Ash's POV
Gabi na nang makarating ako.
"As-Salaam Alaikum," the CAP in-charge of the troop residing in Asir Mountains, a mountainous region in southwestern Saudi Arabia, greeted as he held out a hand.
Binaba ko ang hood ng cape bago tanggapin ito. "Wa 'Alaikum As-Salaam."
He used another of his hand to hold both our hands in place and give it a gentle squeeze. "You are white knight?"
"I am," sagot ko. "I just came from Riyadh."
He wore a camouflaged military uniform with a golden badge on the left of his chest where the letters CAP are stitched. He also looked older, with a scar on his left jaw, meaning he has already underwent battle, or maybe he was a soldier before.
"It is good that you're here, brother." Binitawan na niya ako at iginaya sa camp ng allies. "We found a bigger than small facilities, and they also have camps around it."
"How many men do they have?"
"We estimated more or less..." He waved his hand back and forth. "About four hundred."
Panandalian akong napahinto. "That many?"
"They are occupying Tayeh Valley," sabi niya. "You can see their facility and camps from the mountains."
"Have they already found out about our camp's location?" usisa ko.
"No." Umiling siya. "It is the nymphs that cook for us so no smoke can be seen from the valley. For light at night, we don't have artificial light. The nymphs provide us fireflies."
Pagkarating namin sa camp na nasa gitna ng kagubatan, nakita ko ang limang malalaking tents na pinapalibutan ng CAP at students. Mayroon ding mga babae na palakad-lakad at may dalang mga pagkain at inumin. Lahat sa kanila'y nakasuot ng mahahabang damit na kasingkulay ang camouflage suits ng CAP soldiers.
They're Oreads, or the mountain nymphs.
My eyes wandered around the camp to mesmerize at the fireflies gathered under the trees. "I heard they also have a laboratory?"
The reason why I dropped by Asir instead of flying straight to Pakistan is because Grey informed me that I might be interested of a reported laboratory at the huntsmen's facility in Asir.
"Yes, inside one of the small mountains in the valley is a small laboratory," sagot niya. "The nymphs say it is where ten of them were dragged into."
"Which is why they have camps around this facility and more men," I quickly realized. "Because they have a laboratory."
"I'm sorry." Bigla kong naalala na hindi ko nga pala nakuha ang pangalan niya. "I didn't ask for your name. I was too occupied of the current situation."
We entered a tent where five folding beds were arranged on either sides. Three of them were occupied by sleeping soldiers. At the other end of the tent was a curtain divider and inside, were his office and private bed.
"Sit, please." Sinenyasan niya akong maupo sa isa sa dalawang bakanteng upuan na nasa tapat ng mesa. "My name is Ahmed, and you are?"
He walked around the table to sit on his bigger chair across me.
"Ash of the Omega Class," sabi ko. "Son of the light and the bearer."
"Omega?" aniya. "I have only heard of it."
"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.
Heat lightly touched the back of my cape after blue, green, and purple flames appeared behind me, slowly starting to spin.
"Kill him!" sigaw ng commander nila.
Bumilis sa pag-ikot ang mga bola ng apoy sa aking likod bago ito isa-isang lumipad sa bonfires na nakapaligid sa camps at mula sa mga ito, nagkaroon ng sunod-sunod na mga pagsabog.
Kung saan dumako ang aking mga mata, ay ang pinagbabatuhan ko ng apoy.
Patuloy lang ako sa pagsira ng bawat tents nila habang naghihintay kung anong susunod nilang gagawin.
"Why are you taking cover?!" Itinutok ng commander ang baril niya sa'kin. "There's only one of him!"
Pinadalhan ko siya ng nagtatakang tingin.
One of me?
Ipiniling ko ang aking ulo para bigyang-daan ang apoy na lumipad patungo sa kamay niya.
Sinalubong nito ang balang ipinadala niya kaya nagkaroon ng pagsabog malapit sa kanya dahilan na mapaatras siya.
They don't know, do they?
That I carry the hottest flames within me.
Violet flames are powerful enough to slice through everything and melt the hardest-to-melt substances such as titanium.
Before they could pull their triggers, I threw different-colored balls of fire towards the huntsmen who raised their guns at me.
Four hundred men... I reminded myself.
I continued to stand idly as the winds began to encircle us. It was winds caused by the fast movement of small particles slowly rising around us.
Napatigil sila.
It was winds caused by ash that started to form a dark storm around us.
Because the truth is, I spent more than an hour turning trees into ashes before the break of dawn for this moment.
And against the four hundred men, I have millions of ashes.
Tuluyan na ngang nandilim ang aming kapaligiran dahil sa abo na mabilis na inikutan ang facility at camps nila.
Naglaho ang kalangitan at kagubatan mula sa aming pananaw nang damihan ko ang abo at inangat pa ito para ipaloob kaming lahat sa isang hugis-dome na barrier ng umiikot na abo.
My hood was taken off by the strong winds but I remained unfazed by the darkness and the smell of burnt woods that filled my senses.
Sensing another presence close to me, I spun around and stopped an arm of a huntsman who held a sword.
I gave him an acknowledging nod in appreciation of his confidence, before his entire body turned black and burst into ashes that got swiftly taken by the wind.
Muli akong humarap sa ibang huntsmen.
One touch. One touch and they will be a part of my power.
Behind me, ashes from the barrier flew straight towards the enemies.
Some were able to turn around, but some were thrown off balance as ashes hit their eyes.
Cries filled the inside of the storm due to the pain of ash being forced into their senses, while a couple of huntsmen choked on gray dust and fell dead from suffocation.
Sinundan ko ng tingin ang iilan ding huntsmen na nagsitakbuhan at nagtangkang lumabas ng barrier pero napasigaw lang sila nang tangayin sila ng malakas na ihip ng abo at nalunod dito.
I summoned more purple flames and without lifting a finger, fired them at the facility until a big part of it exploded.
Patuloy lang ako sa pagsira ng facility habang unti-unting lumalapit sa commander na nakatayo sa gitna nila, hindi makagalaw.
A satisfied grin slowly formed on my lips when I saw that he didn't attempt to move, because he knew there was nowhere else to go.
Then, I stopped in front of him.
The barrier around us opened and gathered into a huge wave of ashes behind me, casting a massive shadow on the facility and camps.
Smiling, I gently held the commander's shoulder, and the moment I did so, the wave of ash fell unto the valley, shaking the ground and rushed through us, like a gray river that drowned the rest of the huntsmen.
We were in the middle of dust and dark matter when my smile disappeared, and so did the commander, as I turned him into ashes that flowed together with the stream.
Nang nakaangat pa rin ang kamay na ipinatong ko sa balikat ng commander, ikinuyom ko ang aking palad upang ihinto ang mala-alon na daloy ng abo.
Kasunod kong binuksan ang aking palad, at kasabay nito ay ang pagbagsak ng mga abo sa lupa.
Ibinaba ko ang aking kamay.
Ilang sandali pa'y napalinga-linga ako nang matagpuan ang aking sarili sa gitna ng kulay-abong lupa.
Napabuntong-hininga ako at saka mahinahong pinagpag ang kaunting abo na dumapo sa magkabilang balikat ko.
Ginulo ko rin ang aking buhok kung saan umusok ang abo.
I'm going to need a bath after this.
Pagkatapos, kusang dumako ang aking mga mata sa nakasaradong gate sa paanan ng isang mababang bundok.
Pinuntahan ko ito, maingat na nilalaktawan ang mga katawan ng huntsmen na nabalot sa abo.
Nang makarating ako sa tapat ng bakal na gate, inilapat ko ang aking palad dito.
Nag-anyong abo ito na agad nagsibagsakan sa harap ko.
Sighing again, I dusted my palms off of each other before pressing the earpiece that I wore.
"Grey, I may have covered the valley in ashes." A worried laugh escaped my lips. "You think you can dust 'em off?"
'You... didn't burn the entire valley, did you?'
"No, don't worry."
'Alright. I'm sending a few sweepers.'
I was about to enter the tunnel leading to the laboratory when I stopped.
My brows furrowed. "My sister, did she burn anything?"
'Just a part of the Sakura Forest in Japan.'
Natawa ako nang mahina. "Did she?"
'She transformed all the flowers into ember and rained it on the huntsmen.'
"Must've looked cool."
'It was...' Grey agreed. 'Total chaos.'
I gave one last glance at the valley behind me that turned gray from the layer of ashes that blanketed it.
"Well..." Napangiti ako rito. "It's what the enemies want, isn't it?"
'Chaos?'
"Havoc," I calmly answered.