The Lost Prodigy

50. Revenge

Nababalutan ng mga makakapal na ulap ang kalangitan kaya hindi ko alam kung tanghali na ba o hapon na ngayon. Kasama ko pa rin si Zara at kahit anong pagpupumilit niyang huwag ko siyang sundan ay ipinagpatuloy ko pa rin ang pagbuntot sa kanya. Mukhang napagod din siya sa kakasuway sa akin kaya pinabayaan niya lang ako sa aking ginagawa.

Hindi ko alam kung ilang oras na ang lumipas nang makarating ako sa loob ng maze. After the encounter with the stygian, wala pang sumunod na panganib pagkatapos. Maybe being with Zara is a good thing. Baka pati yung mga halimaw ay natakot sa aura niya. Well she could be merciless if she wanted to. I have experienced it before and I don’t want it to happen again.

“Why did you choose to do this mission? I know that this was against your will and you could’ve escaped already. It’s obvious that I couldn’t stop you anyway if you decided to do it. But why are you still staying, Zara?”

Napalingon naman ang babae sa akin at sa paraan ng pagkakatitig niya ay parang may hinahagis siyang patalim sa direksyon ko. Her gaze was sharp and fierce, as always.

“I told you once that you don’t have the right to question my actions, bitch. If you want, I could carve those words on your back so you won’t forget.” Napalunok na lang ako sa sinabi niya.

“Mukhang nagiging makakalimutin na talaga ako. Sorry, bitch,” sagot ko sa kanya at napairap na lang si Zara bago binalik ang paningin sa harap.

We foresaw another rolling giant snowball and we easily avoided it this time. Kailangan talagang maging alerto palagi sa loob ng Labyrinth. Dahil ang mga mismong bagay na hindi ko inaaasahang makita ang maaaring bumuluga sa akin sa lugar na ito.

Wala pa rin kaming nakakaharap na mga miyembro ng Houses. At hindi rin nasundan ang anunsyong narinig ko kanina.

And that’s good news. Because that means Ophelia is still inside the maze and we just need to get to her before the tournament is over. At matatapos lang ang pagsubok sa oras na makompleto at magkasama ang limang miyembro ng isang team. But if all groups had lost a member, the points that they have garnered from eliminating other players would be the basis of picking the winning House.

Nalaman ko ito mula kay Zara. And I exerted a lot of effort just to make her answer that question. May mabuti rin palang naidudulot ang pagiging makulit ko.

But because of that information, we should also be careful of the other players. If they feel threatened, they could attack us and it would blow our cover. Kailangan naming umiwas sa gulo.

Narinig ko ang mahinang buntong-hininga ni Zara at nagulat ako nang magsalita siya.

“I almost died five years ago. It all happened because I tried to follow my friend who was leaving. He was my only companion but my parents weren’t in favor of our friendship. Because of the fucking social status and power rankings. So I disobeyed them and went to my friend. But along the way, some Crimson Knights thought I was some a mere ordinare so they insulted and beat me. I couldn’t fight them because I still haven’t controlled my flair. But I was saved by someone. I clearly remember Topher saving me from those brutes.”

“I was terrified when he killed those knights. He was young like me back then and I was surprised of his strength. But my terror faded when he approached me. He returned me back to our manor. Before he left, he told me to train and become stronger so I can protect myself. I didn’t even had the chance to thank him because he just vanished afterwards. But I etched what he said in my heart and I trained hard. For years, I hadn’t seen him until I arrived at the Stronghold. He had grown a lot and when I saw him again, I knew that I already admired him. So I did everything to impress him even though I’m not sure if he remembered me at all. And then, you happened.”