Hi, angels! I know this year might be my slow pace update, and it's also a bit frustrating for me. Part of me wants to write more, every day as if it is like breathing, but my life is not all about ventrecanard in front of her laptop. Gusto ko man magsulat araw-araw, pero super busy talaga. This is not me complaining how my readers ask for more updates, but my own frustration. I am happiest when I am sharing my thoughts, stories, and words. It makes me feel quite sad to write a little, with my little time as an adult. Hays.
Writing is my safe haven, my readers' love and support are my rest in this exhausting world. Soon, when everything is alright. I'll come back at my usual pace. Sana huwag n'yong iwan ang story ko. Huhu! Thank you po!
Dedicated to: Lady Santos
Chapter 28: The visitors
When we witnessed how Howl's shoulders vulnerably trembled without any hesitations, how his knees bent in surrender, and his tears drifted like waterfalls, suddenly Caleb and Tavion's eyes turned into their black color again.
Kapwa sila nag-iwas ng tingin kay Howl, ramdam ko ang hawak ni Caleb sa aking baywang upang igiya ako palayo kay Howl habang ganoon din ang ginawa ni Tavion kay Iris.
We gave him privacy to mourn.
Pinili namin tumigil hindi kalayuan kay Howl, ngunit hindi namin siya makikita. But I can hear his sobs, ang ilang beses niyang pagsuntok sa sahig at ilang mura na hindi ko aakalain na maririnig sa eleganteng nilalang na katulad niya.
Bahagyang nakasandal si Caleb sa pader habang nakatuon ang isang paa nito, nakakrus ang kanyang mga braso at nanatiling nakatuon ang kanyang mga mata sa sahig.
We could still hear Howl and his pain.
Sa ngayon ay halos wala na rin tumakbo sa isipan ko. Kung wala na ang babaeng siyang dahilan ng misyon na ito, ibig sabihin ba nito'y maaari na naming hindi ipagpatuloy ang paglalakbay sa lugar na ito?
But Howl's entrance ruined everything. Ligtas man kami ngayon sa loob ng lugar na ito dahil sa kaalamang hindi maaaring manatili ang isang Attero rito, ano naman ang kahihinatnan namin sa sandaling piliin na naming lumabas?
Nasisiguro kong isang batalyon na ang naghihintay sa amin sa labas.
Tahimik lang din nakatindig si Iris at ilang beses nagtatama ang aming mga mata. Si Tavion naman ay katulad rin ni Caleb na piniling sumandal sa isa sa mga poste at hindi na rin nagkukumento.
Howl might be rude, manipulative, and a traitor, but now that he's inside this ruin, we're all in the same boat. Hindi namin maaaring ituring siyang kalaban sa mga oras na ito dahil ngayon ay iisa na ang tingin sa amin ng mga nilalang na nasa labas.
"She's his mate, right?"
Akala ko ay ako ang kinakausap ni Caleb pero nang lumingon ako sa kanya ay nakatitig siya kay Tavion.
"Of course, would he risk everything even his title for a fling?"
"Should we help him?" tanong muli ni Caleb.
Nanatili lang kaming nakikinig ni Iris sa usapan ng magpinsan.
"We can," saglit sumilip si Tavion sa posisyon ni Howl.
"We can end his agony. He'll thank us."
When I heard how Caleb cracked his knuckles, my eyes immediately widened. Agad akong humarang sa kanya nang itinuwid niya ang kanyang pagkakatayo. Si Iris ay iritadong itinulak pabalik si Tavion sa poste.
"And what are you going to do?" tanong ni Iris.
"We will kill him. Tapos na ang paghihirap niya," Caleb casually said.
Marahas akong napabuga ng hangin sa narinig mula sa kanya.
"That's the easiest way to save him from pain," dagdag ni Tavion.
"Seriously?!"
Caleb blinked at me. Nakatitig siya sa akin na parang reaksyon ko pa ang hindi katanggap-tanggap sa sitwasyong ito.
"Anna, anyone can kill me if this happens to me," he almost said in whisper. Lumambot ang kanyang mga mata at tipid siyang ngumiti sa akin matapos sabihin ang mga katagang iyon.
I took a step back when I saw the finality in Caleb's eyes.
"Me too," tipid na dagdag ni Tavion.
"That's how vampire love works, Anna."
Iritado kong itinuro ang posisyon ni Howl. "But he is not a vampire! He is an Attero!"
"Don't you have any blood and heart oath? He probably made a promise or something to that woman?"
"Then let him die on his own! Bakit kailangan ay kayo pang dalawa ang papatay?!" halos sabunutan ko ang sarili ko habang pinaliliwanagan sila.
"Makabawi man lang. . ." bulong ni Tavion na nagpatalim sa titig namin ni Iris sa kanya.
Inangat niya ang dalawa niyang kamay sa ere nang makita niya ang paninitig namin sa kanya ni Iris.
"Alright. I am sorry. Now, what are we going to do? One of the reasons why we are here is because of the potion. To sum everything up, that crying guy manipulated us four to go on this dangerous mission. And when we were about to enter this place safely so we could leave safely as well, he sabotaged us. Aren't we supposed to do something about him after he finished crying?"
Itinaas ni Caleb ang isa niyang kamay. "Agreed!"
Sa huli hindi pa rin nakinig sina Caleb at Tavion sa pagpigil namin sa kanila ni Iris.
"May magagawa pa ba kami? Alright. We can give you time to speak with him," nailing na lang ako. Dahil kahit ilang beses pa ipagdiinan ni Iris ang salitang iyon sa kanila, siguradong ibang paraan na rin ang nais ng dalawang Gazellian.
"Talk with him," Caleb nodded with his usual grin.
Napamasahe na lang ako sa aking noo. Caleb gave me a swift kiss on my forehead before they turned their backs, and started to walk toward Howl.
Kasalukuyan nang nakaupo si Howl sa sahig mahang nakasubsob ang kanyang mukha sa kanyang tuhod. Kapwa nakasunod ang tingin namin ni Iris sa gagawin ng dalawa at muntik na kaming mapatakbo patungo sa tatlong lalaki nang marahas hinila nina Caleb at Tavion si Howl sa kanyang braso.
"Goodness!"
Nasapo ko na lang ang aking umawang na bibig nang parang lantang gulay lang si Howl at hinayaan niyang basta na lang siya hilahin ng dalawang bampira papalayo sa tingin namin ni Iris.
"Will they really kill him?" tanong ko.
"Maybe," Iris shrugged her shoulders.
Sa huli kami na lang muli ni Iris ang naiwan. We both sat down as we waited for the men to return.
"Sa totoo lang, I don't trust Howl. He'd either help us or betray us again. But the safest route is his death. Hindi na tayo mag-iisip na maaari niya tayong traydorin," tumango ako sa sinabi ni Iris.
"But his power would save us in this situation," dagdag ko.
Tinanaw ko ang pinanggalingan ni Howl kanina. I know that one of the reasons why he can't enter this ruin is because he has a blood of a mythical creature. He is a dragon. And his overwhelming man would change his form, pero bakit ngayon ay tila wala namang nangyayari kay Howl?
Pinagmasdan ko ang aking sariling kamay. Now that I have my mana back, hindi ba't dapat ay nakakaramdam na rin ako ng panghihina?
Gumala ang paningin ko sa paligid. We're still in the entrance hall of the ruin, but the feeling was quite eerie. Inaasahan ko nang may mga halimaw nang maaaring sumalubong sa amin, ngunit wala man lang nagpakita.
But I could feel the eyes— those powerful eyes. Pinanunuod ang bawat galaw namin at anumang oras ay maaari iyong umatake.
I was expecting that inside was as old as how it looked outside, but the moment we entered the ruin, I suddenly felt like we were in a different place. Dapat ay hindi na ako magulat sa ganoong bagay dahil isa iyon sa kakayahan naming mga Attero, we could easily disguise with the use of magic. Paano pa kaya ang isang makapangyarihang lugar na ito?
The old ruins' entrance hall has a circular floor with a mixture of black and white tile. The circular floor was divided into four with other smaller circles in every corner; inside each circle has small diamond shape tiles in alternate colors, black and white. The center of the four circles was another smaller circle, but unlike the bigger circle, it has the unusual symbol of a star with countless rays.
Kung mariing tititigan ang sahig ng lugar, hindi magagawang isipin na simpleng lugar lang ito ng pagtanggap ng sinumang nais pumasok sa lugar na iyon. We were somewhat inside a circle of ritual spell, na tanging mahuhusay na Attero lamang ang kayang gumawa ng mahika roon. The floor itself could scream intense power, ano pa kaya ang maaari nitong ilabas sa sandaling ipakita na ang mga nilalang na naninirahan dito?
Now that I've done analyzing the floor of the ruins, I've finally allowed my eyes to linger in every part of the entrance hall. I could see the eight pillars standing on every side of the eight huge circles; near each pillar has a long red banner hanging with it, embroidered with golden characters that I failed to read. At the top of every pillar was a connection to a long straight end that served as a support to an arc-like route towards the last circle in the front. The last circle was quite different from the other, it has a stone pillar in the middle of it, and before someone could have reached it, they need to take the twelve steps stairs.
Kapwa na kami nakatingin doon ni Iris.
The stone pillar has a pale gold color. It was like it's waiting for something that would make it complete. Lalo na nang higit ko iyong pagmasdan, may espasyo ang dalawang maliit na batong nakapatong sa ibabaw nito.
"Is it my map or your lantern?" tanong ni Iris.
Iyon din ang siyang nasa isip ko. Kung may ilalagay man kami ni Iris ay ang lampara ko lang o kaya'y ang hawak niyang mapa.
"But we couldn't just risk everything for that move? Hindi ba?" tanong ko.
Tumango si Iris. Hindi pa kami pamilyar sa lugar na ito, isa pa, masyado pang maaga upang itaya namin ang mga relikyang hawak namin sa bato na tila inihahain na sa amin ang kasagutan.
Nakalipas na ang halos isang oras ay hindi pa rin bumabalik sina Caleb, Tavion, at Howl. Hindi kami umalis ni Iris sa pinag-iwanan nila sa amin, ngunit hindi kami nag-aksa ng paraan na walang ginagawa. We roamed around the entrance hall, every detail of it, from the statues, the symbols, embroidered letters, and even the patterns of the floor.
Napansin ko rin ang apat na hagdanan sa apat na sulok kung saan maaari naming daanan mamaya. Would it be safer to split if we're going to discover more about this ruins?
"You can ask Caleb. Kayo na lang ang partner ni Caleb," halos mapatalon ako nang may bumulong sa akin.
My eyes widened when I saw the pixies— my silly pixies. Lumalabas lang sila kung tungkol kay Caleb ang usapan.
"How—" kapwa silang umiling dalawa.
The black and white pixies with their mana bigger than their body is not suitable inside this ruin— that's what I thought. Kung kami ni Howl ay buhay pa rin ngayon, hindi na nakakapagtaka na nakakalabas na ang dalawang ito.
"Hindi rin namin alam," ani ni Vera. My black pixie.
"Sa totoo lang ay kinabahan din kami nang pumasok ka rito. But now that we're sure that we're safe as well, bakit hindi na lang kami lumabas at tumulong sa 'yo?" sagot ni Sierra. My white pixie.
I grimaced. Talaga ba na tutulong sila?
Pixies are known attracted to handsome creatures. Hindi na ako nagtataka kung bakit saka lang sila lumabas nang makilala ko na si Caleb. My pixies are interested with Prince Caleb, maybe as well as Howl who's really popular, paano pa ngayong may Tavion pa?
Tumango na lamang ako. "We're still waiting for the men to come back. Sa ngayon ay abala pa kami ni Iris sa pagtingin sa paligid. Sierra, you can join Iris there."
"Iris!" marahan kong nilakasan ang boses ko.
"Yes?" agad niyang nakita ang maliit na diwatang lumilipad patungo sa kanya. Her eyes ignited in gold immediately.
"Calm down. She's one of my pixies," nang sabihin ko iyon ay agad bumalik sa pagiging itim ang kanyang mga mata.
"She'll join you. She's good company. She might help you with little tasks."
Or she'll probably ask her anything about Tavion. I shrugged my shoulders and went back to searching. Magtutungo pa sana ako sa unahan kung saan naroon iyong gintong bato na siyang sentro ng lugar na iyon nang kapwa na namin marinig ang ingay nina Caleb at Tavion.
Natigil kami ni Iris sa aming mga ginagawa at natuon ang aming mga mata sa madilim na sulok kung saan nagtungo ang tatlo.
At halos lumuwa ang mga mata ko nang makita ang sitwasyon ng tatlo. I wasn't expecting anything good from them that moment they stepped into that darkness as Tavion and Caleb dragged Howl helplessly, pero nang sandaling iyon, kahit si Iris ay ilang beses napakurap sa kanyang nakikita.
Because Caleb, Tavion, and Howl were happily exiting the shadowy part of the hall with their arms hanging around each other's shoulders.
"Huh?"
I heard how Sierra and Vera gasped in awe. Habang kami ni Iris ay kapwa may nagtatanong na mga mata.
"What happened?" tanong ni Iris.
"I think we're friends," kaswal na sagot ni Tavion.
Howl and Caleb nodded in unison.
Iris and I were not yet recovering from that statement when Tavion, Caleb, and Howl quickly moved from their place. In a moment, I found myself standing in the middle of the symbolled floor, Caleb's next to me, in line with Iris, Tavion, while Howl's in between, two steps ahead of us, one hand's confidently on his waist.
The silver dust of my pixies with the lingering thread of smoke around the hallway overwhelmed the whole place, and our eyes with different colors ignited as the pale yellow stone glistened in front of us, finally recognizing its visitors.