Raphael's POV

I almost yawned after spending half an hour sitting on a chair, watching the Alphas fight against the organization's seasoned soldiers, the grandmasters, who were made leaders for their skills in combat, and their use of power.

Isa-isa ko silang minamasdan na nagpapatayan sa iba't ibang pwesto ng iisang lugar, kung saan andito rin ako: sa loob ng pinakamalaking hall ng facility.

Inaantok akong napabuga ng hangin, dahilan na gumalaw nang kaunti ang maliit na belong nakatakip sa kalahati ng aking mukha.

Humilig din ako sa sandalan ng upuang kinuha ko sa sandaling napagtanto kong matatagalan pa bago may isa sa Alphas na makakalapit sa'kin.

Not even Luke was able to get to me. He's outside the building facing against three grandmasters.

Habang naka-dekwatro sa upuan, nakapangalumbaba ako at mahinahong pinanood kung paano lumaban ang kasamahan niya.

How they fight and how they use their abilities intrigued me, first and foremost.

There was Kai, the son of Poseidon, who held a sword in his hand that he always held upright. I never saw the tip of his blade point down unless it was forced by the two grandmasters that surrounded him.

And he never let go of it either.

Bahagyang umangat ang isang sulok ng aking labi dulot ng pagkamangha.

I saw him broke his right wrist just a few minutes ago. The same wrist he's using to hold his weapon.

Ba't nga ba ginagamit pa rin niya ang nabali na niyang kamay?

Pumiling nang kaunti ang aking ulo upang silipin ang kanyang kabila.

The reason he's fighting with his broken hand is that his other hand is in worse condition. The skin from his shoulder down to the tip of his pinky finger has been peeled off. But a thin layer of water has already covered his entire arm, acting as a shield to prevent further damage and possibly heal the wound.

My eyes drifted to the man and woman taking turns to exhaust him.

Against Kai's ability to control water, was the grandmasters' abilities to control ice and fire.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the hall, Miles, a son of Hermes, managed to avoid the whip thrown at him by a grandmaster. But he was immediately caught by the chains of another one.

Though it may seem like the grandmasters' only abilities are controlling the whip and chain in their hands, they are actually the most durable among all the organization's soldiers.

Against Miles' speed, the grandmasters countered with their durability and skill in capturing him using their weapons.

'Kill them,' the chief commanded, and judging by the grandmasters' aggression, they're very eager to carry out his order.

Humugot ako nang malalim na hininga at nababagot na isinandal ang aking likod sa upuan.

Behind me, I could hear a body break a wall.

And as much as I wanted to turn my head back to get a glimpse of the chaos happening behind me, I was feeling a bit too lazy so I just sat back and listened instead.

Kilala ko na rin naman kung sino ang lumalaban sa likod ko.

Ivan, another Alpha, a son of Ares.

The last time I saw him, he fought against two grandmasters. One man who, like him, had the ability to summon weapons, and one woman who specialized in chemicals and poison.

The grandmasters and I... we're workmates but I never bothered to know their names. I know only of their power.

Hindi ako ang tipong kumikilala sa mas mahina kesa sa'kin.

As far as I know, the Orion Organization is made up of the gods, the son of destiny, and me.

The rest of them?

Nothing worthy.

Because the truth was, the grandmasters, masters, prodigies are just better versions of the avergage organization member. Strip them off of their fake powers, and they are all the same: pawns in this stupid game of thrones.

Now, I thought, if only I have brought with me my unfinished book then I wouldn't have been as bored in this game.

I need something to play with... or someone.

Biglang tumagos mula sa kisame ang katawan ng isang babae at pasabog na bumagsak sa mismong harapan ko.

Napangiti ako.

Thanks, Henri.

"Vine!"

Lumapad ang aking ngiti pagkatapos ipakilala sa akin ni Miles kung sino ito.

Another Alpha.

I signaled the grandmasters to hold the others down while I was taking in her condition.

Vine, a daughter of Dionysus, laid on the cold hard floor almost lifeless, her back facing against me. Blood leaked from the deep stab wound in the middle of her spine, and it seeped into the cracks on the floor.

But she has yet to stop breathing.

Sa sandaling tumayo ako, kapansin-pansin ang pagbigat ng hangin sa bawat kinaroroonan ng ibang Alphas, at mas lalo itong bumigat nang humakbang ako papalapit sa kanya.

Mabilis ko silang binalewala dahil sa naalala kong tugon ni Henri.

'And Raphael, two of the grandmasters managed to kill an Alpha... I was hoping you could do better.'

He was simply asking me to kill more than one Alphas after two grandmasters were able to kill one of them. A daughter of Apollo, I think?

She also had a twin who I am now considering as my next victim, so she and her sister can finally be together.

Indeed, a very tragic but beautiful ending for the twin daughters of the god of light.

I stood behind the unconscious Alpha and gently pulled the white glove off of my right hand. Yumuko ako at marahang dinama ang dugo niya sa sahig.

"I don't know who you are," a threatening voice called out from behind. "But get away from my sister."

Tumayo ako at umikot, paharap sa lalaking nagsalita.

"You're a son of Dionysus?" I calmly asked, while putting my silk glove back on. "Nero? I believe?"

His bloodshot eyes squinted. "You look..." One of his fingers twitched. "Familiar..."

Beneath the white veil that covered the lower half of my face, my lips curved to a smile.

"Perhaps you have seen me before," sang-ayon ko.

My fingers stretched to fit my glove perfectly. Inaayos ko ang pagsuot nito nang biglang may sumigaw.

"Tangina- kalaban 'yan, Nero! puta-"

Nero gave Miles a quick glance before raising his arm to summon a vine that quickly grabbed my left arm. Hinatak ako nito pababa kung saan sumalubong sa akin ang kamao niyang pumihit ng aking pisngi pakabila.

Nero didn't waste a second. Muling nagsilabasan ang mga baging upang gapusin ang aking kanang braso at hinila ako paluhod sa kanyang harapan.

Sinamaan ko ng tingin ang grandmasters na nagtangkang lumapit sa'kin, ibig akong tulungan.

"You didn't give me the chance to tell you who I was," natatawa kong sabi sa lalaking nakababa ang tingin sa'kin. "Should I tell you now?"

I twisted the vines in my hands and grabbed them tight.

"No?" I asked, and revealed my wings that pushed him a step back.

The grandmasters threw a fireball and a blade to the vines that held me down, quickly releasing me.

I've never fought against a child of Dionysus before. "Haha." This should be fun.

Nang muling magsilabasan ang mga baging mula sa ilalim ng sahig, mabilis kong pinagaspas ang aking mga pakpak at lumipad.

Pumihit ako paangat sa ere, patungo sa tuktok ng kisame at marahang natawa nang nagawa kong iwasan ang makakapal na baging na kamuntikan nang umabot sa'kin.

It hit the ceiling and spread into branches that chased after me.

Sa sumunod na mga segundo, patuloy ako sa pag-iwas ng dumaraming mga sanga. Nilibot ko ang buong kisame habang sinusundan ng ingay ng sinisirang bakal at semento.

I wasn't surprised when a vine managed to wrap itself around my feet.

Umikot ang dulo nito paangat sa aking binti at hinatak ako pabalik kay Nero na may dala nang espada.

Gods know where he got it. Must be from Ivan.

Before he could swing his blade, a veil appeared out of thin air and wrapped around his wrist, pulling him back.

He fell on the floor the same time I crashed.

For a moment I thought I broke one of my wings because of how hard I fell. I didn't. Then I did, when a vine crawled on my back to twist it, bones crackling.

My wings.

I let out a muffled groan as my spine arched from the sharp sudden pain. What followed was numbness that allowed me to stand back up again.

My body has never throbbed with so much pain after one of my wings was broken, and my eyes has never radiated with hate until now.

My blood boiled. My heart resented it.

My wings...

Bahagya kong nilingon ang nabali kong pakpak na kumirot nang subukan ko itong galawin. Pagkatapos, dahan-dahan kong ibinalik ang aking tingin sa lalaking may kagagawan nito.

I cannot access my domain when one of my wings is broken, and it is the part of my body that takes the longest time to heal.

"What have you done?" I whispered.

My vision whitened after I summoned an infinite veil that surrounded me. It floated gently around my entire body but the air around me was not as gentle.

Tinulak ko ang aking kapangyarihan sa lalaking hindi ito nagawang iwasan.

"I am a son of death." I used my veils to keep him in place and pull him down on his knees. "No one can escape me."

"Nero!"

Galit kong ibinalibag ang aking kapangyarihan kay Miles na siyang biglang sumigaw. Pumalipot ang makapal na belo sa kanyang ulo, pinipigilan siyang magsalita pa at binabakuran ang kanyang paghinga.

Another one of them screamed. Ivan, who ran to me with a sword in his hand. Two grandmasters chased behind him and I gave them both an unpleasant look before summoning another veil to pull Ivan back to them.

From a distance, I heard Miles suffocate but I have already decided who my first victim was.

Lumapit ako kay Nero muli kong tinanggal ang puting guwantes na suot ko.

Silk glided smoothly across the skin of my hand, my hand that felt colder.

"Y-You're the son of Thanatos-" he struggled to say.

"Shame..." Yumuko ako sa harap niya, nang nakapatong ang aking braso sa nakatupi kong tuhod."You deprived your sister of a beautiful death that only I could give her," mahina kong sabi. "You protected her, but who will protect you?"

Silence followed, and the air between us started to glisten, forming a white mist, the mist of death, while my bare palm slowly reached for his bloodstained face.

The tips of my fingers nearly touched his cheek when something heavy suddenly pinned my hand down on the floor.

Sinubukan kong hatakin ang kamay kong nakadikit sa sahig ngunit tila may mabigat na nakapatong dito, iniipit ito.

It was as if a foot was stepping on it but I couldn't see anything.

Not a foot. Not a body. Not a soul.

Nothing.

"Don't let him touch you."

Biglang nagparinig ang pamilyar na boses mula sa aking itaas.

"Isabella," I muttered under my breath, just a second before she released my hand and struck me across the face.

Sumalpok ako sa sahig nang nangangatog ang buong mukha at tuluyan na nga akong nabahala nang maisip ko saglit ang hitsura ni Dad no'ng huli kaming nagkita.

For the first time in my life, I thought of Dad when I got struck.

Dumilat ang aking mga mata, hindi makapaniwala.

I caught a glimpse of death.

Itinulak ko ang aking sarili paangat mula sa sahig.

I can't believe this.

I almost died.