Chapter 17
"Inevitable Destiny"
In the vast expanse of the universe, there exists a force that governs the course of our lives. It is a force that no one can escape, no matter how hard we try. This force is what we call destiny.
Destiny is the predetermined path that each Warrior of Ciboro is meant to follow. It is the culmination of all the choices they make, the actions they take, and the circumstances they find themselves in. It is the invisible hand that guides them towards their ultimate purpose.
According to Alexandre, some may disagree that we have the power to shape our own destiny and that we are controlling our lives. However, he strongly believes that it is true that we have free will and the ability to make choices. Nonetheless, there are certain events and outcomes that are beyond our control. These are the moments when destiny reveals itself, when we are faced with circumstances that are seemingly out of our hands.
Destiny is not something that can be predicted or fully understood. It is a mysterious force that operates in the background, silently influencing the course of our lives. It is the reason certain people cross our paths, why certain opportunities present themselves, and why certain doors close.
Inevitably, we are all bound by our destiny. It is the thread that connects us to the greater tapestry of life. It is what gives our lives meaning and purpose. Embracing our destiny means accepting the challenges and opportunities that come our way, knowing that they are all part of a greater plan.
So, as we navigate through the twists and turns of life, Alexandre reminds us that destiny is not something to be feared or resisted. It is a force that is as natural and inevitable as the rising and setting of the sun. It is what makes us who we are and guides us towards our true potential.
***
"Now is the time when the Great Baba Matuwa is destined to rest. It will be nine days before we wake him up again," reminded Magnus.
"So it is up to us to temporarily protect all of Zanrta Land," replied Psyantal.
"Make sure the magical seals are in the right position," ordered Magnus.
"I'll take care of that," answered Psyantal.
***
Ahn-Ahn wakes up inside the slammer. She sees a little daylight coming through the hole in the cloth covering the cage. She doesn't move, but she watches her surroundings.
"What's that noise?"
"Wait, where am I?"
"Ugh!"
Finally, she realizes and remembers what happened! Furthermore, she is struck with wonder when suddenly a loud cry from a female startles her.
"Let me go! Ahhhh! Ahhh!"
"What do you want from us?"
"Hey, you stinky, ugly creature! Answer me!"
The woman is shrieking intensely. This is followed by the sound of other iron bars cracking nearby. Footsteps can be heard approaching where the woman is. Then Ahn-Ahn hears a loud crash from where the woman is.
"🅱️🅾️🅾️🅿️💢❗❗"
"🅱️🅾️🅾️🅿️💢❗❗"
A loud crash, and they heard her moan distressed. She stopped yelling and screaming.
"Haha, haha!!!"
"Mængūl kagêd. Babål!"
(You are very noisy. Stupid.)
"Ehngatē nuh denü maematayån."
(Be careful not to kill them.)
She heard the laughter of a man with a resonant voice, and his language was anomalous, but Ahn-Ahn understood it. Even with the noises from other cages, one wouldn't hear a rustle. She also sensed their fear and hysteria. Ahn-Ahn knew she wasn't alone and thought they had caught her siblings too.
"Will they still be able to find me? Where will they take us? Hooo. Help us, brother," she murmured.
***
Aware of their state of extreme fear, pity, and self-loathing, Endang was deeply saddened by what they witnessed. Harris felt nauseous. Jrazm was confused about who should come first, the child they didn't know or Ahn-Ahn, whose life was in danger. Wamaro and Tatukwe remained silent for a long moment.
"Holy saints!"
"Oh, our God!"
"Stop there, Tatukwe. Don't yell, you will make our situation worse," intercepted Jrazm.
"Harris, where's the blanket I asked you to get? Hurry," ordered Endang.
"Just a moment," he answered.
"I can't believe we killed a human. Hoooh!" exclaimed Wamaro.
Who would have presumed that the wild boar slaughtered and supposedly eaten by them had turned into a human child? Until the twins discovered it.
"If you hadn't shot that thing, or creature, we unquestionably wouldn't be like this!" Tatukwe chastised.
"Don't blame me! Tak, you insisted on chasing that weak boar. You said you haven't feasted on meat in a long time!" Jrazm defended himself.
"Are you putting the blame back on me? Huh?!" Tatukwe shouted.
"Don't accuse me either because if I had known he was human, I would probably have helped him…" responded Jrazm.
"Stop arguing, please!" Wamaro cried out.
"Blame does not help in this situation. Nobody likes it. We all have responsibility for what occurred!" explained Endang.
"Wait, I'm not involved in that, just all of you!" Harris hissed.
"You're another one, stop!" Wamaro pointed at Harris.
"We need to know the reason all of this is happening. And we need to find Ahn-Ahn. Maybe something harmful will happen to our little sister. Don't you think?" Wamaro pointed to everyone.
"Indeed, Wamaro is right. We have to make a decision," added Endang.
"What's our plan?" asked Jrazm.
Following the boy's entrails, they covered his body with a cloth. They went to the seaside and talked there. The twins gave an account of what happened before they shot the wild boar.
"I noticed that he was already weak before Jrzam's arrow finally hit him," explained Tatukwe.
"Yeah, I agree. You can check those feet; they already have wounds," Jrazm added.
Tatukwe added, "It appears that another creature is hunting it. I noticed the blotches on the trees and leaves."
Indeterminately, to stop the feeling of conscience, Wamaro bolstered everyone's heart and reminded them that they killed not a human but a wild boar.
"Now it's confirmed that we didn't kill a human, but instead an animal," he spoke.
"Now the question is, how did he become a kid if he was a wild boar?" Harris interrupted.
"What the heck?!" flabbergasted, Endang.
"Shut your thoughts now, someday we will find an answer to all of this," Wamaro replied, perturbed.
"Harris! Be sensitive," scolded Endang.
"Alright, I apologize," replied Harris.
***
Wamaro also raised a question to everyone: who among them had noticed Ahn-Ahn's disappearance? However, none of them caught a glimpse of its sudden disappearance.
"Wamaro, the surroundings are clear," reported Jrazm.
"I didn't notice anything suspicious around, either," said Endang.
"That boy's grave is ready," according to Harris.
"I got a clue!" exclaimed Tatukwe.
"Wait, just a moment, and I'll go there," responded Wamaro.
Aside from the mark that Tatukwe reeked in the tent where she vanished, he is sure that someone abducted her. Not just one creature, but many of them. He also substantiated that it was the same odor that chased the young wild boar and the one who kidnapped Ahn-Ahn.
"Now, let's stick to our plan!" Wamaro said.
"I'm ready," replied Tatukwe.
"We will follow you guys. You already know what to do," Jrazm reminded them.
"We will!" both responded.
Wamaro and Tatukwe immediately obeyed. Meanwhile, the three who were left behind dug a hole in the ground to bury the young child. But first, they would pray to his spirit for forgiveness, as they did not intend for such a tragedy to occur.
After two kilometers, Tatukwe couldn't find where Ahn-Ahn was. After following their tracks, they realized they were heading towards the coastal sea and there were no footprints to be found there.
"Are you confident we are following the right track, Tak?" Wamaro questioned.
"Holy Saints. I am a hundred percent sure." Tatukwe answered.
It was only recently that they discovered one of Tatukwe's talents was tracking. As long as there was a trace left by any kind of animal or creature, there was a possibility he could find it. Tatukwe was certain that Ahn-Ahn had crossed the ocean and that he would not be able to track him any further.
****
While Endang, Harris, and Jrazm were still in the same area, they put away their belongings to immediately follow the whereabouts of Wamaro and Tatukwe.
"Double-check, guys," Endang told them.
"Everything is inside the ship," Harris said breathlessly.
"Who's going to drive it?" Jrazm asked.
"Don't worry about that. You two can ride on my back," Endang added.
"Oh, okay," Jrazm agreed.
"Jrazm, shrink this ship, so I can just put it in my bag," Harris ordered.
"Alright!"
When everything was arranged, the three boarded Endang's back (transformed into a giant Harpy) and minimized the spacecraft of Ahn-ahn. As they were in the air, they were surprised to see a glow coming out of the tomb where they had consigned the grave of the young wild boar.
"Do you see what my eyes witness, Harris?" Jrazm wondered.
"Which one? Wait a minute. I can't ride properly," answered Harris.
"There it is!" Jrazm pointed below.
They immediately returned to it. Promptly, a child-shaped white smoke rose from it. For the first time, they saw a spirit.
Jrazm and Endang, without further ado, came down, knelt, cried, and begged. Meanwhile, Harris was far from it and was shuddering with fear. They never stopped apologizing. They knew it was the soul of the child they had decimated.
"I'm so sorry, please don't haunt us!" shrieked Jrazm.
"Please forgive us for our sins," begged Endang.
After a few minutes, Wamaro and Tatukwe returned. Upon noticing what was transpiring, they quickly followed what the two were doing, knelt, and apologized.
"HOLY SAINTS! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" reacted Tatukwe while crying.
"Dear Creator of Earth, I hope you forgive us for our sin of accidentally killing this innocent child," prayed Wamaro.
Everyone was kneeling, prostrating, and asking for forgiveness at the same time when suddenly…
"Stop! I am not God to ask for forgiveness or indulgence," exclaimed the soul.
Hearing that, everyone was shaking in nervousness. Even Wamaro was trembling a lot. The four hugged each other while Harris lost consciousness from fear. It uttered again, and each word echoed with more fear.
Bwahahah!!!" —The soul laughed out vociferously.
"Thank you so much for what you did, Jrazm. I returned to my true form. I know only death will release me from my bitter destiny."—he added.
They were still shocked, and you could still feel the fear that everyone was experiencing. They still couldn't speak. It was the first time they had seen the siblings so scared. Although they were surprised by what the dead soul said, they still didn't let go of the hug. Their whole bodies were still shaking and crying out.
"Do not be frightened of me, all creatures will mourn like this. Death is the key. Death is not the end of life. It is the beginning of an eternal journey," he added.
"Where are you guys?"
"Ufff…"
"Gh......OST."
Harris woke up again and when he saw that the spirit was still there, floating in its grave, he lost consciousness once more. It wasn't until Wamaro dared to communicate with the soul of the young wild boar.
***
"Hi, fellas! My name is Alven Padua, a Ha-O who hails from the small town of Mesbahn. My parents were well-known sculptors in our town. Since my father contributed a lot to the people, his position was accepted and treasured," he commemorated.
"I'm Wamaro, and these are my siblings," he introduced himself.
"I'm Endang, the twins Jrazm and Tatukwe. And that one is Harris," added Endang.
"Why did you say earlier that you were grateful for what happened to you?" Wamaro wondered.
"I think I have enough time to tell you my life story," responded Alven.
"Chill, guys. He can't harm us," spoke Wamaro to his siblings, especially to the twins.
"What do you mean, you are half human-half wild boar?" Endang asked curiously.
"Which is human, your mom, or dad?" Tatukwe asked seriously.
"No, what kind of question is that? It means your relatives are the same as you?" interrupted Jrazm.
"Guys, stop! Remember Julivic? About her identity, I think they're the same." conjectured Wamaro.
"HA-O." remembered Endang.
"I have a few minutes left. Can I continue my story?" spoke Alven.
"When the possibility of a gathering of creatures like us arose, our townspeople worked together to keep me safe before I was inevitably entrusted to the Great Baba Matuwa. Most of the people in Mesbahn comply when Baba Matuwa makes a decision, and I am genuinely grateful for their consideration of my situation."
"During my four-year stay at Zanrta Land Academia, I did not experience any discrimination because everyone was similar. We were all in almost the same situation. The real reason I am there is to find a cure for my condition. I am searching for a way to remain an ordinary child, a regular person like everyone else in my town."
(Alven shared his story.)
***
(Alven informed everyone of what had happened earlier.)
The five of them departed together through the portal from Zanrta Land, Academia. He recited the magical spell and was the only one with the key to allow entry or exit.
•••("Mōssā Kāndēēs Bān Mātīshtīsh Nāēn Lāwāykūh Māūbūsh Nāēn Lāwānkū.")•••
Since all five of them were heading in the same direction, they would board separate rowboats to their respective towns. When they arrived at the port of Northern Pollace, they would part ways because their destinations were different.
He noticed something unusual—some creatures were peering around. He informed his companion, but they didn't believe him because they hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. As they were about to board the rowboat, he suddenly caught a strange scent that wasn't expected. He screamed, but it was too late.
His companion attempted to use a "B+ Spell," a type of spell where you can block anyone's offense. While he ran away, he noticed five bounty hunters chasing him fast, but he ran away quickly. He slowed down when he was unaware of a needle in his back. It carried an incantation, which is a type of poison that would destroy him instantly if not dealt with.
Even so, utilizing the "H+ spell," he was able to hide. But with the force of the power that hit him, he became completely weakened. Thereafter, he did not know what had happened.
"Oh, now I get it. We feel relieved," exclaimed Wamaro.
"I'm so grateful that I didn't kill innocent people," expressed Jrazm.
"Holy saints. Wow. Shook," Tatukwe said, tears of joy streaming down his face.
"I want to ask, why was our sister captured too? What are their motives for doing it?" inquired Endang.
The siblings pulled out thorns when they heard it. They knew the amusement that the siblings felt, but they were also apprehensive about their sister, Ahn-Ahn. Alven wanted to respond to Endang's queries about his ideas and opinions about the abductors, but he could not speak because his time on this earth was over. Alven gradually lost his appearance in front of the Warriors of Ciboro.
"I'm happy, and our consciences are still clear," said Jrazm.
"I wanted to ask him what kind of creature was chasing them, but time ran out. Hooo," Tatukwe regretted.
"It's all right. We still have time to travel and follow where they are," added Endang.
"Oh, guys. What's going on? Let's get ready and let's chase those who got swept away," Harris suddenly got up and spoke.
"Woah, it's a miracle you woke up," joked Jrazm.
"Let's leave now," suggested Tatukwe.
"Let's go," they all agreed.
"Goodbye Alven Padua, until we meet again in your next life," said Wamaro.
∆•∆•∆