Legends of Olympus (On Hold)

West Asia

"I am." Nginitian ko siya. "But I'm not here as an Omega. Only a white knight."

"White knight means you are only here to help?"

Tumango ako.

"Ahmed," sambit ko. "How come you ended up here as one of the CAP?"

"Evil does not choose any race, religion or species, Ash." A bitter grin drew across his lips. 

"Fortunately, nor does good," I gave him a comforting smile.

"My brother works for the huntsmen," pagbibigay-alam niya sa'kin. "And that led him to do unspeakable things to our family and our people."

"We were very close but ever since I left to join the military, he became more and more alone- what do you call that?" Ilang segundo siyang tumahimik upang makapag-isip. "A loner, yes, he became a loner."

"I always tell him 'Kazi! Go and find yourself a wife and give me a lot of nephews for when I come back home!' but he never did because he was a shy one." Ahmed chuckled, but he was obviously not happy. "Kazi, my younger brother, I do not know what happened but the huntsmen, they were able to penetrate into his mind."

"These huntsmen, they drive people mad, I believe," dagdag pa niya. "Mad over power... wealth... they list down what people cannot have and promise what they must not have."

Matagal-tagal akong napatitig sa kanya bago nakapagsalita ulit.

"Where's your brother, now?" 

Bumagsak ang kanyang paningin sa mesa na nasa pagitan namin. "In our family cemetery, beside our baba."

"Ahmed..." Nanghina ang aking boses. Pagkatapos ko pa namang malaman ang dinanas niya. "What do you say we attack later at dawn?"

Halatang nabigla siya sa sinabi ko. "No, we are only fifty against four hundred."

A gentle smile curved on my lips. "By 'we' I mean only me," sabi ko sa kanya. "I am only asking for permission because I will risk the presence of the camp once I attack."

• • •

I hid my ashened palm under my cape and walked towards the direction of the huntsmen's camps, but not one of the guards noticed me because they were alerted by smokes rising up from the forest surrounding the valley.

"You, all of you!" Tawag ng isa sa kanila. "Check those out!"

Samantalang, nanatili lang akong nakatayo ilang metro mula sa kanila, hanggang sa magkasalubong ang aming tingin ng lalaking nagsisigaw.

Napangiti ako.

Sumigaw na naman siya sabay duro sa'kin, at limang huntsmen ang agad sumulong sa kinatatayuan ko.

Lumapit din ako sa kanila para salubungin sila, ngunit bago pa nila ako maabot, lumitaw ang lima ring lalaki sa pagitan namin na gawa sa abo ang mga katawan.

Boredom soon stained my gaze at the five huntsmen who were sent for me.

And while my own soldiers made of ash fought against them, I walked past them, closer to their facility and camps.

I stopped on my tracks to stare at the man in the middle.

He must be their commander.