"Hmm,"

I jolted upright at the sound, wonder taking over as I saw a familiar man walk in the room. Heto nanaman tayo.

I watched quietly as he made his way towards his seat, lifted his bag to his shoulder then looked at me.

"Well," He began, "It seems that your proselytizing didn't work."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Dang, he really is something.

"Kung minsan kasi, huwag ipilit ang paniniwala. Lalong-lalo na kapag hindi naman ito logical," Kumento niya sabay lakad palayo.

At this point I felt my brows knit, releasing a furious sigh as I prepared to respond. "Hoy," I crossed my arms. "Anong illogical? Who told you believing in God is illogical? Akala ko ba matalino ka?"

"Yes, it's illogical." His lips curved to a smirk.

"At paano mo naman 'yon nasabi?" I pressed. "Don't you know that many notable people in the scientific world actually posit to the existence of a Supreme Being?" Panimula ko, "Take Louis Pastuer for instance! He was a pioneer of microbiology and medicine. You know what he said? He said 'A little science estranges man from God, but too much science brings him back' - meaning even science when carefully studied leads to the assumption of a Supreme Being. Also, I'm sure you know who Isaac Newton is right? You know what he said? He stated, 'This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful being'." I took a pause and took in a breath. "You're trying to disprove the existence of the basis and standard of literally ... everything! The One who created you!"

A scoff escaped his lips. "That's the thing. God did not create anything," he remarked, his face void of emotion, "Man created a god for himself. This is man's mechanism to cope with his fear of the unknown. You're positing claims from people who are blinded by religion,"

"-And you're positing claims from people who are blinded by their anger and bitterness with God!"

Dead silence filled our midst. For a brief moment, I saw his eyes shift.

"Aminin mo, Gabriel." I heaved a sigh, summoning the courage to speak of the questions that raged in my mind. "May galit ka din sa Diyos, hindi ba?"

--

Note: If you are re-reading, you may notice that this is not the original prologue. I am doing some edits in this story and this is an updated version. Aside from this though, no major parts of the novel will be changed. Enjoy!