Hindi pamilyar si Snow sa parteng ito ng mansyon. Then again, she's not yet familiar with a lot of locked rooms inside the mansion of the Deadly Sins. Marahil ay hindi siya napapadpad sa lugar na ito, o sayang itinatago ng mansyon ang iba pa nitong mga lihim sa dalaga.
"Saan tayo pupunta?"
She watched Wrath's back as he stride deeper into a dim hallway. Nararamdaman ni Snow ang panganib na hatid ng lugar. Sa 'di kalayuan, natanaw niya ang silid ng Maze of Mirrors---ang parehong silid kung saan nila ikinulong noon sa salamin si Chandresh. Huminga nang malalim ang dalaga at nilakasan ang boses, "Wrath, saan ba talaga tayo pupunta? I have chores to do and Sloth requested me to clean his libra---"
"Isang malaking pagkakamali ng mga mortal ang pagtatanong."
Kumunot ang noo ni Snow. 'Paano naging mali ang pagtatanong?'
As if hearing her thoughts, Wrath stopped walking and spoke, "You ask questions in order to get some answers.. but sometimes, the best way to get answers is to shut the fuck up and just listen, Snow." Walang-lingon nitong sabi sa kanya bago nagpatuloy sa paglalakad.
Snow White sighed. Minsan talaga pabago-bago ang timpla ng mood ni Wrath. Sometimes, she can feel him opening up to her---almost as if he treated her like a dear friend. Pero sa ilang pagkakataong kagaya nito, hindi pa rin niya maiwasang ipakita ang kasalanang kinakatawan niya. Prince or not, Wrath is a dangerous demon. Ilang beses nang naririnig ni Snow ang mga nakapangingilabot na ingay na nagmumula sa Torture Room ng binata.
Shouting. Screams. Explosives.
It only takes one silly mistake to trigger Wrath's attitude.
'But he should know by now that I am not scared of him.' Umirap si Snow White at pinili nang itikom ang bibig. Naalala niyang muli ang sinabi ni Wrath kaya't tahimik niyang pinakinggan ang paligid. Ano nga bang "kasagutan" ang maririnig ng dalaga?
Nanlaki ang mga mata ni Snow.
'A-Ano yun?'
It was faint at first, like a distant echo from a forgotten valley. Ngunit habang papalapit sila nang papalapit sa dulo ng misteryosong hallway, lalong lumalakas ang tunog. It sounded like a war---a deadly mass killing. Nanindig ang balahibo ng dalaga nang matunugan ang mga paghihinagpis at mga putok ng kanyon. Kabado niyang nilingon ang prinsipe ng galit, "M-May digmaan ba dito sa mansyon? Saan nanggagaling ang ingay na 'yon?"
For the first time since they started their journey to the unknown, Wrath faced her. Isang mapanganib na ngiti ang gumuhit sa kanyang mga labi. His eyes were wicked. "You'll find out soon, Snow."
He snapped his fingers.
Gamit ang kanyang mahika, bigla na lang lumitaw ang isang spiral staircase sa likuran ng binata. The antique staircaise just materialized from nothing! Manghang sinundan ni Snow ng tingin ang patutunguhan nito. "Hindi ko alam na may iba pa palang staircase bukod sa grand staircase sa harapan ng mansyon."
"Oh, but this staircase doesn't take you to the second floor."
She frowned, "What the heck do you mean?"
"Follow me." Wrath smirked and climbed up the ascending stairs.
Lumalakas ang ingay ng digmaang naririnig ni Snow. Para bang umaalingawngaw na ito sa loob utak niya.
Marahang umiling si Snow. 'There's no room for hesitation.' At mabilis niyang sinundan si Wrath paakyat ng hagdan. Sa bawat paghakbang ni Snow ay nararamdaman niyang unti-unti rin siyang nahihirapang huminga. It's as if the air inside her lungs is being squeezed out of her. Nanghihina siyang lumingon kay Wrath. A sadistic laugh coming from the demon, "Oxygen levels decrease as you go up. That's why this place is called Gallery Zero."
Snow White started coughing.
Sinamaan niya ng tingin ang lalaki. "Y-You should've told me that earlier, you b-bastard!"
"Tsk. Stop complaining or else you'll die earlier than necessary."
'Damn it.'
At bigla na lang naglaho sa itaas si Wrath. Snow White mentally killed him. Minsan talaga pakiramdam niya ay sinasadya siyang pahirapan ng magkakapatid na 'to! 'I guess some things will never change.'
Pinilit ni Snow na makaakyat sa taas. Nanghihina at kapos-hininga siyang sumalampak sa sahig. She clutched her chest and heaved a deep sigh. Ngunit hindi pa man siya nakakabawi sa nangyari, yumanig sa sahig ang isang malakas na pagsabog. Snow White immediately scrambled to her feet and searched for the sin.
Nakatayo lang si Wrath sa tapat ng isang malaking painting, halos sakupin nito ang buong pader.
'Where the hell are we?'
Nasa loob sila ng isang silid na puno ng mga paintings. As much as she was an art enthusiast herself, hindi niya nakikilala ang mga ito. Pero mukhang iisa lang ang tema ng mga painting na ito---digmaan.
Tumabi siya sa binata at pinagmasdan ang higanteng obra maestra. It was painted magnificently, although the colors were slowly fading. A realistic depiction of a medieval war. Ngunit hindi lang iyon ang nakapukaw sa atensyon ng dalaga.
Sa ilang bahagi ng painting, napansin niya ang apat na nilalang na nakasakay sa kabayo. The horses themselves didn't look they came from earth. Aside from that, there's something eerie about the riders---the horsemen.
Panandaliang natigilan si Snow nang ma-realize ang sinisimbolo ng apat na nilalang na ito.
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."
Wrath nodded, "I actually call them the Four Bastards of the Underworld... Noon pa man ay hindi na maganda ang pakikitungo namin sa isa't isa. Over the past century, the Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Horsemen spent every waking hour trying to destroy each other." Isang pagak na pagtawa ang kumawala sa bibig ng kasalanan, "They're our eternal enemies. I'm pretty sure you've heard about them in that shitty mortal world?"
Marahang umiling si Snow. Hindi pa rin niya inaalis ang kanyang tingin sa larawan, "I don't know much about them actually. Minsan ko lang nabasa ang patungkol sa kanila, pero hindi malinaw ang impormasyon."
It was true. The "Bibliotheca de Eastwood"---the central and largest library in Eastwood---is a home for thousands of books. A safe haven for literature, old and new alike. Noong bata si Snow ay madalas siyang pumupuslit roon para makapagbasa. Isa sa mga nabasa niya ay nobelang binanggit ang Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It immediately piqued her interest, but to her disappointment, it didn't give much information.
Napansin marahil ni Wrath ang kawalan ng kaalaman ni Snow.
He sighed, "Humans should be more educated.. Anyway, ang 'Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' ay unang inilahad sa huling aklat ng New Testament, sa 'the book of Revelation'. The chapter tells of God holding a book or a scroll in His right hand that is sealed with seven seals.. It was said that the Lamb of God opened the first four seals, unleashing the four creatures each riding a horse---red, black, white, and pale. Kalaunan, kinilala sila ng propesiya bilang ang 'Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse'. Their arrival predicts a period on earth where a quarter of the mortal population will die... They are meant to set an apocalypse on earth, the harbingers of the Last Judgement."
Itinuro ni Wrath ang kaliwang bahagi ng painting, "'I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bend on conquest..' tinawag nilang Pestilence ang unang nilalang. He has a primal hunger for victory by brutally defeating his enemies. Other cultures call him as the 'Christ' or 'Anti-Christ'."
Tinitigan ni Snow ang larawan ni Pestilence. Like the other riders, he wore a suite of armor, bleached white with a golden crown on his head. Inaapakan ng kulay puti niyang kabayo ang bangkay ng ilang mortal. His bow was pointed towards the sky in an ill manner. Snow White's eyes then roamed to the next rider, riding a fiery red creature.
"'Then, another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword...' and they called this rider War," a bitter tone laced Wrath's voice as he glared at the horseman, "Siya ang tagapaghatid ng mga digmaan sa mundo ng mga mortal. One day, he'll pay for taking my job away from me. Tsk!" Galit na wika ng binata.
The image of the red horseman came into view. He trusted his giant sword into a man's head.
Umirap na lang si Snow. 'It's understandable. Halos magkapareho ang ginagawa nina Wrath at War.. the only difference is, War has a direct influence on mortals. Mas kaya niyang magpasimula ng mga digmaan kaysa kay Wrath.' Still, seeing the sin get irritated with a creature who's possibly more powerful than him is amusing.
Wrath motioned to the black horsemen, "As quoted, 'before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hands...' He's Famine, the rider that causes food shortage, starvation, and malnutrition. Gluttony hates him personally." Mahinang natawa ang kasalanan. Maging si Snow ay bahagyang napangiti kahit na nakapangingilabot ang hitsura ng horseman sa painting. A black armored rider on a shadow horse, with a weighing scale in one hand. Sa likuran ng nilalang na ito ay nakaluhod ang ibang mga tao---nangangayayat at tila ba malapit nang mamatay.
'No wonder Gluttony hates him. No food, no Gluttony.'
And just when Snow White thought it couldn't get any worse than this, Wrath pointed to the last rider at the left-most side of the bloody painting. Nanlaki ang mga mata ni Snow nang makilala ang lalaking kasama ng huling horseman.
"'I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him..' Siya ang pinakapinuno ng apat na horsemen, Snow. He's the deadliest among them all."
Hindi tulad ng ibang nilalang, kalmadong nakamasid lang ang horseman na ito sa kaguluhan. Nakapalibot sa kanya ang bangkay ng mga mortal habang si Hades ay nakatayo sa malapit.
"Pero anong kinalaman ni Hades dito? Does he control them?"
Wrath shook his head, "Hindi si Hades ang kumu-kontrol sa kanila, Snow.. Only the true king of hell can do that."
Naalalang muli ni Snow ang liham. Nanindig ang kanyang balahibo nang mapagtanto ang koneksyon nila. "S-Si Lucifer... Somehow, he's in control of the four horsemen. Ginagamit niya lang si Hades upang kumatawan sa kanya."
"Bingo."
"But the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse should be under God's control, right? Sila ang maghahatid ng gulo sa mundo ng mga mortal bago ang Huling Paghuhukom. Why is Lucifer controlling them?"
It doesn't make sense, no matter how hard she tries to decipher it. Snow White can't consider herself religious, but she's educated enough to understand.
Sa tabi niya, napabuntong-hininga si Wrath, "The problem with loyatly is that it changes over time. Tulad ng mga tao, ang Horsemen ay may sariling pag-iisip. Kahit na para silang mga tuta ni Lucifer ngayon, hindi sila pumapanig kahit kanino. Wala talagang nakakaalam kung anong agenda nila, but as of now, one thing's for sure... We need to kill a sin in order to restore the balance, or else humans are gonna suffer the consequences."
Silence followed.
Unti-unting lumalakas ang ingay ng digmaan. Ngayon lang napagtanto ni Snow na nanggagaling ito sa painting. The images started moving, men killing each other as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse watched the chaos.
---
The first rider feeds desperate places,
His white coat brings false hope.
For him peace has two faces,
Strife that ends hanging on a bloody rope.
The second rider brings carnage like a mad hound,
His red eyes filled with burning desire,
Dire screams when the trumpets sound,
War that ends deep in a sinister mire.
The third rider never felt any mourn,
His black soul laughs when others slowly decay,
People wishing that they were never born,
Famine that ends in an uncontrolled dismay.
The forth rider is poisoned with wrath,
His pale skin breaks every heart filled with fear.
Corpses laying on his traveled path,
Death that ends in a timeless tear.
---"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse", Anonymous