Rogue Wars Online

Chapter Ninety-One: Two Lies and A Truth

I never imagined that an abandoned and destroyed city like this could still look beautiful.

Kitang-kita ko ang mapa ng buong city- how it was intricately designed and where every alliance was assigned- at gano'n rin ang flags ng bawat alyansa. It was a mixture of colors, with a dominating gold and fading indigo. Nagform ng parang box ang ibang building at makikita rin ang shortcuts na maaring gamitin. From the corner of my eyes, a battle has begun. And their magic proudly exploded in the air, making me gasp in admiration.

Ang cool no'n!

"Isn't it nice?" Wes' question made me turn to him with a nod. "I happened here by chance. Masakit sa paa ang lalakarin but the view is worth it."

A small smile graced my lips as I looked over the city again. "Mm. 's beautiful."

I glanced at Wes and found him already staring at me. He still had that soft smile on his lips as his eyes bore into me. "Yeah," he agreed. "It's beautiful."

"Not looking." akusa ko sa kaniya.

"Oh." Wes blinked, glancing at the city once before landing on me again. He bit his lower lip in an attempt to hide a smile. "Right, yeah. Maganda din."

Ngumuso ako at tumingin muli sa ilalim. Maganda daw e hindi naman niya tiningnan ng maayos.

We spent the next minutes in shared silence. Hinayaan kong liparin ng hangin ang nakalugay kong buhok. I closed my eyes, exhaling deeply to temporarily let go of my worries. Pagkatapos ay tinanong ko ang kanina pang bumabagabag sa'kin.

"Why bring me here?"

I guess Wes didn't have an answer because he remained silent. Siguro ay dinala niya lang ako dito para makapagpahinga. Nang maisipan kong bawiin ang tanong ay humarap siya sa'kin. We were both leaning on the railing, watching as the city battled the hours. But Wes shifted, leaning his chin on a hand to comfortably look at me.

"Isn't this city similar to her?"

Hindi ko na kailangang tanungin pa kung sino ang tinutukoy niya.

"Both an image of destruction on the outside, deadly yet maddeningly beautiful. But when you look closely, you'll eventually see that they're just too broken that it's impossible to fix them anymore. Ang sirang gusali o puso na mayroon sila ay mahirap nang ayusin. Lalo na't hindi lang ito nag-iisa, and there are several destroyed and deserted buildings inside them."

Nanlaki ang mata ko sa ginawang deskripsiyon ni Wes. Oh. I looked at the city and remembered June. I remembered the bruises that scattered around her skin. I remembered how I treated them. And I recalled how I thought I could do the same to her heart, not realizing how broken and untreatable it already was. Watching this city from above, one could imagine all the remodeling that has to happen. Destruction like this one isn't anything new. Pero hangga't hindi nakikita ng malapit ang kailangang ayusin, hindi ko nga talaga malalaman kung gaano iyon kahirap i-ayos.

"Don't blame yourself," he added. "June died because her sins have caught up to her. Caspian died because he wanted to survive. Didn't he die fighting for his life? Depore and Renée decided that you live. You can never control their decisions and love because wouldn't you do the same?"

Hindi ako nakasagot dahil tama siya. I would sacrificed my life for them too. Without doubt.

"Hm?" Wes raised a brow, squeezing himself into my line of sight.

I lightly pushed him away, nodding. The corners of his lips lifted in a small smile, and he patted my head. "Good girl."

Iniwas ko ang tingin at nawala ang kamay niya. I admit, his words cleared up the heavy feeling in my heart. I knew I was about to blame myself again, carry the burden just to numb the pain. But I guessed Wes said the words I wanted to hear again. And now, all I feel is calmness and peace.