A DIFFERENT TIMELINE PART 1

"MASTER, wake up."

Inalis ni Lis ang mga kamay na marahang tinatapik ang kaniyang braso. Umaalingawngaw sa kaniyang tainga ang boses ng kaniyang maid. Nagtalukbong siya sa kumot at hindi ito pinansin.

"Master, it's time for your bath."

"Mamaya na, Ami. Inaantok pa ako—" Napahinto siya sa pagsasalita at mabilis na napabukas ang mga mata. Inalis niya ang kumot at inilibot ang tingin sa buong paligid.

He was in his room.

"What . . ."

"Your bath is ready, master."

Tiningnan niya ang babae na humihikab at nakatayo sa kaniyang gilid. Kaagad na nagsalubong ang kaniyang mga kilay dahil isang batang babae ang nakatayo sa tabi niya.

"Ami, since when did you become a child again?" he asked but the girl just looked at him, as if he didn't hear him.

The girl gestured her hand for Lisianthus to get out of bed. Nakapagtataka dahil kusang tumayo ang kaniyang katawan na para bang may sarili itong pag-iisip. Sa pagkakaalala niya, wala namang manipulation ability si Ami.

Anong nangyayari?

Wala siyang nagawa kundi magtungo sa bathroom at maligo. Pagkatapos niyang magbihis at makita ang sarili sa salamin, doon lang siya natauhan. Napaigtad siya subalit ang kaniyang katawan ay nanatiling walang reaksyon.

Hindi ito sumusunod sa kaniya at para bang may sarili itong utak.

He was trapped inside the body of his little self.

The Lis he saw in the mirror was a kid. He resembled him in everything except for his hair. It was all painted with pastel pink, and he couldn't find any traces of lavender.

He wanted to touch his hair, but the kid Lis didn't move his hand. He was not following him. May sarili itong isip, salita, at buhay. Pati ang mga pangyayari ay hindi niya hawak. Nanonood lang siya habang nasa loob ng katawan. Paanong napunta siya rito?

He heard a knock from the door, so his little self turned.

"Come in," said the kid Lis. Whatever the kid says, he also says. But whatever words he tried to say, he couldn't voice it out. Walang nakaririnig sa mga salita niya bukod sa kaniya.

Bumukas ito at halos bumagsak ang kanyang puso nang makita ang kaniyang kaibigan. "Cross . . ."

The kid Cross greeted him with a punch on his face that the kid Lis easily stopped.

"Good morning, you ugly piss of shit!" bati nito at nakipagsuntukan.

Dahil nasa loob siya ng batang si Lis na abalang makipagrambulan kay Cross, naramdaman niya ang mainit nitong kamao na tumatama sa kaniyang mukha. Pilit niyang iniisip kung kailan ito nangyari dahil pamilyar ito sa kaniya.

"Ito talaga ang ireregalo mo sa birthday ko?" the body he was caged in asked.

Right! It was his 15th birthday. Sa pagkakaalala niya, magkakaroon ng selebrasyon mamayang gabi para ipagdiwang ang kaniyang kaarawan.

'Bakit ako bumalik sa nakaraan?'

While he was in the middle of trying to figure out what was happening, the surrounding suddenly turned into a blur, as if it was spinning, fast enough to make him feel dizzy, but slow enough to allow him watched how his life unfolded. A series of familiar events flashed before his eyes as he experienced how his body grew from a kid into a fine adult.

Everything was all the same. The people. The conversation. The events from his childhood to an adult; he had seen all this. He had already experienced this once.

The only thing that was different was his hair. He couldn't find the lavenders.

"Master, it's almost eleven. We need to go back home." Napalingon siya sa kaniyang tabi. It was Sephtis.

Nasa loob sila ng isang bar ngayon. It was the day where he lost his Dragon Stone.

"Right. We need to go home," he replied but just like what happened, no voice came out from his mouth.

"Huwag ka nga. Kahit 'di halata sa mukha mo, alam ko namang nag-e-enjoy ka rin. And don't call me Master, we are in the bar right now. Forget about our titles and just enjoy!" Ito ang mga katagang lumabas sa katawan niya.

He sighed as he realized he couldn't do anything except watching the events unfold before his eyes. He stopped trying to interfere and let the flow of events happened like as if he was watching a play.

Kahit hindi niya maintindihan kung bakit wala siya sa council ngayon at kung paano siya nakarating dito, hinayaan na lang niyang maranasan muli ang mga pangyayari sa kaniyang buhay. Kung paano siya nalasing no'ng gabing 'yon at pagalitan ng kaniyang ina kinabukasan, kung paano siya nabigyan ulit ng sermon dahil ninakaw ang kaniyang Dragon Stone, ang pagpunta nila sa Blizzard Region at makilala si Zeby, hanggang sa marating nila ang Faegika at makita niya si Aryl, muli niya itong naranasan lahat.

Labis na kalungkutan ang naramdaman niya nang makita niya si Pahima, nangangahulugang malapit nang mangyari kung saan mawawala si Cross sa kanila.

Malapit na siya roon subalit biglang nag-iba ang pangyayari.

Gabi na pero imbes na matulog ay lumabas siya at nagtungo papunta sa Aena Tower na sa pagkakaalala niya ay hindi niya ginawa.

Hindi pa siya dapat pumunta sa Aena Tower. Hindi pa dapat ito ang nangyari. Hindi siya dapat nakaupo ngayon sa barandilya at pinagmamasadan ang buong Faegika.

Bumilis ang tibok ng kaniyang puso.

With a pounding heart, his body turned into the direction of the rustling window. Alam na niya ang mangyayari subalit hindi niya pa rin mapigilang magulat at matulala nang masilayan ang babaeng nagmamay-ari ng ube na mga mata.

Tumuntong ito sa barandilya. "Yes! Finally, I'm free!" At kaagad na napatingin sa kaniya.

Nagtama ang kanilang tingin dahilan para bigla itong madulas. Kamuntikan na itong mahulog kung hindi niya pa nasalo ang babae.

"Are you okay?"

"Ang ganda mo."

This was how he met Violet. It was the same. It was the same as how his eyes locked up to hers. How his heart was filled with tranquility as their skin touched. And how willingly he would want to get stucked on those lavender eyes forever.

Everything was of the same scene except his strong emotion. Too strong, hard, and unavoidable. Gustong kumawala ng puso niya sa lakas ng nararamdaman niya para sa babae.

"Bakit ka nandito sa labas? Curfew na kaya," tanong ni Violet.

"At ikaw? Bakit ka rin lumabas?" tanong niya rin pabalik.

Ilang sandali bago ito sumagot. "I'm sneaking."

"Why?"

Mapaglaro siyang sinulyapan ni Violet. "Secret. Pakasalan mo muna ako."

Natawa siya. Violet would always be Violet. "That's so unnecessary. Can you stop hitting on me?"

"Hindi puwede dahil nabihag na ako ng kagandahan mo." Napahawak pa ito sa kaniyang dibdib na animo'y natusok ng palaso. "Mahal na yata kita, Lis."

"Crazy woman. You won't want to get married with me."

"Believe me, I do."

"Stop saying that. I might say yes to you,", sagot ng Lis na ginagalawan niya ngayon dahilan para mapataas ang kaniyang kilay.

He didn't remember saying that. More than that, he didn't remember agreeing to Violet's proposal on the first day they had seen each other.

"Kailan pa ako um-oo nang mabilis?" he said as if someone could hear him. He was like a subconscious mind, witnessing himself flirt with the woman he just met.

"I love the smell of your hair. It's alluring."

"Calm the heck down, Lisianthus!" Hindi niya aakalin na dadating ang araw na sisitahin niya ang kaniyang sarili.

Paano ba naman kasi, bukod sa sinasabayan nito ang mga banat ni Violet, wala ring tigil sa pagpintig nang mabilis ang puso nito. At dahil nasa loob siya ng lalaki, ramdam na ramdam din niya ito.

Nagraragasa ang kaniyang emosyon at hindi man lang niya iyon magawang pigilan. Parang nakawala ito sa hawla. He couldn't get his eyes off her. From her ebony hair and to the mole below her eyes, he wanted to touch it; he wanted to feel the softness of her face.

The sweet echoes of her voice brought a tingling spark inside him. He was addicted to how her expression changed every time he utters a word. The lavender scent filled his smell as if it was singing him a lullaby, magical and seducing. The night was cold, yet he couldn't feel the breeze for his mind and heart was busy understanding his emotion.

He failed to feel these emotions before. Except for the immeasurable peace, he didn't feel a strong urge that was willing to forget every dream he had just to be with the woman.

"So, this is what's missing," he figured out.

Palagi siyang nagtatanong dati kung bakit parang may kulang palagi sa nararamdaman niya, na para bang may harang at hindi siya makatawid. At ito iyon. Ngunit bakit ngayon niya lang ito naramdaman?

Napapikit siya. Kahit ang Lis na ginagalawan niya ay abala pa ring makipaglandian kay Violet, siya naman ay napapikit na lang sa kahihiyan.

The emotion was too powerful, it was making him go crazy and go high in his thoughts. How embarrassing. If he had felt it before, he might be repeating the same thing he did just like now.

"You will really marry me? Promise 'yan, ah?"

"Promise. But there are things that I needed to do first."

Or maybe even more than promising Violet in marrying her.

Baka nga pinakasalan na niya kaagad.

"Lis, you crazy S-gene! How could you say that to a woman you just met? You barely even know her!" sigaw niya sa sarili kahit hindi rin naman siya maririnig.

Nasa loob siya ng katawan niya pero gusto niya itong suntukin sa kabaliwan. Until the scene changed, he never stopped complaining. Since when did he become so crazy about a woman? Does love at first sight really exist?

"Hibi." Napatingin siya sa kaniyang tabi na agad niya ring pinagsisihan dahil hindi na niya maalis pa ang tingin kay Violet.

Wala na sila sa Aena Tower. Maliwanag na rin ang paligid at ngayon, naglalakad-lakad sila sa capital. May hawak na bulaklak si Violet sa kabilang kamay at ang isa naman ay nakahawak sa kaniyang mga braso.

"Are we on a date?!" he freaked out again. Though, no one could hear him.

He sighed in surrender. Hinayaan na lang niya ang sarili na tuluyang mabaliw sa babaeng kasama niya. What the Lis he was in did, he did it as well. He liked it anyway. He liked spending time with her. He enjoyed what the events were showing him; the events he never experienced on his timeline.

Maraming pinakita sa kaniya na siya at si Violet lang ang magkasama. A couple of morning visits in the Aena Tower and their afternoon dates flying across Faegika like it was their own place., and the evening stargazing, sitting on the railing and feeling the presence of each other were just one of the those.

He and Violet. Just them. Being together.

Violet buried her face in his chest as he hugged her tight. They were sitting on the railing of her room. Masasaya ang lahat ng bagay na nakita niya pero kapalit n'yon ang pamimigat ng kaniyang damdamin.

Natatakot siya sa mga susunod na mangyayari lalo na't hindi pa nangyayari ang pagsugod ng mga Z-gene sa kanila.

"Lis, do you prefer the moon over the stars?" Violet asked as she wrapped her arms around his body. Malakas ang hangin sa ibabaw ng Aena Tower pero sanay na sila sa lamig.

Napatingin naman si Lis sa kalangitan. He could barely see the moon because of the clouds, yet the stars, millions of them, were still shining. "I prefer the stars, my quintessence."

"Bakit mo ba ako palaging tinatawag niyan?" Humiwalay ito at tiningnan siya.

Ngumiti naman siya at hinawakan ang magkabila nitong pisngi. "Because you complete me."

Ngumiti naman ito nang pagkatamis-tamis at hinampas ang kaniyang braso. "Stop!"

Napadaing siya at napakamot sa braso nitong hinampas dahil sa sakit. Ang lakas talagang manapak nito. Sinulyapan niya ito na abala pa ring kiligin. "Violet."

"Bakit?"

"Why did you fall in love with me?" The question he had been thinking since the moment they met.

Sa pagkakataong ito, si Violet naman ang humawak sa magkabila niyang pisngi. "Because you look like a flower."

"So, you only love me because of my looks?" he asked, teasing her.

"Don't ask me why I fell in love with you kasi hindi ko rin alam. I just know you're beautiful. And before I knew it, I'm already into you." She caressed his face. From his cheeks, down to his lips, he could feel the warmth on her fingers.

He pulled her closer to him, letting her sit on his lap. The tips of their lips were almost touching, and he could hear the loud pounding in his heart.

He didn't think twice and close the gap between them. He hugged her tighter as Violet wrapped her arms around his neck. Her lips onto him, kissing back every kiss he gave with gentleness, making him lose his sanity.

He wanted more. He wanted her lips on him. Forever.

He deepened the kiss as his other hand started to travel across her body, finally reaching her cheek. Humiwalay siya at pinagmasdan ang nangungusap nitong mga mata. "I feel the same way, my quintessence. I feel the same way . . ."

And once again, he claimed her lips.