Alkia Kingdom: Beyond the Ranking Quest

Chapter 25: Trust

Kinabahan ako. Lumingon sa 'king lahat ang mga kasama ko. I heaved a deep sigh. "Why me?" nakasimangot na tanong ko kay Leona.

"Because you got an interesting pet. You caught my attention. That Icy Blue Fox is a rare one. One of a kind. It will not obey anyone so easily. I wonder why it chooses you as its master unless..." she commented but she didn't continue. Napansin ko ang biglang pagtalim ng mga mata ni Silver kay Leona. Kumunot ang noo ko. The way she spoke, I know that something was off. Ngumiti lang si Leona kay Silver.

"Unless?" kunot-noong tanong ko kay Leona.

"Unless..." she paused and looked at me. Pinag-aaralan niya ang mukha ko. Tila nagdadalawang-isip siya kung magsasalita. Sa huli ipinilig ni Leona ang ulo bago muli akong tiningnan. "Unless you're strong enough to control it," she said but I could sense that it's not the real deal. Magsasalita pa sana ako pero hinawakan ni Silver ang kamay ko at tumingala sa 'kin. Nagbago ang isip ko na magkomento pa sa mga sinabi niya.

Tumingin ako sa mga kasama ko. "What do you think? Ayos lang ba na ako ang sumagot sa tanong niya. We have no choice anyway," kibit-balikat na sabi ko sa kanilang lahat.

"If we lose it here, it's going to be your fault. It's fine," Light commented. Tiningnan ni Sky nang masama si Light. Maging ang mga ka-party ko ay ganoon din ang naging reaksiyon.

"We can't blame her if the question is really hard and impossible," Cember commented. Hindi ko alam kung nahimigan ko ang pagiging sarkastiko ng tono ni Cember. Hindi ko na lang ito pinansin. Wala akong oras na makipagtalo.

"Go Ahead, Zeus. I believe in you," Sky said that gave warmth to my heart. And yes, it was racing fast again like hell.

Tiningnan ko ang ibang ka-party ni Sky. They nodded at me.

"To pass through me and these doors, you need to answer this. You were fighting a dungeon boss together with Fire, Phoenix and Sky. You are all in the verge of dying but you can still save only two and flee. Who will you sacrifice between these three? Fire, Sky or Phoenix? And Why? You must pick one. Sacrificing 'No one' is not an option. Dying together with them is not an answer too. I expect, no one will speak except Zeus," she said. "Take your time, Zeus," she added.

Everyone of us gasped because of the question. Ngumiti naman sa 'min si Leona. Damn! I need to sacrifice one of them? I bit my lower lip. Nilingon ko si Fire, Phoenix at Sky. Napalunok ako. Sumimangot ako sa kanila. Ako ang naiipit sa tanong.

"No hard feelings," paalala ko sa kanilang tatlo. Ngumisi lang si Sky sa 'kin. Seryoso naman si Sky at sumimangot si Phoenix. My mind started to drift away. I started to analyze the question. It surely has a loophole. There's surely a way out. I kept repeating the question in my head. I almost memorized it. Hindi ko alam kung ilang minuto na akong nag-iisip. Napaka-tahimik ng buong silid. Tanging paghinga lang namin ang maririnig. Naghihintay silang lahat sa isasagot ko. Ilang minuto pa ay nabuo na ang desisyon ko. Napalunok ako. Determinadong tumingin ako kay Leona.