The Prophecy of Fates (SLOWLY EDITING)

CHAPTER LXXVII: Μια Αμαρτία Γραμμένη σε Στάχτη και Φωτιά

077- A SIN WRITTEN IN ASH AND FIRE

AEODYSUS

I stared at the flickering gold-orange flame hovering over my palm as my fingers trembled after every pulse of its heat.

This was unlike any fire I had ever worked with. Its flames were wilder and even more stubborn—sa kung anumang dahilan ay ayaw nitong sumunod sa kagustuhan ko, making it a challenge just to tame the damn thing. It was almost like dealing with a toddler throwing a tantrum.

"Focus, Aeodysus," rinig kong paalala bigla ni Titan Prometheus sa'kin habang pinagmamasdan niya ako sa malayong harapan.

He glared at me. "You waver too much. You still fear the fire."

"I don't fear it," I shot back at him, maybe a little too quickly. I sounded guilty.

Prometheus scoffed before crouching on his seat like a disappointed mentor watching his apprentice ruin yet another sword. "Pathetic. You're still treating this like your father's forge, trying to blindly shape it."

Maya-maya pa'y nakita ko ang pagtayo niya. "You cannot treat the Imperius Flame like ordinary fire, for it is the very fire I bestowed upon humanity, the same one that paved the advancement of mortal civilization."

Right. No big deal. Just the OG flame that pissed off the god Zeus himself. Totally normal.

"So, how do I control something that's basically the original spark of life?" sarkastikong tanong ko kay tanda, na kulang nalang ay patayin na ako ngayon sa masamang titig niya.

Then he let out a sigh. "Your problem, Aeodysus, is that you still think like a blacksmith. You try to forge. You try to bend it like metal. But the Imperius Flame is not something you bend to your nonsensical whims, just because," he left the last sentence hanging, and so I flashed him a questioning look.

"So? Got any actual instructions, or am I supposed to just... vibe with it?"

The Titan immediately threw me a look that screamed 'Why do I even bother with this kid?' before speaking, "It is not about force but understanding. And what's clearer than the waters of Styx, is that you do not understand at all."

Napanganga ako sa sinabi niya. Like that's supposed to help?

I laughed without humor. "Oh, no. I get it! I get it. Just master an ancient, primordial force and take down a giant, right? Easy peasy."

The old geezer didn't even blink at my sarcasm. "You must not forget Aeodysus, that Mimas' body is forged from Atlantean Tungsten. A metal so dense that even Hephaestus' divine flames cannot melt it."

I scoffed before rolling my eyes nang maalala ko ulit yung kahihiyan na ginawa ko nung isang araw pagkatapos kong sugurin si Mimas na parang tanga. "Yeah, right. That guy's basically a walking, indestructible tank."

He clicked his tongue. "Almost. It's true that Hephaestus' fire cannot touch him. But there are flames that can—"

"The Flames of the Underworld, you mean," I cut him off, already knowing where this was going.

The Titan nodded. "Three, to be exact. The Flames of Hades, Quietus, and Tartarus. Any one of them, if wielded correctly, could melt Mimas' body, but... so could the Imperius Flame that now burns within you."

I wiped the sweat from my brow, feeling the sudden heat creep up my arms. "I know. Kai, Kria, and Evangelos possess them. Back in my time."

Prometheus folded his arms. "And you should also know, that the Imperius Flame is their original source. The fire that first defied the gods. The Underworld's flames were born from rebellion, just as yours was."