Sōl et Luna

secundus (pars duorum)

Sōl et Luna: Primum Tempus

     Apollo is butthurt. The woman is right. Damn right. Ever since the rise of the first vampire king, vampires gained more power than the other creatures because their king is their source of power and that caused them to abuse their strengths.

     Ang haring bampira ang pinakamalakas na nilalang sa lahat. Kaya naman kapag may itinakdang ipapanganak na bampira na siyang magiging mas malakas sa kasalukuyang hari, ito ang itatakdang susunod na hari kahit pa hindi pa matagal na nagiging hari ang kasalukuyang hari.

     Sobrang tagal na panahon na ang nakalipas, sinumpa ng isang mangkukulam na nagngangalang Valka ang pamilya ng mga Anghel. Noon pa lamang ay kasama na ang pamilya Anghel sa mga aristokratang pamilya ng mga bampira na mapang-abuso sa kanilang kapangyarihan. Masyadong umabuso ang mga bampira sa kanilang kapangyarihan, dahil lang alam nilang mas malakas sila ay walang-awa nilang pinagpapaslang ang mga hindi nila ka-lahi—mapa-bata man o matanda—at sinamsam nila ang mga lupain ng kanilang mga pinatay kahit na luho lang ito para sa kanila dahil una sa lahat ay hindi naman malaki ang bilang ng bawat pamilya ng mga bampira kumpara sa ibang mga lahi dahil hindi lahat ng bampira ay maaaring magka-anak. Matagal lang silang mabuhay ngunit hindi sila mabilis magparami.

     Si Aleksanteri, ang unang Anghel na naging haring bampira, ang sinabing isinumpa na sakaniya raw manggagaling ang haring tatapos sa libu-libong taong paghahari ng mga bampira. Simula nga nang maging hari si Aleksanteri ay Anghel na rin ang mga sumunod pang hari sa kaniya hanggang sa kasalukuyang hari na si Apollo, ang itinakdang pinakamalakas na haring bampira sa buong kasaysayan ng daigdig at ang itinakda ring magtatapos sa paghahari ng mga bampira.

     “I know,” sagot ni Apollo.

     “We’ve been... taking lives and lands since the first king and I know it shouldn’t be this way, I just... I don’t know. The moment I came into this world, it’s already been like this for centuries. I can’t do anything about it. I... I just can’t change it.”

     Nadala si Apollo ng kaniyang emosyon. He still doesn’t consider himself the king because he doesn’t feel like he is. He can’t even change his kingdom, he can’t change his subjects. All his life, he knows that their ways—the vampires’ ways—are wrong but he couldn’t do anything about it. He knows that vampires are being too selfish, greedy, and the worst but he couldn’t change a thing. He’s the most powerful man in the world but all his life, he feels powerless.

     “Chill, vampire. I don’t expect anything from you. Let it go,” the young-looking woman jokingly said and even slightly bumped his arm to let him loose. He’s been too stiffed while letting his emotions take over him that he forgot that the woman in front of him doesn’t know he is the vampire king. Good thing the woman seems like she isn’t suspecting anything.

     “Besides, I heard that the king actually ordered your kind to stop killing and taking lands from others,” komento ng dalaga kaya nagliwanag ang mukha ni Apollo. She knows about that? Does she like the vampire king because she knows he’s good?

     “What a clown,” natatawang saad pa nito at uminom ng alak. Nagpantig naman ang mga tainga ni Apollo sa narinig.

     ‘What a clown?’ What the heck? That’s what she described him? A clown?

     “I beg your pardon?” taas-kilay na tanong ni Apollo. He’s insulted! How dare this woman?!

     “Who would just suddenly stop doing their thousands-of-years habit just because of a single order?” sagot ng dalaga na pailing-iling pa.