sorry po sa tagal :cc at salamat sa paghihintay!

ㅡ

Baka nabaliw na nga ako at tinanong ko 'yon. But whatever, I just wanted to make sure that his actions earlier was genuine. Siguro nga at nakita niya lang akong malapit na mapahamak kanina... but there is something strange about his words.

He was telling me to be cautious in this school but at the same time... parang may something specific sa eskwelahan na 'to na pwede magpahamak sa'kin.

"What are you talking about?" the previous concern from his voice disappeared as his face went blank. No sign of previous surprise. "I am the head student in our house. It's my responsibility to take care of my fellow housemates. Kagaya ng sinabi mo, we just met here, kaya anong sikreto ang itatago ko sa'yo?"

I narrowed my eyes, studying his behavior with clear focus. Ngunit kagaya ng mga nauna kong pagkilala kay Damon, he only looked cold and distant.

Smirking, I harshly took my hand from his grasp. "How heroic naman for you pala. However, kahit ikaw pa ang dean o hari, you can't be nosy in other people's businesses. Especially mine."

Bahagyang kumunot ang noo niya. I can sense that my words have annoyed him. I answered his slightly-grumpy face with a tap on his chest, tilting my head to the side in a teasing manner.

"I can take care of myself, boy. If I were to fall, did you think I wouldn't be able to get myself back up?"

Hindi siya sumagot kaya isang mapaklang tawa ang ibinahagi ko. Well, at least he was being genuine about his actions. I would hate to know that another person has been obviously hiding things from me. Kagaya ng Paham nila na masarap na lang gawing ulam. Total magkatunog naman ang dalawang salita.

I gave Damon one last look before finally deciding to leave the place. I was about to finally get back to the pathwalk when I heard him murmur.

"It's not about falling... about... the darkness..."

Mabilis ko siyang nilingon. "What are you-"

My words hang in the air when I found no Damon behind me. Parang nawala siya na parang bula at ako na lang ang natira sa gubat na 'yon.

Pero imposible na mawala siya nang hindi ko nakikita dahil hindi teleportation ang soul magic niya at narinig ko pa ang sinabi niya... unless all of that was another illusion too?

But it felt too real to be one.

The most rational thing was to discard any curiosities of that heavensake place, but there was something about the sinkhole. Parang isa itong magnet na kanina pa ako ina-attract at sinasabihang lumapit. Nasulyapan ko lang ito kanina nang malapit na mahulog at wala ako masyadong nakita. I can, however, confirm that it must be really deep because I couldn't even see the bottom. After the first few meters, naging madilim na ang paligid ng bangin.

It clearly was dangerous. The normal Raven would have ignored the dumb sinkhole and leave for her own peace of mind. But maybe the soulbearers who irked me have messed up my decision-making skills that I found myself walking closer.

Apparently, pwede din akong maging tanga.

This time, my mind was clearer though. Alam ko na malaking panganib ang hatid ng lugar 'to. I was just trapped into an illusion earlier, na hindi ako aware, so heaven knows what other traps they have here 'di ba? Baka isang hakbang ko ulit, bigla na lang na lumipad ang ulo ko sa paanan ni Beatrix. Baka tumalon-talon pa 'yon sa saya. Ayoko pa naman siyang nakikita na natutuwa.

Gusto ko lang lumapit para i-inspect ang bangin. I'm planning to stand at the side and study the whole place, taking note of whatever strange in there. Hindi naman ako bobo to jump inside to feed my curiosities, 'no. Ano ako, si Beatrix?

That was my plan. That was what I had in mind. And I was so confident to having one of my questions be answered, even just slightly, whenㅡ

When some-fucking-one, damn bastard of a soulbearer perhaps, in his bobo na stupidiot dumbass mind ang muling humatak sa'kin!

I have no idea if kailangan ko nang magsuot ng 'Don't Approach' or 'Caution. Will Punch if Interrupted' as a placard para sa mga lalaking akala mo may fifteen thousand muscles to stop me from inspecting. Kagaya ni Damon kanina at... ni Tsukishima ngayon.

Eww name. Eww actions.

"Ano ba?! Ba't nanghahatak ka?" reklamo ko nang ipalayo niya ako sa bangin.

Heavens! If I kicked this man's groin and just continued with my previous goal, would someone imprison me or kickㅡ speaking of, bakit hindi ko na lang nga kaya gawin? Having me kicked out would be music to my ears but a thunderous news to everyone.

"Either you're dumb or sadyang rebellious ka at hindi mo alam na mapanganib diyan." he lectured like the annoying Damon a while ago.

Humalukipkip ako. I feel like I'm being treated like a child here.

"Alam ko. Ano ba ang akala mo na I'll do, huh? Jump there and say 'hello darkness, my old friend'?" I rolled my eyes. "Hindi ako kasing weird ng pangalan mo."

"My name isn't weird and..." he shot me a glare. "Being dangerously close to that hole isn't something you wantㅡ"

"Paano mo naman nalaman 'yan? Ako, ikaw?"

"Because I know that that place is dangerous-"

"Oo nga. Obvious naman. Pero ako ba, ikaw?"

He stopped walking to huffed an irritated sigh and glanced at me tiredly. Pagod na rin ako dahil naglakad lang ako sa may bangin para hatakin pabalik dito ng mga lalaking nakaregister ata sa heroic days program. Does their ego increases when they think they helped a female?

"Tsaka ano ba ginagawa mo dito?" dagdag ko. "Hindi ko alam na nagchange careers ka na. From a House of Mooncake to the House of Braids."

"It's the House of Ocean Moon and Blades-"

"Ay, talaga? Hindi sila magkaibang houses? The same sila-?"

I smirked when he poked the side of his cheeks before cutting me off. A sign of getting pissed off, huh. What a rare sight for this boy. Mala-Helios ata ang nangyari kanina at ang mukha niya ngayon similar doon sa faces niya everytime he sees sun boy.

"Don't be so easy to annoy, Tsuki. That would make you a very boring person to talk to." I teased. "Pero ano nga ba ang ginagawa mo dito? We have a test here."

"Our Herbs & Scales classes told us to come here dahil may hahanapin kaming certain plant. I was just roaming around nang makita kita."

"Oh, nang makita mo ako? And you instantly fell in love, huh?"

Hindi niya pinansin ang sinabi ko.

"There were no one else around and you were going towards the sinkhole. I was also a bit concerned if you got trapped in any illusion. Kaya tinulungan kita."

"Ang bait mo naman po."

He smirked. "Of course. It gets most girls."

That statement made me want to comment something but he suddenly crossed his arm and raised a brow at me. As if suddenly I was a little kid who must confess her every mischief to an older sibling.

"Now, imouto, can you tell me why you were trying to get near that thing?"

"I will kung sasabihin mo what imo- imoo utu?" I frowned, trying to recall whatever random words it was. "Imu ito? What was that again?"

Nang nagtaka ako sa salita, iniwas ko ang tingin sa kaniya. I stared hard at the ground or at the sky with a frowning face, so when I looked back at him next, I got surprised. Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit may napakasaya at... napakalungkot siyang ngiti sa mukha?

He was staring straight at me with a faraway gaze. His mouth was obviously in a smile, but it didn't look like he was happy or teasing me because I couldn't pronounce it right. Siguro malungkot siya na kahit na may pagka-eloquent ako, hindi ako marunong magpronounce ng inmotwo?

"Imuoto."

He corrected with a gentle tone, after sensing I was disturbed by his emotional face.

"Imuoto," I tried to copy the way he pronounced it. He chuckled. "And what does that mean? Is that an insult?"

Mas lalo siyang natawa. "Nah, but you shouldn't call me that. Call me Aniki or Ani. Pwede ding Nii-san kung gusto mo."

Ano bang pinagsasabi nito? I was only asking what Imuoto means tapos ngayon may tatlong bagong weird language siyang sasabihin?

At uutusan niya pa akong itawag 'yon sa kaniya? I don't even follow my parents' instructions nor this kingdom's rule. Siya pa kaya.

"What? Paniki?"

The grin in his face fell off. "Ani. A-ni. A-ni-ki."

"And I should call you that?" He nodded. "Why?"

Napamaang siya. "Anong why?"

"Like why should I call you that? Ano ba meaning niyan at sino ka para tawagin ko sa isang nickname?" mataray akong humalukipkip at tinaasan siya ng kilay. "Hindi tayo close o magkaano-ano."

The dumb guy only blinked at me. Pina-ikot ko ang mata at pinili na lang ang umalis. Feelingero din pala ang Tsukishima na 'yon. Well, remembering how he approached me at the library, it's not that surprising. He's nosy and feeling close.

Sobrang pagod na ng katawan ko nang makarating sa archery grounds. Ilang beses pa ako naligaw kanina dahil dumb din ata ang gumawa ng gubat na ito dahil parang maze. They don't have signs to tell me where the exit is! I tried to follow the path but one small turn and I'm deep in the forest again. Fortunately, there was this small black rabbit who appeared out the bush all of a sudden. Sinundan ko lang iyon hanggang sa nakarating ako sa labas.

What's strange though is how the rabbit vanished without a sound... and how there were traces of black smoke behind me.

"Ayos ka lang ba, Raven?" tanong ni Tamara na agad dumalo sa'kin. "Kinabahan na ako nang hindi ka pa lumabas! Lalo na't mga kalahating oras ka ding nanatili do'n sa gubat. Pero... nawala din si Damon kaya medyo hindi naman ako nag-alala. Sabi din si Giovanni, kung nando'n si Damon, huwag daw akong mag-alala sa'yo-"

Umirap ako. "Why? Superhero ba siya?"

"He does have superstrengthㅡ Wala, joke lang. Oo nga, bakit, Tam? Kahit na nando'n si Damon, kailangan pa rin nating mag-alala!" Griffin quickly switched sides when he noticed my glare.

In the corner of my eye, Azriel gave him an annoyed glance. Siguro iniisip na nito kung bakit ang dating tatlo naging apat na. Sa sobrang kapal ng mukha ni Griffin, nakapasok lang siya ng walang hirap.

Tamara frowned. "Hindi ko naman sinabing hindi tayo nag-alala?"

Azriel, who stood behind Tam, crossed his arms and stared at Griffin with criticism. His eyes, which was the only exposed part of his face, expressed his annoyance and dislike. Akala mo naman ininsulto ni Griffin lahat ng mahal niya sa buhay.

It also... made me curious though. My AA was finally showing these emotions, hm? Noon hindi naman siya galit o naiinis kay Griffin. Halos wala naman siyang pinapansin noon.

Griffin, the poor victim, only grinned at Tamara's innocent question. His attention was quickly stolen when someone exited the forest. Damon and Tsukishima both walked out with a blank face. Ngunit halata na may nangyari sa loob dahil mukhang galit sila sa isa't isa. I have no idea kung ako lang ang may blessed eye at nakikita ang pagka-ayaw nila sa isa't isa.

Hm... I wonder, does Tsukishima even like any other male in this school? Galit siya kay Helios, galit din kay Damon. Pero kung makapag-usap sa mga babae, akala mo dumating na si Hiraya para pagpalain siya.

"Oh!" Griffin exclaimed, shooting me a quick glance. "Akala ko si Damon lang nasa loob ng gubat."

So anong pakialam ko sa akala niya at bakit siya nakatitig sa'kin?

Hindi ko pinansin ang paninitig hanggang sa idagdag niya, "Sabay lang ba kayong lumabas, Raven?"

"Did you see me leave the forest with them?"

"Malay mo, Raven, na-imagine lang kita kasi namiss ko na..." he muttered to himself.

Although, I could guess why Griffin asked me that. Almost everyone around us has also sent me curious looks. There was only a short difference in time when I appeared before them. Kaya kahit na hindi kami literal na nagsakabay, pwedeng nagkasama pa rin kami sa loob. Would be fine if it's all curious looks, I get that a lot, but some girls are not even trying to hide their jealousy.

Hello? Ano naman ang gagawin ko kasama ang dalawang 'yan? Maglalaro tagu-taguan?

Beatrix sent me a quick glare before running towards Damon. Sumunod sa kaniya ang grupo niya. Sina Dustine at ang babaeng nakipag-usap sa'kin sa Rank Assessment noon. Akala ko nga noong Obstacle War, friendship over na silang tatlo, pero mukhang stay strong pa rin pala ngayon.

Some girls also tried to approach Paniki. Nginitian niya lang sila bago sumunod kay Damon. Nilapitan nila si Andreas at mukhang may pinag-uusapan silang seryoso. Our teacher always had this serious frown on his face, kahit na pinakamasayang araw na sa mundo, but this time, his expression was even more grave.

I couldn't help but think about what happened earlier. Nire-report ba nila kay Andreas ang nangyari sa'kin kanina? Is this a similar situations to those warning signs that the rebel faction have thrown here?

"Tamara," tawag ko sa kaibigang lumaki sa gubat na 'yon. "Are there spots inside the forest that are prone to illusion magic?"

"Illusion sa forest?" Tamara pursed her lips. "That's not impossible. Humihinga sa mahika ang gubat na 'to. Ang buong bulubundukin ng Ukiyo ay buhay sa mahika, especially since this is where Hiraya made her wish. Kaya pwedeng may nagmaterialize na beings o mga uncontrolled magic sa certain forest areas."

I hummed. That makes sense. Kaya rin siguro unseen sa naked eye, or sa mga hindi soulbearers, ang Ukiyo. It is a land of magic. From the deepest roots to every butterfly that flies around, they are filled with magic.

"Uncontrolled magic?"

Tumango si Tamara. "For example, kapag may namamatay na kahoy, nagdi-disperse ang magic na mayroon ito. If its magic type is the contrast of its nearest object, they will clash and form a khasma. That's this abyssal chaos formed by the opposing magic clashing with each other. Iyon din ang isa sa mga trabaho ng pamilya ko. To neutralize them and report to Paham."

"Do they have any specific forms? Paano mo nalalaman na khasma sila?"

"They have forms. Sometimes, they can be this small, unmoving tornado in the middle of a forest. Minsan naman isang floating ball na pinapalibutan ng kuryente. O 'di kaya pwedeng isang bangin din sila. Sa tanong mo... minsan din may naki-create na illusion sa paligid dahil sa imbalance of magic. Basta it's anything na pwedeng mag-attract ng tao papunta sa khasma-" kumunot ang noo ni Tamara. "Bakit mo nga pala natanong? Have you seen one?"

Both Azriel and Griffin, who had nothing else to do in their boring lives, flickered their attention to us.

Sinulyapan ko naman ang tatlong lalaki na nag-uusap pa rin. May pinapaliwanag si Damon ngayon sa kanila habang tumitingin-tingin sa paligid. Andreas fixed his eyeglasses before roaming his eyes around the place, giving a firm stare when it landed on me.

"I think I did."

Ibinalik ko ang tingin kay Tamara na naging seryoso ang mukha. "Can you describe it?"

"Isang bangin. An illusion was placed on me, at natagpuan ko na lang ang sarili na palapit doon. Damon was the one who broke the spell but he never did explained what it was and..." I paused. "Before that, I actually saw a shadow."

"A shadow?" si Azriel na ang nagtanong.

"There are certainly strange occurences in the forest due to imbalance or sudden burst of soul magic, but there were never shadows there. Mahigpit na pinagbabawal sa gubat ang kahit na anong dark magic. There's a high level surrounding it, made by the Queen herself." Tamara added.

Ah, right. Shadows, like Azriel's soulstone, are identified as under dark magics. At dahil allergic ang Hiraya dito, they will protect the mountains of Ukiyo the most.

Siguro nga hindi mula sa mga natural factors ang nangyari kanina. I recognized that shadow as that same bastard that I keep on seeing in the halls. They have that same dready feeling... kagaya noong nagpakita rin ang assailant na may soulstone ng kidlat. The birds... the thunder... the woman in black shadows that uttered my name...

If they're all connected, then there's really something huge that I'm not aware of. Which I actually should know, lalo na't mukhang ako pa naman ang target. I need to avoid situations like those earlier from happening again.

It's either someone would help me know what the fuck is happening or I learn about it the hard way. The option I would enjoy the most is if I could catch one of these bastards who's out to get me. If I could just make them talk...

"Few people can use shadows." nabalik ako sa kasalukuyan nang marinig ang boses ni Azriel. He had a grave and serious face. "The ability to manipulate shadows goes back to the previous war general. Ezreal. But he died at the Second War."

"The Second War?"

Why does it sound familiar?

"Iyan 'yong pinakahuling laban na nagpagulo sa mga bansa, Raven." sagot ni Griffin. "Kaya sa ngayon, mahigpit na magkaaway ang Gareth at Hiraya. Maraming importanteng tao ang nasawi diyan at... malaki ang kinalaman ng royal family sa nangyari."

"But isn't that just a rumor?" tanong ni Tamara. "Dito sa Ukiyo, higit na iniiwasan ang usapin na 'yan. Lalo na kapag ili-link sa royal family ang nangyari."

I still looked lost. Hindi ko masyadong maalala kung saan ko nga ulit narinig ang Second War na 'yan.

Azriel stepped closer to me. "The book, Raven. At the detention room."

Nanlaki ang mata ko. Right! That damned book that Tsukishima left narrated the true happenings of the Second War. Kagaya ni Ryuu at Sarienne, may kinalaman din kaya si Ezreal dito? And since the general of shadows died, baka naman anak niya 'yang nakakakontrol at nagiging shadow? I guess in terms of soulstones, that guy's on a higher expertise than Azriel.

"Raia."

Napahinto ang lahat nang pumasa-ere ang boses ni Ellis. She approached me with a strict face, darting a narrowed eye towards Andreas. Ipinanganak na talagang maldita at may galit sa mundo itong si Ellis, but she was never this stiff. Kung makatingin siya sa banda nina Andreas, parang sinira nito ang buhay niya.

Mag-ex kaya?

Hmm. I never associated my older sister with boys. Parang hindi nila kaya ang ugali niya.

"Ellis," nakangiti kong bati. "What are you doing here? Kumakamusta?"

It was supposed to be a joke but, of course, Ellis has no fun bone.

"May kailangan tayong pag-usapan-"

"Miss Tempest, I'm afraid I can't let you take my student away. We're still in the middle of a lesson-"

Ellis did not even glance at Andreas when she cut him off. "I don't see any lesson happening. She's talking with her friends, and you're not teaching anything so I'll just excuse her first."

"Hindi nga maaari-"

She finally looked at him with cold eyes. Kumunot naman ang noo ko nang magkatinginan sila ni Damon at may tensiyong nangyari sa dalawa.

Si Damon at Andreas ba talaga ang ex niya? Gara naman ni Ate. Akala ko no-boys-no-men ang motto niya sa buhay tapos madami din palang nalove-life.

"How dare you."

Nagulat kaming lahat nang isumbat iyon ni Ellis kay Damon. Her voice was filled with hatred and venom. Mas pinatalim pa ito ng mata niyang may kamatayan na pangako para sa lalaki.

"Everything was fine-"

"Nothing is fine." putol ni Damon. "I would heartily agree to the promise made, but quick action is necessary. The prophecy was spoken."

Halos hindi na huminga ang lahat nang masambit ang propesiya. It was always treated as a word that holds a lot of power and responsibility.

"The Academia does not know but Paham is informed. They will come."

Hindi ko na napigilan ang kuryosidad ko at napatanong, "Sino?"

Bilang sagot, isang matinding pagkulog ang narinig sa buong lugar. A flash of thunder almost blinded my eyes. Sa isang iglap ay parang bumigat ang hangin at libo-libong pulang mata ang nagpakita mula sa gubat.

Ellis suddenly took the space in front of me, pushing me behind her, while Damon blocked the two of us. Sa taas, isang pagiyak ng agila ang maririnig.

"War..."

Isang babae ang lumabas at naalala ko siya bilang ang nagmamay-ari ng kidlat. Kasabay niya ay isang lalaki na halos makain na ng mga anino na pumapalibot. The shadow who kept on following me the past few days.

"...And ruin."