Eternal Promise: Fragments Of Us

LEON/LIBULAN

SIDAPA was about to stab me when a massive ball of fire crashed into him, trapping him inside and separating him from the rest of us.

Only then did I realize Roark had vanished.

“What happened to Roark?” In a panic, I inquired.

“He was only here a short time ago,” Lisuga confirmed. She, too, began to be concerned.

I could feel my entire God power flowing through me. Despite regaining my true form, I was not satisfied. I felt compelled to return just to end something else.

Instead, it made me feel terrible on the inside.

“Libulan, please stay here. Sidapa is dead set on killing you. He’s completely insane!” Likabutan tried to persuade me. I knew he had good intentions and was only concerned about my safety. But would anything change if I continued to flee?

I couldn’t stand to do nothing and watch everyone die in front of me.

“Please forgive me, brother. I will face Sidapa and stop him no matter what,” I declared emphatically. “You and Lisuga must find a safe place to hide. You can’t fight any longer.”

“But you’re not a true fighter, Libulan!” Likabutan was adamant.

“I’m aware of it. But I’m not going to use it as an excuse to avoid this fight. I am the sole cause of Sidapa’s current state. I quickly abandoned us and left him to suffer alone. He has every right to be angry,” I explained. Likabutan finally realized that arguing with me was pointless. So he took off and dragged Lisuga along with him, far enough away from here for their wounds to heal.

After that, I went in search of Roark. He, too, needed to leave. He would not be able to survive a battle between two Gods.

[What happened to him?] I thought to myself as I walked through areas where I had last seen Roark.

I couldn’t figure out why Sidapa had dragged him here. They had never met before. I never told Sheldon about him or my visit to a fortune teller.

My gaze went back to the raging fire that was still ablaze not far from where I was. It was extremely hot. I’m curious if Sidapa was still inside. How could anyone stand the heat of that thing?

“Roark? Where have you gone, Roark?” I inquired, but no one responded. My concern grew. “Roark, respond!”

All I could hear was the crackling of the fires. It set fire to everything in its path. If I left it alone for too long, the entire forest would be burned to the ground!

I attempted to breach the firewall in front of me with my spear. I was unsuccessful. My spear only melted when it came into contact with its surface. I moved closer to see if I could get inside, but there was no way in. It just kept growing bigger.

I was about to leave when I heard two faint voices. It came from the inside of this fire wall! I stayed and waited a little longer.

After a few minutes, a figure emerged from the blaze. I thought he was on fire, but the person who arrived shocked the hell out of me.

“Roark?!” I couldn’t believe it.

“Leon! We have to get out of here right away!” When he got out, he said in a panicked voice and shoved me away from the fire.

My brow furrowed. “What are you on about? How did you get inside that thing?!” I asked, confused and baffled at the same time.

“I’ll explain everything later. We have to get away from here!” he insisted.

I became irritated and shoved him aside. “What the hell is wrong with you these days? Where have you gone?”

Roark gulped and tried to relax. “Do you know who Agui is?” he inquired. “I mean, do you remember Agui at all?” He corrected himself.

“Agui?” I said it again, and yet another set of memories flashed before my eyes. I couldn’t recall much about him, but Sidapa had mentioned him before. “Was it Agui, the God of Fire?” In a daze, I said.

Roark gave a nod. “Yes. Apparently, he and I exist in the same body,” he revealed abruptly, leaving me with a gaping mouth.

“Am I still dreaming?” I inquired out of curiosity.

“No!” Roark was adamant. “It’s very complicated, but my psychic ability allowed me to communicate with my other side-Agui-while still remembering who I am,” he explained. “It’s funny, Sheldon was the same as me. But right now, Sidapa’s dark side is attempting to take complete control of his body and mind. He’ll annihilate Sheldon’s entire existence and use his body to reawaken his full powers and kill us all.”

“What?” I was shocked and turned pale. Would Sidapa get rid of Sheldon? Which of him and Sheldon was with me the entire time if they were two different people in one body?

“Leon, hurry up! There is no more time.” Roark yanked me by the arm and yanked me away from the fire.

My gaze was suddenly drawn to the raging flames. Isn’t Sidapa going to suffocate inside that thing? Wouldn’t he feel abandoned and alone? What if all he wanted was for me to notice him?

“Sidapa…” I called out softly. At the back of my mind, I hoped to hear him respond to me.

Roark came to a halt and looked at me, puzzled. “Leon?”

“He requires my assistance, Roark,” I explained.

“However, Leon-” When he saw the concern in my eyes, he couldn’t say anything. Instead, he released my arm. “Are you certain about this? He might no longer recognize you. There’s no telling how long Agui’s fire will be able to keep him at bay,” he wondered.

I gave a reassuring nod. I couldn’t even guarantee that I’d make it out alive. But if I left Sidapa in that state, many people would perish. Who would stop him if I didn’t?

“Believe in me, Roark. I’ll entrust Likabutan and Lisuga to your care,” I said, and Roark couldn’t help but agree.

“Agui has no chance against Sidapa. He admitted it to me when we stepped out of that fire,” Roark said. “He cares about you, Le-Libulan. He simply went too far. Your presence had a significant impact on his life, which is why he turned into a monster. Please save him,” he begged. “You are the only one he requires.”

“I know,” I admitted softly. “I appreciate everything you’ve done.” Having said that, I made my way inside the fire.

━━━━━━ ◦ ◦ ━━━━━━

AS SOON as I stepped inside, I went in search of Sidapa. When I saw his current situation, I was terrified.

He was on his knees, writhing in pain. He shrank to human size, but remained in his half-human, half-God form. Half of his face was already crumbling and oozing a black slimy liquid. He was clearly in pain, but he tried to keep himself from going insane.

“Sidapa?” As I walked slowly towards him, I called out to him in hushed tones. “This is me, Libulan. I have fully recovered my true form,” I informed him.