Against the God: End of the Gifteds (HIATUS)

34

Is he... one of them?

If he is... then...

We can't escape-

Natigilan ako sa pag-iisip nang sa loob ng maikling oras, hindi pa segundo, nagtama ang mga tingin namin ni Dias. Sa hindi ko malamang dahilan... gumaan... ang pakiramdam ko?

Compared to Heart, despite having a suffocating aura. I don't feel... the bloodlust at all.

Mabilis na dumeretso ang tingin niya sa likuran namin, sinundan ng pagkurba ng labi niya sa isang ngisi. "Heart, Andina's summoning us. Why are you wasting your time here?"

"Huh??" Heart groaned, with a sarcastic tone. "You! What the fuck are you doing here? Mauna ka na!-"

"Did Andina ordered you to kill these pests?" pagputol ni Dias sa sasabihin niya.

Rinig namin ang pag-ismid ng babaeng nasa likod namin. We just stood there, like worms, or lower than that, between two... Dragons.

"Huh?! These fuckers killed my King and Queen! I can't just let them be!" giit ni Heart.

"We can't waste our time here, we need to go now. ASAP."

"Fuck you, Dias! You're the one wasting my time! I'll end this quick-"

"Heart." Dias expression changed. I felt the menacing pressure. The look on his eyes changed, he looked at the person behind us dead in the eye, as if we're not here between them.

"Spade is dead."

The silence was terrorizing. I can't even imagine Heart's expression right now. But her aura, the pressure behind us... is crawling up to our body, digging in to our bones.

"H-Huh, what are you talking about?!"

Sa kabila ng takot ko, panginginig ng katawan ko, hindi pa rin ako gumalaw. Na para bang kapag gumalaw ang kahit isang hibla ng buhok ko, mapapansin nila kami at mamamatay kaming lahat.

But still, I can't help but to listen to their conversation.

Spade?

Who is that?

One of them?

Patago akong napalunok nang malalim.

Then... if he's one of them... and he's dead...

Then who the fuck is the monster that killed him?

Dias heaved a sigh. "That's that. That's why we should go now." He smirked. "Don't waste your time killing these pests..."

He started walking towards us, to go where heart is.

Kaagad na napunta sa lupa ang tingin ko. Pigil hininga kaming lahat nang makadaan siya sa amin, pare-pareho kaming mabababa ang mga tingin. But then, as exactly when he passed by me...

I heard him say something...

"Now, we're quits. My debt to him was paid."

My eyes slowly widened.

Huh...?

"Come!" masiglang ani Dias nang madaanan kami.

And just like that, we felt their presences disappeared. At the same time, the rain slowly stopped.

Hindi pa rin kami nakakilos sa mga pwesto namin, pare-parehong hindi maintindihan at hindi makapaniwala sa mga nangyari.

I don't know why... they spared us.

Nor why.... that Dias helped us...

But now...

We survived.

Pare-pareho kaming bumagsak. Hindi na natiis ang panginginig ng mga tuhod. Doon lang din kami tuluyang nakahinga nang maluwag.

"We... survived." Alvis looked like he was ready to go to the afterlife— accepting our fates.

"Anong... nangyari?" dagdag ni Risca.

Hindi ako nakasagot, hindi ko rin alam ang sasabihin. Ilang segundo lang kani-kanina, nakita ko na ang kahahantungan naming lahat... our deaths.

But then, he appeared.

Why?

Why did he helped us?

What did he meant by 'his' debt? To whom?

Sunod-sunod ang mga tanong sa isipan ko, sa parehong pagkakataon, hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala na nakaligtas kami. Na buhay kami...

Natauhan na lang ako nang makaramdam ako ng mahigpit na pagyakap sa akin. That's when I felt Helix' warm hug. He's... trembling.

That's when it really hit me.

I can't help but to cry out loud.

The rain completely stopped, the cloudy sky disappeared, slowly showing the sun.

The fear, the grief, the hope, the pleasing feeling that we lived... it came to me all at the same time.

Thank God... we survived.

Really... thank you...

CHAPTER 34
Survived