AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the updated 2022 version of Chapter 20-Part 3. If you are re-reading this part, you may observe some changes from the previous version.

CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains graphic depiction of violence that may be upsetting for some readers. Please be mindful of this sensitive theme and other possible triggers. Remember to practice self-care before, during and after reading.

SPOILER WARNING: Beware of in-line comments that give away some spoilers. Some re-readers tend to give hints or outright spoil the revelation.

LORELEI

IMPOSSIBLE! THAT Math prodigy was a victim of Moriarty. How could he be Moriarty? No matter where I looked at it, him introducing himself as the mastermind was not making any sense!

Pareho kaming natulala ni Loki sa kanya. Tumindig ang mga balahibo ko nang nakita ang ngiti ng lalaking 'yon. Hindi ko masabi kung dahil ba sa pagpapakilala niyang siya si Moriarty o talagang may itinatagong pagka-creepy si Stein.

With phones on their ears, the two guys were locked in a staring contest. Loki probably did not see this coming kaya hanggang ngayo'y tulala pa rin siya. He must be connecting the dots that he did not know existed.

Ibinaba na ni Stein ang phone niya at lumapit sa mesa namin dala-dala ang kanyang drink. Bawat hakbang niya'y nagpabilis sa tibok ng puso ko. Hindi ko na alam kung dahil sa takot o sa palpitation dulot ng latte. Napalunok pa nga ako ng laway nang magkasalubong ang tingin namin.

"Do you mind if you share your table with me? It's kinda lonely over there." Umupo na siyang nang hindi hinihintay ang permission namin. He leaned his back against his chair and crossed his legs as if he was a king settling on his golden throne. Palipat-lipat sa amin ang tingin niya. "Are you too stunned to speak?"

Sumulyap ako kay Loki na tulala pa rin at nakaupo na parang estatwa sa tabi ko. He was wrong all along. Was the shock too much for him that it rendered him speechless?

Pasimple kong ipinasok ang aking kamay sa bulsa ng palda ko. Palihim kong inihanda ang stun pen. Sakaling magkagulo rito, ready akong patulugin ang kaharap namin.

"The first time we met, the venue was so dark and scary. Not conducive for conversation, eh?" sabi ni Stein. Tandang-tanda ko pa no'ng natagpuan namin siyang nanghihina sa loob ng locker. Dapat yata't iniwan naming siya roon. "Now, we're in a relaxed environment. We can talk for minutes or hours. No one's gonna stop us."

"How did you know we're here?" Sa wakas, nagsalita at gumalaw na si Loki! Ibinulsa niya ang kanyang phone at nag-maintain ng eye contact sa kausap.

Halos magdikit ang mga kilay ni Stein. "Is that really a question? I have eyes and ears everywhere. It won't be difficult for me to track you two down. I know you paid a visit to the student council office this morning. I know you asked for the help of the campus police in searching for your missing club member."

Kung makapagsalita siya, parang meron siyang vast network of spies sa school. Sino-sino kaya sa mga nakasalamuha na namin ang tumatanggap ng utos mula sa kanya?

"I heard the news that Jamie's recovering from the drug used to knock her out. Maybe my man should have activated the charcoal brazier before you found her in the props room." Paulit-ulit siyang pumalatak at umiling. "What a wasted opportunity. Well, there's no point in crying over spilled milk. By the way, did you enjoy the fake blood that we dripped over her body? Dramatic, isn't it?"

Kumuyom ang mga kamao ni Loki na nakapatong sa mesa. Ramdam kong malapit na siyang sumabog, pero napanatili pa rin niyang kalmado ang sarili.

"You were also abducted, weren't you?" tanong niya. "Or was that all for a show?"

"Oh, that!" Ipinatong ni Stein ang mga braso niya sa mesa at nag-lean paharap sa amin. "I was thinking of ways on how I should meet you. Knocking on your door and introducing myself as Moriarty is too boring so I thought of something with a touch of drama."

"So you chose to stage your own abduction?"

"It did the trick, right? Ginusto ko ring i-test kung gano'n pa rin katalas ang isip mo. I kinda feared that you were losing your touch because of your new companion here."

Aaminin ko, clever ang ginawa niyang gimmick.

"Lorelei," tawag niya, pero sinadya ko siyang huwag tingnan. "I'm sorry about that failed attempt to melt you into liquid. And congratulations to Loki for being the hero who always saves the day. Bravo!" Sinabayan niya 'yon ng mabagal na palakpak at pag-iling.

Napakagat ako ng labi. Parang isang laro o biro sa kanya ang failed attempt sa buhay ko. Ano nga ba namang dapat kong asahan sa tulad niya? He was twisted. He was sick. He was insane. Kahit ilang minuto pa lang kaming nag-uusap, I could already tell as much about him.

"You seem to be fond of theatrics," muling nagsalita si Loki. "Is that why you decided to work as director of the Repertory Club? Daniel told me you're like a director while everyone else is an actor. It perfectly suits you."

"You think so? I've got nothing to play with so I chose to mess with that acting group." Natawa siya na parang may joke na sumagi sa isip niya. "Don't you find it silly how humans can be so easily manipulated? Just play your own tune and watch them dance to it. They're like puppets while I'm the puppeteer. Have you tried that too, Loki?"

"I sometimes manipulate people, but mostly for good causes. Huwag mo akong itulad sa 'yo."

"And that makes you a bit boring." Sumimangot si Stein, 'yong simangot na nang-aasar. "If you were to use your talent in plotting almost perfect crimes instead of solving them, you can make money out of it. There's too much evil intention buried in the hearts of men around us. There are so many malicious desires waiting to be fulfilled. While you were too busy extinguishing that dark and cold flame, I made a business out of it."

"Should I say congratulations? Because your so-called business is seemingly booming. But I hope you won't mind me interfering from time to time. Just wanna add a bit of a challenge to what you do."

"Oh, you've already tried before. Someone ended up dead."

That was a low blow to Loki—any mention or reference to Rhea's death was. Ni hindi niya nagawang makapagbitaw ng witty na comeback.

"Don't worry, I won't ask you to stop me." Nakapangalumbaba na si Stein sa mesa. "In fact, I wanna thank you for the entertainment. It's boring to play a game of chess alone, so I'm glad that you're here! But I must admit, I'm a little disappointed that you never suspected me. Was I not suspicious enough?"

Sino ba namang mag-aakala na ang biktimang iniligtas namin sa locker room ng abandonadong school building ay walang iba kundi ang taong ilang buwan nang hinahanap ni Loki? He played the victim card so well, we did not suspect him until our eyes met here in the café.

"I give credit where credit is due. That's a clever trick," may pagtangong tugon ni Loki. "You got me there."

Napahawak si Stein sa dibdib niya, parang isang magician matapos ang magic show. "I can't afford to lose you at the moment, so I'll keep you alive until I get bored of you. Come to think of it, that fake abduction you schemed was brilliant! When your two girls asked for my help, I became worried that someone might have got you before me. When I cracked the code, I asked my friend to check the gymnasium. It turned out that it was only a hoax. God knows how relieved I was to hear that news!"

Kaya pala nasa gymnasium noon si Officer Bastien! Malamang tinawagan niya noon si Moriarty para ibalita na isa lang palabas ang pagdukot kay Loki. Maliban sa amin ni Jamie, tanging kay Stein namin ipinakita ang code. He was the only one who could have possibly known Loki's location!

Why didn't I think of that earlier? Kung sanang sumagi sa isip ko 'yon, I would have already suspected Stein as Moriarty or someone connected to the mastermind.

"I'm deeply touched by your concern," sarkastikong komento ni Loki. "You became worried when I disappeared mysteriously. You don't wanna do me any harm. I'm sincerely moved by how much you care about me."

"Of course, you're the only one who—"

Beep! Beep!

Nginitian muna ni Stein si Loki bago niya ch-in-eck ang kanyang phone. Napapalatak siya sa kung anuman ang naka-flash sa screen n'on. "I wanna continue our chat, but alas, business calls. This was long overdue, don't you think? Don't worry, we'll talk again soon. The game has just begun. See you around~"

Kumindat siya sa amin bago siya tumayo at nagpaalam. Noong nawala na siya sa harapan namin, parang nakahinga na ako nang maluwag. Kaso hindi ko naigalaw ang mga paa ko, nanghina yata sa sobrang tension kanina.

"Wait!" Agad na tumayo si Loki at sumunod sa kanya. Dahil hindi ako nakatayo, sinundan ko siya ng tingin. "Hold on for a second."

"Why?" Humarap si Stein sa kanya. Mabuti't hindi pa ito gaanong nakalalayo. "You forgot to tell me something?"

"How do we know that you're the real Moriarty?"

So hindi pa fully convinced si Loki na ang lalaking nakasalamin na 'yon ay si Moriarty? Well, that was a possibility. Mahilig makipaglaro ng mind games sa kanya ang mysterious mastermind. Hindi na kataka-taka kung magpapadala ito ng proxy para umakto at magsalita na parang siya. But that scenario would make things more complicated. Kung si Stein ay hindi si Moriarty, then sino?

Bumuntonghininga muna si Stein at inirapan ang kasama ko. "Have you ever kissed that girl? The dead one? Her lips tasted like strawberries. They were soft and pinkish. I enjoyed them, but she didn't seem to enjoy it. Mas maganda sana kung pumalag siya. Kaso naalala ko, patay na pala siya no'ng hinalikan ko."

Nangilabot ako sa mga sinabi niya. What a disgusting creature! Kahit na siya nga si Moriarty, I never thought he was capable of doing much creepier stuff.

"Her pale, smooth skin tasted like vanilla ice cream." Pumikit si Stein at dinilaan ang labi niya. "My only regret was that I didn't get to hear her moan. But I heard her last words. 'Loki, please save me' or something along those lines."

Yumuko si Loki, kumuyom ang mga kamay niya na tila handang manuntok. This must be the first time he had heard about Rhea's last words and what Moriarty did to her. Ramdam ko ang galit na kumukulo sa kaloob-looban niya. Gaya ng isang bulkan, pwede siyang sumabog anumang sandali.

Pero walang nangyari. Umangat ang kanyang ulo. Huminto ang panginginig ng mga nakakuyom niyang kamao. Muling tumalikod si Stein sa kanya at tuluyang naglakad palayo sa amin.

And that was how our face-to-face meeting with Moriarty ended.

Or so I thought.

"One more thing . . ." bulong ni Loki, nagmamakaawa na ang boses niya. "Can you just tell me . . . one more thing?"

"Oh? Is there something else you wanna know?"

The moment Stein turned around again, Loki quickly grabbed a wooden chair beside him and slammed it on the boy's head. Sa lakas ng impact, tumilapon ang salamin niya, nawalan ng balanse at bumagsak ang katawan sa sahig. Napatakip ako ng bibig nang gawin niya 'yon. Kahit ang ibang customers at staff ay napahinto sa kanilang ginagawa at napatingin sa kanya.

Binitawan ni Loki ang upuan at paulit-ulit na pinagtatadyakan si Stein. Dinig ko sa bawat sipa ang poot na matagal na niyang kinikimkim. Palakas nang palakas ang mga 'yon at walang tigil sa pagtama sa kawawang katawan ng lalaki.

"DAMN YOU, YOU BASTARD! DAMN YOU TO HELL!" Loki cursed repeatedly, the boiling rage inside him could be seen in his eyes. His furious face twitched and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. For a second, I did not recognize the guy in front of me. Hindi ko inasahang makikita ko ulit siya sa ganitong lagay.

Tulala akong nakaupo habang ibinubuhos niya ang kanyang galit kay Stein. Wala ni isang sumubok na pigilan siya. Napatakip ng bibig ang ilang customers habang ang ila'y kumuha ng retrato at video ng paninipa ni Loki. Maging ang mga staff ay hindi nakalapit sa kanya.

Nakasara na ang isang mata ni Stein, duguan na ang ilong at halos magsuka na siya ng dugo sa sahig. He positioned his body in a fetal position as he tried to endure my companion's wrath.

Nang bumalik na ang consciousness ko, agad akong tumayo, tumakbo papunta kay Loki at niyakap siya mula sa likuran. Pinilit ko siyang hilahin palayo kaya nagpumiglas siya sa akin.

"LOKI! TAMA NA, PLEASE! LOKI!" pagsusumamo ko sa kanya kahit patuloy pa rin siya sa pananadyak. Sa itsura niya sa sandaling ito, mukhang wala nang makapipigil sa kanya. 

The person in front of me was not the Loki that I knew. He was no longer the mysterious guy that I first met in Tita Martha's apartment. He was no longer the cunning guy who used me as a bait to lure my secret admirer out. He transformed into a completely different person—someone close to a monster.

There was only one way to bring the old Loki back.

"HINDI MATUTUWA SI RHEA SA GINAGAWA MO!" I shouted, hoping that the magic word would work on him. Pagkasabi ko n'on, may luhang tumulo mula sa kanang mata ko.

I did not want to see him in this terrifying state. I wanted to see the old Loki that I used to know. He might be cold and condescending most of the time, pero mas gugustuhin ko na ang version niyang 'yon kaysa sa nakikita ko ngayon.

Bago pa niya tadyakin ulit si Stein, biglang nanigas ang kanyang katawan. Nanlaki ang mga mata niya at napabuka ang kanyang bibig. Rhea's name was the only thing in this world that could calm him down. Ayaw ko sanang gamitin 'yon, kaso he left me with no other choice but to use it.

By the time he stopped, Stein was already coughing up blood. Café staff rushed to his side while the others called for an ambulance.

"Loki . . ." mangiyak-ngiyak kong bulong. Niyakap ko siya nang mahigpit para tuluyan nang pakalmahin ang galit na kanina pa nagwawala sa kanya.

Pero kahit na kumalma siya, hindi na niya maibabalik ang kanyang ginawa kay Stein.

"What have you done?"

—END OF VOLUME ONE— 

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