explained. “You woke up and you were still seven years old.”

“And you all hid this for a long time?”

Anger was starting to swell up my throat. How could they hide the fact that I slept peacefully while my parents were trying to find a way to normalize my body before I combust to death when I turn 18 because of my Metaphors.

“That was the best thing that we can do, Shiro,” he said.

“And it’s because of this damn prophecy, right?”

“It’s not just about the prophecy, Shiro,” Appius said calmly. “You’re our godchild, kid. If you were me, you would’ve done the same.”

I cursed silently. I really hate it when I mess things up. I hate it so much I wished I didn’t exist.

“Don’t hate yourself,” Appius said and patted my shoulder. “Prophecies cannot be avoided, Shiro. May they end in a good way or not, they are already decided by the one above,” he said and pointed at the sky above.

“I just hope they’re fine…” I uttered.

“Don’t worry, Shiro. If your parents aren’t alive, we would’ve sensed it with this,” he said and showed his palm. A small gash was on the middle of it. “With a Blood Compact, we are able to know where someone is or if he needs help as long as that certain person has had a Blood Compact with us. That includes your parents, Shiro.”

“But how can you not sense them? Like, you can know where she is using that, right?” I asked.

“Yes, Shiro. Unfortunately, something is blocking our communications. Probably a strong type of magic, though the Heptagon suspects your parents are not in this world– ”

Appius stopped talking. The girls also spread their hands on the table as if they sensed something by surprise. Then, it happened. All the things in the house started shaking. A bright light came from outside and I shielded my eyes with my hands.