Virgin Villain (The Villain Series 2)

Kabanata 3

He should've torn the woman in his mind the moment she heard the child's plea.

"Ten." Stopping right in front of the door, the number he uttered would decide how many times she would experience death in his arms.

"Let me be one without a body." He cast a spell before stepping into the door. And like a soul, his body passed through.

He squinted his eyes when he saw the sight of children sleeping on the cold floor with only thin blankets. Why didn't they have beds? Why do the house only had a hall without any furnitures? How could this be an orphanage?

Thinking that the child also had slept on this place, it made his heart disturbed.

"A child should be given the best out of the greatest things," he whispered, remembering what the Holy Saints used to tell him. The children hold the future and hope--they were the epitome of what was whole. And they should remain whole. The duty of the adults should keep their precious hearts complete and not the other way around. For adults were once kids, and thus, they should build them up like how they were before.

Nilampasan niya ang mga batang natutulog sa salas. Umakyat siya sa hagdanan patungo sa ikalawang palapag. Pagkarating niya, isang kuwarto na pamilyar sa kaniya ang bumungad. Ito ang kuwartong ilang beses na nagpakita sa memorya ng bata. Dito natutulog ang babaeng nanakit sa kaniya.

He passed through the door with his spell as he felt his hand shook. The anger he had been carrying all along from the moment he had been betrayed gathered together like a crampled paper. And it was pointing at the woman peacefully sleeping in a bed with a mattress and a thick blanket.

"How fortunate." He walked toward her. Sa tuwing malapit siya sa mga babae, wala siyang ibang maramdaman kundi labis na pagkadisgusto. Nandidiri siya. Nais niyang lumayo ngayon din subalit nangibabaw ang kaniyang galit. Hindi niya kayang talikuran ang umiiyak na bata sa kaniyang isip.

He glanced at the small table beside the bed. There was a note written, and it seemed it was from the sleeping woman. Naglalaman ito ng sulat ng pamamaalam. Mukhang may balak na umalis ang babae ngayong araw.

Mahina siyang natawa. "But how unfortunate you are to meet me."

Sinipa niya ang kama upang gisingin ang babae. Kaagad naman itong napabalikwas sa gulat. Saktong paglingon nito sa kaniya ay ang pagtanggal niya rin ng kaniyang mahika. 

Mabilis na natakpan ng kilabot ang may katandaan na nitong mukha nang makita ang kabuohan niya. Bago pa ito makasigaw, kaagad niyang tinakpan ang bibig ng babae at muling inihiga sa kama.

"A noise is a nuisance." Dinaganan niya ito. Tumulo sa noo ng babae ang isang talutot ng patay na bulalak. Nanggaling iyon sa kaniyang mukha. Hinigpitan niya ang pagkakatakip sa bibig nito. "So shut up."

Nagpumiglas ang babae. Hinawakan nito ang kaniyang braso gamit ang mga kamay. Nandilim ang kaniyang paningin nang lumapat ang palad nito sa kaniyang dibdib.

Memories flooded him and drowned his sanity quick. May kakaibang mga bagay ang gumalaw sa kaniyang tiyan, pinipiga dahilan upang makaramdam siya ng matinding pandidiri. He wanted to vomit. But more than that, he wanted to shake the unexplainable touch creeping across his body.

He hated it.

"Curse you! You, women, have done nothing but make me suffer!" Tinanggal niya ang pagkakatakip sa bibig nito at sinakal ang babae. He planned to wound her soul before killing her physically, but the immense fear creeping to the parts he hated made him forget about his agenda. All he wanted right now was to get rid of it. "Don't touch me ever again!"

Tumakas ang mga luha sa mga mata ng babae subalit hindi iyon kayang tanggalin ang galit sa kaniyang puso. Nanginginig ang mga kamay niya habang diniinan pa ang pagkakasakal. Naririnig niya rin sa isipan ang pagmamakaawa nito.

Pero kahit isang katiting na simpatya, wala siyang maramdaman.

"Don't touch me!" paulit-ulit niyang sigaw kahit kanina pa hindi nakahawak ang mga kamay nito. Hindi na rin ito gumagalaw na kahit pagpitik man lang ng mga daliri ay wala.

Doon lang siya natauhan nang maramdaman ang malamig na hangin sa kaniyang batok. Bumaba siya sa kama habang habol-habol ang paghinga. Naliligo na rin ng pawis ang kaniyang mukha.

Binaling niya ang tingin sa nakabukas na bintana.

Nang makita ang madilim pa na kalangitan, doon lang siya napakurap. Napahawak siya sa kaniyang puso dahil sa bilis ng tibok nito. Ang kakaibang mga kamay na gumapang sa kaniya ay hindi na niya maramdaman pa.

He had calmed down.

Or so he thought.

Napatakbo siya papalapit sa bintana nang maramdaman ang kakaibang paggalaw ng kaniyang kalamnan. Hindi niya napigilan ang sarili na sumuka. Nanghina ang kaniyang tuhod habang patuloy na inilabas lahat ng mga kinain niya.

Nakakadiri. Nakakasuka. Sa tuwing naiisip niya ang mga humawak sa kaniya, nandidiri siya.

Ilang minuto siyang nagtagal bago tuluyang mapaluhod nang wala na siyang mailabas pa. Habol-habol niya ang hininga at pilit na pinapakalma ang sarili.

Binalik niya ang tingin sa wala nang buhay na babae. He snapped his finger to summon an emerald fire, burning her entire body. "Turn into ashes and give your soul to me."

Tanging ang katawan lang nito ang kinakain ng apoy. The dead he would collect would not automatically became his follower. It would depend on him whether he would put them in his Cage of Spirits, where his followers resides, or to the Gates of Darkness where they would never see light again and be imprisoned in the darkness forever.

"You will be gone forever." He snapped his finger again before walking toward the window. Nilingon niya muna ang kuwarto. Wala na ang katawan ng babae at ang tanging naiwan na lang ay ang gulo-gulong kama at ang sulat nito na nasa lamesa.

Bigla niyang naalala ang sigaw ng pagmamakaawa nito. He heard many voices, indicating that the woman had her own sufferings too. From the moment she was a child, she was already broken.

However . . . he didn't regret what he did for he wasn't willing to listen.

Tumalon siya sa bintana at naglakad na palayo. Nagtungo siya sa sirang gusali kung saan siya nananatili. Nakita niya ang pigura ni Stone. Tumango ito sa kaniya bilang pagbati habang ang isang daliri ay nakaturo sa malaking bato.

Nang makalapit siya, sinilip niya ang likuran nito. Nakita niya ang batang babae na nakaupo habang tinatakpan pa ang mukha, hinihintay na mahanap niya.

One corner of his lips curved.

Silly.

He stretched his hand to reach her. He was about to touch her head but then he paused.

After he reached out to someone before, everything crumbled before his eyes--his title, his home, his power, his identity, and his heart. He lost them all. If he tried reaching out to someone again, how could he be certain he wouldn't experience the same thing?

Subalit bago pa man siya makagalaw, inangat na ng bata ang tingin dahilan upang makita siya nito.

Mabilis na sumilay ang mga ngiti nito sa labi at hinawakan ang kaniyang kamay. "Papa!"

His gaze softened as he watched the tiny fingers holding on to his cold hands. How selfish of him to think of himself.

In front of him was a kid. If there was someone who needed protection between them, it was her. What he needed to do was not to keep himself away from pain, but to protect the child's smile.

"Child, what's your name?"

"Ella!"

"Ella . . . I do not like that name." Marahan niya itong hinila paalis sa bato. Nilapat niya ang kamay sa ulo nito. "You have been so brave all this time. Imris suits you better."

"Imris? Isn't it masculine, master?" Stone commented.

"Who cares about that?" Nilapat niya ang kamay sa ulo ng bata. Gumuhit sa kaniyang isipan ang imahe noong sanggol pa si Imris. Ang imahe kung saan siya iniwan ng sariling magulang. "From now on, you will be Imris. Until I find your real parents, you will be under my care."