-chapter nineteen-

FINN

"We need to find a place where we can train peacefully."

Napabaling ako kay Depore nang ipaliwanag niya kung saan kami pupunta, bago pa man ako makapagtanong. I nodded in response, still following her. Depore has this 'ate' vibes that makes me a bit nervous.

Tumigil kami sa isang clearing. Bushes and trees surrounded the place, the sunlight peeking through the leaves. Depore stretched and walked towards the small rock. Nanatili akong nakatayo sa may puno.

I stared at Depore. Hindi ko alam kung anong dapat na gawin.

Umangat ang tingin niya sa'kin. Depore raised a brow at my unmoving self. She sighed,

"Parang mannequin ka diyan. Maghanap ka muna kung anong i-mamaster mo mula doon sa apat na forces, then you try to play with that specific power." paliwanag nito.

Kumunot ang noo ko. "Play?"

Depore nodded, circling her wrists and flexing her finhers. "You touched the stone, which means mayroon ka ng dark magic or something. So, once you've picked a power you want to master under that specific magic, magagawa mo ito. Let's say ang sa'kin na chasm." inilahad niya ang palad at kumunot ang noo. "I just have to concentrate and imagine a small ball of darkness."

Tumahimik ang kinaroroonan namin nang mas magpokus si Depore sa ginagawa. I stared at her hand, waiting for the dark ball the NPC showed earlier. Hindi nga nagtagal, pagkatapos ng ilang minuto na pagsimangot ni Depore, ay may maliit na bilog na namuo sa palad niya.

It disappeared quickly, though.

"Gano'n!" sigaw ni Depore sabay turo sa'kin. "Isipin mo lang kung anong gusto mong gawin at mangyayari 'yon. It requires a large amount of concentration though."

Tumango ako. I do have a specific magic in mind already. Tama naman na magandang lugar ito para itraining 'yon.

"Bakit... chasm napili mo?" I softly asked.

"Gusto ko 'yong sumasabog, kasi ang sarap pasabugin ng mukha ng mga taong nagdala sa'tin dito." she smiled sweetly. "Huwag mong susundin ang violent thoughts ko ha, bata ka pa. Ang totoo niyan ay parang interesting lang 'to."

I hummed, nodding thoughtfully. Lumapit ako sa kinauupuan ni Depore na muling gumagawa ng mga itim na bilog sa kamay niya. Nahihirapan siya sa paggawa nito at kaunting segundo lang itong nanatili bago mawala ulit.

"You're Kairo's brother fiancèe, right?"

May ngiting tumango si Depore. "Yep! Kaya dapat talaga na makaalis na ako dito o baka umiyak na parang bata 'yon."

"He doesn't play games?"

"Si Kaiser? Nako! The world would end before his hands ever touched a game console. Ewan ko ba sa lalaki na 'yon. He prefers books than games, kaya ayon at hindi nagiging interesado sa mga laro. Hindi kagaya ng kapatid niya na ginawa ng buhay 'to."

Kairo, the pro-gamer, likes to play games and people too, while his brother, about to get married, is much more serious about life. Siguro'y madalas na nag-aaway 'tong dalawa dahil sa magkaibang personalidad nila.

Depore smiled, sly. "Bakit ka interesado, huh?"

"I was curious."

Ngumiwi si Depore sa naging sagot ko. I tilted my head, a quiet way of asking why she grimaced. May nasabi ba akong mali? Totoo namang nakuryoso ako sa sinabi ni Kairo kanina na engaged na pala si Depore sa kuya nito. It's not often I see acquaintances with such connections.

"I can't even tease you because you're too straightforward." bulong niya sa hangin bago ako samaan ng tingin. "Hindi ka pa ba magpa-praktis diyan? I'll throw this chasm at you!"

I looked at the small lump of darkness that sits on her palm. The edges were twitching, like spikes that wanted to escape it's ball-shaped form. I watched as she attempted to throw it to me, at saktong nawala ang chasm, popping almost shamefully in her hands.

"Don't mind." pagco-console ko.

Mabilis akong lumayo sa kaniya nang umamba siya na tatapunan ako ng bato. Depore rolled her eyes and started her chasm creation training, all the while muttering under her breath.

Napangiti ako't bahagyang ininat ang kamay. I inhaled deeply, eyes slowly closing as I tried to imagine the shadows around me.

I think shadow would be compatible with my skills, lalong-lalo na sa stealth ability ko. If I can manipulate the shadows around me and use them to my advantage, my offense and defense will be faster. Pwede akong gumawa ng quick ambush, using my unlimited kunais, and then escape through the shadows.

It's a wonderful decision.

Unang-una, kailangan ko makontrol ang sariling anino. I don't think I can form shadows, only summon them.

Pumwesto ako sa kung saan tumatama ang araw. I closed my eyes and imagined my shadow moving around. Hinayaan ko itong matamaan ng sinag ng araw at humaba, darkness creeping from my feet towards the nearest tree.

My fingers twitched, hands beginning to feel sweaty. Dahan-dahan kong iminulat ang mata at nagulat nang makitang gumalaw nga ang anino but rather than making a straight line towards a tree, it formed a circle around my feet. Napabuntong-hininga ako.

"I don't think you should close your eyes."

Napatingala ako nang marinig ang boses ni Depore. She's still sitting in the rock, with an average-sized chasm in hand. Itinuro niya ang anino sa paa ko na biglang bumalik sa normal.

"You won't be able to direct or make a clear command if you close your eyes. Dapat alam mo ang pupuntahan niyan."

I frowned. "I have to memorize the place."

"Parang gano'n na nga. O di kaya dapat bilisan mo ang pagbasa sa paligid para mabilis ang pagmove mo ng shadow." she answered, shrugging. "If it goes well, you can even try to blend with your shadow to make ambush attacks."

My lips parted at her advice and I nodded with a smile. Mahina akong nagpasalamat sa kaniya at bumalik sa'king ginagawa. I glanced at the rather small shadow in my feet.

I should probably treat you as a different entity. 'Yong parte ng katawan ko pero hindi ko talagang kontrolado.

I stared at the shadow, who seemed to be staring back. Binasa ko ang ibabang labi bago sinulyapan ang pinakamalapit na kahoy. Then, I made my shadow stretched, the dark figure twitching under my feet before it began to crawl towards the tree.

Natigilan ako sa paghinga. But that very action broke my concentration and the shadow went back to its normal size.

I sighed. Mukhang magiging matagal 'tong training natin.

⁠—

It took me about two hours to connect the shadows through trees. By this time, napapanatili na ni Depore ang chasm sa kamay ng ilang minuto.

I summoned the shadow back, it's stretching figure then appearing normal behind me. Naalala ko ang sinabi ni Depore kanina at sinubukan ito.

The shadow creeped under my feet towards the tree, and I stepped towards it. Sa isang iglap ay parang nahulog ako sa dilim. It was like the shadow summoned me but I was still standing on my earlier position. Nalaman ko na hindi na ako nakikita nang biglang tumayo ang nakakunot-noong si Depore.

"Finn?" she called out, staring at where I was standing blankly before moving her eyes around.

I tried testing the ability. With my muted presence, I circled towards Depore, the shadow following my every move. It crawled from the ground towards the trees, branches, roots, and eventually stopped behind Depore. Kagaya ng pagkahulog ko kanina sa dilim, ay parang nagising ako nang makawala. The shadow returned to its normal shape.

I tapped Depore's shoulder. She jerked and screamed before looking behind.

Sinimangutan niya ako. "Sa susunod magbigay ka ng babala!" singhal niya.

"I wanted to test it." simpleng sagot ko.

Depore sighed and crossed her arms. "Well, magaling ka na nga. Why don't you try circling around the forest? Tapos 'pag babalik ka na, i-try natin ang magic natin sa isa't isa."

Tumango ako at ngumiti siya. Once again, I summoned the shadow and I was gone from her sight. Depore blinked a few times before muttering monster under her breath.

I jumped between branches, watching as my shadow connected through trees, loomed over unsusopecting animals. The sun was already starting to go down, an orange hue now filling the blue sky. Nagpatuloy ako sa paglipat-lipat nang biglang matigilan.

A player. Mahina ang presensiya niya. It can hardly be detected but with my muted presence, tumaas ang perception ko sa paligid.

Hindi pamilyar ang presensiya niya kaya siguradong isa lang 'to sa mga manlalaro na mula sa kuweba. Still, my curiosity got the best of me and I went towards the player.

Tumigil ako sa isang puno at tinitigan ang paparating na pigura. Nang mas lumapit ay nakita kong lalaki ito. Now that I think about it, he's a bit familiar but I couldn't remember where I last saw him. His hair was shorter on the front and longer on the back. He has a mole below his left eye. Higit sa lahat, napakaseryoso ng mukha niya.

Parang nakita ko na siya na hindi. I shifted in my position and stared at him more. Saan ko nga ba siya nakita⁠—

Nagulat ako nang tumigil siya't mapatingin sa direksiyon ko. I stopped, breath caught in my throat. Nakita niya ba ako? Mukhang hindi naman dahil walang nag-iba sa mukha niya. He still looked a bit confused.

More so, how was he able to detect me when my presence is muted?

Sinubukan ko ulit kung talaga bang nararamdaman niya ako. I changed positions and he did follow my movements. I inhaled sharply, wondering what kind of perception does he have to be able to feel me?

His eyes remained on the tree that I'm standing on. Hindi ko alam kung anong kabaliwan ang pumasok sa isip ko para gawin ang susunod, but when the sun shifted in its throne, I found myself on the ground, fusing my shadow into his.

What I didn't expect was him to turn around.

The sun hit his back and the rays made his shadow grew. Sa paglakas nito ay siya ring paghina ng sariling anino at enerhiya ko.

I heard his breath hitched when our eyes met, mine's slightly wide from surprise. Umawang ang labi ko nang tuwid akong tumayo sa likod niya. He was taller than me, so it still looked like I was engulfed in shadow.

We stared at each other for a long while, silence enveloping us. The birds chirped and the wind blew. A rabbit peeked from its hiding bush just to see what we're doing in the middle of the path. Briefly, I can hear Depore's complaints.

Hindi ba siya magsasalita? Kasi ayoko rin.

I took a step back and his eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth and I waited.

"You..."

Ako? Ano ako? Itinuro ko ang sarili.

"Finn." he muttered. "The player Marcella hates."

Bahagya akong napangiwi doon.

"We're also on the same alliance. Don't you remember me?"

Blanko ko siyang tinitigan.

His serious face faded when he chuckled. "Seriously? I can't believe this. And we just saw each other this morning."

Nanlaki ang mata ko nang maalala ko ang nangyari kanina. Oo nga pala, si Caspian! Oliver's cousin. I can't believe I actually forgot his face. Sadyang kakaiba lang siguro ang itsura niya kaninang umaga.

Yumuko ako at kinagat ang ibabang labi. "Sorry."

Caspian only blinked, as if confused why I apologized. Mabuti na lang at 'di niya na tinanong pa. Instead, he pointed at the shadow.

"A dark magic user? Specializing in shadows?"

Tumango ako sa tanong niya.

"Why did yours fail?"

"Ah- My magic energy was low." mahinang sagot ko.

Caspian hummed. "That's why we should focus on expanding and maintaining our energy first."

"I've been using the shadow for about three hours now."

"Maybe three hours the limit." tapos ay may binulong siya sa sarili. "But that's still quite long for someone who's new."

I tilted my head with a smile, eyes questioning. Caspian glanced at me, gave my body a scan before nodding stiffly.

"Well then, I'll go train."

Normally, I'd nod and won't ask further. But something about Caspian's air makes me think that he knows a lot about these things.

"Train...?" tanong ko.

He nodded again. "For my energy. Training on it before really using my magic⁠—"

Humakbang ako palapit sa kaniya, eyes filled with interest. Siguro'y mukha akong tuta sa harap niya kaya sandali siyang napapikit. Caspian then sighed and raised a brow at me.

"Do you want me to teach you?"

Masaya akong tumango at sumunod sa kaniya.

-chapter end-