The Last Celestial

The Wrath of the 8th House Part II

Aiziah and Zebedee went straight to the Orion's residence where Elly and the son of Redenor laid in bed. Both men were motionless --- their breaths so soft that little to no air can be felt when Nathaniel placed his finger an inch away from their nostrils.

Seth's skin was beginning to turn blue, while the sunburn on Elly's body went from a light shade of pink to a darker shade of brown.

Redenor asked Nathaniel to boil some water. Something they often use to treat the area where the telson of the scorpion punctured. The basic and first step before they could apply any herbal medicine. The Keeper turns off the kettle before it whistles; he can hear the water bubbling, and it sounds so agitated it almost drives him a little mad.

Nathaniel feels hypersensitive today, like his skin is very dry from the sun and his eyes have been open for too long. He doesn't know how to keep his lips closed without swallowing every few seconds.

Even though he drank a glass of water in more ways than he can count, it never seemed to quench his thirst. He had never been this anxious before. And it's eating him up from the inside out. And the stress was obviously manifesting.

"When will this nightmare end..." Kane says and it sounded more like a statement rather than a question.

The whistle of the kettle settled down when Nathaniel turned off the heat. The room became silent and only the sound of Redenor's fingertips hammering, creating a soft thudding sound against the table full of herbs resounded in the house, like carpeting in a quiet room.

Zebedee who just entered the room heard what Kane said and noticed how gloomy everyone was. "f**k if I know..." She says. She was still holding on to Aiziah's wrist, fearing that her awfully sentimental friend would make another scene and escape.

The room quieted down once more, but Redenor had accidentally tripped and fell, making the table filled with herbs on top wobble and knocked most of it off the floor.

The old man looks restless. It's been two days since the scorpion had stung his son, and they're nowhere close to finding the critter. He frowns as he bent down to pick up the herbs, cursing himself for being so reckless.

Aiziah pulls her wrist from Zebedee when she notices what the old man was doing.

"Hey!" Zebedee whined then looked at her friend.

The latter did not speak or replied, instead she walked towards Redenor and began to pick up the herbs as well. "Let me help you." She offered when she noticed the old man was looking at her in an odd manner. "It's the least I can do."

It's going to start and end just like the first day his son had been poisoned, Redenor wants to say, but there's no point, because all of them are aware of this fact.

There was no way for them to contact other Keepers and warn them about what happened to the fortress. The scouting dove was killed. The phone lines are broken. The messenger --- Saniye had been devoured by the gigantic creature.

Their situation felt hopeless. And the instruction given to them by the Celestial being seemed redundant.

Since when did they all start to be so clueless?

"Thank you." Redenor smiled at Aiziah. The first smile he let out since his son was stung by the critter. "I appreciate the help."

Aiziah smiled back then stood up right after. She shakes her hand and proceeds to the kitchen and turns on the cold water to run her fingers that had herbs on it.

All of them can feel the tension in the air. An air of desperation circled around them, and it seemed like the only thing they're clinging to is hope.

"The Celestial won't let it end like this... I can feel it." Kane broke the silence, finally. He hated how silent the room was. And for someone who really likes silence, he wanted to hear something again --- any type of noise. He's really trying. He's really reaching.

"I believe it too." Zebedee replied quietly. "So let's not give up."

The two of them, Zebedee and Kane never really saw eye to eye. They were never really close, and this is like the first time that they've agreed on something.

Kane had always believed his purpose and knows the situation they're in is unhealthy. He's ashamed that wasn't able to help fend off the monster, and felt the same way Zebedee did.

Night time came, and the five of them still remained clueless about the situation. The Keepers heard Redenor sigh then looked at his son with such glistening eyes. "Let's sleep and let's figure this out again tomorrow."

Nathaniel looked at the bottle filled with blue and black liquid that came from a desert flower. For a moment, he was tempted to open it and debate its usefulness with the said Doctor. He wanted to test if it's really poisonous. But instead of going along with his idea, he bit his tongue and stopped himself from rescuing his stained pride.

He agreed to Redenor's idea, and asked --- more like commanding the other Keepers to go to sleep. "Let's hit the sack." He said. Maybe rest will give them ideas on how to get out of this place or find a cure and inform the others about what happened here.

"I agree with the idea... I'm tired as well." Zebedee said out loud before stretching her limbs then yawned right after. "As they say... sleep helps the brain function better."

The four of them looked at each other, then proceeded to find their own spot in the wide living room. But then the sound of loud thumping footsteps was heard from outside --- and all of them looked where the noise came from.

"Nathaniel... what is that?" Aiziah almost squealed as they noticed a dark figure approaching from afar.

It looked like a giant bull made of stones. And on top of the bulls head, five individuals can be seen standing. One of those people was awfully familiar. Even through the darkness, Nathaniel remembers that silhouette for he has seen her many times.

The spouse of Elder Diomedes.

There's no mistaking it. It is definitely her. " Elder Jacqueline?!"

====================

By the time Hyacinth and Andrew, along with the others arrived at the place where Taurus guided them, the stars were all shining brightly. Hyacinth created a beast made of rocks and sand, and she made it so for them to travel faster.

The first time she tried doing this back in the forest of the Zodiacs, it had not been easy.

When Andrew told her how she was rescued and was trapped in a body of rock that formed into a giant bull which was as tall as a building, she did not believe him and thought the young man was just making fun of her. But then Rajesh and the others told the same story, which convinced her that all of it was true.

Andrew was envious at first, and told her many times how he wished he could control other things as well.

Hyacinth doesn't remember exactly how she did it --- how she could control rocks and trees and other things. All she knew is she could.

'Find the man named after the stars.'

Hyacinth commanded the bull made of earth and sand to stop. "We are here." She said, as she began to feel something odd. Like she was being magnetized to something, rather... to someone. "I can feel it."

"Alright." Andrew replied with much confidence as before. "But where to?"

Hyacinth closed her eyes and began to rely on her instinct. She lets herself be vulnerable and wishes for Scorpio's voice to ring in her ears again.

And then... a vision came to her mind.

"The house where a tamarind tree stands. The biggest one out here." Hyacinth told them with confidence.

Andrew hummed and then blindly believed her gut feeling. "Then let's go there."

In a single command, the bull made of earth and sand slowly lost its form. The sand returned to where it belonged and the earth and rocks sank and went back to where it came from as well. The five of them began to walk and find the house where a tamarind tree is planted.

And it did not take long for them to find it.

Jacqueline, who was a lover of plants, saw the tree even through the darkness, the shape of the tamarind leaves was unique and was not hard to find. She raised her hand and pointed in the said direction. "There it is."

"Let's go then." Timothy said, feeling energized than he was earlier. He looked at Hyacinth then Andrew. "After you?"

"Of course." Hyacinth replied.

Hyacinth clenched her fist and then swallowed, feeling like there was a lump in her throat. When she stood on top of the bull she created, she did not feel this eerie energy circling through the Sahara.

But now that her feet were planted on the sand, her entire being began to tremble.

A voice of a man calling for help crossed her mind. "Let's go..." Hyacinth was the first one to take a step forward. "...let's not keep the Scorpion Celestial waiting."

====================

When the Elder Keeper --- Nathaniel saw five people approaching, he felt his chest tighten. He had to use every ounce of his will power not the cry. He was so overwhelmed by the idea that they were no longer going to suffer from the stress alone. It gave him the relief he was craving for.

A sense of calm.

"They're here." He voiced out, making Zebedee and the others look at the direction his eyes were fixated at.

"Who?" Zebedee asked as she squinted her eyes as she made out the faces of the individuals. She did not recognize them.

"Elder Jacqueline is here, the spouse of Elder Diomedes. And from the looks of it, Timothy came as well." Nathaniel answered.

Kane felt the need to fetch Redenor and share the good news. His feet sprang and he ran to the room where the old man rested.

Aiziah and Zebedee waited in anticipation, thinking the same thing that was on Nathaniel's mind.

The Celestial's did not abandon them.

Resounding knocks were heard, and a deep voice of a man can be heard behind the closed door. "Hello?" It was Timothy. "Anybody home?"

And then another voice chimed in, this time, it was a woman with a sweet calming voice. "We're looking for a man whose last name is Orion." It was Hyacinth who spoke this time. "I know he's in here, and I need to see him. I inherited the power of the Taurus, my name is Hyacinth and with me is the man who inherited the power of Leo."

There was a pause, and Andrew introduced himself. "My name is Andrew, I’m the man she’s referring to."

Nathaniel immediately ran towards the door and opened it in a matter of seconds.

His gaze met Hyacinth's green and gold eyes.

"We're here to help." Hyacinth said. "Please point me towards the man I'm looking for."