STRINGS AND CHAINS

CHAPTER 30

We stood here inside her office completely unaware with Lauren's intention. We were put here, like we're in some kind of a trial waiting to be sentenced, waiting for her final verdict. So what's her decision? Ano nga bang gagawin niya sa amin ni Raiden? First, Raiden committed a mistake twice. Hindi niya sinunod ang master niya noon and still drank human blood which is for them is really forbidden. Second he made a mistake he was punished by Lauren and sealed him in his dog form. At doon ko siya nakilala. Three years ago. I took him sa shelter at inuwi sa bahay ko. Lauren gave him another chance to prove himself by obtaining the orb but he failed. And it was because of me.

"How did you get out?" tanong ni Lauren kay Raiden.

"I made sure no one will take you from that shelter. I also made sure na hindi ka magshi-shift pabalik. So what did you do?"

Tumingin ako kay Raiden. "I did not shift to my human form for two years. I remained as a dog like you wanted," sagot niya rito.

"So how did you get out?"

Raiden licked her lips. He seems nervous. What's wrong?

"I saw a string," sagot niya kay Lauren. Tumaas ang kilay nito at tila mas naging interesado.

"A string?" paniniguro ni Lauren.

"Yes, a red string floating on her body," sagot ni Raiden. There was a red string floating on my body? Anong ibig sabihin no'n? At para saan ang string na 'yon?

"And what did you do with it?" tanong ni Lauren. Tumingin ako pabalik sa kanya. She seems to know about that red string.

"I tried to hold it but I can't," sagot ni Raiden.

"Of course, you can't. It's not for you," sagot ni Lauren. Kumunot-noo na ako.

"But it went to me and because of that I broke from your seal," wika ni Raiden.

Hindi ko mabasa ang ekspresyon ni Lauren. Raiden is nervous as hell. He's confused too with that red string. Ako rin ay naguguluhan na rito. Para saan ang red string na 'yan? Anong alam nila tungkol sa bagay na 'yon?

Nakita ata ni Lauren ang pagkalito sa mukha ko kaya't she gladly explained everything to me.

"Do you believe in fate, Maru?" tanong niya sa akin.

Hindi ako nakasagot agad sa tanong niya. Do I really believe in fate? Was it fate that brought me and Raiden together? Was it fate that I was turned to be like this?

"Do you believe that there is a person fated for you?" tanong pa niya sa akin.

Tumango ako. I'm sure everyone does. I believe someone is fated to love me and be with me as I grow old.

"Do you think it's him?" tanong niya muli. Nagkatinginan kami muli ni Raiden. Muling bumalik ang tingin ko kay Lauren. I wanted to agree na si Raiden ang taong 'yon para sa akin. But is it too early to say that? How am I sure if he's the right one? No one can tell it except me, us, isn't it?

"I do," sagot ko.

Nakita ko ang pagngiti ni Lauren. "There's one thing that I love seeing here in this world. It's when two strings finally met and be connected to one another."

"If the string went to you then you know what it is, Raiden," wika ni Lauren.

"It means she chose you and you chose her," wika ng lalaking nakatayo sa tabi ni Lauren, ang asawa niya.

"You both did it when you two met at that shelter. You chose him to be your pet and you didn't reject her," dugtong pa nito.

"He had no choice. He was there for a long time," sagot ko naman.

Lauren shrugged. "He had. Ilang tao ba ang pumupunta sa shelter para mag-adopt? Do you think ikaw ang kauna-unahang nagtangkang kunin si Raiden?" Umiling ito. "No, he chose you too."

Nagsalubong ang kilay ko. Why are we suddenly talking about this? Anong connect nito sa nangyayari? I don't understand.

"Now that the strings are connected, what do you think will happen next?" dugtong pa nito.

"Strings? Connected to whom?"

"From you to him. In our race, we have what we call mate. A partner that will love you, help you, and be with you as long as you can. Your lover for a lifetime. You are Raiden's mate, his Vas."

Napakurap ako sa sinabi niya. A mate and a lover for a lifetime? What does it mean? I'm his mate, his Vas? What—I don't get it. Tumingin ako kay Raiden. He's not saying anything. He just looked at me, watching my confused expression.

"I—I don't get it. A lover, a partner, for a lifetime? Isn't that too much?" tanong ko.

"It is pretty too much, I agree," sagot ni Lauren.

"We're a product of it too. We're mates; we are each other's Vas. Yohan and I," dugtong pa nito. Tumingin ako sa kanilang mag-asawa. If they're mates and they are still together, isn't that somehow... amazing?

"At first we don't know about this mate or Vas thing. We just both knew that we're fated to be with each other. Now in our race and even in werewolves, I heard that this is pretty much a common thing when finding one's partner. But it's not necessarily for you to have it or search for it. You can end up to anyone, someone, mate or not mate.

"But in my case, now also your case, it's pretty special and a miracle to find your other half. According to our studies about the Vas, it's hard to search for your mate or even find it. There are cases na hindi mo mahahanap ang taong 'yon. It happens to most of us, vampires. And there are also cases that even if you are mates, one can reject it. So it's not all successful katulad sa amin."

I was surprised with these strings and mates. I don't know what to say. I mean, what should we do?

"Can I explain it to her in private?" tanong ni Raiden.

Narinig ko ang pagbuntong-hininga ni Lauren. "I'm not yet done. There are problems. You should both know it."

Sabay atang nagsalubong ang kilay naming dalawa ni Raiden sa sinabi niya.

"That string can be broken one way or another. It's up to you both kung anong gagawin niyo para sa isa't isa. This is a complicated world and your life depends on your choices. You pick, choose, and bear the consequences. Raiden is just one of those people that will come to your life, make you whole, and make you broken. It's up to you and to him if both of you are really fated to each other. You will work on it together," paliwanag ni Lauren.

"You can decide whether to cut it or not. Reject him or not," wika naman ng kanyang asawa.

"That's the rule that we have here. But something changed, am I right, Raiden? There are no more strings. It's not connected anymore. The moment you died and went back here completely different, it changed the courses. You're not human. You are now a succubus. A perfect vessel for the lady demon and there is a seed growing inside your body. So again, my question, what should I do with the both of you?"

Huminga ako ng malalim. Lilith showed me what's happening in hell. It's a chaos down there. It's their battle, not us. We're just their pawns here above their world. It's their game. We are all pieces here. I don't know Lilith's true intention. She just showed me everything. Nalilito ako at first dahil wala naman akong alam sa totoong nangyayari.

The orb, demons, vampires, all the creatures up here, we are all tangled in their mess. It's all part of their plans. As for me, I should just stick to one decision that will help me the most. I want to get out of here. Away from them.

"I don't want any of this," I confessed. "I agreed to Lilith because I want to live, I want to survive. It is true that she planted a seed on me. One day, she'll just pop here and begin everyone's nightmare. Doom's day. She has plans that I don't know. And all I know is she wanted me to play a perfect a role for it."

Nagkatinginan ang mag-asawa at muling tumingin sa aming dalawa. "Then we have to stop it," wika nito.

Kumunot-noo ako.

"We have to kill you before she begin that nightmare through you."

Raiden immediately went to protect me. Humarang siya sa harap ko.

"Please don't. I will do anything, everything. Just please don't kill her."

Tumayo si Lauren at naglakad patungo sa aming dalawa. Raiden stepped back and I did the same. She's really terrifying. I don't like this. I just want to go home and be with my friends and family but I can't. As long as Lilith's seed is inside me, I can never go back home.

I said goodbye because I know this is what will happen. They really have to kill me para mapigilan si Lilith sa pinaplano niya.

"Night won't like this and either Chanel. Do you want me to handle it or them? Choose."

Then at last I heard their names. Night and Chanel.

"Wait—Wait! They can help me," wika ko.

Tumingin sa akin si Raiden. "You don't know what you're saying. Those two are different. They're not like us."

"So is Lilith. Those two are the only one who can help me."

"Trust me. You don't want to sell your soul twice," wika ni Lauren.

"They're not really like literally who can help me but they can help me find someone," paliwanag ko.

"Lilith told me that I only have two ways to break the contract with her. It's either she dies which is impossible or if some miracle happened and I find the curse breaker."

Nagkatinginan muli sina Yohan and Lauren.

"Is this possible? A curse breaker?" tanong ni Yohan.

"If it is, then we can't rely on Night or Chanel."

Kumunot-noo ako. "W-why? They're the only ones who know that person."

"They're the last demons in hell that will help find a curse breaker. They create curses and contracts in both worlds. Sa tingin mo ba ay tutulungan ka nilang hanapin ang taong 'yon? Na kayang sumira ng mga plano nila?" Umiling si Lauren.

"We both know what's really happening. Alam mo rin kung paano sila kumilos. Hindi sila gagawa ng bagay na hindi papabor sa kanila. I know what you're thinking and what you feel right now. I've been there. I also want to break free. But I have the chain on my neck, same as you."

Naglakad palayo sa amin si Lauren. Nakita ko ang pagrelax ni Raiden sa paglayo nito sa amin. I can also finally breathe. I was about to get killed. Isang katahimikan ang bumalot sa buong kuwarto. They're thinking, Raiden too, on what to do next and how we find a solution to the problem.

There's only two ways. It's either they kill me or they help me find the curse breaker. Pero paano?

Tumingin si Lauren kay Raiden at sa akin.

"You said you will do anything for her," wika ni Lauren.

"Then you will have to do everything that I will say to keep her alive," dugtong pa nito.

"Here's the plan." Tumingin kami kay Yohan.

"You have only days to stop that seed growing in your body. Once it reaches your heart and mind, you can no longer break away from it. So Raiden will have to search for the curse breaker. And if he didn't come back before the final day, you know what's going to happen next."

"And another thing," wika ni Lauren. "There's no guarantee na babalik ka sa pagiging tao. There's a lower chance that you can but we are not sure if you can make it far. It will shorten your life."

A lower chance or nothing at all. Ibig sabihin hindi pa rin ako makakabalik sa pagiging tao.

"I can't be human again?"

Tumango ang mga ito sa akin. Bakit? Why can't I get back?

Raiden hold my hand kaya't napatingin ako sa kanya. "You died. Your human heart died. If you want to go back as a human that means death too. You can live but just for a short time. That's how you will pay for breaking the contract."

I bit my lip at huminga ng malalim. "So I will be a succubus forever?"

Tumango siya sa akin.

"But I don't want to be like this forever. Please, Raiden."

Hinaplos niya ang pisngi ko. "I can't do anything about it. I can only save you and everyone like you always wanted by finding that curse breaker."

Then I don't want to be saved!

"Then kill me."

He's hurt and I can see the pain in his eyes. If I'm going to be a succubus forever, then I'll just die too.

"No." Matigas niyang sagot.

"You have to kill me."

"I can't."

"You can."

I took a risk. It's my fault. I agreed to the devil's deal because I thought I could somehow manage to escape from it. Now it's too late to regret everything. Katulad nga no'ng sinabi ko noon, nang mga panahong nandoon sa impyerno kasama si Lilith sa iisang kuwarto, dalawa lamang ang kahihinatnan ko. Mamamatay ako o mamamatay ako. Mamamatay sa kamay ni Lilith o mamamatay sa kamay ng ibang tao.

At least I saw them one last time and I managed to say goodbye.

Narinig ko ang pagtawa ni Lauren kaya't muli kaming napatingin sa kaniya.

"Do you really have to do that here in my office?"

Bigla akong nahiya. Narinig ko rin ang mahinang pagtawa ng kanyang asawa.

"You know it's very rare to see you like this, Raiden. You've fallen deeply. I don't know if that's a good thing. A man crazy in love will do anything for the sake of love."

"Then I have a proposition," wika ni Yohan.

"May I ask first why don't you want to stay like that? You have immortal life. You can live with him as long as you want."

"I—I don't like Lilith. I don't want to be like her. Like this. I just can't."

"Then do you want to be like us?" tanong nito at doon ako natigilan.

"A vampire?" tanong ko.

Nakita ko ang pagngiti ni Lauren. "Hmm, good idea."

Ngumiti rin sa akin si Yohan. "Yes, a vampire."

Tumingin ako kay Raiden, muli kay Lauren, at sa kanyang asawa.

I don't want to be a succubus. That's my final decision. Gusto kong bumalik sa pagiging tao pero hindi na mangyayari 'yon. And to be a vampire... Gusto ko bang maging katulad nila? Ni Raiden?

"If that happens, I have to sign a contract again with a demon. Am I right?"

Umiling si Lauren.

"No, not really."

"Then I don't need to sell my soul again?"

"I told you. You don't want that to happen. I don't too."

"But how?" tanong ko. Paano ako magiging bampira?

"We'll have to break the chains first and connect the strings."

Kumunot-noo ako. What does she mean?

"The chain that binds you to Lilith and the string that connects you to Raiden. That's the key to your survival."

Lumunok ako at tumingin kay Raiden. I can't decide. I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I want to become like them.

"Let's find the curse breaker first then decide after," wika ni Lauren saka ito naglakad patungo sa pinto.

"Call your brothers. We need help," anunsyo nito bago tuluyang lumabas ng kuwarto.

***

(Just want to unleash my fangirling here kasi kasi I realized I miss Lauren when I started writing her in the last chapter and here in this chapter again. At syempre, si Yohan!!! Mga hindot!! Ang puso ko! Ang bebe ko! Pero syempre, mas nakaka-excite 'tong dulo. Kingina  *excuse me lang po talaga di ko na ma-take* magkikita-kita na ulit 'yong pito! The last time we saw them together sa Freed pa. Wuuuu! Itodo na 'to! Kaway-kaway sa mga fetus readers ng Curse Series!

Okay. Back to being serious. I just want to inform you that I will be ending SAC. Five chapters left and we're done!)