Chapter 87: Chapter 87

If there was one thing Galahad was extremely good at, it was making time passages. He had gained that skill since he was young. After all, he was the direct descendant of a powerful god. It was understandable that he would be a great god someday too...

But it was the greatest disappointment of everyone around him that he had chosen to follow a fallen goddess during the past few centuries instead of using his powers to govern wisely from Teotroly.

Whatever his co-gods and goddesses in Teotroly think of him though, it doesn’t matter. He knew the secret to everything. He was privy to information that could make everything proceed or crumble down, and right now, he was making use of one such secret for his Freya.

“You’ll have to go through a series of realities in order to reach Sirion in his designated prison,” Galahad told Freya the day before her wedding.

“How many realities do I need to go through?”

“I’m not entirely sure...”

Galahad knew that going through several realities was a form of purification process for the soul. Sirion was placed in a portal that relinquished all ill-wills and malicious desires to prevent his followers to try and free him.

“I helped designed these spells, but I have no idea how many layers you’ll need to pass to purify your soul before you see him. At any rate, these realities are hard to overcome, so you must be careful.”

“Alright. I’ll be careful then.”

“The realities are designed to evoke torture and stir pain. Anything can happen to you in there, so you must be wary. If you die there, you would die too in this realm.”

Of course, she wouldn’t really die in the spirit, being the goddess that Freya is, but that does not mean there won’t be any repercussions.

Right after the wedding kiss, the time passages were activated. Galahad carefully encased the unconscious bodies of Freya and Langrion in an energy sphere to prevent the leak of tremendous magic.

In a few minutes, Templar had come to the site. Looking at her sister and the prince’s form, he came closer to Galahad and whispered ever so softly, “is it starting?”

Galahad nodded. “Her soul is travelling now. All we can do is wait.”

After all, that was what he, the God of Time Passages and Reversals was best at – waiting.

******************

Shia wanted to open her eyes, but she can’t. She attempted once more but only succeeded in half opening them and closing them altogether.

It was cold, but she felt sleepy. Her muscles ached all over. She didn’t know what to do to fully wake up. She just wanted to sleep.

“Mommy, I’m hungry...”

Shocked by the tiny voice, Shia opened her eyes immediately. She was greeted by the sight of a little girl and an equally frail boy who was perched to her side. They both had shiny silver hair with deep, gray eyes.

“Mommy, I’m hungry,” the girl said again. “Lyon wants milk too... Can we get something to eat?”

She could hear the trickling sound of water somewhere... It seemed like they were in a cramped space, like a secret room or a closet. But who in the world were these children, and why are they calling her mommy?

“Hush, my Lucille... Let’s wait some more before eating, okay?”

It didn’t sound like her own voice, but Shia knew it was her, and she called the girl by a pretty name – Lucille.

Lucille started to hug her tightly.

“Mommy, are we going to die?”

It was an innocent question from such a young child, but Shia’s heart stilled. She knew that the answer was yes. If her husband discovers them, they were already as good as dead...

Shia shook her head. Her name is Shia. She married Langrion. She came here to find Sirion and save Langrion.

She repeated these words into her head as Galahad had instructed her to do.

“The realities you will face are compelling enough to drive you crazy. Always remember who you are and what you have set out to do,” his voice resounded in her head.

“Mommy, I don’t want to die,” Lucille said. Lyon, the other child by her side, started to cry weakly.

“Don’t cry. Don’t cry, baby... Don’t cry, Lucille. No one’s dying,” Shia said, her mouth tasting bitter with the lies she just spouted.

Suddenly, someone pounded heavily at the door of the closet.

“Olivian, open the door! Olivian!”

Shia’s heart quickened. Whoever the person on the other side was, he didn’t seem friendly.

“Mommy, daddy is going to kill us,” Lucille whispered. She clung into Shia’s side tightly. Lyon began to wail loudly.

How can her children be exposed to this environment? What kind of mother was she?

“Shhh, Lyon, don’t cry... Don’t cry please.”

‘Shia,’ someone whispered. The voice seemed to have come from the ring on her finger. When did she ever had such a ring, by the way?

‘Shia, they are not your children...’

It was a man’s voice. She knew him... She knew who he was... But who was ‘Shia’?

“Olivian, damn it! Open up!”

That’s right. She’s Olivian, and these are her children, and Dekhin, her wretched husband, was on the other side of that door, threatening to kill them once the door breaks down.

‘No... You’re name is Shia. You are Shia Aifendel. Your husband is Langrion. You are not their mother... They aren’t your child,’ the familiar voice whispered from the ring once again.

Her head was pounding. Who is she? Who is Shia? Who’s Olivian? Who are these children crying beside her?

She began to breathe heavily, “I... I...”

‘You are Shia. They are not your children... This isn’t your reality....’

It wasn’t her reality?... Then, whose reality was this?

‘You are Shia... You are my wife, Shia... It’s me, Langrey....’

The familiar voice is Langrion – Langrion Zephiry Romualdi – the Imperial Prince of Gascone!

“I am Shia... My husband is Langrey... I... I came for Sirion...”

“Mommy, where are you going?”

Shia had stood up, leaving Lyon lying on the floor. She was about to open the knob of the closet door against the pounding of a violent man on the other side.

The little girl held tightly to her skirt. “Don’t open it, mommy... Don’t open the door!”

‘Open it, Shia... Open the door, and step into the light...’ Langrion said, urging her to do the very thing she wanted.

“Don’t open the door, mommy! Don’t let daddy kill us...”

It was too late. Shia had mustered the courage to turn the knob. Painfully, she opened the door and stepped in, leaving behind the violent cries of children and the woman Olivian, who had been her a few second ago.

‘You’ve done well,’ Langrion said.

He said she had done well... But how come she felt terribly wretched inside?

Shia took a deep breath and was immediately absorbed by an invisible force forward.

“Eh, Sara, what are you looking at?”

A crowd of people had gathered by the plaza square. Shia scratched her head. What was she looking at? She couldn’t really remember...

“Come on. I thought you said that your mother was waiting at home,” Ermine said, taking her hand carefully into his own.

She smiled back at Ermine. Where did she find such an understanding sweetheart like him?

‘Shia...’

All of a sudden, soldiers came to surround them. Ermine took a protective stance around her.

“Ermine Sanghedlin, you are under arrest for the attempted assassination to her royal highness, Queen Edelwene de Famis.”

“No!” Shia clutched Ermine’s arm. “That’s not true!”

‘Shia...’

There’s that voice again... Where was it coming from? Who was Shia?

‘Let him go, Shia. You have to get away...’

The soldiers pushed her away and clutched at Ermine’s frame. Ermine didn’t let go of her hands though. If Ermine could only draw his sword, they can still get away!

As if reading her thoughts, one soldier stepped in front of her and drew a sword against her neck.

She – Sara – stopped breathing abruptly, but not before she collided with the sharp weapon that was raised against her.

She was not quick enough. The end of the sword slashed a bit through the side of her left clavicle, leaving a small cut.

“Ahh,” she screamed in surprise.

“No, Sara!”

‘Shia, step away from there! Time’s running out!’

Time seemed to still. At the corner of her eyes, she saw a bright light as big as a door.

‘Follow the light, Shia,’ the voice said, ‘follow the light and get away from there...

“Who?...”

‘It’s Langrey. I’m Langrion, your husband!’

Langrion is her husband? But Ermine is her lover... Who is this familiar voice?

‘You are Shia. I’m your husband, Langrey. You came here for Sirion. This isn’t your reality...’

It really wasn’t her reality! It really wasn’t!

“Sara, help me!” Ermine shouted as the soldiers attempted to take him away. “Sara!”

“Ermine!”

Ermine is not hers... She is not Sara... She is Shia.

With all the ounce of strength in her trembling body, she let go of Ermine’s grasp and turned around from his thrashing form and hurriedly entered the doorway of light. Somehow, the seething pain in her chest never left her.

As quickly as she exited the last reality, she arrived at her next destination in the seemingly endless time passages to hell.