kairoarc kung saan ebebegai ko sayo lahat bebe.

-chapter seventy-three-

FINN

Will anyone ever be able to understand or know what the other person is thinking of? Kasi kasalukuyan kong iniisip kung ano ang balak ni Kairo.

They know.

Wes and Kairo knows I bear the mark of the thirteenth zodiac. Alam nila, pero bakit nila ako tinutulungan?

Wes' intentions is already confusing - he seems to follow and believe me in all forms, but he's too unreadable at times.

Si Kairo naman ang pinakanagpapagulo ng isip ko. From the first time I met him, his intentions were already hard to guess, and often times I find myself in the middle of a twist. Currently, I am pretty certain he harbors anger at me, since I am the main suspect for his brother's fiancé's death.

Out of the two, the latter was the most unlikely to help me. Sa kaniya ako may pinakamalaking kasalanan.

"What..." sambit ko. "Let this be revenge."

Kairo stepped away, brows raised. "Revenge? Showing you as the thirteenth zodiac should be my form of revenge?"

Tumango ako dahil totoo naman 'yon. An eye for an eye, ika nga nila. Death is accepted in the same manner.

"Life for life."

It won't be enough and it can't bring back the dead, but it would bring satisfaction, no matter how temporary.

"I don't disagree with that, but simply handing you over won't be enough." Kairo leaned forward. "I have something else prepared for you."

Hindi ko inalis ang titig sa kaniya. Nor did I move even with the close proximity. Kairo's eyes flickered down to my mouth, before easing back and clearing his throat.

"Shouting you have the mark is far too lame. I have plans. For you, dear sparrow. And now, you owe me again." tinapik niya ako sa balikat bago naglakad paalis at sumigaw, "Are you sure the thirteenth zodiac is here, Marcella? Paano kung napatay na siya doon sa grupo na umatake sa Leo?"

Sinundan ko siya ng tingin. Just what is he planning? He could have ended things here already, but why would he prefer to prolong it? For a slow torture?

I remembered those eyes back then. They were full of anger and grief that I thought he'd kill me the next time we cross paths. I never expected the two of us to have a civil conversation, nor did I expect him to spare my life.

But then... it wasn't like my life was exactly spared. He was just postponing it. I fear for his plans, only on the occasion that it would affect anyone else. If it was to hurt me, I would understand. If it was to kill me, I wouldn't be surprised.

At least, I have asked for forgiveness, right?

"Mukhang ang lalim ng iniisip mo, Finn."

Kaagad akong napabaling sa gilid nang makita ang mukha ni Sapphire. A welcoming smile was present in her mouth, which is actually a bit heartwarming after not talking to them for hours. Or days. Hindi ko na talaga alam ang concept of time sa game na ito.

Sapphire studied my face for a few moments before falling to a chuckle. Kumunot ang noo ko sa naging reaksiyon niya.

"I'm sorry." she waved her hands dismissively. "Napaka-obvious lang kasi ng 'you're talking to me' face mo."

Oh. Well, it sure poses questions.

Their silent and distant behaviors earlier wouldn't make me believe that they'd talk to me this sooner. Akala ko ay buong game sila magagalit.

I am a murderer and a traitor to everyone's eyes, after all.

"'s strange." sagot ko.

"I would admit it is." Sapphire sighed, clasping both her hands behind. "Hindi ka namin inapproach no'ng nasa pinaka-ilalim ka. Hindi ka rin naman kinausap. When you were being attacked by everyone, we didn't do anything to help."

Iniwas ko ang tingin. It's- It's not something that I'd say I forget easily, because the memory of being hated is fresh on my mind, pero hindi ko rin naman hahayaan na maimpluwensiyahan ako no'n.

The public hatred wasn't painful, it was being the only one to bear the weight of it that is.

"I- We- We're really sorry, Finn. We were too much of a coward to help you. Theo wanted to, he was so adamant about defending you, but I stopped him. It was my fault. Natakot ako na baka- na baka madamay ang buong alyansa dahil sa pagtulong niya sa'yo." Sapphire admitted. "Marcella and June's influence was fucking huge, and Kairo was also silent. If they ever have a chance to attack in the next games, mapapahamak ang buong alyansa natin."

I knew that. Back then, I could see it. The eyes of the people who kept silent had fear and avoidance. Their silence was bought by the noises of others. In the face of two monster alliances, who wouldn't think twice about cutting a life, who would be brave enough to stand against?

"Marcella wants to talk to you, Sparrow."

Dumako ang mata ko kay Wes na walang-hesitasyong lumapit sa banda ko. The player's eyes were trained on him, issues moving from one chismosa to the next.

Well, I guess, this man is brave enough.

"There are a lot of uncertainties about finding the mark, especially on one-on-one inspections. So unless everyone agrees to show themselves publicly, there is no certainty to things. We're going back to the prior plan, pero gusto niyang malaman kung may suhestiyon ka."

Those uncertainties goes by the names of Kairo and Wes.

"Kung gano'n, sa susunod na lang tayo mag-usap, Finn. You've got a lot of work to do pa." Sapphire said, smiling apologetically. "I know forgiveness wouldn't come easy, but we're willing to wait."

"Can't forgive-" panimula ko na siyang nagpawala ng ngiti niya. "-something 'm not angry about. Understand your concern but-" Wes shot me a curious look while Sapphire remained wide-eyed. "But talking now's still dangerous. And whether we spoke or not, war between alliances is inevitable."

"Are you talking about our alliance-?"

Pinutol ko ang itatanong sana ni Wes. "And... we're not lone wolves for no reason."

"I guess you're right. How terribly foolish of us." umiling-iling si Sapphire. "Well, aalis na ako. Sana'y makapag-usap tayo muli, Finn."

I could see it back then. From the eyes of the silenced. They weren't harboring the same hate, but they had the same fear. After all, if you go against the King, you'd be penalized with death.

The King is always the most powerful one. In this game, Marcella has the throne, and she's the person no one wants to cross path with.

Especially not with June's backing.

So I get the fear. I get the hesitance. And I don't have any negative feelings about it. However, my last remark will never change. Sooner or later, we'll be up against other alliances.

They would prioritize their teamwork. Their perfect collaboration with each other.

But Lone Wolves wasn't made to become one team. It wasn't made to play together. It was an association of players who prefer to go solo. And a solo player always has the threat of a dozen in their mind.

"Dahil ba iyon sa hindi nila pagdepensa sa'yo noon?"

Hindi ko sinagot ang tanong ni Wes. Matalino naman siya at nababasa ang isip ko, kaya okay na 'yon.

"I do think a war between alliances would soon form." he added. "And it won't just be on some little game too."

I glanced at him. "... Mean?"

"Mula pa sa simula may tension na sa mga tao. Kahit ang June na kinaibigan ni Marcella ay hindi ko pinagkakatiwalaan. Now that the player's count down to two-digits, a rebellion or a war would come soon enough." kibit-balikat niyang sagot.

"Not afraid?"

"There's no need to be afraid if you can defend yourself. Alam kong kayo ang naturingang lone wolves dito pero-" Wes raised a brow at me. "Hindi ba't lahat naman tayo dito ay nakikipaglaban rin para sa sarili natin?"

I stopped walking and he did too. Hinarap ko siya't tiningnan ng diretso sa mata. "Ikaw? Are you fighting only for yourself?"

"That's a question for another time, sparrow." Wes turned me around, pushing me toward Marcella's direction. "I'm curious bakit mo naisip 'yon, but right now, you have a meeting to attend."

Curious daw kung bakit ko naisip 'yon, eh siya din naman ang pakana. His strange and impulsive decisions, with no regards to his leader's opinion, is very confusing.

Wes gave me another light push and Marcella's stare was already burning into me, so I decided to ignore it and go. Kung ayaw sagutin, huwag pilitin. There are far more pressing matters to pay attention to.

The meeting was formed inside a small circle. Hindi ako talagang lumapit at nagstay lang within speaking and hearing distance. The group of people who were part of the planmaking process doesn't exactly like me. Ayoko din namang dagdagan pa ang stress at posibilidad nilang magkaheart attack.

Lalong lalo na si Amnesia na mukhang mamamatay kapag tumitingin sa'kin. Well, on that note, bakit kaya siya laging tumitingin sa banda ko kung halata naman sa mukha niyang ayaw niya sa'kin.

"No progress kung by-pair. No progress rin if by gender. Kahit na ako ang sabihing mag-inspect, no one would believe the results. They all want transparency, and we can only give it to them if everyone sees the mark for themselves." Marcella started. "I could be biased, sabi nila. I have a whole alliance I must protect after all."

"Just silence them then. Kung takot kang gumawa, I'm willing." June remarked.

"There's no need. This is a simple matter. Mabuti pang isa-isahin na lang natin muli ang zodiacs."

"Pero mahihirapan tayo niyan, Marcella." Glory, the head of the Immortal Silk alliance, commented. "Marami na ang nawala sa'tin sa isang zodiac, marami din ang teribleng sugatan. The next zodiac kill will be worth more lives."

"Pero nagawa naman ni Finn na mag-isa. She killed a zodiac herself so why can't we handle that too?" sinulyapan ni Eura si June at Marcella. "Tsaka hindi ba't kayong dalawa ang main reason bakit namatay 'yong dragon? Show your powers then. Dalawang zodiac nang wala sa problema natin, and tatlo kapag naghunt muli si Finn."

"What the fuck?" as expected, June reacted negatively. "You want me to kill a zodiac alone?"

"Oh, bakit? Takot ka, girl? Akala ko ba ikaw ang 'hero'-" Eura even made quotation gestures. "-sa last game. Surely, wala namang laban ang isang zodiac sign sa dragon?"

"Kung ganiyan lang rin naman pag-iisip mo, e'di ikaw magsolo-kill do'n!"

"Aba't, putangina, ba't naman napunta sa'kin? Gaga, ako ba nakapatay ng dragon? Ako ba 'yong hinayupak na sumisigaw-sigaw na siya nakapatay ng dragon? Tanga mo."

June looked absolutely enraged at the series of insults and swear words that she received. Mukhang aatakehin niya na sana si Eura nang magsalita si Wes,

"But she has a point. The zodiac signs are less powerful than the dragon, and even the hydra, statistically speaking. Their magic power and strength depends on the star they're representing, so considering our own magics and abilities, we could make a perfect match-up for them."

Tama siya. The aquarius was hard for me to kill back then because I was also disturbed by my own thoughts. Hindi ako masyadong nakapagfocus sa laban no'n. But its movements were slower compared to the dragon, gano'n din ang magic power nito.

The signs only advantage are their realms too. Kagaya ng dam na mayroon si Aquarius. It was a battle against time than the monster itself, because I had to make sure I wouldn't drown.

"We can also just work together and kill them." Oliver suggested. "Hindi naman sila nagkakaroon ng panibagong ulo gaya ng hydra."

"And for far stronger individuals, like alliance leaders or those names in the leaderboard, we can eliminate a lot of them at once." dagdag ni Dierran. "Let's have one person lead the pack and the others on a solo-hunt. Si Finn, isa na doon. Marcella can also go alone."

"Trip ko din magsolo muna ngayon para makapagdrama ako." pagtaas ni Eura ng kamay. "Bigyan niyo ako ng space, please lang."

"Walang humihindi, Eura. Wala."

The close and familiar voice of Kairo made me glance at my side. Laking gulat ko nang makitang magkatabi lang pala kami.

Napanguso ako. Sa'ming dalawa, parang ako naman ang walang presensiya, ah?

"Hindi ako bingi, Kairo. Tama na ang isang 'wala', gago."

"Ah, talaga? 'Di obvious kasi lagi kang sumisigaw."

"Siguro kasi ikaw ang bingi."

"And so will Eura and Kairo. Si Oliver din siguro." Dierran cut in, as the good leader that he always is. "We only need to fight eight more zodiacs so that's six covered and two more needed."

Napasulyap ako kay Marcella. Akala ko ba siya nagpatawag ng meeting para magplano, eh bakit si Dierran ang gumagawa ngayon?

"Ako din-" a yawn cut off the sentence. Theo wiped the corner of his eyes before speaking again. "Ako din. Solo."

"Sasamahan ko na lang siya." ngiting dagdag ni Sapphire.

"E'di hindi na solo 'yon." komento naman ng ever-nosy na si Eura. "Duo na."

Almost everyone closed their eyes in patience.

June loudly tsked, breaking the almost peaceful ambience. Count on her to always kill the mood. Tahimik akong napatawa sa naisip, 'kill the mood' pero talaga namang killer siya.

"May nakakatawa ba sa nangyayari ngayon, Finn?"

Napatuwid ako ng tayo nang marinig ang pangalan. All of their gazes were directed to me now, and from all of them, June's were filled with hatred. Akala ko tahimik lang 'yong tawa ko pero ang dami palang nakarinig.

I felt a slight flush on my cheeks and I took a small step back. Nakakahiya! Nasa gitna kami ng seryosong meeting tapos nagjo-joke lang ako sa utak ko!

"Again, may nakakatawa ba, Finn?"

Mabilis akong umiling.

"Time of the month mo ba ngayon at mukhang inubos mo ang buong ampalaya farm, June, the sixth month?" Eura jumped in, saving me from the embarrassing situation. "Ang cute cute nga ni Finn tapos parang nakakita ka ng dewendeng nagbu-budots diyan."

"It's insulting. We were having a serious meeting and she'd just laugh."

"Aba, malay mo't naalala 'yong time na napahiya mo sarili mo. Pero siguro sa dami no'n, 'di na niya talaga kailangang alalahanin-" akmang susugod si June, with her weapons, when Eura also pulled her flamethrower out. "Nako, June June June, ilang beses ko na kayang gustong tostahin ang mukha mo."

"I've also been dying to stab your face since the beginning of time."

"Wow, naabutan mo 'yon? Super tanda mo na rin pala." Eura smirked, tilting her head to the side. "Pero nga pala, June, if you're willing to fight me, who will solo-hunt a zodiac. Dapat ikaw rin. Kasi you know, hitting two birds with a stone ang tawag do'n diba?"

Before June could utter a response, Marcella came in between them. "Stop this useless fiasco. Yes, June will fight solo herself. She is capable of doing so and so she will, in order for us to move quickly."

Mukhang wala nang nagawa si June doon. Binigyan niya na lang ako nang masamang tingin bilang paninisi.

"Well then, that would be our plan. Para sa mga lalaban na mag-isa lang, mag-ingat kayo. Ako na magsasabi ng plano natin." Dierran said, walking away with Glory following closely behind.

"Oh, ano, Hunyo, may problema ka pa ba?"

"Are you sure it's not Finn? I have this huge feeling that she's the thirteenth zodiac." aniya sabay sulyap sa katabi ko. "Paano kung pinagtatakpan lang siya ni Kairo dahil may gusto ito sa kaniya."

Si Kairo? May gusto sa'kin?

That would be impossible. He hates me. I killed his sister-in-law.

"I would never vouch for the safety of my sister's murderer." ngiting sagot ni Kairo, staring intently at June. "I will have her suffer the same fate, much more worse if I'm given the chance."

June smiled, an evil glint in her eyes. "Well, sana nga. If you ever have a plan, I'm willing to contribute."

Kairo chuckled darkly. "I do hope you will. I really, really need your expertise at handling these things and I bet you'd play a critical role in my plans."

Pabalik-balik ang tingin ko sa kanilang dalawa. Are they really deciding and planning my fate right in front of me?

Mahinang tumawa si June bago tuluyang umalis. Wes gave me a slight nod before following Marcella, discussing something with her. Bumalik na sila sa kani-kanilang ginagawa kaya naisipan ko ring maglaho sa mga presensiya nila.

But then a hand covered my wrist, stopping me from moving.

"You've got a lot of enemies, don't you, Finn?"

Nagtataka kong tiningnan si Kairo. Tinutukoy niya ba si Marcella at June? I don't think two's enough to be considered as 'a lot'.

"Two." I corrected him.

"No." he looked at me. "Three."

I blinked. Is he pertaining to himself?

"You?"

"Am I?" he smirked, touching a thumb on my cheek. "Am I your enemy or am I not? A food for thought, Finley."

Then he let go.

But his words stayed.

-chapter end-