ZODIAC GATES-Beware of the 13th Sign

29'VERGE OF BEING RUINED

     “I want to see my family,” I responded and then moved away from the two and searched for Madame Ruth, Taya and Raya, oblivious about the noises hovering around the castle.

     I felt my eyes wetting even more. Napakaraming sugatan at . . . patay. Mas lalo pa akong napaiyak sa nakitang mga patay sa paligid. I could her screams and cries. Hindi ko akalaing hahantong sa ganito ang lahat. Madame Ruth, Taya, Raya, nasaan na kayo?

     “Hold on, Taya. P-please.”

     Napatingin ako sa kinaruruunan ng boses. It was Raya helping Taya to walk. “Raya! Taya!” Agad akong napatakbo patungo sa kanila.

     “’China . . .” Raya uttered seeing me. She was full of scratches and wounds. Traces of ashes were visible on their heads and bodies like everyone had―an evidence of the debris falling off to the ground.

     “’China . . .” I heard Taya whispered na halos hindi na makapagsalita.

     I hugged them. I just couldn’t afford not to. I missed them so much and to see them in the situation made it more painful for me. “W-where’s Madame?” I asked after loosening my embrace. Nakita ko naman agad ang lungkot sa mukha ni Raya. She jerked her head toward her right. And there, I saw Madame Ruth lying on the floor, unconscious. “Madame!” I hurried toward where she was. “Madame?” I touched her cheeks, patting it gently, wanting to wake her up. “W-what happened to her?” I asked, my voice was broken and my tears were racing down my cheeks. “Answer me, Raya!” I raised my voice.

     “She’s in a deep sleep,” Raya replied after lying Taya beside Madame. “She’s bitten by a serpent.”

     Napapikit na lang ako. “Madame . . .” hagulhol ko. I could have saved her kung ‘di sana ako nahuli. “Where’s the antidote?” I demanded, my eyes glancing back and forth at Raya and Madame.

     “’China . . .”

     “Where?”

     “No one knows how to cure it. It’s the same disease the former Bearers are suffering from.”

     I plunged myself into a deep silence. My mouth cracked open in pain and disbelief. Madame. Madame. I cried silently, my hands laid flat on my eyes before hugging her. Narinig ko na rin ang paghagulhol ni Raya at ang pag-iyak ni Taya sa tabi ko.

     “Racchina!” Narvya yelled. “You have to go back to the time sphere!” she ordered urgently.

     “No! I won’t leave them here!” I resisted, then I stood up.

     “But you have to learn the Summoning!” she insisted but it wasn’t enough for me to follow her order.

     “I won’t . . .” I whispered.

     A scream.

     We suddenly heard screams inside the castle nang bigla na lang nagkapirapiraso ang pintuan ng palasyo. And what appeared next were giant black serpents about 10-feet tall.

     “Oh, Cancer. Please help us,” Narvya mumbled when she saw it. The castle was then covered with screams while the serpents started to spit their poisons out. “Racchina, you have to go!” Narvya kept on telling me while she was covering the serpents―which were trying to be on our way―with her dusts.

     “C-China, you have t-to go . . .” Taya tried to speak.

     “But―”

     “F-for our r-region.”

     Raya held my hand and with her eyes only, I knew she said, I had to. “No. I won’t leave you. I w-won’t!” I still resisted, my voice almost a whisper.

     “Ugh!”

     My eyes widened when a poison landed on Narvya’s arm. Agad naman siyang nakabawi at ginamit ang kapangyarihan niya sa ahas.

     “Narvya!” I yelled when she fell on her knees. “Narvya . . .” I moved toward her.

     “’China . . . you have t-to go,” hirap niyang tugon.

     My eyes induced tears again. Wala akong magawa. “But I won’t leave you here.”

     “I can’t protect you anymore. Nanghihina na ako. Damn this poison!”

     “Hihingi ako ng tulong.”

     “No need,” she hindered, then she touched my cheek so gently. “I’ll be looking forward to seeing you after the darkness . . . Dracchinavya.” And just that, she already fell into slumber.

     “Navya. Navya!” I shook her but she won’t wake.

     “’Chinaaaa!” Raya yelled when a serpent was already next to me and Narvya. Wala akong nagawa kundi ang ipikit ang mga mata ko. But a second already passed pero wala pa ring nangyayari sa akin. So I opened my eyes.

     “You, idiot!” My eyes widened seeing Kuting standing in front. His hands extending forward and a magic circle was in front of his palm. Then he grabbed my arm. “We have to get back to the time sphere,” he said with urgent tone of his voice.

     He opened his door.

     “Go, ‘China . . . and save our region,” Taya said, then I was already back to the training room.

     A great silence greeted me. I could feel my eyes watering as I fell on my feet and cried silently. “Our regions are on the verge of being ruined.”

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