The Silver Mask of Gahenna

Chapter 1: The Princess of Mula

Ten years ago...

In the border between Gahenna and Mula, far from the eyes of any who might seek to capture and destroy her, a lost child lay abandoned. Her eyes fluttered open in the darkness, staring up at the black sky. 

She cried out, but no one answered. Her cries were just swallowed by the darkness.

She was alone.

"Mama! Papa!" Tumayo ito at nagsimulang maglakad sa gitna ng kadiliman.

She had a long, curly silver hair that compliments her white long dress. Matangos ang ilong nito at kulay pilak rin ang mga mata.

Lost in the dark, the child can't remember anything how she end up there. Ang nasa isip lamang nito ay ang matatamis na ngiti at tawa ng kaniyang magulang habang nagkukuwentuhan sila sa loob ng maliit ngunit puno ng pagmamahal na kanilang tahanan.

What she doesn't know, her parents had fallen to a raid of Gahenna soldiers, ang palasyo kung saan nagmula ang kaniyang ama. The village her parents build had burned to the ground.

Now, she was cast aside like so much refuse, having no one beside her. The world seemed to turn its back on her, as if she were nothing more than a passing shadow.

But the child was not abandoned for long.

Mula sa dilim, mga kakaibang nilalang ang biglang lumitaw. Dalawang babae at isang lalake--- nakasuot ng itim at mahahabang damit. Creatures with pointed black hats, as black as the night. Their eyes gleamed with an otherworldly light as they saw the lost child.

They circled around her, cautious, as though they had seen her before. Isa sa tatlong mangkukulam--- may mahaba at pulang buhok--- ang lumapit sa batang babae. Its glowing eyes locked with the child's, and it tilted its head.

The child did not scream. Instead, she reached out her tiny hand, holding the witch's cloak. She sensed something familiar in the witch's gaze.

Katulad ng kaniyang ina, may mga kulay gintong mata ito na nagliliwanag sa kadiliman.

The guy touches the child's face, "Mukhang nahanap natin ang anak ni Damhius at Rowena," nakangisi nitong saad. He shoved her face gently causing the two other witches to glare at him. "What? Look at her eyes. Magkaiba ang kulay. Ginto at pula. Patunay na bunga siya ng pagtataksil ng kaniyang mga magulang."

"Malowe, you need to be gentle with her." Wika ng mangkukulam na may pulang buhok, holding the child's tiny hand. "Nasa propesiya na siya ang mamumuna sa Mula."

"Yeah, that bullshit prophecy!"

"Malowe!!" sabay na suway ng dalawang mangkukulam sa kanilang kasamang lalake.

Without a sound, the witches surrounded her and led her deep into the heart of the forest.

There, hidden away from the land of Gahenna--- who is also searching for the lost child of Damhius and Rowena, the child was raised. She was not like the other children in the land of Mula, for she was not entirely a Mulai, nor was she entirely a Gahenna. May magkaibang kulay ang mga mata nito.

The witches taught her their ways of living, tinanggap at ibanaon sa limot ang kataksilan na ginawa ng kaniyang mga magulang.

Hindi katulad ng ibang Mulai, hindi siya nagtataglay ng kapangyarihan. Ngunit hindi ito ipinagtakha ng mga mangkukulam. Alam nila na ang sinumang makagawa ng kataksilan--- ang magmahal at sumama sa isang Gahenna ay nagbubunga ng pagkawala ng kapangyarihan. Kung kaya't hindi na rin sila magtataka kung madaling nasawi sina Damhius at Rowena.

As the years passed, she grew strong. Her skills began to awaken, her senses sharpening, her connection to the dark world around her deepening. Her senses became far sharper than any witches', and her mind grew quick.

And when the day came, when the child became a woman, she was named Athea.

---

Athea stood in the center of a grand hall, the shadows of the night curling around her like a dark embrace. The large hall was dark and empty, save for the flickering torchlight along the walls.

Her cloak, black as midnight, swirled around her legs, and her silver hair cascaded down her back in waves.

She was alone. Alone with her thoughts. Alone with the power she had inherited from the witches who had raised her.

Not the power of magic, but the power to rule an entire land.

Mula, the land of witches called Mulai, was a place of quiet power. Here, magic flowed like a river, running through every living being, binding them to the land, to the sky, and to each other. But that power, as endless as it seemed, had always been tempered by the threat of Gahenna.

Huminga siya ng malalim. Ilang taon rin niyang pinaghandaan ang araw na ito. Her heart ached with a mix of fear and excitement, for today was the day she would finally take her rightful place as the ruler of the witches in Mula.

Ang bigat ng kulay pilak na korona sa kaniyang ulo ay magaan para sa kaniya, ngunit ang responsibilidad na nirerepresenta nito ay singbigat ng kadiliman na bumabalot sa buong kalupaan ng mangkukulam.

She had spent so many years in training, learning the ancient arts of magic and combat, mastering the skills she had inherited from her parents and the witches who had saved her.

But now, it was time to lead. The witches, bound to the land of Mula, had waited for a sign, and that sign had come in the form of war.

The soldiers of Gahenna had been roaming around the border of Mula and Gahenna. Nagbabantay at nagmamatyag. Rumours of their prince--- his power, his cruelty--- had reached her ears, and she knew it was only a matter of time before they would come for Mula.

Ngunit isang bagay ang hindi niya lubos mapaniwalaan. Ang sinasabing kalupitan ng prinsipe. Ilang beses na niya itong nakaharap.

She snapped back in reality when the throne room doors opened. With a soft creak, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was the High Witch, an ancient and wise leader who had been like a mother to Athea since her arrival in Mula. She had a long, straight red hair.

The High Witch, clothed in robes of deep violet, approached her with a grave expression. "You are ready, Athea," she said softly, her voice rich with age and wisdom. It was not a question but more of a statement. Lumapit ito kay Athea at marahan na hinaplos ang kaniyang kulay pilak na buhok. "Oras na. The witches must unite, for the war against Gahenna is upon us. Hindi tayo handa para sa isang digmaan, ngunit wala tayong magagawa. Lalaban tayo o maglalaho tayo sa sarili nating lupa."

Napalunok si Athea. Bata pa man siya ay ipinamulat na sa kaniya na nahaharap sa digmaan ang kanilang lupain at palasyo. At ang masaklap ay sa palasyo ng kapwa nila mangkukulam na may ibang paniniwala, kung saan nagmula ang kaniyang ama.

Isang tanong ang nananatili sa kaniyang isipan sa bawat banggit ng salitang digmaan. 'Ano kaya ang mangyayari kung hindi nahahati ang lupain ng Gahenna at Mula?'

Athea nodded, her eyes narrowing with determination. "Hindi ko po kayo bibiguhin, Ina Romina. I will lead them into battle. At ang lupain ng Mula ay mananatili sa ating pamumuno."

But deep down, Athea knew that this war would not be as simple as it seemed. There was more at stake than the survival of Mula.

The truth of the silver masks, the dark power that connected Gahenna and Mula, was something she had yet to uncover.

And that truth would change everything.

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KalatidNiBonifacio