Fear the Reaper

Chapter 21: Gaea

Nine

"So what happened to the souls that wander around?" tanong sa akin ni Azrael as we continue walking.

"Either they become banshees or some demon will eat them. But most of them will become goner," sagot ko sa kanya.

"Goner?"

"Yes. It means one. Vanished," sagot ko.

"Ohh. I thought souls need to go where they should. May nagiging ganoon din pala?"

"Well, I was locked up for too long. And the damage has already been done. I couldn't do anything but offer them a place where they can stay and feel safe. That's against my rules but I don't have any choice," sagot ko.

Nagpatuloy kami sa paglakad hanggang sa nakarating kami sa b****a ang kweba ng Tartarus. Ang b****a ay kasya lang kaming dalawa ni Azraela whereas sinasabing mga higante ang mga Titans. How did they fit in here?

"Somethings unusual here," sabi ni Azraela bago kinuha ang isang sulo upang gawing ilaw sa aming daraanan. "Why do they don't have guards here?" tanong nito sa akin.

"That is the question I can't answer, Azrael. I didn't even know that this place existed," sagot ko sa kanya.

Truth is, I have been searching and learning about the place that wasn't there during the time I wasn't under go slumbering. This is the first place I wanted to know about. The humours say that this is the scariest prison that was ever made. Or is it? Scarier than my abyss?

Habang papalapit na kami sa gitna ng tartarus ay naririnig na namin ang mga ungol. This time the anger, the hatred, the pain feelings are now thick. These emotions are coming from the door ahead of us. Ibig sabihin at malapit na kami sa pinakapusod ng Tartarus.

As we entered the main hall, nakita namin ang mga magkakalapit lapit na kulungan. Doon nagmumula ang mga ungol na naroon. As we approached the first cell, at bahagyang inilawan ni Azraela ang loob nito. The cell was made of bones. At basa sa mga nagliliwanag na bagay mula roon, the cells is coated with spell.

Nakita namin ni Azraela ang isang babaeng mahaba ang buhok ngunit halod maging walis tingting na sa tigas. Punong-puno ng dumi ang mukha at ang kanyang damit ay punit-punit na. Mga mga sugat-sugat na rin at mga namamagang pasa sa naka-expose nitong balat. Her eyes are dead shut but as I study her, humihinga pa ito. Lumapit ako ng bahagya sa kulungan at ganoon na lamang ang aking gulat ng bigla itong bumangon at hinawakan ang laylayan ng aking damit na siya namang ikinagulat ni Azraela that made her cursed.

"At last! She's here! Everyone! She's here!" malakas na sigaw ng babae.

"Lady! Get off your dirty hands from the mistress!" sigaw ni Azraela na akmang tatanggalin ang mga kamay ng babae.

"Shhh," saway ko sa kanya.

"They have been expecting me," sabi ko sa kanya. "Let her be," sabi ko pa habang nakatingin sa mga magalis na kamay ng babae.

Ilang sandali lang ay narinig namin ni Azraela ang mga kalampag ng kulungan sa buong silid na kinaroroonan namin.

"Who's here?" narinig kong tanong nila sa babae.

"You're death aren't you? I saw you in my vision. I saw you coming here to free us from this misery and torture. We have been waiting for you for millions of years," aniya na napapaluha sa kagalakan.

"Are you one of the titans?" tanong ko sa babae.

Titans are supposed to be giants, aren't they?

"Yes," sagot ng babae.

"Hey! Aren't titans supposed to be Giants?" tanong ni Azraela na hindi nakatiis. Good thing she asked that question.

"We're not giants. Titans aren't giants. We are normal. Who said that?" aniya bago kinamot ang kanyang sugat na siyang dahilan kung bakit ito dumugo.

"Ugh! That's disgusting," ani Azraela.

"S-sorry," sagot ng babae bago binitawan ang aking damit. "It's been a million years since the last time I bathed," sagot niya.

"What's your name?" tanong ko sa kanya.

"Mnemosyne," sagot niya. "Did you come here to save us? To free us?" tanong niya.

"I do. But tell me why did you end up here? And what's the lie in the history about you?" tanong ko sa kanya.

"So the prophecy is finally happening," narinig kong may nagsakita ilang dipa ang layo mula sa kulungan ni Mnemosyne.

"Talk to him, he's our king Cronus," aniya. "He'll tell you everything you need to know. Before it's too late," sabi niya sa akin.

"Free her, Azraela along with everyone. We need them," utos ko sa kanya bago pinuntahan ang kulungan ni Cronus.

The feeling of uneasiness hitted me. There's something wrong about her. Seems like there's a lie in the history I read about deities.

I saw Cronus lying down on the cold floor of his cell. Buto't balat na ito at matandang matanda na. Is this Cronus? The mighty titan king? What happened to him? I can see his life span and he is on the edge of death. Was he waiting for me?

"Greetings, Death," nakangiting sabi niya. "It's an honour to finally meet the member of the big three that is feared by everyone," aniya. "I'm sorry. My health is declining and any minute I'll die soon," aniya pa na ngumiti sa akin.

"What happened to you?" tanong ko sa kanya.

Titans already existed before I went into deep slumber. They were the original deities and why the hell are they all here?

"Cherubim," sagot niya.

Ugh.. like I was expecting. It's him again.

"Cherubim stole my life force when he created Hera," sagot niya sa akin.

"You weren't supposed to die," sabi ko.

I remember it. My lord bestowed him a longer life than anyone.

"I trusted him that he was probably laughing behind my back," aniya. "If only I had the strength to stand up and find the bastard, I did it a long time ago," aniya.

"Where are your other life forms? Cherubim can't stand to hold such pure energy. To whom did you give it?" tanong ko sa kanya.

Ngumiti siya at saka itinuro ang isa pang kulungan na nasa pinakadulo.

"I gave it to my youngest daughter, Gaea," sagot niya sa akin.

"Why did you do that?" tanong ko sa kanya.

"Because she's the one who led the titans to the war when I was badly injured. But sadly, she was badly wounded. When I gave her half of my remaining life force energy, she's not breathing anymore. We were thrown down here before she could even make any progress," sagot niya sa akin sa kabila ng nahihirapan itong magsalita.

I see no king here. I see a father who yearns for his daughter.

"She's breathing. I can hear it," sagot ko sa kanya.

"Thank you," aniyang pilit na ngumiti. "In the eyes of everyone, we are the villain in any deities story, aren't we?" tanong niya.

"Yes," walang gatol na sagot ko sa kanya.

Like I said, I was about to fall into my deep slumber when they were created. I don't know much about them as I was locked up.

"According to the history I read, you were giants and Hera was your younger daughter. She was the first short titans ever existed," sagot ko sa kanya. "You hated the new kind of titans and so you ordered to kill them all. Hera and the remaining short titans fought you with all their might and finally you got defeated and threw you here along with the other titans. In short, good titans win and the bad end up here," sagot ko sa kanya.

"Lies," sagot niya. "We aren't giants and we worship the real Lord, the same Lord you obey. Cherubim came with us one day. He told me that you were finally locked up and immortality has been bestowed to us," aniya pa. "Since you were locked down, there will be no more deaths anymore. In return, he wanted to call him lord. We refused, of course. There's no such thing that can lock death forever. And we refuse to worship him. He threatened me that he could kill me whenever he wants but because you were gone, it is impossible for me to die. Cherubim found a way to eliminate me, and that was the art of stealing a life force and transferred it to his newly created deity, Hera. Hera and her people attacked us. Cherubim helped her and we ended up here," sagot niya bago umubo.

I can see that his life force has already maxed out. And it's up to me to reap his soul out of his body.

"You time has come," sabi ko sa kanya. "But I let you stay a little bit longer for you to talk with your daughter," dagdag ko pa before opening his cage. I don't mind the spell. It's just making my skin tingles. "Can you stand up?" tanong ko sa kanya.

Umiling siya.

Pinitik ko ang aking mga kamay and his body begun floating.

"Why are you doing this? I.. I heard that death is heartless," mangiyak-ngiyak niyang sabi.

"I'm not that heartless. It might be against my rule to at least do something for the creature who is about to die, I have lessened their sadness. Is it not right to do?" tanong ko sa kanya habang patungo kami sa kulungan ng kanyang anak.

Pagdating namin doon ay binuksan ko ang kulungan ni Gaea. She's sleeping soundly but I couldn't hear her heart beating. And part of her soul has already gone. Cronus' life form failed to restore it. I don't have a choice but to get that partial part back to her and make her heart beat again.

Lumikha ako ng isang pulgadang guhit sa ere at pagkatapos ay ipinasok ko ang aking kamay. As soon as I felt familiar energy, I pulled it out. The slit I made in the air vanished as I put back the partial energy back to Gaea's body. And then I cut her chess open.

Pinapanood ako ni Cronus with hopes in his eye.

Ipinasok ko ang aking kanang kamay at hinahanap kung nasaan ang kanyang puso. But as soon as I found it, bahagya akong nakuryente sa poot na nakapalibot sa puso nito. Gaea's heart is full of hatred, anger, and revenge. Saka ko lang naisip na iyong makapal na emosyon na naramdaman ko noon ay nagmumula halos kalahati niyon kay Gaea. And I need those emotions. As I started to squeeze her heart until it began to beat again. Secretly, a snake tattoo slowly slithering down from my hands and made it way to Gaea's heart. It will stay there, secretly until it needs to do something. Pagkatapos kong masiguro na regular na ang t***k ng kanyang puso ay hinila ko palabas ang aking kamay at hinayaang kusang gumaling ang sugat na aking ginawa. Blood fell down from my right hand but I didn't mind it.

Nakita kong gumalaw ang mga talukap ng mata ni Gaea at ilang sandali ay kusa itong nagbukas. Napabalikwas ito ng bangon at ang una niyang nakita ay ang kanyang ama.

"Father!" sigaw niya, crying.

I let them have their moment and then went to check what Azraela was doing.

"Is everyone free?" tanong ko sa kanya.

"Yes mistress," I also took them to Charon's waiting ship," sagot niya.

"And the wounds?"

"Everyone has been treated and given what they need, mistress," sagot niya.

"Good."

Hindi rin nagtagal ang pag-uusap ng mag-ama.

When Cronus finally took his last breath, I severed the connection of his soul and his body. His soul turned into a ball of pure white and a butterfly suddenly appeared in front of me. When such a pure soul, as white as this, a butterfly, comes and collects it from me for this soul doesn't need anything. My lord sent this butterfly to bring the soul back to him.

Nakita ko ang nakangiting mukha ni Cronus despite all the hardship and pain that he probably endured down here, he never cursed nor questioned our Lord. It is such a shame he was accused of being a ruthless titan when the truth is he wasn't.

Ibinaling ko ang tingin kay Gaea.

"I suppose you are ready to avenge your father and your people, aren't you, Gaea?" tanong ko sa kanya.

"I'm ready, Mistress," sagot niya which made me smile.

After I burned Cronus' body, all of us left the tartarus with me, destroying it in the process.