Marahan akong huminga mula sa aking ilong at inilabas ang hangin na 'yon sa aking bibig para mas makapag focus sa rason kung bakit kami narito, at hindi sa dami ng mga estrangherong narito kasama namin. Karamihan ng narito ay kaedaran ko lang, kung hindi ay mas bata pa. I think there were more or less two hundred people right now, pero dahil sinabihan kaming lumapit sa gate ay naging crowded.
Though I think pinili ng karamihang lumapit sa gate hindi lang dahil sa 'yon ang utos sa amin, kun'di dahil sa madilim na kagubatang nakapalibot sa nasabing gate. It's actually starting to give me the creeps too, I feel like there are eyes on the shadow, watching us like predators does to their prey.
"Ayos ka lang?" Bulong ni Rage. Mababakas sa boses niya ang pag-aalala kahit na walang anomang emosyon ang mababatid sa blangko niyang mukha.
Isang tanong lang ang tanging naisagot ko, although tensed na talaga ako. All my senses are on high alert and I feel as if there were sirens blaring in my head, notifying me about the danger surrounding me. Which I really do not need since alam ko naman from the beginning na walang sinoman sa kanila ang mapagkakatiwalaan ko given that almost everyone in here are supporters of the Lacx clan.
Sobrang stiff rin ng pagkakatayo ko to the point ma sumasakit na ang balikat ko kaya't inikot ikot ko ito, hindi ko lang inasahan na may mababangga ang braso ko.
"Watch it!" The guy hissed through clenched teeth. Bahagya naman akong natigilan, I thought it strange to see a guy with that face to be spitting venom.
He has light pink hair, but a more vibrant shade of amaranth pink for the irises of his eyes, and a red so dark it almost looks black for his vertically slitted pupils, much like that of a serpent. His features are rather soft and innocent, almost feminine; button nose, cupid's bow lips with a natural curve at the ends, and skin as fair as porcelain. But the haunted look on his eyes and the scorn in his gruff voice speaks measure of the things he's been through.
I always thought hearts can be seen through people's eyes. And most people have hearts made of stone; cold and unwavering, in shades of gray hardened by life and experience. Some people have hearts made of river; brilliant blues with mud stains at the edges, ever changing, always rushing.
Rage has a heart of liquid mercury; shiny and poisonous, refined by heat, vaporized, and then captured and cooled, known to devour gold. My grandfather Dylan's heart is a cacophonous of clashing music, even his heart does not know what it want to hear. Kaliza's heart is a mirage ridden desert, I never know where to look to see where her heart truly hides, I doubt even she knows where either.
This guy... his is a heart of carved marble, his beliefs etched into the surface of unyielding stone, crude as if carved by blunt nails, bled through, yet unbelievably beautiful in its honesty.
Nag-iwas nalang ako ng tingin imbis na sagutin siya lalo't sumasama na ng todo ang tingin niya dahil sa pagtitig ko. I wanted to ask but thought better of it. You don't just ask people if you know them in this kind of place lalo na't fake ang identity mo. That ain't it.
A swirl of red smoke emerged in front of the gates and in came two people once it dissipated. One of them stepped forward, running her hollow blue eyes around the place, and a cold tingle went through me when her eyes locked with mine. But I immediately dropped my gaze, not wanting to catch her attention.
Her name is Ellowyn Lacx, a tall female with ash blonde hair and a rich tan. She is Henry Lacx's first born, his army's general, and the so-called heir to the Lacx clan. Ang pamilyang sumira ng buhay ko. Nakakuyom ang mga kamaong pinikit ko ang mata ko upang pigilan ang galit na gustong kumawala sa akin.
"Greetings, challengers! A new year has come to us." Nagpatuloy pa siya sa speech niya tungkol sa Institute, sa lahat ng pagbabagong naganap sa nakalipas na sampung taon, at kung gaano kami kapalad na mabigyan ng pagkaka taong makapasok dito. As if.
"But this gate will not open to just anyone." Pagtukoy niya sa dambuhalang gate ng Institute. Her face is as blank as her eyes, maging ang boses niya ay napaka monotone na animo'y mas gugustuhin niya pang kumausap ng mga pagong kaysa magsayang ng hininga sa amin.
There was once a time na makita ko palang ang gate na 'yan mula sa malayo ay hindi na ako makapag hintay na pumasok. The academy was my second home, has been since I was six and saw the academy for the first time, it was somewhere I looked forward on going. Nandiyan kasi sila, 'yong mga kaibigan ko, mga professor and even the staff, sila ang dahilan kung bakit gustong gusto kong bumalik sa academy.
But looking up at the gate now. It's still golden, still gigantic and towers over every tree around this area. Pero hindi man nagbago ang pisikal na anyo nito, ramdam ko naman ang malaking pagbabago sa atmosphere sa paligid.
Once upon a time it stood tall and proud, bathed in the sunlight that made it glimmer. A beacon for all students who wished to master their magic, with the knowledge that the people inside are ones to trust and be proud of. But now it seemed too cold, abandoned. A torch extinguished.
And the once embossed letters that read SKY ACADEMY was now replaced with the word PANDEMONIUM INSTITUTE.
It is daunting, returning to the place I once believed was my safe haven only to find that it has been turned into something my family has been fighting since the beginning of time. Darkness.
"This is a game of survival. Only the strongest will have the honour if stepping foot in our esteemed institution, while the unfortunate ones will perish in this very ground. Good luck." Ang tanging sinabi ni Ellowyn before vanishing in a column of red smoke, leaving her ever so loyal right hand man, or lap dog. Wade Maven, the guy I have never once heard speak before. Nanatili siyang nakatayo sa harapan ng gate na animong binabantayan ito, eyes straight ahead and body stiff na parang estatwa.
There was a moment of deafening silence, like the calm before the raging storm. Hanggang sa makarinig ako ng kaluskos mula sa mga halaman sa gubat, nilingon ko 'yon just as the first creature emerged from the dark with a deep guttural roar.
Well, shite.
These creatures looked nothing like anything I've seen before. The closest comparison I can make was an ape, except they lack the hair. So a bald ape with leathery gray skin, no eyes, two slits for nose, huge fucking mouth with layers of razor sharp teeth, and hands and feet with only three fingers each covered in sharp claws. Oh and don't forget the very rotten smell they have. They must be another one of Lacx's many experiments.
Good grief.
"The sense of sight, one of God's most gracious gifts. Allows us to see the beauty of the world, and stare at the eyes of our prey whilst we kill them." I heard the raspy voice of someone, at hindi ko na kailangang lumingon para malamang si Maven 'yon. So that's how his voice sounds, I thought. "Such a handy tool in battle, but what if you lost them?" Bulong niya offhandedly, and not a minute after he said it that a heavy fog covered us, rendering us blind.
Magic ba ni Maven 'yon? I thought his powers were limited to enhanced strength, healing, and senses? Or maybe there's someone else here who did that for him. Damn, I didn't see that.
Hindi ko nalang muna inisip 'yon at ibinaling ang atensyon ko sa paligid. Rinig ko ang panic sa galaw ng bawat isang tao sa paligid ko, lalo pa ng umalingawngaw nanaman sa katahimikan ng gabi ang ungol ng mga nilalang sa kakahuyan. I squint my eyes and tried to see anything but it was useless, there was nothing except for a few shadows.
Kaya't ipinikit ko nalang ang mga mata ko at pinakiramdaman ang paligid. I've trained for this, thank God. You can't always trust your eyes, Kaliza once told me, that's what your other senses are for. Huminga ako ng malalim at ginamit ang other senses na 'yon. I focused on my surrounding, listened to every breath, felt the sudden drop of temperature due to the mist, took in the foul smell of the creatures a few meters in front of me, almost tasted the bitterness in the air from the fear and anticipation of what's to come.
And hell did it come.
The first creature gave a great growl before finally attacking, followed briefly by the shrill sound of a person's dying scream and the metallic smell of blood. I summoned my weapons from the sleek black metal band clasped around my wrist, a small sized twin blades with white gold handles decorated with a single sapphire stone each.
When I felt a tingle at my neck, I drew my left hand overhead just in time to stab the creature in the forehead who's attacking from behind, then spun right and slashed its throat with my other sword.
"Fucking backstabbers." I whispered as another came for me.
The horrid stench of death was heavy in the air, the ground beneath my boots giving a wet squirting sound every step from the blood and dirt and the dismantled body parts of the dead. The mist was still heavy in the air, but I can see enough blood in my feet to know a lot of us are dead by now. But at least equal if not more of these creatures are also dead. I thought, kicking the decapitated head of a creature that roll towards me.
It felt like an eternity lasted before the mist cleared. And when it settled, I finally saw just how many of us survived, or rather how few of us did. There is blood everywhere, black and red from creatures and people alike. But I was used to it, the death and the killing. The destruction. Ten years of fighting will do that to a person.
"Ugh! Gross!" Rinig ko mula sa aking kaliwa, seeing a guy with curly midnight black hair stare at his dirty clothes. He was at least 5 foot 11 tall with a nice tanned skin and soft features. At his side is a shorter man at 5 foot 8 with fairer skin and sharp eyes, his sweat slicked honey brown hair stuck to his forehead.
Frost and Sky Lacx, ang kambal na anak ni Henry Lacx. Why the hell are they here? You'd think they'd just automatically get admitted.
"Very well." Nabaling ang atensyon ko kay Maven ng magsalita siyang muli, nakatayo parin siya exactly kung saan ko siya huling nakita. "To those of you who survived this little test," panandalian siyang tumigil at inilibot ang paningin sa aming mga natira, "Welcome to Pandemonium." he said with that same rough voice of his just as the huge gates in front of us creaked open.
I'm not sure if its just my imagination, but I could have sworn I felt a cool gust of wind pass us, as if warning us of what's to come once we've stepped inside.
Welcome to Pandemonium indeed.
[August 08, 2022]