Bloodline
Jerastus 13, 2196
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GEORGIA
Georgia Kaye Alas

Nakatakas ako mula sa mga kawal. Nagsimulang lumakas ang kabog ng pusa ko sa bawat segundong nanatiling tahimik ang paligid. I never thought I'd fear being around the execution tower. But then, I guess this reminds me of a near-death experience.

Now, now. Where will I find them? Pamilyar na ako rito, ngunit nag-aalala ako kung saan sila naparating. Hindi naman nila alam ang mga lugar dito, at hindi ko rin naman naisip na bigyan sila ng mapa- ah, hindi nga pala nila alam na isa akong soulless.

I sighed in frustration and worry. Inuna ko munang makalayo sa execution tower, at naglakad patungo sa marketplace. Pero makakarating lang ako sa bukana no'n. Hindi ko na kakayanin pang maglakad nang higit sa isang oras.

While on my way, I felt a strange sensation, as I was not used to the cold chill I got accustomed to all my life before Summer.

It worried me that I had to doubt my identity... or is it possible that Fall has really gotten colder over the time I was not here? Then, I realized, after two months, I'm already back in my homeland.

I'm not recognized here. I can live my life again, and without discrimination after adapting a new identity and name. Lucianna Sariel.

But then, heaven knows my conscience wouldn't let that happen. Aeryn's life is at stake, so I need to help her.

"So you're back. I assume, you're Georgia," ani ng isang lalaki na kaagad kong nakilala ang boses. My head turned to him sharply, and there, I saw the man who had framed me.

Haden Zorell.

His then long dark hair was cut short, but hell, I could cut it shorter for him- pulling every hair of his until he becomes bald.

"You're going to kill me," he implied.

Hindi ko naman siya sinagot at tiningnan lang siya nang masama. Hah, the phantom or whoever it is must have notified him that we're planning to go here.

"So Summer hasn't changed you. Still the same as before. Reserved, quiet, but... deadly," dagdag niya at napailing nang ilang beses. "You wouldn't be able to seduce the crown prince like that."

The wooshing sound of the dagger whirling around my hand calmed me down, but one more word from the shadow, I might have him strangled by this. He seemed to have caught the cue, so he shut up and beckoned his head sideward- opposite to the direction to the marketplace's life.

I particularly had not entered this side of the place. The black market. Everyone was aware of its existence, but even the knights didn't dare meddle. It's better than letting monsters run free. I had remembered people pushing me here, saying I can live without discriminations here- because everyone else was alike to me.

But as I look around here, I could immediately tell that I would not have survived. Mabilis kong tinago ang dagger bago pa makaagaw ng atensyon.

I wasn't sure what I expected to see. There was something strange in the lack of activity here. Though I enjoyed solititude, the atmosphere here is suffocating.

"What name are you using again?" Tanong ni Haden nang pabulong. "Malamang ay hindi mo magagamit ang pangalan mo, 'di ba?"

I nodded and answered through telepathy. "Lucianna Sariel."

"Hm. Nice name, but how many vowels is that? Five? You can use it as a full name, but at least shorten it for a nickname," aniya nang pabulong at natatawa pa.

Siniko ko siya palayo sa'kin. Ngunit wala sa sarili akong napatingin sa kanyang paa. It didn't seem like he was limping anymore. He had a point, but I just couldn't stand his presence.

While thinking of possible names, I thought of 'Lowell'... then Luel. The two first and last letters of the name.

"Luel," banggit ko kay Haden sa isipan niya. He immediately get what I was referring to.

A whistle broke the silence, and everyone at the black market had suddenly hid in their stalls, inside their warehouses, or vanished into thin air.

Nanlalaking mata ang iginawad ko kay Haden, at maski siya ay tila gustong magtago. His frozen stance showed that he had not expected whatever situation we're in.

"Haden?" I asked in his mind, but he didn't respond. His frantic breathing worried me.

He waited, eyes darting with every crack or snap, figuring where the whistle came from. Within minutes, the whistle faded and then vanished. Silence. The silence almost made me hear his gulp.

From afar, loud footsteps reverbed around. Bawat apak ay ramdam kong gumagalaw ang paligid- no, it wasn't just a feeling. Everything around us moved like puzzle pieces.

Phantoms started emerging from the ground, and swirled around us. Haden Zorell looked like he was being swallowed by death, but I kept firm. Hindi ko alam kung sino'ng kakaharapin namin na kinakatakutan ng lahat ng narito sa black market, pero hindi pwedeng matapos ako rito.

Napasinghap lang ako nang tumalipon si Haden Zorell palayo sa'kin. Hindi ko na nakita kung saan siya napadpad dahil sa usok sa paligid.

A low chuckle, which to my surprise was near me already, had greeted me. The phantoms started to slow down, and revealed the form of a tall man in front of me.

I couldn't recognize his features well. He was hooded in a cloak that almost reached bis eyes.

"Took you a long time, little one, to finally come here in my place," the man said. Warlock Valdemior. Just the darkness around him, alike to Harden Lowell Calafiore, was enough to tell it was him.

"You won't be harmed here. You are a special guest," he added.

In a split of a second, our surroundings had already changed. Oh, so this is what the greatest warlock is capable of doing.

We were taken to a warehouse, dark and musty. Hindi ko mawari kung ano ang nasa ilalim ng mga puting tela, na tila ba matagal nang hindi nagagalaw. I stopped myself from covering my nose from the dust.

The window was blurry with all the dust, but I noticed that there were traders passing by quietly and with speed.

I, again, flinched when they stopped. Time stopped.

"This is but a copy of me," the warlock said, shifting my attention to him. He put his cloak down and there, I saw how much he looked like Lowell- except that he had red eyes like me and longer hair than Lowell.

Hindi ko naintinidihan ang kanyang mga sinambit, pero sa bawat dagdag niya sa kanyang mga sinasabi, unti-unti kong nakukuha.

"The moment I saw you, I knew you were capable of unfreezing my real body," he said and shifted to a chair beside him to sit.

My eyes squinted as he closed his eyes while playing with shadows. "But I knew you couldn't yet. You were bound to see the other side of the world, to know yourself. To find out your purpose and being. It would only be then for everything to be possible."

Marami akong gustong itanong pa sa kanya. Ano'ng kinalaman ko sa plano nila? Saan ko makikita ang antidote? Ano ang mapapala ko sa kanila... at ba't ako pa ang kailangan niya?

But only one question slip from my tongue.

"How do you know me?"

"By blood," he briefly answered. But it was enough to confirm my suspicions.

The Greatest Warlock, Valdemior, was my father.

Still, I didn't have a sense of familial bond with him. He didn't seem to care too.

"At least, in this lifetime," he added. Isang kunot-noo naman ang naigawad ko sa kanya kaya't napatawa siya nang malakas.

"You may be my daughter here, but that's it. Your identity is long engraved in your fate ever since in your past lifetime," dagdag niya na mas lalong ipinagtaka ko.

'Yon bang nakaraan na kanyang tinutukoy ay ang mga scenario na nakita ko noong nasa library? With Lucifuge.

"That is why I brought you to Summer. You needed to meet him, Lucifuge. Who would have thought that fate would make it easier? The waves brought you to my son, your half-sibling, Lowell— and he had you disguised as the crown princess. Hah, it was a better plan than mine," aniya habang pumapalakpak nang malakas, tila tuwang-tuwa sa nangyari.

"Hindi ko pa rin naiintindihan kung bakit," I mentioned over his boisterous laughter. The phantoms around him even laughed too, going up and down, around and about.

His laugh slowly faded until a smile was left. The phantoms around him, now circled me. Hindi na ako natakot, dahil gaya ng sabi niya, 'di niya ako ipapahamak.

"Who knows?" 'Yan lang ang tanging sinagot niya. "It doesn't matter, child. Now, now, tell me, why are you here?"

"You know about it already. The antidote. I need an antidote, Valdemior," mabilis kong sagot.

Matagal akong hindi sinagot ni Valdemior, at sa halip ay bumuo ng imahe ng Summer at Fall sa kawalan.

Humakbang ako papalapit sa ilusyon na 'yon, at doon ko napansing habang gumagalaw ang lahat— nanatili ang araw at buwan.

"The sun and the moon are stuck, and it's still a mystery why. But magic made it possible for Summerland to go on," Valdemior stated.

"There is an orb that absorbs magic, and it's connected to the sea of Summerland. Thus, making the sea's surroundings full of power— that only the most powerful and with noble bloodline could survive."

Then, the illusion zoomed in to the middle where the borderline could be seen. Kitang-kita ang paghati ng Summerland sa umaga't gabi. In the middle of the vast sea, there was a golden light glowing under. The orb.

"I learned about this as I travel back and forth to Summer and Fall. This magical orb kept us all alive. Then, I built ships, capable of withstanding the magical energy around the sea. A ship made from anicent ice," aniya nang may diin ang huling mga kataga.

"But it had consequences. I could no longer move my real body, as if it had turned to ice. Thankfully, I was still a warlock so I learned the ability to extract my being to illusions."

Then, another copy of him appeared and replaced the one I was talking to.

"You inherited the power of ancient ice. Only one per generation of our bloodline can have it, that is why your brother doesn't possess it," paliwanag niya pa.

"As powerful as it seems, the power is limited. The curse of the ancient ice is something that cannot be undone in this world. It's impossible to do so because the orb prevents it and absorbs the spell."

So... there's no way? Namutla ako nang marinig 'yon. Natakot na ako sa maaaring mangyari dahil ng kapangyarihan ko. I cannot undo what I did at the village, or what I did to Aeryn.

I shouldn't use my power.

"The only way to undo the spell of Ancient Ice is to make time flow again in Summerland. Make the sun reach Fall, and the moon reach Summer," Valdemior said and turned his back against me. And in a snap, we were back to the alley.

"Or find someone with our bloodline in the other realms to undo the spell. That would be most possible. Aren't you originally from another world too, Georgia?" pahabol niya bago naglaho nang parang bula.

Nagsimula na ring bumalik sa normal ang paligid, at sa paglingon ko, nakita ko si Haden. Fear was still evident on his face as he looked at my direction, but relief soon came in when the phantoms vanished.

And all there's left to me was confusion. Instead of answers, all I sought were more questions for myself and Summerland.

Discovering Summerland
By lostmortals
Plagiarism is a crime.

If you've read The Orphic Secret and The Zero Curse, the orb must be familiar.

Votes and comments are appreciated. Thank you for reading!