THE END IS ALMOST SET

"NATIVIA, why did you . . ." Lis couldn't find the right words to say.

He was looking up. Looking at the Z-genes coming to them. As they grew nearer, the guards all over Mythria surrounded and outnumbered the Z-genes. Doctor Lucatha remained unthreatened, but the stroke of his eyebrows slanted, showing that his annoyance.

"Infuriating animals!" sigaw nito. Tinutukoy nito ang self-destruction na ginawa ng dalawang Z-gene at ang pagkasira ng council.

Nagkasalubong ang kanilang mga tingin. Napakuyom ang kaniyang mga kamao nang ngumisi ito sa kaniya.

The anger he felt towards him were immeasurable. Ramdam niya ang panginginig sa kaniyang kamay at ang bumabaon na kuko sa palad.

"How brave of you to be in our territory." Lis' mother, Reora, was burning with anger too. Ni hindi na makita ang pigura nito sa loob ng apoy. She became the fire itself; the hottest fire she could cast. Unbeatable, deadly, and pissed.

Lumipad ang kaniyang ina at hinarap ang doktor. The army was also waiting for her signal.

Sinulyapan ni Lis sa kanang bahagi 'di kalayuan sa kaniyang tinatayuan sina Sephtis at Aryl. He needed to keep them away from Doctor Lucatha first. Binaling niya ang tingin sa kabila kung saan naroroon si Violet at mabilis na hinawakan ang kamay nito kaya napatingin sa kaniya ang babae.

Hinila niya ito sa isang yakap at hinalikan ang noo. Hindi pinansin ni Lis ang ama nitong ang sama ng tingin sa kaniya.

"Stay with your father."

"Bakit? Saan ka pupunta?"

He smiled. "Dito lang naman. I need to do something."

He stared at her, his fingertips touching the mole below her eyes. He wanted to kiss it. After knowing what he had forgotten, he was sure of his feelings for her. Too sure that he wished a couple of times to let this timeline be their last battle.

"I'll see you later."

As Lis heard her mother's shout, the guards started to charge, battling the high and low-ranked Z-genes. Kumalas na rin siya sa pagkakayakap at tinungo ang direksyon nina Sephtis at Aryl, ngunit napatigil siya nang may malaking sibat na gawa sa tubig ang binato sa kaniyang direksyon.

It was from Nativia.

Eyes mad at him, Nativia charged and tried to land a blow on him from above. He was ready to accept her fist, but a figure of a man shielded him.

"Tripenthine?"

"Leave her to me," The king of the Merman said while not removing his attention to Nativia.

Hindi na siya sumagot pa at tinungo ang direksyon ng dalawang kaibigan. Hinila niya ang mga kamay nito at tumakbo papalapit sa isang guard house.

Pumasok sila roon.

"Master?" nagtatakang tawag ni Sephtis sa kaniya.

Nagtatanong din ang mga mata ni Aryl. "Bakit mo kami dinala rito?"

"I need to ask a favor from the both of you."

"What is it?"

He looked at Aryl, then to Sephtis. "Allow me to kill her."

---

"GET out of my way!" Nativia hissed as Tripenthine stopped every attack she made.

Stepping sidewards, he released a water-chaining spell from his hands. He grabbed her neck and pinned her on the ground. Pain was written all over his face as the water from his hand chained her neck, stopping her from getting up.

"How did you become so desperate, my queen?" In a low voice, he spoke to her. "Why are you betraying our district?"

"Shut up!" The woman punched him in the face. She sipped his Water Chain and released herself.

Mabilis siyang napaatras nang makita niya itong bumubuo ng Water Spear hanggang sa umabot ng libo ang numero nito. Lahat ay nakaturo sa kaniya.

"Nativia, stop this." He closed his eyes in frustration, still questioning what went wrong for them.

They were good not too long ago. Not until a human talked to his Nativia.

"You don't have the right to order me. I am no longer yours, Ine. I am not part of this district anymore." She released her spell, fast enough to get to him yet it didn't even pierce him. Bawat spear na tumama sa kaniyang katawan ay tumatagos lang na para bang isa rin siyang katawang tubig.

He owned the sea. The water. The calmity. How could a property hurt him if he himself was their guardian?

Nativia knew it but she didn't stop attacking him. Lumipad ito papalapit sa kaniya at hinawakan ang kuwelyo ng kaniyang asul na roba. Her eyes spoke greed, anger, and pain.

'What happened to you, my queen?'

"I will kill you. All of you. And I will be queen over Mythria. This place will be mine!"

He sighed. "You did all of this because of that? You betrayed us. You betrayed your lineage, your people. And you betrayed me." He touched her face, making her flinch. "We should not be fighting. We are supposed to be with each other. If you continue to be like this, I will not have a choice but to treat you as enemy."

"Then, do it. Kill me." The woman smirked at him. Winaksi nito ang kamay niya.

"Enough, Nat—" Hindi niya natapos ang sasabihin nang bigla siya nitong sinuntok. Napahawak siya sa kaniyang ilong na dumudugo. Bago pa siya makabawi, binigyan siya ng babae ng isang malakas na sipa dahilan para mawala siya sa balanse.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"But you are already a queen! What else are you asking?"

"I want everything! And I could only achieve that if all of you will be out of my way!" Isa na namang suntok ang natanggap niya kay Nativia.

Sinalo niya lahat ng kamao nito. Hindi siya gumalaw sa lupa kung saan siya nakalupasay at hinayaan si Nativia na bugbugin siya.

Alam niyang gustong-gusto ni Nativia na maging pinuno. Bata pa lang sila dati, pinangarap na nitong pamunuan ang kaharian ng karagatan. At natupad nga iyon. She became queen, and as her king, he stayed by her side.

But he didn't expect that Nativia would take this to another level. He knew about Nativia and Doctor Lucatha's plan, but he kept quiet. Ilang beses niya na ring nahuli itong kausap ang doktor. Nag-away na rin sila tungkol dito dahil isang malaking krimin ang nais nitong gawin at hindi siya handang suportahan iyon.

To betray the district he swore to be loyal with was something that he couldn't bargain. He tried to convince her multiple times to stop this madness, and yet, she still didn't listen.

"Will you really kill me?" tanong niya dahilan para mapatigil ito. "If I were to die by your hands, will you be okay without me?"

"You—"

"You don't like the taste of other's cooking except mine, so how are you supposed to eat without me?" A small, sad smile formed on his lips as he thought about the old times. "Who will going to tie your hair if you don't like it being touched by anyone except me? Who will spend the night awake with you when you can't sleep? Who will going to listen to all your stories when I'm gone?"

The surrounding was loud, full of shouts of chaos, smells of blood and sweat, but the only thing that matters to him was the woman on top of him, staring at him.

"Of all the things I have given you, I guess it wasn't enough. But please, allow me to make it up to you. I will submit my all to you just like always. I will do anything you want just not this. Stop this, my love, please," he pleaded.

"Shut up! You are no longer of value to me!" She raised her hand to cast another spell. Her voice was rough yet the emotion from her eyes betrayed her words. "I no longer . . ."

"No longer what? Love me?"

Napakurap si Nativia. Ilang segundo itong natahimik bago sumagot.

"Y-yes." Hindi ito makatingin nang diretso sa kaniya. "I don't love you anymore."

"Will it make you happy if you achieve what you want?"

"Y-yes."

"I see." He smiled. "Power over love, it is." Tripenthine cast a Water Spear from his hand, similar yet different from Nativia, for the Water Spear he made was a trident, a heritage from his lineage. A trident that could extinguish every living S-gene just by a small touch from its tip. It was the total protector of their lineage, but it was also his nemesis. Walang silbi ang lahat ng water spell sa kaniya pero kapag ang trident ang bumaon sa kaniyang katawan, tuluyan siyang mawawala na parang bula.

Tripenthine aimed the trident on his chest, and he saw how Nativia's face panicked.

He let out a smile.

'How can you kill me looking like that?'

"I don't want you to carry the burden of my death, so allow me to kill myself."

"W-wait! Stop—" Sinubukan ni Nativia na hawakan ang trident pero mabilis niya itong tinulak dahilan para maalis ang babae sa kaniyang ibabaw.

"I wish for your happiness, my queen."

Walang halong pagdadalawang-isip, mabilis niyang tinarak ang trident sa kaniyang dibib.

As he started to disappear, a loud scream enveloped his ear.

---

"PLEASE, Pa. We don't have much time. Just do what I want."

Larius cursed under his breath as he fought alongside his wife and as he remembered what his son had said. Ramdam niya ang init nito kahit nasa kabilang bahagi siya. Inikutan nilang dalawa si Doctor Lucatha.

Umalingawngaw ang tawa ng doktor dahil bawat atake nila ay hindi ito naaapektuhan. Nasa himpapawid sila at hindi lang sila ang naglalaban, pati na ang mga guwardiya. Unti-unti nang nalalagas ang mga Z-genes dahil na rin sa dami nila at pati na ang kanilang lakas.

The Z-genes would never surpass the S-genes. Despite being a hybrid, the power they had couldn't match what the Z-genes had been given.

It was funny to think that they still chose to create a lot of hybrids but knew that they couldn't surpass them. What was the point?

The point was just the humans' own self-gain. They were just puppets. A diversion and an experiment to further their research. Ang kagustuhan ng mga nagdaang lider hanggang kay Doktor Lucatha na maging makapangyarihan sa lahat at magkaroon ng mahabang buhay kagaya nila ang naging dahilan kung bakit sila humantong sa ganito.

"Your ancestors must be proud," sarkastiko niyang sabi habang inaalis ang ilang hibla ng buhok na tumatakip sa kaniyang mukha.

"They do. After all, ito rin ang gusto nila." Mala-demonyo itong tumawa. "But sucks for them, it is mine to accomplish."

The doctor shot him bullets from his handcuff, he tried to use a defense spell pero tumagos lang ito at natamaan ang kaniyang braso.

Napahawak siya sa duguan niyang braso habang nakatingin sa guard house sa baba.

'Hurry, son. We might not be able to hold out for long.'

"Insolence!"

Tumaas lahat ng balahibo sa katawan niya nang marinig ang sigaw ng kaniyang asawa. Biglang dumoble ang init ng paligid at naging mas maliwanag kaya napaangat ang kaniyang tingin. Napalunok siya nang makita ang isang higanteng fireball na mas malaki pa kanina.

'Is she trying to kill me as well?'

Mabilis niyang pinalibutan ang sarili ng Water Barrier at saka lumipad palayo. Nanatili naman si Doktor Lucatha at hinayaan ang sariling malamon sa higante at nagliliyab na fireball.

Of course, he was unfazed. Kahit pa ganoon kalaki ang spell, hinding-hindi siya maaapektuhan nito dahil sa lakas ng kaniyang anti-spell. Ang anti-spell na galing sa kapangyarihan ng isang dragon na tagabantay sa lahat ng mayroon at walang buhay, si Witheria. Nakuha ito ng doktor mula sa Eteria na nilikha ni Ghequiteo.

Ang tanging paraan lang para mawala ang bisa ng anti-spell ay kunin ang enerhiyang nagmumula roon. Just like how the same attribute could be an immunity to the user, it could also sip the energy of the same property.

At gagana lang iyon kapag ang mismong may-ari ng enerhiya ang kukuha—si Witheria. And the S-gene that Witheria chose in this millennium was his son, Lisianthus.

Kung hindi lang sana nahaluan ng teknolohiya ang mga handcuff, hindi sana maaapektuhan ang kaniyang anak sa anti-spell nito. At kung hindi lang isang malaking enerhiya ang kapalit para kunin ang lahat ng enerhiya na nagmumula sa handcuff, hinding-hindi niya papayagan si Lis na gawin ang gusto nitong mangyari.

Napakuyom ang kaniyang kamao. Ito ang iniiwisan niyang gawin ng kaniyang anak kaya niya binigay ang Dragon Stone sa isang magician. Nais niyang pahabain pa ang oras upang makapag-isip siya ng ibang paraan, subalit napunta pa rin sila sa ganitong situwasyon.

Muli niyang sinulyapan ang guard house. Bumukas ito at nilabas doon ang kaniyang anak.