Amethyst couldn't move at all. She just stood there while watching the blazing fire and its thick dark smoke floating in the air. She couldn't scream anymore, knowing that her nightmare came into life.
Unti-unting tumitino sa isipan niya ang nangyayari. Mabilis kumalat ang apoy at nilalamon na nito ang mga katabing container na sumabog mismo sa di kalayuan. At sinuman ang nasa loob niyon ay imposibleng mabuhay at paniguradong gutay-gutay na ang katawan.
Mom
Bigkas niya sa isipan dahil mas lalong bumibigat ang pakiramdam niya. Alam niyang hindi na isang masamang panaginip ang nangyayari kundi katotohanan. Ang katotohanang- wala na ang kanyang ina.
She lost her mother again for the second time. She lost another parent, the only family she knew exist in this world. And she lost her because she made a mistake.
Lumalabo na ang paningin niya at hindi na gaanong maaninag ang malaking apoy roon dahil sa mga luhang nakaharang na sa kanyang mga mata.
"I've warned you about this, Amethyst. I told you that this will happen if you commit mistakes." Ani David kaya't natauhan na siya sa pagkakatulala.
Dahan-dahan niyang inilipat ang paningin mula sa nag-aappoy na container papunta sa kung saan nakatayo ang matandang lalaki. Sobra ang pagkakakuyom ng mga kamao niya dahil sa galit na nararamdaman.
"You.... you killed her.... you killed... you killed my mother!" Nanginginig sa galit na sabi niya. "I will kill you, Sensei!"
"Let's stop this drama." Bara nito kay Eshe. "You know you can't kill me. I'm one of the Princes of Hell and I can read your attack because you learned it from me." Mayabang nitong sabi.
Yeah, she knows that he's one of Weber's demons- Mammon, the demon of greed.
"Your demon name suits you- Mammon, demon of greed. Because you are selfish, you have this excessive desire for what, huh? Power? Wealth?" Madiin niyang balik.
Tumawa lang ang matanda at binalewala ang pagiging sarkastiko niya.
"Who doesn't want power or wealth?" Tanong nito sa kanya bago nagpatuloy. "If you have those, people will fear you and they will respect you. No one will ever put you down and no one will treat you like a failure." At pagak na tumawa. "You don't have any idea the suffering I had to endure during the time that I have nothing... a nobody." Napatulala pa ito na para bang may inaalala. "They looked at me like a filthy cockroach that should be crushed. No one respected me, no one was willing to give me a chance to prove myself. I don't have anything back then, only honor and dignity because that was the only thing we should value according to my father."
He is half Japanese and in their culture, honor, and dignity are important. They should live and die with honor based on their moral principles.
"But you disagree with him, right?" Aniya na nagpabalik rito sa huwisyo. "You don't value honor, you don't believe in it. You don't have dignity in yours because if you did, you won't be standing here!"
Muli na namang sumilay ang mala-demonyong ngiti nito.
"It's true." Pag-amin nito. "Honor and dignity won't bring me to where I am right now. I could've been dead years ago if I keep on believing in that pathetic values. My eagerness to change my life helped me gain the power I've been longing for. Power and wealth, those two are the ones I value now."
"That's what desire is. The need for what we can't have. The need for what's readily available is called greed. Greed is your god now, Sensei.
"No, my dear." Sabay iling habang nakangiti. "Greed bows to me. It is my servant and my slave."
Si Taniesha naman ang umiling.
"Greed makes an evil out of us. It is the root of the most punished crime. Our desires and appetites are often satisfied at the expense of those around us. In a dog-eat-dog world, we lose part of our humanity."
"I've lost my humanity a long time ago." Balik nito sakanya. "Being human makes people weak because they live with their emotions. I took you so you won't end up like the others. I helped you control your emotions, I removed your fears for you to become one of the best. And because of that, no one can ever break you."
At dahil sa sinabi nito ay mas pinakita niya ang tunay na emosyong nadarama. Pinaghalong galit, dismaya, lungkot at takot.
"You don't know how broken we are- the Gems. You thought you made us stronger but the truth is, FLAW has broken us a long time ago. You have ruined us the day we set foot on that fucking island!" Sigaw niya.
"We gave you a purpose, Amethyst. You should be grateful for that."
Mas lalo lamang siyang nanggigil sa galit.
"Fuck you!" Sigaw niya. "I'm going to kill you right here, right now. There's no stopping me, now that I have nothing to lose anymore."
"You know you can't defeat me." He was mocking her.
"I know." At saka pumosisyon na. "But I will keep on trying. I'm a Gem, right? So I won't give up until my last breath. Let's see how unbreakable you are, Sensei."
"Are you ready to die, my dear student?" Tanong nito sa kanya na inihampas pa ang hawak na sandata sa hangin bago pumosisyon.
"Yes. Are you?"
Sumeryoso na ang itsura nito at wala nang mapang-asar na ngiti sa labi. Amethyst knew that he is ready to fight her again and she needs to keep her focus so she can guard his attack.
Siya na ang unang umatake at kaagad nitong nasangga iyon. Panay lang ang iwas nito at mukhang nababasa na naman nito ang mga galaw niya.
Fuck!
Mura niya sa isip nang gumanti ito ng atake at natamaan siya sa may balikat.
Pumunit siya ng kapirasong tela mula sa kanyang suot upang ipang-tali sa kanyang sugat na medyo malalim nang kaunti.
"Does that hurt? Do you feel the pain?" Nanunuyang tanong nito sa kanya.
Imbes na sumagot siya ay umatake na lamang siya at saktong natamaan din niya ito sa may kanang pisngi.
"Does that hurt? Do you feel the fucking pain?" Panggagaya niya na nginisihan lang nito.
"You look tired and weary." Patuloy nito sa pag-ngisi.
"I can do this all night." Mayabang niyang sabi na bumanat na naman ng atake.
She strikes him forward with her weapon in her right hand and she followed it with her knee kick to hit him in the abdomen. She was successful in that attack so she followed it with a high kick that landed on his face.
Napaatras ang matanda dahil sa lakas ng pagkakasipa niya. Nakita pa niyang dumura ito ng dugo at napangiti na para bang natuwa sa ginawa niya.
"Not bad." Sabay punas sa dugo na nasa may gilid ng labi. "I guess I don't have to go easy on you."
Naningkit ang mga mata niya sa narinig. Mukhang pinapalabas ng lalaki na pinagbibigyan lamang siya nito simula pa sa umpisa ng labanan nila. Hind niya iyon nagustuhan at hindi iyon maatim ng kanyang pride.
"Don't try to hold back and just fucking show me what you've got!" Inis niyang turan.
"As you wish." And he bowed a little before he went closer to attack her.
Nanlaki ang mga mata niya sa bilis ng kilos ng dating guro. Napapaatras na siya sa lakas ng paghampas nito ng sandata sa kanya na pilit niyang hinaharangan.
Muli na naman siyang natamaan sa tagiliran ngunit nasaksak naman niya ito sa may balikat.
Pareho silang umatras palayo sa isa't isa upang hamigin muna ang sarili. Ramdam na ni Eshe ang pagod at panghihina dahil sa mga dugong lumalabas mula sa mga sugat na natamo niya.
"Can you still keep up with me?" Tanong nito matapos talian ang sugat. "Or do you want me to finish you instead to save us more time?"
Umayos siya sa pagkakatayo at hindi na lang ininda ang sakit mula sa sugat.
"You bet." At siya na muli ang sumugod, ngunit dahil mabilis ito ay muli na naman siyang natamaan at napahiga sa lupa.
Ramdam na ramdam na niya ang sakit at pagkahapo. Unti-unti na din siyang nanlalambot at alam niyang maaari siyang maubusan ng dugo kapag nagtagal pa ang laban. Kaya't pinilit niyang bumangon ngunit hindi na niya naituloy nang makitang nakatayo na ito sa may paanan niya.
"Looks like you can't fight anymore." Na sinipat pa ang buong kabuuan niya. "Don't worry, I'll end your misery now, my dear Amethyst. I'll make it quick so you won't feel anything. I promise."
At dahan-dahan nitong iniangat ang hawak na katana. "I'll see you again on the other side- soon."
She knew this is gonna be the end of her and she thought about the man she loves. She should've embraced Devereaux a little longer earlier that night. She should've told him how she felt, how she loves him so much because she has never told him about that. And now, it was already too late. He will never know anything and she will leave him broken.
I'm so sorry, Dev.
Aniya sa isip bago ipinikit ang mga mata. Hinihintay na lang niya ang pagtama sa kanya ng sandata ng matanda para tapusin siya. Ngunit isang putok ang umalingawngaw kaya't doon siya napadilat.
Kita niya na natamaan sa may balikat si Tanabe kaya't napaatras mula sa kinatatayuan nito sa harapan niya at humarap kung saan nanggaling ang putok.
Muling umalingangaw ang putok ngunit naharangan na iyon ng matanda gamit ang katana nito. Sunod-sunod ang pagputok ng baril ngunit hindi na muling natamaan si David.
Unti-unti siyang bumangon para umupo at saka niya nilingon kung sino ang namamaril. Nanlaki ang mata niya sa gulat nang mapagtanto kung sino iyon.
"Dev?!" Gulat niyang sambit.
"Are you alright?" Tanong nito nang makalapit sa kanya at saka siya tinulungang makatayo. "Ang dami mong sugat." Habang sinisipat ang katawan niya. "I'm getting you out of here."
Mabilis siyang umiling.
"I can't. I need to finish this." Na pinipilit na lumayo sa pagkaka-akay sa kanya ng binata. "I need to kill him."
"The police are on their way here, we can let them deal with him." Na muli siyang hinila para akayin.
"No, I can't. I won't. I don't want that. I want him dead. I want to be the one to end his life!" At akmang lalayo na naman ngunit hindi na siya binitiwan ng binata.
"But you're not in good condition. And I know you don't want to stain your hands with blood again, Amberleigh."
"Stop!" At marahas na siyang kumawala mula sa hawak nito. "Don't ever call me that because I'm not worthy of that name anymore. Matagal nang patay si Amberleigh at kahit anong gawin ko ay hindi ko na siya maibabalik." Kita niya ang pagkunot ng noo nito na para bang naguguluhan siya. "I tried to change myself, to go back to who I was before my nightmare started. But how can I go back when I don't know who I was? When I was in fact just a child at that time? And the only thing that can define me as I was when I was named Amethyst." Bahagya siyang yumuko saglit bago iniangat ang mukha at diretsong tumingin sa binata. "This is me, Dev. I can't pretend anymore. I am and will forever be Amethyst. And there is still a part in me that craves blood. So if you're here to stop me, you're just wasting your time and mine. I will not stop until I see his life slowly disappearing in his eyes." At saka nilingon ang matandang nakatayo lamang sa di kalayuan at nakatunghay din sa kanila.
"Your prince charming is here to rescue you." Mapanuyang patutsada nito.
"Shut the fuck up!" Sigaw ni Eshe pabalik at saka binalingan ang nobyo. "Stay out of this! You don't have business here. Don't come in between and let me finish this."
"No." Pigil pa din ng lalaki. "I won't let you to get hurt again."
"I don't care if I get hurt-"
"Well, I do!" Putol nito sa kanya. "I can't bear to see you like this. You're losing a lot of blood, you'll die."
"Then so be it! I'll embrace my death as long as I get to kill him. We can both go to hell." Tukoy ni Taniesha sa matandang lalaki.
"I don't want to lose you." Ani Dev na nagpa-tigil sa kanya saglit. "I can't lose you again, Amberleigh, or whatever fucking name you want me to call you! I can't! I can't lose you, okay?" Hinawakan siya sa magkabilang pisngi. "I love you. Do you hear me? I love you!"
Tumango naman siya at akmang sasagot nang pareho silang mapalingon dahil sa nakakalokong tawa ni Tanabe.
"What a scene!" Naiiling-iling pa ang matandang lalaki. "I'd love to watch your romantic reunion but we don't have much time. I need to finish this too."
Kung kanina ay walang nararamdamang kaba si Amethyst, ngayong narito si Devereaux ay nangangamba na siya para sa kaligtasan nito.
"You need to hide and wait for the police to come. Now go!" Pagtaboy niya.
"No! I won't leave you!" Pagmamatigas ni Dev.
"But you have to. Just go, Dev. Leave me be and let me do this." At muli na namang itinulak ang binata ngunit hindi pa rin ito nagpatinag sa kanya.
"Stop pushing me because I will not leave you! I'll stay here and I'll fight with you. Let's end this together." Ngumiti ito sa kanya at saka nagpalit ng panibagong bala sa hawak na baril.
"You two against me, huh?" At nawala na ang ngisi sa mukha. "Shall we begin?"
Nagtinginan sila saglit na magnobyo at nagtanguan na para bang nagkakaintindihan sila kahit hindi nagsasalita. Pumosisyon na siya at ramdam niya na nadagdagan siya ng lakas ng dahil sa lalaki.
Si Tanabe na ang unang sumugod kaya't tumakbo na rin siya para salubungin ito. Nagpapalitan sila ng pagkumpas ng mga sandata habang pilit umaasinta si Dev. Ngunit nahihirapan ang binata dahil sa takot na matamaan ang nobya.
Lahat ng atake ng dating guro ay nasasangga niya at ganoon din ito sa kanya ngunit mas nakalalamang ito dahil nasasangga din nito ang mga balang inaasinta ni Dev rito.
"Don't worry, you'll both end up together-" ani David sa gitna ng labanan nila. "on the other side of the world."
She knows that this old man is just taunting her to lose her focus in rage but she knew better now. She shouldn't let her emotion take over or she'll lose the fight. Losing the fight means putting Devereaux in danger too and she won't let it happen.
Pagka-ikot niya sa kaliwa upang maiwasan ang pagkakatama sa kanya ay doon naasinta ng kasintahan ang kalaban kaya't nagkaroon siya ng pagkakataong matamaan din ito.
Napaluhod si Tanabe habang nakatukod ang sandata nito sa lupa upang hindi mabuway. Tumakbo palapit sa kanya ang binata at tinutukan ang matandang lalaki. Pero mabilis nakakilos ito at ginamit ang katana upang madisarmahan si Dev.
Kita niya nahiwa nito sa kamay ang kasintahan at akmang itatarak rito ang sandata nang kumilos na siya palapit.
She rushes forward and quickly threw one of her Sai towards the old man and it hit his right chest. His attack was stopped in midair and he gazed at her with disbelief in his eyes. She won the fight.
Nabitiwan ng matanda ang sandata at saka bumagsak ang katawan nito sa lupa. Nilapitan ito ni Amethyst at pinakatitigan.
"Now you can go straight to hell where the other demons like you are waiting." Aniya bago binunot ang Sai niya mula sa dibdib nito at inilagay sa likuran.
"We're done here." Untag sa kanya ni Dev kaya't napalingon siya rito.
Dinaluhan niya ang binata na hawak ang kamay na may sugat. Pumunit siyang muli sa kanyang damit at ipinantali rito.
"How do you feel?" Tanong niya.
"Compared to your wounds, I'm much fine." Anito na ngumiti pa sa kanya. "How 'bout you?"
"I don't know." Sagot niya dahil hindi naman talaga niya alam kung ano ang nararamdaman niya sapagkat halo-halo na ang emosyon sa kanyang kalooban.
"Let's just go to the hospital first to tend your wounds." Aya sakanya.
Nakailang hakbang na sila palayo roon nang naririnig niya ang mahinang tawa mula sa kanilang likuran kaya't mabilis siyang lumingon ngunit huli na dahil naramdaman na niya ang pagtama ng isang bala sa kanyang tiyan.
Hindi pa nga siya nakakahuma sa nangyari ay tatlong magkakasunod na putok ang umalingangaw at nakita niyang bumulagta si Dev sa lupa. Binunot niyang muli ang pares na sandata niya at saka itinapon iyon papunta sa taong namaril sa kanila.
Ngunit bago pa maasinta niya sa gitnang dibdib at sa mukha si Tanabe ay isang bala na naman ang tumama sa kanya kaya't padapa siyang bumagsak sa lupa.
She felt numb and cold. And her vision is now becoming hazy. She coughed and tasted blood but she didn't care. She tried to utter a word, she was trying to call him.
"D-Dev." Mahina niyang tawag. "D-Dev, p-please w-wake up." Patuloy niyang tawag sa binatang hindi gumagalaw sa di kalayuan sakanya.
Kita niya ang dugong unaagos mula rito at doon siya napaiyak. Handa siya sa sariling kamatayan ngunit hindi niya ginustong idamay ang lalaki sa pag-alis niya.
Amethyst tried to move slowly. She was pulling herself with her hands while blood still coming out of her mouth. She was trying to reach him but her vision is slowly fading even her energy is depleting.
And when she reached Devereaux's hand, it's as if the last straw of her life had been cut and darkness soon approached her. And before everything went black, Amethyst utter her last words that she should have told him when she had the chance.
"I love you."