"No. I just thought there are other ways to put him back to that place."
"And why would I agree with you?" the Shaman asked. "This has nothing to do with me."
"He is Ava’s mate. And Ava— "
"Ava knows how to protect herself. The Matthew then and Matthew now are the same people. Fragments of a soul that was forcefully separated because of a scheme. You — as the guardian of the library of knowledge know that once a fragmented soul reconnects, it would be very hard to right the wrongs. Separating the soul could easily kill him."
The Shaman continued. "Moreover, it already happened to him once. Did you really think he would be a fool to let it happen again?"
"I— But they are not allowed on this plane!"
"We all know this wasn’t the case hundreds of years ago." Shaman Gaas sighed. "Fate."
"What?"
"You made me think it was Ava who was the child of malice... when it was Matthew."
"I— "
"You had your suspicions, right?"
Baba pursed her lips as she nodded. "He was stronger and faster and more powerful. I tried to hide it from everyone else. I raised him with utmost care. I couldn’t let them find out he was different."
"Are you certain he is not your son?"
Babaylan shook her head in dismay. "At one point... I wanted him to be my son. My real one. But fate didn’t make me a mother. And I have long accepted that fact."
"But you are treating him as yours."
Baba nodded.
"Emotions can affect your logic. You should keep that in mind."
"I made a mistake— "
"Mistakes are bound to happen. We are not gods. It just so happened that there is no going back in this mistake."
Another sigh escaped Baba’s lips.
"If that is the case— "
"What are we supposed to do? As my apprentice— "
"You have finally given her your grimoire?"
"It is only right." The Shaman nodded. "Unlike you... I don’t just tell someone to train them and then abandoned them."
"I didn’t do that."
"As the guardian, you could have done something to help her."
"Are you blaming me?"
"Then give me a good reason Babaylan!" Shaman Gaas demanded. "Give me a good reason why you had been treating Ava as if she was destined to ruin the world."
"Because she was destined to ruin everything!"
"What?"
"I can’t tell you!" Baba said. "Love and madness... Anger and Insanity. The world will succumb to her broken heart!"
"You— "
Baba got up, her face red. Her once-perfect hair had a few loose strands of hair. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the Shaman. "And I cannot do anything to stop what was coming! I cannot stop what was coming!" she said.
Shaman Gaas narrowed his eyes. He was about to ask more questions when Baba continued.
"Do you understand what it feels like to see what was coming and not be able to stop it?"
This time, the Shaman turned silent. He stared at Babaylan, a powerful witch that became the guardian of the library of knowledge.
"Do you know how it feels to see your love one die before it even happened and not have the ability to alter the events of the future because its... fate?"
"The past and the future are interconnected. What happened once will happen again. Except this time... madness will be the victor." Baba said before storming out of her own study.
After a while, the Shaman finally sighed. He looked at the fire from the candles.
"You are wrong, Babaylan," he muttered. He had lived for more than five hundred years. He had witnessed wars, he saw his friends die. "In this world... the only thing that is constant is... change."
Fate?
It is not a destination but a state of mind.
One cannot say that they are going towards what was fated for them. Instead, they say that they were at this destination because it was their fate.
Fate is where we currently are.
Who was he to say that everyone’s fate had already been carved to stone?
He stared at the book of demons that Babaylan opened earlier. On it was names of the strongest demons from the demon world. Some of them had names that no one could pronounce. Some of them had names that could kill a normal human.
But the Shaman was almost certain that Matthew’s real name was not in this book.
He thought of Ava and the things that happened after he met her.
"Trouble," he uttered as he closed his eyes.
Since meeting Ava, he had experienced nothing but trouble.
But it was fun.
Soon, his lips lifted into a gentle smile.
Fun.
It had been hundreds of years since he had one.
But soon, the smile on his face disappeared. His already wizened face turned ugly as the fire of the candles that surrounded him died.
Darkness swallowed the small room. freёweɓnovel_com
"That was quick," the Shaman said.
"I would take that as a compliment," the shadow that appeared inside the room spoke.
"Should I still call you Matthew?" the Shaman asked.
"I have learned to love that name." The chair across from the Shaman moved and the shadow took it.
"I am going to assume that you are here because of Ava?"
"You are very wise."
"You praise me too much. I am but an old man who had seen things."
"The grimoire that gave her the knowledge that was not supposed to be in this world..." Matthew said. "Belonged to you?"
"Yes. Ava is my only apprentice. I am her master."
"You gave her something valuable." Matthew chuckled. "I shall allow you to ask me anything but my name. That is the price for giving her something that could protect her from them."
"Anything?" the Shaman asked.
"But my name."
Without any hesitation, the Shaman asked. "Are you from the demon world?"
"Demon world?" Matthew scoffed. "Did you really think I am one of those lowly beings?"
The Shaman shook his head. "Thank you for your answer."
"My pleasure."
Almost immediately, the fire returned from where it was once earlier. The light illuminated the whole room. And once again... the Shaman was alone.
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