The Lost Prodigy

67. Omen

Pinakiramdaman namin ni Cato ang buong paligid bago gumawa ng hakbang. I saw how his wings blended with the darkness as he walked in front of me. The palace grounds were eerily calm and as I beheld the scene, there was a tingling sensation inside of me. The war was still raging on but I can feel that something more ominous is about to happen.

Hindi nga ako nagkamali. A luminous violet magic circle started to form at the top of the castle in front of us. It faintly glowed at first but it got brighter and brighter in each passing moment. Symbols floated along with it and huge tendrils of black lightning also appeared. My knees wobbled because of that magic’s intensity.

Nasalo naman ako ni Cato nang matumba ako dahil nakarinig ako ng impit at nahihirapang sigaw sa aking isipan. Naulit pa iyon at napahawak naman ako sa aking dibdib dahil sa kumikirot kong puso. The screaming became louder and it never stopped.

Hindi ko alam kung paano ko nararamdaman ang pinagdadaanan niya. But I knew Orion was being tortured inside the castle. The pain that he was feeling right now was unbearable and it would kill him. At kailangan ko siyang iligtas.

“Take me inside,” pakiusap ko kay Cato kaya agad naman niya akong binuhat. Hindi pa kami nakakalipad nang may bumulusok na asul na apoy sa aming direksiyon. It came at us with a speed of a bullet. So sobrang bilis non ay hindi na kami nakaiwas pero nagulat ako nang gawing panangga ni Cato ang kanyang pakpak.

The horrendous smell of burnt flesh entered my nose. Maluha-luha akong napatingin sa lalaki at sa nasusunog niyang isang pakpak. I tried extinguishing the blue flame but it was useless. Dahil ito ang klase ng apoy na hindi namamatay ng basta-basta.

I only saw Cato hardly biting his lips to lessen the pain that he was feeling. May nakita na rin akong bakas ng dugo sa mga labi niya dahil sa lakas ng kanyang pagkagat roon. He was suffering and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.

Inilabas ko ang aking punyal at hahanapin ko na sana ang gumawa sa kanya nito nang pigilan ako ng lalaki. The blue fire ravaged his left wing but luckily, it didn’t eat his body. Ipinaglaho na lang ni Cato ang natitira niyang pakpak. His back was bleeding and I immediately coated it temporarily with cold wind to ease his wound. Cato gritted his teeth but he gave me a grateful look in return.

Napatayo ang huli nang makarinig kami ng mga yabag ng paa. Behind a marble pillar, Commander Odin emerged. I shot daggers at his direction when I saw his fist still blazing with azure fire.

“What kind of familiar are you, Patronus? Why can’t you do your job properly? You even had your princess treat you. What a useless trash,” nang-iinsultong komento ni Commander Odin. Umigting ang panga ni Cato sa sinabi ng huli at susugurin na sana ang aming kalaban pero inawat ko siya.

“Bakit hindi mo sinabi sa akin, Cato?” seryoso kong tanong sa aking kasama. Napayuko na lang ang lalaki at umiwas ng tingin. I mentally slapped myself for being slow-witted. I should’ve hinted why Cato was overprotective of me even though their kind was tasked to be the defenders of our clan.

He’s always staying by my side because he’s the protector of Princess Lithuania. He’s my familiar.

Humakbang ako paharap at sinenyasan ko si Cato na hayaan lang ako sa aking gagawin. I faced Commander Odin and I gave him an emotionless stare.

“I will never forget what you did to my friend, Commander,” saad ko at malakas na ibinagsak ang isa kong paa sa lupa. The earth rolled towards my enemy like a tsunami and I merged my attack with the fire element, creating lava and magma.

Commander Odin’s movements were swift but they were not that fast. Hinabol siya ng rumaragasang lupa na may kasamahang lahar. It burned parts of his mercenary armor and he grunted everytime he got hit by the molten magma.