"WHAT'S happening to Balti?" Tears streamed from her eyes as she held Balti's hand. Takot na takot siyang bitiwan ang kamay na 'yon at baka tuluyan nang maglaho si Balti. When she held it earlier ay unti-unting bumabalik ang katawan nito.

The marks on his skin is also fading with him. Ngayon ay hindi na nila masyadong mabasa ang mga nakasulat sa balat nito. And it worries her.

"We need to wake him up before the words on his skin fades." James checked every mark on his skin. "The torn paper is only giving us time to wake him up. Without the complete story. He is good as dead."

Lalo siyang naiyak habang hawak ang kamay ni Balti. "Balti, gumising ka na, please." Dinala niya sa pisngi ang malamig nitong kamay. "Nandito ang pamilya mo. Marta is here. Your parents are here. I-Iwan mo... lang ba kami?"

"James," iyak ni Maha, "please, help him. Gisingin mo siya. Ayokong mawala ang kuya ko..." Niyakap ito ni Chi. "Chi, ang kuya ko... h-hindi... hindi siya puwedeng mawala..."

"Shsh, gigising si Ser. Tatadyakan ko 'yan kapag hindi."

"Sus, I want you to talk with Balti's parents. Bring them here," utos ni James nang hindi tinatapunan ng tingin si Iesus. Busy ito sa pagsusulat ng kung ano mula sa brown leather notebook nito. Kada tingin nito kay Balti ay may isinusulat ito na hindi niya alam. "Vier, the storybook. I need it. Bring it to my house." Isinirado nito ang notebook nito. "I'll be back." At walang lingon-lingon na lumabas ng silid.

"I'll assist him." Sumunod din si Aurea sa kuya nito.

"Maha, you will come with me." Agad ding sumama si Maha kay Iesus.

"Some of you will stay here," Vier instructed. "Let's not flock too much in this room. Niña and Tor can stay. The rest, bumaba na muna kayo." Tumango ang lahat. "Sep, come with me. I need your help on something."

"Sure!"

Isa-isang naglabasan ang mga tao sa silid hanggang sa dalawa na lamang sila. Tor sat across her, forehead creased as he looked at the lifeless Balti. Her heart throbs in pain. Parang pinipiga ang puso niya.

"I don't want to lose him," basag ni Tor. He blinked and tears fell from his eyes. Mabilis nitong pinunasan ang mga luha nito. "Damn it, Bartholomew. What did you do to yourself?"

She had never seen Tor cry. He had always been the stronger version of Balti. His protector. Mas madami pang beses na nakita niyang umiyak si Balti sa mga lame reasons. Lalo na pagdating sa mga multo. Balti has always been the soft version of Tor. And never did Balti deny it.

"He wouldn't leave us." Umangat ang tingin nito sa kanya. Tor's vulneribality when it comes to Balti showed how genuine their bond with each other. It was the same thing with her and Maha. Mas mataas lang talaga pride ng isang 'yon. "I remember, sabi niya sa'kin noong high school pa tayo. Wala raw Tor kapag walang Balti. At wala ring Balti kung walang Tor."

Natawa si Tor. "Gago talaga."

"Kapag daw namatay siya. Sisiguraduhin niyang susunod ka."

Tor's eyes widened. "Sinabi niya 'yan?!"

She nodded. "Oo," bahagya siyang natawa. "Sabi niya, kakausapin niya raw ang sundong anghel niya na bigyan pa siya ng oras para mapilit kang samahan mo siya sa langit. Kaso naisip niya. Anghel ba talaga susundo sa kanya o demonyo?"

This time Tor burst out laughing.

"Kaya nagbago isip niya. Sabi niya, hanggat hindi pa raw niya nasisiguradong sa langit ang punta niya. Magtatanim na muna siya ng madaming kahoy at sisiguraduhing kalahati ng mundo ang nagabayan niya sa tamang landas. Dati tinatawanan ko lang siya sa mga sinasabi niya. But after knowing his past life, I realized his purpose existed with a deep reason. May pinanggagalingan. Hindi man siya aware, but he always mean it."

"And he did."

"Kaya ba siya pumunta ng Spain para magturo? World domination ang nais?"

Tor chuckled, "He had always been curious of things around him. His students are lucky. Mas madali ang lesson kapag si Balti ang nagtuturo. It's a talent I always envy from him. If ako 'yon, bukas na bukas wala nang papasok."

"You'll be great in Law School."

"I'm considering it actually."

"Goodluck sa students mo."

Lalo itong natawa. "Sabi nga ni Aurea, tama na raw na may isang matalino sa pamilya namin." It was her time na matawa. Isip talaga nitong si Aurea. "I don't know if it's a compliment or not. She always thinks out of the line. But those are the things that I love about my wife. She argues like a written rationale without any citation. But she always win despite the lack of evidence to support her point."

Kumunot na tuloy ang noo niya. "Sure kayong nagkakaintindihan kayo ni Aurea?" Ako lang ba ang nakapansin na kapag nagsalita si Tor. Ang hirap i-confirm kung may utak ka pa. Kasi alam niya kapag 'di na naiintindihan ni Balti si Tor. Tatawa lang 'yon at mag-iiba ng topic. Tapos sisinyasan siya na umalis na sila.

"Ako nag-a-adjust."

Tawang-tawa ulit siya. "Mahal mo e."

"And you love him." There was warmth in how Tor said those words. "And he loves you so much. He wouldn't admit it to me, but I know. Hindi makakapagsinungaling ang 'sang 'yon sa'kin."

Napangiti siya. "Ewan ko ba. Hindi naman ako nag-e-exist sa past life niya pero bakit ako napunta sa buhay niya, 'di ba?"

"You might be the princess."

"I'd rather not."

"Ayaw mo?"

"Hindi sa ayaw ko. I won't ignore the possibility, but what if, I didn't really exist in the same timeline? What if, this is my first life? Or may iba akong purpose in Balti's life."

"Because of the ledger?"

She smiled and nodded. "There are billions of names exists in this world. Why Niña? 'Yon ang gusto kong malaman Tor. Bakit nga ba Niña ang female character sa story na isinulat ni Hanael?"

"I also wonder. Surely, there should be one explanation."

"Hindi mo alam?"

Umiling ito. "Hanggang doon lang sa pagtanggal ni Felipe sa mga memories ni Nathanael. The rest are good as blurred papers."

"So, Nathanael was still inside Hanael?"

"They didn't really resolve the issue with Nathanael and Hanael. They just eliminate the root of his anger and grief. Kung iisipin mo. His transformation wouldn't be complete without his will to kill and avenge his family. Iisa lang din naman sila. The ink can give life and took life. And it had given life to Hanael's innermost desire – the dark side that he didn't choose to live. Hate was the primary source of that Nathanael's existence. And the people whom he thought cared for them, in the end, betrayed them."

"Who could blame him?" Ibinaling niya ang tingin kay Balti. She gently caressed his hair. "He witnessed how his parents were killed mercilessly. He couldn't save her sister. And when he thought na buhay pa ang kapatid niya... he sacrificed his freedom for her safety. Pero anong ginagawa ng king? He used him."

"The king was your father."

"His past has nothing to do with his present life, Tor." She lifted his gaze at him. "We all make mistakes. I refuse to associate my father with that king. They are completely different persons. Even if he was my father's first life. The father I've grown with was far better than the king. My father had a tough life. He sacrificed a lot of things for me... for us. He was the best father for me." Mapait siyang ngumiti. "At baka nga siguro ang sakit na nagpahirap sa kanya noon ang karma ng mga maling nagawa niya sa nakaraang buhay. But he had paid for it. I'm sure he did pay for his misdoings in the past. I don't think a person can change if they didn't want the change to happen. But my father changed."

Parehong silang natahimik ng ilang segundo bago ulit nagsalita si Tor.

"I also made an unforgivable mistake in my past. I paid for it in this lifetime. Maybe some of us do, but with all these unfathomable mysteries in life. Even if things are hard to understand. We must still choose to move forward and just stop questioning things."

"May mga tanong na madaling sagutan. May mga tanong naman na mahirap. Pero may mga tanong na hindi na kailangan pang hanapan ng sagot." She paused to think. Something occurred to her – an idea. "If that's the case. Nathanael has always been part of Hanael. Same goes with Balti." Nagtama ang mga mata nila ni Tor. He was following her words. "Nathanael has always been there inside him. But Hanael chose to wake Nathanael and Balti didn't."

"Go on."

"James is right, Tor. The storybook. The missing item. Lahat nang 'yon memories na inalis ng great-great-grandfather ni Iesus. Dahil 'yon ang root ni Nathanael. Bumalik ang dating Hanael at isinulat ang kwento sa ledger. But they didn't really resolve Nathanael's hatred. He was just locked at the back of Hanael's consciousness. The short story has no end, but if we can rewrite it again, then maybe we can wake Balti."

"I don't understand what you mean by rewriting –"

"James!" She meets his gaze again with a determined look. "James already knows what to do."

"REMEMBER what we did to Esmeralda?" basag ni James habang dinidikit nang maayos ang napunit na pahina sa ledger. Lahat ng gamit mula sa missing item at storybook na pag-aari ni Hanael ay nasa mesa. "We will do the same. Vier and I have talked. He will try to read his mind and once he locate him. I will connect his family to his own dream."

"There is a great possibility that Hanael is trapped in his own dream," dagdag ni Vier. "What they did in the past did not resolve the issue. Erasing his memories didn't heal him. They only concealed it. With the existence of the ink that brought Hanael's greatest desire to life it only become a reoccurring issue. Mauulit at mauulit lang 'yon hanggat hindi niya hinaharap ang sakit na nagpabago sa kanya. Kailangan ni Hanael magpatawad at tanggapin ang katotohanan para mawala na nang tuluyan si Nathanael."

"I've kept some of the ink," James continued. "Tor remembered all the ingredients and how Hanael made it. I made one myself. Dugo na lang ni Balti ang kailangan dito." Sa mukha ni Tor ay parang wala namang binanggit si James na gagawa ito ng sariling ink. He looked confused and at the same time nakikinig pa rin. "Maha will bring these items to Hanael's dream. The story in the ledger should continue. Hanael needs to write the ending of Bartholomew and Niña. And Maha will ask him to rewrite it for us. I cannot rewrite it because he was the author."

Napansin na niya kanina na kasama ang journal ng ama niya sa mga gamit sa mesa.

"James, bakit kasama ang journal ng papa ko?"

"This belongs to Hanael." Kumunot ang noo niya. "You will never see anything like this in our time. I don't know where your father got this and who gave this to him, but this tree of life notebook belongs to the good Magia. Lahat ng mga salamangka at ritwal ay nakasulat sa notebook na ito. It was passed down to the remaining good Magia, ang ama nila Marta at Hanael na si Juancho."

"It was part of the information I got from his memories," segunda ni Tor.

"What will happen to Ser after?" Simon asked.

"Hopefully, he will wake up."

"TUMUBO 'yong halaman niya," basag ni Maha nang lumapit siya rito. Bahagya siyang natawa as they peered down kung saan ang tatlong paso na pinangalanan ni Balti. "Ibinalik ko na si Juan. Namatay lang sa loob."

"Sa lamig ba naman ng aircon mo."

"Mainit e."

Sa tatlong paso. Si Balti ang tinubuan ng stem at mga halaman. Si James tumubo pero nilagasan ng mga dahon. While si Juan, talagang walang tumubo. Tawang-tawa tuloy ulit siya.

"Ano ba?!" piksi ni Maha, and glared at her. "Tawa ka nang tawa riyan. Alam ko namang matindi ang kapit ng doctor na 'yon sa nature. Like, they will do everything to ruin us."

"Us?" asar pa niyang lalo rito.

Maha rolled her eyes. "Alam mo bang muntik na akong i-chop-chop ni Juan noong mahuli nila ako?"

"Mukha namang hindi e. Bantay sarado nga sa'yo."

Her lips pressed in a thin hopeful smile. "Talaga?"

"Oo," tango pa niya, "binabantayan kang huwag gumawa ng masama."

Umawang ang labi nito. "Yaaaa!" Saka bumuga ng hangin. "Akala ko ba ship mo ang love team namin?"

"Bati na ba kayo? Inaway ka, 'di ba?"

"Well, 'di naman ako nagtatanim ng galit."

Natawa ulit siya sa ekspresyon ng mukha ni Maha. Kaya sila magkasundo e. Pareho silang marupok. Pinalo na siya nito sa balikat.

"Epitome ka talaga ng true friend e. Hindi mo ako pinapaasa."

She was no longer laughing but the traces of her smile remained on her face. "Titignan ko muna kung hindi ka magsasawa. Ang crush pa naman sa'yo parang change outfit ng mga Kpop Idols. Pabago-bago kada comeback."

"Kay Dylan ko lang 'yon ginawa. He's not worth it." Tinitigan niya ito. "Well, hindi naman ako galit dahil inagaw mo siya. Not that inagaw ," she quoted the last word with her fingers, "mo talaga siya. I felt hurt lang na pinalitan mo agad si Kuya –"

Tinaasan niya ito ng kilay. "Did you really think ipagpapalit ko si Bartolome sa 'sang 'yon?!" Her voice was raised a bit. Never yata sumagi sa isip niyang mas gwapo si Dylan kay Bartolome. Ni wala ngang lalaking umabot sa level ni Bartolome sa buhay niya.

"I know. I know." Maha exasperatedly sighed. "I was so immature. Second, naisip ko rin na baka true kasi for the past weeks you're acting weird. Parang may itinatago ka sa'kin. One time, I caught a glimpse of your phone. You're exchanging messages with Dylan. And when I asked about it, you said wala lang 'yon. Tapos 'yong random appearances niya sa buhay natin mas nagiging constant na. And then, he's looking at you with that gooey eyes. Swear, hindi ako nagselos. Naiinis ako. At that time, gusto ko na lang pikutin ka ni Kuya. What added to my gnawing assumptions was, ilag kayo sa isa't isa ni Kuya and you're no longer talking about him which you always do. God, Nin..." She groaned. "Are you even aware of how hopelessly in love you are with my brother?!"

"Alam ko –"

"And can you blame me for thinking that you've changed when you suddenly act as if he didn't exist na? I'm not blaming you, ha? I'm not tolerating my mistakes. Admitted ako no'n. These are only flashbacks of my real reason. Anyway, 'yon na nga, hindi na ikaw 'yong Niña na ina-associate ang mga bagay-bagay kay Balti. You give comments and opinions about things and never forget to compare how great Bartholomew Juarez is."

Namilog ang mga mata niya. "Ginagawa ko 'yon?" Hala, bakit 'di niya pansin?

"Opo. Always pa nga. You will say, gwapo at matalino si Tor pero may ibang kagwapohan talaga si Balti na hindi ko ma explain. Mas approachable din si Balti. Bagay kay Lawrence ang uniform pero mas mukhang professional kay Balti 'yong uniform. Ring a bell?"

Napakurap siya at natawa. "Seryoso?!"

"I'm dead serious. And actually, galit din ako kay Kuya noon. Hindi lang halata." Lumamlam ang expression ng mukha nito. "So, don't blame him for everything. Kasalanan ko rin naman talaga. Ilang beses niya akong kinumbense na makipag-ayos sa'yo, but I was too stubborn. Nang mapuno siya ay binalak niyang ipagtapat na sa'yo lahat ng misunderstanding but I stopped him. Pinagbantaan ko siya. I know this is just a petty misunderstanding na kung inayos ko agad ay sana tapos na." She sighed again. "Alam mo Nin, tama ka, I have to change this attitude of mine na kapag alam kong may mali rin ako tumatakas ako sa responsibilidad ng mga mali ko. And... I'm sorry."

Napangiti siya. "Sorry rin."

Maha reached for her hand and gave it a little squeeze. "I'm sorry for doubting you. If I'd known na plotted lahat 'to nila Pam and Dylan. Ako na talaga mismo magtutulak sa dalawang 'yon sa Marcelo Fernan Bridge!"

"Gage!"

"Seryoso... It's just that... you're the only person... aside from my brother and family who can really tolerate my attitude. And you know naman my history of betrayal noong high school ako. It's not an excuse, but I will do better."

"You're already better."

"Better for Juan?" She squinted her eyes at her. "Aww! Nin naman, paasahin mo naman ako."

"We will see." Ngumiti na siya. "But you will get there soon."

"Thanks."

"Anyway, are you ready?"

Bumakas agad ang pag-aalala sa mukha ni Maha. "I will do my best para lang gumising si Kuya." Binitiwan siya nito para kunin ang paso na may pangalan ni Balti. "He will live just like his plant." Sabay silang napangiti sa isa't isa.

"Huwag kang mag-alala, sa pangalawang beses na magsusuot ka ng wedding gown nandoon pa rin ang kuya mo."

Naiyak na lang bigla si Maha. "Naalala ko na naman pang-aasar niya sa'kin noong um-attend tayo sa first concert ng EXO rito sa Pilipinas. Grabe kayo sa'kin."

"Aba'y mag-wedding-gown ka ba naman!"

May video pa siya noong concert. Si Balti rin patola. 'Yong aisle sa gitna ng mga seats ginawang wedding aisle ng magkapatid.

"Joke lang naman 'yong magpapahatid ako sa kanya sa stage para sa groom kong si Sehun!"

"Alam mong patola 'yong kuya mo."

"Maganda na sana kaso itinulak ako ng walangya. Ang sakit ng tuhod ko, ha? Mga dalawang baitang din 'yong kinahulugan ko tapos tatawanan n'yo lang ako. Ang bigat ng inupahan kong gown tapos itutulak lang ako ng magaling?!"

"At least hinatid ka ng kuya mo."

"Gago pa rin siya!"

"Nin, Maha," it was Aurea who called them. "Pasok na kayo. Magbibigay lang ng final instructions sila Vier at Kuya James saka natin sisimulan."

Nagpalitan sila ng tingin ni Maha.

Ngumiti siya rito. "Kaya mo 'to."

"Kaya ko. Fighting!"

Hinila na silang dalawa ni Aurea. "Kapag hindi nagising si Ser palaka ipapahalik ko sa 'sang 'yon. Naku, huwag niya ako ginigigil. Pupunuin ko talaga ng multo ang bahay niya."

"Support!" they said in unison.

"Gagawin ko talaga makita niya! Ililipat ko ang balon ni Sadaku sa harap ng bahay niya."