When Darkness Leds To The Right Path

[06]: Afterlife Keys

CHAPTER 06: Afterlife Keys

[Mayu's P.O.V.]

I was already asleep when i feel a tingling feeling. That stupid feeling wake me up! I slowly aat down and rub my eyes. I glace at my clock and frown. It was only four in the morning!! Bakit ba nitong nakaraang mga araw ay ang aga aga kong nagigising? Siguradong hindi na ako makakatulog nito.

Instead, my mind is debating kung itatanong ko ba kay Darque ang kwento ng buhay nya o hayaan ko na lang sya ang magsabi saakin. I stood up at pumunta na lang aa study table ko. I place my arm on the table.

There was a poof of black mist and Darque stood there, rubbing her eyes. Humikab sya at nahiga sa kama ko. I turned around my chair para magkaharap kami.

"Nagising ba kita?"-tanong nya.

Nanliit ang mata ko doon but i just shrugged. "Obviously, but its fine."-i lied. Naupo naman sya pero nakayuko.

"Sorry." She said. "I mean, yung tungkol kay Lite and endagering your family and Clan and---"-i cut her off.

"I told you, kaibigan kita kaya okay lang yun."-i said ang i smiled at her. Tumayo sya at pumunta saakin tsaka ako niyakap.

The moment she calmed down she ask, "Do you have any questions?"

I nodded. "Just a few. Hindi ko kasi ma-gets yung sinabi mo kanina saakin eh. Pakiulit naman. Medyo slow kasi ako."-i said ang smiled sheepishly.

"I'll start from the beginning. The keys of Afterlife are dropped into the human world once every five hundred years or so. The two keys must then find two owners. Since I'm a Darque key, I must find an owner who is a Darque type. Lite must form a contract with a Lite type wizard. However, there is a type of mage that lingers between the two, called the Shade. That's what you are."

''When one key of Afterlife kills the other, they gain their powers, granting them and their key owners absolute power and magic."

"When the two Afterlife keys meet, our first instinct is to kill each other. After all, we are opposites. When one of us comes out victorious, the victor gains the power of the other. According to a source, Lite's owner is also someone who's after power. You may be in danger."

''This is an cycle that has been going on for longer than even I can remember. Long ago, this battle used to be just between the two keys and their owners. However, over the time, Lite began bringing more and more people into this. In order to counter this, I have asked my other owner to find other Darque type mages. When Darque, Lite and Shade type wizards go full out onto one another, those who aren't considered on of the three types will be in grave danger.'

"So me, being in the Dragon Clan will endanger everyone." I breathed.

"I'm so sorry!" She cried, lowering her head. "For the past few times this cycle had gone around, sinigurado kong mga solo wizards at walang mga pamilya ang mga nakakasundo ko. But when I fell right to you the other day, I thought it was some of sign that you were supposed to be my contractor and I-"

"I told you, its fine. Siguro time na rin na magkaroon ako ng adventure hindi puro training ang ginagawa ko."-and i laugh. Throught that laught, i can sense some sadness at it. Then may naalala ako. "Wait! Kung spirit si Lite, paano mo sya mapapatay?"

She smiled, "Me and Lite were both keys of Afterlife, so we can kill each other."

"Oh, ganun ba."-i paused. "You said that both of you were dropped every hundreds of years then, do you guys die... err... then mabuhay again? Paano natatapos ang cycle na to?"

Darque look down, "The cycle ends the moment one of us dies. Ive manage to escape Lite all this time. Meeon kasi akong gi agawang ritual tuwing full moon na pinapayagan akong irestart ang cycle. Pero para mangyari iyon, kailangan ng sacrifice. At first, it was just a small things like a plant and a cup or something like. But recently..."-she then smiled. A sad and teary smile.

"Yeah, recently, the sacrifice is getting bigger and bigger. If i remember corectly, four cycles ago, kailangan kong kumuha ng isang photo album mula sa mayamang pamilya. Three cycles ago, isang stray cat
Two cycles ago, kailangan kong kumuha ng bangkay sa ianag sementeryo. And a cycle ago, last time, i-i need to k-kill a child..."

I froze. Kill? Hindi ba masyado ng malaki yun?

Halos maiyak na sya sa sinabi nya. "The child was been adopted by a family. Pero hindi naman sya naalagaang mabuti eh. At may nakamamatay na sakit sya kaya kung hindi ko pa ginawa yun, mamamatay din sya tatlong araw makaraan ko syang p-patayin."-she stuttered.

Darque shook her head. "If Lite and I meet in battle and if I loose, that would allow him and his owners to grant one wish each. That would cause chaos, because Lite only contracts with those who are power hungry." I paused.

"Wait. Grant on wish?" I asked. Darque nodded. "I thought it was unlimited power and magic."

Mukha namang nagulat si Darque. "Hindi ba yun naman ang hinihiling ng lahat ng tao? Or maybe its money or eternal life." Now she looked confused.

I smiled. "Not everybody wishes for things like that. If I could grant one wish, I would wish that all the people I care about lead a happy life."

Once again, mukha syang nagulat pero ngimiti din. "Magkaparehas kayo ng other owner ko ng sagot dyan."

"Other owner? Meron pang iba bukod saakin?"-tanong ko.

Darque mischievously smiled at nilagay ang hintuturo nya sa kanyang labi. "Secret! Malalaman mo din! Ang alam ko ngayon sila darating eh."

Napakunot naman ang noo ko pero hi di na ako nangulit pa. Surprise daw eh! Sino kaya yun? "Pwede ko bang sabihin ito kay Papa? Para naman may dahilan ako sa pagalis ko?"-tanong ko.

Darque slowly nodded pero kita ko nanaman ang guilt sa mga mata nya. "H-hindi ka ba malulungkot? I asked my other owner to gather some people that I think will help us. You guys should create a group together or something."

I thought about this and inwardly smiled. I glanced my clock. "Its already six." I hadn't realized how long we had been talking.

Darque stood up and bowed. "I'll take my leave for now." She said. I nodded and Darque disappeared in a burst of black smoke.