XIV

Saya, while playing under the shades of tree, met a strange man fully clocked with red glowing eyes. He doesn’t look like a beast or a hybrid beast.

‘’Greetings to you, young fellow, that apple of yours sure looks appetizing. Can I, have it?’’

‘’uhmm… yes, you can have it.’’

Saya is hesitant but the man seems very hungry so he gave him his apple.

‘’I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. I give you my deep gratitude for this- Say… Do you have a favorite color?’’

‘’Yes…Purple. I really love purple.’’

‘’Do you want to see a magic trick?’’

‘’What is a magic trick?’’

----

His huge wings flails with every step of his feet, Niru came back to his childhood place to see the tablets that his late-father carved with the texts of DEOS. It shocked him that the texts in the stone tablets have also changed according to the new DEOS.

‘’So…. DEOS is a tool to manipulate reality… And whoever wins the war gets to use this power to bend this reality of this world.’’

Niru then sneaked in Mount Miragin to read the actual book and met Lux fierre who’s memory is already erased into blankness.

‘’Father! I am glad you’re safe! I was so worried about you!’’

‘’?? Who are you?’’

‘’I’m Niru… Don’t you remember me? You told me you wanted me to be your child…’’

‘’I remember nothing in any of what you just said.’’

‘’But…’’

‘’Sorry… But I am not your father. I have to go now.’’

Niru was left mute to what just happened, but he continued sneaking up in Miragin, and saw something.

‘’Zaru and Lux Fierre just arrive. Prepare the ritual immediately.’’

‘’What’s with all these…’’

The ground is being painted with texts unintelligible to Niru. Ten people- beasts are gathering around Zaru and Lux Fierre, and flares of purple fire are circling around them. What they’re doing is the transformation ritual- They are turning the two into beasts. At the back of them are the remaining of humans, locked in metal cages- It seems that they too will be turned into beasts.

DAAIH YUUN NA-ASAD DAAIH YUUN NA-ASAD DAAIH IH YUUN NA DIAKTUHM…

Niru wasn’t able to do anything to stop the already engaged ritual to change people’ race, but he stayed to observe further it. Lux Fierre and Zaru are both unconscious and are enveloped in a flaring light in shape of string. Atop them is the symbol of the eye- distortion made the ritual possible. The beasty people who are walking in circle loop, babbling words or spells, are collapsing one after another.

Niru have saw it by his eyes. The ritual has turned the two into beasts… the both of them a pair of small horns similar to Aliyon’s arose above their heads, nails grew sharp and long, and body became full of furs.

‘’I don’t remember something like this when I was turned into a hybrid beast…’’

----

‘’Wake up’’

‘’Wake up, Niru’’

‘’You again?’’

‘’Yes, by the time you open your eye to see the light of the world again, you will be of the beasts’’

And he was turned into a beast- a type of beast called butterfly.

-----

Flocks of marching feet sounded, echoing through the ledge and ridges of Miragin from below, so Niru hid himself by a large boulder while observing carefully.

It’s the beast people ascending Miragin.

‘’Is that Saya?’’

Saya, a beast kid from the hybrid tribe whom became a friend of Niru, was among the ones who gave Niru a shelter to stay when he was weak and helpless after his tiring battles.

By his hand, the book of DEOS is held.

‘’Why is he holding the DEOS?’’

‘’To keep my promise, I will now perform the magic. Pay attention to my magnificent trick Saya, you better don’t miss a thing!’’

And the person beside Saya lifted his arms, point it to the vast empty space above called sky.

Saya did the same and lifted his arms with the distortion in his hands. Then the sky roared multiple times, as fast-moving lights from sky strikes the ground.

TSSSDDDD TSSD

‘’See that Saya? That is called lightning and thunder. That fast-moving light is the lightning and the sound it makes is the thunder.’’

‘’Woah… Aracel, did you do that?’’

‘’Yes, do you want to see more?’’

‘’Yess!’’- Saya said in an enthusiastic voice.

After that is a total darkness that covers up the entirety of the above- or the sky.

‘’What did you do Aracel… it doesn’t look beautiful at all.’’

‘’Wait for it!’’

What Saya can’t see is the distortion, the unearthly and un-great views of this mysterious occurrence. Lands are destroyed, levitating up in the air while it decimates into grainy particles even smaller to sand almost invisible to the naked eye. The darkness of the sky fades and leaves in clouds of dye spreading slowly across the horizon.

‘’It’s beautiful! The above became purple! How did you do it?’’

‘’That’s my magic.’’

‘’It’s so great! Please teach me how did you do it!’’

‘’Sorry Saya but I can’t. But maybe, when you became worthy of it.’’

‘’Worthy?’’

----

While this person called ‘’Aracel’’ is doing it, the beast people took the unconscious body of Lux Fierre and Zaru, and the people who collapsed are now getting on their feet again. They left Mount Miragin with the two who just got turned into beasts, leaving behind a small number of beast soldiers to guard the area, and keep an eye to the in-prisoned humans.

“What are you doing?’’- someone said in a loud and sweat voice.

‘’Ee? Princess Vibia? Why are you here’’

Princess Vibia is the princess of hybrid tribe and the rightful heir to the late-king Asofiram- A female from the hybrid tribe is born once every 6 years from a random subject inside the tribe, once the king reach 3 years of age, which is the expected end of their lifespan, if a princess is born, she will be granted the throne and crown and will be the new ruler- otherwise a direct son will receive the kingship.

‘’Aren’t you going to help those humans?’’

‘’Yes, but… please keep it silent princess...’’

‘’ohh, I’m so sorry… So, what should we do?’’

‘’What do you mean, we?’’

‘’I will help you!’’

‘’But… why?’’

‘’We actually love humans… and my father once told me, I should never hesitate in helping anyone no matter what their races are.’’

A soldier who are roaming around the area then noticed their small voices, and quickly checked the back of the boulder where the voices are coming from.

‘’You there! What are you plotting to do?’’

‘’This is bad! What should we do now Niru?’’

DEOS XIV- End