balik tayo before the league

-chapter twenty-three-

FINN

I still wonder why they would go through such lengths just for me. I'm not worth it.

Not with what I've done.

Mas hindi ko alam kung bakit si Gavin pa ang nag-isip nito. Lalo na't sa kaniya ako may pinaka-atraso. Shouldn't he hate me? Shouldn't he ignore my existence? Kaya... bakit pa siya sumusunod sa'kin dito?

Malakas akong bumuntong-hininga at ngumuso sa kawalan. Bakit ba kasi ayaw niyang magpakita sa'kin? He knows I'm here, that's for sure! He even had the guts to protect me at the third city... so why?

I paused and smelled myself. Hindi naman ako mabaho para iwasan niya ng sobra.

"Finn... Are you doing okay?"

Napalingon ako kay Caspian na kunot-noong nakatitig sa'kin. He stopped creating the fire chain he was working on for the past few days.

The night sky was slowly gaining light. Kasabay nang pagtaas ng araw ay ang kahel na kulay na unti-unting namumuo. It was quietly signalling the start of another day. From the chilly weather to the hushing trees, the tension of the upcoming league is slowly building up.

Ito na ang ikapitong araw namin sa laro. Sa mismong araw na ito ay magaganap ang Magus League, a showdown between rogues who have already achieved mastery over their chosen magic. It's been more than a day since I saw Baste and I haven't been in touched with him since.

"May problema ka ba?" tanong ni Caspian at umupo sa tabi ko. "You've been sighing for the past hour."

Ngumuso ako at humalumbaba. It's not really a problem, but it troubles me just the same. Gusto ko lang naman makausap si Gavin. Baste has already talked to me so why is he still not appearing? Alam ko namang nag-uusap silang dalawa.

Naramdaman ko ang paggulo ni Caspian sa buhok ko. My eyes drifted close at his comforting strokes.

"Should I tie your hair up?"

Mahina akong tumango. I felt Caspian sit behind me. Ilang sandali ay naramdaman ko ang kamay niyang marahang sinusuklay ang buhok ko. Unti-unti kong minulat ang mata at tinitigan ang araw na kasalakuyang nagpapakita.

"'S not a problem." mahinang tugon ko.

"Are you worried about the league?"

Am I? Kung sa'kin lang naman, hindi masyado. Pero kapag naiisip ko sila, oo, nag-aalala ako.

I nodded as an answer, then later on shook my head. Hindi ako pwedeng mag-isip ng gano'n. I'm sure they can handle themselves. I should put trust towards them, right?

Narinig ko ang mahinang pagtawa ni Caspian as hinished tying up my hair in a twin bun. I feel much more comfortable in this hairstyle. Nabibigatan ako minsan sa iisang bun lang.

"So are you worried or not?"

Nilingon ko siya nang nakasimangot. "Are you?"

"Worried? Hm. Hindi naman." Caspian leaned back, holding his weight with his arms as he stared at me. "Kaya ko naman sila."

Tumango ako. Caspian really is strong. I don't have doubts about him winning.

"Kung kaya ko sila, then they should also be a piece of cake to you."

I tilted my head, confused. Why would they be a piece of cake to me?

Caspian smirked at my clueless face. "After all, hindi pa ako nananalo sa'yo, 'di ba?"

I blinked. "I see. Oo nga."

Caspian's smirk fell and he quietly chuckled. "Oo nga? Pft. You sound really arrogant there."

"Pero 'yon ang totoo."

"Tama ka diyan, my baby Finn. Mas arogante nga ang isa diyan na akala mo tahimik, sa loob lang pala ang kulo."

Hindi na ako masyadong nagulat nang pumwesto si Depore sa tabi ko at may kagat-kagat ng tinapay. Binibigyan niya nang masamang tingin si Caspian na blanko na ulit ang mukha.

"'Di ba, Finn? 'Di ba?" Depore started to nudge me.

"Hindi ko gets." sagot ko sa kaniya.

"Arogante ba si Caspian?"

I stared at the boy in question. "I don't know. He boasts from time to time."

"See! He's arrogant!"

"But you sell yourself a lot too, Depore. Hindi ba't lagi kayong nagpapabida ni Caspian-"

Isang kamay ang biglang tumakip sa bibig ko. Depore was already out of her seat. Ngayon ay isang malamig na ngiti na ang pinapakita niya sa'kin.

"Finn, where did my adorable baby go?"

Hindi ko na siya sinagot. I don't know why they kept defining me as 'adorable'. I want to be at least intimidating. I can't imagine Marcella being threatened by someone 'adorable'.

"You should let your adorable baby go or she'll turn into a beast." komento ni Caspian at tumayo. "Isa pa, kailangan na nating pumunta sa Arena. The league will start."

Binitawan ako ni Depore at tumalon-talon. Sometimes her actions make me forget that she's older than me. She looks and acts like a kid.

"Oo nga pala. Tara na, Finn!" she cracked her knuckles while laughing under her breath. "Gusto ko nang magpasabog."

Nauna siyang umalis, skipping in her every step. She's humming under her breath. For some reason, I'm afraid for those unlucky players who will fight against her.

"Sometimes she scares me."

Napatango ako sa sinabi ni Caspian.

The Magus League is the obstacle every player must go through in order to proceed to the next city. Tanging ang mga manlalaro lang na may mastery sa kanilang magic ang pwede sumali. There is no definite deadline nor time for the League. As long as you're qualified, you can register for a match and have some rest after it.

The thing is, you won't win the League just because you won a match. A rogue must have three consecutive wins to finish the League. Ibig sabihin, kahit na nanalo ka ng dalawang beses kung natalo ka sa susunod, you have to restart. Kaya naman, okay lang na hindi ka agad magregister pagkatapos ng unang match mo, you can train more.

Well, that is if you don't prioritize time a lot.

Before the main arena, there's the lobby. Nasa likuran ng front desk ang rules ng League. Players lined up in front of it, ready to register themselves for the match.

Napalingon-lingon ako sa paligid. I thought some rogues would rather watch and observe before plunging themselves into a match, but the case seems to be different now. Siguradong dahil ito sa nakalipas na araw. Hindi na sila pwedeng magpaligoy-ligoy lang sa mga syudad.

We're still in the sixth city and we've been in this game for a week. We have a lot more cities to finish.

"There's a lot..." mahinang komento ko.

"Mm." Caspian nodded. "Stay close to me so you won't get lost."

I quietly followed him, while staring holes at the back of his head. Really, he could fight Baste for the second father role in my life.

Caspian was always patient with teaching me things about magic and he's also a comfortable person to be with. Hindi siya nagrereklamo kung tahimik ang paligid at mas gusto ito. Our quiet conversations in the forest is one of my favorite moments in this game.

He helps and supports me in almost everything. He's a really great friend to be relied on.

How surprising. I only asked for him to teach me about magic, but now he's one of the closest people to me ingame.

Tinapik ko ang balikat niya. Caspian stopped fumbling with the leather wallet he bought from the market to turn to me. Medyo magulo pa ang buhok niya.

I raised my hand to push a strand of hair that covered his eyes. Caspian's eyes slightly widened, siguro dahil hindi naman talaga ako palahawak na tao.

Tilting my head, I gave him a wide smile. "Thank you, Caspian."

Ilang segundo kaming nagtitigan. My smile stayed frozen as I blinked at him for a reaction. Pero laking gulat ko nang biglang tumalikod sa'kin si Caspian. Eh?

"Caspian?" tinapik ko siya ulit. "Caspian, is everything alright?"

I poked his back for how many times pero hindi pa rin siya lumingon. Nagpatuloy lang siya sa paglakad papunta sa unahan. Kumunot ang noo ko sa inaakto niya. Why won't he look at me?

Dapat ba hindi ako nagpasalamat?

Hindi na ako pinansin ni Caspian hanggang sa makuha ko ang pangalan nang makakalaban. Still, he waited for me after and I couldn't help but notice the flush on his ears. May sakit ba siya?

Napahinto ako. Is it even possible to get sick in this game?

Well, siguro. I mean we could die here too so it might be possible.

"You're fighting someone named Amnesia. You know him?"

I broke off my thoughts when Caspian took the paper from my hold and said the name out loud. Hm. The name sound's a bit familiar but I can't associate it to any face.

"I don't know." sagot ko.

"He's on Marcella's side. I thought you might have met him."

Si Wes at Baste lang naman kilala ko na kasama ni Marcella.

"Maybe." kinuha ko ang papel mula sa kaniya. "Does it matter?"

Caspian raised a brow. "Hm. Maybe it doesn't. All that matters is that you win."

Tumango ako. Tama naman, kahit sino pa ang makakalaban namin, ang kailangan lang ay manalo kami.

I stepped into the ring and stared at my opponent's face. His hair was parted sideways and an annoying smirk was plastered in his face. For some reason, naiinis ako sa itsura niya pa lang.

"We met again, girl." aniya. "Pasalamat ka at 'di kita nasaktan no'ng nakaraan dahil nando'n si Kairo."

Amnesia... Kairo... My eyes widened when I realized who this guy in front of me is. He's that bully who runs his mouth a lot.

"What?" Amnesia sneered. "Huwag mong sabihing nakalimutan mo ako?"

Tumango ako at sandaling nawala ang pagka-kalmado niya.

"Ha? Pano? Teka, ba't ko naman kailangan-" Amnesia cleared his throat. "So what if you forgot about me? I'll make you remember the terror you felt."

But I didn't really feel anything. Mas natakot kaya ako nang sinabi ni Kairo na magiging bait ako o no'ng inimbita ako ng reyna niyo sa kaharian niya.

"You still won't talk? What, your voice's a gem or some shit?"

I can't tell him I refuse to talk to unworthy people.

"As always, you are free to use your magic towards your opponent. You must use it at least once in this game. You will win if your opponent is unconscious, unable to fight, has surrendered, or is dead! If you're outside of the ring for more than thirty seconds, you will be disqualified! Have a good brawl, rogues!"

"Ha!" malakas na anunsiyo ni Amnesia at tiningnan ako nang nakaka-insulto. "You heard that, little girl? You'll be asking for mercy once I'm done with you. I'm going to make that little mouth of yours be begging to surrender. Hindi mo na ako matitingnan ng kalmado dahil mapupuno na ng takot 'yang mata mo."

Claw knives started to appear from his palm. The magic force surrounding him also thickened as he stepped closer to me. Hindi nagtagal ay nakikita ko ang dark yellow na aura na unti-unting namumuo sa likod niya.

"I'm gonna show everyone how little girls shouldn't be playing games⁠-"

Itinaas niya ang kamay. I could hear thunder crashing as the lightning in his hands clashed. Isang ngisi ang namuo sa labi ni Amnesia habang nasa kamay niya ang isang napakalaking thunderball.

My eyes narrowed at it. How much energy is he using just to keep that from vanishing?

"⁠-Sorry not sorry, little girl!" sigaw niya at binitawan ang thunderball na hawak.

I could feel the heat coming from his magic and the thickness of the aura that surrounded the arena ring. Kasabay no'n ay ang tensyon na nagmumula sa audience. I could feel them holding at the edge of their seats, breaths hitching as they watched a large ball of thunder being thrown towards an unsuspecting girl.

And above it all, I could feel their shadows. Most importantly, Amnesia's shadow.

Before his magic could really hit me, I opened up the portal of my shadow and quickly ran to attach it to Amnesia's one. Naramdaman ko ang pagkagulat at takot niya nang magpakita ako sa kaniyang likuran. Then, before I could fully see his wide eyes and terrorized face, I quickly hit his neck.

The match ended very quick. Hindi pa nakaka-isang minuto at natapos na ang laban. A clashing and static sound resonated in the arena when the MC probably fumbled in his seat.

"W-Woah! This is insane. The match between Amnesia and Finn has ended. Kakaiba ang resulta sa inaasahan natin, rogues!"

The smoke created by the thunder's impact on the arena's ground slowly subsided. Dahil dito ay nakikita na ang pigura naming dalawa. One in the ground, face-flat, and the other calmly standing.

"Wala na si Finn sa kinatatayuan niya at nasa likuran na ni Amnesia! What the- How did this happen? How was she able to avoid that huge attack and make Amnesia unconscious?!"

The tense pause then resonated into a cheer, lalo na nang magpakita ang 'Victory' sa pangalan ko.

"This is insane! Amnesia looked like he really had the game with all his talk but Finn ended the match with a clean victory! This League is really starting to become interesting!"

Umikot ako't lumabas sa arena ring. Narinig ko pa ang pagdelay sa susunod na match dahil kailangan ayusin ulit ito. Bigla akong napahinto nang makita ang isang nakahilig na pigura sa may hallway ng arena. A coat covered him but his brown hair is still visible to my eyes.

I could see Eura walking towards the person with a paper in hand. May ngiti sa mukha nito at dahil malakas ang boses niya ay narinig ko ang susunod niyang sinabi,

"-vin! Naregister ka na. You'll be fighting against Oliver."

"You have to win against that asshole." boses ni Kairo.

Mabilis akong nagtago nang magsimula silang umalis. Oliver? Caspian's cousin? He's Gavin's opponent?

Well... if you won't come see me, Gavin. Then I'll just go and see you.

-chapter end-

Victory Count:

Marcella: 1-
Sebastian: 1-
Theo: 1-
Sapphire: 0-
Eura: 1-
Gavin: 1-
Kairo: 1-
Depore: 1-
Oliver: 1-
Caspian: 1-
Finn: 1-

Sina Wes 'di pa nakakalaban.