TIME ZONE
XYNTHEA's POINT OF VIEW
I held my breath, looking at Diane slowly fading away to become Artemis. I inwardly thanked her. Pinigilan ko ang sarili kong lumuha.
"What are you looking at, Xynthea?" tanong sa'kin ni Cronus. Umiling naman ako.
"Nothing," maikli kong sambit.
We were hiding behind buildings. Napakagat ako sa ibabang labi ko dahil sa kaba. I held on to the hourglass, and stared at it. Malapit nang bumaba lahat ng sands or grains.
Kinuha 'yon sa'kin ni Cronus, at ngumisi siya. Naglakad siya palabas, at nanatili naman akong nakasunod. I looked down.
Then, I shut my eyes everytime a mortal suddenly falls to the ground. I'm sure it was because of me. I was absorbing their souls for my energy.
Cronus clapped once the Olympians returned to the Olympian World. The Semideuses turned their attention to us, and I looked at them with no emotions.
My gaze stopped at Zeref. I almost smiled at him, but instead, I gave him a mischievous smirk. Halatang nagulat siya dahil doon.
"Go now, Xynthea," utos sa'kin ni Cronus. I nodded and moved towards Aster fast, and pointed a sword to her neck.
"Xy-Xynthea. What are you doing?" nahihirapang sambit ni Aster.
I looked at Cronus who seemed satisfied with what I was doing. I didn't know if this worked, but I tried talking to Aster in her mind.
"I'm sorry," isip ko bago mas lalong idiin ang espada. Halos napabitaw naman ako nang bigla akong nakaramdam ng paso sa paa.
I hissed and looked at Gideon. Nagtataka niya akong tiningnan.
"What are you doing, Xynthea?" tanong niya. Hindi naman ako sumagot. I don't know what I am doing either. However, I want to know the truth.
Who killed me before? Was it Cronus or Zeref? Malaki ang pagdududa kong si Zeref 'yon. But whatever it is, they must defeat Cronus.
I temporary healed the burn in my feet, before lunging at Gideon, and grabbing his arms violently. Dinaplisan ko siya sa bandang tiyan niya, but I made sure it wasn't deep.
"I'm sorry," isip ko ulit.
On the other hand, Zeref and Llyr was already attacking Cronus, and he just avoided every attack.
Napatingin naman ako kay Irish na tila narinig ang sinabi ko sa isip ko. She can calculate and read my true emotions. She probably knows by now that I am only pretending to be on Cronus' side.
"Who killed me before, Irish?" Tanong ko. Nanlaki ang mata niya, at tumingin siya kay Cronus. Ngumisi ako, so it is true.
Cronus is using me. I am his weapon and not this hourglass. Napasinghap ako nang bigla akong matamaan ng fire blades. Aster was afloat in the air, and her eyes glowed before launching an arrow at Cronus.
Naningkit ang mata ko para kontrolin ang arrow. If I do this, it will aim at Cronus. I studied the movement of Cronus and the flaming arrow. Pinabagal ko muna 'yon bago pinabilisan.
Cronus hissed when the arrow hit his shoulder. Marahas naman niyang tinanggal ang arrow, at naghilom agad ang sugat niya.
Napatingin siya kay Aster at nagtaka kung paano tumama ang arrow sa kaniya. Sunod namang tiningnan ni Cronus si Damon, at biglang kinuha ito mula sa kaniyang leeg.
Damon's feet left the ground when Cronus put his hand around his neck and raised him. Nanlaki naman ang mata ko, at gayundin naman sila.
Out of all of us, Damon would be the easiest to kill. He is mortal-blooded. Sinubukan ni Damon sipain si Cronus.
Then, Zeref launched an ice spear. No! If Cronus will manipulate time, the ice spear will plunge at Damon. Nagmadali naman akong pumunta sa harap nila, at tinaas ang kamay ko bago pa tuluyang tumama ang ice spear kay Damon.
The ice spear broke into pieces. Then, I turned to Cronus and Damon. I wielded my sword against Cronus' hands kaya't napabitaw na siya kay Damon. I looked at him with anger.
Tinapat ko ang espada ko sa leeg niya, at napangisi lang siya. Tumingin ako sa paligid niya ngunit napansin na nawala na ang hourglass.
"Xynthea," he said and smirked. "I thought you sided with me. What's with the sudden betrayal?"
"You are only using me," sagot ko. "You killed me and made me alive again for your own benefit."
He chuckled, "Indeed. Indeed. But you owe me your life. If I didn't do it, you would have been dead by now."
Umiling ako. I wouldn't be dead. He only made things worse.
Napapikit ako nang biglang mabasag ang espada ko. Tumalipon ako sa kung s'an dahil sa lakas ng pwersa, but I kept my feet to the ground. It slid, and I could almost feel my boots break because of the friction against the ground.
Napatingin naman kami sa taas nang biglang lumiwanag. Then a clock was forming up there. Halos mapangiwi ako nang makarinig ng malakas na pitik ng orasan.
What is it?
Cronus chuckled again, "That is the time of the hourglass. If you fail to defeat me within ten minutes, all of you will be frozen under this. Not even you, Xynthea, can control the time inside my own modified time zone."
Naningkit naman ako. A modified time zone? Meaning this is his time alone. We are in a zone where everything is under his time, under his control.
It will also be pointless to kill him... because we can't. He can't die in his own created time zone.
Napapikit ako at tinanggal ang cloak na suot ko. I ran toward Cronus, and then, I attacked him with my lightning sword.
Napa-atras naman siya sa ginawa ko kaya't mas lalo ko pang iwinasiwas 'yon hanggang sa nakahanap ako ng tyansya na itarak iyon sa kaniya.
Hindi ko agad nakita kung anong nangyari dahil sa alikabok na pumaligid sa aming dalawa. Inintay kong mawala 'yon, at nagulat nang nakita si Cronus na tumatawa.
I clenched my jaw. Nothing happened. Just as what I expected. As long as nasa ilalim kami ng oras niya, 'di siya mamatay.
"Coward," I spat and yielded my sword palikod.
"Xynthea, hindi niyo ako mapapatay. In one snap, kayang-kaya ko kayong patayin. That is the power of time, child," aniya. Nakita ko naman na gumagawa ng unison si Aster at Gideon patungo sa direksyon namin.
"You and I could rule worlds together, Xynthea," dagdag pa niya.
Unti-unti sa bawat bigkas niya ng mga salitang iyon, naramdaman kong nag-aalab ang kamao ko. Ikinuyom ko ito tsaka siya hinarap at sinuntok siya nang buong lakas.
But it didn't affect him at all.
Gideon and Aster already released their fiery power, so I moved fast and ran from it. From the other side, ganoon din pala ang ginagawa nina Llyr at Zeref.
Suddenly, I heard Irish's voice in my head. "Destroy the clock, Xynthea. It will be a way to finish him at once. I will lend you golden wings."
Napaawang ang bibig ko. Tama. If we destroy the clock, we'll be able to kill him.
Sa likod ko, nakaramdam ko ng kakaibang enerhiya. I glanced at it and saw golden wings, one that the Goddess Iris always use to bring messages.
Lumipad ako patungo sa orasan. I gathered all my energy and power, para sirain ang orasang ito.
Nang maramdaman kong malapit na sumabog ang kapangyarihan mula sa'kin, itinapat ko ito sa orasan.
Nakarinig ako ng mga sigaw sa likod, I can tell, nilalabanan nila si Cronus. Unti-unting lumabas ang kapangyarihan ko, slowly but surely.
"Die," wika ko but I also heard Cronus say it. Hindi ko na narinig ang mga sigaw nila at tanging tunog lang ng nasisirang orasan ang aking naririnig.
Lumingon ako at nakita si Cronus na nakangiting mala-demonyo.
Pinasadahan ko ng tingin, ang mga kasama ko.
Zeref. Aster. Gideon. Damon. Llyr. Irish.
Umiling-iling si Cronus habang humahakbang papalapit sa akin. Nanghina akong bumagsak sa lupa nang mawala ang wings ko. I was... late.
The Semideus
By lostmortals
Plagiarism is a crime.
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