Prologue

PROLOGUE

Five years later . . .

Kumatok muna ng dalawang beses si Queen Affinity sa nakabukas na pinto ng silid ni Yazenth bago ito pumasok.

She was wearing an elegant gold and white velvet gown, and her green wine hair was tied into a braided bun with the curly hair strands that lingering on her face. She wasn't wearing her crown, but you can really feel the strange presence she carries because of the power she has that overflows with its strength. Her presence screams royalty. Kaya mapapayuko ka na lang bigla upang igalang siya.

Naglakad siya palapit kay Yazenth na abala sa paghahanda sa kaniyang pag-alis mamayang gabi papunta sa Utopia para sa nalalapit na pagbubukas ulit ng Royal Academy sa pangatlong pagkakataon.

Sa lalim ng iniisip ni Yazenth ay hindi na niya napansin ang pagdating ni Queen Affinity o kahit narinig man lang ang pagkatok nito sa pinto kanina.

"It's been five years . . . " said Queen Alistair in her very soft and cold voice, but you could feel the pain and longing in it, probably because she was already waiting for five years for the return of her daughter who had been separated from her since she was still a baby. And when she returned as Green Lemon, she wasn’t given a chance to be with her, and to feel her love as a mother to her.

She was blaming herself because she didn’t immediately notice that her daughter was the woman she had once been with, talked to and hugged at the Utopia Palace. Kung alam niya lang sana ay mas hinigpitan pa niya ang kaniyang yakap no’n. Gayunapaman ay may nararamdaman na siyang koneksyon nilang dalawa no'n pero hindi niya ito binigyan masyado ng pansin. She was too focused on finding her daughter — Infinity, when in fact, the one that she had been looking for for a long time was already in front of her.

Yazenth was taken aback when she heard the commanding but soft and calm voice of the queen, but he could only remain silent. But his tears already slipped from his eyes.

He bit his bottom lip as he looked up at the ceiling of his room, and closed his eyes firmly to stop the tears that kept falling from his eyes.

He was now wearing his arrival suit in going to Utopia — the grey suit decorated by some gold badges and jewel stones, probably some magic stones. His ash blonde hair was neat and fixed thoroughly. He looked more mature than before already. But he still has the dark aura that could intimidate others. 

"Y-Yazenth . . . " the Queen started, "inform me right away if you saw her in the Royal Academy. I'm sure she will be back here again, as what happened then. You — We will meet her again, and I will not let her be separated from us again. So I hope you will tell me right away if you saw her there . . . " she ordered. 

Tears streamed down her face. She was really hoping that Green would return to the world she was forced to leave for for the good of all. And if she would return again, she would make sure that they would never separate again.

A frugal smile drew on Yazenth's lips as he turned his gaze at Queen Affinity, who was treating and loving him as his own son, though they were really related to each other.

Siya na lang ang natitirang anak ni Queen Affinity na nasa tabi niya, at ngayon ay kailangan na naman niyang umalis para mag-aral ulit sa Royal Academy, pero ang totoo niyan ay umaasa talaga siya na magkikita ulit sila ni Green doon kaya kailangan niyang bumalik kahit na ayaw na niya dahil magpapaalala lang ito ng mga masasakit na nangyari limang taon na ang nakalipas.

Hindi niya makakalimutan ang napakadilim na pangyayaring iyon dahilan upang mawala sa kaniya ang ilan sa mahal niya sa buhay at mga malalapit na kaibigan, kabilang na rito ang babaeng pinakamamahal niya, si Green Lemon.

Tandang-tanda pa niya hanggang ngayon ang mga naganap; kung paano walang awang patayin ni Harmony — no, it wasn't Harmony. He was just an innocent God used as a soul’s vessel by a destructive creature who returned to destroy everything — the Alpha God Tartarus.

Ginamit lang siya upang maisakatuparan ang mga plano nito. Wala siyang kasalanan sa mga nangyari, hindi niya iyon intensyon. Sa katunayan nga'y isa siya sa dahilan kung bakit maraming mga nilalang na nakaligtas. Just like what Green did, he sacrificed himself for everyone's salvation. But still, Yazenth couldn't forget how Harmony's body killed his twin brother — Finn. Kahit hindi sila masyadong magkasundong magkapatid ay hindi nawala sa kaniya ang pagmamahal niya kay Fin.

Maraming nawala at namatay, kasama na rito ang ilan sa mga Neonians, mga kaibigan ni Green — sina Harmony at Starlet. Habang si Leaves ay mas pinili na lang na magpakalayo-layo matapos ang digmaan upang wala na pa siyang masaktan na iba dahil sinisisi niya ang kaniyang sarili sa mga nangyari. And they did nothing, even her mother, Queen Affinity to stop her from doing what she wanted to happen, which was to live in tranquility in a secluded place in Haphazard. 

Kaya si Yazenth na lang ang naiwan sa pangangalaga ni Queen Affinity, at namuhay sila ng tahimik sa Emerald, kasama ang asawa ng reyna, si King Llwen Orphic of Emerald — ang tunay na ama nina Infinity Green at Leaves, at ang ama nina Yazenth at Finn — si God Rain na himalang nakaligtas sa bingit ng kaniyang kamatayan noong nakaraang digmaan.

Habang ang Utopia naman ay mabilis na naibalik ito sa rati nitong ayos at ganda. Katulong ng natitirang Neonians si Alpha Goddess Hely sa muling pagtataguyod nito. She was the Queen of Helia, the other universe where the souls of good creatures go.

Ngunit dahil sa pagkamatay ng hari na si King Zeonne sa naganap na digmaan, naiwang walang hari o reyna na magtataguyod ang buong kaharian ng Utopia dahil ang nakatakdang magmamana nito ay isinakripisyo ang kaniyang buhay para matapos na ang kaguluhan, at hinihintay nila ang kaniyang muling pagbabalik.

Pero dumating na ang araw ng napagkasunduan ng lahat ng mga Gods at Goddesses na kapag hindi nakabalik si Green bago lumipas ang limang taon ay pipili na sila ng bagong uupo sa trono sa pamamagitan ng laban na mangyayari ulit sa Royal Academy, pero marami ng patakaran ang binago upang marami ang mahikayat na pumasok. 

Yazenth nodded and heaved a sigh of relief. "Yes, mom . . . I'll tell you right away. I also can't wait to see her again there. I just hope that she will appear because if she won't, I myself will look for her in the world of mortals even if its consequence is a punishment,” he said resolutely. You could see on his face that he was not joking at all. He was really determined and serious with what he said, and that's how he missed and loves Green. He would take a risk just to be with her even if the consequence was his own safety. 

Bagaman noon pa lang ay gusto na niyang gawin iyan kung hindi lang dahil sa mga pumipigil sa kaniya. So, he waited and suffered for so long. And now, he was hoping that on this day his outwaits and infliction would finally end. 

He smiled a little, at wala sa sariling naglakad palapit kay Queen Affinity bago ito niyakap nang mahigpit.

Mas lalong napaiyak si Queen Affinity dahil bukod kay Green, she also missed her other daughter — Leaves, and Yazenth's twin brother — Finn. It was also his fifth death anniversary, kaya hindi niya maiwasang isipin ang nakaraan kung kailan mga bata pa sila, at kumpleto silang apat; Yazenth, Finn, Leaves, and Affinity.

Ilang saglit lang ay kumalas sila sa pagkakayakap sa isa't isa, at natawa na lang pareho pagkatapos niyon.

"And if you saw Leaves there as well, don't get mad at her, and don't fight her even if she's the first who did it, ha? Instead, talk to her and tell her that I missed her so much. Her Dad and I are waiting for her to come back here. I know she already changed a lot now, so I'm sure when she and Green meet again there, she won't fight her already,” mahabang salaysay ni Queen Affinity nang may malawak na ngiti sa labi.

She was so confident with what she said that Leaves wouldn't fight Green already when they saw each other because she knew it. She was secretly visiting Leaves in Haphazard. She was always making sure that she was safe in any situation even though she knew that Leaves could protect her own self. But still, you can't take away the parent’s concern and worriedness for his/her child, especially the mother. And that's pure love. That's a power — the most powerful weapon that every creature has, but they don't know how to use it. 

Tanging tango lamang ang isinagot ni Yazenth kay Queen Affinity. He already knew what he should do. And five years have also passed, so he forgave Leaves already, because after all, she was like his own sister already. 

Until God Rain entered the room. He already had an almost grey hair, yet still looked firm and strong, wearing elegant white suits embroidered with gold threads. And there was a sword visible on the scabbard tied on his waist. He had the same hazel-grey eyes as Yazenth.

"Nandito lang pala kayong dalawa," he casually said, and the two turned their gaze at him.

"Your Highness . . . " he bowed down his head to show his respect to the Queen, her twin sister.

"Please rise, God Rain. You don't have to do that," Queen Affinity sighed.

Tumayo nang tuwid si God Rain at diretsong tumingin sa reyna.

"Kuya . . . " Queen Affinity walked towards God Rain at wala sa sariling niyakap niya ito nang mahigpit.

God Rain hugged him in return, and caressed her back when he noticed that her shoulder trembled due to her silent grief.

Their hug lasted for a couple of minutes before they moved away from each other. 

"We need to go back to the hall now, Your Highness. We have a lot of guests, waiting for you and Yazenth. Yazenth and I will be leaving for Utopia soon," he said with formalities as he held Queen Affinity's hands and caressed it.

"Take care of yourself, Affinity," he almost whispered in utmost sincerity. "I promise you, what happened before will never happen again. We've all prepared for this, and in case Green comes back to us, we're already ready for the consequences of it." He chuckled after saying those words because he still couldn't avoid nervousness. He was just thinking about the possibilities, but he already felt differently because he witnessed all what happened five years ago, that even he, he almost died. He was really scared but he needed to be brave for his queen sister. 

Gayunpaman ay pinaghandaan nila nang maigi ang posibleng mangyari ulit kapag binalik ulit ng tadhana si Green ay hindi pa rin sila sigurado kung magtatagumpay sila. Pero isa lang ang sigurado niya, gagawin nila ang lahat upang hindi na pa maulit ang nangyari noon.

"T-Take care of her. Huwag mong hayaan na may mangyari sa kaniyang masama ulit." Queen Affinity was pertaining to what Leaves did to Green then, which was one of the reasons why the power hidden inside his body was triggered causing the destructive Alpha God Tartarus to finally return. 

Walang ibang nagawa si God Rain kun'di ang tumango lamang, hanggang sa maalala niya na nagkita pala sila ni Leaves kanina sa likod ng palasyo.

"And by the way, I saw and talked to Leaves earlier in the garden behind the palace. She's here earlier, checking how you're doing and if you're okay, but I told her that you're not, which is definitely true because she's away from you,” he casually said, which caught Yazenth’s attention, so he seriously stared at his father.

"Ha? Bumalik na siya?" she asked excitedly. "W-Where is she now? I want to see her." Mababakas sa tinig nito ang kakaibang saya na ngayon lang ulit nakita ni Yazenth at God Rain. And even though they didn't want to ruin it, but God Rain needed to dahil ayaw niyang paasahin ang kaniyang kapatid.

"I'm so sorry . . . " mahinang saad ni God Rain dahilan upang mawala ang ngiti ni Queen Affinity sa labi nito.

"He just wants to see you without you knowing. I also don't have time to tell you that she's here because she disappeared right away,” tuloy pa nito.

Queen Affinity chuckled. "Nagkita ba sila ng Dad niya? Her Dad want to see and talk her."

"To tell you honestly, I'm not sure about that. She didn't tell me, and I didn't ask her," malungkot na sagot nito. "But she informed me that she will be entering the Royal Academy again for Green."

Nakahinga nang maluwag si Queen Affinity nang marinig ang mga iyon kay God Rain. Pakiramdam niya ay natanggalan siya ng tinik sa lalamunan o nabigyan ng liwanag ang madilim na parte ng kaniyang kalooban.

"It's ni — " she wasn't able to continue what she was about to say when suddenly they felt a strong tremor. 

Saglit lamang iyon, pero malakas ito kaya napakapit pa rin si Queen Affinity sa balikat ni God Rain. Hanggang sa matigilan silang tatlo nang makaramdam sila ng kakaiba. A strange cold breeze of air touched their skin. It's different from the normal, but they couldn't sense any danger from it. It was relaxing — it seemed like it brought good news to them.

Nagkatinginan silang tatlo, at iisa lang ang dumadaloy sa kanilang isipan dahil ito ang pangalawang beses na nangyari ito — ang maramdaman nila na parang may gustong iparating na magandang balita sa kanila ang hangin. And the first time that this happened was five years ago, when the Royal Academy opened — when Infinity returned with the name of Green Lemon.

Hindi sila sigurado sa iniisip at nararamdaman nila, pero napangiti na lang sila pare-pareho. Nakaramdam sila ng kakaibang saya dahilan upang dali-dali silang lumabas sa silid at tumungo agad sa bulwagan para tapusin agad kung anuman ang dapat nilang gawin doon bago pumunta sa Utopia.