Soulstone Academy

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Kiss

Hello, she's backkk! Thank you so much for the 26k reads!! 🥺

This is a flashback. The incidents here happened after Raven fainted due to Beatrix's illusion during Chapters 30 & 31! And, uh, ahem... sana magustuhan niyo!

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Anger.

A small bite stings, but a well overflowing with it is the most dangerous thing.

I'm not a calm person. Mabilis akong mairita at mainis sa mga tao... pero hindi ako malalim magalit. But when everyone is holding me in their little puppet strings, making me dance to their horrendous tunes, and blatantly ignoring every click of my mechanical mouth, who wouldn't be enraged?

Poor Raia Venetia who acted as if she was Hiraya's most untouchable woman turned out to be just everyone's doll.

Pumasok sa clinic ang liwanag ng buwan. I have no idea how many minutes I've been sitting there. Hindi naman ako masyadong nag-alala dahil ako lang ang nasa loob.

Everything is just... exhausting. Pakiramdam ko ilang taon akong tumatakbo sa kalsadang hindi matapos-tapos. I have made plans, made necessary actions to take, and then when that bitch, Beatrix, hit me with her illusion earlier... I just fucking want to kill.

Especially that the annoying shadow who's too persistent for her own good probably manipulated the illusions. Dahil talagang inulit niya lang sa'kin ang mga nangyari at nalaman ko these past weeks. Sino ba ang nagsabing kailangan ko ng lecture recap?

Nagagalit na naman ulit ako.

I let out a long exhale, trying to calm down my nerves. Lumapit ako sa bintana. I closed my eyes as the moonlight touched my face, relishing the happiness it gave me. The cold darkness numbed my fears and anger. And the fury welling inside of me disappeared, finally making me breathe. 

Like always, the night remained as my only companion... my solitary comfort.

But then, the night will end. So what's the use of these few minutes of peace when I have to face another day, strangled by their lies?

I let out another exhale, turning around to leave the room when my eyes landed on a stray student. For a sunchild, he sure is active at night. Hindi ako gumalaw sa kinatatayuan. With the moon as our sole witness, Helios and I continued to stare at each other. 

That moment... was the most perfect for me. His broken face soothed my anger and the way those golden eyes remained on me... made me oddly satisfied. After everything I learned today, after finding out the roles we had to play, I was only certain of one thing.

Whatever happens, whatever is true, I only wish that he wouldn't look away. 

"How are you feeling?" siya ang unang nagtanong.

"Besides your heat, I'm fine." I tried to joke but he remained impassive, his watchful eyes scanning my body for harm. "I'm really fine, stop worrying. I..."

Naalala ko ulit ang nangyari kanina. The way I lost consciousness and drowned in the illusions, how I tried to make sense of the darkness until a familiar heat touched me. "I felt you. And when I reached out," inilahad ko din ang kamay, na parang nag-iimbita. "You held me."

He took a step forward, his hand gently touching mine. He caressed it so softly. Na para bang mababasag if he exerts more force. Although I guess, it was also just his way of always making me comfortable in his presence.

"Mm."

"I have a question. Will you answer me truthfully?"

His cautious eyes met mine. He hesitated for a few seconds before nodding his head.