General Matthew walked towards Hazel. His eyes were flashing with evilness. Then proudly, he said, "Okay. It's not going to hurt anyway. Do you remember the lady that was once met by the three datus?"
"Are you talking about Kadugan?" Hazel asked with a stern look.
"Of course, you fool," He said as he turned around and looked at a distance.
"So you're telling us that she did that meteor thing?" I asked.
"Yes! She was very mad at the Democrats. Your propagandas were a piece of trash to her. You just made her freak out when you destroyed the crystallized heart," He replied as he looked at me.
"At least it was all worth it and--" I said.
"Silence!" He interrupted. "It was her gift for mankind and what did you all do? You destroyed it."
"He's right," Lorry added. "She heard our cries and miraculously, she destroyed the Mansion for us. She is a nice, trusted goddess."
"You are fools!" Christopher shouted. "You were blinded by her. Don't you all get it?"
"No, Christopher," General Matthew replied. "She made us wake up to reality and see who the real enemy is."
Out of the blue, Lorry changed the topic and pointed at our bags saying, "By the way, you have something in there that should be ours."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Don't fool me around. You all know what I'm talking about," Lorry insisted.
"Give us the sacred hourglasses!" General Matthew demanded.
"We will never give it to you, even if it costs our lives!" Hazel shouted.
"Oh that's too dramatic!" General Matthew laughed.
"We're serious, Darwin," Christopher said.
"How many times do I have to tell you that my name is already General Matthew? Is it hard to remember?" He asked with a stern look.
Lorry looked at General Matthew and said, "Well for now, it doesn't matter. We need to get those sacred hourglasses from them, now."
"You're right," General Matthew said. "Let's get back to the topic. I know that this can be discussed in a diplomatic manner. If you give us the sacred hourglasses, we can assure you that all your lives will be spared."
"What if we don't?" Brandon asked.
"Come on, Brandon! You're not dumb. Of course these are consequences," General Matthew said laughing.
"Well in that case, we won't give it to you," Christopher said.
"Okay. You said it," General Matthew said as a man surprisingly grabbed Hazel from the back.
"Hazel!" I shouted while seeing her being captured by the soldiers. They immediately tied her hands and legs too keep her from escaping. I tried to run, but I was blocked by Scott and Cole.
"We all know that this can get worse," Lorry said.
"So give it now," General Matthew added.
Hazel looked at us shouting, "Don't give it!"
"Is it the right time to listen to her?" General Matthew asked. "Think about it."
Brandon looked at me and said, "Gerald, I think General Matthew is right. Let's give it to them already."
I was thinking that if we gave them the hourglasses, all our efforts will be put to waste. On the other hand, I wanted to save Hazel's life. She's my girlfriend and as his boyfriend, it is my obligation to keep her away from harm. It was totally confusing! Seconds later, flashbacks started to come out from my mind. First, I thought of the adventures we had in getting the sacred hourglasses. Then, it was followed by the moment when we had that long kiss back inside that secret underground Rosario school in Cagayan de Oro City. Unexpectedly, tears starred to come out from my eyes.
"Scott and Gerald, I am begging you," Hazel pleaded. "Don't give it to them."
"No. Your life is more important that the hourglasses," Brandon clarified. Then, he looked at me saying, "Gerald, let's give it to--"
"We don't have much time here. What is your decision?" General Matthew interrupted.
I looked at him and said, "I have already made a decision."
"Then, what is it?" He asked.
"I stand firm on not giving you the hourglasses," I said.
"What are you talking about?" Brandon said with a puzzled look. "Give back the words that you have said!"
"No," I said crying. "We will keep the hourglasses."
"Thank you, Gerald. I can finally rest untroubled," Hazel said with her eyes shedding tears.
"Well, you asked for it," General Matthew said as a soldier stabbed Hazel's chest with a dagger.
"Hazel!" I shouted as I started to run towards her.
All the soldiers started to back off as I reached her side.
"Hazel, speak to me," I pleaded seeing her cough with blood.
She looked at me with her weakened eyes and said, "You are a kind person and I thank you for that."
"Hazel, don't say any more words like that," I said crying.
"Thank you for trusting me. Now, I can finally live in peace, knowing that the Democrats will win," Hazel whispered.
"Hazel, I'm sorry that I can't help you. I'm really sorry," I apologized while combing her hair with my hands.
"You don't need to say sorry. Thank you for letting me experience love and I will truly cherish it. I may be leaving you physically, but I will always look at you in the heavens," Hazel said as she cried in agony.
"Hazel, I'm very sorry and I love you," I said.
"I love you too and always remember that," She replied. Then, she breathed her last and died.
"No!" I shouted as I tried to wake her up, but she did not respond.
My other friends rushed towards us with their eyes filled with tears. At that time, I could not believe that Hazel was already gone. It was just too hard to digest.
General Matthew looked towards us and said, "Now that's what you call a happy ending."
"I agree. As we all know, there must be a drama to spice things up," Lorry said with a smirk.
"Okay! We already paid our consequence. So leave us alone with the hourglasses, now!" I shouted.
"Wait a minute! It was not what we have discussed earlier," General Matthew clarified. "Hazel paid her own consequence and her sacrifice does not spare all of you."
Lorry walked towards us saying, "Is as said, we will leave you all if you give us the sacred hourglasses. It was very clear you idiots."
I looked at them slowly with my face filled with rage and said, "You have all done enough damages. It's time to give karma a chance!"
Then, I looked at Scott and Cole and nodded. Obviously, they knew that it was a cue and immediately pushed all the soldiers around us with their force fields. It was a blast leaving all of them flying in the air. Without hesitation, I carried Hazel's body and we ran desperately for our lives.
"Get them!" Lorry commanded as we pushed ourselves into the bushed and deeper into the forest.
We chose not to run towards civilization, because obviously, it was already well guarded by the Imperialists. While we were running, I could feel the "Adrenaline Rush" flowing its way into my veins. Miraculously, none of us tumbled despite the terrain having its highs and lows.
We had been running nonstop for about an hour, when all of a sudden, nets started to drop over us! I tried to cut it down with my lightning, but it didn't work!
"Damn it! These nets are full proof!" I complained.
"I know," Kate added.
"What should we do now?" Scott asked struggling to get out of his net.
"Honestly, I don't know," I replied.
Our short discussion was interrupted when all of a sudden, twelve Imperialist soldiers started to climb their way down from the trees. Then, from the bushes on my right, a lady revealed herself. She was wearing black jeans and a grey shirt. In this shirt was a scorpion icon printed on its right. Her outfit was paired with combat boots that were terribly shiny. She was slim and her hair was dyed with violet. He eyes were dark blue and her lips were black. She was holding a black sword on her right hand and she walked towards us with poise. She gave us a smirk and said, "So you all thought of escaping us, did you?"
"Well duh," Scott answered.
"I love your attitude, bit I hate your team," She said.
"Thanks for the acknowledgement," Scott said with a slight smile.
"Anyway, who are you?" I asked changing the topic.
She looked at me proudly and answered, "It's good that you asked me that question. Call me Odessa. Oh wait! That's General Odessa to be exact."
"Well, I don't care on that 'General' thing of yours," Kate murmured.
"What did you say?" General Odessa asked with a stern look.
"I said that I don't care on that 'General' thing of yours! Is it clear now?" Kate shouted.
Commander Odessa looked afar and said, "It's a shame that I was planning on letting you all be freed. Too bad this lad over here made me change my mind by saying disgustful words against me."
"Come on! Kate did not mean to say it," Scott said looking at Kate.
"Scott, I meant it! Which side are you?" Kate asked quite irritated.
"Okay! You don't need to get angry," Scott said with a discouraged look.
"Enough with this nonsense," General Odessa interrupted. "As of this moment, enemies remain as enemies. Cadets, you know what to do."
Then the soldiers nodded and grabbed their sprays inside their pockets. With a smirk on their faces, they gave it a little shake. Then without hesitation, they sprayed us right in front of our faces. We were too late to realize that those were actually sleeping sprays! My sight started to shut down on its own. Seconds later, I officially passed out. Honestly speaking, it was terribly fast and creepy at the same time and I couldn't believe that their weapons seemed to be more updated that ours! I have to admit that the Imperialists were intelligent in so many ways.
In the middle of my unconsciousness, I dreamed that I was inside this ancient kingdom. The walls were carved with unknown symbols and painted with gold. The floor was covered with a red carpet and as I looked on my right, the kingdom's windows were arc in shape. Everything was fine, except for one thing. I was all alone!
"What is this place and how can I get out of here alive?" I asked myself.
"Don't worry. This place is safe as of this moment and you can get out of here in one piece," A familiar voice replied.
"Prince Joshua, Is that you?" I asked looking around when all of a sudden, he finally revealed himself standing beside a pillar on my left. The thing that surprised me was that he was not wearing his usual white robe. Instead, he was wearing an ancient "Roman-like" army suit. It was painted mostly with silver and a yellow cape was hanging on his back. Twelve red chains were connected with each other from his right shoulder down to his left hip.
He gave me a slight smile and said, "It's good to see you again."
"It's good to see you too," I replied.
"I see that you are enjoying this place. Am I right?" He asked.
"I sure do," I answered looking at the carver symbols on the walls.
Prince Joshua looked at me and said, "This was my home, Dimetria. You see, this kingdom was composed of three empires, and where we are now my friend was ruled by the Pravasta Empire."
"So you're telling me that you were a Pravastan in the Kingdom of Dimetria. Am I right?" I asked looking back at him.
"Exactly, but it was already a long time ago. A lot of things already changed," He answered with a nod.
"I have to say that this place is cool," I said smiling.
"This place is amazing actually, except for one thing," He said with discouragement.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Please follow me," He requested as he started walking towards a door.
I followed him and was surprised to see what was behind that door. It was a temple and it was way fancier than that "Golden Walled" Hall. On the center was a statue of a lady carved from Gold. It was about 10 feet tall and she was holding a sword on her left and a shield on her right.
"This is the goddess Kadugan. She had been worshipped for hundreds of years by the Dimetrians," He explained looking at the statue.
"Wait a minute. This is the same goddess of the Imperialists!" I clarified with my eyes widened.
"Yes! The goddess herself encouraged them to fight against your group in revenge for destroying her crystallized heart," He explained.
"Now that makes sense!" I said snapping my fingers. "I can't blame them because they are in the same page."
"Take note. She is a dangerous woman," He clarified.
"Tell me more!" I encouraged.
"I was the first person to fight her. I made those two sacred hourglasses to be in her time dimension," He explained.
"Then, what happened? Who won?" I asked.
"I'm sorry, Gerald, but I forgot. As far as I can remember, I remained as an immortal being right after that fight," He replied.
"I believe that you have not won the fight," I guessed.
"I guess so, but honestly, I cannot remember the whole detail of our battle," He clarified.
"But look on the bright side. Can we still defeat her?" I asked.
"I'm not sure," He answered with a puzzled look.
"Why do you say so?" I asked again.
"Again, I'm telling you that I forgot what I had done in our fighting scene," He replied.
"Damn it! Your memory is totally jammed," I complained.
"Oh wait a minute," He said snapping his fingers.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I think I can still help you," He answered.
"How can you help me?" I asked looking at him.
"You really need to find my reincarnated self. Maybe he can bring back a part of my memory," He explained.
"Oh! I almost forgot that 'Reincarnated Self Thing'. So in finding your reincarnated self, we can hit two birds with one stone! Aside from activating the sacred hourglasses for us, he can also bring back your lost memory!" I clarified.
"That sounds fantastic!" He said.
"Hey Prince Joshua, I was left thinking. Maybe I'm your reincarnated self," I said smiling.
"I'm sorry to hurt your feelings, but you're not the one. I just picked you as the messenger," He explained.
"Oh I see," I said as my smile started to fade away.
"Hey cheer up!" He encouraged. "At least you have the opportunity to see me in person and look at this majestic place."
"Oh of course. This is a great privilege," I said with a smirk.
"I'm going to make it up for you. I promise," He consoled.
"Is it really necessary?" I asked.
"For you it is," He replied giving me a pat on my back. "I never broke a promise in my whole eternal life."
"Okay, but I'm telling you. It's not a huge deal," I said.
"Stop lying. I'm an immortal being and I can see your inner emotions," He clarified as my eyes widened.
"Okay. That's strange," I said as an awkward feeling started to crawl into my veins.
That feeling was interrupted when all of a sudden; a shadow coming from the door caught our attention. As I looked at the door, a familiar person was there wearing a Roman Soldier outfit. His eyes were applied with make-up like that of an Egyptian and his lips were totally pale. His clothes were having a green and black motif and he was really intimidating.
Prince Joshua looked at me saying, "Gerald, I think you have to go."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
The man interrupted our slight conversation shouting, "Vayeshna loznara Dimetria! Mayiva!
"What did he say?" I asked with a puzzled look.
Prince Joshua slowly looked at me and replied, "He said that you are a trespasser of Dimetria. Die."
"Oh no," I spoke.
"The man continued shouting, "Mayiva! Mayiva!"
"Gerald, this is serious. You really have to go," Prince Joshua spoke.
"How can I do that?" I asked as the man started to charge towards me.
His eyes turned blue and his outfit started to turn violet. I was about to be tackled when all of a sudden, everything turned white. Then, as I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see myself lying inside a dark dungeon with my friends. My left leg was chained and by the looks of it, it was full proof. Only the torch behind the bars served as our only source of light. As I sat down, I was surprised to see that Hazel's corpse was beside me!
"Hazel!" I shouted as I gave her lifeless body a tight hug.
I couldn't help it but tears automatically came out of my eyes. Seconds later, I didn't mind destroying the silence of the whole dungeon as I growled with anger. I repeatedly shouted until Brandon looked at me at a distance and said, "Gerald, even if you cry and shout for hundreds of years, we cannot deny the fact that she is already dead."
I didn't show him any attention as he continued saying, "You should have followed me at that time. You should have given the sacred hourglasses to them. Look who has suffered. Hazel risked her life for nothing, and it's all because of your ignorance."
Upon hearing this, I ran towards Brandon and choked him saying, "What did you say?"
My friends started to rush towards me, trying to get my hands off of Brandon's neck as I continued asking, "Do you defy my decisions?"
That choking scenario was halted when Cole pushed me with his force field in a light manner. Brandon coughed and tried to catch his breath as I wiped my tears with my left hand.
"Okay. Everything makes sense now. You are all in the side of Brandon," I spoke.
"Gerald, we don't support any sides," Cole clarified.
"That's what I am seeing!" I beamed.
"Come on, Gerald! We are just worried about you and Brandon's safety," Christopher explained.
I got back to the topic saying, "Now that they have they have the sacred hourglasses, I am sure that they are going to destroy it and apparently, you didn't think about that, Brandon!"
"So you're telling me that the sacred hourglasses are more important than Hazel?" Brandon asked.
"Honestly speaking, it's a yes. Even Hazel believed that. We needed the sacred hourglasses more than ever. I am not ignorant, Brandon, because the future of the whole Democrats is my number one concern. We are all going to die anyway. We just don't know when," I explained.
"Why are you too affected by her death, Brandon?" Christopher asked.
"You should all be! She is your friend," Brandon beamed.
"Yes, we are all affected by her death, but in these times, we should keep our emotions stronger." Christopher clarified.
"He's right, Brandon," Kate agreed.
"Well, Gerald is an exception, because it is her girlfriend who just died. Her death had a huge impact in Gerald's heart more than all of us combined," Scott said.
"Yes. It seems legit," Cole said.
Brandon stood up crying and asked, "What if I tell you that I too have feelings for her? What if I tell you that I have been repressing this feeling for four shitty years, because I knew that she already loved Gerald?"
"Well, that explains why you really wanted to sit beside her on the bus going to Ilocos Norte. You want to spend a private time with her!" I said.
"Gerald, stop it. Honestly, this is awkward," Christopher said.
"Well, if you see it guys as a sin, I'm sorry!" Brandon beamed.
"Brandon, we didn't say anything," Cole clarified.
"Guys, Hazel is already dead. It doesn't matter anymore," I said as tears again started to fall from my eyes.
Cole sat back at the corner saying, "I think it would be best if we let Gerald and Brandon heal from today's wounds."
"I believe we should," Kate added as she rubbed my back.
At that moment, I still couldn't believe that Brandon had feelings for Hazel. I didn't expect that there was a third wheel in our love affair. Honestly, I didn't know how to handle it, because I never experienced anything like that before. Honestly, I was angry at Brandon in the sense that he defied my decision about those sacred hourglasses and told me that I was ignorant. But, there was something within me that made me feel sorry for his situation. Being a third wheel was a little bit disturbing for him. His actions were limited and it took him a hard time to keep his feelings shut. Honestly, if I was him, I didn't know what to do.
I sat beside Hazel's corpse and combed her hair with my hands slowly. In my mind, I said, "Hazel, I don't know what to do right now. I'm confused. If only you are still alive, you can help me deal with these problems. You know that I tend to over think and thanks to you; I manage to handle it through the help of your kind advices. Now that you are gone and there is a misunderstanding between Brandon and I (which is really complicated) I'm doomed."
Unexpectedly, Kate sat beside me, patted my back saying, "Gerald, keep your whole self together. After all, you still have us."
I looked at her with a smile. No words couldn't express the comfort I felt when she had said those words.
She continued saying, "I have known you as a strong and brave brother. So show me that. At these darkest hours, you need those qualities the most. Hazel will not be happy seeing you that way and you know that."
Again, I replied her with a smile. Then, I bowed my head and closed my eyes and imagined to let go of all my burdens starting from Hazel's loss up to the quarrel against Brandon. Seconds later, my body started to become light and a sense of goose bumps were felt running into my veins. Finally, I had felt the sense of enlightenment.
I was still in the middle of my meditation, when all of a sudden, Cole said, "Guys, look at Hazel!"
As I slowly opened my eyes, I was surprised to see Hazel's corpse glowing with a yellowish color! Then, a few seconds later, glowing ancient letters started to float around her.
"What's happening?" Christopher asked as he started walking towards Hazel.
"I have no idea. Actually I did nothing," I answered.
"Well, this is strange," Cole said as we started to cover our eyes, because the glow was starting to get unbearable.
As the glow started to fade away, we were shocked to see Hazel's transformation!