-chapter sixty-six-

FINN

I'm not wearing or holding anything heavy, but the weight of my emotions are too much to bear.

But I can't show it to others, in fear that a slight reaction could entice a weakness. A point they might continuously poke.

So I kept a blank face, letting none of my emotions out.

They can say anything they want. They can throw the rocks at me and call me any names.

It doesn't matter.

I know the truth.

I did none of their claims and accusations. I am innocent to the crimes they've painted.

So why must I act guilty or ashamed? Wala naman akong ginawang masama. Naniniwala din akong mabubunyag ang katotohanan sa huli.

So with my head held high, I walked inside the arena, mind set on completing the challenge and heart heavy with the recent situations. I promised people that whatever happens I will walk forward, to the way that I have always known. I promised them that I will do everything in my best to protect their loved ones.

For I have failed on them. It's a way of redemption.

"You look calm." a cheery June commented, standing next to me. "But I know you're seething with rage."

Kung si Wes mindreader, emotion-reader ba siya?

"Ini-imagine mo na ba kung paano mo babalikan ang pagbibintang nila sa'yo? An innocent girl being sentenced to death with lies. How sad~"

Get back at them? For saying careless things and statements without evidences?

If I was someone who couldn't control my own emotions, I would have. But I have been subjected to different types of pain that I know how to act in these situations.

And I have promised myself. Whatever happens, I will not lose my morals.

"Unnecessary."

Tila natigilan siya sa sagot ko. Kasi kahit na hindi ko pipilitin na hatakin ang mga tao sa tabi ko, hindi ko rin hahayaan ang sariling sipa-sipain lang ng mga taong walang-alam.

I have a tongue so I would use it to form verbal words. I have the ability to speak so I would use it to defend myself... since I don't really have anyone to depend on.

"Nagiging madaldal ka na. I think it's a sign on how you'll change for the worse."

I mentally sighed. Ang tigas talaga ng ulo ni June kahit kailan. Kahit siguro ipukpok ko sa kaniya na hindi ako galit, sasabihin niya pa ring sa sobrang galit ko, bubuhayin ko na ang impyerno. It feels like talking to a wall, with no hopes of having a proper conversation.

Kaya iniwan ko si June doon at sumunod kay Marcella na pumagitna ng arena. The dungeon was gigantic, having a circular shape with iron bars arching to form a roof - preventing the dragon from escaping but giving it enough sunlight. Para itong isang coliseum, ngunit mas triple lang ang laki. The bleachers, old and rusty, are located in the upper part, just above the dungeon's gate. Pumapalibot ito sa buong coliseum.

At the center of the den lays the sleeping dragon.

The chains rattled as the beast shifted, eyes slowly opening to reveal reptilian eyes, swimming in red and gold with  black vertical slit that pierces straight to the soul. Like its title, the dragon's scales were almost similar to a bubbling lava. It was massive, almost touching the den's ceiling with its height, horns high and mighty.

Napaatras kaming tatlo nang ihakbang nito ang kanang paa. It bared at us, sharp and enormous teeth on display. The dragon opened its wings, flapping it twice to show its dominance, emphasizing the sharp edges and slight hollowness that would aid its flight. To call it menacing wouldn't even equal to the amount of danger its presence screams.

Marcella held her hand out, making a sign towards us. Nakita kong may sasabihin sana siya ngunit bigla na lang naglean forward ang dragon to let out a huge roar.

June covered her ears at the sound. The den shook against it, na parang sagot ang mga vibrations nito sa tawag ng dragon. Rocks fell from the cracked seats and walls.

"Anong..."

Hindi na natapos sa pagtatanong si June dahil agad itong nasagot. From above, the crimson sky was covered by a hundred winged beasts. It shadowed the den as they passed by, their wings flapping loudly and small roars in their mouths.

All of them against all the players left outside? They didn't put a time, not because it didn't matter, but because it was our choice. It was also a matter of trust.

Will they trust the three of us in here to kill the dragon before they all die? Dahil kami, wala naman kaming ibang magagawa kung hindi ang patayin ang dragon para makalabas.

Siguro'y inisip nila na okay na sila dahil kaming tatlo na ang magbubuwis ng buhay namin, only to be slapped by this right in their face.

"Marcella! June!"

Napalingon ako nang marinig ang malakas na sigaw. The gate slightly budged, probably from the insistent pushing of the people outside. Their voices weren't that audible, but it was easy to form from their current situation. They sounded desperate and afraid.

Of course, they would be. Loudmouths are usually the first one to tremble in the face of danger.

Kaya hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit grabe sila magdiwang at magbintang, when they were never present in crucial situations because they're always afraid.

"Tch. Mga estupido." komento ng nakahalukipkip na June. "What a bunch of cowards. Akala ba nila matatapos nila ang game na 'to kung magpa-plastik lang sila sa'tin?"

At least they're not as worse as you.

"It must be quite a shock. It's understandable." Marcella replied.

Mula sa gilid ng mata ko'y nakita ko ang pagabante ng dragon sa'min. The sharp claws lurched forward, attempting to rip me open. I jumped backwards, raising both my kunais in a defensive mode. Si Marcella at June na hindi masyadong nakita ang pangyayari ay napa-alerto pa rin, their reflexes and instincts kicking in.

Ngunit mukhang hindi naman kailangan ang pag-iwas. The dragon's claws stopped just before it could hit the spot I was previously standing on. The chains that connected its feet to the wall rattled, making the dragon give a low grunt in anger.

June sighed, almost relieved. "Hay, salamat. Mabuti naman at may utak pa ang Wiskord na 'yon para ichain ang dragon na it-"

While June was speaking, the dragon continuously pulled at its chains, slowly making a crack in the wall. Kaya hindi pa natapos ni June ang sasabihin ay bigla nang nasira ang kadena.

"What the fuck?!" June screamed. "Iyon lang ang power ng kadena? What the fuck?! Akala ko ba magician o ano ang taong 'yon, ba't ang weak ng chains?!"

Hindi man tayo bati pero agree ako sa sinabi mo.

I watched as the dragon successfully freed itself from the chains, the silver ring still attached to its feets. From its size, it was almost impossible fighting it with only us three. Having it chained was already an advantage because the dragon was huge enough to claw at us from whatever direction, but to have it run around freely?

It's a nightmare.

I did a backflip upwards, quickly planting my kunais on the wall to support myself when the dragon leaped towards me. Mabilis ding gumalaw ang dalawang kasama ko. Marcella, with her fire sword dagger, attacked, slashing at the wings that suddenly covered the dragon when June made a chain to her ice picks, making it crawl up from the ground to stab the dragon.

Agad itong natapon when the dragon fully opened its wings, the strong wind summoned enough to throw June and Marcella backwards. The dragon turned towards them, a low grumble leaving its throat.

Gumawa si Marcella ng apoy, taking the dragon's attention. Isa-isa niya kaming tiningnan ni June at nagbigay ng isang tango. Hindi na kailangan pang magsalita para maintindihan naming siya ang magta-tank.

Pumunta sa kaniya ang dragon, the sharp edges of its wings digging to the ground as it walked. Marcella parried all the dragon's attack, running and evading the small fire balls.

Nang makalapag ako sa lupa ay kaagad na tumabi si June sa'kin. I straightened up, slightly tilting my head at her in curiosity.

"Ang shadow attack na ginamit mo kanina, iyong kayang icover ang malaking ground, gawin mo. Deal a lot of damage too."

Tumango ako sa sinabi niya. June did not bother to look at my reaction and went to the dragon, summoning five ice picks and throwing them at the neck. It must have sting a lot because the dragon staggered forward, right into Marcella's waiting sword.

Tumalon ako papunta sa mga bleachers, eyes fixed on the center ceiling to make do of my plan. Mula sa ilalim ay nakita kong nakikipaghabulan pa rin si Marcella sa dragon at mukhang may binabalak si June.

Then she shouted, "Finn!"

Biglang huminto si Marcella at isang fire chain-cage ang namuo sa paligid ng dragon, squeezing it to a stop. It didn't have a lot of damage dahil magkaparehas ang elemento nila. But Marcella never aimed to deal damage.

The ground under the beast cracked before fully collapsing. Bumuo ito ng malaking crack sa gilid ng arena. That's my cue to come in.

The lower part of the den, where they all stayed, where attacked by a sea of shadows. It was all of the shadows I've summoned and created coming together to darken my surroundings. Nagpahulog ako doon, already summoning a two rings of throwdaggers, that formed around me.

Even in the darkness, the dragon's bright scales were visible. Kaya madali lang sa'kin ang isaksak ang kunai sa scales nito, stepping on the dragon's back, and letting the dozens of kunai pierce all around the dragon. Nang mawala ang mga anino ay kitang-kita ang iba't ibang kutsilyo na nasa katawan ng dragon. From Marcella's rare sword dagger, June's constant ice picks, and my gift of throwknives.

"Ah." I winced, jumping down when I burned my finger on the scales.

"An'yare naman sa'yo?" iritadong tanong ni June na nakatingin sa'kin mula sa kabila.

Umiling lang ako at hinipang ang napasong daliri. It still made me pout a little though. Why did I land on its scales? Ang sakit tuloy. It stings a lot.

"Please don't tell me you'll fuss over a single burn when you're fine when I basically toasted your leg." Marcella stated.

Iniwas ko ang tingin at medyo humaba pa ang pagnguso. "Masakit, eh." mahinang bulong ko.

The pain quickly left my mind when the dragon roared, body leaning forwards and wings straightening. Natapon sa lupa ang mga kutsilyong nasa katawan nito nang gumalaw.

"Shit. Blades won't do much damage, I guess." ani June.

"My magic will be useless too, aside from supporting yours or caging the dragon. But it means I can withstand some of its attacks." saad ni Marcella. "Maybe there's a certain attacking skill where our blades can work-"

Napahinto si Marcella sa pagsasalita nang biglang uminit ang paligid. Steam even started to appear from the ground. Parang umiinit na rin ang lupang tinatapakan ko, like it's boiling me slowly. Aside from the temperature that is increasing by every second, there's nothing odd in the arena-

Nanlaki ang mata ko nang mapagtanto iyon. "Quick, up! Lava."

Mukhang nakuha din nila ang ibig kong sabihin dahil sabay kaming tumalon sa bleachers, just in time for the lava to appear in the ground. Hindi na nga makikita ang lupa dahil sa lawak at siguro'y lalim nito.

Now, all we can move to is the walls or the second floor. We'll burn if we ever fall there.

"What about the Shadow cage? Won't it be sufficient?" Marcella asked.

Umiling ako. "Thick scales can cut strings can make blades useless. Unable to make one for legs too." tukoy ko sa lava sa ilalim.

The dragon, seemingly pleased to have cornered us, began attacking. It used its claws at first, trying to catch or crush us, ngunit panay lang ang iwas namin. I can throw my kunai but they mostly just fall because they can't really pierce the scales. Gano'n din ang nangyayari sa ice-pick ni June.

But this challenge can't be impossible. There's something that we still haven't thought of or focused on.

Kahit na gaano pa kadelikado at kahirap patayin ng isang kalaban, or how unbreakable it is, mayroon pa ring paraan para patayin ito. The clues or answers are often not as secretive as we thought, sometimes they're small but noticeable or too obvious that it can bite at us.

Too... obvious that it can bite at us?

I hurriedly ran to the side when I noticed the glowing beam in the dragon's mouth. I almost cursed out loud when I felt the huge flame behind me, the heat burning into my back. Parang tatalon ang puso ko dahil sobrang lapit na ako matosta.

Lalo na nang makita kong wala nang natira sa parte na inatake ng dragon. Only the ashes and black stones remained.

"Wow. We almost witnessed a fried sparrow." malakas na saad ni June. "What a pity."

My eyes were still trained on the dragon, from the mouth that emitted a small puff of smoke to the opened neck. Unlike its body, mas malaki ang gap ng mga scales sa lower part ng dragon. From the throat down to its frontlegs which had a golden glow.

Nanlaki ang mata ko nang mapagtanto ito.

"It's not just the lava that we need to avoid. Kailangan din nating iwasan ang breath niya." anunsiyo ni Marcella. "That can kill us in one blow."

It was right in our faces. We just needed to find the dragon's weakness.

It's the beast's beating heart that we need to kill.

-chapter end-