The Moon Symphony

Chosen or Not

We arrived back at Bulan and headed straight to my room. Baku and Ani were waiting for me there. Ani was shocked when she saw I was with Apo.

It must be about the visions that she was having.

"Welcome back, Master. I believe you have completed your training already." Baku said.

"Yes, I did already."

"Yeah, I saw a burst of moonlight energy from the direction of the temple," Baku said.

I noticed that Ani was still looking at Apo with an indifferent expression.

"I'll go to Anan first and give my presents, Yari," Apo said and left the room.

After leaving, Ani asked if why I am with Apo. I told her that it's okay and Apo won't do any harm to us. I told her that we should trust Apo because he already saves me twice, and if he was the wrong person, he should have killed us before. Ani nodded with what I said. She told me that we should still be cautious about Apo.

I told them about what happened with my cultivation and, of course, the group of hooded people I saw. I said to them that their appearance was the same as Batibat. I also told them that I overheard their conversation and that the village chief of Amihan was one of them.

"Who could they be?" I asked.

"It has something to do with the awakening of the Evil Lord, and his forces are preparing for their arrival," Baku said.

"We should set off and find the remaining relics and successors. I think we should not waste any more time after hearing things that you told us." Ani said.

"Yeah, I agree with her," Baku said.

"Okay, I understand. I'll tell Father about our plan next thing in the morning."

After that, we decided to rest so that we could get ready for our new journey.

Still, one thing was bothering me. It was about the dream that I had. I'll tell Baku next time about this.

-

The next day, I went to Father and reported what I saw on the Palmora Grooves. He said that he is also not familiar with those hooded people. He believes that it was some organization that worships the Evil Lord. He ordered one of his sages to investigate this and will give me answers as soon as possible.

I told Father that we would be heading to Estrella to look for the lost village and continue our pursuit for the other successors. At first, Father did now allow us to leave, especially Ester, because he was worried about what will happen. I kept on convincing him that we have guidance from the deities, so he should not worry. Father agreed with my suggestions and gave us time to prepare for the journey.

-

"How are we going to get to Estrella?" I asked.

"My friend said that the lost village of Estrella is near the edge of the Orient Seas, and if we head south from Bulan, we can follow the path going there," Baku said.

"Okay, I understand. But who is this friend of yours?"

"You will know once we get there," Baku said, smiling.

"Then let's set off before dawn so that we can have some time to rest tonight."

"Okay, Master."

-

"Are you okay, Yari?" Apo asked while reading some scrolls.

"Yes, I am. I'm just thinking about things," I said.

"Like what? You can tell me if you want."

"It's okay, Apo. Thank you so much."

Honestly, the dream that I had during my cultivation phase still bothers me. Why do Apo and Third look alike? I wanted to ask Mayari, but I'm sure she is busy with her Celestial Seat affairs.

"Hey, Yari? Are you listening?"

I snapped out from thinking and was surprised by what happened next.

Too close!

His face was an inch away from my face. I can feel his breathing causing my body to jolt from the electricity. My heart started to beat faster than usual, causing my face to flush tomato red.

I stood up all of a sudden and accidentally rammed his nose with my head.

"Ouch!" Apo shouted in pain.

I moved towards Apo to check him. He was rolling on the floor because of the pain. I helped him to sit up, but he was still holding his nose. Then all of a sudden, Apo pulled me, and we both fell on the floor. I crashed above him, and what happened next made my heart explode.

My lips brushed against his cheek. I saw Apo's eyes went wide from that. I tried to stand up as fast as I can, but he was holding me hard.

"Yari, wait, Don't move," Apo said.

I wanted to get out of the room because of the embarrassment, but I can't. Apo won't let me stand up. I decided to stay still because even if I tried, he wouldn't let me.

Then silence fell on my room. All I can hear was our breathing and Apo's heartbeat banging loudly on his chest. My face was getting hotter because of our position, and no one dared to move.

We stayed like that for a couple of minutes until our emotions calmed down. Apo finally let go of me and dashed out of my room.

Wait, why am I the one who left my room? Well, I need to calm down. I'm not too fond of this feeling.

I walked towards the garden near our house, and the scent of flowers entered my nose. It helped me calm down. I looked at the sky and watched the moon. The moonlight also helped to calm my feelings.

Being here in this world is full of surprises, Mayari. It's funny that I'm experiencing this type of emotion here, which I ran away from my world.

"What are you doing here, big brother?"

It was Anan. He was carrying a basket full of herbs. I am still amazed by him. Despite his very manly build, his interest is sure surprising. It suits him, though, because I can feel his gentle nature.

"Getting some fresh air," I said.

"Can't sleep?" Anan asked.

"Sort of, a lot of things were bothering me."

"You can tell me if you want, big brother," Anan said and moved near me.

"It's nothing, Anan. Thank you for the offer." I said and patted his neck.

"You know what, big brother, I am a bit jealous of you and Ester."

"Why?"

"I am jealous because both of you excel in the things you do, and I feel left out, especially when both of you turned out to be successors of the deities."

"You don't have to feel that, Anan. I would say that I envy you too. Having this power means great responsibility. Honestly, I want to live a normal life with you guys, but look at us, Ester, and I got caught up in this. We need to do our best to keep everyone safe. So Anan, do the things you always wanted to do, especially the one that makes you happy."

"We love you just the way you are, chosen or not," I said and hugged him.

"Can I at least go with you, big brother? I want to help you on your journey."

"I can't decide about that, but we can try and convince father tomorrow," I said and patted his head.

"Thank you, big brother, and I love you so much," Anan said and hugged me tightly.

"Let's rest now, and we are leaving early tomorrow."

"Yes, big brother!"