ONE WITH THE MIST

Aliyah Esmeray's POV

I let the mist cover my whole sword before sticking it to the chest of my opponent and strucking it to the chest of the other. "Luna: Destructive mist:" I cast as I swung my sword. Then, all the gray-skinned creatures and the pseudosemideuses in front of me exploded like a bomb.

A glimpse of pink light caught my attention. When I found where it was coming from, I saw Belle running smoothly while her magi glowed around their opponent. Then, I saw Aidan jump and swing his sword multiple times, then fire started coming out of his spathi like a vortex. It was so pretty, the color of his flame and the color of Belle's. They blend so well with each other. Ang ganda ng teamwork nila. I don't know where it was coming from, but a light green mist was covering both of them, and it was the most beautiful thing. The mist was connected to both of them. Meaning, it is there because of them. And I know that they didn't know it.

I turned my attention in front as I saw eight demigods looking at me like they found their prey. They belong to the group Aspro, and the fifth and sixth groups which I didn't know the names of. The vigor around them tells me that they were children of Ares. Their blood red vigor is so sickening to look at. They were now walking towards me, eyes not leaving me. I can't help but feel uncomfortable with their stares. They look like danger.

Even my spathi feels like they were up to no good. It was covered by my vigor instantly. Sa kanila rin galing iyong ibang mga sumugod noon kay Draven sa bahay nila. Akala ko ba ay detainees ang mga ito ngayon? Bakit narito sila ngayon? Pinatakas ba sila ng ministry?

When they were about to reach my direction, a flaming sword fell from the sky then struck on the ground. The fire around it scattered like a snake crawling on the ground. It drew a line between me and my opponents. Its owner came plummeting down the sky and landed on his feet. Then, a pink light surrounded our opponents as soon as Belle appeared beside me.

"You guys didn't really know how to fight fair," ang sabi ni Aidan nang hugutin niya ang espada mula sa lupa. "One versus eight? Ganoon ba kayo katakot sa amin at hindi niyo kami kayang kalabanin mata sa mata?"

I smiled and added insult to the injury. "They're the tops three, five, and six for a reason. They never went up."

Belle snickered and looked at them mockingly. "Mahina pala kayo e."

Nakita ko ang galit sa mukha ng walong kalaban at walang anu-ano ay sumugod sila sa amin. Bago pa man sila makaatake ay nilipad sila ng isang malakas na pwersa mula sa pagbagsak ng liwanag sa lupa. "Guys! It should be two versus one! Pasali naman!" Matapos nito ay kumislap ulit ang liwanag at mula roon ay nakita kong nawala ang dalawang kalaban. Sa isang sulok ay nakita ko ang pula at puting liwanag, kasabay ng pagtunog ng mga espada nila. Matapos nito ay nawala na rin sina Belle at Aidan at nakita ko na lamang ang mga liwanag na naiiwan sa paligid nila habang nakikipaglaban.

Hinarap ko naman ang isang babae at isang lalaki na nakataas ang kilay na nakatingin sa akin. Sumugod na rin sila kaya't inihanda ko ang sarili ko. I shielded myself with Luna and tried deflecting their attacks. Damang-dama ko ang lakas nila. They were trying to overwhelm me with their physical strength, pero kahit kailanman ay hindi ako magpapatalo sa mga ganito. They plunged at me at once, and I was able to catch both of their swords. I deflected it and before they can even react, I slashed them with my blade. They were able to step back a few inches, so I only made a graze wound. Their anger intensified as they look at the wounds I made.

"War blade: Eagle's claw"

"War blade: Lion's roar."

Both their attacks came out simultaneously from their swords, and it reached me, but I was able to dodge it. They continued sending me different sword arts, and I can only defend myself and dodge. A lion appeared on the blade of the other, while an eagle appeared on one. This time, I fixed my stance and slashed my blade in front of me a few times. "Moon sword: Mist slashes, explode."

The invisible slashes glowed and met their attacks. Then it exploded and expanded towards my enemies. They were thrown off the ground so I quickly moved my feet and cast another attack. "Luna: Everlasting moonshine." I threw the Luna in the air. The moon shone brightly, and one of its streaks hit my sword. I smiled when I saw how the mist surrounding my sword bloomed. Then, I lifted myself off the ground and I felt power when I touched the handle of my spathi. It was now being covered by the light of the moon.

Before I could reach the ground, I made a few slashes towards my enemies. They screamed as the wounds I made glowed before it started burning.

"Wow, Ali! That was a new art!"

"Of course! As an imbento!" Natawa kami parehas sa sinabi ko. Actually, kaya niyang gawin ang sword art na iyon kung umaga pa lamang at litaw ang araw. Pero ngayong gabi na, ako lamang ang makagagawa noon.

I think it was already close to midnight, at sa nakikita ko, parang hindi pa rin ubos ang mga halimaw sa paligid. Para bang inuubos nila nang maigi ang lakas namin. Mabuti na lamang at gabi ngayon. If Eliora could use the energy given by the sunlight, I can utilize the moon's energy, too. Kahit na ang liwanag nito ay sa araw lamang din nanggagaling.

Matapos nilang kalabanin ang ibang members ng Aspro ay bumalik na sila sa tabi ko. Eliora hugged me tightly and she apologized endlessly to the three of us because of her mood these past months. We only assured her that it was alright, because it really is. Isa pa, naiintindihan naman nami siya. Ang cute-cute talaga ng baby namin na 'yon.

When I looked to where Draven is, I saw him fighting against ten demigods at once. Hindi ko na nga halos makita ang mga galaw niya. Bukod sa mabilis siyang kumilos e binabalot din siya ng itim na usok. Draven is really powerful. Una pa lamang ay alam kong may kakaiba na sa pagiging demigod niya. Napatunayan ko iyon lalo noong pumunta kami sa underworld. Sa aming lahat, siya lamang iyong parang hindi masyadong nahihirapan. Parang normal lang sa kanya ang paglalakbay sa land of the dead. Siya pa nga ang lumusong sa river para hanapin ang Lethe chalk. Iyon pala, dalawa ang deity niya na sa underworld naninirahan. Malamang ay magkakaroon siya ng immunity against the miasma. He's the son of Thanatos and the grandson of Hades and Atropos, after all. Kaya ganoon na rin siguro ang takot ng mga diyos sa existence niya to the point na narito kami ngayon at nakikipaglaban sa sumpa na dapat ay wala na.

Deion is on another side of the plaza. He is fighting a lot of demigods and three cyclopes. Siya naman ay parang hangin lang na nawawala at iniiwan na lamang na nakabagsak ang kalaban niya. Wala pa ngang emosyon sa mukha niya habang nakikipaglaban. I saw him paused for a bit and observed what Draven was doing. When he saw him doing well, ibinalik na nito ang atensyon sa mga kalaban.

Both of them are individually really strong. Kaya nilang patayin ang mga halimaw at mga kalaban dito nang sila lamang dalawa. With the great power radiating over them, they can even fight the deities. Kaya sila gustong patayin ng mga 'yon. They see the pair as a threat to their existence so they were trying to get rid of both of them. Pero mas malakas ang kapit nilang dalawa sa tadhana.

I was about to run to them when something fell from the sky. The impact of its fall made me stand back, and before I knew it, Ares was now standing in front of me, sword pointing on my neck. I quickly deflected the blade and jumped away from him.

Then, in a blink, I found the holders of Azarin, Agape, Nahara, and Ivieon surrounding the god of war, all pointing their swords at him. Their vigors were dancing like flames behind them, as their eyes glowed in power. We were once threatened by Ares, and now we're ready to pick up what we left behind.

He only smirked and made a full swing of his blade. It didn't reach me but I felt his strength with it. Then, he jumped off the ground and a circle made of vigor formed in front of him. His overwhelming power radiates all over him as he thrusted the sword inside the circle. "War blade: Earth piercer!" Then, with the circle, he struck the sword on the ground. The impact was so strong that we were blown by the strong wind it caused. His sword made a huge dent on the ground. Mabuti na lamang at nakaligtas kami, dahil kung hindi ay sigurado ang pagkamatay namin sa atake niyang iyon.

He appeared in front of me again, but I was quick to dodge his sword. I cannot let my guard down. It seems like I am his target. A flash of light passed by in the middle of us, making him stand back a little. A graze wound was now marking the part of his chest that was uncovered by his armor. Then, vines sprouted from the ground to his feet. The vines suddenly grew thorns that sinked deep in his skin. Ares growled in pain, but he only gripped the vines and took it away from him. A pink flower suddenly fell on his hand and exploded on his face. The flame caused by the explosion engulfed his whole body.

Ares growled, his deep voice ringing around the area. Then, his vigor exploded behind him. Now, it was more intense and his anger was radiating all over the place. It seems like we enraged the god of war. "You dare mock an Olympian such as I. You will pay for this." Ares said, and in a blink, all of them are lying on the ground, screaming in pain. While I...I was struggling in his arms. Ares is holding me by the neck and with his grip, I can feel his anger. "You may be the forgiven child who escaped death after your birth, but you will die here." I was fighting for my life. I cannot breathe anymore. I tried struggling my way out, but his grip is getting stronger.

I was already out of breath and my vision was already unclear, but a smell unfamiliar to me seethed through my nostrils, it was something that gave me strength. I feel my eyes suddenly change their color, the color which will forever be in my eyes starting tonight. I reached the permanent stage...the peak. Now, I can feel my surroundings because of the mist that is covering the place. All of the movements and all of the presence of everyone inside the mist, I can feel. I can even hear the breaths and the heartbeats of everyone inside the mist. This mist storm is slowly becoming my domain.

I held Ares' hand and slowly freed myself from it. He was stunned for a few moments by what I was doing. Hindi niya siguro inakalang makakatakas ako sa pagkakahawak niya. He might be stronger than me, but I am stronger whenever mist is around me. And in this mist storm, I would never lose.

Ares tried to pierce me with his sword, but I quickly moved through the mist. He was confused as he was finding where I was. He won't find me, because I am one with this domain.

I can see his anger through the expression painted on his face. His heart is pacing a bit faster than before, as well as his breathing.

I felt the others standing up, so I covered them. Ares cannot see them, but they were surrounding him already. I blocked his sense of sight, and without it, he would not be able to tell where we exactly are. He continued slashing his sword everywhere, but he couldn't find us.

Now, it is time to counterattack. I let Eliora appear in front of him, but he was caught off guard by the blinding light emitted by her sword. "Nahara: reflecting light beam, locked." Eli slashed her sword, and streaks of light hit his armor continuously, and it fell off.

"Azarin: Hell flame inferno, rain!" Aidan appeared in the air, fire streaks surrounding him. Then, as he plummeted, plenty of fire attacks rained on him. Ares screamed, but his vision had not recovered yet because of his temporary blindness from Eli's light.

"Agape: Calm ballad of love, energy drain." With one attack, Ares fell on his knees. His anger keeps on getting intense. I can feel it on his overexertion of vigor.

"Ivieon: Autumn vine, restrain." Then, from where Gaddiel struck his sword, big vines grew and covered half of the god's body. It glowed like the color of the eyes of Demeter's son, before it tightly bound Ares. Ares tried to free himself from the restraint, but I appeared in front of him. This time, I was the one pointing my sword on his neck.

"I will not die in your hands, Ares. You may be stronger than me, but you're not stronger than us. We grew up fighting death for the benefit of the likes of you who do nothing but indulge himself with power. It is about time you feel the suffering we live with everyday."

"Luna..." My eyes glowed as my sword responded. "Everliving mist of pain, shine." Then, without thinking twice, I struck the god's heart with my sword. He may not die because of my attack, but he will forever live with pain. This is all for the demigods he killed and bullied. The likes of him do not deserve to live free of pain.

He may be immortal, but as long as he lives, pain will linger on his heart.

The clock strikes twelve. A loud beat of a heart suddenly echoed all around the area. It was coming from the huge hole at the center of the plaza. Then, it was followed by another beat that made the ground shake. The third beat created cracks on the ground. Then, the summoning circle glowed again, this time, it was brighter.

The surroundings fell in silence, but it was broken by the sound of breathing. From the ground, something growled. It was a spine-chilling growl that I think came from a monster I have never seen before. It was surely from a huge monster, a deadly one.

No one knows what the curse is, but it sure is something that reeks the foul smell of danger. Every beat of its heart whispers death, and every breath it makes shouts agony.  

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