16 BREAKING the MYTH (2/2)

”Yes, let's get to the point. I came to warn you young apprentice. I know your father cannot grant an audience at the moment so I am hoping that you can give my message to him. I simply cannot be seen being close to any mortal. As you can perceive, I am still the head of all immortal beasts and I do not want to tarnish that reputation now that things are unstable.”

”What's unstable? What's wrong?”

”A mortal is rising to taint the sanctity of the Holy Lands that our father, Bathala, has protected for thousands of years as what your ancestors and their ancestors before them have also done. If this unfortunate scenario progress, we would risk our anonymity and unleash our fury to those who are responsible.”

”What? No one in their right mind wants to taint our Holy Lands!? No tainting would happen! That is not possible!”

”I am delighted to hear such optimism, but I believe that it has already begun. Nothing can stop what's unraveling. The immortal beasts are getting anxious. There are only a few of us left but you haven't seen the Five Mighty Titans. If they all wake up and call up their arms, a disastrous ravage would ensue killing tens of thousands of mortals. I cannot let something as sacred as life be threatened by few individuals with malice in their intents. They must be stopped before any of this ever happens!”

”So, the prophecy is true then? It is really unfolding?”

”You know about the prophecy? Did your father tell you?”

”No, I do not know the specifics, but I have been filtering the correspondence that my grandfather and father send every day. I figured it out.”

”That's not very prince-like of you to rummage into other people's privacy.”

”They have been acting strange these past few months and who am I to resist such secrecy. I have to know especially if it involves our Holy Lands. I have decrypted a secret message saying that the prophecy is unfolding. I want to know what that is. Do you know?”

”Who else knows about this?” snapped Grog feeling anxious.

”No one,” immediately answered Reus confused but now determined to be curious even more.

”Good, good. Please do make this a secret. The prophecy of Bathala should not arrive at the hands of the enemy.”

”I don't know any other person who can decipher my father's encrypted messages other than me. They have a tight-knit group of generals and officers. About ten to fifteen, maybe? All I know is that they have studied this other language in order to protect that secret, so it is safe.”

”And you know this secret language?”

”Master!” he smiled disappointed, ”after all this time?”

Grog smirked nodding. ”I shouldn't have asked.”

”So, how about the prophecy?”

Grog smiled now walking away. ”It is neither my duty nor my privilege to divulge the words of Bathala. If you want to find out, you should talk to your father.”

”Well, they are keeping me out of the loop! They even sent me to this forsaken edge of the north just to keep me in the dark! They call this experience, and work, and duty, but I know they are just hiding me away from something. That something is what I want to find out! Have I not garnered enough respect from you, Master? For you to give me just an inkling of what you know?”

Grog turned to face him still smiling. ”Reus, Reus, Reus. I don't know if your mind is getting dull or you're just being insensitive ignoring all the facts. Isn't it possible that they are not revealing the information you want simply because you are in it?”

Reus paused standing in deep thoughts.

”That is something to keep your mind engaged but please bear in mind however that I still need you to relay my message to your father. It is imperative that you do this secretly and with much haste as you can. Shihiku is a very skilled and convincing speaker and it is his turn to speak his mind in the next meeting of the full moon. I will try, as hard as I can, to delay these proceedings. Interrupting the decision from the three elders is the most important thing at the present. I need you to tell your father that I may not be able to come forth if summoned in the following months.”

”Y-yes, Master,” murmured Reus still stunned with the information.

”I am counting on you here young apprentice. I know you wouldn't let me down.”

”Yes, Master,” Reus bowed.

Grog smiled as he lifted his head to a howl. His whole body shined turning him to a bright luminescent wolf and then he disappeared leaving Reus standing in the forest all alone and all mystified.

-------ooO0Ooo-------

”Father!” shouted Iyom rushing through the door banging it in his hurry.

”I told you Iyom,” said a man sitting on a chair at the far back, ”I do not want to partake in your nonsensical trivialities so stop pestering me.”

”But father, please, hear me out!”

Kyrin looked back to face Iyom as he shoved his long white tunic for him to move. It is filled with gold linings that made his pale features become less apparent. He has the same runic tattoo on his forehead like everyone else.

”Yes, son, what is it that is so important that you keep annoying me here! I thought I told you to never enter my quarters unless it's very urgent.”

”But it is!”

Kyrin turned his back on him trying to read some old thick tomes. ”Is it related to the mortal that you brought here? Because if it is then you don't have any grounds for storming my sacred quarters.”

”But father!” tried Iyom now going near him, ”He's winning! We can't have that!”

”Good for him. You have put him at the arena. If he wins then he gets his life. It is a sacred duel, I cannot interfere.”

”Yes, but he cheated! He made a deal with Ra'Ark and he's winning.”

”How is that cheating.” He stopped his tinkering and sighed. ”If Ra'Ark acknowledged this treaty, that means he would most likely succeed in defeating him. What are you afraid of?” he paused for a second and turned to Iyom somewhat annoyed, ”And just to be clear, you are the one who started that. Remember that I do not approve of that hostility against the mortals. We have enough trouble as it is. So why would you think I care what happens to anyone you kidnap and force to fight at the arena.”

Iyom gave a forced smile, ”It would ruin our reputation?”

Kyrin went back on reading his books smiling, ”How would it ruin us? If anything, it would give us fame. If he survives then he'll spread word of his misfortune and that would give them the hesitation of harvesting our life tree. It is to our advantage.”

Iyom tried finding a way to win to his father's argument but found nothing so he gave a deep depressing sigh.

”If you don't have anything more to share the door is at the back,” Kyrin ordered now busy with his books, ”Please shut it properly this time.”

”He's a thief!” Iyom shouted suddenly now finding his ace, ”He's a thief and he stole from us!”

”What now?” Kyrin asked sighing again, turning his head around to see Iyom. ”This better be good.”

Iyom hurriedly pulled something in his pocket and showed it to his father.

”Your missing pair of gloves!” he smiled almost laughing.

”Where'd you get that?” asked Kyrin grabbing them immediately, now standing worried.

”The young man has this,” Iyom proudly boasted, ”I reclaimed what is rightfully yours from that thief!”

”This young man,” snapped Kyrin interrupting Iyom, ”Does he have his Amplifyer at his forehead?”

”Yes,” answered Iyom, confused with his father's concern.

”What is his base element?”

”Uh- earth? But…”

”Yosh,” mumbled Kyrin with wide eyes as he suddenly disappeared leaving Iyom alone in the room.

-------ooO0Ooo-------

”That's your one thousand three hundred and seventy sixth!” Yosh shouted clinging to the walls.

The arena's grounds are now bubbling with its gooey dark green acid. Half of the walls surrounding them are now into rubbles. The spectators are now silent, losing their enthusiasm to the long fight they are witnessing. They are now sitting at the topmost benches of the arena because Ra'Ark is now shooting at the walls where Yosh is moving. Even a droplet of the acid can be considered fatal, so they are trying to avoid that.

”Hmm, Impressive, you have just become one of those few individuals who can consider themselves a true Sentinel of the Holy Lands. Hmm, it is a shame now to kill you.”

”Thank you,” replied Yosh, ”but I do not want the title, I want my life!”

Ra'Ark laughed hard wheezing. He can be seen tired now moving slower than he is when they first started. ”When I fought Prince Artemus, the arena stayed in its pristine condition for he dissolved my acids with his elemental techniques. Hmm, but you, your case is different. You cannot move now my child. I am sorry but this is the end for you. Hmm, you've nowhere to run.”

”I have this wall?”

”My acid blast will surely obliterate that. The grounds are filled with acid and the other walls are now destroyed. Hmm, you're one blow away from death.”

”Stop!” a man appeared between them from above falling down on the grounds. The acid floor lost its potency as the man landed on the floor and was gradually replaced with tall thick green grasses. A very impressive and surprising entrance, Yosh thought almost smiling.

The sleeping crowd became interested all of a sudden keeping their eyes peeled at the arena.

”Oh, Kyrin. You've gotten out of your solitary meditation. How are you? Hmm?” Ra'Ark greeted now lowering his body on the ground to lie. ”We can do pleasantries later, I'm rather busy at the moment, hmm. It is the Rite of Sap'Khan after all.”

”I'm sorry dear friend but there is misunderstanding. You cannot kill this mortal child.”

”Well, I'm sorry too. Hmm, I cannot grant what you want. I will lose my dignity if I do not finish our agreement with this child. It's good to see you though. Hmm, you haven't left your room for hundreds of years, I thought you've gone insane.”

”But my friend, he is the son of Artemus.”

”Nonsense, he's a Daomagar.”

”No! He's blessed by Bathala! He's one of the chosen mortals! The kid must be protected.”

”Bah! Only Grog believes in that prophecy.”

”But I too believe in it!”

Yosh sat at the edge of the wall now confused. They now continued their argument in a weird language that he doesn't understand. He knows that he, like the rest of all the people in the Holy Lands, has the capacity to understand every language there is except one, the old language of Bathala's Heralds - the oldest language in existence which predates the mortals. It is a dead language that the Yagisivians use in conjuring their summoning spells. It is said that it is so hard, one must sacrifice twenty to thirty years of one's life in order to fully comprehend its vernacular. That is if they really do it eagerly and without rest.

”Okay,” said Kyrin giving-in in their discussion now returning to their normal understandable language. ”Give your last two shots.”

Kyrin walked away to go at the far right to sit on the blocks of walls that fell in their battle. He looked at Yosh smiling as if confident.”

Yosh jumped down on the grounds of the arena that is now a grass field. He can feel the smooth blades of the grass tickling his hands, swaying slightly as if being lulled by a peaceful breeze.

”Be ready young mortal!” Ra'Ark shouted lifting his body again standing tall, ”If you are really who you are then you'll survive this attack.”

Yosh's confused squinting look returned again. He doesn't understand what he meant by what he said. He pretty much doesn't understand what's happening, but he just readied himself and nodded.

Two shots, he thought. Two last shots. The worm's last shots earlier are even faster than the one's they started with. He could barely escape the large blasts that were aimed at him and he has done this with extreme perfection. Not a single scratch, he continued thinking, not even a droplet. This is so because Ra'Ark continued to bombard the area he's in trapping him in the arena. But this is not the case anymore. Now that Kyrin interfered, changing the fields of bubbling acid to a green field, the last two shots have to count. It is now a very dangerous situation for him and, as he calculated the risk, with all the variables that he noticed from the Great Worm, fear slowly crept in giving him a chilling embrace as if death is actually by his side now greeting him with his pleasantries.

The worm wailed and took a long inhale - a very long inhale that made his body bulk up to twice his size. Ra'Ark remained standing there still for a few seconds. The arena fell dead silent.

Yosh noticed a twitch in Ra'Ark's eyes. The signal! Yosh has been seeing him throw hundreds of acids his way that's why he now figured out when and where he's going to spit. Ra'Ark blew a thin continuous jet of acid cutting anything on its path like a thin hot knife penetrating a block of butter. As anticipated, he figured out. Ra'Ark, with his acid territory compromised, must attack Yosh with speed. Because of his acid being thick and dense he needs to pressurize it in order to make it thin and fluid.

Yosh jumped dashing, left to right. He's getting tired, muscles trembling and a little slow on responding, but he still pursued on. His deep will to train and to surpass his father got a hold of him and this made him to manage swirling around, jumping and rolling and even tumbling looking as though dancing just to escape the acid jet.

Kyrin, upon seeing this impossible feat, stood up in awe, eyes wide open. ”It can't be,” he doubted mumbling. ”A Nagozulian that can perform not just the Great Dash but the Dance of Ana'giel?”

Yosh doesn't know it yet but he is performing a skill no one has ever done in a millennia. Normally a Daomagarian Dash would force one's thigh to push oneself in a motion that would catapult one's body to an area depending on the amount of energy one has put in one's performance. What other people don't know is that the Daomagarian Dash is one of the key things required in doing countless powerful techniques known to the immortals as the Ultimate Arts. If one can polish their Daomagarian Dash, one can force not just the thigh's but also all the jointed parts of one's body giving the person the flexibility and the ability to dodge anything. The makes the Dance of Ana'giel the ultimate defense skill on the list of the Ultimate Arts.

As Ra'Ark slowly returned in his shape still hosing his jet of acid, Yosh jumped an impossible fifteen feet Dash to his right avoiding the attack and at the same time the cracks from the ground. He runs to change his area to fresher grounds while waiting for his last strike. He's convinced thinking the cracks from the grounds might trip him leaving him to be vulnerable. Ra'Ark noticed this so he anticipated where he'd land and blew his one thousand three hundred and seventy eighth but instead of an arrow-like spit, he changed it to a spray. The huge acid blast, almost twenty feet in diameter, would trap him in the middle, Ra'Ark thought convinced.

All of the spectators gasped as they watch Yosh change direction in mid-dash to avoid the acid spray. That's as impossible as a fire burning underwater. Yosh would've roasted his flesh down to the bone landing on that quarter of the arena, now sizzling, slowly frying the grass-filled ground, but he managed to dodge it changing direction in a split second. Some thought that he landed first then changed directions trying to find a logical explanation resisting what their eyes saw but Ra'Ark and Kyrin's eyes cannot be fooled. Yosh managed to push his body against the air and dash. It's as if he could walk in the air. That is a sign, the two thought. The sign that he is indeed blessed.

”The true incarnation of Ana'giel,” Kyrin mumbled while being overwhelmed with shock. He sat on the boulder he once sat before as he saw Yosh now standing tall facing Ra'Ark with a smile bowing as if thanking him. ”With that kind of danger, a person should lose all wits and be besieged with fear,” Kyrin reasoned with himself trying to explain what he is seeing. ”Someone so close to death must feel the burden of the inevitable, churning both his emotional and physical energy, reducing them to oblivion. But why is he still smiling, as if happy, without malice in his eyes? That face belongs to a warrior not a kid, a warrior that has seen death and plays gamble with life everyday as a sport.”

Fear struck Kyrin as he sat there stunned with this revelation. This blessed kid in front of him knows no mortal bounds and that can be extremely perilous not only to their existence but to the existence of all living mortal. He doesn't know what to feel about him, an enemy or a friend. But he still is a kid, he thought, his philosophy is malleable thus can be easily be twisted by the wrong elements. A true incarnate of Ana'giel must be guided by the light and he trusts no one but himself.

”So, Master Worm,” Yosh grinned excited, ”have I passed your expectation? Have I gained your respect?”

The great worm smiled and lowered his body, dropping to the ground. ”Yes, mortal, you have regained your honor and have succeeded in trumping me at this bout. Hmm, you are indeed blessed.”

”Yosh,” said a man appearing suddenly behind him tapping his left shoulder which startled him.

”Wait, how'd you know my name?”

”You are the fourth son of the light am I not mistaken? You are the son of Grand Prince Artemus of the House of Limor who is brought to the will of the light.

Yosh nodded still confused.

”I am King Kyrin of the Dwendells,” Kyrin placed his palm on his chest and slightly bowed to Yosh, ”Pleased to meet your acquaintance.”

”I'm still having a hard time believing you El- I - uh, I mean, Dwendells exist,” he smiled scratching his head.

”Do not fret young incarnate. We keep ourselves truly hidden from the world ever since the incident.”

”W-What did you just call me?”

Kyrin knelt in front of him bowing leaving a storm of gasp to echo in the great arena. ”I am deeply sorry for this misunderstanding. Please, accept my sincerest apologies.”

”No, please, stand up sir king, sir!” Yosh asked embarrassed hearing the countless murmurs of the crowd. ”I have done your race a great deal of trouble. I am the one who's supposed to apologize.”

Kyrin stood up smiling. ”Indeed, you have paid your debt to our society. Since you have once again reclaimed your honor, I would like to invite you as one of our guests. You may stay in our forest for as long as you like, and everything will be provided for you in your comfort.”

”Gee, that's a very generous gesture sir. Thank you! But I would like to start by seeing the one I've hurt. Do you know where I could find her?”

”As you will. My son Iyom will guide you to her.”

Iyom appeared immediately to his left like sifting from the ground looking grumpy like before.

”Whoa how'd you do that?! You're doing that again! That's kinda creepy”

Kyrin laughed shaking Yosh's head. ”You will find out soon enough, young incarnate.”