Three more chapters and Blood Brawls will officially close! Chapter 100 will then start the final arc :>

-chapter ninety-six-

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SOLACE

'The timer counts to zero. We hit the ground.'

"HEX, WALA pa ang rewards for the two competitions?" 

Tinapos muna ni Hex ang paghati sa cake ni Priamos bago ako sinagot, "The rewards will be sent to the winning players once Blood Brawls finally closes, Sol. Kailangan pang matapos ang Combat Arena."

I let out a sigh. It would be better if we find out which event holds the key para hindi na kami masyadong mag-aksaya ng panahon. Going after the winner with the key would be a much more reasonable option. After all, it's not only the creator that's our enemy. The clock is still ticking.

"By the way, Sol." hinawi ko ang buhok na nilipad ng hangin at tumingin kay Hex. May hawak siyang papel. "If you ever win your first match, you'll be up against Halcyon."

Kumunot ang noo ko. "Two matches in the same night?"

"The rangers and rogues event has ended, so there are more time to use." dagdag ng kakadating na si Cord. He must have noticed my curious stare because he says, "I've finished my battle. Aisling is currently fighting."

Tumango ako at umupo siya sa tabi ko. The wind blows again, making my hair dance to its rhythm. Nasa labas kami ngayon at hinihintay sina Vesta, Minerva, Voldmir at Feyre. Cord makes his own tea besides me, shoulders stiff and face stern. Naningkit ang mata ko. May nangyari ba kanina?

"Solace." tawag niya. "Tomorrow. Finish your battle fast."

"Huh? Bakit?"

"The Warlord will be fighting against a strong opponent. It will be a good time to memorize and study his attacks."

"Hmm. Okay..." naalala ko ang sinabi ni Hex. "Oo nga pala. Do you have any idea about my first opponent, Hex?"

"Your brother's very own warrior, of course."

Nanlaki ang mata ko sa nakakakilabot na bulong sa tainga. I slowly turned my head to face the newcomer and got instantly pissed. Ang ganda ng ngiti ng kakambal ko sa likod. Nakaupo siya't umaakto na parang kasamahan namin. Behind him, Irusu gave me the most tired look ever. I could feel his thoughts. Bakit ba siya ang nakatakdang magbantay sa bobong kambal ko? Aba. Kasalanan mo't jinowa mo 'yan.

"Paano ka nakapunta dito?"

River pokes my forehead. "By walking, my stupid sister."

"Go away. Walang may gusto sa'yo dito."

"Tama siya, Anima-l!" nagulat kaming dalawa sa boses na sumingit sa likod niya. Feyre's standing there, hands on her hips as she sneers at my twin. "Napakadami namang time ng leader na 'to. Hindi ka pa ba pinapalayas ng guild mo at kung saan-saan ka gumagala? Are you some stray?"

"Heh." River curls his lips into a snarl. "I don't wanna hear that from some back alley cat. Eh, ikaw? Bakit hindi ka pa naba-ban sa mga violations mo?"

"Doon tayo magkaiba, malansang ama ni Nirvana. The reports against me are not true, pero ikaw? Sigurado akong naiinis na ang guild mo sa bigla mong paalis-alis."

"Oh~? At sino ka para sabihing naiini-"

"Tama na nga 'yan." pumagitna ako at pinaghiwalay ang nagbabatuhang ulo nila. I glanced at Feyre who instantly softens. "Feyre, kamusta?"

"Nope. He's not here in the city. I've already searched the whole area and Vesta covered up any spots I have missed. We also used Minerva's scout ability, pero it seems that-" naging seryoso ang titig niya. "It seems that he's never once stepped inside the city, Sol. No traces. No clues."

"Same here," napatingin ako kay Voldmir na kakadating lang. Cerberus is tailing behind him. "I searched the whole forest with Cerbe and Hades Eye, but no luck."

"Gano'n ba..." tugon ko at malamyang tumango. "Thank you for looking around. Magpahinga na muna kayo."

Bumalik ako sa pagkakaupo. Feyre's worried stares were very obvious hanggang sa patigilin siya ni Hex. I let out a sigh. A warm body places themselves besides mine.

"Are you looking for that boy, sis?" River asks, face unreadable.

Tumango ako. After the Kill☆Shot game, Hiraeth was nowhere to be found. The drop-off point for the rangers after game is situated in a single area, at wala siya doon. We suspected that he might be with Vesta who was getting resurrected in the Cathedral, pero wala din siya doon. Vesta then said that Hiraeth vanished before her, just like all the buildings and things that made up the dimension called Dead Ground. Could he be transported to another location since he was registered in the game as an NPC? 

'Yon ang naisip namin kaya nagsplit-up kami to find him. The three of us in the Arena. Feyre and Vesta to survey the whole city, with Vesta's large-scale scope and Feyre's speed. Voldmir was in charge of looking into the forest so he can unleash his power without harming other players. He also summoned Cerberus kaya kailangan talagang siya lang mag-isa. He's still not good at taming the wild dog.

But, Hiraeth's still nowhere, huh?

I lost Hiraeth again.

"Reverie," River never called me by my full name. "Are you still going to save that boy?"

Napabaling ako sa kaniya. Hindi nakatingin si River sa'kin, ngunit sa mga taong nasa labas ng arena. His face is unreadable but there's a serious edge to his eyes and his lips are set in a grim line. Why does he look so serious? And what for?

"Yes..." hindi siya sumagot kaya napatanong ako ng, "Why?"

River glances at me. "...Nothing. I just think it's not a very good move."

Come to think of it, River was always against this idea of mine. Does he hate Hiraeth for some reason, doesn't believe the story, or is just too overprotective of me again? Geez. He should sit back and calm down for once. I'm not a little girl anymore, you know.

"Pero ang galing ni Ate Vesta!" Priamos exclaims. "Ginawa niya 'yon but she's still part of the Top 10!"

Feyre chuckles. "You mean the Top 7? Kasi pitong pangalan lang ang nasa kill count board, right?"

"You're too boastful for a person who won number 1 with a kid's trick." Hex stomps down Feyre's victorious parade.

"Huh?! Kung kid's trick 'yon, eh bakit natrick ko sila, huh?! Ano, bata sila, gano'n?"

"All rogues act so childishly that everyone mistakes them for a child." Voldmir supplies and glances at Irusu who sits, a little amused. "Oh, but you're an exemption, Kuya Irusu."

"Thank you." 

Feyre began to shout about disrespect and unfairness in the background.

"I only managed to rank inside because of the killings I made on the first day," sagot ni Vesta. "It fell on the second day and obviously, the final day. It's also thanks to Chaska and Yuji's purging of rangers with kills kaya nawawala sila sa board."

Oh, that's right. For some reason, the Wolfsbane and Night Growler's rangers teamed up in the final fight, focusing on the rangers who stock up kills than NPC. After all, the kills of the rangers they kill adds up to their own. It's an easy way to climb up ladders. Erasing the weak.

"Still, shouldn't masasama po ang kills niyo to Luci since she killed you?" tanong ni Minerva.

"I died after the game, which means Luci bullets did not count. Kaya sa final results, my HP was unreadable and not zero. Kaya naprocess pa rin ng administrators ang kills ko." Vesta sighs. "Pero, I'm still on the second to the last spot. Only the victors get the key."

Natahimik sila sandali bago iniba ang topic. Sinulyapan ko ang kakambal at tinusok siya sa gilid. Mahina siyang napatalon sa ginawa ko. Hehe.

"Hinahayaan mo lang ang members mo na gawin ang gusto nila?"

River scoffs. "They can handle themselves. Besides, sila naman nagdesisyon na sumali dito. Because it was fun, they said. Personally, I don't see any profit in joining these."

Nasaan na ba ang usual na kapatid na magsasabing sumali kami dito para tulungan ka? I sighed mentally. Kung mayroon mang gano'n, I'd hand River over in a heartbeat.

"V's your opponent. He's not going to be a problem, just give him a good time." River stands and Irusu follows. Paalis na sila nang biglang tumigil ang kakambal ko at tumingin sa'kin na parang may naalala. "Ah. I forgot my primary intention."

So anong secondary? Ang iritahin ako?

"Dad sent a message."

Natigilan ako. Dad? "Anong sabi?"

"He says, he thinks he'll be able to meet us sooner than intended." sagot niya't tuluyang umalis. Irusu waves me goodbye before following my brother.

Dad sent a message? He's meeting us soon? Uuwi na ba siya? Come to think of it, I forgot where he actually went to. Ang alam ko lang ay nasa malayo siya and he's the one who's handling our finances after our mother died. 

Dad, huh. I can't recall my childhood memories anymore, they stay on my mind like blank canvases. River never answers my question about them, too. Ang tanging alam ko lang ay malapit na malapit ako sa Papa namin while River is much closer with Mom. My father loves tinkering with things, the apple of my passion, and I love to follow him to his work. My mother who operates a food chain was my twin's mentor. My mother was a sweet woman who always gives her best to ensure our health and comfort. And in return, we ensured our mother's safety.

When she died, everything collapsed.

"SHOULD I call you Mi'Lady?" nagagalak na tanong ni V sa'kin.

Ngumiwi ako. "Please don't."

Nakatayo kami ngayon sa gitna ng arena. Two lights focused on us and hundreds of eyes fixed at our every move. Eyes that varied from interested, curious, envious, and bloodthirsty. V stands before me, white shortsword struck on the ground and black hair hiding his left eye.

V smirks. "Then, Onee-sama?"

His tone is so playful that you can mistake it for an excited child. Well, he looks like 16 at most, if his appearance is truly tied to the real world. He and Priamos would be very good friends.

I made the first move, raising my sword up high and striking it towards him. But all I met was air. Nanlaki ang mata ko. Lalo na nang maramdaman ko ang presensiya niya sa likod, still wearing a grin. He's fast! Did he predict my move?

V strikes his sword. I quickly turn around to deflect it with my own, sparks flying in the air as two blades meet. The impact sent us flying to either side of the arena. Nang makatayo kami'y muli naming sinugod ang isa't isa.

Truly, V is a formidable opponent. Malalakas ang bawat bitaw niya ng atake at napakabilis ng galaw niya. He's also good at predicting my next move. However, if it is only a battle between strength and agility, I have more at my arsenal. Hinampas ko ng napakalakas ang espada sa lupa, and it grumbles and cracks before it breaks. V stops in his tracks and loses his balance. I closes our distance and pierces the sword to his chest. He gasps and coughs up blood.

V laughs.

"Hey, Onee-sama." napatingin ako sa kaniya. Kailan niya ba titigilan 'to- Natigilan ako nang makita ang kakaibang ngiti na nagpakita sa labi niya. "Tell me, how are you using a light-enchanted sword when your element is lightning?"

"Huh?"

V tilts his head. For a player who's slowly vanishing, napakarami niya pa ring energy. "Your main weapon is not the sword, am I right? The element that flows around you is of lightning, which means it's the dagger that's your weapon. When we reach Level 10, the game gifts us a weapon that pairs up with our element and becomes one of our bases for choosing a job. So why are you, a supposedly rogue, holding a giant sword of light?"

Bago pa ako makasagot ay tuluyan siyang nawala. The Zeus of Dagger is my true weapon? Am I suppose to be a rogue rather than a warrior? Huh?! Bakit ngayon pa nangyari ang identity crisis kong ito?!

"PLEASE DON'T visit another world in our battle, beautiful elf." nahinto ako sa iniisip nang magsalita ang lalaking nasa harap ko.

It's time. A reenactment of our previous battle at the Game of Governors. Now we stand in the same ground, as enemies once again. Halcyon sighs and tucks a strand of his ear-cut hair. Black eyes pierce into mine, jaw set and face stern. Pasimpleng nililipad ng hangin ang mahaba at itim na coat na suot niya. His left gloved hand rests on the twin blades in his waist holster. He looks and is terribly the Black Knight.

"We meet again." muli niyang wika nang may tipid na ngiti sa labi.

Sinagot ko ito ng sariling ngiti. "We meet again. You're a strong opponent. It's an opportunity to take you on again."

Naningkit ang mata ko nang muling namula ang pisngi niya, but he still looks calm so I ignored it. Baka nilamig lang?

"As you are, my beautiful slayer."

What's with this guy and his love for adjectives? Kailangan ko din ba siyang tawagin ng 'cool' for example? 

Halcyon gives me a sincere smile. "It's such an opportunity to go against a beautiful beast like you."

The clock strikes and the battle begins. We stood for a few seconds before our eyes met and an agreement forms. Sumugod siya sa'kin at gano'n din ako sa kaniya. He strikes his left sword down at me. Mabilis ko itong dinepensahan. His right sword flies towards me, kaya wala akong choice kundi sipain ito palayo. But that move proved to be wrong. Because Halcyon's blade is too sharp that it cut along my armor.

Tumalon ako at umikot, now slashing my sword against his lower blade. Halcyon rains me with overwhelming and speedy attacks through his twin blades. They're fast and I surely lose in terms of number. Two sharp blades with insane amount of speed is a terrifying opponent. However, I'm stronger.

I meet his blade mid-strike, steps forward, spins and slashes again. Kaya he has no choice but to counter with his other sword. Two swords against one. I pushed against him, offering more strength onto the cursed or gifted sword. The sword that doesn't really belong to me. The sword that has very unknown intentions.

In terms of strength, I win. 

Halcyon is sent flying to the other side of the ring, ground crumbling and a slight tremble happens in the arena. The smoke of dust disappears and Halcyon stands in the disaster, a cruel smile on his face as he emits black aura. Black flames that seems to consume his twin blades. 

I mimic his smile. Gold flames starts to burn in my sword. 

Our eyes meet. Our blades meet in the middle, sending golden and black wind storms. Blue shield activates within the arena ring to limit the power being wield and stop it from harming players outside. 

Halcyon smiles like a beast unleashed. "Now, let's start the dance, shall we?"

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-chapter end-

[NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW]:

Solace Vs. Queen.

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