Oculus of Time

Shattered

Ria's POV

I held my flaming sword higher so I can see the passage more clearly. "Why the hell is her temple under the city?!"

Maliban sa mga reklamo ko, maririnig din ang bawat apak ng aking sapatos sa putik.

The temple I'm heading to was originally built for Asclepius, pero nagbago ang lahat nang lumipat dito si Mnemosyne para magtago mula sa rebel deities. She even brought one of her oracles, who unfortunately, had the guts to betray the titaness.

Kung alam lang ng mga gamma students ang tungkol dito, na isang oracle ang nagtaksil sa deity niya, it would cause widespread fury. Sa pagkakaalam ko kasi, they have a subject where they learn how to stay loyal to their deities and avoid being tempted or distracted.

In that particular subject, they are also taught how to properly kill themselves when they have committed the act of betrayal.

Ayon sa kanila, even if you are one of the greatest oracle or keeper in the entire realms, once you betray your diety, you can never redeem everything you've sacrificed unless you sacrifice yourself. Kung sakali mang nagawa mo ngang magtaksil sa deity mo, intensyon mo mang gawin 'yon o hindi, then your life is over. By over, I mean, if your deity's not gonna kill you for it, then you have no choice but to kill yourself.

Patuloy lang ako sa paglalakad sa underground tunnel habang dinaramdam ang kapaligiran ko. It's not much that's currently surrounding me, pero sobrang dilim kasi kaya naka-alerto lahat ng senses ko.

Slowly, I can see the faint light of a couple of torches emerging from the distance, nakadikit ito sa magkabilang gilid ng tunnel at sinundan ko lang ang mga ito hanggang sa makarating ako sa entrance ng temple.

Inilibot ko ang aking paningin at kusang napangiti.

This is the temple where we got claimed by the realms...

Nakapagtataka kung paanong nasa ilalim ng lupa ang isang malawak na lugar katulad nito.

The floor was made of white stone with a shiny finish. Nakapalibot din ang iilang columns na hango sa arkitektura ng Ancient Greece. It was like a huge white shining temple but instead of opening towards the sky, its walls are made of soil, and there's no light from outside. The only sources of light are the torches evenly arranged around the temple and the huge chandelier of candles na nakasabit sa kisame, kaya nakapagtataka kung paano ito nanatiling nakabitin sa ilalim ng lupa dahil sa bigat nito.

"Are you perhaps looking for the clouds?"

Napatingin ako kay Mnemosyne na nakatingala sa itaas.

"I thought you were in Greece." sambit ko. "Kaya nagdalawang-isip akong pumunta ako dito."

She was way taller than I am. Hindi normal ang kanyang katangkaran at ang tindig niya, ay sapat na para masabi mong makapangyarihan ang deity na ito. Her long robe that was tainted with different shades of purple glowed amidst the darkness because of the golden details embedded on the silk-like cloth.

Kumikinang ang buong katawan niya, na tila ba may sariling mist ito.

It's my first time to study her features and now I think I know what makes Cesia's physical appearance different.

In her veins, runs the blood of Aphrodite, who is the goddess of beauty and sexuality. But that's not all dahil dumadaloy din sa kanyang katawan ang ichor ng titaness na si Mnemosyne, the mother of all the things that make life beautiful. It was her that gave birth to music, poetry, literature... and everything inspirational.