TWO

POWER OF THE CELESTIAL 

⸙♚⸙♚⸙

"NADALINDE, MAY ISA pang bagay na 'di ko nasasabi sa 'yo. Ang pinagkaiba natin bilang isang Demigods at Teras."

Humarap si Courtney sa harap ng isang bato at tinoktok 'to, "Celestial Rapture."

Not just the Book of Fates was well-known in this realm. You could never have predicted the strength of the children of mythological creatures. Before even surviving their reincarnation, the children endured seven agonies of punishment, each of which was a result of their curse.

It's known that only a small percentage of children of mythical creatures possess the abilities of the Greek gods. Furthermore, they have the potential to surpass the Demigods in strength.

Because of this, they would never have been accepted in the Twilight Vale if it weren't for the House of Rusvil's nobility, who pushed for their continued presence in this realm.

"What should we do with her now?" Lumapit si Conleth sa tabi ni Courtney.

"Keep her, I suppose. Who knows, she might have led us to a few questions." Courtney reminded them, keeping her golden eyes in tact so she could scare anyone who wanted to make a fool of her.

"Courtney, don't abuse that ethereal power; you have no idea how dangerous it can be to you. Especially when Ares granted you the power. Ares is associated with war; you're unaware of the risks of the power of not..."

Tinitigan lang ni Courtney ang pinsan niya at tinaasan sila ng kilay. Ang oa n'yo naman! 

She will stop at nothing to defend herself if fate is the one who attacked her.

"Where can this bitch be found? Where, after all, can we hide her?" Ginulo ni Frayden ang kanyang buhok and sighed. 

She had only been thinking about one place. They can hide her anywhere. Teras was obviously unable to approach that realm, but only Frayden was able to complete this task.

"Will you be able to keep her safe from the underworld?"Courtney asked, and Frayden's eyes widened so much that he was unable to respond to what she had said. Umiling-iling si Frayden at 'di makapaniwala.

"You're amazing. You're aware that you can't simply use me for that kind of thing. C–Courtney, kung paparusahan mo lang naman ako, h'wag naman ganito!" Lumapit si Fraden sa kanya at niyakap ang pinsan. Ramdam niya ang mabilis na tibok ng puso niya at ayaw niyang pakawalan si Courtney. Halos mahawakan niya ang pisngi niya sa takot at mapasigaw. Napansin n'ya na pinagpapawisan din siya.

Courtney knew exactly why he was behaving that way. Hermes was the only Olympian capable of crossing the boundary between the living and the dead and carrying the souls of the dead in Hades. In time, he came to be known as "the conductor" or "the leader of souls." People also called him "patron of travelers and thieves," "shepherd of men," "trickster," and "Argus-slayer."

Hermes was a darling of the gods. Artemis supposedly taught him how to hunt and Pan how to play the pipes. He was the one who guided Persephone back to her mother, Demeter. Above all, Hermes was very close with his father, acting in many of his affairs as Zeus' wingman.

Most famously, he beheaded the hundred-eyed giant Argus Panoptes, previously sent by Hera to closely watch over Zeus' love interest Io. She knew a great deal about the story.

After that, nakita nila na nag-aalarma na sa tatlong unibersidad: ang Phanteon Academy, Aetherion Academy, at Orpheus Academy where each of them was selected as the legitimate descendants. At sa malayuan, may isang bata lumilipad sa ere. Or not. Halatang antok na antok siya then she started using her microphone.

"If you can all hear me, Phanteon, Aetherion, and Orpheus students, please reply to me with your magic. The Holder of the Fates is under danger, so pay attention. Keep in mind all of your instructions and lessons learned here. Because we're fighting this! Stand up to our fates! We mustn't allow the scientist to take it away from us!"

And tumango sila isa-isa. Marami pang sagot na gustong malaman si Courtney sa mga oras na 'to, kaya't agad siyang tumakbo as darkness has begun to cover the area at saka siya sumigaw. "Henry! Where are you?"

She pressed her lips together and let out a deep moan while Courtney embraced herself tightly. He's aware of the precise locations of the memories she wishes to retain.

The leaves rattle around Courtney's feet as she tramples on them. As she started to walk, she was extremely cautious and saw that the fog had become thicker, creating an unsettling environment. There are rumors going about, and she couldn't stop thinking about how curious she was about this area. She observed the clouds in space illuminating the sky in various hues from a distance at mas lalo pa siyang lumapit do'n.

She heard the giants growling around here, but she couldn't identify what it was. It grew even more sinister as the shadows grew thicker. He should be present, naglalaban lang kanina sila ni Nadalinde!

Kaya siya na mismo ang gusto makasaksi ng lahat ng 'to—ang lahat ng katotohanan tungkol sa kanyang memorya na pilit niyang gustong malaman, sa gabing 'yon kung sa'n niya kinuha ang isang bagay na sobrang importante sa kanya. Her memories are the key that unlocks Medusa's lair.

That's where she discovers the real answers.

☘☘☘

At kung alam ni Henry ang totoong nangyari sa nangyari sa kanya pero ginagawa niyang itago ito, ano'ng dahilan niya para gawin ang mga bagay na 'yon?

She isn't even aware of the solution. She wanted to ask him a lot of questions, more like she's trying to piece it all together. Just as he was stealing her memories that day, he attempted to seal Giovanni's powers....why would he do that?

"Henry!" Sigaw na lang ni Courtney.

And she saw that his hands were blazing at tumakbo siya papunta sa kanya at itinaas na lang ni Henry ang isang silindro na kumikinang, "Now share my memories with me! No, explain to me the actual power of the celestial and the divine powers!"

"How long would you tolerate it if you were aware of the truth? I should be the one to relieve you of the pain you've been through. To set you free." Hindi ko maintindihan! Ano'ng ibig niyang sabihin? 

"May mali rito, Henry. Alam kong alam mo ang totoo, kaya sabihin mo sa 'kin! What was that object in your hand?" Tanong ni Courtney She takes a step closer and says, "That's the Basilisk Eye Blade."She's certain of it, sigurado siya na kinuha ng mga scientists ang lahat ng meron ang kanyang ina.

'Di mapigilan ni Courtney na mapakagat na lang sa labi niya at napayuko na lamang siya. There might be a reason for this, and she must figure it out. 

"Masyado kang makulit. Do you truly have a strong desire to know your memories?" Ngumisi naman siya sa'kin and he stayed in the shadows. She squinted to see where he was, but she was unable to see him everywhere because of the thickening fog.

╔═════ ▓▓ ࿇ ▓▓ ═════╗

PLINANO NIYA ba lahat ng 'to? Ang kunin ang isang bagay na mahalaga sa kanya? And he's the only one who is aware of how much she values those memories! She reasoned that since he had forgotten his aggression, why was he behaving this way? Now give her the answer!

"Oo! At ikaw mismo ang magsasabi nito sa 'kin! Kaya h'wag mo nang paghirapan pa ang sitwasyon ko and just tell me, please!"Sigaw ni Courtney sa kanya, she's narrowing her eyes at him at ramdam niya ang panginginig ng kanyang mga labi and her face was flushed with frustration as she bit her lip. She, too, found it hard to believe.

Kahit ano'ng gawin niya, wala siyang maalala. Something has been preventing her from remembering her, and everything seems hazy as she held her head—regarding the inevitable death of Medusa—not only is she a snake monster—may ginawa ang mga scientist na 'yon para mailayo siya ro'n at 'yon ang dapat niyang alamin—kung nasa'n siya. 

They advise them to defend their own fates, but how can she do that if she has no idea what she's fighting for?

Wala nagawa si Courtney at lumapit siya kay Henry and let go of her threatening aura, causing her eyes to glow a deeper shade of gold. Her fires are beginning to burn her at mas lalo pang lumakas ang asul na apoy sa kanyang paligid, at inikot niya ang kanyang ulo na parang isang ahas.

"Sasabihin mo sa 'kin ang totoo. Because if you don't, my blue flames will burn you. How did you deal with Medusa?"

☘☘☘

Her blue flames begin to flicker with a different kind of energy, and the hits are rippling through the air, which is different from the typical fire magic. The more the flames explode, the more dangerous it becomes. The flames exploded, and they are too hot compared to the orange flames, almost burning you to tiny ashes.

When Courtney's face turned green and a light magic began to run through her hair, adding green highlights, she snatched up her gun and pointed at the long, large snakes that surrounded her. "Sumagot ka! Or would you prefer that I make you spit out the answers?"

"Sa oras ba na malaman mo ang totoo, do you believe you can cope with what truly happened with your mother?"

☘☘☘

'Sure, I can! I want to track her down! I'd like to save her! What they call me or whether I end up being a sinner is irrelevant!' Courtney becomes more and more frustrated at napagat na lang siya sa labi niya. She only wanted to know what had happened to her mother, and no one even bothered to tell her. Despite this, she always felt that she should be punished because of the way she was treated. She couldn't handle all the voices in her head, which made her even worse, so Courtney held on to her chest.

That's how she always detested it.

He truly did do something to her memories. Also, she wants it returned. Even through coercion. She must be born this way in order for her to discover the answers on her own, and there is always a way to discover the truth. She wouldn't mind going back to the beginning of this whole situation because she will find those pieces.

Since the day she was turned into the test subject.

In that sheer terror.