The chills crawling down my spine didn't stop me from managing to get Val into borrowing the year book compilation. We then ran the extra mile towards the exit and successfully saved ourselves from a near death experience he didn't even notice.

Despite the adrenaline, both of us pretended like normal school girls upon walking the way back to our dorm. Smiling, talking and being besties until we successfully closed our room's door shut.

"Finally," bulalas ni Val at agad nang humiga sa kama.

Sa kama ko.

"Bakit ka ba kasi nagmamadali 'eh itong year book lang naman ang napala natin 'don." The audacity of him to roll over and cuddle the plushie he gave me.

Suminghal ako. "Hindi mo ba napansin si Maledictus Eris na naka silip sa pagitan ng mga bookshelf kanina?" ngitngit kong saad at sinubukang pigilan ang sarili na mangilabot.

Napaupo siya dahil doon. "She was there?"

I sighed and finally had the energy to pull him out of my bed, whilst telling him what happened but it didn't work. He just bluntly gave me enough space as if I'm a dog trying to get into a couch.

Damn, I was so close to beating the soul out of him, but his next phrases left me stunned.

"Chris told us to investigate about Dior, but all it leads us is this Spade Club's year book compilation" kunot noong saad niya at sinipat sipat ang yearbook photo, na hindi nga rin namin alam kung bakit napadpad sa pwesto kung saan dapat naka tayo ang sculpture ni Maledictus Eris.

Sa huli ay tumabi na ako sakanya at inagaw iyong yearbook. Pinagtitignan ko rin bawat pahina kaso maliban sa note, mga group photos lang naman talaga ng mga alumni ng eskwelahang 'to ang andodoon.

"So what now?" bulong ni Val at nakisilip na rin sa bawat pahina. Same old shits, group photos, batch and list of names. Hindi pa nga high quality pagkakagawa e. May mga blurred ba namang pictures sa bandang huli.

Sandali...

Napakunot ang noo ko nang matanto ang bagay na 'yon, at muling binalikan ang ibang pages. "Blurred nga ang ibang mga mukha ng estudyante," seryoso kong saad at napatingin kay Val.

Lahat ng group photo ay mayroong mga dalawa o hanggang limang estudyante na blurred ang mga mukha. Sinubukan naming bilangin 'yong mga estudyanteng nasa pictures, pati na ang mga listahan ng pangalan sa baba. Kaso hindi nagmamatch.

Kung ilan 'yong mga naka blurred ang mukha, 'yon din ang bilang ng mga estudyanteng wala sa batch lists. Para bang hindi na sinali sa listahan 'yong mga estudyanteng naka blurred out.

"Ano kayang nangyari sakanila?" kunot noong saad ko.

"They probably didn't make it 'til the graduation," seryoso namang tugon ni Val.

"As if they can just drop out."

"No, it's either they successfully escaped this place or they died before graduation." Seryoso pa rin ang tingin ni Val sa hawak na yearbook.

Pinanliitan ko siya ng mga mata dahil 'don. "Alam mo naman kung gaano ka imposibleng tumakas sa lugar na 'to. We're basically prisoners."

"I know, so maybe these girls who got blurred out really just died before the graduation. Be it by suicide, accident, sickness or murder."

Napalunok ako ng laway, sinubukang idaan nalang doon ang kilabot na biglang nanalaytay sa sistema ko.

Tahimik kong pinagbabalikan ang mga pahina ng yearbook compilation ng Spade Club at sinubukang makahanap ng ibang sagot sa katangungang, "Ano nga ba ang nangyari sa mga estudnyanteng walang mga mukha?"

Pero lahat ng sikap ko ay dinala lang rin ako sa pinaka huling pahina ng libro... kung saan nakalagay ang group photo ng batch namin.

At kung minamalas ka nga naman talaga, hindi lang iilang mukha namin ang hindi maklaro. Buong group photo namin ang naka blurred!

"What the fuck does this supposed to mean?"

•••

Katahimikan. 'Yan ang bumalot sa buong silid ng Spade Club matapos naming ilatag ang lahat ng bagay. Mula kay Dior, sa Maledictus Eris at ang blurred naming group photo sa yearbook compilation.

Ang tanging gumagambala lang sa tahimik na club room ay ang tunog ng ballpen ni Sage na pinaglalaruan niya sa mga daliri. Tumatama kasi iyon sa mesa kung saan kaming lahat nagmi-meeting ngayon, at maging si Chris ay pinanliitan nalang ito ng mga mata.

"Oh, sorry," agad namang saad ni Sage nang matanto ang bagay na iyon at umayos na ng upo.

"But seriously, Val might be right. Maybe those who have blurred faces died before graduation, probably because of murder," kunot noong saad ni Sage at inayos ang frame ng salamin niya.

"And the reason why our group photo is also blurry was because the culprit really wanted to murder us all, one by one, starting from Odette."

Those phrases of Sage started a commotion inside the whole room and even Christiana's words didn't manage to calm us this time. I couldn't even feel my heart beating anymore and so did my feet.

Every word from them became distorted because of the panic, and I was at that stage for some time, before realizing I was deadpanly staring at Luna. Who happens to be sitting beside Sage and seems to be taking notes with everything that the vice president is saying, wholeheartedly.

"Wait lang, with all due respect, Luna what the hell are you even doing?" kunot noong tanong ko, na naging dahilan para mapabaling sa amin ang halos lahat ng mga myembro.

Napakurap kurap naman si Luna at napatingin din sa notebook niya. "Ito?"

"Yep."

"Well, Sage has her theories about Maledictus Eris' motives and real identity and I'm taking my notes because I decided to be Sage's apprentice. She'll be a great detective someday."

Hindi ko alam kung ano ang isasasagot ko sa bagay na iyon, dahil para sa Yawaka City ay wala namang karapatang mangarap ang mga higher working class at fallen aristocrats na kagaya namin, kasi nga ang role lang namin ay maging asawa at manganak. Hindi ko nga alam kung bakit sa kabila ng lahat ng kaguluhang nangyayari ay mayroon paring kislap ng mga mata si Luna para sa future ni Sage.

Nakakalukot ng puso at nakakawala ng mga salita para may maisagot ako, kaya mabuti nalang talaga at nagtanong na sila Aces kung ano ano daw kako ang mga teorya ni Sage tungkol kay Maledictus Eris.

Sa isang iglap ay tumindig sa harap namin ang Vice President ng Spade Club na si Sage, habang seryoso naman kaming nakinig sa lahat ng impormasyong binbitawan niya.

"The real Meledictus Eris was also a student of Spage Club during the 90's right? And what happened to her?"

"The priest and the teachers said she was possessed by a strong demon they can't exorcize, so they locked her in the 3rd floor ng dorm building," sagot ni ate Silver na tinango tanguan naman ni Sage.

"Yep, she was sealed with a bloodbathed veil to cover her disfigured face because of the exorcism that the priest did to her. And to also stop the demon from transferring to other students. But what if I told you that she was once the prettiest woman in the entire academy's Visual Ranking?"

Everyone gasps. Especially Val who couldn't believe that the monster we're facing now used to be prettier than her.

"The mysterious student who made Maledictus Eris' sculpture decades later, was aware of her original beauty. The mysterious student has a pseudonym "M" and look what I found in the library."

"So she was also a writer?" Rox curiously asked but Sage shook off her head. And yes, my cousin Rox, along with her friend Belle from Heart Club, is joining this meeting for alliance.

"No, but every artwork in the mini museum and art galleries has their descriptions right? So where do you think the sculpture's description went?" Sage retorted, making me nod and search for the answer inside my brain.

Because I remember reading Charlemagne's artwork for her piece Decaying One Step at A Time for the first time. It was tragic and painful, unlike most of the descriptions of other student artists. So if hers was dark, ano nalang kaya 'yong sculptor ni Maledictus Eris.

"Maybe the teachers or the main officers hide it so it wouldn't reach the students?"

"Exactly, and I know this is not so good to hear and it will offend people with religion, but kindly read this student's handbook on how to become a Noble's Wife, page 13." Sage handed Luna the handbook from the library.

Luna then cleared her throat and gave us the glimpse of what she'll be reading. And for the love of the clouds, that's a freaking note probably written in freaking blood! As if the one who wrote those were angry, as if she was mad or in a hurry. As if she was expressing all her indignation with those penmanship, with her bare finger as a pen.

I don't know what was the event before the writer wrote those things, but it seems like it was her own blood. It also seems like this was her last words before vanishing.

"So this note might be written in blood as you can see, and it has the same psyodenoum as the sculptor of Maledictus Eris, here's what it's stated..."

"Graduate in this school and they'll make you a breeder. Stay and they'll cage and force you to conceive for them. Escape and you'll be buried along with the children you didn't want to bear." Luna paused and gulped. Dang it, she's too pure for those cruel realities.

"B-be a rebel and you'll be tortured as a punishment. Repent and you'd still suffer but you must now call it a challenge." Her hand was even shaking, so both Aces and I stood up to be her substitute. But in the end Luna gave the handbook to Aces so I just went back to my seat.

And so, with stern face and unexplainable pain in her eyes, Aces spoke the last phrases according to M's allegedly artwork description, with all her might.

"There is no hope. Even if God is real, he's narcissistic and a sadist, anyway."