THIRD PERSON

Closing his eyes for the barest seconds, Alexius drowned himself with alcohol. Every year, he pays respects to the death of his family and friends and spends his days mourning for them. "Should I have died with you. . .I wouldn't have to suffer like this." He whispered, leaning against the aspen tree while looking at his mother's tombstone. 

Throughout the years, the memories he had gave him nothing but misery and agony. On the day he was sealed, he vowed to avenge the death of his family. He swore on his life to get even with the people who committed genocide in his kingdom. Those people who betrayed them will receive his wrath tenfold. 

Thousands of years ago, Zahartha was a home of ostracized people with no magical prowess. They were treated as enslaved people in charge of hard labor in the kingdom. They were discriminated against, stripped of their rights, and labeled as lowly people. However, a lone God was fascinated by them. 

Evtyx, the God of Void. He was a supreme being possessing the power that transcends the natural law by directly bending and manipulating reality. It was called Arcane Magic, a power that was considered to be malignant and evil just because it was different for everyone. 

He secretly taught the people his magic to protect themselves. He gave them enough knowledge to make their lives easier and aid them. He only warned them one thing: that the moment he heard someone using their power to hurt and bully the weak, he would nullify everyone's ability and turn them back into powerless beings. 

The Zaharthan people were thankful enough for teaching them how to wield different elements, discover their unique abilities, and hone them into skills. So, no one tried to go against Evtyx's condition. Until then, the news that the people who were once powerless gained power reached the ears of the Gods and Goddesses. 

Evtyx was judged by his purpose, but he stood on his ground and kept his stand firm because he believed that every being in the world deserved magic. He then put his life on the line and promised to take responsibility for whatever the people of Zahartha may do. And that's how Zahartha found its first ruler. 

As years passed by, Evtyx appointed a king. The rest of the regions have their rulers chosen by the  Ancient Goddess Esmeralda—she called them Archons. To keep the peace in each region, she also appointed a Westerian Czar. 

Due to Esmeralda's blessing and guidance, the kingdom was in peace—but it didn't last for long. The Archons became wary of the talented people of Zahartha. They were jealous of their agricultural intelligence, excellent weapon forging and machinery inventions, and advanced military tactics. Seeing how people who used to gravel on their knees as slaves work together and prosper gives them an ick. They couldn't accept that their way of living was better than theirs. 

So, the Archons created different incidents and anomalies and blamed them on the people of Zahartha. It caused the people of Westeria to be prejudiced against them. Until one day, the Archons' lies and deception bared its fruit. A battalion of armies attacked the city with Zahartha's insignia. They instigated a war and blamed it on the Zaharthan people, claiming they wanted to rule Westeria. 

Esmeralda, thinking Evtyx had gone insane and wanted to covet her land,  revealed his mana was from a forbidden magic, the Arcane. Therefore, the Gods and Goddesses shattered his soul and cursed his land and people. They are known as Dark Mages, who practice the Black Magic of the Arcane.

During that time, the king and queen of Zahartha were Alexius' birth parents. He was but a young child who knew nothing about waging wars that caused hundreds and thousands of lives to be killed. All he remembers is the withering of the flowers and trees, the death of their animals, and the barren land. He witnessed the sun's setting and never saw it rising again as their land plunged into eternal darkness. 

 The Gods and Goddesses were never seen or heard again after the curse. And so, the war between the four regions of Westeria against Zahartha continued. Due to the withered crops and barren land, famine spread. They had no food or water to drink. However, they continued to resist the Westerian armies even if they had to eat one of their kind to survive and defend their land. 

One day, the Westerian Czar called for a 100-year truce. They sent them a supply of medicines, food, and water to honor the truce. To show they had no desire to continue the war, the king and queen removed the last remaining barrier bestowed by Evtyx, which protects the people of Zahartha from unwanted attacks. 

At night, when the civilians were peacefully sleeping, Westeria attacked them. They started hunting down children as if they were mere rats they were trying to catch and kill. Even the infants did not escape from their sinful hands. The pregnant women were beaten to death. Married women were stripped and raped in front of their husbands, children, and relatives. The elderly were treated as a human shield against their attacks. Their bodies were chopped off to feed their hungry family. 

It was when the king and queen of Zahartha sacrificed their cultivated mana to save as many people as they could by transforming their mana into a formidable shield. Alexius watched his mother and father get slain outside the shield as the land became a bloodbath covered with piles of bodies and raining fires from the sky. 

The last thing he remembered was the colossal meteorite falling down the lifeless ground. It created waves of energy that killed more lives. As flashing memories of how his friends and parents died, the sorrow and grief made him unleash the power he never thought he had. His fury burned the souls of the Westerian people. His unending tears caused the rain to flood the entire kingdom. Every sob and shout he made turned into storms and thunderclaps. His raging emotions caused the wildfire across the forest regions. 

It was only a matter of time before a child like him was about to kill everyone in the kingdom when the Westerian Czar and the Archons arrived to subdue him. They could not believe that a mere child like him could solo kill their armies. The Archons tried convincing the Westerian Czar to kill him before he grew stronger, but she decided to seal him.

After many years of being sealed, his hatred grew stronger. Nightmares after nightmares. It drove him insane. The screams of his people, his friends' begging eyes, his parents' last smile—it was forever etched in his mind. Their deaths have become his curse—a curse to avenge them. 

So when the daughter of the Westererian Czar accidentally entered his seal, he took his chance and befriended her. He made a fool out of her, manipulated her, and gaslighted her. She was like a perfect doll, with him controlling the strings. He used her to question her mother and tricked her into opening his seal using the Westerian Czar's blood. 

When he returned to his homeland, it became a desert. It almost seemed like none of his people managed to survive. But he was wrong; the sacrifice of his mother and father managed to sustain the next generation of Zaharthan people. As they welcomed him as the new king and honored his arrival, he had been preparing to wage another war with Westeria. Using his power, he used terror and fear for connections. He has been gathering intel about the Archons and their regions. He had a thousand-year plan to ruin the kingdom that brought calamity to his land. 

But everything changed when he set his eyes on this woman in front of him—the woman who could calm his demons and make them disappear just by her presence. 

"Alexius?" She held both of his cheeks, trying to bring him back to his dazed state; worry was written in her eyes. 

He suppressed the smile on his lips. His name. He wouldn't admit it, but he liked hearing her say his name. It brought him a different feeling, as if his heart was being tugged by a warm and gentle hand. 

"You. . .are driving me insane—" He left out a soft chuckle before tilting his head sideways to look better at her face. "—but in a good way." He closed his eyes tightly. 

What is he even saying? 

She always lingers in his mind everywhere he goes and what he does. The more he tried to push her away and avoid her, the more he wanted never to leave her side. He craves her gaze, her attention, her presence. 

But with such a woman with the face of a Goddess and a voice like an angel, will a saint like her deserve to be with an evil man like him? He doubts that. He doesn't deserve her. The heavens won't be that merciful for him because he has already suffered too much all his life. It is too late to console him.

His hand unconsciously found its way to her hips, gently pulling her for a hug. Siniksik niya ang ulo niya sa leeg nito habang nakayakap sa dalaga. All he needs is her, and he will be at peace again. His nightmares will naturally go away. He will calm down. 

"It's okay, you're okay. I am here." She lulled, stroking his hair with her left hand while the other tapped his back. 

"Look at me." Napabitaw ito sa pagyakap upang tumunghay sa babaeng kaharap. For some unknown reasons, she felt as if he completely let his guard down. 

Alexius has been nonchalantly sharp and expressionless in public, but right now, his eyes opened a curtain of emotions that he showed no one but her. She couldn't help but think that he had let his walls down for her and willingly made her see his vulnerable side. 

"I will protect the world from you, and I will protect you against the world." The stubbornness in her eyes were evident. There is determination and passion. "I will make sure you can't hurt anyone, including yourself." Lumamlam ang mata ng binata sa narinig. Pakiramdam niya ay mas lalo siyang naliyo sa mga salitang naririnig. 

No, it's too good to be true. It was all a lie—a deception. 

"You are just like everyone else, Alexius—a human with feelings. Pain is not the only emotion that exists. There is happiness and contentment. Longing and pleasure. There is. . . love." He felt his head getting light due to alcohol, but he understood her clearly. 

But love. To love and be loved. Can such a thing still exist? He was incapable of loving. 

"And I will show you the love the world and the people refused you to give." He couldn't make sense of the validation that was coming out of her mouth. It was new to him. All he knows is that his mind was overflowing with thoughts he could not understand. 

"I will make—" He grabbed her by the neck and smashed his lips against her, savoring the sweet taste of her mouth. She stiffened. Nanlalaki ang mata niya habang nakatingin sa binatang nakapikit habang masuyo siyang hinahalikan. 

His smell lingered in her nostrils. She tasted the alcohol in his mouth, yet she could also smell a heavy smoke of maple and sandalwood scent in him—a summer-sweet scent.

 He pulled away when he noticed she wasn't kissing back. Namumungay mata itong napatingala sa dalaga. His eyes were lost, seeking her gaze to ask for forgiveness if he ever offended her. But instead, she clutched his hair and leaned in to kiss him back without shame. 

Their tongue battled for dominance. And all Xiomara could think of was helping him ease the pain and suffering she deliberately caused him. She clung her arms to his neck and straddled on top of him, kissing him ferociously. Napahiga na lang ang hari sa sahig kung saan nagkalat ang mga tuyong dahon. He groaned.

While she was taking the lead of the kiss, he let himself succumb into his emotions. Just once. No, even just this once, he wanted to know how it feels like. Nagpatianod lang siya sa aguhon ng kanyang damdamin. Hinayaan niya ang sarili niyang malunod sa halik ng natatanging babaeng nagparamdam sa kanya ng importansya at halaga 'di dahil kung ano at sino siya kun'di dahil tao lang din siya. 

Alexius raised his left hand to touch her shoulder, but she clasped his hand and pinned it down. She demanded control, and so he let her. Sa gitna ng kanilang paghahalikan at pagpapalitan ng laway ay naramdaman ng mga ito ang mainit na ihinga ng isa't isa. 

Sa kabila ng pagdaan ng malamig na hangin sa pagitan nila ay hindi ito naging dahilan upang mapatay ang lumalaganlab na apoy na patuloy na tumutupok sa pagkatao nilang dalawa. 

Xiomara was about to break away from the kiss when he nibbled on her lower lip to deepen the kiss. In a swift move, they switched positions. Ngayon ay nakaibabaw na ito sa dalaga. His left arm was leaning on the ground while the other was holding her legs slightly lifted up to his waist, gently caressing her thighs while kissing her intently. 

Xiomara could only gulp in embarrassment as her cheeks flushed red. Rinig na rinig niya ang malakas na tibok ng puso niya at pakiramdam niya ay mabibingi na siya. It felt as though her heart is about to burst out of her chest. Hindi niya na alam kung ang hari ba ang may tama ng alak o siya.

"The things you do to me. . ." He whispered and pulled away, looking at her eyes while sharing breathes together. 

Oh, to be embraced and kissed by my villain. . . what a sweet deception. 

G O L U C K Y C H A R M