Abyss Extra

Two

ILANA

"Hmm... What kind of ring are you looking for, Miss?" Asked by the seemingly nice shop owner.

This man is also one of the key characters in the original. His name is Chrysler Seacrest also known as Green Owl. On the surface, he is a shop owner in the Black Market but in truth, he is an undercover police.

Seacrest is part of the Police Corps, a government organization responsible for capturing highly dangerous and high profile criminals.

Aside from obtaining the medium, establishing a connection with Chrysler is my objective in visiting the Black Market.

Kung may connection ako sakanya na parte ng Police Corps, I can tip him off sa mga galaw ng criminals. I dont know how much of my actions will change the original, but as much as possible, I want the story to progress in a much more safer route.

And the future I know will eventually change so I need connections with the people or organizations na makakatulong saakin para kahit papaano ay mapatahal ko ang buhay ko.

Hindi ko rin alam kung gaano ako katagal maglalagi dito o kung makakabalik pa ba ako sa orihinal kong mundo kaya mas maganda nang handa.

"Glaucous' ring." Sagot ko sa tanong ni Chrysler.

Bahagyang natigilan ang lalaki pero kalaunan ay matamis siyang ngumiti. Pasimple lang niyang ginawa pero nakita ko ang pagsilip niya sa bandang likuran. He then slightly nod. Kumunot ang noo ko and decided to check if he's looking at someone or what pero bago pa ako makalingon ay nagsalita ulit ito.

"I'm sorry but giving you the Glaucous' ring is a bit ... "

"I can pay as much as you want." Saad ko.

"This is not about money. I'm sorry but I can't sell it to you."

What the? Hindi dapat ganito kahirap bilhin ang singsing na yun. Sa ngayon, Glaucous' ring is deemed as a useless magical tool. Glaucous, the owner and crafter of that artifact exhausted it's power and it became a normal ring.

Kaya lang ito kilala, despite being a useless artifact ay dahil ito ang favorite ring ni Glaucous na isang sikat na archmage. The ring was initially crafted to enhance a magician's power pero hindi alam ng lahat, it also has the ability to hold immense mana. Tanging si Glaucous lang ang nakakaalam ng feature na ito ng singsing and even in his death, wala siyang pinagsabihan. It was said to be his favorite because ever since he crafted it, he never took off the ring.

I looked at Chrysler who has apologetic smile.

"What is it that you need para ibenta mo saakin ang ring?"

"I'm sorry." Yun lang ang itinugon niya saakin.

I sighed. And in a low voice, I once again attempt a transanction but with a more appealing offer, atleast for him.

"If you sell me the ring, I can tell you where Ricardo Demiaz is."

His eyes widened in surprise from what I have said. This is the most appealing offer I can give him. Ito rin ang information na balak ko sanang gamitin para magkaroon kami ng connection pero dahil malabong mangyari ang transaction for some unknow reason, kailangan ko na itong gamitin to bait him. For now, obtaining Glaucous' ring is the most important task. I have other information I can use to establish a connection with the Police Corps later on.

"Are you sure you know where he is?" Seryosong tanong niya. Wala na ang ngiti sa labi ni Chrysler. In all honesty, nakakatakot ang eskpresyon niya ngayon. Parang maling salita ko lang ay mapapahamak ako.

I swallowed my fear and nodded.

AFTER OBTAINING Glaucous' ring, umalis na ako sa slums at bumalik sa Academy.

It's almost midnight nang makabalik ako. I laid down and stare at the ring on my finger.

Glaucous' ring. I had a hard time obtaining it when in the original, dahil useless nga ito kung ituring ng mga magician ay madali itong napasakamay ng isang criminal who was later classified as highly dangerous.

Is it because of butterfly effect? Pero wala pa naman akong ginagawa that could possibly change the courses of event or the future of this world. Is me simply being here complicate things already?

Napabuntong hininga ako. Wala akong magagawa kung ganon. It's not as if makakaalis ako in my own accord.

I recalled my conversation with Chrysler earlier.

"I wont accept any monetary payment, the information you gave me will serve as such. But if it happens that the information was false, prepare for the worst, Miss." Seryosong aniya.

Pakirandam ko ay tumaas lahat ng balahibo ko sa lamig ng boses niya. Chrysler was really scary when he's mad.

"Yes, ofcourse. But I will ask you to please, not kill me. Not that the information is false but, well for insurance." I answered.

"Very well." He then excused himself and left. A couple of minutes later he came back carrying a black velvet box. He put it on the counter top and slid it towards me.

Kukunin ko na sana ang box pero iniiwas niya ito.

"What now?" Inis na tanong ko.

"Before I give it to you. Mind if I ask something?"

"Yes, I do mind. So please, hand it over, Sir." Sagot ko pero hindi niya pinansin ang sinabi ko.

"Why go to such extent to get this useless artifact? You even said you'd pay for as much as I want. It shows how badly you want it." He then leaned forward. "So what's deal with this ring?"

I snatched the box on his hand. Thankfully, he let it go.

"I'm not obligated to answer such questions."

Binuksan ko ang box at nakita ko ang singsing. Just like how it was described in the novel, the ring looked plain. It only has a small crystal gem with a blue tint at the center embeded on the ring band.

After confirming it's the real ring, I put it on my finger, it immediately changed size to fit my finger, then looked at Chrysler.

"We're done here right?"

He nodded. "Yes. Thank you for your patronage, dear customer." Aniya. Tumango ako at tumalikod palabas.

"I'll contact you later!" Pahabol pa ni Chrysler bago ako makalabas ng shop.

I rose from the bed. I want to start filling Glaucous' ring with my mana.

To activate this artifact, I simply need to imbue it with ample amout of mana but it isn't just that, I have to control the mana I released on the ring and circulate it inside the small gem. For someone like me who cannot control my mana properly, this task is tricky because the gem where I have to circulate my mana is small. And when I said small, it's really small.

Is it okay to do it here?

I sat up staight at the top of my bed at start gathering mana on my right palm.

Kinakabahan pa ako dahil baka hindi ko macontrol ang mana, but in contrary, I was able to easily control it.

Nang sa tingin ko ay okay na ang dami ng mana sa palad ko, ipinatong ko ito sa taas ng kaliwang kamay ko kung naasan ang singsing.

I watched as the translucent mana swirl around the ring. I maneuver it to my will, though medyo nahihirapan ako at umiinit ang palad ko, nagagawa ko naman.

I imagined the mana becomes thin as a thread and penetrate the gem. My mana permeated to the small gem and circulated around it.

Doing this task maybe easy to other but not to me. Kanina ay medyo nadadalian akong kontrolin ang mana ko but as time went on, nahihirapan na ako. Ang init na kanina ay sa palad ko lang nararamdaman ay kumakalat sa katawan ko, particularly sa bandang dibdib kung nasaan ang puso.

I maximize my concentration.

Sabi nila, magic is about imagination and what ones truly desire. If I imagine things, through magic it'll come true, though magic is the use of mana and mana is a fuel for magic, controlling mana can be seen as doing magic but without the other elements.

I continued to maneuver my mana, which is in the shape of a thread, to swirl inside the gem. After a couple of minutes, the small crystal gem blue tint eeturned to it's original form.

Lapis Lazuli.

That's the name of the gem embedded on the ring. It is a type of gem with a bright blue color. It's a very rare and precious gem used in creating portals that need immense mana.

I pant due to exhaustion but still felt proud of what I have achieved. The ring on my index finger can now become a medium to contain my immense mana running wild inside my weak body.

I smiled. I want to start pouring may excess mana on the gem but I'm too tired.

Pabagsak akong humiga sa kama at pumikit. Hindi nagtagal ay nakatulog ako.

THE FOLLOWING days, suspended ang classes for 2 weeks dahil sa nangyaring commotion noong nakaraan. While there are no classes, nanatili lang ako sa kwarto ko.

Nakaupo ako ngayon sa mat. It had been 3 days since I started pouring my mana sa Lazuli gem. Araw araw, I pour nearly 80% of my total mana sa gem. The first time I did it, it actually made me super exhausted and uncomfortable. But the second time, it made me feel refreshed. Nawala ang bigat sa dibdib ko na lagi kong nararamdaman and may body feels light. I think my body's condition also improved a lot.

During the suspension of classes, for some reasons lagi akong dinadalaw nina Radephon, Laridgus at Krion. Aside from Krion na lagi akong kinukumusta, dumadalaw lang yung dalawa para mambuwisit.

'Is Radephon and Laridgus close with the original Ilana? I dunno. The original never mentioned such thing.'

I don't pay them any attention. I have to cut my connection with them anyways.

Krion and his comrades ang magiging center ng lahat ng calamity sa mundong to kaya para naman malayo ako sa unnecessary dangers, kailangan kong putulin ang ugnayan namin.

"Goodmorning Class." Bati ni Mage Mia, ang professor namin sa Magic Artifact Class.

2 weeks had passed and today is my first class eversince I came into this world.

Tanging ang mga magic na nabasa ko sa novel ang alam kong klase ng magic, kaya naman para makasabay sa mga kaklase kong 2nd year, kailangan kong mag aral. Mabuti nalang at may mga notes ang original Ilana. Yun ang ginamit ko at ang library na maraming klase ng libro tungkol sa magic.

I even became friends with the librarian dahil araw araw akong nasa library sa loob ng dalawang linggo.

As soon as we settled down, nag simula nang mag discuss si Miss Mia.

"Young Mages, does any of you regonize this item?" She then projected an image of a box shaped thing using the device infront of her.

That device she used is a magic device, not an artifact, used by the academy in teaching. It can be seen as both projector and computer if compared to the world I came from.

"Now, this item is an artifact." The 3D image of the box with weird writtings and pattern on every side was emitting a blue light.

"The academy's core." I whispered pero mukhang narinig niya ito.

"That is right Mage Ilana." She faced the class. "During the last magic training's commotion, a criminal group has bridge the academy's security. Their main goal is to steal the core . But what is this core? How is it important? How can they benefit from stealing it? Why do they want it?"

Miss Mia tapped the screen projected by the device. Several picture then appeared.

"Our Mephalia Academy, to be a suitable place for nurturing aspiring young magicians, ths school grounds should be brimming with mana. This item, the core, does that. It emits mana that is similar to natural mana."

So, that blue light is mana.

"This core, since the establishment of the academy several hundreds of years ago, was said to emit mana continuously."

The class started murmuring to themselves sa sinabi ni Miss Mia.

"How can be, Professor? Kung matagal nang naglalabas ng mana ang core na kayang sumakop sa academy, bakit hindi pa ito nasisira?" A student infront asked her.

All artifact has limits, just like how a living being is capable of dying. No matter how much powerful an artifact is, it will eventually break.

"Right. It's common knowledge that an artifact will break 200 years after its creation, moreover an artifact with this kind of feature. So, how did the Mephalia academy's core able to surpass the 200 hundred years mark?"

"Materials." Bulong ko. Pwedeng magtagal ang isang artifact nang higit sa 200 daang taon kung high quality ang materials na ginamit at master craftsman at gumawa.

Ngumiti sa direksyon ko si Miss Mia. Bumulong lang ako at malayo ang agwat namin ngunit tila narinig parin ako ni Miss Mia. Siguro ay gumagamit siya ng senses enhancing spell ngayon.

"That's right. The secret lies with the materials used in crafting the core."

Then a different image was projected on the screen.

I heard gasps. Some of my classmates were surprised and some were excited upon seeing the image.

It shows a dead body, a corpse of a blue dragon.

"The Core, was crafted using a dragon's heart and mana organ."