Elysian Tale: Flare of Frost

Kabanata 44

Flare

Napatingala ako sa kaniya. Seeing him this close makes my heart beat faster and I know the reason why. He's carrying me like how a husband would carry his wife after getting married. Mataman lang siyang nakatingin sa'kin samantalang ako naman ay nakatingala sa kaniya.

My limbs are getting numb. Nararamdaman ko ang panlalamig at paninigas ng mga ito. My muscles, even my tissues are contracting in pain. I wasn't able to move because of the frostbite he activated. 

Figures. He took extra precautions for me. 

"Admit defeat before the frostbite reach your heart," malamig niyang wika. I didn't react. I know what he was talking about. 

The freezing of my skin causes numbness of my body parts. Later it it will restrict my veins and prevent blood from circulating. It's like having my heart frozen for life just like him. A frozen heart. An ice cold heart that even my burning warmth could't touch. I guess there's no point on trying to make those thick ice melt for me. As I can see he never really cares, there's no chance for him to even like me a bit. 

Napatingin ako sa braso ko't nakita ko ang pamumutla ng balat ko kaya nakagat ko ang ibabang bahagi ng labi ko. The circulation of my blood's already affected. Any minutes from now my heart will freeze. 

"Do you really want to die?" Matigas nitong tanong. I didn't answer him but just stared at him for a few seconds. 

"If I would die in your arms, then it's a pleasure." Saglit kong nakitaan ng emosyon ang mga mata niya. 

Was that pain?

"Admit defeat," he repeated. I didn't budge. Nakatingin lang ako sa kaniya't gano'n din siya sa'kin na para bang sinusuri ang pagkatao ko. 

Please, don't make this so hard for me...

Napantig ang tainga ko nang marinig ko ang iniisip niya.  Nangunot ang noo ko. His thoughts sounded like he was begging for it. Like he was begging for me not to make things harder for him, but I don't understand why either. 

You can't lose, our princess. You need to win before they can cancel it. 

Nabalik ako sa katinuan nang marinig ko ang boses ni Yael sa isip ko. Oh, right. I nearly forgot. I need to win this festival not just for a bet but to get one step ahead of knowing my real identity. Hindi ko rin alam ano ang pina-plano nila pero ang pagkauhaw ko sa katotohanan ang paiiralin ko sa ngayon. Mariin kong pinikit ang mga mata ko. I got no room to prioritize my hopeless romantic love affair.

Heal my frostbite, Yael. 

I remembered how he healed my burn back then. Alam kong may kakayahan siyang gamutin ang sakit na nararamdaman ko ngayon. He can heal anything related to internal and external pain and sickness. That is what I'm sure of. 

Pagdaaan ng ilang segundo ay unti-unti kong nararamdaman ang panunumbalik ng pakiramdam ko. Little by little I can feel my own arms and legs. Bago pa man tuluyang mawala ang pamumutla ng balat ko't bumalik ito sa normal na kulay ay inangat ko ang kanang kamay ko upang kabigin ang batok niya dahilan upang mapayuko siya papalapit  sa'kin.

I took advantage of his submission and reached out for his lips and kissed him. Naramdaman ko ang paninigas niya mula sa pagkakatayo dahil hindi niya 'yon inaasahan. I closed my eyes with my lips brushing against his. It felt so soft and cold, but warm for some reasons. I moved and nibbled his lower lip. Hindi siya gumagalaw. He remained frozen as if he was really not expecting it. 

Tinanggal ko ang kanang kamay ko sa batok niya sabay mulat ng mga mata ko. I saw him staring at me blankly. Mga matang kailan man ay hindi ko magawang basahin sa hindi ko malamang dahilan. His lips were unmoving. Hindi ito gumaganti sa bawat halik na binibigay ko sa kaniya. It felt like I was kissing a nonexistent person.